CN1949079B - Coating device and coating method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a coating device and a coating method. When the front end of the substrate G reaches the coating start position, which is a set position near the directly below the resist nozzle (78), the substrate conveyance is stopped and a secondary measurement is performed. For inspection, the distances L _d , L _e to the top and bottom of the substrate G are measured by an optical distance sensor ( 162 ). Then, compare the thickness measurement value D and the floating height measurement value _Hb of the substrate G with their respective set values or reference values "D" and " _Hb ", if the comparison error |"D"-D| |“H _b ”—H _b | are all within the specified allowable range, then it is judged as “normal”, otherwise it is judged as “abnormal”. Thus, the overall coating process time for coating the coating liquid on the substrate to be processed by the non-rotating coating method of the floating transport method is shortened and the height position relationship between the floating table, the substrate, and the nozzle is properly managed, The coating film of the treatment liquid on the substrate is formed into a uniform film thickness.

Description

Coating device and coating method

technical field

The present invention relates to a coating method and a coating device for coating a liquid on a substrate to be processed to form a coating film.

Background technique

In the manufacturing process of a flat panel display (FPD: flat panel display) such as an LCD liquid crystal display, usually in the photolithography process (photolithography process), a long resist nozzle with a groove-shaped ejection port is used to scan, so that the Non-spin coating method for coating a resist solution on a substrate to be processed (glass substrate, etc.).

In this non-rotation coating method, as described in Patent Document 1, the substrate is placed horizontally on a suction-holding type loading table or stage (stage), and the substrate on the stage is combined with a strip-shaped resist. A small gap of about 100 μm is provided between the ejection ports of the nozzles, and the resist liquid is sprayed in a strip while moving the resist nozzle in the scanning direction (generally, a horizontal direction perpendicular to the length direction of the nozzle) above the substrate. Spray onto the substrate in the form of coating. Only by moving the strip-shaped resist nozzle from one end of the substrate to the other at one time, it is possible to form a resist on the substrate with a desired film thickness without the resist liquid dripping outside the substrate. membrane.

In the coating apparatus of the above-mentioned non-rotation method, in order to coat the resist solution on the substrate with a desired film thickness, it is necessary to manage the gap between the nozzle and the substrate in conjunction with a set value. In this gap management, the thickness (board thickness) of the substrate is used as a parameter. In general, the thickness of the substrate is not constant and has deviations within tolerances. For example, the nominal thickness of the glass substrate is 0.7 mm and its tolerance is ±0.03 mm. At this time, the thickness of the glass substrate varies within the range of 0.67 mm to 0.73 mm. If the height of the resist nozzle that ejects the resist liquid is fixed, the variation in plate thickness will cause variation in the above-mentioned gap, resulting in variation in resist film thickness. Therefore, before resist coating, it is necessary to measure the thickness of the substrate in advance, and adjust the height position of the discharge port of the resist nozzle based on the measured value of the thickness so that the above-mentioned gap conforms to the set value. Generally, the following method is used as a method of measuring the thickness of the substrate, that is, the pointer of the dial gauge is pressed from above to the substrate on the stage, and the height position of the upper surface of the substrate is measured according to the value read by the indicator, and then, The thickness of the substrate was obtained by subtracting the height position (known value) of the table top surface from the measured value. Recently, it is also possible to employ a method in which a substrate thickness measuring unit is mounted on a resist nozzle to save a special occupied space or a driving device required for measuring the substrate thickness. In addition, it is also possible to use an optical distance sensor instead of a dial indicator.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-156255

In the above-mentioned non-rotary resist coating apparatus employing a suction-holding table, a subsequent new substrate cannot be loaded onto the table unless the processed substrate is unloaded or removed from the table and the table is completely vacant. Therefore, on the basis of the time required for scanning the resist nozzle (T _c ), add the time required for carrying and loading the unprocessed substrate on the stage (T _in ), and unload the processed substrate from the stage. Furthermore, the time required for one coating process cycle (T _c +T _in +T _out ) is taken out of the time required for carrying out (T _out ), which becomes the operation time (tact time), and there is a problem in shortening the operation time.

Contents of the invention

The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the prior art described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a coating device and a coating method by the floating transport method, which can shorten the time for coating a processing liquid on a substrate in a non-rotational manner. overall processing time.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a coating device and a coating method that can appropriately manage the height relationship between the floating table, the substrate, and the nozzle in the floating transfer method, so that a uniform film can be formed on the substrate. A thick coating film of the treatment liquid is formed.

In order to achieve the above object, the coating apparatus of the present invention includes: a stage having a first floating area for suspending the substrate to be processed by gas pressure; The substrate conveying part of the region; has a nozzle that can be raised and lowered above the first floating region, and sprays the processing liquid from the nozzle in order to apply the processing liquid on the substrate passing through the first floating region a processing liquid supply part; a nozzle lifting part for moving the above-mentioned nozzle up and down; The first measuring part of the floating height.

In addition, in the coating method of the present invention, a carrying-in area for carrying a substrate to be processed onto the above-mentioned stage, a zone for moving the substrate from the upper elongated nozzle to the above-mentioned conveying direction are arranged in a row in the following order along the conveying direction. A coating area where a treatment liquid is supplied to form a coating film on a moving substrate, and a carry-out area for carrying out the above-mentioned substrate after the coating process from the above-mentioned table, wherein the gas blown from the upper surface of the above-mentioned table The pressure suspends the above-mentioned substrate, and a substantially uniform buoyancy force is applied to the above-mentioned substrate in the above-mentioned coating area. The substrate was treated with a liquid, and the thickness of the substrate and the floating height of the substrate relative to the stage were measured.

In the present invention, the substrate is suspended above the table, and on the way through the first floating area (coating area) of the table, the processing liquid sprayed from the elongated nozzle is received, and the coating of the processing liquid is formed on the substrate. membrane. According to the present invention, since the first floating area is clamped, the unloading operation of carrying out the processed substrate out of the table on the downstream side (unloading area) and the unloading operation of carrying a new substrate to be processed next to the table on the upstream side (carrying in area) The loading operation is performed independently or in parallel, so the overall coating processing time can be shortened.

Originally, this non-rotating method of coating processing needs to make the coating gap between the nozzle and the substrate meet the set value, because the substrate is suspended on the stage, and the deviation of the thickness of the substrate and the deviation of the floating height are affected by the coating gap. Furthermore, it is easy to affect the quality of the coating film. In this regard, in the present invention, the coating gap can be properly controlled by measuring the thickness of the substrate and the floating height of the substrate with respect to the stage for the substrate to be coated with the processing liquid in the coating area. Or manage.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, after it is determined that the measured values of the thickness of the substrate and the measured value of the floating height obtained from the first measurement unit are within predetermined ranges, the coating process is performed on the substrate. In this way, the quality of the coated object can be stabilized by the non-rotation coating method of the float transfer type.

In addition, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the nozzle lifting unit includes a nozzle support that supports the nozzle and moves up and down integrally with it, and the first measurement unit includes a nozzle that is provided on the nozzle support for measuring the distance from the stage or the upper surface of the substrate. A first optical distance sensor. At this time, the first optical distance sensor moves up and down the nozzle support body and the nozzle as a whole, and the distance between the nozzle and the stage or the upper surface of the substrate can be obtained from the distance measured from the sensor to the upper surface of the stage or substrate.

In addition, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, after confirming that the measured value of the thickness of the substrate and the measured value of the floating height are respectively within predetermined ranges, in order to form a layer for coating between the discharge port of the nozzle and the upper surface of the substrate, The nozzle is lowered by the nozzle lifting part, and the distance to the upper surface of the substrate is measured by the first optical distance sensor to determine the gap. At this time, the measured value of the substrate thickness and the measured value of the floating height, and the height position of the nozzle from the height position above the stage to obtain the desired coating gap can be calculated and obtained. However, when the gas pressure applied to the substrate from the stage changes, the actual floating height of the substrate may not fluctuate according to the theoretical value. Therefore, immediately before the start of coating, the actual or current substrate height is measured by the first optical distance sensor to confirm whether the coating gap is normal. Accordingly, it is possible to further improve the reliability of the coating process by the float-type non-spin coating method.

