TW201941331A - Reduced-pressure drying apparatus, substrate processing apparatus, and reduced-pressure drying method performing reduced-pressure treatment at a pressure reduction rate closer to a desired pressure reduction rate - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a technique for performing a reduced-pressure treatment in a reduced-pressure drying device at a reduced-pressure speed closer to a desired reduced-pressure speed. The reduced-pressure drying apparatus 1 dries a substrate by accommodating a substrate to which a processing solution is attached and decompressing the inside of the chamber. The reduced-pressure drying device 1 includes a chamber, a reduced-pressure exhaust unit 30, a valve 45 that adjusts the flow rate of the reduced-pressure exhaust, a measurement unit 25 that measures the pressure in the chamber, and a control unit 60. The operation control section 64 of the control section 60 includes an initial opening degree setting section 641 that sets the valve opening degree to the reference opening degree S63 at the starting point of each processing period, and a feedback control section 642 based on the measured pressure value measured by the measuring section 25 S25 performs feedback control including proportional control. The feedback control unit 642 changes the proportional control coefficient based on the target pressure value or the measured pressure value S25 in the first state in which the valve opening degree is greater than the reference opening degree S63.

Description

Vacuum drying device, substrate processing device, and vacuum drying method

The present invention relates to a technique for drying a substrate to which a processing liquid is adhered under reduced pressure.

Previously, substrates for flat panel display (FPD) substrates, glass substrates for photo masks, and color filters have been used in semiconductor wafers, liquid crystal display devices, and organic electroluminescence display devices. In the manufacturing process of substrates for precision electronic devices such as color filter substrates, recording disk substrates, solar cell substrates, and electronic paper substrates, in order to dry the processing liquid applied to the substrates, Decompression drying device. The reduced-pressure drying device includes a chamber for accommodating a substrate, and an exhaust device for exhausting gas in the chamber. A conventional vacuum drying device is described in, for example, Patent Document 1.

When a processing liquid such as a photoresist applied to a substrate is dried to form a thin film, bump abruption may occur if a rapid pressure reduction is performed. Bumping occurs when the solvent component in the photoresist applied to the substrate surface evaporates rapidly. When bumping occurs during the reduced-pressure drying process, a degassing phenomenon is formed in which small bubbles are formed on the surface of the photoresist. Therefore, in the reduced-pressure drying process, it is necessary to reduce the pressure stepwise in the initial stage, instead of rapidly reducing the pressure in the chamber. [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-261379

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In order to periodically change the pressure in the chamber, it is necessary to adjust the decompression speed. In the reduced-pressure drying device described in Patent Document 1, the decompression speed is adjusted by supplying an inert gas into the chamber while exhausting the gas in the chamber during the decompression process. In addition, in order to appropriately adjust the decompression speed, a valve capable of changing the opening degree in multiple stages is provided between the supply source of the inert gas and the chamber.

Further, as another method of adjusting the decompression speed in the chamber, a valve capable of changing the opening degree in multiple stages may be provided between the chamber and the exhaust device to adjust the amount of exhaust gas from the chamber. At this time, the amount of exhaust gas from the chamber can be adjusted in stages without supplying an inert gas into the chamber. In order to perform the decompression process at a desired decompression rate even when adjusting the supply amount of the inert gas and the exhaust amount from the chamber, it is necessary to set the valve to be equal to the decompression process. The opening degree corresponding to the pressing speed. The opening degree may be appropriately determined according to the feedback control including the proportional control, or may be set in advance for each type of the chamber.

However, when the pressure in the chamber is controlled using feedback control, hunting may occur near the atmospheric pressure. On the other hand, when the degree of opening is set in advance, if the degree of vacuum becomes high, it is difficult to accurately predict the evaporation amount of the solvent component of the processing liquid applied to the substrate, so that a desired decompression rate may not be obtained. As described above, in either method, a deviation may occur between a desired decompression speed and a real decompression speed.

The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a reduced-pressure drying device having a valve capable of changing the opening degree in multiple stages, so as to reduce the pressure at a reduced pressure speed closer to a desired reduced pressure speed. Processing technology. [Technical means to solve the problem]

In order to solve the problem, the first invention of the present application is a reduced-pressure drying device for reducing the pressure of a substrate to which a processing liquid is attached. The reduced-pressure drying device includes a chamber that houses the substrate, and a reduced-pressure exhaust. The air part, which performs decompression and exhaust of the chamber; a valve, which is arranged between the chamber and the decompression and exhaust part, and adjusts the flow of the decompression and exhaust by the valve opening degree; the measurement part, Measuring the pressure in the chamber; and a control unit, which is electrically connected to each unit, the control unit includes: an operation control unit that, when performing the reduced-pressure drying process, is based on a target pressure value for each of a plurality of processing periods And the target arrival time to control the valve opening degree, the action control unit includes: an initial opening degree setting unit that sets the valve opening degree to a reference opening degree at a starting point of each processing period; and a feedback control unit, Based on the measured pressure value measured by the measurement unit, the valve opening degree is controlled by feedback control including proportional control, and the feedback control unit is performing control to make the valve opening degree greater than the reference opening degree. First In the 1 state, the proportional control coefficient is changed according to the target pressure value or the measured pressure value.

The second invention of the present application is the reduced-pressure drying device of the first invention, wherein the feedback control unit uses a predetermined reference ratio in a second state in which the valve opening degree is controlled to be smaller than the reference opening degree. The proportional control is performed by controlling the coefficient. In the first state, the proportional control coefficient becomes larger as the target pressure value or the measured pressure value becomes smaller.

A third invention of the present application is the reduced-pressure drying device of the second invention, wherein the control unit is divided into at least three pressure regions from 0 Pa to atmospheric pressure, that is, 100,000 Pa, and the feedback control unit is in the first In the 1 state, when the target pressure value or the measured pressure value is included in the maximum pressure region, the proportional control coefficient is made smaller than the reference proportional control coefficient, and when the target pressure value or the When the measured pressure value is included in the minimum pressure region, the proportional control coefficient is made larger than the reference proportional control coefficient.

The fourth invention of the present application is the reduced-pressure drying device of the first invention, wherein the feedback control unit is in the first state and the second state in which control for making the valve opening degree smaller than the reference opening degree is performed. Of the two, as the target pressure value or the measured pressure value becomes smaller, the proportional control coefficient becomes larger.

The fifth invention of the present application is any one of the first to fourth inventions, wherein the feedback control unit performs the feedback control including the proportional control and the integral control.

The sixth invention of the present application is any one of the first to fourth inventions, wherein the feedback control unit performs the feedback control including the proportional control, integral control, and differential control.

The seventh invention of the present application is any one of the first to sixth inventions of the reduced-pressure drying device, wherein the control unit further includes a target data acquisition unit that acquires the target pressure value and the target pressure including each processing period. The target data of the target arrival time; the basic data acquisition unit acquires, for each of a plurality of the valve opening degrees, a pressure indicating the pressure in the chamber caused by the decompression exhaust and the arrival time to the pressure; Basic data of the relationship; and a reference opening degree determination unit, which determines the reference opening degree based on a comparison between the basic data and the target data.

