KR102517035B1 - Substrate processing device and substrate processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

(Task) To provide a technique that can collect parameters more appropriately.
(Solution Means) A substrate processing apparatus includes a simultaneous processing unit, a transport unit, a first sensor, and a control unit. The simultaneous processing unit can process N (N is an integer of 2 or more) substrates at once. The conveyance unit conveys N or less substrates at once to the simultaneous processing unit. The first sensor is installed in the concurrent processing unit and measures a first parameter related to processing by the concurrent processing unit. When N substrates are carried into the simultaneous processing unit from the conveyance unit, the control unit 60 associates a first parameter measured by the first sensor with the N substrates during processing of the simultaneous processing unit for the N substrates, stored, and when M (M is an integer of 1 or more and less than N) substrates are carried into the simultaneous processing unit from the transfer unit, the first parameter measured by the first sensor during processing of the M substrates by the simultaneous processing unit, It is stored in correspondence with the said M-sheet board|substrate.

Description

Substrate processing device and substrate processing method {SUBSTRATE PROCESSING DEVICE AND SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD}

The present application relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method.

Coater/developer devices having a plurality of processing devices are known. For example, in the coater/developer device described in Patent Literature 1, a plurality of substrates taken out of a cassette placed in an indexer unit are sequentially put into a cleaning device, and thereafter, a dewatering bake device. , a resist coating device, a pre-bake device, an exposure device, a developing device, and a post-bake device, in order, and are accommodated in the cassette again.

In this coater/developer device, the following two types of processing devices are mixed. That is, sequential processing devices and simultaneous processing devices coexist. The sequential processing device sequentially transfers substrates in one direction and processes the substrates one by one. As this sequential processing device, a cleaning device and a developing device are exemplified. A plurality of substrates are collectively loaded into the simultaneous processing device. The simultaneous processing device performs processing on a plurality of substrates at once. As this simultaneous processing apparatus, a dehydration bake apparatus is illustrated, for example. In this dehydration bake device, a heating unit and a cooling unit are provided as a plurality of processing units.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2020-17604

In order to confirm whether the processing in the substrate processing device is properly performed, a sensor for measuring a parameter related to processing may be installed in each of the sequential processing device and the simultaneous processing device. For example, in the dehydration bake device, a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the substrate may be provided as the parameter.

The substrate processing apparatus may collect the parameters measured by each sensor in association with the substrate. In other words, the substrate processing apparatus may collect parameters for each substrate. Since the substrate processing apparatus notifies the operator of the processing parameters for each substrate, the operator can confirm the processing parameters for each substrate.

However, it is not necessarily optimal to collect the parameters for each substrate. For example, if the measured parameters are individually associated with each substrate and collected, the amount of collected data increases.

Then, an object of this application is to provide the technique which can collect parameters more appropriately.

A first aspect of a substrate processing apparatus includes a simultaneous processing unit capable of collectively processing N (N is an integer of 2 or more) substrates, a transfer unit that collectively conveys N or less substrates to the simultaneous processing unit, and the simultaneous processing unit. A first sensor installed in the processing unit to measure a first parameter related to processing by the simultaneous processing unit; The first parameter measured by the first sensor during processing is stored in correspondence with the corresponding N substrates, and M (M is an integer of 1 or more and less than N) substrates are loaded from the transfer unit to the simultaneous processing unit. In this case, a controller is provided to store the first parameter measured by the first sensor during processing of the simultaneous processing unit for the M substrates in association with the M substrates.

A second aspect of a substrate processing apparatus is the substrate processing apparatus according to the first aspect, including a substrate introduction unit capable of collectively carrying in N sheets of substrates, and while sequentially conveying the substrates from the substrate introduction unit, A sequential processing unit that sequentially performs processing, and a second sensor installed in the sequential processing unit and measuring a second parameter related to processing by the sequential processing unit, wherein the control unit controls the second sensor during processing of the sequential processing unit. The second parameter detected by the sensor is individually associated with the substrate and stored.

The substrate processing method includes: a step of carrying N (N is an integer of 2 or more) substrates into a simultaneous processing unit at once; a step of collectively processing the N substrates by the simultaneous processing unit; and the N substrates During the processing of the simultaneous processing unit for , a process of measuring a first parameter related to processing by the simultaneous processing unit with a first sensor, a process of taking out the N substrates from the simultaneous processing unit, and M (M is 1 A step of carrying in batches of substrates (integer less than N) to the simultaneous processing unit; During processing, the first parameter is measured by the first sensor, the M substrates are taken out from the simultaneous processing unit, and the N substrates are processed by the first sensor during processing by the simultaneous processing unit. The measured first parameter is stored in association with the corresponding N substrates, and the first parameter measured by the first sensor during processing of the simultaneous processing unit for the M substrates is corresponded to the corresponding M substrates. Equipped with the process of making and remembering.

According to the first aspect of the substrate processing apparatus and the substrate processing method, the simultaneous processing unit can process N substrates at once. When the simultaneous processing unit processes a plurality of substrates at once, compared to a case where the substrates are processed at different processing timings, the variation among the substrates in the first parameter is small, eg, almost the same.

When N substrates are loaded into the simultaneous processing unit, the first parameter is stored corresponding to the N substrates, and when M substrates are loaded into the simultaneous processing unit, the first parameter is stored corresponding to the M substrates. That is, the first parameter is stored in association with a group of substrates brought into the simultaneous processing unit, rather than individually corresponding to each substrate. According to this, while being able to respond to fluctuations in the number of substrates, it is possible to appropriately collect the first parameters with a smaller amount of data compared to the case where the first parameters are individually associated with each substrate and stored.

According to the second aspect of the substrate processing apparatus, in the sequential processing unit, the substrates are sequentially processed while the substrates are transported sequentially. Accordingly, processing is performed on the substrate at different timings. Therefore, the unevenness between the substrates of the second parameter is relatively large. Since these second parameters are stored in correspondence with the substrates individually, it is possible to collect the second parameters without losing non-uniform information between the substrates.

1 is a plan view schematically showing an example of a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus.
Fig. 2 is a side view schematically showing an example of the configuration of a sequential processing device.
3 is a plan view schematically showing an example of a configuration of a concurrent processing device.
4 is a functional block diagram schematically showing an example of the configuration of a control unit.
5 is a diagram schematically showing an example of sequentially collected data.
6 is a diagram schematically showing an example of sequentially collected data.
7 is a diagram schematically showing an example of simultaneous collection data.
Fig. 8 is a diagram schematically showing a mode in which a plurality of substrates are accommodated in a cassette.
Fig. 9 is a diagram schematically showing a mode in which a plurality of substrates are accommodated in a cassette.
Fig. 10 is a plan view schematically showing an example of a configuration of a simultaneous processing device.
11 is a diagram schematically showing an example of simultaneous collection data.
12 is a diagram schematically showing an example of simultaneous collection data.
13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the concurrent processing device.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiment is described, referring an accompanying drawing. In addition, the drawings are shown schematically, and for convenience of description, appropriately, omission of the configuration and simplification of the configuration are made. In addition, the mutual relationship of the size and position of the structure shown in the drawing is not necessarily accurately described, but can be appropriately changed.

In addition, in the description shown below, the same code|symbol is attached|subjected to the same component, and it is assumed that their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed descriptions thereof are sometimes omitted to avoid redundancy.

In addition, in the description described below, even if ordinal numbers such as "first" or "second" are sometimes used, these terms are used for convenience in order to facilitate understanding of the content of the embodiment, It is not limited to the order that can occur by these ordinal numbers.

Expressions indicating relative or absolute positional relationships (for example, "in one direction", "along one direction", "parallel", "orthogonal", "center", "concentric", "coaxial", etc.) Not only strictly, but also a relatively displaced state with respect to an angle or distance within a tolerance or a range where the function of the same degree can be obtained. Expressions indicating that they are in the same state (for example, "same", "same", "homogeneous", etc.), unless otherwise specified, not only represent strictly the same state quantitatively, but also exist with tolerances or differences in obtaining the same degree of function. It is also meant to indicate the state of Expressions representing a shape (for example, "rectangular shape" or "cylindrical shape", etc.), unless otherwise specified, not only strictly represent the shape geometrically, but also to the extent that the same degree of effect is obtained, for example. For example, a shape having irregularities, chamfers, or the like is also shown. Expressions such as "to have," "to have," "to have," "to include," or "to have" a component are not exclusive expressions excluding the presence of other components. The expression "at least any one of A, B and C" includes only A, only B, only C, any two of A, B and C, and all of A, B and C.

<1. Overall configuration and overall operation of the substrate processing device>

1 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 . In the example of FIG. 1 , the substrate processing apparatus 1 is a coater/developer apparatus, and mainly includes a cleaning apparatus 12, a dewatering bake apparatus 13, a coating related apparatus 14, a prebake apparatus 15, and a developing apparatus. (17) and each processing device of the post-bake device 18 are provided. Also, on one side of the substrate processing apparatus 1 , an indexer unit 11 for loading and unloading substrates into and out of the substrate processing apparatus 1 is disposed. Moreover, the exposure apparatus 16 is arrange|positioned on the other side of the substrate processing apparatus 1 via the interface part (not shown).

On the progress line from the indexer unit 11 to the exposure apparatus 16, a cleaning apparatus 12, a dewatering bake apparatus 13, a coating related apparatus 14, and a prebake apparatus 15 are disposed in this order. On the return line from the exposure device 16 to the indexer unit 11, a developing device 17 and a post-bake device 18 are arranged in this order.

