JP6089002B2 - Discharge amount adjusting method, coating processing apparatus, and recording medium - Google Patents

Description

  The present disclosure relates to a discharge amount adjusting method, a coating processing apparatus, and a recording medium.

  A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus has a large number of pumps for applying various liquids such as a resist agent to a wafer. Examples of the pump for the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus include a diaphragm pump or a bellows pump (for example, see Patent Document 1). Diaphragm pumps, bellows pumps, etc. are displaced by the pressure of a secondary fluid such as air, inert gas or hydraulic fluid supplied separately from the liquid to be pumped (hereinafter referred to as “fluid pressure”) to pump the liquid. A partition wall.

JP 2006-316711 A

  The amount of liquid discharged by the pump having the partition wall (hereinafter referred to as “fluid pressure driven pump”) is determined according to the fluid pressure and the discharge time, but the relationship between the discharge amount and the fluid pressure depends on the pump. There are individual differences. Further, the relationship between the discharge amount and the fluid pressure also changes depending on the characteristics of the liquid to be pumped. For this reason, in order to supply the liquid from the pump at a desired discharge amount, it is necessary to adjust the discharge amount in advance. Since this operation is mainly performed manually, the burden on the operator is large.

  Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a discharge amount adjustment method, a coating processing apparatus, and a recording medium that can reduce a burden on an operator in an operation of adjusting a discharge amount of a pump.

  A discharge amount adjustment method according to the present disclosure is a coating processing apparatus configured to apply a liquid onto a substrate, and includes a rotation holding unit that holds and rotates the substrate, and a liquid that is displaced by fluid pressure to pump the liquid. Using a coating processing apparatus including a pump having a partition wall and a nozzle for discharging the liquid pumped by the partition wall onto the substrate, and controlling the pump so that the liquid is discharged from the nozzle onto the substrate. The amount of displacement of the partition wall is detected, and the amount of liquid discharged from the nozzle is adjusted based on the detection result of the amount of displacement of the partition wall. And controlling the rotation holding unit to rotate the substrate.

  According to this discharge amount adjusting method, various manual operations are reduced. For example, by adjusting the discharge amount from the nozzle based on the detection result of the displacement amount of the partition wall, manual work for measuring the discharge amount is reduced. Manual work associated with weighing, such as the work of transporting the liquid in a container for weighing and the work of washing the container, are also reduced. By rotating the substrate at a rotational speed for shaking off the liquid discharged for adjusting the discharge amount, the liquid can be drained in the coating treatment apparatus. For this reason, the manual operation | work for draining the liquid discharged for adjustment of discharge amount is also reduced. Since it is not necessary to take out the liquid discharged for adjusting the discharge amount out of the coating apparatus, it is unnecessary to protect the operator against the liquid. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the burden on the operator in the work of adjusting the discharge amount of the pump. In addition, since it is possible to automate much of the discharge amount adjustment work by reducing the manual work, this discharge amount adjustment method can also contribute to shortening the time required for adjusting the discharge amount.

  In order to adjust the discharge amount, the pump is controlled so that the liquid is discharged from the nozzle onto the substrate, the displacement amount of the partition wall due to the liquid pumping is detected, and the discharge amount is determined based on the detection result of the displacement amount. You may repeat calculating and changing a fluid pressure so that the said discharge amount may approach target value. In this case, the discharge amount can be adjusted to a desired value more reliably. In addition, when repeating the discharge of the liquid, the calculation of the discharge amount, and the change of the fluid pressure, the above-described manual operation is reduced each time the operation is repeated, so that the effect of reducing the burden on the operator becomes more remarkable.

  Each time the liquid is discharged for adjusting the discharge amount, the rotation holding unit may be controlled so as to rotate the substrate at a rotation speed for shaking the liquid. In this case, the liquid discharged for adjusting the discharge amount can be discharged more reliably.

  Using a coating processing apparatus having a plurality of sets of nozzles and pumps, controlling the pump so that liquid is discharged from the nozzles onto the substrate, detecting the displacement amount of the partition wall due to the pumping of the liquid, and detecting the displacement amount The discharge amount may be adjusted on the basis of the plurality of nozzles and pumps sequentially. In this case, since one substrate can be used for adjusting the discharge amount for a plurality of sets of nozzles and pumps, the substrate for adjusting the discharge amount can be reduced.

  A plurality of processing modules are provided, a coating processing apparatus having a rotation holding unit, a nozzle, and a pump in each processing module is used, and a plurality of substrates are arranged in the plurality of processing modules, respectively, and liquid is discharged from the nozzles onto the substrate. In addition, the plurality of processing modules may execute in parallel the control of the pump, the detection of the displacement amount of the partition wall accompanying the pumping of the liquid, and the adjustment of the discharge amount based on the detection result of the displacement amount of the partition wall. In this case, the time required for adjusting the discharge amount can be further shortened.