An eighth invention of the present application is the reduced-pressure drying device of the seventh invention, wherein the reference opening degree determination unit is for each of the processing periods, from the basic data, for each of the valve opening degrees, The second time and the first time are calculated with reference to a first time that is the arrival time of the initial pressure value from the atmospheric pressure to the processing period and a second time that is the time to reach the target pressure value from the atmospheric pressure. Based on the valve opening degree in which the difference is the same as or similar to the target arrival time, the valve opening degree in the execution of the reduced-pressure drying process is determined.

A ninth invention of the present application is the reduced-pressure drying device according to the eighth invention, wherein the reference opening degree determining unit, when the valve opening degree in which the difference coincides with the target arrival time, sets the reference opening degree The valve opening degree whose difference is consistent with the target arrival time is determined as the reference opening degree, and when the valve opening degree where the difference is consistent with the target arrival time is determined, the difference is greater than The valve opening degree of the target arrival time and the difference closest to the target arrival time is determined as the reference opening degree.

The tenth invention of the present application is any one of the first to ninth inventions of the reduced-pressure drying device, wherein the valve adjusts the opening degree by changing the angle of the valve body.

An eleventh invention of the present application is a substrate processing apparatus that applies and develops a resist solution to the substrate, the substrate processing apparatus includes a coating section that applies the resist to the substrate before exposure processing The reduced-pressure drying device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the substrate to which the resist solution is adhered is dried under reduced pressure; and a developing unit is configured to perform the exposure treatment on the substrate. The substrate is subjected to a development process.

The twelfth invention of the present application is a reduced-pressure drying method. The substrate is dried by accommodating a substrate to which a processing solution is attached in a chamber and decompressing the chamber. The reduced-pressure drying method includes: a) a data acquisition process, for one or more processing periods, acquire target data including a target pressure value and a target arrival time, and a reference opening corresponding to the target data; b) a setting process, during the processing period, Starting point, setting a valve opening degree of a valve that regulates a flow of the depressurized exhaust gas from the chamber to the reference opening degree; and c) a control step based on a measurement section after the processing period is started The measured pressure value in the chamber to be measured is subjected to feedback control including proportional control. In the step c), in a first state in which control to make the valve opening degree greater than the reference opening degree is performed, The target pressure value or the measured pressure value changes a proportional control coefficient.

A thirteenth invention of the present application is the reduced-pressure drying method according to the twelfth invention, wherein in the step c), in a second state in which control to make the valve opening degree smaller than the reference opening degree is performed, a predetermined condition is used. The proportional control coefficient is used to perform proportional control. In the first state, as the target pressure value or the measured pressure value becomes smaller, the proportional control coefficient becomes larger.

The fourteenth invention of the present application is the reduced-pressure drying method of the thirteenth invention, wherein in the step c), in the first state, when the target pressure value or the measured pressure value is included in at least three When the pressure region is the largest among the pressure regions, the proportional control coefficient is made smaller than the reference proportional control coefficient, and when the target pressure value or the measured pressure value is included in the minimum pressure region To make the proportional control coefficient larger than the reference proportional control coefficient.

A fifteenth invention of the present application is the reduced-pressure drying method of the twelfth invention, wherein in the step c), the first state and the first step of performing control to make the valve opening degree smaller than the reference opening degree are performed. In both states, the proportional control coefficient becomes larger as the target pressure value or the measured pressure value becomes smaller.

The sixteenth invention of the present application is any one of the twelfth invention to the fifteenth invention, wherein the feedback control including the proportional control and the integral control is performed in the step c).

The seventeenth invention of the present application is any one of the twelfth invention to the fifteenth invention, wherein the feedback control including the proportional control, integral control, and differential control is performed in the step c).

The eighteenth invention of the present application is any one of the twelfth invention to the seventeenth invention, wherein the step a) includes: a1) a learning step for each of a plurality of the valve opening degrees, Acquiring basic data representing the relationship between the pressure in the chamber caused by the decompression exhaust and the time to reach the pressure; a2) a target data acquisition process to acquire the target data; and a3) a reference opening determination process, After the steps a1) and a2), the reference opening degree is determined based on the basic data and the target data.

The nineteenth invention of the present application is the reduced-pressure drying method of the eighteenth invention, wherein the step a3) includes: a31) from the basic data, for each of the valve opening degrees, reference is made to A process of calculating the first time of the initial pressure value as the first time and the time of reaching the target pressure value as the second time; a32) a process of calculating a difference between the second time and the first time A33) a step of determining the reference opening degree based on the valve opening degree in which the difference is the same as or similar to the target arrival time.

The twentieth invention of the present application is the reduced-pressure drying method according to the nineteenth invention, wherein, in the step a33), when there is the valve opening degree in which the difference is consistent with the target arrival time, The valve opening degree in which the difference coincides with the target arrival time is determined as the reference opening degree, and in the case where the valve opening degree in which the difference coincides with the target arrival time does not exist, the difference is The valve opening degree which is greater than the target arrival time and whose difference is closest to the target arrival time is determined as the reference opening degree. [Effect of the invention]

According to the first invention to the twentieth invention of the present application, the valve opening degree at the starting point of each processing period is set as the reference opening degree, and the valve opening degree is feedback-controlled. Then, in the first state in which the valve opening degree is controlled to be larger than the reference opening degree, the proportional control coefficient is changed based on the target pressure value or the measured pressure value. Accordingly, the decompression process can be performed at a decompression speed close to a desired decompression speed.

In particular, according to the second to fourth inventions and the thirteenth to fifteenth inventions of the present application, the weight of the feedback control in the first state is reduced in a relatively large pressure region near the atmospheric pressure. This can suppress the occurrence of oscillation problems. On the other hand, in a relatively small pressure region, the weight of the feedback control in the first state is increased in consideration of evaporation of the solvent. This makes it possible to efficiently suppress a pressure increase due to evaporation of the solvent. Therefore, the pressure reduction process can be performed at a pressure reduction speed closer to the desired pressure reduction speed.

In particular, according to the seventh invention to the ninth invention and the eighteenth invention to the twentieth invention of the present application, a more appropriate reference opening degree can be obtained. Therefore, the pressure reduction process can be performed at a pressure reduction speed closer to the desired pressure reduction speed.

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

<1. First embodiment> <1-1. Configuration of Substrate Processing Apparatus> FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 9 including a reduced-pressure drying apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus 9 according to the present embodiment is an apparatus for applying, exposing, and developing a resist liquid to a rectangular glass substrate G for a liquid crystal display device (hereinafter, referred to as a substrate G). The formation of the substrate G is not limited to a rectangular shape.

The substrate processing apparatus 9 includes a carry-in section 90, a cleaning section 91, a dehydration bake section 92, a coating section 93, a reduced-pressure drying device as a reduced-pressure drying section 1, a pre-bake section 94, The exposure section 95, the developing section 96, the rinsing section 97, the post-bake section 98, and the carry-out section 99 serve as a plurality of processing sections. The processing sections of the substrate processing apparatus 9 are arranged adjacent to each other in the order described above. The substrate G is conveyed to each processing unit by a conveyance mechanism (not shown) as indicated by a dotted arrow in accordance with the progress of processing and in the above-mentioned order.

The carry-in unit 90 carries the substrate G to be processed in the substrate processing apparatus 9 into the substrate processing apparatus 9. The cleaning section 91 cleans the substrate G carried into the carrying section 90, and removes organic pollution, metal pollution, grease, natural oxide films, and the like, including fine particles. The dehydration baking section 92 heats the substrate G and vaporizes the cleaning liquid adhered to the substrate G in the cleaning section 91, thereby drying the substrate G.

