TWI770598B - Substrate processing method, substrate processing apparatus, and computer readable recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

In the present invention, one processing area is selected from a plurality of processing areas based on the time of final use of the area. The final use time of the area is the earliest time of the final use time of the unit or the final use time of the modified unit of a plurality of processing units belonging to the same processing area. The corrected unit final use time is the time obtained by subtracting the conveyance time from the unit final use time. Then, one processing unit is selected from a plurality of processing units belonging to the selected processing area. After that, the substrate is transported from the carrier on the loading port to the selected processing unit by the substrate transport system.

Description

Substrate processing method, substrate processing apparatus, and computer-readable recording medium

This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-092485 filed on May 11, 2018, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The present invention relates to a substrate processing method and a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, and a computer program executed by a control device included in the substrate processing apparatus. The substrates to be processed include, for example, semiconductor wafers, substrates for optical disks, substrates for magnetic disks, substrates for magneto-optical disks, substrates for masks, ceramic substrates, substrates for solar cells, liquid crystal display devices, or organic EL (electroluminescence) FPD (Flat Panel Display) substrates for display devices, etc.

In the manufacturing steps of semiconductor devices, liquid crystal display devices, etc., a substrate processing apparatus for processing substrates such as semiconductor wafers and glass substrates for liquid crystal display devices is used. In Patent Document 1, a schedule for a substrate processing apparatus including a plurality of processing units is disclosed.

In the schedule described in Patent Document 1, a plurality of processing units are classified into a plurality of processing areas based on a conveyance path length or a conveyance time. When creating a schedule for processing substrates, one processing area is selected from a plurality of processing areas. After that, one processing unit is selected from the plurality of processing units belonging to the selected processing area. The schedule is created in such a way that the substrates are processed by the selected processing unit. By executing the schedule, the substrates are actually transported and processed.

In addition, the schedule described in Patent Document 1 discloses that a processing area is selected based on the magnitude relationship of the area usage rates, and when there are a plurality of processing areas with the same area usage rate, the processing area is selected based on the area final usage time. The area utilization rate is a value obtained by dividing the time required to process a substrate by the number of active (available) processing units in the processing area for processing the substrate.

In the paragraph 0059 of Patent Document 1, it is described that "the last one of the unit final times of the processing units MPC belonging to the processing area PZ is registered in the memory unit 63 as the area final use time." In paragraph 0099 of Patent Document 1, it is described that "the area usage rate is assigned the first priority order, the area final use time is assigned the second priority order, and the area number (transportation distance or conveyance time) is assigned the third priority order. However, , it is also possible to reverse the priority of the area final usage time and area usage rate”.

[Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2017-183545

[Problems to be Solved by Invention]

The schedule described in Patent Document 1 selects processing areas based on the magnitude relationship of area utilization, selects a plurality of processing areas equally, and creates a schedule table by generally using all processing units of a substrate processing apparatus.

However, according to the research of the present inventors, the schedule described in Patent Document 1 cannot determine the input status of substrates in each processing area. Therefore, although there are empty processing units in other processing areas, all processing units are still selected for use. of the processing area.

Specifically, it can be seen that when the processing time of the substrate is reduced, such a processing area is selected. For example, as shown in FIG. 17, even if there are empty processing cells MPC in the first processing zone PZ1 and the second processing zone PZ1, the sixth substrate W6 is processed by the processing cell MPC17 belonging to the third processing zone PZ3. In this case, it is necessary to delay the conveyance of the substrate W6 until the processing unit MPC17 becomes vacant, resulting in a decrease in the operating rate of the substrate processing apparatus. Therefore, the invention described in Patent Document 1 has room for improvement.

Therefore, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing method, a substrate processing apparatus and a computer program which can generally use all the processing units of the substrate processing apparatus and improve the operation rate of the substrate processing apparatus. [Technical means to solve problems]

An embodiment of the present invention provides a substrate processing method, which is performed by using a substrate transfer system to transfer the substrate from a carrier on a loading port to a substrate processing apparatus of a plurality of processing units for processing the substrate, including the following Step: belonging to a confirming step, which confirms that each of the plurality of processing units is based on the transfer time required to transfer the substrate from the carrier on the loading port to the processing unit, or indicates that from the loading port to the processing Which one of the plurality of processing areas classified by the conveying distance of the distance of the unit; the step of obtaining the final use time of the unit, for each of the plurality of processing units, obtaining the time indicating the last use of the processing unit for processing the substrate The final use time of the unit; the calculation step of correcting the final use time of the unit, which is based on the final use time of a plurality of the above-mentioned units obtained in the step of obtaining the final use time of the unit and the above-mentioned transfer time about the above-mentioned plurality of processing units, for the above-mentioned plurality of processing units For each of the units, calculate the corrected unit end-of-use time representing the time after subtracting the above-mentioned conveyance time from the above-mentioned unit end-of-use time in the same above-mentioned processing unit; the area end-of-use time specific step, which is calculated based on the above-mentioned corrected unit end-of-use time The final use time of the plurality of correction units obtained in the step, for each of the plurality of processing areas, an area representing the earliest time among the final use times of the correction units of the plurality of processing units belonging to the same processing area is specified The final use time; the area selection step, which is based on a plurality of the above-mentioned area final use times specified in the above-mentioned area final use time specific step, and selects the above-mentioned area from the above-mentioned plurality of processing areas with the earliest final use time. One above-mentioned processing area a unit selection step of selecting one of the above-mentioned processing units from among a plurality of the above-mentioned processing units belonging to the above-mentioned processing area selected in the above-mentioned area selection step; and a substrate transfer step of transferring the above-mentioned substrate from the above-mentioned loading port by the above-mentioned transfer system The above-mentioned carrier is conveyed to the above-mentioned processing unit selected in the above-mentioned unit selection step.

According to this configuration, the processing area is not selected based on the magnitude relationship of the area usage rate, but one processing area is selected from a plurality of processing areas based on the time when the area is last used. Then, one processing unit is selected from a plurality of processing units belonging to the selected processing area. After that, the substrate is transported from the carrier on the loading port to the selected processing unit by the substrate transport system. Therefore, not only when the processing time of the substrate is unchanged, but also when the processing time of the substrate is reduced, a plurality of processing areas can be equally selected, and all processing units provided in the substrate processing apparatus can be generally used. Thereby, the operation rate of the substrate processing apparatus can be improved.

In addition, the area final use time is not based on the earliest unit use time, but is specified based on the earliest corrected unit final time. The corrected unit end-use time is the unit end-use time indicating the last time the processing unit is used to process the substrate minus the transfer time required to transfer the substrate from the carrier on the loading port to the processing unit. Therefore, the transfer time difference between the plurality of processing areas can be reduced, and only the processing area close to the loading port can be avoided to be selected. Thereby, a plurality of processing regions can be selected evenly.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a substrate processing method, which is performed by using a substrate transfer system to transfer the substrate from a carrier on a loading port to a substrate processing apparatus of a plurality of processing units for processing the substrate, including the following Step: belonging confirmation step, which confirms that each of the plurality of processing units belongs to the processing unit based on the transfer time required to transfer the substrate from the carrier on the loading port to the processing unit, or indicates that the processing unit is from the loading port to the processing unit Which of the plurality of processing areas classified by the conveying distance of the distance; the unit final use time obtaining step, for each of the plurality of processing units, obtaining the time indicating the last use time of the processing unit for processing the substrate The unit final use time; the area final use time specific step, which is based on a plurality of the above unit final use times obtained in the above unit final use time acquisition step, and for each of the above-mentioned plural processing areas, specifies the above-mentioned processing that belongs to the same The area final use time at the earliest of the above unit final use times of the plurality of above-mentioned processing units in the area; the area selection step is based on the above-mentioned area final use time specified in the above-mentioned area final use time specific step of the plurality of above-mentioned area final use times, from the above plural Among the processing areas, the one above-mentioned processing area with the earliest final use time of the above-mentioned area is selected; the unit selection step is to select one above-mentioned processing unit from the plurality of above-mentioned processing units belonging to the above-mentioned processing area selected in the above-mentioned area selection step; and a substrate transfer step of transferring the substrate from the carrier on the loading port to the processing unit selected in the unit selection step by the transfer system.

According to this configuration, the processing area is not selected based on the magnitude relationship of the area usage rate, but one processing area is selected from a plurality of processing areas based on the time when the area is last used. Then, one processing unit is selected from the plurality of processing units belonging to the selected processing area. After that, the substrate is transported from the carrier on the loading port to the selected processing unit by the substrate transport system. Therefore, not only when the processing time of the substrate is unchanged, but also when the processing time of the substrate is reduced, a plurality of processing areas can be equally selected, and all processing units of the substrate processing apparatus can be generally used. Thereby, the operation rate of the substrate processing apparatus can be improved.

The start time of the substrate processing may be the time when the substrate is loaded into the processing unit, the time when the substrate starts to rotate, or the time other than that. The end time of the substrate processing, that is, the final use time of the unit may be the time when the substrate is unloaded from the processing unit, the time when the substrate stops rotating, or the time other than that. The timing when the substrate is carried into the processing unit and when the substrate is carried out from the processing unit may be, for example, the timing when the shutter that opens and closes the opening of the processing chamber provided in the processing unit starts to move to the open position (opening position).

In the above-mentioned two embodiments, at least one of the following features may be added to the above-mentioned substrate processing method.

The substrate processing method further includes a transport time registration step of registering the same value as the transport time for the plurality of processing units belonging to the same processing area before the correction unit final use time calculation step.

According to this configuration, the same value is registered as the conveyance time for a plurality of processing units belonging to the same processing area. Even if a plurality of processing units belong to the same processing area, the transport distances are strictly different, so the transport times are also strictly different. However, if the processing areas to which they belong are the same, the difference in transfer time is extremely small, and the transfer time is approximately equal between the processing units. Therefore, if the same value is registered as the transport time for a plurality of processing units belonging to the same processing area, the transport time difference between the processing areas can be reduced, and the setting of the transport time can be simplified.

The above-mentioned area selection step includes the following steps: a first retrieval step, which searches for the above-mentioned processing area with the earliest final use time of the above-mentioned area among the above-mentioned plural processing areas; When each of the above-mentioned processing areas is a candidate area, searching for the above-mentioned processing area with the largest number of the above-mentioned processing units with the earliest last use time of the above-mentioned unit among the plurality of above-mentioned processing areas included in the above-mentioned candidate area; One of the above-mentioned processing areas is selected from at least one of the above-mentioned processing areas found in the above-mentioned second search step.

According to this configuration, when there are a plurality of processing areas with the earliest area final use time, among the processing areas, the processing area with the largest number of processing units with the earliest unit final use time is selected. Before transferring substrates to the selected processing unit, or when transferring substrates to the selected processing unit, when an abnormality occurs in the processing unit, it is necessary to reselect another processing unit. In this case, if there is another processing unit in the same processing area with the earliest unit final use time, this processing unit can be selected as a new processing unit. Therefore, it is relatively easy to change and set a new conveyance path of the substrate.

The above-mentioned area selection step may further include a third search step, which, when a plurality of the above-mentioned processing areas are found in the above-mentioned second search step, searches the plurality of above-mentioned processing areas found in the above-mentioned second search step. The above-mentioned processing area where the above-mentioned conveyance time or conveyance distance is the smallest. In this case, the above-mentioned selection step may be a step of selecting one of the above-mentioned processing areas from at least one of the above-mentioned processing areas found in the above-mentioned third retrieval step.

Before the step of obtaining the final use time of the above-mentioned unit, the above-mentioned substrate processing method may further include a step of initializing the above-mentioned final use time, which changes the above-mentioned unit final use time of all the above-mentioned processing units to the same value (eg, 0).

The above-mentioned substrate processing method further includes a substrate processing step of selecting the one selected in the above-mentioned unit selection step after the above-mentioned substrate conveying step with a processing time shorter than the most recent substrate processing time conveyed to any one of the above-mentioned plurality of processing units. The above-mentioned processing unit processes the above-mentioned substrate.

According to this structure, the processing time of a board|substrate is reduced more than the nearest board|substrate. Even in such a case, one processing area is selected from a plurality of processing areas based on the time of final use of the area, so that a plurality of processing areas can be equally selected compared to the case where processing areas are selected based on the magnitude relationship of the area usage rates. Therefore, even if the conveying paths or processing times of the substrates are different, all processing units can be generally used, which can further improve the operation rate of the substrate processing apparatus.

Still another embodiment of the present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus comprising: a loading port on which a carrier for accommodating substrates is mounted; a plurality of processing units for processing the substrates transferred from the carrier on the loading port; A substrate transfer system for transferring the substrate between the carrier on the loading port and the plurality of processing units; and a control device for controlling the substrate transfer system.

