Substrate processing method, program, computer-readable recording medium, and substrate processing system

A substrate on which a resist film has been formed is transferred to an aligner and subjected to exposure processing. The substrate is then subjected to post-exposure baking in a second processing system. The substrate is then transferred again to the aligner and subjected to exposure processing. The substrate for which exposure processing for the second time has been finished is transferred to a first processing system and again subjected to post-exposure baking. The time periods from the ends of the exposure processing to the starts of the post-exposure baking for the first time and the second time are controlled to be equal. In pattern forming processing in which exposure processing is performed a plurality of times between the resist film forming processing and the developing treatment, a pattern with a desired dimension can be finally formed.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a substrate processing method, a program, a computer-readable recording medium, and a substrate processing system.

BACKGROUND ART

In a photolithography process in processing of manufacturing, for example, a semiconductor device, for example, a resist coating treatment of applying a resist solution onto a wafer surface to form a resist film, exposure processing of applying light in a predetermined pattern to the resist film on the wafer surface to expose the resist film, heating processing of heating the wafer to accelerate the chemical reaction in the exposed resist film (post-exposure baking), developing treatment of developing the wafer which has been subjected to the heating processing and the like are performed in sequence to form a predetermined pattern in the resist film on the wafer surface.

Incidentally, for miniaturization of the pattern, the light for the above exposure processing is increasingly shortened in wavelength. In the method of shortening the wavelength for exposure, however, it is technically difficult to form a fine pattern at a level of 32 nm or 45 nm. Hence, it is proposed to form a fine pattern by performing exposure a plurality of times with the exposure location being shifted, for example, with respect to the resist film in the exposure processing (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).[Patent Document 1]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

In this case, however, since exposure processing is performed a plurality of times in sequence and post-exposure baking that is the processing subsequent thereto is then performed after the plurality of times of the exposure processing is finished, a large difference in time period to the start of post-exposure baking is made between, for example, an exposed portion which has been exposed by the exposure processing for the first time and an exposed portion which has been exposed by the exposure processing for the second time. Because the time period from the end of the exposure to the start of the post-exposure baking greatly affects the dimension of the pattern to be finally formed, in the above case, the dimension of the pattern varies for each exposed portion by each exposure processing and the consistency between the dimensions of the exposed portions by the exposure processing is not ensured. As a result, a pattern in a desired shape is not finally formed on the wafer.

The present invention has been developed in consideration of the above viewpoints and its object is to finally form a pattern in a desired shape on a substrate such as a wafer when performing exposure processing a plurality of times.

[Means for Solving the Problems]

To attain the above object, the present invention is a substrate processing method wherein exposure processing performed between processing of forming a resist film and developing treatment is performed a plurality of times, and substrate heating processing is performed every time each exposure processing is finished.

According to the present invention, since substrate heating processing is performed every time exposure processing is performed, the difference in time period from the end of the exposure processing to the start of the post-exposure baking between each time is reduced. As a result, the dimension of the pattern of the exposed portion by each exposure processing becomes stable and the consistency between the dimensions of the exposed portions by the exposure processing is improved, so that a pattern in a desired shape can be finally formed.

Time periods from ends of the exposure processing to starts of the heating processing may be controlled to be equal to each other.

A different exposure condition may be set for each exposure processing. In this case, the exposure conditions of the exposure processing for a second time and subsequent times may be set to be less in exposure amount than that of the exposure processing for an immediately preceding time.

A different heating condition may be set for every heating processing after each exposure processing. In this case, the heating conditions of the heating processing for a second time and subsequent times may be set to be shorter in heating time and/or lower in heating temperature than those of the heating processing for an immediately preceding time.

The exposure processing may be for transmitting light through a liquid on a substrate surface to expose the substrate, and a cleaning treatment of cleaning the substrate may be performed after each exposure processing and before the heating processing.

