Processing system and processing method

Abstract

Provided is a processing system for processing a substrate holder having a plurality of protrusions formed on a surface thereof, said processing system comprising: a placement member that supports the substrate holder; a processing device that uses processing light to process the substrate holder placed on the placement member; a measurement device that measures the substrate holder placed on the placement member; and a controller. The controller controls the measurement device so as to measure at least a portion of a three-dimensional shape of the surface of the substrate holder, and generates, on the basis of the result of measurement by the measurement device, a curved surface approximate to at least a portion of the shape of the substrate holder. Furthermore, the controller controls the processing device so as to process the substrate holder on the basis of the positions of the plurality of protrusions obtained using the approximate curved surface.

Description

Processing System and Processing Method

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of a processing system and a processing method for processing a substrate holder.

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a processing apparatus that irradiates a substrate holder with laser light, which is processing light, to process the substrate holder. In the technical field related to such processing of a substrate holder, improvement in performance related to the processing of the substrate holder is desired.

[0003] U.S. Patent No. 9,507,274

[0004] According to a first aspect, in a processing system for processing a substrate holder having a plurality of protrusions formed on a surface, a placement member that supports the substrate holder, a processing apparatus that processes the substrate holder placed on the placement member with processing light, a measuring apparatus that measures the substrate holder placed on the placement member, and a controller are provided. The controller controls the measuring apparatus to measure at least a three-dimensional shape of at least a part of the surface of the substrate holder, generates an approximate surface of at least a part of the shape of the substrate holder based on the measurement result of the measuring apparatus, and controls the processing apparatus to process the substrate holder based on the positions of the plurality of protrusions obtained using the approximate surface. A processing system is provided.

[0005] According to a second aspect, in a processing method for processing a substrate holder having a plurality of protrusions formed on a surface, obtaining at least a three-dimensional shape of at least a part of the surface of the substrate holder, generating an approximate surface based on the three-dimensional shape, and processing the substrate holder based on the positions of the plurality of protrusions obtained using the approximate surface are included. A processing method is provided.

[0006] The operation and other advantages of the present invention will be clarified from the embodiments for implementation described below.

[0007] Figure 1 is a schematic external perspective view showing the appearance of the processing system of the first embodiment. Figure 2 is a system configuration diagram showing the system configuration of the processing system of the first embodiment. Figures 3(a) to 3(c) are cross-sectional views showing the removal process performed on the substrate holder. Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view showing the structure of the irradiation optical system. Figure 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the mounting operation and the measurement operation. Figures 6(a) and 6(b) are diagrams showing the measurement results of the surface of the substrate holder W measured by the measurement operation. Figures 7(a) to 7(e) are schematic explanatory diagrams showing the first calculation operation and the second calculation operation. Figures 8(a) to 8(c) are schematic explanatory diagrams showing the second calculation operation. Figures 9(a) to 9(f) are schematic explanatory diagrams showing the flow of processing pattern 1. Figures 10(a) to 10(f) are schematic explanatory diagrams showing the flow of processing pattern 2. Figures 11(a) to 11(f) are schematic diagrams illustrating the flow of processing pattern 3. Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the operation flow of the processing method. Figure 13 is a system configuration diagram showing the system configuration of a measurement system using an external measuring device. Figure 14 is a flowchart showing the operation flow of the processing method using an external measuring device.

[0008] Embodiments of the processing system and processing method will be described below with reference to the drawings. The following describes embodiments of the processing system SYS, which processes a substrate holder W using a processing light EL, and a processing method using the processing system SYS. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. In the following description, the positional relationships of the various components constituting the processing system SYS will be described using an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system defined by mutually orthogonal X, Y, and Z axes. For convenience of explanation, in the following description, the X-axis direction and Y-axis direction will be considered horizontal (i.e., a predetermined direction in the horizontal plane), and the Z-axis direction will be considered vertical (i.e., a direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane, essentially the up and down direction). Furthermore, the rotational directions (in other words, inclination directions) around the X, Y, and Z axes will be referred to as the θX direction, θY direction, and θZ direction, respectively. Here, the Z-axis direction may be considered the direction of gravity. Also, the XY plane may be considered the horizontal direction.

[0009] (1) Structure of the SYS Processing System First, the structure of the SYS processing system of the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a schematic external perspective view showing the external appearance of the SYS processing system of the first embodiment. Figure 2 is a system configuration diagram showing the system configuration of the SYS processing system of the first embodiment.

[0010] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the processing system SYS comprises a processing device 1, a measuring device 2, a stage device 3, and a controller 4. The processing device 1, the measuring device 2, and the stage device 3 are housed in a housing 5. However, the processing device 1, the measuring device 2, and the stage device 3 do not necessarily have to be housed in the housing 5. In other words, the processing system SYS does not necessarily have to have a housing 5 that houses the processing device 1, the measuring device 2, and the stage device 3. Since a substrate holder W, which is the workpiece to be processed, is placed on the stage device 3, the stage device 3 may also be referred to as a mounting member.

[0011] The processing apparatus 1 can process the substrate holder W under the control of the controller 4. The substrate holder W is the object processed by the processing apparatus 1. The substrate holder W may be an object made of, for example, ceramics, metal, alloy (e.g., duralumin), semiconductor (e.g., silicon), resin, CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic), glass, or composite materials thereof. Alternatively, the substrate holder W may be an object made of any other material.

[0012] In this embodiment, the substrate holder W is a plate-shaped object having a surface on which various semiconductor wafers (not shown) are placed. The substrate holder W is, for example, a vacuum chuck type substrate holder. The substrate holder W may also be, for example, an electrostatic chuck type substrate holder. The substrate holder W is a thin plate-shaped object with a surface area that is very large relative to its plate thickness. The substrate holder W may, for example, have a longitudinal dimension (diameter) of its surface that is 10 times or more relative to its plate thickness. The substrate holder W has a substrate support surface WS on its surface, and a plurality of pins WP are formed on this substrate support surface WS. More specifically, the substrate holder W has a bottom surface WB on the substrate support surface WS and a plurality of pins WP that are erected from this bottom surface WB along the Z-axis direction. For example, the pins WP may have a height HP of 10 to 200 μm and a diameter of 50 μm to 1.0 mm. In other words, the substrate holder W may be a plate-shaped object having a non-flat recess (i.e., a bottom surface WB) on the substrate support surface WS. In this embodiment, the substrate holder W processed by the processing apparatus 1 has undergone slight deformation of the substrate support surface WS due to wear from use and aging. Specifically, the substrate holder W has deformed into a curved surface such that the substrate support surface WS (especially the bottom surface WB) is recessed downwards.

[0013] The processing system SYS is a system for precisely measuring the aforementioned substrate holder W in three dimensions and, based on the measurement results, processing the substrate holder W so that the substrate support surface WS has a desired shape. For this reason, the processing system SYS is required to precisely measure information including the shape of the substrate holder W (curved shape of the bottom surface WB, position and shape of the pins WP, etc.) (hereinafter simply referred to as the three-dimensional shape of the substrate holder W). Furthermore, the processing apparatus 1 processes the substrate holder W so that the substrate support surface WS has a desired shape, for example, by removing either the pins WP or the bottom surface WB, or by removing both the pins WP and the bottom surface WB, based on these measurement results.

[0014] The processing apparatus 1 may irradiate the substrate holder W with processing light EL to perform a removal process to remove a portion of the substrate holder W. The removal process may include at least one of the following: planar processing, cylindrical processing, drilling, smoothing, cutting, and engraving (in other words, marking) to form any character or any pattern.

[0015] Here, an example of removal processing using processing light EL will be explained with reference to Figures 3(a) to 3(c). Figures 3(a) to 3(c) are cross-sectional views showing the removal processing performed on the substrate holder W. As shown in Figure 3(a), the processing apparatus 1 irradiates the target irradiation area EA, which is set (in other words, formed) on the surface of the substrate holder W, with processing light EL. When the processing light EL is irradiated onto the target irradiation area EA, the energy of the processing light EL is transferred to the target irradiation area EA and the portion of the substrate holder W adjacent to the target irradiation area EA. When heat caused by the energy of the processing light EL is transferred, the material constituting the target irradiation area EA and the portion of the substrate holder W adjacent to the target irradiation area EA melts due to the heat caused by the energy of the processing light EL. The molten material scatters as droplets. Alternatively, the molten material evaporates due to the heat caused by the energy of the processing light EL. As a result, the target irradiation area EA and the portion of the substrate holder W adjacent to the target irradiation area EA are removed. In other words, as shown in Figure 3(b), a recess (in other words, a groove) is formed on the surface of the substrate holder W. In this case, it can be said that the processing apparatus 1 is processing the substrate holder W using the principle of so-called thermal processing. Furthermore, the processing apparatus 1 moves the target irradiation area EA on the surface of the substrate holder W using a galvanometer mirror 1212 (see Figure 4), which will be described later. In other words, the processing apparatus 1 scans the surface of the substrate holder W with the processing light EL. As a result, as shown in Figure 3(c), the surface of the substrate holder W is removed at least partially along the scanning trajectory of the processing light EL (i.e., the movement trajectory of the target irradiation area EA). Therefore, the processing apparatus 1 can appropriately remove the portion of the substrate holder W that is to be processed by scanning the surface of the substrate holder W with the processing light EL along a desired scanning trajectory corresponding to the area to be processed.

