Substrate information acquisition apparatus and substrate processing apparatus

Abstract

The light emitting section (63) of the substrate information acquisition device (60) emits light rays toward the upper surface (91) of the substrate (9), forming a plurality of beam points (S1) on the upper surface (91), and the plurality of beam points (S1) are arranged in a straight line in the Y direction. The hand movement mechanism scans the plurality of beam points (S1) on the upper surface (91) of the substrate (9) in the X direction. The reflected light branching section (64) branches the reflected light (R0) of each beam point (S1) into a first reflected light (R1) and a second reflected light (R2) with different optical path lengths. The imaging device (66) focuses the first reflected light (R1) and the second reflected light (R2) of each beam point (S1) to capture an image. The information acquisition section acquires the shape information of the substrate (9) by obtaining a plurality of image images from the imaging device (66) in parallel with the scanning of the plurality of beam points (S1) performed by the scanning mechanism. In this way, the device structure of the substrate information acquisition device (60) can be simplified, and the shape information of the substrate (9) can be acquired with high accuracy.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a technique for obtaining shape information of a substrate. [Reference to Related Applications] This invention claims priority to Japanese Patent Application JP 2024-207474, filed on November 28, 2024, and all of its disclosures are incorporated herein. Prior Technology

[0002] In the past, various processes were performed on the semiconductor substrate (hereinafter referred to as "substrate") during the manufacturing process. For example, in the processing unit of the substrate processing apparatus, the substrate held by the chuck is rotated and a cleaning solution is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate to clean it.

[0003] However, substrates processed in substrate processing apparatus may sometimes undergo three-dimensional deformation, such as warping, in the thickness direction due to pre-processing. Deformed substrates may not be properly held by the suction cups. Furthermore, to accommodate the shape of the deformed substrate, there are instances where processing conditions, such as cleaning processes, are modified for optimal performance.

[0004] Therefore, in substrate processing apparatuses, high-precision measurement of the three-dimensional shape of the substrate is required. However, since the substrate surface has a glossy mirror finish, three-dimensional shape measurement methods using lasers, such as triangulation, time-of-flight (TOF), and interferometry, which assume the object to be measured has an opaque and matte surface, are not suitable for measuring the three-dimensional shape of the substrate. Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-117832 (Document 1) proposes a method for measuring the three-dimensional shape of an object whose surface has a glossy mirror finish.

[0005] However, the three-dimensional shape measuring device in Reference 1 requires: a converging lens to converge the reflected light from the object; a semi-reflective mirror to split the reflected light passing through the converging lens in two directions; and two image sensors, each receiving the split reflected light. Therefore, there is a risk of increasing the complexity of the device structure and thus increasing the manufacturing cost.

[0006] Furthermore, in this three-dimensional shape measuring device, in order to determine the reflection position on the surface of the object, it is necessary to determine the position of the reflected light on the surface of the converging lens (i.e., the position of the point through which the reflected light passes). Therefore, due to deviations caused by the converging lens (for example, deviations caused by the radius of curvature, refractive index, lens thickness, lens aberration, or lens configuration of the converging lens), it is difficult to determine the aforementioned reflection position with high accuracy.

[0007] Furthermore, in this three-dimensional shape measuring device, since a parallel point beam (collimated beam) is used for point measurement, the object and the light source need to be moved relative to each other along several axes. If the overall shape of the object needs to be measured, it requires a huge amount of measurement time. In addition, there is a risk that the device's structure will become more complex, increasing the manufacturing cost of the device. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The purpose of this invention is to simplify the structure of the substrate information acquisition device and obtain the shape information of the substrate with high accuracy.

[0009] Version 1 of the present invention is a substrate information acquisition device that acquires shape information of a substrate; it comprises: a substrate holding section for holding the substrate; a light emitting section for emitting light rays toward the main surface of the substrate, forming a plurality of light beam points on the main surface, the plurality of light beam points being arranged in a straight line along a first direction along the main surface; a scanning mechanism for scanning the plurality of light beam points on the main surface of the substrate along a second direction intersecting the first direction and parallel to the main surface; a reflected light branching section for branching the reflected light from each light beam point into a first reflected light and a second reflected light with different optical path lengths; an imaging device for focusing the first and second reflected light from each light beam point to perform imaging; and an information acquisition section for acquiring the shape information of the substrate from a plurality of image images acquired by the imaging device in parallel with the scanning of the plurality of light beam points performed by the scanning mechanism.

[0010] According to the present invention, the device structure can be simplified and the shape information of the substrate can be obtained with high precision.

[0011] The present invention provides a substrate information acquisition device for a substrate of a sample 1, wherein the light emitting section emits a plurality of light beams corresponding to the plurality of light beam points in parallel.

[0012] The present invention, in form 3, is a substrate information acquisition apparatus based on form 2. The light emitting section includes a light source and a multi-beam device that splits a light beam emitted from the light source into a plurality of light beams. The multi-beam device includes a neutral density filter (ND filter) that allows a portion of the incident light to pass through and reflects the remaining light; and a reflector that is disposed opposite to the ND filter and reflects the incident light towards the ND filter. The transmittance of the ND filter gradually increases from one side of the first direction to the other. The light beam incident from the light source to the multi-beam device is repeatedly reflected between the ND filter and the reflector, and travels from one side of the first direction to the other. The plurality of light beams are light beams that pass through the ND filter from a plurality of incident positions within the ND filter.

[0013] The present invention provides a substrate information acquisition device for a sample 4 (which may also be any one of sample 1 to 3), wherein the imaging device captures images of the beam points formed on a screen by the first reflected light and the second reflected light, respectively.

[0014] The present invention, in state 5, is a substrate information acquisition device for state 4, wherein the light emitted from the light emitting section is short-wave infrared light. The screen is a fluorescent screen that emits fluorescence by being irradiated with short-wave infrared light.

[0015] The present invention relates to a substrate information acquisition apparatus for a substrate of a type 1 (or any one of types 1 to 5), wherein the substrate holding portion contacts the lower surface of the substrate and supports the substrate. The main surface of the substrate illuminated by the light emitted from the light emitting portion is the upper surface of the substrate.

[0016] Version 7 of the present invention is a substrate processing apparatus for processing substrates; it comprises: a substrate information acquisition device according to any one of versions 1 to 6; an indexer block equipped with a first transport robot for moving substrates into and out of a storage container capable of holding multiple substrates; a processing block equipped with a processing unit for processing substrates and a second transport robot for moving substrates into and out of the processing unit; and a loading unit disposed at the connection between the processing block and the indexer block, for holding unprocessed substrates transferred from the first transport robot to the second transport robot and processed substrates transferred from the second transport robot to the first transport robot. The substrate holding part of the substrate information acquisition device is a transport hand that holds the substrate in the second transport robot. The scanning mechanism of the substrate information acquisition device is a hand movement mechanism in the second transport robot that moves the transport hand in the second direction. When the substrate is removed from the loading unit by the second transport robot, the substrate obtains shape information of the substrate by the substrate information acquisition device.

[0017] Version 8 of the present invention is a substrate processing apparatus for processing substrates; it includes: a substrate information acquisition device according to any one of versions 1 to 6; an indexer block equipped with a first transport robot for moving substrates into and out of a storage container capable of holding multiple substrates; and a processing block equipped with a processing unit for processing substrates and a second transport robot for moving substrates into and out of the processing unit. The substrate holding part of the substrate information acquisition device is a transport hand holding the substrate in the first transport robot. The scanning mechanism of the substrate information acquisition device is a hand movement mechanism in the first transport robot that moves the transport hand in the second direction. When the substrate is moved from the storage container by the first transport robot, the substrate information acquisition device acquires the shape information of the substrate.

[0018] The above and other objects, features, features and advantages will become apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description of the invention. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0019] Figure 1 is a top view of the substrate processing apparatus of the first embodiment. Figure 2 is a side view of the interior of the substrate processing apparatus. Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the area near the storage container. Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the area near the storage container. Figure 5 is a front view of the area near the storage container. Figure 6 is a side view of the mounting unit. Figure 7 shows a side view of the head obtained from the information. Figure 8 is a top view of the head obtained from the information. Figure 9 shows the first and second light spot images on the screen. Figure 10 is a diagram showing the structure of the control unit. Figure 11 shows a side view of the head obtained from the information. Figure 12 is a conceptual diagram representing the direction vector. Figure 13 is a schematic diagram showing the substrate shape information. Figure 14 is a top view of other light-emitting parts. Figure 15 is a top view of the substrate processing apparatus in the second embodiment. Figure 16 is a side view of the interior of the substrate processing apparatus. Implementation

[0020] Figure 1 is a top view of the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a view of the substrate processing apparatus 1 viewed from line II-II in Figure 1. Furthermore, in the figures referred to below, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system with the Z-axis direction set as the vertical direction (i.e., the up-down direction) and the XY plane set as the horizontal plane has been appropriately provided. Furthermore, in Figure 1, the internal structure of the substrate processing apparatus 1 is also shown with solid lines. In addition, in Figure 2, a portion of the (+X) side of the substrate processing apparatus 1 has been omitted.