According to another aspect, the present invention is a program running on a computer of a control unit for controlling a substrate processing system to perform a substrate processing method using the substrate processing system, the substrate processing system including a resist film forming unit for forming a resist film on the substrate, a developing treatment unit for performing a developing treatment for the substrate subjected to exposure processing, and a heating processing unit for heating-processing the substrate, wherein the substrate processing method is for performing a plurality of times exposure processing performed between the processing of forming the resist film and the developing treatment, and performing the substrate heating processing every time each exposure processing is finished.

The program may be stored in a computer-readable recording medium.

According to another aspect, the present invention is a substrate processing system, including a resist film forming unit for forming a resist film on the substrate; a developing treatment unit for performing a developing treatment for the substrate on which the resist film has been formed and then subjected to exposure processing; and a heating processing unit for heating-processing the substrate, wherein exposure processing is performed a plurality of times between the formation of the resist film and the developing treatment, and the substrate heating processing is performed in the heating processing unit every time each exposure processing is finished.

The substrate processing system may further include a first processing system having the resist film forming unit, the developing treatment unit, and the heating processing unit; and a second processing system having the heating processing unit, wherein the first processing system may be connected to one end of an aligner, and the second processing system may be connected to another end of the aligner on the opposite side of the first processing system, and wherein the first processing system and second processing system may be configured to be capable of transferring the substrate to the aligner.

A transfer unit for transferring the substrate between the aligner and the heating processing unit in the second processing system may be provided in the second processing system.

A housing unit for housing a plurality of substrates may be provided in the second processing system.

A cleaning unit for cleaning the substrate may be provided in the second processing system.

The heating processing after the exposure processing for a last time may be performed in the heating processing unit in the first processing system, and the heating processing after the exposure processing other than the exposure processing for the last time may be performed in the heating processing unit in the second processing system.

The substrate processing system may further include a processing section having the resist film forming unit and the developing treatment unit; and a transfer section facing the aligner side of the processing section, for transferring the substrate between the processing section and the aligner, wherein the heating processing unit may be provided in each of the transfer section and the processing section.

A cleaning unit for cleaning the substrate may be provided in the transfer section.

The heating processing after the exposure processing for a last time may be performed in the heating processing unit in the processing section, and the heating processing after the exposure processing other than the exposure processing for the last time may be performed in the heating processing unit in the transfer section.

[Effect of the Invention]

According to the present invention, a pattern in a desired shape can be formed on a resist film to improve yields.

EXPLANATION OF CODES

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described.FIG. 1is a plan view showing the outline of a configuration of a coating and developing treatment system1as a substrate processing system according to this embodiment,FIG. 2is a front view of the coating and developing treatment system1, andFIG. 3is a rear view of the coating and developing treatment system1.

The coating and developing treatment system1has, for example, as shown inFIG. 1, a first processing system10and a second processing system11provided on both sides with an aligner A sandwiched therebetween. The first processing system10has a configuration in which, for example, a cassette station12for transferring, for example, 25 wafers W per cassette as a unit from/to the outside into/from the coating and developing treatment system1and transferring the wafers W into/out of a cassette C; a processing station13including a plurality of various kinds of processing and treatment apparatuses, which are multi-tiered, for performing various kinds of processing and treatments in a manner of single wafer processing in a photolithography process; and an interface station14as a transfer unit for passing the wafer W to/from the aligner A, are integrally connected. The cassette station12, the processing station13, and the interface station14are arranged in sequence toward the positive direction side in a Y-direction (the right direction inFIG. 1) where the aligner A is located, and the interface station14is connected to the aligner14.

In the cassette station12, a cassette mounting table20is provided and capable of mounting a plurality of cassettes C thereon in a line in an X-direction (a top-to-bottom direction inFIG. 1). In the cassette station12, a wafer transfer body22is provided which is movable in the X-direction on a transfer path21. The wafer transfer body22is also movable in a wafer-arrangement direction of the wafers W housed in the cassette C (a Z-direction; the vertical direction), and thus can selectively access the wafers W arranged in the vertical direction in each of the cassettes C. The wafer transfer body22, which is rotatable around an axis in the vertical direction (a θ-direction), can access the processing units included in a later-described third processing unit group G3on the processing station13side.

