JP2010225617A - Substrate processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an HSMS communication state display function of a group control system, which is not achieved by the conventional technology. <P>SOLUTION: A substrate processing system is composed of: a substrate processing device 10 for processing substrates; and a group control device 20 connected to the substrate processing device 10. A group control system has: a communication part for executing communication with another device connected during an on-line mode; a storage part for storing a state during communication; and an operation part 22 for displaying obtained communication data stored in the storage part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing system including a substrate processing apparatus that processes a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer and a group management apparatus that manages a production history and an operating state of the substrate processing apparatus, and in particular, is connected to the group management apparatus. The present invention relates to a function for displaying a communication state with a substrate processing apparatus.

  Nowadays, communication data is monitored for communication data exchanged between devices in conformity with HSMS communication.

  However, conventionally, the substrate processing system has no screen function for displaying information on HSMS communication. The HSMS communication status could not be referenced and the communication status was not known at all.

The present invention provides an HSMS communication status display function of a county management system that was not a prior art.

  A first feature of the present invention is a substrate processing system including a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate and a group management apparatus connected to the substrate processing apparatus, wherein the group management apparatus includes: The present invention has a communication unit that communicates with other devices connected when online, a storage unit that stores a state at the time of communication, and an operation unit that displays acquired communication data in the storage unit.

According to the present invention, it is possible to check the communication state of the HSMS online or to confirm an abnormality and to provide information for investigating the cause when the abnormality occurs.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a substrate processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a plane perspective view which shows the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is side surface perspective drawing which shows the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block block diagram of the county management system which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of a substrate processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the configuration of a substrate processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing system includes at least one substrate processing apparatus 10 that processes a substrate, and a group management apparatus 20 connected to the substrate processing apparatus 10. The connection between the substrate processing apparatus 10 and the group management apparatus 20 may be a direct connection using a communication cable, a network connection via a local line, or a wide area line such as the Internet or a dedicated line network. Network connection may be used. The substrate processing apparatus 10 includes a substrate processing system 100 for processing a substrate, a substrate processing apparatus controller 240 connected to the substrate processing system 100, and an operation terminal 241 connected to the substrate processing apparatus controller 240. The group management apparatus 20 is connected to the group management apparatus controller 21 connected to the substrate processing apparatus 10 through a network and the like, and is connected to the group management apparatus controller 21 so that a user (maintenance staff) operates the group management apparatus. And an operation terminal 22 which is an input / output device used at the time. Further, the communication terminal 30 is a host computer that manages the operation in the semiconductor manufacturing factory, and the host computer and the substrate processing apparatus 10 can be connected online, whereby the substrate processing apparatus 10 can be automatically operated. Become.

In the best mode for carrying out the present invention, as an example, the substrate processing apparatus is configured as a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus that performs processing steps in a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device (IC). In the following description, a case where a vertical apparatus (hereinafter simply referred to as a processing apparatus) that performs oxidation, diffusion processing, CVD processing, or the like is applied to the substrate as the substrate processing apparatus will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the substrate processing system of the present invention uses a hoop (substrate container; hereinafter referred to as a pod) 110 as a wafer carrier that stores a wafer (substrate) 200 made of silicon or the like. 100 includes a housing 111. A front maintenance port 103 as an opening provided for maintenance is opened at the front front portion of the front wall 111a of the casing 111, and front maintenance doors 104 and 104 for opening and closing the front maintenance port 103 are respectively built. It is attached. A pod loading / unloading port (substrate container loading / unloading port) 112 is opened on the front wall 111a of the casing 111 so as to communicate between the inside and the outside of the casing 111. The pod loading / unloading port 112 has a front shutter (substrate container loading / unloading port). The loading / unloading opening / closing mechanism 113 is opened and closed. A load port (substrate container delivery table) 114 is installed in front of the front side of the pod loading / unloading port 112, and the load port 114 is configured so that the pod 110 is placed and aligned. The pod 110 is carried onto the load port 114 by an in-process carrying device (not shown), and is also carried out from the load port 114.