A plurality of cassettes (not shown) for accommodating a plurality of substrates are placed in the indexer section 11 . The substrate is, for example, a rectangular glass substrate used in a liquid crystal display device. In the indexer unit 11, an indexer robot (not shown), which is an example of a transport unit that transports substrates, is disposed. The indexer robot takes out the substrate from the cassette and conveys the substrate to the cleaning device 12 . In the cleaning device 12, a cleaning process is performed on a substrate. The substrate subjected to the cleaning treatment is conveyed to the dewatering bake device 13 . In the dehydration bake apparatus 13, dehydration treatment (dehydration bake treatment) is performed by heating. The substrate subjected to the dehydration bake treatment is conveyed to the coating-related device 14, and various treatments including a resist coating treatment are performed. The board|substrate on which this process was performed is conveyed to the prebake apparatus 15, and a heat process is performed. The substrate subjected to the heat treatment is conveyed to the exposure apparatus 16, and the exposure treatment is performed.

The substrate subjected to these treatments is transported to the developing device 17 and subjected to development treatment. The board|substrate on which the development process was performed is conveyed to the post-bake apparatus 18, and a heat process is performed. Thereafter, the substrate is accommodated in a cassette placed in the indexer unit 11 by the indexer robot. Through these series of treatments, a resist pattern is formed on the surface of the substrate.

Hereinafter, when the first processing is performed prior to the second processing, it will be explained that the device performing the first processing is "upstream" of the device performing the second processing, and the device performing the second processing is of the device performing the first processing. It is described as being "downstream". The indexer section 11 is upstream to the cleaning device 12 and downstream to the postbake device 18 . The terms "upstream" and "downstream" are employed not only for the device or elements constituting the device, but also for describing the positional relationship of substrates to be conveyed.

<2. Type of processing device>

In this substrate processing apparatus 1, the following two types of processing apparatuses are mixed as types of processing apparatuses. That is, a sequential processing device (level processing device) that processes the substrates one by one while sequentially conveying the substrates in one direction, and a simultaneous processing device that can simultaneously process N (an integer greater than or equal to 2) substrates in a batch are mixed. do. Further, the processing periods of the N substrates by the simultaneous processing device do not have to coincide completely, and at least a part of the respective processing periods may overlap. In short, the term "simultaneous" here is used in contrast to a state in which each processing period does not overlap at all. As the sequential processing device, the washing device 12 and the developing device 17 are exemplified, and as the simultaneous processing device, the dewatering bake device 13, the coating related device 14, the pre-bake device 15, and the post-bake device ( 18) is exemplified.

The sequential processing unit may be regarded as a sequential processing unit that is a part of the substrate processing apparatus 1 . The simultaneous processing device may be regarded as a simultaneous processing unit that is a part of the substrate processing device 1 .

<2-1. Sequential processing unit>

2 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the configuration of the sequential processing device 30 . The sequential processing device 30 includes a processing device main body 32 and a substrate lead-out portion 33, and a substrate introduction portion (accommodating portion) 31 is provided immediately in front of the sequential processing device 30. The substrate introduction section 31 collectively accommodates a plurality (N sheets) of substrates W transported from an upstream apparatus. The processing apparatus main body 32 sequentially receives a plurality of substrates W conveyed from the substrate introduction unit 31 one by one, and transfers the substrates W in one direction (transport direction: from left to right in FIG. 2 ). ), various processes are performed on the substrate W while conveying it along. The substrate W after processing is transported from the processing apparatus main body 32 to the substrate delivery unit 33 . The substrate delivery unit 33 sequentially receives the plurality of substrates W conveyed from the processing apparatus main body 32 . The substrate lead-out unit 33 may hold a plurality (N sheets) of the substrates W sequentially received. The plurality of substrates W are collectively taken out from the substrate lead-out unit 33 and transported to a downstream device. In addition, it does not matter if it is considered that the board|substrate introduction part 31 is included in the sequential processing apparatus 30. The substrate inlet 31 may function as an inlet of the sequential processing device 30 , and the substrate lead-out portion 33 may function as an outlet of the sequential processing device 30 . Hereinafter, the case of N=2 is exemplified.

<2-1-1. Substrate introduction part 31>

The substrate introduction part 31 has a plurality of rollers 311 and a plurality of rollers 313 as conveying mechanisms, and sensors 314 and 315 . Cross sections of the rollers 311 and 313 have a circular shape, and the rollers 311 and 313 are installed so that their central axes are substantially perpendicular and substantially horizontal to the transport direction of the substrate W. The transport direction referred to here is the transport direction of the substrate W in the sequential processing device 30 . A plurality of rollers 311 are installed side by side at intervals along the conveying direction. Each roller 311 may rotate with its own central axis as a rotational axis. Both ends of the central axis of each roller 311 are rotatably fixed to a support plate (not shown). The pair of support plates are plate-like members extending along the transport direction, and are fixed to a predetermined mount 312 installed on the floor surface. A plurality of rollers 313 are installed side by side at intervals along the conveying direction. The roller 313 is located downstream of the roller 311 and installed at the same height as the roller 311 . Each roller 313 can rotate with its own central axis as a rotational axis. Both ends of the central axis of each roller 313 are rotatably fixed to the support plate, respectively.

The plurality of rollers 311 are driven by a driving unit (not shown) to rotate (synchronous rotation) in the same predetermined direction at approximately the same rotational speed. The drive unit has a motor. A substrate W is placed on the plurality of rollers 311 . The substrate W is placed so that the normal direction of its principal surface is along the vertical direction (vertical direction in FIG. 2). In this state, as the plurality of rollers 311 rotate synchronously in the same direction, the substrate W moves on the rollers 311 to the processing apparatus main body 32 along the transport direction. The plurality of rollers 313 are also driven by a driving unit (not shown) to rotate synchronously. Since the rollers 311 and 313 are driven by different driving units, they are controlled independently of each other.

On the rollers 311 and 313, the board|substrate W is mounted one by one. For example, two substrates W may be placed on the rollers 311 and 313 from the indexer portion 11 . In this state, only the roller 313 rotates synchronously, so that the substrate W on the roller 313 can be transported to the processing apparatus main body 32 . Next, when both of the rollers 311 and 313 rotate synchronously, the substrate W on the roller 313 can be conveyed to the processing device main body 32 .

The sensor 314 detects whether or not the substrate W is present at a stop position on the roller 311 . The sensor 315 detects whether or not the substrate W is present at the rest position on the roller 313. The sensors 314 and 315 are optical sensors, for example, and detect the substrate W when reflected light from the substrate W is received. Detection results of the sensors 314 and 315 are output to the control unit 60 .

Hereinafter, one of the two substrates W is also referred to as a substrate W1, and the other is also referred to as a substrate W2. Here, it is assumed that the substrate W1 is positioned upstream of the substrate W2.

<2-1-2. Substrate lead-out section 33>

The substrate lead-out unit 33 can hold a plurality (N sheets) of substrates W sequentially transported from the processing apparatus body 32 . The number of substrates W that can be held by the substrate lead-out unit 33 is determined by the next concurrent processing unit 40 (for example, if the sequential processing unit 30 is the cleaning unit 12, the dehydration bake unit 13). It is equal to the number of substrates W that can be processed in . Here, as an example, it is assumed that the substrate lead-out unit 33 holds two substrates W, and the simultaneous processing device 40 simultaneously processes the two substrates W.

The substrate lead-out unit 33 includes a plurality of rollers 331 and a plurality of rollers 332 as conveying mechanisms, and sensors 334 and 335 . The cross sections of the rollers 331 and 332 have a circular shape. The rollers 331 are arranged at intervals along the conveying direction such that their central axes are perpendicular and horizontal to the conveying direction of the substrate W. The roller 332 is disposed on the downstream side of the roller 331 . The rollers 332 are arranged at intervals along the conveying direction in the same posture as the roller 331 . Both ends of the central axis of each of the rollers 331 and 332 are rotatably fixed to a support plate (not shown), respectively. The plurality of rollers 331 are synchronously rotated by a drive unit (not shown), and the plurality of rollers 332 are synchronously rotated by a drive unit (not shown). Since the roller 331 and the roller 332 are driven by different driving units, they can be controlled independently of each other. Each drive unit has, for example, a motor.

The rollers 331 and 332 are installed at the same height as each other. The board|substrate W is conveyed from the processing apparatus main body 32 to the roller 331, and is conveyed from the roller 331 to the roller 332 suitably. As described later, one substrate W is stopped on the roller 331, and one substrate W is stopped on the roller 332. Due to this, the substrate lead-out unit 33 can hold the two substrates W.

The sensor 334 detects whether or not the substrate W is present at the rest position on the roller 331 . The sensor 335 detects whether or not the substrate W is present at the rest position on the roller 332 . The sensors 334 and 335 are optical sensors, for example, and detect the substrate W when reflected light from the substrate W is received. Detection results of the sensors 334 and 335 are output to the control unit 60 .

The substrate delivery unit 33 can sequentially receive two substrates W from the processing device main body 32 and hold them. Hereinafter, first, a case where two substrates W are processed at once will be briefly described. The case where N substrates W are processed not to be lumped together will be described in detail later.

First, the 1st board|substrate W is conveyed to the stop position on the roller 332 by the rollers 331 and 332 rotating synchronously. Specifically, when both the sensors 334 and 335 are not detecting the substrate W, the rollers 331 and 332 are synchronously rotated to transport the substrate W from the processing apparatus main body 32 to the substrate lead-out unit. Return to (33). Then, when the sensor 335 detects the substrate W, the synchronous rotation of the roller 332 is stopped. For this reason, the first substrate W (substrate W2 on the downstream side) is stopped and supported on the roller 332 . Regarding the second substrate W (upstream substrate W1), the roller 332 is not rotated, but the roller 331 is synchronously rotated so that the substrate W is moved up to the stop position of the roller 331. send back Specifically, when the sensor 334 detects the substrate W, the synchronous rotation of the roller 331 is stopped. That is, when both the sensors 334 and 335 are detecting the substrate W, the synchronous rotation of the roller 331 is stopped. For this reason, the second substrate W is supported while being stopped on the roller 331 . In this way, the substrate lead-out unit 33 can hold two substrates W.