In addition, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the coating process, while measuring the distance from the upper surface of the substrate by the first optical distance sensor, the height position of the nozzle is adjusted by changing the nozzle lifting part, and the size of the gap is kept as set. Value. Accordingly, the distance measurement function of the first optical distance sensor can be applied to feedback control for maintaining and managing the gap.

In addition, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a second measurement unit that measures the height position of the nozzle support in order to check the measurement accuracy of the first optical distance sensor. The second measurement unit preferably has a linear scale provided on the nozzle lift mechanism.

In addition, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, before checking the measurement accuracy of the first optical distance sensor, when the nozzle is positioned at a predetermined reference height position by actual measurement using a measuring instrument in advance, the distance recorded by the first optical distance sensor is recorded. The first measurement value obtained by the type distance sensor and the second measurement value obtained by the second measurement unit. Then, when the second measured value is obtained from the second measuring part without using the measuring instrument in the above-mentioned inspection, it is judged whether the measured value obtained from the first optical distance measuring device is consistent or approximate within the allowable range specified by the first measured value. . Preferably, the inspection of the measurement accuracy of the optical distance sensor is performed prior to the measurement process of the substrate by the first measurement unit.

In addition, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a third measurement unit for measuring the distance between the stage and the nozzle independently of the nozzle lifting unit in order to check the mounting position accuracy of the nozzle. Preferably, the third measuring unit has a contact distance sensor installed on the stage side, which measures the distance by contacting the stylus at the lower end of the nozzle, or a second optical sensor which measures the distance by contacting the light beam at the lower end of the nozzle. Preferably, the inspection of the mounting position accuracy of the nozzle is performed prior to the measurement inspection of the substrate by the first measurement unit.

In addition, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first measuring unit has a third optical distance sensor provided on the nozzle support for measuring the thickness of the substrate; An optical distance sensor; and/or a fifth optical distance sensor provided on the stage side for measuring the floating height of the substrate relative to the stage.

In addition, a preferred embodiment of the coating device of the present invention includes: a plurality of outlets for ejecting gas provided in the first floating area of the table; a plurality of suction ports for sucking gas; and a buoyancy control to control the balance between the vertically upward pressure applied from the discharge port and the vertically downward pressure applied through the suction port to the substrate passing through the first floating region. control department.

At this time, it is preferable that the stage has a second floating region for floating the substrate on the upstream side of the first floating region in the conveyance direction. A carrying-in unit for carrying the substrate may be provided in the second floating area. In addition, as a preferred form, the substrate transfer unit transfers the substrate from the second floating area to the first floating area, and temporarily stops the substrate when the coating start position set at the front end of the substrate reaches directly below the nozzle. A measurement unit measures the thickness of the substrate and the floating height of the stage relative to the substrate for the temporarily stopped substrate.

As a preferable aspect, the table has a third floating region for floating the substrate on a downstream side of the first floating region in the conveyance direction. A carry-out unit for carrying out the substrate can be provided in the third floating area.

In addition, according to a preferred mode, the substrate conveying unit preferably includes: a guide rail provided on one or both sides of the table in a manner extending parallel to the moving direction of the substrate; a slider capable of moving along the guide rail; a device for driving the slider to move along the guide rail. a transport drive unit; and a holding unit extending from the slider toward the center of the table and detachably holding side portions of the substrate.

According to the coating apparatus and coating method of the present invention, the above-mentioned structure and function can shorten the overall time of the coating process of coating the processing liquid on the substrate to be processed by the non-rotation method, and at the same time, the non-rotation method of the floating transfer method In the spin coating method, the height positional relationship between the floating stage, the substrate, and the nozzle is appropriately managed, and the coating film of the processing liquid on the substrate can be formed to have a uniform film thickness.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing the configuration of a coating development processing system applicable to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure in the coating image development processing system of this embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing the overall configuration of a resist coating unit and a reduced-pressure drying unit in the coating and developing processing system of the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the resist coating unit in this embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic front view showing the overall configuration of the resist coating unit in this embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an example of an arrangement pattern of ejection ports and suction ports in the stage coating area in the resist coating unit.

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing the structure of the substrate conveyance unit of the resist coating unit.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the structure of the support portion of the substrate conveying portion of the resist coating unit.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a pad portion of the substrate conveying portion of the resist coating unit.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the supporting portion of the substrate conveying portion of the resist coating unit.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a nozzle lift mechanism, a compressed air supply mechanism, and a vacuum supply mechanism of the resist coating unit.

FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing a support structure (nozzle support body) of the resist nozzle and the optical distance measuring unit of the resist coating unit.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of a control system of the resist coating unit.

FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing the main procedures of the gap management function of the present invention in a series of coating operations in the present embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing one stage of the gap management function of this embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a side view showing one stage of the gap management function of this embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing one stage of the gap management function of this embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a side view showing one stage of the gap management function of this embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing one stage of the gap management function of this embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a side view showing one stage of the gap management function of this embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a side view of the coating scan of this embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a side view showing one scene in the coating scan of the present embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a graph showing a determination algorithm in abnormality cause analysis processing in this embodiment.

FIG. 24 is a side view showing three measurement checks in the abnormality cause analysis process of this embodiment.

FIG. 25 is a side view showing the configuration of a modified example of the present embodiment.

FIG. 26 is a side view showing a function obtained in a modified example of the present embodiment.

Label description:

40: Resist coating unit (CT); 75: Nozzle elevating mechanism; 76: Table; 78: Resist nozzle; 84: Substrate transfer unit; 88: Discharge port; 90: Suction port; Liquid supply source; 100: transport drive unit; 102: holding unit; 104: adsorption cushion; 126: floating part of table substrate; 134: nozzle support body; 162: optical distance sensor; 164: linear scale; 166: contact Type distance sensor; 170: controller; 174: optical distance sensor; M1: move-in area; M3: coating area; M5: move-out area.

Detailed ways

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

FIG. 1 shows a coating and developing treatment system as an example of the configuration of a coating method and a coating apparatus applied to the present invention. The coating and development processing system is installed in a clean room, for example, the LCD substrate is used as the substrate to be processed. In the LCD manufacturing process, cleaning, resist coating, pre-baking, developing and post-baking are performed in the photolithography process. of various treatments. Exposure processing is performed in an external exposure apparatus (not shown) provided adjacent to this system.

This coating and development processing system is generally composed of a cassette station (C/S: cassette station) 10, a processing station (P/S: process station) 12, and an interface unit (I/F: interface) 14.

The cassette station (C/S) 10 provided at one end of the system includes: a cassette table 16 capable of placing, for example, a predetermined number of up to four cassettes C accommodating a plurality of substrates G; Also, a transport path 17 provided in parallel to the direction in which the cassettes C are arranged, and a transport mechanism 20 that can move freely on the transport path 17 and access the substrate G with respect to the cassettes C on the table 16 . This transfer mechanism 20 has a device capable of holding the substrate G, such as a transfer arm, which can move on the four axes of X, Y, Z, and θ, and can be connected to the transfer device 38 on the processing station (P/S) 12 side described later. Substrate G is transferred.

For the processing station (P/S) 12, starting from the above-mentioned box station (C/S) 10 side, the cleaning processing part 22, the coating processing part 24, and the development processing part 26 are respectively passed (clamped) in the substrate. The part 23, the liquid medicine supply unit 25 and the partition 27 are sequentially arranged in a row.

The cleaning processing unit 22 includes two scrub cleaning units (SCR) 28 , upper and lower ultraviolet radiation/cooling units (UV/COL) 30 , heating unit (HP) 32 , and cooling unit (COL) 34 .

The coating processing unit 24 includes: a non-rotating resist coating unit (CT) 40, a vacuum drying unit (VD) 42, an upper and lower two-stage adhesion/cooling unit (AD/COL) 46, an upper and lower two-stage Type heating/cooling unit (HP/COL) 48, and heating unit (HP) 50.

The developing processing section 26 includes three developing units (DEV) 52 , two upper and lower two-stage heating/cooling units (HP/COL) 53 , and a heating unit (HP) 55 .

