JPH1139005A - Communication line connection device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable an operation part to be carried to the place where a control object can always be seen even when a communication line cable of a RS-232C standard is used as a communication line. SOLUTION: A communication line connection part 223 has the first communication line A1, three first connectors A2 (1), A2 (2) and A2 (3), the second communication line A3 and the second connector A4. The first communication line A1 is at once connected to a control part 222 and disposed so that it is drawn around a device body 210. The first connectors A2 (1), A2 (2) and A2 (3) are installed so that they are positioned in different places around the device body 210. The second communication line A3 is connected to a control part 221. The second connector A4 is provided with the second communication line A3 and is connected to any one of the first connectors A2 (1), A2 (2) or A2 (3).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a solid-state manufacturing apparatus used in a manufacturing process of a solid-state device, and an operation section for controlling an interface between the solid-state manufacturing apparatus main body and an operator and a control for controlling operations of the solid-state manufacturing main body. The present invention relates to a communication line connection device for connecting a unit with a communication line.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, in a solid-state manufacturing apparatus used in a manufacturing process of a solid-state element such as a semiconductor element or a liquid crystal display element, an operation (operation) of a solid-state manufacturing apparatus body is controlled using a controller. I have.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of such a solid manufacturing apparatus. In the figure, a substrate processing apparatus for performing processing such as film formation processing on a substrate such as a semiconductor substrate of a semiconductor element or an insulating substrate of a liquid crystal display element is shown as a representative.

The illustrated substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a substrate processing apparatus main body (hereinafter, referred to as an “apparatus main body”) 110 for performing predetermined processing on a substrate, and a controller 120 for controlling the operation of the apparatus main body 110. Having. The apparatus main body 110 has a substrate transfer chamber T, a load lock chamber L, a heating chamber H, and processing chambers R1 to R6. The controller 120 includes an operation unit 121 that controls an interface between the apparatus main body 110 and an operator, and a control unit 122 that controls an operation of the apparatus main body 110.

Generally, the operation unit 121 and the control unit 122 are constituted by separate microprocessors. Therefore, it is necessary to perform communication between the two. This communication is
Usually, this is performed via a communication line 123 for serial data transmission. In this case, the data transmission method is usually RS
The baseband transmission method of the -232C standard is used.
The RS-232C standard is one of EIA (American Electronic Industries Association) standards and is a standard interface for serial data transmission.

[0006] The operation unit 121 is usually provided with the main unit 1.
It is fixed to ten racks and the like. However, in some cases, a portable operation unit 121 may be provided separately from the fixed operation unit 121.

According to such a configuration, the operation unit 121 can be carried to a position where the control target can be seen. Thus, the operation can be performed while looking at the control target, so that erroneous operations can be reduced.

[0008]

However, RS-
In the 232C standard, there is a large restriction on the length of the communication line 123 connecting the operation unit 121 and the control unit 122. Thus, in the conventional substrate processing apparatus, the operation unit 12
1 cannot always be carried to a position where the control target can be seen. As a result, the conventional substrate processing apparatus has a problem that erroneous operations cannot be sufficiently reduced.

[0009] This problem can be solved by using a communication line with a small restriction on the length as the communication line 123. However, such a configuration is not practical under the current situation where it is common to use an RS-232C standard cable as the communication line 123.

[0010] Therefore, the present invention provides an RS-communication line.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a communication line connection device that can carry an operation unit to a position where a control target can always be seen even when a 232C standard cable is used.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication line connecting device for controlling an operation of an operation unit for controlling an interface between a solid state manufacturing apparatus and an operator and a main body of the solid state manufacturing apparatus. In an apparatus for connecting a control unit with a communication line, a first communication line, a plurality of first connection ports, a second communication line, and a second connection port are provided.

Here, the first communication line is connected to the control unit and is disposed so as to be routed around the solid-state manufacturing apparatus main body. The plurality of first connection ports are attached to the first communication line so as to be located at different positions around the solid state manufacturing apparatus main body. The second communication line is connected to the operation unit. The second connection port is attached to the second communication line, and is connected to any one of the plurality of first connection ports.

[0013] In the above configuration, the second connection port is connected to, for example, the connection port closest to the control object among the plurality of first connection ports. Thereby, even when the second communication line is short, the operation unit can be carried near the control target. As a result, even in such a case, since the operation can be performed while looking at the control target, erroneous operations can be reduced. As described above, even when the RS-232C standard cable is used as the second communication line, the operation can always be performed while looking at the control target, so that erroneous operation can be reduced.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the communication line connection device according to the first aspect, wherein two or more second connection ports are simultaneously connected to the plurality of first connection ports. The configuration is such that connection validating means for validating only one is provided.