The coating section 93 applies a processing liquid to the surface of the substrate G after the drying process is performed by the dehydration baking section 92. The coating unit 93 of the present embodiment applies a photosensitive photoresist liquid (hereinafter, simply referred to as a resist liquid) to the surface of the substrate G. In addition, the reduced-pressure drying device 1 evaporates the solvent of the resist solution applied to the surface of the substrate G under reduced pressure, thereby drying the substrate G. The pre-baking unit 94 is a heat-treating unit that heats the substrate G that has been subjected to the reduced-pressure drying treatment in the reduced-pressure drying device 1 to cure the resist component on the surface of the substrate G. Thereby, a resist film, which is a thin film of the processing liquid, is formed on the surface of the substrate G.

Next, the exposure unit 95 performs an exposure process on the surface of the substrate G on which the resist film is formed. The exposure unit 95 irradiates far ultraviolet rays through a mask on which a circuit pattern is drawn, and transfers the pattern to a resist film. The developing section 96 immerses the substrate G on which the pattern is exposed in the exposure section 95 into a developing solution to perform a developing process.

The rinsing section 97 rinses the substrate G subjected to the development processing in the developing section 96 with a rinsing liquid. Thereby, the progress of the development process is stopped. The post-baking unit 98 heats the substrate G and vaporizes the rinsing liquid adhered to the substrate G in the rinsing unit 97 to dry the substrate G. The substrate G that has been processed in each processing unit of the substrate processing apparatus 9 is transferred to the unloading unit 99. Then, the substrate G is carried out from the carrying-out section 99 to the outside of the substrate processing apparatus 9.

Although the substrate processing apparatus 9 according to the present embodiment includes an exposure unit 95, the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention may omit the exposure unit. In this case, the substrate processing apparatus may be used in combination with a separate exposure apparatus.

<1-2. Configuration of the reduced-pressure drying apparatus> FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the reduced-pressure drying apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control system of the reduced-pressure drying device 1. As described above, the reduced-pressure drying device 1 is a device for drying the substrate G coated with a processing liquid such as a resist liquid under reduced pressure. As shown in FIG. 2, the reduced-pressure drying apparatus 1 includes a chamber 20, an exhaust pump 30, a piping unit 40, an inert gas supply unit 50, a control unit 60, and an input unit 70.

The chamber 20 includes a base portion 21 and a lid portion 22. The base portion 21 is a plate-shaped member that extends substantially horizontally. The lid portion 22 is a covered cylindrical member that covers the upper portion of the base portion 21. The substrate G is housed inside the housing including the base portion 21 and the lid portion 22. A sealing material 221 is provided at a lower end portion of the lid portion 22. As a result, communication between the inside and outside of the cavity 20 at the contact portion between the base portion 21 and the lid portion 22 is blocked.

An exhaust port 23 is provided in the base portion 21. Thereby, the gas in the chamber 20 can be discharged to the outside of the chamber 20 through the exhaust port 23. The chamber 20 of the present embodiment is provided with four exhaust ports 23. Only two of the four exhaust ports 23 are illustrated in FIG. 2. The number of the exhaust ports 23 provided in the chamber 20 may be one to three, or five or more.

A support mechanism 24 is provided inside the chamber 20. The support mechanism 24 includes a support plate 241, a plurality of support pins 242, and a support post 243. The support plate 241 is a plate-shaped member that extends substantially horizontally. The support plate 241 holds a plurality of support pins 242. The plurality of support pins 242 place the substrate G on the upper end thereof, and support the substrate G from the rear surface. The support pins 242 each extend upward from the support plate 241. The plurality of support pins 242 are dispersedly arranged in the horizontal direction. Thereby, the substrate G is stably supported. The support post 243 is a member that supports the support plate 241. The lower end portion of the support post 243 is fixed to the base portion 21.

The chamber 20 is provided with a pressure sensor 25 that measures the pressure in the chamber 20. That is, the pressure sensor 25 is a measurement unit that measures the pressure in the chamber 20. The pressure sensor 25 of the present embodiment is provided in the base portion 21, but the pressure sensor may be provided in a separate pipe 41 or a first common pipe 42 described later of the piping unit 40.

The exhaust pump 30 is a pump that exhausts the gas in the chamber 20. The exhaust pump 30 is connected to the exhaust port 23 of the chamber 20 via a piping portion 40. Accordingly, when the exhaust pump 30 is driven, the gas in the chamber 20 is discharged to the outside of the reduced-pressure drying device 1 through the exhaust port 23 and the piping portion 40. The exhaust pump 30 is a reduced-pressure exhaust unit that performs reduced-pressure exhaust in the chamber 20 by driving at a fixed output. The exhaust speed from the chamber 20 is adjusted by a valve 45 described later.

The piping section 40 includes four individual pipes 41, a first common pipe 42, a second common pipe 43, and two branch pipes 44. The individual pipes 41 each connect an upstream end portion to the exhaust port 23 and a downstream end portion to the first common pipe 42. In the present embodiment, the downstream ends of the two separate pipes 41 are connected to one end of the first common pipe 42, and the downstream ends of the other two separate pipes 41 are connected to the first common pipe 42. The other end.

An end portion on the downstream side of the second common pipe 43 is connected to the exhaust pump 30. The two branch pipes 44 respectively connect the upstream end portion to the pipe of the first common pipe 42 and the downstream end portion to the upstream end portion of the second common pipe 43. Thereby, the inside of the chamber 20 and the exhaust pump 30 communicate with each other via the four exhaust ports 23, the four individual pipes 41, the first common pipe 42, the two branch pipes 44, and the second common pipe 43.

Valves 45 are respectively inserted into the branch pipes 44. The valve 45 is disposed between the chamber 20 and the exhaust pump 30 and adjusts the flow rate of the reduced-pressure exhaust gas. The valve 45 of this embodiment is a butterfly valve that adjusts the valve opening degree by changing the angle of the valve body. In addition, in this embodiment, a butterfly valve is used for the valve 45, but a globe valve (spherical valve) or other valve may be used as long as the valve can adjust the flow of the reduced-pressure exhaust gas by the valve opening degree. valve.

In the present embodiment, the two valves 45 are operated at the same valve opening degree. That is, when the control unit 60 sets the valve opening degree of the valve 45 to 20 °, the valve opening degrees of both the valves 45 are adjusted to 20 °.

The inert gas supply unit 50 supplies an inert gas into the chamber 20. The inert gas supply unit 50 includes an inert gas supply pipe 51 and an on-off valve 52. One end of the inert gas supply pipe 51 is connected to the internal space of the chamber 20, and the other end is connected to the inert gas supply source 53. The inert gas supply source 53 of this embodiment supplies dry nitrogen as an inert gas. The inert gas supply source 53 according to the present embodiment is a utility of the factory arranged outside the apparatus of the reduced-pressure drying apparatus 1. The reduced-pressure drying device 1 may include an inert gas supply source 53.

The on-off valve 52 is inserted into the inert gas supply pipe 51. Therefore, when the on-off valve 52 is opened, the inert gas is supplied from the inert gas supply source 53 into the chamber 20. When the on-off valve 52 is closed, the supply of the inert gas from the inert gas supply source 53 to the chamber 20 is stopped.

