KR20200023220A - Substrate conveying module and substrate conveying method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a technique capable of preventing effects of gas emitted from a substrate. A substrate transport module comprises: a housing; a first substrate transport port arranged on a sidewall of the housing; a second substrate transport port arranged on a sidewall of the housing to be opened and closed to transport a substrate between a module arranged outside the housing and the housing; a load port to connect a vessel body of a transport vessel constructed by the vessel body and a cover and allowing the substrate to be housed therein to a sidewall of the housing to tightly attach an edge portion of a substrate outlet opened on the vessel body to an edge portion of the first substrate transport port, open and close the substrate outlet by attaching/detaching the cover to/from the vessel body, and open and close the first substrate transport port; a transport mechanism which is arranged in the housing, and transports the substrate between the first and second substrate transport ports; a clean gas supply unit to supply clean gas into the housing; an exhaust mechanism to discharge gas in the housing; a suction hole which is opened above a transport path of the substrate transported between the first and second substrate transport ports in the housing, and sucks an atmosphere in the housing; and a detection unit to detect components included in gas discharged from the substrate moving on the transport path in the sucked atmosphere.

Description

Substrate Transfer Module and Substrate Transfer Method {SUBSTRATE CONVEYING MODULE AND SUBSTRATE CONVEYING METHOD}

The present disclosure relates to a substrate transfer module and a substrate transfer method.

In the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, the semiconductor wafer (henceforth a wafer) which is a board | substrate is conveyed in a factory in the state stored in the conveyance container. As a manufacturing apparatus of a semiconductor device, it is comprised so that a wafer may be taken out from this conveyance container and vacuum processing is performed. Patent Literature 1 describes a mini environment apparatus that is a module for taking out the wafer. This mini-environment apparatus is provided with the frame, the conveyance robot which conveys a wafer in a frame, and the oxygen concentration meter provided above and below the conveyance path of a wafer, respectively, in order to monitor the oxygen concentration in a frame.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2014-38888

The present disclosure provides a technique capable of preventing the influence of the gas emitted from the substrate in the substrate transfer module.

The substrate transfer module of the present disclosure includes a housing and

A first substrate transfer hole provided on a side wall of the housing;

A second openable substrate transfer port provided on a side wall of the housing for transporting the substrate between the module provided outside the housing and the inside of the housing;

The container main body of the conveyance container in which the board | substrate is stored while being comprised by the container main body and a cover body is attached to the side wall of the said housing so that the edge part of the board | substrate outlet opening opened to the said container main body may be in close contact with the edge part of the said 1st board | substrate conveyance opening. A load port which is connected to and opens and closes the substrate outlet through opening and closing of the lid body with respect to the container body, and opens and closes the first substrate transfer port;

A conveyance mechanism provided in the housing and conveying a substrate between the first substrate conveyance port and the second substrate conveyance port;

Clean gas supply unit for supplying a clean gas in the housing,

An exhaust mechanism for exhausting the inside of the housing;

A suction hole that is opened above the conveyance path of the substrate conveyed between the first substrate conveyance port and the second substrate conveyance port in the housing and sucks the atmosphere in the housing;

The detection part which detects the component contained in the gas discharged | emitted from the board | substrate which moves the said conveyance path in the said attracted atmosphere is provided.

According to this indication, the influence of the gas discharge | released from the board | substrate in a board | substrate conveyance module can be prevented.

1 is a plan view of a substrate processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
2 is a schematic longitudinal side view of the film forming module provided in the substrate processing apparatus.
3 is a longitudinal side view of the loader module provided in the substrate processing apparatus.
4 is a longitudinal side view of the loader module.
5 is a cross-sectional plan view of the loader module.
6 is a graph for explaining detection of chlorine performed in the loader module.
7 is a graph illustrating the transition of chlorine concentration.
8 is a block diagram of a control unit provided in the substrate processing apparatus.
9 is an explanatory diagram of a flow performed in the controller.
10 is a longitudinal side view illustrating another configuration example of the loader module.
11 is a transverse plan view showing still another configuration example of the loader module.
It is a graph which shows the result of an evaluation test.
It is a graph which shows the result of an evaluation test.
It is a graph which shows the result of an evaluation test.
It is a graph which shows the result of an evaluation test.

The vacuum processing apparatus 1 including the loader module 4 which is one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The loader module 4 is, for example, an EFEM (Equipment Front End Module) configured to extend horizontally, and the loader module 4 is formed in an atmospheric atmosphere and an atmospheric pressure atmosphere. Although the loader module 4 is mentioned in detail later, the board | substrate which takes out the said wafer W from the conveyance container B which is a sealed container which stores several wafers W, and introduce | transduces into the vacuum processing apparatus 1 is carried out. It is comprised as a conveyance module.

On the side of the loader module 4, an alignment module 11 that adjusts the direction and eccentricity of the wafer W is provided. This alignment module 11 is also comprised as a board | substrate conveyance module. The load lock modules 12 and 13 are provided on the left and right of the back side of the loader module 4. The load lock modules 12 and 13 are configured similarly to each other, and include a stage 14 for loading and waiting the wafer W therein. In order to convey the wafer W between the loader module 4 and the vacuum transfer module 15 which will be described later, the load lock modules 12 and 13 have an atmospheric pressure atmosphere and a vacuum atmosphere of an N ₂ (nitrogen) gas atmosphere. It is configured to be switchable between. In addition, a gate valve G1 is interposed between the load lock modules 12 and 13 and the loader module 4, respectively.

On the back side of the load lock modules 12 and 13, the vacuum conveyance module 15 in which an inside becomes a vacuum atmosphere is provided. The vacuum conveyance module 15 is provided with the conveyance arm 16. Four film-forming modules 2 are connected to the vacuum conveyance module 15 along the periphery, and the gate valve G2 is interposed between the vacuum conveyance module 15 and the film-forming module 2. The film forming module 2 forms a TiN (titanium nitride) film on the surface of the wafer W in a vacuum atmosphere.

The wafer W stored in the conveyance container B includes the loader module 4 → alignment module 11 → loader module 4 → load lock module 12 (13) → vacuum conveyance module 15 → film formation. The module 2 is conveyed one by one and film-forming is performed. The film-formed wafer W is conveyed in the order of the film forming module 2 → the vacuum conveyance module 15 → the load lock module 12 (13) → the loader module 4 → the transport container B1. The conveyance of the wafer W between the load lock modules 12 and 13, the vacuum conveyance module 15, and the film forming module 2 is performed by the conveyance arm 16 described above. The conveyance of the wafer W between the alignment module 11, the loader module 4, and the load lock modules 12, 13 is carried to the conveying mechanism 40 described later provided in the loader module 4. Is done by.