<2-1-3. Processing device main body 32>

The processing device main body 32 has a plurality of rollers 321 as conveying mechanisms. The plurality of rollers 321 have the same shape as the roller 311 and are arranged in the same posture as the roller 311 . Both ends of the central axis of the roller 321 are rotatably fixed to a support plate (not shown). A plurality of rollers 321 are lined up at intervals along the conveying direction. A plurality of rollers 321 are installed at the same height as the roller 311 of the substrate introduction part 31, and the substrate W moves the rollers 313, 321, and 331 from the roller 311 in this order through the rollers ( 332) can be moved.

The processing apparatus main body 32 appropriately processes the substrate W flowing on the roller 321 at each position in the conveyance direction. Here, the washing device 12 is taken as an example of the sequential processing device 30 and described. For example, the treatment device main body 32 has a chemical solution part 34, a water washing part 35, and a dewatering part 36. The chemical liquid part 34, the washing part 35, and the dewatering part 36 are installed in series in this order from upstream to downstream. In addition, a plurality of rollers 321 are provided across the chemical solution part 34, the washing part 35, and the dewatering part 36. The plurality of rollers 321 are driven by a drive unit (not shown) to rotate synchronously. Therefore, the substrate W can be conveyed along the conveying direction and passed through the chemical solution part 34, the washing part 35, and the dewatering part 36 in this order.

The chemical liquid unit 34 is a device for cleaning the substrate W by supplying a chemical liquid to the substrate W on the roller 321 . The chemical liquid unit 34 includes a plurality of nozzles 341 for discharging chemical liquids, a chemical liquid tank 342 for storing chemical liquids, a supply pipe 343 connecting the chemical liquid tank 342 and the nozzle 341, and a supply pipe. A pump 344 for supplying the chemical liquid to the nozzle 341 via 343 is provided. The nozzles 341 are installed on both sides of the substrate W in the vertical direction, and supply the chemical solution to both sides of the substrate W. A flow sensor 345 is installed in the supply pipe 343 to contribute to control of the amount of chemical solution supplied. The chemical liquid unit 34 may have a brush (not shown) or the like for brushing the substrate W. By performing the brushing while supplying the chemical liquid to the substrate W, the cleaning effect can be enhanced. The chemical solution supplied to the substrate W is mainly separated from the circumferential edge of the substrate W and returned to the chemical solution tank 342 .

The water washing unit 35 is a device for washing away the chemical liquid remaining on the substrate W by supplying washing water to the substrate W. The washing unit 35 has a first water tank 355 and a second water tank 356 for storing washing water. Further, the water washing unit 35 has a low-pressure water supply unit 351, a high-pressure water supply unit 352, an ultrasonic washing water supply unit 353, and a pure water supply unit 354 disposed in this order from upstream to downstream. Similar to the liquid chemical unit 34, each unit 351 to 354 includes a nozzle for discharging liquid to the substrate W, a supply pipe connected to the nozzle, and a pump for supplying liquid to the nozzle via the supply pipe. are doing

The pump 35t of the low-pressure water supply unit 351 is a low-pressure pump, and pumps the washing water from the first water tank 355 at a low pressure and supplies it to the nozzle. Accordingly, the low-pressure water supply unit 351 may supply washing water to the substrate W at a low pressure. A slit nozzle (also referred to as a liquid knife) 35a is provided in the low-pressure water supply unit 351, and washing water is supplied to the substrate W from the liquid knife 35a as well. The pressure of the washing water supplied to the low-pressure water supply unit 351 is measured by the pressure sensor 357 .

The pump 35r of the high-pressure water supply unit 352 is a high-pressure pump, and pumps the washing water from the first water tank 355 at high pressure and supplies it to the nozzle. Accordingly, the high-pressure water supply unit 352 may supply high-pressure washing water to the substrate W. The pressure of the washing water supplied to the high pressure water supply unit 352 is measured by the pressure sensor 358 . The washing water supplied by the low-pressure water supply unit 351 and the high-pressure water supply unit 352 is mainly recovered from the circumferential edge of the substrate W to the first water tank 355 .

An ultrasonic vibrator for imparting ultrasonic vibrations to the washing water from the second water tank 356 is installed in the nozzle 35b of the ultrasonic washing water supply unit 353 . The nozzle 35b functions as a liquid knife. The pump 35s of the ultrasonic washing water supply unit 353 pumps the washing water from the second water tank 356 and supplies it to the nozzle 35b. When the ultrasonic vibrator of the nozzle 35b vibrates, the ultrasonic cleaning water supply unit 353 supplies the cleaning water in a vibrating state to the substrate W from the nozzle 35b. The washing water supplied by the ultrasonic washing water supply unit 353 is mainly returned to the second water tank 356 . The flow rate of the washing water supplied to the nozzle 35b is measured by the flow sensor 359.

The nozzle of the pure water supply unit 354 supplies the pure water supplied from the pure water supply source 365 toward the substrate W. The pure water source 365 is installed as factory equipment (utility), for example. This pure water is mainly recovered to the second water tank 356.

The dewatering unit 36 is a device that blows water away from the substrate W by flowing a high-pressure air current through the substrate W. The dehydration unit 36 includes a spraying unit (dry air knife) 361 for spraying gas onto the substrate W, a gas supply source 362 for supplying gas, and the spraying unit 361 and the gas supply source 362. It has a conduit 363 connecting the . A flow sensor 364 for measuring the flow rate of the gas is installed in the conduit 363 . The gas supply source 362 is a gas source installed as factory equipment (utility).

As described above, in the processing apparatus main body 32, the substrate W is transported along the transport direction, and various types of processing are performed at each position. The substrate W on which all processing has been performed by the processing apparatus main body 32 is conveyed to the substrate delivery unit 33 .

<3. Simultaneous Processing Unit 40 >

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the configuration of the simultaneous processing device 40. As shown in FIG. Here, as the simultaneous processing device 40, the dewatering baking device 13 will be described as an example. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the dewatering bake device 13 as seen along the vertical downward direction.

<3-1. Dehydration bake device 13>

The dewatering bake device 13 includes a heating unit 82 and a cooling unit 83 . This dewatering bake device 13 receives the substrate W subjected to the cleaning process by the cleaning device 12 (which is the sequential processing device 30) from the transfer robot (transfer section) 81, and receives the received substrate. (W) is processed at the same time. The dewatering bake device 13 can simultaneously process a plurality of (N) substrates W. Hereinafter, first, a case where two substrates W are processed at once will be briefly described. The case where N substrates W are processed not to be lumped together will be described in detail later.

<3-1-1. Transfer robot 81>

The transfer robot 81 has a hand H1, a movement mechanism 51, an elevating mechanism 52, and a rotation mechanism 53. The moving mechanism 51 can move the hand H1 in a horizontal plane. For example, the moving mechanism 51 has a pair of arms (not shown). Each arm has a plurality of elongated connecting members, and ends of the connecting members are rotatably connected to each other. One end of each arm is connected to the hand H1, and the other end is connected to the lifting mechanism 52. By controlling the connecting angle of the connecting member, the hand H1 can be moved in a horizontal plane. The lifting mechanism 52 raises and lowers the hand H1 by raising and lowering the arm along the vertical direction. The lifting mechanism 52 has, for example, a ball screw mechanism. The rotation mechanism 53 can rotate the elevation mechanism 52 about a rotation axis along the vertical direction. Due to this, the hand H1 rotates along the circumferential direction. By this rotation, the direction of the hand H1 can be changed. The rotating mechanism 53 has a motor, for example.

On the hand H1, two substrates W are placed in a lined state in one horizontal direction (left-right direction in FIG. 3). The hand H1 has, for example, a plurality of finger-like members F1 and a base end member P1 connecting the base ends of the finger-like members F1 to each other. One end of the arm described above is connected to this proximal end member P1. The finger-shaped member F1 has an elongated shape, and a substrate W is placed on its upper surface. These two substrates W are placed side by side along the longitudinal direction (left-right direction in FIG. 3) of the finger-shaped member F1. Therefore, the length of the finger-shaped member F1 in the longitudinal direction is set according to the length of two sheets of the substrate W and the distance between the substrates W.

The transfer robot 81 appropriately moves and rotates the hand H1 to move the hand H1 to the heating unit 82, the cooling unit 83, the substrate extraction unit 33 of the cleaning device 12, and the next step. It can be moved to each application-related device 14 (not shown in FIG. 3). The transfer robot 81 takes out the two substrates W collectively from the substrate extraction unit 33, the heating unit 82, and the cooling unit 83, or takes out the two substrates W collectively. It can be passed to the heating unit 82, the cooling unit 83, and the application-related device 14, respectively.

For example, the transfer robot 81 collectively takes out two substrates W from the substrate lead-out unit 33 as follows. That is, the transfer robot 81 moves the hand H1 to the substrate lead-out unit 33 to position the hand H1 below the two substrates W held by the substrate lead-out unit 33. .

