Substrate processing method and substrate processing apparatus

Abstract

To provide a substrate treatment method which enables efficient processing without having to adjust CMP processing conditions according to a shape of a bevel part of each substrate, in applying CMP processing to a plane part of a substrate for a plurality of substrates.SOLUTION: In a substrate treatment method, a bevel part B of a plurality of substrates W are polished with a polishing tool and CMP processing is applied to a plane part P of the plurality of substrates W in which the bevel part B has been polished, so that an inclined angle α of an inclined surface S of the bevel part B of the plurality of substrates W are the same.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate such as a wafer, and particularly to a substrate processing method and a substrate processing apparatus for polishing a bevel portion of a substrate and performing CMP processing on a flat portion of the substrate.

Background Art

[0002] As a technique in the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is known. A CMP apparatus for performing CMP processing holds a substrate with a CMP head and rotates the substrate, and further presses the substrate against a polishing pad on a rotating polishing table to perform CMP processing on the surface of the substrate (more specifically, the flat portion of the substrate). During polishing, a polishing liquid (slurry) is supplied to the polishing pad, and the flat portion of the substrate is planarized by a combination of the chemical action of the polishing liquid and the mechanical action of abrasive grains contained in the polishing liquid and / or the polishing pad.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Even when using bare wafers of the same standard, variations may occur in the shape of the bevel portion of each substrate. In addition, variations may also occur in the film formation state of insulating films, metal films, etc. of the substrate. Therefore, the shape of the bevel portion of the substrate before CMP processing is different for each substrate. When performing CMP processing on a plurality of substrates, due to variations in the shape of the bevel portion of each substrate, it may affect the polishing rate of the substrate. Therefore, in order to perform CMP processing on the flat portion of the substrate with a uniform polishing profile, it was necessary to adjust the CMP processing conditions for each substrate according to the shape of the bevel portion of each substrate.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention provides a substrate processing method and a substrate processing apparatus that can efficiently process multiple substrates without having to adjust the CMP processing conditions according to the shape of the bevel portion of each substrate when performing CMP processing on the planar portion of each substrate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] Figure 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the peripheral edge of a substrate W during CMP processing. The substrate W is rotated by a CMP head (not shown). The flat portion P of the substrate W is subjected to CMP processing by being pressed against the polishing surface 72a of a polishing pad 72 on a rotating polishing table (not shown). The inventors have found that differences in the shape of the bevel portion B of the substrate W result in differences in how the polishing pad 72 deforms when the substrate W is pressed against the polishing pad 72. As shown in Figure 1, when the substrate W is pressed against the polishing surface 72a of the polishing pad 72, the polishing pad 72 deforms along the inclined surface S of the bevel portion B of the substrate W. Such deformation of the polishing pad 72 affects the polishing rate of the flat portion P of the substrate W, and in particular the polishing rate of the edge portion of the substrate W.

[0007] Therefore, in one embodiment, a substrate processing method for processing multiple substrates having a flat portion which is the surface to be subjected to CMP processing and a bevel portion which has a different shape, wherein the bevel portion polishing module is used with the same inclination angle of the polishing tool, The substrate holding part A substrate processing method is provided, which involves pressing the polishing tool against the inclined surface of the bevel portion of each of the multiple substrates that have been rotated, thereby polishing the bevel portion of each of the multiple substrates so that the inclined surface is inclined at the same angle of inclination with respect to the flat portion, and after the bevel portion has been polished, performing CMP processing on the flat portion of the multiple substrates adjacent to the inclined surface using a CMP module under the same CMP processing conditions. In one embodiment, the substrate processing method further includes measuring the shape of at least one bevel portion of the plurality of substrates using a bevel portion shape measuring module before polishing the bevel portions of the plurality of substrates. In one embodiment, the substrate processing method further includes determining the polishing conditions for the bevel portions of the plurality of substrates based on the measurement results of the shape of the bevel portions, using an operation control unit that controls the operation of the bevel portion polishing module.

[0008] In one embodiment, after polishing the bevel portion, The bevel shape measurement module described above, The shape of the bevel portion of at least one of the plurality of substrates is measured, and when the inclination angle of the bevel portion of the at least one substrate does not reach a predetermined angle, The bevel polishing module mentioned above allows The bevel portion of at least one of the substrates is polished again. In one embodiment, the bevel polishing module that polishes the bevel portion and the CMP module that performs the CMP treatment are arranged within the same housing. By the aforementioned bevel polishing module Polishing of the bevel portion Afterward, without cleaning or drying the substrate, the CMP module continuously processes the planar portion The CMP process but It will continue.

[0009] one In this embodiment, the planar portion is the surface to be subjected to CMP processing, Different shapes A substrate processing apparatus for processing multiple substrates, each having a bevel portion, comprising: a bevel portion polishing module for polishing the bevel portion of each of the multiple substrates by pressing a polishing tool against the bevel portion of each of the multiple substrates; and a CMP module for performing CMP on the flat portion of each of the multiple substrates. The bevel polishing module includes a substrate holder that holds and rotates the substrate, The bevel polishing module is With the inclination angle of the polishing tool being the same, the polishing tool is pressed against the inclined surface of the bevel portion of each of the multiple substrates rotated by the substrate holding part, The planar portion is tilted at the same angle of inclination. slanted The CMP module is configured to polish the bevel portions of the plurality of substrates so that the inclined surface is formed, and the CMP module polishes the planar portions of the plurality of substrates adjacent to the inclined surface after the bevel portions have been polished. Under the same CMP processing conditions A substrate processing apparatus configured to perform CMP (Chemical Polishing) is provided. 。 oneIn one embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus further comprises a bevel shape measuring module for measuring the shape of at least one bevel portion of the plurality of substrates.

