JP2000082677A - Substrate processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a substrate processing system in which power utilization efficiency is enhanced without lowering throughput significantly and consumption of compressed air is reduced while enhancing maintainability. SOLUTION: The substrate processing system 1 comprises a chamber 40 for subjecting a substrate to heat treatment, a system 30 for supplying compressed cooling air at high flow rate into the chamber 40, a system 20 for supplying compressed cooling air at low flow rate into the chamber 40, and a control section 10 for switching the compressed air supply to the chamber 40 between high and low flow rates depending on the processing process of the substrate. The main control section 11 instructs a valve control section 12, and the like, depending on the progress of substrate W processing process. Based on an instruction from the main control section 11, the valve control section 12 controls opening/closing of on/off valves 22, 32 thus controlling the flow rate of compressed air supply into the chamber 40.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to a semiconductor wafer,
The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus that performs processing involving heating on a precision substrate (hereinafter, simply referred to as a “substrate”) such as a glass substrate for a photomask, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display, and a substrate for an optical disk.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a manufacturing process of a substrate, various heat treatments are performed on the substrate. As an apparatus for performing such a heat treatment, for example, RTP (Rapi
d Thermal Process) There is a substrate processing device called a device.

In this substrate processing apparatus, a substrate is hermetically housed in a processing chamber in a chamber, and the substrate is irradiated with light by a lamp such as a tungsten halogen lamp while flowing a high-purity process gas into the processing chamber. The chamber is formed of a quartz window, stainless steel, or the like, and the lamp is configured to heat a substrate in the processing chamber through the quartz window.

Since the wavelength of the light emitted from the lamp is about ten and several μm from the visible region, most of the light components of the wavelength pass through the quartz window to heat the substrate, but the wavelength is 4 μm.
The light component exceeding m is absorbed by the quartz window. As a result,
The lamp will also increase the temperature of the quartz window. In general, since the heat-resistant temperature of quartz is about 1200 ° C., the quartz window does not exceed the heat-resistant temperature in a normal heat treatment in the substrate processing apparatus.

However, when the temperature of the quartz window rises, the substrate is heated by radiant heat emitted from the quartz window during cooling of the substrate, so that there is a problem that the time required for cooling the substrate becomes longer and the throughput decreases. .

For this reason, in the conventional substrate processing apparatus, the temperature of the quartz window is lowered by always supplying a large amount of compressed air for cooling to the quartz window, and the substrate is heated by radiation heat from the quartz window. Of the cooling efficiency was suppressed.

[0007]

However, in the conventional substrate processing apparatus, since compressed air is always supplied to the quartz window at a large flow rate, heat is taken from the quartz window even when the substrate is heated. That is, a large amount of electric power is required when heating the substrate.

Further, even when the substrate processing apparatus is in a standby state in which the substrate processing is not actually performed, the reproducibility of the substrate processing performed thereafter is maintained by keeping the atmosphere in the processing chamber at a predetermined temperature. However, since the heat is taken from the quartz window even during the heat retention, a relatively large electric power must be applied to keep the atmosphere in the processing chamber at a constant temperature.

For this reason, the conventional substrate processing apparatus has a problem in that the power use efficiency is low.

Further, a large amount of compressed air must always be sent to the substrate processing apparatus even in a compressed air generation apparatus such as a compressor provided outside the substrate processing apparatus. There is a problem that power consumption is large.

Further, in a conventional substrate processing apparatus, only a manual valve is provided in a supply pipe for supplying compressed air, and maintenance is low because an operator must close the manual valve during maintenance of the apparatus. there were.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has as its first object to improve the power use efficiency without greatly reducing the throughput in a substrate processing apparatus. A second object is to reduce the consumption of the device, and a third object is to improve the maintainability of the apparatus.