[0016] On the other hand, depending on the characteristics of the processing light EL, the processing apparatus 1 can also process the substrate holder W using the principle of non-thermal processing (e.g., ablation processing). In other words, the processing apparatus 1 may perform non-thermal processing (e.g., ablation processing) on ​​the substrate holder W. For example, if pulsed light with an emission time of picoseconds or less (or, in some cases, nanoseconds or femtoseconds or less) is used as the processing light EL, the material constituting the target irradiation area EA and the part adjacent to the target irradiation area EA of the substrate holder W will instantly evaporate and scatter. Furthermore, when pulsed light with an emission time of picoseconds or less (or, in some cases, nanoseconds or femtoseconds or less) is used as the processing light EL, the material constituting the target irradiation area EA and the part adjacent to the target irradiation area EA of the substrate holder W may sublimate without going through a melting state. Therefore, it is possible to form recesses (in other words, grooves) on the surface of the substrate holder W while minimizing the effect of heat caused by the energy of the processing light EL on the substrate holder W.

[0017] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the processing apparatus 1 for processing the substrate holder W comprises a processing light source 11, a processing head 12, a head drive system 13, and a position measuring device 14.

[0018] The processing light source 11 emits, for example, at least one of infrared light, visible light, ultraviolet light, and extreme ultraviolet light as processing light EL. However, other types of light may be used as processing light EL. The processing light EL may include pulsed light (i.e., multiple pulsed beams). The processing light EL may also be laser light. In this case, the processing light source 11 may include a laser light source (for example, a semiconductor laser such as a laser diode (LD)). The laser light source may include at least one of a fiber laser, CO2 laser, YAG laser, and excimer laser. However, the processing light EL does not have to be laser light. The processing light source 11 may include any light source (for example, at least one of an LED (Light Emitting Diode) and a discharge lamp).

[0019] The processing head 12 irradiates the substrate holder W with processing light EL from the processing light source 11. For this reason, the processing head 12 may also be called an irradiation device. In the example shown in Figure 1, a stage 32 on which the substrate holder W can be placed is positioned below the processing head 12. Therefore, the processing head 12 irradiates the substrate holder W with processing light EL by emitting processing light EL downwards from the processing head 12. To irradiate the substrate holder W with processing light EL, the processing head 12 is equipped with an irradiation optical system 121. The irradiation optical system 121 will be described below with reference to Figure 4. Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the structure of the irradiation optical system 121.

[0020] As shown in Figure 4, the illumination optical system 121 includes, for example, a focus-changing optical system 1211, a galvanometer mirror 1212, and an fθ lens 1213. The focus-changing optical system 1211 is an optical component that can change the focus position of the processing light EL (i.e., the convergence position of the processing light EL) along the direction of propagation of the processing light EL. For this reason, the focus-changing optical system 1211 may also be called a beam convergence position changing member. The focus-changing optical system 1211 may include, for example, a plurality of lenses arranged along the direction of propagation of the processing light EL. In this case, the focus position of the processing light EL may be changed by moving at least one of the plurality of lenses along its optical axis. Note that the illumination optical system 121 does not necessarily have to include the focus-changing optical system 1211. Regardless of whether or not the focus-changing optical system 1211 is included, the illumination optical system 121, and by extension the processing head 12, may be moved along the direction of propagation of the processing light EL to change the focus position of the processing light EL. Alternatively, the stage drive system 33 may be used to change the position of the stage 32 along the direction of travel of the processing light EL, thereby changing the focus position of the processing light EL relative to the substrate holder which is the workpiece.

[0021] The processing light EL that has passed through the focus-changing optical system 1211 is incident on the galvanometer mirror 1212. The galvanometer mirror 1212 changes the direction of emission of the processing light EL from the galvanometer mirror 1212 by deflecting and scanning the processing light EL (i.e., changing the emission angle of the processing light EL). For this reason, the galvanometer mirror 1212 may also be called an emission direction changing member. When the emission direction of the processing light EL from the galvanometer mirror 1212 is changed, the position from which the processing light EL is emitted from the processing head 12 is changed. When the position from which the processing light EL is emitted from the processing head 12 is changed, the irradiation position of the processing light EL on the surface of the substrate holder W is changed. Therefore, the galvanometer mirror 1212 can change (i.e., move) the irradiation position of the processing light EL on the surface of the substrate holder W by deflecting and scanning the processing light EL. For this reason, the galvanometer mirror 1212 may also be called an irradiation position moving member.

[0022] The galvanometer mirror 1212 includes, for example, an X-scanning mirror 1212X and a Y-scanning mirror 1212Y. Each of the X-scanning mirror 1212X and the Y-scanning mirror 1212Y is a movable optical member positioned on the optical path of the processing light EL between the processing light source 11 and the fθ lens 1213. Each of the X-scanning mirror 1212X and the Y-scanning mirror 1212Y is a variable-angle mirror whose angle with respect to the optical path of the processing light EL incident on each mirror can be changed. The X-scanning mirror 1212X reflects the processing light EL toward the Y-scanning mirror 1212Y. The X-scanning mirror 1212X is oscillating or rotating about a rotation axis along the Y axis. The oscillating or rotating of the X-scanning mirror 1212X causes the processing light EL to scan the surface of the substrate holder W along the X-axis. The oscillating or rotating of the X-scanning mirror 1212X causes the target irradiation area EA to move along the X-axis on the surface of the substrate holder W. The Y-scanning mirror 1212Y reflects the processing light EL toward the fθ lens 1213. The Y-scanning mirror 1212Y is oscillating or rotating about a rotation axis along the X-axis. The oscillating or rotating of the Y-scanning mirror 1212Y causes the processing light EL to scan the surface of the substrate holder W along the Y-axis. The oscillating or rotating of the Y-scanning mirror 1212Y causes the target irradiation area EA to move along the Y-axis on the surface of the substrate holder W.

[0023] The galvanometer mirror 1212 allows the processing light EL to scan the processing shot area PSA, which is determined with respect to the processing head 12. In other words, the galvanometer mirror 1212 allows the target irradiation area EA to move within the processing shot area PSA, which is determined with respect to the processing head 12. The processing shot area PSA represents the area (in other words, range) in which processing is performed by the processing apparatus 1 while the positional relationship between the processing head 12 and the substrate holder W is fixed (i.e., without changing it). Typically, the processing shot area PSA is set to coincide with or be narrower than the scanning range of the processing light EL deflected by the galvanometer mirror 1212 while the positional relationship between the processing head 12 and the substrate holder W is fixed. If the processing shot area PSA is smaller than the part of the substrate holder W to be processed, the following operations are repeated: scanning the processing shot area PSA set on a certain part of the substrate holder W with the processing light EL to process a certain part of the substrate holder W; and changing the position of the processing shot area PSA on the substrate holder W by changing the relative positional relationship between the processing head 12 and the substrate holder W.

[0024] Furthermore, the irradiation optical system 121 may include, in addition to or instead of the galvanometer mirror 1212, any optical element capable of deflecting and scanning the processing light EL (i.e., capable of changing at least one of the emission direction and irradiation position of the processing light EL). An example of such an optical element is a polygon mirror having multiple reflective surfaces at different angles. The polygon mirror is rotatable so as to change the incident angle of the processing light EL to one reflective surface during the period in which the processing light EL is irradiated onto that reflective surface, and to switch the reflective surface irradiated by the processing light EL between multiple reflective surfaces.

[0025] The fθ lens 1213 is an optical system for emitting processing light EL from the galvanometer mirror 1212 toward the substrate holder W. In particular, the fθ lens 1213 is an optical element capable of focusing the processing light EL from the galvanometer mirror 1212 toward a focusing surface. For this reason, the fθ lens 1213 may also be called a focusing optical system. The focusing surface of the fθ lens 1213 may be set, for example, on the surface of the substrate holder W. In this case, the fθ lens 1213 can focus the processing light EL from the galvanometer mirror 1212 toward the surface of the substrate holder W.

