CN117083703A - Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method - Google Patents

Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method Download PDF

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Publication number
CN117083703A
CN117083703A CN202280024044.0A CN202280024044A CN117083703A CN 117083703 A CN117083703 A CN 117083703A CN 202280024044 A CN202280024044 A CN 202280024044A CN 117083703 A CN117083703 A CN 117083703A
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CN
China
Prior art keywords
substrate
processing
unit
dummy
virtual
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Pending
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CN202280024044.0A
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Chinese (zh)
Inventor
平藤裕司
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Screen Holdings Co Ltd
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Screen Holdings Co Ltd
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Publication of CN117083703A publication Critical patent/CN117083703A/en
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/677—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/04—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier, e.g. PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer
    • H01L21/18—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier, e.g. PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer the devices having semiconductor bodies comprising elements of Group IV of the Periodic System or AIIIBV compounds with or without impurities, e.g. doping materials
    • H01L21/30—Treatment of semiconductor bodies using processes or apparatus not provided for in groups H01L21/20 - H01L21/26
    • H01L21/302—Treatment of semiconductor bodies using processes or apparatus not provided for in groups H01L21/20 - H01L21/26 to change their surface-physical characteristics or shape, e.g. etching, polishing, cutting
    • H01L21/304—Mechanical treatment, e.g. grinding, polishing, cutting
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/02—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/04—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier, e.g. PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer
    • H01L21/18—Manufacture or treatment of semiconductor devices or of parts thereof the devices having at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier, e.g. PN junction, depletion layer or carrier concentration layer the devices having semiconductor bodies comprising elements of Group IV of the Periodic System or AIIIBV compounds with or without impurities, e.g. doping materials
    • H01L21/30—Treatment of semiconductor bodies using processes or apparatus not provided for in groups H01L21/20 - H01L21/26
    • H01L21/302—Treatment of semiconductor bodies using processes or apparatus not provided for in groups H01L21/20 - H01L21/26 to change their surface-physical characteristics or shape, e.g. etching, polishing, cutting
    • H01L21/306—Chemical or electrical treatment, e.g. electrolytic etching
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67242—Apparatus for monitoring, sorting or marking

Abstract

The substrate processing apparatus includes: a carrier holding section that holds a carrier; a first processing unit group; a second processing unit group; a first dummy substrate housing section; a second dummy substrate accommodating section; a substrate mounting portion; a first transport unit that transports a substrate between the first processing unit and the substrate placement unit, and transports a dummy substrate between the first processing unit and the first dummy substrate storage unit; a second transport unit that transports the substrate between the second processing unit and the substrate placement unit, and transports the dummy substrate between the second processing unit and the second dummy substrate storage unit; a third conveying unit for conveying the substrate between the carrier and the substrate mounting part; a storage unit that stores data including a first state indicating a state of the first processing unit group and a second state indicating a state of the second processing unit group; a travel producing unit that produces a transport travel; and a conveyance control unit that controls conveyance by the first conveyance unit, the second conveyance unit, and the third conveyance unit in accordance with a conveyance stroke.

Description

Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method
The present application claims priority based on japanese patent application JP2021-049170 filed on 3/23 of 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Technical Field
The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for processing a substrate. Substrates to be processed include, for example, substrates for FPDs (Flat Panel Display) such as semiconductor wafers, liquid crystal display devices, and organic EL (Electroluminescence) display devices, substrates for optical discs, substrates for magnetic discs, substrates for magneto-optical discs, substrates for photomasks, ceramic substrates, substrates for solar cells, and the like.
Background
In the manufacturing process of the semiconductor device, a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer is used. An example of such a substrate processing apparatus is disclosed in patent document 1. The substrate processing apparatus includes: a carrier holding unit that holds a carrier that accommodates a substrate; a plurality of processing units that process the substrate; a transport unit that transports the substrate between the carrier and the processing unit; and a control unit. When the duration of non-use of the processing unit reaches a predetermined time, the control device requests the host device to carry in the virtual carrier holding the virtual substrate. When the dummy carrier is carried into the carrier holding section, the carrying unit carries the dummy substrate from the dummy carrier to the processing unit. The virtual substrate is used to clean the processing unit.
The transfer unit includes an index robot and a main transfer robot, and a transfer unit is disposed between the index robot and the main transfer robot. The indexing robot conveys the substrate between the carrier and the transfer unit. The main transfer robot transfers the substrate between the transfer unit and the processing unit.
When the dummy carrier is placed on the carrier holding section, the indexing robot takes out the dummy substrate from the dummy carrier and conveys the dummy substrate to the transfer unit. The virtual substrate is transferred from the transfer unit to the processing unit by the main transfer robot. When the unit cleaning process using the dummy substrate is completed, the main transfer robot takes out the dummy substrate from the processing unit and transfers the dummy substrate to the transfer unit. The dummy substrate is transferred from the transfer unit to the dummy carrier by the index robot. When all the dummy substrates are accommodated in the dummy carrier, the dummy carrier is carried out from the carrier holding section.
Prior art literature
Patent literature
Patent document 1: japanese patent application laid-open No. 2017-41506.
Disclosure of Invention
Problems to be solved by the invention
In this way, the dummy substrate is introduced from the outside of the substrate processing apparatus, transported to the processing unit through the same path as the product substrate, and carried out from the processing unit and accommodated in the dummy carrier. Therefore, both the index robot and the main transfer robot are used for transferring the dummy substrate, and the transfer unit transfers the dummy substrate. As a result, the conveyance of the product substrate is disturbed, and the conveyance efficiency of the product substrate is deteriorated, and as a result, the productivity is prevented from being improved.
In particular, in a substrate processing apparatus configured to process a plurality of product substrates in parallel by increasing the number of processing units, the load of the indexing robot and the main transfer robot is increased, and the load of the indexing robot and the main transfer robot is reduced, which is a key to improving productivity.
The dummy carrier is carried into the carrier holding portion, and the dummy carrier occupies the carrier holding portion until the dummy substrate is carried from the dummy carrier toward the processing unit and the processing in the processing unit is completed, and then the dummy substrate is accommodated in the carrier. Therefore, since the dummy carrier continuously occupies the carrier holding portion, a standby time may occur in the process of loading the product substrate. Therefore, improvement of productivity is also hindered from this viewpoint.
Accordingly, an embodiment of the present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method capable of reducing an influence on conveyance of a substrate for a product and performing processing using a dummy substrate in a processing unit.
Means for solving the problems
An embodiment of the present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus including: a carrier holding unit that holds a carrier that accommodates the substrate or the dummy substrate; a first processing unit group having a plurality of first processing units that process a substrate and perform a process using a virtual substrate; a second processing unit group having a plurality of second processing units that process the substrate and perform processing using the virtual substrate; a first dummy substrate housing section for housing a dummy substrate; a second dummy substrate housing section for housing a dummy substrate; a substrate mounting portion for mounting a substrate thereon; a first transfer unit configured to be able to access the plurality of first processing units, the substrate mounting portion, and the first dummy substrate housing portion, transfer a substrate between the plurality of first processing units and the substrate mounting portion, and transfer a dummy substrate between the plurality of first processing units and the first dummy substrate housing portion; a second transfer unit configured to be able to access the plurality of second processing units, the substrate mounting portion, and the second dummy substrate housing portion, transfer a substrate between the plurality of second processing units and the substrate mounting portion, and transfer a dummy substrate between the plurality of second processing units and the second dummy substrate housing portion; a third carrying unit capable of accessing the carrier held by the carrier holding portion and the substrate mounting portion and carrying the substrate between the carrier held by the carrier holding portion and the substrate mounting portion; a storage unit that stores data including a first state indicating a state of the first processing unit group and a second state indicating a state of the second processing unit group; a stroke creation unit that creates a conveyance stroke of the substrate or the dummy substrate by the first conveyance unit, the second conveyance unit, and the third conveyance unit; and a conveyance control unit that controls conveyance of the substrate or the dummy substrate by the first conveyance unit, the second conveyance unit, and the third conveyance unit in accordance with the conveyance stroke produced by the stroke production unit. The first state includes: a prohibition mode in which any one of processing for a substrate and processing using a virtual substrate cannot be performed in the first processing units included in the first processing unit group; and an permission mode capable of executing processing for a substrate and processing using a virtual substrate in the first processing units included in the first processing unit group. The second state includes: a prohibition mode in which either one of processing for a substrate and processing using a virtual substrate cannot be performed in the second processing unit included in the second processing unit group; and an permission mode capable of executing processing for a substrate and processing using a virtual substrate in the second processing units included in the second processing unit group. When the first state is changed from the permission mode to the prohibition mode, the stroke creation unit discards a conveyance stroke of a substrate (particularly, a substrate before being discharged from a carrier) planned so as to be conveyed by the first conveyance unit to any one of the first processing units in the first processing unit group, and creates a conveyance stroke planned so as to be conveyed by the second conveyance unit to any one of the second processing units in the second processing unit group. When the second state is changed from the permission mode to the prohibition mode, the stroke creation unit discards a conveyance stroke of a substrate (particularly, a substrate before being discharged from a carrier) planned to be conveyed by the second conveyance unit to any one of the second processing units in the second processing unit group, and creates a conveyance stroke planned to be conveyed by the first conveyance unit to any one of the first processing units in the first processing unit group.
According to this configuration, since the virtual substrate storage unit is provided in the substrate processing apparatus, when a need arises to use the virtual substrate in the processing unit, the virtual substrate can be transported between the virtual substrate storage unit and the processing unit without involving the third transport unit.
Therefore, since the load of conveyance by the third conveyance unit can be reduced, the influence on conveyance of the substrates for the product can be reduced, and processing using the dummy substrates can be performed. In particular, the third conveyance unit involved in conveying all the substrates between the first and second processing unit groups each having a plurality of processing units and the carrier held by the carrier holding portion is often heavy in load of conveyance. Therefore, by reducing the load of conveyance by the third conveyance unit, the conveyance efficiency of the substrates for the product is improved, and productivity can be improved accordingly. The first and second transfer units share the transfer of the substrate between the first and second processing unit groups and the substrate mounting portion, and therefore the transfer load is smaller than that of the third transfer unit. Therefore, the first and second carrying units are responsible for carrying the dummy substrate from the viewpoint of productivity and do not become a big problem.
Further, the first and second transport units can access the first and second dummy substrate storage units, respectively, so that the virtual substrate can be transported between the dummy substrate storage unit and the processing unit without going through the substrate mounting unit. Therefore, since the interference between the conveyance of the dummy substrate and the conveyance of the substrate for the product can be reduced, the conveyance efficiency of the substrate for the product is improved, and productivity can be improved accordingly.
In the present embodiment, the first transporting unit transports the dummy substrate between the first dummy substrate accommodating section and the first processing unit group, and the second transporting unit transports the dummy substrate between the second dummy substrate accommodating section and the second processing unit group. Accordingly, since the load of transporting the dummy substrate is distributed, the interference between the transportation of the substrate for the product and the transportation of the dummy substrate can be suppressed, and the substrate transportation efficiency can be improved. Accordingly, productivity can be improved.
Unlike the case of patent document 1, the carrier holding portion is not occupied by a dummy carrier for accommodating a dummy substrate for a long period of time. This can suppress the standby time from occurring during the loading of the carrier containing the substrates for the product, and thus can contribute to improvement in productivity.
In the present embodiment, the prohibition mode and the permission mode can be set individually for the first processing unit group and the second processing unit group, and these modes are stored in the storage unit as the first state corresponding to the first processing unit group and the second state corresponding to the second processing unit group. That is, the first state indicating the prohibition mode or the permission mode is stored in the storage unit for the first processing unit group, and the second state indicating the prohibition mode or the permission mode is stored in the storage unit for the second processing unit group. The prohibition mode is an operation state in which either one of the substrate and the dummy substrate cannot be processed in the processing unit group. The permission mode is an operation state in which the substrate can be processed in the processing unit group and the processing using the dummy substrate can be performed. Therefore, the prohibition mode or the permission mode will be individually set. That is, there are cases where both the first processing unit group and the second processing unit group are in the permission mode, where both the first processing unit group and the second processing unit group are in the prohibition mode, and where one of the first processing unit group and the second processing unit group is in the permission mode and the other is in the prohibition mode.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the first state, that is, the operation state of the first processing unit group is shifted from the permission mode to the prohibition mode, the conveyance stroke of the substrate on which the processing performed by the first processing unit group is planned is changed. Specifically, the conveyance stroke of the substrate planned to be conveyed to the first processing unit group by the first conveyance unit is discarded, and the conveyance stroke of the second processing unit group for conveying the substrate to the permission mode by the second conveyance unit is newly manufactured. As a result, the substrate can be transported by the second transport unit to the second processing units constituting the second processing unit group, and thus can be processed in the second processing units. In the second state, that is, in the case where the operation state of the second processing unit group is shifted from the permission mode to the prohibition mode, the conveyance stroke of the substrate on which the processing performed by the second processing unit group is planned is changed similarly. Specifically, the transfer stroke of the substrate planned to be transferred to the second processing unit group by the second transfer unit is discarded, and the transfer stroke of the first processing unit group for transferring the substrate to the permission mode by the first transfer unit is newly created. As a result, the substrate can be transported by the first transport unit to the processing units constituting the first processing unit group, and thus can be processed by the first processing unit group.
In this way, even if one of the first processing unit group and the second processing unit group shifts from the permission mode to the prohibition mode, the conveyance and processing of the substrate can be continued in the processing unit group in the other permission mode. Thus, the downtime of the entire substrate processing apparatus can be reduced, and productivity can be improved.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the first transport unit is configured to be inaccessible to either the second processing unit or the second virtual substrate storage unit. In one embodiment of the present invention, the second carrying unit is configured such that any one of the first processing unit and the first dummy substrate housing unit is not accessible.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the third transporting unit transports the dummy substrate between the carrier held by the carrier holding portion and the substrate mounting portion. The first transport unit transports a dummy substrate among the plurality of first processing units, the substrate placement unit, and the first dummy substrate storage unit. The second transporting unit transports the dummy substrate among the plurality of second processing units, the substrate mounting unit, and the second dummy substrate housing unit. Thus, the unused dummy substrate can be introduced into the first dummy substrate housing portion and the second dummy substrate housing portion via the substrate mounting portion, or the used dummy substrate can be carried out from the first dummy substrate housing portion and the second dummy substrate housing portion to the carrier.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the storage unit stores usage history information of the virtual substrate stored in the first virtual substrate storage unit and usage history information of the virtual substrate stored in the second virtual substrate storage unit. The substrate processing apparatus further includes: and a state setting unit that determines whether or not replacement of the virtual board accommodated in the first virtual board accommodating unit and the second virtual board accommodating unit is required based on the use history information stored in the storage unit, sets the first state to a prohibition mode when it is determined that replacement of the virtual board accommodated in the first virtual board accommodating unit is required, and sets the second state to the prohibition mode when it is determined that replacement of the virtual board accommodated in the second virtual board accommodating unit is required.
With this configuration, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not the virtual substrate needs to be replaced based on the history of use of the virtual substrate, and to appropriately set the first state and the second state in the prohibition mode in response to this. That is, when the virtual substrate needs to be replaced, the processing using the virtual substrate becomes impossible in the processing unit, and thus the state of the processing unit group including the processing unit becomes the prohibition mode. As described above, since the first state and the second state can be set individually, even if one of the first state and the second state is in the prohibition mode, if the other is in the permission mode, the processing for the substrate and the processing using the dummy substrate can be continued in the processing unit group in the state of the permission mode. On the other hand, the virtual substrate of the virtual substrate accommodating section corresponding to the processing unit group in the prohibition mode can be replaced. In this way, even if the dummy substrate needs to be replaced, the substrate processing can be continued, and thus productivity can be improved.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the stroke creating unit creates a transfer stroke for transferring the dummy substrate between the carrier held by the carrier holding unit and the first dummy substrate accommodating unit by the first transfer unit and the third transfer unit when the first process unit group is in the prohibition mode, and transferring the dummy substrate between the carrier held by the carrier holding unit and the second dummy substrate accommodating unit by the second transfer unit and the third transfer unit when the second process unit group is in the prohibition mode.