[0010] In one embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus further comprises an operation control unit that controls the operation of the bevel shape measuring module and the bevel polishing module, and the operation control unit is configured to determine the polishing conditions for the bevels of the plurality of substrates based on the measurement results of the shape of the bevels. In one embodiment, the bevel shape measuring module measures the shape of at least one bevel of the plurality of substrates whose bevels have been polished, and the bevel polishing module is configured to polish the bevel of the at least one substrate again if the inclination angle of the bevel of the at least one substrate has not reached a predetermined angle. In one embodiment, the bevel polishing module and the CMP module are arranged in the same housing, and the bevel is polished by the bevel polishing module. After that, without washing or drying the substrate, The CMP module The planar portion The CMP process but It will continue. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, the bevels of multiple substrates are polished so that the inclination angle of the bevels is the same, and then the planar portions of the multiple substrates are subjected to CMP (Chemical Polishing) treatment. This makes it possible to efficiently perform CMP treatment on the planar portions of multiple substrates while achieving the same polishing profile for the planar portions (especially the edges of the substrates) of the multiple substrates. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the peripheral edge of the substrate during CMP (Chemical Polishing) treatment. [Figure 2] Figures 2(a) and 2(b) are enlarged cross-sectional views showing the peripheral edge of the substrate. [Figure 3] This is a plan view showing one embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 4] FIG. 4(a) and FIG. 4(b) are schematic diagrams showing an embodiment of the bevel portion shape measurement module. [Figure 5] It is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the bevel portion of the substrate before and after polishing by the bevel portion polishing module. [Figure 6] It is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of the bevel portion polishing module. [Figure 7] It is a plan view showing a tilt mechanism for tilting the polishing head at a predetermined angle. [Figure 8] It is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the CMP module. [Figure 9] It is a plan view showing the configuration inside the first housing according to another embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 10] It is a plan view showing the configuration inside the second housing according to another embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2(a) and FIG. 2(b) are enlarged cross-sectional views showing the peripheral portion of the substrate W. More specifically, FIG. 2(a) is a cross-sectional view of a so-called straight type substrate, and FIG. 2(b) is a cross-sectional view of a so-called round type substrate. The bevel portion B is the outermost surface inclined with respect to the planar portion P of the substrate W, and has a chamfered shape or a rounded shape. The planar portion P of the substrate W is the surface to be subjected to CMP (chemical mechanical polishing) treatment described later, and is usually the device surface on which the device is formed.

[0014] In the substrate W shown in Figure 2(a), the bevel portion B is the outermost surface of the substrate W, composed of an upper inclined surface (upper bevel portion) S1, a lower inclined surface (lower bevel portion) S2, and a side portion (apex) R. In the substrate W shown in Figure 2(b), the bevel portion B is a portion having a curved cross-section that constitutes the outermost surface of the substrate W. The top edge portion E1 is an annular flat portion located radially inward of the bevel portion B, and is a region located within the device surface of the substrate W. The bottom edge portion E2 is an annular flat portion located on the opposite side from the top edge portion E1 and radially inward of the bevel portion B. The top edge portion E1 may also include the region on which the device is formed. In this specification, the region described as the bevel portion B may include the top edge portion E1 and the bottom edge portion E2.

[0015] Figure 3 is a plan view showing one embodiment of a substrate processing apparatus. The substrate processing apparatus comprises a bevel shape measuring module 3, bevel polishing modules 4A, 4B, CMP modules 6A, 6B, a cleaning and drying unit 7, a load port 10, a first transport robot 16, a second transport robot 17, a third transport robot 18, and a fourth transport robot 19. The bevel shape measuring module 3, bevel polishing modules 4A, 4B, CMP modules 6A, 6B, cleaning and drying unit 7, the first transport robot 16, the second transport robot 17, the third transport robot 18, and the fourth transport robot 19 are all located within the same housing 100. In one embodiment, the bevel shape measuring module 3 may be located outside the housing 100.

[0016] Multiple substrates to be processed are housed in a substrate cassette 2, which is placed on a load port 10. The first transport robot 16 is positioned adjacent to the load port 10. The first transport robot 16 takes a substrate before processing from the substrate cassette 2 on the load port 10 and passes it to the bevel shape measurement module 3. The bevel shape of the substrate is then measured by the bevel shape measurement module 3, and the substrate is then transported from the bevel shape measurement module 3 to the second transport robot 17. The first transport robot 16 may also take a substrate before processing from the substrate cassette 2 on the load port 10 and pass it to the second transport robot 17 without going through the bevel shape measurement module 3.