Also, the rollers 331 and 332 are configured to avoid collision with the hand H1 of the transport robot 81 . And the transfer robot 81 can lift the two board|substrates W with the hand H1 by raising the hand H1 vertically upward. Due to this, the two substrates W move away from the rollers 331 and 332, respectively. The two substrates W are placed side by side at intervals along the longitudinal direction on the hand H1. The two substrates W are placed on the hand H1 in a posture in which the normal direction of the principal surface follows the vertical direction.

The two substrates W may be placed side by side at intervals along the lateral direction (width direction) on the hand H1. This arrangement is realized, for example, by installing a turntable and rotating the substrate W by 90 degrees.

Next, the transfer robot 81 moves the hand H1 away from the substrate lead-out portion 33 to take out the two substrates W from the substrate lead-out portion 33 at once.

In addition, a plurality of suction ports may be formed on the upper surface of the finger-shaped member F1 (the surface on which the substrate W is mounted). This suction port is formed at a position facing the two substrates W, and air is drawn from the suction port to suck the substrate W. Due to this, the holding force for holding the substrate W can be improved.

The transfer robot 81 collectively takes out the two substrates W from each of the heating section 82 and the cooling section 83 by the same operation as the above operation. On the other hand, the transfer robot 81, in the reverse order to the above operation, each of the heating section 82, cooling section 83 and coating-related device 14 (hereinafter referred to as each section) carries two substrates (W). ) are given collectively. That is, the transport robot 81 moves the hand H1 on which the two substrates W are placed inside each part, and lowers the hand H1 to place the two substrates W on the upper surface of the substrate holding part of each part. collectively witty. In addition, the substrate holding portion of each unit is configured not to collide with the hand H1 when carrying in and out of the two substrates W. Then, the transfer robot 81 moves the hand H1 from the inside to the outside of each unit. As a result, the two substrates W are collectively passed to each unit.

As described above, the transfer robot 81 arranges and holds N sheets (two) of substrates W in one horizontal direction among a plurality of substrates W processed by the cleaning device 12, which is a sequential processing device. While doing so, the N sheets (2 sheets) of the substrates W can be collectively transferred to the dewatering bake unit 13 as a simultaneous processing unit. By conveying a plurality of substrates W at once, the throughput of the conveying operation can be improved compared to the case of conveying the substrates W one by one.

<3-1-2. Heating unit 82>

Two substrates W are collectively passed to the heating unit 82 from the transfer robot 81 . This heating unit 82 includes a substrate holding unit 91 for holding the two substrates W arranged side by side in the horizontal direction, and a heating means for simultaneously heating the two substrates W collectively. (92) is provided. In other words, the heating unit 82 simultaneously heats the two substrates W.

The substrate holding part 91 has a member that supports the lower surfaces of the two substrates W. The two substrates W are held by being placed on this member. The two substrates W are placed in a posture in which the normal direction of the principal surface follows the vertical direction. For example, the substrate holder 91 includes a plurality of lift pins (not shown). The plurality of lift pins move up and down between an upper position in which the tips thereof protrude from the upper surface of the substrate holder 91 and a lower position in which they are retracted downward from the upper surface. The transfer robot 81 evacuates from the heating unit 82 after handing the two substrates W to a plurality of lift pins protruding upward. The plurality of lift pins descend while supporting the two substrates W, and place the two substrates W on the upper surface of the substrate holder 91 .

The heating unit 92 is, for example, a heater, and simultaneously heats the two substrates W held by the substrate holder 91 collectively. By this heat treatment, for example, pure water remaining on the substrate W can be evaporated (dehydration treatment). By simultaneously performing the heat treatment on a plurality of substrates W collectively, the throughput of the heat treatment can be improved compared to the case where the heat treatment is performed on each substrate W one by one.

The heating means 92 may be incorporated in the substrate holding part 91, for example. Moreover, several heating means 92 may be provided in the heating part 82. The plurality of heating means 92 may be disposed next to each other in plan view and controlled independently of each other. Two board|substrates W are mounted in the position facing each other in the several heating means 92 and a vertical direction, for example. In this case, the temperature in a plurality of regions in a planar view of the two substrates W can be adjusted for each region. Since it is difficult to uniformly heat the substrate W with a single heating means 92 when the size of the substrate W in plan view is large, by providing a plurality of heating means 92, the substrate W can be heated more. It can be heated evenly.

The heating unit 82 further includes a temperature sensor 95 that measures the temperature of the substrate W. A plurality of temperature sensors 95 may be provided in the heating unit 82 . Each of the temperature sensors 95 measures the temperature of a region different from each other when viewed from the top. For example, the temperature sensor 95 may be provided with the heating means 92 one-to-one. In this case, the temperature sensor 95 measures the temperature of the heating target region of the corresponding heating means 92 .

The temperature measured by the temperature sensor 95 is output to the controller 60 . The control part 60 may control the heating means 92 based on the measured temperature measured by the temperature sensor 95, for example. As a result, the temperature of the substrate W can be brought closer to the target value more uniformly.

<3-1-3. Cooling section 83>

To the cooling unit 83, the two substrates W heated by the heating unit 82 are collectively delivered from the transfer robot 81. That is, the transport robot 81 maintains the two substrates W processed by the heating unit 82 after being processed by the cleaning device 12, which is a sequential processing device, while arranging them in one horizontal direction. The two substrates W are collectively transported to the cooling unit 83 . The cooling unit 83 includes a substrate holding unit 93 for holding the two substrates W arranged side by side in the horizontal direction, and a cooling means for performing a cooling process on the two substrates W at once ( 94) is provided. In other words, the cooling unit 83 performs a cooling process on the two substrates W at the same time.

The substrate holding portion 93 has a member (not shown) for supporting the lower surfaces of the two substrates W. The two substrates W are held by being placed on this member. The two substrates W are placed in a posture in which the normal direction of the principal surface follows the vertical direction. The structure of the substrate holding portion 93 is the same as that of the substrate holding portion 91 .

The cooling means 94 is, for example, a cooling plate that flows cold water through a liquid path formed inside the metal plate, and performs a cooling process on the two substrates W held in the substrate holder 93 collectively. The cooling means 94 is controlled by the controller 60. By this cooling process, the two substrates W are cooled, and the temperature of the two substrates W can be set to a temperature suitable for the downstream processing device (coating related device 14). By simultaneously performing the cooling process on the two substrates W at once, the throughput of the cooling process can be improved compared to the case where the cooling process is performed on the substrates W one by one.

The cooling means 94 may be incorporated in the substrate holder 93, for example. In addition, a plurality of cooling means 94 may be provided in the cooling unit 83 . The plurality of cooling means 94 may be disposed next to each other in plan view and controlled independently of each other. Two board|substrates W are mounted in the position facing each other in the several cooling means 94 and a vertical direction, for example. In this case, the temperature in a plurality of regions of the substrate W in plan view can be adjusted for each region. When the size of the substrate W in plan view increases, it is difficult to uniformly heat the substrate W with a single cooling means 94. Therefore, by providing a plurality of cooling means 94, the substrate W can be further cooled. It can be cooled evenly.

The cooling unit 83 further includes a temperature sensor 96 that measures the temperature of the substrate W. A plurality of temperature sensors 96 may be provided in the cooling unit 83 . Each temperature sensor 96 detects the temperature of a region different from each other when viewed from above. For example, the temperature sensor 96 may be provided with the cooling means 94 one-to-one. In this case, the temperature sensor 96 measures the temperature of the cooling bed region of the corresponding cooling means 94 .

The temperature measured by the temperature sensor 96 is output to the controller 60 . The controller 60 may control the cooling means 94 based on the measured temperature measured by the temperature sensor 96, for example. As a result, the temperature of the substrate W can be brought closer to the target value more uniformly.

Further, the cooling unit 83 may cool the two substrates W by natural cooling. The natural cooling is cooling by leaving the substrate W unattended without cooling the heated substrate W using power (electric power). In this case, the cooling means 94 as a configuration such as a cooling plate is unnecessary.

<3-1-4. A series of processing of dehydration bake equipment>

Next, a series of processes by the dewatering bake device 13 will be briefly described. The transfer robot 81 collectively takes out two substrates W from the substrate extraction unit 33 of the cleaning device 12 on the upstream side, and collectively removes the two substrates W from the heating unit 82 ) is handed over to Also in this heating section 82, the two substrates W are maintained in a horizontally aligned state. The heating unit 82 performs heat treatment on the two substrates W at once. The two substrates W after the heat treatment are collectively taken out by the transfer robot 81 and transferred to the cooling unit 83 collectively. Also in the cooling section 83, the two substrates W are maintained in a horizontally aligned state. The cooling unit 83 performs a cooling process on the two substrates W at once. The two substrates W subjected to the cooling process are collectively taken out by the transport robot 81 and transported collectively to the coating-related device 14 .

<4. Control >

As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the substrate processing apparatus 1 has a control unit 60 that controls processing and transport of substrates in each processing apparatus. 4 is a functional block diagram schematically showing an example of the configuration of the control unit 60. As shown in FIG.

The controller 60 is a control circuit, and as shown in FIG. 4 , for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 61, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 62, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 63, and The storage device 64 and the like are constituted by a general computer interconnected via a bus line 65. The ROM 62 stores basic programs and the like, and the RAM 63 serves as a work area when the CPU 61 performs predetermined processing. The storage device 64 is constituted by a non-volatile storage device such as a flash memory or a hard disk device.

Moreover, in the control part 60, the input part 66, the display part 67, and the communication part 68 are also connected to the bus line 65. The input unit 66 is constituted by various switches or a touch panel, and receives various input setting instructions such as processing recipes from an operator. The display unit 67 is composed of a liquid crystal display device, a lamp, and the like, and displays various types of information under the control of the CPU 61. The communication unit 68 has a data communication function via LAN (Local Area Network) or the like.