Conveyance road 36,51,58 is arranged on the longitudinal direction of the central part of each processing section 22,24,26, and conveyance device 38,54,60 moves along each conveyance path 36,51,58, to visit in each processing section Each unit of each unit carries out loading/unloading or conveyance of the substrate G. In this system, in each processing unit 22, 24, 26, a liquid processing system unit (SCR, CT, DEV, etc.) is arranged on one side of the transport path 36, 51, 58, and a Heat treatment system unit (HP, COL, etc.).

The interface part (I/F) 14 provided at the other end of the system is provided with an extension (substrate transfer part) 56 and a buffer stage 57 on the side adjacent to the processing station 12, and is provided on the side adjacent to the exposure device. There is a conveying mechanism 59 . The conveyance mechanism 59 can freely move on the conveyance path 19 extending along the Y direction, and not only accesses the substrate G with respect to the buffer table 57, but also communicates with the additional part (substrate transfer part) 56 and the adjacent exposure device. Transfer of substrate G.

Fig. 2 shows the processing sequence in the coating and development processing system. First, in the cassette station (C/S) 10, the transfer mechanism 20 takes out one substrate G from a predetermined cassette C on the stage 16, and transfers it to the cleaning processing section 22 in the processing station (P/S) 12 The conveying device 38 (step S1).

In the cleaning processing section 22, the substrate G is first carried into the ultraviolet irradiation/cooling unit (UV/COL) 30 in order, and dry cleaning by ultraviolet irradiation is performed in the first ultraviolet irradiation unit (UV), It is cooled to a predetermined temperature in the subsequent cooling unit (COL) (step S2). In this ultraviolet cleaning, organic substances on the surface of the substrate are mainly removed.

Next, the substrate G is subjected to a scrub cleaning process in a scrub cleaning unit (SCR) 28 to remove particulate dirt on the surface of the substrate (step S3). After scrubbing, the substrate G is dehydrated by heating in the heating unit (HP) 32 (step S4), and then cooled to a certain substrate temperature in the cooling unit (COL) 34 (step S5). Thereby, the pre-processing of the cleaning processing part 22 is complete|finished, and the board|substrate G is conveyed to the coating processing part 24 via the substrate transfer part 23 by the conveyance device 38.

In the coating processing section 24, the substrate G is first carried into the adhesion/cooling unit (AD/COL) 46 in order, and undergoes hydrophobization treatment (HMDS) in the initial adhesion unit (AD) (step S6) , is cooled to a certain substrate temperature in the subsequent cooling unit (COL) (step S7).

Thereafter, the substrate G is coated with a resist by a non-rotation method in the resist coating unit (CT) 40, and then undergoes drying treatment by reduced pressure in the vacuum drying unit (VD) 42 (step S8).

Next, in order, the substrate G is carried into the heating/cooling unit (HP/COL) 48, and the baking (pre-baking) after coating is carried out in the initial heating unit (HP) (step S9), and subsequently, the cooling unit (COL) is cooled to a certain substrate temperature (step S10). In addition, the heating unit (HP) 50 may also be used for the post-coating baking.

After the above-mentioned coating process, the substrate G is transported to the interface part (I/F) 14 by the transport device 54 of the coating processing part 24 and the transport device 60 of the development processing part 26, and then from the interface part (I/F) 14 is transferred to the exposure device (step S11). In the exposure apparatus, a predetermined circuit pattern is exposed on the resist on the substrate G. As shown in FIG. Then, the substrate G after the pattern exposure process is returned from the exposure apparatus to the interface unit (I/F) 14 . The conveyance mechanism 59 of the interface part (I/F) 14 transfers the board|substrate G acquired from the exposure apparatus to the development processing part 26 of the processing station (P/S) 12 via the attachment part 56 (step S11).

In the development processing section 26, the substrate G is subjected to development processing in any one of the development units (DEV) 52 (step S12), and then, in order, is carried into the heating/cooling unit.

One of the (HP/COL) 53 is post-baked in the first heating unit (HP) (step S13 ), and then cooled to a certain substrate temperature in the cooling unit (COL) (step S14 ). A heating unit (HP) 55 can also be used in this post-bake.

The substrate G that has completed a series of treatments in the developing processing section 26 is sent back to the cassette station (C/S) 10 by the conveying devices 60, 54, 38 in the processing station (P/S) 12, and is sent back to the cassette station (C/S) 10 at the cassette station ( C/S) 10 is accommodated in any one of the cassettes C by the transport mechanism 20 (step S1).

In this coating and development processing system, the present invention can be applied to, for example, the resist coating unit (CT) 40 of the coating processing section 24 . Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to the resist coating unit (CT) 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 26 .

FIG. 3 shows the overall configuration of a resist coating unit (CT) 40 and a vacuum drying unit (VD) 42 according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 3 , resist coating units (CT) 40 and vacuum drying units (VD) 42 are arranged in a row along the X direction on a support table or a support base 70 . A new substrate G to be coated is carried into the resist coating unit (CT) 40 in the direction indicated by the arrow F _A by the transport device 54 ( FIG. 1 ) on the transport path 51 side. The substrate G, which has been coated in the resist coating unit (CT) 40, is guided by the guide rail 72 on the support table 70 and can move along the direction of _X. It is sent to a vacuum drying unit (VD) 42. The substrate G dried in the vacuum drying unit (VD) 42 is retrieved in the direction indicated by arrow F _C by the transport device 54 ( FIG. 1 ) on the transport path 51 side.

The resist coating unit (CT) 40 has a table 76 extending in the X direction, and is configured to convey the substrate G advectively in the same direction on the table 76, and to transfer the substrate G from the elongated resist arranged above the table 76. The etchant nozzle 78 supplies the resist onto the substrate G, thereby forming a resist coating film with a constant thickness on the upper surface of the substrate (surface to be processed) by a non-rotational method. The structure and function of each part in the resist coating unit (CT) 40 will be described in detail later.

The decompression drying unit (VD) 42 has a lower chamber 80 in the shape of a disc or a shallow container opening on the upper surface, and a lid-shaped upper part that can be airtightly sealed or fitted to the upper surface of the lower chamber 80. chamber (not shown). The lower chamber 80 has a substantially quadrangular shape, and a platform 82 on which the substrate G is horizontally placed and supported is provided at the center, and exhaust ports 83 are provided at the four corners of the bottom surface. Each exhaust port 83 communicates with a vacuum pump (not shown) via an exhaust pipe (not shown). With the upper chamber covering the lower chamber 80 , the vacuum pump can depressurize the sealed processing space inside the two chambers to a predetermined vacuum degree.

4 and 5 show a more detailed overall structure inside the resist coating unit (CT) 40 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

In the resist coating unit (CT) 40 of this embodiment, the table 76 is not used as a mounting table for fixing and holding the substrate G as in the prior art, but is used to float the substrate G in the air by air pressure. The substrate floating stage. Then, the rectilinear motion type substrate conveying parts 84 disposed on both sides of the table 76 detachably hold both side edge portions of the substrate G floating on the table 76 so that The substrate G is conveyed.

Specifically, the stage 76 is divided into five regions M ₁ , M ₂ , M ₃ , M ₄ , and M ₅ in its longitudinal direction (X direction) ( FIG. 5 ). The left end region _M1 is a carrying-in region, and a new substrate G to be coated is carried into a predetermined position in the region _M1 . In this carrying-in area _M1 , in order to obtain the substrate G from the transfer arm of the transfer device 54 (FIG. 1) and load it on the stage 76, between the home position below the stage and the reciprocating position above the stage, press A plurality of lift pins 86 capable of moving up and down are provided at predetermined intervals. These lift pins 86 are driven up and down by, for example, a lift pin lift portion 85 ( FIG. 13 ) for loading in which an air cylinder (not shown) is used as a drive source.

This carrying-in area _M1 is a starting area for floating-type substrate conveyance. On the top of the table in this area, in order to float the substrate G at the floating height or floating amount H _a for carrying in, a plurality of The ejection port 88 ejects high-pressure or positive-pressure compressed air. Here, the lifting amount H _a of the substrate G in the carrying-in area _M1 does not need to be highly accurate, and it only needs to be kept within a range of, for example, 100 to 150 μm. In addition, it is preferable that the size of the carrying-in region _M1 is slightly larger than the size of the substrate G in the transfer direction (X direction). Furthermore, in the carrying-in area _M1 , an alignment unit (not shown) for positioning the substrate G on the stage 76 may be provided.

