JP2005129868A - Conveyance control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a conveyance control method of improving throughput by continuously carrying wafers in other treatment chambers even if one treatment chamber of a substrate treatment apparatus gets out of order. <P>SOLUTION: This conveyance control method includes a substrate carrying-in step wherein a 1st robot carries substrates from a cassette port to a load lock chamber and a 2nd robot carries them from the load lock chamber to a treatment chamber, a substrate treatment step wherein the substrates are treated in a plurality of treatment chambers, respectively, a substrate carrying-out step wherein the 2nd robot carries respective substrates from the treatment chambers to the load lock chamber and the 1st robot carries them from the load lock chamber to the cassette port, a staying substrate discharge step wherein if treatment is not completed in a specified time owing to some abnormalities of the plurality of treatment chambers, a substrate staying at the 1st robot, load lock chamber, or a reloading chamber is temporarily returned to the cassette port, and a treatment continuing step wherein substrates to be treated in treatment chambers operating normally are carried and continuously treated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a conveyance control method.

Substrate processing apparatuses are widely used in the manufacturing process of electronic devices such as semiconductors and liquid crystals. In the substrate processing apparatus, it takes a long time to process a substrate (including a substrate such as a liquid crystal and a wafer such as silicon), and the substrate between the inside and outside (in the atmosphere) of the decompressed substrate processing apparatus. It takes a long time to transport. In order to achieve high productivity of electronic devices in factories, efficient operation of the substrate processing apparatus is important.
A transfer control method for a conventional substrate processing apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus. 101 is a substrate storage unit, 102 is a substrate processing unit, and 103 is a control unit.

The substrate storage unit 101 includes a cassette port 111, a cassette port 112, and an atmospheric robot 121.
Each of the cassette ports 111 and 112 has a plurality of cassettes. Each cassette has a plurality of slots (usually 20 to 30 slots), and one wafer stores one wafer. The processing route (processing chamber for processing) can be changed for each slot, and the control unit 103 determines the processing route.
The atmospheric robot 121 is installed between the cassette ports 111 and 112 and the load lock chamber 131. The atmospheric robot 121 takes out wafers to be processed from the cassettes at the cassette ports 111 and 112 and conveys them to the load lock chamber 131. The atmospheric robot 121 takes out the processed wafer from the load lock chamber 131 and returns it to the cassette in the cassette port 111 or 112.

The substrate processing unit 102 includes a load lock chamber 131, a transfer chamber 132, and processing chambers 141 to 143. The load lock chamber 131, the transfer chamber 132, and the processing chambers 141 to 143 store one wafer.
The load lock chamber 131 changes from an atmospheric state (the state of the substrate storage unit 101) to a vacuum or a reduced pressure state (a state of the substrate processing unit 102), or from a vacuum or a reduced pressure state to an atmospheric state when a wafer is taken in and out of the substrate processing apparatus. , Change the interior over time.
A load lock chamber 131 and processing chambers 141 to 143 are installed with the transfer chamber 132 at the center. The transfer chamber 132 has a vacuum robot 151. The vacuum robot 151 has two arms and performs a wafer-to-wafer exchange operation. The vacuum robot 151 takes out the wafer from the load lock chamber 131 using one arm and simultaneously puts the wafer held in the other arm into the load lock chamber 131. The vacuum robot 151 takes out the wafer from the processing chamber using one arm, and simultaneously puts the wafer held in the other arm into the processing chamber. The vacuum robot 151 simultaneously performs the wafer lifting and lowering operation and the expansion / contraction operation of the vacuum robot 151 during loading / unloading of the wafer by a cam drive system. High-speed operation and mechanical stable operation are realized by continuously exchanging wafers.
The processing chambers 141 to 143 perform processing such as etching or sputtering on the wafer. Each processing chamber performs processing for each wafer. Each processing chamber performs a different process.

  The control unit 103 controls the cassette ports 111 and 112, the atmospheric robot 121, the load lock chamber 131, the vacuum robot 151 in the transfer chamber 132, and the processing chambers 141 to 143.