[0017] In this embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus comprises two bevel polishing modules 4A, 4B and two CMP modules 6A, 6B. However, in one embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus may comprise only one bevel polishing module and one CMP module, or it may comprise three or more bevel polishing modules and three or more CMP modules.

[0018] The bevel polishing modules 4A, 4B and the CMP modules 6A, 6B are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the housing 100. The substrate to be processed has its bevel polished by at least one of the bevel polishing modules 4A, 4B, and then the planar portion is subjected to CMP treatment by at least one of the CMP modules 6A, 6B. The bevel polishing may be performed using only one bevel polishing module 4A or 4B, or a two-stage bevel polishing may be performed using both bevel polishing modules 4A and 4B. Alternatively, the CMP treatment may be performed using only one CMP module 6A or 6B, or a two-stage CMP treatment may be performed using both CMP modules 6A and 6B.

[0019] The second transport robot 17 is positioned adjacent to the bevel polishing modules 4A and 4B, the CMP modules 6A and 6B, and the cleaning and drying unit 7. The second transport robot 17 transports the substrates received from the first transport robot 16 and transfers the substrates between the bevel polishing modules 4A and 4B and the CMP modules 6A and 6B. Furthermore, the second transport robot 17 passes the substrates received from the CMP modules 6A and 6B to the cleaning and drying unit 7.

[0020] The cleaning and drying unit 7 includes a first cleaning module 12 and a second cleaning module 13 for cleaning substrates whose planar surfaces have been treated with CMP by CMP modules 6A and 6B, and a drying module 14 for drying the cleaned substrates. The first cleaning module 12, the second cleaning module 13, and the drying module 14 are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the housing 100. The first cleaning module 12 is configured to perform scrubbing cleaning with a roll-shaped sponge member. The second cleaning module 13 is configured to perform scrubbing cleaning with a pencil-shaped sponge member. In this embodiment, the cleaning and drying unit 7 includes the first cleaning module 12 and the second cleaning module 13, but in one embodiment, the cleaning and drying unit 7 may include either the first cleaning module 12 or the second cleaning module 13.

[0021] The third transport robot 18 is positioned between the first cleaning module 12 and the second cleaning module 13. The fourth transport robot 19 is positioned between the second cleaning module 13 and the drying module 14. The third transport robot 18 transfers substrates between the first cleaning module 12 and the second cleaning module 13. The fourth transport robot 19 transfers substrates between the second cleaning module 13 and the drying module 14.

[0022] The substrate processing apparatus processes multiple substrates by sequentially performing bevel polishing on each substrate using bevel polishing modules 4A and 4B, CMP treatment on the flat surfaces using CMP modules 6A and 6B, and cleaning and drying the substrates using the cleaning and drying unit 7.

[0023] The substrate processing apparatus further comprises an operation control unit 20 electrically connected to a bevel shape measuring module 3, bevel polishing modules 4A, 4B, CMP modules 6A, 6B, a cleaning and drying unit 7, a first transport robot 16, a second transport robot 17, a third transport robot 18, and a fourth transport robot 19. The operation control unit 20 is configured to control the operation of the bevel shape measuring module 3, bevel polishing modules 4A, 4B, CMP modules 6A, 6B, the cleaning and drying unit 7, the first transport robot 16, the second transport robot 17, the third transport robot 18, and the fourth transport robot 19.

[0024] The operation control unit 20 comprises at least one computer. The operation control unit 20 comprises a storage device 20a and an arithmetic unit 20b. The arithmetic unit 20b includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or GPU (Graphics Processing Module), etc., which performs calculations according to instructions contained in the program stored in the storage device 20a. The storage device 20a comprises main memory (e.g., random access memory) accessible by the arithmetic unit 20b and auxiliary storage (e.g., a hard disk drive or solid-state drive) for storing data and programs. However, the specific configuration of the operation control unit 20 is not limited to these examples.

[0025] In this embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus has bevel polishing modules 4A and 4B and CMP modules 6A and 6B arranged within the same housing 100. When the bevel polishing modules 4A and 4B and the CMP modules 6A and 6B are arranged in separate housings, it was necessary to clean and dry the substrate beforehand when moving it between housings. According to this embodiment, after polishing the bevel with the bevel polishing joules 4A and 4B, the CMP treatment can be performed continuously by the CMP modules 6A and 6B without cleaning or drying the substrate. In addition, the footprint can be reduced compared to when the bevel polishing modules 4A and 4B and the CMP modules 6A and 6B are arranged in separate housings.

[0026] Next, the details of the configuration of the bevel shape measurement module 3 will be described. Figures 4(a) and 4(b) are schematic diagrams showing one embodiment of the bevel shape measurement module 3. As shown in Figure 4(a), the bevel shape measurement module 3 includes a shape measuring device 30 for measuring the shape of the bevel B of the substrate W. The shape measuring device 30 is configured to measure the shape of the object to be measured (including its dimensions) by irradiating the object to be measured with laser light and detecting the laser light reflected from the object to be measured. The shape measuring device 30 measures the shape of the bevel B of the substrate W by scanning the bevel B of the substrate W with laser light.