The processing station13includes, for example, five processing unit groups G1to G5in each of which a plurality of processing and treatment units are multi-tiered. On the side of the negative direction in the X-direction (the downward direction inFIG. 1) in the processing station13, the first processing unit group G1and the second processing unit group G2are placed in order from the cassette station12side. On the side of the positive direction in the X-direction (the upward direction inFIG. 1) in the processing station13, the third processing unit group G3, the fourth processing unit group G4, and the fifth processing unit group G5are placed in order from the cassette station12side. Between the third processing unit group G3and the fourth processing unit group G4, a first transfer unit30is provided. The first transfer unit30can selectively access the processing and treatment units in the first processing unit group G1, the third processing unit group G3, and the fourth processing unit group G4and transfer the wafer W to them. Between the fourth processing unit group G4and the fifth processing unit group G5, a second transfer unit31is provided. The second transfer unit31can selectively access the processing and treatment units in the second processing unit group G2, the fourth processing unit group G4, and the fifth processing unit group G5and transfer the wafer W to them.

In the first processing unit group G1, as shown inFIG. 2, solution treatment units each for supplying a predetermined liquid to the wafer W to perform treatment, for example, resist coating units40,41, and42each as a resist film forming unit for applying a resist solution to the wafer W to form a resist film, and bottom coating units43and44each for forming an anti-reflection film that prevents reflection of light during exposure processing, are five-tiered in order from the bottom. In the second processing unit group G2, solution treatment units, for example, developing treatment units50to54each for supplying a developing solution to the wafer W to perform developing treatment for it are five-tiered in order from the bottom. Further, chemical chambers60and61each for supplying various kinds of treatment solutions to the solution treatment units in the processing unit groups G1and G2are provided at the lowermost tiers of the first processing unit group G1and the second processing unit group G2, respectively.

As shown inFIG. 3, in the third processing unit group G3, for example, a temperature regulating unit70, a transition unit71for passing the wafer W, high-precision temperature regulating units72to74each for regulating the wafer temperature under temperature control with a high precision, and thermal processing units75to78each for thermally processing the wafer W, are nine-tiered in order from the bottom.

In the fourth processing unit group G4, for example, a high-precision temperature regulating unit80, pre-baking units81to84each for heating-processing the wafer W after the resist coating treatment, and post-baking units85to89each for heating-processing the wafer W after the developing treatment, are ten-tiered in order from the bottom.

In the fifth processing unit group G5, a plurality of thermal processing units each for thermally processing the wafer W, for example, high-precision temperature regulating units90to93, and post-exposure baking units94to99as heating-processing units, are ten-tiered in order from the bottom.

As shown inFIG. 1, on the side of the positive direction in the X-direction (the upward direction inFIG. 1) of the first transfer unit30, a plurality of treatment units are arranged, for example, adhesion units100and101each for performing hydrophobic treatment on the wafer W being two-tiered in order from the bottom as shown inFIG. 3. As shown inFIG. 1, on the side of the positive direction in the X-direction of the second transfer unit31, for example, an edge exposure unit102is disposed which selectively exposes only the edge portion of the wafer W to light.

In the interface station14, for example, a wafer transfer body111moving on a transfer path110extending in the X-direction and a buffer cassette112are provided as shown inFIG. 1. The wafer transfer body111is movable in the Z-direction and also rotatable in the θ-direction and thus can access the aligner A adjacent to the interface station14, the buffer cassette112, and the units in the fifth processing unit group G5and transfer the wafer W to them.

In the second processing system11, for example, a wafer transfer unit120as a transfer unit, a sixth processing unit group G6, and a buffer cassette121as a housing section are provided. The wafer transfer unit120is movable on a transfer path123extending in the X-direction provided on the aligner A side. The wafer transfer unit120is movable in the Z-direction and also rotatable in the θ-direction and thus can access the aligner A, the sixth processing unit group G6, and the buffer cassette121and transfer the wafer W to them. The wafer transfer unit120includes an alignment function for aligning the wafer W.

