JP2002289506A - Substrate processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate processing system in which operators are effectively stationed, and when an error occurs, it is possible to recover promptly, and moreover a statistical process can be carried out for maintenance outside the manufacturing factory at low cost and in safety by utilizing existing facilities. SOLUTION: A host computer 14 generates maintenance information on an operation condition of an aligner 11. A mail server 15 generates an e-mail containing this maintenance information to transmit it to a maintenance computer 22 or mobile terminals T1, T2 via a network N1. The maintenance computer 22 carries out a statistical process for maintenance, based on the transmitted maintenance information. Further, when instruction information on instructions from the maintenance computer 22 or the mobile terminals T1, T2 to the aligner 11 has been transmitted in the form of the e-mail, the host computer 14 transmits a control signal based on this instruction information to the aligner 11. The e-mail is encoded and transmitted/received.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus for exposing and transferring an image of a pattern formed on a mask onto a substrate such as a wafer, a glass plate, and a glass substrate (blanks). A coating and developing apparatus for performing a coating process of the photosensitive agent and a developing process of the photosensitive agent after the exposure transfer;
The present invention relates to a heat treatment apparatus for performing a heat treatment such as an annealing treatment on a substrate, and to another substrate processing apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When manufacturing semiconductor integrated circuits, liquid crystal display devices, imaging devices, thin film magnetic heads, and other microdevices, a substrate to be exposed (a semiconductor wafer or a glass plate coated with a photoresist, etc.). An exposure apparatus for projecting and exposing an image of a photomask or reticle pattern is used. In addition, a coating and developing apparatus called a coater / developer for applying a photosensitive agent such as a photoresist on a substrate or developing the photosensitive agent after exposure and transfer is often provided in the exposure apparatus.

[0003] Further, an evaluation apparatus for evaluating the uniformity of patterns formed on the substrate processed by the exposure apparatus and the degree of pattern overlap, secondary electrons and backscattered electrons generated when an electron beam is irradiated onto the substrate. Inspection devices that detect the pattern and observe and inspect the pattern formed on the substrate are often used in conjunction with the exposure device.

In a microdevice manufacturing factory, a plurality of the above-described exposure apparatuses and the like are usually provided, and the microdevices are manufactured in parallel in a line. Therefore, one operator is in charge of a plurality of exposure apparatuses and the like for maintenance of the exposure apparatuses and the like. During the exposure process, the exposure device
If the exposure process cannot be performed for some reason (for example, when the alignment mark formed on the substrate cannot be detected due to large roughness of the substrate surface), an alarm indicating that fact is sounded or an error is generated. The operator is notified of the occurrence of the error by displaying the occurrence and the type on the display device. Then, the operator performs a recovery operation on the exposure apparatus that has issued the notification to restart the exposure processing.

[0005]

However, since the exposure apparatus is continuously operated except for regular maintenance and inspection, taking into account the shift of work and the like, not one exposure apparatus but a plurality of exposure apparatuses is required. Requires an operator. Exposure processing is not interrupted frequently, but often occurs when various causes happen to overlap. Therefore, it is considered inefficient to secure a plurality of dedicated operators only for the maintenance of the exposure apparatus. However, once the exposure processing is interrupted, it is necessary to quickly recover the exposure processing so as not to reduce the number of substrates that can be processed per unit time (so-called throughput).

Here, as described above, there are various possible causes of errors in the exposure apparatus. However, in many cases, simple instructions from an operator are sufficient to recover the errors. For example, in many cases, the operator only needs to instruct the exposure apparatus whether to restart the exposure processing or not. Therefore, it is considered that, in many cases, the recovery operation can be performed remotely, instead of the operator operating the exposure apparatus to recover. Under such circumstances, it has been desired to arrange operators efficiently and to be able to quickly recover when an error occurs.

[0007] Usually, the exposure apparatus stores the past processing progress as a sequence log, and also stores errors occurring in the past as an error log. These sequence logs and error logs are stored in an external storage device such as a hard disk for a certain period of time, and are used for elucidating the cause when a serious error occurs. However, since the capacity of the external storage device included in the exposure apparatus is limited to some extent, only logs for a limited period in the past from the present time can be stored. It cannot be used for purposes such as taking statistics for performance analysis.

If the capacity of the external storage device provided in the exposure apparatus is dramatically increased, and if an apparatus for performing statistical processing using a sequence log and an error log is provided in the exposure apparatus, the exposure apparatus alone can perform the above-described statistical processing. However, since the exposure apparatus is manufactured for a plurality of users and the operation thereof differs depending on the user, it is not realistic to adopt such a configuration.

Therefore, there is a demand to collectively analyze the operation rate and performance of the exposure apparatus using a computer provided outside the manufacturing factory where the exposure apparatus is arranged. This computer is connected to the exposure apparatus via a communication line, has an external storage device that can store sequence logs and error logs of a plurality of exposure apparatuses over a long period of time, and has a program for analyzing the operation rate and performance of the exposure apparatus. Is also implemented. here,
Considering cost and convenience, it is preferable to use an existing communication line such as the Internet as the communication line.

[0010] However, when information on the exposure apparatus is transmitted via the Internet, new equipment investment such as construction of a firewall is required to maintain confidentiality. When manufacturing plants are scattered overseas, new capital investment is required for each manufacturing plant.
It is thought that there will be significant cost problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and has an advantage in that an operator can be efficiently arranged, an error can be quickly recovered when an error occurs, and the existing equipment can be restored. It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of performing statistical processing for maintenance outside of a manufacturing plant safely at a low cost by utilizing the method.