According to this configuration, the virtual substrate is carried in and/or carried out to the virtual substrate storage section corresponding to the process unit group in the prohibition mode. Therefore, the substrates for products can be transported and processed in the processing unit group in the permission mode, and the virtual substrates can be carried into or out of the virtual substrate storage section corresponding to the processing unit group in the prohibition mode. Thus, the virtual substrate can be introduced, discharged, or replaced without stopping the operation of the entire substrate processing apparatus. Thus, production stoppage due to introduction, discharge, or replacement of the dummy substrate can be avoided, and thus productivity can be improved.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the substrate mounting portion includes: a first substrate placement unit accessible by the first transport unit and the third transport unit; and a second substrate placement unit accessible by the second transport unit and the third transport unit. The first transport unit transports a substrate between the plurality of first processing units and the first substrate placement unit, and transports a dummy substrate between the plurality of first processing units, the first substrate placement unit, and the first dummy substrate storage unit. The second transport unit transports a substrate between the plurality of second processing units and the second substrate placement unit, and transports a dummy substrate between the plurality of second processing units, the second substrate placement unit, and the second dummy substrate storage unit. The third carrying unit carries the substrate and the dummy substrate between the carrier held by the carrier holding portion and the first substrate mounting portion, and carries the substrate and the dummy substrate between the carrier held by the carrier holding portion and the second substrate mounting portion.
According to this configuration, the first substrate mounting portion corresponding to the first processing unit group and the second substrate mounting portion corresponding to the second processing unit group are provided. Thereby, it is possible to reduce interference between the conveyance of the substrate for the first processing unit group and the conveyance of the dummy substrate for the first dummy substrate accommodating portion and the conveyance of the substrate for the second processing unit group and the conveyance of the dummy substrate for the second dummy substrate accommodating portion. Thus, since the substrate transfer efficiency is improved, productivity can be improved.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the third transporting means is configured to be able to access the first virtual substrate accommodating section and the second virtual substrate accommodating section, and the route creation section creates a transporting route for transporting the virtual substrate between the carrier held by the carrier holding section and the first virtual substrate accommodating section by the third transporting means when the first processing means group is in the prohibition mode, and for transporting the virtual substrate between the carrier held by the carrier holding section and the second virtual substrate accommodating section by the third transporting means when the second processing means group is in the prohibition mode.
According to this configuration, the third transfer unit can access the first virtual substrate storage unit and the second virtual substrate storage unit, and therefore the virtual substrate can be directly transferred between the carrier held by the carrier holding unit and the first virtual substrate storage unit and the second virtual substrate storage unit without involving the first main transfer robot and the second main transfer robot. This makes it possible to rapidly introduce, discharge, or replace the dummy substrate, and reduce the load of the first main transfer robot and the second main transfer robot, thereby contributing to improvement in productivity.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the substrate processing apparatus includes: a first processing module layer; and a second processing module layer located above the first processing module layer, the first processing module layer being configured with the first processing unit group, the second processing module layer being configured with the second processing unit group.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the substrate processing apparatus includes: a first processing module section; and a second processing module unit located laterally of the first processing module unit, wherein the first processing module unit is provided with the first processing unit group, and the second processing module unit is provided with the second processing unit group.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the first dummy substrate housing portion and the second dummy substrate housing portion overlap the substrate mounting portion in a plan view.
According to this configuration, the virtual base housing portion can be disposed so as to overlap the substrate mounting portion in a plan view by using a space above or below the substrate mounting portion. This makes it possible to realize a virtual substrate storage unit that does not interfere with the conveyance of substrates for products, and to realize a space-efficient arrangement.
Specifically, the virtual substrate housing portion and the substrate mounting portion may be arranged so as to overlap each other in a plan view, and a part or all of the virtual substrate housed in the virtual substrate housing portion and the substrate held by the substrate mounting portion may be arranged so as to overlap each other.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the first dummy substrate housing portion and the second dummy substrate housing portion are arranged to be vertically separated from each other with the substrate mounting portion interposed therebetween.
An embodiment of the present invention provides a substrate processing method including: a step of conveying the substrate between the plurality of first processing units belonging to the first processing unit group and the substrate mounting section by the first conveying unit in accordance with the conveying stroke; a step of processing the substrate transported by the first transport unit in the first processing unit; a step of conveying the dummy substrate between the plurality of first process units and the first dummy substrate storage unit by the first conveying unit according to the conveying stroke; a step of performing, in the first processing unit, a virtual process using the virtual substrate carried by the first carrying unit; a step of conveying the substrate between the plurality of second processing units belonging to the second processing unit group and the substrate mounting section by the second conveying unit in accordance with the conveying stroke; a step of processing the substrate transported by the second transport unit in the second processing unit; a step of conveying the dummy substrate between the plurality of second process units and the second dummy substrate storage unit by the second conveying unit in accordance with the conveying stroke; a step of executing, in the second processing unit, a virtual process using the virtual substrate carried by the second carrying unit; a step of conveying the substrate between the carrier held by the carrier holding portion and the substrate mounting portion by a third conveying means in accordance with the conveying stroke; a step of setting a first state for the first processing unit group, the first state including: a prohibition mode in which any one of processing for a substrate and processing using a virtual substrate cannot be performed in the first processing unit included in the first processing unit group; an permission mode capable of executing processing for a substrate and processing using a virtual substrate in the first processing units included in the first processing unit group; a step of setting a second state for the second processing unit group, the second state including: a prohibition mode in which any one of processing for a substrate and processing using a virtual substrate cannot be performed in the second processing unit included in the second processing unit group; an permission mode capable of executing processing for a substrate and processing using a virtual substrate in the second processing units included in the second processing unit group; a step of discarding a conveyance stroke of a substrate (particularly a substrate before being discharged from a carrier) which is planned to be conveyed by the first conveyance unit to any one of the first processing units in the first processing unit group, and creating the conveyance stroke so that the substrate is conveyed by the second conveyance unit to any one of the second processing units in the second processing unit group, when the first state is changed from the permission mode to the prohibition mode; and a step of discarding a conveyance stroke of a substrate (particularly a substrate before being discharged from a carrier) planned to be conveyed by the second conveyance unit to any one of the second processing units in the second processing unit group when the second state is changed from the permission mode to the prohibition mode, and creating the conveyance stroke so that the substrate is conveyed by the first conveyance unit to any one of the first processing units in the first processing unit group.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the step of setting the first state determines whether replacement of the virtual substrate accommodated in the first virtual substrate accommodation portion is required based on usage history information of the virtual substrate accommodated in the first virtual substrate accommodation portion, and sets the first state to the prohibition mode when it is determined that replacement of the virtual substrate accommodated in the first virtual substrate accommodation portion is required. The step of setting the second state determines whether replacement of the virtual substrate accommodated in the second virtual substrate accommodation portion is required based on the use history information of the virtual substrate accommodated in the second virtual substrate accommodation portion, and sets the second state to a prohibition mode when it is determined that replacement of the virtual substrate accommodated in the second virtual substrate accommodation portion is required.
The foregoing and other objects, features and effects of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an internal structure of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a schematic longitudinal section view from the line ii-ii of fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view from line iii-iii of fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a schematic elevation view showing the internal structure of the process module seen from the iv direction of fig. 1.
Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of the substrate mounting portion.
Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of the virtual substrate housing section.
Fig. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining a configuration example of the process unit.
Fig. 8 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration related to control of the substrate processing apparatus.
Fig. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the controller related to the virtual processing.
Fig. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an example of operations of transition between the first state of the first process module layer and the second state of the second process module layer and change of the conveyance route based on the transition.
Fig. 11 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example related to the loading of an unused dummy substrate into the dummy substrate housing section and the unloading of a used dummy substrate.
Fig. 12A is a timing chart showing an example of the substrate conveying operation when the first state and the second state are both in the permission mode.
Fig. 12B is a timing chart showing an example of the substrate conveying operation in the case where the second state is shifted from the permission mode to the prohibition mode.
Fig. 13 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing an internal structure of a substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 14 is a schematic plan view showing an internal structure of a substrate processing apparatus according to still another embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 15 is a schematic plan view showing an internal structure of a substrate processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Detailed Description
Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an internal structure of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic longitudinal section view from the line ii-ii of fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view from line iii-iii of fig. 1. Fig. 4 shows a schematic elevation view of the internal structure of the process module viewed from the direction iv of fig. 1.
The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes an index module 2 and a processing module 3, and the processing module 3 is adjacent to the index module 2 in the lateral direction (first horizontal direction X).
The indexing module 2 includes a plurality of (four in the present embodiment) carrier holders 25 (load ports) and an indexing robot 26. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the carrier holding portion 25 side may be defined as the front side and the opposite side may be defined as the rear side with respect to the first horizontal direction X.
The plurality of carrier holding parts 25 are arranged along a second horizontal direction Y orthogonal to the first horizontal direction X. Each carrier holding portion 25 is configured to be capable of accommodating and holding a carrier C automatically conveyed by a carrier conveying mechanism 300 provided in a factory. Each carrier holding portion 25 is configured to be able to hold one carrier C. The carrier C is a substrate container for accommodating a substrate W (product substrate) to be processed. An example of carrier C is a FOUP (Front Opening Unified Pod ). The carrier C is configured to hold a plurality of (e.g., 25) substrates W in a stacked state. More specifically, the carrier C is configured to hold a plurality of substrates W in a stacked state in a horizontal posture along the up-down direction Z when held by the carrier holding portion 25. The carrier holding portion 25 is an example of a container holding portion that holds a carrier C as a substrate container. The substrate W is, for example, a semiconductor wafer.
The index robot 26 is an example of the third conveyance unit. The index robot 26 is configured to be able to access the carriers C held by the plurality of carrier holding units 25, respectively, carry the substrates W in and out, and convey the substrates W between the carrier holding units 25 and the process modules 3. In the present embodiment, the index robot 26 is a multi-joint arm robot including a multi-joint arm 27. Specifically, the indexing robot 26 includes: a multi-joint arm 27 to which a plurality of arms 28 are coupled; one or more hands 29 coupled to the front ends of the multi-jointed arms 27; and a base unit 30 that supports the multi-joint arm 27 and performs up-and-down motion. The plurality of arms 28 and the hand 29 constituting the articulated arm 27 are swingable about a vertical swing axis set at each base end portion, and although not shown, individual actuators (typically, electric motors) for swinging the respective arms 28 and the hand 29 are provided.
The process module 3 includes a plurality of process module layers BL and BU stacked in the up-down direction Z. In the present embodiment, the processing module 3 includes a first layer (hereinafter referred to as "first processing module layer BL") and a second layer (hereinafter referred to as "second processing module layer BU") stacked above. In the following, when distinguishing the structural elements of the first processing module layer BL from the structural elements of the second processing module layer BU, the structural elements of the first processing module layer BL are denoted by reference numerals having the english word "L" at the end, and the structural elements of the second processing module layer BU are denoted by reference numerals having the english word "U" at the end. The same applies to the reference numerals in the figures.
The first processing module layer BL and the second processing module layer BU have substantially the same internal structure in plan view. Therefore, in fig. 1, note that the structure (arrangement in a plan view) of the first process module layer BL is represented by replacing the english word "U" with the english word "L" with reference to the end of the reference numeral.
The first processing module layer BL includes a plurality of (12 in this embodiment) processing units 11L to 13L, 21L to 23L, 31L to 33L, 41L to 43L (hereinafter collectively referred to as "processing units 11L to 43L" when the processing units of the first processing module layer BL) and forms a first processing unit group. The first process module layer BL further includes a substrate placement portion 6L, a dummy substrate storage portion 7L, and a main transfer robot 8L. The plurality of processing units 11L to 43L process the substrate W. In the present embodiment, each of the processing units 11L to 43L is a blade-type processing unit for processing the substrate W piece by piece. The substrate placement unit 6L is a unit for temporarily holding the substrates W transferred between the index robot 26 and the first process module layer BL. The dummy substrate housing section 7L is a unit for holding a dummy substrate DW usable in the processing units 11L to 43L in advance in the substrate processing apparatus 1, and provides a standby place for the dummy substrate DW. The main transfer robot 8L is configured to be able to access the substrate placement unit 6L, the processing units 11L to 43L, and the dummy substrate storage unit 7L. The main transfer robot 8L is an example of a first transfer unit that transfers the substrate W between the substrate placement unit 6L and the processing units 11L to 43L, and transfers the dummy substrate DW between the dummy substrate storage unit 7L and the processing units 11L to 43L.
The dummy substrate DW is a substrate having the same shape (for example, circular shape) and size as the substrate W. The dummy substrate DW is different from the substrate W for the product supplied from the carrier C, and is not used for actual production of the product. In order to perform pretreatment (preparation process) for the environment in the finishing process units 11L to 43L, unit cleaning process for the cleaning process units 11L to 43L, and the like, the virtual substrate DW is introduced into the process units 11L to 43L to be used. Hereinafter, such a process using the dummy substrate DW is referred to as a "dummy process". The preprocessing and the unit cleaning processing described above are maintenance processing for maintaining the processing units 11L to 43L, and the virtual processing includes such maintenance processing.
The plurality of processing units 11L to 43L are disposed along the conveyance space 52L on both sides of the conveyance space 52L and face the conveyance space 52L, the conveyance space 52L providing a conveyance path 51L, and the conveyance path 51L being a path along which the substrate W is conveyed by the conveyance robot 8L. The conveyance space 52L has a fixed width in the second horizontal direction Y in plan view, and extends linearly in the direction away from the index module 2 along the first horizontal direction X. The conveyance space 52L has a height substantially equal to the height of the first process module layer BL in the up-down direction Z. The first liquid supply portion 91, the first processing unit stack portion S1L, the first exhaust portion 101, the second liquid supply portion 92, the second processing unit stack portion S2L, and the second exhaust portion 102 are arranged along the conveyance path 51L in order from the side near the index module 2 on the side of the conveyance space 52L in plan view. On the other side of the conveyance space 52L, a third exhaust unit 103, a third processing unit stack unit S3L, a third liquid supply unit 93, a fourth exhaust unit 104, a fourth processing unit stack unit S4L, and a fourth liquid supply unit 94 are arranged along the conveyance path 51L in order from the side close to the index module 2. They are arranged so as to divide the conveyance space 52L in a substantially cubic shape.
The first to fourth processing unit stack portions S1L to S4L include a plurality of layers (three layers in the present embodiment) of processing units 11L to 13L, 21L to 23L, 31L to 33L, and 41L to 43L, respectively, stacked in the up-down direction Z. The third processing unit stack portion S3L faces the first processing unit stack portion S1L with the conveyance space 52L interposed therebetween. The fourth processing unit stack portion S4L faces the second processing unit stack portion S2L with the conveyance space 52L interposed therebetween. Therefore, the plurality of processing units 31L to 33L constituting the third processing unit stack portion S3L are opposed to the plurality of processing units 11L to 13L constituting the first processing unit stack portion S1L with the conveyance space 52L interposed therebetween. Similarly, the multilayer processing units 41L to 43L constituting the fourth processing unit stack section S4L are opposed to the multilayer processing units 21L to 23L constituting the second processing unit stack section S2L with the conveyance space 52L interposed therebetween. In the present embodiment, the first process module layer BL includes 12 process units 11L-13L, 21L-23L, 31L-33L, 41L-43L, three of which are separately arranged in four process unit stack portions S1L-S4L.
The conveyance space 52L is divided from above by the intermediate partition wall 16 and from below by the lower partition wall 15, the intermediate partition wall 16 is disposed at a position integrated with the upper surfaces of the uppermost processing units 13L, 23L, 33L, 43L of the respective processing unit stack portions S1L to S4L, and the lower partition wall 15 is disposed at a position integrated with the lower surfaces of the lowermost processing units 11L, 21, 31L, 41L. All of the processing units 11L to 43L have substrate carry-in/carry-out ports 37, and the substrate carry-in/carry-out ports 37 are opened at positions facing the carrying space 52L. The main transfer robot 8L transfers the substrate W and the dummy substrate DW through the transfer space 52L, and performs the transfer in/out of the substrate W and the dummy substrate DW to the processing units 11L to 43L via the substrate transfer in/out port 37.