In addition, each robot (carrier robot, such as an indexer robot, etc.) and each processing device mentioned above are connected to the control part 60 as a control object. That is, the controller 60 can function as a transport controller that controls transport of the substrate W.

A processing program P for controlling each device constituting the substrate processing apparatus 1 is stored in the storage device 64 of the control unit 60 . When the CPU 61 of the control unit 60 executes the processing program P, the transport operation and processing operation of the substrate are controlled. Also, the processing program P may be stored in a recording medium. If this recording medium is used, the processing program P can be installed in the control unit 60 (computer). In addition, some or all of the functions executed by the control unit 60 do not necessarily have to be realized by software, but may be realized by hardware such as a dedicated logic circuit.

The control unit 60 may have a plural hierarchical structure. For example, the control unit 60 may include a main control unit and a plurality of terminal control units. The end control section includes, for example, the indexer section 11, the cleaning device 12, the dewatering bake device 13, the coating related device 14, the prebake device 15, the exposure device 16, the developing device ( 17) and each processing device of the post-bake device 18. The main controller is installed in the substrate processing apparatus 1 and communicates with a plurality of end controllers. The main control unit manages the entire operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1, and the end control unit controls the operation of each corresponding unit.

The plurality of end control units are mutually communicable. For example, data related to the substrate W is transmitted and received between the end control units. The data related to the substrate W indicates, for example, data of the substrate W in a group unit, and information indicating the contents of processing of the substrate W is included in the data. The end control unit controls a corresponding device and processes the substrate W based on data of the substrate W received from one upstream end control unit. For example, the end control section of the cleaning device 12 receives the data of the substrate W from the end control section of the indexer section 11, and carries the substrates W into the cleaning device 12 in groups. do. The terminal control unit of the cleaning device 12 controls the cleaning device 12 based on received substrate data, and performs cleaning processing on the loaded substrate W. Then, after the processing of the substrates W is completed, while the substrates W are transferred to the dewatering bake device 13 in groups, the substrate W is transferred from the end control unit of the cleaning device 12 to the end device of the dehydration bake device 13 ) of data is transmitted. Hereinafter, processing is performed in the same manner.

<5. Collection of processing parameters>

As described above, the substrate processing apparatus 1 is provided with various sensors (e.g., flow sensors 345, 359, 364, pressure sensors 357, 358, and temperature sensors 95, 96). These sensors are Hereinafter, the sensor installed in the simultaneous processing device 40 (for example, the dehydration baking device 13) may also be referred to as a first sensor, and the sequential processing device (30) (For example, the sensor installed in the cleaning device 12) may be referred to as a second sensor.

As the first sensor, the temperature sensors 95 and 96 are exemplified. The temperature sensors 95 and 96 measure the temperature of the substrate W as a parameter (first parameter) related to processing. As the second sensor, flow sensors 345, 359, and 364 and pressure sensors 357 and 358 are exemplified. The flow sensors 345, 359, and 364 measure the flow rate of the fluid supplied to the substrate W as a parameter (second parameter) related to the process. The pressure sensors 357 and 358 measure the pressure of the fluid supplied to the substrate W as a parameter (second parameter) related to the process.

The control unit 60 stores the parameters measured by each of the first sensor and the second sensor in a nonvolatile storage medium (for example, the storage device 64) in association with the substrate W. Hereinafter, collection of parameters will be described by dividing into the sequential processing unit 30 and the simultaneous processing unit 40. Hereinafter, as an example, a case in which transport and processing are performed for each group including two substrates W will be described.

<5-1. Collection of parameters in sequential processing device 30>

As described above, two substrates W belonging to one group are collectively carried into the substrate introduction unit 31 of the sequential processing device 30 . The sequential processing device 30 sequentially processes the two substrates W carried in while conveying them one by one. Specifically, first, of the two substrates W, the downstream substrate W2 is transported, and processing is performed on the substrate W2 by the processing apparatus main body 32, and then the upstream substrate ( W1) is conveyed, and processing is performed on the substrate W1 by the processing apparatus main body 32. In the following, the substrate W2 will be described as a representative example.

In the chemical liquid part 34, the chemical liquid is supplied from the nozzle 341 to the substrate W2. For this reason, the substrate W2 is treated with the chemical solution. The flow rate of the chemical solution supplied to the substrate W2 is measured by the flow sensor 345, and a measurement signal representing the measured value is output from the flow sensor 345 to the controller 60.

Next, the substrate W2 is conveyed to the water washing unit 35 . In the water washing unit 35, the substrate W2 is first conveyed to the low pressure water supply unit 351, and the washing water is supplied to the substrate W2 from the liquid knife 35a. The pressure of the washing water supplied to the substrate W2 is measured by the pressure sensor 357, and the measurement signal is output from the pressure sensor 357 to the controller 60.

Next, the substrate W2 is conveyed to the high-pressure water supply unit 352, and washing water is supplied to the substrate W2 from the nozzle of the high-pressure water supply unit 352. The pressure of the washing water supplied to the substrate W2 is measured by the pressure sensor 358, and the measurement signal is output from the pressure sensor 358 to the controller 60.

Next, the substrate W2 is conveyed to the ultrasonic cleaning water supply unit 353, and the cleaning water is supplied to the substrate W2 from the nozzle 35b. The pressure of the washing water supplied to the substrate W2 is measured by the flow sensor 359, and the measurement signal is output from the flow sensor 359 to the controller 60.

Next, the board|substrate W2 is conveyed to the pure water supply part 354, and pure water is supplied to the board|substrate W2 from the nozzle of the pure water supply part 354. The pure water supply unit 354 may be provided with a flow sensor that detects the flow rate of the pure water supplied to the substrate W2, and in this case, the measurement signal is output to the control unit 60 from the flow sensor.

As described above, in the water washing unit 35, washing water and pure water are sequentially supplied to the substrate W2 to clean the substrate W2.

Next, the substrate W2 is conveyed to the dewatering unit 36, and gas is supplied to the substrate W2 from the injection unit 361 of the dehydrating unit 36. As a result, the liquid adhering to the substrate W2 is blown away. The flow rate of the gas supplied to the substrate W2 is measured by the flow sensor 364, and the measurement signal is output from the flow sensor 364 to the controller 60.

The control unit 60 associates the flow rate measured by the flow sensors 345, 359, 364 and the pressure measured by the pressure sensors 357, 358 with the substrate W2, and stores them as sequentially collected data, for example. stored in device 64. That is, the controller 60 stores parameters measured by the second sensor during the processing of the sequential processing device 30 for the substrate W2 in the storage device 64 in association with the substrate W2.

5 is a diagram schematically showing an example of sequentially collected data for the substrate W2. In the example of FIG. 5 , sequentially collected data includes group identification information (Da1), positional information (Db1), and process information (Dd1). The group identification information Da1 and the positional information Db1 are information for identifying the substrate W, and will be described in detail later. The process information Dd1 is information indicating measured values (so-called measured values) of parameters measured by each second sensor. In the example of FIG. 5 , the sequentially collected data includes five pieces of process information Dd1 according to the flow sensors 345, 359, and 364 and the pressure sensors 357 and 358 in the cleaning device 12. . In the example of Fig. 5, the measured value is schematically represented by "****".

In the above example, the substrate W2 was described, but the same applies to the substrate W1. That is, the control unit 60 stores parameters measured by the second sensor during the processing of the sequential processing device 30 for the substrate W1 in, for example, the storage device 64 in association with the substrate W1. do. 6 is a diagram schematically showing an example of sequentially collected data for the substrate W1. Also in the example of FIG. 6 , the sequentially collected data for the substrate W1 includes group identification information Da1, positional information Db1, and process information Dd1.

The group identification information Da1 is information for identifying the group of the substrate W. A group is constituted by, for example, N (in this case, two) substrates W1 and W2. Here, since the substrates W1 and W2 belong to the same group, the group identification information Da1 of the substrates W1 and W2 is identical to each other. In the example of FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, "pair number k" is shown as group identification information (Da1). For example, group identification information (Da1) indicates that the group is on the upstream side as the value of "k" increases. The positional information Db1 is information indicating the position of the substrate W within the group. Here, since the substrate W2 is located on the downstream side of the substrate W1, the positional information Db1 (see FIG. 5) of the substrate W2 indicates “downstream”, and the positional information of the substrate W1 ( Db1) (see Fig. 6) indicates "upstream". The substrate W can be individually identified by the group identification information Da1 and the location information Db1.

In the above example, the cleaning device 12 has been described as the sequential processing device 30, but the same applies to other sequential processing devices 30 as well. In other sequential processing devices 30 as well, a second sensor for measuring parameters related to processing is provided. The controller 60 stores parameters measured by the second sensor during processing of the substrate W2 in, for example, the storage device 64 in association with the substrate W2. Specifically, the control unit 60 adds processing information Dd1 representing measurement values of parameters measured by the second sensor of another sequential processing device 30 to sequentially collected data of the substrate W2. The same applies to the substrate W1. 5 and 6, the presence of processing information Dd1 corresponding to the other sequential processing device 30 is schematically represented by black circles arranged in a vertical direction.