The sixth processing unit group G6and the buffer cassette121are provided side by side in the X-direction on the positive direction side in the Y-direction of the transfer path123. In the sixth processing unit group G6, post-exposure baking units130to133as heating-processing units are four-tiered in order from the bottom as shown inFIG. 2. The buffer cassette121can temporarily house a plurality of wafers W.

Next, the configuration of the aforementioned post-exposure baking units94to99and130to133will be described. As shown inFIG. 4andFIG. 5, for example, the post-exposure baking unit130comprises a heating section151for heating the wafer W and a cooling section152for cooling the wafer W in a housing150.

The heating section151has, as shown inFIG. 4, a lid body160that is located on the upper side and vertically movable, and a thermal plate accommodating unit161that is located on the lower side and forms a processing chamber S together with the lid body160.

The lid body160is provided with an exhaust portion160aat its top portion, so that the atmosphere in the processing chamber S can be uniformly exhausted through the exhaust portion160a.

At the center of the thermal plate accommodating unit161, a thermal plate170is provided for mounting and heating the wafer W thereon. The thermal plate170has an almost disk shape with a large thickness. Inside the thermal plate170, a heater171is embedded which generates heat by power feeding. The heating value of the heater171is adjusted, for example, by a heater controller172. The temperature control in the heater controller172is performed, for example, by a later-described control unit220.

As shown inFIG. 4, first raising and lowering pins180for supporting the wafer W from below and raising and lowering the wafer W are provided below the thermal plate170. The first raising and lowering pins180are vertically movable by means of a raising and lowering drive mechanism181. Near the central portion of the thermal plate170, through holes182are formed which pass through the thermal plate170in its thickness direction. The first raising and lowering pins180can rise from below the thermal plate170and pass through the through holes182to project to above the thermal plate170.

The thermal plate accommodating unit161has an annular holding member190for accommodating the thermal plate170and holding the outer peripheral portion of the thermal plate170, and a support ring191almost in a cylindrical shape surrounding the outer periphery of the holding member190. The upper surface of the support ring191is formed with blow ports191afor jetting, for example, an inert gas toward the inside of the processing chamber S. The jetting of the inert gas from the blow ports191acan purge the processing chamber S. Further, outside the support ring191, a case192in a cylindrical shape is provided which is an outer periphery of the thermal plate accommodating unit191.

In the cooling section152adjacent to the heating section521, for example, a cooling plate200is provided which mounts and cools the wafer W thereon. The cooling plate200has, for example, an almost square flat-plate shape as shown inFIG. 5with its end face on the heating plate170side curved in an arc shape protruding outward. As shown inFIG. 4, inside the cooling plate200, for example, a cooling member200asuch as a Peltier element is embedded and can adjust the cooling plate200to a predetermined set temperature.

The cooling plate200is attached to a rail201extending toward the heating section151side. The cooling plate200can move on the rail201by means of a drive unit202and move to a position above the thermal plate170on the heating section151side.

The cooling plate200is formed with, for example, two slits203along the X-direction, for example, as shown inFIG. 5. The slits203are formed from the end surface on the heating section151side of the cooling plate200to the vicinity of the central portion of the cooling plate200. The slits203prevent the cooling plate200which has moved to the heating section151side from interfering with the first raising and lowering pins180projecting to above the thermal plate170. As shown inFIG. 4, second raising and lowering pins204are provided below the cooling plate200. The second raising and lowering pins204can be raised and lowered by a raising and lowering drive unit205. The second raising and lowering pins204can rise from below the cooling plate200and pass through the slits203to project to above the cooling plate200.

As shown inFIG. 5, both side surfaces of the housing150across the cooling plate200are formed with transfer-in/out ports210for transferring-in/out the wafer W.

It should be noted that the other post-exposure baking units94to99and131to133have the same configuration as that of the above-described post-exposure baking unit130and therefore their description will be omitted.

