Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a prediction unit configured to calculate, based on a film thickness model representing a relationship between a state of a substrate processing apparatus and a film thickness of a coating film formed on a front surface of a substrate by the substrate processing apparatus and pre-data representing the state of the substrate processing apparatus before the substrate is processed by the substrate processing apparatus, a predicted film thickness when the substrate is processed by the substrate processing apparatus; and an output unit configured to output, based on the predicted film thickness, instruction information on a processing of the substrate before the substrate is processed by the substrate processing apparatus.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a prediction unit configured to calculate, based on a film thickness model representing a relationship between a state of a substrate processing apparatus and a film thickness of a coating film formed on a front surface of a substrate by the substrate processing apparatus and pre-data representing the state of the substrate processing apparatus before the substrate is processed by the substrate processing apparatus, a predicted film thickness when the substrate is processed by the substrate processing apparatus; and an output unit configured to output, based on the predicted film thickness, instruction information on a processing of the substrate before the substrate is processed by the substrate processing apparatus.

Abstract: A substrate treatment method of treating a treatment object substrate includes before applying a resist solution for forming a resist film onto a base film formed on a substrate surface of the treatment object substrate, making a determination of which one of a first treatment and a second treatment to perform based on the treatment object substrate. In response to the determination determining to perform the first treatment, performing the first treatment of decreasing a polarity of the base film to bring it closer to a polarity of the resist solution. In response to the determination determining to perform the second treatment, performing a treatment of increasing the polarity of the base film to bring it closer to the polarity of the resist solution.

Abstract: A substrate inspection device for inspecting a substrate, includes: a setting part configured to define a group according to a basic state that is not dependent on a presence or absence of a defect in a substrate and set the defined group for each inspection target substrate; an inspection part configured to perform a defect inspection based on a captured image of the inspection target substrate and an inspection recipe corresponding to the defined group to which the inspection target substrate belongs and including a reference image; a recipe creation part configured to create the inspection recipe for each group; and a determination part configured to perform a determination as to whether a group-setting target substrate, for which the group is set by the setting part, belongs to the group defined by the setting part.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a periphery removal unit configured to remove a peripheral portion of a film formed on a surface of a substrate; a profile acquisition unit configured to acquire a removal width profile indicating a relationship between a position in a circumferential direction of the substrate and a width of a portion of the substrate from which the film is removed; and a factor estimation unit configured to output factor information indicating a factor of an error in the width based on the removal width profile.

Abstract: Various embodiments of systems and methods for monitoring thermal characteristics of substrates, substrate processes and/or substrate processing module components are disclosed herein. More specifically, the present disclosure provides various embodiments of a thermal imaging sensor within various substrate processing modules (e.g., a liquid dispense module, a baking module or combined bake module, an interface block, a wafer inspection system (WIS) module, a plating dispense module or another processing module) of a substrate processing system. By positioning the thermal imaging sensor at various locations within the substrate processing system, the present disclosure enables thermal data to be remotely collected from the substrate surface, a liquid dispensed onto the substrate surface, a processing space surrounding the substrate, or a component included within a substrate processing module (e.g.

Abstract: A technique for suppressing a metal component from remaining at a bottom of a mask pattern when the mask pattern is formed using a metal-containing resist film. A developable anti reflection film 103 is previously formed below a resist film 104. Further, after exposing and developing the wafer W, TMAH is supplied to the wafer W to remove a surface of the anti-reflection film 103 facing a bottom of the recess pattern 110 of the resist film 104. Therefore, the metal component 105 can be suppressed from remaining at the bottom of the recess pattern 110. Therefore, when the SiO2 film 102 is subsequently etched using the pattern of the resist film 104, the etching is not hindered, so that defects such as bridges can be suppressed.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a periphery removal unit configured to remove a peripheral portion of a film formed on a surface of a substrate; a profile acquisition unit configured to acquire a removal width profile indicating a relationship between a position in a circumferential direction of the substrate and a width of a portion of the substrate from which the film is removed; and a factor estimation unit configured to output factor information indicating a factor of an error in the width based on the removal width profile.

Abstract: A substrate liquid-processing apparatus includes: a processing tank storing a processing liquid for liquid-processing of a substrate within an inside; an imager configured to acquire an image of the processing liquid of the inside of the processing tank; and an image processor comprising a bubble data acquisitor configured to perform image processing on the image and to acquire bubble data representing the state of bubbles in the processing liquid.

Abstract: A technique for suppressing a metal component from remaining at a bottom of a mask pattern when the mask pattern is formed using a metal-containing resist film. A developable anti reflection film 103 is previously formed below a resist film 104. Further, after exposing and developing the wafer W, TMAH is supplied to the wafer W to remove a surface of the anti-reflection film 103 facing a bottom of the recess pattern 110 of the resist film 104. Therefore, the metal component 105 can be suppressed from remaining at the bottom of the recess pattern 110. Therefore, when the SiO2 film 102 is subsequently etched using the pattern of the resist film 104, the etching is not hindered, so that defects such as bridges can be suppressed.

