1. A film thickness measurement system, comprising:

a holding portion configured to hold a substrate;

an imaging unit configured to capture an image of the surface of the substrate held by the holding unit and acquire image data; and

a control unit configured to control the image pickup unit,

the control unit includes:

a spectroscopic data acquisition unit configured to acquire N pieces of spectroscopic data by spectroscopic light from a first position on a surface of N first substrates on which first films having different thicknesses are formed, wherein N is an integer of 2 or more;

a first film thickness obtaining unit configured to obtain, for each of the N first substrates, a film thickness of the first film at the first position from the spectroscopic data;

a first image data acquisition unit configured to acquire N pieces of first image data by using the imaging unit to image surfaces of N second substrates held by the holding unit and having second films different in film thickness formed corresponding to the first films;

a first color information acquiring unit configured to acquire, for each of the N second substrates, first color information included in the first image data in a plurality of first sub-regions within a first region including a second position corresponding to the first position;

a correlation obtaining unit configured to obtain a correlation between film thickness and color information for each of the plurality of first sub-regions by using the film thickness of each of the first films at the first position as the film thickness of each of the second films in the first region and by using the first color information of the N second substrates;

a second image data acquisition unit configured to acquire second image data by imaging a surface of a third substrate on which a third film is formed and which is held by the holding unit, using the imaging unit;

a second color information obtaining unit configured to obtain second color information using the second image data for each of a plurality of second sub-regions within a second region, the second region corresponding to the first region, the plurality of second sub-regions corresponding to the plurality of first sub-regions; and

and an estimating unit configured to estimate a film thickness of the third film in the second region from the second color information and the correlation for each of the plurality of second sub-regions.

2. The film thickness measurement system according to claim 1,

a spectroscopic measurement unit configured to acquire spectroscopic data by spectroscopic measurement of light from the surface of the substrate held by the holding unit,

the control unit is also configured to control the spectroscopic measurement unit,

the spectroscopic data acquisition unit is configured to acquire the N pieces of spectroscopic data by using the spectroscopic measurement unit.

3. The film thickness measurement system according to claim 1 or 2,

the first film thickness obtaining section is configured to obtain film thicknesses of the first films at a plurality of the first positions,

the first color information acquiring unit is configured to acquire the first color information included in the first image data in the plurality of first sub-regions in the first region including the second position for each of the plurality of second positions,

the correlation obtaining unit is configured to obtain the correlation for each of the plurality of first regions,

the second color information obtaining unit is configured to obtain the second color information for each of the plurality of second sub-regions for each of the plurality of second regions,

the estimating unit is configured to estimate a film thickness of the third film for each of the plurality of second regions.

4. The film thickness measurement system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the control unit is configured to estimate a film thickness of the third film by:

calculating an estimated film thickness of each of the plurality of second sub-regions within the second region from the correlation of the corresponding first sub-region and the color information of the corresponding first sub-region, an

And calculating a weighted average of the estimated film thicknesses of the plurality of second sub-regions in the second region as the film thickness of the third film in the second region.

5. The film thickness measurement system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the image pickup section has a plurality of pixels,

the plurality of second sub-regions correspond to the plurality of pixels.

6. A film thickness measuring method includes:

a spectroscopic data acquisition step of acquiring N pieces of spectroscopic data by spectroscopic light from first positions on the surface of N first substrates on which first films having different thicknesses are formed, where N is an integer of 2 or more;

a first film thickness obtaining step of obtaining, for each of the N first substrates, a film thickness of the first film at the first position from the spectroscopic data;

a first image data acquisition step of acquiring N first image data by imaging surfaces of N second substrates held by the holding section and having second films different in film thickness formed corresponding to the first films;

a first color information acquisition step of acquiring, for each of the N second substrates, first color information included in the first image data in a plurality of first sub-regions within a first region including a second position corresponding to the first position;

a correlation obtaining step of obtaining a correlation between film thickness and color information for each of the plurality of first sub-regions by using the film thickness of each of the first films at the first position as the film thickness of each of the second films in the first region and using the first color information of the N second substrates;

a second image data acquisition step of acquiring second image data by imaging a surface of a third substrate on which a third film is formed and which is held by the holding portion;

a second color information acquisition step of acquiring second color information included in the second image data for each of a plurality of second sub-regions corresponding to the plurality of first sub-regions; and

and a third film thickness estimating step of estimating a film thickness of the third film in a second region corresponding to the first region, from the second color information and the correlation in each of the plurality of second sub-regions.

7. The film thickness measuring method according to claim 6,

the first film thickness obtaining step includes a step of obtaining the film thicknesses of the first films at a plurality of the first positions,

the first color information acquiring step includes a step of acquiring, for each of the plurality of second positions, the first color information included in the first image data in the plurality of first sub-regions in the first region including the second position,

the correlation obtaining step includes a step of obtaining the correlation for each of the plurality of first regions,

the second color information acquisition step includes a step of acquiring the second color information for each of the plurality of second subregions for each of the plurality of second regions,

the third film thickness estimating step includes a step of estimating the thickness of the third film for each of the plurality of second regions.

8. The film thickness measuring method according to claim 6 or 7,

the third film thickness estimating step includes:

weighting the thickness of the third film in each of the plurality of second sub-regions; and

estimating a sum of the weighted thicknesses of the third films in each of the plurality of second sub-regions as a thickness of the third film in the second region.

9. A storage medium comprising a stored program for executing the film thickness measuring method according to any one of claims 6 to 8.

Background

Patent document 1 discloses a configuration for calculating the film thickness of a film formed on a substrate from an image obtained by imaging the surface of the substrate.

< Prior Art document >

< patent document >

Patent document 1 Japanese laid-open patent application No. 2015-215193

Disclosure of Invention

< problems to be solved by the present invention >

The invention provides a film thickness measuring system, a film thickness measuring method and a storage medium capable of measuring the film thickness of a film on a substrate with a pattern with high precision.

< means for solving the problems >

The film thickness measuring system of one embodiment of the invention comprises a holding part for holding a substrate; an imaging unit configured to capture an image of the surface of the substrate held by the holding unit and acquire image data; and a control unit configured to control the imaging unit, the control unit including a spectroscopic data acquisition unit configured to acquire N spectroscopic data by spectroscopic light from a first position on a surface of N (N is an integer of 2 or more) first substrates on which first films having different thicknesses are formed; a first film thickness obtaining unit configured to obtain, for each of the N first substrates, a film thickness of the first film at the first position from the spectroscopic data; a first image data acquisition unit configured to acquire N pieces of first image data by using the imaging unit to image surfaces of N second substrates held by the holding unit and having second films different in film thickness formed corresponding to the first films; a first color information acquiring unit configured to acquire, for each of the N second substrates, first color information included in the first image data in a plurality of first sub-regions within a first region including a second position corresponding to the first position; a correlation obtaining unit configured to use the film thickness of the first film at the first position as the film thickness of the second film in the first region, and obtain a correlation between the film thickness of the second film in the first region and the first color information for each of the plurality of first sub-regions in the first region; a second image data acquisition unit configured to acquire second image data by imaging a surface of a third substrate on which a third film is formed and which is held by the holding unit, using the imaging unit; a second color information acquisition unit configured to acquire second color information included in the second image data for each of a plurality of second sub-regions corresponding to the plurality of first sub-regions; and an estimating unit configured to estimate a film thickness of the third film in a second region corresponding to the first region, from the second color information and the correlation for each of the plurality of second sub-regions.

