JP4318563B2 - Coating apparatus and coating method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a coating technique for applying a liquid onto a substrate to be processed using a nozzle, and more particularly to a spinless coating apparatus and a coating method.

  Recently, in a photolithography process in a flat panel display (FPD) manufacturing process, as a resist coating method that is advantageous for increasing the size of a substrate to be processed (for example, a glass substrate), a resist solution is continuously applied to the substrate with a small diameter from a resist nozzle. A spinless system in which a resist solution is applied to a substrate with a desired film thickness without requiring a rotational movement by relatively moving, that is, scanning a resist nozzle while discharging the ink is widely used.

In a spinless resist coating apparatus, as described in Patent Document 1, for example, a minute gap of several hundred μm or less is formed between a substrate placed horizontally on a mounting table or a stage and a discharge port of a resist nozzle. The resist solution is discharged onto the substrate while moving the resist nozzle in the scanning direction (generally in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the nozzle) above the substrate. This type of resist nozzle has a discharge port with a very small diameter (for example, about 100 μm), and is configured to discharge the resist solution at a considerably high pressure. It is formed in a horizontally long or long shape, and fine-diameter discharge ports are arranged in a porous structure with a constant pitch in the longitudinal direction, or a continuous slit structure is formed.
JP-A-10-156255

  In the spinless type resist coating apparatus as described above, in order to apply the resist solution on the substrate with a uniform film thickness, a fine gap is kept constant between the resist nozzle and the substrate, and scanning is performed. The speed must also be kept constant. However, in reality, the above-mentioned minute gap and scanning speed fluctuate during the coating process due to mechanical vibration transmitted from the outside of the apparatus through the floor and the like, and mechanical vibrations generated by various actuators, pumps, etc. inside the apparatus. In some cases, the film thickness change of the resist liquid film or coating unevenness may occur.

  Such coating unevenness reduces the accuracy or reliability of photolithography. For this reason, after resist application, the presence or absence of application unevenness is visually inspected, and a substrate having application unevenness that exceeds a reference value is recognized as a defective product. However, recent resist coating equipment is built in an in-line system together with an exposure device, a developing device, etc., and the coating unevenness inspection as described above is performed at the final stage of the system, so that coating unevenness is detected. Exposure processing, development processing, and the like are performed wastefully on the substrate, causing great damage.

The present invention has been made in view of such problems of the prior art, and it is possible to properly monitor the fluctuations in the gap, scanning speed, etc. between the horizontally long long nozzle and the substrate to be processed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a coating apparatus and a coating method capable of making an early and accurate determination.

In order to achieve the above object, a coating apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a substrate support unit that supports a substrate to be processed, a horizontally long long nozzle that discharges a coating liquid toward the substrate, An application scanning unit that moves the nozzle relative to the substrate in the direction of application scanning, a shake detection unit that detects a shake of at least one of the nozzle and the substrate support unit during the coating process, and the shake detection A frequency analysis unit that obtains a frequency spectrum by frequency-analyzing the time signal representing the blur obtained from the unit, and a film thickness of the coating film formed on the substrate based on the frequency spectrum obtained from the frequency analysis unit A determination unit that determines whether the application process is good or bad.
Also, the coating method according to the first aspect of the present invention is a method in which a substrate is supported on a substrate support portion and a horizontally long long nozzle that discharges a coating liquid toward the substrate is coated and scanned with respect to the substrate. In the coating method in which the coating liquid is applied to the substrate while being relatively moved in the direction of, a step of detecting a blur of at least one of the nozzle and the substrate support part during the coating process, and a time signal representing the blur Analyzing the frequency of the coating film, and determining the quality of the coating process with respect to the thickness of the coating film formed on the substrate, based on the frequency spectrum obtained from the frequency analysis unit.
In the coating apparatus or the coating method according to the first aspect, a coating process is performed by moving a horizontally long long nozzle that discharges a coating solution relative to the substrate supported on the substrate support portion in the coating scanning direction. , And at least one of the nozzles and the substrate support is detected during the coating process, and a frequency spectrum is obtained by frequency analysis of the time signal representing the shake. Fast Fourier transform (FFT) can be used for frequency analysis. In this way, the frequency signal indicates how much of the frequency component is included in the time signal representing the shake, and is evaluated by replacing the frequency spectrum with a predetermined thickness film thickness of the coating film formed on the substrate. The quality of the coating process is determined by the determination method. Since the result of pass / fail determination can be obtained in-line during or immediately after the coating process, all subsequent processes can be canceled for the substrate determined to be defective, and damage can be minimized.

A coating apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a substrate support unit that supports a substrate to be processed, a horizontally long long nozzle that discharges a coating liquid toward the substrate, and the nozzle that is applied to the substrate. A coating scanning unit that relatively moves in a scanning direction; a direction in which the discharge port of the nozzle faces the substrate during coating processing; and a blurring of at least one of the nozzle and the substrate support unit in the coating scanning direction. On the substrate, based on the vibration detection unit to detect, a frequency analysis unit that obtains a frequency spectrum by frequency analysis of the time signal representing the blur obtained from the shake detection unit, and a frequency spectrum obtained from the frequency analysis unit And a determination unit for determining whether the coating process is good or not with respect to the thickness of the coating film formed on the substrate.
The coating method according to the second aspect of the present invention is a method in which a substrate is supported on a substrate support portion and a horizontally long long nozzle that discharges a coating liquid toward the substrate is coated and scanned with respect to the substrate. In the coating method in which the coating liquid is applied to the substrate while being relatively moved in the direction of the nozzle, the nozzle and the substrate in the direction in which the discharge port of the nozzle faces the substrate and the direction of the coating scanning during the coating process Based on the step of detecting at least one shake of the support unit, the step of obtaining a frequency spectrum by frequency analysis of the time signal representing the shake obtained from the shake detection unit, and the frequency spectrum obtained from the frequency analysis unit And a step of determining whether the coating process is good or not with respect to the thickness of the coating film formed on the substrate.
In the coating apparatus or the coating method according to the second aspect, a coating process is performed by moving a horizontally long long nozzle that discharges the coating solution relative to the substrate supported on the substrate support portion in the coating scanning direction. Is detected, and at least one of the nozzle and substrate support is detected in the direction in which the nozzle outlet faces the substrate and in the direction of application scanning during the coating process, and the frequency spectrum is analyzed by frequency analysis of the time signal representing the blur. Ask for. Fast Fourier transform (FFT) can be used for frequency analysis. In this way, evaluation is performed by substituting the frequency spectrum with what frequency component and how much frequency signal is included in the time signal that represents the fluctuation in the direction in which the nozzle outlet faces the substrate and in the coating scanning direction. The quality of the coating process is determined by a predetermined determination method regarding the thickness of the coating film on the substrate. Since the result of pass / fail determination can be obtained in-line during or immediately after the coating process, all subsequent processes can be canceled for the substrate determined to be defective, and damage can be minimized.