  A coating processing apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a rotation holding unit that holds and rotates a substrate, a pump that includes a partition wall that is displaced by fluid pressure and pumps a liquid, a displacement sensor that detects a displacement amount of the partition wall, The nozzle that discharges the liquid pumped by the partition onto the substrate, the pump is controlled to discharge the liquid from the nozzle onto the substrate, the displacement amount of the partition due to the pumping of the liquid is detected by the displacement sensor, and the displacement An adjustment control unit that adjusts the discharge amount of the liquid from the nozzle based on the detection result of the amount, and a rotation holding unit that controls the rotation holding unit so that the substrate is rotated at a rotation speed at which the liquid discharged for adjusting the discharge amount is shaken off. The number of revolutions for spreading the liquid discharged from the nozzle onto the substrate by controlling the pump so that the liquid is discharged from the nozzle onto the substrate with the discharge amount adjusted by the drain control unit and the adjustment control unit At Comprising a coating control unit for controlling the rotation holding portion to rotate the plate, the.

  According to this coating processing apparatus, since the above-described discharge amount adjustment method can be executed, various manual operations are reduced. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the burden on the operator in the work of adjusting the discharge amount of the pump. In addition, since it is possible to automate much of the discharge amount adjustment work by reducing the manual work, this discharge amount adjustment method can also contribute to shortening the time required for adjusting the discharge amount.

  The adjustment control unit controls the pump so as to discharge the liquid from the nozzle onto the substrate in order to adjust the discharge amount, detects the displacement amount of the partition wall accompanying the pumping of the liquid by the displacement sensor, It may be repeated that the discharge amount is calculated based on the detection result, and the fluid pressure is changed so that the discharge amount approaches the target value. In this case, the discharge amount can be adjusted to a desired value more reliably. In addition, when repeating the discharge of the liquid, the calculation of the discharge amount, and the change of the fluid pressure, the above-described manual operation is reduced each time the operation is repeated, so that the effect of reducing the burden on the operator becomes more remarkable.

  The drainage control unit may control the rotation holding unit so as to rotate the substrate at a rotation speed for shaking off the liquid every time the liquid is discharged for adjusting the discharge amount. In this case, the liquid discharged for adjusting the discharge amount can be discharged more reliably.

  A plurality of nozzles and pumps may be provided, and the adjustment control unit may sequentially adjust the liquid discharge amount for the plurality of nozzles and pumps. In this case, since one substrate can be used for adjusting the discharge amount for a plurality of sets of nozzles and pumps, the substrate for adjusting the discharge amount can be reduced.

  A plurality of processing modules may be provided, the rotation holding unit, the pump, the displacement sensor, and the nozzle may be included in each processing module, and the adjustment control unit may execute the adjustment of the discharge amount in parallel in the plurality of processing modules. In this case, the time required for adjusting the discharge amount can be further shortened.

  Specific examples of the displacement sensor include a magnetoresistive sensor or a capacitance sensor.

  A recording medium according to the present disclosure is a computer-readable recording medium on which a program for causing the apparatus to execute the above-described ejection amount adjustment method is recorded.

  According to the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce the burden on the operator in the operation of adjusting the discharge amount of the pump.

It is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of a substrate processing system concerning this indication. It is sectional drawing which follows the II-II line | wire in FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the III-III line | wire in FIG. It is a schematic diagram of a coating unit and a control part. It is a schematic diagram of a displacement sensor. It is a flowchart which shows the execution procedure of the discharge amount adjustment method. It is a schematic diagram of the modification of a displacement sensor.

  Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description, the same elements or elements having the same functions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

[Substrate processing system]
First, the outline | summary of the substrate processing system 1 which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing system 1 includes a coating / developing device 2 and an exposure device 3. The exposure apparatus 3 performs an exposure process for a resist film (photosensitive film). Specifically, the exposure target portion of the resist film is irradiated with energy rays by a method such as immersion exposure.

  The coating / developing apparatus 2 performs a process of forming a resist film on the surface of the wafer W (substrate) before the exposure process by the exposure apparatus 3, and performs a development process of the resist film after the exposure process. The processing for forming the resist film and the development processing involve a step of applying various liquids on the wafer W. That is, the coating / developing apparatus 2 functions as a coating processing apparatus configured to apply a liquid on the wafer W.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the coating / developing apparatus 2 includes a carrier block 4, a processing block 5, an interface block 6, and a control unit 100. The carrier block 4, the processing block 5, and the interface block 6 are arranged in the horizontal direction.

  The carrier block 4 includes a carrier station 12 and a carry-in / carry-out unit 13. The loading / unloading unit 13 is interposed between the carrier station 12 and the processing block 5. The carrier station 12 supports a plurality of carriers 11. The carrier 11 accommodates, for example, a plurality of circular wafers W in a sealed state, and has an open / close door (not shown) for taking in and out the wafers W on the side surface 11a side. The carrier 11 is detachably installed on the carrier station 12 so that the side surface 11a faces the loading / unloading unit 13 side.

