JP2013165226A - Substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate processing apparatus including an operation screen which solves disadvantages in the operability for conducting comparison reference of information of reactors and switches the information of the different reactors with an easy operation thereby enabling the comparison reference.SOLUTION: A substrate processing apparatus includes: an operation part which includes at least a display part including an operation screen displaying switching means switching to a desired screen and displaying the desired screen; and a display control part receiving an input instruction from the operation screen and displaying a predetermined screen on the operation screen in accordance with the input instruction. The display control part displays the pre-registered desired screen on the operation screen when the switching means is pressed.

Description

The present invention is intended to improve screen operability in an operation unit terminal.

  In a substrate processing apparatus that has a plurality of reactors and performs film formation processing on the processing substrate by the same or different heat treatment and chemical reaction for each reactor, the pressure, temperature, gas flow rate, etc. in each reactor Since the control state has a large amount of information, it is not possible to display all information within one screen. For this reason, the operation unit is configured to prepare a screen for displaying individual information such as pressure only and temperature only for each reactor and to switch the display to monitor the current control state. The operation unit monitors and displays the status of each component such as a valve, pump, gas, and heater, the status of movable parts such as carriers, cylinders, and shafts, and the status of sensors that detect these operations. It plays the role of managing the human interface such as editing parameters necessary for process control and transport control.

  On the conventional screen, there is a display method in which the display of each control information for the same reactor can be easily switched for reference, and information that is to be referred to at a time among many pieces of information can be extracted and displayed on a single screen. However, when trying to compare and refer to the same control information such as temperature and pressure between reactors, it was not easy to switch the display in the same reactor.

  Therefore, the screen operation when the operator tries to compare and refer to the control information of the reactor 1 and the reactor 2 will be described with reference to FIG. The operation screen includes (1) “reactor switching button”, (2) “various information switching button”, and (3) “detailed display of various information”. Here, the operation of the screen will be described by taking as an example a case where the operator wants to refer to detailed information regarding the temperatures of the reactor 1 and the reactor 2.

  First, as shown in FIG. 3A, the operator selects (1) “reactor switching button” and then selects the reactor 1, and then (2) “various information switching button” temperature button. Thus, detailed information on the temperature of the reactor 1 can be referred to. Next, when referring to the detailed information regarding the temperature of the reaction furnace 2, as shown in FIG. 3B, it is switched to the reaction furnace 2 once by (1) “reactor switch button”. At this time, an arbitrary screen previously referred to (information on pressure in FIG. 3B) is displayed. Here, if it is not on the temperature screen, as shown in FIG. 3 (C), detailed information regarding the temperature of the reactor 2 can be referred to by selecting the temperature button of (2) “Button for switching various information”. . Here, the temperature information has been explained as an example. However, when it is desired to compare and refer to the pressure, gas flow rate, and apparatus-specific information between the reactors, the operations from (A) to (C) in FIG. The work efficiency and operability are very poor.

As described above, when the screen to be frequently displayed is a deep screen, there is a problem that the screen operation is very complicated for an operator who operates the apparatus.

  The object of the present invention is to solve the problem of poor operability when it is desired to compare and refer to information between reactors, which has been a drawback of the prior art, and to switch and compare information between different reactors by simple operation. A substrate processing apparatus having a screen is provided.

  The present invention provides a display unit having an operation screen for displaying switching means for switching to a desired screen, and a display for receiving an input instruction from the operation screen and displaying a predetermined screen on the operation screen according to the input instruction A substrate processing apparatus including an operation unit including at least a control unit, wherein the display control unit displays the pre-registered desired screen on the operation screen when the switching unit is pressed. It is in.

  According to the present invention, various control information between reactors can be easily compared and referred to, and operability for workers and load reduction can be achieved.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows the substrate processing apparatus of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the control structure in the substrate processing apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the conventional operation screen display structure. It is a figure which shows the operation screen display structure of this invention.

<One Embodiment of the Present Invention>
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

(1) Configuration of Substrate Processing Apparatus First, the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a multi-wafer type substrate processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing apparatus 10 is divided into a vacuum side and an atmospheric side.