The substrate placement unit 6L is disposed between the indexing robot 26 and the main transfer robot 8L. More specifically, the substrate placement portion 6L is disposed at an end portion of the conveyance space 52L on the indexing robot 26 side in a plan view. In the present embodiment, the substrate placement portion 6L is located between the first liquid supply portion 91 and the third exhaust portion 103. The substrate placement portion 6L is disposed at a height between the intermediate partition wall 16 and the lower partition wall 15 in the up-down direction Z. In the present embodiment, the substrate placement portion 6L is disposed in the vicinity of the intermediate height in the height range from the intermediate partition wall 16 to the upper partition wall 17. The vertical position of the substrate placement unit 6L needs to be within a height range that can be accessed by the index robot 26 and within a height range that can be accessed by the main transfer robot 8L.
The substrate mounting portion 6L includes: an untreated substrate mounting section 61 for mounting an untreated substrate W; and a processed substrate mounting portion 62 for mounting the processed substrate W. The unprocessed substrate placement portion 61 and the processed substrate placement portion 62 are stacked in the up-down direction Z. The unprocessed substrate placement portion 61 is preferably disposed on the processed substrate placement portion 62.
As shown in an enlarged configuration example in fig. 5, the unprocessed substrate placement portion 61 and the processed substrate placement portion 62 include: the tanks 63 and 64 open along the first horizontal direction X on both the indexing robot 26 side and the main transfer robot 8L side; and substrate holders 65, 66 disposed inside the tanks 63, 64. The substrate holders 65, 66 have a plurality of (e.g., 10) substrate support members 67, 68 arranged in the up-down direction Z. The substrate support members 67 and 68 are configured to support the peripheral edge portion of the lower surface of one substrate W from below and hold the substrate W in a horizontal posture. As a result, the unprocessed substrate placement unit 61 and the processed substrate placement unit 62 can hold the plurality of substrates W in a state in which the plurality of (e.g., 10) substrates W are stacked in a horizontal posture with the substrate holders 65, 66 spaced apart in the up-down direction Z.
As shown in fig. 2, a window 4L corresponding to the substrate mounting portion 6L is formed so as to penetrate the rear partition wall 2a of the index module 2 and the front partition wall 3a of the process module 3, that is, so as to penetrate the partition walls adjacent to the index module 2 and the process module 3. The index robot 26 can access the substrate mounting portion 6L via the window 4L to carry in and carry out the substrate W to and from the substrate mounting portion 6L.
The dummy substrate housing portion 7L is provided at a height different from that of the substrate mounting portion 6L, and is disposed below the substrate mounting portion 6L in the conveyance space 52L in the present embodiment. The dummy substrate housing portion 7L is provided so as to overlap the substrate mounting portion 6L in a plan view. More specifically, when the substrate W is held by the substrate mounting portion 6L and the dummy substrate DW is held by the dummy substrate housing portion 7L, the dummy substrate housing portion 7L is arranged so that the substrate W and the dummy substrate DW overlap each other in a plan view. The substrates W and the dummy substrates DW may be partially or entirely overlapped with each other in a plan view, that is, the dummy substrates DW may be overlapped with substantially the entire substrate W.
The dummy substrate accommodating portion 7L is disposed between the lower partition wall 15 and the intermediate partition wall 16, and the main transfer robot 8L is disposed in a height range that can be accessed. The rear partition wall 2a of the index module 2 and the front partition wall 3a of the process module 3, that is, the partition walls adjacent to them are located in front of the virtual substrate housing portion 7L, that is, on the index module 2 side. The windows corresponding to the dummy substrate storage portions 7L are not provided in the partition walls. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the index robot 26 cannot access the virtual substrate accommodating section 7L.
As shown in an enlarged configuration example in fig. 6, the dummy substrate housing portion 7L includes a dummy substrate holder 71. The structure of the dummy substrate holder 71 may be substantially the same as the structures of the substrate holders 65 and 66 of the substrate mounting portion 6L. However, the number of dummy substrates DW that can be held by the dummy substrate holders 71 is not necessarily equal to the number of substrates that can be held by the substrate holders 65, 66. Specifically, the dummy substrate holder 71 has a plurality of (for example, 12) dummy substrate support members 72 arranged in the up-down direction. Each dummy substrate supporting member 72 is configured to support a peripheral edge portion of the lower surface of one dummy substrate DW from below and hold the dummy substrate DW in a horizontal posture. The dummy substrate housing section 7L can hold a plurality of (e.g., 12) dummy substrates DW in a state in which the dummy substrate holders 71 stack the plurality of dummy substrates DW in a horizontal posture with an interval in the up-down direction Z. That is, the virtual substrate housing portion 7L has a plurality of layers (in the present embodiment, the same number of processing units as the first processing module layer BL) of slots (hereinafter referred to as "virtual substrate slots DL1 to DL 12") stacked in the up-down direction so as to house each virtual substrate DW in a horizontal posture. A dummy substrate sensor (not shown) may be provided to detect the presence or absence of the dummy substrate DW in each of the dummy substrate slots DL1 to DL 12. In the present embodiment, the dummy substrate housing portion 7L may not include a case surrounding the housed dummy substrate DW, unlike the substrate mounting portion 6L. Of course, such a box may be provided.
As shown in fig. 2, the main transfer robot 8L is disposed in the transfer space 52L. The main transfer robot 8L includes: a hand 81 for holding one substrate in a horizontal posture; and a hand driving mechanism 82 that drives the hand 81. A plurality of (for example, two) hands 81 may be provided. The hand driving mechanism 82 is capable of moving the hand 81 in the first horizontal direction X, the second horizontal direction Y, and the up-down direction Z, and rotating the hand 81 about the vertical rotation axis. The hand driving mechanism 82 includes two support posts 83, a vertical moving portion 84, a horizontal moving portion 85, a rotating portion 86, and a advancing and retreating portion 87. The hand 81 is coupled to the advancing and retreating portion 87. When a plurality of hands 81 are provided, a plurality of advancing and retreating portions 87 corresponding to the plurality of hands 81 are preferably provided.
The two struts 83 are disposed at intervals along the first horizontal direction X and fixed to the side walls of the conveyance space 52L. The two struts 83 extend in the up-down direction Z, and function as guide rails for guiding the vertical movement of the vertical movement portion 84. The vertical movement portion 84 has a form of a guide rail extending in the first horizontal direction X throughout the two struts 83 and both end portions are coupled to the two struts 83. The vertical movement portion 84 is configured to move in the up-down direction with respect to the stay 83 while being guided by the two stays 83. The horizontal moving section 85 is supported by the vertical moving section 84, and moves in the first horizontal direction X with respect to the vertical moving section 84 while being guided by the vertical moving section 84. The rotating portion 86 is supported by the horizontal moving portion 85. The rotating portion 86 is configured to rotate on the horizontal moving portion 85 about a vertical rotation axis. The advancing and retreating portion 87 is coupled to the rotating portion 86. The advancing and retreating section 87 advances and retreats in the horizontal direction with respect to the rotation axis, thereby advancing and retreating the hand 81 in the horizontal direction.
With this configuration, the main transfer robot 8L can cause the hand 81 to access the substrate placement unit 6L, and transfer the substrate W between the main transfer robot 8L and the substrate placement unit 6L. The main transfer robot 8L can further cause the hand 81 to access any of the processing units 11L to 43L in the first processing module layer BL, and transfer the substrate W or the dummy substrate DW between the main transfer robot 8L and the processing units 11L to 43L. The main transfer robot 8L can access the virtual substrate accommodating portion 7L by the hand 81, and transfer the virtual substrate DW between the main transfer robot 8L and the virtual substrate accommodating portion 7L. The main transfer robot 8L is capable of transferring the substrate W or the dummy substrate DW held by the hand 81 between the substrate placement unit 6L, the processing units 11L to 43L, and the dummy substrate storage unit 7L in the first process module layer BL.
Since the structure of the second process module layer BU is substantially the same as that of the first process module layer BL, the duplicate explanation is omitted as much as possible, and mainly different structures will be explained below. The configuration of the elements given the same names as in the case of the first process module layer BL is substantially the same.
The second processing module layer BU includes a plurality of (12 in this embodiment) processing units 11U-13U, 21U-23U, 31U-33U, 41U-43U (hereinafter collectively referred to as "processing units 11U-43U" when processing units of the second processing module layer BU) that constitute a second processing unit group. The second process module layer BU further includes a substrate placement unit 6U, a dummy substrate storage unit 7U, and a main transfer robot 8U. The first to fourth liquid supply portions 91 to 94 and the first to fourth exhaust portions 101 to 104 are arranged along the up-down direction Z over the first and second process module layers BL and BU.
The arrangement of the plurality of processing units 11U-43U in the second processing module layer BU is substantially equal to the arrangement of the plurality of processing units 11L-43L in the first processing module layer BL. The second process module layer BU includes first to fourth process unit stack portions S1U to S4U, each of which includes a plurality of (three in the present embodiment) process units 11U to 13U, 21U to 23U, 31U to 33U, and 41U to 43U stacked in the up-down direction Z.
The first to fourth processing unit stack portions S1U to S4U of the second processing module layer BU are configured to overlap with the first to fourth processing unit stack portions S1L to S4L of the first processing module layer BL, respectively, in a plan view. The first processing unit stack portions S1L, S U of the first processing module layer BL and the second processing module layer BU are stacked in the vertical direction Z to form a first tower T1, and the first tower T1 is stacked with a plurality of (6 layers in this embodiment) processing units 11L, 12L, 13L, 11U, 12U, and 13U. Similarly, the second processing unit stack portions S2L, S U of the first processing module layer BL and the second processing module layer BU are stacked in the up-down direction Z to form a second tower T2, and the second tower T2 is stacked with a plurality of (6 layers in this embodiment) processing units 21L, 22L, 23L, 21U, 22U, 23U. The third processing unit stack portions S3L, S U of the first processing module layer BL and the second processing module layer BU are stacked in the vertical direction Z to form a third tower T3, and the third tower T3 is stacked with a plurality of (6 layers in the present embodiment) processing units 31L, 32L, 33L, 31U, 32U, and 33U. Further, similarly, the fourth processing unit stack portions S4L, S U of the first processing module layer BL and the second processing module layer BU are stacked in the up-down direction Z, whereby a fourth tower T4 is formed, and the fourth tower T4 is stacked with a plurality of (6 layers in the present embodiment) of processing units 41L, 42L, 43L, 41U, 42U, 43U.
The conveyance space 52U divided into the second process module layer BU and providing the conveyance path 51U overlaps the conveyance space 52L of the first process module layer BL. The conveyance space 52U in the second process module layer BU is partitioned from below by the intermediate partition wall 16 and from above by the upper partition wall 17. The upper partition 17 is disposed at a height integrated with the upper surfaces of the uppermost processing units 13U, 23U, 33U, 43U of the first to fourth towers T1 to T4.
The arrangement of the substrate mounting portion 6U in plan view is the same as that of the first process module layer BL. That is, the substrate placement unit 6U is disposed between the index robot 26 and the main transfer robot 8U, and is disposed at the end of the transfer space 52U on the side of the index robot 26. The substrate mounting portion 6U of the second process module layer BU is arranged to overlap the substrate mounting portion 6L of the first process module layer BL in a plan view. The substrate placement portion 6U is disposed at a height between the intermediate partition 16 and the upper partition 17 in the vertical direction Z. In the present embodiment, the substrate placement portion 6U is disposed below the middle height of the height range from the middle partition wall 16 to the upper partition wall 17. More specifically, the substrate placement unit 6U is disposed at the highest position within the height range accessible by the index robot 26. The vertical position of the substrate placement unit 6U must be within a height range that can be accessed by the index robot 26 and within a height range that can be accessed by the main transfer robot 8U. As in the case of the first process module layer BL, the substrate mounting portion 6U includes: an untreated substrate mounting section 61 for mounting an untreated substrate W; and a processed substrate mounting portion 62 for mounting the processed substrate W. The configuration of the unprocessed substrate placement unit 61 and the processed substrate placement unit 62 is the same as that of the substrate placement unit 6L of the first process module layer BL (see fig. 5).
A window 4U corresponding to the substrate mounting portion 6U is formed so as to pass through the rear partition wall 2a of the index module 2 and the front partition wall 3a of the process module 3, that is, the partition walls that pass through the index module 2 and the process module 3 and are adjacent to each other. The index robot 26 can access the substrate mounting portion 6U through the window 4U, and can carry in and carry out the substrate W to and from the substrate mounting portion 6U.
The dummy substrate housing portion 7U is provided at a height different from that of the substrate mounting portion 6U, and is disposed above the substrate mounting portion 6U in the conveyance space 52U in the present embodiment. The dummy substrate housing portion 7U is provided so as to overlap the substrate mounting portion 6U in a plan view. More specifically, when the substrate W is held by the substrate mounting portion 6U and the dummy substrate DW is held by the dummy substrate housing portion 7U, the dummy substrate housing portion 7U is arranged so that the substrate W and the dummy substrate DW overlap each other in a plan view. The substrates W and the dummy substrates DW may be partially or entirely overlapped with each other in a plan view, that is, the dummy substrates DW may be overlapped with substantially the entire substrate W. The virtual substrate accommodating portion 7U is disposed at a height between the upper partition wall 17 and the intermediate partition wall 16, and the main transfer robot 8U is disposed in a height range that can be accessed. The rear partition wall 2a of the index module 2 and the front partition wall 3a of the process module 3, that is, the adjacent partition walls are located in front of the dummy substrate housing portion 7U, that is, on the index module 2 side. The rear partition wall 2a and the front partition wall 3a are not provided with windows corresponding to the dummy substrate storage portions 7U. Therefore, the indexing robot 26 cannot access the virtual substrate accommodating unit 7U.
The configuration of the dummy substrate accommodating portion 7U may be substantially the same as that of the dummy substrate accommodating portion 7L of the first process module layer BL (see fig. 6). The virtual board housing portion 7U has a plurality of layers (in the present embodiment, the same number of processing units as the second processing module layer BU) of slots (hereinafter referred to as "virtual board slots DU1 to DU 12") stacked in the up-down direction so as to house each virtual board DW in a horizontal posture. The virtual board sensor may be provided to detect the presence or absence of the virtual board DW in each of the virtual board slots DU1 to DU 12.
The main transfer robot 8U is disposed in the transfer space 52U. The main transfer robot 8U includes: a hand 81 for holding one substrate in a horizontal posture; and a hand driving mechanism 82 that drives the hand 81. The hand driving mechanism 82 includes two support posts 83, a vertical moving portion 84, a horizontal moving portion 85, a rotating portion 86, and a advancing and retreating portion 87. These structures are the same as the main transfer robot 8L of the first process module layer BL. The main transfer robot 8U is configured to be able to access the substrate placement unit 6U, the processing units 11U to 43U, and the dummy substrate storage unit 7U. The main transfer robot 8U is an example of a second transfer unit that transfers the substrate W between the substrate placement unit 6U and the processing units 11U to 43U and transfers the dummy substrate DW between the dummy substrate storage unit 7U and the processing units 11U to 43U.
The first process module layer BL and the second process module layer BU are partitioned by the intermediate partition wall 16, and the product substrate W or the dummy substrate DW cannot be transported across the intermediate partition wall 16. In other words, the main transfer robot 8L of the first process module layer BL is configured to be unable to access any one of the process units 11U to 43U, the dummy substrate accommodating section 7U, and the substrate mounting section 6U of the second process module layer BU. Similarly, the main transfer robot 8U of the second process module layer BU is configured to be unable to access any one of the process units 11L to 43L, the dummy substrate storage section 7L, and the substrate placement section 6L of the first process module layer BL.