A rotary pod shelf (substrate container mounting shelf) 105 is installed at an upper portion of the casing 111 in a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction. The rotary pod shelf 105 stores a plurality of pods 110. It is configured. In other words, the rotary pod shelf 105 is vertically arranged and intermittently rotated in a horizontal plane, and a plurality of shelf boards (supported by a substrate container) that are radially supported by the support 116 at each of the upper, middle, and lower positions. And a plurality of shelf plates 117 are configured to hold the pods 110 in a state where a plurality of pods 110 are respectively placed. A pod transfer device (substrate container transfer device) 118 is installed between the load port 114 and the rotary pod shelf 105 in the housing 111, and the pod transfer device 118 moves up and down while holding the pod 110. A pod elevator (substrate container lifting mechanism) 118a and a pod transfer mechanism (substrate container transfer mechanism) 118b as a transfer mechanism are configured. The pod transfer device 118 includes a pod elevator 118a and a pod transfer mechanism 118b. The pod 110 is transported between the load port 114, the rotary pod shelf 105, and the pod opener (substrate container lid opening / closing mechanism) 121 by continuous operation.

A sub-housing 119 is constructed across the rear end of the lower portion of the housing 111 at a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction. A pair of wafer loading / unloading ports (substrate loading / unloading ports) 120 for loading / unloading the wafer 200 into / from the sub-casing 119 are arranged on the front wall 119a of the sub-casing 119 in two vertical stages. A pair of pod openers 121 and 121 are installed at the wafer loading / unloading ports 120 and 120 at the upper and lower stages, respectively. The pod opener 121 includes mounting bases 122 and 122 on which the pod 110 is placed, and cap attaching / detaching mechanisms (lid attaching / detaching mechanisms) 123 and 123 for attaching and detaching caps (lids) of the pod 110. The pod opener 121 is configured to open and close the wafer loading / unloading port of the pod 110 by attaching / detaching the cap of the pod 110 placed on the placing table 122 by the cap attaching / detaching mechanism 123.

  The sub-housing 119 constitutes a transfer chamber 124 that is fluidly isolated from the installation space of the pod transfer device 118 and the rotary pod shelf 105. A wafer transfer mechanism (substrate transfer mechanism) 125 is installed in the front region of the transfer chamber 124, and the wafer transfer mechanism 125 rotates the wafer 200 in the horizontal direction or can move the wafer 200 in the horizontal direction. Substrate transfer device) 125a and wafer transfer device elevator (substrate transfer device lifting mechanism) 125b for raising and lowering wafer transfer device 125a. By the continuous operation of the wafer transfer device elevator 125b and the wafer transfer device 125a, the tweezer (substrate holder) 125c of the wafer transfer device 125a is used as a placement portion for the wafer 200 with respect to the boat (substrate holder) 217. The wafer 200 is loaded (charged) and unloaded (discharged).

  In the rear region of the transfer chamber 124, a standby unit 126 that houses and waits for the boat 217 is configured. A processing furnace 202 is provided above the standby unit 126. The lower end portion of the processing furnace 202 is configured to be opened and closed by a furnace port shutter (furnace port opening / closing mechanism) 147.

As shown in FIG. 2, the supply chamber 124 is supplied with a clean atmosphere 133 or an inert gas supplied to the right end of the transfer chamber 124 opposite to the wafer transfer device elevator 125b. A clean unit 134 composed of a fan and a dustproof filter is installed, and a notch aligner as a substrate aligner for aligning the circumferential position of the wafer between the wafer transfer device 125a and the clean unit 134. 135 is installed.
The clean air 133 blown out from the clean unit 134 is circulated through the notch aligning device 135 and the wafer transfer device 125a and then sucked in by a duct (not shown) to be exhausted to the outside of the casing 111 or clean. The unit 134 is circulated to the primary side (supply side) which is the suction side, and is again blown into the transfer chamber 124 by the clean unit 134.

As shown in FIG. 2, a boat elevator (substrate holder lifting mechanism) 115 for raising and lowering the boat 217 between the right end of the pressure-resistant casing 111 and the right end of the standby section 126 of the sub casing 119. Is installed. A seal cap 219 serving as a lid is horizontally installed on an arm 128 serving as a connector connected to the boat elevator 115, and the seal cap 219 supports the boat 217 vertically and closes the lower end of the processing furnace 202. It is configured as possible.
The boat 217 includes a plurality of holding members so that a plurality of (for example, about 50 to 125) wafers 200 are horizontally held in a state where their centers are aligned in the vertical direction. It is configured.