The area _M3 set at the center of the table 76 is a resist supply area or coating area, and when the substrate G passes through the coating area _M3 , it receives the resist liquid supplied from the resist nozzle 78 above. R. The substrate floating amount _Hb in the coating area _M3 defines the distance S (for example, 100 μm) between the lower end (discharge port) of the nozzle 78 and the upper surface of the substrate (surface to be processed). This interval S is an important parameter that affects the film thickness of the resist coating film and the amount of resist consumption, and it is necessary to maintain a certain high accuracy. Thus, on the table surface of the coating area _M3 , in order to make the substrate float with the desired lifting amount _Hb , in the arrangement or distribution pattern shown in FIG. 6, spraying high pressure or positive pressure compression The discharge port 88 for air and the suction port 90 for sucking in air by negative pressure. Then, a vertically upward force generated by compressed air is applied from the ejection port 88 to the portion of the substrate G that passes through the coating area _M3 , and a vertically downward force generated by negative pressure suction is applied from the suction port 90, By controlling the balance of opposing bidirectional forces, the floating amount H _b for coating is maintained at about the set value H _s (such as 50 μm). As for the size of the coating region _M3 in the conveyance direction (X direction), it is sufficient as long as there is room for stably forming the narrow coating interval S directly under the resist nozzle 78 as described above. Generally, it can be It is slightly smaller than the size of the substrate G, for example, about 1/3 to 1/4.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the coating region _M3 , on a straight line C at a certain inclination angle with respect to the substrate conveyance direction (X direction), discharge ports 88 and suction ports 90 are alternately arranged, and between adjacent columns Between, the pitch on the straight line C is provided with an appropriate offset α. According to this layout pattern, not only the mixing density of the ejection port 88 and the suction port 90 is made uniform, thereby making the substrate floating force on the table uniform, but also when the substrate G moves along the conveying direction (X direction), it is not only equal to the The relative time ratio of the ejection port 88 and the suction port 90 is uniform in each part of the substrate, thereby preventing traces or duplication traces of the ejection port 88 or the suction port 90 on the coating film formed on the substrate G. At the entrance of the coating area _M3 , in order to make the front end of the substrate G stably receive a uniform floating force in the direction (Y direction) perpendicular to the conveying direction, it is preferable to increase the number of nozzles arranged in the same direction (straight line J). The density of the outlet 88 and the inlet 90. In addition, in the coating region _M3 , it is preferable to arrange only the discharge port 88 on both side edges (straight line K) of the table 76 in order to prevent the both side edges of the substrate G from drooping.

In the case of the intermediate region _M2 set between the carrying-in region _M1 and the coating region _M3 , it is the floating amount for raising the floating height position of the substrate G from the carrying-in region _M1 during conveyance. H _a changes or migrates to a migration region of the floating amount H _b in the application region _M3 . In this transition region _M4 , the discharge port 88 and the suction port 90 may be arranged mixedly on the upper surface of the stage 76. As shown in FIG. In this case, it is preferable that the density of the suction ports 90 gradually increase along the conveying direction, so that the floating height of the substrate G being conveyed gradually changes from H _a to H _b . Alternatively, in the transition region _M2 , only the discharge port 88 may be provided without the suction port 90 .

The area _M4 adjacent to the downstream side of the coating area _M3 is used to change the floating amount of the substrate G from the coating floating amount _Hb to the carrying out floating amount _Hc (such as 100 ~150 μm) migration region. In this transition area _M4 , the ejection ports 88 and the suction ports 90 may be mixedly arranged on the upper surface of the table 76. In this case, it is preferable that the density of the suction ports 90 gradually decreases along the conveyance direction. Alternatively, a structure may be provided in which only the discharge port 88 is provided without the suction port 90 . In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, similar to the coating area _M3 , in the migration area _M4 , in order to prevent overwriting traces on the resist coating film formed on the substrate G, it is preferable that the suction port 90 (and the ejection ports 88 ) are arranged on a straight line E at a constant inclination angle with respect to the substrate conveyance direction (X direction), and an appropriate offset β is provided in the arrangement pitch between adjacent columns.

The area _M5 at the downstream end (right end) of the table 76 is a carry-out area. The substrate G that has undergone the coating process in the resist coating unit (CT) 40 is transported to the adjacent downstream side by the transport arm 74 ( FIG. 3 ) from a predetermined position or a transport position in the transport area _M5 . Vacuum drying unit (VD) 42 (Fig. 3). In this carry-out area _M5 , a plurality of ejection ports 88 for floating the substrate G by the lift-out amount _Hc for carrying out are provided on the table surface at a constant density, and at the same time, in order to lift the substrate G from the table 76 Unloading and conveying to the transfer arm 74 ( FIG. 3 ), and a plurality of lift pins 92 that can move up and down are provided at predetermined intervals between the original position below the table and the forward position above the table. These lift pins 92 are driven and raised by, for example, an unloading lift pin lift unit 91 ( FIG. 13 ) using an air cylinder (not shown) as a drive source.

The resist nozzle 78 has a length capable of covering the substrate G on the stage 76 from one end to the other end, and is an elongated nozzle extending in the horizontal direction (Y direction) perpendicular to the conveyance direction. The main body is supported up and down on the door-shaped or reverse "コ" (Japanese pseudonym)-shaped nozzle support 130 ( FIG. 11 ) through the vertical linear motion mechanism 132 and the nozzle support 134, and is connected with the resist liquid supply source. 93 (FIG. 13) to the resist solution supply pipe 94 (FIG. 4).

As shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 7, and FIG. 8, the substrate conveying part 84 respectively includes: a pair of guide rails 96 arranged in parallel on the left and right sides of the table 76, mounted on each guide rail 96 and movable in the axial direction (X direction) The slider 98, the transport drive unit 100 that moves the slider 98 linearly on each guide rail 96, and the left and right side edge portions that extend from each slider 98 to the center of the table 76 and detachably hold the substrate G Section 102.

Here, the conveyance drive unit 100 is constituted by a linear drive mechanism such as a linear motor. In addition, the holding parts 102 respectively include: suction cushions 104 bonded to the undersides of the left and right side edge portions of the substrate G by vacuum suction force; The fulcrum is an elastically deformable leaf spring type cushion support portion 106 capable of changing the height position of the front end. The suction cushions 104 are arranged in a row at a constant pitch, and the cushion support portions 106 independently support the suction cushions 104 . Therefore, each suction cushion 104 and the cushion support portion 106 can stably hold the substrate G at independent height positions (even if they are different height positions).

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 , the cushion support part 106 in this embodiment is installed on a plate-shaped cushion lifting member 108 , wherein the plate-shaped cushion lifting member 108 is installed on the slider in a liftable manner. 98 inner side. Cushion pad actuator 109 (FIG. 13) composed of, for example, an air cylinder mounted on slider 98 makes cushion pad elevating member 108 be in the original position (retreat position) lower than the floating height position of base plate G and corresponding to the base plate G. Lifting movement is carried out between the reciprocal position (combined position) of the floating height position of G.

As shown in FIG. 9 , each adsorption cushion 104 is provided with a plurality of suction ports 112 on the upper surface of, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped cushion body 110 made of synthetic rubber. These suction ports 112 can be slot-shaped slots, or spherical or rectangular holes. A belt-shaped vacuum tube 114 made of, for example, synthetic rubber is connected to the suction cushion 104 . The flow paths 116 of these vacuum tubes 114 are respectively connected to vacuum sources of the cushion adsorption control unit 115 ( FIG. 13 ).

As shown in FIG. 4 , as for the holding part 102 , it is preferable that the vacuum absorption cushion 104 and the cushion support part 106 on one side are separated in each group or completely independent. However, as shown in FIG. 10 , the structure may also be such that one row of cushion pad support portions 120 on one side is formed on one leaf spring provided with notches 118 and a row of vacuum suction cushions 104 on one side is arranged thereon. overall structure.