< effects of the invention >

According to the present invention, the film thickness of a film on a substrate having a pattern formed thereon can be measured with high accuracy.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a substrate processing system.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the film thickness measuring unit.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the control device.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the control device.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of control (acquisition of reference data) by the control device.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of control (estimation of film thickness from spectroscopic data) by the control device.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of control (acquisition of correction data) by the control device.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a position where spectroscopic spectrum data of a reference wafer is acquired.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an area for acquiring color information of a calibration wafer.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the film thickness and the luminance value difference in the first sub-region.

Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of control (measurement of film thickness on a production wafer) by the control device.

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of an area for acquiring color information of a product wafer.

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the measurement result of the film thickness of the film on the bare wafer.

Fig. 14 is a graph showing the relationship between the film thickness measured using an ellipsometer and the film thickness measured by spectroscopic analysis.

Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the results of film thickness measurement.

Fig. 16 is a diagram showing another example of the results of film thickness measurement.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification and the drawings, the same reference numerals are given to components having substantially the same function, and the overlapping description may be omitted.

[ substrate processing System ]

First, a substrate processing system will be described. The substrate processing system is a system for forming a film such as a silicon nitride film on a substrate. The substrate to be processed is, for example, a semiconductor wafer W. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a substrate processing system.

The substrate processing system 20 is disposed in a clean room, and four process modules PM are arranged in a cluster, for example, around a substantially pentagonal platform or vacuum transfer chamber PH extending in the device depth direction₁、PM₂、PM₃、PM₄And two load lock modules LLM_a、LLM_b. Although not shown, the substrate processing system 20 includes a system controller for integrally controlling the operation of the entire system.

In more detail, two process modules PM₁,PM₂Through gate valve GV₁,GV₂Connected to the vacuum chamber PH at the left long side of the figure, respectively, and two process modules PM₃,PM₄Through gate valve GV₃,GV₄Respectively on the right of the figureThe long side of the side is connected to a vacuum conveying chamber PH, a load lock module LLM_a,LLM_bThrough gate valve GV_a,GV_bA pair of short sides extending in a figure is connected to the vacuum transfer chamber PH.

Process module PM₁,PM₂,PM₃,PM₄The vacuum chamber 10, which has a variable pressure inside the chamber and is kept constantly at a reduced pressure by each dedicated exhaust device (not shown), is typically configured such that 1 wafer W is placed on a load-bearing table or a susceptor (not shown) disposed in a central portion of the chamber, and a desired film is formed using a predetermined acting force (process gas, electric power, pressure reduction, or the like).

Load lock module LLM_a、LLM_bRespectively through gate valves DV_c、DV_dThe load lock chambers 202 may be communicated with an atmospheric transfer chamber of the load lock chamber LM to be described later, and each load lock chamber 202 may be provided with a mounting table or a transfer table (not shown) for temporarily retaining the wafer W transferred between the load lock chamber LM and the vacuum transfer chamber PH.

The vacuum transport chamber PH is connected to a dedicated vacuum exhaust device (not shown), and the chamber is normally kept at a constant pressure and constantly depressurized. Having a pair of telescopic conveying arms F indoors_a、F_bFurther, a single-chip vacuum transfer robot 204 capable of sliding, rotating, and lifting is provided. The vacuum transfer robot 204 transfers the process module PM to the process module PM according to a command from the transfer control unit 206₁～PM₄And load lock module LLM_a、LLM_bAnd so as to convey the wafer W in a single-piece unit.

The load port LP, the alignment mechanism ORT, and the film thickness measurement unit U3 are provided adjacent to the load transfer chamber LM. The load port LP is used to load and unload a wafer cassette CR capable of accommodating, for example, 1 lot of 25 wafers W into and out of the external transport car. Here, the pod CR is configured as a foup (front open unified pod), an smif (standard Mechanical interface) box, or the like. The alignment mechanism ORT is used to align the notch or orientation plane of the wafer W with a predetermined position or orientation. For in-process modulePM₁～PM₄The film thickness measuring unit U3 measures the film thickness of the formed film on all the processed wafers W that have been returned to the loading/conveying chamber LM after film formation or on the processed wafers W that have been sampled periodically.

The single-wafer atmospheric transfer robot 210 provided in the loading/transfer chamber LM has a pair of extendable transfer arms F stacked one on top of the other_c、F_dMovable in a horizontal direction above the linear guide 214 of the linear motor 212, liftable, rotatable, and on the load port LP, the orientation flat alignment mechanism ORT, the load lock module LLM according to instructions from the transport control section 206_a、LLM_bAnd the film thickness measuring unit U3, and the wafer W is conveyed in a unit of a single wafer.

Here, a basic wafer transfer sequence for subjecting 1 wafer loaded into the cassette CR of the load port LP to a series of processes in the cluster tool will be described.

The atmospheric transfer robot 210 in the load transfer chamber LM takes out 1 wafer W from the wafer cassette CR above the load port LP with the LP door 216 opened, transfers the wafer W to the alignment mechanism ORT to be aligned, and transfers the wafer W to the load lock module LLM after the alignment is completed_a,LLM_bAny of (e.g. LLM)_a). Load lock module LLM for a transfer destination_aThe wafer W is received at atmospheric pressure, and after carrying in, the chamber is evacuated, and the semiconductor wafer W is delivered to the vacuum transfer robot 204 in the vacuum transfer chamber PH at a reduced pressure.

In the substrate processing system 20, as one system, all 4 process modules PM may be provided₁～PM₄In which film forming apparatuses of the same type are used, and the process modules PM₁～PM₄Film formation was carried out according to the same protocol.

The vacuum transfer robot 204 uses the transfer arm F_a、F_bWill self-load lock module LLM_aThe wafer W taken out is carried into the process module PM₁～PM₄Any of the above. In carrying in the waferPM of process module W₁～PM₄The film formation process is performed under predetermined process conditions (gas, pressure, electric power, time, etc.) based on a preset recipe. After the film formation process is completed, the vacuum transfer robot 204 transfers the wafer W from the process module PM₁～PM₄Is carried out and delivered to the load lock module LLM_a、LLM_bOne of them.

When the wafer W subjected to the film formation process is carried into one load lock module (e.g., LLM)_b) Then the load lock module LLM_bIs switched from a pressure-reduced state to an atmospheric pressure state. Then, the load lock module LLM in which the atmospheric transfer robot 210 in the transfer chamber LM is loaded is started from the atmospheric pressure state_bThe wafer W is taken out and the processed wafer W is carried into the film thickness measuring unit U3.

When the film thickness measuring unit U3 finishes the measurement and evaluation of the film thickness of the wafer W, the air transfer robot 210 takes out the wafer W from the film thickness measuring unit U3 and returns the wafer W taken out to the wafer cassette CR.

