JP2014090078A - Fluid heating device, method of controlling operation thereof, substrate processing system having fluid heating device and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten time required for heater replacement maintenance of a fluid heating unit having a plurality of heater elements.SOLUTION: A plurality of heater elements (33) are operated so that (a) at least one heater element is turned into an operation state and at least another heater element is turned into an idle state among the plurality of heater elements at an arbitrary point of time, (b) heater elements in the operation state are sequentially changed in accordance with the elapse of time, and (c) each heater element shifted to the operation state is shifted to the idle state after the elapse of predetermined target operation time. Integrated operation time of each heater element is counted and subsequent target operation time of each heater element is corrected at predetermined timing so that difference of integrated operation time between the heater elements becomes small on the basis of the counted integrated operation time.

Description

  The present invention relates to an operation control technique for a fluid heating apparatus including a plurality of heater elements.

  The semiconductor device manufacturing process includes a liquid processing process such as wet cleaning and wet etching. In a substrate processing system that executes such a liquid processing step, a processing liquid such as a chemical solution supplied to the substrate is heated by a fluid heating unit interposed in a processing liquid circulation path and is maintained at a predetermined target temperature. The

  Many fluid heating units having a halogen lamp heater as a heater element are used. The fluid heating unit has a plurality of halogen lamp heaters. Such a fluid heating unit is described in Patent Document 1, for example.

  The reason for providing a plurality of halogen lamp heaters in one fluid heating unit is that (1) the operation of the substrate processing system can be continued even when the filament is broken, and (2) the substrate processing system. In order to enable the processing liquid to reach the target temperature quickly at the time of start-up after a pause or when the processing liquid is replaced, a plurality of halogen heater lamps are operated simultaneously (if the temperature stabilizes, the number of lamp heaters to be operated To be able to reduce), etc.

  The halogen heater lamp has a lifetime and must be replaced before reaching a predetermined accumulated operating time. In order to replace the halogen heater lamp, it is necessary to perform maintenance by stopping the fluid heating unit. If the replacement times of the plurality of halogen heater lamps are different, the number of times the fluid heating unit is stopped increases, which adversely affects the throughput of the substrate processing system.

JP 2010-080852 A

  The present invention provides a technique capable of reducing the time required for heater replacement maintenance of a fluid heating unit.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a fluid heating apparatus that heats a fluid, the container having an internal space through which the fluid flows, and the fluid that is provided in the container and flows through an internal section of the container. A plurality of heater elements to be heated, and at any point in time, at least one of the plurality of heater elements is in an active state and at least one other is in a dormant state, and a heater element that is in an operating state has elapsed over time And a controller that controls the operating state and the resting state of each heater so that each heater element that is sequentially changed and moved to the working state transitions to the resting state after a preset target working time has elapsed. The controller further includes an operating time counting unit that counts an integrated operating time that is a sum of actual operating times of the heater elements, and the operating time. Based on the accumulated operating time of each heater element counted by the und section, the target operating time thereafter of each heater element is reduced at a predetermined timing so that the difference in accumulated operating time between the plurality of heater elements is reduced. A fluid heating apparatus having a target operating time correction unit for correcting The present invention also provides a substrate processing system comprising the fluid heating device and at least one substrate processing unit for processing a substrate using the processing liquid heated by the fluid heating device.

  Further, the present invention provides a method for controlling the operation of a fluid heating apparatus, comprising: a container having an internal space through which a fluid flows; and a plurality of heater elements that are provided in the container and that heat the fluid that flows through an internal section of the container. The heater elements in the operating state are sequentially changed over time while at least one of the plurality of heater elements is in an operating state and at least another is in a resting state at an arbitrary time point, and Operating the plurality of heater elements such that each heater element that has shifted to the operating state shifts to a dormant state after elapse of a preset target operating time, and the sum of the actual operating times of the heater elements So that the difference in the accumulated operating time between the plurality of heater elements is reduced based on the counted accumulated operating time. At a predetermined timing, the offers and to correct the subsequent target operation time of each heater element, the operation control method comprising the.

  Furthermore, the present invention is a storage medium storing a program for controlling the fluid heating device, and the program stored in the storage medium is executed by the controller of the fluid heating device including a computer, A storage medium is provided in which a controller controls the fluid heating device to execute the operation control method.