The flow of wafer transfer will be described. The atmospheric robot 121 takes out a wafer to be processed from the cassette at the cassette port 111 or 112 and transfers it to the load lock chamber 131. The load lock chamber 131 changes its state over time from the atmospheric state (the state of the substrate storage unit 101) to the vacuum state (the state of the substrate processing unit 102).
The vacuum robot 151 takes out the wafer from the load lock chamber 131 and transfers it to one of the processing chambers 141 to 143. The control unit 103 determines a processing chamber for processing the wafer. Each processing chamber performs processing such as etching or sputtering on the wafer. When the processing is completed, the vacuum robot 151 takes out the wafer and transfers it to the load lock chamber 131.
The load lock chamber 131 changes its state over time from a vacuum state (a state of the substrate processing unit 102) to an atmospheric state (a state of the substrate storage unit 101). The atmospheric robot 121 returns the processed wafer to the cassette at the cassette port 111 or 112.

  The substrate processing apparatus transfers the wafers to the cassettes of the processing chambers 141 to 143, the transfer chamber 132, the load lock chamber 131, and the cassette ports 111 and 112 that have been completed or emptied according to the transfer tact.

A case where the conventional substrate processing apparatus performs the same or different processing in parallel in the processing chamber 141 for the wafer in the cassette of the cassette port 111 and in the processing chamber 142 for the wafer in the cassette of the cassette port 112 will be described.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the transfer control method of the substrate processing apparatus when wafers are alternately taken out from the cassette ports 111 and 112 and the wafers are processed in parallel in the two processing chambers 141 and 142. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the wafer arrangement in each step of FIG. In order to clarify the correspondence between FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the flowchart of FIG. Hereinafter, FIG. 4 will be described with reference to FIG.

  5, the wafer (a-1) loaded from the cassette at the cassette port 111 is processed in the processing chamber 141, and the wafer (b-1) loaded from the cassette at the cassette port 112 is processed in the processing chamber 142. It is an arrangement plan of each wafer at the time. The wafer (a-2) to be processed in the processing chamber 141 next to the wafer (a-1) is loaded from the cassette of the cassette port 111 and placed in the transfer chamber 132. The wafer (b-2) to be processed in the processing chamber 142 next to the wafer (b-1) is loaded from the cassette of the cassette port 112 and placed in the load dock chamber 131.

  First, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus until the wafer arrangement becomes 501 (FIG. 5) will be briefly described. The atmospheric robot 121 alternately takes out the wafers from the cassette ports 111 and 112 and transfers them to the load lock chamber 131. The vacuum robot 141 takes out the wafer (a-1) from the load lock chamber 131 and transfers it to the processing chamber 141. The wafer (b-1) is transferred to the processing chamber 142. When the vacuum robot 151 finishes the transfer to the processing chamber, the vacuum robot 151 stands by holding the wafer (a-2) to be processed next in one hand. The atmospheric robot 121 transfers the wafer (b-2) to the load lock chamber 131. The processing chamber 141 processes the wafer (a-1). The processing chamber 142 processes the wafer (b-1). Reference numeral 501 in FIG. 5 is a layout diagram of each wafer at this stage.

In step 401, it is determined whether or not the processing of the wafer (a-1) in the processing chamber 141 is completed. If the processing is not completed, step 401 is repeated. When the processing of the wafer (a-1) in the processing chamber 141 is completed, the vacuum robot 151 exchanges the wafer (a-1) in the processing chamber 141 and the wafer (a-2) in the transfer chamber 132 (Step 402, 502 in FIG. The processing chamber 141 starts processing the wafer (a-2). The vacuum robot 151 exchanges the wafer (b-2) in the load lock chamber 131 and the wafer (a-1) in the transfer chamber 132 (step 403, 503 in FIG. 5).
It is determined whether or not the processing of the wafer (b-1) in the processing chamber 142 is completed (step 404). If the processing is not completed, step 404 is repeated. When the processing of the wafer (b-1) in the processing chamber 142 is completed, the vacuum robot 151 exchanges the wafer (b-1) in the processing chamber 142 and the wafer (b-2) in the transfer chamber 132 (step 405). 504 in FIG. The processing chamber 142 starts processing the wafer (b-2).