[0013]

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus for performing a heat treatment on a substrate, comprising: A large flow rate supply means for supplying compressed air for cooling the member at a large flow rate to the predetermined member, and (b) a small flow rate supply means for supplying the compressed air at a small flow rate to the predetermined member, (c) controlling at least the large flow rate supply means of the large flow rate supply means and the small flow rate supply means in accordance with the process of the heat treatment on the substrate, thereby controlling the flow rate of the compressed air supplied to the predetermined member. And control means for controlling the

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the first aspect, the large flow rate supply means is provided with a large flow rate valve for supplying / stopping the compressed air at a large flow rate. A low flow rate supply pipe provided with a small flow rate valve for supplying / stopping the compressed air at a low flow rate, and the control means includes a large flow rate pipe. Opening / closing control is performed on the flow rate valve and the small flow rate valve.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the control means is configured to perform at least cooling of the substrate during the heat treatment of the substrate. The compressed air is supplied to the predetermined member at a large flow rate.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the control means holds the substrate at a constant temperature during the heat treatment of the substrate. When the heating process and the cooling process for cooling the substrate are performed, the supply of the compressed air to the predetermined member is controlled to be performed at a large flow rate.

[0017]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a chamber 40 for performing a heat treatment on the substrate.
A large flow supply system 30 for supplying compressed air for cooling at a large flow rate into the chamber 40, a small flow supply system 20 for supplying compressed air for cooling at a small flow rate within the chamber 40, Chamber 4 depending on the process of processing the substrate.
A control unit 10 is provided for switching the compressed air supplied to 0 to a large flow rate and a small flow rate.

The chamber 40 is provided with a container body 41, a container lid 42, a quartz window 43, and a plurality of lamps 44 such as a tungsten halogen lamp as a heat source. The processing is performed in a processing chamber 40 a formed by the window 43. Specifically, the lamp 4
Reference numeral 4 is attached to the inside of the container lid 42, and is configured to heat the substrate W by irradiating the substrate W in the processing chamber 40a with light through the quartz window 43. An opening 45 for carrying in and out the substrate W is formed in the processing chamber 40a. When processing the substrate W, the inside of the processing chamber 40a is sealed by a door 45a that closes the opening 45. A support member 46 for supporting the substrate W is provided in the processing chamber 40a.
And a transfer robot (not shown) when loading and unloading the substrate W.
And a lift pin 47 for transferring the substrate W at a predetermined height position.

Although not shown, the chamber 40 measures the temperature of the substrate W when the substrate W is present in the processing chamber 40a, or measures the temperature of the substrate W when the substrate W is not present in the processing chamber 40a. A temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the atmosphere in 40a is provided. The main control unit 11 of the control unit 10, which will be described later, can detect the temperature of the substrate W and the temperature in the processing chamber 40a using the temperature sensor.

Compressed air for cooling the quartz window 43 is generated outside the substrate processing apparatus 1 and supplied to a supply pipe 15a of the substrate processing apparatus 1 by a compressor (not shown) or the like. A flow meter 16 is provided in the supply pipe 15a.
The flow rate of the compressed air supplied to the device can be known.
Then, on the downstream side of the flow meter 16, the supply pipe 15a is branched into two small flow supply systems 20 and a large flow supply system 30. Then, the small flow supply system 20 and the large flow supply system 30 join one supply pipe 15d further downstream thereof, and the supply pipe 15d is connected to an upper portion of the container lid 42.

The small flow supply system 20 has a flow control valve 2
1, a small flow pipe 15b and an opening / closing valve 22 are provided, and the flow regulating valve 21 has a predetermined flow rate (for example,
20 liter / min). The open / close valve 22 is configured to be opened / closed by a valve control unit 12 of the control unit 10 as described later.

The large flow supply system 30 has a flow control valve 3
1, a large flow pipe 15c and an opening / closing valve 32 are provided, and the flow regulating valve 31 has a predetermined flow rate (for example,
(300 l / min). The open / close valve 32 is also configured to be opened and closed by the valve control unit 12 of the control unit 10 as described later.

A plurality of compressed air outlets are provided inside the container lid 42, and compressed air is supplied to the quartz window 43 from the plurality of outlets. The compressed air supplied to the quartz window 43 is
The gas is exhausted to the outside of the substrate processing apparatus 1 from an exhaust port 48 formed on the outer peripheral portion of the container lid 42.

