JP7625636B2 - SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS, CONTROL METHOD, AND ARTICLE MANUFACTURING METHOD - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus, a control method thereof, and an article manufacturing method.

Substrate processing apparatuses that process substrates on a stage may have multiple operating modes for the unloading operation for unloading and recovering the substrate, or the loading operation for loading the substrate (see, for example, Patent Documents 1-4).

JP 2010-34427 A JP 2011-124548 A JP 2005-292645 A JP 2020-149012 A

As device manufacturing methods (processes) have become more diverse in recent years, substrate processing apparatuses may use different orders of processing multiple regions of a substrate for different substrates. If the orders are different, the stage position when processing of the substrate ends or when processing of the substrate begins may change, and accordingly, the time required for the substrate unloading or loading operation in each operating mode may also change. Therefore, it is desirable for substrate processing apparatuses to appropriately select operating modes to control the substrate unloading or loading operation to improve throughput.

The present invention aims to provide a technology that is advantageous in terms of throughput in substrate processing equipment.

To achieve the above object, a substrate processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes a stage that holds and moves a substrate, a recovery hand that recovers the substrate from the stage, and a control unit that controls a substrate recovery operation that moves the stage to a recovery location after processing of the substrate is completed and causes the recovery hand to recover the substrate on the stage, and is characterized in that a plurality of recovery operation modes are provided for the substrate recovery operation, and the control unit estimates the time required for the substrate recovery operation as a recovery operation time for each recovery operation mode based on information indicating an end position, which is the position of the stage at the end of the processing, and controls the substrate recovery operation using a recovery operation mode selected from the plurality of recovery operation modes according to the recovery operation time.

Further objects and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The present invention can provide a technology that is advantageous in terms of throughput in a substrate processing apparatus, for example.

Schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an exposure apparatus FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a conveying unit; FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a substrate supply operation in a sequential supply operation mode; FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a substrate supply operation in a parallel supply operation mode; Flowchart for substrate supply operation FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an interference relationship between the substrate stage and the second hand during a substrate supply operation in a parallel supply operation mode. Flowchart showing a method for estimating a supply operation time Flowchart showing substrate loading operation in sequential supply operation mode Flowchart showing substrate loading operation in parallel supply operation mode FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a substrate recovery operation in a sequential recovery operation mode. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a substrate recovery operation in a parallel recovery operation mode. Flowchart for substrate recovery operation FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an interference relationship between the substrate stage and the first hand during a substrate retrieval operation in a parallel retrieval operation mode. Flowchart showing a method for estimating a collection operation time Flowchart showing the substrate unloading operation in the sequential collection operation mode Flowchart showing substrate unloading operation in parallel recovery operation mode

The following embodiments are described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe multiple features, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicate explanations are omitted.

In this specification and the accompanying drawings, directions are shown in an XYZ coordinate system in which the direction parallel to the surface (top surface) of the substrate is the XY plane. The directions parallel to the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis in the XYZ coordinate system are the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction, respectively, and rotation around the X-axis, rotation around the Y-axis, and rotation around the Z-axis are θX, θY, and θZ, respectively. Control and drive (movement) regarding the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis respectively refer to control or drive (movement) regarding the direction parallel to the X-axis, direction parallel to the Y-axis, and direction parallel to the Z-axis. In addition, control or drive regarding the θX-axis, θY-axis, and θZ-axis respectively refer to control or drive regarding rotation around an axis parallel to the X-axis, rotation around an axis parallel to the Y-axis, and rotation around an axis parallel to the Z-axis.

A substrate processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, an exposure apparatus, which is one type of lithography apparatus for manufacturing semiconductor devices and the like, will be described as an example of a substrate processing apparatus for processing substrates. The exposure apparatus performs exposure processing in which the substrate is exposed to light by a step-and-scan method or a step-and-repeat method to transfer the pattern of the original onto the substrate. When the substrate processing apparatus is an exposure apparatus, processing of the substrate (hereinafter sometimes referred to as substrate processing) may include exposure processing.

Here, the present invention is not limited to exposure apparatuses, and can also be applied to other types of lithography apparatuses, such as imprinting apparatuses and drawing apparatuses. The imprinting apparatus performs an imprinting process in which an imprinting material supplied onto a substrate is brought into contact with a mold, and energy for hardening is applied to the imprinting material, thereby forming a pattern of a hardened material to which the pattern of the mold is transferred, on the substrate. In this case, the substrate processing can include the imprinting process. The drawing apparatus performs a drawing process in which a pattern (latent image pattern) is formed on the substrate by drawing on the substrate with a charged particle beam (electron beam) or a laser beam. In this case, the substrate processing can include the drawing process. In addition, the present invention can be applied to any apparatus that processes a substrate, such as various precision processing apparatuses and various precision measurement apparatuses. In the precision processing apparatus, a processing process for processing the substrate can be performed as the substrate processing. In the precision measurement apparatus, a measurement process for measuring the substrate can be performed as the substrate processing.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an exposure apparatus 100 of this embodiment. Figure 1 may be understood as showing the configuration of a formation unit of the exposure apparatus 100 that forms a pattern on a substrate. The exposure apparatus 100 has an illumination optical system 104 that illuminates an original 109 with light from a light source 101, a projection optical system 110, a first drive unit 112, a second drive unit 113, a substrate stage 116, a laser interferometer 118, and a third drive unit 119. Furthermore, the exposure apparatus 100 has an alignment measurement system 124, a focus measurement system 140, a main control unit 103, an illumination system control unit 108, a projection system control unit 114, a stage control unit 120, and a transport unit 130.

The light source 101 emits (outputs) light of multiple wavelength bands as exposure light. The illumination optical system 104 includes, for example, a shaping optical system (not shown) and an optical integrator (not shown). The illumination optical system 104 further includes a light shielding plate 105, a half mirror 106, and a photosensor 107.

The light incident on the illumination optical system 104 from the light source 101 is shaped into a predetermined shape (beam shape) through the shaping optical system. The light shaped by the shaping optical system is incident on the optical integrator. The optical integrator forms a number of secondary light sources for illuminating the original 109 with a uniform illuminance distribution. The light shielding plate 105 is disposed on the optical path of the illumination optical system 104 and forms an arbitrary illumination area on the original 109. The half mirror 106 is disposed on the optical path of the illumination optical system 104 and reflects (extracts) a part of the light (exposure light) that illuminates the original 109. The photosensor 107 is disposed on the optical path of the light reflected by the half mirror 106 and detects the intensity of the light (exposure energy). The illumination system control unit 108 controls each part of the illumination optical system 104 (for example, driving the light shielding plate 105) under the control of the main control unit 103.

The original 109 (mask) has a pattern (e.g., a circuit pattern of a semiconductor device) to be transferred to the substrate 115, and is illuminated by the illumination optical system 104. The projection optical system 110 is, for example, a refractive system or a catadioptric system. The projection optical system 110 projects (images) an image of the pattern of the original 109 onto one shot area on the substrate 115 coated with a photoresist (photosensitive agent) at a predetermined projection magnification β (e.g., β=1/2). The projection optical system 110 includes an aperture stop 111. The aperture stop 111 is disposed on the pupil plane of the projection optical system 110, i.e., the Fourier transform plane for the original 109, and includes a substantially circular opening.

The first driving unit 112 includes a motor and drives the aperture stop 111 to change the diameter of the opening of the aperture stop 111. This allows the numerical aperture (NA) of the projection optical system 110 to be set to a predetermined value. The second driving unit 113 drives (moves) an optical element that constitutes part of the lens system of the projection optical system 110 along the optical axis of the projection optical system 110. This makes it possible to suppress the deterioration of various aberrations of the projection optical system 110 and reduce distortion errors while maintaining a good projection magnification β. The projection system control unit 114 controls each part of the projection optical system 110 (aperture stop 111 and optical elements) by the first driving unit 112 and the second driving unit 113 under the control of the main control unit 103.

As described above, the substrate 115 is coated with photoresist, and the pattern of the original 109 is transferred (projected) onto the substrate 115. For example, a wafer or a glass plate can be used as the substrate 115.

The substrate stage 116 holds the substrate 115 and is configured to be movable in three dimensions (specifically, the X, Y and Z directions). The third drive unit 119 includes a motor and the like, and drives the substrate stage 116. Here, in this embodiment, the direction along the optical axis of the projection optical system 110 is defined as the Z direction (Z axis), and the directions perpendicular to the optical axis of the projection optical system 110 are defined as the X direction (X axis) and the Y direction (Y axis).