[0012]

In the following, in the examples shown in this section, for ease of understanding, each constituent element of the present invention will be described with typical reference numerals shown in the drawings of the embodiments. The configuration of the present invention or each component requirement is not limited to those restricted by these reference numerals.

In order to solve the above problem, a processing apparatus main body (11, 12) for processing a substrate (W), a generating apparatus (13, 14) for generating maintenance information relating to an operation state of the processing apparatus main body, An e-mail including the maintenance information is generated and sent to the processing apparatus main body via a network (N1, N2).
A transmission device (15) for transmitting to a maintenance device (22, T1, T2) connected via a computer, and an electronic device transmitted from the maintenance device in which instruction information relating to an instruction to be executed in the processing device main body is set. Receiving device (1
5) and a control device (13, 14) for executing a process according to the instruction information set in the received e-mail.

According to the present invention, an e-mail including maintenance information relating to the operation status of the substrate processing apparatus is generated and transmitted to the maintenance apparatus via the network, and the instruction relating to the instruction to be executed in the processing apparatus main body. Since the information is transmitted from the maintenance device to the substrate processing apparatus by e-mail, even if an operator is not resident near the substrate processing apparatus, the operator can grasp the operation status of the substrate processing, and Can give instructions. As a result, the arrangement of the operators can be made more efficient, and even if an error occurs during the processing of the substrate, for example, it is possible to quickly recover the error and minimize the reduction in manufacturing efficiency. In addition, since the maintenance information transmitted from the substrate processing apparatus to the maintenance apparatus and the instruction information transmitted from the maintenance apparatus to the inside of the substrate processing apparatus are transmitted by general e-mail, the cost can be reduced using existing facilities. Can be realized.

Examples of the maintenance information include an operation start date and time, an operation end date and time, the number of substrates (W) processed, an error occurrence date and time, and an error content. The maintenance information may include an assist request for requesting an operator's instruction accompanying the occurrence of an error in the processing device main body (11, 12). Examples of the networks (N1, N2) include a dedicated network, a public telephone communication network, and the Internet. Further, the substrate processing apparatus may include a plurality of processing apparatuses (for example, an exposure apparatus and a coater / developer), and for example, a plurality of processing apparatuses may independently transmit the maintenance information, or The maintenance information of each of the plurality of processing devices may be transmitted on behalf of a part of the plurality of processing devices.

In the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, although not particularly limited, from the viewpoint of security, it is desirable that the transmitting apparatus (15) encrypts and transmits the e-mail. The storage device (23) for storing and storing the maintenance information set in the received e-mail may be provided. In this case, the storage device (23) may be provided with an arithmetic device for performing statistical processing on the maintenance information stored in the storage device. Can be.

As the maintenance device, in addition to a dedicated or general-purpose computer (22), a portable terminal having a wireless communication device (a portable telephone, PHS: Personal Ha).
ndyphone System, PDA: Person
nal Data Assistance) (T1, T
2) etc. can be used.

In the substrate processing apparatus, the transmitting device (15) may transmit the electronic mail to a plurality of portable terminals. In this case, the control device (13, 14) can process according to the instruction information set in the e-mail received earliest, or assign priorities to the mobile terminals in advance. Of the e-mails received within a predetermined time, the processing can be performed according to the instruction information set in the e-mail from the mobile terminal with the highest priority.

As a substrate processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied, for example, an image of a pattern formed on a mask (R) is exposed and transferred onto a photosensitive substrate (W) such as a wafer, a glass plate, or a glass substrate (blanks). Examples of the exposure apparatus include a coating and developing apparatus that performs a coating process of a photosensitive agent such as a photoresist on a substrate and a development process of the photosensitive agent after exposure and transfer, and a heat treatment device that performs a heat treatment such as an annealing process on the substrate. be able to.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of the substrate processing apparatus of the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a manufacturing factory for manufacturing semiconductor integrated circuits, and reference numeral 20 denotes a maintenance facility provided in the manufacturing factory 10 for maintaining the substrate processing apparatus. These manufacturing plant 10 and maintenance facility 20
Is connected to a network N1 such as the Internet. In the present embodiment (FIG. 1), the maintenance facility 20 is provided in the manufacturing factory 10. However, since the maintenance facility 20 is connected to the manufacturing factory 10 via the network N1, the installation location is limited to the manufacturing factory 10. It does not matter and it may be arbitrary.

In FIG. 1, N2 denotes a network (public telephone communication line), and 30 denotes a network N1 and a network N2.
Is a base station connected to the network N2, and T1 and T2 are mobile terminals such as a mobile phone and a PHS that perform wireless communication with the base station 32. still,
FIG. 1 shows only two portable terminals T1 and T2 for simplification. The mobile terminal is carried by each operator of the manufacturing factory 10.

In the manufacturing plant 10, an exposure apparatus 11 and a semiconductor substrate (wafer) which is inline with the exposure apparatus 11 are provided.
A coater / developer 12 for applying a photosensitive agent such as a photoresist or developing the photosensitive agent after exposure and transfer is provided thereon. Although not shown, a heat treatment apparatus for performing a heat treatment such as an annealing process on the wafer, and a registration measurement apparatus for measuring overlay accuracy of a plurality of patterns on the wafer in the exposure apparatus are also provided. ing. These correspond to the processing apparatus main body according to the present invention. Here, an example of the configuration of the exposure apparatus 11 will be briefly described.