The control device performs the following step: a belonging confirmation step, which confirms that each of the plurality of processing units belongs to a transfer time required to transfer the substrate to the processing unit from the carrier on the loading port, or indicates the loading Which one of the plurality of processing areas is classified by the conveyance distance of the distance from the port to the above-mentioned processing unit; the step of obtaining the final use time of the unit, which, for each of the above-mentioned plurality of processing units, obtains a representation indicating that the above-mentioned processing unit is used to process the above-mentioned substrate The final use time of the unit at the time of last use; the calculation step of correcting the final use time of the unit is based on the final use time of a plurality of the above-mentioned units obtained in the above-mentioned unit final-use time obtaining step and the above-mentioned conveying time for the above-mentioned plurality of units. Each of the plurality of processing units calculates the corrected unit final use time representing the time after subtracting the above-mentioned conveyance time from the above-mentioned unit final use time in the same above-mentioned processing units; the area final use time specific step is based on the above-mentioned correction unit final use time. The final use time of the plurality of correction units obtained in the use time calculation step, and for each of the plurality of processing areas, the earliest among the final use times of the correction units representing the plurality of processing units belonging to the same processing area is specified. The final use time of the area at the time; the area selection step, which is based on a plurality of the above area final use times specified in the above-mentioned area final use time specific step, and selects the above-mentioned area from the plurality of processing areas with the earliest final use time of the above-mentioned area. a processing area; a unit selection step of selecting one of the above-mentioned processing units from among a plurality of the above-mentioned processing units belonging to the above-mentioned processing area selected in the above-mentioned area selection step; and a substrate transfer step of transferring the above-mentioned substrate from the above-mentioned substrate transfer system The above-mentioned carrier on the above-mentioned loading port is conveyed to the above-mentioned processing unit selected in the above-mentioned unit selection step. According to this structure, the same effect as the above-mentioned effect can be exhibited.

Still another embodiment of the present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus comprising: a loading port on which a carrier for accommodating substrates is mounted; a plurality of processing units for processing the substrates transferred from the carrier on the loading port; A substrate transfer system for transferring the substrate between the carrier on the loading port and the plurality of processing units; and a control device for controlling the substrate transfer system.

The control device executes the following step: a belonging confirmation step, which confirms that each of the plurality of processing units belongs to a transfer time required to transfer the substrate to the processing unit from the carrier on the loading port, or indicates a transfer time from the Which of the plurality of processing areas is classified by the distance from the loading port to the processing unit; the step of obtaining the final use time of the unit, for each of the plurality of processing units, the acquisition indicates that the processing unit is used to process the above The final use time of the unit at the time of the last use of the substrate; the specific step of the final use time of the area, which is based on the final use time of a plurality of the above units obtained in the above step of obtaining the final use time of the unit, and for each of the plurality of processing units, a specific output Represents the area final use time at the earliest of the above unit final use times of the plurality of above processing units belonging to the same above mentioned processing area; the area selection step is based on the above area final use time specific step. At the time of use, from the plurality of processing areas, the one above-mentioned processing area with the earliest final use time of the above-mentioned area is selected; in the unit selection step, among the plurality of above-mentioned processing units belonging to the above-mentioned processing area selected in the above-mentioned area selection step, Selecting one of the above-mentioned processing units; and a substrate transporting step of transporting the above-mentioned substrates from the above-mentioned carrier on the above-mentioned loading port to the above-mentioned processing unit selected in the above-mentioned unit selecting step by using the above-mentioned substrate transporting system. According to this structure, the same effect as the above-mentioned effect can be exhibited.

In the above-mentioned two embodiments, at least one of the following features may be incorporated into the above-mentioned substrate processing apparatus.

The control device further executes a transport time registration step before the correction unit final use time calculation step, and registers the same value as the transport time for a plurality of the processing units belonging to the same processing area. According to this structure, the same effect as the above-mentioned effect can be exhibited.

The above-mentioned area selection step includes the following steps: a first search step, which searches for the above-mentioned processing area with the earliest final use time of the above-mentioned area among the above-mentioned plural processing areas; When the above-mentioned processing area is a candidate area, among a plurality of the above-mentioned processing areas included in the above-mentioned candidate area, search for the above-mentioned processing area with the largest number of the above-mentioned processing units with the earliest last use time of the above-mentioned unit; Among at least one of the above-mentioned processing areas found in the second search step, one of the above-mentioned processing areas is selected. According to this structure, the same effect as the above-mentioned effect can be exhibited.

The control device further executes a substrate processing step, wherein the processing time is shorter than the processing time of the most recent substrate conveyed to any one of the plurality of processing units, after the substrate conveying step, the above-mentioned selected in the unit selection step is used. The processing unit processes the above-mentioned substrate. According to this structure, the same effect as the above-mentioned effect can be exhibited.

Still another embodiment of the present invention provides a computer program executed by a control device included in a substrate processing apparatus that transfers the substrate from a carrier on a loading port to a plurality of processing units that process the substrate by a substrate transfer system which is a computer program incorporated into the step group so that the computer serving as the control device executes at least one of the substrate processing methods described above. The above computer program can also be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The recording medium may be an optical disc such as a laser disc or a semiconductor memory such as a memory card.

The above-mentioned and other objects, features, and effects of the present invention will be clarified from the description of the embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the substrate processing apparatus 1 in a vertical cross-section along the cutting line II-II shown in FIG. 1 .

The substrate processing apparatus 1 is a single-wafer type apparatus for processing a disk-shaped substrate W such as a semiconductor wafer one by one. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a carrier holding unit 2 , an indexer unit 3 , and a processing unit 4 .

The carrier holding part 2 includes a plurality of load ports LP for holding the carrier C, which is a substrate storage container capable of accommodating a plurality of substrates W, respectively. The load port LP is a carrier holding unit that holds the carrier C. The loading port LP puts the carrier C into the position of the substrate processing apparatus 1 . The carrier C is opened and closed by the load port LP.

The indexer unit 3 includes an indexer robot IR. The indexer robot IR performs the carrying operation of taking out the unprocessed substrate W from the carrier C placed on the carrier holding unit 2 and delivering it to the processing unit 4; and receiving the processed substrate W from the processing unit 4 and storing it in Storing operation of the carrier C held by the carrier holding portion 2 .

The processing unit 4 includes a plurality of processing units MPC1 to MPC24 (hereinafter collectively referred to as "processing units MPC"), a first main transfer robot CR1, a second main transfer robot CR2, a first delivery unit PASS1, and a second delivery unit PASS2 . The indexer robot IR, the first main transfer robot CR1, and the second main transfer robot CR2 constitute a substrate transfer system TS1 that transfers the substrate W between the carrier holding unit 2 and the holding unit MPC.

In the processing part 4, the conveyance path 5 extended linearly from the indexer part 3 is formed in planar view. In this conveyance path 5, the 1st transfer unit PASS1, the 1st main transfer robot CR1, the 2nd transfer unit PASS2, and the 2nd main transfer robot CR2 are arrange|positioned in this order from the indexer part 3 side. The first transfer unit PASS1 is a unit for transferring the substrate W between the indexer robot IR and the first main transfer robot CR1. The second transfer unit PASS2 is a unit that mediates the transfer of the substrate W between the first main transfer robot CR1 and the second main transfer robot CR2. The first and second delivery units PASS1 and PASS2 include a plurality of substrate mounts 15 that temporarily hold the substrate W.

The plurality of processing units MPC form a plurality of towers TW1 to TW6 (hereinafter collectively referred to as "tower TW"). Each tower TW includes a plurality of processing units MPC (eg, 4 processing units MPC) stacked on top and bottom. A plurality of towers TW are arranged along the conveyance path 5 . The three towers TW1 , TW3 , and TW5 are arranged on one side of the conveyance path 5 . The remaining three towers TW2 , TW4 , and TW6 are arranged on the other side of the conveyance path 5 .

The plurality of processing units MPC form three pairs of towers TW facing each other across the conveyance path 5 . Specifically, the tower TW1 and the tower TW2 face each other across the conveyance path 5 . Similarly, the tower TW3 and the tower TW4 face each other across the conveyance path 5 , and the tower TW5 and the tower TW6 face each other across the conveyance path 5 .

The distance from the indexer portion 3 to the tower TW1 is equal or approximately equal to the distance from the indexer portion 3 to the tower TW2. Therefore, the transfer time required to transfer the substrate W from the indexer unit 3 to the tower TW1 is equal to or substantially equal to the transfer time required to transfer the substrate W from the indexer unit 3 to the tower TW2. That is, each pair of towers ( TW1 and TW2 , TW3 and TW4 , TW5 and TW6 ) is arranged at a position equal to or substantially equal to the distance from the indexer unit 3 , and the indexer unit 3 carries the substrate W to each pair of towers TW for the transfer required. time equal or approximately equal.

The three pairs of towers (TW1 and TW2, TW3 and TW4, and TW5 and TW6) respectively form three processing zones PZ1, PZ2, and PZ3 (hereinafter collectively referred to as "processing zones PZ"). That is, the 1st processing area PZ1 is formed in the position closest to the indexer part 3 by the pair of towers TW1 and TW2 opposed to each other with the conveyance path 5 interposed therebetween. Next, the second processing zone PZ2 is formed at a position close to the indexer section 3 and facing the pair of towers TW3 and TW4 across the conveyance path 5 . Next, a third processing zone PZ3 is formed at a position close to the indexer section 3 and facing one pair of towers TW5 and TW6 across the conveyance path 5 .

A first delivery unit PASS1 is arranged between the first processing zone PZ1 and the indexer unit 3 . The first main transfer robot CR1 is arranged on the opposite side of the indexer 3 to the first delivery unit PASS1. The first main transfer robot CR1 is disposed between the pair of towers TW1 and TW2 in plan view. With respect to the first main transfer robot CR1, the second transfer unit PASS2 is arranged on the opposite side of the first transfer unit PASS1. The first main transfer robot CR1 is arranged so as to face the first delivery unit PASS1, the towers TW1 and TW2 of the first processing zone PZ1, and the second delivery unit PASS2.

The second main transfer robot CR2 is arranged on the opposite side of the first main transfer robot CR1 to the second delivery unit PASS2. The second main transfer robot CR2 is disposed between the pair of towers TW3 and TW4 in a plan view, and is disposed between the pair of towers TW5 and TW6 in a plan view. The second main transfer robot CR2 is arranged so as to face the second delivery unit PASS2 and the towers TW3 to TW6.

The indexer robot IR is a horizontal articulated arm type robot in this embodiment. The indexer robot IR includes a hand 11 holding the substrate W, a polyarticulated arm 12 coupled to the hand 11, an arm rotation mechanism (not shown) that rotates the polyarticulated arm 12 around a vertical rotation axis 13, and a polyarticulated arm 12. Up and down arm lifting mechanism (not shown). With this configuration, the indexer robot IR allows the hand 11 to access the carrier C and the first delivery unit PASS1 held in an arbitrary load port LP, and to carry in/out the substrate W to the access end. Thereby, the indexer robot IR transfers the board|substrate W between the processing part 4 (more precisely, the 1st delivery unit PASS1) and arbitrary carriers C.

For the first main transfer robot CR1 and the second main transfer robot CR2, substrate transfer robots having substantially the same configuration can be used. Such a substrate conveying robot preferably includes: a pair of hands 21, 22, which hold the substrate W; a pair of hand advancing and retreating mechanisms 23, 24, which make a pair of hands 21, 22 advance and retreat in the horizontal direction; a hand rotation mechanism (not shown), It makes a pair of hand advance and retreat mechanisms 23, 24 rotate around a vertical axis of rotation 25; and a hand lift mechanism (not shown), which makes the hand advance and retreat mechanisms 23, 24 move up and down.

With this configuration, the first main transfer robot CR1 and the second main transfer robot CR2 can take out the substrate W from the access end with one hand 21 and 22 and carry the substrate W into the access end with the other hand 21 and 22 . By applying the substrate transfer robot thus constituted to the first main transfer robot CR1, the first main transfer robot CR1 enables the hands 21 and 22 to handle the first handover unit PASS1, the plurality of processing units MPC forming the towers TW and TW2, And the second delivery unit PASS2 directly accesses the substrate W to/from the access end. Furthermore, by applying the substrate transfer robot configured as described above to the second main transfer robot CR2, the second main transfer robot CR2 can enable the hands 21 and 22 to connect the hands 21 and 22 to the second transfer unit PASS2 and a plurality of towers TW3 to TW6. The processing unit MPC directly accesses the substrate W to/from the access end.

2 shows an example in which the indexer robot IR has one hand 11 , but the indexer robot IR may have two hands 11 . In this case, the first main transfer robot CR1 may be provided with four hands 21 and 22 . Likewise, the second main transfer robot CR2 may include four hands 21 and 22 . When the indexer robot IR has two hands 11, the indexer robot IR can hold two substrates W using the two hands 11 at the same time. Therefore, the indexer robot IR can carry out the simultaneous carry-out operation of simultaneously carrying out two substrates W and the simultaneous carry-in operation of simultaneously carrying in the two substrates W to the carrier C or the first delivery unit PASS1 on the load port LP.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining a configuration example of the processing unit MPC. The processing unit MPC shown in FIG. 3 is a surface cleaning unit for cleaning the surface of a substrate with a chemical solution. The processing unit MPC includes a processing chamber 31 provided with an opening 31 a for the substrate W to pass through, a processing cup 32 disposed in the processing chamber 31 , and a spin chuck 33 disposed in the processing cup 32 . The processing chamber 31 includes a partition 31b having an opening 31a, and a shutter 31c opening and closing the opening 31a.