The liquid supply sections 91 to 94 define liquid piping spaces that house piping groups for supplying the processing liquids used in the processing units 11L to 43L and 11U to 43U. The liquid piping spaces defined by the liquid supply portions 91 to 94 penetrate the first process module layer BL and the second process module layer BU in the up-down direction Z. The treatment liquid piping 56 is housed in each of the liquid supply portions 91 to 94, and the treatment liquid piping 56 supplies the treatment liquid to the six treatment units 11L, 12L, 13L, 11U, 12U, 13U, 21L, 22L, 23L, 21U, 22U, 23U, 31L, 32L, 33L, 31U, 32U, 33U, 41L, 42L, 43L, 41U, 42U, 43U, which are stacked in six layers in the vertical direction Z at the same position in a plan view, thereby forming the towers T1 to T4. Further, a valve group, a flowmeter, a tank for temporarily storing the treatment liquid, a pump for transporting the liquid, and other treatment liquid-related devices provided midway in the piping may be housed together in the liquid supply units 91 to 94.
The exhaust units 101 to 104 divide an exhaust pipe space that accommodates a pipe group for exhausting the atmosphere inside the processing unit. The exhaust pipe space defined by the exhaust units 101 to 104 penetrates the first process module layer BL and the second process module layer BU in the vertical direction Z. Each of the exhaust units 101 to 104 accommodates an exhaust pipe 76, and the exhaust pipe 76 is configured to guide exhaust gas from six processing units 11L, 12L, 13L, 11U, 12U, 13U, 21L, 22L, 23L, 21U, 22U, 23U, 31L, 32L, 33L, 31U, 32U, 33U, 41L, 42L, 43L, 41U, 42U, 43, which are stacked in six layers in the vertical direction Z at the same position in plan view, to an exhaust device outside the substrate processing apparatus 1. Further, the exhaust units 101 to 104 may also include a switching mechanism 77, and the switching mechanism 77 may switch the exhaust pipe 76 according to the type of treatment (more specifically, the type of treatment liquid) in the treatment unit. Although not shown, the exhaust unit 101 includes an actuator group for driving the switching mechanism 77.
The carrier transport mechanism 300 (see fig. 1) operates as follows: the carrier C containing the unprocessed product substrates W is carried into the carrier holding portion 25, and the carrier C containing the processed product substrates W is carried out of the carrier holding portion 25. The carrier transport mechanism 300 operates as follows: the dummy carrier DC for supply, which accommodates the unused dummy substrate DW, is carried into the carrier holding section 25, and the unused dummy substrate DW is removed from the dummy carrier DC for supply, and then the dummy carrier DC is carried out from the carrier holding section 25. The carrier transport mechanism 300 operates as follows: the virtual carrier DC for collection for collecting the virtual substrate DW after use is carried into the carrier holding section 25, and after the virtual substrate DW after use is accommodated in the virtual carrier DC for collection, the virtual carrier DC for collection is carried out from the carrier holding section 25. The dummy carrier DC may have substantially the same structure as the carrier C for the product substrate W.
Typically, the carrier handling mechanism 300 includes a ceiling-based unmanned handling tool (OHT: overhead Hoist Transport; overhead transport). The carrier transporting mechanism 300 transports the carrier C between the carrier placement site 350 and the carrier holding portion 25 (load port). Further, the carrier transporting mechanism 300 transports the virtual carrier DC between the virtual carrier placement portion 351 and the carrier holding portion 25.
The carrier transport mechanism 300 is controlled by the host computer 150 to transport the carrier C and the virtual carrier DC. The host computer 150 is communicably connected to the controller 110 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 via a communication line 170.
The controller 110 controls the index robot 26 and the main transfer robots 8L and 8U to transfer the substrate W and the dummy substrate DW. The controller 110 controls the respective units of the processing units 11L to 43L and 11U to 43U, and executes the substrate processing in the processing units 11L to 43L and 11U to 43U and the dummy processing using the dummy substrate DW.
Fig. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining a configuration example of the process units 11L to 43L, 11U to 43U (hereinafter, collectively referred to as "process units 11L to 43U"). The processing units 11L to 43U include: a unit partition 36 forming a process chamber 35 (chamber); a process cover 39 disposed in the unit partition 36; a rotation jig 40 disposed in the process cover 39; and a nozzle 55 for supplying a processing liquid to the substrate W or the dummy substrate DW held by the spin chuck 40.
The unit cell wall 36 includes: a side wall 36a, for example, formed in a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view; a top wall 36b divided thereabove; and a bottom wall 36c that divides below. One side of the side wall 36a has: a substrate carry-in/carry-out port 37 facing the carrying space 52U and extending in the first horizontal direction X and the up-down direction Z for carrying in/out the substrate W and the dummy substrate DW. The substrate carry-in/carry-out port 37 may have a slot shape extending in the first horizontal direction X. A shutter 38 for opening and closing the substrate carry-in/out port 37 is provided. The substrate W and the dummy substrate DW are carried in from the substrate carry-in/carry-out port 37 formed in the unit partition 36 and transferred to the spin chuck 40.
The rotation jig 40 includes: a spin base 45 that holds one substrate W or a dummy substrate DW in a horizontal posture; and a spin motor 46 that rotates the spin base 45 about a vertical rotation axis. The spin chuck 40 may be a vacuum chuck for sucking and holding the lower surface of the substrate W or the dummy substrate DW on the upper surface of the spin base 45. The spin base 45 may be configured as a mechanical type jig having a circular planar shape corresponding to the substrate W or the dummy substrate DW, and having three or more holding pins provided at intervals in the circumferential direction of the peripheral portion, and holding the substrate W or the dummy substrate DW by the holding pins.
The processing units 11L to 43U include: and one or more nozzles 55 for supplying a processing liquid to the substrate W or the dummy substrate DW held by the spin chuck 40. In the present embodiment, a plurality of nozzles 55 are provided. The plurality of nozzles 55 may also comprise: and a plurality of chemical liquid nozzles for ejecting a plurality of types of chemical liquid.
The processing liquid is supplied from the nozzle 55 to the surface of the substrate W or the dummy substrate DW held and rotated by the spin chuck 40. The nozzle 55 is coupled to the treatment liquid pipe 56 disposed through the liquid supply portions 91 to 94. The treatment liquid piping 56 is wound around by the liquid supply portions 91 to 94 and connected to the treatment liquid supply source 54. A valve 59 for opening and closing a flow path of the treatment liquid pipe 56 is interposed in the middle of the treatment liquid pipe 56. A pump 60 for feeding the treatment liquid toward the nozzle 55 is interposed in the middle of the treatment liquid pipe 56. The valve 59 and the pump 60 are disposed in the liquid supply portions 91 to 94. The treatment liquid supply source 54 supplies a chemical liquid such as an etching liquid or a cleaning liquid such as pure water (deionized water). A plurality of processing liquid pipes 56 and a corresponding plurality of nozzles 55 may be provided according to the type of processing liquid. Some or all of the plurality of nozzles 55 may have a moving nozzle form that moves along the upper surface of the substrate W or the dummy substrate DW above the substrate W or the dummy substrate DW. The moving nozzle may also have the following configuration (refer to fig. 1): the swing shaft 58 is supported by a base end portion of the horizontal nozzle arm 57 by the swing shaft 58 disposed on the side of the rotation jig 40, and the swing shaft 58 is rotated about the vertical axis. Part or all of the plurality of nozzles 55 may be fixed nozzles whose relative positions with respect to the rotation jig 40 do not change.
The atmosphere in the cell wall 36 is exhausted through the exhaust connection pipe 75 penetrating the cell wall 36. The exhaust connection pipe 75 is connected to the exhaust pipe 76 disposed in the exhaust sections 101 to 104. The exhaust connection pipe 75 may be connected to a plurality of exhaust pipes 76 via a switching mechanism 77. The switching mechanism 77 operates in the following manner: for example, according to the type of the treatment liquid (for example, the type of chemical liquid) discharged from the plurality of nozzles 55, the exhaust gas from the exhaust connection pipe 75 is guided to the exhaust pipe 76 associated with the type of the treatment liquid in advance.
Fig. 8 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration related to control of the substrate processing apparatus 1. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a controller 110. The controller 110 may be a computer including a processor 111 (CPU) and a memory 112 (storage unit). The processor 111 executes a program 120 stored in the memory 112. Thus, the controller 110 has a function as a stroke creating unit that creates a transfer stroke for transferring the substrate W or the dummy substrate DW by the index robot 26 and the main transfer robots 8L and 8U, and a function as a transfer control unit that controls the transfer of the substrate W and the dummy substrate DW based on the transfer stroke created by the stroke creating unit. The controller 110 also functions as a substrate processing control unit that performs a substrate processing operation for processing the substrate W by the processing units 11L to 43U. The controller 110 further has a function as a virtual process control unit that performs a virtual process operation for executing a virtual process using the virtual substrate DW in the processing units 11L to 43U. The controller 110 controls various control objects provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1 for these substrate carrying operation, substrate processing operation, and dummy processing operation. The control target includes driving units provided in the indexing robot 26, the main transfer robots 8L and 8U, the processing units 11L to 43U, and the like. Further, the control objects of the controller 110 include: an actuator group including the valve 59 and the pump 60 disposed in the liquid supply portions 91 to 94 and disposed in the exhaust portions 101 to 104.
Various data 130 are stored in the memory 112. The data 130 includes: a product process 131 for processing a substrate W for a product; and a dummy process 132 for performing a dummy process using the dummy substrate DW. The product process 131 is data defining a transfer operation of the substrate W and a processing content of the substrate W. The dummy processing step 132 is data defining the transfer operation of the dummy substrate DW and the processing content using the dummy substrate DW. The controller 110 controls the control object according to the product process 131 when processing the substrate W, and controls the control object according to the dummy process 132 when performing the dummy process.
The article of manufacture 131 may also be assigned to and stored in the memory 112 by data communication from a host computer 150 communicatively coupled to the controller 110. Similarly, the virtual processing process 132 may be assigned to and stored in the memory 112 by data communication from the host computer 150. In addition, these processes 131, 132 may also be entered or edited by an operator using a user interface 140 coupled to the controller 110. The virtual treatment process 132 may also be automatically generated by the controller 110 based on the contents of the product process 131. The product process 131 and the dummy process 132 need not be of one type, and a plurality of product processes 131 or a plurality of dummy processes 132 may be stored in the memory 112.
For example, the dummy processing 132 includes: a pretreatment process for pretreating the dummy substrate DW by the same treatment as the substrate W for the product. The pretreatment process may also be the following process: in the product process 131, the substrates carried into the processing units 11L to 43U are replaced with dummy substrates DW from the substrates W for products. Such a pretreatment process may also be automatically generated by the controller 110 based on the article process 131. For example, when a process is performed in which a high-temperature processing liquid is supplied to the substrate W, the high-temperature processing liquid can be guided to the nozzle 55 by performing the pretreatment, and the inside of the processing liquid pipe 56 and the processing units 11L to 43U can be heated by the high-temperature processing liquid. This makes it possible to supply a processing liquid at an appropriate temperature to the substrates W for the products in an environment with appropriate temperature control. In this way, the pretreatment is an example of preparation treatment of the treatment environment of the finishing treatment units 11L to 43U for properly treating the substrates W for the product.
In addition, the dummy processing 132 includes: and a unit cleaning process for holding the dummy substrate DW by the spin chuck 40 and cleaning the inside of the processing units 11L-43U. The unit cleaning process performed in accordance with the unit cleaning process causes the spin chuck 40 to hold the virtual substrate DW and rotate, and in this state, the cleaning liquid (chemical liquid or pure water) is supplied to the virtual substrate DW. Thus, the cleaning liquid that receives the centrifugal force on the dummy substrate DW is scattered around the rotation jig 40, and the inside of the processing hood 39 is cleaned. Since the treatment hood 39 is moved up and down as necessary, the injection position of the cleaning liquid with respect to the inner wall surface of the treatment hood 39 is changed up and down, and therefore the inner wall surface of the treatment hood 39 can be cleaned efficiently. Further, the virtual substrate DW may be disposed above the upper end of the process cover 39 by the up-and-down movement of the process cover 39 or the up-and-down movement of the spin chuck 40, and the cleaning liquid may be supplied into the process chamber 35 outside the process cover 39, thereby cleaning the interior of the process chamber 35.
The data 130 stored in the memory 112 further includes: and a virtual board table 133 that associates the plurality of processing units 11L to 43U with the virtual board slots DL1 to DL12 and DU1 to DU12 of the virtual board storage units 7L and 7U. Unique virtual board slot numbers (virtual board slot identification information) are attached to each of the plurality of virtual board slots DL1 to DL12 and DU1 to DU 12. Further, a virtual board slot number is associated with each of the processing units 11L to 43U. The virtual board table 133 associates a plurality (12 in the present embodiment) of processing units 11L to 43U of the first processing module layer BL with a plurality (12 in the present embodiment) of virtual board slot numbers of the virtual board accommodating section 7L of the first processing module layer BL one to one. The virtual board table 133 associates a plurality (12 in the present embodiment) of processing units 11L to 43U of the second processing module layer BU with a plurality (12 in the present embodiment) of virtual board slot numbers of the virtual board housing part 7U of the second processing module layer BU one to one. Therefore, the virtual substrate table 133 associates a plurality of (24 in the present embodiment) processing units 11L to 43U included in the substrate processing apparatus 1 with a plurality of (24 in the present embodiment) slot numbers of the virtual substrate storage units 7L and 7U one by one.
The data 130 stored in the memory 112 also includes virtual substrate history data 134. The virtual board history data 134 includes data (use history information) indicating the use history of the virtual board DW stored in the virtual board slots DL1 to DL12 and DU1 to DU12 corresponding to the plurality of virtual board slot numbers of the virtual board storage units 7L and 7U, respectively. The priority is that the use history includes at least one of the number of times the virtual substrate DW is used for processing by the processing units 11L to 43U (cumulative number of times), the time the virtual substrate DW is used for processing by the processing units 11L to 43U (cumulative time), and the history of the processing contents accepted by the virtual substrate DW by the processing units 11L to 43U.
The data 130 stored in the memory 112 further includes: unit usage history data 135, which represents the unit usage history of each processing unit 11L-43U. The priority unit use history data 135 includes the number of substrate processing units 11L to 43U and the unused duration indicating the continuous time during which each processing unit 11L to 43U is not used for substrate processing. Since the environment inside the processing units 11L to 43U gradually deteriorates due to repetition of substrate processing, an appropriate upper limit is preferably set for the number of substrates that can be continuously processed without maintenance. Further, when the time for unprocessed substrates W becomes longer, the environment inside the processing units 11L to 43U gradually deteriorates. Specifically, the chemical solution adhering to the inner wall of the treatment cover 39 may be dried and crystallized to cause particles. In the case of using a high-temperature treatment liquid having a temperature higher than room temperature, if the flow of the treatment liquid is blocked for a long period of time because the non-use state continues, the temperature of the pipe 56 or the nozzle 55 is lowered. Thus, there are the following situations: when the processing liquid is discharged next, heat of the processing liquid is extracted by the pipe 56 or the nozzle 55, and the temperature of the processing liquid immediately after discharge becomes inappropriate. Therefore, it is preferable to set an appropriate upper limit also for the non-use duration. By comparing the unit use history data 135 (the number of substrates processed, the unused duration, etc.) with the corresponding set values, it is possible to determine whether or not maintenance of the processing units 11L to 43U is necessary.
The data 130 stored in the memory 112 further includes: a first state 141 representing a state of the first processing module layer BL (first processing unit group); and a second state 142, which represents the state of the second processing module layer BU (second processing unit group). The first state 141 includes a disable mode and an enable mode. Likewise, the second state 142 includes a disable mode and an enable mode.
When the first state 141 is in the prohibition mode, any one of the processing and the dummy processing for the substrate W cannot be performed by the processing units 11L to 43L included in the first processing module layer BL. More precisely, the process for the substrate W cannot be restarted or the dummy process cannot be restarted. In the present embodiment, the start of the processing of the substrate W is the substrate to be processed in the processing units 11L to 43L, and the start of the dummy processing is the dummy substrate DW to be used for the dummy processing in the processing units 11L to 43L, and the first dummy substrate housing section 7L. When the first state 141 is the permission mode, the processing and the dummy processing of the substrate W in the processing units 11L to 43L included in the first processing module layer BL are permitted, and the processing is restarted.