  According to the present invention, since the subsequent target operating time of each heater element is corrected at a predetermined timing based on the integrated operating time of each heater element, the heater element's integrated operating time may vary greatly. Is prevented. For this reason, the maintenance work frequency for heater replacement of the fluid heating device can be reduced, and the total time of the maintenance work can be shortened. Further, the throughput of the substrate processing system in which the fluid heating device is incorporated can be improved.

It is the schematic which shows the structure of the substrate processing system incorporating the fluid processing apparatus and the said fluid processing apparatus. It is a diagram explaining an example of an operation schedule.

  Embodiments of the invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, the overall configuration of the substrate processing system will be described with reference to FIG. The substrate processing system includes a tank 1 that stores a processing liquid, and a first circulation line 10 and a second circulation line 20 that are connected to the tank 1. A temperature sensor 2 such as a thermocouple is provided in the tank 1.

  A pump 11 is interposed in the first circulation line 10, and by driving the pump 11, the processing liquid stored in the tank 1 flows out from the drain port 1 </ b> A, and the first circulation line 10. And then returned to the tank 1 again. A plurality (only three are shown in the drawing) of branch pipes 12 branch from the first circulation pipe 10, and each branch pipe supplies a processing liquid to the substrate processing unit 13. Specifically, each branch pipe 12 is provided with a flow control mechanism 14 including an on-off valve and a flow rate adjusting valve. A nozzle 15 is provided at the end of each branch pipe 12. Each nozzle 15 discharges the processing liquid toward the substrate W such as a semiconductor wafer that is held and rotated by the spin chuck 16, and thereby the substrate W is subjected to predetermined processing. After being ejected toward the substrate W, the processing liquid scattered from the substrate is collected by a cup body 17 provided around the spin chuck 16. The processing liquid collected in the cup body 17 can be discharged to a factory waste liquid system via a waste liquid pipe (not shown). Alternatively, depending on the type of processing, the processing liquid collected in the cup body 17 can be returned to the tank 1 via a return pipe (not shown). The number and types of substrate processing units 13 that receive the processing liquid supplied from the first circulation line 10 are not limited to the illustrated example. For example, only one batch-type substrate processing unit (from the first circulation line 10 ( You may supply a process liquid to what processes a some board | substrate simultaneously in a process tank. The substrate W is not limited to a semiconductor wafer, but may be another type of substrate, such as a glass substrate or a ceramic substrate.

  The second circulation pipe 20 is provided with a pump 21 and a fluid heating unit (fluid heating device) 30. When the pump 21 is driven, the processing liquid stored in the tank 1 is discharged into the drain port 1B. And then returned to the tank 1 again through the second circulation line 20. The treatment liquid is heated when passing through the fluid heating unit 30. By heating while circulating the treatment liquid in this way, the temperature of the treatment liquid in the tank can be stably maintained at the target temperature.

  The fluid heating unit 30 includes a large-diameter cylindrical container 31 and a plurality of lamp housing tubes 32 provided in the container 31. The container 31 and the lamp housing tube 32 are made of, for example, quartz. The internal space of each lamp housing tube 32 is separated from the internal space of the container 31. A halogen lamp heater 33 is housed in each lamp housing tube 32. The container 31 is provided with an inlet 31 </ b> A and an outlet 31 </ b> B, and the inlet 31 </ b> A and the outlet 31 </ b> B are connected to the second circulation pipe 20. When the pump 21 is operated, the processing liquid flows into the container 31 from the inlet 31A, and the processing liquid spirally flows inside the container 31 toward the outlet 31B and flows out from the outlet 31B. The lamp light from the halogen lamp heater 33 passes through the lamp housing tube 32 and is irradiated to the processing liquid flowing inside the container 31 and absorbed by the processing liquid. Thereby, the processing liquid is heated. The halogen lamp heater 33 is a lamp heater configured by enclosing a halogen element or a compound thereof and arranging a tungsten filament in an arc tube made of heat-resistant glass made of quartz or the like.

  Electric power is supplied to the halogen lamp heater 33 from a power source 34. The power source 34 is controlled by a controller (control unit) 35. The controller 35 can be configured as part of a system controller that controls the overall operation of the substrate processing system, or as a separate sub-controller that operates in response to commands from such a system controller.

