CN111326441A - Substrate processing apparatus and method - Google Patents

Abstract

A substrate processing device comprises a processing device, a supply device, a cleaning device and a control device. The control device is configured to instruct a switching element of the supply device to switch from a first configuration to a second configuration to change a storage tank for supplying a processing liquid when a first parameter reaches a first condition. The control device is further configured to instruct the cleaning device to provide a cleaning liquid to the processing device for cleaning the processing device when a second parameter reaches a second condition. The present invention also provides a substrate processing method. The use of the substrate processing device and method of the present invention can save relevant human resources and improve work efficiency.

Description

Substrate processing apparatus and method

technical field

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device manufacturing process, in particular to a technology for treating a substrate with a treatment liquid.

Background technique

Processes for semiconductor devices may use processing fluids to treat substrates. For example, wet etching operations may use acid as an etchant to create specific patterns on a substrate. The processing liquid is generally stored in the storage tank of the liquid supply device, and is delivered to the substrate as needed. In order to maintain the stability and accuracy of the process, the storage tank of the liquid supply device must be manually replaced at regular intervals, and the processing facility must also be manually cleaned at regular intervals. However, such manual work is not only time-consuming, but sometimes even error-prone due to human factors.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus and method that can avoid at least one of the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the substrate processing apparatus includes a processing apparatus having a chamber configured to receive a substrate in the chamber. The substrate processing equipment further includes a supply device, the supply device has a switching element and a plurality of storage tanks for storing the processing liquid, and is configured to provide the processing liquid into the processing device for processing the substrate. , wherein the switching element is operable to allow one of the reservoirs to provide treatment fluid to the treatment device. The substrate processing apparatus also includes a cleaning device configured to provide a cleaning solution into the processing device for cleaning the processing device. The substrate processing apparatus further includes a control device configured to instruct the switching element to switch from a first configuration to a second configuration when a first parameter related to the consumption of the processing liquid reaches a first condition a configuration wherein the first configuration allows treatment fluid to be provided to the treatment device from a first reservoir of the plurality of reservoirs, and the second configuration allows treatment fluid to be supplied from the plurality of reservoirs The second storage tank provides treatment liquid to the treatment device. The control device is also configured to instruct the cleaning device to supply cleaning fluid into the processing device when a second parameter related to the operation of the switching element reaches a second condition.

In some implementation aspects, the first parameter is one of the following: the number of substrates processed in the processing device since the switching element was last switched to the first configuration, the number of substrates processed in the processing device since the switching element was last switched to the first configuration The time elapsed since the last time the switching element was switched to the first configuration, provided from the first reservoir to the processing device since the last time the switching element was switched to the first configuration The total amount of the treatment liquid, the sum of the time each time the first storage tank provides the treatment liquid to the treatment device since the switching element was last switched to the first configuration, and the above items any combination; and the first condition is at least one predetermined threshold.

In some implementation aspects, the first parameter is time, and the first condition is a predetermined point in time.

In some implementation aspects, the second parameter is the number of times of switching performed by the switching element, and the second condition is a predetermined threshold.

In some embodiments, the cleaning device is further configured to provide the cleaning fluid into the plurality of reservoirs for cleaning the reservoirs, and the control device is further configured to after the switching element is switched from the first configuration allowing the treatment fluid to be supplied to the treatment device from the first reservoir to allowing the treatment fluid to be supplied to the treatment from the second reservoir After the second configuration of the device, the cleaning device is instructed to provide the cleaning solution to the first reservoir in parallel with the cleaning device providing the cleaning solution to the processing device. in the slot.

In some implementation aspects, the control device is further configured to perform the following operation after the switching element is switched to the second configuration: determining whether to perform the test operation according to a third parameter related to the test operation the test operation; after it is determined that the test operation is to be performed, instruct the processing device and the supply device to perform the test operation, and after the test operation is completed, at least one substrate is scheduled so that the at least one substrate is processed in a chamber of the processing device, wherein the test operation causes a test substrate to be processed in the chamber of the processing device; and after a decision not to perform the test operation, instructing all The processing device schedules the at least one substrate to be processed in a chamber of the processing device.