The control of the wafer processing in the coating and developing treatment system1is performed, for example, by the control unit220shown inFIG. 1. The control unit220is composed of a general-purpose computer comprising, for example, a CPU and a memory, and connected to the various kinds of processing and treatment units such as the resist coating units40to42, the post-exposure baking units94to99and130to133, and the developing treatment units50to54, and to the various kinds of transfer units such as the wafer transfer body22, the first transfer unit30, the second transfer unit31, the wafer transfer body111, and the wafer transfer unit120. The control unit220can execute the program recorded, for example, on the memory to control the operation of the processing and treatment units and the transfer units, thereby realizing the later-described desired wafer processing. The program which is executed by the control unit220may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium and installed from the recording medium to the control unit220.

Next, the process of the wafer processing in the coating and developing treatment system1configured as described above will be described.FIG. 6is a flowchart showing main process steps of the wafer processing.

First of all, unprocessed wafers W are taken out of the cassette C on the cassette mounting table20one by one by the wafer transfer body22shown inFIG. 1, and transferred to the processing station13in sequence. The wafer W is transferred to the temperature regulating unit70included in the third processing unit group G3in the processing station13where the wafer W is temperature-regulated to a predetermined temperature, and is then transferred by the first transfer unit30, for example, to the bottom coating unit43where an anti-reflection film is formed thereon. The wafer W is then transferred by the first transfer unit30to the thermal processing unit75, the high-precision temperature regulating unit80in sequence, so that predetermined processing is performed in each of the units. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred by the first transfer unit30to the resist coating unit40.

In the resist coating unit40, a predetermined amount of resist solution is supplied, for example, to the front surface of the rotated wafer W from a nozzle so that the resist solution is spread to the entire surface of the wafer W to form a resist film on the wafer W (Step Q1inFIG. 6).

The wafer W on which the resist film has been formed is transferred by the first transfer unit30, for example, to the pre-baking units81where it is subjected to heating-processing (pre-baking), and then transferred by the second transfer unit31to the edge exposure unit102and the high-precision temperature regulating unit93in sequence so that predetermined processing is performed in each of the units. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred by the wafer transfer body111in the interface station14to the aligner A. When the wafer W is transferred to the aligner A, light is applied to the resist film on the wafer W via a mask from an exposure light source, whereby a predetermined pattern is exposed on the resist film. Thus, exposure processing for the first time is performed on the wafer W (Step Q2inFIG. 6).

The wafer W for which the exposure processing for the first time has been finished is transferred by the wafer transfer unit120, for example, to the post-exposure baking unit130in the second processing system11on the other side of the aligner A.

In the post-exposure baking unit130, the wafer is first transferred thereinto through the transfer-in/out port210and mounted on the cooling plate200shown inFIG. 4. Subsequently, the cooling plate200is moved to move the wafer W to a position above the thermal plate170. The wafer W is passed from the cooling plate200to the first raising and lowering pins180and mounted onto the thermal plate170by the first raising and lowering pins180. Thus, the heating processing (post-exposure baking) for the wafer W is started (Step Q3inFIG. 6). After a lapse of a predetermined time, the wafer W is then separated from the thermal plate170by the first raising and lowering pins180, with which the heating processing for the wafer W ends. Thereafter, the wafer W is passed from the first raising and lowering pins180to the cooling plate200and cooled, and then transferred out from the cooling plate200via the transfer-in/out port210to the outside of the post-exposure baking unit130.

The wafer W for which the post-exposure baking for the first time has been finished is transferred by the wafer transfer unit120shown inFIG. 1to the buffer cassette121and temporarily housed therein. The wafer W waits in the buffer cassette121, for example, until the above-described exposure processing and post-exposure baking for the first time are finished for the other wafers in the same lot. Thereafter, the wafer W is taken out of the buffer cassette121by the wafer transfer unit120and transferred to the aligner A. For the wafer W transferred to the aligner A, for example, a pattern different from that in the exposure processing for the first time is exposed on the resist film, whereby exposure processing for the second time is performed (Step Q4inFIG. 6). The wafer W for which the exposure processing for the second time has been finished is transferred by the wafer transfer body111in the interface station14, for example, to the post-exposure baking unit94in the processing station13.