[0027] In one embodiment, as shown in Figure 4(b), the bevel shape measurement module 3 may be equipped with two shape measuring devices 30A and 30B above and below the bevel B of the substrate W. The bevel shape measurement module 3 may measure the shape of the entire bevel B by integrating the measurement results of the upper part of the bevel B measured by shape measuring device 30A and the measurement results of the lower part of the bevel B measured by shape measuring device 30B.

[0028] The bevel polishing modules 4A and 4B, which will be described in detail later, are configured to polish the inclined surface of the bevel portion B of the substrate W, adjacent to the flat portion P where CMP processing is performed by the CMP modules 6A and 6B. In the straight-type substrate shown in Figure 2(a), the inclined surface polished by the bevel polishing modules 4A and 4B is the portion including the upper inclined surface S1. In the round-type substrate shown in Figure 2(b), the inclined surface polished by the bevel polishing modules 4A and 4B is the portion adjacent to the flat portion P and inclined relative to the flat portion P.

[0029] Figure 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the bevel portion of the substrate before and after polishing by the bevel polishing modules 4A and 4B. The three substrates W1, W2, and W3 before polishing by the bevel polishing modules 4A and 4B have different bevel portion B shapes. More specifically, the three substrates W1, W2, and W3 have inclined surfaces S of the bevel portion B with different inclination angles. The bevel polishing modules 4A and 4B polish the bevel portion B so that the inclination angles of the inclined surfaces S of the substrates W1, W2, and W3 are the same. In Figure 5, the inclined surfaces S' of the substrates W1, W2, and W3 after polishing are shown by dashed lines. The inclined surfaces S' of the substrates W1, W2, and W3 after polishing are inclined at the same inclination angle α with respect to the flat portion P of the substrates W1, W2, and W3.

[0030] The operation control unit 20 determines the polishing conditions for the bevel portion B of the substrate W using the bevel portion polishing modules 4A and 4B, based on the shape measurement results of the bevel portion B of the substrate W measured by the bevel portion shape measurement module 3. The polishing conditions include, for example, the polishing time, the pressing force of the polishing tool against the substrate, and the rotation speed of the substrate. The measurement of the bevel portion B of the substrate by the bevel portion shape measurement module 3 may be performed on all substrates, or it may be performed only on the first substrate in the same processing lot, provided that the polishing conditions can be determined.

[0031] Next, the details of the configurations of the bevel polishing modules 4A and 4B will be described. Since the bevel polishing modules 4A and 4B have basically the same configuration, the bevel polishing module 4A will be described below. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of the bevel polishing module 4A. In this embodiment, the bevel polishing module 4A is configured to polish the bevel portion B of the substrate W by pressing the polishing tape 32, which is used as a polishing tool, against the bevel portion B of the substrate W with the polishing head 33. In one embodiment, the polishing of the bevel portion B by the bevel polishing module 4A may be polishing using a grinding wheel instead of the polishing tape 32 as a polishing tool, or polishing using a polishing pad (e.g., nonwoven fabric) as a polishing tool in the presence of a polishing liquid (slurry) (CMP treatment).

[0032] The bevel polishing module 4A includes a substrate holder 40 that holds and rotates the substrate W to be polished, a polishing head 33 that presses a polishing tape 32 against the bevel B of the substrate W rotated by the substrate holder 40 to polish the bevel B of the substrate W, a lower supply nozzle 42 that supplies liquid to the lower surface of the substrate W, and an upper supply nozzle 43 that supplies liquid to the upper surface of the substrate W. An example of the liquid supplied to the substrate W is pure water. During polishing of the substrate W, liquid is supplied to the lower surface of the substrate W from the lower supply nozzle 42, and liquid is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W from the upper supply nozzle 43.

[0033] Figure 6 shows the state in which the substrate holding unit 40 is holding the substrate W. The polishing head 33 is facing the bevel portion B of the substrate W when the substrate W is held by the substrate holding unit 40. The substrate holding unit 40 includes a holding stage 34 that holds the substrate W by vacuum suction, a shaft 35 connected to the center of the holding stage 34, and a holding stage drive mechanism 37 that rotates and moves the holding stage 34 up and down. The holding stage drive mechanism 37 is configured to rotate the holding stage 34 about its axis Cr and to be able to move up and down along the axis Cr.

[0034] The substrate W is placed on the substrate holding surface of the holding stage 34 by the second transport robot 17 (see Figure 3) such that the center O1 of the substrate W is on the axis Cr of the holding stage 34. The substrate W is held on the substrate holding surface of the holding stage 34 with the device surface (flat surface P in Figure 5) facing upward. The substrate holding unit 40 can rotate the substrate W about the axis Cr of the holding stage 34 (i.e., the axis of the substrate W) and move the substrate W up and down along the axis Cr of the holding stage 34.

[0035] The bevel polishing module 4A further includes a polishing tape supply mechanism 46 for supplying and retrieving polishing tape 32 from the polishing head 33. The polishing tape supply mechanism 46 includes a tape unwinding reel 47 for supplying polishing tape 32 to the polishing head 33 and a tape taking reel 48 for retrieving the polishing tape 32 used for polishing the substrate W. Tension motors (not shown) are connected to the tape unwinding reel 47 and the tape taking reel 48, respectively. Each tension motor applies a predetermined torque to the tape unwinding reel 47 and the tape taking reel 48, thereby applying a predetermined tension to the polishing tape 32.