Next, the structure of the film-forming module 2 is demonstrated using the schematic diagram of FIG. The film forming module 2 is provided with a vacuum container 21. In the figure, 22 is the conveyance port of the vacuum container 21 opened and closed by said gate valve G2. In the vacuum vessel 21, an exhaust port 23 for exhausting the inside of the vacuum vessel 21 to form a vacuum atmosphere at a predetermined pressure is opened. The exhaust port 23 is connected to exhaust mechanisms 24 such as a vacuum pump. In the vacuum vessel 21, a stage 25 for loading a wafer W is provided, and the stage 25 includes a heater 26 for heating the wafer W. As shown in FIG.

Above the stage 25, the gas supply part 27 which opposes the said stage 25 is provided, and the gas supply part 27 is comprised as a shower head, for example. Each downstream end of the first pipe 28 and the second pipe 29 is connected to the gas supply part 27. The upstream side of the first pipe 28 is branched and connected to, for example, a TiCl ₄ (titanium tetrachloride) gas supply source 31 as a source gas and a N ₂ gas supply source 32 as a replacement gas. The upstream side of the second pipe 29 is branched and connected to the N ₂ gas supply source 34 as the reducing gas, for example, the NH ₃ (ammonia) gas supply source 33 and the replacement gas. Each of these gas supply sources 31 to 34 includes a valve or the like, and supplies each gas to the gas supply unit. In the film formation process, TiCl ₄ gas and NH ₃ gas are alternately supplied from the gas supply part 27 alternately while the wafer W is heated to a predetermined temperature by the heater 26. In addition, in the period between the TiCl ₄ gas supply period and the NH ₃ gas supply period, the N ₂ gas is supplied from the gas supply unit 27 as a purge gas. That is, in this film forming module 2, ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) is performed on the wafer W to form a TiN film.

Subsequently, the loader module 4 will be described in detail with reference to the longitudinal side view of FIG. 3. This loader module 4 is provided with the rectangular housing 41, and the said housing 41 is comprised in the rectangular shape long horizontally laterally from side to side in plan view. This housing 41 is comprised by metal, for example, aluminum. The conveyance port 42 which is the 2nd board | substrate conveyance opening opened and closed by said gate valve G1 is opened at the left and right of the side wall of the back side of the housing 41, and is opened. The conveyance port 42 is formed in the same height mutually. In the housing 41, a pedestal 43 that can move up and down while moving left and right is provided, and a transfer arm 44 that is a multi-joint arm that can move up and down is provided on the pedestal 43. This conveyance arm 44 and the pedestal 43 are also comprised with metal, for example, aluminum. By the movement of the pedestal 43 and the cooperation of the conveyance arm 44, between the conveyance container B of each load port 6 mentioned later, and each stage 14 of said load lock modules 12 and 13 mentioned above. The transfer of the wafer W is performed. The pedestal 43 and the conveyance arm 44 are comprised as the conveyance mechanism 40.

The ceiling part in the housing 41 is comprised by the fan filter unit (FFU) 45. As shown in FIG. One end of the gas supply pipe 46 is connected to the FFU 45, and the other end of the gas supply pipe 46 is connected to an air supply source 47. The FFU 45, the gas supply pipe 46, and the air supply source 47 constitute a clean gas supply unit. The FFU 45 constitutes an upper side of the FFU 45, and is provided below the air supply fan 48 and the air supply fan 48 that supply the air supplied from the gas supply pipe 46 downward. It consists of the filter 49 which purifies by supplying the air | atmosphere supplied from the said air sending fan 48, and supplies below. The speed of the air flow in the housing 41 and the supply amount of the atmosphere into the housing 41 are adjusted by the rotation speed of the fan 48 for air supply. The exhaust port 51 is opened in the bottom part of the housing 41, and the exhaust port 51 is connected to the exhaust fan 52 which forms an exhaust mechanism. The amount of exhaust gas is adjusted from the exhaust port 51 by the rotation speed of the exhaust fan 52.

The conveyance port 61 is provided in the side wall of the front side of the said housing 41, ie, the side wall which opposes the side wall in which the said conveyance port 42 is provided. Three conveyance openings 61 are provided in the same height, and are formed at equal intervals to the left and right (refer FIG. 1). And the loading port 6 which carries in / out the wafer W from the conveyance container B into the housing 41 from each conveyance port 61, and opens and closes the said conveyance port 61 is provided. This conveyance container B is FOUP (Front Open Unified Pod), for example, and is comprised by the container main body B1 and the cover body B2 which can be attached or detached with respect to the container main body B1. The lid B2 opens and closes the substrate outlet B3 formed in front of the container body B1 by being detached from the container body B1. Moreover, the cover body B2 is equipped with the lock mechanism which is not shown in figure, and is fixed to the container main body B1 by the said lock mechanism.

The load port 6 is comprised by the support stand 62, the movement stage 63, the opening-closing door 64, and the movement mechanism 65. As shown in FIG. The support stand 62 protrudes forward from the lower position of the conveyance port 61 outside the housing 41. The movement stage 63 moves back and forth on the support base 62 in the state which loaded the conveyance container B. As shown in FIG. By the movement of this movement stage 63, as shown in FIG. 3, the edge part B4 of the board | substrate ejection | discharge opening B3 of the container main body B1 of the conveyance opening 61 from the outer side of the housing 41 is carried out. It is made to be in close contact with the edge part 66, and the wafer W can be delivered to the container main body B1. In addition, the position of the container main body B1 when the edge part B4 comes in close contact with the edge part 66 is made into a transmission position.

The opening / closing door 64 can be located in the closed position shown in FIG. 3 which closes the conveyance port 61 from the inside of the housing 41. Moreover, the opening / closing door 64 is equipped with the lock release mechanism not shown, and as mentioned above, in the state in which the container main body B1 is located in a delivery position, and the said opening-closing door 64 is located in a closed position, It acts on the lock mechanism of the cover body B2, and can switch between the state in which the lock was formed between the container main body B1 and the cover body B2, and the state in which the lock was released. The lid B2 in which the lock with the container body B1 is released is supported by the opening / closing door 64. The moving mechanism 65 can move the opening / closing door 64 which supports the cover body B2 to a closed position and a downward open position while being behind the said closed position. The open position is a position where the opening / closing door 64 retracts from the wafer W conveyance path when conveying the wafer W between the conveyance container B and the load lock modules 12 and 13. 4 illustrates a state in which the opening / closing door 64 moves to the open position and the wafer W is returned from the load lock module 13 to the transfer container B by the transfer mechanism 40.