FIG. 2 is a view schematically showing the configuration of the exposure apparatus 11. The exposure apparatus shown in FIG. 2 is a so-called step-and-repeat type exposure apparatus (stepper). In FIG. 2, reference numeral 30 denotes, for example, a KrF excimer laser (oscillation wavelength 248 nm), an ArF excimer laser (oscillation wavelength 193 nm), and an F ₂ laser (oscillation wavelength 157 n).
m). The light emitted from the light source 30 uniformly illuminates the reticle R on which the predetermined pattern is formed via the illumination optical system IL.

A reticle R as a mask is XY-mounted on a reticle stage 34 via a reticle holder 32.
It is held parallel to the plane. The reticle R is positioned on the object plane of the projection optical system PL. When illumination light emitted from the illumination optical system IL illuminates the reticle R, an image of a pattern formed on the reticle R is transferred onto a wafer W as a photosensitive substrate via the projection optical system PL.

The wafer W is held on the wafer stage 38 via the wafer holder 36 in parallel to the XY plane, and is positioned on the image plane of the projection optical system PL. The wafer stage 38 is configured to be movable within an XY plane,
The positioning of the wafer W in the plane is performed. Further, the wafer W is moved in the Z-axis direction to position the wafer W on the image plane of the projection optical system PL described above.

The movable mirror 4 is provided at one end above the wafer holder 36.
0 is provided, and a laser interferometer 42 is provided on the mirror surface side of the movable mirror 40. This laser interferometer 42
Measures the position information of the wafer holder 36 in the XY plane. The measurement result of the laser interferometer 42 is output to the main control system 44 as stage position information. The main control system 44 outputs a drive signal to the drive device 46 based on the stage position information, moves the wafer stage 38 within the XY plane, and performs positioning of the wafer W within the XY plane. The position information of the wafer W in the XY plane is measured by an alignment sensor (not shown).

Further, the exposure apparatus 11 is provided with a log storage device 48 for storing a sequence log and an error log for a certain period in the past from the present. The sequence log mainly records the progress of the past processing of the exposure apparatus 11 (for example, the date and time when the exposure processing was performed on the lot, the number of processed sheets, and the like), and the error log stores the type and type of error generated in the exposure apparatus 11. The content and the date and time when the error occurred are stored. Here, the error type includes a recoverable recoverable error, an unrecoverable fatal error, a communication error between the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and a host computer (the host computer 14 shown in FIG. 1), and the like.

The error contents include a vacuum error caused by the fact that the arm sucking the wafer W does not reach a predetermined amount when the arm (not shown) used for transferring the wafer W cannot catch the wafer W.
There are a reticle non-existence error caused by the absence of the mark on the reticle R, and a carrier non-existence error generated when it is detected that a carrier containing about 20 wafers W is not present at a predetermined position. Log storage device 48
When the capacity for recording a new sequence log or error log is insufficient, the oldest one is deleted with priority to increase the free space and store a new sequence log or the like.

When performing exposure processing using the exposure apparatus having the above configuration, first, the reticle R is placed on the reticle holder 32 and the wafer W is placed on the wafer holder 3.
6. Place on top. Next, position information of the wafer W in the XY plane is measured using an alignment sensor (not shown), and the wafer W is positioned with respect to the reticle R based on the measurement result. By irradiating the illumination light emitted from the light source 30 onto the reticle R via the illumination optical system IL, the image of the pattern formed on the reticle R is transferred onto the wafer W via the projection optical system PL. I do.

When the transfer of the pattern image is completed, another area on the wafer W is positioned with respect to the reticle R by stepping driving the wafer stage 38 in the XY plane, and the above-described processing is repeated. In FIG. 2, a step-and-repeat type exposure apparatus has been described as an example of the exposure apparatus 11, but the reticle R and the wafer W are moved synchronously with respect to the projection optical system PL so that the reticle R A so-called step-and-scan exposure apparatus for transferring the pattern formed on the wafer W onto the wafer W may be used.

The outline of the exposure apparatus 11 has been described above.
The main control system 44 included in the exposure apparatus 11 collects various types of information related to the exposure processing. For example, the operation start date and time, the operation end date and time, the number of processed wafers W, the error occurrence date and time, the details of the error, the illumination condition by the illumination optical system IL at the time of exposure, the environmental information such as the temperature and the atmospheric pressure at the time of the exposure process, and the projection optical system PL When the optical characteristics are corrected, the correction information, the movement error information of the wafer stage 38, the total illumination time of illuminating the specific reticle R with the illumination light, or the information on the light amount of the illumination light applied to the reticle R, and This is a residual aberration of the projection optical system PL at the time of exposure. The information collected by the main control system 44 is stored in the log storage device 48 as a sequence log or an error log.

The main control system 44 included in the exposure apparatus 11 is connected to the control computer 13 provided in the manufacturing factory 10. The control computer 13 controls the exposure process of the control device 11 and outputs a request for reading the sequence log and the error log stored in the log storage device 48 to the exposure device 11 to extract necessary information. I do. The control computer 13 is realized by a personal computer or a workstation, and includes an input device such as a keyboard for inputting an operator's instruction. The information extracted by the control computer 13 is previously instructed by the operator, and can be changed.