The inert gas supply unit 50 may supply other dry inert gas such as argon instead of nitrogen.

The control unit 60 controls each unit of the reduced-pressure drying apparatus 1. As shown conceptually in FIG. 2, the control unit 60 includes an arithmetic processing unit 601 such as a central processing unit (CPU), a memory 602 such as a random access memory (RAM), and a storage unit such as a hard disk drive. 603 computers. The control unit 60 is electrically connected to the pressure sensor 25, the exhaust pump 30, the two valves 45, the on-off valve 52, and the input unit 70, respectively.

The control unit 60 temporarily reads the computer program or data stored in the storage unit 603 into the memory 602, and the arithmetic processing unit 601 performs arithmetic processing based on the computer program and data, and thus the The operation of each part is controlled. Thereby, the reduced-pressure drying process in the reduced-pressure drying apparatus 1 is performed. The control unit 60 may control only the reduced-pressure drying apparatus 1 or the entire substrate processing apparatus 9.

As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 60 includes a target data acquisition unit 61, a basic data acquisition unit 62, a reference opening degree determination unit 63, and an operation control unit 64 as function processing units that are implemented by software by program processing by the CPU.

The target data acquisition unit 61 acquires target data S61 including an initial pressure value, a target pressure value, and a target arrival time for each preset processing period. In the present embodiment, recipe data S70 is input from the input unit 70 to the target data acquisition unit 61. The recipe data S70 is data indicating a pressure change to be targeted when performing a reduced-pressure drying process. The target data acquisition unit 61 sets target data S61 including an initial pressure value, a target pressure value, and a target arrival time for one or consecutive multiple processing periods based on the recipe data S70.

The basic data acquisition unit 62 acquires basic data S62 by executing a learning process (step ST10) described later. The basic data S62 indicates the pressure in the chamber 20 caused by the reduced-pressure exhaust and the time to reach the pressure for each of a plurality of predetermined valve openings (hereinafter referred to as "learning openings"). Relevant information specific to the chamber 20.

The reference opening degree determination unit 63 determines a reference opening degree S63 based on the target data S61 and the basic data S62. The reference opening degree S63 is the valve opening degree (initial valve opening degree) at the start of each processing period. Specifically, for each processing period, the reference opening degree determination unit 63 refers to the first time and the arrival time from the atmospheric pressure to the initial pressure value from the basic data S62 for each learning opening degree to the target pressure from the atmospheric pressure. The arrival time of the value is the second time. Then, the difference between the second time and the first time is calculated. After that, the reference opening degree S63 is determined based on the learning opening degree in which the difference coincides with or is similar to the target arrival time.

The operation control unit 64 controls operations of the exhaust pump 30, the valve 45, and the on-off valve 52. When the reduced-pressure drying process is performed, the operation control unit 64 controls the valve opening degree of the valve 45 based on the target data S61 for each of a plurality of processing periods.

The operation control unit 64 includes an initial opening degree setting unit 641 and a feedback control unit 642. The initial opening degree setting unit 641 sets the valve opening degree of the valve 45 to the reference opening degree S63 at the beginning of each processing period. The feedback control unit 642 performs feedback control including proportional control based on the measured pressure value S25 measured by the pressure sensor 25. The feedback control unit 642 changes the proportional control coefficient based on the target pressure value or the measured pressure value S25 when performing control to make the valve opening degree of the valve 45 larger than the reference opening degree S63 (hereinafter referred to as the “first state”). The specific behavior of the feedback control unit 642 will be described later.

The input unit 70 is an input means for inputting the recipe data S70 by a user. The input unit 70 according to this embodiment is an input panel provided on the substrate processing apparatus 9. However, the input unit 70 may be an input device in another form (for example, a keyboard or a mouse). When the recipe data S70 is input to the input section 70, the recipe data S70 is collected to the control section 60.

As described above, in the present embodiment, when the control operation of the reduced-pressure drying process performed by the control unit 60 is described, the following terms are used. Each term is used in the following meaning.・ Recipe data: Data indicating the change in target pressure. ・ Processing period: The period divided for pressure control. ・ Initial pressure value: The pressure value at the beginning of each processing period. In this embodiment, when the target data is obtained, the The pressure value at the starting point of each processing period can be replaced with the initial pressure value and the target pressure value during the reduced-pressure drying process. The pressure value at the target end point in each processing period is in the recipe data in this embodiment. Pressure value at the end of each processing period and target arrival time: The length of each processing period is included in the recipe data in this embodiment. Target data: the initial pressure value, target pressure value, and target arrival time for each processing period In this embodiment, it is obtained from the recipe data. Basic data: The time-series data of the pressure obtained for each of the plurality of valve openings (learning openings) through prior learning processing indicates the peculiarity of the chamber. Decompression state data / learning opening degree: Valve opening to acquire basic data during prior learning processing Degree • Reference opening degree: Valve opening degree at the start of each processing period. In this embodiment, it is determined by prior learning processing.

<1-3. Flow of reduced-pressure drying process> Next, the reduced-pressure drying process of the reduced-pressure drying apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of a reduced-pressure drying process of the reduced-pressure drying device 1. FIG. 5 is a graph showing an example of a waveform (basic data) showing the relationship between the decompression exhaust time and the measured pressure value S25 obtained in the learning process. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a target decompression waveform R described later.

As shown in FIG. 4, the reduced-pressure drying apparatus 1 first performs a learning process (step ST10). In the learning process, the operation control unit 64 performs decompressed exhaust in the chamber 20 for each of a plurality of learning openings in a state where the substrate G is not housed in the chamber 20. And the basic data acquisition part 62 acquires basic data S62 by monitoring the pressure change in the chamber 20.

In the learning process of step ST10, specifically, after the atmosphere is opened or the inert gas is supplied from the inert gas supply unit 50 to make the pressure in the chamber 20 to be atmospheric pressure, that is, 100,000 Pa, the exhaust pump 30 is driven to perform the predetermined Learning opening degree opening valve 45. Then, after the valve 45 is opened until a predetermined time elapses, the pressure change in the chamber 20 is measured by the pressure sensor 25. In addition, the basic data acquisition unit 62 monitors changes in the measured pressure value S25 measured by the pressure sensor 25 and records the relationship between the pressure in the chamber 20 and the arrival time to the pressure. By performing the pressure measurement for each predetermined learning opening degree, the basic data acquisition unit 62 acquires basic data S62 as shown in FIG. 5, for example. The basic data S62 acquired by the basic data acquisition unit 62 is held in the storage unit 603.

In this embodiment, the plurality of learning openings are spaced at intervals of 0.5 ° between 3 ° and 10 °, at intervals of 1 ° between 10 ° and 30 °, and at intervals of 10 ° between 30 ° and 90 °. Mode setting. That is, the learning opening degree is set so that the interval becomes larger as the learning opening degree becomes larger. Specifically, the learning opening degrees are 3.0 °, 3.5 °, 4.0 °, 4.5 °, 5.0 °, 5.5 °, 6.0 °, 6.5 °, 7.0 °, 7.5 °, 8.0 °, 8.5 °, 9.0 °, 9.5 °, 10 °, 11 °, 12 °, 13 °, 14 °, 15 °, 16 °, 17 °, 18 °, 19 °, 20 °, 21 °, 22 °, 23 °, 24 °, 25 °, 26 ° , 27 °, 28 °, 29 °, 30 °, 40 °, 50 °, 60 °, 70 °, 80 ° and 90 °. In addition, in FIG. 5, the waveforms of the learning openings of 40 °, 50 °, 70 °, and 80 ° are omitted.