When the second state 142 is in the prohibition mode, any one of the processing and the dummy processing for the substrate W cannot be performed by the processing units 11U to 43U included in the second processing module layer BU. More precisely, the process for the substrate W cannot be restarted or the dummy process cannot be restarted. In the present embodiment, the start of the processing of the substrate W is the substrate to be processed in the processing units 11U to 43U, and the start of the dummy processing is the dummy substrate DW to be used for the dummy processing in the processing units 11U to 43U, and the second dummy substrate housing section 7U. When the second state 142 is in the permission mode, the processing and the dummy processing of the substrate W in the processing units 11U to 43U included in the second processing module layer BU are permitted, and the processing is restarted.
The controller 110 has a function as a state setting unit that determines whether the virtual substrate DW stored in the virtual substrate storage units 7L and 7U needs to be replaced based on the virtual substrate history data 134, and sets the first state 141 and the second state 142 based on the determination.
Fig. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the controller 110 related to the virtual process. The controller 110 executes the processing of fig. 9 in parallel or sequentially for each of the plurality of processing units 11L-43U.
The controller 110 determines whether or not to execute the processing of the product substrate W in the target processing units 11L to 43U (step A1). When the processing of the substrate W is completed in the processing units 11L to 43U and the processed substrate W is carried out from the processing units 11L to 43U (step A1: NO), the controller 110 refers to the unit use history data 135 of the processing units 11L to 43U to determine whether or not the number of substrates processed has reached a set value (step A2). When the number of substrates processed is equal to or greater than the set value (yes in step A2), the controller 110 determines that the unit cleaning execution condition (an example of the maintenance execution condition) is sufficient, and performs the unit cleaning process (an example of the maintenance process) in accordance with the unit cleaning process in order to clean the inside of the processing units 11L to 43U (step A3). Further, the controller 110 resets the substrate processing number of the processing unit to an initial value (for example, zero) and updates the unit use history data 135 (step A4).
The unit cleaning process is an example of the dummy process, and includes a transfer stroke creating step a30, a dummy substrate loading step a31, a dummy process step a32, and a dummy substrate accommodating step a33. The conveyance route creation step a30 is a step of creating a conveyance plan (conveyance route) for virtual processing. The dummy substrate loading step a31 is a step of controlling the main transfer robots 8L and 8U in accordance with the manufactured transfer stroke. Thus, the main transfer robots 8L and 8U transfer the virtual substrates DW from the corresponding virtual substrate slots DL1 to DL12 and DU1 to DU12 to the processing units 11L to 43U and transfer the virtual substrates DW to the processing units. The dummy processing step a32 is a step of executing processing using the dummy substrate DW in the processing unit, and is here cleaning processing in the processing unit. The virtual substrate accommodating step a33 is the following steps: after the cleaning inside the processing unit, the virtual board DW is carried out from the processing unit according to the carrying route, and is carried and stored in the original virtual board slots DL1 to DL12 and DU1 to DU12. The controller 110 refers to the virtual substrate table 133 to specify the virtual substrate slots DL1 to DL12 and DU1 to DU12 corresponding to the processing units 11L to 43U, and creates the transfer strokes of the virtual substrate loading step a31 and the virtual substrate accommodating step a33.
When the unit cleaning process is ended, the controller 110 determines whether or not pretreatment of the processing environment (processing conditions) for the finishing processing unit 11L to 43U is required (steps A5, A6). Specifically, the controller 110 checks whether or not a processing request (processing reservation) is given to the product substrate from the host computer 150 (step A5). When a process request is given to the product substrate (step A5: yes), the controller 110 determines whether or not the unused duration of the processing unit 11L-43U has reached a set value (step A6). When the non-use duration is equal to or longer than the set value (yes in step A6), that is, when the processing units 11L to 43U are not used for the substrates W for the products for longer than a predetermined period of time, the controller 110 determines that the pretreatment is necessary, that is, the pretreatment execution condition (an example of the maintenance execution condition) is sufficient.
When it is determined that the preprocessing is required, the controller 110 performs preprocessing according to the preprocessing procedure (preprocessing step A7). Specifically, the controller 110 refers to the virtual substrate table 133 to specify the virtual substrate slots DL1 to DL12 and DU1 to DU12 corresponding to the processing units 11L to 43U, and thereby creates a conveyance route for preprocessing (conveyance route creation step a 70). The controller 110 controls the main transfer robots 8L and 8U to transfer the virtual substrate DW from the determined virtual substrate slot in accordance with the transfer stroke, and transfers the virtual substrate DW to the processing units 11L to 43U (virtual substrate transfer step a 71). After the conveyance, the host computer 150 performs the same processing as the processing for the product substrate W on the dummy substrate DW in the processing units 11L to 43U (dummy processing step a 72). When the process is completed, the host computer 150 controls the main transfer robots 8L and 8U according to the transfer stroke, and takes out the dummy substrate DW from the process units 11L to 43U and transfers the dummy substrate DW to the original dummy substrate slot, and stores the dummy substrate DW in the dummy substrate slot (dummy substrate storing step a 73). Thus, when preprocessing is performed, the controller 110 resets the non-use duration to an initial value (for example, zero) and updates the unit use history data 135 (step A8).
As described above, the controller 110 performs preprocessing at the point in time when a processing request (processing reservation) has been given to the product substrate W. The preprocessing includes conveyance of the dummy substrate DW (dummy substrate carry-in step a 71) and dummy processing using the dummy substrate DW (dummy processing step a 72). Therefore, the pretreatment (dummy substrate loading step a71 and/or dummy processing step a 72) is performed in parallel with the substrate loading operation (product substrate loading step a 20) for holding the carrier C storing the product substrate W in the carrier holding portion 25 and the substrate W to be processed is taken out from the carrier C and conveyed to the substrate mounting portions 6L, 6U by the indexing robot 26, or the pretreatment (dummy substrate loading step a71 and/or dummy processing step a 72) is performed before the substrate loading operation (product substrate loading step a 20). At this time, the indexing robot 26 does not participate in the conveyance of the dummy substrate DW. Therefore, the indexing robot 26 does not interfere with the conveyance of the product substrates W, and the dummy substrates DW are conveyed and pre-processed inside the process modules 3.
Although the product substrate loading step a20 by the indexing robot 26 is shown in fig. 9 for convenience of explanation, the relationship with the preprocessing step A7 is not shown. As described above, the product substrate loading step a20 may be performed (started) before the pretreatment step A7 or concurrently with the pretreatment step A7, or the product substrate loading step a20 may be performed (started) after the pretreatment step A7.
The pretreatment process defines pretreatment for the dummy substrate DW to be performed on the product substrate W. Therefore, by performing preprocessing on the dummy substrate DW, the dummy substrate DW will be consumed. Specifically, the virtual substrate DW is subjected to pretreatment using a chemical solution having an etching action, whereby the surface of the virtual substrate DW is etched and the thickness of the virtual substrate DW is reduced. Accordingly, when the preprocessing is performed, the controller 110 updates the virtual substrate history data 134 of the virtual substrate slots DL1-DL12, DU1-DU12 associated with the processing units 11L-43U (step A9). For example, in the case where the virtual substrate history data 134 contains the usage number data, the usage number data is incremented.
When the pretreatment is finished, the controller 110 performs control according to the production process (step a 12). Specifically, the controller 110 creates a transfer stroke for processing the product substrate (transfer stroke creation step a 120), and controls the index robot 26 and the main transfer robots 8L and 8U in accordance with the transfer stroke. Thereby, the indexing robot 26 takes out the product substrates W from the carrier C and places them on the substrate placement portions 6L, 6U. Next, the main transfer robots 8L and 8U take out the substrates W from the substrate placement units 6L and 6U and transfer the substrates W to the processing units 11L to 43U (substrate loading step a 121). Next, the processing unit 11L to 43U performs processing using a processing liquid (chemical, cleaning liquid, or the like) on the substrate W (processing step a 122). After completion of the transfer process, the main transfer robots 8L and 8U take out the processed substrates W and transfer the processed substrates W to the substrate placement units 6L and 6U, and the indexing robot 26 accommodates the processed substrates W in the carrier C (substrate accommodation step a 123). When an unprocessed substrate W is present (when a plurality of substrates W are continuously processed) (yes in step a 13), the same operation is repeated. During this time, when the number of substrate processing pieces of the processing unit reaches a set value (step A14: yes), the process returns to step A3 and the unit cleaning process is performed. If the processing is not continuous (no in step A13), the processing from step A1 is returned to and repeated.
If there is no processing request (processing reservation) from the host computer 150 (no in step A5), the controller 110 determines whether the duration of the standby state, i.e., the unused duration, has reached the set value (step a 15). If the non-use duration does not reach the set value, the device is in a standby state. When the unused duration reaches the set value (step a15: yes), the controller 110 performs a maintenance process set in advance (step a 16). The maintenance process may be a unit cleaning process. As in the case of step A3, the unit cleaning process may be a process (one type of virtual process) using the virtual substrate DW, or may be a process not using the virtual substrate DW. Further, the maintenance process may be a process similar to the pretreatment. The maintenance process may be other processes. The maintenance process is mainly a process for maintaining the environment in the process chamber 35 of the process unit 11L to 43U in a state suitable for the process of the substrates W for the product, and may be a process set in advance by a user of the substrate processing apparatus 1. When the virtual process using the virtual substrate DW is performed as a maintenance process, the maintenance process includes: a conveyance route creation step a160 of creating a conveyance plan (conveyance route) for the process; step A161, taking out the virtual substrate DW from the corresponding virtual substrate slot and carrying in the processing unit according to the carrying plan; step a162 of performing a dummy process using the dummy substrate DW in the processing unit; and step A163, after the processing in step A162, accommodating the virtual substrate DW into the corresponding virtual substrate slot according to the conveying stroke.
At a point in time when there is no processing request (processing reservation) from the host computer 150, the controller 110 cannot automatically schedule the same preprocessing as the product process 131. Therefore, even if the maintenance process is executed at any time (step a 16), the pretreatment corresponding to the product process is preferentially executed when there is a process request (process reservation) from the host computer 150 (pretreatment step A7).
The dummy substrate DW is preliminarily introduced into the substrate processing apparatus 1 and stored in the dummy substrate storing sections 7L and 7U. Specifically, for example, the virtual carrier DC for supply, which houses the virtual substrate DW, is transferred to the carrier holding section 25 by a carrier transport mechanism 300 (see fig. 1) provided in the factory. The indexing robot 26 takes out the dummy substrate DW from the dummy carrier DC for supply and conveys the dummy substrate DW to the substrate placement units 6L and 6U. The main transfer robot 8L of the first process module layer BL transfers the dummy substrate DW from the substrate mounting portion 6L to the dummy substrate accommodating portion 7L. The main transfer robot 8U of the second process module layer BU transfers the dummy substrate DW from the substrate placement unit 6U to the dummy substrate storage unit 7U. The controller 110 creates a transfer stroke for introducing the dummy substrate DW, and controls the index robot 26 and the main transfer robots 8L and 8U according to the transfer stroke, thereby realizing the transfer operation described above.
When a new dummy substrate DW is introduced and stored in the dummy substrate storing sections 7L and 7U, the controller 110 resets the dummy substrate history data 134 corresponding to the dummy substrate slot in which the new dummy substrate DW is stored to an initial value.
When the dummy substrates DW in the substrate processing apparatus 1 are replaced, the dummy substrates DW are transferred from the dummy substrate storage sections 7L and 7U to the recovery dummy carriers DC held by the carrier holding section 25 by the main transfer robots 8L and 8U and the index robot 26. Specifically, when the dummy substrate DW to be replaced is stored in the dummy substrate storage portion 7L of the first process module layer BL, the main transfer robot 8L transfers the dummy substrate DW from the dummy substrate storage portion 7L to the substrate placement portion 6L. When the dummy substrate DW to be replaced is stored in the dummy substrate storage portion 7U of the second process module layer BU, the main transfer robot 8U transfers the dummy substrate DW from the dummy substrate storage portion 7U to the substrate mounting portion 6U. The indexing robot 26 conveys and accommodates the dummy substrates DW placed on the substrate placement units 6L and 6U in the recovery dummy carriers DC held by the carrier holding unit 25. When the plurality of virtual substrates DW are to be replaced, the same operation is repeated. The controller 110 creates a transfer stroke for replacement (ejection) of the dummy substrate DW, and controls the index robot 26 and the main transfer robots 8L and 8U according to the transfer stroke, thereby realizing the transfer operation described above.
Fig. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of setting the first state 141 and the second state 142 and changing the conveyance route based on these settings, and shows an example of processing repeatedly executed by the controller 110 at a predetermined control cycle.
The controller 110 refers to the dummy substrate history data 134 to calculate status data indicating whether the dummy substrate DW needs to be replaced (step S1). The calculation formula for calculating the state data is stored in the memory 112. The calculation formula may be stored in the memory 112 in the form of a table. For example, when the number of times of use reaches a predetermined threshold value, the status data becomes a value indicating that replacement is required. The state data is calculated for all the virtual boards DW stored in the virtual board storage units 7L and 7U. The calculation formula for calculating the state data is not necessarily shared among the plurality of virtual substrates DW. As described above, the plurality of virtual substrates DW are associated with the plurality of processing units one to one. The processing and the dummy processing of the product substrate W performed by the processing units are not necessarily common. Therefore, the calculation formula can be individually set for each virtual substrate DW corresponding to each processing unit. That is, a plurality of calculation formulas are stored in the memory 112, and state data is calculated using the calculation formulas corresponding to the respective virtual substrates DW (that is, corresponding to the respective processing units). The controller 110 may calculate the state data each time each virtual substrate DW is used in a corresponding processing unit, that is, each time the virtual substrate history data 134 is updated, and store the latest state data in the memory 112.
The controller 110 performs a function as a judging section that judges whether the virtual substrate DW needs to be replaced based on the state data. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the status data indicating any one of the virtual substrates DW in the first virtual substrate accommodating section 7L is a value indicating that replacement is required (step S2), and it is determined whether or not the status data indicating any one of the virtual substrates DW in the second virtual substrate accommodating section 7U is a value indicating that replacement is required (steps S3, S4). The controller 110 also performs a function as a state setting unit that sets the first state 141 and the second state 142 to the permission mode or the prohibition mode based on the above determination (step S5 to step S8). Specifically, the states of the first process module layer BL and the second process module layer BU corresponding to the virtual substrate storage parts 7L and 7U, for which the presence state data indicates that the virtual substrate DW needs to be replaced, are set to the prohibition mode. The states of the first process module layer BL and the second process module layer BU corresponding to the virtual substrate storage parts 7L and 7U, which are not values indicating that any of the virtual substrates DW needs to be replaced, are set to the permission mode. However, the conventional value can be maintained as long as the conventional state is the same.
More specifically, when the state data of any one of the virtual substrates DW in the first virtual substrate accommodating section 7L is a value indicating that replacement is required (yes in step S2) and the state data of any one of the virtual substrates DW in the second virtual substrate accommodating section 7U is a value indicating that replacement is required (yes in step S3), the first state 141 and the second state 142 are set to the prohibition mode (step S5). When the state data of any one of the virtual substrates DW in the first virtual substrate accommodating section 7L is a value indicating that replacement is required (yes in step S2) and the state data of any one of the virtual substrates DW in the second virtual substrate accommodating section 7U is not a value indicating that replacement is required (no in step S3), the first state 141 is set to the prohibition mode and the second state 142 is set to the permission mode (step S6). When the state data of any one of the virtual substrates DW in the first virtual substrate accommodating section 7L is not a value indicating that replacement is required (step S2: no) and the state data of any one of the virtual substrates DW in the second virtual substrate accommodating section 7U is not a value indicating that replacement is required (step S4: no), the first state 141 and the second state 142 are set to the permission mode (step S7). When the state data of any one of the virtual substrates DW in the first virtual substrate accommodating section 7L is not a value indicating that replacement is required (step S2: no) and the state data of any one of the virtual substrates DW in the second virtual substrate accommodating section 7U is a value indicating that replacement is required (step S4: yes), the first state 141 is set to the permission mode and the second state 142 is set to the prohibition mode (step S8).