  The controller 35 includes an operation schedule storage unit 35A, an operation time count unit 35B, a target operation time correction unit 35C, an energization control unit 35D, and a switching control unit 35E. Each of these units 35A to 35E can be executed by a computer hardware provided with an arbitrary storage device (storage medium) known in the technical field of computers such as an HDD and a memory and an arithmetic device such as an MPU, and the hardware. It can be realized by a program (software). Such a program can be stored in the storage medium.

  The operation schedule storage unit 35 </ b> A stores a predetermined operation schedule for each halogen lamp heater 33 (hereinafter referred to as “heater”). Although various things can be considered as an operation schedule, two of them are illustrated in FIG. Here, it is assumed that the fluid heating unit 30 has four heaters 33, and the ID code of each heater 33 is indicated as 33A, 33B, 33C, 33D. Hereinafter, in this specification, reference numerals 33A, 33B, 33C, and 33D are used when it is necessary to distinguish between the heaters, and when it is not necessary to distinguish between the heaters, they are also simply indicated as “heater 33”. The diagram (time chart) shown in FIG. 2 shows the change over time of the electric power supplied to each heater 33, and the electric power is supplied to the heater 33 and the heater 33 Indicates that it is operating.

In the operation schedule shown in FIG. 2A, the cycle is repeated with the following phases 1 to 4 as one cycle.
The heater 33A is operated for a predetermined target operating time (for example, 10 hours) (the heaters 33B, 33C, 33D are stopped) (Phase 1)
-Heater 33B is operated for a predetermined target operating time (heaters 33A, 33C, 33D are stopped) (phase 2)
-Heater 33C is operated for a predetermined target operating time (heaters 33A, 33B, 33D are stopped) (phase 3)
The heater 33D is operated for a predetermined target operating time (the heaters 33A, 33B, and 33C are stopped) (phase 4).

In the operation schedule shown in FIG. 2B, the cycle is repeated with the following phases 1 to 4 as one cycle.
The heaters 33A and 33B are operated for a predetermined target operating time (for example, 10 hours) (the heaters 33C and 33D are stopped) (phase 1)
-Heater 33B and heater 33C are operated for a predetermined target operating time (heaters 33A and 33D are stopped) (phase 2)
-Heater 33C and heater 33D are operated for a predetermined target operating time (heaters 33A and 33B are stopped) (phase 3)
The heater 33D and the heater 33A are operated for a predetermined target operating time (the heaters 33B and 33C are stopped) (phase 4).

  In both cases of FIGS. 2A and 2B, when shifting from one phase to the next, one heater shifts from an operating state (energized state) to a resting state (non-energized state) Another one heater shifts from a resting state (non-energized state) to an operating state (energized state). The “predetermined target operating time” in each phase is equal to each other. In other words, the operation schedule is set so that the total operation time of each heater 33 in one cycle becomes equal. In the case of FIG. 2B, the heater 33 that is in an operating state in one phase and the next phase is energized continuously even during the phase shift. In short, the operation schedule is as follows: (1) at least one heater 33 is in operation in each phase, at least one other heater 33 is in a dormant state, and (2) from one phase to the next. At the time of transition, it is determined that at least one heater 33 shifts from the operating state to the inactive state, and at least one other heater 33 shifts from the inactive state to the operating state instead.

  In the operation schedule, the temperature of the processing liquid in the tank 1 detected by the temperature sensor 2 is within the target temperature (within the target temperature range) after the substrate processing system starts operating, that is, after the fluid heating device 30 starts operating. When heating the cooled processing liquid to near the target temperature, a larger number of heaters than the heaters operating during one phase may be operated in the operation schedule.

  The energization control unit 35D controls the power supply 34 based on the operation schedule stored in the operation schedule storage unit 35A to energize each heater 33. The energization control unit 35D can also finely adjust the supplied power so that the temperature of the treatment liquid detected by the temperature sensor 2 provided in the tank 1 is maintained at the target temperature (within the target temperature range). . However, it is only an adjustment within a range in which a halogen cycle malfunction does not occur in the halogen lamp heater.

  The operating time counting unit 35B individually counts and stores the accumulated energizing time for each heater 33, that is, the accumulated operating time of each heater 33, based on the output signal from the energization control unit 35D.

  When the switching control unit 35E repeats the above-described cycle scheduled according to the operation schedule, whether or not two switching conditions for shifting from one phase to the next phase (that is, switching of the heater 33 to be operated) are satisfied. Determine whether. The first switching condition is that a predetermined target operating time (for example, 10 hours) has elapsed since the heater 33 started operating. When the target operating time is corrected by a target operating time correction unit 35C described later, the first switching condition is that the corrected target operating time has elapsed.