In such a configuration, when two or more first connection ports are simultaneously connected to the plurality of first connection ports, only one of the connection ports is valid. This avoids conflict when two or more operation units are connected to one control unit at the same time. As a result, occurrence of communication abnormality in such a case is prevented.

[0016]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a communication line connection apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a communication line connection device according to the present invention. In the drawings, a case where the communication line connection device according to the present invention is applied to a communication line connection device of a substrate processing apparatus is shown as a representative.

The illustrated substrate processing apparatus 200 includes an apparatus main body 210 for performing predetermined processing on a substrate,
Controller 22 for controlling the operation (operation) of 10
0.

The apparatus main body 210 has an octagonal substrate transfer chamber T for transferring a substrate. On each side of the substrate transfer chamber T, a load lock chamber L for shutting off the atmosphere, a heating chamber H for heating the substrate, and processing chambers R1 to R6 for performing predetermined processing on the substrate are provided. It is articulated.

The controller 220 includes an operation unit 221 for controlling an interface between the apparatus main body 210 and an operator, a control unit 222 for controlling and controlling the operation of the apparatus main body 210, and a communication line connecting the operation unit 221 and the control unit 222. And a communication line connection unit 223 connected via the communication line. Communication line connection unit 2
23 corresponds to the communication line connection device of the present invention.

The operating section 221 is mainly used by an operator to set recipes and parameters for controlling the apparatus main body 210 and to perform an operation for the operator to operate the apparatus main body 210. Is done. The operation unit 221
Is also used to display the operating state (operating state) of the apparatus main body 210 and the like in order to inform the worker.

The control section 222 has a function of controlling the operation of the apparatus main body 210 according to the settings and operations of the operator.
Further, the control unit 222 has a function of notifying the operation unit 221 of the operation state and the like of the apparatus main body 210.

The communication line connection unit 223 includes a first communication line A1, a plurality of first connection ports (hereinafter referred to as "connectors") A2, a second communication line A3, and a second connector A4. Having. In the figure, three connectors A2 (1), A2 (2), A2 are used as the first connector A2.
(3) is shown.

The first communication line A1 is connected to the control unit 222 and is disposed so as to be routed around the apparatus main body 210. The first communication line A1 is composed of, for example, a communication line cable of the RS-422 standard. Here, the RS-422 standard refers to RS-232C.
Like EIA, one of the EIA standards, it is a standard interface for serial data transmission, but is more suitable for long-distance transmission than RS-232C.

The first connectors A2 (1), A2 (2),
A2 (3) is attached to the first communication line A2 so as to be located at different positions around the apparatus main body 210. In the figure, first connectors A2 (1), A2 (2),
A2 (3) is a load lock chamber L and a processing chamber R, respectively.
2 and R4 are shown as representatives.

The second communication line A3 is connected to the operation unit 221. This second communication line A3 is, for example, R
It is composed of a communication line cable of the S-232C standard. In this case, the RS-422 is connected to the second communication line A3.
A converter is provided to convert the signal standard between the standard and the RS-232C standard. Second connector A4
Is attached to the second communication line A3, and is connected to any one of the first connectors A2 (1), A2 (2), A2 (3).

When two or more of the first connectors A2 (1), A2 (2), and A2 (3) are simultaneously connected to the second connector A4, one of the It has a function to enable only one connection. This is to prevent a communication abnormality from occurring when two or more operation units 221 are connected to one control unit 222 at the same time.

In order to realize the above function, in the present embodiment, three first connectors A2
When (1), A2 (2), and A2 (3) are connected, they are connected in series.

That is, as a method of connecting the three first connectors A2 (1), A2 (2), and A2 (3) to the control unit 222, a parallel connection method used in a multi-drop communication specification is considered. Can be However, in this method, when two or more operation units 221 are simultaneously connected to one control unit 222, communication is performed on the same line between one control unit 222 and two or more operation units 221. , A communication error occurs.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the control unit 222
To three first connectors A2 (1), A2 (2), A2
When connecting (3), they are connected in series. Specifically, the first communication line A1 is divided into three, and each divided line is divided into first connectors A2 (1), A2
(2) and A2 (3) are connected in series. However, in the case of this configuration, each connector A2 (n)
A jumper jig connector for connecting the terminals (n = 1, 2, 3) is required.

This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of a communication line connection unit 223.