The atmospheric robot 121 returns the processed wafer (a-1) in the load lock chamber 131 to the cassette in the cassette port 111, and carries the next wafer (a-3) into the load lock chamber 131 (step 406, FIG. 5). 505).
Next, the vacuum robot 151 exchanges the wafer (a-3) in the load lock chamber 131 and the wafer (b-1) in the transfer chamber 132 (step 407, 506 in FIG. 5).
The atmospheric robot 121 returns the processed wafer (b-1) in the load lock chamber 131 to the cassette in the cassette port 112 and carries the next wafer (b-3) into the load lock chamber 131 (step 408, FIG. 5). 507). The state of 507 in FIG. 5 is a state in which the number of each wafer is advanced by one from the state of 501 in FIG. Thereafter, steps 401 to 408 are repeated.

JP-T-2001-524863 Japanese translation of PCT publication No. 2002-517055

  However, if any abnormality occurs in the processing chamber 141 and the processing of the wafer (a-1) is interrupted, the next wafer (a-2) cannot be loaded into the processing chamber 141 (step 402). Even if the processing of the wafer (b-1) in the processing chamber 142 is completed first, the wafer (a-2) remains in the transfer chamber 132, so the wafer (b-2) is loaded into the processing chamber 142. I couldn't. It was necessary to wait until the processing of the wafer (a-1) in the processing chamber 141 was completed, and the throughput of the substrate processing apparatus was extremely reduced.

Even if one of the processing chambers breaks down and the processing is interrupted, and a wafer to be processed in the processing chamber stays in the first robot, the load lock chamber, or the transfer chamber, the other processing chambers An object of the present invention is to provide a transfer control method that realizes a high throughput by continuously transferring a wafer to the wafer.
The present invention preferentially transfers a wafer to another processing chamber when a predetermined processing time is exceeded due to a trouble that can return any processing chamber to a normal state, and a failed processing chamber It is an object of the present invention to provide a transport control method that realizes a high throughput by selecting a transport control method that can realize the highest processing efficiency at the stage of returning to a normal state.
An object of the present invention is to provide a transfer control method that realizes high throughput by prioritizing transfer of a wafer to a processing chamber having a short processing time.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following configuration. According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate carry-in step in which a substrate is transferred from a cassette port to a load lock chamber by a first robot, and the substrate is transferred from the load lock chamber to a processing chamber by a second robot. A substrate processing step for processing each substrate in the processing chamber; the second robot transports each substrate from the processing chamber to the load lock chamber; and the first robot transfers the cassette from the load lock chamber to the cassette. A substrate unloading step for transporting each of the substrates to a port, wherein the first processing is performed when the processing does not end even after a predetermined processing time due to some abnormality in the plurality of processing chambers. The robot, the staying substrate discharging step for temporarily returning the substrate staying in the load lock chamber or the transfer chamber to the cassette port, and Substrate to be processed in the processing chamber that is created is a transport control method characterized by having a processing continuation continuing to transport the processing.
Even if one of the processing chambers breaks down and the processing is interrupted, and a wafer to be processed in the processing chamber stays in the first robot, the load lock chamber, or the transfer chamber, the other processing chambers Continuing to carry the wafer to the wafer has the effect of realizing a transfer control method that realizes high throughput.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the transfer control method according to claim 1, wherein when the processing chamber in which an abnormality has occurred returns to a normal state, the staying substrate discharge step is terminated.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the abnormality occurs when the processing in the processing chamber that is operating normally is completed, or when the substrate transfer of the first robot or the second robot is completed. The remaining processing time until the processing chamber is restored to the normal state and the processing chamber where the abnormality has occurred completes the processing of the substrate is the cassette port, the first robot, the load lock chamber, or the The staying substrate discharging step is terminated if it is shorter than the time for transporting the substrate that was scheduled to be processed in the processing chamber in which an abnormality staying in the transfer chamber has occurred to the transfer chamber. The conveyance control method according to claim 2.
The present invention preferentially transfers a wafer to another processing chamber when a predetermined processing time is exceeded due to a trouble that can return any processing chamber to a normal state, and a failed processing chamber By selecting a transfer control method that can achieve the highest processing efficiency at the stage of returning to a normal state, the transfer control method that achieves high throughput can be realized.