(Vacuum side configuration)
On the vacuum side of the substrate processing apparatus 10, a vacuum transfer chamber TM (Transfer Module) capable of being vacuum-tight, load lock chambers LM (Load Lock Module) 1 and LM2 as spare chambers, and a plurality of substrates W are collectively processed. Process chambers PM (Process Module) 1 and PM 2 as processing chambers are provided. The load lock chambers LM1, LM2, and the process chambers PM1, PM2 are arranged so as to surround the outer periphery of the vacuum transfer chamber TM.

  The vacuum transfer chamber TM has a structure capable of withstanding a pressure (negative pressure) less than atmospheric pressure such as a vacuum state. In the present embodiment, the housing of the vacuum transfer chamber TM is formed in a box shape having a pentagonal shape in plan view and closed at both upper and lower ends.

  In the vacuum transfer chamber TM, a vacuum robot VR as a transfer means is provided. The vacuum robot VR transports a substrate W such as a dummy substrate or a product substrate made of silicon (Si) between the load lock chambers LM1 and LM2 and the process chambers PM1 and PM2. Mutually by placing them on the arm. The vacuum robot VR is configured to be able to move up and down while maintaining the airtightness of the vacuum transfer chamber TM. Each of the two arms can be expanded and contracted in the horizontal direction, and is configured to be able to rotate and move within the horizontal plane. A substrate presence / absence sensor (not shown) is installed in the vacuum transfer chamber TM in front of each of the load lock chambers LM1, LM2 and the process chambers PM1, PM2, so that the presence of the substrate W on the arm can be detected. It is configured.

  Each of the process chambers PM1 and PM2 includes substrate mounting tables ST11 to ST15 and ST21 to ST25 on which the substrate W is mounted, and is configured as a multi-wafer type processing chamber that collectively processes, for example, five substrates W at a time. . That is, each of the process chambers PM1 and PM2 functions as a processing chamber that adds value to the substrate W, such as etching or ashing using plasma or the like, and film formation by chemical reaction (CVD: Chemical Vapor Deposition).

  Further, the process chambers PM1 and PM2 are provided with various configurations according to their functions, for example, a gas introduction / exhaust mechanism and a temperature control / plasma discharge mechanism (all not shown). These mechanisms are a pressure controller 15 such as a mass flow controller (not shown) for controlling the flow rate of the processing gas supplied into the process chambers PM1 and PM2, an auto pressure controller (APC) for controlling the pressure in the process chambers PM1 and PM2, a process. Controls on / off of a temperature controller (not shown) for controlling the temperature in the chambers PM1, PM2, a valve digital I / O 13 for controlling on / off of supply of processing gas and an exhaust valve, and various switches (SW). SW digital I / O 14 and the like are provided. Each of the above components is electrically connected to the process chamber controller 239p. The configuration of the control unit 239 as control means including the process chamber controller 239p will be described later.

  Further, the process chambers PM1, PM2 communicate with the vacuum transfer chamber TM via gate valves (not shown). Accordingly, the substrate W can be transferred to and from the vacuum transfer chamber TM by opening the gate valve. Further, by closing the gate valve, various substrate processes can be performed on the substrate W while maintaining the pressure and the processing gas atmosphere in the process chambers PM1 and PM2.

  The load lock chambers LM1 and LM2 function as spare chambers for loading the substrate W into the vacuum transfer chamber TM or as spare chambers for unloading the substrate W from the vacuum transfer chamber TM. In the load lock chambers LM1 and LM2, buffer stages (not shown) are provided as substrate placement units that temporarily support the substrate W when the substrate W is loaded and unloaded. Each of the buffer stages may be configured as a multi-stage slot that holds a plurality of (for example, two) substrates W.

  The load lock chambers LM1 and LM2 communicate with the vacuum transfer chamber TM via a gate valve (not shown), and communicate with an atmospheric transfer chamber EFEM (to be described later) via a gate valve (not shown). Therefore, the gate valve on the atmospheric transfer chamber EFEM side is opened while the gate valve on the vacuum transfer chamber TM side is closed, so that the vacuum lock chamber LM1, LM2 and the atmospheric transfer are maintained while maintaining the vacuum airtightness in the vacuum transfer chamber TM. It is possible to transfer the substrate W to and from the chamber EFEM.