  The carry-in / carry-out unit 13 has a plurality of opening / closing doors 13 a corresponding to the plurality of carriers 11 on the carrier station 12. By opening the open / close door and the open / close door 13a on the side surface 11a at the same time, the inside of the carrier 11 and the inside of the carry-in / out unit 13 are communicated. The carry-in / carry-out unit 13 includes a delivery arm A1. The delivery arm A <b> 1 takes out the wafer W from the carrier 11 and delivers it to the processing block 5, receives the wafer W from the processing block 5, and returns it into the carrier 11.

  The processing block 5 has a plurality of processing modules 14, 15, 16, and 17. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each of the processing modules 14, 15, and 16 includes a plurality of coating units U1, a plurality of heat treatment units U2, and a transfer arm A3 that transfers the wafer W to these units. Yes. The coating unit U1 applies a liquid to the surface of the wafer W. The heat treatment unit U2 performs the heat treatment by heating the wafer W with, for example, a hot plate and cooling the heated wafer W with, for example, a cooling plate.

  The processing module 14 forms a lower layer film on the surface of the wafer W by the coating unit U1 and the heat treatment unit U2. The coating unit U1 of the processing module 14 applies a liquid for forming a lower layer film onto the wafer W. The heat treatment unit U2 of the processing module 14 performs various heat treatments associated with the formation of the lower layer film. Specific examples of the heat treatment include heat treatment for curing the liquid for forming the lower layer film.

  The processing module 15 forms a resist film on the lower layer film by the coating unit U1 and the heat treatment unit U2. The coating unit U1 of the processing module 15 applies a resist film forming liquid on the lower layer film. The heat treatment unit U2 of the processing module 15 performs various heat treatments accompanying the formation of the resist film. Specific examples of the heat treatment include heat treatment for curing a liquid for forming a resist film.

  The processing module 16 forms a lower layer film on the resist film by the coating unit U1 and the heat treatment unit U2. The coating unit U1 of the processing module 16 applies a liquid for forming an upper layer film on the resist film. The heat treatment unit U2 of the processing module 16 performs various heat treatments accompanying the formation of the upper layer film. Specific examples of the heat treatment include heat treatment for curing the liquid for forming the upper layer film.

  The processing module 17 includes a plurality of developing units (not shown), a plurality of heat treatment units (not shown), a transfer arm A3 that transfers the wafer W to these units, and transfers the wafer W without passing through these units. And a direct transfer arm A6. The processing module 17 performs development processing of the resist film after exposure using a development unit and a heat treatment unit. The developing unit applies a developing solution onto the exposed surface of the wafer W, and then rinses the developing solution with a rinsing solution to develop the resist film. The heat treatment unit performs various heat treatments associated with the development processing. Specific examples of the heat treatment include heat treatment before development processing (PEB: Post Exposure Bake), heat treatment after development processing (PB: Post Bake), and the like.

  A shelf unit U10 is provided on the carrier block 4 side in the processing block 5. The shelf unit U10 is provided so as to extend from the floor surface to the processing module 16, and is partitioned into a plurality of cells arranged in the vertical direction. An elevating arm A7 is provided in the vicinity of the shelf unit U10. The raising / lowering arm A7 raises / lowers the wafer W between the cells of the shelf unit U10.

  A shelf unit U11 is provided on the interface block 6 side in the processing block 5. The shelf unit U11 is provided so as to extend from the floor surface to the upper part of the processing module 17, and is partitioned into a plurality of cells arranged in the vertical direction.

  The interface block 6 incorporates a delivery arm A8 and is connected to the exposure apparatus 3. The delivery arm A8 delivers the wafer W arranged on the shelf unit U11 to the exposure apparatus 3, receives the wafer W from the exposure apparatus 3, and returns it to the shelf unit U11.

  The control unit 100 is configured by one or a plurality of control computers, and controls each component of the coating / developing apparatus 2. The control unit 100 includes a display unit (not shown) that displays a setting screen for control conditions, an input unit (not shown) that inputs control conditions, and a reading unit (not shown) that reads a program from a computer-readable recording medium. And have. The recording medium records a program for causing the coating / developing apparatus 2 to execute various processes. This program is read by the reading unit of the control unit 100. Examples of the recording medium include a hard disk, a compact disk, a flash memory, a flexible disk, and a memory card. The control unit 100 controls the coating / developing apparatus 2 to execute the coating / developing process according to the following procedure, for example, according to the control conditions input to the input unit and the program read by the reading unit.

  First, the control unit 100 controls the coating / developing apparatus 2 so as to form a lower layer film, a resist film, and an upper layer film on the surface Wa of the wafer W. By this control, each component of the coating / developing apparatus 2 operates as follows. That is, the delivery arm A1 transports the wafer W in the carrier 11 to the shelf unit U10. The lift arm A7 places the wafer W in the cell for the processing module 14, and the transfer arm A3 transfers the wafer W to each unit in the processing module 14. The coating unit U1 and the heat treatment unit U2 of the processing module 14 form a lower layer film on the surface Wa of the wafer W transferred by the transfer arm A3. When the formation of the lower layer film is completed, the transfer arm A3 returns the wafer W to the shelf unit U10.