Control computer 13, host computer 14, and mail server 1 connected to exposure apparatus 11
5 is a LAN (Loca) laid in the manufacturing factory 10.
internal network L such as lArea Network)
It is connected to N1. The host computer 14 includes a control computer 13 provided in association with the exposure apparatus 11.
Computer. In FIG. 1, only one exposure apparatus 11, one coater / developer 12, and one control computer 13 are shown.
Since a plurality of these are provided in 0, the host computer 14 collectively manages these operations.

Further, the host computer 14 generates maintenance information by selecting only necessary information from the information extracted by the control computer 13. Here, as described later, the maintenance information is stored in the mobile terminals T1 and T2 outside the manufacturing factory 10.
And the maintenance facility 20, the host computer 14 generates maintenance information in which only necessary information is selected according to the transmission destination. For example, if the maintenance facility 20 and the manufacturing factory 10 are facilities of the same company, the maintenance information that can obtain the operation start date and time, the operation end date and time, the operation rate such as the number of processed wafers W, and the production efficiency can be generated. Is preferred.

Further, for example, the maintenance facility 20 is provided with the exposure apparatus 1
If it is provided by the first manufacturer, the illumination conditions by the illumination optical system IL at the time of exposure, environmental information such as temperature and pressure during the exposure process, and the optical characteristics of the projection optical system PL are corrected when they are corrected. Information, information on the movement error of the wafer stage 38, information on the total illumination time during which the specific reticle R is illuminated with the illumination light or the amount of the illumination light illuminating the reticle R, the residual aberration of the projection optical system PL at the time of exposure, etc. By generating the maintenance information including detailed information of the exposure apparatus 11, information useful for the manufacturer of the exposure apparatus 11 to perform maintenance and development of the exposure apparatus 11 (for example, characteristics such as a change over time of the performance of the exposure apparatus) can be obtained. Obtainable.

Further, by generating maintenance information including the date and time of error occurrence and the content of the error as maintenance information to be transmitted to the portable telephones T1 and T2 possessed by the operator of the exposure apparatus 11, the amount of information that can be transmitted by e-mail is generated. , And appropriate information can be sent to the mobile phones T1 and T2, which are limited by the above.

It should be noted that a plurality of exposure apparatuses 11
Is provided, it is necessary to identify which exposure apparatus 11 the maintenance information generated by the host computer 14 relates to. For this identification, a mail address (for example, nsr001) is provided for each exposure apparatus 11.
-Nikon @ nikon. co. jp). When the maintenance information is transmitted to the outside of the manufacturing factory 10, the mail address assigned to each of the exposure apparatuses 11 is designated as the "source", thereby simplifying the sorting process when receiving the e-mail. be able to.

If the e-mail sent via the network N1 contains instruction information for giving various instructions to the exposure apparatus 11 and the like, the host computer 14 sends the instruction information to the electronic mail. Interpret or analyze
The control information indicated by the instruction information is generated and output to the control computer 13. In the present embodiment, the control computer 13 and the host computer 14 correspond to the generation device and the control device according to the present invention.

The mail server 15 generates an e-mail including the maintenance information when the host computer 14 requests the transmission of the maintenance information, and transmits the generated e-mail to a destination designated by the host computer 14. Further, it receives an e-mail sent to the manufacturing factory 10 and outputs information included in the received e-mail (this information may include instruction information according to the present invention) to the host computer 14. In the present embodiment, the mail server 15 corresponds to the transmitting device and the receiving device according to the present invention.

If the mail server 15 transmits the information regarding the exposure apparatus 11 to the outside of the manufacturing factory without encrypting it, the information may be stolen or falsified. An unfavorable situation arises because of the possibility of being known by the three parties. Therefore, the mail server 15
Sends the e-mail after encrypting the maintenance information. Further, it is preferable that the e-mail sent to the manufacturing factory 10 is also encrypted to prevent tampering. Here, the encryption schemes are roughly classified into a common key scheme in which encryption and decryption are performed using the same key, and a public key encryption scheme in which encryption and decryption are performed using different keys. However, it is preferable to use a public key encryption system from the viewpoint of confidentiality.

Here, the configuration of the mail server 15 will be briefly described. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing functions related to encryption and decryption of the mail server 15. FIG.
As shown in, the mail server 15 includes an encryption unit 50,
Public key storage unit 51, transmission unit 52, reception unit 53, decryption unit 5
4 and a secret key storage unit 55. The encryption unit 50
Host computer 1 via internal network LN1
4 is encrypted using the public key of the transmission destination stored in the public key storage unit 51. The public key storage unit 51 stores a public key of an electronic mail transmission destination (for example, the maintenance computer 22). The transmitting unit 52 sends the information encrypted by the encrypting unit 50 to the network N1 in an e-mail format.

The receiving unit 53 receives a plaintext e-mail or an encrypted e-mail sent via the network N1. The decryption unit 54 stores the encrypted e-mail output from the reception unit 53 in the secret key storage unit 5.
5 is decrypted using the storage key stored in 5 and sent to the host computer 14 via the internal network LN1. Here, the public key stored in the public key storage unit 51 is at least the public key of the transmission destination of the e-mail, and the secret key storage unit 55 is the secret key of the mail server 15. A public key is a key that is open to anyone, and a private key is a key that is used only by its holder. In the public key encryption method, information is encrypted using a public key, and decryption is performed using a secret key paired with the encrypted public key.