In the coating method according to the third aspect of the present invention, a horizontally long nozzle that supports a substrate to be processed on a substrate support and discharges a coating liquid toward the substrate is applied to the substrate in the direction of coating scanning. In the coating method in which the coating liquid is coated relative to the substrate, the step of detecting the blur of at least one of the nozzle and the substrate support part during the coating process, and the time representing the detected blur Analyzing the frequency of the signal to obtain a frequency spectrum, and setting a plurality of frequency regions with one or more predetermined frequencies as a boundary for all frequency regions of the frequency spectrum, and for each of the plurality of frequency regions A step of setting a monitoring value, a step of comparing each monitoring value for each of the plurality of frequency regions, and the frequency spectrum for each of the plurality of frequency regions, and Based on the results of the comparison, and a step of performing quality determination of the coating with respect to the thickness of the coating film formed on the substrate.
In the coating method according to the third aspect, a coating process is performed by moving a horizontally long long nozzle that discharges the coating solution relative to the substrate supported on the substrate support portion in the coating scanning direction. The frequency signal is obtained by frequency analysis of a time signal representing at least one of the nozzle and the substrate support during the coating process, and a monitoring value and a frequency spectrum are obtained for each of a plurality of frequency regions in the entire frequency region of the frequency spectrum. And the quality of the coating process is determined based on the comparison result regarding the film thickness of the coating film on the substrate. Each monitoring value may be set based on, for example, statistical data. Thus, by evaluating the frequency spectrum using individual monitoring values for each of a plurality of frequency regions, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the coating process quality determination using the correlation between the coating unevenness and the frequency spectrum.

In the coating method according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a horizontally long nozzle for supporting a substrate to be processed on a substrate support and discharging a coating liquid toward the substrate is applied to the substrate in the direction of coating scanning. In the coating method in which the coating liquid is coated relative to the substrate, the step of detecting the blur of at least one of the nozzle and the substrate support part during the coating process, and the time representing the detected blur Analyzing the frequency of the signal to obtain a frequency spectrum; setting a monitoring value as a waveform corresponding to the frequency for the frequency spectrum; comparing the monitoring value of the waveform and the frequency spectrum; And a step of determining whether the coating process is good or not with respect to the thickness of the coating film formed on the substrate based on the result of the comparison.
In the coating method according to the fourth aspect, the coating process is performed by moving a horizontally long long nozzle that discharges the coating liquid relative to the substrate supported on the substrate support portion in the direction of coating scanning. The frequency signal is obtained by analyzing the frequency of the time signal representing at least one of the nozzle and the substrate support during the coating process, the monitored value of the waveform corresponding to the frequency is compared with the frequency spectrum, and the comparison result is obtained. Based on the film thickness of the coating film on the substrate, the quality of the coating process is determined. As described above, by evaluating the frequency spectrum using the waveform monitoring value for each frequency, the accuracy of the coating process pass / fail judgment can be improved by appropriately using the correlation between the coating unevenness and the frequency spectrum.

  According to a preferred aspect, the shake detection unit detects the shake of the nozzle or the substrate support unit as vibration, acceleration, displacement, or velocity ripple. The quality determination of the coating process may be performed based on only the frequency spectrum corresponding to the shaking of the nozzle, or based only on the frequency spectrum corresponding to the shaking of the substrate support portion, or based on both frequency spectra. Also good.

  According to the coating apparatus or the coating method of the present invention, with the configuration and operation as described above, it is possible to accurately monitor the gap between the nozzle and the substrate to be processed, the variation in the scanning speed, and the like to determine whether the coating process is good or bad. It can be done quickly and accurately. As a result, it is possible to omit any subsequent processing for the substrate in which the coating process has become defective due to shaking, and damage can be minimized.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a coating and developing treatment system as one configuration example to which the coating apparatus of the present invention can be applied. This coating / development processing system 10 is installed in a clean room. For example, an LCD substrate is a substrate to be processed, and a series of processes such as cleaning, resist coating, pre-baking, developing, and post-baking in a photolithography process are performed in the LCD manufacturing process. Is what you do. The exposure process is performed by an external exposure apparatus 12 installed adjacent to the processing system.

  In the coating and developing processing system 10, a horizontally long process station 16 is disposed at the center, and a cassette station 14 and an interface station 18 are disposed at both ends in the longitudinal direction (X direction).

  The cassette station 14 is a cassette loading / unloading port of the system 10, and can store up to four cassettes C that can accommodate a plurality of rectangular glass substrates G in a horizontal direction, for example, in the Y direction by stacking them in multiple stages. A cassette stage 20 and a transport mechanism 22 for taking the substrate G in and out of the cassette C on the stage 20 are provided. The transport mechanism 22 has a means for holding the substrate G, for example, a transport arm 22a, can be operated with four axes of X, Y, Z, and θ so that the substrate G can be transferred to and from the adjacent process station 16 side. It has become.

  In the process station 16, the processing units are arranged in the order of process flow or processing steps along a process line set in the system longitudinal direction (X direction). More specifically, the upstream or outward process line from the cassette station 14 side to the interface station 18 side includes a cleaning process unit 24, vertical thermal processing units (TB) 26 and 28, and a coating process unit 30. And vertical thermal processing units (TB) 32 and 34 are arranged. On the other hand, in the downstream or return process line from the interface station 18 side to the cassette station 14 side, the vertical thermal processing units (TB) 32 and 34, the developing unit (DEV) 36, and the decoloring processing unit ( i-UV) 38 and vertical thermal processing units (TB) 40 and 42 are arranged.

  In the forward process line, the cleaning process unit 24 includes a flat-flow type scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 46, and an excimer UV irradiation unit in a location adjacent to the cassette station 14 in the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 46. (E-UV) 44 is arranged. In the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 46, as shown in FIG. 2, brushing cleaning or blow cleaning is performed on the upper surface (surface to be processed) of the substrate G while transporting the substrate G on the roller transport path 45 to the downstream side of the process line. It has come to give. The roller transport path 45 has an excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 44 as a starting point, and is moved up and down to receive the substrate G from the transport mechanism 22 of the cassette station 14 and transfer it onto the transport path 45 near the starting point. Possible lift pins 47 are provided.

  The vertical thermal processing units (TB) 26 and 28 adjacent to the downstream end of the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 46 are each configured as an oven tower formed by stacking a plurality of single-wafer type oven units in multiple stages. ing. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the vertical thermal processing unit (TB) 26 includes, in order from the bottom, a substrate carrying pass unit (PASS), a dehydrating baking heating unit (DHP), and a hydrophobizing adhesive. John units (AD) are stacked in multiple stages. Here, the roller transport path 45 from the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 46 is drawn into the pass unit (PASS), and the substrate G is lifted above the transport path 45 in a horizontal posture at the end point position of the transport path 45. Lift pins 48 that can be raised and lowered are provided. In addition, the vertical thermal processing unit (TB) 28 includes a cooling unit (COL) and an adhesion unit (AD) for substrate temperature adjustment stacked in multiple stages in order from the bottom. Here, the vertical thermal processing unit (TB) 28 is arranged not on the extension of the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 46 but offset on the system center line, and the vertical transfer device (S / A) 50 is arranged. It is connected to the vertical thermal processing unit (TB) 26 on the outgoing process line.