[ film thickness measurement System ]

Next, the film thickness measurement system of the embodiment will be explained. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the film thickness measurement system. The film thickness measurement system 1 includes a control device 100 and a film thickness measurement unit U3.

[ film thickness measuring Unit ]

The film thickness measuring unit U3 acquires information on the surface of a film formed on a substrate to be processed (e.g., a semiconductor wafer W) and information on the film thickness.

As shown in fig. 2, the film thickness measuring unit U3 includes a housing 30, a holding unit 31, a driving unit 32, an imaging unit 33, a light projecting/reflecting unit 34, and a spectroscopic measuring unit 40. The holding portion 31 holds the wafer W horizontally. The driving unit 32 moves the holding unit 31 along a horizontal linear path using, for example, an electric motor or the like as a power source. The driving unit 32 may rotate the holding unit 31 in a horizontal plane. The imaging unit 33 includes a camera 35 such as a CCD camera. The camera 35 is provided on one end side in the film thickness measuring unit U3 in the moving direction of the holding portion 31 and faces the other end side in the moving direction. The light projecting/reflecting unit 34 projects light to the imaging range and guides reflected light from the imaging range to the camera 35 side. For example, the light projection/reflection unit 34 includes a half mirror 36 and a light source 37. The half mirror 36 is provided in the middle of the movement range of the driving unit 32 at a position higher than the holding unit 31, and reflects light from below toward the camera 35. The light source 37 is provided above the half mirror 36, and irradiates illumination light downward through the half mirror 36.

The spectroscopic measurement unit 40 has a function of receiving light from the wafer W and dispersing the light to obtain a spectroscopic spectrum. The spectroscopic measurement unit 40 includes an incident portion 41 into which light from the wafer W is incident, a waveguide portion 42 that guides the light incident on the incident portion 41, a spectroscope 43 that obtains a spectroscopic spectrum by splitting the light guided by the waveguide portion 42, and a light source 44. The incident portion 41 is configured to allow light from the center portion of the wafer W to enter when the wafer W held by the holding portion 31 moves as driven by the driving portion 32. That is, the holding portion 31 is provided at a position corresponding to a movement path of the center of the holding portion 31 moved by the driving of the driving portion 32. When the wafer W is moved by the movement of the holding portion 31, the incident portion 41 is attached so that the incident portion 41 moves relative to the front surface of the wafer W in the radial direction of the wafer W. Thus, the spectroscopic measurement unit 40 can acquire a plurality of spectroscopic spectra along the radial direction of the wafer W including the center portion of the wafer W. Further, the drive unit 32 rotates the holding unit 31, so that the spectroscopic measurement unit 40 can acquire spectroscopic spectra at a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction of the wafer W. The waveguide 42 is made of, for example, an optical fiber. The spectroscope 43 obtains a spectroscopic spectrum including intensity information corresponding to each wavelength by splitting incident light. The light source 44 irradiates illumination light downward. Thus, the reflected light from the wafer W is incident on the spectroscope 43 via the incident portion 41 and the waveguide portion 42.

The wavelength range of the spectrum obtained by the spectroscope 43 may be set to, for example, a wavelength range of visible light (380nm to 780 nm). Therefore, a light source that emits visible light is used as the light source 44, and the reflected light from the light source 44 on the front surface of the wafer W is split by the splitter 43, whereby spectral data in the wavelength range of the visible light can be obtained. The wavelength range of the spectrum obtained by the spectroscope 43 is not limited to the visible light range, and may be set to a wavelength range including infrared rays or ultraviolet rays, for example. The appropriate spectroscope 43 and light source 44 can be selected according to the wavelength range of the acquired spectroscopic data.

The film thickness measuring unit U3 operates as follows to acquire image data of the surface of the wafer W. First, the driving unit 32 moves the holding unit 31. Thereby, the wafer W passes under the half mirror 36. In this passage, the reflected light from the surface of the wafer W is sequentially sent to the camera 35. The camera 35 images the reflected light from the front surface of the wafer W to acquire image data of the front surface of the wafer W. When the film thickness of the film formed on the surface of the wafer W changes, the image data of the surface of the wafer W captured by the camera 35 changes, for example, the color of the surface of the wafer W changes depending on the film thickness. That is, acquiring the image data of the surface of the wafer W corresponds to acquiring information on the film thickness of the film formed on the surface of the wafer W. This will be described in detail later.

The image data acquired by the camera 35 is sent to the control device 100. The control device 100 can estimate the film thickness of the film on the surface of the wafer W based on the image data, and the estimation result is stored as the inspection result in the control device 100.

Light from the surface of the wafer W is incident on the spectroscopic measurement unit 40, and spectroscopic measurement is performed. When the holding unit 31 is moved by the driving unit 32, the wafer W passes under the incident unit 41. In the process of passing, the reflected light from a plurality of positions on the surface of the wafer W enters the incident portion 41 and then enters the spectroscope 43 via the waveguide 42. The spectroscope 43 spectroscopically separates the incident light to acquire spectroscopic data. When the film thickness of the film formed on the surface of the wafer W changes, the spectroscopic spectrum changes depending on the film thickness, for example. That is, acquiring spectroscopic data of the surface of the wafer W corresponds to acquiring information of the film thickness of the film formed on the surface of the wafer W. This will be described in detail later.

The spectroscopic spectrum data acquired by the spectroscope 43 is sent to the control device 100. The control device 100 can estimate the film thickness of the film on the surface of the wafer W based on the spectroscopic data, and the estimation result is stored as the inspection result in the control device 100.

[ control device ]

An example of the control device 100 will be described in detail. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the control device. The control device 100 is used to control each element included in the film thickness measurement unit U3. The control apparatus 100 may be provided independently from a system controller of the substrate processing system 20. The control device 100 may also cooperate or be integrated with a system controller of the substrate processing system 20.

As shown in fig. 3, the control device 100 has a functional configuration including a film thickness measuring unit 101, a spectroscopic data acquiring unit 102, a reference film thickness acquiring unit 103, a calibration image data acquiring unit 104, a calibration color information acquiring unit 105, a correlation acquiring unit 106, a product image data acquiring unit 107, a product color information acquiring unit 108, a spectroscopic information storing unit 109, and a film thickness estimating unit 110.

The film thickness measuring unit 101 has a function of controlling the operation of measuring the film thickness of the product wafer in the film thickness measuring unit U3. In the film thickness measurement by the film thickness measurement unit U3, image data and spectral data are acquired.

The spectroscopic data acquisition unit 102 has a function of acquiring and storing spectroscopic spectrum data of the surface of the reference wafer from the spectroscope 43 of the film thickness measurement unit U3. The spectroscopic data stored in the spectroscopic data acquisition unit 102 is used to estimate the film thickness of the film formed on the reference wafer.

The reference film thickness acquisition unit 103 has a function of calculating the film thickness of the film formed on the reference wafer based on the spectroscopic data stored in the spectroscopic data acquisition unit 102. The details of the step of calculating the film thickness will be described later. The reference film thickness acquiring unit 103 is an example of a first film thickness acquiring unit.

The calibration image data acquiring unit 104 has a function of acquiring and storing image data obtained by imaging the surface of the calibration wafer from the imaging unit 33 of the film thickness measuring unit U3. The image data stored in the calibration image data acquiring unit 104 is used to acquire color information of a film formed on the calibration wafer. The correction image data acquisition unit 104 is an example of a first image data acquisition unit.