Here, the operation when transmitting and receiving encrypted information generated by using the public key encryption method between two parties will be briefly described. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an operation when transmitting and receiving encrypted information between two parties. In FIG. 4, a case is considered where encrypted information is transmitted and received between two parties using a computer A and a computer B connected to a network. First, each generates a pair of a public key and a secret key. It is assumed that the public key of the user of the computer A is PKa and the secret key is SKa. The public key of the user of the computer B is PKb, and the secret key is SKb. Next, the generated public keys PKa and PKb are made public on the network. At this time, the user of the computer A must strictly manage the secret key SKa so as not to be known to a third party, and the user of the computer B needs to strictly manage the secret key SKb so as not to be known to a third party. is there.

Now, when the user of the computer A transmits information to the user of the computer B without knowing the contents to a third party, the information is transmitted using the public key PKb published by the user of the computer B. Encrypts the information
Send over the network. The information encrypted using the public key PKb is extremely difficult to decrypt without using the secret key SKb. Therefore, as long as the user of the computer B strictly manages the secret key SKb, the information transmitted by the user of the computer A without knowing the contents by a third party can be known only by the user of the computer B.

Conversely, when the user of the computer B transmits information to the user of the computer A without knowing the contents to a third party, the user of the computer A uses the public key PKa published by the user. What is necessary is just to transmit the encrypted information to the user of the computer A, and to decrypt the information on the connection received by the user of the computer A using the secret key SKa.

Returning to FIG. 1, the timing at which the host computer 14 transmits the maintenance information is periodically transmitted when the exposure apparatus 11 completes processing of one lot of substrates or at a time arbitrarily determined by the operator.

Normally, the internal network LN1 is already laid in the manufacturing factory 10, and a general mail server is often built in the manufacturing factory 10 for communication between operators. Therefore, in this embodiment,
By using existing equipment, maintenance information can be safely transmitted at low cost to the manufacturing plant.

Next, an internal network LN2 is laid in the maintenance facility 20, and a mail server 21, a maintenance computer 22, and a file server 23 are connected via the internal network LN2. The mail server 21 has the same configuration as the mail server 15 provided in the manufacturing factory 10. The mail server 21 decrypts the encrypted maintenance information sent from the mail server 15 using the secret key managed by the mail server 15 and outputs the decrypted maintenance information to the maintenance computer 22. Also, as described below,
The maintenance computer 22 may transmit instruction information indicating an instruction to the exposure apparatus 11. In such a case, it is preferable that the instruction information be encrypted using the public key of the mail server 15.

The maintenance computer 22 stores the maintenance information sent from the manufacturing factory 10 in the file server 23, and performs statistical processing using the maintenance information stored in the file server 23. For example, if the maintenance facility 20 and the manufacturing factory 10 are facilities of the same company, statistical processing of the operation rate and the manufacturing efficiency is performed. Also, for example, maintenance facility 2
If 0 is provided by the manufacturer of the exposure apparatus 11, the location where trouble frequently occurs, the characteristics of the performance of the exposure apparatus 11 with time, and the like are obtained by statistical processing. In the present embodiment, the maintenance computer 22 corresponds to the maintenance device and the arithmetic device according to the present invention, and the file server 23 corresponds to the storage device according to the present invention.

As described above, the portable terminals T1 and T2 are owned by the operator in the manufacturing factory 10. For example, if an error occurs in the exposure apparatus 11, the recovery operation is performed quickly and reliably. The maintenance information is transmitted from the mail server 15 to mobile terminals owned by a plurality of operators. A unique mail address is assigned to each of the mobile terminals T1 and T2 in advance in order to receive the sent electronic mail, and priorities are given in advance. The priority order is such that, when maintenance information including an assist request is transmitted to a plurality of mobile terminals T1 and T2, when a plurality of instruction information is transmitted in response to the transmitted assist request, which instruction information is prioritized. It is to determine whether to do. Here, the assist request refers to, for example, requesting the operator some instruction for resuming the processing when the exposure apparatus 11 is interrupting the exposure processing due to an error.

The portable terminals T1 and T2 have an e-mail creation function and an e-mail transmission / reception function.
Here, for example, when an assist request for the exposure apparatus 11 is sent to the mobile terminals T1 and T2, the operator sends instruction information for the assist request to the mobile terminals T1 and T2.
Must be generated using the e-mail creation function. The instruction information for this assist request can be realized by a simple macro (script). Therefore, it is preferable that a plurality of macros are generated in advance for the assist request, the generated macros are stored in a memory or the like, and the stored macros can be called by a simple operation.

Next, a basic operation of the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description, an operation in the case where an error occurs while the exposure apparatus 11 is performing the exposure processing will be described as an example. FIG. 5 is a flowchart schematically showing a basic operation of the substrate processing apparatus when an error occurs in the exposure apparatus 11. If any error occurs while the exposure apparatus 11 is performing the exposure processing (step S10), and an operator's instruction is required to continue the exposure processing, first, the exposure apparatus 11 assists the control computer 13 A request signal is output.

The control computer 13 notifies the host computer 14 of the occurrence of the assist request, the contents of the error, and the assist request. The host computer 14 instructs the mail server 15 to generate an e-mail including an error content and an assist request to the operator of the exposure apparatus 11 based on the information notified from the control computer 13.