As mentioned above, the compressed air supply mechanism 122 ( FIG. 11 ) for supplying the compressed air supply mechanism 122 ( FIG. 11 ) for supplying buoyancy force generating compressed air to the plurality of ejection ports 88 formed on the upper surface of the table 76 , and utilizes the coating area _M3 on the table 76 . A plurality of suction ports 90 formed mixed with discharge ports 88 inside and a vacuum supply mechanism 124 ( FIG. 11 ) for supplying vacuum pressure thereto make the substrate G suitable for carrying in and out and high-speed transport in the carrying-in area _M1 and the carrying-out area _M5 . In the coating area _M3 , there is a table substrate floating portion for floating the substrate G with a set floating amount H _S suitable for stable and correct resist coating scanning. 126 (Fig. 13).

FIG. 11 shows the configurations of the nozzle lifting mechanism 75 , the compressed air supply mechanism 122 and the vacuum supply mechanism 124 . The nozzle lifting mechanism 75 includes a gate-shaped support 130 erected so as to straddle the coating area _M3 in a horizontal direction (Y direction) perpendicular to the conveyance direction (X direction), and is attached to the gate-shaped support. The vertical linear motion mechanism 132 on 130, and the nozzle support body 134 as the moving body (lifting body) of the vertical linear motion mechanism 132. Here, the driving unit of the linear motion mechanism 132 includes an electric motor 138 , a ball screw 140 , and a guide member 142 . The rotational force of the electric motor 138 is converted into a linear motion in the vertical direction by the ball screw mechanism ( 140 , 142 , 134 ), and the nozzle 78 moves up and down in the vertical direction integrally with the nozzle support 138 of the lifter. According to the rotation amount and rotation stop position of the electric motor 138 , the up-and-down movement amount and height position of the resist nozzle 78 can be arbitrarily controlled. As shown in FIG. 12 , the nozzle support body 134 is formed of, for example, a prism-shaped rigid body, and the resist nozzle 78 is detachably mounted on the lower side or side thereof via a flange or a holder.

The compressed air supply mechanism 122 includes: a plurality of areas divided on the platform 76 are connected to the positive pressure main pipe 144 respectively connected to the discharge port 88, and the compressed air from the compressed air supply source 146, such as the factory force, is sent to these positive pressure main pipes 144. An air supply pipe 148 and a calibrator 150 provided in the middle of the compressed air supply pipe 148 . Vacuum supply mechanism 124 comprises: the negative pressure main pipe 152 that is respectively connected with suction inlet 90 in a plurality of areas divided above platform 76, to these negative pressure main pipes 152, conveys the vacuum tube 156 of the vacuum from vacuum source 154 such as factory force, and set In the middle of the vacuum line 156 is a throttle valve 158 .

In this resist liquid coating unit (CT) 40, in the coating area _M3 of the stage 76, in order to properly manage the gap S between the resist nozzle 78 and the substrate G and the floating of the substrate G, It has a plurality of measuring units or measuring devices for measuring the distance and position of each part which is an important parameter of the coating process from the height H _b .

That is, an optical distance sensor 162 is provided on the support 134 to measure the distance between the table 76 or the substrate G and the nozzle ( FIGS. 4 , 5 , 7 , 11 , and 12 ). The optical distance sensor 162 is installed on the resist nozzle 78 side (preferably on the conveyance upstream side or the carrying-in area _M1 side) so that it can be raised and lowered integrally with the resist nozzle 78, and optically measures the distance from any height to the object directly below. , that is, the distance from the stage 76 or the substrate G. In order to measure the optical distance, the optical sensor 162 includes: a light projecting unit that irradiates a light beam vertically downward; of the photoreceptor. In the configuration example shown in the figure, a pair of optical distance sensors 162 are symmetrically provided in the longitudinal direction (Y direction) of the resist nozzle 78, and the distances from the stage 76 or the substrate G are measured at both left and right ends. , and take the average of the two measured values. The measurement accuracy of the optical distance sensor 162 mainly depends on the mechanical accuracy of the vertical linear motion mechanism 132 and changes with time.

In addition, a linear scale 164 ( FIG. 11 ) is provided between the gate support 130 and the nozzle support 134 in order to check or monitor the measurement accuracy of the optical distance sensor 162 . This linear scale 164 is fixed on the nozzle support by a scale portion 164a extending in the Z direction fixed on the gate-shaped support body 130 and optically reading the scale portion 164a horizontally at a height position corresponding to the nozzle support body 134. The scale reading part 164b on the body 134 constitutes. As long as the gate support 130 is firmly fixed on the ground, the measurement accuracy of the linear distance sensor 164 will hardly be disturbed, and the height position of the nozzle support 134 and even the optical distance sensor 162 can always be accurately measured.

In addition, a contact distance sensor 166 is provided on the table 76 side to check and even detect the mounting position accuracy of the resist nozzle 78 detachably mounted on the nozzle support body 134 ( FIGS. 7 and 11 ). The contact distance sensor 166 is composed of a dial gauge, and vertically presses the stylus on the lower end of the resist nozzle 78 from below to directly measure the distance to the resist nozzle 78, specifically , the height position of the resist nozzle 78 relative to the upper surface of the stage 76 is measured. In the example shown in the figure, a pair of contact distance sensors 166 are arranged on both sides of the table 76, respectively measure the height positions of the left and right ends of the resist nozzle 78, and take the average value of the two measured values.

FIG. 13 shows the main configuration of the control system in the resist coating unit (CT) 40 of this embodiment. Controller 170 is made up of microcomputer (micro computer), and it receives each measurement value from above-mentioned optical distance sensor 162, linear scale (linear scale) 164, contact type distance sensor 166, and each part in the unit, particularly Resist liquid supply source 93, nozzle elevating mechanism 75, stage substrate floating unit 126, conveyance driving unit 100, cushion adsorption control unit 115, cushion actuator 109, lifting pin lifting unit 85 for carrying in, and lifting pin for carrying out Individual actions and overall actions (sequence) of the lift pin lifter 91 and the like are controlled. Wherein, the controller 170 is also connected with a main controller or other external devices that generally control the coating and development processing system as a whole.

Next, the coating processing operation in the resist solution coating unit (CT) 40 of this embodiment will be described. For example, the controller 170 reads and executes a resist coating processing program stored in a storage medium such as an optical disk in a memory, and controls the programmed continuous coating processing operation. In this continuous coating operation, the main procedure related to the gap management function of the present invention is shown in the flowchart of FIG. 14 .

When a new unprocessed substrate G is carried into the carrying area _M1 of the table 76 from the transfer device 54 ( FIG. 1 ), the lift pin 86 receives the substrate G at the reciprocating position. After the transport device 54 exits, the lift pins 86 descend to lower the substrate G to the transport height position, that is, the floating position H _a ( FIG. 5 ). Next, an alignment unit (not shown) is operated to press pressing members (not shown) from four directions on the floating substrate G to position the substrate G on the stage 76 . Immediately after the operation of the calibration unit is completed, the cushion actuator 109 is operated in the substrate transport unit 84 to raise (UP) the suction cushion 104 from the original position (retreat position) to the forward position (connection position). The suction cushion 104 is in a vacuum state before that, and when it comes into contact with the side edge of the floating substrate G, it is immediately bonded by vacuum suction force. After the suction cushion 104 is bonded to the side edge portion of the substrate G, the alignment unit returns the pressing member to a predetermined position.

Next, in the substrate conveyance section 84, the slider 98 is moved linearly at a constant high speed in the conveyance direction (X direction) from the conveyance start position while the side edge portion of the substrate G is held as it is on the holding portion 102. . In this way, the substrate G moves straight in the conveyance direction (X direction) in a floating state on the stage 76. , the substrate conveyance unit 84 stops the substrate conveyance in the first stage (step S ₆ in FIG. 14 ).

At this time, as shown in FIG. 17 , the resist nozzle 78 is on standby at the upper height position Z _a . Here, the nozzle height position Z _a is the lower end of the resist nozzle 78 , that is, the height position of the ejection port with the upper surface of the table 76 as a reference plane, and in the previous measurement inspection (steps S ₁ to S ₅ ), Make sure the Z _a value is within the allowable range. In addition, the measurement accuracy of the optical distance sensor 162 at this time is determined to be within the allowable range at the time of one measurement check (steps S ₁ to S ₅ ).