When any one of the virtual substrates DW needs to be replaced (yes in step S2, yes in step S3, or yes in step S4), the controller 110 transmits a virtual substrate replacement request for requesting replacement of the virtual substrate DW to the host computer 150 (step S11). The virtual board replacement request is performed by specifying the virtual board DW that needs to be replaced, more specifically, by specifying the slot in which the virtual board DW is accommodated. For the virtual substrate DW that has transmitted the virtual substrate replacement request to the host computer 150, the controller 110 does not repeatedly transmit the replacement request, but transmits the virtual substrate replacement request to the host computer 150 with respect to the virtual substrate DW whose status data has been changed back to a value indicating that replacement is necessary. For example, when calculating the status data (step S1), the virtual board DW whose status data has a value indicating that replacement is necessary may be excluded from the new calculation target until the virtual board history data 134 is reset.
When the first state 141 is shifted from the permission mode to the prohibition mode and the second state 142 is the permission mode (step S6), the controller 110 discards the transfer stroke for the planned substrate W transferred from the carrier C to the processing unit of the first process module layer BL and changes the transfer stroke to the transfer stroke for the processing unit which transfers the substrate W to the second process module layer BU (step S9). Further, the controller 110 discards the transfer stroke for the planned virtual substrate DW transferred from the first virtual substrate accommodating section 7L to the processing unit of the first processing module layer BL. At this time, the controller 110 preferably maintains the conveyance stroke of the substrate W that has been discharged from the carrier C and the dummy substrate DW that has been discharged from the first dummy substrate accommodating portion 7L, that is, the conveyance stroke of the substrate W and the dummy substrate DW that have started the process including conveyance. In this way, since the first state 141 shifts to the prohibition mode, both the processing and the dummy processing of the substrate W at the processing unit of the first processing module layer BL are prohibited, and the substrate W scheduled to be processed at the processing unit of the first processing module layer BL is transported to the processing unit of the second processing module layer BU in the permission mode and processed.
Similarly, when the second state 142 is shifted from the permission mode to the prohibition mode and the first state 141 is the permission mode (step S8), the controller 110 discards the transfer stroke for the planned substrate W transferred from the carrier C to the processing unit of the second processing module layer BU and changes the transfer stroke to the transfer stroke for the processing unit transferring the substrate W to the first processing module layer BL (step S10). The controller 110 discards the transfer stroke for the planned virtual substrate DW transferred from the second virtual substrate accommodating section 7U to the processing unit of the second processing module layer BU. At this time, the controller 110 preferably maintains the conveyance stroke of the substrate W that has been discharged from the carrier C and the dummy substrate DW that has been discharged from the second dummy substrate accommodating portion 7U, that is, the conveyance stroke of the substrate W and the dummy substrate DW that have started the process including conveyance. In this way, since the second state 142 shifts to the prohibition mode, both the processing and the dummy processing of the substrate W at the processing unit of the second processing module layer BU are prohibited, and the substrate W scheduled to be processed at the processing unit of the second processing module layer BU is transported to the processing unit of the first processing module layer BL in the permission mode and processed.
When receiving the virtual substrate replacement request from the substrate processing apparatus 1, the host computer 150 determines whether or not any of the carrier holding sections 25 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 holds the virtual carrier DC for recovery. If the virtual carrier DC for recovery is not held in all the carrier holding sections 25, the host computer 150 plans the supply of the virtual carrier DC for recovery by the carrier transport mechanism 300, and operates the carrier transport mechanism 300 according to the plan. If any one of the carrier holding sections 25 holds the virtual carrier DC for recovery, the host computer 150 determines whether any one of the carrier holding sections 25 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 holds the virtual carrier DC for supply. If none of the carrier holding sections 25 holds the virtual carrier DC for supply, the host computer 150 plans the supply of the virtual carrier DC for supply by the carrier transport mechanism 300, and operates the carrier transport mechanism 300 according to the plan.
Fig. 11 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the replacement operation of the virtual substrate performed when the first process module layer BL or the second process module layer BU is in the prohibition mode. The controller 110 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 operates as follows: when the virtual carrier for recovery DC is held by any one of the carrier holding sections 25 (step S21: yes), the virtual substrate DW after use is carried into the virtual carrier for recovery DC (step S22). That is, the virtual substrates DW after use are transported from the virtual substrate storage sections 7L, 7U to the substrate placement sections 6L, 6U by the main transport robots 8U, 8L, and are transported from the substrate placement sections 6L, 6U to the recovery virtual carrier DC by the indexing robot 26. The controller 110 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 operates as follows: when the supply dummy carrier DC is held by any one of the carrier holding sections 25 (yes in step S23), the unused dummy substrates DW are transported from the supply dummy carrier DC to the dummy substrate accommodating sections 7L, 7U (step S24). That is, the unused dummy substrates DW are transported from the supply dummy carriers DC to the substrate placement units 6L and 6U by the indexing robot 26, and are carried into the dummy substrate storage units 7L and 7U from the substrate placement units 6L and 6U by the main transport robots 8L and 8U.
When the dummy substrate DW of one of the slots of the dummy substrate accommodating sections 7L, 7U is replaced with an unused dummy substrate DW, the dummy substrate history data 134 corresponding to that slot (i.e., corresponding to the dummy substrate DW accommodated in that slot) is reset to an initial value (step S25).
The virtual substrate history data 134 is reset to an initial value, whereby the status data calculated for the virtual substrate DW of the slot (step S1 of fig. 10) becomes a value that does not indicate that replacement is required. Next, when the status data of any one of the virtual substrates DW in the first virtual substrate storage section 7L is also not a value indicating that replacement is necessary (step S2: no), the first status 141 is set to the permission mode (steps S7, S8). Similarly, when the status data of any one of the virtual boards DW in the second virtual board storage section 7U is also not a value indicating that replacement is necessary (step S3: no; step S4: no), the second status 142 is set to the permission mode (steps S6, S7).
Fig. 12A is a timing chart for explaining an example of the substrate conveying operation in the case where both the first state 141 of the first process module layer BL and the second state 142 of the second process module layer BU are in the permission mode. The indexing robot 26 takes out the substrate W1 from one of the carriers C held by the carrier holding section 25 and places the taken-out substrate W1 on the substrate placement section 6L of the first process module layer BL. The substrate W1 is taken out by the main transfer robot 8L and carried into one of the processing units 11L to 43L in the first processing module layer BL. When the processing by the processing unit L1 is completed, the main transfer robot 8L takes out the processed substrate W1 and places the substrate W on the substrate placement unit 6L. The indexing robot 26 takes out the processed substrate W1 from the substrate mounting section 6L and carries in one of the carriers C held by the carrier holding section 25.
The indexing robot 26 takes out another substrate W2 from one of the carriers C held by the carrier holding section 25, and places the taken-out substrate W2 on the substrate placement section 6U of the second process module layer BU. The substrate W2 is taken out by the main transfer robot 8U and carried into one of the processing units U1 of the processing units 11U to 43U in the second processing module layer BU. When the processing by the processing unit U1 is completed, the main transfer robot 8U takes out the processed substrate W2 and places the substrate W on the substrate placement unit 6U. The indexing robot 26 takes out the processed substrate W2 from the substrate mounting unit 6U and carries in one of the carriers C held by the carrier holding unit 25.
Similarly, the next substrate W3 is carried into one of the processing units L2 of the processing units 11L to 43L provided in the first processing module layer BL and processed. The next substrate W4 is transferred to one of the processing units 11U to 43U 2 of the second processing module layer BU and processed.
In this way, processing of the product substrate W is performed in parallel on both the first process module layer BL and the second process module layer BU.
When both the first processing module layer BL and the second processing module layer BU are in the permission mode, the controller 110 creates a conveyance stroke for the conveyance operation described above, and controls the index robot 26 and the main conveyance robots 8L and 8U in accordance with the conveyance stroke.
Fig. 12B is a timing chart for explaining an example of a substrate conveying operation in a case where one of the processing modules transitions from the permission mode to the prohibition mode. In this example, a case is assumed in which the first state 141 corresponding to the first process module layer BL is maintained in the permission mode, and the second state 142 corresponding to the second process module layer BU is shifted from the permission state to the prohibition mode. Further, it is assumed that the conveyance process shown in fig. 12A is performed, and the substrate W is conveyed and processed in accordance with the conveyance process.
It is assumed that the virtual substrate DW needs to be replaced in the second process module layer BU at time t1 after the substrate W2 is taken out from the carrier C by the indexing robot 26 and before the substrate W4 is taken out from the carrier C by the indexing robot 26. Then, at time t1, the second state 142 corresponding to the second processing module layer BU transitions from the permission mode to the prohibition mode.
In this case, the controller 110 discards the existing transfer stroke (see fig. 12A) related to the substrate W not taken out from the carrier C at time t1, and changes the transfer stroke to the one shown in fig. 12B. In particular, the planned transfer stroke of the second process module layer BU, which was not discharged from the carrier C at time t1 and was transferred to the state of the second process module layer BU in the prohibition mode, is discarded.
At time t1, the substrate W2 has been carried out from the carrier C and starts to be carried. Therefore, the substrate W2 is carried in one of the processing units U1 in the second processing module layer BU in the prohibition mode in accordance with the existing carrying stroke, and is processed, and the processed substrate W2 is carried out from the processing unit U1 to the carrier C. That is, the substrate W2 is transported in the same manner as in the case of fig. 12A.
Although the substrate W3 is discharged from the carrier C after the time t1, the processing of the first processing module layer BL in the permission mode is planned, and therefore the substrate W3 is conveyed in the same manner as in the case of fig. 12A while maintaining the conveyance stroke.
On the other hand, in the existing transfer stroke (see fig. 12A), the substrate W4 is planned to be transferred to one processing unit U2 of the second processing module layer BU, but the plan is discarded. The controller 110 creates a transfer stroke of one of the processing units 11L to 43L 3 included in the first processing module layer BL for transferring the substrate W4 to the permission mode, and controls the index robot 26 and the main transfer robot 8L in accordance with the transfer stroke. Specifically, the indexing robot 26 takes out the substrate W4 from the carrier C and places the substrate W on the substrate placement portion 6L of the first process module layer BL. The substrate W4 is taken out by the main transfer robot 8L and carried into one of the processing units U3 in the first processing module layer BL. When the processing by the processing unit U3 is completed, the main transfer robot 8L takes out the processed substrate W4 and places the substrate W on the substrate placement unit 6L. The indexing robot 26 takes out the processed substrate W4 from the substrate mounting section 6L and carries in one of the carriers C held by the carrier holding section 25.
In the existing transfer stroke (see fig. 12A), the processing units of the first process module layer BL, which are also transferred to the permission mode, are processed for the substrates W after the processing units U2 of the second process module layer BU are planned.
On the other hand, the controller 110 creates a transfer stroke for planning replacement of the dummy substrate DW for the second process module layer BU in the prohibition mode, and controls the main transfer robot 8U and the index robot 26 based on the transfer stroke (see fig. 11). This allows the following replacement of the dummy substrate. When the carrier holding unit 25 holds the virtual carrier DC for collection of the virtual substrate DW after use, the main transfer robot 8U in the second process module layer BU takes out the virtual substrate DW after use, which is the replacement object, from the virtual substrate housing unit 7U, and places the virtual substrate DW on the substrate placing unit 6U. The indexing robot 26 takes out the used dummy substrate DW from the substrate mounting unit 6U and carries in the dummy carrier DC for recovery. When the carrier holding unit 25 holds the supply dummy carrier DC that accommodates the unused dummy substrates DW, the indexing robot 26 extracts one unused dummy substrate DW from the supply dummy carrier DC and places the same on the substrate placing unit 6U. The main transfer robot 8U takes out the unused dummy substrate DW and carries it into the dummy substrate accommodating section 7U. In this way, one dummy substrate DW in the dummy substrate accommodating section 7U can be replaced. When another dummy substrate DW needs to be replaced, the same operation is repeated.
In this way, the replacement of the dummy substrate DW can be performed in the second process module layer BU in the inhibit mode, while the product substrate W can be continuously processed in the first process module layer BL in the permit mode.
The description of the operation when the first process module layer BL is shifted from the permission mode to the prohibition mode can be obtained by replacing the structure of the first process module layer BL with the structure of the second process module layer BU in the above description, and therefore, the description is omitted.
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the process modules 3 adjacent to the index module 2 in the lateral direction are configured such that a plurality of process module layers BL and BU are stacked in the up-down direction Z. The processing module layers BL and BU include dummy substrate accommodating portions 7L and 7U for accommodating the dummy substrate DW. Since the dummy substrates DW can be stored in the process module layers BL and BU, when the processing units 11L to 43U need to use the dummy substrates DW, the dummy substrates DW can be transported between the dummy substrate storage sections 7L and 7U and the processing units 11L to 43U without participation of the indexing robot 26.
Therefore, since the load of conveyance by the index robot 26 can be reduced, the process using the dummy substrate DW can be performed while reducing the influence on the substrates W for the product. In particular, the load of the indexing robot 26 for transporting the substrate W between the carrier holding portion 25 and the plurality of process module layers BL and BU each having the plurality of process units 11L to 43L and 11U to 43U is often large. Therefore, by reducing the load of conveyance by the index robot 26, the conveyance efficiency of the substrates W for the product is improved, and productivity can be improved accordingly. The main transfer robots 8L and 8U of the processing module layers BL and BU share the transfer of the substrates W in the processing module layers BL and BU, and therefore the load of transfer is smaller than that of the index robot 26. Therefore, the main transfer robots 8L and 8U are responsible for transferring the dummy substrates DW inside the process module layers BL and BU from the viewpoint of productivity, and do not become a great problem.
Further, since the dummy substrate accommodating portions 7L, 7U are located in the process module layers BL, BU, the virtual substrates DW between the dummy substrate accommodating portions 7L, 7U and the process units 11L-43U can be transported without the substrate mounting portions 6L, 6U for substrate transfer between the index robot 26 and the process module layers BL, BU. Therefore, since the interference between the conveyance of the dummy substrate DW and the conveyance of the product substrate W can be reduced, the conveyance efficiency of the product substrate W is improved, and productivity can be improved accordingly.
Unlike the case of patent document 1, the carrier holding portion 25 is not occupied for a long period of time by the dummy carrier DC for accommodating the dummy substrate DW. This can suppress the standby time for loading the carrier C storing the substrates W for the product, thereby contributing to improvement of productivity.
In the present embodiment, in the process module layers BL and BU, the plurality of process units 11L to 43L and 11U to 43U are arranged on both sides of the transport paths 51L and 51U along which the main conveyers 8L and 8U transport the substrates W, and are arranged in a stacked manner in the vertical direction Z. Therefore, the arrangement of the plurality of processing units 11L to 43U in the processing module layers BL and BU can be designed so that the substrate conveyance by the main conveyance robots 8L and 8U is efficiently performed. This can contribute to improvement in productivity.
In the present embodiment, the substrate placement units 6L and 6U and the dummy substrate storage units 7L and 7U are disposed between the index robot 26 and the main transfer robots 8L and 8U. This enables efficient conveyance of the substrate W between the indexing robot 26 and the main conveyance robots 8L and 8U via the substrate placement units 6L and 6U. The dummy substrate housing portions 7L and 7U can be arranged at positions that do not interfere with the conveyance of the substrate W by the indexing robot 26 and the conveyance of the substrate W by the main conveyance robots 8L and 8U. Therefore, the dummy substrate DW can be held in the first process module layer BL and the second process module layer BU without affecting the conveyance of the product substrate W.