The control unit 10 includes a main control unit 11, a bulb control unit 12, and a lamp control unit 13.

The main control section 11 is a control section for performing overall control of the processing of the substrate W. The main control section 11 controls the valve control section 12 to open / close valves 22, 32 in accordance with the processing process of the substrate W.
Or an instruction to set the irradiation intensity of the lamp 44 to the lamp control unit 13. Further, the main control unit 11 performs the lifting / lowering operation of the lift pin 47 and the door 45a.
, And sends a signal indicating that the substrate W can be loaded and unloaded to a transfer robot (not shown).

On the basis of the opening / closing command of the opening / closing valves 22 and 32 obtained from the main control section 11, the valve control section 12 controls the opening / closing valve 22 for small flow rate and the opening / closing valve 32 for large flow rate.
Are individually controlled to open and close. Further, the lamp control unit 13 performs power control of the power to be supplied to the plurality of lamps 44 serving as heat sources based on the irradiation intensity setting command obtained from the main control unit 11.

The substrate processing apparatus 1 is configured as described above. When supplying compressed air to the quartz window 43 in the chamber 40 to cool the quartz window 43, a large flow rate and a small flow rate are supplied. The supply can be automatically switched according to the progress of the substrate processing. Also,
When there is no need to supply compressed air into the chamber 40, such as during maintenance of the substrate processing apparatus 1, the supply of compressed air can be automatically stopped by closing the two on-off valves 22 and 23. it can.

Next, in the substrate processing apparatus 1, the substrate W
An example of a processing process for performing a heat treatment on the substrate will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a heat treatment process for the substrate, and illustrates a relationship between the temperature of the substrate W and the processing time.

The substrate W is heated and heated from time TM1 to time TM2, and the substrate W reaches the holding temperature TP3. The time required for this temperature rise is referred to as a temperature rise heating time a. Then, the temperature of the substrate W is held at the holding temperature TP3 from time TM2 to time TM3. The time required for the holding and heating is referred to as a holding and heating time b. Then, the substrate W is at time T
The substrate W is cooled from M3 to time TM4, and the substrate W drops to a predetermined temperature TP2. Substrate W at temperature T
The time required for lowering to P2 is defined as a cooling time c. Then, the substrate in the chamber 40 is exchanged from the time TM4 to the time TM5, and the next substrate W to be processed is set in the processing chamber 40a. The time required at this time is referred to as a substrate exchange time d. Then, from time TM5, heating and heating of the next substrate W to be processed is started.

The processing time required for one substrate is the sum of the heating time a, the heating time b, the cooling time c, and the substrate replacement time d.

Next, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1 when performing the heat treatment process shown in FIG. 2 will be described.

Before the time TM1, the inside of the chamber 40 is kept warm. And the time TM1
By this time, the substrate W to be processed is transferred into the processing chamber 40a. Then, the substrate W is placed on the support member 46 and
When the sealing in the area a is completed, the heating of the substrate W is started at time TM1. The temperature T of the substrate W at this time
P1 is called a heating start temperature. In addition, the start of heating
The main controller 11 sets the irradiation intensity so that the lamp controller 13 performs heating and heating.

As a result, the temperature of the substrate W rises by absorbing the irradiation light from the lamp 44, and reaches a predetermined holding temperature TP3 at time TM2. This holding temperature TP3
Is preset as, for example, 1100 ° C. When the main control unit 11 recognizes that the substrate W has reached the holding temperature TP3 by the output of the temperature sensor at the time TM2, the lamp control unit 1 holds the temperature of the substrate W at TP3.
Then, a setting instruction for adjusting the irradiation intensity is output to 3 to start holding and heating the substrate W. The holding heating time b is set in advance, for example, to 60 seconds.

When the holding heating time b has elapsed since the start of the holding heating, at time TM3, the main controller 11 instructs the lamp controller 13 to turn off the lamp 44 in order to cool the substrate W. . Lamp 44
Is turned off, the temperature of the substrate W decreases over time.