[0021] The substrate processing apparatus 1 is an apparatus for continuously processing a plurality of generally circular semiconductor substrates 9 (hereinafter referred to as "substrate 9"). In the substrate processing apparatus 1, for example, the substrates 9 are cleaned.

[0022] The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes an indexer block 10, a processing block 20, and a mounting unit 40. The indexer block 10 and the processing block 20 are also referred to as an indexer unit and a processing unit, respectively. In addition, the indexer block 10 is also referred to as an EFEM (Equipment Front End Module) unit, etc.

[0023] On the (-X) side of the indexer block 10, a plurality of (e.g., 4) load ports 11 are configured. In the example shown in FIG1, the plurality of load ports 11, the indexer block 10, the loading unit 40 and the processing block 20 are arranged adjacent to each other in this order from the (-X) side toward the (+X) side.

[0024] A plurality of loading ports 11 are arranged in the Y direction along the sidewall 13 on the (-X) side of the indexer block 10. Each loading port 11 is a mounting stage for a receiving container 7. The receiving container 7 houses a plurality of circular substrates 9 arranged in the vertical direction (i.e., the Z direction) within its internal space 70. The receiving container 7 is, for example, a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod) that houses the substrates 9 in a sealed space. The receiving container 7 is not limited to a FOUP; for example, it can also be an SMIF (Standard Mechanical Interface) box. Furthermore, the number of loading ports 11 can be one or more.

[0025] For each loading port 11, the storage container 7, which holds multiple unprocessed substrates 9 (i.e., substrates 9 before processing by the substrate processing apparatus 1), is moved in and placed from outside the substrate processing apparatus 1 by means of an OHT (Overhead Hoist Transfer) or the like. Furthermore, processed substrates 9 that have completed processing in the processing block 20 are stored in the storage container 7 placed on the loading port 11. The storage container 7, which holds the processed substrates 9, is moved out of the substrate processing apparatus 1 by means of an OHT or the like. In other words, the loading port 11 functions as a substrate stacking section for accumulating unprocessed substrates 9 and processed substrates 9.

[0026] Figure 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the area near a storage container 7. On the (-X) side wall 13 of the indexer block 10, a passageway 131 is provided at a position opposite to the storage containers 7 on each loading port 11 in the X direction. The passageway 131 is opened and closed by a sliding door 132 that moves vertically along the side wall 13. Figure 3 shows the passageway 131 open when the sliding door 132 moves downwards. When viewed along the X direction, the shape of the passageway 131 is, for example, approximately rectangular.

[0027] The (+X) side of the storage container 7 (i.e., the side facing the indexer block 10 in the X direction) is provided with a container opening 71 facing the passage 131 in the X direction. The (+X) side of the storage container 7 is the side of the storage container 7 closest to the indexer block 10, and is also the front side of the storage container 7 when viewed from the indexer block 10 side.

[0028] In the following description, the (+X) side is also referred to as the "front side," and the (-X) side is also referred to as the "rear side." Furthermore, the X direction is also referred to as the "front-back direction," and the Y direction is also referred to as the "left-right direction." Regarding the storage container 7, the (+X) side of the storage container 7 is also referred to as the "near-front side," and the (-X) side of the storage container 7 (i.e., the side of the storage container 7 furthest from the indexer block 10) is also referred to as the "deep side."

[0029] The container opening 71 of the storage container 7 is opened and closed by a door (not shown in the figure). Figure 3 shows the container opening 71 open by moving the door together with the sliding door 132 downwards from the container opening 71 and the passage 131. When viewed along the X direction, the shape of the container opening 71 is, for example, approximately rectangular.

[0030] As shown in Figure 3, with the port 131 and container opening 71 open, the internal space 70 of the storage container 7 and the internal space 100 of the indexer block 10 are connected via the port 131 and container opening 71. Furthermore, the indexer robot 12 (see Figures 1 and 2), described later, moves the substrates 9 into and out of the storage container 7 via the port 131 and container opening 71. In the example shown in Figure 3, the number of substrates 9 stored in the internal space 70 of the storage container 7 is 25. The 25 substrates 9 are separated from each other and arranged vertically.

[0031] Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the area near the storage container 7. Figure 5 is a front view of the area near the storage container 7 viewed from the (+X) side, closer to the side wall 13 described above. In Figures 4 and 5, the components other than the storage container 7 are also shown. In the internal space 70 of the storage container 7, each substrate 9 is supported by an internal support portion 72 provided on the inner surface 73 of the storage container 7. The internal support portion 72 is a generally flat plate-shaped protrusion that protrudes substantially horizontally from the inner surface 73 of the storage container 7, and supports the substrate 9 by contacting the periphery of the lower surface of the substrate 9 from below. Furthermore, in Figures 3 to 5, the illustration of a portion of the plurality of substrates 9 within the storage container 7 is omitted.

[0032] In the substrate processing apparatus 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2, unprocessed substrates 9 are transferred from the storage container 7 to the processing block 20 via the indexer block 10 and the placement unit 40. Furthermore, processed substrates 9 in the processing block 20 are transferred to the storage container 7 via the placement unit 40 and the indexer block 10. An indexer robot 12 is disposed within the internal space 100 of the indexer block 10 to move substrates 9 into and out of the storage container 7.

[0033] The indexer robot 12 includes a substrate support 120 and a moving mechanism 124. The substrate support 120 can support a plurality of substrates 9. The substrate support 120 includes a plurality of transport hands 121, a base 122, a base support 123, and a hand moving mechanism 125. In the example shown in FIG2, the substrate support 120 includes four transport hands 121 that are generally U-shaped when viewed from above. The four transport hands 121 are mounted on the base 122 in a separate and vertically arranged state. Each transport hand 121 is a thin plate-shaped member that is generally perpendicular to the Z direction, and it is a substrate holding part that supports and holds one substrate 9 from below.

[0034] The base 122 is mounted on the base support 123. The base support 123 is provided with a rotating mechanism (not shown) that rotates the base 122 about a rotation axis pointing vertically. This rotating mechanism may include a motor. The base support 123 is connected to a moving mechanism 124. The moving mechanism 124 moves the substrate support 120 in the Y direction (i.e., the direction in which the plurality of storage containers 7 are arranged) and the Z direction (i.e., the vertical direction). The moving mechanism 124 may include a ball screw mechanism driven by a motor.

[0035] The hand-moving mechanism 125 allows the conveying hand 121 to move in and out of each storage container 7 and the holding unit 40 by moving the conveying hand 121 forward and backward on the base 122. The hand-moving mechanism 125 is, for example, located inside the base 122. The hand-moving mechanism 125 is, for example, equipped with a ball screw mechanism driven by a motor.

[0036] In the indexer robot 12, the plurality of conveying hands 121 may be independently movable, or some or all of the plurality of conveying hands 121 may move together without being independent of each other. In addition, the number of conveying hands 121 may be one or more.

[0037] The indexer robot 12 is a first transfer robot that moves the substrate 9 into and out of the storage container 7 by moving its transfer hand 121 in and out of the storage container 7 placed on the loading port 11. Furthermore, the indexer robot 12 performs the transfer of the substrate 9 between the storage container 7 and the placement unit 40. The mechanisms that enable movement in the indexer robot 12 are not limited to the above example and can be modified in various ways.

[0038] A placement unit 40 is provided at the connection between the indexer block 10 and the processing block 20. The placement unit 40 temporarily holds unprocessed substrates 9 transferred from the indexer robot 12 of the indexer block 10 to the central robot 22 (described later) of the processing block 20. Additionally, the placement unit 40 temporarily holds processed substrates 9 transferred from the central robot 22 of the processing block 20 to the indexer robot 12 of the indexer block 10.

[0039] Figure 6 is a side view of the mounting unit 40 viewed from the (+X) side. The mounting unit 40 includes a frame 41 and an internal support 42. The frame 41 is a generally rectangular box-shaped member. A plurality of substrates 9 (e.g., 4) can be housed inside the frame 41. Inside the mounting unit 40, the plurality of substrates 9 arranged in the vertical direction (i.e., the Z direction) are supported by the internal support 42. The internal support 42 is, for example, a generally flat plate-shaped protrusion that protrudes generally horizontally from the inner side of the frame 41, and supports the substrates 9 by contacting the periphery of the lower surface of the substrates 9 from below. Furthermore, the number of substrates 9 housed in the mounting unit 40 can be appropriately varied.