The second switching condition is that the actual temperature of the processing liquid is within a predetermined range. Specifically, for example, the target temperature “T _T ” of the processing liquid in the tank 1 is set, and the tank temperature detected by the temperature sensor 2 is detected. When the actual temperature of the treatment liquid is “T _A ”, the state where the relationship of T _A = T _T ± C is satisfied for D seconds. “C” can be set to 2 ° C., for example, and “D” can be set to 600 seconds, for example, but is not limited to these values. Note that the situation where the switching condition 2 is not satisfied can occur, for example, within a predetermined period after the processing liquid in the tank 1 is replenished or partially replaced. The reason for providing the switching condition 2 is that a slight temperature fluctuation occurs when the heater 33 is switched. Therefore, switching the heater 33 when the temperature is unstable may increase the temperature instability. It is because it is not preferable.

  If the second switching condition is not satisfied even though the first switching condition is satisfied, the switching control unit 35E changes from one phase to the next phase until the second switching condition is satisfied. The transition (that is, the switching of the heater 33 to be operated) is postponed (the switching of the heater 33 by the energization control unit 35D based on the operation schedule is prohibited), and the phase transition is allowed only when the second switching condition is satisfied. To do. For this reason, the actual operation time of the heater 33 may be longer than the target operation time. If the cycle is repeated, the difference in the actual operation time of each heater 33 may accumulate, and a large difference may occur in the accumulated operation time of each heater 33. This is contrary to the desire to make all heaters 33 have the same lifetime.

  In order to solve this problem, the target operation time correction unit 35C is defined by the operation schedule stored in the operation schedule storage unit 35A based on the integrated operation time of each heater 33 counted by the operation time counting unit 35B. The target operation time of each heater in each phase is corrected, and the corrected target operation time is stored in the operation schedule storage unit 35A. Accordingly, the energization control unit 35D energizes each heater 33 based on the corrected target operating time. The corrected target operating time is also used for determination of the first switching condition by the switching control unit 35E.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the target operating time correcting unit 35C will be described by taking as an example the case where the operating schedule stored in the operating schedule storage unit 35A is as shown in FIG.

  In the upper part of Table 1, an example of the actual operation time of each heater 33 in the first cycle (this is the same as the actual time of the phases 1 to 4 in the first cycle) is shown. In this example, the heaters 33A and 33D are operating according to the target operating time, whereas the heaters 33B and 33C are operating exceeding the target operating time. The operating time counting unit 35B counts the accumulated operating time of each heater 33. At the end of the first cycle, the accumulated operating time of each heater 33 is equal to the actual operating time of the first cycle of each heater 33 shown in Table 1. The target operation time correction unit 35C sets the default (initial value) target operation of each heater 33 in the next cycle so that the accumulated operation time of each heater 33 becomes the same at the end of the next cycle (second cycle). The time (10 hours, which is a predetermined target operating time stored in the operating schedule storage unit 35A) is corrected as shown in the lower part of Table 1.

  Here, the heater 33B that has the longest accumulated operating time (equal to the actual operating time of the first cycle) is used as a reference, and the heater 33B has a default without correcting the target operating time of the second cycle. Leave for 10 hours. In this case, in the heater 33B, the total operating time (actual operating time of the first cycle + target operating time of the second cycle) scheduled at the end of the second cycle is 21 hours. For the other heaters 33A, 33C, 33D, the target operation of the second cycle is made according to the difference with respect to the actual operation time of the heater 33B so that the total operation time scheduled at the end of the second cycle is also 21 hours. Time is corrected. In the lower part of Table 1, the target operating time of the second cycle corrected in this way is described.

  Further, a method for correcting the target operating time of each heater 33 in the next cycle will be described below. The actual operation time of each heater 33 in the second cycle executed according to the corrected target operation time is shown in the third stage of Table 2 below. Note that since there is the switching condition 1, the actual operating time of each heater 33 in the second cycle does not become shorter than the target operating time corrected as described above.