The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the cassette port, the first robot, the average value of the time for transporting the substrate staying in the load lock chamber or the transfer chamber to the transfer chamber, and The average value of the processing time in the processing chamber is calculated and stored based on the past operation and processing time, and based on these average values, the processing chamber in which an abnormality has occurred is stored in the substrate. The remaining processing time until the processing is completed was scheduled to be processed in the processing chamber in which an abnormality staying in the cassette port, the first robot, the load lock chamber, or the transfer chamber occurred. It is judged whether it is shorter than the time which conveys a board | substrate to the said transfer chamber, It is a conveyance control method of Claim 3 characterized by the above-mentioned.
The present invention has an effect that a transfer control method realizing high throughput can be realized by prioritizing transfer of a wafer to a processing chamber having a short processing time.

According to the present invention, even if any one of the processing chambers breaks down and the processing is interrupted, and the wafer to be processed in the processing chamber stays in the first robot, the load lock chamber, or the transfer chamber, By continuously carrying the wafer to the processing chamber, an advantageous effect that a carrying control method realizing high throughput can be realized.
According to the present invention, when one of the processing chambers exceeds a predetermined processing time due to a trouble that can be restored to a normal state, the wafer is transferred with priority to another processing chamber, and the failed processing is performed. By selecting a transfer control method that can achieve the highest processing efficiency when the chamber returns to a normal state, an advantageous effect that a transfer control method that achieves high throughput can be realized.
According to the present invention, an advantageous effect that a transfer control method realizing high throughput can be realized by prioritizing transfer of a wafer to a processing chamber having a short processing time.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments that specifically show the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<< Embodiment >>
The conveyance control method according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 4 and 5 are the same as the prior art. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 has already been described.

In the embodiment, the control unit 103 determines a processing route so that wafers in the cassette of the cassette port 111 are processed in the processing chamber 141 and wafers in the cassette of the cassette port 112 are processed in parallel in the processing chamber 142. .
The control unit 103 calculates and stores an average value of the processing time of the wafer in the processing chamber 141 and the processing time of the wafer in the processing chamber 142 based on the actual measurement value of the past processing time. The control unit 103 calculates and stores the average value of the wafer transfer time from the load lock chamber 131 to the transfer chamber 132 based on the measured value of the past transfer time.

2 and 4 are flowcharts of the transfer control method of the substrate processing apparatus when wafers are alternately taken out from the cassette ports 111 and 112 and processed in parallel in the two processing chambers 141 and 142 according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the wafer arrangement at each step in FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the wafer arrangement at each step in FIG. The processing in the processing chambers 141 and 142 may be the same or different. 4 and 5 show the transfer control method of the substrate processing apparatus in normal processing (when each processing is normally performed) and the wafer arrangement in each step. 4 and 5 are the same as the conventional example. 4 and 5 have been described.
FIGS. 2 and 3 are flowcharts of the transfer control method of the substrate processing apparatus when the processing chamber 141 exceeds a predetermined processing time due to a minor trouble (trouble that can be returned to a normal state) or a serious trouble (executed by the control unit 103). And wafer arrangement in each step. Hereinafter, FIG. 2 will be described with reference to FIG.

The first wafer layout diagram 301 (FIG. 3) in the flowchart of FIG. 2 is the same as the first wafer layout diagram 501 (FIG. 5) in the flowchart of FIG. The transfer control method of the substrate processing apparatus until the arrangement 301 in FIG. 3 is realized is the same as the transfer control method of the substrate processing apparatus until the wafer arrangement diagram 501 is realized. Hereinafter, the process of FIG. 2 will be described.
It is determined whether or not the processing of the wafer (a-1) in the processing chamber 141 is completed (step 201). If the processing is completed (the processing chamber 141 is operating normally), the process jumps to step 402 in FIG. 4, and thereafter normal processing (steps 402 to 408 and 401) is performed. The processing in FIG. 4 has been described in the conventional example.