The moving stage 63 includes a gas supply part 68 connected to the container main body B1 when the container main body B1 is stacked, and the gas supply part 68 includes a gas supply path 69. One end is connected. The other end of the gas supply path 69 is connected to the N ₂ gas supply source 72 via the flow rate adjusting unit 71. The N ₂ gas supply source 72 supplies the N ₂ gas as the purge gas into the container main body B1 when the container main body B1 is positioned at the delivery position and the lid body B2 is positioned at the open position. Thereby, the gas in the container main body B1 is purged, and the purged gas is exhausted and removed from the said exhaust port 51 in the housing 41 as shown with the dotted line in FIG. The flow rate adjusting unit 71 includes a mass flow controller and is configured to be able to adjust the supply amount of the purge gas from the gas supply unit 68. The gas supply part 68, the gas supply path 69, the flow rate adjusting part 71, and the N ₂ gas supply source 72 constitute a purge gas supply part.

By supplying the purge gas from the gas supply part 68, the density | concentration of the gas discharge | released from the wafer W mentioned later in the container main body B1 can be reduced, and the next process with respect to the wafer W will be performed. It can suppress that the component which comprises the said gas carries in into an environment. For example, supply of the purge gas from this gas supply part 68 is performed after opening / closing door 64 moves from the closed position, and lid | cover body B2 and conveyance opening 61 are opened, and then opening / closing door 64 is carried out. Is continued until it moves to a closed position and the lid | cover body B2 and the conveyance opening 61 are closed.

The suction hole 73 is opened above each conveyance port 61 in the side wall in the housing 41. Since the opening is at such a position, the suction hole 73 moves from the conveyance port 42 corresponding to the load lock module 13 to the conveyance port 61 corresponding to each load port 6. It is opened above the conveyance path. In addition, the gas suction holes 73 are provided at the same height and correspond to the position of each conveyance port 61, and are provided at equal intervals from each other. As will be described later, the chlorine concentration emitted from the wafer W passing through each conveyance port 61 is detected by performing suction from the suction hole 73, but each conveyance is carried out by the arrangement of the suction hole 73. Chlorine concentration is detected under the same conditions for the wafer W passing through the sphere 61.

5, one end of the pipe 74 is connected to each gas suction hole 73, and the other end of each pipe 74 is connected to the analyzer 76. Therefore, in this example, three sets of the conveyance port 61, the load port 6, the suction hole 73, the piping 74, and the analysis part 76 are provided. The analyzer 76 includes, for example, a pump 79, and gas sucked from the suction hole 73 by the pump 79 is introduced into the analyzer 76. The analyzer 76 transmits, for example, an analog voltage signal corresponding to the concentration of chlorine (Cl) in the atmosphere introduced as such as a detection signal to the controller 8 described later.

There is no restriction | limiting in particular about the detection method of the chlorine (Cl) performed by the analysis part 76, For example, well-known detection methods, such as an ion mobility spectroscopy and an ion chromatographic method, can be used. The suction by the analyzer 76 is always performed during the operation of the loader module 4, for example. In addition, as the piping 74, you may use the flexible piping which consists of resin, for example, and may use the rigid piping which consists of stainless steel, for example. And the piping 74 may be wired so that the analyzer 76 may be provided in the position separated from the housing 41, and the piping 74 may be wired so that the analyzer 76 may be provided in the housing 41. FIG. In addition, although the analysis part 76 sucks gas at 2 L / min, for example, this is an example, It is not limited to such a suction amount. Moreover, as mentioned later, the analysis part 76 connected to the said suction hole 73 based on the chlorine which is the gas sucked from the suction hole 73 provided above one of the 3 conveyance openings 61. As shown in FIG. ) Outputs a detection signal, and the operation of the load port 6 that opens and closes the transfer port 61 is controlled. Therefore, the conveyance port 61, the load port 6, the suction hole 73, and analysis of these conveyance openings 61, the load port 6, the suction hole 73, and the analysis part 76 correspond to each other. It may describe as the part 76.

The reason for detecting chlorine concentration as above-mentioned is demonstrated. As described above, in the film forming module 2, film formation is performed using TiCl ₄ , so that chlorine Cl remains in the wafer W carried out from the film forming module 2, and thus, the film is removed from the wafer W. The gas containing chlorine (Cl) will be released. The gas discharged from the wafer W will be referred to as out gas. Chlorine (Cl) in the outgas generates a hydrochloric acid by generating a chemical reaction with moisture contained in the atmosphere when the wafer W is conveyed to the loader module 4 in the atmospheric atmosphere, and the loader module The metal which comprises the housing 41 which comprises (4), the conveyance mechanism 40, etc. corrodes. That is, the outgas containing chlorine (Cl) is a corrosive gas which corrodes the metal which comprises the loader module 4.

By heating at the time of film-forming processing, the temperature of the wafer W collect | recovered to the conveyance container B is higher than the temperature in the housing 41 of the loader module 4. For example, although the temperature in the housing 41 is about 25 degreeC, the temperature of the wafer W conveyed from the load lock module 12 (13) to the loader module 4 is 80 degreeC or more, for example. As the temperature of the wafer W is higher than the ambient temperature in this manner, the out gas of the wafer W forms an upward airflow by thermophoresis. And since an upward airflow is formed in this way, the upper part of the conveyance opening 61 through which the film-processed wafer W passes in the housing 41 is easy to be exposed to this outgas, and it is a region from which corrosion easily progresses. . Therefore, in this example, the suction hole 73 is opened in the region so that the chlorine concentration in the region where the corrosion is likely to proceed can be measured with high accuracy and the occurrence and progression of the corrosion can be suppressed by the following measures. . However, as mentioned later, it is not limited to providing the suction hole 73 in this position.

Subsequently, the control unit 8 will be described. The control part 8 transmits a control signal to each part of the vacuum processing apparatus 1, and transmits a control signal so that the transfer and processing of the wafer W mentioned above can be performed. Moreover, based on the detection signal output from each analyzer 76 mentioned above, the chlorine concentration in the attracted gas is detected. Therefore, the control part 8 and the analysis part 76 are comprised as a chlorine detection part. Moreover, when this chlorine concentration rises, the control part 8 outputs a control signal to each part so that the coping action mentioned later may be performed.