As described above, the substrates W are carried into the sequential processing device 30 in groups, but the sequential processing device 30 conveys the substrates W1 and W2 belonging to the group one by one, and the substrate W1 , W2) is processed one by one. In other words, the substrates W1 and W2 are individually processed at different timings. For example, the chemical solution is supplied to the substrate W2 from the nozzle 341 of the chemical liquid unit 34 prior to the substrate W1, and then the chemical solution is supplied to the substrate W1 from the nozzle 341. Since the flow rate of the chemical liquid discharged from the nozzle 341 may change with the passage of time, the flow rate of the chemical liquid supplied to the substrates W1 and W2 may be different from each other. That is, even if the substrates W1 and W2 belong to the same group, parameters in the sequential processing device 30 may be different from each other. Therefore, the controller 60 stores the parameters measured in the sequential processing device 30 in association with the substrates W1 and W2 individually.

<5-2. Collection of Parameters in Simultaneous Processing Unit 40>

As described above, the substrates W are also collectively loaded into the simultaneous processing device 40 in groups. That is, the two substrates W1 and W2 belonging to one group are collectively carried into the simultaneous processing device 40 . Then, the simultaneous processing device 40 collectively processes the two loaded substrates W1 and W2.

For example, two substrates W1 and W2 are collectively carried into the heating unit 82, and the heating unit 82 heats the two substrates W1 and W2 collectively. The temperature sensor 95, which is an example of the first sensor, measures the temperature of the substrates W1 and W2 and outputs a measurement signal to the controller 60. The controller 60 may control the heating unit 92 based on the temperature of the substrates W1 and W2 measured by the temperature sensor 95 and the target value of the heating temperature. Due to this, the temperature of the substrates W1 and W2 can be brought closer to the target value of the heating temperature. The temperatures of the substrates W1 and W2 are controlled to be substantially equal to each other.

Also to the cooling unit 83, two substrates W1 and W2 are carried in at once. The cooling unit 83 cools the two substrates W1 and W2 collectively. The temperature sensor 96, which is an example of the first sensor, measures the temperature of the substrates W1 and W2 and outputs a measurement signal to the controller 60. The controller 60 may control the cooling unit 94 based on the temperature of the substrates W1 and W2 measured by the temperature sensor 96 and the target value of the cooling temperature. This makes it possible to bring the temperatures of the substrates W1 and W2 closer to the target cooling temperature. The temperatures of the substrates W1 and W2 are controlled to be substantially equal to each other.

The control unit 60 associates the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 95 during the heating process of the heating unit 82 to the substrates W1 and W2 to a group of the substrates W1 and W2, as simultaneous collection data. , stored in the storage device 64, for example. Similarly, the control unit 60 associates the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 96 during the cooling process of the cooling unit 83 for the substrates W1 and W2 to the group of the substrates W1 and W2, and collects them simultaneously. As data, it is stored in the storage device 64, for example.

7 is a diagram schematically showing an example of simultaneous collection data. In the example of FIG. 7 , the simultaneously collected data includes group identification information Da1, substrate presence information De1, target information Df1, and process information Dd1. The substrate existence information De1 is information indicating the substrate configuration of the group. Here, since both the substrates W1 and W2 constitute a group, in the example of Fig. 7, the substrate existence information De1 indicates "both substrates" indicating both the substrates W1 and W2.

The target information Df1 is a target value for a parameter related to processing. As a more specific example, the target information Df1 indicates a target temperature of the substrate W in the heating unit 82 and a target temperature of the substrate W in the cooling unit 83 , respectively. In the example of FIG. 7 , the target information Df1 in the heating unit 82 and the processing information Dd1 for the temperature sensor 95 are displayed adjacent to each other vertically, and the target information in the cooling unit 83 (Df1) and processing information Dd1 for the temperature sensor 96 are also shown adjacent to each other vertically. In the example of Fig. 7, the measured values and target values are schematically represented by "****".

In the above example, the heating unit 82 and the cooling unit 83 have been described as the simultaneous processing device 40, but the same applies to other simultaneous processing devices 40 as well. In other simultaneous processing devices 40 as well, a first sensor for measuring parameters related to processing is installed. The control unit 60 associates parameters measured by the first sensor during the processing of the simultaneous processing device 40 for the substrates W1 and W2 with groups of the substrates W1 and W2, for example, a storage device ( 64) remember. Specifically, the control unit 60 adds processing information Dd1 indicating measurement values of parameters measured by the first sensors of the other concurrent processing devices 40 to the simultaneously collected data of the substrates W1 and W2. do. In addition, target information Df1 of another concurrent processing device 40 may also be added to the concurrently collected data. In the example of FIG. 7 , the existence of the process information Dd1 and the target information Df1 corresponding to the other simultaneous processing devices 40 is schematically represented by black circles arranged in a vertical direction.

As described above, the substrates W are loaded into the simultaneous processing device 40 in groups. Then, the simultaneous processing device 40 collectively processes the substrates W in groups. Here, the simultaneous processing device 40 processes the substrates W1 and W2 at once. Therefore, compared to the sequential processing device 30 that processes at different timings, variations in the parameters (for example, temperature) of the substrates W1 and W2 in the simultaneous processing device 40 are small and almost equal to each other. Therefore, the controller 60 stores the parameters measured in the simultaneous processing device 40 in association with the groups of the substrates W1 and W2 individually. For this reason, it is possible to collect the parameters in the concurrent processing device 40 with a smaller storage capacity compared to the case where the parameters concerned are individually associated with the substrates W1 and W2.

<6. Lack of substrate>

In the above example, the case where both of the two substrates W1 and W2 are included in one group has been described. However, in at least one of a plurality of groups, there is a case where one of the substrates W1 and W2 is missing. Hereinafter, as a specific example, a case where one of the substrates W1 and W2 is missing in the inside of the cassette carried into the substrate processing apparatus 1 will be described.

8 and 9 are diagrams schematically showing a manner in which a plurality of substrates W are accommodated for each group in the cassette 10. As shown in FIG. This cassette (10) is loaded into the indexer section (11). A plurality of substrates W are accommodated in different accommodating positions (slots) for each group in the cassette 10 . 8 and 9 the different slots are positioned up and down in the drawing.

In the example of FIG. 8 , two substrates W1 and W2 are stored side by side in the left-right direction in each slot. The indexer robot of the indexer unit 11 collectively takes out the substrates W1 and W2 from each slot of the cassette 10 and carries them into the cleaning device 12 . Thus, each slot corresponds to a group. In the example of Fig. 8, since the substrates W1 and W2 are stored in all the slots, the indexer robot takes out the two substrates W1 and W2 from any slot at once. In this case, all groups are constituted by two substrates W1 and W2.

On the other hand, in the example of FIG. 9 , a slot in which two substrates W are stored and a slot in which only one substrate W are stored are mixed. Specifically, in the example of FIG. 9 , the substrate W1 is stored only on the left side in the second slot from the top, and the substrate W2 is stored only on the right side in the fifth slot from the top. In slots other than these, two substrates W1 and W2 are stored side by side in the left-right direction. In this case, the number of substrates W taken out from the cassette 10 by the indexer robot differs depending on the slot.

The indexer robot may take out the substrate W from the slot of the cassette 10 sequentially from the top, for example. In this case, the indexer robot first collectively takes out the substrates W1 and W2 from the uppermost slot and conveys them to the cleaning device 12 . This group is constituted by the substrates W1 and W2. Next, the indexer robot takes out one substrate W1 from the second slot and conveys it to the cleaning device 12 . This group consists only of the substrate W1. Thereafter, in the same way, the indexer robot takes out the substrate W from each slot of the cassette 10 and conveys it to the cleaning device 12 . In addition, the indexer robot can be said to be a conveyance unit that conveys N sheets (two sheets in this case) or less of the substrates W.

When both the substrates W1 and W2 are taken out, one group is constituted by the substrates W1 and W2. When only the substrate W1 is taken out, one group is composed of only the substrate W1. That is, in this one group, the substrate W2 is missing. In the case where only the substrate W2 is taken out, one group is composed of only the substrate W2. That is, in this 1 group, the substrate W1 is missing.

Since the indexer robot sequentially takes out the substrates W from the cassette 10 for each slot and transports them to the cleaning device 12 each time, the cleaning device 12 includes the substrates W1 and W2 at once. It is carried in, only the board|substrate W1 is carried in, or only the board|substrate W2 is carried in.

The controller 60 can know the storage mode of the substrate W in the cassette 10 . For example, stored information indicating whether or not the substrate W is present at each position of each slot of the cassette 10 is input to the control unit 60 . The control unit 60 can know the configuration of each group of substrates based on the stored information. The stored information may be input to the control unit 60 through an input using the input unit 66 by an operator, for example, or transmitted to the control unit 60 from a device upstream of the substrate processing apparatus 1. Alternatively, a sensor for detecting the presence or absence of the substrate W in the cassette 10 may be provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1 .

Since the control unit 60 can know the configuration of each group of substrates (presence or absence of each substrate W1 and W2) from the stored information, the control unit 60 controls the substrate processing apparatus 1 based on the stored information to treat the substrates for each group. You can manage the return and processing of (W). In addition, the control unit 60 may use the detection result of the sensors 314 and 315 of the substrate introduction unit 31 of the cleaning device 12 to know the configuration of the substrates in the group. Alternatively, when a sensor for detecting the presence or absence of the substrate W is installed in the hand of the indexer robot, the controller 60 may know the configuration of the substrate in the group based on the detection result of the sensor.