The wafer W transferred to the post-exposure baking unit94is first passed to the cooling plate200and passed from the cooling plate200to the first raising and lowering pins180, in a similar manner to the heating processing in the above-described post-exposure baking unit130. The wafer W is then mounted onto the thermal plate170by the first raising and lowering pins180, whereby the heating processing (post-exposure baking) for the wafer W is started (Step Q5inFIG. 6). After a lapse of a predetermined time, the wafer W is then raised by the first raising and lowering pins180, with which the heating processing for the wafer W ends. Thereafter, the wafer W is passed to the cooling plate200and cooled, and then transferred out of the post-exposure baking unit94.

The wafer W for which post-exposure baking for the second time has been finished is transferred by the second transfer unit31, for example, to the developing treatment unit50where the resist film on the wafer W is developed (Step Q6inFIG. 6). The wafer W is then transferred by the second transfer unit31to the post-baking unit85where the wafer W is subjected to heating processing (post-baking) and then transferred by the first transfer unit30to the high-precision temperature regulating unit72where the wafer W is temperature-regulated. The wafer W is then returned by the wafer transfer body22to the cassette C in the cassette station12. Thus a series of steps of the wafer processing in the coating and developing treatment system1ends.

According to the above embodiment, in the wafer processing in which exposure processing is performed twice in order to form a pattern on the resist film in the photolithography process, post-exposure baking is performed after each of the exposure processing for the first time and the second time, so that the difference in time period from the end of the exposure processing to the start of the post-exposure baking (PED time), between the first time and the second time, can be reduced. As a result, variations in the pattern dimension between exposed portions which have been subjected to the exposure processing for the first time and the second time are reduced to improve the consistency of the dimension of the pattern of the exposed portion in each exposure processing, so that a pattern in a desired shape can be finally formed on the wafer W.

Since the second processing system11having the post-exposure baking units130to133is provided on the opposite side across the aligner A as seen from the first processing system10in the above embodiment, the wafer W for which the exposure processing for the first time has been finished can be transferred out from the opposite side of the aligner A to the second processing system11and subjected to the post-exposure baking in the post-exposure baking units130to133. In this case, it is not necessary to use the wafer transfer body111in the interface station14which passes the wafer W between the processing station13and the aligner A, and the dedicated wafer transfer unit120can be used to transfer the wafer W to the post-exposure baking units130to133. Therefore, the wafer W for which the exposure processing for the first time has been finished can be smoothly transferred to the post-exposure baking units130to133regardless of, for example, the operating condition of the wafer transfer body111. As a result, the time period from the end of the exposure processing to the start of the post-exposure baking for the first time can be stably controlled. Further, the use of the wafer transfer unit120accordingly reduce the burden on the wafer transfer body111to also allow for stable control of the time period from the end of the exposure processing to the start of the post-exposure baking for the second time. As a result, the difference in time period from the end of the exposure processing to the start of the post-exposure baking, between the first time and the second time, can be reduced more stably and positively, so that a pattern with a desired dimension can be finally formed on the wafer W.

Since the buffer cassette121is provided in the second processing station11, the wafers W in one lot for which the post-exposure baking has been finished can be housed therein and kept wait for the exposure processing for the second time.

In the above embodiment, control may be positively conducted such that the time periods from the ends of the exposure processing to the starts post-exposure baking for the first time and the second time are equal. For example, the control unit220controls the operations of the wafer transfer unit120and the wafer transfer body111to manage time such that the time period from the end of the exposure processing to the start of the post-exposure baking for the first time is equal to the time period from the end of the exposure processing to the start of the post-exposure baking for the second time. This can eliminate the difference in the time period from the end of the exposure processing to the start of the post-exposure baking, between the first time and the second time, resulting in no variation in the pattern dimension between exposed portions for the first time and the second time, thus allowing for formation of a pattern with more precise dimension.