In some aspects of the present invention, the substrate processing method includes the steps of: scheduling at least one substrate to be processed in a chamber of a processing apparatus; When the first parameter of the reaches a first condition, it indicates that the switching element of the supply device capable of supplying the processing liquid into the processing device for processing the at least one substrate is switched from the first configuration to the second configuration, wherein , the first configuration allows treatment fluid to be supplied to the treatment device from a first reservoir of the supply, and the second configuration allows treatment fluid to be supplied from a second reservoir of the supply to the treatment device; and instructing the cleaning device to provide cleaning fluid into the treatment device for use in cleaning the treatment device when a second parameter related to the operation of the switching element reaches a second condition.

In some implementation aspects, the first parameter is one of the following: the number of substrates processed in the processing device since the switching element was last switched to the first configuration, the number of substrates processed in the processing device since the switching element was last switched to the first configuration The time elapsed since the last time the switching element was switched to the first configuration, provided from the first reservoir to the processing device since the last time the switching element was switched to the first configuration The total amount of the treatment liquid, the sum of the time each time the first storage tank provides the treatment liquid to the treatment device since the switching element was last switched to the first configuration, and the above items any combination; and the first condition is at least one predetermined threshold.

In some implementation aspects, the first parameter is time, and the first condition is a predetermined point in time.

In some implementation aspects, the second parameter is the number of switching times performed by the switching element, and the second condition is a predetermined threshold.

In some implementation aspects, the substrate processing method further comprises: switching the element from the first configuration that allows the processing liquid to be supplied to the processing device from a first reservoir of the supply device After switching to the second configuration that allows the treatment fluid to be provided to the treatment device from a second reservoir of the supply device, instructing the cleaning device to provide the cleaning solution with the cleaning device The cleaning fluid is provided into the first tank for cleaning the first tank in a parallel manner to operations into the processing device.

In some implementation aspects, the substrate processing method further comprises: switching the element from the first configuration that allows the processing liquid to be supplied to the processing device from a first reservoir of the supply device After switching to the second configuration that allows the treatment fluid to be provided to the treatment device from a second reservoir of the supply device, instructing the cleaning device to cooperate with the supply of the treatment fluid from the second reservoir Processing liquid into the chamber of the processing apparatus provides the cleaning liquid into the first reservoir for cleaning the first tank in parallel with operations for processing at least one of the at least one substrates a storage tank.

In some implementation aspects, the substrate processing method further includes: after the switching element is switched to the second configuration, determining whether to perform the test operation according to a third parameter related to a test operation ; when it has been decided to perform the test operation, instruct the processing device and the supply device to perform the test operation, and after the test operation is completed, schedule another at least one substrate so that the other at least one A substrate is processed in the chamber of the processing device, wherein the test operation causes a test substrate to be processed in the chamber of the processing device; and when it has been decided not to perform the test operation, Another at least one substrate is scheduled to be processed in a chamber of the processing apparatus.

In some implementations, the substrate processing method further includes: instructing the cleaning device when the test operation has been determined to be performed, instructing the cleaning device to stop the switching element from a first step that allows the processing liquid to be removed from the supply device. After the first configuration in which a reservoir is supplied to the treatment device is switched to the second configuration which allows the treatment fluid to be supplied to the treatment device from a second reservoir of the supply device, to The cleaning fluid is provided into the first sump for use in cleaning the first sump in parallel with the test operation.

The beneficial effects of the present invention are: related human resources can be saved, and errors caused by human factors can be avoided. In addition, such automated procedures are more efficient in the use of time than traditional manual procedures.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a flowchart illustrating a substrate processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

Please refer to FIG. 1, which illustrates a substrate processing apparatus 100 by which substrate wet processing (which may include, for example, etching, cleaning, drying operations, etc.) may be performed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The illustrated apparatus 100 includes a treatment device 110 , a supply device 120 , a cleaning device 130 , and a control device 140 electrically connected to the treatment device 110 , the supply device 120 and the cleaning device 130 .

According to one embodiment, the processing apparatus 110 has a chamber and is configured to accommodate at least one substrate 150 to be processed in the chamber. According to some embodiments, the processing performed on the substrate 150 by the processing device 110 may be related to the single-substrate wet process, the multi-substrate wet process, the single-chip under-bump metal etching, the thinned wafer support or peeling, the lamination or peeling process, Silicon carbide reconstituted wafers, reconstituted silicon wafers or other similar technologies. For simplicity, only one substrate 150 is illustrated in FIG. 1 . In one embodiment, only one substrate 150 is housed and processed in the chamber at a time, although the invention is not so limited. According to some embodiments of the invention, the substrate 150 may be in the form of a carrier, wafer, wafer, or other element, and may have a circular, square, rectangular, or other geometric shape.