The mail server 15 prepares an e-mail including the contents of the error and the assist request in accordance with the instruction from the host computer 14, and sends it to the portable terminal T1 owned by the operator (step S12). here,
The “source” of the e-mail is specified to the exposure apparatus 11 that has issued the assist request. In addition, in order to quickly understand the contents of the sent e-mail,
It is preferable to designate a message indicating that an error has occurred as "bject".

When the maintenance information 10 is transmitted outside the manufacturing factory, it is preferable to encrypt and transmit the maintenance information. However, when the mobile terminals T1 and T2 do not have a decryption function, the maintenance information 10 is transmitted in plain text. It may be transmitted as it is.

When an e-mail containing the contents of the error and the assist request is sent, the operator generates a macro (script) for giving necessary instructions to the contents of the error and the assist request, or Mobile terminal T
If it is stored in T1 and T2, a macro suitable for taking a countermeasure is called, and an e-mail including the macro (instruction information) is transmitted (step S14). When sending an e-mail from the mobile terminals T1 and T2,
Since a macro for controlling the exposure apparatus 11 is included,
It is preferable to send an e-mail with its contents encrypted.

As a reply to the electronic mail including the assist request and the like, the electronic mail including the instruction information is transmitted to the portable terminal T.
1 and T2, the mail server 15 outputs the received e-mail text to the host computer 14. The host computer 14 extracts a macro (instruction information) from the body of the e-mail and sends it to the control computer 13. The control computer 13 controls the exposure apparatus 11 by outputting a control signal to the exposure apparatus 11 in accordance with a macro from the host computer 14 (Step S).
16), a recovery operation of the exposure apparatus 11 is performed (Step S1)
8).

Next, a modified operation example of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 shows a first operation when transmitting maintenance information to a plurality of operators when an error occurs in the exposure apparatus 11. It is a flowchart which shows an example. FIG.
As in the case shown in (1), some error occurs while the exposure apparatus 11 is performing the exposure processing.
0) When an operator's instruction is required to continue the exposure process, first, an assist request signal is output from the exposure apparatus 11 to the control computer 13. When the assist request is output, the control computer 13 notifies the host computer 14 of the occurrence of the assist request, the content of the error, and the assist request. The host computer 14 instructs the mail server 15 to generate an e-mail including an error content and an assist request to the operator of the exposure apparatus 11 based on the information notified from the control computer 13.

The mail server 15 prepares an e-mail including the contents of the error and the assist request according to the instruction from the host computer 14, and transmits the e-mail to the portable terminals T1 and T2 possessed by a plurality of operators (step S2).
2). When an e-mail containing the contents of the error and the assist request is sent, the operator generates a macro that gives a necessary instruction to the contents of the error and the assist request, or the macro is stored in advance in the mobile terminal. If so, a macro appropriate for taking the countermeasure is called, and an e-mail including the macro (instruction information) is transmitted (step S24).

As a reply to the electronic mail including the assist request and the like, the electronic mail including the instruction information is transmitted to the portable terminal T.
1 and T2, the received e-mail text is output to the host computer 14. Here, the mail server 15 outputs the body of the electronic mail to the host 14 every time the electronic mail is received. E-mails of various contents are sent from the mail server 15 to the host computer 14, and whether or not an e-mail including instruction information for the e-mails sent to the plurality of operators in step S22 has been sent. Is determined (step S26).

If the electronic mail including the instruction information has not been sent (if the determination result is "NO"), the determination in step S26 is repeated. On the other hand, when it is determined that the e-mail including the instruction information has been sent (when the determination result is “YES”), the host computer 14
Extracts macros (instruction information) from the body of the email,
It is sent to the control computer 13. Control computer 1
3 controls the exposure apparatus 11 by outputting a control signal to the exposure apparatus 11 in accordance with a macro from the host computer 14 (step S28), and performs a recovery operation of the exposure apparatus 11 (step S30). As described above, in this operation example, as a response to the e-mail transmitted to the plurality of operators in step S22, according to the instruction information set for the earliest received e-mail, the exposure apparatus 11
Is performing recovery processing.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a second operation example when transmitting maintenance information to a plurality of operators when an error occurs in the exposure apparatus 11. In FIG. 7, the operation from the occurrence of an error in the exposure apparatus 11 to the transmission of an e-mail including the contents of the error and the assist request to a plurality of operators and the return of the e-mail including the instruction information by the operator are shown in FIG. 6 (steps S20, S22, S24). When an electronic mail including instruction information is sent from the portable terminals T1 and T2 as a reply to the electronic mail including the assist request and the like, the received electronic mail text is output to the host computer 14.

Here, the mail server 15 outputs the text of the electronic mail to the host 14 every time the electronic mail is received. E-mails of various contents are sent from the mail server 15 to the host computer 14, but the e-mails are continuously received for a certain period. Then, after the processing in step S22 is completed, it is determined whether or not a predetermined period of time has elapsed (step S40). If the fixed period has not ended (if the determination result is “NO”), step S40
Repeat and keep receiving emails. On the other hand, when it is determined that the predetermined period has elapsed (when the determination result is “YES”), the host computer 14 is sent as a reply to the e-mail transmitted in step S22 during the predetermined period. Among the received e-mails, the e-mails transmitted from the mobile terminals T1 and T2 (maintenance device) assigned the highest priority are selected (step S42), and the macro (instruction information) is selected from the selected e-mail text. ) Is extracted and sent to the control computer 13. The control computer 13 controls the exposure apparatus 11 by outputting a control signal to the exposure apparatus 11 according to a macro from the host computer 14 (step S44), and performs a recovery operation of the exposure apparatus 11 (step S46).