The processing unit MPC further includes a chemical solution nozzle 34 for supplying a chemical solution to the substrate W, and a cleaning solution nozzle 35 for supplying a cleaning solution (pure water or the like) to the substrate W. The spin chuck 33 rotates around a vertical rotation axis 36 passing through the center of the substrate W while holding one substrate W horizontally. The chemical liquid nozzles 34 and the cleaning liquid nozzles 35 are disposed in the processing chamber 31 in advance, and respectively spray the chemical liquid and the cleaning liquid onto the upper surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 33 . With this configuration, the chemical solution is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate W, and the chemical solution is processed (substrate processing step) with the chemical solution; ); and spin-drying (substrate processing step) in which the droplets on the substrate W are thrown off by centrifugal force.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining another configuration example of the processing unit MPC. The processing unit MPC shown in FIG. 4 is an end surface cleaning unit for scrubbing the peripheral end surface of the substrate W. As shown in FIG. The processing unit MPC includes a processing chamber 31 , a spin chuck 33 disposed in the processing chamber 31 , a chemical liquid nozzle 34 , and a scraping member 37 for brushing the end surface of the substrate W.

The spin chuck 33 rotates around a vertical rotation axis 36 passing through the central portion of the substrate W while holding one substrate W horizontally. The chemical liquid nozzle 34 supplies chemical liquid to the surface of the substrate W held by the spin chuck 33 . When the spin chuck 33 presses the scraping member 37 against the peripheral end surface of the substrate W while the substrate W is rotating, the scraping member 37 wipes the entire circumference of the peripheral end surface of the substrate W. Thereby, the entire circumference of the peripheral end surface of the substrate W is brushed (substrate processing step).

FIG. 5 is a block diagram for explaining the electrical configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 . The substrate processing apparatus 1 is provided with the computer 60 as a control apparatus. The computer 60 controls the processing units MPC1 to MPC24, the main transfer robots CR1 and CR2, and the indexer robot IR. The computer 60 may also be a personal computer (FA personal computer).

The computer 60 includes a control unit 61 , an input/output unit 62 , and a memory unit 63 . The control unit 61 includes an arithmetic unit such as a CPU. The input/output unit 62 includes output devices such as a display unit, and input devices such as a keyboard, a pointing device, and a touch panel. Furthermore, the input-output unit 62 includes a communication module for communicating with the host computer 64, which is an external computer. The memory unit 63 includes memory devices such as solid-state memory devices and hard disk drives.

The control unit 61 includes a schedule function unit 65 and a process execution instruction unit 66 . The scheduler function unit 65 unloads the substrates W from the carrier C, processes the substrates W by one or more of the processing units MPC1 to MPC24, and then prepares the substrates W to accommodate the processed substrates W in the carrier C. The resources of the processing device 1 follow a schedule (schedule) of time-series actions. The process execution instruction unit 66 operates the resources of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in accordance with the schedule table created by the schedule function unit 65 . The so-called resources are various units used for processing a substrate included in the substrate processing apparatus 1 . Specifically, the processing units MPC1 to MPC24 , the indexer robot IR, the main transfer robots CR1 and CR2 , and these constituent elements are included in the resources of the substrate processing apparatus 1 .

The memory unit 63 stores various data and the like. The data stored in the memory unit 63 includes the program 70 executed by the control unit 61 , the process work data (process work information) 80 received from the host computer 64 , the schedule table data 81 created by the schedule function unit 65 , each The usage history data 82 of the processing unit MPC and each processing area PZ, and the transfer time data 83 of each processing area PZ.

The program 70 stored in the memory unit 63 includes a schedule creation program 71 for operating the control unit 61 as the schedule function unit 65 and a process execution program 72 for operating the control unit 61 as the process execution instruction unit 66 . The program 70 may be preinstalled in the computer 60 , may be sent from the recording medium M to the memory unit 63 , or may be sent to the memory unit 63 through the communication module of the input/output unit 62 . The recording medium M is, for example, an optical disc such as a laser disc or a semiconductor memory such as a memory card. The recording medium M is an example of a non-transitory tangible medium.

The process work data 80 includes a process work (PJ) code assigned to each substrate W, and a process corresponding to the process work code. Process is the data that defines the substrate processing content, including substrate processing conditions and substrate processing sequence. More specifically, it includes substrate type information, parallel processing unit information, used processing liquid information, processing time information, and the like. The substrate type information is information indicating the type of the substrate W to be processed. Specific examples of the types of substrates W are product substrates used to complete products, non-product substrates used for maintenance of the processing unit MPC, and non-product substrates not used in product manufacturing. The so-called parallel processing unit information is the processing unit specifying information of the processing unit MPC that can be used, and the parallel processing can be performed by the designated processing unit MPC. That is, the substrate W may be processed by any one of the designated processing units. The processing liquid information used is information specifying the type of processing liquid used for processing the substrate. A specific example is the information specifying the type of the medicinal solution and the temperature of the medicinal solution. The so-called processing time information refers to the duration of supply of the processing liquid and the like. The used processing liquid information and processing time information are examples of processing condition information.

The process work refers to the processing performed on one or a plurality of substrates W in order to perform common processing. The so-called process work code is the identification information (substrate group identification information) used to identify the process work. That is, a common process using a process corresponding to the process work code is performed on a plurality of substrates W to which a common process work code is assigned. For example, when a common process is performed on a plurality of substrates W whose processing sequence (the sequence of taking out from the carrier C) is continuous, a common process work code is assigned to the plurality of substrates W. However, there may be cases where the substrate processing contents (processes) corresponding to different process work codes are the same.

The control unit 61 acquires the process work data for each substrate W from the host computer 64 via the input/output unit 62 and stores it in the memory unit 63 . The acquisition and memory of the process work data only need to be performed before the scheduling of each substrate W is performed. For example, after holding the carrier C in the load ports LP1 to LP4, the control 61 may be given the process work data corresponding to the substrate W stored in the carrier C from the host computer 64 immediately.

The schedule function part 65 plans each process work based on the process work data 80 stored in the memory part 63 , and stores in the memory part 63 schedule table data 81 indicating the plan. The process execution instruction unit 66 controls the indexer robot IR, the main transfer robots CR1 , CR2 , and the processing units MPC1 to MPC24 based on the schedule data 81 stored in the memory unit 63 , thereby executing the process operation with the substrate processing apparatus 1 .

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing performed by the schedule function unit 65 . More specifically, the control unit 61 of the computer 60 executes the schedule creation program 71, and shows the process of repeating execution at a specific control cycle. In other words, in the schedule creation program 71, the step group is incorporated in a manner to make the computer 60 execute the processing shown in FIG. 6 .

The host computer 64 assigns the process work data to the control unit 61, and the control unit 61 instructs to start the process work defined by the process work data, that is, to start the substrate processing (step S1). The control unit 61 receives the process work data and stores it in the memory unit 63 . The scheduling function part 65 uses the process work data to perform a schedule for executing the process work. The start of the process work can also be instructed by the operator operating the operation unit of the input/output unit 62 .

The scheduling function unit 65 sequentially executes the scheduling for one or more substrates W to which the process work (PJ) code included in the process work data is assigned. First, the scheduling function unit 65 refers to the process corresponding to the process work data, and specifies one or more processing units MPC that can be used for processing the substrate W based on the parallel processing unit information of the process (step S2 ). Next, the schedule function part 65 executes a process area selection process for selecting one process area PZ to be used for the substrate process (step S3). Details of the processing region selection process are described below.

Next, the scheduling function unit 65 creates a temporary schedule for processing one substrate W (step S4). For example, in the processing area selection process, the first processing area PZ1 is selected, and all the processing units MPC1-MPC8 of the first processing area PZ1 are included in the parallel processing unit information of the process corresponding to the process work data. That is, consider the case where the substrate processing following this process can be performed in any one of the eight processing units MPC1 to MPC8. In this case, the number of paths through which the substrate W passes is eight. That is, the selectable paths for processing the substrate W are 8 paths through any one of the processing units MPC1 to MPC8. Therefore, the scheduling function unit 65 creates a temporary schedule corresponding to the eight paths for the one substrate W. As shown in FIG.

Figure 7A shows a provisional schedule corresponding to the path through processing unit MPC1. The temporary schedule includes: a block representing the unloading (Get) of the substrate W from the carrier C by the indexer robot IR; a block representing the placing (Put) of the substrate W to the first handover unit PASS1 by the indexer robot IR; The block of the substrate W that is carried out (Get) from the first transfer unit PASS1 by the first main transfer robot CR1; the block of the substrate W that is put in (Put) to the processing unit MPC1 by the first main transfer robot CR1; The processing block for the processing of the substrate W by the processing unit MPC1; represents the block where the processed substrate W is transported (Get) from the processing unit MPC1 by the first main transfer robot CR1; represents the block by the first main transfer robot CR1 carries (Put) the block of the substrate W to the first transfer unit PASS1; indicates that the block of the substrate W is carried out (Get) from the first transfer unit PASS1 by the indexer robot IR; Tool C is put into the block of the substrate W. The scheduling function unit 65 creates a temporary schedule by sequentially arranging the blocks so as not to overlap each other on the time axis.

When the provisional schedule using the processing unit MPC1 is created, the scheduler function unit 65 creates seven provisional schedules for the same substrate W corresponding to the seven paths passing through the processing units MPC2 to MPC8 (separately arranged processing blocks). Temporary schedule in processing units MPC2-MPC8). In this way, a total of eight provisional schedules are created for one substrate W. In addition, the created temporary schedule is stored in the memory unit 63 as a part of the schedule data 81 . In the production stage of the provisional timetable, the interference of blocks related to other substrates W (overlapping each other on the time axis) is not considered.

When the schedule function part 65 completes the production of all the temporary schedules corresponding to one substrate W (step S5 ), the main schedule is executed (steps S6 to S9 ). The so-called master schedule is arranged on the time axis in such a way that the blocks of the created temporary schedule do not overlap with other blocks of each resource. The schedule data created by the master schedule is stored in the memory unit 63 .

To be more specific, the schedule function unit 65 selects one of the plurality of temporary schedules that have been created, and acquires one block constituting the temporary schedule (step S6 ). The block obtained at this time is the block located at the earliest position on the time axis of the temporary schedule among the unallocated blocks. Furthermore, the scheduling function part 65 searches for a position where the acquired block can be arranged (step S7), and arranges the block at the searched position (step S8). Each block is configured so that the same resource is not reused at the same time and is at the earliest position on the time axis. The same action is repeated for all the blocks constituting the selected temporary schedule (step S9). In this way, by configuring all the blocks constituting the selected temporary schedule, the main schedule corresponding to the temporary schedule is completed. The main schedule is executed for all the temporary schedules produced (step S10). That is, when there is a case where any one of the eight processing units MPC1 to MPC8 can process the substrate W, eight main schedules are executed.

When the eight main schedules are completed, the unit selection process is performed (step S11). In the cell selection process, one master schedule is selected, that is, the master schedule that passes through one processing unit MPC is selected, whereby the processing unit MPC for processing one substrate W is selected. In the cell selection process, the substrate W is processed, and one main schedule with the earliest time to return to the carrier C is selected (step S11, cell selection step).

If there are multiple main schedules with the same time when the substrate W returns to the carrier C (step S12: Yes), the processing unit MPC with the longest elapsed time since the last use is selected to be used, that is, the processing unit with the earliest final use time Main schedule of cell MPC (step S13, cell selection step). Thereby, the processing unit MPC can be selected by using the processing unit MPC in one processing area PZ equally.

When there are a plurality of master schedules of the processing unit MPC with the earliest usage unit final time (step S14: Yes), the master schedule of the processing unit MPC with the smaller number (ie, the higher priority added in advance) is selected (step S15 ) , unit selection step). For example, when the main schedule using the processing unit MPC1 and the main schedule using the processing unit MPC2 are reserved as candidates, since the processing unit MPC1 has a smaller number at the end of the processing unit MPC2, the main schedule using the processing unit MPC1 is selected. Procedure.

In this way, if one main schedule corresponding to one temporary schedule is selected, the schedule for one substrate W is ended (step S16 ). Then, schedule data indicating the selected main schedule is stored in the memory unit 63 . The process execution instructing unit 66 actually starts the process of the substrate W at any point thereafter (step S17 , the substrate conveying step and the substrate processing step). That is, the substrate transfer operation of transferring the substrate W from the carrier C by the indexer robot IR and transferring the substrate W to the processing unit MPC by the main transfer robots CR1 and CR2 is started.

When the scheduling function part 65 completes the scheduling for one substrate W, it registers the unit final use time of the processing unit MPC processing the substrate W in the memory part 63 (step S18). Furthermore, the schedule function part 65 obtains the availability rate of the processing area PZ to which the processing unit MPC belongs, and registers it in the memory part 63 (step S19). Details of the available rate are described below. The unit final use time and availability rate are examples of the use history data 82 (see FIG. 5 ). And, a series of actions from step S3 to step S20 are sequentially performed on all the substrates W constituting the process work (step S20 ).

In the process area selection step (step S3 ), when the second process area PZ2 is selected, the scheduler function unit 65 creates 8 temporary schedules ( The processing blocks are respectively allocated to the temporary schedules of the processing units MPC9-MPC16). Thereby, a total of eight temporary schedules are created for one substrate W.