According to one embodiment, the supply device 120 has a plurality of treatment liquid storage tanks 122 (eg, the two treatment liquid storage tanks shown in the figure include a first storage tank 122-1 and a second storage tank 122-2, but The invention is not so limited) and a switching element 121 for storing the treatment liquid, the switching element 121 being operable to cause one of the treatment liquid storage tanks 122 It can communicate with the processing device 110 and supply the processing liquid into the chamber of the processing device 110 . The switching element 121 includes a first line connected to the treatment device 110 so that the supply device 120 can supply the treatment liquid stored in the treatment liquid storage tank 122 into the treatment device 110 via the first line. The switching element 121 is configured to allow only one of the treatment liquid storage tanks 122 to provide treatment liquid to the treatment device 110 at the same time. The processing liquid is applied to the substrate 150 in the chamber of the processing apparatus 110 to perform a certain processing procedure (eg, etching) on the substrate 150 . In one embodiment, the switching element 121 further includes a plurality of control valves and a second pipeline connected to the treatment liquid storage tank 122, so that the switching element 121 can switch between the treatment liquid storage tanks 122 while selecting Which processing liquid storage tank 122 is to be used as the processing liquid source. In one embodiment, the supply device 120 further includes a replenishment device (not shown in the figure) that stores replenishment fluid (ie, unused treatment fluid) and is connected to the treatment fluid storage tank 122 via a third line ) for replenishing the treatment liquid storage tank 122 . In yet another embodiment, the supply device 120 further includes a temperature controller connected to the treatment liquid storage tank 122 and a circulation pipeline for controlling the temperature of the treatment liquid stored in the treatment liquid storage tank 122 .

According to one embodiment, the cleaning device 130 has a lotion storage tank 131 for storing cleaning liquid and is connected to the processing device 110 via a fourth line, thereby enabling the cleaning device 130 to transfer the cleaning liquid via the fourth line Supply into the processing device 110 for cleaning the processing device 110 . The cleaning device 130 may be further connected to the treatment liquid storage tank 122 via a fifth line, so that the cleaning device 130 can supply cleaning liquid into the treatment liquid storage tank 122 via the fifth line for cleaning the treatment liquid storage tank 122 .

According to one embodiment, the control device 140 has an input module 141 and a processor 142 electrically connected to each other. The processor 142 is configured to receive control information from the user of the apparatus 100 through the input module 141, and can automatically control the processing device 110, the supply device 120 and the cleaning device 130 according to the received control information. Operation. The control information may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: the number of substrates, the length of time, the time, the amount of processing liquid used, the number of switching times, and the number of tests. The processor 142 is further configured to automatically control when to supply the treatment liquid through which treatment liquid storage tank 122 according to the received control information.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a substrate processing method, which may be implemented by the apparatus 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method will be described below for the apparatus 100 of FIG. 1 .

Referring to FIG. 2 , in the following description, it is assumed that when the process is about to start, the switching element 121 of the supply device 120 is configured to allow the first storage tank 122 - 1 to supply the treatment liquid to the first part of the treatment device 110 . Configuration (ie, it is the first storage tank 122-1 that is responsible for supplying the treatment liquid to the treatment device 110).

At step 205 , the control device 140 of the apparatus 100 schedules at least a portion of the plurality of substrates in the batch to be processed in the chamber of the processing device 110 . According to some embodiments, the at least a portion of the substrates may be one of the substrates of the batch of substrates, several of them, or all of the substrates, and when the at least a portion of the substrates includes several substrates, the substrates may be processed one by one Or processed in groups.

In step 210, the control device 140 determines whether to perform the operation of replacing the storage tank. If the answer is yes, proceed to step 215; if the answer is no, go back to step 205 to schedule another part of the substrates in the same batch or at least a part of the substrates in another batch of substrates. According to one embodiment, step 210 may determine whether replacement is to be performed by determining whether a first parameter related to the consumption of processing liquid meets a first condition for the last substrate scheduled in step 205 Tank work. The first parameter may be, for example, the number of substrates processed in the processing apparatus 110 since the switching element 121 was last configured or switched to a first configuration that allows the processing liquid to be supplied from the first reservoir 122-1, The time elapsed since the switching element 121 was last assembled or switched to the first configuration, and the time since the switching element 121 was last assembled or switched to the first configuration was removed from the first storage tank 122- 1. The total amount of the treatment liquid provided to the treatment device 110, and the amount of time each time the first storage tank 122-1 provides the treatment liquid to the treatment device 110 since the switching element 121 was last configured or switched to the first configuration. the sum, or any combination of the foregoing items; and the first condition may be at least one predetermined threshold, the value of which may be set, for example, according to control information input by the user. According to another embodiment, the first parameter may also be time, and the first condition may be a predetermined time point.