Conveyance and processing for the group including both the substrates W1 and W2 are as described above. That is, the cleaning device 12 sequentially performs processing on the substrates W1 and W2 while conveying the substrates W1 and W2 sequentially. Then, when both the substrates W1 and W2 are transported to the substrate delivery unit 33, the transport robot 81 transports the substrates W1 and W2 collectively to the dewatering bake device 13. The dewatering bake device 13 collectively processes the substrates W1 and W2. Specifically, the heating part 82 heat-processes the carried-in board|substrates W1 and W2 collectively. When the heat treatment is completed, the substrates W1 and W2 are collectively conveyed to the cooling section 83 by the conveyance robot 81 . The cooling unit 83 performs a cooling process on the loaded substrates W1 and W2. When the cooling process is finished, the substrates W1 and W2 are transported to the downstream device by the transport robot 81 . Thereafter, in this group, the substrates W1 and W2 are conveyed to the other simultaneous processing devices 40 and the other sequential processing devices 30, and processing is performed in the other simultaneous processing devices 40 and the other sequential processing devices 30. It is done.

On the other hand, in a group containing only the substrate W2, for example, the indexer robot carries only the substrate W2 into the substrate introduction section 31 of the cleaning device 12. This board W2 is placed on the roller 313 of the board introduction part 31 and is detected by the sensor 315. In addition, while the board|substrate introduction part 31 can carry in two board|substrates W1 and W2 collectively, it is also possible to carry in one board|substrate W.

The control unit 60 causes the roller 313 to rotate synchronously to convey the substrate W2 to the processing apparatus body 32 . This board|substrate W2 receives various processes in the processing apparatus main body 32, and is conveyed to the roller 332 of the board|substrate lead-out part 33. The substrate W2 is detected by the sensor 335 of the substrate extraction unit 33 . Since the substrate W1 is missing in this group, the transport robot 81 does not wait for the substrate W1 to be detected by the sensor 334 of the substrate derivation unit 33, and the substrate ( W2) is taken out, and the board|substrate W2 is conveyed to the dewatering bake apparatus 13 (heating part 82). In addition, the transfer robot 81 can also be said to be a transfer unit that transfers N sheets (two sheets in this case) or less of the substrates W.

10 is a plan view schematically showing an example of the configuration of the dewatering baking device 13. As shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 10 , only the substrate W2 is carried into the heating unit 82 . The heating part 82 heat-processes only the board|substrate W2 carried in. When the heat treatment is completed, the substrate W2 is transported to the cooling unit 83 by the transport robot 81 . The cooling part 83 performs a cooling process only for the board|substrate W2 carried in. When the cooling process is completed, the substrate W2 is transported to the downstream device by the transport robot 81 . Thereafter, in this group, only the substrate W2 is conveyed to the other simultaneous processing devices 40 and the other sequential processing devices 30, and processing is performed in the other simultaneous processing devices 40 and the other sequential processing devices 30. . The same applies to the group including only the substrate W1.

<6-1. Collection of parameters>

Next, collection of parameters for a group including only one substrate W will be described. Hereinafter, a group representatively including only the substrate W2 will be described.

As described above, when only the substrate W2 is carried into the substrate introduction section 31 of the cleaning device 12, the cleaning device 12 performs processing while conveying the loaded substrate W2. During this process, the second sensors (flow sensors 345, 359, 364 and pressure sensors 357, 358) measure parameters and output the measurement signals to the controller 60. The control unit 60 associates the parameter measured by the second sensor with the substrate W2 and stores it in, for example, the storage device 64 as sequentially collected data. Sequentially collected data for the substrate W2 is the same as in FIG. 5 .

When the substrate W2 arrives at the substrate lead-out section 33, that is, when the sensor 335 of the board lead-out section 33 detects the board W2, the transfer robot 81 takes this one substrate W2. is taken out from the substrate lead-out section 33 and conveyed to the heating section 82.

The heating part 82 heat-processes only for one board|substrate W2 carried in (refer FIG. 10). During this process, the temperature sensor 95 measures the temperature of the substrate W2 and outputs the measurement signal to the controller 60. In this case, the controller 60 associates the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 95 with one substrate W2 and stores it in the storage device 64, for example, as simultaneous collection data. 11 is a diagram schematically showing an example of simultaneously collected data for a group including only the substrate W2. In the example of Fig. 11, the substrate existence information De1 indicates "downstream substrate" indicating that only the downstream substrate W2 exists in the group. Also in the example of FIG. 11, target information Df1 of heating temperature and process information Dd1 indicating the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 95 are shown adjacently.

When the heating process of the heating part 82 is completed, the transfer robot 81 takes out one board|substrate W2 from the heating part 82, and conveys it to the cooling part 83. The cooling part 83 performs a cooling process with respect to the board|substrate W2 of 1 sheet carried in. During this process, a 1st sensor (temperature sensor 96) measures the temperature of the board|substrate W2, and outputs the measurement signal to the control part 60. In this case, the control unit 60 associates the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 96 with one substrate W2 and stores it in the storage device 64, for example, as simultaneous collection data. Also in the example of FIG. 11, target information Df1 of cooling temperature and process information Dd1 indicating the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 96 are shown adjacently.

In the above example, the case where only the substrate W2 constitutes a group has been described, but the same applies to the case where only the substrate W1 constitutes a group. That is, parameters measured in the sequential processing device 30 (e.g. cleaning device 12) are associated with the substrate W1 and stored as sequentially collected data in the storage device 64, for example. Sequentially collected data for the substrate W1 is the same as in FIG. 6 .

Parameters measured in the simultaneous processing device 40 (for example, the dewatering bake device 13) are associated with one substrate W1 and stored in, for example, the storage device 64 as simultaneous collection data. 12 is a diagram schematically showing an example of simultaneously collected data for a group including only the substrate W1. In the example of FIG. 12 , the substrate existence information De1 indicates "upstream substrate" indicating that only the upstream substrate W1 is present. Also in the example of Fig. 12, the target information Df1 of the heating temperature and the process information Dd1 indicating the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 95 appear adjacently, and the target information Df1 of the cooling temperature and the temperature sensor Process information Dd1 indicating the temperature measured by (96) is shown adjacently.

In the above example, the case where there is an empty space in each slot in the cassette 10 as the lack of the substrate W has been described. By the way, when an abnormality occurs during processing of the substrate W in the substrate processing apparatus 1 , the substrate W having the abnormality may be removed from the substrate processing apparatus 1 . Although the type of the abnormality is not particularly limited, cracks in the substrate W can be exemplified as the abnormality. The operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1 may be stopped when an abnormality occurs. Then, the operator manually removes the substrate W where the abnormality has occurred from the substrate processing apparatus 1 . At this time, the operator inputs into the input unit 66 information indicating which substrate W has been removed. Because of this, the controller 60 can know which substrate W has been removed.

<6-2. Flowchart>

Here, in the cassette 10 shown in FIG. 9, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1 for the substrates W1 and W2 of the uppermost slot and the substrate W1 of the second slot is performed as a simultaneous processing apparatus. (40) is focused on and explained. First, two substrates W1 and W2 in the uppermost slot are taken out and processed, and then one substrate W1 in the second slot is taken out and processed. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the concurrent processing unit 40. Here, the heating part 82 of the dewatering baking apparatus 13 is taken as the simultaneous processing apparatus 40 as an example.

When the processing of the cleaning device 12 for the substrates W1 and W2 stored in the uppermost slot of the cassette 10 is finished, the transport robot 81 moves the substrate delivery unit 33 of the cleaning device 12 The two substrates W1 and W2 are taken out from the substrate and collectively loaded into the heating unit 82, which is an example of the simultaneous processing device 40 (step S1).

Next, the heating section 82 collectively heats the two substrates W1 and W2 (step S2). In parallel with this heat treatment, the temperature sensor 95 measures the temperature of the substrates W1 and W2 (step S3). That is, the temperature sensor 95 measures the temperature of the two substrates W1 and W2 during processing by the heating unit 82 . When the heat treatment is finished, the transport robot 81 collectively takes out the two substrates W1 and W2 from the heating unit 82 and transports the substrates W1 and W2 to the cooling unit 83 (step S4).

Next, when the processing of the cleaning device 12 for the substrate W1 stored in the second slot of the cassette 10 is finished, the transport robot 81 moves the substrate lead-out unit 33 of the cleaning device 12. ), one substrate W1 is taken out and carried into the heating unit 82 (step S5).

Next, the heating section 82 heats one substrate W1 (step S6). In parallel with this heat treatment, the temperature sensor 95 measures the temperature of the substrate W1 (step S7). That is, the temperature sensor 95 measures the temperature of the substrate W1 during processing by the heating unit 82 for one substrate W1. When the heat treatment is finished, the transport robot 81 takes out one substrate W1 from the heating unit 82 and transports the substrate W1 to the cooling unit 83 (step S8).

Next, the controller 60 stores the first parameter measured in step S3 in association with the two substrates W1 and W2 processed in step S2, and processes the first parameter measured in step S7 in step S6. It is stored in association with one substrate W1 that was used (step S9). Further, the control unit 60 may store the first parameter measured in step S3 in response to the completion of the heat treatment in step S2 in association with the two substrates W1 and W2 processed in step S2.

<7. Action effect>

As described above, in the present embodiment, parameters measured by the first sensor of the concurrent processing device 40 are associated with groups and stored by the controller 60 .

By the way, in the simultaneous processing device 40, as described above, the processing timing for each substrate W is substantially the same. Accordingly, variations in the parameters for the substrates W belonging to the same group are small and almost the same. If these parameters are stored in association with the substrate W individually, the data amount of the collected data increases, and the storage capacity of the storage device 64 is largely consumed.

In contrast, in the present embodiment, parameters measured by the first sensor of the concurrent processing device 40 are associated with groups and stored by the control unit 60 . Therefore, parameters can be collected with a smaller amount of data.