Figure 7B shows a provisional schedule corresponding to the path through processing unit MPC9. The temporary schedule includes: a block representing the unloading (Get) of the substrate W from the carrier C by the indexer robot IR; a block representing the placing (Put) of the substrate W to the first handover unit PASS1 by the indexer robot IR; The block of the substrate W is carried out (Get) from the first transfer unit PASS1 by the first main transfer robot CR1; the block of the substrate W is put in (Put) by the first main transfer robot CR1 to the second transfer unit PASS2 ; Indicates the block of the substrate W that is carried out (Get) from the second transfer unit PASS2 by the second main transfer robot CR2; Indicates the block of the substrate W that is put in (Put) by the second main transfer robot CR2 to the processing unit MPC9 ; Indicates the processing block of the substrate W processed by the processing unit MPC9; Indicates the block where the processed substrate W is removed (Get) from the processing unit MPC9 by the second main transfer robot CR2; The transfer robot CR2 carries (Put) the block of the substrate W to the second transfer unit PASS2; indicates that the block of the substrate W is transferred (Get) from the second transfer unit PASS2 by the first main transfer robot CR1; The main transfer robot CR1 carries in (Put) the block of the substrate W to the first transfer unit PASS1; indicates the block of the substrate W that is carried out (Get) from the first transfer unit PASS1 by the indexer robot IR; and indicates the indexer robot The IR carries (Put) the block of the substrate W to the carrier C. The scheduling function unit 65 creates a temporary schedule by sequentially arranging the blocks so as not to overlap each other on the time axis.

In the process area selection process (step S3 ), when the third process area PZ3 is selected, the scheduler function unit 65 creates 8 temporary schedules ( The processing areas are respectively allocated to the temporary schedules of the processing units MPC17 to MPC24). Thereby, a total of eight temporary schedules are created for one substrate W. FIG. 7C shows a provisional schedule corresponding to the path through processing unit MPC17. The provisional schedule is substantially the same as the provisional schedule of Figure 7B.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the processing area selection process (step S3 in FIG. 6 ). FIGS. 9A and 9B show an example of processing area data stored in the memory unit 63 (see FIG. 5 ). FIGS. 10A to 10E show an example of the availability rate, the area final use time, the oldest number of chambers, and the number of valid chambers stored in the memory unit 63 .

The number of effective chambers is the number of usable (effective) processing units MPC among a plurality of processing units MPC belonging to the same processing zone PZ. The number of the oldest chambers is the number of the effective processing units MPC with the earliest unit final use time among the plurality of processing units MPC belonging to the same processing zone PZ. The available rate represents the percentage of the ratio of the number of the oldest chambers to the number of effective chambers in the same processing zone PZ ((number of oldest chambers/number of effective chambers)×100). The processing area data, the availability rate, the final use time of the area, the number of the oldest chambers, and the number of effective chambers are stored in each processing area as the use history data 82 .

In the memory unit 63, as shown in FIG. 9A, processing area data indicating the setting of the processing area PZ is registered for all the processing units MPC. In this example, for the processing units MPC1 to MPC8, the processing area data "1" indicating that it belongs to the first processing area PZ1 is registered. In addition, to the processing units MPC9 to MPC16, processing area data "2" indicating that it belongs to the second processing area PZ2 is registered. Furthermore, in the processing units MPC17 to MPC24, processing area data "3" indicating that it belongs to the third processing area PZ3 is registered.

When any one of the processing units MPC cannot be used for substrate processing for maintenance or the like, as shown in FIG. 9B , the data (number) for identifying the processing area PZ is replaced, and the data indicating invalid (for example, the data indicating “in maintenance”, etc. ). The so-called maintenance is, for example, regularly scheduled cleaning of the processing unit MPC.

When the scheduling function unit 65 selects the processing area PZ to be processed for each substrate W, it determines to which processing area PZ each processing unit MPC belongs and whether there is an invalidation based on the processing area data stored in the memory unit 63 (see FIG. 5 ). The processing unit MPC (step S31 in FIG. 8 , belongs to the confirmation step). Then, the scheduling function unit 65 reads out the unit final use time of all the processing units MPC1 to MPC24 from the memory unit 63 (step S32 in FIG. 8 , the unit final use time acquisition step).

Furthermore, the scheduling function unit 65 reads out, from the memory unit 63 , the transfer time required to transfer the substrate W from the carrier C on the load port LP to the processing unit MPC for all the processing units MPC1 to MPC24 . After that, the scheduler function unit 65 subtracts the conveyance time from the unit final use time for each processing unit MPC, and registers the obtained value (time) as the corrected unit final use time in the memory unit 63 (step S33 in FIG. 8 , correction). The unit finally uses the moment calculation step). The last use time of the correction unit is included in the use history data 82 . The details of the time of final use of the correction unit are described below.

FIGS. 10A to 10E show the usage history data 82 in the memory section 63 in a state in which all the processing units MPC1 to MPC24 are available (valid) and initialized, in a situation where scheduling of a plurality of substrates W applying the same process is performed An example of change.

As shown in FIG. 10A , before the scheduling of the first substrate W is performed, the availability ratio (number of oldest chambers/number of effective chambers×100) of each processing zone PZ is 100%, and the area of each processing zone PZ is 100%. The final use time is the initial value (0 in FIG. 10 ), and the number of the oldest chambers in each processing zone PZ is 8. The number of effective chambers in each processing zone PZ is eight. In a process applied to a plurality of substrates W, all the processing units MPC1 to MPC24 are designated as parallel processing units.

When the substrate processing apparatus 1 is initialized, the final use time of all the units is also initialized, and an initial value (for example, 0) is registered as the unit final use time of all the processing units MPC1 to MPC24. When the final use time of the unit is a value other than the initial value, use the transport time to correct the final use time of the unit, but when the final time of the unit is the initial value, register the initial value as the corrected final use time of the unit. In the example shown in FIG. 10A , since the final use times of the correction units of all the processing units MPC1 to MPC24 are initial values, the final use times of all areas are initial values (0 in FIG. 10A ).

When the processing area PZ for processing the first substrate W is selected, the scheduling function unit 65 searches all the processing areas PZ1 to PZ3 for the processing area PZ with the earliest area final use time, and confirms whether the plurality of processing areas PZ are included in the candidate areas (Fig. Step S34 of 8, the first retrieval step). When there is only one candidate area, that is, when only the processing area PZ with the earliest final use time of one area is found (step S34 in FIG. 8 : NO), the processing area PZ is selected for the first substrate W (Step S35 in FIG. 8, area selection step). In the example shown in FIG. 10A , since the final use time of all areas is the initial value, all the processing areas PZ1 to PZ3 correspond to the processing area PZ with the earliest area final use time.

When the processing area PZ with the earliest final use time of the plurality of areas is found (step S34 in FIG. 8: YES), the scheduling function unit 65 searches the plurality of processing areas PZ included in the candidate area for the availability rate ((( The number of oldest chambers/number of effective chambers)×100) is the largest processing area PZ, and it is checked whether a plurality of processing areas PZ corresponding to the search conditions are included in the candidate area (step S36 in FIG. 8 , the second search step) . When there is only one processing zone PZ seen, that is, when there is one processing zone PZ with the largest input rate (step S36 in FIG. 8 : NO), the processing is selected for the first substrate W Area PZ (step S37 in FIG. 8, area selection step and selection step). In the example shown in FIG. 10A , since the final use time of all the units is the initial value, all the processing areas PZ1 to PZ3 correspond to the processing area PZ with the highest availability rate.

When a plurality of processing areas PZ with the largest input rate are found (step S36 in FIG. 8 : Yes), the scheduling function unit 65 selects the plurality of processing areas PZ included in the candidate area for the first substrate W The processing area PZ with the smallest area number (ie, the highest priority added in advance) is the processing area PZ (step S38 in FIG. 8 , the area selection step, the third search step, and the selection step). In the example shown in FIG. 10A , the first processing zone PZ1 with the smallest zone number is selected as the processing zone PZ for processing the first substrate W. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10B , the number of the oldest chambers in the first processing zone PZ1 is reduced from 8 to 7, and the availability ratio of the first processing zone PZ1 is reduced to 87.5% ((7/8)×100).

When the scheduling for the first substrate W is completed, the schedule function unit 65 estimates the time at which the first substrate W ends, and registers the estimated time as the unit final use time of the processing unit MPC that processes the first substrate W. in the memory unit 63 . After that, the scheduling function unit 65 subtracts the transfer time to the processing unit MPC from the unit final use time of the processing unit MPC that processes the first substrate W, and registers the obtained value (time) as the corrected unit final use time. in the memory unit 63 . That is, for the processing unit MPC that processes the first substrate W, the new unit final use time and the corrected unit final use time are registered in the memory unit 63 . Also for the second and subsequent substrates W, when the scheduling is completed, the new unit final use time and the corrected unit final use time are registered in the memory unit 63 for the processing unit MPC selected for processing the substrate W.

When the scheduling for the first substrate W is completed, the unit final use time and the corrected unit final use time of the processing unit MPC that processes the first substrate W are changed to values other than the initial values. The area final use time is the earliest time among the correction unit final use times of all the processing units MPC belonging to the same processing area PZ. Even if the final use time of the correction unit of the processing unit MPC processing the first substrate W is changed, the final use time of the correction unit of the other processing units MPC belonging to the same processing area PZ as the processing unit MPC is still the initial value. Therefore, the final use time of the area of the processing area PZ to which the processing unit MPC processing the first substrate W belongs is still the initial value.

When selecting the processing area PZ for processing the second substrate W, any one of the three processing areas PZ is selected in the same manner as described above. In the example shown in FIG. 10B , the area final use time of each processing area PZ is the initial value, but since the second processing area PZ2 and the third processing area PZ3 correspond to the processing area PZ with the largest input rate, they are used for the second substrate W to select the second processing zone PZ2 with the smallest zone number. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10C , the number of the oldest chambers in the second processing zone PZ2 is reduced from 8 to 7, and the availability ratio of the second processing zone PZ2 is reduced to 87.5% ((7/8)×100).

When selecting the processing area PZ for processing the third substrate W, any one of the three processing areas PZ is selected in the same manner as described above. In the example shown in FIG. 10C , the final use time of each processing zone PZ is the initial value, but the third processing zone PZ3 is selected for the third substrate W because the availability rate of the third processing zone PZ3 is the highest. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10D , the number of the oldest chambers in the third processing zone PZ3 is reduced from 8 to 7, and the availability ratio of the third processing zone PZ3 is reduced to 87.5% ((7/8)×100).

When selecting the processing area PZ for processing the fourth substrate W, any one of the three processing areas PZ is selected in the same manner as described above. In the example shown in FIG. 10D , the area final use time of each processing area PZ is the initial value, and since the available input rate is equal among the three processing areas PZ, the first processing with the smallest area number is selected for the fourth substrate W Zone PZ1. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10E , the number of the oldest chambers in the first processing zone PZ1 is reduced from 7 to 6, and the availability ratio of the first processing zone PZ1 is reduced to 75% ((6/8)×100).

Also in the processing region PZ for processing the fifth and subsequent substrates W, any one of the three processing regions PZ is selected in the same manner as described above. If a schedule table using all the processing cells MPC belonging to the same processing zone PZ is created, the cell final use time and the corrected cell final use time are changed to values other than the initial values for each processing cell MPC belonging to the processing zone PZ. In this case, the scheduling function unit 65 registers the earliest time in the final use of the correction unit of all the processing units MPC belonging to the processing area PZ in the memory unit 63 as the area final use time. Thereby, the area final use time is changed to a value other than the initial value.

11A to 11E show that as shown in FIG. 9B , the four processing units MPC5 to MPC8 belonging to the first processing area PZ1 are disabled (unusable) for maintenance, and all other processing units MPC1 to MP4 and MPC9 to MPC24 An example of the transition of the usage history data 82 in the memory section 63 in the state of being usable (valid) and initialized, in the case of performing the scheduling of a plurality of substrates W applying the same process.

As shown in FIG. 11A , before the scheduling of the first substrate W is performed, the availability rate of each processing area PZ is 100%, and the final use time of each processing area PZ is the initial value (0 in FIG. 11 ). The number of the oldest chambers in the first processing zone PZ1 is four, and the number of the oldest chambers in the second processing zone PZ2 and the third processing zone PZ3 is eight. The number of effective chambers in the first processing zone PZ1 is four, and the number of effective chambers in the second processing zone PZ2 and the third processing zone PZ3 is eight. In a process applied to a plurality of substrates W, all the processing units MPC1 to MPC24 are designated as parallel processing units.

When the processing zone PZ for processing the first substrate W is selected, as shown in FIG. 11A , the final use time of the zone is the initial value in any processing zone PZ, and the available input rate is equal among the three processing zones PZ, so the schedule is The function unit 65 selects the first processing zone PZ1 with the smallest zone number as the processing zone PZ for processing the first substrate W, and performs a schedule for processing the first substrate W in the first processing zone PZ1. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11B , the number of the oldest chambers in the first processing zone PZ1 is reduced from 4 to 3, and the availability ratio of the first processing zone PZ1 is reduced to 75% ((3/4)×100).