In step 215 , the control device 140 instructs the supply device 120 to perform a storage tank replacement operation, and schedules this so that the processing liquid storage tank (ie, responsible for supplying the processing liquid to the processing device 110 ) is allowed to supply the processing liquid to the processing device 110 . 110) is replaced from the first storage tank 122-1 to another storage tank, for example, to the second storage tank 122-2. In this instance, this step includes instructing the switching element 121 to switch from a first configuration allowing treatment fluid to be provided from the first reservoir 122-1 to a second configuration allowing treatment fluid to be provided from the second reservoir 122-2. According to one embodiment, this operation of replacing the treatment liquid storage tanks 122 may be accomplished, for example, by changing the configuration of the control valves provided for the respective treatment liquid storage tanks 122 . In one embodiment, as long as all the substrates scheduled in step 205 have been processed, the tank replacement operation can then proceed. However, in another embodiment, the tank replacement operation is performed only after the entire batch of substrates has been processed. Therefore, in this embodiment, if the batch of substrates scheduled in step 205 still has For those that have not yet been processed, in step 215, the control device 140 will schedule all the unprocessed substrates in the batch of substrates before scheduling the tank replacement operation, so that the unprocessed substrates are It is processed in the processing device 110 before the operation of replacing the storage tank is performed.

It is stated here that the treatment liquid storage tank 122 to be used and replaced is not limited to the aforementioned. For example, when the aforementioned procedure is performed, the identities of the first storage tank 122-1 and the second storage tank 122-2 can be interchanged; in other words, when the aforementioned procedure is performed, it is possible that the The second storage tank 122-2 is responsible for supplying the treatment liquid to the treatment device 110, and the operation of replacing the storage tank may be to replace the storage tank responsible for supplying the treatment liquid from the second storage tank 122-2 to the first storage tank 122 -1.

In step 220, the control device 140 determines whether to perform a chamber cleaning operation. If the answer is yes, go to step 225; if the answer is no, go to step 230. According to some embodiments, it can be determined whether the chamber cleaning operation is to be performed by determining whether a second parameter related to the operation of the switching element 121 reaches the second condition. The second parameter may be, for example, the number of times the switching element 121 has been switched, and the second condition may be a predetermined threshold, the value of which may be set, for example, according to control information input by the user.

In step 225, the control device 140 instructs the cleaning device 130 and the processing device 110 to perform the chamber cleaning operation, and schedules the operation. This step includes instructing the cleaning device 130 to provide cleaning fluid into the processing device 110 for use in cleaning the processing device 110 .

In step 230, the control device 140 determines whether to perform a test operation. If the answer is yes, proceed to step 235; if the answer is no, go back to step 205 to schedule another part of the substrates in the same batch or at least a part of the substrates in another batch of substrates. The purpose of the test operation is to ensure that the processing apparatus 110 can still properly process the substrate after the processing liquid storage tank 122 supplying the processing liquid is replaced. According to some embodiments, whether to perform the test operation may be determined according to a third parameter related to the test operation. For example, the third parameter may be a flag, and it may be determined whether a test operation is to be performed by determining whether the third parameter is a specific value. In a further embodiment, the control device 140 may set and change the value of the third parameter. For example, the control device 140 may pre-set the value of the third parameter as a value indicating that the test operation is to be performed or a value indicating that the test operation is not to be performed, and the third parameter may be changed according to control information input by the user, for example. The value of the parameter. In one embodiment, the preset value of the third parameter is a first value indicating that the test operation is to be performed, and after the switching element 121 is switched for a certain number of times (for example, five times), the control device 140 will switch the third parameter to a first value. The value of the three parameters is changed to a second value indicating that the test operation is not to be performed; in a further embodiment, the control device 140 may switch the switching element 121 a certain number of times (eg five times) again or after reaching a certain Reset the value of the third parameter back to the first value at a predetermined time.