  A multi-stage unit section (EXT / VD) 52 of the coating process section 30 is arranged at a position adjacent to the transfer device (S / A) 50 on the opposite side of the vertical thermal processing section (TB) 28. As shown in FIG. 2, the multistage unit section (EXT / VD) 52 includes a vacuum drying unit (VD) 51 for vacuum drying and an extension unit (EXT) 53 for substrate transfer stacked in multiple stages in order from the bottom.

  The transport device (S / A) 50 is configured as a transport robot having a transport arm or tweezers that can move back and forth in a horizontal direction on a transport main body that can be moved up and down and swiveled, and is adjacent to the vertical thermal unit. Access to arbitrary units in the processing units (TB) 26 and 28 and the multi-stage unit unit (EX / VD) 52 enables loading and unloading of substrates.

  The application process unit 30 has a multi-stage unit (EXT / VD) 52, a vertical transfer device (S / A) 54, and a multi-stage unit (EXT / VD) 56 arranged in a row toward the interface station 18. A resist coating unit (CT) 58 is disposed beside the transfer device (S / A) 54. As shown in FIG. 2, the multistage unit section (EXT / VD) 56 is also formed by stacking a reduced pressure drying unit (VD) 55 and an extension unit (EXT) 57 in multiple stages in order from the bottom. The transport device (S / A) 54 is a transport robot in which a transport arm that can be moved back and forth in a horizontal direction is mounted on a transport body that can be moved up and down and swiveled, and accesses each unit in the coating process unit 30 to access a substrate. The substrate G can be carried in and out of the substrate carry-in portion of the developing unit (DEV) 36 on the adjacent return path side. The detailed configuration and operation in the coating process unit 30 will be described later.

  A vertical transfer device (S / A) 60 is disposed between the multi-stage unit portion (EXT / VD) 56 of the coating process unit 30 and the interface station 18, and the Y direction of the transfer device (S / A) 60 is arranged. Vertical thermal processing sections (TB) 32 and 34 are arranged on both sides. As shown in FIG. 2, the vertical thermal processing unit (TB) 32 has a substrate storage buffer unit (buf) and a pre-bake heating unit (PREBAKE) stacked in multiple stages in order from the bottom. As shown in FIG. 3, the vertical thermal processing unit (TB) 34 includes a buffer unit (buf), a cooling unit (COL), and a heating unit (PREBAKE) stacked in multiple stages in order from the bottom. The transfer device (S / A) 60 is also a transfer robot in which a transfer arm that can be moved back and forth in a horizontal direction is mounted on a transfer body that can be moved up and down and swiveled, and in the vertical thermal processing units (TB) 32 and 34. The substrate G can be carried in and out by accessing an arbitrary unit, and the substrate G can be delivered to the coating process unit 30 and the interface station 18 in units of one sheet.

  In the return process line of the process station 16, the development unit (DEV) 36 performs a series of development processing steps while transporting the substrate G in the downstream direction of the process line on the roller transport path 35, as shown in FIG. It is configured as a so-called flat-flow developing device. In the vicinity of the starting point of the roller transport path 35, lift pins 37 that can be moved up and down for receiving the substrate G from the transport device (S / A) 54 and transferring it onto the roller transport path 35 are provided. The decoloring unit (i-UV) 38 is also provided with a roller transport path 35 from the developing unit (DEV) 36, and i-line (on the surface to be processed of the substrate G passing through the decoloring unit (i-UV)). (Wavelength 365 nm) is irradiated.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the vertical thermal processing unit (TB) 40 adjacent to the downstream side of the decoloring processing unit (i-UV) 38 includes a pass unit (PASS), a cooling unit (COL), and a post in order from the bottom. Baking heating units (POBAKE) are stacked in multiple stages. Here, the roller transport path 35 from the decoloring unit (i-UV) 38 is drawn into the pass unit (PASS). In addition, lift pins 62 that can be raised and lowered to lift the substrate G in a horizontal posture at the end point of the roller transport path 35 are also provided.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the vertical thermal processing unit (TB) 42 includes a substrate carrying pass unit (PASS), a cooling unit (COL), and a heating unit (POBAKE) stacked in multiple stages in order from the bottom. Here, the pass unit (PASS) is configured as a placement-type substrate transfer unit that can also be accessed from the transport mechanism 22 of the cassette station 14. The vertical transfer device (S / A) 64 disposed between the two vertical thermal processing units (TB) 40 and 42 can move back and forth in the horizontal direction or extend and contract in the horizontal direction of the transfer main body that can be raised and lowered. It is configured as a transfer robot equipped with a transfer arm, and can access any unit in the vertical thermal processing units (TB) 40 and 42 to carry in and out the substrate G.

  The interface station 18 has a transfer device (I / F) 70 for exchanging the substrate G with the adjacent exposure device 12, around which a buffer stage (BUF) 72 and an extension / cooling stage (EXT / COL) are provided. ) 74 and peripheral device 76 are arranged. A stationary buffer cassette is placed on the buffer stage (BUF) 72. The extension / cooling stage (EXT / COL) 74 is a stage for transferring a substrate having a cooling function, and is used when the substrate G is exchanged with the process station 16 side. For example, the peripheral device 76 may have a configuration in which a titler (TITLER) and a peripheral exposure device (EE) are stacked one above the other. The transfer device (I / F) 70 has means for holding the substrate G, for example, a transfer arm, and each of the units (BUF) 72, (EXT / COL) 74, (TITLER) in the adjacent exposure apparatus 12 and interface station 18 is provided. / EE) 76 and the substrate G can be transferred.

FIG. 4 shows a processing procedure in the coating and developing processing system 10. First, in the cassette station 14, the transport mechanism 22 takes out one substrate G from one of the cassettes C on the stage 20, and an excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) 44 in the cleaning process unit 24 of the process station 16. It is carried into (step S _1).

Excimer UV irradiation unit (e-UV) substrate G in the 44 is subjected to dry cleaning by UV irradiation (step S _2). This UV cleaning mainly removes organic substances on the substrate surface. After completion of the ultraviolet cleaning, the substrate G is transferred to a scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 46 by roller conveyance.

The scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 46 performs brushing cleaning and blow cleaning on the upper surface (surface to be processed) of the substrate G while transporting the substrate G on the roller transport path 45 to the downstream side of the process line. Particulate dirt is removed from the substrate surface (step S ₃ ). After the cleaning, the substrate G is rinsed while being conveyed in a flat flow, and finally the substrate G is dried using an air knife or the like. The substrate G that has been cleaned in the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 46 is carried into the pass unit (PASS) in the vertical thermal processing section (TB) 26 by roller conveyance. Immediately thereafter, the transfer device (S / A) 50 carries the substrate G out of the pass unit (PASS).