Incidentally, the exposed portion of the resist film in the exposure processing for the second time is then subjected to post-exposure baking once more (post-exposure baking for the second time), in which the exposed portion which has been subjected to the exposure processing for the first time will be subjected to the post-exposure baking twice in total (the post-exposure baking for the first time+the post-exposure baking for the second time). To correct the variations in pattern dimension due to the difference in the number of times of the post-exposure baking, for example, the exposure conditions of the exposure processing for the first time and the exposure processing for the second time may be varied. For example, the exposure time for the first time may be made shorter than the exposure time for the second time to decrease the exposure amount of the exposure processing for the first time. In this case, for example, the control unit220sets the exposure amount of the exposure processing for the first time in the aligner A to about 20 mJ/cm2, and sets the exposure amount of the exposure processing for the second time to about 25 mJ/cm2. In this event, the heating time (about 30 seconds) and the heating temperature (about 120° C.) of the post-exposure baking are set equally for the first time and the second time. This ensures that even if the exposed portion in the exposure processing for the first time is subjected to the post-exposure baking twice, patterns having the same dimension can be formed in the first time and the second time, thus finely adjusting the final pattern.

Further, in place of the exposure conditions of the exposure processing in the above example, the heating conditions of the post-exposure baking for the first time and the second time may be varied. In this case, the heating time for the first time may be made shorter than the heating time for the second time, or the heating temperature for the first time may be made lower than the heating temperature for the second time, or both of them may be performed. In this case, the exposure condition of the exposure processing is set equally for the first time and the second time. This can also reduce the influence due to the exposed portion in the exposure processing for the first time being subjected to the post-exposure baking more than the exposed portion in the exposure processing for the second time, thus finally forming a pattern in a desired shape. Note that both the exposure conditions of the exposure processing and the heating conditions of the post-exposure baking for the first time and the second time may be varied so that a pattern with a desired dimension is finally formed.

Although the light from the light source is directly applied to the wafer W in the exposure processing described in the above embodiment, with a liquid layer transmitting the light being formed on the front surface of the wafer W, the resist film on the wafer W may be exposed to light via the liquid layer. Note that the technique of transmitting light through the liquid layer on the wafer surface for exposure is proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2006-49757.

In this case, cleaning units230and240each for cleaning the wafer W after the exposure processing may be provided in the processing station13and the second processing system11, for example, as shown inFIG. 7. For example, the cleaning unit230in the processing station13is provided in the fifth processing unit group G5to which the wafer W can be transferred by the wafer transfer body111. For example, the cleaning unit240in the second processing system11is provided, for example, in the sixth processing unit group G6to which the wafer W can be transferred by the wafer transfer unit120.

The cleaning unit230has, for example, a casing230aas shown inFIG. 8, and a spin chuck231for horizontally holding and rotating the wafer W is provided at the central portion in the casing230a.Around the spin chuck231, a cup233is provided for receiving and collecting a cleaning solution scattering from the wafer W. To the bottom surface of the cup232, a drain pipe233is connected. Above the spin chuck231, a cleaning solution discharge nozzle234is provided for discharging the cleaning solution to the wafer W. The cleaning solution discharge nozzle234is connected to a cleaning solution supply source236via a supply pipe235.

Note that the cleaning unit240has the same configuration as that of the above-described cleaning unit230, and therefore the description therefor will be omitted.

Next, the process of the wafer processing when the cleaning units230and240are provided will be described.FIG. 9is a flowchart showing main process steps of the wafer processing. First of all, the wafer W in the cassette station12is transferred to the processing station13, for example, to the temperature regulating unit70, the bottom coating unit43, the thermal processing unit75, and the high-precision temperature regulating unit80in sequence so that predetermined processing is performed as in the above embodiment. Thereafter, the wafer W is transferred to the resist coating unit40where a resist film is formed thereon (Step Q1inFIG. 9). The wafer W is then transferred, for example, to the pre-baking unit81, the edge exposure unit102, and the high-precision temperature regulating unit93in sequence so that predetermined processing is performed, and then transferred to the aligner A.

In the aligner A, for example, a liquid layer B that transmits light is formed between a lens250and the wafer W as shown inFIG. 10, so that light is transmitted through the lens250and the liquid layer B to perform the exposure processing for the first time for the resist film (Step Q2inFIG. 9). The wafer W is then transferred by the wafer transfer unit120from the aligner A to the cleaning unit240in the second processing system11.