As shown in the figure, the first communication line A1 is 3
Is divided into two. Each divided line A1 (1), A1
(2), A1 (3) are first connectors A2 (1), A
2 (2) and A2 (3) are connected in series.

That is, the first connectors A2 (1), A2
Each of 2 (2) and A2 (3) has nine terminals to. Terminals of the first first connector A1 (1) ~
Are respectively connected to the control unit 22 via the division line A1 (1).
0 positive transmission terminal (TX +) and positive reception terminal (RX
+), A negative transmission terminal (TX-), and a negative reception terminal (R
X-). This first connector A2
The terminals (1) to (1) are respectively connected to the terminals of the second first connector A1 (2) via the divided line A1 (2),
,,It is connected to the. This first connector A1
The terminals of (2) are divided line A1
And (3) are connected to the terminals of a third first connector A2 (3).

The first connectors A2 (1), A2
The terminals (2) and A2 (3) are connected to a ground terminal (GND) of the control unit 222 via a ground line A5.

The second connector A4 also has nine terminals
Having. The terminal is connected to the operation unit 22 via the ground wire A6.
1 ground terminal (GND). Terminal ~
Are respectively connected to the operation unit 22 via the second communication line A3.
1 positive side transmission terminal (TX +) and the positive side reception terminal (RX
+), A negative transmission terminal (TX-), and a negative reception terminal (R
X-).

The nine terminals of the second connector A4 are the same as those of the first connector A1 (n).
Are connected to the first connector A1 (n), respectively.
Are connected to terminals

A7 indicates a jumper jig connector.
The jumper jig connector A7 has nine terminals to. Here, the terminals are connected to the terminals through jumper lines j1 to j4, respectively. This jumper jig connector A7 is connected to the first connector A2 (n). In this case, the nine terminals of the jumper jig connector A7 are connected to the nine terminals of the first connector A2 (n).

The operation of the above configuration will be described. First, referring to FIG. 1, according to the position of the control object,
This is an operation of changing the connection position of the operation unit 221.

When the object to be controlled exists near the load lock chamber L, the second connector A2 is connected to the load lock chamber L.
Is connected to the first connector A2 (1) provided at the first position.
Thus, even when the second communication line A3 is short, the operation unit 221 can be carried to a position where the control target can be viewed. As a result, even in such a case, the operation can always be performed while looking at the control target. Therefore, erroneous operations can be reduced.

Similarly, when an object to be controlled exists near the processing chamber R2, the second connector A2 is connected to the first connector A2 (2) provided in the processing chamber R2. Thus, even when the second communication line A3 is short, the operation unit 221 can be carried to a position where the control target can be viewed. As a result, erroneous operations can be reduced.

When the object to be controlled exists near the processing chamber R4, the second connector A2 is connected to the first connector A2 (3) provided in the processing chamber R4. Thus, even when the second communication line A3 is short, the operation unit 221 can be carried to a position where the control target can be viewed. As a result, erroneous operations can be reduced.

From the above, as the second communication line A3, R
Even when the communication line cable of the S-232C standard is used, the operation can be performed while always looking at the control target, so that erroneous operation can be reduced.

Next, referring to FIG. 2, when two or more second connectors A4 are simultaneously connected to three first connectors A2 (1), A2 (2), A2 (3), An operation for validating only one of the connections will be described.

When the operation unit 221 is not used, usually,
First connectors A2 (1), A2 (2), A2 (3)
Is connected to a jumper jig connector A7. Thus, in this case, three divided lines A1 (1), A1
(2), A1 (3) is two first connectors A2
(1), connected via A2 (2).

In this state, for example, when the operation unit 221 is connected to the second first connector A2 (2), FIG.
First, the jumper jig connector A7 connected to the first connector A2 (2) is removed. Thereby, the divided line A1 (2) and the divided line A1
(3) is separated.

Next, the second connector A4 of the operation section 221 to be connected is replaced with the second first connector A2 (2).
Connected to. As a result, the split line A1 (2) and the second
Is connected via connectors A2 (2) and A4. As a result, the operation unit 221 and the control unit 222 communicate with the second communication line A3 and the divided lines A1 (1), A1.
And (2).

In this state, it is assumed that another operation unit 221 is erroneously connected to, for example, the third first connector A2 (3). Also in this case, first, the jumper jig connector A7 connected to the third first connector A2 (3) is removed. Next, the second connector A4 of the operation unit 221 to be erroneously connected is connected to the third first connector A2 (3). As a result, the second communication line A3 of the operation unit 221 to be erroneously connected is connected to the division line A1 (3) via the connectors A4 and A2 (3).