When the temperature of the substrate W reaches the preset temperature TP2 as the substrate unloading temperature (for example, 600 ° C.), the main controller 11 sends a substrate exchange signal to the transfer robot at time TM4. I do. In addition, the lift pins 47 are lifted to raise the substrate W to a predetermined height position, and the door 45a of the processing chamber 40a is opened to enable substrate replacement. Then, preparation for the next substrate W to be processed is performed during the substrate exchange time d. Even during the substrate replacement time d, the inside of the chamber 40 is kept in a heat-retaining state, and the reproducibility of the substrate processing performed thereafter is improved.

The above is the flow of the heat treatment process for the substrate W. To reduce the cooling time c by reducing the influence of the radiant heat emitted from the quartz window 43 during the cooling of the substrate W, at least the cooling time In c, it is preferable to supply compressed air to the quartz window 43 at a large flow rate.

In order to improve the power use efficiency during the heating and heating of the substrate W, the quartz window 43 should not be excessively cooled during the heating and heating.
It is preferable that the supply of compressed air be a small flow rate.

Also, in order to improve the power use efficiency even during the heat-retaining operation such as when replacing the substrate where the substrate processing apparatus is not actually performing the substrate processing, it is necessary to cool the quartz window 43 more than necessary at the time of the heat-retaining heating. In order not to carry out, the supply of the compressed air is preferably set to a small flow rate.

For this reason, in this embodiment, in the heat treatment process shown in FIG. 2, compressed air is supplied at a large flow rate during the holding heating time b and the cooling time c, and is reduced during the other processing times (a, d). In the case where compressed air is supplied at a flow rate, and only in the cooling time c, the open / close valve 32 for a large flow rate is used.
And then supply compressed air at a large flow rate and supply compressed air at a small flow rate during the other processing times (a, b, d). Will be described.

First, a case will be described in which compressed air is supplied at a large flow rate during the holding heating time b and the cooling time c, and compressed air is supplied at a small flow rate during the other processing times (a, d). FIG. 3 shows the substrate processing apparatus 1.
It is a flowchart which shows the processing sequence at the time of supplying compressed air with a large flow at the holding | maintenance heating time b and the cooling time c, and supplying compressed air with a small flow at other processing time (a, d).

When the power is turned on to the substrate processing apparatus 1, the main control unit 11 instructs the lamp control unit 13 to start the heating and heating of the inside of the chamber 40 in step S11. 12 to open the on-off valve 22 for small flow. As a result, the chamber 40 starts heating and heating, and the quartz window 43 is started.
Compressed air is supplied in a small flow toward.

Then, in step S12, the main control section 11 sends a signal indicating that preparation for carrying in the substrate is completed to the transfer robot,
By controlling the operation of the door 45a and the lift pins 47 of a, the substrate W to be processed is carried into the processing chamber 40a and sealed.
Also at this time, the flow rate of the compressed air is a small flow rate.

Then, in step S13, the main control section 11 instructs the lamp control section 13 to heat and heat the substrate W, and the heat of the substrate W is started. Also at this time, the flow rate of the compressed air is a small flow rate.

Then, the temperature of the substrate W reaches a predetermined holding temperature T.
When the temperature rises to P3, the process proceeds to step S14, where the main control unit 11 commands the lamp control unit 13 to hold and heat the substrate W, and closes the small flow opening / closing valve 22 to the valve control unit 12 to increase the large flow rate. To open the opening / closing valve 32 for use. Thus, the holding and heating of the substrate W is started, and the supply of compressed air in a large flow toward the quartz window 43 is started.

The main control section 11 performs the counting operation of the timer, and when the holding heating time b of, for example, 60 seconds elapses from the start of the holding heating, proceeds to step S15. Then, the lamp 44 is turned off to the lamp control unit 13 to start the cooling process of the substrate W. Also in this cooling process, the flow rate of the compressed air is a large flow rate.

Then, the temperature of the substrate W reaches a predetermined temperature TP2.
When the main control unit 1 has descended to
1 transmits a signal indicating the timing of substrate exchange to the transfer robot, and starts the substrate unloading operation.