The basic data S62 may be data obtained by recording the arrival time each time the measured pressure value S25 reaches a plurality of predetermined values, or may be data obtained by recording the measured pressure value S25 at predetermined time intervals.

The learning step of step ST10 may be performed each time the reduced-pressure drying process up to step ST20 to step ST80 is performed. Further, the reduced-pressure drying process up to steps ST20 to ST80 may be performed a plurality of times after the learning process is performed and before the next learning process is performed.

In this embodiment, after the learning step of step ST10 is performed, the reduced-pressure drying process of the substrate G is advanced. First, the recipe data S70 is input to the target data acquisition unit 61 via the input unit 70. Specifically, the recipe data S70 has information on a target pressure value and a target arrival time during each processing period. An example of the target decompression waveform R including the recipe data S70 is shown in FIG. 6. The target data acquisition unit 61 acquires target data S61 including the initial pressure value, the target pressure value, and the target arrival time for each processing period T1, T2, and T3 based on the input recipe data S70 (step ST20).

For example, in order to achieve the target decompression waveform R of the example of FIG. 6, the target data acquisition unit 61 sets the initial pressure value of the first processing period T1 to 100,000 Pa, the target pressure value to 10,000 Pa, and the target arrival time to 20 sec (seconds). . The target data acquisition unit 61 sets the initial pressure value of the second processing period T2 to 10,000 Pa, the target pressure value to 20 Pa, and the target arrival time to 20 sec. Then, the target data acquisition unit 61 sets the third processing period T3 after the end of the second processing period T2 to a purge mode in which the pressure in the chamber 20 is restored to atmospheric pressure by inert gas purge. As shown in the target decompression waveform R in the example of FIG. 6, by performing decompression stepwise, bumping of the processing liquid applied to the surface of the substrate G is suppressed.

Next, the substrate G is carried into the chamber 20 (step ST30). In step ST30, in a state where the valve 45 and the on-off valve 52 are closed, the lid 22 of the chamber 20 is raised by a chamber opening and closing mechanism (not shown). Thereby, the chamber 20 is opened. Then, the substrate G coated with the processing solution (resist solution) is carried into the chamber 20 and placed on the support pin 242. Thereafter, the lid portion 22 is lowered by the chamber opening and closing mechanism. Thereby, the chamber 20 is closed, and the substrate G is accommodated in the chamber 20.

In this embodiment, the substrate G carrying-in process of step ST30 is performed after the input process of step ST20, but the order of step ST20 and step ST30 may be reversed.

Then, based on the target data S61 and the basic data S62, the reference opening degree determination unit 63 determines the reference opening degree S63, which is the opening degree of the valve 45 at the starting point of each processing period (step ST40).

In step ST40 of the first round, for example, the reference opening degree S63 of the first processing period T1 of the target decompression waveform R in the example of FIG. 6 is determined. Therefore, first, the reference opening degree determination unit 63 refers to the basic data S62.

In the first processing period T1, the pressure is reduced from the initial state of 100,000 Pa in 20 sec to a target pressure of 10,000 Pa. The reference opening degree determination unit 63 refers to the basic data S62 and calculates, for each learning opening degree, a value obtained by subtracting the second time from the first time that is the arrival time to reach the initial pressure value of 100,000 Pa, which is the second time. difference. At this time, since the initial state of the learning process is 100,000 Pa, the first time to reach the initial pressure value of 100,000 Pa, that is, the first time is 0 sec. Therefore, the second time, that is, the time to reach the target pressure value of 10,000 Pa, matches the difference.

The reference opening degree determination unit 63 determines the reference opening degree S63 based on the learning opening degree in which the difference and the target arrival time 20 sec in the basic data S62 coincide or are approximate. Specifically, the reference opening degree determination unit 63 of the present embodiment determines the learning opening degree as the reference opening degree S63 when there is a learning opening degree in which the difference coincides with the target arrival time. Further, the reference opening degree determination unit 63 determines the learning opening degree with a difference greater than the target arrival time and the difference closest to the target arrival time when there is no learning opening degree with which the difference coincides with the target arrival time, as the reference opening degree S63.

Here, assuming that the learning opening degree having a difference smaller than the target arrival time is set as the reference opening degree S63, there is a high possibility that the pressure in the chamber 20 becomes lower than the target decompression waveform R. Once the pressure in the chamber 20 becomes lower than the target pressure value, it is difficult to raise the pressure in the chamber 20 again only by the opening and closing control of the valve 45. Therefore, it is preferable to set the learning opening degree in which the difference matches the target arrival time or the difference is larger than the target arrival time as the reference opening degree S63 as in this embodiment.

For example, in the basic data S62 in FIG. 5, the second time and difference of the learning opening degree of 6.5 ° with respect to the target arrival time of 20 sec is 20.2 sec, and the second time and difference of the learning opening degree of 7.0 ° are 17.9 sec. Therefore, the reference opening degree determination unit 63 determines the reference opening degree S63 in the first processing period T1 to be 6.5 °.

In addition, the reference opening degree determination unit 63 may calculate the reference opening degree S63 based on two learning opening degrees 6.5 ° and 7.0 ° that are approximately similar to the target arrival time. At this time, for example, the reference opening degree S63 is calculated by weighting the two learning opening degrees based on the difference between the target arrival time and the difference at each learning opening degree.

The reference opening degree determination unit 63 then determines the reference opening degree S63 in the second processing period T2. In the second processing period T2, the pressure is reduced from the initial pressure value of 10,000 Pa to a target pressure value of 20 Pa in 20 sec. The reference opening degree determination unit 63 calculates, for each learning opening degree, a difference obtained by subtracting the second time, which is the arrival time to reach the target pressure value of 20 Pa, from the first time, which is the time to reach the initial pressure value of 10,000 Pa. Then, the reference opening degree determination unit 63 determines the reference opening degree S63 based on the learning opening degree in which the difference and the target arrival time 20 sec in the basic data S62 match or are approximate.

In the basic data S62 of FIG. 5, the first time of learning opening degree of 13 ° is 6.7 sec, the second time is 28.3 sec, and the difference is 21.6 sec. The first time of learning opening degree of 14 ° is 6.4 sec, and the second time It is 25.6 sec, and the difference is 19.2 sec. Therefore, the reference opening degree determination unit 63 determines the reference opening degree S63 of the second processing period T2 to be 13 °.

After the reference opening degree S63 is determined in step ST40, the operation control unit 64 then controls each unit to perform a reduced-pressure drying process (step ST50 to step ST60). In this embodiment, in one step of ST50 to step ST60, the reduced-pressure drying process in one of the process period T1, the process period T2, and the process period T3 is performed. Therefore, in steps ST50 to ST60 of the first round, a reduced-pressure drying process in the first processing period T1 (20 sec) is performed.

Specifically, first, at the beginning of the first processing period T1, the initial opening degree setting unit 641 sets the opening degree of the valve 45 to 6.5 °, which is the reference opening degree S63 determined by the reference opening degree determining unit 63 (step ST50). Then, after the start of the first processing period T1, the feedback control unit 642 performs feedback control including proportional control (step ST60).