  The lift arm A7 places the wafer W in the cell for the processing module 15, and the transfer arm A3 transfers the wafer W to each unit in the processing module 15. The coating unit U1 and the heat treatment unit U2 of the processing module 15 form a resist film on the lower layer film of the wafer W transferred by the transfer arm A3. When the formation of the resist film is completed, the transfer arm A3 returns the wafer W to the shelf unit U10.

  The lift arm A7 places the wafer W in the cell for the processing module 16, and the transfer arm A3 transfers the wafer W to each unit in the processing module 16. The coating unit U1 and the heat treatment unit U2 of the processing module 16 form an upper layer film on the resist film of the wafer W transferred by the transfer arm A3. When the formation of the upper layer film is completed, the transfer arm A3 returns the wafer W to the shelf unit U10.

  Next, the control unit 100 sends the wafer W to the exposure apparatus 3 and controls the coating / developing apparatus 2 so that the wafer W after the exposure process is received from the exposure apparatus 3. By this control, each element of the coating / developing apparatus 2 operates as follows. That is, the wafer W on which the upper layer film is formed and returned to the shelf unit U10 is placed in the cell for the processing module 17 by the elevating arm A7, and the transfer arm A6 is directly transferred to the shelf unit U11. The wafer W is delivered and the arm A8 sends it to the exposure apparatus 3. When the exposure process in the exposure apparatus 3 is completed, the transfer arm A8 receives the wafer W from the exposure apparatus 3 and returns it to the shelf unit U11.

  Next, the control unit 100 controls the coating / developing apparatus 2 so as to perform development processing of the resist film. By this control, each element of the coating / developing apparatus 2 operates as follows. That is, the transfer arm A3 of the processing module 17 transfers the wafer W of the shelf unit U11 to each unit in the processing module 17. The developing unit and the heat treatment unit of the processing module 17 perform a developing process on the resist film of the wafer W transferred by the transfer arm A3 and a heat treatment associated therewith. When the development of the resist film is completed, the transfer arm A3 transfers the wafer W to the shelf unit U10. The wafer W is placed in a delivery cell by the lifting arm A7, and the delivery arm A1 returns to the carrier 11. Thus, the coating / developing process is completed.

[Coating unit]
Next, the configuration of the coating unit U1 and the control unit 100 that controls the coating unit U1 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 4, the coating unit U <b> 1 includes a rotation holding unit 20, a pump 30, a nozzle 60, a displacement sensor 70, and a cup 80. That is, the coating / developing apparatus 2 includes a rotation holding unit 20, a pump 30, a nozzle 60, a displacement sensor 70, and a cup 80.

  The rotation holding unit 20 includes a holding unit 21, a rotation driving unit 22, and an elevating unit 23, and holds and rotates the wafer W. The holding unit 21 sucks and holds the central portion of the wafer W held horizontally, for example, from below. The rotation drive unit 22 rotates the holding unit 21 around a vertical axis by a power source such as a motor. The elevating part 23 raises and lowers the holding part 21.

  The pump 30 includes, for example, a pump body 40 such as a diaphragm type, a bellows type, or a syringe type, valves 51 and 52, and an electropneumatic regulator 53.

  The pump body 40 has a case 41 and a partition wall 42. That is, the pump 30 has a case 41 and a partition wall 42. The partition wall 42 divides the interior of the case 41 into spaces 41a and 41b, and can be displaced toward the space 41a and the space 41b. The space 41 a is connected to the nozzle 60 via the discharge conduit 31 and is connected to a liquid tank (not shown) via the suction conduit 32.

  The valve 51 is provided in the discharge pipe 31 and the valve 52 is provided in the suction pipe 32. The electropneumatic regulator 53 is connected to the space 41b, and controls the air pressure in the space 41b to displace the partition wall 42.

  The pump 30 sucks liquid from the tank side and delivers it to the nozzle 60 side by the cooperation of the pump body 40, valves 51 and 52 and the electropneumatic regulator 53. When the liquid is sucked from the tank side, the valve 51 is closed, the valve 52 is opened, and the electropneumatic regulator 53 depressurizes the space 41b to displace the partition wall 42 toward the space 41b. As a result, the space 41a is enlarged, and the liquid is sucked into the space 41a from the tank side. When liquid is delivered to the nozzle 60 side, the valve 51 is opened, the valve 52 is closed, and the electropneumatic regulator 53 pressurizes the space 41b to displace the partition wall 42 toward the space 41a. As a result, the space 41a is reduced, and the liquid is delivered from the space 41a to the nozzle side. Thus, the partition wall 42 is displaced by air pressure and pumps the liquid.

  The nozzle 60 is disposed above the holding unit 21 that holds the wafer W. The nozzle 60 discharges the liquid pumped by the pump 30 onto the surface Wa of the wafer W.

  The displacement sensor 70 is a sensor for detecting the amount of displacement of the partition wall 42. The displacement sensor 70 is a magnetoresistive sensor that detects displacement using the magnetoresistive effect, for example. As shown in FIG. 5, the displacement sensor 70 includes a guide part 71, an interlocking part 72, and a detection part 73. The guide portion 71 is a hollow portion that protrudes outward from the case 41. The guide portion 71 is disposed on the space 41b side so as to face the central portion of the partition wall 42, and the guide portion 71 communicates with the space 41b.