  The accumulated operation time of each heater 33 counted by the operation time counting unit 35B at the end of the second cycle is 22 hours for the heater 33A, 21 hours for the heater 33B, 21.5 hours for the heater 33C, and 22 for the heater 33D. It will be time. Based on this accumulated operating time, the target operating time of each heater 33 in the third cycle is corrected in the same way as the target operating time correction in the second cycle. That is, based on the heaters 33A and 33D that have the longest accumulated operation time (the “total up to the second cycle” in the fourth stage in Table 2), the heaters 33A and 33D have the third cycle. Leave the default operating time at 10 hours without correcting the target operating time. In this case, in the heaters 33A and 33D, the total operating time scheduled at the end of the second cycle (actual operating time of the first cycle + actual operating time of the second cycle + target operating time of the third cycle) is 32. It will be time. For the other heaters 33B and 33C, the target operation of the third cycle is performed according to the difference with respect to the accumulated operation time of the heaters 33A and 33D so that the total operation time scheduled at the end of the third cycle is also 32 hours. Time is corrected. In the bottom row of Table 2, the target operating time of each heater 33 in the second cycle corrected in this way is described.

  The target operation time after the fourth cycle can also be corrected based on the same idea as described above.

  In the above description, the target operation time of each heater 33 in the next cycle is corrected based on the heater with the longest accumulated operation time. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the correction can be performed by the following method.

  The method shown in Table 3 is the opposite of the method described in Tables 1 and 2, and the heater with the shortest accumulated operating time up to that time (33A at the end of the first cycle, 33B at the end of the 33D / second cycle, 33C) as a reference, the target operating time of the next cycle of the heater is not corrected, and the default 10 hours is left. For other heaters, the total operating time scheduled at the end of the next cycle (the total actual operating time in the cycle executed so far + the target operating time of the next cycle) is scheduled at the end of the next cycle. The target operating time of the next cycle is corrected according to the difference from the total operating time of the heater set as the reference so as to be equal to the total operating time of the heater set as the reference.

  In the method shown in Table 3, when a considerably long actual operation time is generated because the switching condition 2 cannot be satisfied for a long time during operation of a heater 33, the target operation time of the next cycle of the heater is set. There may be cases where it must be considerably shortened. However, ON / OFF operation in a short time is not preferable because it shortens the life of the halogen lamp heater. Measures that can be taken in this case will be described with reference to Table 4 below.

  In Table 4, the actual operation time of the heater 33C in the first cycle is 18 hours, which is significantly longer than the target operation time of 10 hours (see the first stage in Table 4). In this case, if the target operating time of the second cycle of the heater 33C is determined by the method shown in Table 3, it becomes 2 hours (see the second stage in Table 4), which is not preferable as described above. Accordingly, in this case, the operation of the second cycle of the heater 33C is skipped. That is, the target operating time of the heater 33C in the second cycle is 0 hour (see the third stage in Table 4). Here, it is assumed that the actual operation time of each heater 33 in the second cycle is as shown in the fourth row of Table 4 ("Skip" operation means that the switching condition 2 is not satisfied). The actual operating time will not be longer than the target operating time as a cause.) In this case, the target operating time of the third cycle can be set to a relatively long time. The activation condition of the skip operation can be set when the corrected target operating time is less than a predetermined time (for example, 3 hours).

  In the examples shown in Tables 1 to 4, the target operating time is corrected every time one cycle ends, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the method described in Table 1 and Table 2 can be modified as follows.

  As shown in Table 5, during the execution of the first cycle, for example, the heater 33A is operated for 10 hours according to the target operating time, and then the heater 33B is operated for 12 hours and then switched to the heater 33C. At this time, the target operating time of the heater 33C is immediately changed to 12 hours, which is the maximum value of the actual operating time of the heaters (33A, 33B) that have been operated so far. Note that the target operating time of the heater 33C may be changed to an average value (11 hours in this case) of the actual operating time of the heaters (33A, 33B) that have been operated so far. Similarly, after switching to the heater 33D, the target operating time of the heater 33D is switched so as to coincide with the maximum value of the actual operating time of the heaters (33A, 33B, 33C) that have been operated so far. In the second cycle and thereafter, the maximum integrated value of the actual operating time of each heater that has already been operated in the cycle is the target operating time and the cycle of the heater that is currently operating (immediately after switching). The target operating time in the current operating cycle may be changed so as to be equal to the sum of the actual operating time up to the previous cycle. Even when the method shown in Table 5 is adopted, it is preferable to correct the target operating time of each heater in the next cycle according to the method described in Tables 1 and 2 at the end of each cycle.