[0036] The polishing tape 32 is supplied to the polishing head 33 such that the polishing surface of the polishing tape 32 faces the bevel portion B of the substrate W. The polishing tape 32 is supplied to the polishing head 33 from the tape unwinding reel 47, and the used polishing tape 32 is collected on the tape take-up reel 48. The polishing tape supply mechanism 46 further includes a plurality of guide rollers 50, 51, 52, 53 for supporting the polishing tape 32. The direction of travel of the polishing tape 32 is guided by the guide rollers 50, 51, 52, 53.

[0037] The polishing head 33 includes a pressing member 68 that presses the polishing surface of the polishing tape 32 against the substrate W, and an air cylinder (drive mechanism) 54 that moves the pressing member 68 toward the bevel portion B of the substrate W. The pressing force of the polishing tape 32 against the substrate W is adjusted by controlling the air pressure supplied to the air cylinder 54. The pressing member 68 is positioned on the back side of the polishing tape 32 (the back side of the polishing surface containing abrasive grains).

[0038] The bevel polishing module 4A further includes a tilt mechanism 56 as shown in Figure 7. Figure 7 is a plan view showing one embodiment of the tilt mechanism 56. As shown in Figure 7, the tilt mechanism 56 is configured to tilt the polishing head 33 relative to the substrate holding surface of the holding stage 34. More specifically, the tilt mechanism 56 includes a crank arm 57 connected to the polishing head 33 and an arm rotating device 58 for rotating the crank arm 57. One end of the crank arm 57 is positioned at substantially the same height as the substrate holding surface of the holding stage 34 and is connected to the arm rotating device 58. The other end of the crank arm 57 is connected to the polishing head 33.

[0039] When the arm rotation device 58 rotates the crank arm 57, the entire polishing head 33 can be tilted relative to the substrate W on the substrate holding surface of the holding stage 34. Furthermore, the tilt mechanism 56 is configured to maintain the polishing head 33 at a predetermined tilt angle. Therefore, the polishing head 33 can polish the bevel portion B of the substrate W while maintaining a predetermined tilt angle. Note that the specific configuration of the tilt mechanism 56 is not limited to the embodiment shown in Figure 7, as long as the polishing head 33 can be tilted relative to the substrate holding surface of the holding stage 34 and the substrate W.

[0040] The bevel polishing module 4A is electrically connected to an operation control unit 20 that controls the operation of each component of the bevel polishing module 4A. The polishing head 33, substrate holder 40, lower supply nozzle 42, upper supply nozzle 43, polishing tape supply mechanism 46, and tilt mechanism 56 are electrically connected to the operation control unit 20. The operation of the polishing head 33, substrate holder 40, lower supply nozzle 42, upper supply nozzle 43, polishing tape supply mechanism 46, and tilt mechanism 56 is controlled by the operation control unit 20.

[0041] The polishing of the bevel portion B of the substrate W is performed by tilting the polishing head 33 to a predetermined angle using the tilt mechanism 56 and maintaining that tilt angle. When the pressing member 68 is moved toward the substrate W by the air cylinder 54, the pressing member 68 presses the polishing tape 32 against the bevel portion B of the substrate W from its back side. As a result, the polishing head 33 polishes the bevel portion B of the substrate W.

[0042] As described above, the bevel polishing module 4A polishes the bevel portion of the substrate W under polishing conditions determined based on the shape measurement results of the bevel portion B of the substrate W measured by the bevel portion shape measurement module 3. As explained with reference to Figure 5, the bevel polishing modules 4A and 4B polish the bevel portion B so that the inclined surfaces S of the bevel portion B of multiple substrates have the same inclination angle α. More specifically, with the inclination angles of the polishing tape 32 and the pressing member 68 relative to the flat portion P of multiple substrates being the same, the polishing tape 32 is pressed against the inclined surface S of the bevel portion B of each of the multiple rotating substrates.

[0043] In one embodiment, after polishing the bevel portion B of the substrate with the bevel portion polishing module 4A or 4B, the shape of the bevel portion B may be measured with the bevel portion shape measuring module 3. Furthermore, if the inclination angle of the inclined surface S of the bevel portion B of the substrate has not reached a predetermined angle α, the bevel portion B may be polished again with the bevel portion polishing module 4A or 4B. The measurement of the shape of the bevel portion B after polishing may be performed for all of the multiple substrates, or for example, for one of the multiple substrates in the same processing lot.

[0044] Next, the details of the configurations of CMP modules 6A and 6B will be described. Since CMP modules 6A and 6B have basically the same configuration, the following description will focus on CMP module 6A. Figure 8 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of CMP module 6A. CMP module 6A includes a polishing table 73 that supports a polishing pad 72, a CMP head 71 that presses a substrate W having a flat surface to be CMP-treated against the polishing pad 72, a table motor 76 that rotates the polishing table 73, and a polishing liquid supply nozzle 75 for supplying polishing liquid such as slurry onto the polishing pad 72. The upper surface of the polishing pad 72 constitutes a polishing surface 72a for polishing the substrate W.