The position of the substrate stage 116 is measured by detecting the distance to a mirror 117 (reflecting mirror) fixed to the substrate stage 116 with a laser interferometer 118. An alignment measurement system 124 measures the positional deviation between the substrate 115 and the substrate stage 116. Under the control of the main control unit 103, the stage control unit 120 controls the movement (drive) of the substrate stage 116 by a third drive unit 119 based on the measurement results of the laser interferometer 118 and the measurement results of the alignment measurement system 124.

The focus measurement system 140 includes a projection optical system 121 and a detection optical system 122, and measures the position of the substrate 115 in the direction along the optical axis of the projection optical system 110 (Z direction), i.e., the height of the surface of the substrate 115. The projection optical system 121 emits (projects) multiple light beams consisting of light (non-exposure light) that does not expose the photoresist applied to the substrate 115. The multiple light beams emitted from the projection optical system 121 are obliquely incident on different positions on the substrate 115, reflected by the substrate 115, and enter the detection optical system 122.

The detection optical system 122 is provided with a number of light receiving elements onto which the multiple light beams reflected by the substrate 115 are respectively incident. The multiple light receiving elements in the detection optical system 122 are arranged so that the light receiving surface of each light receiving element and the reflection point of each light beam on the substrate 115 are approximately conjugate via the imaging optical system. Therefore, the positional deviation of the substrate 115 in the direction along the optical axis of the projection optical system 110 is measured as the positional deviation of the light incident on each light receiving element (light receiving surface) of the detection optical system 122.

The transport unit 130 is a transport mechanism that transports the substrate 115. As shown in FIG. 2, the transport unit 130 may include a port 201, a first hand 202 (collection hand), a pre-alignment unit 203, and a second hand 204 (supply hand). Details of the transport unit 130 will be described later along with the substrate transport operation in the transport unit 130. The transport unit 130 may also be understood as a mechanism that includes the substrate stage 116.

The storage unit 123 stores various programs and data necessary for operating the exposure apparatus 100. In this embodiment, various information for determining (selecting) the operation mode of the substrate transport operation in the transport unit 130 is stored. The various information includes layout information. The layout information is information about a plurality of regions on the substrate 115 where substrate processing is performed, and may include, for example, information indicating the arrangement (layout) of the plurality of regions and information indicating the order of substrate processing for the plurality of regions. Here, the substrate processing is not limited to exposure processing, and may include measurement processing of global alignment, etc. In the case where the substrate processing is exposure processing, the layout information may include information indicating the arrangement of a plurality of shot regions on the substrate 115 where exposure processing is performed, and information indicating the order of exposure processing for the plurality of shot regions. In addition, in the case where the substrate processing is measurement processing, the layout information may include information indicating the arrangement of a plurality of measurement regions on the substrate 115 where measurement processing is performed, and information indicating the order of measurement processing for the plurality of measurement regions. The measurement region may be understood as a shot region (sample shot region) selected to perform measurement processing among the plurality of shot regions.

The main control unit 103 (control unit) can be configured by a computer (information processing device) including a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory. The main control unit 103 comprehensively controls each part of the exposure apparatus 100 via the illumination system control unit 108, the projection system control unit 114, and the stage control unit 120. In this embodiment, the main control unit 103 also controls the transport unit 130. Specifically, the main control unit 103 determines (selects) the operation mode of the substrate transport operation in the transport unit 130, and controls the substrate transport operation in accordance with the determined operation mode.

Next, the substrate transport operation in the transport unit 130 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the transport unit 130 as viewed from above (+Z direction), and shows a schematic example of the configuration of the transport unit 130. As mentioned above, the transport unit 130 may be understood to include the substrate stage 116.

The substrate stage 116 may include a chuck 206 having a holding surface for holding the substrate 115, and pins 205 that protrude from the holding surface of the chuck 206 and hold (support) the substrate 115. In this embodiment, a plurality of pins 205 (three in the example of FIG. 2) are provided, and are usually stored in the chuck 206. When the substrate 115 is supplied onto the substrate stage, and when the substrate 115 is retrieved from the substrate stage, the pins 205 rise to protrude from the holding surface of the chuck 206. When the pins 205 protrude from the protruding state, the pins 205 descend to be stored in the chuck 206. The lifting and lowering (raising and lowering) operation of the pins 205 relative to the holding surface of the chuck 206 may be performed by driving the pins 205 or by driving the chuck 206. The lifting and lowering operation may also be performed by driving the pins 205 and the chuck 206 relatively. In this embodiment, an example configuration is described in which the pin 205 is raised and lowered relative to the holding surface of the chuck 206 by driving the chuck 206.

The substrate transport operation in the transport unit 130 may include an operation of transporting the substrate 115 for substrate processing (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a substrate transport operation). The substrate transport operation will be described below. The substrate 115 is transported to the exposure apparatus 100 through a port 201 connected to an external device in a device manufacturing factory. The port 201 may be understood as a port in which a container (e.g., a FOUP (Front Opening Unify Pod)) containing the substrate 115 is disposed. The substrate 115 transported to the exposure apparatus 100 is transported by the first hand 202 to a pre-alignment unit 203 that performs pre-alignment (rough alignment) of the substrate 115. The substrate 115 that has been pre-aligned in the pre-alignment unit 203 is supplied by the second hand 204 (supply hand) onto the substrate stage 116 disposed at the supply location 207. Specifically, with the pins 205 protruding from the holding surface of the substrate stage 116 (chuck 206), the second hand 204 supplies (passes) the substrate 115 onto the pins 205. Then, the pins 205 are lowered relative to the substrate stage 116 to store the pins 205 within the substrate stage, whereby the substrate 115 on the pins 205 is disposed on the holding surface of the substrate stage 116, and the substrate 115 is held by the holding surface. After storing the pins 205 within the substrate stage 116, or in parallel with the lowering of the pins 205 for the storage, the substrate stage 116 moves to a start position where substrate processing (e.g., exposure processing) is started. The substrate stage 116 is placed at the start position, whereby the substrate loading operation is completed.

The substrate loading operation may include a substrate supply operation. The substrate supply operation is defined as an operation in which the second hand 204 supplies the substrate 115 onto the substrate stage 116 disposed at the supply location 207, and then moves the substrate stage 116 to a start position where substrate processing begins. In addition, each of the first hand 202, the pre-alignment unit 203, the second hand 204, the pins 205, and the chuck 206 holds the substrate 115, for example, by vacuum suction.

In addition, the substrate transport operation in the transport unit 130 may include an operation of transporting the substrate 115 that has been subjected to substrate processing (hereinafter, this may be referred to as a substrate transport operation). The substrate transport operation will be described below. When the substrate processing (e.g., exposure processing) for the substrate 115 is completed, the substrate stage 116 holding the substrate 115 moves to the recovery location 208. Then, the first hand 202 (recovery hand) recovers the substrate 115 from the substrate stage 116 disposed at the recovery location 208. Specifically, after the substrate stage 116 moves to the recovery location 208, or in parallel with the movement, the pins 205 are protruded (raised) from the holding surface of the substrate stage 116 (chuck 206). As a result, the substrate 115 is separated from the holding surface of the substrate stage 116 and is held by the pins 205. The substrate 115 held by the pins 205 is recovered from the pins 205 by the first hand 202 and transported to the port 201. The substrate unloading operation is completed when the substrate 115 is transported to port 201.

Here, the substrate unloading operation may include a substrate recovery operation. The substrate recovery operation is defined as an operation in which, after substrate processing on the substrate 115 is completed, the substrate stage 116 is moved to the recovery location 208, and the substrate 115 on the substrate stage 116 arranged at the recovery location 208 is recovered by the first hand 202.

The substrate supply operation and substrate recovery operation in this embodiment are described in detail below.

<Substrate supply operation>
The exposure apparatus 100 of this embodiment is provided with a plurality of supply operation modes for the substrate supply operation. Specifically, the plurality of supply operation modes can include a sequential supply operation mode (first supply operation mode) and a parallel supply operation mode (second supply operation mode). The substrate supply operation in each supply operation mode is controlled by the main controller 103. Note that the plurality of supply operation modes are not limited to the sequential supply operation mode and the parallel supply operation mode, and may include other supply operation modes.

In the sequential supply operation mode, after the second hand 204 supplies the substrate 115 onto the pins 205 of the substrate stage 116, the second hand 204 is retracted, the pins 205 are lowered, and the substrate stage 116 is moved from the supply location 207 in that order. That is, in the sequential supply operation mode, the movement of the substrate stage 116 from the supply location 207 is started while the substrate 115 is held by the holding surface of the substrate stage 116 (chuck 206).