In the cleaning unit240, the wafer W is first held on the spin chuck231. The wafer W is rotated by the spin chuck231, and the cleaning solution is discharged from the cleaning solution discharge nozzle234to the rotated wafer W. This removes the liquid adhering to the front surface of the wafer W in the exposure processing to thereby clean the wafer W (Step K1inFIG. 9). Then, the discharge of the cleaning solution is stopped, and the spin chuck231rotates the wafer W at a high speed to dry the wafer W. The dried wafer W is transferred out of the cleaning unit240by the wafer transfer unit120, for example, to the post-exposure baking unit130.

The wafer W transferred to the post-exposure baking unit130is passed to the thermal plate170as in the above-described embodiment and subjected to heating processing (post-exposure baking) for a predetermined time (Step Q3inFIG. 9). The wafer W is then cooled on the cooling plate200, and taken out of the post-exposure baking unit130by the wafer transfer unit120and transferred to the buffer cassette121. The wafer W is then transferred by the wafer transfer unit120again to the aligner A where light is transmitted to the liquid layer on the front surface of the wafer W to perform the exposure processing for the second time for a pattern different from that for the first time (Step Q4inFIG. 9). The wafer W for which the exposure processing for the second time has been finished is transferred through the interface station14to the cleaning unit230in the processing station13and cleaned there (Step K2inFIG. 9). In the cleaning unit230, the wafer W is rotated while the cleaning solution is being supplied in a similar manner to the cleaning treatment in the above-described cleaning unit240, whereby the cleaning of the wafer W is performed. The wafer W is then transferred to the post-exposure baking unit94and subjected to heating processing (post-exposure baking) (Step Q5inFIG. 9). The wafer W is then developed in the developing treatment unit50(Step Q6inFIG. 9), and then transferred to the post-baking unit85and the high-precision temperature regulating unit72in sequence and returned to the cassette C in the cassette station12.

According to this example, the wafer W can be cleaned and dried immediately after the exposure processing for the first time and the second time, thereby preventing the liquid used in the exposure processing from remaining on the resist film to cause defects in the resist film. Note that, also in this example, the time periods from the exposure processing to the post-exposure baking for the first time and the second time may be strictly controlled by the control unit220so that, for example, the time periods from the exposure processing to the post-exposure baking for the first time and the second time are equal.

Although the post-exposure baking units130to133which perform the post-exposure baking and the cleaning unit240which performs the cleaning treatment for the first time are provided in the second processing system11in the above embodiment, they may be provided, for example, in the interface station14as shown inFIG. 11. In this case, the post-exposure baking units94to99which perform the post-exposure baking and the cleaning unit230which performs the cleaning treatment for the second time are provided in the processing station13.

Further, although the post-exposure baking units94to99which perform the post-exposure baking and the cleaning unit230which performs the cleaning treatment for the second time are provided in the processing station13in the above embodiment, they may be provided, for example, in the interface station14as shown inFIG. 12. In this case, the post-exposure baking units130to133which perform the post-exposure baking and the cleaning unit240which performs the cleaning treatment for the first time are provided in the second processing system11.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. It should be understood that various changes and modifications will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art within the scope of the spirit as set forth in claims, and those should also be covered by the technical scope of the present invention. For example, the number of times of the exposure processing is two, and the present invention is also applicable to the case of three times or more. In this case, for example, the post-exposure baking after the exposure processing for the last time may be performed in the post-exposure baking units94to99, and the post-exposure baking after the exposure processing other than the exposure processing for the last time may be performed in the post-exposure baking units130to133. Further, a detection unit capable of measuring the dimension such as, for example, the line width and the like may be incorporated in the substrate processing system, so that the detection result by the detection unit may be fed forward to control the exposure time and the post-exposure baking or developing time. Further, the present invention is also applied to processing of substrates other than the wafer W, such as an FPD (Flat Panel Display), a mask reticle for a photomask, and the like.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention is useful in forming a pattern with a desired dimension in pattern forming processing in which exposure processing is performed a plurality of times between the resist film forming processing and the developing treatment.