In the vertical thermal processing units (TB) 26 and 28, the substrate G is sequentially transferred to a predetermined oven unit by a transfer device (S / A) 50 in a predetermined sequence. For example, the substrate G is first transferred to any one of the heating units (DHP), where it is subjected to heat treatment for dehydration baking (step S ₄ ). Next, the substrate G is transferred to any one of the cooling units (COL), where it is cooled to a constant substrate temperature (step S ₅ ). Thereafter, the substrate G is transferred to any one of the adhesion units (AD), where it is subjected to a hydrophobic treatment for improving the adhesion between the resist film and the substrate G (step S ₆ ). After completion of the hydrophobic treatment, the substrate G is cooled to a constant substrate temperature by any one of the cooling units (COL) (step S ₇ ). The substrate G that has been subjected to the series of heat treatments as described above is transferred to the extension unit (EXT) 53 in the multistage unit section (EXT / VD) 52 by the transfer device (S / A) 50.

In the coating process unit 30, the substrate G is transferred from the extension unit (EXT) 53 to the resist coating unit (CT) 58 by the transfer device (S / A) 54. In the resist coating unit (CT) 82, the substrate G is coated with a resist solution on the upper surface (surface to be processed) by a spinless method using a fine diameter discharge type resist nozzle as will be described later. Then, the substrate G is transferred to one of the vacuum drying unit (VD) 51 and 55 by the transfer device (S / A) 54, where it undergoes a drying treatment by pressure reduction (step S _8).

  The substrate G subjected to the resist coating process as described above is sent to the vertical thermal processing units (TB) 32 and 34 by the transfer device (S / A) 60 via the extension unit (EXT) 57.

In the vertical thermal processing units (TB) 32 and 34, the substrate G is sequentially transferred to a predetermined unit by the transport device 60 in a predetermined sequence. For example, the substrate G is first transferred to any one of the heating units (PREBAKE), where it is subjected to pre-baking heat treatment (step S ₉ ). Next, the substrate G is transferred to any one of the cooling units (COL), where it is cooled to a constant substrate temperature (step S ₁₀ ). After receiving such a series of heat treatments, the substrate G is delivered to an extension / cooling stage (EXT / COL) 74 on the interface station 18 side.

In the interface station 18, the substrate G is transferred from the extension / cooling stage (EXT / COL) 74 to the peripheral exposure device (EE) of the peripheral device 76 where the resist adhering to the peripheral portion of the substrate G is removed during development. After the exposure, the image is sent to the adjacent exposure device 12 (step S ₁₁ ).

In the exposure device 12, a predetermined circuit pattern is exposed to the resist on the substrate G. When the substrate G that has been subjected to pattern exposure is returned from the exposure apparatus 12 to the interface station 18 (step S ₁₁ ), first, it is carried into a titler (TITLER) of the peripheral device 76, where predetermined information is transferred to a predetermined portion on the substrate. Is written (step S ₁₂ ). Thereafter, the substrate G is returned to the extension / cooling stage (EXT / COL) 74. Transfer of the substrate G at the interface station 18 and exchange of the substrate G with the exposure apparatus 12 is performed by a transfer device (I / F) 70.

  In the process station 16, the transfer device (S / A) 60 receives the exposed substrate G from the extension / cooling stage (EXT / COL) 74 and sends it to the extension unit (EXT) 57 of the multistage unit section (EXT / VD) 56. Carry in. Immediately after that, the transport device (S / A) 54 takes out the substrate G from the extension unit (EXT) 57 and carries it into the developing unit (DEV) 36.

In the development unit (DEV) 36, the substrate G is transported in a flat flow on the roller transport path 35 toward the downstream of the process line, and a series of development processing steps of development, rinsing, and drying are performed during the transport (step S). ₁₃ ).

The substrate G that has undergone the development process in the development unit (DEV) 36 is carried into the decoloring unit (i-UV) 38 adjacent to the downstream side in a flat flow, where it undergoes a decoloring process by i-line irradiation (step S ₁₄ ). The substrate G that has been subjected to the decoloring process is carried into the pass unit (PASS) of the vertical thermal processing unit (TB) 40. Immediately after that, the transfer device (S / A) 64 carries the substrate G out of the pass unit (PASS).

In the vertical thermal processing unit (TB) 40, 42, the substrate G is transferred to one of the first heating unit (POBAKE), where it undergoes a heat treatment of the post-baking (Step S _15). Next, the substrate G is transferred to one of the cooling units (COL), where it is cooled to a predetermined substrate temperature (step S ₁₆ ).

On the cassette station 14 side, the transport mechanism 22 receives the substrate G that has undergone all the coating and developing processes from the pass unit (PASS) of the vertical thermal processing unit (TB) 42, and receives the received substrate G on the stage 20. (Step S ₁ ).

  This coating and developing processing system 10 has layout characteristics. First, as shown in FIG. 1, in the forward process line, all the processing units downstream from the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 46 of the flat-flow type are aligned on the extension of the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 46. Instead, the area in the center of the system is effectively used and arranged in two rows. That is, the vertical thermal processing unit (TB) 26, the resist coating unit (CT) 58, and the vertical thermal processing unit (TB) 32 are arranged on the same straight line as the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 46, so that the vertical thermal processing unit The central processing unit (TB) 28 and the multistage unit units (EXT / VD) 52 and 56 are arranged on the system center line offset inward from the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 46. With such a two-row arrangement, the size in the longitudinal direction is shortened without increasing the size in the system width direction, thereby reducing the footprint.

  In addition, the multi-stage unit (EXT / VD) is substantially between the resist coating unit (CT) 58 and the adjacent vertical thermal processing units (TB) 26, 32 on the same straight line as the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 46. There is an empty space that fits comfortably. This empty space prevents heat dissipation from the vertical thermal processing units (TB) 26 and 32 from reaching the resist coating unit (CT) 58 and stably manages the temperature condition or environment of the resist coating process. it can. Further, as will be described later, by disposing a resist coating unit (CT) 58 on an independent base, spinless resist coating processing can be performed without being affected by surrounding mechanical vibrations.

  Further, in the coating process unit 30, the vacuum drying units (VD) 51 and 55 are stacked in the vertical direction with other units, that is, extension units (EXT) 53 and 57 in the multi-stage unit units (EVT / VD) 52 and 56, respectively. It is arranged. Such a stacked arrangement with other units eliminates the need for a dedicated space for the vacuum drying units (VD) 51 and 55. Further, the tact time of the entire coating process unit 30 can be shortened by operating the two vacuum drying units (VD) 51 and 55 in parallel.