When the processing zone PZ for processing the second substrate W is selected, as shown in FIG. 11B , the final use time of the zone is the initial value in any processing zone PZ, due to the availability ratio of the second processing zone PZ2 and the third processing zone PZ3 Therefore, the scheduling function part 65 selects the second processing zone PZ2 with the smallest zone number for the second substrate W. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11C , the number of the oldest chambers in the second processing zone PZ2 is reduced from 8 to 7, and the availability ratio of the second processing zone PZ2 is reduced to 87.5% ((7/8)×100).

When the processing zone PZ for processing the third substrate W is selected, as shown in FIG. 11C , the final use time of the zone is the initial value in any processing zone PZ. Since the availability rate of the third processing zone PZ3 is the highest, the scheduling function The part 65 is used for the third substrate W to select the third processing zone PZ3. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11D , the number of the oldest chambers in the third processing zone PZ3 is reduced from 8 to 7, and the availability ratio of the third processing zone PZ3 is reduced to 87.5% ((7/8)×100).

When selecting the processing zone PZ for processing the fourth substrate W, as shown in FIG. 11D , the final use time of the zone is the initial value in any processing zone PZ, because the availability ratio of the second processing zone PZ2 and the third processing zone PZ3 Therefore, the scheduling function part 65 selects the second processing zone PZ2 with the smallest zone number for the fourth substrate W. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11E , the number of the oldest chambers in the second processing zone PZ2 is reduced from 7 to 6, and the availability ratio of the second processing zone PZ2 is reduced to 75% ((6/8)×100).

When the processing zone PZ for processing the fifth substrate W is selected, as shown in FIG. 11E , the final use time of the zone is the initial value in any processing zone PZ. Since the availability rate of the third processing zone PZ3 is the highest, the scheduling function The portion 65 is used for the fourth substrate W to select the third processing region PZ3. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11F , the number of the oldest chambers in the third processing zone PZ3 is reduced from 7 to 6, and the availability ratio of the third processing zone PZ3 is reduced to 75% ((6/8)×100).

FIG. 12 shows an example of the unit final use time, the transfer time, and the corrected unit final use time after the final use time of all units is changed to a value other than the initial value.

FIG. 12 shows an example in which the first to third substrates W are loaded into the processing units MPC1 , MPC9 , and MPC17 in the order of the processing unit MPC1 , the processing unit MPC9 , and the processing unit MPC17 . In the example shown in Figure 12, the final use time of the unit of the processing unit MPC1 is 12:00:00, the final use time of the unit of the processing unit MPC9 is 12:00:15, and the final use time of the unit of the processing unit MPC17 is 12:00 30 seconds.

12 shows an example in which the transport time of the first processing zone PZ1 is 10 seconds, the transport time of the second processing zone PZ2 is 15 seconds, and the transport time of the third processing zone PZ3 is 15 seconds. The transfer time of each processing area PZ is registered in the transfer time data 83 (see FIG. 5 ) (transfer time registration step). Although the processing unit MPC1 and the processing unit MPC2 belong to the first processing zone PZ1, strictly speaking, the distance from the load port LP to the processing unit MPC1 is different from the distance from the load port LP to the processing unit MPC2. Therefore, strictly speaking, the conveyance time for the substrate W to be conveyed to the processing unit MPC1 is different from the conveyance time for the substrate W to be conveyed to the processing unit MPC2. However, in the example shown in FIG. 12 , if the processing units MPC belong to the same processing area PZ, the transfer time is considered to be approximately equal, and one transfer time is registered to all the processing units MPC belonging to the same processing area PZ.

The schedule function unit 65 subtracts the transfer time of the first processing area PZ1 from the unit final use time of the processing unit MPC1, and registers the resulting value (time) as the corrected unit final use time of the processing unit MPC1. Specifically, the schedule function unit 65 registers 11:59:50 (12:00:00-10 seconds) as the correction unit final use time of the processing unit MPC1. Similarly, the schedule function unit 65 registers 12:00:00 (12:00:15-15 seconds) as the correction unit final use time of the processing unit MPC9, and registers 12:00:15 (12:00 30 seconds-15 seconds) is registered as the final use time of the correction unit of the processing unit MPC17.

Next, the scheduling function unit 65 registers the earliest time among the correction unit final use times of all valid processing units MPC belonging to the same processing area PZ as the area final use time of the processing area PZ in the memory unit 63 (area final use time). time-specific steps). In the case illustrated in FIG. 12 , the final use time of the correction unit of the processing unit MPC1 is the earliest among the final use times of the correction units of the processing units MPC1 to MPC8. In addition, in the case shown in FIG. 12 , the final use time of the correction unit of the processing unit MPC9 is the earliest among the final use times of the correction units of the processing units MPC9 to MPC16, and the final use time of the correction unit of the processing unit MPC17 is between the processing units MPC17 to MPC24. The correction unit is the earliest in the final use time. Therefore, the scheduling function unit 65 registers the final use time of the correction unit of the processing unit MPC1 as the area final use time of the first processing area PZ1, and registers the correction unit final use time of the processing unit MPC9 as the area final use time of the second processing area PZ2 The use time is registered as the final use time of the correction unit of the processing unit MPC17 as the area final use time of the first processing area PZ1.

FIGS. 13A to 13E show an example of the transition of the usage history data 82 in the memory section 63 in the case where the scheduling of a plurality of substrates W applying the same process is performed after the final usage time of all cells is changed to a value other than the initial value.

As shown in FIG. 13A , before the scheduling of the first substrate W, the input rate of each processing zone PZ is 12.5 ((1/8)×100), and the final use time of each processing zone PZ is the initial value Other than the different values, the number of the oldest chambers in each processing zone PZ is 1. The number of effective chambers in each processing zone PZ is eight. In a process applied to a plurality of substrates W, all the processing units MPC1 to MPC24 are designated as parallel processing units.

Fig. 13A shows that the last use time of the first processing zone PZ1 is 12:00:00, the last use time of the second processing zone PZ2 is 12:00:30, and the last use time of the third processing zone PZ3 It is 12:01:00. When selecting the processing zone PZ for processing the first substrate W, as shown in FIG. 13A , since the final use time of the first processing zone PZ1 is the earliest, the scheduling function unit 65 selects the first processing zone PZ1 as the first processing zone PZ1 The processing zone PZ of the substrate W.

13B shows an example of processing the first substrate W with the processing unit MPC having the earliest correction unit final use time among all the processing units MPC1 to MPC8 belonging to the first processing zone PZ1. Therefore, the area final use time of the first processing area PZ1 is changed to a time different from the time before the scheduling of the first substrate W is performed. FIG. 13B shows an example in which the area final use time of the first processing area PZ1 is changed from 12:00:00 to 12:01:30.

When selecting the processing zone PZ for processing the second substrate W, as shown in FIG. 13B , since the last use time (12:00:30) of the second processing zone PZ2 is the earliest, the scheduler function unit 65 selects the second processing The area PZ2, as the processing area PZ for processing the second substrate W, is prepared by modifying the schedule table for processing the substrate W by the processing unit MPC with the earliest unit final use time among all the processing units MPC9 to MPC16 belonging to the second processing area PZ2. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13C , the area final use time of the second processing area PZ2 is updated from 12:00:30 to 12:02:00.

When selecting the processing zone PZ for processing the third substrate W, as shown in FIG. 13C , since the last use time (12:01:00 sec) of the third processing zone PZ3 is the earliest, the scheduling function unit 65 selects the third processing The area PZ3 is used as the processing area PZ for processing the third substrate W, and a schedule table for processing the substrate W by the processing unit MPC whose final use time of the correction unit is the earliest among all the processing units MPC17 to MPC24 belonging to the third processing area PZ3 is created. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13D , the area final use time of the third processing area PZ3 is updated from 12:01:00 to 12:02:30.

When selecting the processing zone PZ for processing the fourth substrate W, as shown in FIG. 13D , since the last use time (12:01:30) of the zone in the first processing zone PZ1 is the earliest, the scheduling function unit 65 selects the first processing The area PZ1, as the processing area PZ for processing the fourth substrate W, is prepared by modifying the schedule table for processing the substrate W by the processing unit MPC with the earliest unit final use time among all the processing units MPC1 to MPC8 belonging to the first processing area PZ1. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13E , the area final use time of the first processing area PZ1 is updated from 12:01:30 to 12:03:00.

In the processing area PZ for processing the fifth and subsequent substrates W, similarly to the above, the processing area PZ with the earliest final use time of the area is selected from the three processing areas PZ. However, if there are a plurality of processing areas PZ with the earliest final use time, the processing area PZ with the highest availability rate is selected from among them. However, when there are still a plurality of processing areas PZ remaining, the processing area PZ with the smallest area number among the remaining plurality of processing areas PZ is selected.

Next, the schedule in the case where the processing time of the substrate W is reduced will be described.

First, the schedule of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 14A to 14F and FIGS. 15A to 15B , and thereafter, the schedule of the first comparative example will be described with reference to FIGS. 16A to 16F and FIG. 17 .

FIGS. 14A to 14F are tables showing an example of the availability rate, the area final use time, the number of oldest chambers, and the number of effective chambers in the first embodiment. FIGS. 14A to 14F show the second process of processing the substrates W by applying the second processing time shorter than the first processing time after the scheduling of the plurality of substrates W using the first process using the first processing time to process the substrates W is performed. In the case of scheduling of a plurality of substrates W, it is an example of the transition of the usage history data 82 in the memory unit 63 .

As shown in FIG. 14A , before the scheduling of the first substrate W, the availability rate of each processing zone PZ is 100% ((8/8)×100), and the final use time of each processing zone PZ is the initial value (0 in FIG. 14A ), the number of oldest chambers in each processing zone PZ is 8. The number of effective chambers in each processing zone PZ is eight. The final use time of each unit is the initial value. In the first process and the second process, all the processing units MPC1 to MPC24 are designated as parallel processing units. The first processing time specified in the first process is, for example, 240 seconds, and the second processing time specified in the second process is, for example, 60 seconds.

When selecting the processing area PZ of the first substrate W to which the first process is applied, as shown in FIG. 14A , since the final use time of the area is the initial value in any processing area PZ, the available input rate is among the three processing areas PZ. Therefore, the scheduling function unit 65 selects the first processing zone PZ1 with the smallest zone number as the processing zone PZ for processing the first substrate W. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14B , the number of the oldest chambers in the first processing zone PZ1 is reduced from 8 to 7, and the availability ratio of the first processing zone PZ1 is reduced to 87.5% ((7/8)×100).

When selecting the processing area PZ of the second substrate W to which the first process is applied, as shown in FIG. 14B , since the final use time of the area is the initial value of any processing area PZ, the second processing area PZ2 and the third processing area Since PZ3 has the highest input rate, the scheduling function unit 65 selects the second processing area PZ2 with the smallest area number for the second substrate W. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14C , the number of the oldest chambers in the second processing zone PZ2 is reduced from 8 to 7, and the availability ratio of the second processing zone PZ2 is reduced to 87.5% ((7/8)×100).

When selecting the processing area PZ of the third substrate W of the second process whose processing time is different from that of the first process, as shown in FIG. 14C , since the final use time of the area is the initial value in any processing area PZ, the third The processing area PZ3 has the highest input rate, so the scheduling function unit 65 selects the third processing area PZ3 for the third substrate W. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14D , the number of the oldest chambers in the third processing zone PZ3 is reduced from 8 to 7, and the availability ratio of the third processing zone PZ3 is reduced to 87.5% ((7/8)×100).

When selecting the processing area PZ of the fourth substrate W in which the second process is applied, as shown in FIG. 14D , since the final use time of the area is the initial value in any processing area PZ, the available input rate is among the three processing areas PZ. Therefore, the scheduling function unit 65 selects the first processing zone PZ1 with the smallest zone number as the processing zone PZ for processing the fourth substrate W. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14E , the number of the oldest chambers in the first processing zone PZ1 is reduced from 7 to 6, and the availability ratio of the first processing zone PZ1 is reduced to 75% ((6/8)×100).

When selecting the processing area PZ of the fifth substrate W to which the second process is applied, as shown in FIG. 14E, since the final use time of the area is the initial value in any processing area PZ, the second processing area PZ2 and the third processing area The input rate of PZ3 is the highest, so the scheduling function part 65 selects the second processing area PZ2 with the smallest area number for the fifth substrate W. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14F , the number of the oldest chambers in the second processing zone PZ2 is reduced from 7 to 6, and the availability ratio of the second processing zone PZ2 is reduced to 75% ((6/8)×100).

15A and 15B are timing charts showing the schedule table of the first embodiment. FIG. 15A shows an example of a schedule table after the first to second substrates W1 to W2 of the first process of processing the substrate W by applying the first processing time are scheduled. In the example shown in FIG. 15A , a schedule is created such that the first substrate W1 is processed by the processing unit MPC1 in the first processing zone PZ1 and the second substrate W2 is processed by the processing unit MPC9 in the second processing zone PZ2 .

FIG. 15B shows an example of a schedule table after performing the scheduling of the third to sixth substrates W3 to W6 of the second process of processing the substrate W by applying the second processing time. In the example shown in FIG. 15B , a schedule is created such that the processing unit MPC17 in the third processing zone PZ3 processes the third substrate W3 and the processing unit MPC2 in the first processing zone PZ1 processes the fourth substrate W4. 15B , a schedule is created such that the processing unit MPC10 in the second processing zone PZ2 processes the fifth substrate W5 and the processing unit MPC18 in the third processing zone PZ3 processes the sixth substrate W6.