  Further, in the examples shown in Tables 1 to 4, the target of the next cycle is such that the variation in the actual operation time at the end of one cycle is resolved by the end of the next cycle. The operating time has been determined, but is not limited to this. Determine the target operating time for the next two cycles so that the variation in actual operating time at the end of one cycle is resolved by the end of the next two (or more) cycles. May be. Such an example will be described with reference to Table 6 below.

  When the actual operation time of each heater 33 in the first cycle is the value shown in the top row of Table 6, according to the methods shown in Tables 1 and 2, the target operation time of the second cycle is 18 for the heater 33A. It takes 16 hours for the heater 33B and 18 hours for the heater 33D. On the other hand, in this example, since the variation in the actual operation time of the first cycle is to be eliminated between two cycles, the correction amount per cycle is ½. In this example as well, the target operating time of the third cycle (and subsequent cycles) may be corrected again at the end of the second cycle. Note that the above-described method for eliminating the variation in actual operation time between two cycles (or more) is that the accumulated operation time variation (maximum value−minimum value) at the end time of a certain cycle is greater than or equal to a predetermined value ( For example, it may be applied only in the case of 8 hours or more.

  In the above description, the case where each heater 33 is “smoothly”, that is, the actual operating time is not changed with respect to the target operating time for reasons other than whether or not the switching condition 2 is satisfied has been described. However, in reality, the lamp may be turned off during each phase due to maintenance of the substrate processing system or emergency stop due to an interlock operation of the substrate processing system. A countermeasure in this case will be described with reference to Table 7 below.

  Table 7 shows a case where the substrate processing system is stopped before the heater 33B reaches the target operating time in the second cycle, and the heater 33B is also stopped (stopped) accordingly. Note that. In the example shown in Table 7, the heater operation is managed based on the method described in Table 2 during normal operation. When the substrate processing system and the fluid heating unit 30 are restarted after the heater 33B is stopped, the next heater 33C is started instead of restarting the heater 33B and operating for the remaining three hours. This is to avoid the ON / OFF operation of the halogen lamp heater which is not preferable as described above in a short time. However, when the remaining operation time (target operation time-actual operation time) at the time when the heater is stopped is equal to or longer than a predetermined value (for example, 8 hours or more), the stopped heater may be restarted.

  Further, at the time of re-operation, the operation may be started from the heater with the shortest accumulated operation time until that time (in the case of Table 7, it becomes the heater 33C). Alternatively, the operation may always be started from the same heater (for example, 33A) during re-operation. In these cases, there is an advantage that the control program can be simplified and the load on the memory can be reduced. Also in these cases, the target operating time can be corrected so that the integrated operating time between the heaters matches in the cycle executed at the time of restarting or in the subsequent cycle.

  In each of the above examples, the four heaters 33A to 33D are rotated and used in a fixed order, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the first cycle ABCD, the second cycle DCBA, the third cycle ACBD, the fourth cycle DABC, the fifth cycle CDAB, the sixth cycle BDCA, the seventh cycle ABCD... (A, B, C, D are heaters, respectively. The rotation order may be changed as shown in FIG. In other words, the order of the phases in each cycle may be changed. As described above, by matching the heater 33 that operates last in each cycle with the heater 33 that operates first in the next cycle, the chance of one heater 33 operating continuously for a long time increases. The risk that the life of the heater 33 is shortened can be reduced. In this case, since the heater 33 is not switched between cycles, the target operating time of the next cycle is corrected as follows. For example, when the last heater 33A in the second cycle finishes the operation for the target operating time (for example, 10 hours) in the second cycle, it is considered that the second cycle has ended, and each heater in the next third cycle The target operating time is corrected. The operation of the heater 33A continuously performed thereafter is regarded as the operation in the third cycle, and the heater 33A is operated according to the target operation time of the third cycle corrected as described above.

  In each of the above examples, the total number of heaters 33 is four, but is not limited thereto. As long as there are a plurality, it may be more or less than four.

  Further, in each of the above examples, only one of all the heaters 33A to 33D is operating at an arbitrary time, but the present invention is not limited to this. It is sufficient that at least one of all the heaters is stopped at an arbitrary time. For example, as shown in FIG. 2B and Table 8 below, two or more may be operated simultaneously. In Table 8, “◯” indicates a heater to be operated.