In step 201, if the processing of the wafer (a-1) is not completed even after the predetermined time has passed in the processing chamber 141, it is determined whether or not the processing of the wafer (b-1) in the processing chamber 142 is completed. (Step 202). If the processing in the processing chamber 142 is not completed, the process returns to step 201 and waits until the processing in either the processing chamber 141 or the processing chamber 142 is completed.
If the processing in the processing chamber 142 is completed in step 202, the remaining processing time of the wafer (a-1) in the processing chamber 141 (when the processing in the processing chamber 141 is completed and the remaining processing time is zero). It is determined whether it is less than the transfer time of the wafer (b-2) from the load lock chamber 131 to the transfer chamber 132 (step 203).

  The remaining processing time of the processing chamber 141 is calculated based on the past average processing time stored in the control unit 103. The transfer time from the load lock chamber 131 to the transfer chamber 132 is calculated based on the past average processing time stored in the control unit 103. When the processing chamber 141 is restored from the trouble state to the normal state, the remaining processing time of the wafer (a-1) in the processing chamber 141 can be estimated. If there is no prospect of the processing chamber 141 returning to the normal state from the trouble state, the remaining processing time of the wafer (a-1) in the processing chamber 141 is transferred from the load lock chamber 131 of the wafer (b-2). It is determined that the transfer time to the chamber 132 is longer.

  If the remaining processing time of the wafer (a-1) in the processing chamber 141 is shorter, the process jumps to step 401 in FIG. 4 and waits for the processing chamber 141 to end the processing of the wafer (a-1). Thereafter, the normal steps 401 to 408 in FIG. 4 are repeated. After the wafer (a-2) to be processed next to the wafer (a-1) is discharged in the processing chamber 141 and the processing chamber 141 completes the processing of the wafer (a-1), the wafer (a-2) is again processed. ) Is transferred from the load lock chamber 131 to the transfer chamber 132, the waiting time of the processing chamber 141 is generated, and the throughput of the substrate processing apparatus decreases.

  In step 203, when the remaining processing time of the wafer (a-1) in the processing chamber 141 is longer than the transfer time of the wafer (b-2) from the load lock chamber 131 to the transfer chamber 132, the wafer into the processing chamber 142 is obtained. The conveyance of (b-2) is prioritized. The vacuum robot 151 exchanges the wafer (b-2) in the load lock chamber 131 and the wafer (a-2) in the transfer chamber 132 (step 204, 302 in FIG. 3). The vacuum robot 151 exchanges the wafer (b-1) in the processing chamber 142 and the wafer (b-2) in the transfer chamber 132 (step 205, 303 in FIG. 3). Processing of the wafer (b-2) in the processing chamber 142 is started (step 206).

The remaining processing time of the wafer (b-2) in the processing chamber 142 is longer than the remaining processing time of the wafer (a-1) in the processing chamber 141, and the remaining processing time of the wafer (b-2) in the processing chamber 142 is It is determined whether or not it is longer than the transfer time of the wafer (a-2) from the load lock chamber 131 to the transfer chamber 132 (step 207).
The remaining processing time of the processing chamber 141 and the processing chamber 142 is calculated based on the past average processing time stored in the control unit 103. The transfer time from the load lock chamber 131 to the transfer chamber 132 is calculated based on the past average processing time stored in the control unit 103.
In step 207, the remaining processing time of the wafer (b-2) in the processing chamber 142 is longer than the remaining processing time of the wafer (a-1) in the processing chamber 141 and the remaining wafer (b-2) in the processing chamber 142 is left. If the processing time is longer than the transfer time of the wafer (a-2) from the load lock chamber 131 to the transfer chamber 132, the process proceeds to step 213. In this case, the throughput of the substrate processing apparatus is such that the next wafer (a-2) in the load lock chamber 131 is transferred to the transfer chamber 132 and the processing of the wafer (a-1) in the processing chamber 141 is completed. Can be improved.

