Radiation imagery chemistry: process – composition – or product th – Imaging affecting physical property of radiation sensitive... – Including heating
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-14
2001-03-20
Lamb, Brenda A. (Department: 1734)
Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product th
Imaging affecting physical property of radiation sensitive...
Including heating
C118S712000, C118S066000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06203969
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a resist processing apparatus for coating a substrate with a resist, sending the substrate to an aligner and developing the substrate received from the aligner, and a measuring method therein.
In a photo-resist process of semiconductor device fabrication, a resist solution is coated on a surface of a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer, which is called a wafer hereinafter, to form a resist film. After the predetermined pattern is exposed on the resist film, the substrate is supplied with a developing solution and developed. A resist processing apparatus and an aligner have been used so far in a series of the above processes.
The resist processing apparatus is provided with processing units which individually perform a series of processes necessary for coating and developing, that is, an adhesion unit, a coating unit, a thermal processing unit, a developing unit and the like. An adhesion unit performs adhesion treatment to improve resist fixing. A coating unit coats a substrate with resist solution. A thermal processing unit heats a substrate coated with resist solution to cure a resist film. Another thermal processing unit heats an exposed substrate at the predetermined temperature. A developing unit develops an exposed substrate. A carrier unit is used for carrying a wafer between each processing unit or carrying a wafer into and out from each processing unit, a carrier unit, for example, being able to move while holding a wafer.
Temperature control in the above thermal processing unit is very important. Poor temperature control causes poor film thickness and poor developing of resist. Therefore, not the temperature in a thermal processing unit, but the real temperature of a wafer in a thermal processing unit may be measured using, for example, a wafer in which a thermocouple is buried.
More concretely, when measurement is necessary, the real operation of the resist processing unit is suspended and a cover of the thermal processing unit is opened. After the thermocouple wafer is placed in a position in which wafers are heat-treated in the thermal processing unit, the thermocouple wafer is heat-treated in an ordinary heat treatment. In a temperature measuring apparatus, the temperature is measured through the thermocouple buried in the thermocouple wafer and a measured result is processed. That is, the thermocouple wafer is not measured in the thermal processing unit. This is because a plurality of cables coupled between the thermocouple wafer and the temperature measuring apparatus interfere with normal shutting of the cover in the thermal processing unit. Additionally, a setting error cannot be prevented because the thermocouple wafer is manually placed in the thermal processing unit.
A series of the above processes is, however, performed manually so that it is difficult to exactly measure the temperature of a heat-treated wafer.
Moreover, the manual measurement described above requires suspension of the real operation for a considerable time, which results in a loss in apparatus operation time.
There is another disadvantage that the above measurement may lead to some human error. For example, a thermocouple wafer may be dropped from tweezers and be broken.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is provided in view of the aforesaid disadvantages.
An object of the present invention is to provide a resist processing apparatus which can accurately measure the temperature of a heat-treated substrate and a measuring method therein.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a resist processing apparatus which can measure the temperature of a heat-treated substrate with the smallest possible loss of apparatus operation time and a measuring method therein.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a resist processing apparatus which can measure the temperature of a heat-treated substrate without any human error and a measuring method therein.
To attain the above-described objects, a resist processing apparatus in the first aspect of the present invention coats a substrate with a resist, sends the substrate to an aligner and develops the substrate received from the aligner. The resist processing apparatus is provided with a thermal processing unit for heat-treating the substrate received at least from the aligner, a carrier mechanism for carrying the substrate at least between the aligner and the thermal processing unit, a buffer unit where a heat-sensing substrate provided with a heat sensor stands by, and a measuring means disposed in the thermal processing unit for measuring the temperature of the heat-sensing substrate sensed by the heat sensor, the heat-sensing substrate being heat-treated in the thermal processing unit after being carried from the buffer unit to the thermal processing unit by the carrier mechanism.
A resist processing apparatus in the second aspect of the present invention coats a substrate with a resist, sends the substrate to an aligner and develops the substrate received from the aligner. The resist processing apparatus is provided with a thermal processing unit for heat-treating the substrate, a buffer unit where a heat-sensing substrate provided with a heat sensor and a storage element for storing a result sensed by the heat sensor stands by, and a reading means for reading the sensed result stored in the storage element of the heat-sensing substrate heat-treated in the thermal processing unit.
A resist processing apparatus in the third aspect of the present invention coats a substrate with a resist, sends the substrate to an aligner and develops the substrate received from the aligner. The resist processing apparatus is provided with a thermal processing unit for heat-treating the substrate, a buffer unit where a heat-sensing substrate provided with a heat sensor and a transmitter for transmitting by radio a result sensed by the heat sensor stands by, and a receiving means for receiving the sensed result transmitted from the transmitter of the heat-sensing substrate heat-treated in the thermal processing unit.
A measuring method in the fourth aspect of the present invention is a measuring method with the following steps in an apparatus for coating a substrate with a resist, sending the substrate to an aligner and developing the substrate received from the aligner. A heat-sensing substrate provided with a heat sensor needs to be set to stand by in advance. The heat-sensing substrate is carried in a thermal processing unit, which heat-treats a substrate received from the aligner, in the predetermined timing. The carried heat-sensing substrate is heat-treated in the thermal processing unit. In addition, the temperature of the heat-treated heat-sensing substrate sensed by a heat sensor is measured.
A measuring method in the fifth aspect of the present invention is a measuring method with the following steps in an apparatus for coating a substrate with a resist, sending the substrate to an aligner and developing the substrate received from the aligner. A heat-sensing substrate provided with a heat sensor and a storage element for storing a result sensed by the heat sensor needs to be set to stand by in advance. The heat-sensing substrate is carried in a thermal processing unit, which heat-treats a substrate received form the aligner, in the predetermined timing. The carried heat-sensing substrate is heat-treated in the thermal processing unit. In addition, the sensed result stored in the storage element of the heat-treated heat-sensing substrate is read.
A measuring method in the sixth aspect of the present invention is a measuring method with the following steps in an apparatus for coating a substrate with a resist, sending the substrate to an aligner and developing the substrate received from the aligner. A heat-sensing substrate provided with a heat sensor and a transmitter for transmitting by radio a result sensed by the heat sensor needs to be set to stand by in advance. The heat-sensing substrate is carried in a thermal processing unit, which hea
Lamb Brenda A.
Rader Fishman & Grauer
Tokyo Electron Limited
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