  The interlocking unit 72 includes a magnetic body 74 and a rod 75. The magnetic body 74 is accommodated in the guide portion 71, and the rod 75 connects the magnetic body 74 to the central portion of the partition wall 42. Accordingly, the magnetic body 74 is displaced in the guide portion 71 in conjunction with the partition wall 42.

  The detection unit 73 includes an element case 76 and MR (magnetic resistance) elements 77 and 78 accommodated therein. The element case 76 is fixed around the guide portion 71. The MR elements 77 and 78 are arranged along the displacement direction of the magnetic body 74 and are connected in series with each other. The MR elements 77 and 78 are resistance elements that produce a magnetoresistive effect. That is, the electrical resistance of the MR elements 77 and 78 changes according to the external magnetic field. The detection unit 73 receives a constant voltage from both ends of the MR elements 77 and 78 from the control unit 100 and outputs a potential between the MR elements 77 and 78 to the control unit 100. For this purpose, both ends of the MR elements 77 and 78 are connected to the power supply power supply terminal 121 and the ground terminal 123 of the control unit 100, respectively. The MR elements 77 and 78 are connected to the input terminal 122 of the control unit 100.

  Since the electrical resistance of the MR elements 77 and 78 changes according to the displacement of the magnetic body 74, the potential between the MR elements 77 and 78 changes according to the displacement of the magnetic body 74. Therefore, the displacement amount of the magnetic body 74 can be detected based on the potential between the MR elements 77 and 78. The displacement amount means a movement amount with respect to an invariable reference position. The reference position can be arbitrarily set.

  Returning to FIG. 4, the cup 80 is installed below the holding portion 21 in an open state. The cup 80 stores the wafer W held by the holding unit 21 and stores the liquid shaken off from the wafer W. A drainage port 83 is provided at the bottom of the cup 80, and a drainage duct 84 is connected to the drainage port 83.

  The control unit 100 includes a transport control unit 111, an adjustment control unit 112, a drainage control unit 113, and a coating control unit 115 as components for executing processing using the coating unit U1.

  The transfer control unit 111 controls the rotation holding unit 20 and the transfer arm A3 so as to load and unload the wafer W into and from the coating unit U1.

  The adjustment control unit 112 controls the pump 30 so that the liquid is discharged from the nozzle 60 onto the adjustment wafer W, and the displacement sensor 70 detects the displacement amount of the partition wall 42 due to the pumping of the liquid. Based on the detection result, the liquid discharge amount from the nozzle 60 is adjusted.

  The drainage control unit 113 controls the rotation holding unit 20 so as to rotate the adjustment wafer W at a rotational speed at which the liquid discharged from the nozzle 60 is shaken off.

  The application control unit 115 controls the pump 30 so that the liquid is discharged from the nozzle 60 onto the wafer W to be processed with the discharge amount adjusted by the adjustment control unit 112, and the liquid discharged from the nozzle 60 is processed. The rotation holding unit 20 is controlled so as to rotate the wafer W to be processed at a rotation speed for spreading on the target wafer W.

  Note that these components are merely the functions of the control unit 100 divided into a plurality of blocks for convenience, and the hardware of the control unit 100 does not need to be divided for each of these components.

(Discharge rate adjustment method)
Subsequently, a discharge amount adjusting method according to the present embodiment will be described. This discharge amount adjustment method is executed by the control unit 100 controlling the coating / developing apparatus 2 according to the following procedure.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 100 first executes step S1. In step S1, the conveyance control unit 111 controls the rotation holding unit 20 and the conveyance arm A3 so as to carry the adjustment wafer W into the coating unit U1. Specifically, the transfer control unit 111 controls the elevating unit 23 to raise the holding unit 21 to the outside of the cup 80, and controls the transfer arm A <b> 3 to place the wafer W on the holding unit 21. The holding unit 21 is controlled to suck the placed wafer W, and the elevating unit 23 is controlled to lower the wafer W into the cup 80.

  Next, the control unit 100 sequentially executes steps S2 to S5. In step S <b> 2, the adjustment control unit 112 controls the pump 30 to start the discharge of the liquid from the nozzle 60 onto the adjustment wafer W, and the displacement sensor 70 determines the displacement amount of the partition wall 42 at the start of the discharge. To detect.

  In step S <b> 3, the adjustment control unit 112 controls the pump 30 to stop the discharge of the liquid from the nozzle 60 onto the adjustment wafer W, and the displacement sensor 70 determines the displacement amount of the partition wall 42 when the discharge is stopped. To detect.

  In step S <b> 4, the adjustment control unit 112 calculates the liquid discharge amount on the adjustment wafer W based on the displacement amount of the partition wall 42 at the start and stop of discharge. Specifically, the adjustment control unit 112 calculates the volume of the space 41a at the start of discharge based on the displacement amount of the partition wall 42 at the start of discharge, and based on the displacement amount of the partition wall 42 at the time of discharge stop. The volume of the liquid 41 is calculated by calculating the volume of the space 41a and calculating the difference between these volumes.