The suction from the suction hole 73 and the detection of the chlorine concentration by the analyzer 76 are always performed during the operation of the vacuum processing apparatus 1, for example. As described above, the outgas discharged from the wafer W forms an upward airflow. When the wafer W passes through the suction hole 73 and returns to the transport container B, the suction hole ( The gas drawn from 73 contains a lot of chlorine (Cl), so that the detected chlorine concentration rises rapidly. Then, when the said wafer W is stored in the conveyance container B, the chlorine concentration in the gas attracted from the suction hole 73 will gradually fall. In the graph of FIG. 6, the chlorine concentration (unit: ppb) is set on the vertical axis and the elapsed time (unit: second) on the horizontal axis, respectively. In FIG. 6, it is assumed that the analysis unit 76 detects the chlorine concentration released only from one of these three wafers W, for the three wafers W sequentially conveyed to the same transport container B. The waveform in the case is shown by different line types for each wafer W. In FIG. Regarding the waveform, the first wafer W is indicated by a solid line, the second wafer W is indicated by a dashed-dotted line, and the third wafer W is indicated by a dashed-dotted line, respectively. Since each wafer W is similarly processed, it can be considered that gas is similarly discharged, so that each waveform has the same shape.

However, the wafer W is conveyed to the conveyance container B periodically at relatively short intervals. That is, when one wafer W is conveyed to the conveyance container B, and the gas from the wafer W is supplied toward the suction hole 73, the wafer W is in the vicinity of this suction hole 73. ), The gas discharged | emitted from the wafer W conveyed to the conveyance container B remains, and this residual gas is also supplied to the suction hole 73. FIG. Therefore, when the wafer W is conveyed to the conveyance container B periodically, as the order of the wafer W to be conveyed becomes larger, chlorine accumulates in the vicinity of the suction hole 73, and the chlorine concentration detected increases. Specifically, in the graph of FIG. 6, the chlorine concentration detected at time t0 of returning the third wafer W to the transfer container B is the chlorine concentration A3 of the outgas discharged from the third wafer W. As shown in FIG. In this case, the chlorine concentrations A1 and A2 of the outgassed out from the first and second wafers W and remain, respectively, correspond to the accumulated concentrations, that is, A1 + A2 + A3.

Therefore, when many wafers W are conveyed to the conveyance container B periodically, it can be considered that the detection value of chlorine concentration draws the waveform as shown, for example in the graph of FIG. The vertical axis and the horizontal axis of the graph of FIG. 7 represent chlorine concentration and time, respectively, similarly to the graph of FIG. 6, and time t1, t2, t3, and t4 are four wafers W which are returned to conveyance container B continuously. Indicates the timing at which each passes through the suction hole 73 below. Every time the wafer W passes below the suction hole 73, the chlorine concentration rises sharply, after which the chlorine concentration drops sharply, i.e., the peak is seen in the waveform, but returns to the transport container B. As the wafer W passes in a later order, the peak value is larger. In this way, the value of the chlorine concentration detected during the conveyance of the wafer W fluctuates up and down. For example, the control unit 8 extracts only the value of each peak of the waveform (enclosed by a dotted circle in the drawing) and the chlorine concentration. It treats as a density | concentration and compares the preset tolerance value, and determines the presence or absence of abnormality. Acquisition of the waveform of the chlorine concentration and detection of the chlorine concentration from the waveform are performed quickly after reception of the detection signal. That is, during the conveyance of the wafer W, the chlorine concentration is detected in real time.

Next, the structure of the control part 8 is demonstrated, referring FIG. The control unit 8 includes a bus 81, a CPU 82, a program storage unit 83, a memory 84, and an alarm output unit 85. The bus 81 includes a CPU 82 and a program. The storage unit 83, the memory 84, and the alarm output unit 85 are connected to each other. In addition, the analysis unit 76 described above is connected to the bus 81, and the control unit 8 is configured to receive the detection signal described above. In the figure, the detection signal is indicated by a dotted arrow.

The program 86 is stored in the program storage unit 83 described above. The program 86 transmits a control signal from the control section 8 to the respective sections of the vacuum processing apparatus 1, and flows the conveyance and processing of the wafer W described above, the detection of the chlorine concentration, and the coping operation described later. The command (each step) is built in so that is executed. This program 86 is stored in a storage medium such as a compact disk, a hard disk, an MO (magnet disk), a DVD, or the like, and is installed in the program storage unit 83.

By the way, this control part 8 is comprised so that the coping operation | movement which copes with this raise may be performed when the detected chlorine concentration rises. As the coping action of this embodiment, an increase in the amount of exhaust gas from the exhaust port 51 due to an increase in the rotational speed of the fan 48 for exhaust gas of the FFU 45, an increase in the rotational speed of the exhaust fan 52, and a flow rate adjusting unit 71 Is an increase in the supply amount of the purge gas to the container body B1 at the delivery position. In FIG. 8, the control signal for performing the coping operation | transmitted to the air supply fan 48, the exhaust fan 52, and the flow volume adjusting part 71 is shown by the broken-line arrow.

In the memory 84, the allowable value of the chlorine concentration, the rotational speed of the reference of the air supply fan 48, and the rotational speed of the reference of the exhaust fan 52 are stored. For example, when it is determined that the chlorine concentration is normal, the fan 48 and the exhaust fan 52 each rotate at the reference rotation speed stored in this memory 84, and when it is determined that the abnormality is abnormal, the reference rotation The fan 48 and the exhaust fan 52 rotate at a rotational speed increased by a predetermined amount from the water. The predetermined increase amount with respect to the rotation speed of this reference | standard is also memorize | stored in the said memory 84, for example. In addition, the memory 84 stores the correspondence relationship between the detection value of the chlorine concentration and the amount of purge gas supplied to the container body B1 by the flow rate adjusting unit 71. This correspondence relationship is set so that the supply amount of purge gas becomes large, so that the detection value of chlorine concentration is large. The purge gas supply amount is determined based on this correspondence and the detected value of the chlorine concentration, and the operation of the flow rate adjusting unit 71 is controlled so as to determine the determined supply amount. That is, the above correspondence is data for feedback control of the purge gas supply amount according to the detection value of the chlorine concentration.

The alarm output unit 85 is configured by, for example, a monitor, a speaker, or the like, and outputs an alarm for reporting an abnormality to a user of the apparatus as an image or an audio. In addition, depending on the detection value of the chlorine concentration, different types of alarms may be output.

Next, based on the flow of FIG. 9, the operation | movement of the loader module 4 when the wafer W is conveyed between modules and a process is performed as mentioned above is demonstrated. In the loader module 4, the fan 48 for the FFU 45 rotates at the reference rotational speed, the exhaust fan 52 rotates at the reference rotational speed, and lowers in the housing 41. Airflow is formed. On the other hand, suction from each suction hole 73 is performed, and a detection signal is transmitted from each analysis part 76 to the control part 8. In this state, the conveyance container B is conveyed to each load port 6 one by one by the conveyance mechanism of the conveyance container which is not shown in figure.