[0026] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the head drive system 13 moves the machining head 12 along at least one of the following directions: X-axis direction, Y-axis direction, Z-axis direction, θX direction, θY direction, and θZ direction. Figure 1 shows an example in which the head drive system 13 moves the machining head 12 along the Z-axis direction. In this case, the head drive system 13 may include, for example, a Z-slider member 131 extending along the Z-axis direction. The Z-slider member 131 is positioned on a support frame 6 which is placed on a surface plate 31 (described later) via a vibration damping device. The support frame 6 may include, for example, a pair of leg members 61 which are placed on the surface plate 31 via a vibration damping device and extend along the Z-axis direction, and a beam member 62 which is placed on the pair of leg members 61 so as to connect the upper ends of the pair of leg members 61 and extends along the X-axis direction. The Z-slider member 131 is positioned on the beam member 62 via, for example, a support member 63 which extends along the Z-axis direction. The processing head 12 is connected to the Z-slider member 131 so that it can move along the Z-slider member 131.

[0027] When the processing head 12 moves, the positional relationship between the processing head 12 and the stage 32 (and furthermore, the substrate holder W placed on the stage 32) changes. Therefore, moving the processing head 12 is equivalent to changing the positional relationship between the processing head 12 and the stage 32 and the substrate holder W, respectively.

[0028] The position measuring device 14 is capable of measuring (in other words, detecting) the position of the processing head 12. The position measuring device 14 may include, for example, at least one of an encoder and a laser interferometer.

[0029] The measuring device 2 can measure the substrate holder W under the control of the controller 4. To measure the substrate holder W, the measuring device 2 includes a measuring head 21, a head drive system 22, and a position measuring device 23.

[0030] The measurement head 21 can measure the substrate holder W under the control of the controller 4. For example, the measurement head 21 may be a device capable of measuring the state of the substrate holder W. The state of the substrate holder W may include the position of the substrate holder W. The position of the substrate holder W may include the position of the surface of the substrate holder W. The position of the surface of the substrate holder W may include the position of each subdivided surface portion of the substrate holder W in at least one of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions. The state of the substrate holder W may also include the shape of the substrate holder W (e.g., three-dimensional shape). The shape of the substrate holder W may include the shape of the surface of the substrate holder W (substrate support surface WS). In addition to or instead of the position of the surface of the substrate holder W described above, the shape of the surface of the substrate holder W may include the orientation of each subdivided surface portion of the substrate holder W (e.g., the orientation of the normal to each surface portion, which is substantially equivalent to the amount of inclination of each surface portion with respect to at least one of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis). Measurement information regarding the measurement results from the measurement head 21 is output from the measurement head 21 to the controller 4.

[0031] The measurement head 21 measures the substrate holder W in units of a predetermined measurement shot area. The measurement shot area refers to the area (in other words, range) in which the measurement by the measurement head 21 is performed while the positional relationship between the measurement head 21 and the substrate holder W is fixed (i.e., without changing it). The measurement shot area may also be referred to as the measurable range or measurable field of the measurement head 21.

[0032] The measurement head 21 may measure the substrate holder W in a non-contact manner, particularly optically. That is, the measurement head 21 may measure the substrate holder W using any measurement beam, such as measurement light. For example, the measurement head 21 may measure the substrate holder W using a light section method, which projects slit light onto the surface of the substrate holder W and measures the shape of the projected slit light. For example, the measurement head 21 may measure the substrate holder W using a white light interferometry method, which measures the interference pattern between white light transmitted through the substrate holder W and white light not transmitted through the substrate holder W. For example, the measurement head 21 may measure the substrate holder W using at least one of the following methods: a pattern projection method, which projects a light pattern onto the surface of the substrate holder W and measures the shape of the projected pattern; a time-of-flight method, which projects light onto the surface of the substrate holder W, measures the distance to the substrate holder W from the time it takes for the projected light to return, and performs this at multiple positions on the substrate holder W; moiré topography (specifically, the grating irradiation method or grating projection method); holographic interferometry; autocollimation method; stereo method; astigmatism method; critical angle method; knife-edge method; interferometry method; and confocal method. For example, the measurement head 21 may measure the substrate holder W by imaging the substrate holder W illuminated by illumination light. In any case, the measurement head 21 may include a light source that emits measurement light ML (e.g., slit light, white light, or illumination light) and a light receiver that receives light from the substrate holder W irradiated with measurement light ML (e.g., reflected light of the measurement light).

[0033] The head drive system 22 moves the measuring head 21 along at least one of the following directions: X-axis direction, Y-axis direction, Z-axis direction, θX direction, θY direction, and θZ direction. Figure 1 shows an example in which the head drive system 22 moves the measuring head 21 along the Z-axis direction. In this case, the head drive system 22 may include, for example, a Z-slider member 221 extending along the Z-axis direction. The Z-slider member 221 may be arranged on a beam member 62 via a support member 64 extending in the Z-axis direction. The measuring head 21 is connected to the Z-slider member 221 so as to be movable along the Z-slider member 221.

[0034] When the measurement head 21 moves, the positional relationship between the measurement head 21 and the stage 32 (and furthermore, the substrate holder W placed on the stage 32) changes. Therefore, moving the measurement head 21 is equivalent to changing the positional relationship between the measurement head 21 and the stage 32 and the substrate holder W, respectively.

[0035] The position measuring device 23 is capable of measuring (in other words, detecting) the position of the measuring head 21. The position measuring device 23 may include, for example, at least one of an encoder and a laser interferometer.

[0036] The stage device 3 comprises a base plate 31, a stage 32, a stage drive system 33, a position measuring device 34, and a light receiving system 35. The base plate 31 is placed on the bottom surface of the housing 5 (or on a supporting surface such as the floor on which the housing 5 is placed). The stage 32 is placed on the base plate 31. A vibration isolation device (not shown) may be installed between the base plate 31 and the base plate 31 to reduce the transmission of vibrations from the base plate 31 to the stage 32. Furthermore, the support frame 6 described above may be placed on the base plate 31.

[0037] Stage 32 is a mounting device on which the substrate holder W is placed. Stage 32 may be capable of holding the substrate holder W placed on it. Alternatively, Stage 32 may not be capable of holding the substrate holder W placed on it. In this case, the substrate holder W may be placed on Stage 32 without clamps.

[0038] In this embodiment, the stage 32 is provided with a plurality of support portions 38 (see also Figure 5). The support portions 38 protrude upward from the stage 32 in the Z-axis direction. The support portions 38 may consist of a plurality of pins or protrusions. For example, the support portion 38 may be capable of supporting a substrate holder W on its upper part and suppressing displacement of the substrate holder W by attracting it. As another example, the support portion 38 may be a pin capable of supporting the substrate holder W at a single point. Supporting the substrate holder W at a single point may include supporting it with a pin having an upper surface that has a small area relative to the surface on which the substrate holder W is mounted (i.e., a small contact area with the substrate holder W). The upper surface of the support portion 38 may be a flat surface or a curved surface. The stage 32 may further have guides (not shown) to suppress displacement of the substrate holder W placed on the support portion 38 in relation to the X and Y axes. The plurality of support portions 38 and guides may be attached to a plurality of ports (not shown) provided on the stage 32. Stage 32 may have multiple ports. In this case, the ports used may be changed depending on the size of the substrate holder W. Unused ports may be fitted with sealing plugs.

[0039] In this embodiment, the substrate holder W is placed on the stage 32 via support portions 38. In other words, the substrate holder W is placed without directly touching the stage 32. Therefore, at least three support portions 38 are provided. The number of support portions 38 may be four or more. The substrate holder W is supported on a plurality of support portions 38 such that the thickness direction of the substrate holder W and the vertical up-down direction are substantially coincide. Alternatively, the substrate holder W may be placed directly on the stage 32 (the mounting surface of the stage 32) without the use of a plurality of support portions 38.