  In the coating and developing treatment system 10, the present invention can be applied to the coating process unit 30, particularly the resist coating unit (CT) 58. Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to the coating process unit 30 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  5 and 6 show a detailed layout structure of the coating process unit 30. FIG. The conveying device (S / A) 54 and the multistage unit portions (EXT / VD) 52 and 56 are juxtaposed in a row on a base 80 made of, for example, concrete. On the other hand, the resist coating unit (CT) 58 is installed on a separate base 82 separated from the base 80, and has a predetermined space or interval h from the transfer device (S / A) 54. The base 82 may also be made of concrete, for example. As described above, the transfer device (S / A) 54 and the resist coating unit (CT) 58 are installed on different bases 80 and 82 because the mechanical vibration generated by the transfer device (S / A) 54 is resist coating. This is to prevent transmission to the unit (CT) 58. Therefore, as long as the transfer device (S / A) 54 can carry the substrate G into and out of the resist coating unit (CT) 58 without hindrance, the distance h between the two (54, 58) is preferably as large as possible, for example, about 5 cm. Set to

  FIG. 7 shows a specific configuration example of the transport device (S / A) 54 and one multi-stage unit portion (EXT / VD) 56. The transport device (S / A) 54 is installed on a base 80 via, for example, a support portion 81 with a leg, and can be moved up and down along a guide rail 84 extending in the vertical direction, and a transport main body 86 capable of turning. The transport body 86 has a transport arm or tweezers 88 that can move back and forth in the horizontal direction. An elevating drive unit for elevating and driving the transfer body 86 is provided in the drive box 90 on the proximal end side of the vertical guide rail 84, and a turning drive unit for rotating the transfer body 86 is the drive box 90 or the transfer body 86. An advancing / retreating drive unit that is provided inside and for driving the conveyance arm 88 to advance and retreat is provided in the conveyance main body 86. Although not shown, the other vertical transfer devices (S / A) 50, 60, 64 may also have the same configuration as the transfer device (S / A) 54.

  The multistage unit portion (EXT / VD) 56 is also installed on the base 80 via a support portion 91 with legs, for example. The extension unit (EXT) 57 on the upper stage side has a housing in which an opening 92 for loading / unloading a substrate is formed on a side wall adjacent to the transfer device (S / A) 54, and the substrate G is placed in the housing. A stage 96 for horizontal placement and a lift pin 98 that penetrates the stage 96 and can be moved up and down are provided. The lift pin 98 is driven up and down by an actuator provided below the unit, for example, an air cylinder 100, and horizontally supports the substrate G at the tip of the pin and transfers it to the stage 94 or lifts it from the stage 96. The transfer arm 88 of the transfer device (S / A) 54 can enter and exit the unit (EXT) 57 through the opening 92 to deliver the lift pins 98 and the substrate G. In the housing of the extension unit (EXT) 57, an opening 102 for carrying in and out the substrate is also formed on the side wall opposite to the transfer device (S / A) 54. The transfer device (S / A) 60 (FIG. 1) adjacent on the opposite side can carry the substrate G in and out by inserting the transfer arm into the unit 57 from the opening 102.

  A lower-pressure drying unit (VD) 55 on the lower side has a housing configured as a chamber capable of decompression, and an opening 104 for loading and unloading a substrate on a side wall adjacent to the transfer device (S / A) 54 of the chamber. Is forming. A gate valve 106 for sealing the chamber is attached to the opening 104. In the chamber, there are provided a stage 108 on which the substrate G is placed, and lift pins 110 that can penetrate up and down through the stage 108. The lift pins 110 are driven up and down by an air cylinder 112 below the unit, and the substrate G is horizontally supported at the tip of the pins and transferred to the stage 108 or lifted from the stage 108. With the gate valve 106 opened, the transfer arm 88 of the transfer device (S / A) 54 enters and exits the unit (VD) 55 through the opening 104 and can transfer the lift pins 110 and the substrate G. It is like that. The exhaust port 114 of the chamber communicates with a vacuum pump (not shown) through an exhaust pipe 116.

  As described above, the reduced pressure drying unit (VD) 55 has the opening 104 for loading and unloading the substrate on the side surface of the chamber that can be depressurized. The opening 104 is opened and closed by the gate valve 106, and the upper surface of the chamber is a ceiling plate. Blocked. Thereby, the extension unit (EXT) 57 can be easily stacked on the reduced pressure drying unit (VD) 55. The reduced-pressure drying unit (VD) 55 may be installed on a legged support portion 91 fixed on the base 80.

  Although not shown, the other multi-stage unit (EXT / VD) 52 may be symmetrical with the multi-stage unit (EXT / VD) 56 and have the same configuration.

  FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the configuration of the resist coating unit (CT) 58. In the resist coating unit (CT) 58 in this embodiment, a cup-shaped processing container 122 is disposed at the center of a support base 120 installed on a base 82 (FIG. 5), and a substrate G is placed in the processing container 122. A stage 124 is provided for horizontally mounting and holding the projector. Further, a pair of guide rails 126, 126 extending in the X direction with the processing container 122 interposed therebetween are laid on the support stand 120, and a nozzle support 128 extending in the Y direction is bridged between the X guide rails 126, 126. It is moved at a constant speed in the X direction by a straight drive mechanism (not shown) such as a linear motor mechanism. A long resist nozzle 130 extending in the Y direction is attached to the nozzle support 128 so as to be able to move up and down with a length that covers the substrate G on the stage 124 from one end to the other end. In addition, a nozzle refresh unit 132 for maintaining or refreshing the resist discharge function of the resist nozzle 130 in a normal state is provided at the nozzle standby position outside the processing container 122.

  FIG. 9 shows a configuration of a main part in the resist coating unit (CT) 58. The resist nozzle 130 has a nozzle portion 130a that projects vertically downward, and a slit-type or porous-type discharge port extending in the longitudinal direction is provided at the lower end of the nozzle portion 130a. A resist introduction port 130b for introducing a resist solution is provided on the upper surface of the resist nozzle 130, and a resist supply pipe 134 is connected to the resist introduction port 130b. The resist supply pipe 134 communicates with a resist solution supply source (not shown).

  The nozzle support 128 supports the resist nozzle 130 through a ball screw 136, 136, for example, so that it can be raised and lowered. A small gap of about 100 μm is set between the substrate G on the stage 124 and the discharge port of the resist nozzle 130. This minute gap is adjusted to a set value by using a ball screw mechanism on the nozzle support 128 side.

  During the coating process, the resist solution is supplied from the resist supply unit to the resist nozzle 130 at a predetermined flow rate while the fine gap between the substrate G on the stage 124 and the discharge port of the resist nozzle 130 is maintained at a set value. The resist nozzle 130 is moved at a constant speed in the X direction. Then, the resist solution discharged from the fine diameter discharge port of the resist nozzle 130 is applied in a line shape to the upper surface (surface to be processed) of the substrate G, and when the resist nozzle 130 is scanned from one end to the other end of the substrate G, the substrate A coating film R of a resist solution is formed on the entire upper surface of G. However, in this embodiment, the resist solution is not applied to the peripheral portion of the substrate G. As a result, a process and an apparatus (edge remover) for removing an excess resist film from the peripheral edge of the substrate G after applying the resist are omitted.