After performing the reduced-pressure drying process for a predetermined period, the control unit 60 determines whether all the reduced-pressure drying processes have been completed (step ST70). Specifically, the control unit 60 determines whether there is a remaining processing period. If there is a remaining processing period, the control unit 60 determines that the reduced-pressure drying process has not been completed, and returns to step ST50. On the other hand, if there is no remaining processing period, the control unit 60 determines that the reduced-pressure drying process has been completed, and proceeds to step ST80.

In this embodiment, if the reduced-pressure drying process performed in the previous steps ST50 to ST60 is the first processing period T1 or the second processing period T2, it is determined that the reduced-pressure drying process is not completed. On the other hand, if the reduced-pressure drying process performed in the previous steps ST50 to ST60 is the third processing period T3, it is determined that all the reduced-pressure drying processes have been completed.

When it is determined in step ST70 that the reduced-pressure drying process has not been completed, the control unit 60 returns to step ST50.

In the second setting process (step ST50), at the beginning of the second processing period T2, the initial opening degree setting unit 641 sets the opening degree of the valve 45 to the reference opening degree S63 determined by the reference opening degree determining unit 63. 13 °. In the present embodiment, the reference opening degree S63 of all the processing periods is determined in one reference opening degree determining step (step ST40), but the present invention is not limited to this. The reference opening degree determination step may be performed in each processing period (step ST40). That is, the reference opening degree S63 may be determined by using the current measured pressure value S25 as an initial pressure value at the beginning of each processing period. If so, if the measured pressure value S25 at the end of the previous processing period is different from the predetermined initial pressure value (the initial pressure value in the recipe data S70) during the subsequent processing period, the reference opening S63 can be set. Re-determined to a more appropriate value.

Then, in the second control process (step ST60), the feedback control by the feedback control unit 642 is performed after the start of the second processing period T2 (step ST60).

After the second processing period T2 is completed, in step ST70, the control unit 60 determines that the reduced-pressure drying process has not been completed, and returns to step ST50 again.

In the third processing period T3, the air pressure in the chamber 20 is increased to atmospheric pressure. Therefore, the valve 45 is completely closed, and the exhaust from the chamber 20 is stopped. Therefore, in the third setting process (step ST50), the initial opening degree setting unit 641 sets the reference opening degree S63 to 0 °. In the third processing period T3, the control unit 60 does not perform feedback control in the control process (step ST60), but opens the on-off valve 52, and replaces the inert gas in the chamber 20 with the inert gas supply source 53. Thereby, the air pressure in the chamber 20 is raised to atmospheric pressure. When the pressure in the chamber 20 becomes atmospheric pressure, the on-off valve 52 is closed. This completes all the reduced-pressure drying steps.

After the third processing period T3 is completed, in step ST70, the control unit 60 determines that the reduced-pressure drying processing has been completed, and proceeds to step ST80.

Then, the substrate G is carried out from the chamber 20 (step ST80). In step ST80, similarly to step ST30, in a state where the valve 45 and the on-off valve 52 are closed, the lid portion 22 of the chamber 20 is raised by the chamber opening and closing mechanism. Thereby, the chamber 20 is opened. Then, the substrate G after the reduced-pressure drying process is carried out of the chamber 20.

In order to perform decompression processing at a desired decompression speed, previously, the reference opening degree S63 was not set, and the proportional (Proportional, P) control, Proportional Integral (PI) control, or Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) ) Control feedback control of proportional control. However, when the pressure is reduced from the atmospheric pressure, if only the feedback control is used for control, the vacuum pressure fluctuates drastically with respect to the variation in the opening degree of the valve 45. Therefore, it is difficult to generate a pressure value in the chamber 20 due to large oscillation Convergence to a fixed value. Therefore, when reducing the pressure from the atmospheric pressure, setting the reference opening degree S63 based on the basic data S62 experimentally obtained in advance as in the present invention can suppress the occurrence of oscillation problems.

On the other hand, if the decompression processing is performed using only the reference opening degree S63 determined by focusing only on the initial pressure value, the target pressure value, and the target arrival time of the basic data S62 in each processing period, there is an actual pressure fluctuation. The possibility of deviation from the target decompression waveform R. For example, in the target decompression waveform R, the pressure value changes linearly with the passage of time, but in the basic data S62 shown in FIG. 5, the relationship between the pressure value and the decompression exhaust time is not necessarily linear. Therefore, even if the reference opening degree S63 is determined based on the basic data S62 in which the initial pressure value, the target pressure value, and the target arrival time are consistent, there may be a deviation from the target decompression waveform R as shown by a two-dot chain line R1 in FIG. Moved parts.

Further, in the reduced-pressure drying process, when the reduced-pressure progresses to a certain degree, the solvent starts to evaporate. Since the solvent does not exist in the chamber 20 when the basic data S62 is obtained, during the actual reduced-pressure drying process, a pressure rise due to the evaporation of the solvent occurs relative to the target reduced-pressure waveform R. Therefore, when the feedback control is performed without using the reference opening S63 determined by referring to the basic data S62, the pressure may be greater than the target decompression waveform R as shown by a two-dot chain line R2 in FIG. 6.

Therefore, in the reduced-pressure drying apparatus 1, the reference opening degree S63 is set based on the basic data S62 obtained experimentally in advance, and the valve opening degree is changed from the reference opening degree S63 by feedback control. Specifically, the weights of the feedback control are made different according to a pressure region including the target pressure value or the measured pressure value S25. This can suppress the occurrence of the various problems described above.

In the control step of step ST60, the feedback control unit 642 changes the proportional control coefficient in the feedback control based on the target pressure value or the measured pressure value S25 in the first state in which the valve opening degree is greater than the reference opening degree S63. Therefore, an appropriate proportional control coefficient can be used for each pressure region. When the valve opening degree is larger than the reference opening degree S63 in the first state, the behavior of the pressure value in the chamber 20 is likely to change depending on the pressure region. Therefore, it is useful to change the proportional control coefficient in the first state.

In the present embodiment, in the control step of step ST60, the feedback control unit 642 uses a predetermined reference proportional control coefficient in the second state in which the valve opening degree is controlled to be smaller than the reference opening degree S63. As in this embodiment, when gas is not supplied during the decompression process, the influence of the proportional control in the second state is small. Therefore, a predetermined reference proportional control coefficient is used without changing the proportional control coefficient for each pressure region.

In the first state, the feedback control unit 642 increases the proportional control coefficient as the target pressure value or the measured pressure value S25 becomes smaller. Specifically, the control unit 60 divides a pressure range from 0 Pa to atmospheric pressure, that is, 100,000 Pa, into at least three pressure regions.

When the target pressure value or the measured pressure value S25 is included in the maximum pressure region, the proportional control coefficient is made smaller than a predetermined reference proportional control coefficient. As such, in the pressure region near the atmospheric pressure, the weight of the feedback control is reduced. Thereby, the occurrence of an oscillation problem can be suppressed as described above.

