Substrate processing system, substrate placing position adjusting method and storage medium

• US 8,433,436 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2011
• Issued: 04/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Original Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
• Inventors: Doki, Yuichi, Hayashi, Tokutarou
• Primary Examiner(s): Crawford, Gene
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOGAN, KYLE O
• Application Number:
  US13/242,377
• Publication Number:
  US 20120072005A1
• Time in Patent Office: 585 Days
• Field of Search: 700/218, 700/214
• US Class Current: 700/214
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/6715 Apparatus for applying a liquid, a resin, an ink or the like H01L21/67126 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67259 Position monitoring, e.g. misposition detection or presence detection
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68 for positioning, orientation or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 414/136 including wafer orienting means

Abstract

A substrate placing position adjusting method which acquires data on a substrate placing position where a substrate carrying unit is required to place a substrate on a substrate holding device capable of rotating about a vertical axis and included in a processing unit for processing a substrate substantially horizontally held by the substrate holding device, said substrate placing position adjusting method comprising the steps of: transferring a jig from the substrate carrying unit to the substrate holding device; measuring centrifugal acceleration imparted to a measuring position in the jig when the substrate holding device holding the jig is rotated at a fixed angular velocity; and calculating an eccentricity of the measuring position from a rotation center of the substrate holding device on the basis of a centrifugal acceleration.

Claims

1. A substrate placing position adjusting method which acquires data on a substrate placing position where a substrate carrying means is required to place a substrate on a substrate holding device capable of rotating about a vertical axis and included in a processing unit for processing a substrate substantially horizontally held by the substrate holding device, said substrate placing position adjusting method comprising the steps of:

transferring a jig from the substrate carrying means to the substrate holding device;

measuring centrifugal acceleration imparted to a measuring position in the jig when the substrate holding device holding the jig is rotated at a fixed angular velocity;

calculating an eccentricity of the measuring position from a rotation center of the substrate holding device on the basis of a centrifugal acceleration measured by measuring means;

changing the position of the jig on the substrate holding device, repeating the measuring and calculating steps, changing the position of the jig on the substrate holding device again, repeating the measuring and calculating steps, and determining a position of the rotation center of the substrate holding device on the basis of eccentricities of two different jig placing positions and one of centrifugal acceleration imparted to a jig placing position other than the two jig placing positions and the eccentricity of the jig placing position other than the two jig placing positions; and

storing data on a position which coincides with the center of a substrate and the rotation center of the substrate holding device,

wherein the step of determining the position of the rotation center of the substrate holding device places the jig on the substrate holding device at each of two different positions with its measuring position coincided with each of the two different positions, determines eccentricities of the two positions, draws two circles having radii equal to the eccentricities, respectively, and centers respectively at the two positions, places the jig at one of two intersection points of the two circles, and determines that the position of the intersection point is the rotation center of the substrate holding device if a measured centrifugal acceleration imparted to the measuring position of the jig placed at the intersection point is zero or lower than a predetermined value or that the other intersection point is the rotation center of the substrate holding device if the measured centrifugal acceleration is not zero or above the predetermined value.

2. The substrate placing position adjusting method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of giving information about a jig placing position to the carrying means when the step of determining the rotation center of the substrate holding device specifies the position of the rotation center of the substrate holding device.

3. The substrate placing position adjusting method according to claim 1, wherein the step of measuring centrifugal acceleration uses an acceleration sensor attaché

to the jig for measuring centrifugal acceleration.

4. The substrate placing position adjusting method according to claim 1, wherein the jig has a shape identical with that of a substrate to be processed by a substrate processing system.

5. The substrate placing position adjusting method according to claim 3, wherein the jig has a shape identical with that of a substrate to be processed by a substrate processing system, and the acceleration sensor is attached to the jig with the measuring position coincided with the center of the jig.

6. The substrate placing position adjusting method according to claim 3, wherein the acceleration sensor is a piezoelectric acceleration sensor.

7. The substrate placing position adjusting method according to claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

transferring the jig between the substrate carrying means and a substrate transfer means by moving the substrate carrying means up or down at a fixed speed and making the substrate carrying means intersect the substrate transfer means without interfering with the substrate transfer means,

wherein the substrate transfer means is

vertically movable support members capable of receiving a substrate at a position above the substrate holding device and of lowering to place the substrate on the substrate holding device or

the substrate holding device;

measuring acceleration imparted to the jig when the jig is moved vertically; and

determining a substrate transfer position with respect to a vertical direction between the substrate carrying means and the substrate transfer means on the basis of the position of the substrate carrying means at a time point when acceleration acting in a direction opposite a moving direction of the substrate carrying means is measured.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions, which when executed by a computer, causes the computer to execute a substrate placing position adjusting method which acquires data on a substrate placing position where a substrate carrying means is required to place a substrate on a substrate holding device capable of rotating about a vertical axis and included in a processing unit for processing a substrate substantially horizontally held by the substrate holding device, said substrate placing position adjusting method comprising the steps of:

transferring a jig from the substrate carrying means to the substrate holding device;

measuring centrifugal acceleration imparted to a measuring position in the jig when the substrate holding device holding the jig is rotated at a fixed angular velocity;

calculating an eccentricity of the measuring position from a rotation center of the substrate holding device on the basis of a centrifugal acceleration measured by measuring means;