And the wafer W stored in the conveyance container B is carried out, As previously mentioned, the carried wafer W receives a film-forming process in the film-forming module 2, and returns to the said conveyance container B. . About the conveyance container B in which the wafer W all carried out was returned, it is withdrawn from the load port 6 by the conveyance mechanism for conveyance containers mentioned above. The new conveyance container B is conveyed to the empty load port 6. As described above, while the conveyance port 61 is opened by the load port 6, the supply amount corresponding to the chlorine concentration detected by the analysis unit 76 corresponding to the load port 6, The purge gas is supplied into the container main body B1 of the conveyance container B from the gas supply part 68 provided in the load port 6, and purging is performed.

As described in FIG. 7, each time the wafer W is returned to the transport container B, a peak appears in the waveform of the chlorine concentration obtained from each detection signal, and the value of the peak is detected as the chlorine concentration (step S1). ). It is determined whether or not the allowable value is exceeded for this detected chlorine concentration (step S2). If it is determined that the allowable value is not exceeded, the chlorine concentration is no abnormality. When there is no abnormality, the chlorine concentration in step S1 is subsequently detected, and the rotation of the air supply fan 48 at the reference rotational speed and the rotation of the exhaust fan 52 at the reference rotational speed are respectively performed. Is done.

In step S2, for example, it is determined that the chlorine concentration detected by a certain analysis unit 76 exceeds the allowable value, thereby determining that the abnormality is obtained. In that case, for each of the rotation speed of the fan 52 for exhaust, the rotation speed of the exhaust fan 53, and the purge gas supply amount of the load port 6 corresponding to the analysis part 76 which detected abnormal chlorine concentration, It is determined whether or not the current upper limit is present (step S3). In step S3, about the rotation speed of the air supply fan 52 and the rotation speed of the exhaust fan 53 not being the upper limit, the rotation speed increases by a predetermined amount. If it is determined that the purge gas supply amount is not the upper limit value, the purge gas supply amount is increased to be a value corresponding to the detected chlorine concentration. The operation | movement continues with the upper limit about the thing determined as an upper limit among the rotation speed of the air supply fan 52, the rotation of the exhaust fan 53, and the purge gas supply amount. Moreover, the alarm which shows that the chlorine concentration became abnormal from the alarm output part 85 is output (step S4).

When the rotation speeds of the fan 48 and the exhaust fan 52 increase in step S4, the discharge amount in the housing 41 increases, and the flow velocity of the downdraft increases. Thereby, even if chlorine (Cl) is removed from the housing 41 efficiently, and the wafer W is newly conveyed from the load lock module 12 (13) to the transfer container B, the peak of the chlorine concentration detected is The value becomes relatively low. In addition, when the supply amount of the purge gas from the gas supply part 68 increases in step S4, the inside of the container main body B1 is purged efficiently, and remains in the surface of the wafer W stored in the container main body B1. Chlorine (Cl) is surely and quickly removed, and the concentration of chlorine (Cl) in the container body B1 is lowered.

After the above step S4 is performed, it is determined whether or not the chlorine concentration detected is lowered below the allowable value (step S5). When it is determined in step S5 that the value is not lower than the allowable value, step S3 described above is executed again. When it is determined in step S5 that it has fallen below the allowable value, the rotation speed of the air supply fan 48 and the rotation speed of the exhaust fan 52 are lowered to become the reference rotation speed, respectively. Moreover, the supply amount of purge gas falls with the fall of the chlorine concentration. On the other hand, the alarm output from the alarm output part 85 stops (step S6). Subsequent to this step S6, it is determined whether or not the transfer of the wafer W in the loader module 4 is finished (step S7). In the case where it is determined in this step S7 that the conveyance is completed, the detection of the chlorine concentration in the loader module 4 stops, and when it is determined that the conveyance is not finished, each step after the step S1 is performed. . In addition, in the above-mentioned step S3, when the rotation speed of the air supply fan 52, the rotation speed of the exhaust fan 53, and the purge gas supply amount reach an upper limit, these parameters operate with the upper limit, and the step As in S7, it is determined whether or not the transfer of the wafer W is completed in the loader module 4 (step S8). When it is determined in this step S8 that the conveyance is finished, the detection of the chlorine concentration stops, and when it is determined that the conveyance is not finished, it is determined whether or not the detected chlorine concentration in the step S5 is equal to or less than the allowable value. All.

In the loader module 4 which comprises the said vacuum processing apparatus 1, it opens so that it may open above the conveyance path of the wafer W returned from the load lock module 12 (13) to the conveyance container B, The suction hole 73 is opened in the side wall of the housing 41, and the chlorine concentration in the attracted gas is further detected. And as a countermeasure operation | movement when the detected chlorine concentration rises, the rotation speed of the FFU 45 and the exhaust fan 52 is performed, and the raise of the chlorine concentration in the housing 41 is suppressed. Therefore, corrosion of the metal of each part in the housing 41 can be suppressed. Therefore, since foreign matter which arises from corrosion adheres to the wafer W, the fall of the yield of the wafer W can also be suppressed. In addition, since the supply amount of the purge gas to the container main body B1 is increased as a countermeasure operation, it is suppressed that chlorine is carried into the destination of the wafer W by the transfer container B. As a result, the deterioration of the environment of the destination of the wafer W can be prevented. The supply amount of this purge gas can prevent supply of excess purge gas in order to correspond to the detected chlorine concentration, and can reduce the usage amount of the purge gas. Therefore, energy saving can be aimed at operating the apparatus.

By the way, it is not limited to the above-mentioned example as a coping operation | movement performed when chlorine concentration rises. For example, when it is determined that chlorine concentration is abnormal as described above, the operation of the conveyance mechanism 40 may be stopped, and the conveyance of the wafer W in the loader module 4 may be stopped. As a result, it is possible to prevent the wafer W, which may have adhered to the foreign matter due to the above-mentioned corrosion, into the environment in which the next processing is to be performed on the wafer W. In addition, when it determines with abnormality, operation | movement of the conveyance mechanism 40 may be stopped quickly, and operation | movement may be stopped, after returning all the wafers W carried out from the conveyance container B to the conveyance container B and ending. . That is, the timing which stops the operation of the conveyance mechanism 40 may be set arbitrarily. In addition, with respect to the operation performed according to the chlorine concentration, during the rotation speed of the fan 48 for exhaust, the rotation speed of the exhaust fan, the supply amount of the purge gas of the load port 6, and the operation of the conveyance mechanism 40, Only one or only a plurality of selected operations may be performed.