[0040] On the (+X) side of the frame 41, a first opening 43 is provided, connecting the internal space 230 of the processing block 20 (see Figures 1 and 2) to the interior of the frame 41. The first opening 43 is, for example, a generally rectangular opening when viewed from the side (i.e., viewed along the X direction). The first opening 43 is opened and closed by a first gate 44. The first gate 44 is, for example, a generally rectangular plate-like member when viewed from the side. The first gate 44 moves in the vertical direction (i.e., the Z direction) by a lifting mechanism (not shown).

[0041] Although not shown in Figure 6, a second opening is provided on the (-X) side of the frame 41 to connect the interior space 100 of the indexer block 10 with the interior of the frame 41, which is opened and closed by a second gate. The shape and structure of the second opening and the second gate are substantially the same as those of the first opening 43 and the first gate 44.

[0042] In the processing block 20 shown in Figures 1 and 2, a transport path 23 for transporting substrates 9 is provided, and a plurality of processing units 21 are arranged around the transport path 23. In the example shown in Figure 1, the transport path 23 is located at the center of the processing block 20 in the Y direction and extends in the X direction. Inside the internal space 230 of the transport path 23, a second transport robot, namely a central robot 22, is arranged to transport substrates 9 in and out of each processing unit 21. Around the transport path 23, for example, 12 processing units 21 are arranged. Each processing unit 21 is a single-piece processing device that performs predetermined processing, such as cleaning, on one substrate 9. Furthermore, the processing performed on the substrate 9 in the processing unit 21 can be varied.

[0043] The central robot 22 includes a substrate support 220 and a moving mechanism 224. The substrate support 220 can support a plurality of substrates 9. The substrate support 220 includes a plurality of transport hands 221, a base 222, a base support 223, and a hand moving mechanism 225. In the example shown in Figures 1 and 2, the substrate support 220 has two transport hands 221 that are generally U-shaped when viewed from above. The two transport hands 221 are mounted on the base 222 in a separate and vertically arranged state. Each transport hand 221 is a thin plate-shaped member that is generally perpendicular to the Z direction and serves as a substrate holding portion for holding one substrate 9. The transport hand 221 has a substrate contact portion that directly contacts the lower surface of the substrate 9 (i.e., the main surface on the (-Z) side) and supports the substrate 9 from below.

[0044] The base 222 is mounted on the base support 223. A rotating mechanism (not shown) may also be provided on the base support 223 to rotate the base 222 about a rotation axis pointing vertically. This rotating mechanism may include, for example, a motor. The base support 223 is connected to a moving mechanism 224. The moving mechanism 224 is a mechanism that moves the substrate support 220 in the X direction (i.e., the direction in which the transport path 23 extends) and the Z direction (i.e., the vertical direction). The moving mechanism 224 may include, for example, a ball screw mechanism driven by a motor.

[0045] The hand movement mechanism 225 moves the conveying hand 221 forward and backward approximately horizontally on the base 222, thereby allowing the conveying hand 221 to enter and exit the carrying unit 40 and each processing unit 21. The hand movement mechanism 225 is, for example, disposed inside the base 222. The hand movement mechanism 225 includes, for example, a ball screw mechanism driven by a motor.

[0046] In the central robot 22, the plurality of conveying hands 221 can be moved independently of each other by means of the hand moving mechanism 225, or some or all of the plurality of conveying hands 221 can move together without being independent of each other. In addition, the number of conveying hands 221 can be one or more.

[0047] The central robot 22 is the second transport robot, which moves the substrate 9 into and out of the placement unit 40 by moving its transport hand 221 in and out of the placement unit 40. Furthermore, the central robot 22 handles the transfer of the substrate 9 between the placement unit 40 and each processing unit 21. The mechanisms that enable movement in the central robot 22 are not limited to the above examples and can be modified in various ways.

[0048] The substrate processing apparatus 1 further includes an information acquisition head 61 and a head moving mechanism 68. The information acquisition head 61 and the head moving mechanism 68 are used to acquire information indicating the shape of the substrate 9 (hereinafter also referred to as "substrate shape information"). The substrate shape information is information indicating the shape of the substrate 9 by irradiating light onto the substrate 9 that is moved out of the placement unit 40 by the central robot 22 and receiving the reflected light from the substrate 9.

[0049] In the examples shown in Figures 1 and 2, the information acquisition head 61 is disposed within the internal space 230 of the transport path 23 of the processing block 20, near the mounting unit 40. Specifically, the information acquisition head 61 is disposed adjacent to the (+X) side of the mounting unit 40, located in the X direction between the mounting unit 40 and the central robot 22. In the state shown in Figure 2, the information acquisition head 61 is located slightly (+Z) to the side of the first opening 43 of the mounting unit 40.

[0050] The head movement mechanism 68 moves the information acquisition head 61 in the Z direction. The head movement mechanism 68 may include, for example, a ball screw mechanism driven by a motor. In the example shown in Figure 1, the head movement mechanism 68 is positioned on the (-Y) side of the information acquisition head 61. Various modifications can be made to the construction and configuration of the head movement mechanism 68.

[0051] Figure 7 is a side view of the information acquisition head 61, and Figure 8 is a top view of the information acquisition head 61. In Figures 7 and 8, the head cover 67 of the information acquisition head 61 is shown with dashed lines, and the internal structure of the head cover 67 is shown with solid lines. In addition, Figures 7 and 8 also depict the substrate 9 held by the transfer hand 221 of the central robot 22 and moved out of the carrier unit 40. The substrate 9 and the transfer hand 221 are located away from the information acquisition head 61 towards the (-Z) side.

[0052] The information acquisition head 61 includes a light emitting section 63, a light reflecting branch section 64, a screen 65, an imaging device 66, and a head cover 67. The head cover 67 is, for example, a generally rectangular box-shaped member with an opening facing downwards. The light emitting section 63, the light reflecting branch section 64, the screen 65, and the imaging device 66 are housed inside the head cover 67. In the examples shown in Figures 7 and 8, the light emitting section 63, the imaging device 66, the light reflecting branch section 64, and the screen 65 are arranged side by side in the X direction. Furthermore, the width of each of the light emitting section 63, the light reflecting branch section 64, and the screen 65 in the Y direction is greater than the maximum width of the substrate 9 in the Y direction (i.e., the diameter of the substrate 9).

[0053] The light emitting section 63 emits light rays obliquely downward toward the main surface (hereinafter also referred to as "upper surface 91") on the (+Z) side of the substrate 9 held by the conveying hand 221. In the example shown in FIG7, the light emitting section 63 emits light rays toward the (+X) side and toward the (-Z) side. As shown in FIG8, the light emitting section 63 emits a plurality of (e.g., 30) beams B1 arranged in the Y direction in parallel (i.e., approximately simultaneously). In FIG8, for ease of understanding, the illustration of a portion of the plurality of beams B1 has been omitted.

[0054] Each beam B1 is a collimated beam. The light intensities of the plurality of beams B1 do not necessarily need to be the same, but are preferably approximately the same. The optical paths of the plurality of beams B1 are approximately parallel to each other and approximately parallel to the XZ plane, respectively. The plurality of beams B1 can be visible light or invisible light such as short-wave infrared (SWIR). In this embodiment, the plurality of beams B1 are visible light. Furthermore, the number of the plurality of beams B1 can be appropriately varied.

[0055] The light emitting section 63 includes, for example, a plurality of light sources such as laser diodes (LDs) corresponding to the plurality of light beams B1. These plurality of light sources are arranged at equal intervals, for example, on a straight line parallel to the Y direction. The light emitting section 63 further includes a collimating lens through which the light rays emitted from the plurality of light sources pass. The light rays emitted from the plurality of light sources pass through the collimating lens, thereby forming the aforementioned plurality of light beams B1.

[0056] Furthermore, the structure of the light emitting section 63 can be modified in various ways. For example, multiple optical fibers connected to one light source can be provided instead of the multiple light sources mentioned above. Alternatively, the collimated beam emitted from one light source can be split into multiple beams using DOE (Diffractive Optical Elements), and lenses can be used to make the multiple collimated beams parallel to each other, thereby forming the multiple beams B1 mentioned above.