The correction color information acquisition unit 105 has a function of acquiring and storing color information included in the image data stored in the correction image data acquisition unit 104. The details of the step of acquiring color information will be described later. The correction color information acquisition unit 105 is an example of a first color information acquisition unit.

The correlation obtaining section 106 has a function of obtaining and storing a correlation between the film thickness of the film to be measured and the color information. The details of the procedure for obtaining the correlation will be described later.

The product image data acquisition unit 107 has a function of acquiring and storing image data obtained by imaging the surface of the product wafer from the imaging unit 33 of the film thickness measurement unit U3. The image data stored in the product image data acquiring unit 107 is used to acquire color information of a film formed on a product wafer. The product image data acquisition unit 107 is an example of a second image data acquisition unit.

The product color information acquisition unit 108 has a function of acquiring and storing color information included in the image data stored in the product image data acquisition unit 107. The details of the step of acquiring color information will be described later. The product color information acquisition unit 108 is an example of the second color information acquisition unit.

The spectroscopic information storage unit 109 has a function of storing spectroscopic information used when calculating the film thickness from the spectroscopic data. The spectroscopic data acquired by the film thickness measurement unit U3 varies depending on the type and thickness of the film formed on the surface of the wafer W. Therefore, the spectroscopic information storage unit 109 stores information on the correspondence between the film thickness and the spectroscopic spectrum.

The film thickness estimating unit 110 estimates the film thickness of the film formed on the product wafer based on the color information stored in the product color information acquiring unit 108 and the correlation stored in the correlation acquiring unit 106. The details of the step of estimating the film thickness will be described later. The film thickness estimating unit 110 is an example of the estimating unit.

The control device 100 is constituted by one or more control computers. Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the control device. For example, the control device 100 has the circuit 120 shown in fig. 4. The circuit 120 has one or more processors 121, a memory 122, a storage 123, and an input-output port 124. The memory 123 has a storage medium such as a hard disk that can be read by a computer. The storage medium stores a program for causing the control device 100 to execute a process procedure described later. The storage medium may be a removable medium such as a nonvolatile semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, and an optical disk. The memory 122 is used for temporarily storing the program read from the storage medium of the memory 123 and the calculation result based on the processor 121. The processor 121 executes the program by operating together with the memory 122, thereby constituting the functional blocks described above. The input/output port 124 inputs/outputs an electrical signal to/from a component to be controlled in accordance with an instruction from the processor 121.

The hardware configuration of the control device 100 is not necessarily limited to the configuration of each functional block by a program. For example, each functional block of the control device 100 may be formed of a dedicated logic circuit or an Integrated asic (application Specific Integrated circuit).

A part of the functions shown in fig. 3 may be provided in a different apparatus from the control apparatus 100 for controlling the film thickness measuring unit U3. When a part of the functions is provided in an external device different from the control device 100, the external device and the control device 100 cooperate to perform the functions described in the following embodiments. In this case, the external device having the function corresponding to the control device 100 described in the present embodiment and the remaining portion of the film thickness measurement system 1 described in the present embodiment may function as a film thickness measurement system integrally.

[ method for measuring film thickness ]

Next, a film thickness measuring method by the control device 100 will be described. The film thickness measurement method is a method of measuring the film thickness after film formation performed by the film thickness measurement unit U3. The film thickness measuring unit U3 measures the film thickness of the film formed on the wafer W after film formation. The film thickness measuring unit U3 includes, for example, the imaging unit 33 and the spectroscopic measuring unit 40 as described above, and can acquire image data obtained by imaging the surface of the wafer W by the imaging unit 33 and spectroscopic spectrum data of the surface of the wafer W by the spectroscopic measuring unit 40. The control device 100 measures the film thickness of the film based on these data. In the following description, the film thickness of the silicon nitride film is measured.

The control device 100 acquires reference data and calibration data for measurement before measurement of the film thickness of the silicon nitride film. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of control (acquisition of reference data) by the control device. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of control by the control device (estimation of film thickness from spectroscopic data). Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of control (acquisition of correction data) by the control device. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a position where spectroscopic spectrum data of a reference wafer is acquired. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an area for acquiring color information of a calibration wafer.

[ acquisition of reference data ]

When the reference data is acquired, a film to be measured is prepared in advance, and in this case, N (N is an integer of 2 or more) reference wafers W1 (see fig. 8) on which silicon nitride films are formed are prepared in advance. The reference wafer W1 is a wafer in which a silicon nitride film is formed entirely on a bare wafer in which no pattern is formed. The film thickness of the silicon nitride film is different between the N reference wafers W1. For example, 5 reference wafers W1 were prepared, and the silicon nitride films of the reference wafers W1 had thicknesses of about 64nm, about 66nm, about 70nm, about 72nm, and about 74nm, respectively. However, the film thickness of the silicon nitride film of the reference wafer W1 may not be strict. Reference wafer W1 is an example of the first substrate, and the silicon nitride film formed on reference wafer W1 is an example of the first film.

As shown in fig. 5, the film-thickness measuring unit 101 of the control device 100 first executes step S11. In step S11, 1 reference wafer W1 is loaded into the film thickness measuring unit U3. The reference wafer W1 is held by the holding portion 31.

Next, the spectroscopic data acquisition unit 102 of the control device 100 executes step S12. In step S12, the spectroscopic measurement unit 40 performs spectroscopic measurement on a plurality of measurement positions determined in advance on the surface of the reference wafer W1. As described above, since the incident portion 41 of the spectroscopic measurement unit 40 is provided on the path through which the center of the wafer W (here, the reference wafer W1) held by the holding unit 31 passes when the holding unit 31 moves, it is possible to obtain spectroscopic spectra at a plurality of positions along the radial direction of the reference wafer W1 including the center portion. Further, the spectroscopic measurement unit 40 may acquire spectroscopic spectra at a plurality of positions along the circumferential direction of the reference wafer W1 by rotating the holding unit 31 by the driving unit 32. Therefore, as shown in fig. 8, for example, reflected light from a plurality of first positions P1 at which a plurality of line segments passing through the center of the reference wafer W1 intersect a plurality of concentric circles enters the entrance unit 41. The spectroscope 43 measures a spectroscopic spectrum of the light incident on the incident unit 41. As a result, the spectroscope 43 acquires, for example, P (for example, 49) pieces of spectroscopic spectrum data corresponding to the plurality of first positions P1 shown in fig. 8. In this way, spectroscopic spectrum data of the surface of the reference wafer W1 at the plurality of first positions P1 is acquired by using the spectroscope 43. The positions and the number of the first positions P1 may be appropriately changed according to the interval of spectroscopic measurement by the spectroscope 43 and the moving speed of the reference wafer W1 by the holding unit 31. The spectroscopic spectrum data acquired by the spectroscope 43 is stored in the spectroscopic data acquisition unit 102 of the control device 100. In the spectroscopic measurement, the center position of the holding unit 31 and the center position of the reference wafer W1 held by the holding unit 31 are specified from the image information, and the difference between the two is corrected, whereby the spectroscopic measurement unit 40 can be accurately aligned with each first position P1. The same applies to the spectroscopic measurement of the calibration wafer W2 and the product wafer W3 described later.