  In the case of FIG. 2B and Table 8 above, switching from phase 1 to phase 2 causes the heater 33A to transition from the operating state to the hibernating state (heater OFF) and the heater 33C from the hibernating state to the operating state. This is done by shifting (heater ON). Switching from phase 2 to phase 3 is performed by moving the heater 33B from the operating state to the inactive state and moving the heater 33D from the inactive state to the operating state. Switching from phase 3 to phase 4 is performed by shifting the heater 33C from the operating state to the inactive state and moving the heater 33A from the inactive state to the operating state. Switching from phase 4 to phase 1 is performed by moving the heater 33D from the operating state to the inactive state and moving the heater 33B from the inactive state to the operating state. Also in the above case, the target operating time can be corrected as shown in Table 9 below based on the same idea as the above-described example.

  Also in the example of Table 9, the target operating time of the other heater is corrected based on the heater having the longest integrated operating time at the end of one cycle. In the first cycle, the accumulated operating time of the heater 33D is 25 hours at the longest, so the target operation time in the phase 3 and phase 4 of the heater 33D in the second cycle is set to the same 10 hours as the default (no correction). . Since the target operating time of the heater 33C in the phase 3 and the heater 33A in the phase 4 must be the same as the target operating time in the phase C and the phase D of the heater 33D, these values are automatically set to 10 hours. (No correction). Then, since the accumulated operation time scheduled at the end of the second cycle of the heater 33D is 45 hours, the target operation is also performed so that the accumulated operation time scheduled for the other heaters at the end of the second cycle is 45 hours. Correct the operating time. Therefore, the target operating time of the heater 33C in phase 2 of the second cycle is 11 hours (45-24-10). Since the target operation time of the heater 33B in the second cycle phase 2 must be the same as that of the heater 33C, it is automatically set to 11 hours. Based on this idea, as shown in Table 9, the target operating time of each heater 33 in each phase can be corrected.

  If, at a certain point in time, one heater 33 is disconnected (failed), the fluid heating unit 30 can be used by using only the remaining healthy heater 33 if the required heating function can be realized. Can continue driving. In this case, the controller 35 can be provided with an operation schedule correction unit (not shown) having a function of reassembling the operation schedule using the remaining healthy heaters. For example, if the heater 33B fails when the heaters 33A to 33D are operated according to the operation schedule shown in FIG. 2A, the operation schedule correction unit uses the remaining healthy heaters, Operation schedule (phase 1) → operation of heater 33C (phase 2) → operation of heater 33D (phase 3) ”is recomposed. Also in this case, each part 35A-35E of the controller 35 can be operated based on the same idea as described above.

  According to the embodiment described above, the target operating time is corrected at an appropriate timing in accordance with the integrated operating time, so that variations in the integrated operating time of the heater can be suppressed. For this reason, the end of the life of each heater can be approached, that is, the replacement timing of each heater can be aligned, and the frequency and load of maintenance of the fluid heating unit and thus the substrate processing system can be reduced. This can contribute to an improvement in throughput.

  In the above embodiment, the heater 33 of the fluid heating unit 30 is a halogen lamp heater. However, the heater 33 is not limited to this, and may be another type of heater, for example, an infrared heater such as a carbon heater. Good. Also in this case, the end of the life of the heater can be approached.

1 tank 2 temperature sensor 10 circuit (first circuit)
13 Substrate processing unit 30 Fluid heating device (fluid heating unit)
31 container 33 heater element (heater)
35 controller

Claims (12)