[0057] A plurality of light beams B1 emitted from the light emitting section 63 are incident on the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9, forming a plurality of dot-shaped light beam spots S1 on the upper surface 91. These light beam spots S1 are arranged side by side in a generally straight line along a first direction of the upper surface 91. In the example shown in FIG8, the arrangement direction of the plurality of light beam spots S1, i.e., the first direction, is the Y direction. Furthermore, the first direction may also be a direction inclined relative to the Y direction. The plurality of light beam spots S1 correspond to the plurality of light beams B1, and the number of the plurality of light beam spots S1 is the same as the number of the plurality of light beams B1.

[0058] On the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9, a plurality of beam points S1 are arranged at approximately equal intervals in the first direction. The width of the region where the plurality of beam points S1 are arranged in the Y direction (i.e., the distance in the Y direction between the beam point S1 located on the (+Y) side and the beam point S1 located on the (-Y) side) is, for example, approximately the same as the maximum width of the substrate 9 in the Y direction (i.e., the diameter of the substrate 9).

[0059] The reflected light R0 of the beam B1 reflected at each beam point S1 on the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 travels from each beam point S1 toward the (+X) side and the (+Z) side, and is incident on the reflected light branching section 64. The reflected light branching section 64 includes a semi-reflecting mirror 641 and a reflecting mirror 642. The semi-reflecting mirror 641 and the reflecting mirror 642 are generally flat plate-shaped members that extend substantially perpendicularly to the X direction. The semi-reflecting mirror 641 and the reflecting mirror 642 are arranged facing each other in the X direction and are substantially parallel to each other. The reflecting mirror 642 is arranged on the (-X) side of the semi-reflecting mirror 641. The semi-reflecting mirror 641 allows a portion of the incident light to pass through and reflects the remaining light. The reflecting mirror 642 is a total reflection mirror that substantially reflects all the incident light.

[0060] A portion of the reflected light R0 incident on the reflected light branch 64 (hereinafter also referred to as "the first reflected light R1") penetrates the semi-reflective mirror 641 and travels towards the (+X) and (+Z) sides, and is incident on a generally flat screen 65 that extends approximately perpendicular to the X direction. Thereby, a first image of the beam point S1, namely a dot-shaped first light spot image 651, is formed on the screen 65.

[0061] On the other hand, in the reflected light R0 incident on the reflected light branch 64, the light rays that do not penetrate the semi-reflecting mirror 641 (hereinafter also referred to as "the second reflected light R2") are reflected by the semi-reflecting mirror 641 and travel towards the (-X) and (+Z) sides, and are incident on the reflecting mirror 642. The second reflected light R2 is reflected by the reflecting mirror 642 and travels towards the (+X) and (+Z) sides, and is incident on the screen 65. Thereby, a second image of the beam point S1, namely the dot-shaped second light spot image 652, is formed on the screen 65.

[0062] On screen 65, the second light spot image 652 is located at approximately the same position as the first light spot image 651 in the Y direction, and is located on the (+Z) side of the first light spot image 651 in the Z direction. The optical path length of the second reflected light R2 from the beam point S1 on substrate 9 to the second light spot image 652 is longer than the optical path length of the first reflected light R1 from the beam point S1 to the first light spot image 651.

[0063] As shown in Figure 9, on screen 65, a plurality of first light spot images 651 corresponding to the plurality of light beams B1 (refer to Figures 7 and 8) are arranged substantially parallel in the Y direction. Furthermore, a plurality of second light spot images 652 corresponding to the plurality of light beams B1 are arranged substantially parallel in the Y direction. As described above, on screen 65, the plurality of second light spot images 652 are located on the (+Z) side of the plurality of first light spot images 651.

[0064] The imaging device 66 shown in Figures 7 and 8 captures images of a plurality of first light spot images 651 and a plurality of second light spot images 652. The first light spot image 651 is an image of a plurality of beam points S1 formed on the screen 65 by the first reflected light R1, and the second light spot image 652 is an image of a plurality of beam points S1 formed on the same screen 65 by the second reflected light R2. In the imaging device 66, the plurality of first light spot images 651 and the plurality of second light spot images 652 are captured and contained in a single captured image. That is, the imaging device 66 focuses all the first reflected light R1 and the second reflected light R2 of each of the plurality of beam points S1 to capture an image.

[0065] In the substrate processing apparatus 1 illustrated in Figures 7 and 8, only one imaging device 66 is provided to capture images of the first reflected light R1 and the second reflected light R2, and no other imaging devices are provided besides imaging device 66. Furthermore, imaging device 66 is a single device, not a collection of multiple identical devices, i.e., a group of devices. Alternatively, two or more imaging devices 66 may be provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1.

[0066] The image captured by the camera device 66 is sent to the information acquisition unit 801 of the control unit 8 (see Figures 1 and 2). In the information acquisition unit 801, the three-dimensional position of each beam point S1 formed on the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 is determined based on the image captured. The method for calculating the three-dimensional position of the beam point S1 will be described later.

[0067] In the examples shown in Figures 7 and 8, no optical elements other than the reflected light branching section 64 are provided in the optical path of the light emitted from the light emitting section 63 and reaching the screen 65. Furthermore, no optical elements such as lenses or mirrors are provided between the imaging device 66 and the screen 65. Moreover, the imaging device 66 can be any configuration as long as it can acquire an image, for example, including a CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) sensor and a lens.

[0068] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the substrate processing apparatus 1 further includes a control unit 8 that controls the configurations of the indexer block 10, the mounting unit 40, and the processing block 20. Figure 10 shows the configuration of the control unit 8. The control unit 8 has the configuration of a general computer system, including a CPU 81, a GPU 82, a ROM 83, a RAM 84, a fixed disk 85, a display 86, an input unit 87, a reading device 88, a communication unit 89, and a bus 80.

[0069] The CPU 81 performs various arithmetic operations. The GPU 82 performs various arithmetic operations related to image processing. The ROM 83 stores the basic program. The RAM 84 stores various information. The fixed disk 85 stores information. The display 86 is a display unit that displays images and other information. The input unit 87 includes a keyboard 87a and a mouse 87b that accept input from the operator. The reading device 88 reads information from a computer-readable recording medium 881, such as an optical disc, magnetic disk, optical disc drive, or memory card. The display 86, keyboard 87a, mouse 87b, and reading device 88 are connected to the bus 80 via an interface I / F. The communication unit 89 transmits and receives signals between the control unit 8 and external devices. The bus 80 is a signal circuit that connects the CPU 81, GPU 82, ROM 83, RAM 84, fixed disk 85, display 86, input unit 87, reading device 88, and communication unit 89.

[0070] In the control unit 8, the program 882 is read from the recording medium 881 via the reading device 88 and stored on the fixed disk 85. The program 882 can also be stored on the fixed disk 85 via a network. The CPU 81 and GPU 82 perform computational processing according to the program 882 using RAM 84 or the fixed disk 85. The CPU 81 and GPU 82 function as the computing unit in the control unit 8. In addition to the CPU 81 and GPU 82, other configurations can also be used as the computing unit.

[0071] In the substrate processing apparatus 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2, the control unit 8 performs arithmetic processing according to program 882, thereby enabling the information acquisition unit 801 (refer to Figures 1 and 2) to perform its functions. All or part of this function can also be implemented using dedicated electronic circuitry. Alternatively, this function can be implemented using multiple computers. The information acquisition unit 801 can also be implemented using a CPU 81, GPU 82, ROM 83, RAM 84, fixed disk 85, and other peripheral components. For example, the information acquisition unit 801 may include: an arithmetic unit that performs arithmetic processing on the shape of the substrate 9 according to program 882; and a memory unit that stores the information processed by the arithmetic unit. Various memory elements (such as memory chips) can be used as the memory unit.

[0072] Next, the calculation method for the three-dimensional position of the aforementioned beam point S1 calculated by the information acquisition unit 801 will be explained with reference to Figures 11 and 12. Figure 11 is a diagram showing a portion of the structure in Figure 7. Figure 12 is a conceptual diagram showing the direction vector described later. First, in the information acquisition unit 801, the coordinates P1(x1, y1, z1) of the first light spot image 651 in the XYZ coordinate system are obtained based on the image captured by the imaging device 66. Furthermore, in the information acquisition unit 801, the coordinates P2(x2, y2, z2) of the virtual second light spot image 652a are also obtained based on the image captured. Moreover, the position of the origin in the XYZ coordinate system is not particularly limited. For example, the center of the substrate 9 or the starting point of the measurement can be set as the origin.