Next, the reference film thickness acquisition unit 103 of the control device 100 executes step S13. In step S13, the film thickness of the silicon nitride film at each first position P1 where spectroscopic measurement was performed is acquired from the spectroscopic data. The acquisition of the film thickness using the spectroscopic data is a method using a change in reflectance according to the film thickness of the film on the surface. When light is irradiated to a wafer having a film formed on the surface thereof, the light is reflected on the surface of the uppermost film or on the interface between the uppermost film and the lower layer (film or wafer). These lights are emitted as reflected lights. That is, the reflected light includes two components having different phases. Further, when the film thickness of the surface becomes large, the phase difference becomes large. Therefore, when the film thickness is changed, the degree of interference between the light reflected on the film surface and the light reflected on the interface with the lower layer is changed. That is, the shape of the spectral spectrum of the reflected light is changed. The change of the spectroscopic spectrum according to the film thickness can be theoretically calculated. Therefore, the control device 100 stores information on the shape of the spectroscopic spectrum according to the film thickness of the film formed on the surface. Then, the spectral spectrum of the reflected light obtained by irradiating the actual reference wafer W1 with light is compared with the information stored in advance. This makes it possible to estimate the film thickness of the film on the surface of the reference wafer W1. Information on the relationship between the film thickness used for estimation of the film thickness and the shape of the spectroscopic spectrum is stored in the spectroscopic information storage unit 109 of the control device 100.

Fig. 6 shows a specific method for calculating the film thickness from the spectroscopic data. First, spectroscopic data, which is the result of spectroscopic measurement, is acquired (step S21), and then the spectroscopic data is compared with information stored in the spectroscopic information storage unit 109, that is, information of the shape of the spectroscopic spectrum theoretically according to the film thickness (step S22). Thus, the film thickness of the region where the spectral data is obtained can be estimated for each spectral data (step S23). Thus, the film thickness at each first position P1 on the surface of the reference wafer W1 can be estimated for each piece of optical spectrum data.

Next, the film-thickness measuring unit 101 of the control apparatus 100 executes step S14. In step S14, the reference wafer W1 is carried out of the film thickness measurement unit U3.

The control device 100 executes the processing of steps S11 to S14 on a predetermined number (N) of reference wafers W1 prepared in advance (NO in step S15).

When the processing for the predetermined number (N) of reference wafers W1 prepared in advance is completed (YES in step S15), the film thickness measuring unit 101 of the control apparatus 100 completes the processing for acquiring the reference data.

In this way, the reference film thickness acquiring unit 103 of the control device 100 acquires and stores the film thickness of the silicon nitride film at each first position P1 acquired as the reference data for each of the N reference wafers W1.

[ acquisition of correction data ]

When the calibration data is acquired, N calibration wafers W2 (see fig. 9) on which the same pattern as that of the product wafer is formed are prepared in advance. The calibration wafer W2 is a wafer that simulates a product wafer, and in the initial state, a film to be measured (here, a silicon nitride film) is not formed on the calibration wafer W2. Hereinafter, the calibration wafer W2 on which the film to be measured is not formed is referred to as a pre-film formation calibration wafer W2. The calibration wafer W2 is an example of the second substrate.

As shown in fig. 7, the film-thickness measuring unit 101 of the control device 100 first executes step S31. In step S31, 1 pre-film-formation calibration wafer W2 is loaded into the film thickness measuring unit U3. The pre-film formation calibration wafer W2 is held by the holding portion 31.

Next, the correction image data acquisition unit 104 of the control device 100 executes step S32. In step S32, the imaging unit 33 images the surface of the pre-film formation calibration wafer W2. Specifically, the surface of the pre-film formation calibration wafer W2 is imaged by the imaging unit 33 while the holding unit 31 is moved in a predetermined direction by the drive unit 32. Thus, the image pickup unit 33 acquires pre-film formation image data of the surface of the pre-film formation correction wafer W2. The pre-film-formation image data is stored in the correction image data acquisition unit 104 of the control device 100.

Next, the correction color information acquisition unit 105 of the control device 100 executes step S33. In step S33, as shown in fig. 9, for each second position P2 of the calibration wafer W2 corresponding to the first position P1 of the reference wafer W1, the pre-film-formation color information included in the pre-film-formation image data in the plurality of first sub-regions SR1 in the first region R1 including the second position P2 is acquired. The first region R1 is a predetermined region that is set in advance for each second position P2, and for example, the second position P2 is located at the center of the first region R1. The number of the first regions R1 is equal to the number (e.g., 49) of the first positions P1. The plurality of first sub-regions SR1 are predetermined sub-regions provided for each first region R1, and for example, the number of first sub-regions SR1 is 40 × 40 (1600 in total) in the vertical and horizontal directions for each first region R1. Each first sub-region SR1 corresponds to, for example, each pixel of an image sensor (e.g., a CCD sensor) of the image pickup unit 33. The size of each first subregion SR1 is, for example, 150 μm by 150 μm. The correction color information acquisition unit 105 acquires, for example, the respective luminance values of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) as the pre-film-formation color information. The pre-film-formation color information is stored in the calibration color information acquisition unit 105 of the control device 100.

Next, the film-thickness measuring unit 101 of the control apparatus 100 executes step S34. In step S34, the pre-film-formation calibration wafer W2 is carried out of the film thickness measurement unit U3. A film to be measured having the same thickness as that of the film to be measured formed on the reference wafer W1 is formed on the pre-film-formation calibration wafer W2 carried out of the film thickness measurement unit U3. Hereinafter, the calibration wafer W2 on which the film to be measured is formed is referred to as a post-film formation calibration wafer W2. The film thickness of the silicon nitride film formed on the post-film-formation calibration wafer W2 is equal to the film thickness of the silicon nitride film formed on the reference wafer W1. For example, the silicon nitride films of the 5 post-film-formation calibration wafers W2 have thicknesses of about 64nm, about 66nm, about 70nm, about 72nm, and about 74nm, respectively. However, the thickness of the silicon nitride film of the post-deposition calibration wafer W2 may not be precise. The silicon nitride film formed on the calibration wafer W2 is an example of the second film.

The control apparatus 100 executes the processes of steps S31 to S34 on a predetermined number (N) of pre-film formation correction wafers W2 prepared in advance (NO in step S35).

When the process for the predetermined number (N) of pre-film-formation calibration wafers W2 prepared in advance is completed (YES in step S35), the film-thickness measuring unit 101 of the control apparatus 100 executes step S36. In step S36, 1 post-film-formation calibration wafer W2 is loaded into the film thickness measurement unit U3. The post-film formation correction wafer W2 is held by the holding portion 31.

Next, the correction image data acquisition unit 104 of the control device 100 executes step S37. In step S37, the imaging unit 33 images the surface of the post-film formation calibration wafer W2. Specifically, the imaging unit 33 images the surface of the calibration wafer W2 after film formation while the holding unit 31 is moved in a predetermined direction by the drive unit 32. In this way, the imaging unit 33 acquires post-film-formation image data of the surface of the post-film-formation correction wafer W2. The post-film-formation image data is held by the correction image data acquisition unit 104 of the control device 100. The post-film image data of the post-film correction wafer W2 is an example of the first image data.