In step 235, the control device 140 instructs the processing device 110 and the supply device 120 to perform a test operation, and schedules the test operation. In one embodiment, during the test operation, at least one test substrate dedicated for testing is processed in the chamber of the processing device 110 by the processing liquid from the supplying device 120 . For example, in this implementation, since the switching element 121 has been switched to the second configuration that allows the second storage tank 122 - 2 to provide the processing liquid, there will be at least one test substrate in the processing device 110 during the test operation. The inside of the chamber is processed by the processing liquid from the second storage tank 122-2. After the test operation is completed, step 205 can be returned to schedule another part of the substrates in the same batch or at least a part of the substrates in another batch of substrates.

It is worth noting that, in the method illustrated in FIG. 2 , the operation of replacing the storage tank, the operation of cleaning the chamber and the operation of testing are all automatically scheduled and executed by the machine. In this way, the implementation of this method can save relevant human resources. , and avoid errors caused by human factors. In addition, such automated procedures are more efficient in the use of time than traditional manual procedures.

Those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains can recognize that steps 215 to 230 do not necessarily have to be performed in the order shown in FIG. 2 . For example, step 220 may be performed at any point between steps 210 and 225 without necessarily being sandwiched between steps 215 and 225, and step 230 may be performed at any point in time between steps 210 and 235 , not necessarily sandwiched between steps 225 and 235.

In addition, further variations of the method are also possible. For example, in one embodiment, the control device 140 may further perform a step of determining whether to perform a cleaning operation after determining in step 210 that a storage tank replacement operation is to be performed (this determination may be based on, for example, a flag that is a flag). whether a fourth parameter is made with a specific value). In this embodiment, if the determination result is that the cleaning operation of the storage tank is to be performed, the control device 140 will instruct the cleaning device 130 and the first storage tank 122-1 to be allowed to provide the processing liquid to the processing device 110 after completing step 215. The cleaning operation of the first storage tank 122-1 is performed after the operation of replacing the storage tank of the processing liquid storage tank from the first storage tank 122-1 to the second storage tank 122-2, and this operation is scheduled. In some embodiments of the present invention, the control device 140 schedules this tank cleaning operation to be performed in parallel (eg, concurrently) with other operations for efficient use of time. For example, the control device 140 may schedule the cleaning tank operation performed by the cleaning device 130 and the first tank 122-1 to be the same as the cleaning chamber operation performed by the cleaning device 130 and the processing device 110, and the cleaning operation performed by the supply device 120 and the processing device 110. The test operation performed by the processing device 110, or the processing operation performed by the processing device 110 on one or more substrates 150 with the processing liquid from the second storage tank 122-2 is parallelized to save time. According to one embodiment, during the cleaning operation of the storage tank, the first storage tank 122-1 will empty the processing liquid inside, and the cleaning device 130 will then pour the cleaning liquid into the first storage tank 122-1 to For cleaning the first storage tank 122-1. In a further embodiment, the control device 140 will instruct the replenishing device of the supply device 120 to fill the first storage tank 122-1 cleaned with the replenishing liquid (ie, the treatment liquid) after the cleaning operation of the storage tank is completed. The temperature of the treatment liquid replenished into the first storage tank 122-1 is maintained within a specific temperature range through the circulation pipeline and the temperature controller of the supply device 120.

Although many details have been described above in order to provide a general understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, it should be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains that other embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in one or more other embodiments. It is not necessary to include all the details described in the preceding paragraphs. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that descriptions in this specification of an embodiment, an embodiment or embodiments, and the like, are intended to indicate specific features, structures, or the like that may be present when the invention is implemented in the described manner. characteristic. In addition, in this document, many features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or the description of the embodiment or figure, and this is done only to simplify the description and to help the understanding of the present invention. various aspects. It will be recognized that, where appropriate, one or more features or specific details from one embodiment may be implemented with one or more features or specific details from another embodiment when implementing the invention, as appropriate.

Although the foregoing describes the present invention by way of exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiments, and that the present invention covers all designs falling within the spirit and broadest interpretation of the present invention, All modifications and equivalent designs falling within the spirit and broadest interpretation of the invention are included.