Then, in step S17, the main control unit 11 sends the lamp control unit 13
And instructs the valve controller 12 to close the large flow open / close valve 32 and open the small flow open / close valve 22. Thus, the heat retention and heating in the chamber 40 are started, and the supply of the compressed air in a small flow toward the quartz window 43 is started.

Then, proceeding to step S18, the main controller 11 determines whether or not there is a next substrate processing, and
If it is, the process returns to step S12 to perform the same process, while if NO, the process is terminated.

By performing the above processing, FIG.
Heating time b and cooling time c in the heat treatment process
In this case, compressed air can be supplied at a large flow rate, and compressed air can be supplied at a small flow rate during the other processing times (a, d). Therefore, during the cooling of the substrate W, the quartz window 43
Because compressed air for cooling is supplied at a large flow rate,
The effect of the radiant heat emitted from the quartz window 43 can be reduced, and the cooling efficiency of the substrate W can be increased.
In addition, when the substrate W is heated or heated while the substrate is being replaced, compressed air for cooling the quartz window 43 is supplied at a small flow rate. Therefore, the power use efficiency can be improved. Also, by performing the processing as shown in FIG. 3,
It goes without saying that the consumption of compressed air is reduced as compared with the case where compressed air is continuously supplied at a large flow rate.

Next, only during the cooling time c, the open / close valve 32 for the large flow rate is opened to supply the compressed air at the large flow rate, and during the other processing times (a, b, d), the compressed air is supplied at the small flow rate. The case of supply will be described. FIG. 4 shows that in the substrate processing apparatus 1, compressed air is supplied at a large flow rate only during the cooling time c, and the other processing times (a, b, d)
5 is a flowchart showing a processing sequence when compressed air is supplied at a small flow rate.

In FIG. 4, steps S21 to S23 are
Steps S11 to S1 described in the flowchart of FIG.
Same as 3.

In step S23, when the temperature of the substrate W is increased and heated to a predetermined holding temperature TP3, the main controller 11 is started in step S24.
Commands the lamp control unit 13 to hold and heat the substrate W. As a result, the temperature of the substrate W is kept at a constant holding temperature TP.
Holding heating to be held at 3 is started. In this holding and heating process, the flow rate of the compressed air is a small flow rate.

The main control section 11 performs the counting operation of the timer, and when the holding heating time b of, for example, 60 seconds elapses from the start of the holding heating, proceeds to step S25. Step S2
In 5, the main control unit 11 sends a command to turn off the lamp 44 to the lamp control unit 13, closes the small flow opening / closing valve 22 to the valve control unit 12, and sets the large flow opening / closing valve 32. Order to open.
Thereby, the cooling process of the substrate W is started, and the supply of compressed air in a large flow toward the quartz window 43 is started.

Then, the temperature of the substrate W is reduced to a predetermined temperature TP2.
When the main control unit 1 descends, the process proceeds to step S26.
1 transmits a signal indicating the timing of substrate exchange to the transfer robot, and starts the substrate unloading operation.

Then, in step S27, the main control unit 11 sends the lamp control unit 13
And instructs the valve controller 12 to close the large flow open / close valve 32 and open the small flow open / close valve 22. Thus, the heat retention and heating in the chamber 40 are started, and the supply of the compressed air in a small flow toward the quartz window 43 is started.

Then, the process proceeds to a step S28, where the main control section 11 determines whether or not there is a next substrate processing, and YES
If it is, the process returns to step S22 and the same process proceeds, while if NO, the process is terminated.

By performing the processing described above, FIG.
In the heat treatment process, compressed air is supplied at a large flow rate only during the cooling time c, and the other processing times (a, b,
In d), compressed air can be supplied at a small flow rate. Therefore, during the cooling of the substrate W, compressed air for cooling the quartz window 43 is supplied at a large flow rate.
The effect of the radiant heat emitted from the substrate W can be reduced, and the cooling efficiency of the substrate W can be increased. In addition, when the substrate W is heated or heated while the substrate is being replaced, compressed air for cooling the quartz window 43 is supplied at a small flow rate. Therefore, the power use efficiency can be improved. Also, by performing the processing shown in FIG. 4, it goes without saying that the consumption of the compressed air is reduced as compared with the case where the compressed air is continuously supplied at a large flow rate.