[0040] The stage drive system 33 moves the stage 32. For this reason, the stage drive system 33 may also be called a moving device. When the stage 32 moves, the substrate holder W placed on the stage 32 also moves with the stage 32. For this reason, it can be said that the substrate holder W is mounted on the stage 32 so as to be movable (specifically, so as to be movable together with the stage 32). The stage drive system 33 moves the stage 32 along, for example, the X axis, Y axis, Z axis, θX direction, θY direction, and θZ direction. In the example shown in Figure 1, the stage drive system 33 moves the stage 32 along the X axis and the Y axis, respectively. In this case, the stage drive system 33 may include, for example, an X-slide member 331 extending along the X-axis (two X-slide members 331 in the example shown in Figure 1) and a Y-slide member 332 extending along the Y-axis (one Y-slide member 332 in the example shown in Figure 1). The two X-slide members 331 are arranged on the base plate 31 so as to be aligned along the Y-axis. The Y-slide member 332 is connected to the two X-slide members 331 so as to be movable along them. The stage 32 is connected to the Y-slide member 332 so as to be movable along them. It can also be said that each of the X-slide members 331 and the Y-slide member 332 can function as a moving member that moves the stage 32 along a linear direction.

[0041] When the stage 32 moves, the positional relationship between the stage 32 and the substrate holder W, and the processing head 12 and the measurement head 21, respectively, changes. Therefore, moving the stage 32 is equivalent to changing the positional relationship between the stage 32 and the substrate holder W, and the processing head 12 and the measurement head 21, respectively.

[0042] The position measuring device 34 is capable of measuring (in other words, detecting) the position of the stage 32. The position measuring device 34 may include, for example, at least one of an encoder and a laser interferometer.

[0043] The light receiving system 35 includes a light receiving portion capable of receiving the processing light EL from the processing head 12. Further, the light receiving system 35 includes a measuring member that can be measured by the measuring head 21. The light receiving result of the processing light EL by the light receiving system 35 and the measurement result of the light receiving system 35 by the measuring head 21 are used to control the operation of the processing system SYS.

[0044] The controller 4 controls the operation of the processing system SYS. For example, the controller 4 may set the processing conditions of the substrate holder W and control the processing apparatus 1 and the stage apparatus 3 so that the substrate holder W is processed according to the set processing conditions.

[0045] The controller 4 controls the operation of the processing system SYS. The controller 4 may include, for example, an arithmetic unit and a storage device. The controller 4 may further include an input device and an output device. The arithmetic unit may include, for example, at least one of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The storage device may include, for example, a memory. The controller 4 functions as a device that controls the operation of the processing system SYS when the arithmetic unit executes a computer program. This computer program is a computer program for causing the arithmetic unit to perform (i.e., execute) the operations to be described later that the controller 4 should perform. That is, this computer program is a computer program for causing the controller 4 to function so as to cause the processing system SYS to perform the operations to be described later. The computer program executed by the arithmetic unit may be recorded in the storage device (i.e., recording medium) included in the controller 4, or may be recorded in any storage medium (e.g., hard disk or semiconductor memory) built in the controller 4 or externally attachable to the controller 4. Alternatively, the arithmetic unit may download the computer program to be executed from a device external to the controller 4 via a network interface.

[0046] The controller 4 does not have to be located inside the machining system SYS. For example, the controller 4 may be located outside the machining system SYS as a server or the like. In this case, the controller 4 and the machining system SYS may be connected by a wired and / or wireless network (or a data bus and / or communication line). As a wired network, a network using a serial bus interface, such as at least one of IEEE 1394, RS-232x, RS-422, RS-423, RS-485, and USB, may be used. As a wired network, a network using a parallel bus interface may be used. As a wired network, a network using an Ethernet® compliant interface, such as at least one of 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, and 1000BASE-T, may be used. As a wireless network, a network using radio waves may be used. An example of a network using radio waves is a network compliant with IEEE 802.1x (for example, at least one of wireless LAN and Bluetooth®). A network using infrared rays may be used as the wireless network. A network using optical communication may be used as the wireless network. In this case, the controller 4 and the processing system SYS may be configured to enable the transmission and reception of various types of information via the network. The controller 4 may also be able to transmit information such as commands and control parameters to the processing system SYS via the network. The processing system SYS may be equipped with a receiving device that receives information such as commands and control parameters from the controller 4 via the network. The processing system SYS may be equipped with a transmitting device (i.e., an output device that outputs information to the controller 4) that transmits information such as commands and control parameters to the controller 4 via the network.Alternatively, a first control device that performs some of the processing carried out by the controller 4 may be located inside the machining system SYS, while a second control device that performs other parts of the processing carried out by the controller 4 may be located outside the machining system SYS.

[0047] Furthermore, the recording medium for recording the computer program executed by the controller 4 may include at least one of the following: optical discs such as CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, flexible disk, MO, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and Blu-ray (registered trademark); magnetic media such as magnetic tape; magneto-optical disks; semiconductor memory such as USB memory; and any other medium capable of storing a program. The recording medium may also include equipment capable of recording the computer program (for example, a general-purpose or dedicated device on which the computer program is implemented in a state in which it can be executed in at least one form such as software and firmware). Moreover, each process and function included in the computer program may be realized by logical processing blocks realized within the controller 4 when the controller 4 (i.e., the computer) executes the computer program, or by hardware such as a predetermined gate array (FPGA, ASIC) provided by the controller 4, or in a form in which logical processing blocks and partial hardware modules that realize some elements of the hardware are mixed.

[0048] (2) Operation of the Processing System SYS of this Embodiment Next, the operation of the processing system SYS will be described. As described above, the processing system SYS performs a measurement operation to measure the three-dimensional shape of a substrate holder W on which, for example, a semiconductor wafer is placed, with high precision, and then performs a processing operation to process the substrate support surface WS of the substrate holder W into a desired shape (a shape specified by the user) by performing a removal process. Specifically, as a measurement operation, the processing system SYS first performs a placement operation in which the substrate holder W is placed on a plurality of support parts 38 of the stage device 3. Note that "performing a placement operation" may include manually placing the substrate holder W by an operator, as will be described later, or it may include automatically placing the substrate holder W by the processing system SYS or another device. Furthermore, the processing system SYS performs a measurement operation to measure at least a part of the surface of the substrate holder W placed on the stage device 3 and obtain the measurement result MR. Furthermore, the processing system SYS performs a first calculation operation to calculate the three-dimensional shape P1 of at least a portion of the substrate support surface WS based on the measurement result MR. Furthermore, the processing system SYS performs a second calculation operation to calculate the processing mask SM based on the measurement result MR. In this second calculation operation, the processing system SYS may calculate the processing mask SM based on the measurement result MR and the approximate result P1. Furthermore, the processing system SYS performs a third calculation operation to calculate the processing target surface ST based on the three-dimensional shape P1 calculated in the first calculation operation. In this third calculation operation, the processing system SYS may calculate the processing target surface ST based on the measurement result MR, or it may calculate the processing target surface ST based on the three-dimensional shape P1 calculated in the first calculation operation and the measurement result MR. Furthermore, the processing system SYS performs a processing operation to process at least a portion of the substrate support surface WS of the substrate holder W based on the processing mask SM calculated in the second calculation operation and the processing target surface ST calculated in the third calculation operation. Therefore, the following will explain the placement operation, measurement operation, first calculation operation, second calculation operation, third calculation operation, and processing operation in order. Note that there are three possible shapes for the desired shape of the substrate support surface WS as specified by the user. The first desired shape is one in which the tip side of the pins WP is removed in accordance with the shape of the bottom surface WB (hereinafter referred to as processing pattern 1).The second desired shape is a shape obtained by removing the base end side of the pin WP following the shape of the bottom surface WB (hereinafter referred to as machining pattern 2). The third desired shape is a shape obtained by removing the bottom surface WB to be flat (hereinafter referred to as machining pattern 3). Further, as the desired shape of the substrate support surface WS instructed by the user, a surface obtained by fitting the tip ends or base ends of a plurality of pins WP may be a flat surface or a curved surface. Here, this curved surface may be a rotationally symmetric shape such as a spherical surface or a non-rotationally symmetric shape. Each operation described below may be executed (controlled) by the controller 4 of the processing system SYS, or may be executed (controlled) by a control device outside the processing system SYS connected to the processing system SYS. Also, a part of each operation described below may be executed (controlled) by the controller 4 of the processing system SYS, and the remaining part may be executed (controlled) by an external control device.

[0049] (2-1) Placement operation First, the placement operation of placing the substrate holder W on the support portion 38 of the stage device 3 will be described. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the state of the placement operation and the measurement operation. As shown in FIG. 5, in the placement operation, the substrate holder W is placed on a plurality (for example, three) of support portions 38 of the stage device 3. In the placement operation, the substrate holder W is supported by the plurality of support portions 38, and the substrate holder W is placed in a posture such that the substrate support surface WS of the substrate holder W faces upward. The substrate holder W contacts all three support portions 38 in a state of being placed on the three support portions 38. The support portion 38 is preferably ideally regarded as a support point 39. That is, it is preferable that the contact area between the support portion 38 and the substrate holder W is small enough to be negligible with respect to the area of the substrate holder W. The placement operation of placing the substrate holder W on the support portion 38 may be manually performed by an operator or may be automatically (mechanically) performed using a manipulator (not shown) or the like.