  Further, the load lock chambers LM1 and LM2 are configured to withstand a negative pressure less than atmospheric pressure such as a vacuum state, and the inside thereof can be evacuated. Therefore, after closing the gate valve on the atmosphere transfer chamber EFEM side and evacuating the inside of the load lock chambers LM1 and LM2, the gate valve on the vacuum transfer chamber TM side is opened to change the vacuum state in the vacuum transfer chamber TM. While being held, the substrate W can be transferred between the load lock chambers LM1, LM2 and the vacuum transfer chamber TM.

(Composition on the atmosphere side)
On the other hand, on the atmosphere side of the substrate processing apparatus 10, as described above, it is connected to the atmosphere transfer chamber EFEM (Equipment Front End Module), which is a front module connected to the load lock chambers LM1, LM2, and the atmosphere transfer chamber EFEM, For example, load ports LP1 to LP3 are provided as substrate storage portions on which carrier cassettes CA1 to CA3 as substrate storage means storing 25 substrates W for one lot are placed.

  In the atmospheric transfer chamber EFEM, for example, one atmospheric robot AR as a transfer means is provided. The atmospheric robot AR mutually transfers the substrate W between the load lock chambers LM1 and LM2 and the load ports LP1 to LP3. Similarly to the vacuum robot VR, the atmospheric robot AR also has two arms which are substrate placement units. Further, in the atmospheric transfer chamber EFEM, a substrate presence / absence sensor (not shown) is installed at each position in front of the load lock chambers LM1 and LM2, so that the presence of the substrate W on the arm can be detected.

  In the atmospheric transfer chamber EFEM, an orientation flat alignment device (not shown) that performs alignment of the crystal orientation of the substrate W and the like is provided as a substrate position correction device. When the substrate W is a notch type, a notch aligning device as a substrate position correcting device can be provided. The atmospheric transfer chamber EFEM is provided with a clean air unit (not shown) that supplies clean air into the atmospheric transfer chamber EFEM.

  Each of the load ports LP1 to LP3 is configured to place carrier cassettes CA1 to CA3 as substrate storage means for storing a plurality of substrates W on the load ports LP1 to LP3, respectively. In the carrier cassettes CA1 to CA3, for example, 25 slots (not shown) serving as storage units for storing the substrates W are provided for one lot. Each of the load ports LP1 to LP3 is configured to be attached to the carrier cassette CA1 to CA3 when the carrier cassette CA1 to CA3 is placed, and to read and store a bar code or the like indicating a carrier ID for identifying the carrier cassette CA1 to CA3. Is done.

  In addition, among the load ports LP1 to LP3, for example, a carrier cassette C3 that houses a substrate W as a dummy substrate is resident in the load port LP3. The substrate W as a product substrate is stored in, for example, the carrier cassette CA1 or the carrier cassette CA2, placed on the load port LP1 or the load port LP2, and transported into the substrate processing apparatus 10 to be subjected to various substrate processes. . In addition, in order to improve the substrate processing capability of the substrate processing apparatus 10 and because it is necessary to secure a large number of conveyance spaces for product substrates as the number of lots is reduced, the product is resident in the substrate processing apparatus 10. It is desirable to keep a single carrier cassette for the dummy substrate.

  The substrate processing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment has been described above. However, the number, configuration, and combination of each chamber are not limited to the above, and can be appropriately selected.

(3) Configuration of Control Unit Next, a control unit 239 as a control unit that controls the substrate processing apparatus 10 will be described mainly with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of the control unit 239 of the substrate processing apparatus 10.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the operation unit controller 236, the GEM controller 237, the transfer controller 239t, and the process chamber controller 239p are connected to the control unit 239 via a switching hub 239h via a communication network 20 such as a LAN. It is provided so that it may be connected to. A robot controller 11 that controls the vacuum robot VR provided in the vacuum transfer chamber TM and the atmospheric robot AR provided in the atmospheric transfer chamber EFEM is provided via a switching hub 239h by a communication network 20 such as a LAN. The operation unit controller 236 is an interface with an operator, and is configured to receive an operation by the operator via the display device 236s, an input device (not shown), or the like. The display device 236s is, for example, a liquid crystal display panel, and an operation screen for operating the substrate processing apparatus 10 is displayed on the display device 236s. In the operation unit controller 236, a display control unit (not shown) used for controlling the display of the display device 236s is provided. The display control unit is configured to receive an input instruction from the operation screen and display a desired screen on the operation screen in accordance with the input instruction.