Abstract: An etching control system includes a prediction device and an etching control device. The prediction device includes an updating unit configured to update, to optimize a model indicating a relationship between distribution of an etching amount within a surface of a substrate and a process parameter, which is a parameter of controlling operations of multiple nozzles configured to etch the substrate, a parameter of the model; a calculator configured to calculate the process parameter corresponding to distribution of a designated etching amount by using the model whose parameter has been updated by the updating unit; and a provider configured to provide the process parameter calculated by the calculator. The etching control device includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire the process parameter; and an operation controller configured to control the operations of the multiple nozzles by using the process parameter acquired by the acquisition unit.

Abstract: An etching control system includes a prediction device and an etching control device. The prediction device includes a calculator configured to calculate, by using a model indicating a relationship between distribution of an etching amount within a surface of a substrate and a process parameter, which is a parameter of controlling operations of multiple nozzles configured to etch the substrate, the process parameter corresponding to distribution of a designated etching amount. The etching control device includes an updating unit configured to update a process recipe, which is information including a discharge time, a discharge position, and a moving speed of each of the multiple nozzles, based on the process parameter; and an operation controller configured to control the operations of the multiple nozzles according to the process recipe updated by the updating unit.

Abstract: An etching control device includes an updating unit configured to update, to optimize a model indicating a relationship between distribution of an etching amount within a surface of a substrate and a process parameter, which is a parameter of controlling operations of multiple nozzles configured to etch the substrate, a parameter of the model; a calculator configured to calculate the process parameter corresponding to distribution of a designated etching amount by using the model whose parameter has been updated by the updating unit; and an operation controller configured to control the operations of the multiple nozzles by using the process parameter.

Abstract: A substrate treatment method includes: generating, for each of layers constituting a stacked film on a substrate, a captured image of the substrate after a treatment regarding a relevant layer; and acquiring information indicating a feature amount estimated based on the captured image for each of a plurality of layers including an outermost layer of the stacked film on the substrate.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus which processes includes a thermal processor that performs thermal processing on the substrate; an imager that images the substrate; and a controller that executes adjustment processing of adjusting conditions of processing on the substrate.

Abstract: An apparatus includes: an capturing part that captures a peripheral edge portion of a substrate including a reference substrate and a workpiece substrate, so as to acquire captured images of the reference and workpiece substrates; a first calculation part that calculates a theoretical peripheral edge position of the reference substrate in the captured image of the reference substrate with reference to a center thereof, a second calculation part that calculates a theoretical peripheral edge position of the workpiece substrate in the captured image of the workpiece substrate based on the theoretical peripheral edge position of the reference substrate and the captured image of the workpiece substrate; a setting part that sets processing parameters for the peripheral edge portion of the substrate based on the theoretical peripheral edge position of the workpiece substrate; and a processing part that processes the peripheral edge portion of the substrate based on the processing parameters.

Abstract: An analyzing device 10 includes an imaging unit 11 configured to image a substrate surface; a defect range estimation unit 131 configured to estimate a defect range, which is a range in which a defect exists on the substrate surface, based on an imaging result of the imaging unit 11; a gray value acquisition unit 132 configured to acquire multiple gray values in the defect range when light is radiated to the substrate surface; and a defect type determination unit 133 configured to determine a defect type in the defect range based on the gray value.

Abstract: Camera images may be utilized to detect substrate edges and provide information regarding the centering of the substrate within the fluid dispense system. Camera images may also be utilized to monitoring the location of a cup within the fluid dispense system. The signal processing techniques utilized may include data smoothing, analyzing only certain wavelengths of reflected energy, transforming the data (in one embodiment utilizing a Fourier transform), and/or analyzing a sub-set of the collected pixels of data. The camera image data collected herein may be combined with a wide variety of other data so as to better monitor, characterize and/or control a substrate processing process flow.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes: an imaging portion configured to acquire a surface image of a film formed on a surface of a substrate; an optical property estimation portion configured to estimate an optical property of the film based on process information acquired during formation of the film; and a film thickness estimation portion configured to estimate a film thickness of the film based on the surface image and an estimation result of the optical property.

Abstract: A substrate processing method includes: forming a coating film on a substrate by supplying a resist liquid which is photosensitive to extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light to a surface of the substrate; forming a semi-solidified film by volatilizing a solvent contained in the coating film without heating the solvent; irradiating the semi-solidified film with EUV light thereby exposing the semi-solidified film with EUV light; and supplying a developer to the substrate after the exposure of the semi-solidified film.