This primary measurement check (steps S ₁ to S ₅ ) is performed by the method shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 . That is, as shown in FIG. 15 , first, the resist nozzle 78 is lowered from a predetermined upward retreat position to the above-mentioned height position of Z _a . At this time, the controller 170 lowers the nozzle support 134 until the measured value displayed on the linear scale 164 coincides with the absolute reference position Z _C stored in the memory (step S ₁ ). Then, as shown in FIG. 16 , the optical distance sensor 162 is made to measure the distance L _b to the upper surface of the stage 76 (step S ₂ ). On the other hand, the contact sensor 166 on the stage 76 side brings its stylus 166a into contact with the lower end of the resist nozzle 78 to measure the distance _La between the upper surface of the stage 76 and the resist nozzle 78, that is, the nozzle height. Position Z _a (step S ₃ ).

The controller 170 compares the distance measurement value L _b obtained by the optical distance sensor 162 with the comparison reference value L _B stored in the memory (step S ₄ ). Here, the comparison reference value L _B is an optical value corresponding to or associated with the absolute reference value Z _c of the linear scale 164 during the start-up inspection or periodic inspection when the resist coating unit (CT) 40 is assembled or during maintenance. The distance measurement value measured by the formula distance sensor 162. That is, when the height position of the resist nozzle 78 or the distance from the top surface of the stage is compared with a predetermined reference value L _o (for example, 1 mm) by using a tool such as a shim, for example, the value indicated by the linear scale 164 is compared. The measured value of the height position is stored in the memory as the absolute reference position _Zc , and the measured distance value indicated by the optical distance sensor 162 is stored in the memory as the reference value L _B for comparison. Then, during the unit operation, the nozzle support 134 is lowered until the measured value of the linear scale 164 coincides with the absolute reference value Z c as described above, considering that the measurement accuracy of the linear scale 164 is consistent with the absolute reference value Z _c (step S ₁ ).

Therefore, if the optical distance sensor 162 maintains the same measurement accuracy during the above-mentioned start-up inspection or periodic inspection during operation, the distance measurement value L _b is the same as the comparison reference value L _B , and the more the measurement accuracy degrades or decreases, the greater the difference between the two. The comparison error |L _B —L _b | becomes larger. Therefore, if the comparison error |L _B —L _b | is within a certain range (for example, within 5%), the controller 170 judges the measurement accuracy of the optical distance sensor 162 as "normal" (step S ₅ ). However, when the comparison error | L _B - L _b | is not within the above-mentioned allowable range, it is judged that the measurement accuracy of the optical distance sensor 162 is confused or other abnormalities, and the abnormal cause analysis process (step _S5 → _S13) described later is carried out. ).

On the other hand, the controller 170 compares the nozzle-stage distance measurement value L a obtained from the contact distance sensor 166 with the reference value L _o (1 mm ₎ (step S ₄ ). Then, if the comparison error |L _o - L _a | between the two is within a certain allowable range (for example, within 5%), the installation position of the resist nozzle 78 is basically unchanged during the start-up inspection or periodic inspection, that is, the control The device 170 judges it as "normal" (step S ₅ ). However, if the comparison error |L _o - L _a | is not within the above-mentioned allowable range, then the controller 170 judges that the mounting position of the resist nozzle 78 is shifted or other abnormalities occur, and the abnormal cause analysis process (step _S5) described later is performed. →S ₁₃ ).

As described above, when it is judged that the measurement accuracy of the optical distance sensor 162 and the height position of the resist nozzle 78 are both "normal" through one measurement judgment inspection (step _S5 ), the substrate G is immediately stopped at the start of coating. position ( FIG. 17 , step S ₆ ), and then, in order to perform a secondary measurement inspection (steps S ₇ to S ₉ ), the optical distance sensor 162 measures the distances L _d , L _e ( Figure 18). At this time, the optical distance sensor 162 irradiates one or more light beams to the substrate G directly below, and obtains the measurement distances L _d and L _e from the light receiving positions from the reflected light from the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate G, respectively. Based on these measured values L _d and _Le , the controller 170 performs calculations according to the following formulas (1) and (2), thereby obtaining the measured thickness value D and the measured value H _b of the floating height of the substrate G (step _S7 ).

D＝L _e -L _d ...(1)

H _b =L _b -L _e ... (2)

Next, the controller 170 compares the thickness measurement value D and the floating height measurement value H _b of the substrate G obtained above with the set values or reference values "D" and "H _b ", respectively (step S ₈ ). Afterwards, if the comparison errors |“D”—D|, |“H _b ”—H _b | are all within the specified allowable range, the controller 170 judges “normal”, and if it is not within the specified range, then judges “abnormal” (step _S9 ). Here, when it is judged as "abnormal", an alarm output process is performed (steps S ₉ to S ₁₄ ).

In addition, in the coating area M ₃ (especially directly below the nozzle 78), it is very important not only to keep the coating gap S constant, but also to keep the floating height H _b of the substrate G at about the set value "H _b ". It is also very important to maintain the levelness of the substrate G. That is, an optimum value is selected for the floating height setting value " _Hb " to keep the substrate G on the table 76 without risk of being scratched, and to secure the rigidity required to maintain the substrate G in a floating state horizontally (substrate G). floating rigidity). If the actual substrate floating height H _b is greater than the set value “H _b ”, the substrate floating rigidity will decrease, the substrate G will shake up and down, and the levelness will be lost, and coating deviation will easily occur. On the other hand, if the substrate floating height H _b is smaller than the set value “H _b ”, the substrate G being floated and conveyed may easily collide with and adhere to foreign matter such as waste on the table 76 . Therefore, in the secondary measurement inspection, if the measured value _Hb of the floating height is not within the allowable range, the quality of the resist coating process by the non-rotating method of the floating transfer method cannot be guaranteed.

When it is judged as "normal" in the above-mentioned secondary measurement inspection, as shown in FIG. The height position Z _d of the gap S, for example 100 μm) (step S ₁₀ ). The drop amount (Z _a - Z _d ) at this time can be obtained by formula (3).

Z _a —Z _d =L _a —(S+D+H _b )……(3)

On the other hand, the controller 170 causes the optical distance sensor 162 to measure the distance L _f to the upper surface of the substrate G after the nozzle descent is completed. Theoretically, this measured distance L _f must agree with the value of "L _f " calculated by the following formula (4).

「L _f 」＝L _d —(Z _a —Z _d )

＝L _d -L _a +(S+D+H _b )...(4)

However, there may be cases where the measured distance value L _f does not agree with the theoretical value "L _f " for some reason. For example, if the compressed air and/or vacuum pressure fluctuate due to the stage substrate floating portion 126, the floating height _Hb of the substrate G will fluctuate due to the influence. In this case, the theoretical value does not work. Therefore, in the coating process (step S ₁₂ ), it is preferable to use the measured distance value L _f as the actual or current value. In addition, the distance measurement value L _f may be fed back to the nozzle raising and lowering mechanism 75 before the coating process is started, and the coating gap S may be made to match the set value.

In the coating process (step S ₁₂ ), the resist liquid supply source 93 is turned on to start spraying the resist liquid from the resist nozzle 78 onto the upper surface of the substrate G. At this time, it is preferable to spray a small amount of resist liquid to completely fill the gap S between the nozzle outlet and the substrate G, and then start spraying at a normal flow rate. On the other hand, the substrate conveyance of the second stage starts in the substrate conveyance unit 84 . In the second stage, that is, the substrate transfer during coating is carried out at a relatively low constant speed. In this way, in the coating area _M3 , the substrate G is moved at a constant speed in the conveying direction (X direction) in a horizontal posture, and at the same time, the substrate G directly below is sprayed at a constant flow rate by the elongated resist nozzle 78. The resist liquid R is discharged in a strip shape, and as shown in FIG. 21 , a coating film RM of the resist liquid is formed from the front end side toward the rear end side of the substrate G.