Figure 3 is a diagram for explaining the substrate supply operation in the sequential supply operation mode. First, as shown in FIG. 3(a), the substrate stage 116 is moved to the supply location 207. When the substrate stage 116 is placed at the supply location 207, as shown in FIG. 3(b), the substrate stage 116 is lowered to make the pins 205 protrude from the holding surface of the substrate stage 116, and the substrate 115 is supplied onto the pins 205 by the second hand 204. After the substrate 115 is supplied onto the pins 205, as shown in FIG. 3(c), the second hand 204 is retracted (moved) to the retracted position 502. Then, as shown in FIG. 3(d), the substrate stage 116 is raised to lower the pins 205 and store the pins 205 in the substrate stage 116. As a result, the substrate 115 is held by the holding surface of the substrate stage 116, and in this state, as shown in FIG. 3(e), the movement of the substrate stage 116 from the supply location 207 is started, and the substrate stage 116 moves to the start position 501. Note that the start position 501 is the position of the substrate stage 116 at the start of the substrate processing (e.g., exposure processing), and is obtained based on the layout information (specifically, information indicating the order of substrate processing for multiple regions on the substrate 115).

On the other hand, in the parallel supply operation mode, after the second hand 204 supplies the substrate 115 onto the pins 205 of the substrate stage 116, the second hand 204 is retracted, the pins 205 are lowered, and the substrate stage 116 is moved from the supply location 207 in parallel. That is, in the parallel supply operation mode, the substrate stage 116 starts moving from the supply location 207 while the substrate 115 is held by the pins 205 protruding from the holding surface of the substrate stage 116 (chuck 206). Here, the pins 205 may be stored while the substrate stage 116 is moving, or may be stored after the movement of the substrate stage 116 is completed.

Figure 4 is a diagram for explaining the substrate supply operation in the parallel supply operation mode. First, as shown in FIG. 4(a), the substrate stage 116 is moved to the supply location 207. Once the substrate stage 116 is placed at the supply location 207, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the substrate stage 116 is lowered to protrude the pins 205 from the holding surface of the substrate stage 116, and the substrate 115 is supplied onto the pins 205 by the second hand 204. After the substrate 115 is supplied onto the pins 205, as shown in FIG. 4(c), the substrate stage 116 starts moving from the supply location 207 while the substrate 115 is being held by the pins 205. In addition, the second hand 204 is retracted (moved) to the retract position 502 in parallel (parallel) with the movement of the substrate stage 116.

In this way, in the parallel supply operation mode, the retraction of the second hand 204, the lowering of the pins 205, and the movement of the substrate stage 116 from the supply location 207 are performed in parallel (parallel). Therefore, the time from when the second hand 204 supplies the substrate 115 onto the pins 205 to when the substrate stage 116 starts moving is shorter in the parallel supply operation mode than in the sequential supply operation mode. However, in the sequential supply operation mode, the holding area of the substrate 115 during the movement of the substrate stage 116 is larger than in the parallel supply operation mode. Therefore, in the sequential supply operation mode, at least one of the maximum speed and maximum acceleration during the movement of the substrate stage 116 is set to be larger than in the parallel supply operation mode. Therefore, depending on the starting position, which may differ for each substrate (lot), the time required for the substrate supply operation (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the supply operation time) may be shorter in the sequential supply operation mode or may be shorter in the parallel supply operation mode.

Therefore, the main control unit 103 of this embodiment estimates the supply operation time for each supply operation mode based on the layout information (information indicating the start position), and controls the substrate supply operation by a supply operation mode selected from the multiple supply operation modes according to the supply operation time. For example, the main control unit 103 may control the substrate supply operation by a supply operation mode having a short supply operation time (preferably the shortest) among the multiple supply operation modes. In addition, the main control unit 103 may control the substrate supply operation by a supply operation mode having a short supply operation time (preferably the shortest) among the multiple supply operation modes in which interference between the substrate stage 116 and the second hand 204 is avoided. Here, the supply operation time is defined as the time from when the substrate is supplied onto the substrate stage 116 (specifically, onto the pins 205) by the second hand 204 to when the substrate stage 116 is placed at the start position.

Figure 5 shows a flowchart of the substrate supply operation of this embodiment. The flowchart in Figure 5 can be executed by the main control unit 103.

In step S101, the main controller 103 acquires layout information of the substrate 115 (lot). The layout information may include alignment position information, exposure order information, and exposure position information. "Alignment position information" is information indicating the position of a sample shot area used in global alignment (measurement processing) among multiple shot areas on the substrate. "Exposure order information" is information indicating the order of exposure processing in multiple shot areas on the substrate. "Exposure position information" is information indicating the position to which the substrate stage 116 is actually driven during exposure processing. Next, in step S102, the main controller 103 acquires sequence information of the substrate 115 (lot). The sequence information may include information on the presence or absence of calibration or alignment. "Calibration or alignment presence or absence information" is information indicating the presence or absence of global alignment, focus calibration, etc. in the process.

In step S103, the main control unit 103 identifies the area of the substrate 115 where substrate processing is to be performed first, based on the layout information acquired in step S101 and the sequence information acquired in step S102. Information indicating the area identified in step S103 is used when determining (selecting) the supply operation mode. Next, in step S104, the main control unit 103 determines a start position based on the identification result in step S103. As described above, the start position is the position (step position) of the substrate stage 116 when substrate processing (exposure processing or measurement processing) for the substrate 115 is started. Information indicating the start position determined in step S104 is used when determining (selecting) the supply operation mode.

In step S105, the main control unit 103 acquires drive profile information of the substrate stage 116 for each of the multiple supply operation modes. The drive profile information may include at least one profile of the speed, acceleration, and jerk time (jerk) of the substrate stage 116. As described above, the drive profile information for each supply operation mode is set so that at least one of the maximum speed and maximum acceleration during movement of the substrate stage 116 is greater in the sequential supply operation mode than in the parallel supply operation mode.

In step S106, the main control unit 103 acquires unit interference relationship information. For example, the substrate stage 116 is provided with pins 205 protruding from the holding surface, as well as a reflector 209 (mirror bar) that reflects light from the laser interferometer 118 to measure the position of the substrate stage 116 in the XY directions. In particular, the pins 205 and reflector 209 may interfere with the second hand 204 during substrate supply operation in the parallel supply operation mode. The unit interference relationship information is information that indicates a predetermined positional relationship (hereinafter sometimes referred to as interference relationship) in which the substrate stage 116 (pins 205, reflector 209, etc.) may interfere with the second hand 204 during substrate supply operation in the parallel supply operation mode.

The interference relationship in the substrate supply operation in the parallel supply operation mode will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 shows an example of the interference relationship between the substrate stage 116 and the second hand 204 in the substrate supply operation in the parallel supply operation mode. In the transport unit 130 of this embodiment, the second hand 204 is configured to move in the Y direction, and the area indicated by diagonal lines in FIG. 6 is the non-interference area 301 between the substrate stage 116 and the second hand 204. To give a specific example, if the starting position determined in step S104 is inside the non-interference area 301, there is no possibility that the substrate stage 116 and the second hand 204 will interfere with each other even if the substrate supply operation is performed in the parallel supply operation mode. On the other hand, if the starting position determined in step S104 is outside the non-interference area 301, there is a possibility that the substrate stage 116 and the second hand 204 will interfere with each other when the substrate supply operation is performed in the parallel supply operation mode. In other words, the non-interference region 301 may be understood as a range of starting positions that can avoid interference between the substrate stage 116 and the second hand 204 during a substrate supply operation in the parallel supply operation mode. The non-interference region 301 can be set in advance by experiments, simulations, etc.

In step S107, the main control unit 103 determines whether the start position determined in step S104 is outside the non-interference area 301 based on the interference relationship information acquired in step S106. If the start position is not outside the non-interference area 301, that is, if the start position is inside the non-interference area 301, there is no possibility that the substrate stage 116 and the second hand 204 will interfere with each other even if the substrate supply operation is performed in the parallel supply operation mode. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S108, and the main control unit 103 controls (executes) the substrate supply operation in the parallel supply operation mode. On the other hand, if the start position is outside the non-interference area 301, the process proceeds to step S109. Note that the determination in step S107 may also be made based on the drive profile information acquired in step S105.