  The vacuum robot 151 exchanges the wafer (a-2) in the load lock chamber 131 and the wafer (b-1) in the transfer chamber 132 (step 213, 308 in FIG. 3). It is determined whether or not the processing of the wafer (a-1) in the processing chamber 141 is completed (step 214). When the processing is completed, the wafer (a-1) in the processing chamber 141 and the wafer (a-2) in the transfer chamber 132 are exchanged (step 215, 309 in FIG. 3). The processing chamber 141 starts processing the wafer (a-2). Thereafter, the processing corresponding to step 406 in FIG. 4 (normal processing) is performed. The wafer arrangement diagram 309 at the time when step 215 is completed is the reverse of the wafer arrangement diagram 504 before the start of step 406 in FIG. The only difference is that Thereafter, normal processing similar to that in FIG. 4 is executed.

In step 207, the remaining processing time of the wafer (b-2) in the processing chamber 142 is shorter than the remaining processing time of the wafer (a-1) in the processing chamber 141, or the wafer (b-2) in the processing chamber 142 When the remaining processing time is shorter than the transfer time of the wafer (a-2) from the load lock chamber 131 to the transfer chamber 132, the process proceeds to step 208, and the processing in the processing chamber 142 is prioritized.
The wafer (a-2) in the load lock chamber 131 and the wafer (b-3) in the atmospheric robot 121 (the wafer in the cassette port 112) are exchanged (step 208, 304 in FIG. 3). The atmospheric robot 121 returns the wafer (a-2) to the cassette at the cassette port 111.

The vacuum robot 151 exchanges the wafer (b-3) in the load lock chamber 131 and the wafer (b-1) in the transfer chamber 132 (step 209, 305 in FIG. 3).
It is determined whether or not the processing of the wafer (a-1) in the processing chamber 141 is completed (step 210). If the processing has been completed (if the processing chamber 141 has recovered from the failure), the atmospheric robot 121 moves the wafer (b-1) in the load lock chamber 131 and the wafer in the cassette in the cassette port 111 (a-2). (Step 212, 307 in FIG. 3). In the state of 307 in FIG. 3, since the processing chambers 141 and 142 have returned to normal, thereafter, normal processing is performed using two processing chambers.

  If the processing of the wafer (a-1) in the processing chamber 141 is not completed in step 210 (processing chamber 141 is interrupted), the atmospheric robot 121 is connected to the wafer (b-1) in the load lock chamber 131. Then, the cassette wafer (b-4) in the cassette port 112 is exchanged (step 211, 306 in FIG. 3). In the state of 306 in FIG. 3, since the processing chamber 141 does not return from the failure state and only the processing chamber 142 is operating normally, the atmospheric robot 121 subsequently takes out the wafer only from the cassette of the cassette port 112, It is transferred to the load lock chamber 131. The processing of the wafer in the processing chamber 142 is continued.

When the processing chamber 141 exceeds a predetermined processing time due to trouble or the like, the processing in the processing chamber 142 is preferentially performed (step 201 to step 206). The processing state of the processing chamber 141 is monitored, and the wafer is efficiently transferred in consideration of the remaining processing time and the transfer time (steps 203 and 207).
When the processing chamber 141 cannot be used due to a failure, the wafers loaded from the cassette port 111 staying in the atmospheric robot 121, the load lock chamber 131, and the transfer chamber 132 are temporarily returned to the cassette (steps 201 to 211). Thereafter, the wafer is taken out only from the cassette of the cassette port 112 and the processing of the wafer in the processing chamber 142 is continued.
When the processing chamber 141 returns from the trouble state and the processing can be resumed, the wafer is again taken out from the cassette port 111 and the cassette port 112 again, and the processing is performed in the processing chamber 141 and the processing chamber 142 (step 212).

  In the embodiment, in steps 203, 207, and 210, it is determined whether or not the processing chamber 141 returns from the trouble state and the processing can be resumed. Each time the normally operating processing chamber 141 completes the processing, the vacuum robot 151 completes the wafer transfer and / or every time the atmospheric robot 121 completes the wafer transfer, the processing chamber 141 It may be determined whether the process can be resumed after returning from the trouble state (for example, the same determination as in step 203, 207, or 210 is performed).

