JP2003100843A - Method for managing substrate, system for processing substrate and mounting table - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent management miss and to facilitate management incident to rework by employing an arrangement where each substrate can be managed. SOLUTION: Lot information including the information of each substrate W is stored in an ID tag 33 fixed to a cassette C and accessed through an R/W head 31. Since each substrate in a lot is managed using that lot information, automatic management is facilitated resulting in a substrate management method where management miss can be prevented and management incident to rework can be facilitated.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a substrate management method, a substrate processing apparatus and a mounting table for managing lots of semiconductor wafers and glass substrates (hereinafter simply referred to as substrates) for liquid crystal display devices.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a plurality of substrates are managed as one lot and transported in lot units. The process control in the production line is performed based on the lot ID issued for each lot, and the history information such as work conditions and work end information for each lot ID is a process made of dust-free paper that moves together with the cassette. This is done by writing in the management table.
Alternatively, only the lot ID moves with the cassette,
At the destination of the cassette, the operator inputs the lot ID to the console to call or write the working conditions and history information to manage the process.

[0003]

However, the conventional example having such a structure has the following problems. That is, the conventional method using the process control table has a problem that the amount of information to be entered on the paper is limited and is insufficient for management. In addition, the method of using the process control table and console is that the operator fills in the paper and operates the console for each work.
Both have the problem that mistakes are likely to occur.

Further, since a plurality of substrates are transported and managed as a lot, a problem different from the above arises. That is, there are cases where the substrate becomes NG in the inspection process or NG due to a work error or a trouble in the processing apparatus. However, it is necessary to rework the NG substrate. In this case, it is necessary to separate from the original lot and manage in a different lot, and it becomes necessary to issue a new lot ID and process control table, which complicates the management associated with rework and causes a problem of process delay. is there.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and adopts a structure in which each board can be managed, thereby preventing a management error and facilitating management accompanying rework. And a substrate processing apparatus and a mounting table.

[0006]

The present invention has the following constitution in order to achieve such an object. That is, according to the first aspect of the invention, in a substrate management method for processing a lot consisting of a plurality of substrates, a storage unit is attached to a cassette for storing the substrates, and the storage unit stores the storage unit. It is characterized in that management is performed for each substrate in a lot by using lot information having information for each substrate.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in a substrate processing apparatus for processing a lot consisting of a plurality of substrates, a mounting table on which a cassette having a storage means is mounted, and the cassette is stored in the cassette. A substrate is transferred to the processing unit, which includes a processing unit that transfers the substrate and performs processing, and an access unit that reads and writes lot information having information for each substrate stored in the storage unit. Processing is performed, and management is performed for each substrate in the lot via the access means.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the second aspect, the storage means is arranged on the bottom surface of the cassette, and the access means is arranged on the upper surface of the mounting table. It is characterized by that.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the second or third aspect, the access means reads and writes the storage means in a contactless manner. .

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the fourth aspect, the access means reads and writes by using any one of an electromagnetic coupling system, an electromagnetic induction system, an optical system, and a radio wave system. It is characterized by performing.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in a mounting table for mounting a cassette for storing substrates, which is provided in a substrate processing apparatus that processes a lot of a plurality of substrates in a processing unit, Of the lot information having the information of (1), which is communicable with a cassette having a storage means for storing lot information, and has access means for reading and writing the lot information, and manages each lot substrate through the access means. It is characterized by performing.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the mounting table according to the sixth aspect, the access means is disposed on the mounting surface of the cassette.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the mounting table according to the sixth or seventh aspect, the access means reads and writes the storage means in a non-contact manner.

According to a ninth aspect of the invention, in the mounting table according to the eighth aspect, the access means reads and writes by using any one of an electromagnetic coupling system, an electromagnetic induction system, an optical system, and a radio wave system. It is characterized by that.

[0015]

The operation of the invention described in claim 1 is as follows. That is, lot information having information for each substrate is stored in the storage means attached to the cassette, and the lot information is used to manage each substrate in the lot, which facilitates automatic management.

According to the second aspect of the invention, storage means is attached to the cassette, and lot information having information for each substrate is stored therein. This lot information is read and written via the access means to move the substrate to the processing unit and manage it for each substrate of the lot, which facilitates automatic management.

According to the third aspect of the invention, in the mounting table on which the cassette is mounted, between the storage means arranged on the bottom surface of the cassette and the access means arranged on the upper surface of the mounting table. Read and write lot information.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, since reading and writing are performed in a non-contact manner, it is possible to reduce the influence of corrosion caused by a chemical solution or the like.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, non-contact read / write can be performed by using any one of the electromagnetic coupling system, the electromagnetic induction system, the optical system and the radio wave system.

According to the invention described in claim 6, the lot information having the information for each substrate is read and written between the storage means and the access means of the cassette, and the lot information is managed for each substrate of the lot. It will be easier.

According to the seventh aspect of the invention, the lot information is read / written between the storage means and the access means provided on the bottom surface of the cassette on the mounting surface on which the cassette is mounted.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, since reading and writing are performed in a non-contact manner, there is no influence of corrosion due to a chemical solution or the like.

According to the ninth aspect of the invention, non-contact read / write can be performed by using any one of the electromagnetic coupling system, the electromagnetic induction system, the optical system and the radio wave system.

[0024]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 relate to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof.

This substrate processing apparatus carries a substrate W into and out of a processing unit 1 that performs a predetermined process on a substrate W and a cassette C that is installed in parallel with the processing unit 1 and that stacks and stores a plurality of substrates W. And a load port device 3 for carrying out. The processing unit 1 includes, for example, a coating processing unit 5 that spin-coats a substrate W with a photoresist solution, a development processing unit 7 that performs development processing on the substrate W, a thermal processing unit 9 that performs thermal processing on the substrate W, and a load port device. The first transfer mechanism 11 transfers the processed substrate W to the load port device 3 while transferring the substrate W received from the processing unit 5 to each of the processing units 5, 7, and 9. An exposure device 13 that exposes a predetermined pattern on the substrate W coated with the photoresist film is provided in the processing section 1 in parallel.

The load port device 3 described above corresponds to the mounting table in the present invention.

A plurality of load port devices 3 (four in this example) are arranged side by side on the front side of the processing section 1. Each load port 3 has a mounting portion 15 for positioning and mounting the cassette C.
It has a load port body 17 provided with. By arranging a plurality of load port devices 3 side by side on the front side of the processing unit 1, a plurality of cassettes C are aligned and placed at regular intervals. The atmosphere between the mounting unit 15 and the processing unit 1 is blocked by the partition wall 19 of the load port body 17. In the partition wall 19, a plurality of passage ports 21 for passing the substrate W are formed at positions facing the cassette C on the mounting portion 15. A shutter drive mechanism 25 for driving the shutter member 23 is provided at the passage port 21. By being driven by the shutter drive mechanism 25, the shutter member 23 moves up and down between a position that closes the passage port 21 and a retracted position that opens the passage port 21.

The mounting portion 15 with the load port body 17 interposed therebetween.
At the position of the processing unit 1 facing the second transfer mechanism 27, a second transfer mechanism 27 for loading / unloading the substrate W into / from each cassette C is provided. The second transfer mechanism 27 takes out the unprocessed substrates W one by one from the cassette C and transfers the unprocessed substrates W to the first transfer mechanism 11 of the processing unit 1, and receives the processed substrates W from the substrate transfer robot 11 to receive the cassette C. Bring to.

Next, the configuration of the load port device 3 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. 3 is a perspective view showing the upper portion of the load port device 3, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cassette C as viewed from the rear side.

The mounting portion 15 has a mounting table 29 for positioning and mounting the cassette C. The mounting table 29 is one step lower than the upper surface of the mounting portion 14, and is formed so that the bottom surface of the cassette C is fitted therein. The shutter member 23 is formed in a rectangular shape so as to fit in the passage opening 21 of the partition wall 19. Further, the shutter member 23 is provided with a container for accommodating a plurality of substrates W in a multi-tiered manner at regular intervals, and a lid member (not shown) for closing the opening of the container F.
It is provided with a detaching mechanism (not shown) for detaching a lid member (not shown) of the cassette C which is an OUP (Front Open Unified Pod).

A read / write head 31 is embedded on the right side of the passage table 21 side of the mounting table 29 (hereinafter, the read / write head 31 will be referred to as an R / W head 31).
Abbreviated). An ID tag 33 is embedded in the bottom of the cassette C at a position corresponding to the R / W head 31 embedded in the mounting table 29. The R / W head 31 and the ID tag 33 described above can communicate with each other for several centimeters to several tens of centimeters by an electromagnetic coupling method, for example. The R / W head 31 can read and write the lot information stored in the ID tag 33 in a contactless manner. I
The D tag 33 includes, for example, a battery, a memory, a one-chip microcontroller, a small antenna, and the like, and it is preferable that the outer container is made of a fluororesin in order to improve environmental resistance and chemical resistance. By adopting the non-contact communication method as described above, it is possible to reduce the influence of corrosion due to a chemical solution or the like.

The R / W head 31 described above corresponds to the access means in the present invention, and the ID tag 33 corresponds to the storage means in the present invention.

Next, the control system of the substrate processing apparatus described above will be described with reference to FIG. Note that FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the control system.

Each of the above-mentioned units is controlled by the control unit 35 as a whole. The control unit 35 is also connected to a host computer 39 connected via a network 37, and communication is possible between them. The control unit 35 is configured to access the ID tag 33 via the R / W head 31. The ID tag 33 stores, for example, lot information as shown in the schematic view of FIG.

That is, it includes a lot ID corresponding to a lot number given to a plurality of substrates W, a recipe for processing this lot, and product information for each substrate W constituting the lot. The product information for each substrate W is, for example, a substrate I that is an identification number given to the substrates W that form a lot.
D, the time when the processing for the substrate is started, the time required for the processing, the inspection result for the substrate, and the like. In addition,
It is preferable to store the starting time, the processing time, and the inspection result for each processing step. When the lot information stored in the ID tag 33 may exceed the maximum storage capacity, the control unit 35 appropriately moves a part of the data to the host computer 39.

The contents of the host information stored in the above-mentioned ID tag 33 can be referred to from the host computer 39 via the control unit 35, and not only this substrate processing apparatus but also other processing apparatuses can be referred to. It is possible to perform comprehensive management of.

In the substrate processing apparatus having such a structure, a plurality of substrates W are stored in the cassette C, and the load port device 3 is placed with initial information such as the lot ID and recipe written in the ID tag 33. It is placed on the section 15. Then, the control unit 35 accesses the ID tag 33 by the R / W head 31, determines the recipe applied to this lot,
According to this, the condition setting of the processing unit 1 is performed. And the first
By controlling the transfer mechanism 11 and the like, each substrate W is transferred and processed. At that time, the information is referred to from the ID tag 33 before the processing, or conversely, the information is written to the ID tag 33 after the processing. However, the information is read / written and managed for each substrate W forming the lot. Because it does, fine management is possible.

Further, the rework is performed on the substrates W that have failed in processing. In that case, for example, only the rework target substrates of the same lot are accommodated in another cassette C based on the lot information. Then, the lot ID and the board I
D and the like are written in the lot information of the ID tag 33 of the cassette C, and then rework is performed. As a result, management at the time of rework can be significantly facilitated as compared with the conventional method.

In the substrate processing apparatus having the above-described structure, the ID tag 33 is attached to the cassette C, and the lot information having the information for each substrate W is stored therein. This lot information is read and written via the R / W head 31 to move the substrate W to the processing unit 1 and manage it for each substrate of the lot, which facilitates automatic management. Therefore, it is possible to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of preventing management errors and facilitating management associated with rework.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be modified as follows.

(1) In the above description, the R / W head 31
Although the electromagnetic coupling method is adopted for the ID tag 33 and the ID tag 33, an electromagnetic induction method, an optical method, a radio wave method or the like may be adopted instead. Particularly, in the radio wave method (usually the microwave method), the communication distance is longer than that in the electromagnetic coupling method. Therefore, for example, the ID tag 33 is attached to the upper surface of the cassette C and the R / W head 31 is separated from the cassette C. It can be mounted in position and the degree of freedom in design can be increased. For example, the R / W head 31 can be attached to the upper portion of the partition wall 19 of the load port device 3 or the upper portion of the processing unit 1.

(2) Instead of the non-contact communication method as described above, a method of accessing the ID tag 33 by contacting the communication terminal may be adopted.

(3) The substrate processing apparatus described above adopts the FOUP method, but the present invention is not limited to this method, and instead of the cassette C, a normal open type cassette or SMIF (Standard) is used. Manufacturing Interface)
You may adopt a pod.

(4) The cassette C may be of a type as shown in FIG. 7 other than the type for accommodating a plurality of substrates W as described above. That is, the cassette C1 is composed of a thin plate-like case that can accommodate only one substrate W, and the ID tag 33 is attached to the side surface thereof. In the case of such a configuration, the ID tag 33 stores product information including the lot ID of the main board W and the board ID. Therefore, each ID tag 33 attached to all the substrates W constituting one lot has one ID in the above-mentioned embodiment.
This corresponds to the tag 33.

(5) The cassette C may have a structure as shown in FIG. 8 (a). That is, the cassette C2
Like the above-mentioned cassette C1, is composed of a thin plate-like case capable of accommodating only one substrate W, and an engaging projection 41 is formed on the upper surface thereof. Further, an engagement recess 43 that fits into the engagement protrusion 41 is formed on the lower surface thereof.

The cassette C2 having such a structure can be integrated by fitting the engaging projection 41 into the engaging recess 43 of each cassette C2. Therefore, the cassette C2 in which the substrate W to be reworked is stored from the integrated cassette C2.
It can be easily removed and sent to another process. Further, in the above-described apparatus, the cassette C2 can be transported into the processing unit 1, and the substrate W can be transported in a state of being accommodated in the cassette C2 up to immediately before each unit in the processing unit 1. Can be kept to a minimum. Therefore, the contamination of the substrate W can be prevented as much as possible.

(6) In the above-described substrate processing apparatus, the function of the processing unit 1 is to form a photoresist film on the substrate W, but the present invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, it may be a chemical treatment device or the like.

(7) The present invention can be applied to only the load port device 3 which is a part of the substrate processing apparatus described above. Accordingly, it is possible to realize the same effect as that of the substrate processing apparatus described above, that is, a mounting table capable of preventing management error and facilitating management accompanying rework.

[0049]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the invention described in claim 1, lot information having information for each substrate is stored in the storage means attached to the cassette. Since the lot information is used to manage each substrate in the lot, automatic management becomes easy. Therefore,
It is possible to realize a board management method capable of preventing management errors and easily performing management associated with rework.

According to the second aspect of the invention, storage means is attached to the cassette, and lot information having information for each substrate is stored therein. This lot information is read and written via the access means to move the substrate to the processing unit and manage it for each substrate of the lot, which facilitates automatic management. Therefore, it is possible to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of preventing management errors and facilitating management associated with rework.

According to the third aspect of the invention, in the mounting table on which the cassette is mounted, between the storage means arranged on the bottom surface of the cassette and the access means arranged on the upper surface of the mounting table. Read and write lot information. Therefore,
The communication distance can be shortened and the influence of disturbance can be reduced.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since reading and writing are performed in a non-contact manner, it is possible to reduce the influence of corrosion caused by a chemical solution or the like and improve the reliability.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, by using any one of the electromagnetic coupling system, the electromagnetic induction system, the optical system, and the radio wave system, the non-contact read / write can be performed and the reliability can be improved. .

According to the invention described in claim 6, the lot information having the information for each substrate is read and written between the storage means and the access means of the cassette and the lot information is managed for each substrate of the lot. It will be easier. Therefore, it is possible to realize a mounting table that can prevent management mistakes and can easily perform management accompanying rework.

According to the invention described in claim 7, lot information is read and written between the storage means and the access means arranged on the bottom surface of the cassette on the mounting surface on which the cassette is mounted.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, since reading and writing are performed in a non-contact manner, it is possible to reduce the influence of corrosion caused by a chemical solution or the like and improve reliability.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, by using any one of the electromagnetic coupling system, the electromagnetic induction system, the optical system, and the radio wave system, non-contact read / write can be performed and reliability can be improved. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an upper portion of the load port device.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cassette as seen from the back side.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control system.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of lot information stored in an ID tag.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the cassette.

FIG. 8A is a perspective view showing a modified example of the cassette, and FIG. 8B is a perspective view showing an example in which the cassettes are combined in multiple layers.

[Explanation of symbols]

W ... Substrate 1 ... Processing unit C ... cassette 3… Load port device (mounting table) 31 ... R / W head (access means) 33 ... ID tag (storage means) 35 ... Control unit 37 ... Network 39 ... Host computer C1 ... cassette C2 ... cassette 41 ... Engaging protrusion 43 ... engagement recess

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A substrate management method for processing a lot consisting of a plurality of substrates, wherein storage means is attached to a cassette for storing the substrates,
A substrate management method, wherein lot information having information for each substrate stored in the storage unit is used to perform management for each substrate of a lot. 2. A substrate processing apparatus for processing a lot consisting of a plurality of substrates, a mounting table for mounting a cassette having a storage means, and a substrate stored in the cassette is transported to perform processing. The processing unit is provided with an access unit that reads and writes lot information having information for each substrate stored in the storage unit. The substrate is transferred to the processing unit to perform processing, and A substrate processing apparatus characterized in that management is performed for each substrate in a lot via an access unit. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the storage unit is arranged on a bottom surface of the cassette, and the access unit is arranged on an upper surface of the mounting table. Substrate processing equipment. 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the access unit reads and writes the storage unit in a non-contact manner. 5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the access unit reads and writes by using any one of an electromagnetic coupling method, an electromagnetic induction method, an optical method, and a radio wave method. Processing equipment. 6. A mounting table for mounting a cassette for storing substrates, which is provided in a substrate processing apparatus for processing a lot of a plurality of substrates in a processing unit, stores lot information having information for each substrate. It is possible to communicate with a cassette provided with a storage means that stores the information, and to provide access means for reading and writing the lot information, and to perform management for each substrate of the lot via the access means. Mounting table. 7. The mounting table according to claim 6, wherein the access means is arranged on a mounting surface of the cassette. 8. The mounting table according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the access unit reads and writes the storage unit in a non-contact manner. 9. The mounting table according to claim 8, wherein the access means performs reading and writing using any one of an electromagnetic coupling method, an electromagnetic induction method, an optical method, and a radio wave method. .