  In step S <b> 5, the drainage control unit 113 controls the rotation holding unit 20 so as to rotate the adjustment wafer W at a rotational speed at which the liquid discharged from the nozzle 60 is shaken off. As a result, the liquid on the adjustment wafer W is shaken off, accommodated in the cup 80, and discharged from the liquid discharge port 83.

  Next, the control part 100 performs step S6. In step S6, the adjustment control unit 112 determines whether the difference between the target value of the discharge amount and the calculation result of the discharge amount in step S5 is within an allowable range.

  When the difference between the target value of the discharge amount and the calculation result of the discharge amount is outside the allowable range, the control unit 100 returns the control procedure to step S2 after executing step S7. In step S7, the adjustment control unit 112 changes the air pressure by the electropneumatic regulator 53 so that the discharge amount approaches the target value. Specifically, when the discharge amount is smaller than the target value, the air pressure by the electropneumatic regulator 53 is increased so as to increase the displacement of the partition wall 42 from the start of discharge to the stop of discharge. When the discharge amount is larger than the target value, the air pressure by the electropneumatic regulator 53 is lowered so as to reduce the displacement of the partition wall 42 from the start of discharge to the stop of discharge.

  Thereafter, the adjustment control unit 112 repeats steps S2 to S7 until the difference between the target value of the discharge amount and the calculation result of the discharge amount falls within the allowable range. That is, the adjustment control unit 112 controls the pump 30 so that the liquid is discharged from the nozzle 60 onto the adjustment wafer W, measures the amount of displacement of the partition wall 42 due to the pumping of the liquid by the displacement sensor 70, and A discharge amount is calculated based on the measurement result of the displacement amount, and the discharge amount is adjusted by repeatedly changing the air pressure so that the discharge amount approaches the target value. Each time the liquid is discharged from the nozzle 60 onto the adjustment wafer W, the drainage control unit 113 controls the rotation holding unit 20 so that the adjustment wafer W is rotated at a rotation speed for shaking off the liquid. To do.

  In step S6, when the difference between the target value of the discharge amount and the calculation result of the discharge amount is within the allowable range, the control unit 100 executes step S8. In step S <b> 8, the transfer control unit 111 controls the rotation holding unit 20 and the transfer arm A <b> 3 so that the adjustment wafer W is carried out from the coating unit U <b> 1. Specifically, the transfer control unit 111 controls the elevating unit 23 to raise the wafer W to the outside of the cup 80, controls the holding unit 21 to release the suction of the wafer W, and holds the wafer W in the holding unit 21. The transport arm A3 is controlled so as to be received from the top and carried out, and the elevating unit 23 is controlled so that the holding unit 21 is lowered into the cup 80. Thus, the adjustment of the discharge amount is completed.

[Effect of this embodiment]
As described above, according to the coating / developing apparatus 2 according to this embodiment, the pump 30 is controlled so that the liquid is discharged from the nozzle 60 onto the wafer W, and the displacement of the partition wall 42 due to the liquid pumping. The wafer W is detected at the number of revolutions for detecting the amount and adjusting the discharge amount of the liquid from the nozzle 60 based on the detection result of the displacement amount of the partition wall 42 and shaking off the discharged liquid for adjusting the discharge amount. It is possible to execute a discharge amount adjustment method including controlling the rotation holding unit 20 so as to rotate.

  According to this discharge amount adjusting method, various manual operations are reduced. For example, by adjusting the discharge amount from the nozzle 60 based on the detection result of the displacement amount of the partition wall 42, manual work for measuring the discharge amount is reduced. Manual work associated with weighing, such as the work of transporting the liquid in a container for weighing and the work of washing the container, are also reduced. The liquid can be drained in the coating / developing apparatus 2 by rotating the wafer W at a rotational speed for shaking off the liquid discharged for adjusting the discharge amount. For this reason, the manual operation | work for draining the liquid discharged for adjustment of discharge amount is also reduced. Since it is not necessary to take out the liquid discharged for adjusting the discharge amount to the outside of the coating / developing apparatus 2, it is not necessary for the operator to protect the liquid. Therefore, the burden on the operator in the operation of adjusting the discharge amount of the nozzle 60 can be reduced. In addition, since it is possible to automate much of the discharge amount adjustment work by reducing the manual work, this discharge amount adjustment method can also contribute to shortening the time required for adjusting the discharge amount.

  In the discharge amount adjusting method according to the present embodiment, in order to adjust the discharge amount, the pump 30 is controlled so as to discharge the liquid from the nozzle 60 onto the wafer W, and the displacement amount of the partition wall 42 due to the liquid pumping is adjusted. Detecting, calculating the discharge amount based on the detection result of the displacement amount, and repeatedly changing the air pressure so that the discharge amount approaches the target value. For this reason, the discharge amount can be adjusted to a desired value more reliably. Note that, when the liquid discharge, the discharge amount calculation, and the air pressure change are repeated, the above-described manual operation is reduced each time the operation is repeated, so that the effect of reducing the burden on the operator becomes more remarkable. Since it is possible that the discharge amount can be adjusted sufficiently by changing the air pressure once, it is not essential to repeat the discharge of the liquid, the calculation of the discharge amount, and the change of the air pressure.