In step S109, the main control unit 103 determines whether the interference between the substrate stage 116 and the second hand 204 is eliminated in the substrate supply operation in the parallel supply operation mode. For example, when the substrate stage 116 moves from the supply location 207 to the start position through a via position set inside the non-interference area 301, the substrate stage 116 and the second hand 204 do not interfere with each other even when the substrate supply operation in the parallel supply operation mode is performed. That is, by setting the via position of the substrate stage 116 inside the non-interference area 301, the interference between the substrate stage 116 and the second hand 204 in the substrate supply operation in the parallel supply operation mode can be eliminated. However, the via position can be set to satisfy the constraint that the distance between the via position and the start position (e.g., the distance in the X direction) is shorter than the distance between the supply location 207 and the via position (e.g., the distance in the Y direction). If the via position is set inside the non-interference region 301 so as not to satisfy this constraint, the movement path of the substrate stage 116 will be significantly extended. The via position may be set, for example, so that the coordinate in the Y direction is the same as the start position, in other words, so that it is located on a line extending from the start position in the X direction. Therefore, the main control unit 103 determines whether or not it is possible to set the via position inside the non-interference region 301 so as to satisfy the constraint. If the via position cannot be set, it is not possible to resolve the interference relationship in the substrate supply operation in the parallel supply operation mode. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S110, where the main control unit 103 controls (executes) the substrate supply operation in the sequential supply operation mode. On the other hand, if the via position can be set, it is possible to resolve the interference relationship in the substrate supply operation in the parallel supply operation mode, so the process proceeds to step S111.

In step S111, the main control unit 103 estimates (calculates) the supply operation time, which is the time required for the substrate supply operation, for each of the sequential supply operation mode and the parallel supply operation mode. For the parallel supply operation mode, the supply operation time is estimated when passing through a pass-through position set inside the non-interference area 301 so as to satisfy the constraint condition. The method of estimating the supply operation time will be described in detail later.

In step S112, the main control unit 103 compares the supply operation time estimated in step S111 between the sequential supply operation mode and the parallel supply operation mode. Then, the sequential supply operation mode or the parallel supply operation mode, whichever has the shorter supply operation time, is selected, and the substrate supply operation is controlled (executed) by the selected supply operation mode. Specifically, if the parallel supply operation mode has a shorter supply operation time than the sequential supply operation mode, the process proceeds to step S113, where the main control unit 103 controls (executes) the substrate supply operation by the parallel supply operation mode. On the other hand, if the sequential supply operation mode has a shorter supply operation time than the parallel supply operation mode, the process proceeds to step S114, where the main control unit 103 controls (executes) the substrate supply operation by the sequential supply operation mode.

[Method of estimating supply operation time]
The method of estimating the supply operation time in step S111 will be described below. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the method of estimating the supply operation time. The flowchart in Fig. 7 can be executed by the main control unit 103. In the flowchart in Fig. 7, steps S201 to S207 show the process of estimating the supply operation time for the parallel supply operation mode, and steps S208 to S211 show the process of estimating the supply operation time for the sequential supply operation mode. Note that steps S201 to S207 and steps S208 to S211 can be performed in parallel, but may also be performed in order.

First, the steps (S201 to S207) of estimating the supply operation time for the parallel supply operation mode will be described. In step S201, the main control unit 103 calculates the time A1 required for the substrate stage 116 to move from the supply location 207 to the intermediate position. As described above, the intermediate position is set inside the non-interference region 301 so as to satisfy the constraints. In addition, in step S202, the main control unit 103 calculates the time B1 required for the substrate stage 116 to move from the intermediate position to the start position. The calculation of time A1 in step S201 and the calculation of time B1 in step S202 are performed based on the drive profile information for the parallel supply operation mode acquired in step S105. Next, in step S203, the main control unit 103 calculates the time C1 required for the pins 205 to be accommodated in the substrate stage 116.

In step S204, the main control unit 103 compares time A1 with time C1. If time C1 is equal to or greater than time A1 (C1≧A1), the process proceeds to step S205, where the main control unit 103 estimates (calculates) the total time (B1+C1) of time B1 and time C1 as the supply operation time in the parallel supply operation mode. On the other hand, if time C1 is less than time A1 (C1<A1), the process proceeds to step S206, where the main control unit 103 estimates (calculates) the total time (B1+A1) of time A1 and time B1 as the supply operation time in the parallel supply operation mode. Next, in step S207, the main control unit 103 stores the total time estimated in step S205 or S206 as the supply operation time in the parallel supply operation mode.

Here, the pin 205 needs to be stored in the substrate stage 116 while the substrate stage 116 is disposed in the non-interference region 301, that is, before starting to move the substrate stage 116 from the intermediate position to the starting position. If the substrate stage 116 is moved to the starting position with the pin 205 protruding, for example, the substrate 115 on the pin 205 may interfere with the projection optical system 110 of the exposure apparatus 100. Therefore, if the substrate stage 116 reaches the intermediate position but the storage of the pin 205 in the substrate stage 116 is not completed, the substrate stage 116 is made to wait at the intermediate position until the storage of the pin 205 is completed. In this case, since the time C1 is equal to or greater than the time A1 (C1≧A1), the total time of the time C1 and the time B1 can be estimated as the supply operation time of the parallel supply operation mode (S205). On the other hand, if the pins 205 are completely stored inside the substrate stage 116 before the substrate stage 116 reaches the intermediate position, the substrate stage 116 starts moving to the start position immediately after reaching the intermediate position. In this case, since time C1 is less than time A1 (C1<A1), the total time of time A1 and time B1 can be estimated as the supply operation time in the parallel supply operation mode (S206).

Next, the steps (S208 to S211) of estimating the supply operation time for the sequential supply operation mode will be described. In step S208, the main control unit 103 calculates the time D1 required for the substrate stage 116 to move from the supply location 207 to the start position. In addition, in step S209, the main control unit 103 calculates the time E1 required to retract the second hand 204 from the supply location 207 and store the pin 205 in the substrate stage 116.

In step S210, the main control unit 103 estimates (calculates) the total time (D1+E1) of time D1 and time E1 as the supply operation time of the sequential supply operation mode. In the sequential supply operation mode, the retraction of the second hand 204 from the supply location 207, the storage of the pins 205 into the substrate stage 116, and the movement of the substrate stage 116 from the supply location 207 to the start position are performed in that order. Therefore, the total time of time D1 and time E1 can be estimated as the supply operation time of the sequential supply operation mode. Next, in step S211, the main control unit 103 stores the total time estimated in step S210 as the supply operation time of the sequential supply operation mode.

[Substrate loading operation in sequential supply operation mode]
The substrate carry-in operation (substrate supply operation) in the sequential supply operation mode in step S114 will be described below. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the substrate carry-in operation (substrate supply operation) in the sequential supply operation mode. The flowchart in Fig. 8 can be executed by the main control unit 103.

In step S301, the first hand 202 receives the substrate 115 from the port 201. Then, in step S302, the first hand 202 transports the substrate 115 to the pre-alignment unit 203. When the pre-alignment (rough alignment) of the substrate 115 is completed in the pre-alignment unit 203, in step S303, the second hand 204 receives the substrate 115 from the pre-alignment unit 203. Then, in step S304, the second hand 204 supplies the substrate 115 onto the pins 205 of the substrate stage 116 arranged in the supply location 207.

When the second hand 204 supplies the substrate 115 onto the pins 205 of the substrate stage 116, in step S305, the second hand 204 is moved to the retracted position (driven in the -Y direction). When the second hand 204 reaches the retracted position, in step S306, the substrate stage 116 is raised (driven in the +Z direction) to store the pins 205 within the substrate stage 116. Then, in step S307, the substrate 115 is switched from being held by the pins 205 to being held by the holding surface of the substrate stage 116 (chuck 206). As a result, the substrate 115 is held by the holding surface of the substrate stage 116. In this state, in step S308, the substrate stage 116 is moved from the supply location 207 to the starting position.

In this way, in the sequential supply operation mode, the substrate stage 116 is not moved while the substrate 115 is held by the pins 205 as in the parallel supply operation mode, but rather the pins 205 are stored in the substrate stage 116 and then the movement of the substrate stage 116 is started. In other words, the movement of the substrate stage 116 is started with the substrate 115 held by the holding surface of the substrate stage 116 (chuck 206). As a result, in the sequential supply operation mode, at least one of the maximum speed and maximum acceleration during the movement of the substrate stage 116 can be increased compared to the parallel supply operation mode.

[Substrate loading operation in parallel supply operation mode]
The substrate carry-in operation (substrate supply operation) in the parallel supply operation mode in step S113 will be described below. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing the substrate carry-in operation (substrate supply operation) in the parallel supply operation mode. The flowchart in Fig. 9 can be executed by the main control unit 103.

In step S401, the first hand 202 receives the substrate 115 from the port 201. Then, in step S402, the first hand 202 transports the substrate 115 to the pre-alignment unit 203. When the pre-alignment (rough alignment) of the substrate 115 is completed in the pre-alignment unit 203, in step S403, the second hand 204 receives the substrate 115 from the pre-alignment unit 203. Then, in step S404, the second hand 204 supplies the substrate 115 onto the pins 205 of the substrate stage 116 arranged in the supply location 207.