In addition, when the number of substrates W constituting the group fluctuates, the parameter measured by the first sensor of the simultaneous processing device 40 is collected according to the fluctuation in the number of substrates W. Specifically, when two substrates W are collectively loaded into the simultaneous processing device 40, the controller 60 associates the parameters measured by the first sensor with the two substrates W, After storing (see FIG. 7 ), when one substrate W is collectively loaded into the simultaneous processing device 40, the controller 60 converts the parameters measured by the first sensor to one substrate W. ) and stored (see Figs. 11 and 12).

More generally, when N substrates W are collectively carried into the simultaneous processing device 40, the controller 60 processes the N substrates W by the simultaneous processing device 40. Parameters measured by the first sensor are stored in correspondence with the groups of N substrates W, and M (M is an integer of 1 or more and less than N) substrates W are stored in the simultaneous processing device 40. In the case of carrying in collectively, the control unit 60 sets the parameter measured by the first sensor during the processing of the M substrates W by the simultaneous processing device 40 to the group of the M substrates W. Respond to and remember

According to this, even if the number of substrates W constituting a group fluctuates, parameters are collected according to the number of substrates W after the fluctuation. Accordingly, parameters can be appropriately collected according to variations in the number of sheets of the substrate W.

In the example described above, the parameters measured by the second sensor of the sequential processing device 30 are not grouped, but individually corresponded to the substrate W, and stored by the control unit 60 . In the sequential processing device 30, since the processing timing for each substrate W is different from each other, the parameters measured by the second sensor of the sequential processing device 30, even if they are in the same group, are different from each other. are inconsistent in each In particular, in the sequential processing device 30 such as the cleaning device 12 that supplies the fluid to the substrate W, since the flow rate and pressure of the fluid tend to fluctuate with time, variation in parameters becomes relatively large.

In the example described above, the parameters measured by the second sensor of the sequential processing device 30 are not grouped but individually corresponded to the substrate W and stored by the controller 60 . Accordingly, the parameters can be appropriately collected without losing information about the non-uniformity of the parameters between the substrates W.

<8. Announcement of processing parameters>

When the operator wants to check the collected data (sequentially collected data and simultaneous collected data), the operator inputs a notification instruction of the collected data into the input unit 66 . In response to the input, the controller 60 notifies the operator of sequentially collected data and simultaneous collected data stored in the storage device 64, for example. For example, the controller 60 displays sequentially collected data and simultaneous collected data on the display unit 67 . Due to this, the operator can check the first parameter and the second parameter for the substrate W, and can check whether the processing of the substrate W is suitable.

For example, an operator may simultaneously collect data for a group including both substrates W1 and W2 (see FIG. 7) and simultaneously collect data for a group including only one of substrates W1 and W2 (FIG. 11 and W2). 12), these differences can be confirmed. For example, the measured temperature of the temperature sensor 95 for the group including only one of the substrates W1 and W2 is greater than the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 95 for the group including both of the substrates W1 and W2. may rise. This is because the temperature of the substrate W in the heating section 82 increases more easily as the number of substrates W decreases. In this case, the target value of the heating temperature when processing only one of the substrates W1 and W2 may be updated to a smaller value so that the measured temperature is closer to the target value of the heating temperature. Such an update may be input to the controller 60 by, for example, an operator inputting a new target value when only one of the substrates W1 and W2 is processed through the input unit 66 .

In addition, the operator can confirm the difference between them by comparing sequentially collected data for each substrate (W). When the difference is greater than the allowable value, the operator uses the difference to, for example, determine whether a valve (not shown) on each pipe of the cleaning device 12 is adjusted or not, or filters on the pipe (shown). It can be used to determine whether or not to replace the pump) or to determine whether to change the driving method of the pump.

<9. Modified example>

In the example described above, the control unit 60 collects the parameters measured during the processing in association with the substrate W as appropriate. The measurement timing of the parameters that are subject to this collection is not particularly limited. The control unit 60 only needs to store parameters measured at appropriate timings during processing. The length of the period from the start of processing to the measurement timing for each substrate W may be a common length among the plurality of substrates W or may differ slightly. In addition, when the sensor repeatedly measures the parameter during processing of the substrate W, the control unit 60 calculates a temporal statistical value (for example, an average value) of the parameter, and calculates the statistical value for the substrate W. You may store it as a parameter.

In addition, when a plurality of sensors (for example, a plurality of temperature sensors 95) that measure the same parameter are installed, the controller 60 may store at least one of the plurality of parameters measured by the plurality of sensors. . Alternatively, the controller 60 may store a statistical value (for example, an average value) of the plurality of parameters.

In the above, the embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus has been described, but this embodiment can be changed in various ways other than the above without departing from the gist. Various embodiments and modified examples described above can be appropriately combined and implemented.

For example, the sizes of the substrates W1 and W2 may be different from each other. Moreover, the control part 60 may have a multiple hierarchical structure. For example, the control unit 60 may include a main control unit and a plurality of terminal control units. The end control section includes, for example, the indexer section 11, the cleaning device 12, the dewatering bake device 13, the coating related device 14, the prebake device 15, the exposure device 16, the developing device ( 17) and each processing device of the post-bake device 18. The main controller is installed in the substrate processing apparatus 1 and communicates with a plurality of end controllers. When a plurality of substrate processing apparatuses 1 are installed, a central control unit that centrally manages these substrate processing apparatuses 1 may be provided. The central control unit communicates with the main control units of the plurality of substrate processing apparatuses 1 . Measurement signals from sensors in each device are transmitted to the end control unit and collected. The collected data may be transmitted from the terminal control unit to the higher-level main control unit and the central control unit. For this reason, in the central control unit, it is possible to manage the collected data of the plurality of substrate processing apparatuses 1 .

1: substrate processing device
30: sequential processing unit (sequential processing unit)
40: concurrent processing unit (concurrent processing unit)
60: control unit
81: transport unit (transfer robot)
95, 96: first sensor (temperature sensor)
345, 359, 364: second sensor (flow sensor)
357, 358: second sensor (pressure sensor)
W: substrate

Claims (4)

A simultaneous processing unit capable of collectively processing N (N is an integer of 2 or more) substrates;
a conveying unit for collectively conveying N or less substrates to the simultaneous processing unit;
a first sensor installed in the concurrent processing unit to measure a first parameter related to processing by the concurrent processing unit;
a sequential processing unit including a substrate introduction unit capable of carrying in N sheets of substrates at once, and sequentially carrying out processing of the substrates while sequentially transporting the substrates from the substrate introduction unit;
A second sensor installed in the sequential processing unit to measure a second parameter related to processing by the sequential processing unit;
When N substrates are carried into the simultaneous processing unit from the transfer unit, the first parameter measured by the first sensor during processing of the simultaneous processing unit for the N substrates is associated with the N substrates, Stored as simultaneous collection data, and when M (M is an integer of 1 or more and less than N) substrates are carried into the simultaneous processing unit from the conveyance unit, the first sensor receives the M substrates during processing by the simultaneous processing unit. A control unit that stores the first parameter measured by , as the simultaneous collection data, in association with the M substrates in question.
to provide,
The control unit stores the second parameter detected by the second sensor during processing of the sequential processing unit as sequentially collected data for each substrate individually corresponding to the corresponding substrate;
The simultaneously collected data includes group identification information for identifying a group of N substrates in a group unit, substrate existence information indicating a substrate configuration in the group, and first processing information indicating the first parameter;
The sequentially collected data includes the group identification information indicating a group to which the corresponding substrate belongs, position information indicating a position in the conveying direction within the group of the corresponding substrate, and second processing information indicating the second parameter, Substrate processing device. The method of claim 1,
The transport unit includes a hand capable of holding N substrates in a horizontally arranged state;
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the simultaneous processing unit includes a substrate holding unit capable of holding the N substrates in a state in which they are arranged in a horizontal direction. According to claim 1 or claim 2,
An indexer into which cassettes are carried in is provided;
the cassette has a plurality of slots each capable of accommodating the N substrates arranged in a horizontal direction;
The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the substrates in the slots are conveyed to the simultaneous processing unit or the sequential processing unit as a group unit. A step of carrying N (N is an integer of 2 or more) substrates collectively into a simultaneous processing unit;
a process in which the simultaneous processing unit performs processing on the N substrates at once;
measuring a first parameter related to processing by the simultaneous processing unit with a first sensor during processing of the simultaneous processing unit for the N substrates;
a step of taking out the N substrates from the simultaneous processing unit;
A step of carrying M (M is an integer of 1 or more and less than N) substrates collectively into the simultaneous processing unit;
a step in which the simultaneous processing unit performs processing on the M substrates at once;
measuring the first parameter by the first sensor during processing of the M substrates by the simultaneous processing unit;
a step of taking out the M substrates from the simultaneous processing unit;
The first parameter measured by the first sensor during processing of the simultaneous processing unit for the N substrates is stored as concurrently collected data in association with the N substrates, and the concurrent processing unit for the M substrates is stored. storing, as the simultaneous collection data, the first parameter measured by the first sensor during the processing of the above in association with the M number of substrates in question;
a step in which the sequential processing unit sequentially performs processing on the substrates while sequentially transporting N or fewer substrates carried in;
measuring a second parameter related to processing by the sequential processing unit by a second sensor during processing by the sequential processing unit;
Step of storing the second parameter detected by the second sensor during the processing of the sequential processing unit as sequentially collected data for each substrate, individually corresponding to the substrate in question
to provide,
The simultaneously collected data includes group identification information for identifying a group of N substrates in a group unit, substrate existence information indicating a substrate configuration in the group, and first processing information indicating the first parameter;
The sequentially collected data includes the group identification information indicating a group to which the corresponding substrate belongs, position information indicating a position in the conveying direction within the group of the corresponding substrate, and second processing information indicating the second parameter, Substrate processing method.

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