  In the discharge amount adjusting method according to the present embodiment, each time a liquid is discharged for adjusting the discharge amount, the rotation holding unit 20 is controlled so as to rotate the wafer W at a rotation speed for shaking off the liquid. For this reason, the liquid discharged for adjusting the discharge amount can be discharged more reliably. Note that it is not essential to rotate the wafer W at the rotation speed for shaking off the liquid every time the liquid is discharged for adjusting the discharge amount. For example, the wafer W may be rotated at a rotational speed for shaking off the liquid after the discharge of the liquid, the calculation of the discharge amount, and the change of the air pressure are repeated and the adjustment of the discharge amount is completed.

  4 shows a configuration in which the coating unit U1 includes a set of nozzles 60 and a pump 30 for convenience of explanation, but at least some of the coating units U1 of the coating / developing apparatus 2 include a plurality of sets of nozzles 60. And may have a pump 30. In a configuration in which the coating unit U1 includes a plurality of sets of nozzles 60 and pumps 30, the adjustment control unit 112 may sequentially adjust the liquid discharge amount for the plurality of sets of nozzles 60 and pumps 30. That is, the discharge amount adjusting method by the coating / developing apparatus 2 controls the nozzle 60 so as to discharge the liquid from the nozzle 60 onto the wafer W, detects the displacement amount of the partition wall 42 due to the pumping of the liquid, and detects the displacement. The adjustment of the discharge amount based on the detection result of the amount may be sequentially executed for the plurality of sets of nozzles 60 and the pump 30. In this case, since one wafer W can be used for adjusting the discharge amount for the plurality of sets of nozzles 60 and pumps 30, the number of wafers W for adjusting the discharge amount can be reduced.

  4 shows a configuration in which the control unit 100 is connected to one coating unit U1 for convenience of explanation, but the control unit 100 is connected to all the coating units U1 of the processing modules 14, 15, 16, and 17. These are controlled collectively.

  In a configuration including a plurality of processing modules 14, 15, and 16 and having the coating unit U 1 in each of the processing modules 14, 15, and 16, the adjustment control unit 112 adjusts the discharge amount to the plurality of processing modules 14, 15, 16. May be executed in parallel. That is, in the discharge amount adjusting method by the coating / developing apparatus 2, the plurality of wafers W are arranged in the plurality of processing modules 14, 15, and 16, respectively, and the pump 30 is controlled so that the liquid is discharged from the nozzle 60 onto the wafers W. Then, a plurality of processing modules 14, 15, 16 execute in parallel the detection of the displacement amount of the partition wall 42 accompanying the liquid pumping and the adjustment of the discharge amount based on the detection result of the displacement amount of the partition wall 42. Also good. In this case, the time required for adjusting the discharge amount can be further shortened.

  The developing unit of the processing module 17 includes a nozzle and a pump for supplying the developing solution and the rinsing solution onto the wafer W. Therefore, the configuration for executing the adjustment of the discharge amount in the coating unit U1 of the processing modules 14, 15, 16 is further applied to the developing unit of the processing module 17 to adjust the discharge amount of at least one of the developer and the rinsing liquid. May be. In this case, the adjustment control unit 112 may execute the adjustment of the discharge amount in parallel in the plurality of processing modules 14, 15, 16, and 17.

The displacement sensor is not limited to the above-described magnetoresistive type. The displacement sensor may be any sensor as long as it can detect the displacement of the partition wall 42 without impairing the sealing performance of the spaces 41a and 41b and without disturbing the displacement of the partition wall 42. For example, the displacement sensor may be a capacitance type.
An electrostatic capacitance type displacement sensor detects displacement using a change in electrostatic capacitance with a measurement object. FIG. 7 shows an example of a capacitance type displacement sensor. A displacement sensor 90 shown in FIG. 7 includes a probe 91 that is fixed to the case 41 and faces the center of the partition wall 42. The probe 91 forms a capacitance with the partition wall 42. The displacement sensor 90 detects the capacitance between the probe 91 and the partition wall 42 and outputs it to the control unit 100. Since the interval between the probe 91 and the partition wall 42 changes according to the displacement of the partition wall 42, the electrostatic capacitance between the probe 91 and the partition wall 42 also changes according to the displacement of the partition wall 42. For this reason, the displacement amount of the partition wall 42 can be detected based on the capacitance between the probe 91 and the partition wall 42.

  The substrate for adjusting the discharge amount is not limited to the same wafer W as the processing target. The substrate for adjusting the discharge amount can be any plate-like material that can be held and rotated by the rotation holding unit 20 as well as the wafer W and can receive the liquid discharged from the nozzle 60. There may be.