[0073] The virtual second light spot image 652a is located at the following position: assuming the second reflected light R2 penetrates the semi-reflecting mirror 641 and travels the length of the optical path of the second reflected light R2 from the semi-reflecting mirror 641, this is the virtual position of the second light spot image 652. In other words, the virtual second light spot image 652a is located at the following position: when the second reflected light R2 and the screen 65 are unfolded at the reflective surface of the semi-reflecting mirror 641 and overlap with the first reflected light R1, this is the virtual position of the second light spot image 652. As described above, since the optical path length of the second reflected light R2 is longer than that of the first reflected light R1, the virtual second light spot image 652a is located further (+X) and further (+Z) than the first light spot image 651.

[0074] The direction vector dr of the reflected light R0 at the beam point S1 on the substrate 9 is obtained using coordinates P1 and P2, as shown in Equation 1.

[0075] [Formula 1]

[0076] On the other hand, the direction vector di of the light beam B1 (i.e., the incident light at beam point S1) emitted from the light emitting section 63 toward the substrate 9 is independent of the shape of the substrate 9 and is fixed in the substrate processing apparatus 1. The direction vector di uses the coordinates Pi1 (xi1, yi1, zi1) of the emission position 635 of the light beam B1 in the light emitting section 63 and the coordinates Pi2 (xi2, yi2, zi2) of the predetermined position 636 on the light beam B1, as expressed in Equation 2. Furthermore, the light beam B1 is parallel to the XZ plane as described above, therefore, the y-coordinate of coordinate Pi1 is the same as the y-coordinate of coordinate Pi2. In addition, coordinates Pi1 and Pi2 are two different points on the light beam B1.

[0077] [Formula 2]

[0078] In Figure 12, the line system Li corresponding to the direction vector di is represented by the medium variable t as shown in Equation 3. Furthermore, the line system Lr corresponding to the direction vector dr is represented by the medium variable u as shown in Equation 4.

[0079] [Formula 3]

[0080] [Formula 4]

[0081] Then, since the straight lines Li and Lr pass through the beam point S1 on the substrate 9, the coordinates Pr(xr,yr,zr) of the beam point S1 are obtained as in Equation 5.

[0082] [Formula 5]

[0083] In the information acquisition unit 801, as shown in FIG8, for each of the plurality of beam points S1 arranged side by side in a generally straight line on the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 in the first direction (i.e., the Y direction), the coordinates Pr are obtained as described above. That is, the intersection point of the line Li corresponding to the direction vector di and the line Lr corresponding to the direction vector dr is calculated, which is the coordinate Pr of the beam point S1. In this way, the shape of the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 passing through the plurality of beam points S1 is obtained. In the following description, the virtual line passing through the plurality of beam points S1 is also referred to as the "light spot line", and the shape of the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 on the light spot line is also referred to as the "shape of the light spot line".

[0084] In the substrate processing apparatus 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2, the substrate 9, which is moved from the loading unit 40 by the central robot 22, moves in the (+X) direction below the information acquisition head 61. Specifically, the substrate 9 held by the transport hand 221, as shown in Figure 8, has a plurality of beam points S1 formed on its upper surface 91, and moves in the (+X) direction by the hand moving mechanism 225. In this way, the plurality of beam points S1 scan the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 in the (-X) direction. When the scanning direction of the plurality of beam points S1 on the substrate 9, i.e., the X direction, is referred to as the "second direction," the hand moving mechanism 225 is a scanning mechanism that scans the plurality of beam points S1 on the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 in the second direction. Furthermore, the second direction is along the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 and is a direction that intersects with the aforementioned first direction. Moreover, the second direction can also be a direction inclined relative to the X direction.

[0085] In the substrate processing apparatus 1, when the substrate 9 is removed from the mounting unit 40, a plurality of first light spot images 651 and a plurality of second light spot images 652 on the screen 65 are continuously captured by the imaging device 66 in parallel with the plurality of light beam points S1 scanning from the (+X) side end to the (-X) side end of the substrate 9, so as to obtain a plurality of captured images. The plurality of captured images are transmitted from the imaging device 66 to the information acquisition unit 801 (see Figures 1 and 2).

[0086] In the information acquisition unit 801, the shape of the light spot line corresponding to each of the plurality of captured images is obtained as described above. Then, in conjunction with the position of the light spot line on the substrate 9 during the capture of each image, the plurality of light spot lines corresponding to the plurality of captured images are arranged side by side in the X direction, thereby obtaining substrate shape information representing the approximate overall shape of the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9. Figure 13 schematically illustrates the substrate shape information obtained by the information acquisition unit 801. In the example shown in Figure 13, the substrate 9 is bent to bulge towards the (+Z) side. In Figure 13, the degree of bending of the substrate 9 is depicted as greater than it actually is.

[0087] In the substrate processing apparatus 1, the light emitting unit 63, the reflected light branching unit 64, the imaging device 66, the conveying hand 221, the hand moving mechanism 225, and the information acquisition unit 801 constitute a substrate information acquisition device 60 for acquiring substrate shape information (i.e., the shape information of the substrate 9).

[0088] In the substrate processing apparatus 1, as described above, when the substrate 9 is removed from the loading unit 40 by the central robot 22, substrate shape information is acquired by the substrate information acquisition device 60. Then, based on the substrate shape information, the control unit 8 (see Figures 1 and 2) determines whether the substrate 9 can be properly held in the predetermined processing unit 21 into which the substrate 9 is loaded. Furthermore, in the control unit 8, the predetermined processing performed on the substrate 9 by the processing unit 21 is set to appropriate processing conditions that conform to the shape of the substrate 9 shown in the substrate shape information.

[0089] Furthermore, in the substrate processing apparatus 1, it is not necessarily necessary to obtain substrate shape information indicating the shape of the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9; it is also possible to obtain substrate shape information indicating the shape of the lower surface (i.e., the main surface on the (-Z) side) of the substrate 9. In this case, the information acquisition head 61 is disposed on the (-Z) side of the substrate 9, and the light beam B1 emitted from the light emitting section 63 is incident on the lower surface of the substrate 9, forming a plurality of light beam points S1 on the lower surface of the substrate 9. In addition, in the substrate processing apparatus 1, the information acquisition head 61 may be disposed on the (+Z) side and the (-Z) side, respectively, of the substrate support section 220 of the central robot 22, and simultaneously obtain substrate shape information of the two substrates 9 held by the two transport hands 221. Furthermore, by using the information acquisition head 61 and the head moving mechanism 68 to measure the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate 9, it is possible to obtain not only substrate shape information but also substrate thickness information.

[0090] As described above, the substrate information acquisition device 60 includes: a substrate holding section (a conveying hand 221 in the above example), a light emitting section 63, a scanning mechanism (a hand moving mechanism 225 in the above example), a reflected light branching section 64, an imaging device 66, and an information acquisition section 801. The substrate holding section holds the substrate 9. The light emitting section 63 emits light rays toward the main surface (the upper surface 91 in the above example) of the substrate 9, and forms a plurality of beam points S1 arranged in a straight line along a first direction (the Y direction in the above example) along the main surface of the main surface. The scanning mechanism scans the plurality of beam points S1 on the main surface of the substrate 9 in a second direction (the X direction in the above example). The second direction intersects the first direction and is along the main surface of the substrate 9.

[0091] The reflected light branching section 64 branches the reflected light R0 from each beam point S1 into a first reflected light R1 and a second reflected light R2 with different optical path lengths. The imaging device 66 focuses the first reflected light R1 and the second reflected light R2 from each beam point S1 to perform imaging. The information acquisition unit 801 acquires the shape information of the substrate 9 (i.e., substrate shape information) from the plurality of imaging images acquired by the imaging device 66 in parallel with the scanning mechanism of the plurality of beam points S1.

[0092] Thus, in the substrate information acquisition device 60, the reflected light R0 from each beam point S1 is split into a first reflected light R1 and a second reflected light R2 with different optical path lengths, and substrate shape information is obtained based on the imaging results of the first reflected light R1 and the second reflected light R2. Therefore, it can acquire the shape information of the substrate 9 with high precision. Furthermore, in the substrate information acquisition device 60, instead of imaging the irradiation area of ​​the linear beam extending in the first direction on the substrate 9, a plurality of beam points S1 arranged in a straight line in the first direction are formed on the substrate 9, and their reflected light is imaged. Therefore, it can easily grasp the correspondence between the first light spot image 651 and the second light spot image 652 on the image and the beam point S1 on the substrate 9. Therefore, it can acquire the shape information of the substrate 9 with even higher precision.

[0093] Furthermore, in the substrate information acquisition apparatus 60, the imaging device 66 focuses and captures images of the first reflected light R1 and the second reflected light R2 of each beam point S1. Therefore, compared to the case where imaging devices for capturing the first reflected light R1 and the second reflected light R2 are separately (i.e., independently), the structure of the substrate information acquisition apparatus 60 can be simplified. That is, in the substrate information acquisition apparatus 60, the device structure can be simplified, and the shape information of the substrate 9 can be acquired with high accuracy.