  By the way, in the coating process unit 30, as described above, the base 82 of the resist coating unit (CT) 58 is separated from the base 80 on the transport device (S / A) 54 side, and a considerable distance h is provided between them. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the mechanical vibration on the conveying device (S / A) 54 side from being transmitted to the resist coating unit (CT) 58, particularly to the stage 124, via the floor or air. However, it is difficult to avoid the influence of mechanical vibration generated in the resist coating unit (CT) 58. In particular, mechanical vibrations such as rattling and shaking generated by the scanning mechanism are immediately transmitted to the resist nozzle 130 via the nozzle support 128, and the resist nozzle 130 shakes up and down and / or back and forth. Then, the minute gap between the substrate G and the resist nozzle 130 and the coating scanning speed vary, and the process of forming the resist coating film R on the substrate G becomes unstable. However, if the resist nozzle 130 fluctuates during the coating process, the resist coating film R on the substrate G inevitably does not have a film thickness change or uneven coating. Of course, if the blur is very small, the coating unevenness will be small enough to be ignored, but even a relatively large blur may not cause coating unevenness that is particularly problematic, or relatively small blurring. However, uneven coating may result in defective products.

  In this embodiment, the shake of the resist nozzle 130 is detected and analyzed, and the quality of the coating process is determined based on the analysis result. In order to realize this shake monitoring function, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, one or more shake sensors 140 </ b> A and 140 </ b> B are attached to the resist nozzle 130. The shake sensor 140A attached to the upper surface of the resist nozzle 130 is composed of, for example, a piezoelectric, electrostatic capacitance, or strain gauge type acceleration sensor or vibration sensor, and the shake of the resist nozzle 130 in the vertical direction (Z direction) is accelerated or vibrated. Detect as. The shake sensor 140B attached to the front surface (or back surface) of the resist nozzle 130 is also composed of, for example, an acceleration sensor or a vibration sensor, and detects the shake of the resist nozzle 130 in the scanning direction (X direction) as acceleration or vibration. It is also possible to detect a shake in the nozzle longitudinal direction (Y direction) by attaching a similar shake sensor (not shown) to the end face of the resist nozzle 130.

  Alternatively, a method of detecting the fluctuation of the resist nozzle 130 as a variation in scanning speed or a speed ripple is also possible. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, a distance sensor, for example, a laser length measuring device 140C is provided as a blur sensor for detecting a speed ripple at a front position (or a rear position) of the registration nozzle 130 in the scanning direction (X direction). This laser length measuring device 140C irradiates the laser beam LB to the monitor point M set on the front surface (preferably the lower end portion of the front surface) of the resist nozzle 130, receives the reflected light LB 'from the monitor point M, and performs laser measurement. The distance D from the long tool 140C to the current position of the resist nozzle 130 is measured in real time every moment. Thus, an electrical signal representing the instantaneous value of the distance D is obtained from the laser length measuring device 140C.

FIG. 11 shows the relationship between the time and the measurement distance D in the coating process. In the figure, t _S is the scan start time, t _E is the scan end time, P _S is the scan start position (nozzle position at time t _S ), and P _S is the scan end position (nozzle position at time t _E ). As shown in the figure, the measurement distance D linearly and monotonously decreases with respect to the scanning time, and this inclination represents the scanning speed (set value). When the resist nozzle 130 is shaken in the front-rear direction during scanning, a displacement ripple dr appears in the instantaneous value of the measurement distance D there. When the displacement ripple dr is differentiated on the time axis, a scanning speed ripple is obtained, and when the velocity ripple is differentiated, a significant acceleration is obtained.

  FIG. 12 shows a configuration example of a signal processing unit that performs signal processing of the shake monitoring function in this embodiment. This signal processing unit includes a sensor signal input unit 142, a frequency analysis unit 144, a determination unit 146, and a setting unit 148.

  The sensor signal input unit 142 converts analog electrical signals from the shake sensors 140A, 140B,... Into digital signals, temporarily stores them in a memory, and performs signal conversion processing prior to frequency analysis as necessary. For example, since the sensor signal from the laser length measuring device 140C represents the instantaneous value of the distance D, it is differentiated and converted into a signal representing velocity ripple or acceleration. Alternatively, it is also possible to integrate the sensor signal representing the acceleration from the shake sensors 140A, 140B,... Attached to the resist nozzle 130 and convert it to a signal representing the displacement.

  The frequency analysis unit 144 performs a fast Fourier transform (FFT) calculation process on the sensor signal (time signal) captured by the sensor signal input unit 142 to obtain a frequency spectrum. In this way, it is possible to monitor in the form of a frequency spectrum what frequency components are included in the output signals of the shake sensors 140A, 140B,. FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 show an example of the frequency spectrum obtained by the frequency analysis unit 144.

  Here, since the output signals of the respective shake sensors 140A, 140B,... Are continuously given from the start to the end of the coating process, the setting unit 148 sets the FFT time range (parameter) to an arbitrary section during the coating process time. It can be set to (all sections or part of sections). For example, as shown in FIG. 11, if an indefinite ripple dr occurs over the entire coating processing time, the entire section of the coating processing time may be subjected to FFT analysis. In addition, when blurring occurs in the same section, for example, immediately after the start of the coating process, a frequency spectrum with higher measurement accuracy can be obtained by limiting or concentrating the FFT analysis in that section.

  The frequency spectrum data obtained by the frequency analysis unit 144 is sent to the determination unit 146. The determination unit 146 determines the quality of the coating process by applying the frequency spectrum received from the frequency analysis unit 144 to an appropriate determination criterion or algorithm. For example, the frequency spectrum is compared with the monitoring value AS given from the setting unit 148, and when any spectrum exceeds the monitoring value AS, it is determined that the coating unevenness has occurred. Is determined not to occur.

  The monitoring value AS may be uniformly set to the same value for all frequencies, but the correlation between the coating unevenness and the frequency spectrum in the actual machine is statistically examined, and the determination result matches the actual processing result. It is preferable to set as follows. For example, when the scanning speed is 100 mm / second, if the resist nozzle 130 fluctuates at 100 Hz, the film thickness of the resist liquid film fluctuates at a pitch of 1 mm, which tends to cause coating unevenness that can be recognized visually. However, when the vibration occurs at 1000 Hz, the film thickness fluctuates at a pitch of 0.1 mm theoretically, but the pitch is actually too small to cause uneven coating. In general, coating unevenness is more likely to occur in a lower frequency region, particularly a spectrum of 100 Hz or less, than a high frequency region spectrum. Therefore, it is a preferable method to change the monitoring value AS according to the frequency domain.