Next, the correction color information acquisition unit 105 of the control device 100 executes step S38. In step S38, in the same manner as the acquisition of the pre-film formation color information of the pre-film formation correction wafer W2, the post-film formation color information included in the post-film formation image data in the plurality of first sub-regions SR1 in the first region R1 including the second position P2 is acquired for each second position P2. The correction color information acquisition unit 105 acquires, for example, the brightness values of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) as the post-film formation color information. The color information after film formation is held in the correction color information acquisition unit 105 of the control device 100. The post-film formation color information of the post-film formation calibration wafer W2 is an example of the first color information.

Next, the film-thickness measuring unit 101 of the control apparatus 100 executes step S39. In step S39, the post-film-formation calibration wafer W2 is carried out of the film thickness measurement unit U3.

The control apparatus 100 executes the processes of steps S36 to S39 on a predetermined number (N) of post-film-formation calibration wafers W2 prepared in advance (NO in step S40).

When the process for the predetermined number (N) of post-film-formation calibration wafers W2 prepared in advance is completed (YES in step S40), the correlation acquisition unit 106 of the control apparatus 100 executes step S41. In step S41, the correlation between the film thickness of the silicon nitride film in the first region R1 and the color information for correction for each of the plurality of first sub-regions SR1 in the first region R1 is acquired using the film thickness of the silicon nitride film at the first position P1 stored in the reference film thickness acquisition unit 103 as the film thickness of the silicon nitride film in the first region R1, and the acquired correlation is stored in the correlation acquisition unit 106. For example, the color information for correction is color information indicating a difference (luminance value difference) in luminance value between the color information before film formation and the color information after film formation in each first sub-region SR 1. Specifically, a set of data of a difference between a luminance value R (red) obtained from the pre-film formation correcting wafer W2 and a luminance value R (red) obtained from the post-film formation correcting wafer W2, a difference between a luminance value G (green) obtained from the pre-film formation correcting wafer W2 and a luminance value G (green) obtained from the post-film formation correcting wafer W2, and a difference between a luminance value B (blue) obtained from the pre-film formation correcting wafer W2 and a luminance value B (blue) obtained from the post-film formation correcting wafer W2 is used as a difference between the color information before film formation and the color information after film formation (i.e., the correcting color information). In the present embodiment, the difference between the luminance value obtained from the image data before film formation and the luminance value obtained from the image data after film formation (i.e., the difference between the color information before film formation and the color information after film formation) is referred to as "luminance difference" or "luminance value difference". Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the film thickness and the luminance value difference in the first sub-region SR 1. A relationship such as that shown in fig. 10 may be achieved for each of the first sub-regions SR 1.

For example, based on the assumption of the correlation expressed by the following equation 1, the correlation obtaining unit 106 calculates, using multiple regression analysis, equations each representing the correlation between the corrected color information of the corresponding first sub region SR1 and the film thickness of the silicon nitride film in the first region R1, and the corresponding first sub region SR1 is located in the first region R1. Equation 1 is an example of an equation representing a correlation. In equation 1, y is the film thickness of the silicon nitride film, and x_i(i is an integer from 1 to 3) is the difference in luminance value of the first sub-region SR1, e.g., x₁，x₂And x₃The difference in luminance values for R (red), G (green), and B (blue), respectively. In addition, α is a constant, β_iAre multiple regression coefficients (which may be simply referred to as "coefficients" in this embodiment).The correlation is calculated (retrieved) for each first sub-region SR1 in all the first regions R1.

y＝α+Σβ_ix_i＝α+β₁x₁+β₂x₂+β₃x₃… (math figure 1)

The calculation (acquisition) of color information (color information for correction) and film thickness (i.e., acquisition of constant α and coefficient β) with respect to a certain sub-region of the correction wafer will be described below_i) Examples of the correlation of (c). Hereinafter, it is assumed that the correlation between the color information and the film thickness is calculated (acquired) by using 5 reference wafers W11, W12, W13, W14, and W15 and 5 calibration wafers W21, W22, W23, W24, and W25. In addition, the definitions of terms used in the following description are the same as those described above. That is, a certain sub-region of the calibration wafer is one sub-region SR1 included in the first region R1 of the calibration wafer, and the second position P2 in the first region R1 including the certain sub-region corresponds to the first position P1 on the reference wafer.

Assume that film thicknesses at first positions of the reference wafers W11, W12, W13, W14, and W15 are T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5, respectively, and film thicknesses at first positions of the reference wafers W11, W12, W13, W14, and W15 are substantially equal to film thicknesses at second positions of the calibration wafers W21, W22, W23, W24, and W25, respectively, in one example. Further, it is assumed that the color information (luminance value difference) of the certain sub-region of the correction wafers W21, W22, W23, W24, and W25 is as follows:

the difference in the R (red) luminance value of the calibration wafer W21 is Lr 1.

The difference in luminance value of G (green) of the calibration wafer W21 is Lg 1.

The difference in luminance value of B (blue) of the calibration wafer W21 is Lb 1.

The difference in the R (red) luminance value of the calibration wafer W22 is Lr 2.

The difference in luminance value of G (green) of the calibration wafer W22 is Lg 2.

The difference in luminance value of B (blue) of the calibration wafer W22 is Lb 2.

The difference in the R (red) luminance value of the calibration wafer W23 is Lr 3.

The difference in luminance value of G (green) of the calibration wafer W23 is Lg 3.

The difference in luminance value of B (blue) of the calibration wafer W23 is Lb 3.

The difference in the R (red) luminance value of the calibration wafer W24 is Lr 4.

The difference in luminance value of G (green) of the calibration wafer W24 is Lg 4.

The difference in luminance value of B (blue) of the calibration wafer W24 is Lb 4.

The difference in the R (red) luminance value of the calibration wafer W25 is Lr 5.

The difference in luminance value of G (green) of the calibration wafer W25 is Lg 5.

The difference in luminance value of B (blue) of the calibration wafer W25 is Lb 5.

In this case, the constant α and coefficient β with respect to the specific sub-region of the wafer for correction are obtained by using the following 5 sets of data ((T1, Lr1, Lg1, Lb1), (T2, Lr2, Lg2, Lb2), (T3, Lr3, Lg3, Lb3), (T4, Lr4, Lg4, Lb4) and (T5, Lr5, Lg5, Lb5))_i(β₁、β₂、β₃). And multiple regression analysis for obtaining the constant α and the coefficient β i is performed for each sub-region SR 1.

The above description has been given of an example in which the correlation between the color information (color information for correction) and the film thickness is calculated (acquired) by using multiple regression analysis. However, the correlation between the calculated (acquired) color information and the film thickness is not limited to multiple regression analysis. Other known methods may be used to obtain the correlation between the color information and the film thickness, for example, known methods such as svm (support vector machine), regression tree, nonlinear regression, gpr (gaussian Process regression), Ridge regression or Lasso regression with Overfitting (Overfitting), PLS, and the like.

After the correlation is obtained (calculated), the film thickness measuring unit 101 of the control device 100 ends the process of obtaining the calibration data.

In this way, the correlation obtaining unit 106 of the control device 100 obtains and stores, as calibration data, (the film thickness of the silicon nitride film in the first region R1 and the calibration color information for each of the plurality of first sub-regions SR1 in the first region R1), (the calibration color information being obtained and stored by the calibration data obtaining unit 106, (the calibration color information being obtained by the calibration color information obtaining unit) and stored by the calibration data obtaining unitLuminance value difference). The correlation is not necessarily preserved in the format of a mathematical expression such as equation 1. In the case where the correlation is expressed by the above-described mathematical formula 1, for each first sub-region SR1, a set of constant α and coefficient β in the mathematical formula 1_i(β₁、β₂、β₃) May be stored in the correlation obtaining unit 106.

[ measurement of film thickness on wafer for product ]

The control device 100 obtains the reference data and the calibration data as described above, and then measures the film thickness of the silicon nitride film in the production wafer. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of control (measurement of film thickness on a production wafer) by the control device. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of an area for acquiring color information of a product wafer.

The film-thickness measuring unit 101 of the control apparatus 100 executes step S51. In step S51, the product wafer W3 (see fig. 12) on which the pattern is formed is loaded into the film thickness measurement unit U3. In the initial state, a film to be measured (here, a silicon nitride film) is not formed on the product wafer W3. Hereinafter, the product wafer W3 on which the film to be measured is not formed is referred to as a pre-film-formation product wafer W3. The pre-film-formation product wafer W3 is held by the holding portion 31. The product wafer W3 is an example of the third substrate.

Next, the product image data acquisition unit 107 of the control device 100 executes step S52. In step S52, the imaging unit 33 images the surface of the pre-film formation product wafer W3. Specifically, the surface of the pre-film-formation product wafer W3 is imaged by the imaging unit 33 while the holding unit 31 is moved in a predetermined direction by the drive unit 32. In this way, the image pickup unit 33 acquires pre-film formation image data of the surface of the pre-film formation product wafer W3. The image data before film formation on the surface of the pre-film formation product wafer W3 may be referred to as "image data before film formation of the pre-film formation product wafer W3". The pre-film formation image data of the pre-film formation product wafer W3 is stored in the product image data acquisition unit 107 of the controller 100.

Next, the product color information acquisition unit 108 of the control device 100 executes step S53. In step S53, as shown in fig. 12, for each of the plurality of second sub-regions SR2 corresponding to the plurality of first sub-regions SR1, before-film-formation color information of the before-film-formation product wafers W3 included in the before-film-formation image data of the before-film-formation product wafers W3 is obtained. The product color information acquiring unit 108 acquires, for example, the respective brightness values of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) as the pre-film formation color information of the pre-film formation product wafer W3. The pre-film formation color information of the pre-film formation product wafer W3 is stored in the product color information acquisition unit 108 of the control device 100.

Next, the film-thickness measuring unit 101 of the control apparatus 100 executes step S54. In step S54, the pre-film-formation product wafer W3 is carried out of the film thickness measurement unit U3. On the pre-film-formation product wafer W3 carried out of the film thickness measuring unit U3, a process module PM is provided₁～PM₄A film to be measured is formed in any of the above. Hereinafter, the product wafer W3 on which the film to be measured is formed is referred to as a post-film-formation product wafer W3. The silicon nitride film formed on the production wafer W3 is an example of the third film.

Next, the film-thickness measuring unit 101 of the control apparatus 100 executes step S55. In step S55, 1 wafer W3 for post-film formation products is loaded into the film thickness measuring unit U3. The post-film-formation product wafer W3 is held by the holding portion 31.

Next, the product image data acquisition unit 107 of the control device 100 executes step S56. In step S56, the imaging unit 33 images the surface of the post-film-formation product wafer W3. Specifically, the surface of the post-film-formation product wafer W3 is imaged by the imaging unit 33 while the holding unit 31 is moved in a predetermined direction by the drive unit 32. In this way, the imaging unit 33 acquires post-film-formation image data of the surface of the post-film-formation product wafer W3. The post-film formation image data on the surface of the post-film formation product wafer W3 may be referred to as "post-film formation image data of the post-film formation product wafer W3". The post-film formation image data of the post-film formation product wafer W3 is stored in the product image data acquisition unit 107 of the controller 100. The post-film image data of the post-film product wafer W3 is an example of the second image data.

Next, the product color information acquisition unit 108 of the control device 100 executes step S57. In step S57, in the same manner as the acquisition of the pre-film formation color information of the pre-film formation product wafer W3, the post-film formation color information of the post-film formation product wafer W3 included in the post-film formation image data of the post-film formation product wafer W3 is acquired for each of the second sub-regions SR 2. The product color information acquiring unit 108 acquires, for example, brightness values of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) as post-film formation color information of the post-film formation product wafer W3. The post-film formation color information of the post-film formation product wafer W3 is held in the product color information acquisition unit 108 of the control device 100. The post-film formation color information of the post-film formation product wafer W3 is an example of the second color information.

Next, the film thickness estimation unit 110 of the control device 100 executes step S58. In step S58, the film thickness of the silicon nitride film formed on the post-film formation product wafer W3 is estimated based on the correlation stored in the correlation acquisition unit 106, the color information before film formation of the pre-film formation product wafer W3 and the color information after film formation of the post-film formation product wafer W3 stored in the product color information acquisition unit 108, and the correlation stored in the correlation acquisition unit 106. The film thickness of the silicon nitride film is estimated in each second region R2.

As a result of executing the step of acquiring correction data shown in fig. 10, for each first sub-region SR1 in the (post-film-formation) correction wafer W2, equation 1 representing the correlation between the film thickness and the correction color information is acquired. In step S58, first, the difference in luminance values between R (red), G (green), and B (blue) is calculated for each of the second sub-regions SR2 of all the second regions R2 by using the color information before film formation of the pre-film-formation product wafer W3 and the color information after film formation of the post-film-formation product wafer W3, which are stored in the product color information acquisition unit 108. Next, for each of the second sub-regions SR2, an estimated value (i.e., an estimated value calculated using the difference in the luminance values of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) of the corresponding second sub-region SR2 and mathematical formula 1 is used (i.e., formula 1 is shown below)Film thickness). In the following description, a value calculated using the difference in luminance values of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) of the mathematical expression 1 and the second sub-region SR2 is referred to as "estimated film thickness of the second sub-region SR 2". When calculating the estimated film thickness of a certain second subregion SR2 of the plurality of second subregions SR2 on the post-film-formation product wafer W3, the equation (equation 1) of the corresponding first subregion SR1 (i.e., the subregion SR1 corresponding to the certain second subregion SR 2) is selected, and the difference in the luminance values of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) of the certain second subregion SR2 is input to x (equation 1) of the selected equation (equation 1)₁、x₂And x₃. For each of the second sub-regions SR2 in the (post-film-formation) calibration wafer W2, estimation of the film thickness is performed. Next, the film thickness of each second region R2 is estimated by using the estimated film thickness of the second sub-region SR 2. The film thickness of the certain second region R2 is estimated by calculating a weighted average of the estimated film thicknesses of all the second sub-regions SR2 in the certain second region R2. It is assumed that n (n is a natural number) second regions R2 are defined in the (post-film-formation) product wafer W3 and each of the second regions R2 is composed of p second sub-regions SR2 (p is a natural number). The film thickness of the k-th second region R2 is defined by Y_kRepresents (k is an integer satisfying 1. ltoreq. k.ltoreq.n). In this case, Y is calculated by using the following equation (equation 2)_k。

Next, the film-thickness measuring unit 101 of the control apparatus 100 executes step S59. In step S59, the post-film-formation product wafer W3 is carried out of the film thickness measurement unit U3. The carried-out wafer W3 for post-film formation products is sent to, for example, a subsequent process module.

In this way, the film thickness of the film to be measured formed on the product wafer W3 is measured.

[ Effect ]

In the film thickness measuring unit U3, the film thickness is acquired from the unpatterned reference wafer W1 based on the spectroscopic data, the color information is acquired from the calibration wafer W2 which simulates the product wafer W3 based on the image data, and the correlation between the film thickness and the color information is acquired. When the film thickness of the film to be measured formed on the product wafer W3 is measured, color information is acquired from the product wafer W3 based on the image data, and the film thickness is estimated using the correlation between the film thickness and the color information. Therefore, even when no pattern is formed on the product wafer W3, the film thickness of the film to be measured can be measured with high accuracy without being affected by the position of the die of the product wafer W3. That is, the film thickness can be measured with high accuracy without recognizing the die of the product wafer W3.

Further, since the spectroscopic measurement unit 40 is provided in the film thickness measurement unit U3, it is possible to measure the film thickness without taking out the film thickness from the substrate processing system 20, compared to the case where the film thickness information is obtained using an ellipsometer outside the film thickness measurement unit U3, for all of the wafers W that are transported to the substrate processing system 20 before the film formation process and the wafers W after the film formation process in the substrate processing system 20.

When the film to be measured is relatively thin, the film thickness measured by spectroscopic analysis may be different from the film thickness measured by an ellipsometer. In this case, it is preferable to use the correlation in the estimation of the film thickness (step S23) by acquiring the correlation between the film thickness measured by spectroscopic analysis and the film thickness measured by an ellipsometer in advance, and storing the correlation in the spectroscopic information storage unit 109.

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the measurement result of the film thickness of the film on the bare wafer. In this measurement, 5 samples S11 to S15 in which silicon nitride films having different film thicknesses were formed on a bare wafer were prepared, and film thickness measurement by spectroscopic analysis and film thickness measurement using an ellipsometer were performed at 49 measurement positions (first positions), respectively. In fig. 13, the measurement result of the film thickness by spectroscopic analysis (solid line) and the measurement result of the film thickness using an ellipsometer (broken line) are shown. The horizontal axis in fig. 13 indicates the number of the measurement position. On the horizontal axis, 1 to 49 indicate the measurement positions of the sample S11, 50 to 98 indicate the measurement positions of the sample S12, 99 to 147 indicate the measurement positions of the sample S13, 148 to 196 indicate the measurement positions of the sample S14, and 197 to 245 indicate the measurement positions of the sample S15. The vertical axis in fig. 13 represents the measurement result of the film thickness. Fig. 14 is a graph showing the relationship between the film thickness measured using an ellipsometer and the film thickness measured by spectroscopic analysis. The horizontal axis of fig. 14 represents the film thickness measured by an ellipsometer, and the vertical axis of fig. 15 represents the film thickness measured by spectroscopic analysis. The results for 245 measurement positions are shown in fig. 14.

In the examples shown in fig. 13 and 14, in any of the samples S11 to S15, a constant difference was generated between the film thickness measured by spectroscopic analysis and the film thickness measured by an ellipsometer at each measurement position. The correlation shown in FIG. 14 was approximated by a linear equation, resulting in a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 0.16 nm.

Here, a measurement example of a product wafer on which a pattern is formed will be described. In this example, the calibration data is acquired using 5 sets of the reference wafer W1 and the calibration wafer W2, and the measurement results of 4 production wafers W3 are verified using the calibration data. Specifically, the film thickness of the film (silicon nitride film) to be measured was measured at 49 measurement positions (first positions) with respect to 5 calibration wafers W2 (samples S21 to S25) and 4 production wafers W3 (samples S31 to S34). Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the results of film thickness measurement. Fig. 15 (a) shows the measurement results of the film thicknesses of 5 calibration wafers W2 (samples S21 to S25), and fig. 15 (b) shows the measurement results of the film thicknesses of 4 production wafers W3 (samples S31 to S34). The white circles in fig. 15 show the average film thickness of the silicon nitride film obtained by spectroscopic analysis in each sample. The black circle in fig. 15 represents the average film thickness of the silicon nitride film measured by the film thickness measurement system according to the above embodiment in each sample. The horizontal axis in fig. 15 indicates the sample number. The vertical axis in fig. 15 represents the measurement result of the film thickness.

In the example shown in fig. 15, not only the difference between the average film thickness of the silicon nitride film measured by the film thickness measurement system according to the above-described embodiment in the calibration wafer W2 (samples S21 to S25) and the average film thickness of the silicon nitride film obtained by spectroscopic analysis is extremely small, but also the difference between the average film thickness of the silicon nitride film measured by the film thickness measurement system according to the above-described embodiment in the production wafer W3 (samples S31 to S34) and the average film thickness of the silicon nitride film obtained by spectroscopic analysis is extremely small.

Fig. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the measurement result of the film thickness in the sample S34. The abscissa of fig. 16 shows the film thickness measured by spectroscopic analysis, and the ordinate of fig. 16 shows the film thickness measured by the film thickness measurement system. In fig. 16, the results of 49 measurement positions are shown. The correlation shown in FIG. 16 was approximated by a linear equation for sample S34, and the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) was 0.6 nm.

The light source 44 may be integrally formed with the incident portion 41.

The film thickness measurement system 1 can be used by being incorporated in a film deposition apparatus that performs film deposition and film thickness measurement, for example. Examples of the film forming apparatus include a coating and developing apparatus, a Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) apparatus, a sputtering apparatus, an evaporation apparatus, and an Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) apparatus. The film thickness measuring system can be used by being incorporated in, for example, an etching apparatus for performing etching and film thickness measurement. Examples of the etching apparatus include a plasma etching apparatus and an Atomic Layer Etching (ALE) apparatus. The film thickness measuring system may be disposed independently from the film forming apparatus or the etching apparatus, and the measurement result may be transmitted to the film forming apparatus or the etching apparatus by communication. The film thickness measuring system 1 does not need to be disposed in the film forming apparatus or the etching apparatus, and may be disposed independently of the film forming apparatus or the etching apparatus, and may communicate the measurement result to the film forming apparatus or the etching apparatus.

The film thickness measurement system 1 does not need to include the spectroscopic measurement unit 40, and the spectroscopic data acquisition unit 102 may be configured to acquire spectroscopic data from outside the film thickness measurement system 1.

Although the preferred embodiments and the like have been described above in detail, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and the like, and various modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the claims.