  The control unit 239 as a control unit is provided inside the substrate processing apparatus 10 and includes a transfer controller 239t and a process chamber controller 239p, and is configured to control each unit of the substrate processing apparatus 10. The transfer controller 239t and the process chamber controller 239p may be provided outside the substrate processing apparatus 10 instead of being provided in the substrate processing apparatus 10.

  The process chamber controller 239p and the transfer controller 239t are composed of a CPU, for example. Further, the process chamber controller 239p and the transfer controller 239t are connected to a digital signal line 30 such as DeviceNet, such as a valve digital I / O 13 for controlling the supply of processing gas and the on / off of an exhaust valve, various switches (SW), etc. SW digital I / Os 14 for controlling on / off are respectively connected via the sequencer 12.

  Further, a pressure controller 15 such as an auto pressure controller (APC) for controlling the pressure in the process chambers PM1 and PM2 is connected to the process chamber controller 239p through a serial line 40, for example. The process chamber controller 239p receives control data (control instructions) for processing a product substrate or a dummy substrate based on a process recipe created or edited by an operator via the operation unit controller 236, for example, the pressure controller 15 The processing gas is supplied to and exhausted from the processing gas, various switches, a mass flow controller, a temperature controller, and the like to control the substrate processing in the process chambers PM1, PM2.

  Further, the transport controller 239t has a storage unit 16 in which barcodes 1, 2, 3,... Indicating carrier IDs for identifying the carrier cassettes CA1 to CA3 placed on the load ports LP1 to LP3 are stored. For example, it is connected through a serial line 40. The transfer controller 239t, for example, transmits control data (control instruction) when transferring a product substrate or a dummy substrate based on a sequence recipe created or edited by an operator via the operation unit controller 236, to the vacuum robot VR or the atmosphere. Output to the robot AR, various valves, switches, and the like to control the transfer of the substrate W in the substrate processing apparatus 10.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 illustrates a display example of the operation screen configuration according to the present invention. In FIG. 4, a screen transition button as a switching means is newly provided on the operation screen. This button will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 4A, (1) “Reactor switching button” was added as a screen transition button. The screen transition using this button will be described by taking as an example the case of referring to detailed information related to temperature similar to the prior art. Up to the point of referring to the detailed information screen regarding the temperature of the reactor 1, the operation is the same as the operation of FIG. Here, when referring to the detailed information on the temperature of the reactor 2, as shown in FIG. 3B, (1) “Reactor 2” of the “Reactor switching button” is immediately selected. The screen switches to information on the reactor 2 side. In addition, by selecting “Reactor 1” again, the screen on the reactor 1 side is immediately switched. In the present embodiment, the case of referring to the detailed information related to the temperature has been mentioned, but the other information of the temperature can be easily compared between the reactors by the same operation.

  Further, the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention can be applied not only to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus but also to an apparatus for processing a glass substrate such as an LCD device, and not only a vertical substrate processing apparatus but also a single-wafer type substrate processing apparatus or The present invention can also be applied to a substrate processing apparatus having a horizontal processing furnace. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the present invention can be similarly applied to other substrate processing apparatuses such as an exposure apparatus, a lithography apparatus, and a coating apparatus.

10 Substrate Processing Device 236 Operation Unit Controller (Operation Unit)
236s display device (display unit)

Claims (1)

A display unit having an operation screen for displaying switching means for switching to a desired screen; and a display control unit for receiving an input instruction from the operation screen and displaying a predetermined screen on the operation screen according to the input instruction. A substrate processing apparatus including at least an operation unit, wherein the display control unit displays the desired screen registered in advance on the operation screen when the switching unit is pressed. Substrate processing equipment.