More specifically, in the present embodiment, the dummy substrate housing portions 7L and 7U and the substrate mounting portions 6L and 6U are arranged to be shifted from each other in a highly three-dimensional manner. This makes it possible to effectively use the space in the process module layers BL and BU and to appropriately arrange the dummy substrate storage sections 7L and 7U in the process module layers BL and BU. As a result, the virtual substrate accommodating portions 7L and 7U are arranged so as not to interfere with the conveyance of the substrates W for the product.
In the present embodiment, the dummy substrate housing portions 7L and 7U are arranged so as to overlap the substrate mounting portions 6L and 6U in a plan view. Thereby, the dummy substrate accommodating portions 7L and 7U are arranged by using the space above or below the substrate placing portions 6L and 6U. This allows the virtual substrate storage parts 7L and 7U to be arranged without interfering with the conveyance of the substrates W for the product, and the virtual substrate storage parts 7L and 7U can be arranged by effectively utilizing the space in the process module layers BL and BU. As described above, the virtual substrate housing portions 7L and 7U may be arranged so as to overlap the substrate mounting portions 6L and 6U in a plan view, and specifically, a part or all of the virtual substrates DW housed in the virtual substrate housing portions 7L and 7U may be arranged so as to overlap the substrates W held by the substrate mounting portions 6L and 6U.
More specifically, in the present embodiment, the second process module layer BU (upper process module layer) is laminated on the first process module layer BL (lower process module layer). In the first process module layer BL, the dummy substrate housing portion 7L is located below the substrate mounting portion 6L. On the other hand, in the second process module layer BU, the dummy substrate storage section 7U is located below the substrate mounting section 6U. This can reduce the difference in height between the substrate mounting portion 6L of the first process module layer BL and the substrate mounting portion 6U of the second process module layer BU. This can shorten the substrate transfer stroke in the up-down direction Z by the index robot 26, and thus can reduce the load of transfer by the index robot 26. Therefore, the conveyance efficiency of the substrates W for the product can be improved, thereby contributing to improvement of productivity.
In the present embodiment, the virtual board storage parts 7L and 7U of the processing module layers BL and BU include the same number of virtual board slots DL1 to DL12 and DU1 to DU12 as the plurality of processing units 11L to 43L and 11U to 43U included in the processing module layers BL and BU. Each of the virtual board slots DL1 to DL12 and DU1 to DU12 is configured to hold one virtual board DW. Thus, the same number of virtual boards DW as the processing units 11L to 43L, 11U to 43U can be held in advance in the respective processing module layers BL, BU. Therefore, if a need arises to carry the dummy substrate DW into any one of the processing units 11L to 43L and 11U to 43U, the main transfer robots 8L and 8U can quickly carry the dummy substrate DW into that processing unit and perform the dummy processing. Since the indexing robot 26 does not participate in the loading of the dummy substrate DW, it is possible to suppress or prevent the influence on the conveyance of the substrates W for the product.
In the present embodiment, the plurality of processing units 11L to 43L and 11U to 43U of each of the processing module layers BL and BU are associated with the plurality of virtual substrate slots DL1 to DL12 and DU1 to DU12 of the processing module layer one by one. The main transfer robots 8L and 8U transfer the virtual substrates DW between the corresponding virtual substrate slots DL1 to DL12 and DU1 to DU12 and the processing units 11L to 43L and 11U to 43U. With this configuration, the dummy substrate DW held by the dummy substrate slot can be used as a dedicated dummy substrate for the corresponding processing unit. Thus, the use history of the virtual substrate DW can be easily managed.
In the present embodiment, the controller 110 controls the main transfer robots 8L and 8U to transfer the virtual substrate DW from the virtual substrate storage sections 7L and 7U to the processing units 11L to 43L and 11U to 43U when the virtual processing conditions (unit cleaning execution conditions, pretreatment execution conditions, and maintenance execution conditions) are sufficient, and performs virtual processing in the processing units. In this way, since the dummy processing can be started by the conveyance of the dummy substrate DW in the process module layers BL and BU, the dummy processing can be started promptly while suppressing or preventing the influence on the conveyance of the substrates W for the product.
Further, according to the present embodiment, the controller 110 controls each part of the substrate processing apparatus 1, thereby performing the following steps. That is, the processing is performed in each of the processing module layers BL and BU: and a dummy substrate loading step (steps a31, a71, a 161) of loading the dummy substrate DW stored in the dummy substrate storage sections 7L, 7U in the process module layer into any one of the plurality of process units 11L-43L, 11U-43U in the process module layer by the main transfer robots 8L, 8U. Then, execution: and a dummy processing step (steps a32, a72, a 162) of performing a dummy process using the loaded dummy substrate DW in the processing unit. After the dummy processing, the main transfer robots 8L and 8U take out the dummy substrates DW from the processing units and transfer the virtual substrates to the dummy substrate storage sections 7L and 7U (steps a33, a73, and a 163). The process is performed to carry the substrate W placed on the substrate placement units 6L, 6U of the process module layers BL, BU into any one of the plurality of process units 11L-43L, 11U-43U of the process module layers BL, BU (step a 121). Then, a step of processing the carried-in substrate W in the processing unit is performed (step a 122). This makes it possible to perform processing using the virtual substrate DW in the processing units 11L to 43L and 11U to 43U of the respective processing module layers BL and BU while reducing the load of conveyance by the index robot 26. Thus, the production efficiency can be improved.
The virtual substrate loading process (virtual substrate loading process a 71) may be performed in parallel with the substrate loading process (product substrate loading process a 20) or may be performed before the substrate loading process (product substrate loading process a 20) by the indexing robot 26 to load the substrate W from the carrier C held by the carrier holding unit 25 into the substrate loading units 6L and 6U of any of the process module layers BL and BU (virtual substrate loading process a 71) under the control of the controller 110. In this way, the indexing robot 26 can carry the substrates W for the product into the process module layers BL and BU, and can carry the dummy substrates DW into the process units 11L to 43L and 11U to 43U in the process module layers BL and BU. Since the indexing robot 26 does not have to take part in the loading of the dummy substrate DW, it is not necessary to wait for the transfer of the substrate W by the indexing robot 26 or to transfer the dummy substrate DW in the process module layers BL and BU in parallel with the transfer of the substrate W by the indexing robot 26. Therefore, the load on the indexing robot 26 can be reduced, and the dummy substrate DW can be quickly transported to the processing unit in the processing module layers BL and BU.
Further, the dummy processing step (dummy processing step a 72) may be performed in parallel with the substrate loading step (product substrate loading step a 20) or may be performed before the substrate loading step (product substrate loading step a 20) in which the substrates W for products are loaded into the substrate mounting portions 6L and 6U by the indexing robot 26, under the control of the controller 110 (dummy processing step a 72). This reduces the load of conveyance by the indexing robot 26, and enables the virtual processing to be started quickly in the processing module layers BL and BU. For example, when a request for substrate processing is received from the host computer 150, the conveyance of the dummy substrate DW and the subsequent dummy processing can be started at an appropriate timing in response thereto. Thus, the environments in the processing units 11L to 43L and 11U to 43U can be adjusted at appropriate timing, and thus, when the carrier C storing the substrates W for the product is carried into the carrier holding section 25, the processing of the substrates W can be started promptly. This contributes to improvement in productivity.
In the present embodiment, the prohibition mode and the permission mode can be set individually for the first processing module layer BL and the second processing module layer BU, and these modes are stored in the memory 112 as the first state 141 corresponding to the first processing module layer BL and the second state 142 corresponding to the second processing module layer BU. Accordingly, the first processing module layer BL and the second processing module layer BU individually become the prohibition mode or the permission mode. That is, there are cases where both the first processing module layer BL and the second processing module layer BU are in the permission mode, where both the first processing module layer BL and the second processing module layer BU are in the prohibition mode, and where one of the first processing module layer BL and the second processing module layer BU is in the permission mode and the other is in the prohibition mode.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the first state 141, that is, the operation state of the first process module layer BL is shifted from the permission mode to the prohibition mode, the conveyance stroke of the substrate W for which the process at the first process module layer BL is planned is changed. Specifically, the transfer stroke of the substrate W planned so as to be transferred to the process units 11L to 43L of the first process module layer BL by the main transfer robot 8L is discarded, and the transfer stroke of the process units 11U to 43U for transferring the substrate W into the second process module layer BU and transferring the substrate W to the second process module layer BU by the main transfer robot 8U is newly manufactured. As a result, the substrate W can be processed in the second process module layer BL. When the second state 142, that is, the operation state of the second process module layer BU is shifted from the permission mode to the prohibition mode, the conveyance stroke of the substrate W for which the process at the second process module layer BU is planned is similarly changed. Specifically, the transfer stroke of the substrate W planned so as to be transferred to the process units 11U to 43U of the second process module layer BU by the main transfer robot 8U is discarded, and the transfer stroke of the process units 11L to 43L for transferring the substrate W into the first process module layer BL and transferring the substrate W to the first process module layer BL by the main transfer robot 8L is newly manufactured. As a result, the substrate W can be processed in the first process module layer BL.
In this way, even if one of the first process module layer BL and the second process module layer BU is shifted from the permission mode to the prohibition mode, the conveyance and processing of the product substrate W can be continued in the process module layer of the other permission mode. In this way, the downtime of the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be reduced, and thus productivity can be improved.
Fig. 13 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and shows a configuration in a vertical cross-section corresponding to the vertical cross-section of fig. 2. When compared with the first embodiment described above, the intermediate partition wall 16 dividing the first process module layer BL and the second process module layer BU is removed in the present embodiment. The support posts 83 guiding the up-and-down operations of the main transfer robots 8L and 8U extend up and down over the first process module layer BL and the second process module layer BU. Thus, the main transfer robots 8L and 8U are configured to be capable of moving up and down with a larger stroke than in the case of the first embodiment. Of course, the controller 110 controls the operations of the main transfer robots 8L and 8U so that they do not interfere with each other.
In the present embodiment, the two substrate placement units 6U and 6L in the first embodiment are replaced with one substrate placement unit 6. The substrate mounting portion 6 is shared by the first process module layer BL and the second process module layer BU. That is, the main transfer robot 8L of the first process module layer BL can access the substrate placement unit 6 and transfer the product substrate W between the substrate placement unit 6 and the process units 11L to 43L of the first process module layer BL. The main transfer robot 8L transfers the dummy substrate DW between the substrate placement unit 6, the processing units 11L to 43L, and the dummy substrate storage unit 7L. Similarly, the main transfer robot 8U of the second process module layer BU can access the substrate placement unit 6 and transfer the product substrates W between the substrate placement unit 6 and the process units 11U to 43U of the second process module layer BU. The main transfer robot 8U transfers the dummy substrate DW between the substrate placement unit 6, the processing units 11U to 43U, and the dummy substrate storage unit 7U.
The substrate mounting portion 6 includes an unprocessed substrate mounting portion 61 and a processed substrate mounting portion 62. However, since the substrate mounting portion 6 is shared by the first process module layer BL and the second process module layer BU, it is preferable that the unprocessed substrate mounting portion 61 and the processed substrate mounting portion 62 each have substrate holders 65 and 66, and that the substrate holders 65 and 66 have more slots than in the case of the first embodiment. The slots of at least one (i.e., a part or all) of the substrate holders 65, 66 preferably provided in the substrate mounting portion 6 are arranged so as to be accessible to both of the main transfer robots 8L, 8U. More specifically, at least one (i.e., a part or all) of the slots of the substrate holder 65 (see fig. 5) that is preferably the unprocessed substrate placement portion 61 is arranged so as to be accessible to both of the main transfer robots 8L, 8U. Similarly, at least one (i.e., a part or all) of the slots of the substrate holders 66 (see fig. 5) that are preferably the processed substrate mounting portion 62 are arranged so as to be accessible to both of the main transfer robots 8L, 8U.
The substrate placement unit 6 is preferably configured to be accessible to the indexing robot 26. More specifically, the index robot 26 is preferably configured to be able to access all the slots of the substrate holders 65 and 66 of the substrate mounting unit 6, and to be able to carry the product substrate W or the dummy substrate DW into or out of these slots.
Fig. 14 is a longitudinal sectional view for explaining the structure of a substrate processing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and shows a structure in a longitudinal section corresponding to the longitudinal section of fig. 2. In the first embodiment, windows 4L and 4U corresponding to the substrate placement portions 6L and 6U are formed in the rear partition wall 2a and the front partition wall 3a adjacent to the index module 2 and the process module 3, and windows corresponding to the dummy substrate storage portions 7L and 7U are not formed. In contrast, in the present embodiment, windows 5L, 5U corresponding to the dummy substrate storage portions 7L, 7U are added to the rear partition wall 2a and the front partition wall 3 a.
By providing such additional windows 5L and 5U, the indexing robot 26 can directly access the dummy substrate accommodating portions 7L and 7U and carry in the dummy substrate DW when introducing the dummy substrate DW into the process module layers BL and BU. When the used dummy substrates DW are carried out from the process module layers BL and BU, the index robot 26 can directly access the dummy substrate storage sections 7L and 7U and carry out the dummy substrates DW. In carrying in/out such a dummy substrate DW, the main transfer robots 8L and 8U do not need to participate. Therefore, the load of the main transfer robots 8L and 8U can be reduced, and productivity can be improved.
When the first process module layer BL is in the prohibition mode, the controller 110 creates a transfer stroke for transferring the dummy substrate DW between the dummy carrier DC held by the carrier holding portion 25 and the first dummy substrate accommodating portion 7L by the index robot 26, and controls the index robot 26 in accordance with the transfer stroke. Similarly, when the second process module layer BU is in the prohibition mode, the controller 110 creates a conveyance stroke for conveying the dummy substrate DW between the dummy carrier DC held by the carrier holding unit 25 and the second dummy substrate storage unit 7U by the index robot 26, and controls the index robot 26 according to the conveyance stroke.
Fig. 15 is a schematic plan view showing an internal structure of a substrate processing apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the first embodiment, the plurality of processing units 11L to 43U are divided into a first processing unit group provided at the first processing module layer BL of the lower layer and a second processing unit group provided at the second processing module layer BU of the upper layer, and a horizontal intermediate partition wall 16 is provided between the first processing unit group and the second processing unit group. In contrast, in the present embodiment, the intermediate partition wall 16 for vertically dividing the space in the process module 3 is not provided, and instead, the central partition wall 18 for horizontally dividing the space in the process module 3 is provided.
The center partition 18 divides the space in the process module 3 from left to right in a plan view seen from the carrier holding portion 25 side in the first horizontal direction X. The center partition 18 is a flat plate-shaped partition extending in the first horizontal direction X and the up-down direction Z near the center of the second horizontal direction Y (left-right direction) of the process module 3. The central partition 18 is formed: a first processing module B1 disposed on one side of the center bulkhead 18; and a second process module portion B2 disposed on the other side of the center bulkhead 18. That is, the first processing module B1 and the second processing module B2 are disposed laterally to each other. The plurality of processing units 11L to 43U included in the processing module 3 are divided into: a first processing unit group G1 included in the first processing module unit B1; and a second processing unit group G2 included in the second processing module section B2. Since the configuration of the plurality of processing units 11L to 43U is similar to that of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals as those of fig. 1 are attached to the plurality of processing units 11L to 43U in fig. 15. The first processing unit group G1 is constituted by a plurality of processing units 11L, 12L, 13L, 11U, 12U, 13U, 21L, 22L, 23L, 21U, 22U, 23U forming the first tower T1 and the second tower T2. The second processing unit group G2 is constituted by a plurality of processing units 31L, 32L, 33L, 31U, 32U, 33U, 41L, 42L, 43L, 41U, 42U, 43U constituting the third tower T3 and the fourth tower T4.