Here, the case where the compressed air is continuously supplied at a constant flow rate during the processing time as in the conventional case, and the case where the large flow rate and the small flow rate are set according to the progress of the substrate processing in the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment. And a case where compressed air is supplied while switching between them is compared based on experimental results.

When experimenting the heat treatment process as shown in FIG. 2, the holding temperature TP3 is 1100 ° C., the holding heating time b is 60 seconds, and the substrate unloading temperature (TP2) is 600.
Set as ° C. Then, for each supply pattern of the compressed air, the heating time a, the heating time b, and the cooling time c
And the board exchange time d were measured,

[0060]

[Table 1]

The result was as follows. In Table 1 and the following tables, a) is the case where compressed air is constantly supplied at a relatively small flow rate of 20 liters / minute. A) is a case where compressed air is constantly supplied at a relatively large flow rate of 300 liters / minute. (C) is a case where compressed air is constantly supplied at a relatively large flow rate of 500 liter / minute. D) supplies compressed air at a relatively large flow rate of 300 l / min during the holding heating time b and the cooling time c, and compares 20 l / min between the heating time a and the substrate exchange time d. This is a case where compressed air is supplied at a very small flow rate. (E) The compressed air is supplied at a relatively large flow rate of 500 liters / minute only in the cooling time c, and a comparison is made between 20 liters / minute for the heating / heating time a, the holding / heating time b, and the substrate replacement time d. This is a case where compressed air is supplied at a very small flow rate.

Comparing (a) and (d) in Table 1, the processing time when the compressed air was supplied at 300 L / min during the holding heating time b and the cooling time c was 122 seconds, and was always 300 seconds. There is no significant difference from the processing time of 120 seconds when the supply of compressed air of liter / min is performed. Therefore, if the compressed air is supplied at a large flow rate of 300 liters / minute during the holding heating time b and the cooling time c, the compressed air is supplied at a small flow rate of 20 liters / minute during the heating time a and the substrate exchange time d. Even when the substrate is supplied, the throughput of the substrate processing apparatus 1 is always 300 liters /
Compared with the case where compressed air is supplied at a large flow rate per minute.

Further, when comparing c) and e) in Table 1, the following is obtained.
The processing time when supplying compressed air at a large flow rate of 500 liters / minute only in the cooling time c is 126 seconds, and the processing time when supplying compressed air at a large flow rate of 500 liters / minute at all times. There is a difference between 113 seconds and 13 seconds. Therefore, the throughput of the substrate processing apparatus 1 when supplying compressed air at a large flow rate of 500 liters / minute only in the cooling time c is always 500 liters / minute.
This is slightly lower than the case where compressed air is supplied at a large flow rate per minute.

However, when comparing (a) and (e) in Table 1, the difference in processing time is 6 seconds, and the difference in processing time is 7 seconds smaller than when comparing (c) and (e). ing. In view of this, in order to avoid a decrease in the throughput by supplying the compressed air at a large flow rate only in the cooling time c, the flow rate at the time of supplying the large flow rate may be further increased.

In Table 1, a) and d), a) and e) are compared respectively. As shown in the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the small flow rate and the large flow rate are changed according to the progress of the substrate processing. It is evident that the switching improves the throughput as compared with the case of always supplying a small flow rate.

Next, in each of the above cases a) to e),
When measuring the amount of power consumption during the heating and the integrated power consumption consumed for processing one substrate,

[0067]

[Table 2]

The result was as follows. In addition, the electric power consumption at the time of thermal insulation heating is the electric power consumption at the time of performing thermal insulation heating for 3 minutes in each case.