Claims (11)

1. A substrate processing method; the method is characterized in that:

scheduling at least one substrate to be processed in a chamber of a processing apparatus;

indicating a switching element of a supply device capable of providing the processing liquid into the processing device for processing the at least one substrate to switch from a first configuration to a second configuration when a first parameter related to the consumption of the processing liquid reaches a first condition, wherein the first configuration allows the processing liquid to be provided to the processing device from a first reservoir of the supply device and the second configuration allows the processing liquid to be provided to the processing device from a second reservoir of the supply device; and

instructing a cleaning device to provide cleaning fluid into the processing device for use in cleaning the processing device when a second parameter related to operation of the switching element reaches a second condition.

2. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein:

the first parameter is one of the following: a total amount of processing liquid provided to the processing apparatus from the first reservoir since the switching element was last switched to the first state, a total amount of time the first reservoir provided the processing liquid to the processing apparatus each time after the switching element was last switched to the first state, and any combination thereof; and is

The first condition is at least one predetermined threshold.

3. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein: wherein the first parameter is time and the first condition is a predetermined time point.

4. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein: the second parameter is a number of times the switching element has performed the switching, and the second condition is a predetermined threshold.

5. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein: further comprises

Instructing the cleaning device to provide the cleaning liquid into the first reservoir for use in cleaning the first reservoir in parallel with the operation of the cleaning device to provide the cleaning liquid into the processing device after the switching element switches from the first configuration allowing the processing liquid to be provided from the first reservoir of the supply device to the second configuration allowing the processing liquid to be provided from the second reservoir of the supply device to the processing device.

6. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein: further comprises

After the switching element switches from the first configuration allowing the processing liquid to be provided to the processing apparatus from a first reservoir of the supply apparatus to the second configuration allowing the processing liquid to be provided to the processing apparatus from a second reservoir of the supply apparatus, instructing the cleaning apparatus to provide the cleaning liquid into the first reservoir for cleaning the first reservoir in parallel with an operation of providing the processing liquid from the second reservoir into a chamber of the processing apparatus for processing at least one substrate of the at least one substrate.

7. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein: further comprises

Determining whether to perform a test operation according to a third parameter related to the test operation after the switching element is switched to the second configuration;

instructing the processing apparatus and the supply apparatus to perform the test operation when it has been determined that the test operation is to be performed, and scheduling at least one other substrate to be processed in a chamber of the processing apparatus after the test operation is completed, wherein the test operation causes a test substrate to be processed in the chamber of the processing apparatus; and

scheduling another at least one substrate to be processed in a chamber of the processing apparatus when it has been determined that the test operation is not to be performed.

8. The substrate processing method according to claim 7, wherein:

when it has been decided that the test operation is to be performed, instructing the cleaning device to supply the cleaning liquid into the first tank for cleaning the first tank in parallel with the test operation after the switching element switches from the first configuration allowing the processing liquid to be supplied from a first tank of the supply device to the second configuration allowing the processing liquid to be supplied from a second tank of the supply device to the processing device.

9. A substrate processing apparatus; the method is characterized in that:

the substrate processing apparatus includes

A processing apparatus having a chamber and configured to receive a substrate therein;

a supply apparatus configured to supply a processing liquid into the processing apparatus for processing the substrate, the supply apparatus having a switching element and a plurality of reservoirs for storing the processing liquid, the switching element being operable to allow one of the reservoirs to supply the processing liquid to the processing apparatus;

a cleaning device configured to provide a cleaning fluid into the processing device for cleaning the processing device; and

a control device configured to perform the following operations:

instructing the switching element to switch from a first configuration to a second configuration when a first parameter related to the consumption of the processing fluid reaches a first condition, wherein the first configuration allows the processing fluid to be provided to the processing apparatus from a first one of the plurality of reservoirs and the second configuration allows the processing fluid to be provided to the processing apparatus from a second one of the plurality of reservoirs, and

instructing the cleaning device to provide the cleaning liquid into the processing device when a second parameter related to the operation of the switching element reaches a second condition.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein: the first parameter is one of the following: a total amount of processing liquid provided to the processing apparatus from the first reservoir since the switching element was last switched to the first state, a total amount of time the first reservoir provided the processing liquid to the processing apparatus each time after the switching element was last switched to the first state, and any combination thereof;

the first condition is at least one predetermined threshold;

the second parameter is the switching times of the switching element; and is

The second condition is another predetermined threshold.

11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein: the first parameter is time;

the first condition is a predetermined time point;

the second parameter is the switching times of the switching element; and is

The second condition is a predetermined threshold.

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