On the other hand, when the target pressure value or the measured pressure value S25 is included in the minimum pressure region, the proportional control coefficient is made larger than a predetermined reference proportional control coefficient. In this way, in a relatively low pressure region where the solvent is evaporated, the weight of the feedback control is increased. This makes it possible to efficiently suppress a pressure increase due to evaporation of the solvent.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a relationship between a pressure region and a proportional control coefficient. In the example of FIG. 7, the pressure range from 0 Pa to 100,000 Pa is divided into a first pressure region of less than 100 Pa, a second pressure region of 100 Pa or more and less than 600 Pa, and a pressure range of 600 Pa or more and less than 2,000 Pa. There are five pressure regions, namely a third pressure region of 3,000 Pa, a fourth pressure region of 2,000 Pa or more and less than 10,000 Pa, and a fifth pressure region of 10,000 Pa or more. In FIG. 7, the proportional control coefficient K1 in the first pressure region is a value of 200% of the reference proportional control coefficient Ks. The proportional control coefficient K2 in the second pressure region is a value of 150% of the reference proportional control coefficient Ks. The proportional control coefficient K3 in the third pressure region is the same value as the reference proportional control coefficient Ks. The proportional control coefficient K4 in the fourth pressure region is 50% of the reference proportional control coefficient Ks. The proportional control coefficient K5 in the fifth pressure region is 30% of the reference proportional control coefficient Ks.

As described above, by gradually changing the proportional control coefficient in the first state according to the pressure region, it is possible to perform appropriate feedback control corresponding to the pressure region. Therefore, the reduced pressure drying process of the substrate G can be performed by a more desirable pressure change.

The feedback control unit 642 of this embodiment performs PID control including proportional control, integral control, and derivative control. The proportional control coefficient is as described above, but the integral control coefficient of the integral control and the differential control coefficient of the differential control may be changed in accordance with the pressure region in the same manner as the proportional control coefficient. However, compared with the proportional control coefficient, it has less influence on the problem of the oscillation or pressure rise, so the integral control coefficient and the differential control coefficient can be always fixed regardless of the pressure region.

The feedback control unit 642 may perform only proportional control, or may perform PI control including proportional control and integral control.

In the reduced-pressure drying process, the learning step of step ST10 may not be performed when the reduced-pressure drying process of the substrate G is performed in steps ST20 to ST80. The learning process may be performed when the reduced-pressure drying device 1 is installed or migrated, or may be performed during regular maintenance.

In this embodiment, as described above, the basic data S62 is acquired every time the vacuum drying process is performed or periodically. If the installation environment of the decompression drying device 1 is different, even if the opening degree of the valve 45 is the same, the decompression speed in the chamber 20 will be different. Furthermore, in a plurality of reduced-pressure drying apparatuses 1 manufactured with the same design, even if the reduced-pressure drying process is performed with the same opening degree of the valve 45, the reduced-pressure drying is performed due to manufacturing errors between the apparatuses and the like. There is also a deviation in the decompression speed in the chamber 20 of the device 1. In the reduced-pressure drying device 1, the basic data S62 is acquired under the same device and installation environment as when the reduced-pressure drying process of the substrate G is performed. By determining the reference opening degree S63 based on the basic data S62, a deviation between a desired decompression speed and a real decompression speed can be suppressed. That is, the decompression process can be performed at a decompression speed closer to a desired decompression speed. Thereby, bump bump of the resist liquid is suppressed, and a smooth resist film can be obtained.

<2. Modifications> An embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiment.

In the above embodiment, the reference opening degree is determined based on the basic data obtained in the learning process, but the present invention is not limited to this. As the reference opening degree, for example, the reference opening degree inputted with the target data may be used, or the average opening degree of each period in the reduced-pressure drying process performed with the same recipe data in the past may be used as the reference opening degree.

Further, in the embodiment described above, in the first state, the proportional control coefficient is increased as the target pressure value or the measured pressure value becomes smaller. On the other hand, a predetermined reference proportional control coefficient is used in the second state. . However, in both the first state and the second state, the proportional control coefficient may be increased as the target pressure value or the measured pressure value becomes smaller.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, although a vacuum drying apparatus has only one chamber, this invention is not limited to this. The reduced-pressure drying device may include a plurality of chambers and a plurality of piping portions connected to each of the chambers.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, although a piping part has two valves, one valve may be provided in a piping part, and three or more valves may be sufficient.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the reduced-pressure drying apparatus is a part of the substrate processing apparatus, but the reduced-pressure drying apparatus of the present invention may be a separate apparatus that is not provided together with other processing units. The reduced-pressure drying device according to the above embodiment dries the substrate to which the resist liquid is attached, but the reduced-pressure drying device of the present invention may dry the substrate to which other processing liquids are attached.

Furthermore, the vacuum drying device of the above embodiment uses a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display device as a processing target, but the vacuum drying device of the present invention may also be used for other FPD (Flat Panel Display) such as an organic EL (Electroluminescence) display device. Substrates, substrates for semiconductor wafers, glass substrates for photomasks, substrates for color filters, substrates for recording magnetic disks, substrates for solar cells, and other substrates for precision electronic devices are processed.

Furthermore, the respective elements appearing in the embodiment or the modification may be appropriately combined within a range where no contradiction occurs.

1‧‧‧ vacuum drying device

9‧‧‧ substrate processing equipment

20‧‧‧ chamber

21‧‧‧ base

22‧‧‧ Cover

23‧‧‧Exhaust port

24‧‧‧ support

25‧‧‧Pressure sensor (measurement department)

30‧‧‧Exhaust pump (decompression exhaust)

40‧‧‧Piping Department

41‧‧‧Separate piping

42‧‧‧The first common piping

43‧‧‧The second common piping

44‧‧‧ branch piping

45‧‧‧ valve

50‧‧‧Inert gas supply department

51‧‧‧Inert gas supply piping

52‧‧‧Open and close valve

53‧‧‧Inert gas supply source

60‧‧‧Control Department

61‧‧‧Target data acquisition department

62‧‧‧Basic Information Acquisition Department

63‧‧‧ Benchmark opening decision

64‧‧‧Action Control Department

70‧‧‧Input Department

90‧‧‧ Move-in Department

91‧‧‧Cleaning Department

92‧‧‧Dehydration Baking Department

93‧‧‧ Coating Department

94‧‧‧Pre-baking department

95‧‧‧Exposure Department

96‧‧‧Developing Department

97‧‧‧ Rinse Department

98‧‧‧ post-baking department

99‧‧‧moved out

221‧‧‧sealing material

241‧‧‧Support plate

242‧‧‧Support pin

243‧‧‧Support Post

601‧‧‧Operation Processing Department

602‧‧‧Memory

603‧‧‧Storage Department

641‧‧‧ Initial opening setting unit

642‧‧‧Feedback Control Department

G‧‧‧ substrate

S25‧‧‧Measured pressure value

S61‧‧‧ Target Information

S62‧‧‧ Basic Information

S63‧‧‧ benchmark opening

S70‧‧‧ Formula Information

ST10 ～ ST80‧‧‧‧Steps

R‧‧‧Target decompression waveform

R1, R2 ‧‧‧ double-dot

T1 ～ T3‧‧‧‧During processing

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a reduced-pressure drying device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the electrical connection of the vacuum drying apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of a reduced-pressure drying process according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a graph showing an example of the relationship between the decompression exhaust time and the pressure value in the learning process of the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a target decompression waveform according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a relationship between a pressure region and a proportional control coefficient.