[0050] (2-2) Measurement Operation Figures 6(a) and 6(b) show the measurement results of the surface of the substrate holder W measured by the measurement operation. In the measurement operation, the measurement device 2 measures at least a portion of the surface of the substrate holder W supported by a plurality of support parts 38 (including the substrate support surface WS). At this time, the measurement device 2 may also measure positions other than the substrate support surface WS. The controller 4 acquires the measurement result MR, which is the measurement result of the surface of the substrate holder W measured by the measurement operation. The measurement result MR includes, for example, information on the height and position of the surface of the substrate holder W. The height and position of the surface of the substrate holder W may be the height and position at a single point on the surface of the substrate holder W, or the height and position at a plurality of partial points. The height and position of the surface of the substrate holder W may be the height and position on a part of the surface of the substrate holder W or on almost the entire surface. The height and position of the surface of the substrate holder W may include positions in the X-axis direction, Y-axis direction and Z-axis direction. The measurement result MR includes information representing the three-dimensional shape of the substrate support surface WS of the substrate holder W placed on the support portion 38. The controller 4 may be capable of outputting the acquired measurement result MR.

[0051] (2-3) First calculation operation Figures 7(a) to 7(e) are schematic explanatory diagrams showing the first and second calculation operations. Once the measurement of the surface of the substrate holder W is completed by the measurement operation, the processing system SYS then performs the first calculation operation as shown in Figure 7(b) (see also Figures 9(b), 10(b), and 11(b)). In the first calculation operation, the three-dimensional shape P1, which is an approximate curved surface of at least a part of the substrate support surface WS, in this case the bottom surface WB, is calculated based on the measurement result MR. In the first calculation operation, the controller 4 performs a predetermined calculation process on the measurement result MR to calculate the three-dimensional shape P1 of at least a part of the substrate support surface WS of the substrate holder W.

[0052] Specifically, in the first calculation operation, the controller 4 calculates an approximate surface of the entire bottom surface WB, which is at least a part of the substrate support surface WS, from the measurement result MR, which is the measurement result of the surface of the substrate holder W. The measurement result MR includes shape information of the curved bottom surface WB and shape information of the pins WP that protrude from this bottom surface WB. The controller 4 performs an approximation process (surface approximation) to convert the shape information of the part corresponding to the pins WP into shape information that follows the bottom surface WB. The controller 4 may use polynomial approximation or the spline method as the approximation process. Polynomial approximation is an approximation method that approximates the measurement result MR using the least squares method. The spline method is a method that approximates a given data set with different functions for each interval and has the characteristic of being able to approximate smoothly. In addition, nearest neighbor interpolation or bilinear interpolation may be used as the approximation process. Furthermore, the controller 4 may divide the surface of the substrate holder W into multiple regions and perform surface approximation for each divided region.

[0053] (2-4) Second calculation operation Once the three-dimensional shape P1 of the substrate support surface WS is calculated by the first calculation operation, the processing system SYS then performs the second calculation operation. In the second calculation operation, the processing mask SM is created by performing predetermined calculation processing.

[0054] (2-4-1) Removal of Curvature Component Specifically, in the second calculation operation, the controller 4 calculates a three-dimensional shape P2 by removing the curvature component from the measurement result MR of the substrate support surface WS, as shown in Figure 7(c) (see also Figures 9(c), 10(c), and 11(c)). The three-dimensional shape P2 is obtained by removing the approximate curved surface P1 (curvature component) from the measurement result MR and flattening it. The reason for calculating the three-dimensional shape P2 by removing the curvature component from the measurement result MR is that it may not be possible to calculate the processing mask SM appropriately. That is, if the curvature height HB of the bottom surface WB (distance between the highest and lowest points in the Z direction of the bottom surface WB, see Figure 5) is higher than the height HP of each pin WP, it becomes difficult to distinguish between the bottom surface WB and the pin WP using only the surface height of the substrate holder W included in the measurement result MR. The height of the pin WP may be the height after removing measurement noise and measurement errors. In other words, by removing the curvature component of the base WB from the measurement result MR and flattening it, the base WB is located lower than the pin WP in the Z direction, making it possible to distinguish between the base WB and the pin WP. By performing various calculations on the measurement result MR, a three-dimensional shape P2 is calculated by removing the curvature component of the base WB from the measurement result MR.

[0055] (2-4-2) Threshold Setting Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7(c), the controller 4 calculates the position and shape of the pins WP on the substrate support surface WS from the three-dimensional shape P2 based on the threshold Z1 set by the user (see also Figures 9(c), 10(c), and 11(c)). The threshold Z1 is the position in the Z-axis direction input to the controller 4 by the user and is used to set the offset plane Z1 in the three-dimensional shape P2. The offset plane Z1 is two-dimensional information of a predetermined position (XY plane) in the Z-axis direction (direction intersecting the surface) in the three-dimensional shape P2. The offset plane Z1 contains information about the regions of multiple pins WP.

[0056] (2-4-3) Binarization Process Furthermore, as shown in Figures 7(d) and 7(e), the controller 4 binarizes the three-dimensional shape P2 after curvature component correction using the offset surface Z1 as a threshold to create a processing mask SM that distinguishes between the pins WP and the bottom surface WB (see also Figures 9(d), 10(d), and 11(d)). Binarization is an image processing technique used to simplify images and make them easier to analyze. Specifically, it distinguishes between the inside and outside of multiple pins WP on the surface showing the three-dimensional shape P2 after curvature component correction, and assigns one to "black" and the other to "white". This binarization process clearly distinguishes between the pins WP and other parts (i.e., the bottom surface WB) on the surface showing the three-dimensional shape P2 after curvature component correction. For example, on the surface showing the three-dimensional shape P2 after curvature component correction, the parts colored black are set as unprocessed areas, and the parts colored white are set as processed areas. On the surface showing the three-dimensional shape P2 after curvature component correction, one or both of the following are created: a machining mask SMP with the inside of the pin WP colored black, and a machining mask SMB with the outside of the pin WP colored black. In the machining mask SMP, in the XY plane, the area (position, shape) corresponding to the pin WP is set as the non-machined area, and the area excluding the area corresponding to the pin WP is set as the machined area. In the machining mask SMB, in the XY plane, the area (position, shape) excluding the area corresponding to the pin WP is set as the non-machined area, and the area corresponding to the pin WP is set as the machined area.

[0057] Figures 8(a) to 8(c) are schematic explanatory diagrams showing the second calculation operation. In the threshold setting described above, the machining area may be adjusted to a desired size by adjusting the threshold. For example, if the pin WP has a tapered shape, the thickness of the pin WP (area in the XY plane) differs depending on the position in the Z-axis direction. In this case, by setting the threshold Z1 on the base end side of the WP or on the tip side of the pin WP, the position and shape of multiple pin WPs can be accurately obtained. For example, when removing the tip side of a pin WP, the threshold Z1 is set on the base end side of the pin WP. This makes it possible to create a machining mask SM corresponding to the tip side of the pin WP (see Figure 8(b)). Also, when removing the base end side of a pin WP, the threshold Z1 is set on the tip side of the WP. This makes it possible to create a machining mask SM corresponding to the base end side of the pin WP (see Figure 8(c)). Note that the three-dimensional shape P2 may contain measurement noise. Due to measurement noise, the position and shape information of the pin WP may not be accurately obtained. To avoid the effects of such measurement noise, the position and shape of multiple pins WP may be acquired by setting a threshold Z1 that is higher than the variation in the height direction of the measured value due to the measurement noise. At this time, abnormal values ​​of measurement noise may be rejected. Here, the controller 4 can receive commands from the input device regarding the change of the position of the offset surface Z1 in the Z-axis direction (setting the threshold Z1). For this reason, for example, the threshold Z1 can be set on the base end side of the pin WP or on the tip side of the pin WP. This makes it possible to accurately acquire the position and shape of multiple pins WP while avoiding the effects of measurement noise. In the threshold setting described above, multiple thresholds Z1 and Z2 may be set. That is, the controller 4 can also calculate the position and shape of the pins WP on the substrate support surface WS from the three-dimensional shape P2 based on multiple thresholds Z1 and Z2. The thresholds Z1 and Z2 may be used to set the offset surfaces Z1 and Z2 in the three-dimensional shape P2.Furthermore, if there is a region on the substrate support surface WS that is higher than the height HP of the pin WP, and that region is to be excluded from the processing region as a non-processing region, the processing mask SM may be created by setting threshold Z1 on the base end side of the pin WP and threshold Z2 to be higher than the height HP of the pin WP and lower than the height of the non-processing region. Instead of using multiple thresholds Z1 and Z2, image processing may be performed to expand and contract the shape information of each pin WP obtained using only threshold Z1. The controller 4 can receive commands from the input device regarding the size change of the pin WP region. Changing the size means expanding and contracting the shape of the pin WP. When the shape information (image information) of the pin WP obtained using threshold Z1 is expanded, a shape corresponding to the base end side of the pin WP is obtained. This makes it possible to create a processing mask SM corresponding to the base end side of the pin WP (see Figure 8(c)). When the shape of the pin WP obtained using threshold Z1 is contracted, a shape corresponding to the tip side of the pin WP is obtained. This allows for the creation of a machining mask SM corresponding to the base end of the pin WP (see Figure 8(b)).