When the second hand 204 supplies the substrate 115 onto the pins 205 of the substrate stage 116, steps S405 to S407 are performed in parallel. In step S405, the second hand 204 starts moving (driving in the -Y direction) to the retreat position. In step S406, while the substrate 115 is being held by the pins 205, the substrate stage 116 starts moving (driving in the +Y direction) to a route position within the non-interference area 301. In step S407, the substrate stage 116 is raised (driven in the +Z direction) to start lowering the pins 205 relative to the holding surface of the substrate stage 116 (chuck 206). Next, in step S408, the substrate 115 is switched from being held by the pins 205 to being held by the holding surface of the substrate stage 116 (chuck 206). As a result, the substrate 115 is held by the holding surface of the substrate stage 116. In this state, in step S409, the substrate stage 116 is moved from the intermediate position to the starting position.

As described above, the main control unit 103 of this embodiment estimates the supply operation time for each supply operation mode based on the layout information (information indicating the start position), and controls the substrate supply operation using a supply operation mode selected from multiple supply operation modes according to the supply operation time. This makes it possible to control the substrate supply operation in the exposure apparatus 100 (substrate processing apparatus) so as to improve throughput.

<Substrate recovery operation>
The exposure apparatus 100 of this embodiment is provided with a plurality of retrieval operation modes for the substrate retrieval operation. Specifically, the plurality of retrieval operation modes can include a sequential retrieval operation mode (first retrieval operation mode) and a parallel retrieval operation mode (second retrieval operation mode). The substrate retrieval operation in each retrieval operation mode is controlled by the main controller 103. Note that the plurality of retrieval operation modes are not limited to the sequential retrieval operation mode and the parallel retrieval operation mode, and may include other retrieval operation modes.

In the sequential recovery operation mode, after the substrate stage 116 reaches the recovery location 208, the pins 205 protrude from the holding surface of the substrate stage 116 (chuck 206) and the first hand 202 is positioned at the recovery location 208 in that order. That is, in the sequential recovery operation mode, the substrate stage 116 is moved to the recovery location 208 so that the substrate stage 116 reaches the recovery location 208 with the substrate 115 being held by the holding surface of the substrate stage 116.

Figure 10 is a diagram for explaining the substrate recovery operation in the sequential recovery operation mode. First, as shown in FIG. 10(a), with the substrate 115 held by the holding surface of the substrate stage 116, the substrate stage 116 is moved from the end position 601 to the recovery location 208. When the substrate stage 116 is placed at the recovery location 208, as shown in FIG. 10(b), the substrate stage 116 is lowered to protrude the pins 205 from the holding surface of the substrate stage 116. Then, as shown in FIG. 10(c), the first hand 202 is moved to the recovery location 208. Specifically, the first hand 202 is moved between the holding surface of the substrate stage 116 placed at the recovery location 208 and the substrate 115 on the pins 205. When the first hand 202 is placed at the collection location 208, the first hand 202 is caused to collect the substrate 115 on the pins 205, and as shown in FIG. 10(d), the first hand 202 is retracted (moved) to the retracted position 602. The movement of the first hand 202 to the retracted position 602 may be understood as moving the first hand 202 so as to transport the substrate 115 to the port 201. The end position 601 is the position of the substrate stage 116 at the end of the substrate processing (e.g., exposure processing), and is obtained based on the layout information (specifically, information indicating the order of substrate processing for multiple regions on the substrate 115).

On the other hand, in the parallel recovery operation mode, while the substrate stage 116 is moving to the recovery location 208, the pins 205 protrude from the holding surface of the substrate stage 116 (chuck 206) and the first hand 202 is positioned at the recovery location 208 in parallel. That is, in the parallel recovery operation mode, the substrate stage 116 is moved from the end position to the recovery location 208 so that the substrate stage 116 reaches the recovery location 208 with the substrate 115 held by the pins 205.

Figure 11 is a diagram for explaining the substrate recovery operation in the parallel recovery operation mode. First, as shown in Figure 11 (a), during the movement of the substrate stage 116 from the end position 601 to the recovery location 208, the substrate stage 116 is lowered to protrude the pins 205 from the holding surface of the substrate stage 116. Then, as shown in Figure 11 (b), while the substrate 115 is held by the pins 205, the substrate stage 116 is moved to the recovery location 208, and the first hand 202 is moved to the recovery location 208. The movement of the first hand 202 to the recovery location 208 may be performed so that the first hand 202 is placed at the recovery location 208 when the substrate stage 116 reaches the recovery location 208 or before the substrate stage 116 reaches the recovery location 208. When the substrate stage 116 is placed at the collection location 208, the first hand 202 is caused to collect the substrate 115 on the pins 205, and as shown in FIG. 11C, the first hand 202 is retracted (moved) to the retracted position 602. The movement of the first hand 202 to the retracted position 602 may be understood as moving the first hand 202 to transport the substrate 115 to the port 201.

In this way, in the parallel recovery operation mode, while the substrate stage 116 is moving to the recovery location 208, the pins 205 protrude from the holding surface of the substrate stage 116 and the first hand 202 is placed at the recovery location 208 in parallel (parallel). Therefore, the time from when the substrate stage 116 reaches the recovery location 208 until the first hand 202 recovers the substrate 115 on the pins 205 is shorter in the parallel recovery operation mode than in the sequential recovery operation mode. However, in the sequential recovery operation mode, the holding area of the substrate 115 during the movement of the substrate stage 116 is larger than in the parallel recovery operation mode. Therefore, in the sequential recovery operation mode, at least one of the maximum speed and maximum acceleration during the movement of the substrate stage 116 is set to be larger than in the parallel recovery operation mode. Therefore, depending on the end position, which may differ for each substrate (lot), the time required for the substrate recovery operation (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the recovery operation time) may be shorter in the sequential recovery operation mode or may be shorter in the parallel recovery operation mode.

Therefore, the main control unit 103 of this embodiment estimates the recovery operation time for each recovery operation mode based on the layout information (information indicating the end position), and controls the substrate recovery operation by a recovery operation mode selected from the multiple recovery operation modes according to the recovery operation time. For example, the main control unit 103 may control the substrate recovery operation by a recovery operation mode having a short (preferably the shortest) recovery operation time among the multiple recovery operation modes. In addition, the main control unit 103 may control the substrate recovery operation by a recovery operation mode having a short (preferably the shortest) recovery operation time among the multiple recovery operation modes, in which interference between the substrate stage 116 and the first hand 202 is avoided. Here, the recovery operation time is defined as the time from the end of substrate processing on the substrate 115 to the completion of recovery of the substrate 115 on the substrate stage 116 (specifically, on the pins 205) by the first hand 202.

Figure 12 shows a flowchart of the substrate recovery operation of this embodiment. The flowchart in Figure 12 can be executed by the main control unit 103.

In step S501, the main control unit 103 acquires layout information for the substrate 115 (lot). Next, in step S502, the main control unit 103 acquires sequence information for the substrate 115 (lot). Steps S501 to S502 are similar to steps S101 to S102 in the flowchart of FIG. 5 described above, and therefore detailed explanations will be omitted here. Also, if the layout information and sequence information have already been acquired in steps S101 to S102, steps S501 to S502 may be omitted.

In step S503, the main controller 103 identifies the area of the substrate 115 where substrate processing is to be performed last, based on the layout information acquired in step S501 and the sequence information acquired in step S502. Information indicating the area identified in step S503 is used when determining (selecting) the recovery operation mode. Next, in step S504, the main controller 103 determines an end position based on the identification result in step S503. As described above, the end position is the position (step position) of the substrate stage 116 when substrate processing (exposure processing or measurement processing) for the substrate 115 is completed. Information indicating the end position determined in step S504 is used when determining (selecting) the recovery operation mode.

In step S505, the main control unit 103 acquires drive profile information of the substrate stage 116 for each of the multiple retrieval operation modes. The drive profile information may include at least one profile of the speed, acceleration, and jerk time (jerk) of the substrate stage 116. As described above, the drive profile information for each retrieval operation mode is set so that at least one of the maximum speed and maximum acceleration during movement of the substrate stage 116 is greater in the sequential retrieval operation mode than in the parallel retrieval operation mode.

In step S506, the main control unit 103 acquires interference relationship information of the unit. For example, the substrate stage 116 is provided with a reflector 209 (mirror bar) in addition to the pins 205 protruding from the holding surface. In particular, the pins 205 and the reflector 209 may interfere with the first hand 202 during substrate retrieval operation in the parallel retrieval operation mode. The interference relationship information of the unit is information indicating a predetermined positional relationship (hereinafter sometimes referred to as an interference relationship) in which the substrate stage 116 (pins 205, reflector 209, etc.) may interfere with the first hand 202 during substrate retrieval operation in the parallel retrieval operation mode.