[0045] The CMP head 71 is connected to the head shaft 78, which is connected to a head motor (not shown). The head motor rotates the CMP head 71 together with the head shaft 78 in the direction indicated by the arrow. The polishing table 73 is connected to the table motor 76, which is configured to rotate the polishing table 73 and the polishing pad 72 in the direction indicated by the arrow.

[0046] The CMP module 6A is electrically connected to the motion control unit 20, which controls the operation of each component of the CMP module 6A. The CMP head 71, head motor, and table motor 76 are electrically connected to the motion control unit 20. The operation of the CMP head 71, head motor, and table motor 76 is controlled by the motion control unit 20.

[0047] The CMP treatment of the substrate W is performed as follows: While the polishing table 73 and CMP head 71 are rotated in the direction indicated by the arrows in Figure 8, polishing fluid is supplied from the polishing fluid supply nozzle 75 to the polishing surface 72a of the polishing pad 72 on the polishing table 73. As the substrate W is rotated by the CMP head 71, the substrate W is pressed against the polishing surface 72a of the polishing pad 72 by the CMP head 71 while polishing fluid is present on the polishing pad 72. The surface of the substrate W (more specifically, the flat surface P shown in Figures 2(a) and 2(b)) is polished and flattened by a combination of the chemical action of the polishing fluid and the mechanical action of the abrasive grains contained in the polishing fluid and / or the polishing pad 72.

[0048] As explained with reference to Figure 1, the inventors have found that differences in the shape of the bevel portion B of the substrate W result in differences in how the polishing pad 72 deforms when pressed against the substrate W. Such differences in the deformation of the polishing pad 72 can cause variations in the polishing rate of the flat portion P of the substrate W, particularly the polishing rate of the edge portion of the substrate W. According to this embodiment, the bevel portion B of multiple substrates is polished by the bevel portion polishing modules 4A and 4B so that the inclined surface S of the bevel portion B of multiple substrates has the same inclination angle α, and then the multiple substrates are subjected to CMP treatment with CMP modules 6A and 6B. Therefore, the same polishing profile can be achieved for the flat portion P (particularly the edge portion of the substrate) of multiple substrates. In addition, CMP treatment can be performed efficiently without adjusting the CMP treatment conditions according to the shape of the bevel portion B of each substrate.

[0049] The substrates W, which have been subjected to CMP treatment by CMP modules 6A and 6B, are washed and dried by the washing and drying unit 7 (see Figure 3). The dried substrates W are then transported by the first transport robot 16 into the substrate cassette 2 on the load port 10.

[0050] Next, another embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus will be described. In this embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus has a bevel polishing module and a CMP module arranged in a first housing 101 and a second housing 102, respectively. The substrate to be processed is processed in the first housing 101 and then in the second housing 102. Figure 9 is a plan view showing the configuration inside the first housing 101. As shown in Figure 9, the substrate processing apparatus includes a bevel shape measuring module 3, bevel polishing modules 4A to 4D, a cleaning and drying unit 7A, a load port 10A, a first transport robot 16A, a second transport robot 17A, a third transport robot 18A, and a fourth transport robot 19A. The bevel shape measuring module 3, bevel polishing modules 4A to 4D, the first transport robot 16A, the second transport robot 17A, the third transport robot 18A, and the fourth transport robot 19A are arranged inside the first housing 101. In one embodiment, the bevel shape measuring module 3 may be arranged outside the first housing 101.

[0051] Multiple substrates to be processed are housed in a substrate cassette 2A, which is placed on a load port 10A. The first transport robot 16A is positioned adjacent to the load port 10A. The first transport robot 16A takes a substrate before processing from the substrate cassette 2A on the load port 10A and passes it to the bevel shape measurement module 3. The bevel shape of the substrate is then measured by the bevel shape measurement module 3, and the substrate is then transported from the bevel shape measurement module 3 to the second transport robot 17A. The first transport robot 16A may also take a substrate before processing from the substrate cassette 2A on the load port 10A and pass it to the second transport robot 17A without going through the bevel shape measurement module 3.

[0052] In this embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus is equipped with four bevel polishing modules 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D, but in one embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus may be equipped with three or fewer bevel polishing modules, or five or more bevel polishing modules.

[0053] The bevel polishing modules 4A to 4D are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the first housing 101. The bevel of the substrate to be processed is polished by at least one of the bevel polishing modules 4A to 4D. The bevel may be polished using only one of the bevel polishing modules 4A to 4D, or it may be polished in multiple stages using two or more modules.

[0054] The second transport robot 17A is positioned adjacent to the bevel polishing modules 4A-4D and the washing and drying section 7A. The second transport robot 17A transports the substrates received from the first transport robot 16A and transfers the substrates between the bevel polishing modules 4A-4D. Furthermore, the second transport robot 17A transfers the substrates received from the bevel polishing modules 4A-4D to the washing and drying section 7A.

[0055] The cleaning and drying section 7A includes a first cleaning module 12A and a second cleaning module 13A for cleaning substrates whose bevels have been polished by bevel polishing modules 4A to 4D, and a drying module 14A for drying the cleaned substrates. The first cleaning module 12A, the second cleaning module 13A, and the drying module 14A are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the first housing 101.