The partition wall 42 of the pump 30 is displaced by the air pressure in the space 41b, but is not limited thereto.
Since the partition wall 42 only needs to be displaced by the fluid pressure, the fluid for displacing the partition wall 42 is not limited to air, and may be other gas or liquid.

  Although the embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 ... Coating / development apparatus (coating processing apparatus) 14, 15, 16, 17 ... processing module, 20 ... rotation holding part, 30 ... pump, 42 ... partition wall, 60 ... nozzle, 70, 90 ... displacement sensor, 100 ... Control part 112 ... Adjustment control part 113 ... Drainage control part 115 ... Application | coating control part W ... Wafer (substrate).

Claims (13)

A coating processing apparatus configured to apply a liquid onto a substrate, the rotation holding unit for holding and rotating the substrate, a pump having a partition wall that is displaced by fluid pressure and pumps the liquid, and Using a coating processing apparatus comprising a nozzle that discharges the liquid pumped by the partition onto the substrate,
The pump is controlled to discharge the liquid from the nozzle onto the substrate, the displacement amount of the partition wall accompanying the pumping of the liquid is detected, and based on the detection result of the displacement amount of the partition wall, from the nozzle Adjusting the discharge amount of the liquid,
A discharge amount adjusting method comprising: controlling the rotation holding unit so as to rotate the substrate at a rotation speed for shaking off the liquid discharged for adjusting the discharge amount.   In order to adjust the discharge amount, the pump is controlled so that the liquid is discharged from the nozzle onto the substrate, the displacement amount of the partition wall due to the pumping of the liquid is detected, and the detection result of the displacement amount The discharge amount adjustment method according to claim 1, wherein the discharge amount is calculated based on the flow rate and the fluid pressure is changed so that the discharge amount approaches a target value.   3. The discharge amount adjustment method according to claim 2, wherein each time the liquid is discharged for adjusting the discharge amount, the rotation holding unit is controlled to rotate the substrate at a rotation speed for shaking off the liquid. Using the coating treatment apparatus having a plurality of sets of the nozzle and the pump,
The pump is controlled so that the liquid is discharged from the nozzle onto the substrate, the displacement amount of the partition wall accompanying the pumping of the liquid is detected, and the discharge amount is adjusted based on the detection result of the displacement amount. The discharge amount adjusting method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the operation is sequentially performed on the plurality of sets of nozzles and the pump. Using the coating treatment apparatus comprising a plurality of treatment modules, and having the rotation holding unit, the nozzle and the pump in each treatment module;
A plurality of the substrates are respectively disposed in the plurality of processing modules,
The pump is controlled so that the liquid is discharged from the nozzle onto the substrate, the amount of displacement of the partition due to the pumping of the liquid is detected, and the amount of discharge is determined based on the detection result of the amount of displacement of the partition. The discharge amount adjustment method according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment is performed in parallel in the plurality of processing modules. A rotation holding unit for holding and rotating the substrate;
A pump having a partition that is displaced by fluid pressure and pumps liquid;
A displacement sensor for detecting the amount of displacement of the partition;
A nozzle for discharging the liquid pumped by the partition onto the substrate;
The pump is controlled so that the liquid is discharged from the nozzle onto the substrate, the displacement amount of the partition accompanying the pumping of the liquid is detected by the displacement sensor, and the nozzle is based on the detection result of the displacement amount An adjustment control unit for adjusting the discharge amount of the liquid from
A drainage control unit that controls the rotation holding unit so as to rotate the substrate at a rotation speed at which the liquid discharged for adjusting the discharge amount is shaken off;
The pump is controlled to discharge the liquid from the nozzle onto the substrate with the discharge amount adjusted by the adjustment control unit, and the liquid discharged from the nozzle is spread on the substrate. And a coating control unit that controls the rotation holding unit so as to rotate the substrate at a rotational speed.   The adjustment control unit controls the pump so as to discharge the liquid from the nozzle onto the substrate in order to adjust the discharge amount, and the displacement sensor detects the displacement amount of the partition wall due to the liquid feeding of the liquid. The coating processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the discharge amount is calculated based on a detection result of the displacement amount, and the fluid pressure is changed so that the discharge amount approaches a target value.   The drainage control unit controls the rotation holding unit to rotate the substrate at a rotation speed for shaking off the liquid every time the liquid is discharged for adjusting the discharge amount. The coating processing apparatus as described. A plurality of nozzles and pumps;
The coating processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the adjustment control unit sequentially adjusts the discharge amount of the liquid with respect to the plurality of sets of the nozzles and the pump. A plurality of processing modules, each of the processing modules having the rotation holding unit, the pump, the displacement sensor, and the nozzle;
The coating processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the adjustment control unit performs the adjustment of the discharge amount in parallel in the plurality of processing modules.   The coating treatment apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the displacement sensor is a magnetoresistive type.   The coating processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the displacement sensor is a capacitance type.   A computer-readable recording medium on which a program for causing the apparatus to execute the discharge amount adjusting method according to claim 1 is recorded.

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