However, in this case, the terminals 1 and 2 of the second first connector A2 (2) are separated from each other. This avoids a conflict when two operation units 221 are connected to one control unit 222 at the same time. As a result, occurrence of communication abnormality in such a case is prevented.

Although detailed description is omitted, the case where the operation unit 221 is connected to the second connectors A2 (1) and A2 (2) simultaneously and the case where the second connectors A2 (1) and A2
(3) when the operation unit 221 is connected at the same time;
Similarly, when the operation unit 221 is connected to the connectors A2 (1), A2 (2), and A2 (3) at the same time,
Only one connection is valid. In this case, the operation unit 221 for which the connection is valid is the second operation unit 221 closer to the control unit 222.
Operating unit 221 connected to the connector A2 (n).

According to the embodiment described in detail above, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) First, according to the present embodiment, the first communication line A1 connected to the control
10 and a plurality of first connectors A2 with respect to the first communication line A1.
(1), A2 (2), and A2 (3) are attached so that they are respectively located at different positions around the apparatus main body 210. Therefore, even when the second communication line A3 is short, the operation unit is not used. 221 can be carried to a position where the control target can be seen.

Thus, even in such a case,
Since the operation can be performed while looking at the control target, erroneous operations can be reduced. As a result, even when the communication line cable of the RS-232C standard is used as the second communication line A3, the operation can always be performed while looking at the control target, so that erroneous operation can be reduced.

(2) According to the present embodiment, the second
Since the length of the communication line A3 can be set to a necessary minimum, the operation system (the operation unit 221 and the second communication line A
3 and the second connector A4), the manufacturing cost can be reduced, and the operability can be improved.

(3) According to the present embodiment, the three first connectors A2 (1), A2 (2), A2 (3)
When two or more second connectors A4 are connected at the same time, only one of the two connectors is made valid, so that two or more operating units are simultaneously connected to one control unit 221. It is possible to prevent a communication error from occurring.

(4) Further, according to the present embodiment, as a configuration in which only one of the above connections is made effective, the first
Since the connector A2 (1), A2 (2), and A2 (3) are connected in series to the control unit 222, this configuration can be easily realized without increasing software processing. Can be.

As described above, one embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be variously modified without departing from the gist of the invention. Of course, various modifications can be made.

[0057]

As described in detail above, according to the communication line connection device of the first aspect, the first communication line connected to the control unit is arranged so as to be routed around the device body. Since a plurality of first connection ports are attached to the first communication line so that they are respectively located at different positions around the apparatus main body, even if the second communication line is short, the operation can be performed. The part can be carried to a position where the object to be controlled can be seen.

Thus, even in such a case,
Since the operation can be performed while looking at the control target, erroneous operations can be reduced. As a result, even when the RS-232C standard cable is used as the second communication line, the operation can always be performed while looking at the control target, so that erroneous operation can be reduced.

Further, according to this communication line connecting device, the length of the second communication line can be set to a necessary minimum, so that the manufacturing cost of the operation system can be reduced and the operability can be reduced. Can be improved.

According to the communication line connection device of the second aspect, when two or more first connection ports are simultaneously connected to a plurality of first connection ports, only one of the connection ports is valid. Thus, it is possible to prevent occurrence of communication abnormality when two or more operation units are simultaneously connected to one control unit.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus provided with a communication line connection device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of a communication line connection device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus including a conventional communication line connection device.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference numeral 200: substrate processing apparatus, 210: apparatus main body, 220: controller, 221: operation unit, 222: control unit, 223
... Communication line connection part, A1 ... First communication line, A1
(1), A1 (2), A1 (3) ... split line, A2
(1), A2 (2), A2 (3) ... first connector, A
3: second communication line, A4: second connector, A5, A
6: ground wire, A7: jumper jig connector, j1,
j2, j3, j4 ... jumper lines.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A communication line connection device for connecting, via a communication line, an operation unit that controls an interface between a solid manufacturing device and an operator and a control unit that controls an operation of a solid manufacturing device main body, wherein the communication unit is connected to the control unit; A first communication line disposed so as to be routed around the solid state manufacturing apparatus main body, and a plurality of first communication lines attached to the first communication line so as to be respectively located at different positions around the solid state manufacturing apparatus main body. A first connection port, a second communication line connected to the operation section, and a second communication port attached to the second communication line and connected to any one of the plurality of first connection ports. A communication line connection device comprising: 2. When two or more second connection ports are connected to the plurality of first connection ports at the same time, there is provided connection validating means for validating only one of the connection ports. The communication line connection device according to claim 1.