In cases 2) and 3) of Table 2, compressed air is supplied at the same small flow rate of 20 liters / minute during heat insulation heating as in case 1), so that the power consumption is 0.212.
kWh. On the other hand, if compressed air is supplied at a large flow rate during warming and heating, as in (a) and (c), heat is consumed more than necessary during warming and heating, and power consumption during warming and heating is also reduced. It is getting bigger. Therefore, by switching between a small flow rate and a large flow rate according to the progress of the substrate processing as in the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the amount of power consumed at the time of heat retention and heating can be reduced as compared with the case of always supplying a large flow rate. Can be smaller.

Similarly, as for the integrated power consumption consumed for processing one substrate, similarly to the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the small flow rate and the large flow rate are determined according to the progress of the substrate processing. If it is configured to be switched, it is possible to reduce the size as compared with the case of always supplying a large flow rate.

Here, an operation state of a factory for actually manufacturing substrates is assumed. Assuming that the number of operating days per month is 29, the operating time per month is 696 hours (= 29 days × 24)
Time). In addition, the number of substrates that can be processed by one substrate processing apparatus 1 per month is 8,000,
The operating rate of the substrate processing apparatus 1 is set to 95%.

Based on this assumption, the warming / heating time during standby per month is 696 × 0.95- ｛8000 ×
(A + b + c + d)}. For each of the above cases a) to e), when the warming and heating time during standby is determined,

[0073]

[Table 3]

Is as follows.

From Tables 2 and 3, the power consumption during the heating and holding per month and the compressed air consumption during the heating and holding per month are obtained.

[0076]

[Table 4]

Is as follows.

The power consumption during the substrate processing per month in each of the cases a) to e) is shown in Table 1 in Table 1.
What is necessary is just to multiply the integrated power consumption per sheet by 8000 times. In this way, when calculating the power consumption during the substrate processing per month and the compressed air consumption during the substrate processing per month,

[0079]

[Table 5]

Is as follows.

From Tables 4 and 5, the total power consumption per month and the total compressed air consumption per month are obtained.

[0082]

[Table 6]

Is as follows. In Table 6, when comparing the processing modes d) and e) shown in this embodiment with the conventional processing modes b) and c), the total power consumption and the total compressed air consumption per month are compared. It can be seen that the amount is reduced. Also, it can be said that d) and e) are almost the same when comparing the total power consumption, but when comparing the processing times shown in Table 1, d) is about 4 seconds shorter. Therefore, from the viewpoint that the throughput in the substrate processing apparatus 1 is not reduced as much as possible, the compressed air is supplied at a large flow rate during the holding heating time b and the cooling time c, and the heating time a and the substrate replacement time are increased. In the case of d, it is more preferable to realize the supply of the compressed air at a small flow rate.

In the case of a), although the total power consumption per month and the total compressed air consumption per month are the minimum, the processing time is the longest according to Table 1, so that the throughput of the substrate processing apparatus is significantly reduced. There is a problem of doing. That is, Table 1
The following can be said from a), b) and c) in Table 6. In the case where the compressed air is always supplied at a constant flow rate, the power consumption decreases as the consumption of the compressed air decreases, but the throughput decreases. On the other hand, when the consumption of the compressed air is increased, the throughput is improved but the power consumption is increased.

Therefore, in this embodiment, by switching between the large flow rate and the small flow rate, the reduction in throughput is suppressed and the power and compressed air consumption is reduced.

As described above, in the substrate processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a large flow rate supply means for supplying a large amount of compressed air for cooling into the chamber 40 as shown in FIG. A large flow supply system 30 that functions and a small flow supply system 20 that functions as a small flow supply means for supplying compressed air for cooling at a small flow into the chamber 40.
And the configuration is such that the compressed air supplied to the chamber 40 is switched between a large flow rate and a small flow rate in accordance with the process of processing the substrate, so that the power utilization efficiency can be reduced without greatly reducing the throughput. Can be improved, and the consumption of compressed air can be reduced.

Further, at the time of maintenance of the substrate processing apparatus 1, if the operator inputs that the maintenance mode is to be performed from an operation input means (not shown), the main control unit 11 sends two open / close valves 22 to the valve control unit 12. , 23 are closed. As a result, the open / close valves 22 and 23 are closed, and the supply of the compressed air into the chamber 40 can be automatically stopped, thereby improving the maintainability of the apparatus.