[0094] As described above, the light emitting section 63 preferably emits a plurality of light beams B1 corresponding to a plurality of light beam points S1 in parallel. In this way, compared with the case where a single light beam point S1 is formed on the substrate 9 by a single light beam B1 and the light beam point S1 is scanned in the first direction, the time required to obtain substrate shape information can be shortened.

[0095] As described above, the imaging device 66 preferably captures images (i.e., first light spot image 651 and second light spot image 652) of each beam point S1 formed on a single screen 65 by the first reflected light R1 and the second reflected light R2. This allows for miniaturization of the imaging device 66 and increases the flexibility in its configuration compared to having the first reflected light R1 and the second reflected light R2 directly incident on it. Furthermore, since the condenser lens required for incidenting the first reflected light R1 and the second reflected light R2 onto the imaging device 66 can be omitted, the structure of the substrate information acquisition device 60 can be simplified. Moreover, by using only one screen 65 on the substrate information acquisition device 60, the structure of the substrate information acquisition device 60 can be further simplified.

[0096] In the above example, the substrate holding portion contacts the lower surface of the substrate 9 to support the substrate 9. In this case, the main surface of the substrate 9 illuminated by the light emitted from the light emitting portion 63 is preferably the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9. This prevents the light illuminating the main surface of the substrate 9 from the light emitting portion 63 from being blocked by the substrate holding portion. As a result, the shape information of the substrate 9 can be obtained with higher accuracy.

[0097] The substrate processing apparatus 1 for processing substrate 9 includes: the aforementioned substrate information acquisition device 60, an indexer block 10, a processing block 20, and a placement unit 40. In the indexer block 10, a first transport robot (i.e., indexer robot 12) is configured to move substrates in and out of a storage container 7 capable of holding multiple substrates 9. In the processing block 20, a processing unit 21 for processing substrate 9 and a second transport robot (i.e., central robot 22) for moving substrates 9 in and out of the processing unit 21 are configured. The placement unit 40 is provided at the connection between the processing block 20 and the indexer block 10. The placement unit 40 holds unprocessed substrates 9 transferred from the indexer robot 12 to the central robot 22, and processed substrates 9 transferred from the central robot 22 to the indexer robot 12. The substrate holding part of the substrate information acquisition device 60 is a transport hand 221 that holds substrate 9 within the central robot 22. The scanning mechanism of the substrate information acquisition device 60 is a hand movement mechanism 225 in the central robot 22 that moves the conveying hand 221 in a second direction (X direction in the above example). In the substrate processing apparatus 1, when the substrate 9 is removed from the loading unit 40 by the central robot 22, the substrate information acquisition device 60 acquires the shape information of the substrate 9.

[0098] Thus, during the transport path of the substrate 9 from the placement unit 40 to the processing unit 21, substrate shape information representing the shape of the substrate 9 is acquired, thereby suppressing or preventing an increase in the tact time of substrate processing, and allowing for high-precision acquisition of substrate shape information before processing the substrate 9. Furthermore, by processing the substrate 9 based on the acquired substrate shape information, the quality of substrate 9 processing can be improved. In addition, since the device structure of the substrate information acquisition device 60 can be simplified as described above, the enlargement of the substrate processing apparatus 1 and the arrangement of the substrate information acquisition device 60 can be suppressed.

[0099] In the above example, the plurality of light beams B1 emitted from the light emitting section 63 are visible light, but this is not a limitation. For example, when the substrate 9 is coated with a photosensitive material that is sensitive to light in the wavelength range of visible light, the plurality of light beams B1 can also be set to short-wave infrared light. In this way, even for a substrate 9 that needs to avoid being irradiated with visible light, substrate shape information can still be obtained with high accuracy.

[0100] Furthermore, when the light emitted from the light emitting section 63 is short-wave infrared, the screen 65 is preferably a fluorescent screen that emits fluorescence by being irradiated by short-wave infrared light. This eliminates the need for expensive imaging devices capable of capturing short-wave infrared light to image the first light spot image 651 and the second light spot image 652 on the screen 65, thus reducing the increase in manufacturing costs for the substrate information acquisition device 60 and the substrate processing device 1.

[0101] In the substrate processing apparatus 1, the structure of the light emitting unit 63 is not limited to the above example, and various modifications can be made. For example, instead of the above-described light emitting unit 63, the light emitting unit 63a shown in FIG14 can be provided in the information acquisition head 61. FIG14 is an enlarged top view of the light emitting unit 63a. The light emitting unit 63a includes a light source unit 631 and a multi-beam device 632. The light source unit 631 is, for example, disposed on the (-X) side of the multi-beam device 632, and emits a beam B0 toward the multi-beam device 632 in the (+X) direction. The beam B0 is a collimated beam. The light source unit 631 includes, for example, an LD (Laser Diode). The beam B0 incident from the light source unit 631 onto the multi-beam device 632 is split into a plurality of beams B1 in the multi-beam device 632, and exits from the multi-beam device 632 toward the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 (see FIG8).

[0102] The multi-beam device 632 includes a neutral density filter 633 and a reflector 634. The neutral density filter 633 and the reflector 634 are generally flat plate-shaped components extending substantially parallel to the Z-direction, and extending in a direction inclined relative to the X and Y directions when viewed from above. The neutral density filter 633 and the reflector 634 are arranged facing each other substantially parallel to each other in a close proximity. The reflector 634 is disposed on the (-X) side of the neutral density filter 633. The light source unit 631 is disposed near the end of the neutral density filter 633 and the reflector 634 on the (-Y) side, on the (-X) side of the reflector 634.

[0103] The neutral density filter 633 is a filter that allows a portion of the incident light to pass through while reflecting the remainder. The transmittance of the neutral density filter 633 for the aforementioned beam B0 gradually increases from the end on the (-Y) side towards the end on the (+Y) side (i.e., from one side of the first direction to the other). For example, an ND (Neutral Density) filter whose transmittance changes continuously or in stages in the Y direction can be used as the neutral density filter 633. The reflector 634 is a total internal reflection mirror that substantially performs total internal reflection of the incident light.

[0104] In the light emitting section 63a, the light beam B0 emitted from the light source section 631 is incident at the first incident position located at the (-Y) side end of the light-reducing filter 633. A portion of the light beam B0 incident at the first incident position of the light-reducing filter 633 penetrates the light-reducing filter 633, becoming the light beam B1 located on the (-Y) side in FIG. 14 and exiting towards the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9. Furthermore, the remaining portion of the light beam B0 incident at the first incident position (i.e., the light that does not penetrate the light-reducing filter 633) is reflected by the light-reducing filter 633 towards the (+Y) and (-X) sides and towards the reflector 634, and is reflected by the reflector 634 towards the light-reducing filter 633 and incident at the second incident position of the light-reducing filter 633. On the light-reducing filter 633, the second incident position is located on the (+Y) side, which is closer to the first incident position.

[0105] A portion of the light beam B0 incident at the second incident position of the neutral density filter 633 penetrates the filter 633 and becomes the second light beam B1 from the (-Y) side in FIG. 14, exiting towards the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9. The transmittance of the neutral density filter 633 at the second incident position is greater than that at the first incident position. On the other hand, the light intensity of the light beam B0 incident at the second incident position is less than that of the light beam B0 incident at the first incident position. In the light emitting section 63a, the transmittance of the neutral density filter 633 is set such that the light intensity of the light beam B1 penetrating the neutral density filter 633 at the first incident position is approximately the same as the light intensity of the light beam B1 penetrating the neutral density filter 633 at the second incident position.

[0106] The remaining portion of the light beam B0 incident on the neutral density filter 633 at the second incident position (i.e., the light that does not penetrate the neutral density filter 633) is reflected by the neutral density filter 633 towards the (+Y) and (-X) sides and then towards the reflector 634. It is then reflected by the reflector 634 towards the neutral density filter 633 and incident on the third incident position of the neutral density filter 633. On the neutral density filter 633, the third incident position is located further towards the (+Y) side than the second incident position.

[0107] A portion of the light beam B0 incident at the third incident position of the neutral density filter 633 penetrates the filter 633 and becomes the third light beam B1 from the (-Y) side in FIG. 14, exiting towards the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9. The transmittance of the neutral density filter 633 at the third incident position is greater than that at the second incident position. On the other hand, the light intensity of the light beam B0 incident at the third incident position is less than that of the light beam B0 incident at the second incident position. In the light emitting section 63a, the transmittance of the neutral density filter 633 is set such that the light intensity of the light beam B1 penetrating the neutral density filter 633 at the second incident position is approximately the same as that of the light beam B1 penetrating the neutral density filter 633 at the third incident position.

