Coating and developing apparatus and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9417529-B2
Application number	US-201514626295-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 19, 2015
Priority date	Jul 9, 2010
Publication date	Aug 16, 2016
Grant date	Aug 16, 2016

Abstract

In one embodiment, a coating and developing apparatus includes a processing block having two early-stage coating unit blocks, two later-stage coating unit blocks and two developing unit blocks, each unit blocks being vertically stacked on each other, The apparatus has at least two operation modes M 1 and M 2 adapted for abnormality. In mode M 1 the processing module that processed the abnormal substrate in the developing unit blocks is identified, and subsequent substrates are transported to the processing module or modules, of the same type as the identified processing module, other than the identified processing module. In mode M 2, the developing unit block that processed the abnormal substrate is identified, and subsequent substrates are transported to the developing unit block other than the identified developing unit block.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A coating and developing apparatus comprising a carrier block, a processing block and an interface block connectable to an exposure apparatus, said coating and developing apparatus being configured to transfer each substrate, which has been carried by a carrier into the carrier block, to the processing block, form at least two coating films, including a resist film, on the substrate in the processing block, send the substrate to the exposure apparatus via the interface block, develop the substrate after exposure, which has returned via the interface block, in the processing block, and transfer the substrate to the carrier block,
a) wherein the processing block includes:
a first and second coating unit blocks vertically stacked on each other, each of the coating unit blocks including: a plurality of processing modules, including liquid processing modules that each form a coating film necessary for exposure; heating modules that each heat the substrate; and a transport mechanism that moves along a linear transport passage, extending from a carrier block side to an interface block side, to transport the substrate between those processing modules;
a first and second developing unit blocks vertically stacked on each other, each of the developing unit blocks including: a plurality of processing modules, including liquid processing modules that each supply a developing solution; heating modules that each heat the substrate; and
a transport mechanism that moves along a linear transport passage, extending from a carrier block side to an interface block side, to transport the substrate between those processing modules;
b) wherein the coating film includes a resist film;
wherein the processing block further includes:
c) transfer units, each of which is, respectively, provided on the carrier block side of the coating unit blocks and the developing unit blocks, to mediate transferring of the substrate to and from the transport mechanism of the corresponding unit block;
(d) a first transfer mechanism that transfers the substrate to the transfer units such that a plurality of the substrates contained in the carrier are distributed to the transfer units associated with the coating unit blocks, and that returns the substrate from the transfer units associated with the developing unit blocks to the carrier;
(e) a second transfer mechanism that receives the substrates before exposure which have been processed in the processing block, and transfers the substrate after exposure to the developing unit blocks while a plurality of the substrates are distributed to the developing unit blocks;
(f) a post-development inspection module that inspects the substrate after development;
(g) a storage section that stores data on a transfer route along which the substrate, selected as an inspection object, has been transported until the substrate undergoes inspection in the post-development inspection module; and
(h) a selection section that allows a user to select a transport mode from a plurality of transport modes, including first and second transport modes, for responding to after-development abnormalities, wherein each of the transport modes are performed based on the data stored in the storage section when abnormality of the substrate is detected;
wherein the first transport mode is a mode that identifies the processing modules in one of the developing unit blocks that have processed the substrate having the abnormality, and controls operation of the transport mechanism of said one developing unit block such that subsequent substrates are transported to the processing modules other than the identified processing module in said one developing unit block,
wherein the second transport mode is a mode that identifies one of the developing unit block that has processed the substrate having the abnormality, and controls operation of the second transfer mechanism such that subsequent substrates are transported to the developing unit block other than the identified developing unit block.

2. The coating and developing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of transport modes further includes a third transport mode, and wherein the third transport mode identifies the processing modules in one of the developing unit blocks and one of the coating unit blocks that have processed the substrate having the abnormality, and controls operation of the transport mechanisms of said one developing unit block and said one coating unit block such that subsequent substrates are transported to the processing modules other than the identified processing modules.

3. The coating and developing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of transport modes further includes a fourth transport mode, and wherein the fourth transport mode identifies the developing unit block and the coating unit block that have processed the substrate having the abnormality, and controls operation of the first and second transfer mechanisms such that the subsequent substrates are transported to the developing unit block and the coating unit block other than the identified developing unit block and the identified coating unit block.

4. The coating and developing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a post-coating inspection module that inspects the substrate after coated with the resist film and before exposure;
a storage section that stores data on a transfer route along which the substrate, selected as an inspection object, has been transported until the substrate undergoes inspection in the post-coating inspection module; and
a control section that controls transporting of subsequent substrates based on the data stored in the storage section, when abnormality of the substrate is detected,
wherein the control section identifies the processing modules in one of the coating unit blocks that have processed the substrate having the abnormality, and controls operation of the transport mechanism of said one coating unit block such that subsequent substrates are transported to the processing modules other than the identified processing modules in said one coating unit block.

5. The coating and developing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising;
a post-coating inspection module that inspects he substrate after coated with the resist film and before exposure;
a storage section that stores data on a transfer route along which the substrate, selected as an inspection object, has been transported until the substrate undergoes inspection in the post-coating inspection module; and
a control section that controls transporting of subsequent substrates based on the data stored in the storage section, when abnormality of the substrate is detected,
wherein the control section identifies one of the coating unit blocks that has processed the substrate having the abnormality, and controls operation of the first transfer mechanism such that subsequent substrates are transported to the coating unit block other than the identified coating unit block.

6. The coating and developing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
each of the coating unit blocks includes, as the liquid processing modules, coating modules that that each supply a chemical liquid to form a lower antireflection film and coating modules that each supply a developing solution to form a resist film on the lower antireflection film.

7. A coating and developing method that employs a coating and developing apparatus, which includes a carrier block, a processing block and an interface block connectable to an exposure apparatus, said coating and developing apparatus being configured to transfer each substrate, which has been carried by a carrier into the carrier block, to the processing block, form at least two coating films, incl

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Matsuoka Nobuaki
• Miyata Akira
• Hayashi Shinichi
• Enokida Suguru
• Tomita Hiroshi
• Hayakawa Makoto
• Yoshida Tatsuhei

Classifications

• H10P72/0448 Primary

  Apparatus for applying a liquid, a resin, an ink or the like · CPC title

• H10P72/30

  for conveying, e.g. between different workstations · CPC title

• H10P72/0604 Primary

  Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring · CPC title

• G03F7/16 Primary

  Coating processes; Apparatus therefor (applying coatings to base materials in general B05; applying photosensitive compositions to base for photographic purposes G03C1/74) · CPC title

• H01L21/6715

  Electricity · mapped topic