For example, the flow rate of the air supplied from the FFU 45 may be changed depending on the above-described chlorine concentration. Specifically, for example, the flow rate adjusting unit including the mass flow controller may be provided in the gas supply pipe 46 connected to the FFU 45, and the higher the chlorine concentration, the greater the amount of air supplied to the FFU 45. By the way, in the above example, although the exhaust amount from the exhaust port 51 is controlled by controlling the rotation speed of the exhaust fan 52 according to the chlorine concentration, the rotation speed is not limited to that. For example, an exhaust pipe provided with a valve interposed between the exhaust fan 52 and the exhaust port 51 may be provided. When the chlorine concentration is high, the valve opening may be increased to increase the displacement. In addition, in the above example, the rotation speed is changed in two stages of the reference rotational speed and the reference rotational speed + a predetermined increase amount with respect to the air supply fan 48 and the exhaust fan 52. It is not limited to this. For example, the correspondence relationship between the detected chlorine concentration and the rotation speed may be set, and the rotation speed may be changed in multiple stages based on the correspondence relationship.

By the way, when a relatively high chlorine concentration is detected, an example will be described in which the operation for reducing the chlorine concentration in the housing 41 is controlled by controlling the rotation speeds of the air supply fan 48 and the exhaust fan as described above. Although, such an operation does not have to be performed. For example, the control part 8 is equipped with the monitor which displays the detected chlorine concentration. The user of the apparatus is advantageous because it can examine, for example, when to replace or clean the metal parts in the housing 41 based on the display of the chlorine concentration of the monitor.

In addition, in the above-mentioned example, although the control part 8 receives the detection signal from the analyzer 76 at all times, and detects chlorine concentration, it is not limited to that by which detection of chlorine concentration is carried out all the time, and it is specific time. Only detection may be performed. For example, when a wafer W at the head of a lot is carried out from the load lock module 12 (13), detection is started, and when the last wafer W of the said lot is conveyed to the conveyance container B, it is completed. Chlorine concentration is detected in the period up to the wafer recovery period. In periods other than the wafer recovery period, the chlorine concentration may not be detected by the controller 8. In the above example, as shown in FIG. 7, the peak value of the waveform is used as the chlorine concentration, and the comparison is made with the allowable value. However, the peak value of the waveform is not limited to the chlorine concentration. For example, the average value in a predetermined section in the above-described wafer recovery period may be calculated and this average value may be treated as the chlorine concentration.

By the way, as the suction hole 73, what is necessary is just to be provided so that it may open to the conveyance path of the wafer W in the loader module 4. Thus, for example, a pipe which protrudes from the inner wall of the housing 41 is provided, and the tip hole of the pipe is a suction hole 73, and the analysis section 76 is connected to the pipe from the outside of the housing 41. The base end may be sucked, an atmosphere above the conveyance path of the wafer W may be introduced, and detection may be performed. As the suction hole 73 of this piping, it is not limited to what is opened to the side. For example, the suction hole 73 may be opened below by bending a piping.

10, the suction hole 73 is provided above the conveyance port 61, and the suction hole 73 is provided above the conveyance port 42 connected to the load lock module 13. Moreover, as shown in FIG. You may provide. For convenience of description, the suction hole 73 opened above the conveyance opening 61 is 73A, and the suction hole 73 opened above the conveyance opening 42 is 73B. Reference numeral 73A is a first suction hole, and 73B is a second suction hole. By opening to the position described above, the suction hole 73B is also opened above the conveying path of the wafer W returned from the load lock module 13 to the container body B1 in the same manner as the suction hole 73A. do. Also about the suction hole 73B, it is connected to the analysis part 76 through the piping 74 similarly to the suction hole 73A. And the control part 8 is comprised so that detection of the chlorine concentration in the gas attracted | emitted from suction holes 73A and 73B, respectively.

Thus, when the suction holes 73A and 73B are provided, for example, the chlorine concentration in the gas sucked from the suction hole 73A exceeds the allowable value, and the chlorine concentration in the gas sucked from the suction hole 73B is allowed. In the case where the value is exceeded, the control unit 8 constituting the determination unit determines that it is abnormal. And as described as step S3 of FIG. 9, you may perform each coping operation | movement which copes with a raise of chlorine concentration. On the other hand, when both or either of the chlorine concentration in the gas drawn from the suction hole 73A and the chlorine concentration in the gas drawn from the suction hole 73B is less than or equal to the allowable value, it is determined to be normal, and the above-described action is not performed. You may not. That is, the presence or absence of the abnormality can be made based on the component in the gas sucked from the suction hole 73A and the component in the gas sucked from the suction hole 73B.

For example, even if one of the load lock modules is used for an unprocessed wafer and the other is a processed wafer, as shown in FIG. 11, the suction port 73B above each conveyance port 42 may be corresponded. do.

In that case, for example, the control part 8 is a chlorine concentration in the gas drawn from the suction hole 73B above the conveyance port 42 of the load lock module 12, and the conveyance port of the load lock module 13, for example. You may be comprised so that the difference value of the chlorine concentration in the gas drawn from the suction hole 73B above (42) may be calculated. And the control part 8 determines whether this difference value is below an allowable value, for example, and determines that a device is normal if it is below an allowable value, and may determine that an apparatus is abnormal if it exceeds the allowable range. Specifically, the chlorine concentration of the gas discharged from the wafer W before the film forming process and sucked by the suction hole 73B above the transport port 42 of the load lock module 12 is the chlorine concentration before the process. In addition, the chlorine concentration of the gas discharged from the wafer W after the film forming process and sucked by the suction hole 73B above the transport port 42 of the load lock module 13 is set to the chlorine concentration after the treatment. Based on such chlorine concentration before treatment and chlorine concentration after treatment, the controller 8 may determine whether or not the vacuum processing apparatus 1 is abnormal.

In addition, by detecting the chlorine concentration by sucking gas from these suction holes 73A and 73B, respectively, the user of the apparatus can grasp how much the chlorine concentration at each position in the housing 41 becomes. Therefore, it is advantageous because the user can take correspondence, such as preparing replacement parts at each position, in accordance with the chlorine concentration. In addition, only suction holes may be provided among the suction holes 73A and 73B to detect the chlorine concentration. By the way, although the suction hole 73 was provided above the conveyance openings 42 and 61 of the wafer W, the suction hole 73 has the chlorine in the outgas discharged upwards from the wafer W. As shown in FIG. What is necessary is just to be provided above the conveyance path of the wafer W between this conveyance port 42 and the conveyance port 61. Therefore, the suction hole 73 is not limited to being provided above the transport ports 42, 61, but may be opened in the alignment module 11, for example.