[0108] In the light emitting section 63a, the light beam B0 incident from the light source section 631 onto the multi-beam device 632 is repeatedly reflected between the light-reducing filter 633 and the reflector 634, and propagates from the (-Y) side towards the (+Y) side. Then, at a plurality of incident positions (the first incident position, the second incident position, and the third incident position, etc., mentioned above) arranged side by side at approximately equal intervals in the Y direction on the light-reducing filter 633, a portion of the light beam B0 penetrates the light-reducing filter 633, thereby emitting the plurality of light beams B1 toward the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9. In the light emitting section 63a, the transmittance of the light-reducing filter 633 is set such that the light intensity of the light beams B1 penetrating the light-reducing filter 633 at each of the plurality of incident positions adjacent in the Y direction is approximately the same. Therefore, the light intensity of the plurality of beams B1 emitted from the multi-beam device 632 toward the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 becomes approximately equal.

[0109] As explained above, the light emitting section 63a includes a light source section 631 and a multi-beam device 632. The multi-beam device 632 splits the light beam B0 emitted from the light source section 631 into a plurality of light beams B1 for emission. The multi-beam device 632 includes a neutral density filter 633 and a reflector 634. The neutral density filter 633 allows a portion of the incident light to pass through and reflects the remaining light. The reflector 634 is arranged opposite to the neutral density filter 633 and causes the incident light to be reflected toward the neutral density filter 633. The transmittance of the neutral density filter 633 gradually increases from one side of the first direction to the other (in the example above, from the (-Y) side to the (+Y) side). The light beam B0 incident from the light source section 631 onto the multi-beam device 632 is repeatedly reflected between the neutral density filter 633 and the reflector 634 and travels from one side of the first direction to the other. The plurality of beams B1 are the beams after beam B0 passes through the light-reducing filter 633 from multiple incident positions. This simplifies the construction of the light-emitting section 63a that emits the plurality of beams B1.

[0110] Next, the substrate processing apparatus 1b according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 15 is a top view of the substrate processing apparatus 1b. FIG. 16 is a view of the substrate processing apparatus 1b viewed from line XVI-XVI of FIG. 15. The substrate processing apparatus 1b has a structure substantially the same as that of the substrate processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, except that the information acquisition header 61 described above is arranged at the point of the indexer block 10. In the following description, the same reference numerals are used to refer to the components of the substrate processing apparatus 1b that correspond to the components of the substrate processing apparatus 1.

[0111] The information acquisition head 61 is located within the internal space 100 of the indexer block 10 and is positioned near the plurality of storage containers 7. Specifically, the information acquisition head 61 is adjacent to the (+X) side of the (-X) side sidewall 13 of the indexer block 10. The information acquisition head 61 is located in the X direction between the sidewall 13 of the indexer block 10 and the moving mechanism 124 of the indexer robot 12. In the state shown in FIG. 16, the information acquisition head 61 is positioned slightly (+Z) to the (+Z) side of the container opening 71 of the storage container 7.

[0112] The information acquisition head 61 is fixed to the base plate support 120 of the indexer robot 12, and moves together with the base plate support 120 in the Y and Z directions via the moving mechanism 124. In the example shown in Figures 15 and 16, the information acquisition head 61 is mounted on the base 122 of the base plate support 120, located on the (+Z) side of the plurality of transport hands 121. Furthermore, the information acquisition head 61 may also be configured not to be fixed to the base plate support 120, and can move independently of the base plate support 120 via a different moving mechanism than the moving mechanism 124.

[0113] In the substrate processing apparatus 1b, when the substrate 9 is removed from the storage container 7, substrate shape information is acquired in a manner substantially similar to that in the first embodiment. Specifically, firstly, the substrate support 120 and the information acquisition head 61 are moved by the moving mechanism 124 of the indexer robot 12 and positioned on the (+X) side of the storage container 7. Next, the transfer hand 121 is inserted into the storage container 7 by the hand moving mechanism 125, and after holding the substrate 9, it is moved in the (+X) direction to remove the substrate 9 from the storage container 7.

[0114] When the substrate 9 is removed from the storage container 7, the plurality of beam points S1 (see Figure 8) scan parallel to the (+X) side end of the substrate 9 to the (-X) side end. The plurality of first light spot images 651 and the plurality of second light spot images 652 (see Figure 9) on the screen 65 are continuously captured by the imaging device 66 (see Figures 7 and 8), and a plurality of imaged images are obtained. These multiple imaged images are transmitted from the imaging device 66 to the information acquisition unit 801 of the control unit 8. In the information acquisition unit 801, based on these multiple imaged images, substrate shape information representing the approximate overall shape of the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 is obtained, substantially the same as in the first embodiment.

[0115] In the substrate processing apparatus 1b, a substrate information acquisition apparatus 60b is constructed by a light emitting unit 63, a reflected light branching unit 64, an imaging device 66 (see Figures 7 and 8), an information acquisition unit 801, and a transport hand 121 and a hand moving mechanism 125 of the indexer robot 12 to acquire substrate shape information (i.e., shape information of the substrate 9). Similar to the substrate information acquisition apparatus 60, the substrate information acquisition apparatus 60b simplifies the device structure and can acquire the shape information of the substrate 9 with high accuracy.

[0116] As explained above, the substrate processing apparatus 1b for processing substrate 9 includes: the aforementioned substrate information acquisition device 60b, an indexer block 10, and a processing block 20. In the indexer block 10, a first transport robot (i.e., indexer robot 12) is configured to move substrates in and out of a storage container 7 capable of holding multiple substrates 9. In the processing block 20, a processing unit 21 for processing substrate 9 and a second transport robot (i.e., central robot 22) for moving substrates in and out of the processing unit 21 are configured.

[0117] The substrate holding section of the substrate information acquisition device 60b is a transport hand 121 that holds the substrate 9 within the indexer robot 12. The scanning mechanism of the substrate information acquisition device 60b is a hand movement mechanism 125 within the indexer robot 12 that moves the transport hand 121 in a second direction (the X direction in the above example). In the substrate processing apparatus 1b, when the substrate 9 is removed from the storage container 7 by the indexer robot 12, it acquires the shape information of the substrate 9 using the substrate information acquisition device 60b.

[0118] In this way, similar to the first embodiment, it can suppress or prevent the increase in the cycle time of substrate processing, and can obtain substrate shape information with high precision before processing the substrate 9. Moreover, by processing the substrate 9 based on the obtained substrate shape information, it can improve the quality of processing the substrate 9. Furthermore, since it can simplify the device structure of the substrate information acquisition device 60b as described above, it can suppress the enlargement of the substrate processing device 1b and configure the substrate information acquisition device 60b.

[0119] Various modifications can be made to the substrate information acquisition devices 60 and 60b and the substrate processing devices 1 and 1b described above.

[0120] For example, in the substrate information acquisition device 60, the semi-reflective mirror 641 and the reflective mirror 642 of the reflected light branch 64 do not necessarily need to be perpendicular to the X direction, and can also be configured to be tilted relative to the X direction. The same applies to the substrate information acquisition device 60b.

[0121] The construction of the reflected light branch 64 is not limited to the above example and can be modified in various ways. For example, the reflected light branch 64 can also be composed of a first screen and a second screen, wherein the first screen is a screen that generates a first light spot image 651 by fluorescence at the position where a portion of the reflected light R0 reflected by the substrate 9 passes through and is irradiated by the remaining portion of the reflected light R0 (i.e., the first reflected light R1), and the second screen is a screen that forms a second light spot image 652 by the reflected light (i.e., the second reflected light R2) that passes through the first screen.

[0122] In the substrate information acquisition device 60, the lighting and extinguishing of each beam point S1 can be repeatedly performed by controlling the light emitting unit 63. In this case, the light emitting unit 63 can also be controlled so that the lighting time of each beam point S1 is different from the lighting time of the beam points S1 on both sides adjacent to each other in the first direction. In this way, it is easier to grasp the correspondence between the first light spot image 651 and the second light spot image 652 on the image and the beam point S1 on the substrate 9. Therefore, the shape information of the substrate 9 can be obtained with high precision. The same applies to the substrate information acquisition device 60b.

[0123] In the substrate information acquisition device 60, the light emitting unit 63 may form a single beam point S1 on the substrate 9 using a single beam B1, and scan the beam point S1 in the first direction, thereby forming a plurality of beam points S1 arranged in a straight line on the main surface of the substrate 9 along the first direction. The same applies to the substrate information acquisition device 60b.