As shown in FIG. 15B , if the final use time of the area representing the earliest time among the correction unit final use times of all the processing units MPC belonging to the same processing area PZ is given priority first, and the processing area PZ is selected, not only the processing time of the substrate W is different, In the case of the change, when the processing time of the substrate W is reduced, all the processing regions PZ1 to PZ3 can be equally selected, and the empty processing unit MPC can be effectively selected. Therefore, compared to the case where the processing zone PZ is selected with priority given to the area usage rate as described later, the operation rate of the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be improved.

Next, the schedule of the first comparative example will be described with reference to FIGS. 16A to 16F and FIG. 17 .

Hereinafter, an example in which the processing area PZ of the processing substrate W is selected based on the area usage rate rather than the area final use time will be described. The area usage rate is a value obtained by dividing the time required for processing the substrate W by the number of effective (available) processing units MPC in the processing area PZ processing the substrate W. If the time required for processing the substrate W is 240 seconds, and the number of effective processing units MPC belonging to the processing area PZ processing the substrate W is 3, the area utilization rate is 80 (=240/3).

16A to 16F do not mean the earliest time of the final use time of the correction unit of all the processing units MPC belonging to a certain processing area PZ, but mean the time of the final use of all the processing units MPC belonging to a certain processing area PZ. The latest time in the final use time of the unit. Therefore, if a schedule table for processing the substrate W by one processing unit MPC belonging to a certain processing zone PZ is created, the final use time of the cells of the other processing units MPC belonging to the processing zone PZ is the initial value, and the processing zone PZ is The area final use time is also changed to the unit final use time of the processing unit MPC that processes the substrate W.

16A to 16F are tables showing an example of the area usage rate, the area final use time, and the number of effective chambers in the first comparative example. FIGS. 16A to 16F show the second process of processing the substrates W by applying the second processing time shorter than the first processing time after the scheduling of a plurality of substrates W using the first process using the first processing time to process the substrates W is performed. An example of the transition of the usage history data 82 in the memory section 63 in the case of scheduling of a plurality of substrates W.

As shown in FIG. 16A , before the scheduling of the first substrate W is performed, the area usage rate of each processing area PZ is 0, the final use time of the area is the initial value (0 in FIG. 16A ), and the effective area of each processing area PZ The number of chambers is 3. In the first process and the second process, all the processing units MPC1 to MPC24 are designated as parallel processing units. The first processing time specified by the first process is, for example, 240 seconds, and the second processing time specified by the second process is, for example, 60 seconds.

When the processing zone PZ of the first substrate W to which the first process is applied is selected, as shown in FIG. 16A , since the zone usage rate is 0 in any processing zone PZ, the final use time of the zone is 0 in any processing zone PZ As the initial value, the scheduling function unit 65 selects the first processing zone PZ1 with the smallest zone number as the processing zone PZ for processing the first substrate W. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 16B , the area usage rate of the first processing area PZ1 increases. FIG. 16B shows an example in which the first processing time is 240 seconds, and the area usage rate of the first processing area PZ1 is increased from 0 to 80 (=240/3).

When the processing area PZ of the second substrate W to which the first process is applied is selected, as shown in FIG. 16B , since the area usage rate of the second processing area PZ2 and the third processing area ZP3 is 0, the second processing area PZ2 and the third processing area 3. The final use time of the processing zone PZ3 is the initial value, so the scheduling function unit 65 selects the second processing zone PZ2 with the smallest zone number as the processing zone PZ for processing the second substrate W. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 16C, the area usage rate of the second processing area PZ2 increases. FIG. 16C shows an example in which the first processing time is 240 seconds, and the area usage rate of the second processing area PZ2 is increased from 0 to 80 (=240/3).

When selecting the processing area PZ of the third substrate W in the second process whose processing time is different from that of the first process, as shown in FIG. 16C , since the area usage rate of the third processing area PZ3 is the smallest, the scheduling function unit 65 The third processing zone PZ3 is selected as the processing zone PZ for processing the third substrate W. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 16D, the area usage rate of the third processing area PZ3 increases. FIG. 16D shows an example in which the second processing time is 60 seconds, and the area usage rate of the second processing area PZ2 is increased from 0 to 20 (=60/3).

When the processing area PZ of the fourth substrate W to which the second process is applied is selected, as shown in FIG. 16D, since the area usage rate of the third processing area PZ3 is still the smallest, the scheduling function unit 65 selects the third processing area PZ3, As the processing area PZ in which the fourth substrate W is processed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 16E, the area usage rate of the third processing area PZ3 increases. FIG. 16E shows an example in which the area usage rate of the second processing area PZ2 is increased to 40 (=120/3).

When the processing area PZ of the fifth substrate W to which the second process is applied is selected, as shown in FIG. 16E, since the area usage rate of the third processing area PZ3 is still the smallest, the scheduling function unit 65 selects the third processing area PZ3, As the processing area PZ for processing the fifth substrate W. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 16F, the area usage rate of the third processing area PZ3 increases. FIG. 16F shows an example in which the area usage rate of the second processing area PZ2 is increased to 60 (=180/3).

When the processing area PZ of the sixth substrate W to which the second process is applied is selected, as shown in FIG. 16F, since the area usage rate of the third processing area PZ3 is still the smallest, the scheduling function unit 65 selects the third processing area PZ3, As the processing zone PZ for processing the sixth substrate W. Therefore, the area usage rate of the third processing area PZ3 increases. Specifically, the area usage rate of the second processing area PZ2 is increased to 80 (=240/3). Thereby, the area usage rate of the third processing area PZ3 is equal to the area usage rates of the first processing area PZ1 and the second processing area PZ2.

FIG. 17 is a timing chart showing the schedule table after the processing area PZ is selected and the third to sixth substrates W3 to W6 are scheduled with priority given to the area utilization rate at the beginning.

As described above, when the processing zone PZ is selected based on the zone usage rate, the third processing zone PZ3 is selected for the sixth substrate W6. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 17 , even if there are vacant processing units MPC in the first processing area PZ1 and the second processing area PZ2, the sixth substrate W6 is processed by the processing unit MPC17 belonging to the third processing area PZ3. Make a schedule. Therefore, when the sixth substrate W6 is processed in the first processing zone PZ1 or the second processing zone PZ2, the conveyance of the sixth substrate W6 can be started immediately, but the third processing zone PZ3 is used to process the sixth substrate W6. In this case, the start of conveyance must be delayed until the processing unit MPC17 finishes processing the third substrate W3.

As can be seen by comparing FIG. 17 and FIG. 15B , in any case, the third substrate W3 is scheduled to be processed by the processing unit MPC17 , but in the example of FIG. 15B , the fourth substrate is processed by the processing unit MPC2 W4, the processing unit MPC10 processes the fifth substrate W5 to create a schedule. Furthermore, in the example shown in FIG. 15B , the schedule table is created so that the sixth substrate W6 is processed by the processing unit MPC17 . Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 15B , since the empty processing unit MPC is efficiently selected, the transfer delay shown in FIG. 17 can be prevented, and the operation rate of the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be improved.

Next, a description will be given of a schedule in a case where the processing time of the substrate W is reduced after the processing of the substrate W is scheduled by all the effective processing units MPC.

First, the schedule of the second embodiment will be described, and then, the schedule of the second comparative example will be described.

FIG. 18 is a table showing an example of the final use time of the unit, the transfer time, and the corrected final use time of the unit in the second embodiment. 19A to 19D are timing charts showing the schedule table of the second embodiment.

FIGS. 19A to 19B show an example of the schedule table after performing the schedule of the first to eleventh substrates W1 to W11 of the first process of processing the substrate W by applying the first processing time. FIG. 19A shows a schedule until the processing of the first substrate W1 ends, and FIG. 19B shows a continuation of FIG. 19A .

FIG. 19C shows an example of the schedule table after performing the schedule of the 12th substrate W12 in the second process of processing the substrate W by applying the second processing time. FIG. 19D shows an example of the schedule table after performing the schedule of the 13th to 15th substrates W13 to W15 of the second process of processing the substrate W by applying the second processing time.

FIGS. 19A to 19D show processing units MPC1 , MPC2 , MPC3 , MPC9 , MPC10 , MPC11 , MPC17 , MPC18 and MPC19 as examples of valid processing units MPC. Therefore, the number of effective chambers in each processing zone PZ is three. In the first process and the second process, all the processing units MPC1 to MPC24 are designated as parallel processing units. The first processing time specified by the first process is, for example, 240 seconds, and the second processing time specified by the second process is, for example, 60 seconds.

Before the scheduling of the first substrate W, the availability rate of each processing zone PZ is 100% ((3/3)×100), the final use time of each processing zone PZ is the initial value, and each processing zone PZ The oldest chamber number is 3. The situation before the scheduling of the first substrate W is substantially the same as the example described with reference to FIGS. 10A to 10E . Therefore, the scheduling of the first to eleventh substrates W1 to W11 is performed in the same manner as in the example described with reference to FIGS. 10A to 10E .

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 19A , the schedule table is created such that the first substrate W1 is processed by the processing unit MPC1, the second substrate W2 is processed by the processing unit MPC9, and the third substrate W3 is processed by the processing unit MPC17. . Furthermore, the schedule table is created so that the fourth substrate W4 is processed by the processing unit MPC2, the fifth substrate W5 is processed by the processing unit MPC10, and the sixth substrate W6 is processed by the processing unit MPC18. Furthermore, the schedule table is created such that the seventh substrate W7 is processed by the processing unit MPC1, the eighth substrate W8 is processed by the processing unit MPC9, and the ninth substrate W9 is processed by the processing unit MPC17.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 19B , the schedule table is created so that the tenth substrate W10 is processed by the processing unit MPC1 , and the eleventh substrate W11 is processed by the processing unit MPC9 . That is, after processing the first substrate W1 by the processing unit MPC1, the tenth substrate W10 is processed by the processing unit MPC1. After the second substrate W2 is processed by the processing unit MPC9, the eleventh substrate W11 is processed by the processing unit MPC9. In this manner, a schedule for processing the first to eleventh substrates W1 to W11 is created.

The lower part of FIG. 19B shows the cell final use times (times T1 to T7 ) of each processing unit MPC after the schedule table for processing the eleventh substrate W11 is produced. The final use time of the unit of the processing unit MPC1 at the time point when the schedule table for processing the 11th substrate W11 is made is time T6, the final use time of the unit of the processing unit MPC2 at this time point is time T1, and the unit of the processing unit MPC3 at this time point is the final use time. The use time is time T3. The earliest time among these is time T1.

FIG. 18 shows the unit final use time, the transfer time and the corrected unit final use time of all the effective processing units MPC at the time of making the schedule table for processing the 11th substrate W11 . The transfer time of the first processing zone PZ1 to which the processing units MPC1, MPC2 and MPC3 belong is the transfer time t1. Therefore, the final use time of the correction unit of the processing unit MPC1 is time T6-transfer time t1, the final use time of the correction unit of the processing unit MPC2 is time T1-transfer time t1, and the final use time of the correction unit of the processing unit MPC3 is time T3-transfer time time t1. The earliest time among these is time T1 - transfer time t1.

The final use time of the units of the processing unit MPC9 is time T7, the final use time of the units of the processing unit MPC10 is time T2, and the final use time of the units of the processing unit MPC11 is time T4. As shown in FIG. 19B, the earliest of these is time T2. The transfer time of the second processing zone PZ2 to which the processing unit MPC9, the processing unit MPC10, and the processing unit MPC11 belong is the transfer time t2. Therefore, the final use time of the correction unit of the processing unit MPC9 is time T7-transfer time t2, the correction unit final use time of the processing unit MPC10 is time T2-transfer time t2, and the correction unit of the processing unit MPC11 The final use time is time T4-transfer time time t2. The earliest time among these is time T2 - transfer time t2.

The final use time of the units of the processing unit MPC17 is time T1, the final use time of the units of the processing unit MPC18 is time T3, and the final use time of the units of the processing unit MPC19 is time T5. As shown in FIG. 19B, the earliest of these is time T2. The transfer time of the second processing zone PZ2 to which the processing unit MPC17, the processing unit MPC18, and the processing unit MPC19 belong is the transfer time t2. Therefore, the final use time of the correction unit of the processing unit MPC17 is time T1-conveyance time t2, the final use time of the correction unit of the processing unit MPC18 is time T3-transfer time t2, and the final use time of the correction unit of the processing unit MPC19 is time T5-transfer time t2. The earliest time among these is time T1 - transfer time t2.

As shown in FIG. 18 , the area final use time of the first processing area PZ1 at the time when the schedule table for processing the 11th substrate W11 is created is time T1-conveyance time t1. The area final use time of the second processing area PZ2 at this time is time T2 - transfer time t2. The area final use time of the third processing area PZ3 at this time is time T1 - transfer time t2. As shown in the vicinity of the left end of FIG. 19A, the conveyance time t1 is shorter than the conveyance time t2. Therefore, the area final use time (T1-S2) of the third processing area PZ3 is the earliest among the area final use times of the three processing areas PZ.