For the film forming module 2, for example, TiCl ₄ gas and H ₂ gas may be supplied to the wafer W to form a Ti film by CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition). Even in that case, since the outgas containing chlorine Cl is discharged from the wafer W conveyed to the conveyance container B, it is effective to detect chlorine concentration in the loader module 4 mentioned above. Do. In addition, the processing module for supplying and processing the processing gas to the wafer W constituting the vacuum processing apparatus 1 is not limited to the film forming module. For example, the wafer W is applied to an etching module or a plasma processing gas. May be a preclean module that removes the native oxide film by exposing In the case where the wafer W is processed using a chlorine-based gas other than TiCl ₄ , the chlorine Cl is included in the out gas of the wafer W in the same manner, so that it is effective to detect the chlorine concentration as described above. . In addition, although the example vacuum processing apparatus 1 is a cluster type vacuum processing apparatus which has four film-forming modules 2, although the film-forming module 2 is not limited to four, For example, four or more may be sufficient as it. It may have eight film-forming modules 2. Moreover, what is necessary is just the form which can process the wafer W without exposing to air.

In addition, in the air atmosphere of the loader module 4, the element which corrodes the metal is not limited to chlorine (Cl), and examples thereof include Br (bromine). Therefore, for example, the wafer W which is supplied with a gas containing Br and is processed may be returned to the transfer container B so that the analyzer 76 detects Br. As a gas process containing Br, the etching process of polysilicon by HBr gas is mentioned, for example. In addition, the analysis part 76 should just be able to detect the component contained in the outgas discharged | emitted from the wafer W, and output the detection signal corresponding to the said component amount, As mentioned above, the loader module 4 It is not limited to detecting the component of the gas which corrodes.

Moreover, as shown by the evaluation test mentioned later, the lower the processing temperature of the wafer W in the film-forming module 2, the less the amount of chlorine sublimation from the wafer W in the film-forming process, and the wafer W Chlorine is easily retained in the loader module 4 due to the residual chlorine. In the evaluation test described later, the chlorine concentration detected when the treatment temperature was 500 ° C. or lower was relatively high. Therefore, in the film forming module 2 or the etching module connected to the vacuum transfer module 15, it is particularly effective to detect the chlorine concentration as described above when the wafer W is processed at 500 ° C or lower. .

In addition, it should be thought that embodiment disclosed this time is an illustration and restrictive at no points. The above-described embodiments may be omitted, substituted or changed in various forms without departing from the scope of the appended claims and their spirit.

(Evaluation test)

The evaluation test performed in connection with the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. In this evaluation test, although the test was performed using the test apparatus which is substantially the same as the vacuum processing apparatus 1 mentioned above, in this test apparatus, the said suction hole 73 is not provided. And in this test apparatus, the upper part of the container main body B1 in the delivery position, and the gas concentration analyzer corresponded to the analysis part 76 were connected through piping. The gas concentration analyzer is configured to suck the inside of the container body B1 from above through a pipe, and to measure the concentration of chlorine in the out gas of the wafer W that has been subjected to the film forming process and returned to the container body B1. It is.

Assessment test 1

In the evaluation test 1-1, the chlorine concentration measured when the several wafer W which formed the TiN film into a film in the film-forming module 2 was returned to the container main body B1 was investigated. About the temperature at the time of the film-forming process of this TiN film | membrane, it sets to different temperature within the range of 440 degreeC-680 degreeC for every wafer. In this evaluation test 1-1, the wafer W on which the uneven pattern was formed (10 times surface area) has a surface area 10 times the surface area of the wafer (bare wafer) W on which the uneven pattern was not formed. Wafer W)). In addition, evaluation test 1-2 was an evaluation test except that the wafer W (formed as 5 times surface area wafer W) in which the uneven | corrugated pattern was formed so that it might have 5 times the surface area of the bare wafer W was used. The test was done similarly to 1-1.

The graph of FIG. 12 shows the change with time of the chlorine concentration detected from the wafer W processed at 440 degreeC in the evaluation tests 1-1 and 1-2, and the vertical axis | shaft of a graph shows a chlorine concentration (unit: ppb) and the horizontal axis of the graph represent measurement time (unit: second), respectively. In addition, A in the vertical axis | shaft of the graph of this FIG. 12 and the later-mentioned graph which shows the result of an evaluation test is a positive integer. In the graph of FIG. 12, the result of the evaluation test 1-1 is shown by the solid line, and the result of the evaluation test 1-2 is shown by the dotted line, respectively. In the evaluation tests 1-1 and 1-2, the waveform of the graph rapidly rises and then falls rapidly, and a peak appears in the waveform. Also for each wafer W formed into a film at the temperature other than 440 degreeC, the peak appeared in the waveform similarly to the wafer W processed at 440 degreeC.

The graph of FIG. 13 has shown the chlorine concentration of the peak value of the waveform demonstrated in FIG. 12 detected from the wafer W processed into a film at each processing temperature. The vertical axis of the graph represents the chlorine concentration (unit: ppb) which is the peak value, and the horizontal axis represents the treatment temperature (unit: ° C). The plots in the graphs showing the results of the evaluation test 1-1 are connected to each other by solid lines, and the plots in the graphs showing the results of the evaluation test 1-2 are shown by the dotted lines.

As shown in the graph of FIG. 13, the chlorine concentration of the peak was higher as the evaluation tests 1-1 and 1-2 had lower temperatures at the time of film forming treatment. As described above, it can be considered that if the temperature at the time of the film forming process is low, the amount of chlorine removed by heat at the time of the film forming process is small. Therefore, when the temperature at the time of film-forming process is comparatively low as mentioned above, it turns out that detecting chlorine concentration is especially effective as demonstrated in embodiment. In addition, in this evaluation test, although out gas of the wafer W is sucked from the container main body B1, since out gas is discharged upwards as mentioned above, even if it sucks from the side wall of the housing 41 like embodiment, it is the same. It is thought that the concentration of chlorine can be measured. That is, it is estimated from the result of this evaluation test 1 that when the loader module 4 is comprised as shown in embodiment, the density | concentration of the chlorine discharged from the wafer W can be represented as a numerical value. In addition, as apparent from the graph of FIG. 13, in the evaluation tests 1-1 and 1-2, when the temperature during the film forming process is the same, the evaluation test 1-1 has a higher chlorine concentration at the peak. Therefore, it was confirmed that monitoring the chlorine concentration is particularly effective when processing the wafer W having a large surface area.