When a troubled processing chamber returns to normal, whether to give priority to the processing of other processing chambers that are operating normally or to give priority to the processing of the processing chamber that has returned to normal. This is determined in consideration of whether the remaining processing time is shorter and whether the next wafer to be processed in each processing chamber can be transferred before the processing in each processing chamber is completed.
Whether or not the next wafer to be processed in each processing chamber can be transferred before the processing in each processing chamber is completed determines whether the next processing wafer in the cassette port, atmospheric robot, load lock chamber or transfer chamber is transferred to the transfer chamber. The time required for transfer (wafer transfer time. When there are a plurality of wafers, the wafer transfer time closest to the transfer chamber. The wafer already in the transfer chamber has the highest priority.) Judgment is made based on whether the remaining processing time is the same or shorter. This is because the wafer transfer time from the load lock chamber to the transfer chamber occupies most of the time for the substrate processing apparatus to transfer the next wafer to be processed in each process chamber.

In the embodiment, the transfer control method at the time of parallel processing using the processing chamber 141 and the processing chamber 142 has been described. Note that the present invention can also be applied to parallel processing of a substrate processing apparatus including three or more processing chambers.
In the embodiment, the cassette port 111 and the cassette port 112 have been described. The number of cassette ports may be one or more (for example, when the processing chambers 141 and 142 execute the same processing). In this case, a processing chamber may be determined for each cassette of the cassette port, or a processing chamber may be determined for each slot.

  The present invention is useful for a transfer control method of a substrate processing apparatus that processes substrates in parallel.

Block diagram showing the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus The flowchart of the conveyance control method of the substrate processing apparatus of embodiment of this invention The figure which shows arrangement | positioning of the wafer in each step of FIG. The flowchart of the conveyance control method at the time of normal operation of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention and the conventional example. The figure which shows arrangement | positioning of the wafer in each step of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

101 Substrate storage unit 102 Substrate processing unit 103 Control unit
111, 112 Cassette port 121 Atmospheric robot 131 Load lock chamber 132 Transfer chamber 141, 142, 143 Processing chamber 151 Vacuum robot

Claims (4)

A substrate carrying-in step of transporting the substrate from the cassette port to the load lock chamber by the first robot, and transporting the substrate from the load lock chamber to the processing chamber by the second robot;
A substrate processing step for processing a substrate by a plurality of processing chambers;
A substrate unloading step in which the second robot transports each substrate from the respective processing chamber to the load lock chamber, and the first robot transports the respective substrate from the load lock chamber to the cassette port; A transport control method comprising:
If the processing does not end even after a predetermined processing time due to some abnormality among the plurality of processing chambers,
A staying substrate discharging step of temporarily returning the substrate staying in the first robot, the load lock chamber or the transfer chamber to the cassette port;
A processing continuation step in which a substrate to be processed in a processing chamber that is operating normally is transported and processing is continued;
The conveyance control method characterized by having.   The transfer control method according to claim 1, wherein when the processing chamber in which an abnormality has occurred returns to a normal state, the staying substrate discharge step is terminated.   When the processing in the processing chamber that is operating normally is completed, or when the substrate transfer of the first robot or the second robot is completed, the processing chamber in which an abnormality has occurred returns to a normal state. And the remaining processing time until the processing chamber where the abnormality has occurred completes the processing of the substrate is staying in the cassette port, the first robot, the load lock chamber, or the transfer chamber. 3. The transfer according to claim 2, wherein the staying substrate discharge step is terminated if it is shorter than a time for transferring the substrate that is scheduled to be processed in the processing chamber in which the occurrence occurs to the transfer chamber. Control method.   The average value of the time for transporting the substrate staying in the cassette port, the first robot, the load lock chamber or the transfer chamber to the transfer chamber, and the processing time in each of the processing chambers The average value is calculated and stored based on the past operation and processing time, and based on these average values, the remaining processing time until the processing chamber where the abnormality has occurred completes the processing of the substrate. However, the substrate that was scheduled to be processed in the processing chamber in which an abnormality staying in the cassette port, the first robot, the load lock chamber, or the transfer chamber has occurred is transferred to the transfer chamber. 4. The conveyance control method according to claim 3, wherein it is determined whether or not the time is shorter than the time.

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