Since the area final use time of the third processing area PZ3 is the earliest among the area final use times of the three processing areas PZ, the scheduling function unit 65 selects the third processing area PZ3 for the twelfth substrate W12. FIG. 19C shows an example of scheduling so that the twelfth substrate W12 is processed by the processing unit MPC17 belonging to the third processing zone PZ3. In the case of this example, if a schedule for processing the twelfth substrate W12 is created, the cell final use time and the correction cell final use time of the processing unit MPC17 are updated, and the area final use time of the third processing zone PZ3 is updated.

19C , it can be seen that the processing time (second processing time) of the twelfth substrate W12 is shorter than the processing time (first processing time) of the first to eleventh substrates W1 to W11. That is, to the twelfth substrate W12, the second process of processing the substrate W is applied for the second processing time shorter than the first processing time. Similarly, the second process is also applied to the 13th to 15th substrates W13 to W15. 19D shows an example of scheduling such that the thirteenth substrate W13 is processed by the processing unit MPC2, the fourteenth substrate W14 is processed by the processing unit MPC10, and the fifteenth substrate W15 is processed by the processing unit MPC18.

Next, the schedule of the second comparative example will be described with reference to FIG. 20 .

FIG. 20 is a timing chart showing the schedule table of the second comparative example, which shows an example of the schedule table after the first priority is given to the area usage rate, the processing area PZ is selected, and the 12th to 15th substrates W12 to W15 are scheduled. .

In the second comparative example, the number of effective chambers or parallel processing units in each processing zone PZ is the same as that of the second embodiment. The first process is applied to the first to eleventh substrates W1 to W11, and the second process is applied to the 12th to 15th substrates W12 to W15. The schedule up to the eleventh substrate W11 is the same as that of the second embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 20 , if the processing area PZ selected not based on the area final use time but based on the area usage rate is selected, the twelfth substrate W12 will be processed in the third processing area PZ3 as in the second embodiment. way to create a schedule. FIG. 20 shows an example of scheduling so that the twelfth substrate W12 is processed by the processing unit MPC17.

On the other hand, when the selection of the processing area PZ is started for the thirteenth substrate W13, empty processing cells MPC (for example, processing unit MPC2 and processing unit MPC10) exist in the first processing area PZ1 and the second processing area PZ2, however, is scheduled so that the thirteenth substrate W13 is processed by the processing unit MPC18 belonging to the third processing zone PZ3. Similarly, the 14th substrate W14 is processed by the processing unit MPC19 belonging to the third processing zone PZ3, and the 15th substrate W15 is processed by the processing unit MPC17 belonging to the third processing zone PZ3.

20 shows that the indexer robot IR (refer to FIG. 1 ) simultaneously unloads the 14th to 15th substrates W14 to W15 from the carrier C on the load port LP, and simultaneously loads the 14th to 15th substrates W14 to W15 to the load port LP Example of Vehicle C above. The same applies to FIGS. 19A to 19D . In the example shown in FIG. 19D , the 14th to 15th substrates W14 to W15 are carried out from the carrier C at the carry-out time X1, and are carried into the carrier C at the carry-in time Y1. In the example shown in FIG. 20, the 14th-15th board|substrates W14-W15 are carried out from the carrier C at the carry-out time X2, and are carried in to the carrier C at the carry-in time Y2.

In the second embodiment and the second comparative example, although the 12th to 15th substrates W12 to W15 are processed by a plurality of processing units MPC under the same conditions, as shown in FIG. 19D , the unloading time X1 of the second embodiment is relatively The moving-out time X2 of the second comparative example is earlier by time Z1, and the moving-in time Y1 of the second embodiment is earlier than the moving-in time Y2 of the second comparative example by only time Z1. Therefore, in the second embodiment, three processing zones PZ can be equally selected, which not only improves the operation rate of the substrate processing apparatus 1 but also increases the number of processed substrates W per unit time compared with the second comparative example. Thereby, the throughput of the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be improved.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the processing area PZ is not selected based on the magnitude of the area usage rate, but one processing area PZ is selected from the plurality of processing areas PZ based on the area final use time. Then, one processing unit MPC is selected from the plurality of processing units MPC belonging to the selected processing area PZ. After that, the substrate W is transferred from the carrier C on the load port LP to the selected processing unit MPC by the indexer robot IR, the first main transfer robot CR1 and the second main transfer robot CR2 included in the substrate transfer system TS1. . Therefore, not only when the processing time of the substrate W does not change, but also when the processing time of the substrate W is reduced, a plurality of processing regions PZ can be equally selected, and all the processing units MPC1 to MPC1 to the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be generally used. MPC24. Thereby, the operation rate of the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be improved.

In addition, the area final use time is not based on the earliest unit final use time, but is specified based on the earliest corrected unit final use time. The corrected unit final use time is the unit final use time indicating the time when the processing unit MPC is used to process the substrate W at the end, minus the transfer time required to transfer the substrate W from the carrier C on the loading port LP to the processing unit MPC moment. Therefore, the transfer time difference between the plurality of processing zones PZ can be reduced, and only the processing zone PZ close to the load port LP can be avoided to be selected. Thereby, a plurality of processing regions PZ can be selected equally.

In the present embodiment, the same value is registered as the transfer time for a plurality of processing units MPC belonging to the same processing area PZ. Even if a plurality of processing units MPC belong to the same processing zone PZ, the transport distances are strictly different, and therefore the transport times are also strictly different. However, if the processing zones PZ to which they belong are the same, the difference in transfer time is extremely small, and the transfer time is approximately equal between the processing units MPC. Therefore, if the same value is registered as the transfer time for a plurality of processing units MPC belonging to the same processing zone PZ, the transfer time difference between the processing zones PZ can be reduced, and the setting of the transfer time can be simplified.

In the present embodiment, when there are a plurality of processing areas PZ with the earliest area final use time, the processing area PZ with the largest availability rate is selected from the processing areas PZ. This means that in most cases, the processing area PZ with the largest number of processing units MPC with the earliest unit final use time is selected. Before transferring the substrate W to the selected processing unit MPC, or when transferring the substrate W to the selected processing unit MPC, when an abnormality occurs in the processing unit MPC, another processing unit MPC needs to be reselected. In this case, if there is another processing unit MPC with the earliest unit final use time in the same processing area PZ, the processing unit MPC can be selected as the new processing unit MPC. Therefore, a new conveyance path of the substrate W can be changed and set relatively easily.

In the present embodiment, since all the processing units MPC can be commonly used, the devices provided in the processing unit MPC such as the rotary chuck 33 and the scraping member 37, etc., can be used equally, or the chemical liquid nozzle 34 can be fed with the chemical liquid. Pumps, etc., devices, etc. associated with the processing unit MPC. Therefore, the degree of consumption of these consumables can be averaged, and the frequency of maintenance can be reduced. Thereby, the operation rate of the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be further improved.

In the first and second embodiments, an example in which the processing time of the substrate W is reduced from the first processing time to the second processing time has been described. In such a case, since one processing area PZ is selected from the plurality of processing areas PZ also based on the area final use time, it is possible to select a plurality of processing areas PZ equally compared to the case where the processing area PZ is selected based on the magnitude relationship of the area usage rate. A processing zone PZ. Therefore, even if the conveyance paths and processing times of the substrates W are different, all the processing units MPC can be generally used, and the operation rate of the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be further improved.

Other implementation forms

The present invention is not limited to the contents of the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made.

For example, the processing area PZ may be classified based on the conveyance distance instead of the conveyance time.

The number of processing units MPC belonging to the same processing zone PZ may also be different among the three processing zones PZ.

The number of the processing regions PZ provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1 may be two or five or more. For example, the second processing area PZ2 and the third processing area PZ3 may be processed as one processing area PZ. Alternatively, the third processing area PZ3 may be omitted.

When the third processing zone PZ3 is omitted, the first main transfer robot CR1 can also carry in and unload the substrate W to all the processing units MPC belonging to the first processing zone PZ1 and the second processing zone PZ2. In this case, the second main transfer robot CR2 and the second delivery unit PASS2 are not required.

The conveyance time of the 2nd processing area PZ2 may be different from the conveyance time of the 3rd processing area PZ3, and may be equal to the conveyance time of the 1st processing area PZ1.

Instead of registering the same value as the transfer time for a plurality of processing units MPC belonging to the same processing area PZ, the transfer time may be registered for each processing unit MPC. That is, the transfer times registered in the plurality of processing units MPC belonging to the same processing area PZ may be different from each other.

When seeing the processing area with the earliest final use time of the plurality of areas (step S34 in FIG. 8 : Yes), the scheduling function unit can also search for the oldest chamber with the largest number of the processing areas included in the candidate area. The processing area PZ, rather than the processing area PZ with the largest available input rate.

When a plurality of processing areas with the earliest final use time are found (step S34 in FIG. 8 : Yes), the processing area PZ may also be selected based on the area number instead of the availability rate. Alternatively, an arbitrary processing area PZ may be selected from a plurality of processing areas PZ with the earliest area final use time.

Instead of correcting the final use time of the unit, use the final use time of the unit. Alternatively, instead of the final use time of the unit, the final use time of the unit can be corrected. For example, the area final use time is not based on the earliest modified unit final use time, but is specified based on the earliest unit final use time. When selecting the processing unit MPC for processing the substrate W, the earliest modification unit end-use time may also be given priority instead of the earliest area end-use time.

The processing unit MPC3 is not limited to the surface cleaning unit shown in FIG. 3 and the end surface cleaning unit shown in FIG. Other types of processing units such as back cleaning units. A plurality of processing units may be provided in one substrate processing apparatus 1 .

Two or more of the above-mentioned structures may be combined. It is also possible to combine two or more of all the above steps.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, these are only specific examples for clarifying the technical content of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these specific examples, and the spirit and scope of the present invention are only defined by The accompanying patent application is limited in scope.

1: Substrate processing device 2: Carrier Holder 3: Indexer part 4: Processing Department 5: conveying path 11: Hands 12: Multi-joint arm 13: Rotation axis 15: Substrate mounting table 21: Hands 22: Hands 23: Hand advance and retreat mechanism 24: Hand advance and retreat mechanism 25: Rotation axis 31: Processing Chamber 31a: Opening 31b: Separator 31c: Gate 32: Processing Cups 33: Rotary chuck 34: Liquid Nozzle 35: Cleaning fluid nozzle 36: Rotation axis 37: Scratch member 60: Computer 61: Control Department 62: Input and output part 63: Memory Department 64: host computer 65:Scheduling function department 66: Process execution instruction part 70: Program 71: Scheduler 72: Process execution program 80: Process work data 81: Schedule data 82: Use biographical information 83: Delivery time data C: vehicle CR1: 1st main transfer robot CR2: 2nd main transfer robot IR: Indexer Robot LP: Load port LP1~LP4: Load port M: recording medium MPC: Processing Unit MPC1~24: Processing unit PASS1: handover unit PASS2: handover unit PZ: Processing Zone PZ1: 1st processing zone PZ2: 2nd processing zone PZ3: 3rd processing zone S1~S20: Steps S31~S38: Steps t1: delivery time t2: delivery time TS1: Substrate Transfer System TW: Tower TW1~6: Tower W: substrate W1~15: Substrate X1: Move out moment X2: Move out moment Y1: Move in time Y2: Move in time