The interference relationship in the substrate recovery operation in the parallel recovery operation mode will be described with reference to FIG. 13. FIG. 13 shows an example of the interference relationship between the substrate stage 116 and the first hand 202 in the substrate recovery operation in the parallel recovery operation mode. In the transport unit 130 of this embodiment, the first hand 202 is configured to move in the X and Y directions, and the area indicated by diagonal lines in FIG. 13 is the non-interference area 401 between the substrate stage 116 and the first hand 202. To give a specific example, if the end position determined in step S504 is inside the non-interference area 401, there is no possibility that the substrate stage 116 and the first hand 202 will interfere with each other even if the substrate recovery operation is performed in the parallel recovery operation mode. On the other hand, if the end position determined in step S504 is outside the non-interference area 401, there is a possibility that the substrate stage 116 and the first hand 202 will interfere with each other when the substrate recovery operation is performed in the parallel recovery operation mode. In other words, the non-interference region 401 may be understood as the range of end positions in which interference between the substrate stage 116 and the first hand 202 can be avoided during the substrate retrieval operation in the parallel retrieval operation mode. The non-interference region 401 can be set in advance by experiments, simulations, etc.

In step S507, the main control unit 103 determines whether the end position determined in step S504 is outside the non-interference area 401 based on the interference relationship information acquired in step S506. If the end position is not outside the non-interference area 401, that is, if the end position is inside the non-interference area 401, there is no possibility that the substrate stage 116 and the first hand 202 will interfere with each other even if the substrate retrieval operation is performed in the parallel retrieval operation mode. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S508, where the main control unit 103 controls (executes) the substrate retrieval operation in the parallel retrieval operation mode. On the other hand, if the end position is outside the non-interference area 401, the process proceeds to step S509. Note that the determination in step S507 may also be made based on the drive profile information acquired in step S505.

In step S509, the main control unit 103 determines whether the interference between the substrate stage 116 and the first hand 202 is resolved in the substrate retrieval operation in the parallel retrieval operation mode. For example, when the substrate stage 116 moves from the end position to the retrieval location 208 through a via position set inside the non-interference area 401, the substrate stage 116 and the first hand 202 do not interfere with each other even when the substrate retrieval operation in the parallel retrieval operation mode is performed. That is, by setting the via position of the substrate stage 116 inside the non-interference area 401, the interference between the substrate stage 116 and the first hand 202 in the substrate retrieval operation in the parallel retrieval operation mode can be resolved. However, the via position can be set to satisfy the constraint that the distance between the via position and the end position (e.g., the distance in the X direction) is shorter than the distance between the retrieval location 208 and the via position (e.g., the distance in the Y direction). If the via position is set inside the non-interference area 401 so as not to satisfy this constraint, the movement path of the substrate stage 116 will be significantly extended. The via position may be set, for example, so that the coordinate in the Y direction is the same as the end position, in other words, so that it is located on a line extending from the end position in the X direction. Therefore, the main control unit 103 determines whether or not it is possible to set the via position inside the non-interference area 401 so as to satisfy the constraint. If the via position cannot be set, it is not possible to resolve the interference relationship in the substrate retrieval operation in the parallel retrieval operation mode. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S510, where the main control unit 103 controls (executes) the substrate retrieval operation in the sequential retrieval operation mode. On the other hand, if the via position can be set, it is possible to resolve the interference relationship in the substrate retrieval operation in the parallel retrieval operation mode, so the process proceeds to step S511.

In step S511, the main control unit 103 estimates (calculates) the retrieval operation time, which is the time required for the substrate retrieval operation, for each of the sequential retrieval operation mode and the parallel retrieval operation mode. For the parallel retrieval operation mode, the retrieval operation time is estimated when passing through a route position set inside the non-interference area 401 so as to satisfy the constraint condition. The method of estimating the retrieval operation time will be described in detail later.

In step S512, the main control unit 103 compares the recovery operation time estimated in step S511 between the sequential recovery operation mode and the parallel recovery operation mode. Then, the sequential recovery operation mode or the parallel recovery operation mode, whichever has the shorter recovery operation time, is selected, and the substrate recovery operation is controlled (executed) by the selected recovery operation mode. Specifically, if the parallel recovery operation mode has a shorter recovery operation time than the sequential recovery operation mode, the process proceeds to step S513, where the main control unit 103 controls (executes) the substrate recovery operation by the parallel recovery operation mode. On the other hand, if the sequential recovery operation mode has a shorter recovery operation time than the parallel recovery operation mode, the process proceeds to step S514, where the main control unit 103 controls (executes) the substrate recovery operation by the sequential recovery operation mode.

[Method of estimating collection operation time]
The method of estimating the collection operation time in step S511 will be described below. Fig. 14 is a flowchart showing the method of estimating the collection operation time. The flowchart in Fig. 14 can be executed by the main control unit 103. In the flowchart in Fig. 14, steps S601 to S607 show the process of estimating the collection operation time for the parallel collection operation mode, and steps S608 to S611 show the process of estimating the collection operation time for the sequential collection operation mode. Note that steps S601 to S607 and steps S608 to S611 can be performed in parallel, but may also be performed in order.

First, the process (S601 to S607) of estimating the recovery operation time for the parallel recovery operation mode will be described. In step S601, the main control unit 103 calculates the time A2 required for the substrate stage 116 to move from the end position to the intermediate position. As described above, the intermediate position is set inside the non-interference area 401 so as to satisfy the constraint condition. In addition, in step S602, the main control unit 103 calculates the time B2 required for the substrate stage 116 to move from the intermediate position to the recovery location 208. The calculation of the time A2 in step S601 and the calculation of the time B2 in step S602 are performed based on the drive profile information of the parallel recovery operation mode acquired in step S505. Next, in step S603, the main control unit 103 calculates the time C2 required for the first hand 202 to move to the recovery location 208. Time C2 may be understood as the time required for the first hand 202 to move from the retracted position 602 to the recovery location 208, and may also include the time required for the first hand 202 to recover the substrate 115 from the pins 205 of the substrate stage 116.

In step S604, the main control unit 103 compares time B2 with time C2. If time B2 is equal to or greater than time C2 (B2≧C2), the process proceeds to step S605, where the main control unit 103 estimates (calculates) the total time (A2+B2) of time A2 and time B2 as the recovery operation time in the parallel recovery operation mode. On the other hand, if time B2 is less than time C2 (B2<C2), the process proceeds to step S606, where the main control unit 103 estimates (calculates) the total time (A2+C2) of time A2 and time C2 as the recovery operation time in the parallel recovery operation mode. Next, in step S607, the main control unit 103 stores the total time estimated in step S605 or S606 as the recovery operation time in the parallel recovery operation mode.

Here, the movement of the first hand 202 to the recovery location 208 is performed in parallel with the movement of the substrate stage 116 from the via position to the recovery location 208. In this case, depending on the via position, the time B2 required for the substrate stage 116 to move from the via position to the recovery location 208 may be longer than the time C2 required for the first hand 202 to move to the recovery location 208, or vice versa. Therefore, the recovery operation time in the parallel recovery operation mode can be estimated by calculating the times B2 and C2, respectively, and adding the longer of the times B2 and C2 to the time A2 required for the substrate stage 116 to move from the end position to the via position.

Next, the steps (S608 to S611) of estimating the recovery operation time for the sequential recovery operation mode will be described. In step S608, the main control unit 103 calculates the time D2 required for the substrate stage 116 to move from the end position to the recovery location 208. In addition, in step S609, the main control unit 103 calculates the time E2 required for the pins 205 to protrude from the substrate stage 116 and for the first hand 202 to be positioned at the recovery location 208 and for the first hand 202 to recover the substrate 115 on the pins 205.

In step S610, the main control unit 103 estimates (calculates) the total time (D2+E2) of time D2 and time E2 as the recovery operation time of the sequential recovery operation mode. In the sequential recovery operation mode, the movement of the substrate stage 116 from the end position to the recovery location 208, the projection of the pins 205 from the holding surface of the substrate stage 116, and the recovery of the substrate 115 on the pins 205 by the first hand 202 are performed in that order. Therefore, the total time of time D2 and time E2 can be estimated as the recovery operation time of the sequential recovery operation mode. Next, in step S611, the main control unit 103 stores the total time estimated in step S610 as the recovery operation time of the sequential recovery operation mode.