Next, the operation of the substrate processing system 100 of the present invention will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the pod 110 is supplied to the load port 114, the pod loading / unloading port 112 is opened by the front shutter 113, and the pod 110 above the load port 114 moves to the pod transfer device 118. Is carried into the housing 111 from the pod loading / unloading port 112. The loaded pod 110 is automatically transported and delivered by the pod transport device 118 to the designated shelf 117 of the rotary pod shelf 105, temporarily stored, and then one pod opener from the shelf 117. It is conveyed to 121 and transferred to the mounting table 122, or directly transferred to the pod opener 121 and transferred to the mounting table 122. At this time, the wafer loading / unloading port 120 of the pod opener 121 is closed by the cap attaching / detaching mechanism 123, and the transfer chamber 124 is filled with clean air 133. For example, the transfer chamber 124 is filled with nitrogen gas as clean air 133, so that the oxygen concentration is set to 20 ppm or less, which is much lower than the oxygen concentration inside the casing 111 (atmosphere).

The pod 110 mounted on the mounting table 122 is pressed against the opening edge of the wafer loading / unloading port 120 on the front wall 119a of the sub-housing 119, and the cap is removed by the cap attaching / detaching mechanism 123. The wafer loading / unloading port of the pod 110 is opened. When the pod 110 is opened by the pod opener 121, the wafer 200 is picked up from the pod 110 by the tweezer 125c of the wafer transfer device 125a through the wafer loading / unloading port, aligned with the notch alignment device 135, and then transferred to the transfer chamber 124. Is loaded into the standby unit 126 at the back of the vehicle and loaded into the boat 217 (wafer charging). The wafer transfer device 125 a that has delivered the wafer 200 to the boat 217 returns to the pod 110 and loads the next wafer 110 into the boat 217.

During the loading operation of the wafer into the boat 217 by the wafer transfer device 125 in the one (upper or lower) pod opener 121, the other (lower or upper) pod opener 121 has a rotary pod shelf 105 or load port 114. The other pod 110 is transported by the pod transport device 118, and the opening operation of the pod 110 by the pod opener 121 proceeds simultaneously.

When a predetermined number of wafers 200 are loaded into the boat 217, the lower end of the processing furnace 202 closed by the furnace port shutter 147 is opened by the furnace port shutter 147. Subsequently, the boat 217 holding the wafers 200 is loaded into the processing furnace 202 when the seal cap 219 is lifted by the boat elevator 115.

After loading, arbitrary processing is performed on the wafer 200 in the processing furnace 202. After the processing, the wafer 200 and the pod 110 are discharged to the outside of the casing 111 in the reverse order of the above-described procedure except for the wafer alignment process in the notch aligner 135.

  Next, the configuration of the group management system in the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  4, the group management system of the present invention includes a control unit for executing a county management system communication program for performing HSMS communication, a communication unit having an HSMS driver for performing HSMS communication, and communication in an HSMS state. And at least a storage unit for recording when the state changes. In the present embodiment, an operation terminal having an operation screen such as a touch panel and an input unit such as a keyboard is connected via a communication line. However, the present invention is not limited to this mode, and the operation is performed as shown in FIG. An integrated configuration including the terminal may be used.

  Information on the HSMS communication status is acquired from the log file, and the HSMS status status, line disconnection / connection or communication error is displayed on the operation screen of the operation terminal.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate processing system 10 Substrate processing apparatus 20 Group management apparatus 21 Group management apparatus controller (control part)
22 Operation terminal (operation unit)
100 Substrate processing system

Claims (1)

A substrate processing system comprising a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate and a group management apparatus connected to the substrate processing apparatus,
The group management device includes a communication unit that communicates with other devices connected when online, a storage unit that stores a state at the time of communication, and an operation unit that displays acquired communication data in the storage unit Substrate processing system.