changing the position of the jig on the substrate holding device, repeating the measuring and calculating steps, changing the position of the jig on the substrate holding device again, repeating the measuring and calculating steps, and determining a position of the rotation center of the substrate holding device on the basis of eccentricities of two different jig placing position sand one of centrifugal acceleration imparted to a jig placing position other than the two jig placing positions and the eccentricity of the jig placing position other than the two jig placing positions; and

storing data on a position which coincides with the center of a substrate and the rotation center of the substrate holding device,

wherein the step of determining the position of the rotation center of the substrate holding device places the jig on the substrate holding device at each of two different positions with its measuring position coincided with each of the two different positions, determines eccentricities of the two positions, draws two circles having radii equal to the eccentricities, respectively, and centers respectively at the two positions, places the jig at one of two intersection points of the two circles, and determines that the position of the intersection point is the rotation center of the substrate holding device if a measured centrifugal acceleration imparted to the measuring position of the jig placed at the intersection point is zero or lower than a predetermined value or that the other intersection point is the rotation center of the substrate holding device if the measured centrifugal acceleration is not zero or above the predetermined value.

9. A substrate placing position adjusting method which acquires data on a substrate placing position where a substrate carrying means is required to place a substrate on a substrate holding device capable of rotating about a vertical axis and included in a processing unit for processing a substrate substantially horizontally held by the substrate holding device, said substrate placing position adjusting method comprising the steps of:

transferring a jig from the substrate carrying means to the substrate holding device;

measuring centrifugal acceleration imparted to a measuring position in the jig when the substrate holding device holding the jig is rotated at a fixed angular velocity;

calculating an eccentricity of the measuring position from a rotation center of the substrate holding device on the basis of a centrifugal acceleration measured by measuring means;

changing the position of the jig on the substrate holding device, repeating the measuring and calculating steps, changing the position of the jig on the substrate holding device again, repeating the measuring and calculating steps, and determining a position of the rotation center of the substrate holding device on the basis of eccentricities of two different jig placing positions and one of centrifugal acceleration imparted to a jig placing position other than the two jig placing positions and the eccentricity of the jig placing position other than the two jig placing positions; and

storing data on a position which coincides with the center of a substrate and the rotation center of the substrate holding device,

wherein the determining the position of the rotation center of the substrate holding device includes determining that an intersection of three circles, each with a radius corresponding to an eccentricity calculated for three different jig placing positions, is the rotation center of the substrate holding device.

10. The substrate placing position adjusting method according to claim 9 further comprising the step of giving information about a jig placing position to the carrying means when the step of determining the rotation center of the substrate holding device specifies the position of the rotation center of the substrate holding device.

11. The substrate placing position adjusting method according to claim 9, wherein the jig has a shape identical with that of a substrate to be processed by a substrate processing system.

12. The substrate placing position adjusting method according to claim 9 further comprising the steps of:

transferring the jig between the substrate carrying means and a substrate transfer means by moving the substrate carrying means up or down at a fixed speed and making the substrate carrying means intersect the substrate transfer means without interfering with the substrate transfer means,

wherein the substrate transfer means is

vertically movable support members capable of receiving a substrate at a position above the substrate holding device and of lowering to place the substrate on the substrate holding device or

the substrate holding device;

measuring acceleration imparted to the jig when the jig is moved vertically; and

determining a substrate transfer position with respect to a vertical direction between the substrate carrying means and the substrate transfer means on the basis of the position of the substrate carrying means at a time point when acceleration acting in a direction opposite a moving direction of the substrate carrying means is measured.

13. The substrate placing position adjusting method according to claim 9, wherein the step of measuring centrifugal acceleration uses an acceleration sensor attaché

to the jig for measuring centrifugal acceleration.

14. The substrate placing position adjusting method according to claim 13, wherein the jig has a shape identical with that of a substrate to be processed by a substrate processing system, and the acceleration sensor is attached to the jig with the measuring position coincided with the center of the jig.

15. The substrate placing position adjusting method according to claim 13, wherein the acceleration sensor is a piezoelectric acceleration sensor.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions, which when executed by a computer, causes the computer to execute a substrate placing position adjusting method which acquires data on a substrate placing position where a substrate carrying means is required to place a substrate on a substrate holding device capable of rotating about a vertical axis and included in a processing unit for processing a substrate substantially horizontally held by the substrate holding device, said substrate placing position adjusting method comprising the steps of:

transferring a jig from the substrate carrying means to the substrate holding device;

measuring centrifugal acceleration imparted to a measuring position in the jig when the substrate holding device holding the jig is rotated at a fixed angular velocity;

calculating an eccentricity of the measuring position from a rotation center of the substrate holding device on the basis of a centrifugal acceleration measured by measuring means;

changing the position of the jig on the substrate holding device, repeating the measuring and calculating steps, changing the position of the jig on the substrate holding device again, repeating the measuring and calculating steps, and determining a position of the rotation center of the substrate holding device on the basis of eccentricities of two different jig placing positions and one of centrifugal acceleration imparted to a jig placing position other than the two jig placing positions and the eccentricity of the jig placing position other than the two jig placing positions; and

storing data on a position which coincides with the center of a substrate and the rotation center of the substrate holding device,

wherein the determining the position of the rotation center of the substrate holding device includes determining that an intersection of three circles, each with a radius corresponding to an eccentricity calculated for three different jig placing positions, is the rotation center of the substrate holding device.