[Substrate removal operation in sequential recovery operation mode]
The substrate unloading operation (substrate recovering operation) in the sequential recovery operation mode in step S514 will be described below. Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing the substrate unloading operation (substrate recovering operation) in the sequential recovery operation mode. The flowchart in Fig. 15 can be executed by the main control unit 103.

Once substrate processing of the substrate 115 is complete, in step S701, the substrate stage 116 is moved from the end position to the recovery location 208. The movement of the substrate stage 116 from the end position to the recovery location 208 is performed with the substrate 115 being held by the holding surface of the substrate stage 116 (chuck 206). Once the substrate stage 116 reaches the recovery location 208, in step S702, the holding of the substrate 115 is switched from the holding surface of the substrate stage 116 (chuck 206) to the holding of the substrate 115 by the pins 205. Then, in step S703, the substrate stage 116 is lowered (driven in the -Z direction) to cause the pins 205 to protrude from the holding surface of the substrate stage 116. When the pins 205 finish protruding from the holding surface of the substrate stage 116, in step S704, the first hand 202 is moved to the recovery location 208, and in step S705, the first hand 202 recovers the substrate 115 on the pins 205. Then, in step S706, the first hand 202 transports the substrate 115 to the port 201.

In this way, in the sequential recovery operation mode, the substrate stage 116 is moved with the substrate 115 held by the holding surface of the substrate stage 116 (chuck 206), rather than by the pins 205 as in the parallel recovery operation mode. As a result, in the sequential recovery operation mode, at least one of the maximum speed and maximum acceleration during the movement of the substrate stage 116 can be increased compared to the parallel recovery operation mode.

[Substrate unloading operation in parallel recovery operation mode]
The substrate unloading operation (substrate recovering operation) in the parallel recovery operation mode in step S513 will be described below. Fig. 16 is a flowchart showing the substrate unloading operation (substrate recovering operation) in the parallel recovery operation mode. The flowchart in Fig. 16 can be executed by the main control unit 103.

When substrate processing of the substrate 115 is completed, in step S801, the substrate stage 116 is moved from the end position to an intermediate position within the non-interference area 401. The movement of the substrate stage 116 from the end position to the intermediate position is performed with the substrate 115 being held by the holding surface of the substrate stage 116. When the substrate stage 116 reaches the intermediate position, in step S802, the holding of the substrate 115 by the holding surface of the substrate stage 116 (chuck 206) is switched to holding the substrate 115 by the pins 205. As a result, the substrate 115 is held by the pins 205.

In step S803, the movement of the substrate stage 116 from the via position to the recovery location 208 is started. Also, while the substrate stage 116 is moving from the via position to the recovery location 208, steps S804 to S805 are performed in parallel. In step S804, the substrate stage 116 is lowered (driven in the -Z direction) to raise the pins 205 and cause the pins 205 to protrude from the holding surface of the substrate stage 116. The protrusion of the pins 205 from the holding surface of the substrate stage 116 is performed so as to be completed before the substrate stage 116 is placed at the recovery location 208. In step S805, the first hand 202 is moved (driven in the +Y direction) to place the first hand 202 at the recovery location 208. Next, when the substrate stage 116 reaches the recovery location 208, in step S806, the substrate 115 on the pins 205 is recovered by the first hand 202. Then, in step S807, the first hand 202 transports the substrate 115 to the port 201.

As described above, the main control unit 103 of this embodiment estimates the recovery operation time for each recovery operation mode based on the layout information (information indicating the end position), and controls the substrate recovery operation using a recovery operation mode selected from multiple recovery operation modes according to the recovery operation time. This makes it possible to control the substrate recovery operation in the exposure apparatus 100 (substrate processing apparatus) so as to improve throughput.

<Embodiment of an article manufacturing method>
The article manufacturing method according to the embodiment of the present invention is suitable for manufacturing articles such as microdevices such as semiconductor devices and elements having a microstructure. The article manufacturing method according to the present embodiment includes a processing step of processing a substrate and a manufacturing step of manufacturing an article from the substrate processed in the processing step. In the processing step, the substrate is processed using the above-mentioned substrate processing apparatus or by controlling the substrate processing apparatus by the above-mentioned control method. Furthermore, the article manufacturing method includes other well-known steps (oxidation, film formation, deposition, doping, planarization, etching, resist stripping, dicing, bonding, packaging, etc.). The article manufacturing method according to the present embodiment is advantageous in at least one of the performance, quality, productivity, and production cost of the article compared to conventional methods.

Summary of the embodiment
The disclosure of the present specification includes at least the following substrate processing apparatus, control method, and article manufacturing method.
(Item 1)
a stage that holds and moves the substrate;
a recovery hand that recovers the substrate from the stage;
a control unit that controls a substrate recovery operation to move the stage to a recovery location after the processing of the substrate is completed and to recover the substrate on the stage by the recovery hand;
Equipped with
A plurality of retrieval operation modes are provided for the substrate retrieval operation,
The control unit estimates the time required for the substrate recovery operation as a recovery operation time for each recovery operation mode based on information indicating an end position, which is the position of the stage at the end of the processing, and controls the substrate recovery operation according to a recovery operation mode selected from the multiple recovery operation modes in accordance with the recovery operation time.
(Item 2)
the stage includes a holding surface that holds the substrate, and pins that protrude from the holding surface and hold the substrate;
the plurality of retrieval operation modes include a first retrieval operation mode in which the stage is moved to the retrieval location with the substrate held by the holding surface, and a second retrieval operation mode in which the stage is moved to the retrieval location with the substrate held by the pins,
2. The substrate processing apparatus according to item 1, wherein at least one of a maximum speed and a maximum acceleration during movement of the stage is greater in the first retrieval operation mode than in the second retrieval operation mode.
(Item 3)
the first retrieval operation mode is a mode in which, after the stage reaches the retrieval location, the pin is protruded from the holding surface and the retrieval hand is placed at the retrieval location in sequence;
The substrate processing apparatus according to item 2, characterized in that the second retrieval operation mode is a mode in which, while the stage is moving to the retrieval location, the pins are protruding from the holding surface and the retrieval hand is positioned at the retrieval location in parallel.
(Item 4)
4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the substrate retrieval operation in a retrieval operation mode having a short retrieval operation time among the plurality of retrieval operation modes.
(Item 5)
The substrate processing apparatus described in any one of items 1 to 3, characterized in that the control unit controls the substrate retrieval operation using a retrieval operation mode among the multiple retrieval operation modes in which interference between the stage and the retrieval hand is avoided and the retrieval operation time is short.
(Item 6)
the substrate has a plurality of regions in which the processing is respectively performed;
6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines the end position based on information indicating an order of the processing for the plurality of regions.
(Item 7)
7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the retrieval operation time is a time from when the processing ends to when retrieval of the substrate on the stage by the retrieval hand is completed.
(Item 8)
a supply hand for supplying the substrate onto the stage,
the control unit further controls a substrate supply operation to move the stage to a start position where the processing on the substrate is started after the substrate is supplied onto the stage disposed at a supply location by the supply hand,
A plurality of supply operation modes are provided for the substrate supply operation,
The control unit estimates the time required for the substrate supply operation as a supply operation time for each supply operation mode based on information indicating the start position, and controls the substrate supply operation according to a supply operation mode selected from the plurality of supply operation modes according to the supply operation time.
(Item 9)
a stage that holds and moves the substrate;
a supply hand for supplying the substrate onto the stage;
a control unit that controls a substrate supply operation in which the supply hand supplies the substrate onto the stage disposed at a supply location, and then the stage moves to a start position where processing of the substrate is started;
Equipped with
A plurality of supply operation modes are provided for the substrate supply operation,
The control unit estimates the time required for the substrate supply operation as a supply operation time for each supply operation mode based on information indicating the start position, and controls the substrate supply operation using a supply operation mode selected from the multiple supply operation modes in accordance with the supply operation time.
(Item 10)
the stage includes a holding surface that holds the substrate, and pins that protrude from the holding surface and hold the substrate;
the plurality of supply operation modes include a first supply operation mode in which the stage is moved from the supply location while the substrate is held by the holding surface, and a second supply operation mode in which the stage is moved from the supply location while the substrate is held by the pins,
10. The substrate processing apparatus according to item 8 or 9, wherein at least one of a maximum speed and a maximum acceleration during movement of the stage is greater in the first supply operation mode than in the second supply operation mode.
(Item 11)
the first supply operation mode is a mode in which, after the substrate is supplied onto the pins by the supply hand, the supply hand is withdrawn, the pins are lowered into the stage, and the stage is moved from the supply location in this order;
The substrate processing apparatus described in item 10, characterized in that the second supply operation mode is a mode in which, after the supply hand supplies the substrate onto the pins, the supply hand is retracted, the pins are lowered into the stage, and the stage is moved from the supply location in parallel.
(Item 12)
12. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of items 8 to 11, wherein the control unit controls the substrate supply operation in a supply operation mode having a short supply operation time among the plurality of supply operation modes.
(Item 13)
The substrate processing apparatus described in any one of items 8 to 11, characterized in that the control unit controls the substrate supply operation using a supply operation mode among the multiple supply operation modes in which interference between the stage and the supply hand is avoided and the supply operation time is short.
(Item 14)
the substrate has a plurality of regions in which the processing is respectively performed;
14. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the control unit determines the start position based on information indicating an order of the processing for the plurality of regions.
(Item 15)
15. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of items 8 to 14, wherein the supply operation time is the time from when the substrate is supplied onto the stage by the supply hand to when the stage is positioned at the start position.
(Item 16)
1. A method for controlling a substrate processing apparatus including a stage that holds and moves a substrate, and a recovery hand that recovers the substrate from the stage, comprising the steps of:
a control step of controlling a substrate recovery operation in which the stage is moved to a recovery location after the processing of the substrate is completed, and the substrate on the stage is recovered by the recovery hand;
A plurality of retrieval operation modes are provided for the substrate retrieval operation,
The control method is characterized in that, in the control step, a time required for the substrate retrieval operation is estimated as a retrieval operation time for each retrieval operation mode based on information indicating an end position, which is the position of the stage at the end of the processing, and the substrate retrieval operation is controlled by a retrieval operation mode selected from the plurality of retrieval operation modes in accordance with the retrieval operation time.
(Item 17)
1. A method for controlling a substrate processing apparatus including a stage that holds and moves a substrate, and a supply hand that supplies the substrate onto the stage, comprising the steps of:
a control step of controlling a substrate supply operation in which, after the substrate is supplied by the supply hand onto the stage disposed at a supply location, the stage is moved to a start position where a process for the substrate is started;
A plurality of supply operation modes are provided for the substrate supply operation,
The control method is characterized in that, in the control process, a time required for the substrate supply operation is estimated as a supply operation time for each supply operation mode based on information indicating the start position, and the substrate supply operation is controlled by a supply operation mode selected from the plurality of supply operation modes in accordance with the supply operation time.
(Item 18)
A processing step of processing a substrate by controlling a substrate processing apparatus using the control method according to item 16 or 17;
a manufacturing process for producing an article from the substrate processed in the processing process;
A method for manufacturing an article, comprising:

The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the following claims are appended to disclose the scope of the invention.

103: Main control unit, 115: Substrate, 116: Substrate stage, 202: First hand (collection hand), 203: Second hand (supply hand), 205: Pin, 206: Chuck, 207: Supply location, 208: Collection location

Claims (18)

a stage that holds and moves the substrate;
a recovery hand that recovers the substrate from the stage;
a control unit that controls a substrate recovery operation to move the stage to a recovery location after the processing of the substrate is completed and to recover the substrate on the stage by the recovery hand;
Equipped with
A plurality of retrieval operation modes are provided for the substrate retrieval operation,
The control unit estimates the time required for the substrate recovery operation as a recovery operation time for each recovery operation mode based on information indicating an end position, which is the position of the stage at the end of the processing, and controls the substrate recovery operation according to a recovery operation mode selected from the multiple recovery operation modes in accordance with the recovery operation time. the stage includes a holding surface that holds the substrate, and pins that protrude from the holding surface and hold the substrate;
the plurality of retrieval operation modes include a first retrieval operation mode in which the stage is moved to the retrieval location with the substrate held by the holding surface, and a second retrieval operation mode in which the stage is moved to the retrieval location with the substrate held by the pins,
2 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of a maximum speed and a maximum acceleration during movement of the stage is greater in the first retrieval operation mode than in the second retrieval operation mode. the first retrieval operation mode is a mode in which, after the stage reaches the retrieval location, the pin is protruded from the holding surface and the retrieval hand is placed at the retrieval location in sequence;
3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second retrieval operation mode is a mode in which, while the stage is moving to the retrieval location, the pins are protruding from the holding surface and the retrieval hand is positioned at the retrieval location in parallel. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the control unit controls the substrate recovery operation by a recovery operation mode having a short recovery operation time among the plurality of recovery operation modes. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the control unit controls the substrate retrieval operation by a retrieval operation mode among the plurality of retrieval operation modes in which interference between the stage and the retrieval hand is avoided and the retrieval operation time is short. the substrate has a plurality of regions in which the processing is respectively performed;
4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines the end position based on information indicating an order of the processing for the plurality of regions. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the retrieval operation time is the time from the end of the processing to the completion of retrieval of the substrate on the stage by the retrieval hand. a supply hand for supplying the substrate onto the stage,
the control unit further controls a substrate supply operation in which, after the substrate is supplied by the supply hand onto the stage disposed at a supply location, the stage is moved to a start position where the processing on the substrate is started;
A plurality of supply operation modes are provided for the substrate supply operation,
4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit estimates the time required for the substrate supply operation as a supply operation time for each supply operation mode based on information indicating the start position, and controls the substrate supply operation according to a supply operation mode selected from the plurality of supply operation modes according to the supply operation time. a stage that holds and moves the substrate;
a supply hand for supplying the substrate onto the stage;
a control unit that controls a substrate supply operation in which the supply hand supplies the substrate onto the stage disposed at a supply location, and then the stage moves to a start position where processing of the substrate is started;
Equipped with
A plurality of supply operation modes are provided for the substrate supply operation,
The control unit estimates the time required for the substrate supply operation as a supply operation time for each supply operation mode based on information indicating the start position, and controls the substrate supply operation using a supply operation mode selected from the multiple supply operation modes in accordance with the supply operation time. the stage includes a holding surface that holds the substrate, and pins that protrude from the holding surface and hold the substrate;
the plurality of supply operation modes include a first supply operation mode in which the stage is moved from the supply location with the substrate held by the holding surface, and a second supply operation mode in which the stage is moved from the supply location with the substrate held by the pins,
10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein at least one of a maximum speed and a maximum acceleration during movement of the stage is greater in the first supply operation mode than in the second supply operation mode. the first supply operation mode is a mode in which, after the supply hand supplies the substrate onto the pins, the supply hand is withdrawn, the pins are lowered into the stage, and the stage is moved from the supply location in this order;
11. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein the second supply operation mode is a mode in which, after the supply hand supplies the substrate onto the pins, the supply hand is retracted, the pins are lowered into the stage, and the stage is moved from the supply location in parallel. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the control unit controls the substrate supply operation by a supply operation mode having a short supply operation time among the plurality of supply operation modes. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the control unit controls the substrate supply operation by a supply operation mode among the plurality of supply operation modes in which interference between the stage and the supply hand is avoided and the supply operation time is short. the substrate has a plurality of regions in which the processing is respectively performed;
12. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the control unit determines the start position based on information indicating an order of the processing for the plurality of regions. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the supply operation time is the time from when the supply hand supplies the substrate onto the stage to when the stage is positioned at the start position. 1. A method for controlling a substrate processing apparatus including a stage that holds and moves a substrate, and a collection hand that collects the substrate from the stage, comprising:
a control step of controlling a substrate recovery operation in which the stage is moved to a recovery location after the processing of the substrate is completed, and the substrate on the stage is recovered by the recovery hand;
A plurality of retrieval operation modes are provided for the substrate retrieval operation,
The control method is characterized in that, in the control step, a time required for the substrate retrieval operation is estimated as a retrieval operation time for each retrieval operation mode based on information indicating an end position, which is the position of the stage at the end of the processing, and the substrate retrieval operation is controlled by a retrieval operation mode selected from the plurality of retrieval operation modes in accordance with the retrieval operation time. 1. A method for controlling a substrate processing apparatus including a stage that holds and moves a substrate, and a supply hand that supplies the substrate onto the stage, comprising:
a control step of controlling a substrate supply operation in which, after the substrate is supplied by the supply hand onto the stage disposed at a supply location, the stage is moved to a start position where a process for the substrate is started;
A plurality of supply operation modes are provided for the substrate supply operation,
The control method is characterized in that, in the control process, a time required for the substrate supply operation is estimated as a supply operation time for each supply operation mode based on information indicating the start position, and the substrate supply operation is controlled by a supply operation mode selected from the plurality of supply operation modes in accordance with the supply operation time. a processing step of processing a substrate by controlling a substrate processing apparatus using the control method according to claim 16 or 17;
a manufacturing process for producing an article from the substrate processed in the processing process;
A method for manufacturing an article, comprising: