JP3592861B2 - Substrate processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or a liquid crystal display substrate, and more particularly to a technique for updating a program for controlling processing.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The substrate processing apparatus generally includes a plurality of processing units such as a processing unit for performing a coating process on a semiconductor wafer, a processing unit for performing a development process, and a processing unit for performing a heat treatment. In a conventional substrate processing apparatus, a program and data for controlling each processing unit are stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory) provided in the controller. The operation of each processing unit is controlled by the controller corresponding to each processing unit executing the program.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the above-described substrate processing apparatus, there are cases in which control programs and data of each controller need to be changed in accordance with improvement in processing performance, changes in processing procedures, processing conditions, and the like. As described above, since the program to be changed is stored in the ROM provided in the controller, in order to change to a new program, it is necessary to replace the ROM with the new program. However, in order to perform such replacement work, it is necessary to stop the operation of the device, remove the controller to be changed from the device, and then replace the ROM, which is very troublesome and time-consuming. Was hanging. Further, when an abnormality occurs in the control program, it is desirable to change the program to a normal program immediately and restart the operation of the apparatus. However, in the above substrate processing apparatus, it is difficult for the same reason as described above.
[0004]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems in the conventional technology, and has as its object to provide a technology that can easily update a control program that controls processing in a substrate processing apparatus.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems and Their Functions and Effects]
To solve at least part of the above issues,The present invention
A substrate processing apparatus,
A plurality of slave controllers for controlling operations of a plurality of constituent devices constituting the substrate processing apparatus;
A master controller for controlling the operation of the plurality of slave controllers,
Interconnecting the plurality of slave controllers and the master controllernetworkAnd a line,
The master controller comprises:
When the user selects a desired slave controller among the plurality of slave controllers, notifies the selected slave controller of the start of transmission of the control program,
Each of the plurality of slave controllers,
The transmission start notification from the master controller is constantly monitored during operation of the substrate processing apparatus, and when the transmission start notification is received from the master controller, the fact is recorded in a predetermined memory area. , Restart,
When the substrate processing apparatus is started, or when the slave controller is restarted, the record in the predetermined memory area is checked, and when the record is found, the master controller is connected via the network line. Requesting the transmission of a control program, and when there is no record,Examine the holding state of the control program held in the writable main memory of the slave controllerThrough the network lineNotifying the master controller of the holding state of the control program,
The master controller further comprises:
Via the network line, when a request for transmission of the control program is made, or when an abnormality in the holding state of the control program is notified, a slave controller that requests transmission of the control program, orAbnormal state of the control programNotifiedFor the slave controller,CorrespondingTransmitting a control program, and executing the control program stored in the main memory of the slave controller.UpdateIt is characterized by the following.
[0006]
According to the above invention,Since the master controller and the plurality of slave controllers are interconnected via a network, a control program executed by each of the plurality of slave controllers can be transmitted from the master controller via the network. Since the transmitted control program is stored in the main memory of the slave controller, the control program of each slave controller can be easily updated.
[0008]
Also,When the substrate processing apparatus is started, each of the slave controllers checks the holding state of each control program held in the main memory and notifies the master controller. The master controller that has received the notification of the holding state of the control program responds to the slave controller that has notified that the holding state is abnormal among all normal control programs stored in the storage medium provided in the master controller. Control program,networkSend via line. Therefore, every time the substrate processing apparatus is started, the abnormal control program can be easily updated to a normal program, and malfunction of the apparatus can be prevented.
[0010]
further,When the user selects a desired slave controller at any time during the operation of the substrate processing apparatus, the master controller notifies the selected slave controller of the start of transmission of the control program. Each of the slave controllers constantly monitors the transmission start notification from the master controller, and when notified of the transmission start from the master controller, records the fact in a predetermined memory area and then restarts. The restarted slave controller checks whether or not there is a record indicating that the transmission start has been notified in a predetermined memory area, and when there is a record, requests the master controller to transmit the control program. The master controller requested to transmit transmits the control program to the slave controller requesting transmission, and the slave controller requesting transmission receives the transmitted control program. Therefore,The above inventionAccording to this, the control program can be easily updated according to the user's request.
[0011]
Other aspects of the invention
The present invention includes other aspects as described below. The first aspect is
A plurality of slave controllers for controlling the operation of a plurality of constituent devices constituting the substrate processing apparatus; a master controller for controlling the operation of the plurality of slave controllers; and the plurality of slave controllers and the master controller being interconnected. A control method for a substrate processing apparatus, comprising:
Each of the plurality of slave controllers checks a holding state of a control program held in a writable main memory included in the slave controller when the substrate processing apparatus is started, and determines a holding state of the control program by the master. Notifying the controller;
The master controller transmits, via the line, a corresponding control program stored in the storage medium to a slave controller in which the holding state of the control program is abnormal, and the main memory of the slave controller Updating the control program stored in
It is characterized by having.
[0012]
The second aspect is
A plurality of slave controllers for controlling the operation of a plurality of constituent devices constituting the substrate processing apparatus; a master controller for controlling the operation of the plurality of slave controllers; and the plurality of slave controllers and the master controller being interconnected. A control method for a substrate processing apparatus, comprising:
The master controller, at any time desired by the user, while selecting a desired slave controller among the plurality of slave controllers, and notifying the selected slave controller of the start of transmission of a control program,
Each of the plurality of slave controllers constantly monitors the transmission start notification from the master controller during the operation of the substrate processing apparatus, and when the master controller receives the transmission start notification, the fact is notified. Recording in a predetermined memory area and restarting;
The restarted slave controller checks the record in the predetermined memory area, and when the record is found, requesting the master controller to transmit a control program,
A step in which the master controller requested to transmit the control program transmits the control program to the slave controller requesting the transmission, and the slave controller requesting the transmission receives the transmitted control program;
It is characterized by having.
[0013]
A third aspect is a portable storage medium that stores a software program that realizes the above-described invention when executed by a microprocessor of a computer system.
[0014]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on examples.
[0015]
A. Device configuration and operation overview:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a substrate processing apparatus 20 to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. The substrate processing apparatus 20 includes a plurality of processing units for performing a series of processes (a coating process, a developing process, and a heat treatment in this embodiment) on the semiconductor wafer W. The first processing unit group A arranged on the front surface includes a spin coater 31 for performing a coating process and a spin developer 32 for performing a developing process.
[0016]
In addition, a second processing unit group B is provided at a position on the rear side facing the first processing unit group A. The second processing unit group B includes heat treatment devices 33, 34, and 35 for performing heat treatment (heating / cooling) on the substrate before and after the processing is performed by the spin coater 31 and the spin developer 32. Each of the heat treatment devices 33, 34, and 35 includes a heating heat treatment device (hot plate) 33a, 34a, and 35a at the upper stage and a cooling heat treatment device (cool plate) 33b, 34b, and 35b at the lower stage.
[0017]
Further, the apparatus is provided with a transfer area C extending along the first processing unit group A at a position between the first processing unit group A and the second processing unit group B. A transfer robot 36 is movably arranged in the transfer area C. The transfer robot 36 includes a moving body 38 having a support member 37 having two arms for supporting the semiconductor wafer W (only one arm is visible in the drawing). The upper and lower two arms forming the support member 37 are driven by an arm drive mechanism (not shown), and each processing unit exchanges a semiconductor wafer. That is, one arm receives the semiconductor wafer after the processing from the processing unit, and the other arm places the semiconductor wafer transported from another processing unit on the processing unit. Although not shown, a three-dimensional drive mechanism is connected to the moving body 38 of the transfer robot 36. This drive mechanism moves the moving body 38 in front of each processing unit, and enables the transfer of the semiconductor wafer W.
[0018]
At the end of the substrate processing apparatus 20, there is provided an indexer 40 for carrying out the semiconductor wafer W from the cassettes C1 to C4 and carrying the semiconductor wafer W into the cassettes C1 to C4. The transfer robot 41 provided in the indexer 40 takes out the semiconductor wafer W from the cassettes C1 to C4 and sends it out to the transfer robot 36, or receives the semiconductor wafer W subjected to a series of processes from the transfer robot 36, An operation of returning to the cassettes C1 to C4 is performed.
[0019]
On the front surface of the indexer 40, an operation panel 42 for giving various instructions to the indexer 40 and the first and second processing unit groups A and B is incorporated. The operation panel 42 includes a keyboard 42a (see FIG. 3) for performing various settings and numerical inputs, and a display 42b (see FIG. 3) for displaying various screens based on instructions from the keyboard 42a.
[0020]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control circuit for controlling each component of the substrate processing apparatus 20 of FIG. The substrate processing apparatus 20 includes eight slave controllers 41A and 36A that control each component of the substrate processing apparatus 20, a master controller 50 that controls the entire substrate processing apparatus 20 by controlling each slave controller, It has. The slave controller includes an indexer controller 41A, a transfer robot controller 36A, a spin coater controller 31A, a spin developer controller 32A, and heat treatment equipment controllers 33A, 34A, 35A. Each controller is connected to each other by a LAN line to form a network. The master controller 50 is a control unit that controls the entire substrate processing apparatus 20 by controlling each controller. Each slave controller controls the operation of a device connected to the slave controller based on an instruction from the master controller 50. That is, the indexer controller 41A controls the transfer robot 41, and the transfer robot controller 36A controls the transfer robot 36. The spin coater controller 31A controls the spin coater 31, and the spin developer controller 32A controls the spin developer 32. The heat treatment equipment controllers 33A, 34A, 35A control the heat treatment equipments 33, 34, 35.
[0021]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the master controller 50. The master controller 50 includes a CPU 51 for executing a logical operation, and a ROM 52 and a RAM 53 as a main memory. The ROM 52 stores a basic program for controlling the CPU (for example, a program for controlling activation) and the like. The RAM 53 stores various programs and data for controlling each slave controller. Note that the ROM 52 stores the transmission means 52a of the present invention which is executed by the master controller 50. Further, the master controller 50 includes a first external storage device 54 (corresponding to a storage medium of the present invention) which can write and hold data at any time and can store a large amount of data. The first external storage device 54 is a permanent storage device for storing not only programs and data executed by the master controller 50 but also programs and data executed by each slave controller. An example of the first external storage device 54 is a hard disk device.
[0022]
In this embodiment, a basic program for controlling the CPU and the like are stored in the ROM 52, but the program executed by the master controller 50 is transferred from the first external storage device 54 to the RAM 53. It can also be executed.
[0023]
The master controller 50 is connected to the operation panel 42 and a second external storage device 70 such as a floppy disk device 70a or a CD-ROM device 70b by an external I / F 56 connected to the CPU or the like via a bus 55. , A modem 73, a LAN line, and the like. The operation panel 42 is for the user to make various settings and input numerical values during operation of the apparatus. If the user desires to update each program while the apparatus is operating, the user can operate the settings from this operation panel. The second external storage device 70 includes a portable storage medium for transferring programs and data executed by the master controller 50 and the slave controller to the first external storage device 54 and each slave controller, as described later. It is a storage device. The transfer from the second external storage device 70 to the first external storage device 54 can be performed not only when the program is actually updated, but also in advance. The modem 73 is for connecting the master controller 50 to the outside (for example, another factory) via a public line. Thereby, the program or data executed by the master controller 50 or the slave controller is transferred not from the second external storage device 70 but from another external device to the first external storage device 54 or each slave controller. It is also possible. Further, as described above, the master controller 50 and each slave controller are connected by a LAN line, and by using this LAN line, it is possible to connect to other devices that can be connected to the LAN line, such as the server 60, for example. Thereby, it is also possible to transfer programs and data executed by the master controller 50 and the slave controllers from the server 60 to the first external storage device 54 and each slave controller.
[0024]
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an indexer controller 41A which is one of the slave controllers. The indexer controller 41A, like the master controller 50, includes a CPU 41A1, a ROM 41A2 as a main memory, and a RAM 41A3. The ROM 41A2 stores the holding state notifying unit 41A2a and the receiving unit 41A2b of the present invention implemented by the indexer controller 41A, and the RAM 41A3 stores the monitoring unit 41A3a. The indexer controller 41A is connected to the master controller 50 via a LAN line by an external I / F 41A6 connected to the CPU 41A1 via a bus 41A5. Further, it is connected to the transfer robot 41 by a control port 41A7 connected via a bus 41A5.
[0025]
The indexer controller 41A controls the operation of the transfer robot 41 by executing a program stored in the RAM 41A3 based on the contents instructed from the master controller 50 via the LAN line. Therefore, it is preferable that the RAM 41A3 holds the program and data executed by the indexer controller 41A even when the substrate processing apparatus 20 is not operating (when the power is turned off). It is preferred to use.
[0026]
The transfer robot controller 36A, the spin coater controller 31A, the spin developer controller 32A, and the heat treatment equipment controllers 33A, 34A, and 35A have the same configuration, and a description thereof will be omitted. In the description below, the name of each controller will be referred to as a slave controller unless otherwise specified.
[0027]
B. Program download procedure:
Next, a procedure for downloading a new control program in order to change the control program executed by each slave controller to a new control program will be described below. The control program download mode includes a startup download mode and an operation download mode. The start-time download mode is a mode in which a program stored in each slave controller is checked when the substrate processing apparatus is started, and the program is downloaded when “program abnormality” is detected. The operating download mode is a mode in which a program is downloaded when the user arbitrarily desires while the apparatus is operating.
[0028]
B1. Startup download procedure:
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure of download at the time of startup.
[0029]
In the master controller 50, when the substrate processing apparatus is started, a power-on start sequence for performing initial settings of the apparatus is executed by a start program stored in the ROM 52, and thereafter, a program for start-up download (start-up download routine) is executed. ) Is executed. At the same time, also in each slave controller, for example, the slave controller 41A, the power-on startup routine is executed by the startup program stored in the ROM 41A2. In the following, description will be made assuming that the slave controller 41A represents the slave controller.
[0030]
When the power-on startup routine is executed, the slave controller 41A first determines whether or not a download reservation has been made in step S101b. Since the download reservation is not made when the apparatus is started, the process shifts to step S102b. The details of the download reservation and step S101b will be described later.
[0031]
In step S102b, it is checked whether there is any abnormality in the programs and data stored and held in the RAM 41A3 (program check), and the result is notified to the master controller 50. There are various methods for this check, for example, a general check sum comparison method.
[0032]
When the startup download routine is executed, the master controller 50 first determines in step S102a whether to download a program to the slave controller. This determination is made based on the above check result notified from each slave controller. Also, when the user presses a predetermined key during the activation, it is possible to start an interrupt process and arbitrarily select a slave controller whose program is to be updated. Also in this case, it is determined that the download to the slave controller is performed in step S102a according to the user's selection.
[0033]
When no program abnormality is notified from all the slave controllers and no selection is made by the user, the master controller 50 determines that there is no need to download, and the process shifts to step S108a. If any one of the slave controllers has notified a program abnormality or has made a selection by the user, the master controller 50 determines that there is a download request, and the process proceeds to step S103a. In step S103a, the slave controller that has requested the download, for example, the slave controller 41A is notified that the download is to be started.
[0034]
Upon receiving the download start notification, the slave controller 41A prepares for download in step S104b. When the download preparation is completed, the master controller 50 is notified that the download preparation is completed.
[0035]
Upon receiving the notification of the completion of preparation, the master controller 50 transmits (downloads) a new program or data to the slave controller 41A in step S105a. On the other hand, the slave controller 41A receives the program and data transmitted from the master controller 50 in step S105b, and stores and stores the program and data in the RAM 41A3. At this time, the slave controller 41A writes the received control program into the RAM 41A3 in accordance with the startup program stored in the ROM 41A2. Therefore, it is possible to update all the control programs and data stored in the RAM 41A3. Note that the programs and data downloaded to the slave controller are not limited to those stored in advance in the first external storage device 54 shown in FIG. 2, but may be the second external storage device 70, the server 60, or the public line. It is also possible to use a program or data supplied from the outside connected by.
[0036]
When the transmission and reception of the programs and data in steps S105a and S105b are completed, the master controller 50 notifies the slave controller 41A of the execution of the updated program (program execution) in step S106a. At this time, when the slave controller 41A receives the notification of the program execution in S106b, it ends the power-on startup routine of the slave controller 41 and shifts to an operation routine based on the control program newly stored and held in the RAM 41A3.
[0037]
After ending the processing in step S106a, the master controller 50 determines in step S107a whether it is necessary to download the program to another slave controller. If there are a plurality of download requests in step S102a, the processes from step S103a to step S106a are repeatedly executed until a new program is downloaded to all slave controllers that have requested download. On the other hand, if the download has been completed for all slave controllers for which the download request has been made, the process proceeds to step S108a.
[0038]
In step S108a, a program execution is notified to the slave controller that is determined not to have a download request in step S102a, and the startup download routine ends. At this time, upon receiving the notification of the program execution in step S108b, the corresponding slave controller ends each power-on startup routine and shifts to an operation routine based on a control program stored and held before.
[0039]
Note that the holding state notifying unit 41A2a of the present invention corresponds to a unit that executes the process of step S102b. The transmitting unit 52a corresponds to a unit that executes steps S103a to S105b, and the receiving unit 41A2b corresponds to a unit that executes steps S104b to S105b. Further, the program transfer unit of the present invention corresponds to a unit including the transmission unit 52a and the reception unit 41A2b.
[0040]
As described above, in the substrate processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied, when an abnormal program is detected by a program check performed by each slave controller at the time of starting the apparatus, the program can be updated to a normal program. is there. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the device from malfunctioning due to the program abnormality. Further, even if an abnormality occurs in the program and the apparatus malfunctions during the operation of the apparatus, the substrate processing apparatus can be immediately updated to a normal program and operated normally by restarting (resetting) the substrate processing apparatus. is there.
[0041]
B2. Runtime download procedure:
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure of download during operation.
[0042]
In the master controller 50, if the user desires, an interrupt is arbitrarily made during the operation of the apparatus, and a routine for downloading the application program (operation download routine) is executed. This interrupt can be realized by simple interrupt monitoring.
[0043]
When the in-operation download routine is executed, the user selects a slave controller to download a program in step S201a. As a result, the selection information of the slave controller is registered in a predetermined area in the main memory (for example, the RAM 53) of the master controller 50. In step S202a, if the slave controller is not selected in step S201a, no processing is performed, and the operating download routine ends. On the other hand, when the slave controller is selected in S201a, the master controller 50 notifies the selected slave controller of the download start in Step S203a. For example, first, consider a case where the slave controller notifies the slave controller 41A of the start of download.
[0044]
In the slave controller 41A, in step S203b, a constant monitoring routine for constantly monitoring the notification of the download start is executed. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the constant monitoring routine. The constant monitoring routine is executed as a resident program of the slave controller 41A. During the operation of the application program, the download start notification from the master controller 50 is constantly monitored. Upon receiving the download start notification in step S203b1, the download reservation is stored in a predetermined memory area in the main memory of the slave controller in step S203b2. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a memory map of the slave controller 41A. The download reservation is stored in the download reservation storage area of the data area allocated to the RAM 41A3. Thereafter, the slave controller 41A is restarted and the above-described power-on startup routine is executed.
[0045]
As shown in FIG. 6, when the power-on startup routine is executed, the slave controller 41A first determines in step S104b whether a download reservation has been made. This determination is made by checking whether a download reservation is stored in the download reservation area. If no download reservation has been made, normal processing at the time of device startup may be executed, and a description thereof will be omitted. If download reservation has been made, download preparation is performed in step S104b. When the preparation for download is completed, the master controller 50 is notified of the completion of preparation.
[0046]
Upon receiving the notification of the completion of preparation, the master controller 50 transmits a new program or data to the slave controller 41A in step S205a. In step S105b, the slave controller 41A receives the program and data transmitted from the master controller 50, and stores the program and data in the RAM 41A3. At this time, the slave controller 41A writes the received control program into the RAM 41A3 in accordance with the startup program stored in the ROM 41A2. Therefore, it is possible to update all the control programs and data stored in the RAM 41A3. The programs and data downloaded to the slave controller are not limited to those stored in advance in the first external storage device 54 shown in FIG. 2, but may be connected to the external storage device 70, the server 60, or a public line. It is also possible to use a program or data supplied from the outside.
[0047]
When the transmission and reception of the program and data between the master controller 50 and the slave controller 41A in steps S205a and S105b are completed, the master controller 50 notifies the slave controller 41A of the execution of the updated program in step S206a. Done. Upon receiving the program execution notification in S106b, the slave controller 41A shifts to an operation routine based on the control program newly stored and held in the RAM 41A3.
[0048]
After ending the processing in step S206a, the master controller 50 determines in master step S207a whether or not it is necessary to download the program to another slave controller. In step S201a, if the slave controller selection information is registered for a plurality of slave controllers, steps S203a to S206a are performed until a new program is downloaded to all the slave controllers included in the slave controller selection information. Repeat the process. On the other hand, if the download has been completed for all the slave controllers included in the slave controller selection information, the process proceeds to step S208a.
[0049]
In step S208a, in order to resynchronize the operation of the entire substrate processing apparatus, the operation of the entire apparatus is initialized. Then, the execution of the in-operation download routine ends.
[0050]
Note that the monitoring unit 41A3a of the present invention corresponds to a unit that executes the process of step S203b. The transmitting unit 52a corresponds to a unit that executes steps S203a to S205b, and the receiving unit 41A2b corresponds to a unit that executes steps S104b to S105b. Further, the program transfer unit of the present invention corresponds to a unit including the transmission unit 52a and the reception unit 41A2b.
[0051]
As described above, in the substrate processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied, a user can arbitrarily download an application program or data while the apparatus is operating. Therefore, the user can determine the update timing of the program or data in view of the operation state of the apparatus, and can immediately change to a new program. It is also possible to easily change the processing conditions and the like.
[0052]
It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described examples and embodiments, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist thereof. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the interconnection between the master controller and the slave controller is performed by a network line (LAN line). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any connection can be used as long as the interconnection is possible. For example, a general bus connection may be used.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a substrate processing apparatus 20 to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control circuit for controlling each component of the substrate processing apparatus 20.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a master controller 50.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an indexer controller 41A which is one of the slave controllers.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure of “download at startup”.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure of “download during operation”.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a “constant monitoring routine”;
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a memory map of a slave controller 41A.
[Explanation of symbols]
20: substrate processing equipment
31 ... Spin coater
31A ... Spin coater controller
32 ... Spin developer
32A: Spin developer controller
33, 34, 35 ... heat treatment equipment
33A, 34A, 35A ... heat treatment equipment controller
36 ... Transfer robot
36A: Transfer robot controller
37 ... Support member
38: Moving object
40 ... Indexer
41 ... Transfer robot
41A1 ... CPU
41A2 ROM
41A2a ... holding state notifying means
41A2b ... receiving means
41A3 ... RAM
41A3a ... Monitoring means
41A5… Bus
41A6 ... External I / F
41A7 ... Control port
41A… Indexer controller
42 ... Operation panel
42a ... keyboard
42b ... Display
50: Master controller
51 ... CPU
52 ... ROM
52a ... Transmission means
53 ... RAM
54 ... Storage device
55… Bus
56 ... External I / F
60 ... Server
70 external storage device
70a: Floppy disk drive
70b ROM device
73… Modem
A: First processing unit group
B: second processing unit group
C: Transport area
C1, C2, C3, C4 ... cassette

Claims (1)

A substrate processing apparatus,
A plurality of slave controllers for controlling operations of a plurality of constituent devices constituting the substrate processing apparatus;
A master controller for controlling the operation of the plurality of slave controllers,
A network line for interconnecting the plurality of slave controllers and the master controller,
The master controller comprises:
When the user selects a desired slave controller among the plurality of slave controllers, notifies the selected slave controller of the start of transmission of the control program,
Each of the plurality of slave controllers,
The transmission start notification from the master controller is constantly monitored during operation of the substrate processing apparatus, and when the transmission start notification is received from the master controller, the fact is recorded in a predetermined memory area. , Restart,
When the substrate processing apparatus is started, or when the slave controller is restarted, the record in the predetermined memory area is checked, and when the record is found, the master controller is connected via the network line. Requesting the transmission of the control program to the slave controller, and when there is no recording , check the holding state of the control program held in the writable main memory in the slave controller, and check the control program via the network line. Notify the master controller of the holding state of
The master controller further comprises:
Via the network line, when a request for transmission of the control program is made, or when an abnormality in the holding state of the control program is notified, a slave controller that requests transmission of the control program, or A substrate process, comprising transmitting a corresponding control program to a slave controller that has notified an abnormality in a holding state of the control program, and updating the control program stored in the main memory of the slave controller. apparatus.

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