[0058] (2-5) Third Calculation Operation Furthermore, the controller 4 calculates the target surface ST based on the machining position information Z3 in the Z-axis direction set by the user (see Figures 9(e), 10(e), and 11(e)). The target surface ST is shape information for removal machining in the Z-axis direction and is shape information corresponding to the three-dimensional shape P1. The machining position information Z3 is shape information that includes position information in the Z-axis direction and is set based on the position in the Z-axis direction of the bottom surface WB. If the machining position information Z3 is set to a position above the bottom surface WB, the controller 4 calculates the three-dimensional shape obtained by offsetting the three-dimensional shape P1 upward as the target surface ST1. If the machining position information Z3 is set to the same position as the bottom surface WB, the controller 4 calculates the three-dimensional shape obtained by using the three-dimensional shape P1 as is as the target surface ST2. If the machining position information Z3 is set to a position below the bottom surface WB, the controller 4 calculates the flat surface below the three-dimensional shape P1 as the target surface ST3. Thus, the target surface ST1 for machining may be a surface that is offset from the three-dimensional shape P1 to at least one of the upper and lower sides, or it may be a flat surface.

[0059] (2-6) Diagrams 9(a) to 9(f) are schematic explanatory diagrams showing the flow of processing pattern 1. Diagrams 10(a) to 10(f) are schematic explanatory diagrams showing the flow of processing pattern 2. Diagrams 11(a) to 11(f) are schematic explanatory diagrams showing the flow of processing pattern 3. The processing system SYS performs processing operations after a processing mask SM is created by a second calculation operation and a processing target surface ST is set by a third calculation operation. In the processing operation, the processing device 1 processes the substrate support surface WS based on the processing target surface ST and the processing mask SM. The controller 4 causes the processing device 1 to process a part of the substrate support surface WS so that it corresponds to the processing area of ​​the processing mask SM in the XY plane and coincides with the processing target surface ST in the Z axis direction. In the processing operation for processing pattern 1, the controller 4 selects the processing mask SMB and the processing target surface ST1, and instructs the processing device 1 to remove the portion of the substrate support surface WS corresponding to the processing mask SMB and the processing target surface ST1 (see Figure 9(f)). In other words, the processing device 1 processes the pins WP, which are the processing area of ​​the processing mask SMB on the substrate support surface WS, so that they align with the processing target surface ST1. In this processing operation, the tip side of the pins WP is removed in accordance with the shape of the three-dimensional shape P1. As a result, the height of each pin WP from the bottom surface WB is made uniform. In the processing operation for processing pattern 2, the controller 4 selects the processing mask SMB and the processing target surface ST2, and instructs the processing device 1 to remove the portion of the substrate support surface WS corresponding to the processing mask SMB and the processing target surface ST2 (see Figure 10(f)). In other words, the processing device 1 processes the pins WP, which are the processing area of ​​the processing mask SMB on the substrate support surface WS, so that they align with the processing target surface ST2. In this processing operation, a removal process is performed to remove the pins WP in accordance with the shape of the three-dimensional shape P1. As a result, the pins WP are removed, and the substrate support surface WS becomes only the bottom surface WB. In the processing operation of processing pattern 3, the controller 4 selects the processing mask SMP and the processing target surface ST3, and causes the processing device 1 to perform a removal process on the parts of the substrate support surface WS that correspond to the processing mask SMP and the processing target surface ST3 (see Figure 11(f)).In other words, the bottom surface WB, which is the processing area of ​​the processing mask SMP on the substrate support surface WS, is processed by the processing device 1 so that it matches the processing target surface ST3. In this processing operation, a removal process is performed in which the bottom surface WB is removed in accordance with the shape of the processing target surface ST3, which is a flat surface. As a result, the bottom surface WB is excavated and flattened.

[0060] (2-7) Summary of the operation of the processing system SYS Figure 12 is a flowchart of the operation flow of the processing system SYS described above. The operations related to the controller 4 of the processing system SYS of this embodiment shown in (2-1) to (2-6) above are summarized as follows. That is, first the user turns on the power to the device and starts this flow. When the flow starts, in the processing system SYS, first as shown in step S01, the substrate holder W is placed on the multiple support parts 38 of the stage device 3. Next, as shown in step S02, the controller 4 controls the measuring device 2 to measure the three-dimensional shape of the substrate support surface WS, and the measurement result (DATA1) of the three-dimensional shape of the substrate support surface WS is input from the measuring device 2 to the controller 4. In other words, the controller 4 receives the measurement result (DATA1). Next, as shown in step S03, the controller 4 generates a three-dimensional shape P1 (DATA2), which is three-dimensional shape information that is an approximate curved surface of the substrate support surface WS, from the measurement result (DATA1). Next, as shown in step S04, the controller 4 generates a processing mask SM (DATA3), which is two-dimensional shape information in the XY plane that distinguishes pin WP from other parts, from the measurement result (DATA1). Next, as shown in step S05, the controller 4 generates a processing target surface ST (DATA4), which is three-dimensional shape information obtained by offsetting the three-dimensional shape P1 (DATA2) in the Z-axis direction. Next, as shown in step S06, the controller 4 outputs processing control information (DATA5) based on the processing mask SM (DATA3) and the processing target surface ST (DATA4). Then, as shown in step S07, the controller 4 controls the processing device 1 to perform a removal process on a portion of the substrate support surface WS based on this processing control information (DATA5). This realizes processing that removes a portion of the substrate support surface WS into the desired shape. Furthermore, this flow ends when the user turns off the power to the device.

[0061] (3) Technical Effects of the Processing System SYS of this Embodiment As described above, the processing system SYS and processing method of this embodiment is a processing system SYS and processing method for processing a substrate holder W having a plurality of protrusions (pins WP of the embodiment) formed on its surface (substrate support surface WS of the embodiment), and comprises a mounting member (stage device 3 of the embodiment) that supports the substrate holder W, a processing device (processing device 1 of the embodiment) that processes the substrate holder W placed on the mounting member with processing light, a measuring device 2 that measures the substrate holder W placed on the mounting member, and a controller 4. The controller 4 controls the measuring device 2 to measure the three-dimensional shape of at least a part of the surface of the substrate holder W. Based on the measurement results of the measuring device 2, the controller 4 generates an approximate curved surface of at least a part of the shape of the substrate holder W. The controller 4 controls the processing device to process the substrate holder W based on the positions of the plurality of protrusions (pins WP of the embodiment) determined using the approximate curved surface. In this way, by measuring the surface of the substrate holder W, generating an approximate curved surface based on the measurement results, and processing (removing material) the substrate holder W based on this approximate curved surface, the substrate holder W can be processed into the desired shape. As a result, even if the curvature of the surface (bottom surface WB) is greater than the height of the pin WP, the removal process of the pin WP and the bottom surface WB can be performed appropriately.

[0062] (4) Modified Examples Next, modified examples of the processing system SYS and the processing method will be described. Although the following description is based on modified examples of the processing system SYS, these configurations are also applicable to the processing system SYS, measuring device 2 and processing method described above.

[0063] In the embodiment described above, when the controller 4 calculates the three-dimensional shape P1 of the surface (substrate support surface WS) of the substrate holder W, it performs a surface approximation that converts the shape information to conform to the bottom surface WB. Alternatively, or in addition to this, a surface approximation that converts the shape information to conform to the tip surfaces of at least some of the pins WP may be performed. In other words, when calculating the three-dimensional shape P1 of the surface of the substrate holder W, any part of the substrate support surface WS may be used as a reference.