A fluid heating apparatus for heating a fluid,
A container having an internal space through which the fluid flows;
A plurality of heater elements provided in the container for heating the fluid flowing in an inner section of the container;
At an arbitrary point in time, at least one of the plurality of heater elements is in an operating state and at least one other is in a dormant state, and heater elements that are in an operating state are sequentially changed over time to be in an operating state. A controller for controlling the operating state and the resting state of each heater so that each transitioned heater element transitions to a resting state after elapse of a preset target operating time;
With
The controller further includes:
An operation time counting unit that counts an integrated operation time that is the sum of the actual operation times of each heater element;
Based on the accumulated operation time of each heater element counted by the operation time counting unit, at a predetermined timing, the difference in accumulated operation time between the plurality of heater elements is reduced. A fluid heating apparatus, comprising: a target operating time correction unit that corrects the target operating time. The controller is configured to operate the plurality of heater elements to repeat a cycle configured by a plurality of phases;
In each phase, the same number of heater elements are in operation and the same number of heater elements are in a dormant state, at least one of the heater elements operating in different phases is different from each other,
The target operating time correction unit corrects the target operating time in the next cycle of each heater element so that the difference in accumulated operating time between the plurality of heater elements is reduced every time one cycle ends. The fluid heating apparatus according to claim 1.   The target operating time correction unit maintains the target operating time in the next cycle of the heater element with the longest integrated operating time when the one cycle is completed without correcting, and the heater with the longest integrated operating time. The fluid heating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a target operating time in a next cycle of the heater element having a shorter integrated operating time than the element is extended according to a difference in the integrated operating time for the heater element having the longest integrated operating time.   The target operating time correction unit maintains the target operating time in the next cycle of the heater element with the shortest integrated operating time when the one cycle is completed without correcting, and the heater with the shortest integrated operating time. The fluid heating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a target operating time in a next cycle of the heater element having a longer integrated operating time than the element is shortened according to a difference in the integrated operating time with respect to the heater element having the shortest integrated operating time. A tank for storing the fluid;
A circulation path through which the fluid flows, including the container and the tank;
A temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the fluid circulating in the circulation path;
Further comprising
When the controller satisfies the conditions that the target operating time has elapsed and that the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is within a predetermined range for a predetermined time, the controller moves from one phase to the next phase. The switch control unit according to any one of claims 2 to 4, further comprising a switching control unit that permits the switching to and to postpone the scheduled switching until the condition is satisfied if the condition is not satisfied. The fluid heating apparatus according to one item. The fluid heating device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
At least one substrate processing unit for processing a substrate using the processing liquid heated by the fluid heating device;
A substrate processing system comprising: In an operation control method for a fluid heating apparatus, comprising: a container having an internal space through which a fluid flows; and a plurality of heater elements that are provided in the container and heat the fluid that flows through an internal section of the container.
At any point in time, at least one of the plurality of heater elements is in an operating state and at least one other is in a resting state, while the heater elements in the operating state are sequentially changed over time and are in operation Operating the plurality of heater elements such that each heater element that has transitioned to a state transitions to a dormant state after elapse of a preset target operating time;
Counting the accumulated operating time which is the sum of the actual operating time of each heater element;
Correcting the subsequent target operating time of each heater element at a predetermined timing so as to reduce the difference in the integrated operating time between the plurality of heater elements based on the counted integrated operating time;
An operation control method comprising: Operating the plurality of heater elements is performed by operating the plurality of heater elements to repeat a cycle constituted by a plurality of phases,
In each phase, the same number of heater elements are in operation and the same number of heater elements are in a dormant state, at least one of the heater elements operating in different phases is different from each other,
Correcting the target operating time corrects the target operating time in the next cycle of each heater element so that the difference in accumulated operating time between the plurality of heater elements is reduced every time one cycle is completed. Including
The operation control method according to claim 7.   The correction of the target operating time means that the target operating time in the next cycle of the heater element with the longest integrated operating time when the one cycle is completed is maintained without correction, and the integrated operating time is the longest. The method includes: extending a target operating time in a next cycle of a heater element having a shorter integrated operating time than a long heater element in accordance with a difference in the integrated operating time for the heater element having the longest integrated operating time. Operation control method.   The correction of the target operating time means that the target operating time in the next cycle of the heater element with the shortest integrated operating time when the one cycle is completed is maintained without correction, and the integrated operating time is the longest. The method includes: shortening a target operating time in a next cycle of a heater element having a longer integrated operating time than a short heater element in accordance with a difference in the integrated operating time with respect to the heater element having the shortest integrated operating time. Operation control method. The fluid heating device further includes a tank that stores the fluid, a circulation path including the container and the tank, and a temperature sensor that detects a temperature of the fluid circulating in the circulation path. And
When the condition that the target operating time has elapsed and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is within a predetermined range for a predetermined time is satisfied, switching from one phase to the next phase is performed. The operation control method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein if permitted and the condition is not satisfied, the scheduled switching is postponed until the condition is satisfied.   A storage medium storing a program for controlling the fluid heating device, wherein the controller executes the program stored in the storage medium by a controller of the fluid heating device comprising a computer, so that the controller A storage medium that controls the operation control method according to any one of claims 7 to 11.

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