The first main transfer robot 8A is provided on one side of the center bulkhead 18 in correspondence with the first processing unit group G1. The first main transfer robot 8A operates in a first transfer space 53A partitioned between the center bulkhead 18 and the first processing unit group G1, and thereby the product substrate W and the dummy substrate DW are transferred through the first transfer space 53A. Similarly, a second main transfer robot 8B is provided on the other side of the center bulkhead 18 in correspondence with the second processing unit group G2. The second main transfer robot 8B operates in a second transfer space 53B partitioned between the center partition 18 and the second processing unit group G2, and thereby the product substrate W and the dummy substrate DW are transferred through the second transfer space 53B. Since the configuration of the first main transfer robot 8A and the second main transfer robot 8B is substantially the same as that of the second embodiment shown in fig. 13, the same reference numerals are given to the corresponding components, and the description thereof is omitted. However, in the present embodiment, the stay 83 that guides the movement in the up-down direction is fixed to the center bulkhead 18.
In the first conveyance space 53A, a first substrate placement portion 6A is provided at an end portion adjacent to the index module 2, corresponding to the first processing unit group G1. The first dummy substrate accommodating portion 7A is disposed above and/or below the first substrate placing portion 6A so as to partially or entirely overlap the first substrate placing portion 6A in a plan view. Similarly, a second substrate placement portion 6B is provided at an end portion adjacent to the index module 2 in the second conveyance space 53B, corresponding to the second processing unit group G2. The second dummy substrate accommodating portion 7B is disposed above and/or below the second substrate placing portion 6B so as to partially or entirely overlap the second substrate placing portion 6B in a plan view.
The first main transfer robot 8A can access the plurality of processing units constituting the first processing unit group G1, the first substrate placement unit 6A, and the first dummy substrate storage unit 7A. Thereby, the first main transfer robot 8A transfers the product substrates W between the plurality of processing units constituting the first processing unit group G1 and the first substrate mounting portion 6A. The first main transfer robot 8A transfers the dummy substrate DW among the plurality of processing units constituting the first processing unit group G1, the first substrate placement unit 6A, and the first dummy substrate storage unit 7A. In the present embodiment, the first main transfer robot 8A cannot access any one of the second processing unit group G2, the second substrate placement unit 6B, and the second dummy substrate storage unit 7B.
Similarly, the second main transfer robot 8B can access the plurality of processing units constituting the second processing unit group G2, the second substrate placement unit 6B, and the second dummy substrate storage unit 7B. Thereby, the second main transfer robot 8B transfers the product substrates W between the plurality of processing units constituting the second processing unit group G2 and the second substrate mounting portion 6B. The second main transfer robot 8B transfers the dummy substrate DW among the plurality of processing units constituting the second processing unit group G2, the second substrate placement unit 6B, and the second dummy substrate storage unit 7B. In the present embodiment, the second main transfer robot 8B cannot access any one of the first processing unit group G1, the first substrate placement unit 6A, and the first dummy substrate storage unit 7A.
The indexing robot 26 can access the carrier C, the dummy carrier DC, the first substrate placement unit 6A, and the second substrate placement unit 6B held by the carrier holding unit 25, and can convey the product substrate W and the dummy substrate DW between the carrier C, the dummy carrier DC, the first substrate placement unit 6A, and the second substrate placement unit 6B. In the present embodiment, the index robot 26 cannot access any one of the first dummy substrate housing section 7A and the second dummy substrate housing section 7B. Of course, the indexing robot 26 cannot access the first processing unit group G1 and the second processing unit group G2 either.
In the substrate processing apparatus 1 having this configuration, as in the case of the first embodiment, the first state 141 and the second state 142 can be set for the first processing module B1 and the second processing module B2. When the state of one of the process module units is shifted from the permission mode to the prohibition mode, the transfer stroke related to the planned substrate W transferred to the process module unit in the prohibition mode is discarded, and the transfer stroke for transferring the substrate W to the other process module unit in the permission mode is newly created. This allows the processing module unit in the permission mode to be used flexibly to continue the processing of the substrate W.
The fourth embodiment may be modified as in the second embodiment (see fig. 13) described above, so that a substrate placement unit that can be accessed in common by the index robot 26, the first main transfer robot 8A, and the second main transfer robot 8B may be provided instead of the first substrate placement unit 6A and the second substrate placement unit 6B. For example, a notch may be provided at an end portion of the center partition 18 on the index module 2 side, and a substrate mounting portion shared by the first processing unit group G1 and the second processing unit group G2 may be disposed.
The fourth embodiment may be modified in accordance with the third embodiment described above (see fig. 14) so that the index robot 26 can access the first virtual substrate storage unit 7A and the second virtual substrate storage unit 7B. As a result, the virtual substrate DW can be carried in and out of the first virtual substrate housing section 7A and the second virtual substrate housing section 7B by the index robot 26 so that the first main transfer robot 8A and the second main transfer robot 8B do not participate.
Although the four embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention may be further implemented in other forms. For example, although the processing module 3 configured by stacking two processing module layers BL and BU is described in the first embodiment and the like, a processing module may be configured by stacking three or more processing module layers. In the first embodiment and the like, the example of the processing unit arrangement having three layers of the respective processing module layers BL and BU has been described, but the processing units included in the respective processing module layers may be two-layer, four or more layers, or all of the processing units may be one-layer. In the first embodiment and the like, the processing units 11L to 43U are disposed on both sides of the conveyance paths 51L and 51U, but the processing units may be disposed on one side of the conveyance paths 51L and 51U. In the first embodiment and the like, two processing units are arranged along the conveyance paths 51L and 51U on one side of the conveyance paths 51L and 51U, but one processing unit may be arranged, or three or more processing units may be arranged.
In the first embodiment and the like, the virtual substrate storage parts 7L and 7U of the respective process module layers BL and BU are provided with the same number of virtual substrate slots DL1 to DL12 and DU1 to DU12 as the process units 11L to 43L and 11U to 43U, and they are in one-to-one correspondence with the process units 11L to 43L and 11U to 43U. However, the number of virtual substrate slots in each of the processing module layers BL and BU may be set smaller than the number of processing units, and one virtual substrate slot may be associated with a plurality of processing units.
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the state of the corresponding process unit group is set to the prohibition mode under the condition that the virtual board DW stored in the virtual board storage sections 7L and 7U is in the state requiring replacement has been described, but the state of the process unit group may be shifted to the prohibition mode based on other predetermined conditions.
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, these embodiments are merely specific examples for the purpose of clarifying the technical content of the present invention, and the present invention should not be construed as being limited to these specific examples, but only by the appended claims.
Description of the reference numerals
C carrier
DC virtual carrier
W substrate (product substrate)
DW virtual substrate
1. Substrate processing apparatus
2. Indexing module
25. Carrier holding part
26. Indexing robot
3. Processing module
BL first processing module layer
11L-13L processing unit
21L-23L processing unit
31L-33L processing unit
41L-43L processing unit
6L substrate mounting part
7L virtual substrate accommodating part
DL1-DL12 virtual substrate slot
8L main transfer robot
51L conveying path
52L conveying space
BU second processing module layer
11U-13U processing unit
21U-23U processing unit
31U-33U processing unit
41U-43U processing unit
6U substrate mounting part
7U virtual substrate accommodating part
DU1-DU12 virtual substrate slot
8U main transfer robot
51U conveying path
52U carrying space
B1 First processing module part
B2 Second processing module part
G1 A first processing unit group
G2 A second processing unit group
8A first main transfer robot
8B second main transfer robot
6. Substrate mounting part
6A first substrate mounting portion
6B second substrate mounting portion
7A first dummy substrate accommodating section
7B second dummy substrate accommodating portion
110. Controller for controlling a power supply
141. First state
142. Second state
150. Host computer
300. Carrier handling mechanism.

Claims (10)

1. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:
A carrier holding unit that holds a carrier that accommodates the substrate or the dummy substrate;
a first processing unit group having a plurality of first processing units that process a substrate and perform a process using a virtual substrate;
a second processing unit group having a plurality of second processing units that process the substrate and perform processing using the virtual substrate;
a first dummy substrate housing section for housing a dummy substrate;
a second dummy substrate housing section for housing a dummy substrate;
a substrate mounting portion on which a substrate is mounted;
a first transfer unit configured to be able to access the plurality of first processing units, the substrate mounting portion, and the first dummy substrate housing portion, transfer a substrate between the plurality of first processing units and the substrate mounting portion, and transfer a dummy substrate between the plurality of first processing units and the first dummy substrate housing portion;
a second transfer unit configured to be able to access the plurality of second processing units, the substrate mounting portion, and the second dummy substrate housing portion, transfer a substrate between the plurality of second processing units and the substrate mounting portion, and transfer a dummy substrate between the plurality of second processing units and the second dummy substrate housing portion;
A third carrying unit capable of accessing the carrier held by the carrier holding portion and the substrate mounting portion and carrying the substrate between the carrier held by the carrier holding portion and the substrate mounting portion;
a storage unit that stores data including a first state indicating a state of the first processing unit group and a second state indicating a state of the second processing unit group;
a stroke creation unit that creates a conveyance stroke of the substrate or the dummy substrate by the first conveyance unit, the second conveyance unit, and the third conveyance unit; and
a conveyance control unit that controls conveyance of the substrate or the dummy substrate by the first conveyance unit, the second conveyance unit, and the third conveyance unit in accordance with the conveyance stroke produced by the stroke production unit;
the first state includes: a prohibition mode in which any one of processing for a substrate and processing using a virtual substrate cannot be performed in the first processing units included in the first processing unit group; an permission mode capable of performing a process for a substrate and a process using a dummy substrate in the first processing units included in the first processing unit group,
The second state includes: a prohibition mode in which either one of processing for a substrate and processing using a virtual substrate cannot be performed in the second processing unit included in the second processing unit group; an permission mode capable of performing a process for a substrate and a process using a dummy substrate in the second processing units included in the second processing unit group,
when the first state is changed from the permission mode to the prohibition mode, the stroke making section discards a conveyance stroke of the substrate planned in such a manner as to be conveyed by the first conveyance unit to any one of the first processing units in the first processing unit group, and makes a conveyance stroke planned in such a manner as to be conveyed by the second conveyance unit to any one of the second processing units in the second processing unit group,
when the second state is changed from the permission mode to the prohibition mode, the stroke creation unit discards the conveyance stroke of the substrate planned so as to be conveyed to any one of the second processing units in the second processing unit group, and creates a conveyance stroke planned so as to be conveyed to any one of the first processing units in the first processing unit group by the first conveyance unit.
2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,
the storage unit stores usage history information of the dummy substrate stored in the first dummy substrate storage unit and usage history information of the dummy substrate stored in the second dummy substrate storage unit,
the substrate processing apparatus further includes: and a state setting unit that determines whether or not replacement of the virtual board accommodated in the first virtual board accommodating unit and the second virtual board accommodating unit is required based on the use history information stored in the storage unit, sets the first state to a prohibition mode when it is determined that replacement of the virtual board accommodated in the first virtual board accommodating unit is required, and sets the second state to the prohibition mode when it is determined that replacement of the virtual board accommodated in the second virtual board accommodating unit is required.
3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,
the stroke creating unit creates a transfer stroke for transferring a dummy substrate between the carrier held by the carrier holding unit and the first dummy substrate accommodating unit by the first transfer unit and the third transfer unit when the first process unit group is in the prohibition mode, and transferring a dummy substrate between the carrier held by the carrier holding unit and the second dummy substrate accommodating unit by the second transfer unit and the third transfer unit when the second process unit group is in the prohibition mode.
4. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claim 1 to 3, wherein,
the substrate mounting portion includes: a first substrate placement unit accessible by the first transport unit and the third transport unit; a second substrate mounting section accessible by the second carrying unit and the third carrying unit,
the first transfer unit transfers a substrate between the plurality of first processing units and the first substrate mounting portion, and transfers a dummy substrate between the plurality of first processing units, the first substrate mounting portion, and the first dummy substrate housing portion,
the second transporting unit transports a substrate between the plurality of second processing units and the second substrate mounting portion, and transports a dummy substrate between the plurality of second processing units, the second substrate mounting portion, and the second dummy substrate housing portion,
the third carrying unit carries the substrate and the dummy substrate between the carrier held by the carrier holding portion and the first substrate mounting portion, and carries the substrate and the dummy substrate between the carrier held by the carrier holding portion and the second substrate mounting portion.
5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,
the third carrying unit is configured to be able to access the first virtual substrate accommodating section and the second virtual substrate accommodating section,
the stroke creating unit creates a transfer stroke for transferring the dummy substrate between the carrier held by the carrier holding unit and the first dummy substrate accommodating unit by the third transfer unit when the first process unit group is in the prohibition mode, and transferring the dummy substrate between the carrier held by the carrier holding unit and the second dummy substrate accommodating unit by the third transfer unit when the second process unit group is in the prohibition mode.
6. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein,
the substrate processing apparatus includes: a first processing module layer; and a second process module layer located above the first process module layer,
the first processing module layer is provided with the first processing unit group,
the second processing unit group is configured on the second processing module layer.
7. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein,
The substrate processing apparatus includes: a first processing module section; and a second processing module section located laterally of the first processing module section,
the first processing module unit is provided with the first processing unit group,
the second processing module unit is provided with the second processing unit group.
8. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein,
the first dummy substrate housing portion and the second dummy substrate housing portion overlap the substrate mounting portion in a plan view.
9. A substrate processing method, comprising:
a step of conveying the substrate between the plurality of first processing units belonging to the first processing unit group and the substrate mounting section by the first conveying unit in accordance with the conveying stroke;
a step of processing the substrate transported by the first transport unit in the first processing unit;
a step of conveying the dummy substrate between the plurality of first process units and the first dummy substrate storage unit by the first conveying unit according to the conveying stroke;
a step of performing, in the first processing unit, a virtual process using the virtual substrate carried by the first carrying unit;
A step of conveying the substrate between the plurality of second processing units belonging to the second processing unit group and the substrate mounting section by the second conveying unit in accordance with the conveying stroke;
a step of processing the substrate transported by the second transport unit in the second processing unit;
a step of conveying the dummy substrate between the plurality of second process units and the second dummy substrate storage unit by the second conveying unit in accordance with the conveying stroke;
a step of executing, in the second processing unit, a virtual process using the virtual substrate carried by the second carrying unit;
a step of conveying the substrate between the carrier held by the carrier holding portion and the substrate mounting portion by a third conveying means in accordance with the conveying stroke;
a step of setting a first state for the first processing unit group, the first state including: a prohibition mode in which any one of processing for a substrate and processing using a virtual substrate cannot be performed in the first processing units included in the first processing unit group; an permission mode capable of performing processing for a substrate and processing using a virtual substrate in the first processing units included in the first processing unit group;
A step of setting a second state for the second processing unit group, the second state including: a prohibition mode in which either one of processing for a substrate and processing using a virtual substrate cannot be performed in the second processing unit included in the second processing unit group; an permission mode capable of performing processing for a substrate and processing using a virtual substrate in the second processing units included in the second processing unit group;
discarding a conveyance stroke of a substrate which is planned so as to be conveyed by the first conveyance unit to any one of the first processing units in the first processing unit group, and creating the conveyance stroke so as to be conveyed by the second conveyance unit to any one of the second processing units in the second processing unit group, when the first state is changed from the permission mode to the prohibition mode; and
and a step of discarding a conveyance stroke of a substrate planned to be conveyed by the second conveyance unit to any one of the second processing units in the second processing unit group and creating the conveyance stroke so that the substrate is conveyed by the first conveyance unit to any one of the first processing units in the first processing unit group when the second state is changed from the permission mode to the prohibition mode.
10. The method for processing a substrate according to claim 9, wherein,
the step of setting the first state judges whether the virtual substrate stored in the first virtual substrate storing section needs to be replaced based on the use history information of the virtual substrate stored in the first virtual substrate storing section, and sets the first state to a prohibition mode when the virtual substrate stored in the first virtual substrate storing section is judged to need to be replaced,
the step of setting the second state determines whether replacement of the virtual substrate accommodated in the second virtual substrate accommodation portion is required based on the use history information of the virtual substrate accommodated in the second virtual substrate accommodation portion, and sets the second state to a prohibition mode when it is determined that replacement of the virtual substrate accommodated in the second virtual substrate accommodation portion is required.
CN202280024044.0A 2021-03-23 2022-02-17 Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method Pending CN117083703A (en)

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