[0056] The third transport robot 18A is positioned between the first cleaning module 12A and the second cleaning module 13A. The fourth transport robot 19A is positioned between the second cleaning module 13A and the drying module 14A. The third transport robot 18A transfers substrates between the first cleaning module 12A and the second cleaning module 13A. The fourth transport robot 19A transfers substrates between the second cleaning module 13A and the drying module 14A.

[0057] The substrate processing apparatus further includes an operation control unit 21 electrically connected to a bevel shape measuring module 3, bevel polishing modules 4A to 4D, a cleaning and drying unit 7A, a first transport robot 16A, a second transport robot 17A, a third transport robot 18A, and a fourth transport robot 19A. The operation control unit 21 is configured to control the operation of the bevel shape measuring module 3, bevel polishing modules 4A to 4D, the cleaning and drying unit 7A, the first transport robot 16A, the second transport robot 17A, the third transport robot 18A, and the fourth transport robot 19A.

[0058] The substrates whose bevels have been polished by the bevel polishing modules 4A to 4D in the first housing 101 are then cleaned and dried in the cleaning and drying section 7A. After that, the cleaned and dried substrates undergo CMP treatment in the second housing 102.

[0059] Figure 10 is a plan view showing the configuration inside the second housing 102. As shown in Figure 10, the substrate processing apparatus comprises CMP modules 6A to 6D, a cleaning and drying unit 7B, a load port 10B, a first transport robot 16B, a second transport robot 17B, a third transport robot 18B, and a fourth transport robot 19B. The CMP modules 6A to 6D, the cleaning and drying unit 7B, the first transport robot 16B, the second transport robot 17B, the third transport robot 18B, and the fourth transport robot 19B are located inside the second housing 102.

[0060] The substrates, whose bevels have been polished, cleaned, and dried within the first housing 101, are placed in a substrate cassette 2B, which is mounted on the load port 10B. The first transport robot 16B is positioned adjacent to the load port 10B. The first transport robot 16B removes the substrates with polished bevels from the substrate cassette 2B on the load port 10B and passes them to the second transport robot 17B.

[0061] In this embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus is equipped with four CMP modules 6A, 6B, 6C, and 6D, but in one embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus may be equipped with three or fewer, or five or more, CMP modules.

[0062] The CMP modules 6A to 6D are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the second housing 102. The planar portion of the substrate to be processed is subjected to CMP processing by at least one of the CMP modules 6A to 6D. The planar portion may be subjected to CMP processing by only one of the CMP modules 6A to 6D, or a multi-stage CMP processing may be performed by two or more modules.

[0063] The second transport robot 17B is positioned adjacent to the CMP modules 6A-6D and the cleaning and drying section 7B. The second transport robot 17B transports the substrates received from the first transport robot 16B and transfers the substrates between the CMP modules 6A-6D. Furthermore, the second transport robot 17B transfers the substrates received from the CMP modules 6A-6D to the cleaning and drying section 7B.

[0064] The cleaning and drying section 7B includes a first cleaning module 12B and a second cleaning module 13B for cleaning substrates whose planar surfaces have been treated with CMP by CMP modules 6A to 6D, and a drying module 14B for drying the cleaned substrates. The first cleaning module 12B, the second cleaning module 13B, and the drying module 14B are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the second housing 102.

[0065] The third transport robot 18B is positioned between the first cleaning module 12B and the second cleaning module 13B. The fourth transport robot 19B is positioned between the second cleaning module 13B and the drying module 14B. The third transport robot 18B transfers substrates between the first cleaning module 12B and the second cleaning module 13B. The fourth transport robot 19B transfers substrates between the second cleaning module 13B and the drying module 14B.

[0066] The substrate processing apparatus further includes an operation control unit 22 electrically connected to the CMP modules 6A-6D, the cleaning and drying unit 7B, the first transport robot 16B, the second transport robot 17B, the third transport robot 18B, and the fourth transport robot 19B. The operation control unit 22 is configured to control the operation of the CMP modules 6A-6D, the cleaning and drying unit 7B, the first transport robot 16B, the second transport robot 17B, the third transport robot 18B, and the fourth transport robot 19B.

[0067] The details of the configuration and operation of the bevel shape measurement module 3, bevel polishing modules 4A to 4D, CMP modules 6A to 6D, cleaning and drying units 7A and 7B, and operation control units 21 and 22 in this embodiment are the same as the configuration and operation of the bevel shape measurement module 3, bevel polishing modules 4A and 4B, CMP modules 6A and 6B, cleaning and drying unit 7, and operation control unit 20 in the embodiment described with reference to Figures 3 to 8, respectively, so redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0068] According to this embodiment, before the multiple substrates are subjected to CMP processing by the CMP modules 6A to 6D in the second housing 102, the bevel portions B of the multiple substrates are polished by the bevel polishing modules 4A to 4D in the first housing 101 so that the inclined surfaces S of the bevel portions B of the multiple substrates have the same inclination angle α (see Figure 5). Therefore, CMP processing can be performed efficiently without having to adjust the CMP processing conditions according to the shape of the bevel portion B of each substrate.

[0069] In the embodiments described with reference to Figures 3 to 8, and the embodiments described with reference to Figures 9 and 10, the bevel portion B was polished so that the inclined surface S of the bevel portion B of multiple substrates had the same inclination angle α, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In one example, in addition to the inclination angle of the inclined surface S of the bevel portion B, the bevel portion B may be polished so that the dimensions of the bevel portion B in the radial direction of the multiple substrates are the same.