During this coating scan, the optical distance sensor 162 measures the distance L _f from the upper surface of the substrate G, and the measured value can be continuously provided to the controller 170 . The controller 170 feeds back the distance measurement value L _f from the optical distance sensor 162 to the nozzle lifting mechanism 75. As shown in FIG. The coating gap S can be maintained within a set value. However, in order to rapidly and minutely displace the height position of the resist nozzle 78 , a piezoelectric device (piezoelectric device) may be provided in the nozzle raising and lowering mechanism 75 .

In the coating region _M3 , when the coating process (step _S12 ) is completed as described above, that is, after the rear end portion of the substrate G passes directly under the resist nozzle 78, the resist liquid supply source 93 is completely fed from The resist nozzle 78 ejects the resist liquid R. At the same time, the nozzle elevating mechanism 75 lifts the resist nozzle 78 vertically upward so as to retreat from the substrate G. As shown in FIG. On the other hand, the board|substrate conveyance part 84 is switched to the board|substrate conveyance of the 3rd stage with a relatively high conveyance speed. Then, when the substrate G reaches the conveyance end position in the carryout area _M5 , the substrate conveyance unit 84 stops the substrate conveyance in the third stage. Then, the cushion suction control unit 115 immediately stops the vacuum supply to the suction cushion 104, and at the same time, the cushion actuator 109 lowers the suction cushion 104 from the reciprocating position (connection position) to the original position (retreat position). , the suction cushions 104 are separated from both side ends of the substrate G. At this time, the cushion suction control unit 115 supplies positive pressure (compressed air) to the suction cushion 104 to accelerate separation from the substrate G. Instead, the lift pins 92 are raised from the original position below the table to a reciprocating position above the table in order to unload the substrate G.

Thereafter, the unloader, that is, the transport arm 74 reaches the unloading area M ₅ , receives the substrate G from the lift pins 92 and transports it to the outside of the table 76 . The substrate transfer unit 84 returns to the carrying-in area M ₁ at high speed immediately after delivering the substrate G to the lift pins 92 . As described above, when the substrate G processed in the carry-out area _M5 is unloaded, a new substrate G to be processed next is loaded in the carry-in area _M1 , arranged and even started to be transported.

Here, the abnormality cause analysis process (step S ₁₃ ) will be described. In this embodiment, as described above, a plurality of distance or position sensors 162, 164, 166 are used for the gap management of the floating conveyance method. The measurement result (normal/abnormal) of each sensor can find the cause of the abnormality by the judgment algorithm (algorithm) in FIG. 23 . In addition, in FIG. 23 , the optical distance sensor 162 is simply referred to as "optical sensor", and the contact distance sensor 166 is simply referred to as "contact sensor".

That is, when the measurement result of the optical distance sensor 162 is "abnormal" and the measurement result of the contact distance sensor 166 is also "abnormal", it is determined that the cause of the table 76 (for example, a positional shift) belongs to it. For example, when the height of the upper surface of table 76 drops by, for example, 10 μm for some reason, the measured values of optical distance sensor 162 and contact distance sensor 166 exceed the respective reference values by 10 μm, and “abnormal” measurement results can be obtained from both. .

When the measurement result of the optical distance sensor 162 is "abnormal" and the measurement result of the contact distance sensor 166 is "normal", it is determined that the installation position or optical performance of the optical distance sensor 162 has a deviation or error.

When the measurement result of the optical distance sensor 162 is "normal" and the measurement result of the contact distance sensor 166 is "abnormal", two reasons may be considered. That is, the case (1) where the mounting position of the contact distance sensor 166 or the gauge function deviates or errors occur, and the case (2) where the mounting position accuracy of the resist nozzle 78 deviates. In order to distinguish these two cases (1) and (2), as shown in FIG. 24 , for example, three measurement checks may be performed. In the three measurement checks, the standard block 172 is set at a standard position such as the upper height position of the table 76 , and the distance L _g to the standard block 172 is measured by the contact distance sensor 166 . If the distance measurement value L _g is normal, then the contact distance sensor 166 itself is not abnormal, and it is judged that the mounting position accuracy of the resist nozzle 78 is deviated, that is, it is judged to belong to (1). However, if there is an abnormality in the distance measurement value _Lg , it is judged that the measurement accuracy of the contact distance sensor 166 is disturbed, that is, the case falls under (2).

In this way, the controller 170 can find out the cause of the abnormality by performing the abnormality cause analysis process (step 13 ) when abnormality is found in one measurement inspection (steps S ₁ to S ₅ ). Then, when the alarm output processing (step S ₁₄ ) is performed, the abnormality cause data and the alarm signal may be transmitted to the main controller together.

As described above, in this embodiment, the carrying-in area M ₁ , the coating area M ₃ , and the carrying-out area M ₅ are respectively provided on the table 76, substrates are sequentially carried into these areas, and the substrate carrying-in operation is performed independently or in parallel in each area. , the resist liquid supply operation, and the substrate unloading operation, so that for one substrate G, the overall operation time can be shortened, making it shorter than the time required for the loading operation of the loading table 76 (T _IN ), compared with the time required for the loading operation of the table G. The time required to complete a round of coating treatment by adding the required transport time (T _c ) from the import area M ₁ to the export area M ₅ on the 76, and the time required to carry out from the export area M ₅ (T _OUT ) _C +T _IN +T _OUT ).

Then, the substrate G is suspended in the air by the pressure of the gas ejected from the ejection port 88 provided on the stage 76, and the suspended substrate G is transported to the stage 76 while passing through the elongated resist nozzle 78. Since the resist coating liquid is supplied onto the substrate G, it is possible to efficiently cope with an increase in the size of the substrate without difficulty.

Then, since the height positional relationship between the stage 76 and the substrate G and the resist nozzle 78 is properly managed, the formation of desired and The reproducibility and reliability of the coating process of the coating resist coating film with a uniform film thickness.

As mentioned above, although the embodiment suitable for this invention was demonstrated, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, Various deformation|transformation is possible within the scope of the technical thought.

For example, as shown in FIG. 25 , the contact distance sensor 166 in the above embodiment may be replaced with an optical distance sensor 174 . The optical distance sensor 174 is installed on one or both sides of the table 76 at a predetermined height directly below the resist nozzle 78 , and optically measures the distance L _i from the lower end of the resist nozzle 78 . At this time, if the height difference or distance between the optical distance sensor 174 and the top of the stage 76 is set as _He (a known value), the distance L _a between the resist nozzle 78 and the top of the stage 76 can be passed by L _i − L _e can be obtained. In order to measure the optical distance, the optical distance sensor 174 includes: a light projecting unit that irradiates a light beam vertically upward, and receives a colliding object from the light beam at a position corresponding to the measurement distance (the lower end of the resist nozzle 78 ). The light receiving part of the reflected light.

And, when the lower optical sensor 174 on the stage side enters the substrate G on the stage 76 and directly below the resist nozzle 78 , as shown in FIG. 26 , it can measure the distance to the substrate G. Therefore, when the thickness D and the floating height _Hb of the substrate G are measured through the secondary measurement inspection (steps S ₆ to S ₉ ), the upper optical distance sensor 162 on the resist nozzle 78 side may measure the distance between the surface of the substrate G and the upper surface of the substrate G. The distance L _d between them, the lower optical distance sensor 174 measures the distance L _j from the lower part of the substrate G. At this time, the floating height _Hb of the substrate G can be obtained by _Hb = _Lj - _He . In addition, the thickness D of the substrate G can be obtained by D = L _b - (L _d + H _b ).

In addition, the upper optical distance sensor 162 and the lower optical distance sensor 174 are provided on the left and right sides. In this configuration, when there is a large difference between the measured values on the left and right sides, it can be determined that the substrate G is abnormally tilted. Thereafter, the coating process operation can be interrupted or terminated by an alarm output.

In the above embodiment, the holding unit 102 of the substrate transfer unit 84 has the vacuum suction type cushion 104 , but in this case, a cushion that mechanically (for example, clamps) the side of the substrate G may be used. Also, various forms and configurations can be adopted for the mechanism (cushion support unit 106, cushion lifter 108, cushion actuator 109) for detachably attaching the cushion 104 to the side of the board G. In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the substrate conveying part 84 supports and conveys both left and right sides of the substrate G, but it may also support only one side of the substrate G and convey the substrate.