[0124] In the substrate information acquisition devices 60 and 60b, the imaging device 66 may not necessarily need to capture images of the first light spot image 651 and the second light spot image 652 projected on the screen 65. For example, the first reflected light R1 and the second reflected light R2 reflected by the substrate 9 may be guided to the imaging device 66 via optical elements, and then incident on the imaging device 66, thereby focusing the first reflected light R1 and the second reflected light R2 and capturing an image. In this case, the screen 65 may be omitted.

[0125] In the substrate processing apparatuses 1 and 1b, the transport hands 121 and 221 do not necessarily need to contact the lower surface of the substrate 9 to support the substrate 9. For example, the transport hands 121 and 221 may also adhere to the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 and hold it there.

[0126] In the substrate processing apparatuses 1 and 1b, a plurality of beam points S1 are scanned on the main surface of the substrate 9 by moving the substrate 9 in a second direction (the X direction in the above example), but this is not limited to this. For example, the information acquisition head 61, which is provided with a light emitting section 63, a reflected light branching section 64, and an imaging device 66, can also be moved in the second direction by a moving mechanism while the substrate 9 is stationary, thereby causing the plurality of beam points S1 to scan on the main surface of the substrate 9. In this case, the moving mechanism is a scanning mechanism that causes the plurality of beam points S1 to scan.

[0127] In addition to semiconductor substrates, the aforementioned substrate processing apparatuses 1 and 1b can also be used for processing glass substrates used in flat panel displays such as liquid crystal displays or organic EL (electroluminescence) displays, or glass substrates used in other display devices. Furthermore, the aforementioned substrate processing apparatuses 1 and 1b can also be used for processing substrates for optical discs, magnetic disks, optical-magnetic disks, photomasks, ceramic substrates, and solar cells.

[0128] The substrate information acquisition devices 60 and 60b can also be configured in various positions different from those described in the substrate processing apparatuses 1 and 1b to acquire substrate shape information. Furthermore, the substrate information acquisition devices 60 and 60b do not necessarily need to be installed in the substrate processing apparatuses 1 and 1b; they can also be devices independent of the substrate processing apparatuses 1 and 1b. In addition, although the above embodiment describes the case where only one imaging device 66 is provided, for example, it is also possible to provide a plurality of imaging devices 66 arranged side-by-side in the width direction (Y direction) of the substrate 9. This can improve the observation resolution in the Y direction. Furthermore, it is also possible to arrange a plurality of optical systems, each equipped with a light emitting section 63, a reflected light branching section 64, and an imaging device 66, side-by-side in the width direction (Y direction) of the substrate 9.

[0129] The above-mentioned implementation forms and variations can be appropriately combined as long as they do not contradict each other.

[0130] Although the invention has been described and illustrated in detail, the above description is illustrative only and not restrictive. Therefore, various modifications or variations can be implemented without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0131] 1, 1b: Substrate processing apparatus 7: Storage Containers 8: Control Department 9:Substrate 10: Indexer Block 11: Loading Port 12: Indexer Robot 13: Sidewall 20: Processing Blocks 21: Processing Unit 22: Central Robot 23:Conveyance Road 40: Loading unit 41: Frame 42: Internal support section 43: Opening 44: Gate 60, 60b: Substrate information acquisition device 61: Information obtained from the top 63, 63a: Light emitting section 64: Reflected light splitter 65: Screen 66: Camera device 67: Head cover 68: Head movement mechanism 70: Interior Space 71: Container opening 72: Internal support section 73: Inner side 80: Busbar 81: CPU 82: GPU 83:ROM 84:RAM 85: Fixed disk 86: Monitor 87: Input Section 87a: Keyboard 87b: Mouse 88: Reading device 89: Ministry of Communications 91: Upper surface 100: Interior Space 120: Substrate support portion 121:Moving hands 122: Base 123: Base support 124: Mobile mechanism 125: Hand movement mechanism 131: Through the mouth 132: Sliding Door 220: Substrate support portion 221:Moving hands 222: Base 223: Base support 224: Mobile mechanism 225: Hand movement mechanism 230: Interior Space 631: Light Source Department 632: Multibeam Device 633: Neutral Density Filter 634: Reflector 635: Launch position 636: Fixed position 641: Semi-reflective mirror 642: Reflector 651: Image of the first light spot 652: Second light spot image 652a: Virtual Second Light Spot Image 801: Information Acquisition Department 881: Recording Media 882: Program B0, B1: Beams di: Direction vector dr: direction vector Li: Straight line Lr: Straight line P1: Coordinates P2: Coordinates Pi1: Coordinates Pi2: Coordinates Pr: Coordinates R0: Reflected light R1: First reflected light R2: Second reflected light S1: Beam Point X, Y, Z: Direction

Claims

1. A substrate information acquisition apparatus for acquiring shape information of a substrate; comprising: a substrate holding section for holding the substrate; a light emitting section for emitting light rays toward a main surface of the substrate, forming a plurality of beam points on the main surface, the plurality of beam points being arranged in a straight line along a first direction along the main surface; a scanning mechanism for scanning the plurality of beam points on the main surface of the substrate along a second direction intersecting the first direction and parallel to the main surface; a reflected light branching section for branching the reflected light from each beam point into first reflected light and second reflected light with different optical path lengths; an imaging device for focusing the first reflected light and the second reflected light from each beam point to perform imaging; and an information acquisition section for acquiring the shape information of the substrate from a plurality of image images acquired by the imaging device in parallel with the scanning of the plurality of beam points performed by the scanning mechanism.

2. As in claim 1, the substrate information acquisition device, wherein, The aforementioned light emitting section emits a plurality of beams corresponding to the plurality of beam points in parallel.

3. As in claim 2, the substrate information acquisition device, wherein, The light emitting section includes: a light source; and a multi-beam device that splits the light beam emitted from the light source into the plurality of light beams for emission; the multi-beam device includes: a neutral density filter that allows a portion of the incident light to pass through and reflects the remaining light; and a reflector that is disposed opposite to the neutral density filter and reflects the incident light toward the neutral density filter; the transmittance of the neutral density filter gradually increases from one side of the first direction to the other side; the light beam incident from the light source to the multi-beam device is repeatedly reflected between the neutral density filter and the reflector and travels from one side of the first direction to the other side; the plurality of light beams are light beams that pass through the neutral density filter from the plurality of incident positions of the light beam in the neutral density filter.

4. As in claim 1, the substrate information acquisition device, wherein, The aforementioned camera device captures images of the beam points formed on a screen by the first reflected light and the second reflected light, respectively.

5. As in claim 4, the substrate information acquisition device, wherein, The light emitted from the light emitting part is short-wave infrared light, and the screen is a fluorescent screen that emits light by being irradiated by short-wave infrared light.

6. The substrate information acquisition device as described in claim 1, wherein, The substrate holding portion contacts the lower surface of the substrate to support the substrate, and the main surface of the substrate illuminated by the light emitted from the light emitting portion is the upper surface of the substrate.

7. A substrate processing apparatus for processing substrates; comprising: a substrate information acquisition device according to any one of claims 1 to 6; an indexer block having a first transport robot configured to move substrates in and out of a storage container capable of holding a plurality of substrates; a processing block having a processing unit for processing substrates and a second transport robot for moving substrates in and out of the processing unit; and a loading unit disposed at the connection between the processing block and the indexer block, for holding unprocessed substrates transferred from the first transport robot to the second transport robot and processed substrates transferred from the second transport robot to the first transport robot; wherein the substrate holding part of the substrate information acquisition apparatus is a transport hand holding the substrate in the second transport robot, and the scanning mechanism of the substrate information acquisition apparatus is a hand moving mechanism in the second transport robot that moves the transport hand in the second direction. When the substrate is removed from the loading unit by the second transport robot, the substrate obtains shape information of the substrate by the substrate information acquisition device.

8. A substrate processing apparatus for processing substrates; comprising: a substrate information acquisition device according to any one of claims 1 to 6; an indexer block having a first transfer robot configured to move substrates in and out of a storage container capable of holding a plurality of substrates; and a processing block having a processing unit for processing substrates and a second transfer robot for moving substrates in and out of the processing unit; wherein the substrate holding part of the substrate information acquisition apparatus holds the substrate in the first transfer robot, and the scanning mechanism of the substrate information acquisition apparatus is a hand moving mechanism in the first transfer robot that moves the transfer hand in the second direction; and when the substrate is moved out of the storage container by the first transfer robot, the substrate information acquisition apparatus acquires shape information of the substrate.

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