[0064] In the embodiment described above, the measuring device 2 is housed in the same housing 5 as the processing device 1, but this is not limited to this. The measuring device 2 may be provided in a location separate from the processing device 1. In this case, the controller 4 having the processing device 1 and the control unit (not shown) of the measuring device 2 provided in a separate location may be connected to each other in a manner that allows for communication. In this case, the measurement of the substrate holder W by the measuring device 2 and the processing of the substrate holder W by the processing device 1 may be performed in parallel.

[0065] Figure 13 is a system configuration diagram showing the system configuration of a measurement system using an external measuring device 7. The processing system SYS may have multiple measuring devices 2. For example, it may have measuring devices 2 located within the same housing 5 as the processing device 1, and external measuring devices (measuring device 7) located in a different location from the processing device 1. In this case, the measurement of the substrate holder W (measurement of the three-dimensional shape) is performed by the measuring device 7 located outside the housing 5. The measuring device 7 measures not only the three-dimensional shape of the substrate holder W, but also reference marks, etc., provided on the substrate holder W and the substrate holder support jig. Reference marks, etc., are various alignment marks and reference surfaces, and are positional information that serves as a reference when positioning the substrate holder W. They may also be considered as shape information of at least a part of the surface of at least one of the substrate holder and the support jig. The positional information of the reference marks, etc., is information represented in the coordinate system of the measuring device 7. Subsequently, when the substrate holder W is transferred from the measuring device 7 to the measuring device 2, the measuring device 2 measures the reference marks, etc., of the substrate holder W (measurement of the two-dimensional shape). The positional information of these reference marks, etc., is information represented in the coordinate system of the measuring device 2. The controller 4 performs a coordinate system transfer from the coordinate system of the measuring device 7 to the coordinate system of the measuring device 2 based on the measurement information obtained from the measuring device 7 (measurement result MR and positional information of the reference marks, etc.) and the measurement information obtained from the measuring device 2 (positional information of the reference marks, etc.). This allows the same measurement result MR as when the substrate holder W is directly measured by the measuring device 2 to be obtained. The measuring device 7 may be a device similar to the measuring device 2. An optical measuring instrument described in U.S. Patent No. 11195294 or a three-dimensional measuring machine (Coordinate Measuring Machine) equipped with a touch probe can also be used. The measuring device 7 may be provided outside the processing system SYS via a server 8. In this case, the measuring device 7 and the processing system SYS may be connected by a wired and / or wireless network (or a data bus and / or communication line). Furthermore, the measuring device 7 may be capable of transmitting information such as measurement data (measurement result MR and position information such as reference marks) to the processing system SYS via the network.The machining system SYS may include a receiving device that receives measurement information from the measuring device 7 via the network. The machining system SYS may also include a transmitting device (i.e., an output device that outputs information to the control device 6) that transmits measurement information (position information such as reference marks) to the measuring device 7 via the network. The measurement results from the measuring device 7 may be manually entered into the machining system SYS. The measuring device 7 may be controlled by the controller 4 of the machining system SYS, or by an external control device connected to the machining system SYS. Furthermore, some of the measurement operations may be executed (controlled) by the controller 4 of the machining system SYS, and the remaining part may be executed (controlled) by the external control device.

[0066] Figure 14 is a flowchart illustrating the operation flow of a processing method using an external measuring device 7. When the flow starts, first, as shown in step S11, the substrate holder W is placed on the measuring device 7. Next, as shown in step S12, the measuring device 7 measures the three-dimensional shape of the substrate holder W. Next, as shown in step S13, the measuring device 7 measures the reference marks, etc., of the substrate holder W. Next, as shown in step S14, the measuring device 7 outputs the measurement results of the three-dimensional shape of the substrate support surface WS and the measurement results of the reference marks, etc., to the processing system SYS. Next, as shown in step S15, the substrate support surface WS is removed from the measuring device 7 and transferred to the measuring device 2 of the processing system SYS. Next, as shown in step S16, the measuring device 2 measures the reference marks, etc., of the substrate holder W. Next, as shown in step S17, the measurement results of the reference marks etc. obtained from the measuring device 7 and the measurement results of the reference marks etc. obtained from the measuring device 2 are used to transfer the measurement results of the three-dimensional shape of the substrate holder W obtained from the measuring device 7 to the coordinate system of the measuring device 2 (coordinate transformation). Then, as shown in step S18, the processing system SYS performs the processing operation from the first calculation operation described above based on the measurement results of the coordinate-transformed three-dimensional shape of the substrate holder W. This enables processing to remove a portion of the substrate support surface WS of the substrate holder W into the desired shape.

[0067] The external measuring device 7 is not limited to one, but may be multiple. The processing system SYS is also not limited to one, but may be multiple. For example, if the time required for the measurement operation is longer than the time required for the processing operation, multiple measuring devices 7 may be connected to one processing system SYS. On the other hand, if the time required for the processing operation is longer than the time required for the measurement operation, multiple processing systems SYS may be connected to one measuring device 7.

[0068] Instead of alignment marks or reference surfaces, characteristic parts of the substrate holder W may be measured. In this case, the positional information of the characteristic parts of the substrate holder W corresponds to the positional information of reference marks, etc. Characteristic parts may be added to the substrate holder W and the substrate holder support jig in the measuring device 7. Identifier information such as barcodes may be added to the substrate holder W and the substrate holder support jig. The ID information of the substrate holder W may be input into the processing system SYS. This ID information may be used in combination with reference marks.

[0069] In addition to removal processing, the processing system SYS may also perform additive processing by irradiating objects such as the substrate holder W with processing light EL (or any energy beam). The processing apparatus 1 may perform additive processing to form any structure having any shape on the surface of the substrate holder W. The additive processing is applied to at least a part of the substrate support surface WS of the substrate holder W. For example, as an example of any structure, the tip surface (corner) of the pin WP may be chamfered, an anti-slip treatment may be added to the tip surface, or the base end (corner) of the pin WP may be rounded with R processing. Furthermore, various texture processing may be applied to the tip surface or bottom surface WB of the pin WP. When applying texture processing to the tip surface of the pin WP, three-dimensional shape data corresponding to the texture to be provided on the tip surface of the pin WP may be prepared as the processing target shape, and processing control information may be generated by matching this three-dimensional shape data to multiple parts of the processing mask SM corresponding to the pin WP. In the above embodiment, the shape masked by the processing mask SM was a circular shape, but it may be masked with a shape other than a circular shape. For example, the mask may be rectangular or polygonal, and may have a shape different from the shape of the area corresponding to the pin WP in the processing mask SM. Furthermore, the area of ​​the part masked by the processing mask SM may be calculated. Based on this calculated area, it may be determined whether or not masking is possible.

[0070] In addition to removal processing, the processing system SYS may also perform marking processing by irradiating an object such as a substrate holder W with processing light EL (or any energy beam) to form a mark (e.g., letters, numbers, or figures) on at least a part of the object. The processing device 1 (in particular the processing head 12) described above may be attached to a robot (typically an articulated robot). For example, the processing device 1 (in particular the processing head 12) may be attached to a welding robot for welding. For example, the processing device 1 (in particular the processing head 12) may be attached to a self-propelled mobile robot.

[0071] In the embodiment described above, the machining system SYS includes a head drive system 13. That is, the machining head 12 is movable. However, the machining system SYS does not have to include a head drive system 13. That is, the machining head 12 does not have to be movable. Also, in the description above, the machining system SYS includes a stage drive system 33. That is, the stage 32 is movable. However, the machining system SYS does not have to include a stage drive system 33. That is, the stage 32 does not have to be movable.

[0072] The processing system SYS may include a display unit (not shown), such as a display. The display unit may function as a display device capable of displaying a desired image under the control of the controller 4. The display unit may include a display provided by the processing system SYS (i.e., a display built into the processing system SYS). The display unit may include an external display that can be attached to the processing system SYS. Alternatively, a display provided by a device other than the processing system SYS may display a desired image under the control of the controller 4. For example, a display provided by at least one of a notebook computer and a tablet terminal may display a desired image under the control of the controller 4. In this case, the processing system SYS does not need to have a display unit.

[0073] The substrate holder W may have a flat surface or not have pins. Also, the workpiece processed by the processing system SYS is not limited to the substrate holder W. For example, it may be a flat plate-shaped workpiece. The processing system SYS does not have to include the processing device 3. For example, it may only include the measuring device 2. The measuring device 2 does not have to measure the three-dimensional shape of the substrate holder W. Instead of using the three-dimensional shape P1 of the substrate holder W, or in addition to that, a three-dimensional design model of the substrate holder W may be used. This three-dimensional design model of the substrate holder W may be considered as shape information of at least a part of the surface of the substrate holder W. The three-dimensional design model of the substrate holder W may be deformed to match the measurement results of the substrate holder W, and this deformed three-dimensional design model may be used.