In the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which, when supplying compressed air at a large flow rate, the open / close valve 22 for the large flow rate is opened while the open / close valve 22 for the small flow rate is closed. However, when supplying compressed air at a large flow rate, the open / close valve 32 for a large flow rate may be opened while the open / close valve 22 for a small flow rate is kept open. in this case,
By controlling the opening and closing of only the large flow opening / closing valve 32 in accordance with the process of the heat treatment on the substrate, the flow rate of the compressed air supplied into the chamber 40 can be controlled.

In the above embodiment, the chamber 40
Although the case where the quartz window 43 provided inside is cooled has been described, the present invention is applicable even if the cooling target is not the quartz window 43. In this case, the compressed air may be supplied to a predetermined member to be cooled in the chamber 40.

[0090]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, at least one of the large flow rate supply means and the small flow rate supply means is controlled in accordance with the heat treatment process for the substrate. Thus, since the flow rate of the compressed air supplied to the predetermined member is controlled, it is possible to improve the power use efficiency without significantly reducing the throughput, and to reduce the consumption of the compressed air. It becomes possible.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the control means controls the opening and closing of the large flow rate valve and the small flow rate valve. Therefore, the control means controls the flow rate of the compressed air in accordance with the heat treatment process for the substrate. Since the flow rate can be switched between the large flow rate and the small flow rate, and the supply of the compressed air can be automatically stopped, the maintainability of the apparatus can be improved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the control means controls the supply of the compressed air to the predetermined member at a large flow rate when at least the substrate is cooled during the heat treatment of the substrate. Therefore, the influence of the radiant heat emitted from the predetermined member during the cooling process of the substrate can be reduced, and the efficiency of the cooling process can be improved.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the control means performs the heat treatment for holding and heating the substrate at a constant temperature and the cooling treatment for cooling the substrate during the heat treatment of the substrate. Since the supply of the compressed air to the predetermined member is performed at a large flow rate, the power use efficiency can be improved without greatly reducing the throughput, and the consumption of the compressed air can be reduced. Becomes

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a heat treatment process for a substrate.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing sequence in the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a processing sequence different from that of FIG. 3 in the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate processing apparatus 10 Control part (control means) 11 Main control part 12 Valve control part 13 Lamp control part 20 Small flow supply system (Small flow supply means) 22, 32 Open / close valve 30 Large flow supply system (Large flow supply means) 40 chamber 40a processing chamber 43 quartz window 44 lamp W substrate

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Sadao Ito 322 Hashinashi Furukawa-cho, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto Dainichi Screen Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A substrate processing apparatus for performing a heat treatment on a substrate, comprising: (a) supplying a large amount of compressed air for cooling a predetermined member provided inside the apparatus to the predetermined member; Flow rate supply means, (b) a small flow rate supply means for supplying the compressed air at a small flow rate to the predetermined member, and (c) the large flow rate supply means and the small flow rate according to the process of the heat treatment on the substrate. Control means for controlling the flow rate of the compressed air supplied to the predetermined member by controlling at least the large flow rate supply means among the supply means,
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the large flow supply means includes a large flow pipe provided with a large flow valve for supplying / stopping the compressed air at a large flow. The small flow rate supply means includes a small flow rate pipe provided with a small flow rate valve for supplying / stopping the compressed air at a small flow rate, and the control means includes the large flow rate valve and the small flow rate pipe. A substrate processing apparatus for performing opening / closing control on a valve for use with a substrate. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to move the control unit toward the predetermined member when at least a cooling process is performed on the substrate in the process of the heat treatment on the substrate. A substrate processing apparatus for controlling the supply of compressed air to a large flow rate. 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means holds and heats the substrate at a constant temperature and cools the substrate during the heat treatment on the substrate. A substrate processing apparatus, wherein when the cooling process is performed, the compressed air is supplied to the predetermined member at a large flow rate.