Claims (20)

A reduced-pressure drying device for decompressing and drying a substrate to which a processing solution is attached. The reduced-pressure drying device includes: a chamber that houses the substrate; a reduced-pressure exhaust unit that performs reduced-pressure exhaust on the chamber. A valve provided between the chamber and the reduced-pressure exhaust unit to adjust the flow of the reduced-pressure exhaust gas by the valve opening degree; a measurement unit that measures the pressure in the chamber; and a control unit Are electrically connected to the chamber, the decompression exhaust part, the valve, and the measurement part, respectively, and the control part includes: an operation control part, which executes decompression drying processing based on a plurality of processes The target pressure value and the target arrival time of each period control the valve opening degree, and the operation control unit includes: an initial opening degree setting unit that sets the valve opening degree as a reference at a starting point of each processing period An opening degree; and a feedback control unit that controls the valve opening degree by a feedback control including a proportional control based on the measured pressure value measured by the measuring unit, and the feedback control unit is performing the valve opening degree The first control state at the reference opening degree, the target value according to the measured pressure or the pressure value to change the proportional control factor. The reduced-pressure drying device according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the feedback control unit: uses a predetermined reference ratio in a second state in which the valve opening degree is controlled to be smaller than the reference opening degree. The proportional control is performed by controlling the coefficient. In the first state, the proportional control coefficient becomes larger as the target pressure value or the measured pressure value becomes smaller. The reduced-pressure drying device according to item 2 of the scope of patent application, wherein the control section is divided into at least three pressure regions from 0 Pa to atmospheric pressure, that is, 100,000 Pa, and the feedback control section is in the first In a state, when the target pressure value or the measured pressure value is included in the maximum pressure region, the proportional control coefficient is made smaller than the reference proportional control coefficient, and when the target pressure value or the measurement When the pressure value is included in the minimum pressure region, the proportional control coefficient is made larger than the reference proportional control coefficient. The reduced-pressure drying device according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the feedback control unit: in the first state and the second state in which control for making the valve opening degree smaller than the reference opening degree is performed Of the two, as the target pressure value or the measured pressure value becomes smaller, the proportional control coefficient becomes larger. The reduced-pressure drying device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the feedback control section performs the feedback control including the proportional control and the integral control. The reduced-pressure drying device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the feedback control unit performs the feedback control including the proportional control, integral control, and differential control. The reduced-pressure drying device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the control unit further includes: a target data acquisition unit that acquires the target pressure value and the target pressure including each processing period. The target data of the target arrival time; the basic data acquisition unit acquires, for each of a plurality of the valve opening degrees, a pressure indicating the pressure in the chamber caused by the decompression exhaust and the arrival time to the pressure; Basic data of the relationship; and a reference opening degree determination unit, which determines the reference opening degree based on a comparison between the basic data and the target data. The reduced-pressure drying device according to item 7 of the scope of patent application, wherein the reference opening degree determination unit refers to the basic data for each of the valve opening degrees from the basic data for each of the processing periods. The first time to reach the initial pressure value from the atmospheric pressure during the processing period is the first time, and the second time is to reach the target pressure value from the atmospheric pressure, which is the second time. Differentially, based on the valve opening degree in which the difference and the target arrival time are the same or similar, determine the valve opening degree when the reduced-pressure drying process is performed. The reduced-pressure drying device according to item 8 of the scope of patent application, wherein the reference opening degree determining unit: when the valve opening degree in which the difference coincides with the target arrival time, sets the valve opening degree The valve opening degree whose difference is consistent with the target arrival time is determined as the reference opening degree, and when the valve opening degree where the difference is consistent with the target arrival time is determined, the difference is greater than The valve opening degree of the target arrival time and the difference closest to the target arrival time is determined as the reference opening degree. The pressure-reducing drying device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the valve adjusts the opening degree by changing the angle of the valve body. A substrate processing apparatus for applying and developing a resist solution to the substrate, the substrate processing apparatus includes: a coating section that applies the resist solution to the substrate before exposure processing; The reduced-pressure drying device according to any one of items 1 to 10, wherein the substrate to which the resist solution is adhered is dried under reduced pressure; and a developing unit is configured to perform the exposure treatment on the substrate. The substrate is developed. A reduced-pressure drying method for drying a substrate by accommodating a substrate to which a processing solution is attached in a chamber and decompressing the substrate. The reduced-pressure drying method includes: a) a data acquisition step, Obtaining one or more target data including target pressure value and target arrival time, and a reference opening corresponding to the target data during one or more processing periods; b) setting a process, starting at the processing period, The valve opening degree of the valve that regulates the flow of the decompression exhaust gas in the chamber is set to the reference opening degree; and c) a control step, after the processing period is started, based on Measure the pressure value and perform feedback control including proportional control. In the step c), in a first state in which control is performed to make the valve opening degree greater than the reference opening degree, the target pressure value or the The measured pressure value changes the proportional control coefficient. The reduced-pressure drying method according to item 12 of the scope of patent application, wherein in the step c), in a second state in which control to make the valve opening degree smaller than the reference opening degree is used, a predetermined Proportional control is performed with reference to a proportional control coefficient. In the first state, the proportional control coefficient becomes larger as the target pressure value or the measured pressure value becomes smaller. The reduced-pressure drying method according to item 13 of the scope of patent application, wherein in the step c), in the first state, when the target pressure value or the measured pressure value is included in at least three When the pressure region is the largest in the pressure region, the proportional control coefficient is made smaller than the reference proportional control coefficient, and when the target pressure value or the measured pressure value is included in the minimum pressure region, Make the proportional control coefficient larger than the reference proportional control coefficient. The reduced-pressure drying method according to item 12 of the scope of patent application, wherein in the step c), in the first state and the second step of performing control to make the valve opening degree smaller than the reference opening degree In both states, the proportional control coefficient becomes larger as the target pressure value or the measured pressure value becomes smaller. The reduced-pressure drying method according to any one of claims 12 to 15 in the scope of patent application, wherein the feedback control including the proportional control and integral control is performed in the step c). The reduced-pressure drying method according to any one of claims 12 to 15 in the scope of the patent application, wherein the feedback control including the proportional control, integral control, and differential control is performed in the step c). The reduced-pressure drying method according to any one of items 12 to 15 of the scope of application for a patent, wherein the step a) includes: a1) a learning step for each of a plurality of the valve opening degrees, Acquiring basic data representing the relationship between the pressure in the chamber caused by the decompression exhaust and the time to reach the pressure; a2) a target data acquisition process to acquire the target data; and a3) a reference opening determination process, After the steps a1) and a2), the reference opening degree is determined based on the basic data and the target data. The reduced-pressure drying method according to item 18 of the scope of patent application, wherein the step a3) includes: a31) from the basic data, for each of the valve opening degrees, reference is made to the initial value reached during the processing period. A step of calculating the first time of the pressure value and a second time of the time of reaching the target pressure value; a32) a step of calculating a difference between the second time and the first time; a33) A step of determining the reference opening degree based on the valve opening degree in which the difference is consistent or similar to the target arrival time. The reduced-pressure drying method according to item 19 of the scope of application for a patent, wherein in the step a33), when the valve opening degree in which the difference is consistent with the target arrival time exists, the The valve opening degree whose difference is consistent with the target arrival time is determined as the reference opening degree, and when the valve opening degree where the difference is consistent with the target arrival time is determined, the difference is greater than The valve opening degree of the target arrival time and the difference closest to the target arrival time is determined as the reference opening degree.