As described above, in this operation example, step S2
If the e-mail replies sent to multiple operators in Step 2 are received for a certain period of time and there are multiple replies,
The mobile terminal T1, which is assigned the highest priority,
The recovery process is performed according to the instruction information set in the e-mail sent from T2.

Next, the operation for transmitting the maintenance information of the exposure apparatus 11 from the manufacturing factory 19 to the maintenance facility will be described. First, for example, after the control computer 13 completes processing for one lot of wafers, a sequence log or error log read request is output to the exposure apparatus 11 to extract necessary information, and the extracted sequence log or error is extracted. The log is sent to the host computer 14.

The host computer 14 generates maintenance information by selecting only necessary information from the information extracted by the control computer 13, and sends the maintenance information to the mail server 15.
An instruction to transmit the generated maintenance information to the maintenance computer 22 is issued. The mail server 15 encrypts the maintenance information generated by the host computer 14 using the public key for the maintenance computer 22 stored in the public key storage unit 51 (see FIG. 3), includes the information in the e-mail, and includes it in the network N1.
Is transmitted to the maintenance computer 22 via the.

The e-mail sent from the mail server 15 to the maintenance facility 20 via the network N1 is first received by the mail server 21. The mail server 21
The body of the received e-mail is decrypted using the secret key of the maintenance computer 22 and sent to the maintenance computer 22. The maintenance computer 22 stores the maintenance information in the file server 23 and performs a statistical process to obtain an operation rate, a manufacturing efficiency, and the like of the exposure apparatus 11. In this way,
In the maintenance facility 20 provided outside the manufacturing factory 10, maintenance such as the operation rate and the manufacturing efficiency of the exposure apparatus 11 provided in the manufacturing factory 10 can be performed.

Moreover, since the maintenance information is encrypted between the manufacturing factory 10 and the maintenance facility 20, there is very little risk that information such as the production capacity of the manufacturing factory 10 will leak to a third party. In addition, since the maintenance information of the exposure apparatus 11 is stored in the file server 23 having a large storage capacity, maintenance information for a long period of time can be stored, and statistical processing from various angles can be performed from various angles. Can be maintained. Further, for example, even when the manufacturing factories 10 are scattered irrespective of domestic and overseas, the maintenance information of the exposure apparatus 11 provided in the manufacturing factories 10 can be centrally managed. In the above, the case where the maintenance information is transmitted from the manufacturing factory 10 to the maintenance facility 20 every time the exposure process is performed on one lot of wafers has been described as an example. Alternatively, it may be on a monthly basis.

The embodiments described above are described for the purpose of facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and are not described for limiting the present invention. Therefore,
Each element disclosed in the above embodiment is intended to include all design changes and equivalents belonging to the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the maintenance information of the exposure apparatus 11 is generated and transmitted to the outside of the manufacturing factory 10 has been described as an example, but not only the maintenance information of the exposure apparatus 11 but also the information shown in FIG. Similarly, the maintenance information may be generated for the coater / developer 12 and the heat treatment apparatus (not shown) and transmitted to the outside of the manufacturing factory 10. Furthermore, the performance analysis of the evaluation apparatus can be performed by including the evaluation result of the evaluation apparatus for evaluating the uniformity of patterns formed on the substrate processed by the exposure apparatus and the degree of pattern overlap in the maintenance information. At this time, a plurality of processing apparatuses including the exposure apparatus 11 and the coater / developer 12 may independently generate maintenance information and transmit it to the outside of the manufacturing plant 10, or the exposure apparatus 11 and the coater / developer 12
Of a plurality of processing apparatuses including, for example, the exposure apparatus 11
Represents the maintenance information of a plurality of processing apparatuses as a representative
It may be transmitted outside.

The substrate processing apparatus of the present invention may be a single processing apparatus such as the exposure apparatus 11 or the coater / developer 12, or may be composed of a plurality of processing apparatuses including the exposure apparatus 11 and the coater / developer 12, for example. It may be something. Each device constituting the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention can be realized by hardware, but a part or all of the processing may be realized by software.

When the exposure apparatus is a step-and-scan exposure apparatus, when transferring the image of the pattern formed on the reticle R onto the wafer W, the reticle stage 34 shown in FIG. Although the wafer stage 38 and the wafer stage 38 move synchronously, it is necessary to minimize the synchronization error in order to accurately transfer the pattern image onto the wafer W. Therefore, the synchronization error is included in the maintenance information and the maintenance computer 2
It is preferable to transmit the information to the exposure apparatus 11 by performing statistical processing for a predetermined period to obtain a tendency to cause a synchronization error, and correcting the synchronization error.

Next, an embodiment of a method of manufacturing a micro device using the exposure apparatus 11 in a lithography process will be described briefly. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a manufacturing example of a micro device (a semiconductor chip such as an IC or an LSI, a liquid crystal panel, a CCD, a thin-film magnetic head, a micromachine, etc.). As shown in FIG. 8, first, in step S50 (design step), a function / performance design of a micro device (for example, a circuit design of a semiconductor device) is performed, and a pattern design for realizing the function is performed. Subsequently, in step S51 (mask manufacturing step), a mask (reticle) on which the designed circuit pattern is formed is manufactured. On the other hand, in step S52 (wafer manufacturing step), a wafer is manufactured using a material such as silicon.