Assessment test 2

In the evaluation test 2-1, when the 25 wafers W are periodically returned to the container main body B1 in the same lot subjected to the film-forming process of the TiN film at 440 ° C using the test apparatus used in the evaluation test 1. Chlorine concentration was monitored. In this evaluation test 2-1, 25 wafers W were formed into a film for 1 hour, and set so that it could return to the container main body B1. In addition, although the test similar to the evaluation test 2-1 was performed as the evaluation test 2-2, in this evaluation test 2-2, 50 wafers W are formed into a film per hour, and can be returned to the container main body B1. It was set to.

The graph of FIG. 14 has shown the result of the evaluation test 2-1, and the graph of FIG. 15 has shown the result of the evaluation test 2-2, respectively. The horizontal axis of each graph represents measurement time (unit: second), and the vertical axis represents chlorine concentration (unit: ppb), respectively. In both evaluation test 2-1 and 2-2, the peak showed in the waveform of the graph corresponding to the timing which each wafer W returns to the container main body B1. In the evaluation test 2-1, about the peak corresponding to the wafer W of the 1st-20th sheet, the value of the chlorine concentration becomes large, so that the peak corresponding to the wafer W of which the order is later. The value of the chlorine concentration of the peak corresponding to the wafer W after the 20th sheet was approximately constant. In the evaluation test 2-2, the peak degree chlorine density | concentration value corresponding to the wafer W of the order later is large with respect to the peak corresponding to the 1st-25th wafer W, and the 25th wafer W The chlorine concentration of the peak corresponding to was larger than the chlorine concentration of the peak which became the maximum in the evaluation test 2-1.

In this example, the chlorine concentration is measured by sucking the inside of the container body B1. However, as described in the embodiment, even when a suction hole is formed in the side wall of the housing 41 for measurement, the chlorine concentration becomes the same waveform. Can be. Therefore, as described with reference to FIG. 7, it can be seen that the presence or absence of abnormality can be determined based on the peak value of the waveform. Moreover, it was confirmed from this evaluation test 2 that the chlorine concentration detected by the conveyance speed of the wafer W differs.

Claims (13)

Housings,
A first substrate transfer hole provided on a side wall of the housing;
A second openable substrate transfer port provided on a side wall of the housing for transporting the substrate between the module provided outside the housing and the inside of the housing;
The container main body of the conveyance container in which the board | substrate is stored while being comprised by the container main body and a lid body, is attached to the side wall of the said housing so that the edge part of the board | substrate outlet opening opened to the said container main body may be in close contact with the edge part of the said 1st board | substrate conveyance opening. A load port which is connected to and opens and closes the substrate outlet through opening and closing of the lid body with respect to the container body, and opens and closes the first substrate transfer port;
A conveyance mechanism provided in the housing and conveying a substrate between the first substrate conveyance port and the second substrate conveyance port;
Clean gas supply unit for supplying a clean gas in the housing,
An exhaust mechanism for exhausting the inside of the housing;
A suction hole that is opened above the conveyance path of the substrate conveyed between the first substrate conveyance port and the second substrate conveyance port in the housing and sucks the atmosphere in the housing;
The board | substrate conveyance module provided with the detection part which detects the component contained in the gas discharge | released from the board | substrate which moves the said conveyance path in the said attracted atmosphere. The method of claim 1,
The housing is made of metal,
The component detected by the said detection part is a board | substrate conveyance module which is a component which corrodes the said metal in the atmosphere in the said housing. The method of claim 2,
And the component is chlorine. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The substrate conveyance module of the said board | substrate is a conveyance path of the board | substrate conveyed from the said 2nd board | substrate conveyance opening to the said 1st board | substrate conveyance opening. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The said suction hole is a board | substrate conveyance module opened above the said 1st board | substrate conveyance opening in the side wall of the said housing, or above the said 2nd board | substrate conveyance opening. The method of claim 5,
The said suction hole is a board | substrate conveyance module opened at least above the said 1st board | substrate conveyance opening in the side wall of the said housing. The method of claim 6,
The first substrate transfer port is provided in plurality in the transverse direction,
A plurality of suction holes are provided, and the plurality of suction holes are located above the plurality of first substrate transfer ports, respectively. The method of claim 7, wherein
The plurality of suction holes are provided at equal intervals in the lateral direction and are located at the same height as each other. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The detection unit detects the concentration of the component,
The board | substrate conveyance module provided with the determination part which determines the presence or absence of abnormality based on the density | concentration of the detected component, and the allowable value of the preset concentration. The method of claim 9,
The suction hole includes a first suction hole and a second suction hole which are respectively opened above the first substrate transfer port and above the second substrate transfer port on the side wall of the housing,
The detection unit detects concentrations of the components in the atmosphere sucked from the first suction hole and concentrations of the components in the atmosphere sucked from the second suction hole, respectively.
The determination unit determines the presence or absence of abnormality based on the concentration of the detected component and the preset allowable value, respectively. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
According to the detection result by the said detection part,
The control part which outputs a control signal so that operation | movement of at least any one of the said clean gas supply part, the said exhaust mechanism, and the said conveyance mechanism is provided, the board | substrate conveyance module. The method of claim 11,
The load port is provided with a purge gas supply mechanism for purging the inside of the container body from which the lid is removed,
The control unit,
According to the detection result by the said detection part, Instead of outputting a control signal so that operation | movement of at least any of the said clean gas supply part, the said exhaust mechanism, and the said conveyance mechanism is controlled, according to the detection result by the said detection part, at least the said purge gas A substrate conveyance module for outputting a control signal to control the operation of the supply mechanism. A process of conveying a substrate between a first substrate conveying port and a second substrate conveying port respectively provided on a side wall of said housing by a substrate conveying mechanism provided in the housing;
Opening and closing the second substrate transfer port to transfer the substrate between the module provided outside the housing and the inside of the housing;
The load port connects the conveyance container in which the said board | substrate is stored to the side wall of the said housing so that the edge part of the board | substrate ejection opening provided in the said conveyance container may be in close contact with the edge part of the said 1st board | substrate conveyance port, and the opening-closing of the said cover body is carried out. And opening and closing the first substrate transfer port;
Supplying clean gas into the housing by a clean gas supply unit;
Exhausting the inside of the housing by an exhaust mechanism;
A step of sucking the atmosphere in the housing by a suction hole that is opened above the conveying path of the substrate conveyed between the first substrate conveyance port and the second substrate conveyance port in the housing;
The board | substrate conveyance method provided with the process of detecting the component contained in the gas discharged | emitted from the board | substrate which moves the said conveyance path in the attracted atmosphere by a detection part.

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