For example, as shown in FIG. 13, with a predetermined frequency f _S (for example, 100 Hz) as a boundary, a relatively high (large tolerance) monitoring value AS _H is set in a higher frequency region than f _S. Alternatively, a relatively low monitoring value AS _L may be set in the low frequency region. It is also possible to set individual monitoring values for three or more frequency regions, and it is also possible to set monitoring values limited to a desired frequency region (for example, a region of 100 Hz or less). Or as shown in FIG. 14, it is also possible to set the monitoring value AS as a waveform according to a frequency. In general, when the resist nozzle 130 shakes during scanning, the spectrum abnormally protrudes and becomes high near a certain frequency, for example, as shown by a dotted line K in FIGS. When this exceeds the monitoring value AS, the determination unit 146 issues a determination result of “defective” for the current application process.

  Further, the result of the coating process is greatly influenced by the direction of shaking. In general, shake in the vertical direction (Z direction) fluctuates a minute gap between the resist nozzle 130 and the substrate G on the stage 124, and is liable to cause coating unevenness. In the resist coating unit (CT) 58 in this embodiment, the resist solution overflowing from the discharge port of the resist nozzle 130 onto the substrate G is flattened at the lower end of the nozzle to form a resist solution film. Therefore, in the place where the resist nozzle 130 is displaced downward, the minute gap becomes smaller than the set value and the film thickness becomes smaller. On the contrary, in the place where the resist nozzle 130 is displaced upward, the minute gap becomes larger than the set value and the film thickness becomes large.

  The blur in the front-rear direction (X direction) is not as great as the blur in the vertical direction (Z direction), but the scanning speed is fluctuated, so coating unevenness is likely to occur. That is, at the place where the resist nozzle 130 is moved forward, the scanning speed is instantaneously increased and the film thickness is reduced. In the place where the resist nozzle 130 is shaken backward, the scanning speed is instantaneously reduced and the film thickness is increased.

  The blur in the horizontal direction (Y) direction usually hardly causes uneven coating. However, if the amount of blur is abnormally large, there is a possibility that some abnormality occurs in the film thickness of the resist coating film. In this embodiment, in order to eliminate the need for edge rinsing after resist application, the periphery of the substrate G is blanked during application processing, and the resist solution is applied only to the inner region. However, if the lateral (Y) direction shake is large, the resist coating film R protrudes from the peripheral edge of the substrate. Therefore, it is preferable to monitor the blur in the lateral direction (Y) from such a viewpoint.

  As described above, the correlation between the blur and the coating process result also varies depending on the blur direction. In this embodiment, shake is detected in each direction using shake sensors 140A, 140B,... In each direction, and a frequency spectrum is obtained by subjecting the shake detection signal to FFT analysis in each direction to obtain a frequency spectrum. A pass / fail judgment can be made in comparison with the set monitoring value AS. Therefore, for each substrate G coated with the resist solution, those that have judged “good” in all directions (X, Y, Z) are recognized as “good”, and “bad” in any direction. It is also possible to certify that the determination result is “defective product”.

  The determination result of the determination unit 146 is given to a coating process controller (not shown) that manages the operation of each part of the coating process unit 30 and the entire process, and further the process or sequence of the entire coating and developing treatment system 10 is performed from the coating process controller. The information is transmitted to a system controller (not shown) that performs overall control.

  In the coating process unit 30, the subsequent sequence is changed based on the determination result of the determination unit 146 for each substrate G carried out from the resist coating unit (CT) 58 by the transfer device (S / A) 54. That is, the substrate G certified as “good” is loaded into one of the vacuum drying units (VD) 51 and 55 and subjected to the vacuum drying process, and then the extension unit (EXT) 57. Move to. However, the substrate G certified as “defective” is not carried into the vacuum drying units (VD) 51 and 55, but is immediately carried to the extension unit (EXT) 57.

  When the transfer device 60 unloads the substrate G from the extension unit (EXT) 57, the vertical thermal processing unit (TB) 32 is processed in the sequence as described above for the “good” substrate G in accordance with a command from the system controller. , 34 are sequentially transferred to a heat treatment system unit and subjected to a series of heat treatments. However, the “defective product” substrate G is carried into the lowermost buffer unit (buf) without being transferred to any heat treatment system unit.

  As described above, with respect to the substrate G in which an error (particularly uneven coating) has occurred in the resist coating process, all subsequent processing steps are canceled and stored or stored in a predetermined place in the system, that is, the buffer unit (buf). As a result, it is possible to eliminate waste and minimize damage to coating unevenness. In addition, it is also possible to provide a buffer unit (buf) in the application | coating process part 30, for example in the multistage unit parts 52 and 56. FIG.

  In the embodiment described above, the shake in each direction of the resist nozzle 130 is detected by the individual shake sensors 140A, 140B,. However, it is also possible to detect shake in two or three directions with a single sensor (for example, a three-axis acceleration sensor). In addition, the resist nozzle 130 often shakes in the front-rear direction (X direction) and the vertical direction (Z direction) at the same time by a swinging motion with the upper end of the lifting shaft as a fulcrum. Therefore, although the accuracy is lowered, for example, it is possible to perform monitoring for detecting a shake only in the vertical direction (Z direction) or only in the front-rear direction (X direction). It is also possible to attach a shake sensor for detecting the shake of the resist nozzle 130 to the nozzle support 128.

  In the above embodiment, the blur of the resist nozzle 130 is monitored, but the blur of the stage 124 can also be monitored. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, a vibration sensor or acceleration sensor 140D may be attached to the side surface of the stage 124, and the output signal of the sensor 140D may be given to the signal processing unit (FIG. 12). Even if the resist nozzle 130 is shaken, if the stage 124 is shaken in the same way, there is no substantial variation in the relative positional relationship between them, and coating unevenness may not occur. Therefore, it may be possible to determine whether or not the resist coating process is good by evaluating both the frequency spectrum representing the blur of the resist nozzle 130 and the frequency spectrum representing the blur of the stage 124 simultaneously or in association with each other.

  In the above embodiment, the scanning method is used in which the stage 124 is fixed and the resist nozzle 130 is moved in the X direction. However, the scanning method or the resist nozzle in which the resist nozzle side is fixed and the stage (substrate support unit) side is moved. A scanning method is also possible in which both the stage and the substrate (substrate support part) are moved simultaneously.

  In addition, the present invention can be applied to any application that supplies a processing liquid onto a substrate to be processed using a processing liquid discharge nozzle. For example, a coating film can be formed by rotating a substrate to be processed without using a spinless method. It can also be applied to the spin method to be formed. In addition to the resist solution, the processing solution in the present invention may be a liquid such as an interlayer insulating material, a dielectric material, or a wiring material. The substrate to be processed in the present invention is not limited to an LCD substrate, but may be a semiconductor wafer, a CD substrate, a glass substrate, a photomask, a printed substrate, or the like.