[0074] At least some of the constituent elements of each of the embodiments described above can be appropriately combined with at least some other constituent elements of the embodiments described above. Some of the constituent elements of the embodiments described above may not be used.

[0075] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified as appropriate without contradicting the gist or idea of ​​the invention as can be read from the claims and specification as a whole. The processing system SYS, measuring device 2, and processing method, including such modifications, are also included within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0076] Regarding the embodiments described above, the following additional notes are disclosed. [Addendum 1] A processing system for processing a substrate holder having a plurality of protrusions formed on its surface, comprising: an input device that receives input of the three-dimensional shape measurement result of at least a part of the surface of the substrate holder and information indicating the relationship between a fixed position relative to the substrate holder and the three-dimensional shape measurement result; a processing device that processes the substrate holder placed on a mounting member supporting the substrate holder with processing light; a measuring device that measures the substrate holder placed on the mounting member; and a controller, wherein the controller controls the measuring device to acquire position information of the fixed position, and controls the processing device to process the substrate holder based on the three-dimensional shape measurement result, the information indicating the relationship, and the position information. [Addendum 2] The processing system according to Addendum 1, wherein the measuring device acquires at least the position information in the direction in which the mounting member moves. [Addendum 3] The processing system according to Addendum 1 or Addendum 2, wherein a reference mark is formed at the fixed position relative to the substrate holder. [Note 4] The processing system according to Note 3, wherein the measuring device measures the position of the reference mark. [Note 5] The processing system according to any one of Notes 1 to 4, wherein the measuring device measures the position of a feature point of at least one of the substrate holder and the jig that holds the substrate holder. [Note 6] The processing system according to any one of Notes 1 to 5, wherein the measuring device comprises a two-dimensional measuring device. [Note 7] A processing method for processing a substrate holder having a plurality of protrusions formed on its surface, comprising: placing the substrate holder on the aforementioned mounting member of the processing system according to any one of Notes 1 to 6; and processing the substrate holder with the processing light from the processing device.[Note 8] A processing method for processing a substrate holder having a plurality of protrusions formed on its surface, comprising: obtaining a three-dimensional shape measurement result of at least a part of the surface of the substrate holder and information indicating the relationship between a position fixed to the substrate holder and the three-dimensional shape measurement result; obtaining position information of the position fixed to the substrate holder; and processing the substrate holder based on the three-dimensional shape measurement result, the information indicating the relationship, and the position information. [Note 9] The processing method according to Note 8, wherein obtaining the position information means obtaining at least the position information in a direction along the surface of the substrate holder. [Note 10] The processing method according to Note 8 or Note 9, wherein obtaining the position information includes obtaining position information of a reference mark formed at the position fixed to the substrate holder. [Note 11] The processing method according to any one of Notes 8 to 10, wherein obtaining the position information includes obtaining two-dimensional position information of the fixed position. [Note 12] The processing method according to any one of Notes 8 to 12, wherein acquiring the position information includes acquiring two-dimensional position information of a feature point of at least one of the substrate holder and the jig that holds the substrate holder. [Note 13] A processing system for processing the surface of an object, comprising: a mounting member for supporting the object; a processing device for processing the object placed on the mounting member with processing light; a measuring device for measuring the object placed on the mounting member; and a controller, wherein the controller controls the measuring device to measure the three-dimensional shape of at least a part of the surface of the object; generates an approximate curved surface of the shape of at least a part of the object based on the measurement result of the measuring device; and controls the processing device to process the surface of the object based on the approximate curved surface. [Note 14] A processing method for processing the surface of an object, comprising: obtaining a three-dimensional shape of at least a part of the surface of the object; generating an approximate curved surface based on the three-dimensional shape; and processing the object based on the approximate curved surface.

[0077] 1. Processing system 2. Measuring device 3. Stage device (mounting member) 4. Controller 6. Measuring device (external measuring device) 7. Measuring device SYS Processing system W Substrate holder WS Substrate support surface WP Pin WB Bottom surface MR Measurement result P1 Three-dimensional shape P2 Three-dimensional shape SM Processing mask ST Processing target surface

Claims

1. A processing system for processing a substrate holder having a plurality of protrusions formed on its surface, comprising: a mounting member for supporting the substrate holder; a processing device for processing the substrate holder placed on the mounting member with processing light; a measuring device for measuring the substrate holder placed on the mounting member; and a controller, wherein the controller controls the measuring device to measure the three-dimensional shape of at least a portion of the surface of the substrate holder; generates an approximate curved surface of at least a portion of the shape of the substrate holder based on the measurement results of the measuring device; and controls the processing device to process the substrate holder based on the positions of the plurality of protrusions determined using the approximate curved surface.

2. The processing system according to claim 1, wherein the controller determines the positions of the plurality of protrusions using a surface offset in a direction intersecting the surface on the approximate curved surface.

3. The processing system according to claim 1, wherein the controller determines the positions of the plurality of protrusions using a plurality of surfaces offset by different distances from each other in a direction intersecting the surface of the approximate curved surface.

4. The processing system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the controller is capable of receiving commands from an input device for changing the position of the offset surface in the intersecting direction.

5. The machining system according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the position of the projection includes information relating to the region of the projection on the offset surface.

6. The machining system according to claim 5, wherein the controller is capable of receiving commands from an input device for changing the size of the area of ​​the protrusion on the offset surface.

7. The processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the controller generates the approximate curved surface based on at least one of the three-dimensional shape of at least a portion of the surface and the three-dimensional shape of at least a portion of the plurality of protrusions from the measurement results of the measuring device.

8. The processing apparatus is used to process the plurality of protrusions of the substrate holder, according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The processing apparatus performs removal processing and addition processing on the plurality of protrusions, the processing system according to claim 8.

10. The processing apparatus processes the surface of the substrate holder excluding the plurality of protrusions, according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the controller performs polynomial interpolation when generating the approximate surface.

12. The machining system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the controller performs spline interpolation when generating the approximate curved surface.

13. The processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the controller, when generating the approximate curved surface, uses shape information of at least a portion of the surface of the substrate holder in addition to, or in place of, the measurement results of the measuring device.

14. The processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein, when generating the approximate curved surface, the curvature height of the surface excluding the plurality of protrusions is higher than the height of the plurality of protrusions.

15. A processing method for processing a substrate holder having a plurality of protrusions formed on its surface, comprising: obtaining a three-dimensional shape of at least a part of the surface of the substrate holder; generating an approximate curved surface based on the three-dimensional shape; and processing the substrate holder based on the positions of the plurality of protrusions determined using the approximate curved surface.

16. The processing method according to claim 15, wherein the positions of the plurality of protrusions are determined using a surface offset in a direction intersecting the surface of the approximate curved surface.

17. The processing method according to claim 15, wherein the positions of the plurality of protrusions are determined using a plurality of surfaces that are offset by different distances from each other in a direction intersecting the surface of the approximate curved surface.

18. The machining method according to claim 16 or 17, further comprising changing the position of the offset surfaces in the direction of intersection.

19. The machining method according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the position of the projection includes information relating to the region of the projection on the offset surface.

20. The machining method according to claim 19, further comprising changing the size of the area of ​​the protrusion on the offset surface.

21. The processing method according to any one of claims 15 to 20, wherein when generating the approximate curved surface, the approximate curved surface is generated based on at least one of the three-dimensional shape of at least a portion of the surface and the three-dimensional shape of at least a portion of the plurality of protrusions.

22. The processing method according to any one of claims 15 to 21, wherein the plurality of protrusions of the substrate holder are processed when processing the substrate holder.

23. The processing method according to any one of claims 15 to 22, wherein additional processing is performed on the plurality of protrusions when processing the substrate holder.

24. The processing method according to any one of claims 15 to 23, wherein when processing the substrate holder, the surface of the substrate holder excluding the plurality of protrusions is processed.

25. The processing method according to any one of claims 15 to 24, wherein polynomial interpolation is performed when generating the approximate surface.

26. The machining method according to any one of claims 15 to 25, wherein spline interpolation is performed when generating the approximate curved surface.

27. The processing method according to any one of claims 15 to 26, wherein when generating the approximate curved surface, shape information of at least a part of the surface of the substrate holder is used in addition to, or instead of, the three-dimensional shape.

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