[0070] The embodiments described above are intended to enable persons with ordinary skill in the art to implement the present invention. Various modifications of the above embodiments can be made naturally by those skilled in the art, and the technical idea of ​​the present invention can be applied to other embodiments as well. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described, but is to be interpreted in the broadest sense according to the technical idea defined by the claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0071] 2,2A,2B PCB Cassette 3. Bevel shape measurement module 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D Bevel polishing module 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D CMP Module 7, 7A, 7B Washing and drying section 10, 10A, 10B Load Ports 12, 12A, 12B First Cleaning Module 13, 13A, 13B Second Cleaning Module 14, 14A, 14B Drying Module 16, 16A, 16B First transport robot 17, 17A, 17B Second transport robot 18, 18A, 18B Third transport robot 19, 19A, 19B Fourth transport robot 20, 21, 22 Operation Control Unit 20a Storage device 20b Arithmetic unit 30,30A,30B shape measuring device 32 Abrasive Tapes 33 Polishing heads 34 Holding Stage 35 shaft 37 Holding stage drive mechanism 40 Board holding part 42 Lower supply nozzle 43 Upper supply nozzle 46. ​​Polishing tape supply mechanism 47 Tape unwinding reel 48 Tape winding reels 50, 51, 52, 53 Guide rollers 54 Air cylinder (drive mechanism) 56 Tilt mechanism 57 Crank arm 58 Arm Rotation Device 68 Pressing member 71 CMP head 72 polishing pads 73 Polishing Table 75 Polishing fluid supply nozzle 76 Table Motor 78 Head Shaft 100 Housing 101 Housing 1 102 Second Housing

Claims

1. A substrate processing method for processing multiple substrates, each having a flat surface that is the target of CMP processing and a beveled surface of a different shape, The bevel polishing module polishes the bevel portion of each of the multiple substrates by pressing the polishing tool against the inclined surface of the bevel portion of each of the multiple substrates, which are rotated by the substrate holder, while keeping the inclination angle of the polishing tool the same, so that the inclined surface of each of the multiple substrates is formed on the multiple substrates at the same inclination angle with respect to the flat portion. A substrate processing method comprising polishing the bevel portion and then using a CMP module to CMP the planar portion of the plurality of substrates adjacent to the inclined surface under the same CMP processing conditions.

2. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, further comprising measuring the shape of at least one bevel portion of the plurality of substrates using a bevel portion shape measuring module before polishing the bevel portions of the plurality of substrates.

3. The substrate processing method according to claim 2, further comprising determining the polishing conditions for the bevel portions of the plurality of substrates based on the measurement results of the shape of the bevel portions, using an operation control unit that controls the operation of the bevel portion polishing module.

4. After polishing the bevel portion, the shape of at least one bevel portion among the plurality of substrates is measured using the bevel portion shape measuring module. The substrate processing method according to claim 2, wherein when the inclination angle of the bevel portion of the at least one substrate has not reached a predetermined angle, the bevel portion polishing of the at least one substrate is performed again by the bevel portion polishing module.

5. The bevel polishing module that performs the polishing of the bevel section and the CMP module that performs the CMP processing are located within the same housing. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein after polishing the bevel portion with the bevel portion polishing module, the CMP processing of the flat portion is performed continuously with the CMP module without washing or drying the substrate.

6. A substrate processing apparatus for processing multiple substrates, each having a flat surface that is the target surface for CMP processing and a beveled surface of a different shape, A bevel polishing module that polishes the bevel portion by pressing a polishing tool against each of the bevel portions of the plurality of substrates, The system includes a CMP module that processes the planar portion of each of the plurality of substrates, The bevel polishing module includes a substrate holder that holds and rotates the substrate, The bevel polishing module is configured to polish the bevel portions of the multiple substrates such that the inclined surfaces are formed at the same angle of inclination with respect to the flat portion, by pressing the polishing tool against the inclined surface of the bevel portion of each of the multiple substrates rotated by the substrate holder, while keeping the inclination angle of the polishing tool the same. The CMP module is configured to perform CMP processing on the planar portions adjacent to the inclined surfaces of the plurality of substrates after the bevel portions have been polished, under the same CMP processing conditions.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a bevel shape measuring module for measuring the shape of at least one bevel portion of the plurality of substrates.

8. The system further comprises an operation control unit that controls the operation of the bevel shape measuring module and the bevel polishing module, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the operation control unit is configured to determine the polishing conditions for the bevel portions of the plurality of substrates based on the measurement results of the shape of the bevel portions.

9. The bevel shape measuring module measures the shape of at least one bevel among the plurality of substrates whose bevels have been polished. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the bevel polishing module is configured to polish the bevel portion of the at least one substrate again when the inclination angle of the bevel portion of the at least one substrate has not reached a predetermined angle.

10. The bevel polishing module and the CMP module are located within the same housing. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein, after polishing the bevel portion with the bevel portion polishing module, the CMP treatment of the flat portion is performed continuously with the CMP module without washing or drying the substrate.

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