It is a top view which shows the structure of the application | coating development processing system which can apply this invention. It is a side view which shows the structure of the said application | coating development processing system. It is a side view which shows the structure of the said application | coating development processing system. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence in the said application | coating development processing system. It is a top view which shows the structure of the application | coating process part in the said application | coating development processing system. It is a side view which shows the structure of the said application | coating process part. It is a figure which shows the structure of the conveying apparatus and multistage unit part which are contained in the said application | coating process part. It is a top view which shows the structure of the resist application unit in the said application | coating process part. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the principal part of the said resist application unit, and the attachment structure of a shake sensor. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the principal part of the said resist application unit, and the arrangement structure of a shake sensor. It is a figure which shows the change of the distance during the coating process time detected by the blur sensor (laser length measuring device) of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the signal processing part of the blur monitoring function in one Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the frequency spectrum obtained by the blur monitoring in embodiment, and an example of a quality determination method. It is a figure which shows an example of the frequency spectrum obtained by the blur monitoring in embodiment, and an example of a quality determination method.

Explanation of symbols

30 Coating process part 58 Resist coating unit (CT)
124 stage 128 nozzle support 130 resist nozzle 140A, 140B, 140C, 140D blur sensor 142 sensor signal input unit 144 frequency analysis unit 146 determination unit 148 setting unit

Claims (24)

A substrate support for supporting the substrate to be processed;
A horizontally long nozzle that discharges the coating liquid toward the substrate;
An application scanning unit that moves the nozzle relative to the substrate in the direction of application scanning;
A shake detection unit that detects a shake of at least one of the nozzle and the substrate support unit during the coating process;
A frequency analysis unit that obtains a frequency spectrum by performing frequency analysis on a time signal representing the shake obtained from the shake detection unit;
An applicator comprising: a determination unit configured to determine whether the coating process is good or not with respect to the thickness of the coating film formed on the substrate based on a frequency spectrum obtained from the frequency analysis unit. A substrate support for supporting the substrate to be processed;
A horizontally long nozzle that discharges the coating liquid toward the substrate;
An application scanning unit that moves the nozzle relative to the substrate in the direction of application scanning;
A shake detection unit that detects a shake of at least one of the nozzle and the substrate support unit in a direction in which the discharge port of the nozzle and the substrate face each other during the coating process and in a direction of the coating scan;
A frequency analysis unit that obtains a frequency spectrum by performing frequency analysis on a time signal representing the shake obtained from the shake detection unit;
A determination unit configured to determine whether the coating process is good or not with respect to the thickness of the coating film formed on the substrate based on the frequency spectrum obtained from the frequency analysis unit;
A coating apparatus. The blur detection unit, the coating apparatus of claim 1 or claim 2 for detecting the vibration of the nozzle or the substrate support as a vibration. The blur detection unit, the coating apparatus of claim 1 or claim 2 for detecting the vibration of the nozzle or the substrate support as the acceleration. The blur detection unit, the coating apparatus of claim 1 or claim 2 for detecting the vibration of the nozzle or the substrate support as a displacement. The blur detection unit, the coating apparatus of claim 1 or claim 2 for detecting the vibration of the nozzle or the substrate support as a speed ripple in the relative movement. Coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, individually setting said monitoring value for different directions of vibration.   The said determination part compares the said frequency spectrum with the preset monitoring value, The coating device as described in any one of Claims 1-7 which performs the said quality determination based on a comparison result. The coating apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the monitoring value is individually set for a plurality of preset frequency regions. The coating apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the monitoring value is set as a waveform corresponding to a frequency. The coating device according to any one of claims 8 to 10 , wherein the determination unit performs comparison between the frequency spectrum and the monitoring value and determination of pass / fail in a limited frequency range. The coating apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the frequency region is set in a frequency region of 100 Hz or less. The substrate is supported on the substrate support portion, and a horizontally long long nozzle that discharges the coating liquid toward the substrate is moved relative to the substrate in the direction of coating scanning to apply the coating to the substrate. In the application method of applying the liquid,
Detecting a blur of at least one of the nozzle and the substrate support during the coating process;
Obtaining a frequency spectrum by frequency-analyzing the time signal representing the blur;
And a step of determining whether the coating process is good or not with respect to the thickness of the coating film formed on the substrate based on the frequency spectrum. The substrate is supported on the substrate support portion, and a horizontally long long nozzle that discharges the coating liquid toward the substrate is moved relative to the substrate in the direction of coating scanning to apply the coating to the substrate. In the application method of applying the liquid,
Detecting a shake of at least one of the nozzle and the substrate support portion in a direction in which the discharge port of the nozzle and the substrate face each other during a coating process and in a direction of the coating scanning;
Obtaining a frequency spectrum by performing frequency analysis on a time signal representing the shake obtained from the shake detection unit;
A step of performing pass / fail judgment of the coating process with respect to the film thickness of the coating film formed on the substrate based on the frequency spectrum;
A coating method comprising: The substrate is supported on the substrate support portion, and a horizontally long long nozzle that discharges the coating liquid toward the substrate is moved relative to the substrate in the direction of coating scanning to apply the coating to the substrate. In the application method of applying the liquid,
Detecting a blur of at least one of the nozzle and the substrate support during the coating process;
Analyzing a frequency signal of a time signal representing the detected blur to obtain a frequency spectrum;
Setting a plurality of frequency regions with one or more predetermined frequencies as a boundary for all frequency regions of the frequency spectrum, and setting a monitoring value for each of the plurality of frequency regions;
Comparing each monitored value for each of the plurality of frequency regions with the frequency spectrum for each of the plurality of frequency regions;
And a step of determining whether the coating process is good or not with respect to the thickness of the coating film formed on the substrate based on the results of the respective comparisons . The substrate is supported on the substrate support portion, and a horizontally long long nozzle that discharges the coating liquid toward the substrate is moved relative to the substrate in the direction of coating scanning to apply the coating to the substrate. In the application method of applying the liquid,
Detecting a blur of at least one of the nozzle and the substrate support during the coating process;
Analyzing a frequency signal of a time signal representing the detected blur to obtain a frequency spectrum;
For the frequency spectrum, setting a monitoring value as a waveform according to the frequency,
Comparing the monitored value of the waveform with the frequency spectrum;
A step of determining whether the coating process is good or not with respect to the thickness of the coating film formed on the substrate based on the result of the comparison;
A coating method comprising: The coating method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein, in the shake detection step, shake of at least one of the nozzle and the substrate support portion is detected in a direction in which the discharge port of the nozzle and the substrate face each other. The coating method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein in the blur detection step, blur of at least one of the nozzle and the substrate support portion is detected in the coating scan direction. The coating method according to claim 15, wherein in the shake detection step, shake of the nozzle or the substrate support portion is detected as vibration. The coating method according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein in the blur detection step, blur of the nozzle or the substrate support portion is detected as an acceleration. The coating method according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein in the blur detection step, blur of the nozzle or the substrate support portion is detected as a displacement. The coating method according to any one of claims 15, 16, and 18, wherein in the blur detection step, blur of the nozzle or the substrate support is detected as a velocity ripple in the relative movement. The coating method according to any one of claims 15 to 22, wherein the monitoring values are individually set for shaking in different directions. 16. The coating method according to claim 15, wherein in the monitoring value setting step, the predetermined frequency is set to 100 Hz, two frequency regions are set, and monitoring values are respectively set in the two frequency regions.

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