Next, in step S53 (wafer processing step), using the mask and the wafer prepared in steps S50 to S52, an actual circuit or the like is formed on the wafer by lithography or the like as described later. . Next, in step S54 (device assembly step), device assembly is performed using the wafer processed in step S53. Step S54 includes processes such as a dicing process, a bonding process, and a packaging process (chip encapsulation) as necessary.
Finally, in step S55 (inspection step), inspections such as an operation confirmation test and a durability test of the microdevice manufactured in step S54 are performed. After these steps, the microdevice is completed and shipped.

FIG. 9 shows a case of a semiconductor device.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a detailed flow of step S53 in FIG. 8. In FIG. 9, step S61 (oxidation step)
In, the surface of the wafer is oxidized. Step S62
In the (CVD step), an insulating film is formed on the wafer surface. In step S63 (electrode forming step), electrodes are formed on the wafer by vapor deposition. Step S
In 64 (ion implantation step), ions are implanted into the wafer. Steps S61 to S64 described above
Constitute a pre-processing step in each stage of wafer processing, and are selected and executed in accordance with a necessary process in each stage.

In each stage of the wafer process, when the above-mentioned pre-processing step is completed, the post-processing step is executed as follows. In this post-processing step, first, in step S
At 65 (resist forming step), a photosensitive agent is applied to the wafer. Subsequently, in step S66 (exposure step), the circuit pattern of the mask is transferred onto the wafer by the above-described exposure apparatus. Next, step S67
In (development step), the exposed wafer is developed, and in step S68 (etching step),
The exposed member other than the portion where the resist remains is removed by etching. Then, in step S69 (resist removing step), unnecessary resist after etching is removed. By repeating these pre-processing and post-processing steps, multiple circuit patterns are formed on the wafer.

[0077]

As described above, according to the present invention, an e-mail including maintenance information relating to the operation status of the substrate processing apparatus is generated and transmitted to the maintenance apparatus via the network, and is executed by the processing apparatus main body. Since the instruction information on the instruction to be performed is transmitted from the maintenance device to the substrate processing apparatus by e-mail, the operator can grasp the operation status of the substrate processing even if the operator is not resident near the substrate processing apparatus. , Can be instructed to the substrate processing apparatus. As a result, the arrangement of operators can be made more efficient, and even if an error occurs during the processing of a substrate, for example, it is possible to quickly recover the error and minimize the reduction in manufacturing efficiency. .

Further, since the maintenance information transmitted from the substrate processing apparatus to the maintenance apparatus and the instruction information transmitted from the maintenance apparatus to the inside of the substrate processing apparatus are transmitted by general electronic mail, the existing equipment is used. At a low cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram schematically illustrating an overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view schematically showing a configuration of an exposure apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing functions related to encryption and decryption of a mail server.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an operation when transmitting and receiving encrypted information between two parties;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an outline of a basic operation of the substrate processing apparatus when an error occurs in the exposure apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a first operation example when transmitting maintenance information to a plurality of operators when an error occurs in the exposure apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a second operation example when transmitting maintenance information to a plurality of operators when an error occurs in the exposure apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a micro device manufacturing process.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a detailed flow of step S53 in FIG. 8 in the case of a semiconductor device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Exposure apparatus (processing apparatus main body) 12 ... Coater / developer (processing apparatus main body) 13 ... Control computer (generation apparatus, control apparatus) 14 ... Host computer (generation apparatus, control apparatus) 15 ... Mail server (transmission apparatus, reception) 22) Maintenance computer (maintenance device) 23 ... File server (storage device) N1 ... Network N2 ... Line network (network) R ... Reticle (mask) T1, T2 ... Portable terminal (maintenance device) W ... Wafer (substrate)

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A processing apparatus main body for processing a substrate, a generating apparatus for generating maintenance information relating to an operation state of the processing apparatus main body, and an e-mail including the maintenance information generated and transmitted to the processing apparatus main body via a network. A transmitting device for transmitting to a connected maintenance device, a receiving device for receiving an e-mail sent from the maintenance device in which instruction information relating to an instruction to be executed in the processing device main body is set, and a received e-mail. And a control device that executes a process according to the instruction information set in the substrate processing apparatus. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmission device encrypts and transmits the electronic mail. 3. The maintenance information according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance information includes at least one of an operation start date and time, an operation end date and time, the number of processed substrates, an error occurrence date and time, and an error content. Substrate processing equipment. 4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a storage device for storing maintenance information set in the received e-mail. 5. An arithmetic unit for statistically processing the maintenance information stored in the storage device.
A substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1. 6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance information includes an assist request for requesting an operator's instruction accompanying an occurrence of an error in the processing apparatus main body. 7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the maintenance device includes a portable terminal having a wireless communication device. 8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the transmission device transmits the electronic mail to a plurality of mobile terminals. 9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the control device performs processing in accordance with instruction information set in the e-mail received first. 10. A priority order is assigned in advance to each of said portable terminals, and said control device assigns an e-mail from a portable terminal having the highest priority order among e-mails received within a predetermined time. 9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processing is performed according to the set instruction information. 11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the network includes the Internet. 12. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing apparatus main body is an exposure apparatus that exposes a photosensitive substrate via a mask on which a pattern is formed. .