The above-mentioned embodiments relate to a resist coating device in a coating and development processing system for manufacturing LCDs, but the present invention can also be applied to any processing device or application that supplies a processing liquid to a substrate to be processed. Therefore, the processing liquid in the present invention may be, for example, a coating liquid for an interlayer insulating material, a dielectric material, a wiring material, or the like, or a developing liquid or a rinse liquid, in addition to a resist liquid. The substrate to be processed in the present invention is not limited to an LCD substrate, and may be other substrates for flat panel displays, semiconductor wafers, CD substrates, glass substrates, photomasks, and printed substrates.

Claims (24)

1. an applying device is characterized in that, comprising:

Having by gaseous tension makes first of processed substrate suspension float the platform in zone;

With the described substrate of float state towards the conveyance direction conveyance of regulation and make it by the described first substrate transferring portion of floating the zone;

Have and liftably be arranged on described first and float the nozzle of top in zone, in order to float coating treating fluid on the described substrate in zone and to spray the treating fluid supply unit of described treating fluid from described nozzle by described first;

Be used to make the nozzle lifting unit of described nozzle lifting moving;

To the described substrate that is about to float the coated described treating fluid in zone described first, measure the thickness of described substrate and the levitation height of described substrate with respect to described first determination part and

In order to check the installation site precision of described nozzle, be independent of described nozzle lifting unit, measure distance the 3rd determination part at interval between described and the described nozzle.

2. applying device as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that:

When the measured value of the measured value of the described substrate thickness of determining to obtain and described levitation height from described first determination part respectively within the limits prescribed after, described substrate is applied processing.

3. applying device as claimed in claim 1 or 2 is characterized in that:

Described nozzle lifting unit comprise support described nozzle and with the nozzle support body of its one lifting moving,

Described first determination part comprises first optical distance sensor, and this first optical distance sensor is installed on the described nozzle support body, be used to measure above this first optical distance sensor and described 's the top or described substrate distance at interval.

4. applying device as claimed in claim 3 is characterized in that:

After the measured value of the thickness measurement value of confirming described substrate and described levitation height is distinguished within the limits prescribed, handle the gap of usefulness and described nozzle is descended in order to form coating at the ejiction opening of described nozzle and between above the described substrate by described nozzle lifting unit, by described first optical distance sensor measure this first optical distance sensor and above the described substrate between distance at interval, to determine described gap.

5. applying device as claimed in claim 4 is characterized in that:

In coating is handled, measure this first optical distance sensor and the distance interval above the described substrate by described first optical distance sensor on one side, change the height and position of adjusting described nozzle by described nozzle lifting unit on one side, be of a size of setting value to keep described gap.

6. applying device as claimed in claim 3 is characterized in that:

Have in order to check the mensuration precision of described first optical distance sensor, measure second determination part of the height and position of described nozzle support body.

7. applying device as claimed in claim 6 is characterized in that:

Described second determination part has the linear scale that is installed on the described nozzle lifting unit.

8. applying device as claimed in claim 6 is characterized in that:

The inspection relevant with the mensuration precision of described first optical distance sensor comprises:

Described nozzle support body is descended, until the measured value of described second determination part demonstration and the step of absolute reference position consistency;

Described first optical distance sensor is measured the step from this first optical distance sensor to the distance above described; With

To whether consistent with the benchmark value or be similar to the step of judging in the allowed band of regulation by the resulting range determination value of described first optical distance sensor,

Described absolute reference position is, before carrying out described inspection, when use in advance measure obtain by described second determination part when utensil is positioned at the altitude datum position of regulation by actual measurement with described nozzle, be stored in the value in the storer,

Described benchmark value is, before carrying out described inspection, when use in advance measure obtain by described first optical distance sensor when utensil is positioned at the altitude datum position of regulation by actual measurement with described nozzle, be stored in the value in the storer.

9. applying device as claimed in claim 6 is characterized in that:

To the inspection of the mensuration precision of described first optical distance sensor, the mensuration of described substrate being carried out prior to described first determination part is handled and is carried out.

10. applying device as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that:

Described the 3rd determination part has the contact range sensor of a side that is arranged on described, and described contact range sensor has contact pilotage, makes described contact pilotage be radiated at the following distance of bringing between described of mensuration and the described nozzle of described nozzle.

11. applying device as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that:

Described the 3rd determination part has second optical sensor of a side that is arranged on described, and the described second optical sensor outgoing beam makes the following end in contact of described light beam and described nozzle measure distance between described and the described nozzle.

12., it is characterized in that as claim 1 or 10 described applying devices:

To the inspection of the installation site precision of described nozzle, the mensuration inspection of described substrate being carried out prior to described first determination part and carrying out.

13. applying device as claimed in claim 1 or 2 is characterized in that:

Described first determination part has the 3rd optical distance sensor that is installed on the described nozzle support body for the thickness of measuring described substrate.

14. applying device as claimed in claim 1 or 2 is characterized in that:

The 4th optical distance sensor that described first determination part has a side that is arranged on described for the thickness of measuring described substrate.

15. applying device as claimed in claim 1 or 2 is characterized in that:

Described first determination part for measure described substrate with respect to described levitation height and the 5th optical distance sensor with side that is arranged on described.

16. applying device as claimed in claim 1 or 2 is characterized in that, comprising:

Be arranged on described first ejiction opening of a plurality of ejection gases that floats in the zone;

Described first float the attraction mouth that mixes a plurality of suction gases of setting in the zone with described ejiction opening; And

Control at the pressure vertically upward that applies from described ejiction opening by the described first described substrate that floats the zone with by the described floating control part of raising that attracts the balance between mouthful pressure vertically downward that applies.

17. applying device as claimed in claim 1 or 2 is characterized in that:

Described described first upstream side that floats the zone on described conveyance direction has makes second of described substrate suspension float the zone.

18. applying device as claimed in claim 17 is characterized in that:

Float described second and to be provided with the portion that moves into that is used for the described substrate of conveyance in the zone,

Described substrate is moved into the described assigned position of moving into portion.

19., it is characterized in that as claim 17 or 18 described applying devices:

Described substrate transferring portion floats the zone from described second and floats the described substrate of regional conveyance to described first, the coating starting position of the leading section on being set in described substrate arrive described nozzle under the time described substrate is temporarily stopped,

Described first determination part is to thickness and described the levitation height with respect to described substrate of the described substrate of described basal lamina determination that temporarily stops.

20. applying device as claimed in claim 1 or 2 is characterized in that:

Described described first downstream side that floats the zone on described conveyance direction has makes the 3rd of described substrate suspension float the zone.

21. applying device as claimed in claim 20 is characterized in that:

Float the described the 3rd and to be provided with the portion that takes out of that is used to take out of described substrate in the zone.

22. applying device as claimed in claim 1 or 2 is characterized in that:

Described substrate transferring portion comprises:

To be parallel to the guide rail that mode that direction that described substrate moves extends is arranged on the one or both sides of platform;

The slider that can move along described guide rail;

Drive the conveyance drive division that described slider moves along described guide rail; And

Extend from the central part of described slider, releasably keep the maintaining part of the side portion of described substrate to described.

23. a coating method is characterized in that:

In platform upper edge conveyance direction, in the following sequence a row ground be provided be used for processed substrate move on the described platform move into the zone, be used for from the strip nozzle of described top to the substrate that moves in described conveyance direction supply with treating fluid with the area of application of forming coated film and be used for the described substrate after the coating processing from described take out of take out of the zone, wherein

Pressure by the gas that sprays above described suspends described substrate, and at described the area of application described substrate is applied and roughly float power uniformly,

In that described substrate is moved into regional conveyance to described conveyance way of taking out of the zone from described, at the described substrate that is about at the coated described treating fluid of described the area of application, measure the thickness and the levitation height of described substrate of described substrate with respect to described,

Measure between described and the described nozzle distance at interval, to check the installation site precision of described nozzle.

24. coating method as claimed in claim 23 is characterized in that:

After the measured value of the measured value of confirming described substrate thickness and described levitation height is distinguished within the limits prescribed, described substrate is applied processing.

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