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the substrate processing apparatus in a vertical cross-section along the cutting line II-II shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining a configuration example of a processing unit. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining another configuration example of the processing unit. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the electrical configuration of the substrate processing apparatus. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing performed by a computer provided in the substrate processing apparatus. FIG. 7A is a timing diagram showing the provisional schedule created during scheduling. FIG. 7B is a timing diagram showing the provisional schedule created during scheduling. FIG. 7C is a timing diagram showing the provisional schedule created during scheduling. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the processing area selection process (step S3 in FIG. 6 ). FIG. 9A is a table showing an example of processing area data stored in the memory section of the computer. FIG. 9B is a table showing an example of processing area data stored in the memory section of the computer. FIG. 10A is a table showing an example of the availability rate, the final use time of the area, the number of the oldest chambers, and the number of effective chambers when the schedule table for the production of the first substrate is shown. FIG. 10B is a table showing an example of the availability rate, the final use time of the area, the number of the oldest chambers, and the number of effective chambers when the schedule table for the production of the second substrate is shown. FIG. 10C is a table showing an example of the availability rate, the final use time of the area, the number of the oldest chambers, and the number of effective chambers when the schedule table for the production of the third substrate is made. FIG. 10D is a table showing an example of the availability rate, the final use time of the area, the number of the oldest chambers, and the number of effective chambers when the schedule table for the production of the fourth substrate is made. FIG. 10E is a table showing an example of the availability rate, the final use time of the area, the number of the oldest chambers, and the number of effective chambers when the schedule table for the production of the fifth substrate is made. FIG. 11A shows the availability rate, the final use time of the area, the number of the oldest chambers, and the number of valid chambers when the schedule table for the first substrate is made when the four processing units belonging to the first processing area are invalid. An example table. FIG. 11B shows the availability rate, the final use time of the area, the number of the oldest chambers, and the number of valid chambers when the schedule table of the second substrate is made when the four processing units belonging to the first processing area are invalid. An example table. FIG. 11C shows the availability rate, the final use time of the area, the number of the oldest chambers, and the number of valid chambers when the schedule table of the third substrate is made when the four processing units belonging to the first processing area are invalid. An example table. 11D shows the availability rate, the final use time of the area, the number of the oldest chambers, and the number of valid chambers when the schedule table of the fourth substrate is made when the four processing units belonging to the first processing area are invalid An example table. FIG. 11E shows the availability rate, the final use time of the area, the number of the oldest chambers, and the number of valid chambers when the schedule table for the fifth substrate is made when the four processing units belonging to the first processing area are invalid. An example table. FIG. 11F shows the availability rate, the final use time of the area, the number of the oldest chambers, and the number of valid chambers when the schedule table for the sixth substrate is made when the four processing units belonging to the first processing area are invalid. An example table. FIG. 12 is a table showing an example of the final use time of the unit, the transfer time, and the corrected final use time of the unit after a schedule table using all the processing units is created. FIG. 13A is a table showing an example of the availability rate, the final use time of the area, the number of the oldest chambers, and the number of valid chambers when the schedule table for the first substrate is produced after the schedule table using all the processing units is produced. . FIG. 13B is a table showing an example of the availability rate, the final use time of the area, the number of the oldest chambers, and the number of valid chambers when the schedule table for the second substrate is produced after the schedule table using all the processing units is produced. . 13C is a table showing an example of the availability rate, the final use time of the area, the number of the oldest chambers, and the number of valid chambers when the schedule table for the third substrate is produced after the schedule table using all the processing units is produced . 13D is a table showing an example of the availability rate, the final use time of the area, the number of the oldest chambers, and the number of valid chambers when the schedule table for the fourth substrate is produced after the schedule table using all the processing units is produced . FIG. 13E is a table showing an example of the availability rate, the final use time of the area, the number of the oldest chambers, and the number of valid chambers when the schedule table for the fifth substrate is produced after the schedule table using all the processing units is produced. . FIG. 14A is a table showing an example of the availability rate, area end use time, the oldest chamber number, and the effective number of chambers in the first embodiment, and shows the state before the schedule for producing the first substrate. FIG. 14B is a table showing an example of the availability rate, area final use time, the oldest chamber number, and the effective number of chambers in the first embodiment, and shows the state before the schedule for producing the second substrate. FIG. 14C is a table showing an example of the available input rate, area final use time, the oldest chamber number, and the effective number of chambers in the first embodiment, and shows the state before the schedule for producing the third substrate. 14D is a table showing an example of the availability rate, area final use time, number of oldest chambers, and number of effective chambers in the first embodiment, and shows the state before the schedule for producing the fourth substrate. FIG. 14E is a table showing an example of the availability rate, area end-use time, number of oldest chambers, and number of effective chambers in the first embodiment, and shows the state before the schedule for producing the fifth substrate. FIG. 14F is a table showing an example of the availability rate, area end-use time, number of oldest chambers, and number of effective chambers in the first embodiment, and shows the state before the schedule for producing the sixth substrate. 15A is a timing chart showing the schedule table of the first embodiment, which is an example of the schedule table after performing the scheduling of the first to second substrates in the first process of processing the substrates using the first processing time. 15B is a timing chart showing the schedule table of the first embodiment, which is an example of the schedule table after performing the scheduling of the 3rd to 6th substrates in the second process of processing the substrates using the second processing time. FIG. 16A is a table showing an example of the area usage rate, the area final use time, and the number of effective chambers in the production of the first comparative example, and shows the state before the schedule for producing the first substrate. FIG. 16B is a table showing an example of the area usage rate, the area final use time, and the number of effective chambers in the production of the first comparative example, and shows the state before the schedule table for the production of the second substrate. 16C is a table showing an example of the area utilization rate, the area final use time, and the number of effective chambers in the production of the first comparative example, and shows the state before the schedule table for the production of the third substrate. 16D is a table showing an example of the area usage rate, the final use time of the area, and the number of effective chambers in the production of the first comparative example, and shows the state before the schedule table for the production of the fourth substrate. FIG. 16E is a table showing an example of the area usage rate, the final use time of the area, and the number of effective chambers in the production of the first comparative example, and shows the state before the schedule for producing the fifth substrate. FIG. 16F is a table showing an example of the area usage rate, the final use time of the area, and the number of effective chambers in the production of the first comparative example, and shows the state before the schedule for producing the sixth substrate. FIG. 17 is a timing chart showing the schedule table of the first comparative example, which is an example of the schedule table after the first priority is given to the area usage rate, the processing area is selected, and the third to sixth substrates are scheduled. FIG. 18 is a table showing an example of the final use time of the unit, the transfer time, and the corrected final use time of the unit in the second embodiment. 19A is a timing chart showing the schedule table of the second embodiment, which is an example of the schedule table after performing the scheduling of the 1st to 11th substrates in the first process of processing the substrates using the first processing time. FIG. 19B is a timing chart showing the schedule table of the second embodiment, and the display is continued from FIG. 19A . FIG. 19C is a timing chart showing the schedule table of the second embodiment, which is an example of the schedule table after performing the scheduling of the 12th substrate in the second process of processing the substrate by applying the second processing time. 19D is a timing chart showing the schedule table of the second embodiment, which is an example of the schedule table after performing the scheduling of the 13th to 15th substrates in the second process of processing the substrates using the second processing time. FIG. 20 is a timing chart showing the schedule table of the second comparative example, which is an example of the schedule table after the area usage rate is prioritized first, the processing area is selected, and the 12th to 15th substrates are scheduled.

S31~S38: Steps

Claims (11)

A substrate processing method, which is performed by a substrate processing apparatus, the substrate processing apparatus is provided with a plurality of processing units, and a substrate transport system is used to transport a substrate from a carrier on a loading port to the plurality of processing units, the plurality of processing units The processing unit is: a plurality of processing areas with different distances from the loading port are formed, and the substrate is processed; the substrate processing method includes the following steps: a unit final use time obtaining step, which is for each of the plurality of processing units. , obtaining the final use time of the unit representing the time when the processing unit is last used for processing the substrate; the calculation step of correcting the final use time of the unit, which is based on the final use time of a plurality of the above units obtained in the step of obtaining the final use time of the unit, and The transfer time of the plurality of processing units required to transfer the above-mentioned substrate from the above-mentioned carrier on the above-mentioned loading port to the above-mentioned processing unit, with respect to each of the above-mentioned plurality of processing units, is calculated from the above-mentioned unit of the above-mentioned processing units that represent the same The final use time of the correction unit at the time after the final use time minus the above-mentioned conveying time; the specific step of the area final use time, which is based on the plurality of the above-mentioned correction unit final use times obtained in the calculation step of the above-mentioned correction unit final use time. Each of the processing areas specifies the area final use time at the earliest among the correction unit final use times of the plurality of processing units belonging to the same processing area; the area selection step is based on the area final use time For the final use time of a plurality of the above-mentioned areas specified in the specific step, from the above-mentioned plurality of processing areas, select the above-mentioned processing area with the earliest final use time of the above-mentioned area; a unit selection step of selecting one of the above-mentioned processing units from among a plurality of the above-mentioned processing units belonging to the above-mentioned processing area selected in the above-mentioned area selection step; The above-mentioned carrier is conveyed to the above-mentioned processing unit selected in the above-mentioned unit selection step. A substrate processing method, which is performed by a substrate processing apparatus, the substrate processing apparatus is provided with a plurality of processing units, and a substrate transport system is used to transport a substrate from a carrier on a loading port to the plurality of processing units, the plurality of processing units The processing unit is: a plurality of processing areas with different distances from the loading port are formed, and the substrate is processed; the substrate processing method includes the following steps: a unit final use time obtaining step, which is for each of the plurality of processing units. , obtain the unit final use time indicating the time when the processing unit is last used for processing the substrate; the area final use time specific step, which is based on a plurality of the unit final use times obtained in the unit final use time acquisition step, on the above Each of the plurality of processing areas specifies the area final use time representing the earliest time of the above-mentioned unit final use times of the plurality of above-mentioned processing units belonging to the same above-mentioned processing area; the area selection step is based on the above-mentioned area final use time specifying In the step of specifying the final use time of a plurality of the above-mentioned areas, the above-mentioned processing area with the earliest final use time of the above-mentioned area is selected from the above-mentioned plurality of processing areas; in the unit selection step, it belongs to the above-mentioned processing area selected in the above-mentioned area selection step. Among a plurality of the above-mentioned processing units in the area, one of the above-mentioned processing units is selected; and a substrate transfer step, which enables the above-mentioned transfer system to transfer the above-mentioned substrates from the above-mentioned loading port. The carrier is conveyed to the processing unit selected in the unit selection step. The substrate processing method of claim 1, further comprising a transport time registration step of registering the same value as the transport for the plurality of processing units belonging to the same processing area before the correction unit final use time calculation step time. The substrate processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the area selection step comprises the following steps: a first retrieval step, which searches for the processing area with the earliest final use time of the area among the plurality of processing areas; The second search step includes, in the case of finding a plurality of the processing areas as candidate areas in the first search step, searching for the processing with the earliest final use time of the unit among the plurality of processing areas included in the candidate areas the above-mentioned processing area with the largest number of units; and a selection step of selecting one of the above-mentioned processing areas from at least one of the above-mentioned processing areas found in the above-mentioned second searching step. The substrate processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a substrate processing step of processing the substrate on the substrate with a processing time shorter than the most recent substrate processing time conveyed to any one of the plurality of processing units. After the conveyance step, the processing unit selected in the unit selection step is caused to process the substrate. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a loading port on which a carrier for accommodating substrates is placed; a plurality of processing units formed with a plurality of processing regions at different distances from the loading port, and processing from the above-mentioned loading port on the loading port the above-mentioned substrates conveyed by the carrier; A substrate transfer system for transferring the substrate between the carrier on the loading port and the plurality of processing units; and a control device for controlling the substrate transfer system, and the control device executes the following steps: a step of obtaining the final use time of the unit , which, for each of the plurality of processing units, obtains the unit final use time representing the time when the processing unit is last used for processing the substrate; the correction unit final use time calculation step is based on the unit final use time acquisition step in the step The obtained final use time of the plurality of the above-mentioned units, and the transfer time of the above-mentioned plurality of processing units required to transport the above-mentioned substrate from the above-mentioned carrier on the above-mentioned loading port to the above-mentioned processing unit, for each of the above-mentioned plurality of processing units, Calculate the correction unit final use time representing the time after subtracting the above conveyance time from the above unit final use time in the same processing units; the area final use time specific step, which is based on the above-mentioned complex number obtained in the correction unit final use time calculation step For each of the above-mentioned correction unit final use times, for each of the plurality of processing areas, specify the area final use time representing the earliest time among the above-mentioned correction unit final use times of the plurality of above-mentioned processing units belonging to the same above-mentioned processing area; area; A selection step, which selects one of the above-mentioned processing areas with the earliest final use time of the above-mentioned area from the above-mentioned plural processing areas based on a plurality of the above-mentioned area final-use times specified in the above-mentioned area final-use time specific step; The unit selection step, which Selecting one of the processing units from the plurality of processing units belonging to the processing area selected in the area selection step; and a substrate transfer step of causing the substrate transfer system to transfer the substrate from the load port The above-mentioned carrier is conveyed to the above-mentioned processing unit selected in the above-mentioned unit selection step. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a loading port on which a carrier for accommodating substrates is placed; a plurality of processing units formed with a plurality of processing regions at different distances from the loading port, and processing from the above-mentioned loading port on the loading port The substrate conveyed by a carrier; a substrate conveying system for conveying the substrate between the carrier on the loading port and the plurality of processing units; and a control device for controlling the substrate conveying system, and the control device executes as follows Steps: a unit end-use time obtaining step, for each of the plurality of processing units, obtaining a unit end-use time representing the time when the above-mentioned processing unit was last used for processing the above-mentioned substrate; an area end-use time specific step, which is based on the above-mentioned The unit final use time of the plurality of above-mentioned units obtained in the step of obtaining the unit final use time, for each of the above-mentioned plurality of processing areas, the earliest among the above-mentioned unit final use times representing the plurality of above-mentioned processing units belonging to the same above-mentioned processing area is specified. The final use time of the area at the time; the area selection step, which is based on a plurality of the above area final use times specified in the above-mentioned area final use time specific step, and selects the above-mentioned area from the plurality of processing areas with the earliest final use time. the above-mentioned processing area; a unit selection step of selecting one of the above-mentioned processing units from among a plurality of the above-mentioned processing units belonging to the above-mentioned processing area selected in the above-mentioned area selection step; and a substrate transfer step of causing the substrate transfer system to transfer the substrate , from the above loadport The above-mentioned carrier is conveyed to the above-mentioned processing unit selected in the above-mentioned unit selection step. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the control means further executes a transport time registration step before executing the correction unit final use time calculation step, and registers the same value as a plurality of the above-mentioned processes belonging to the same above-mentioned processing area The above transfer time of the unit. The substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the area selection step includes the following steps: a first search step of searching for the processing area with the earliest final use time of the area among the plurality of processing areas; 2. A search step of searching for the processing unit whose last use time of the unit is the earliest among the plurality of processing areas included in the candidate area when a plurality of the processing areas are found as candidate areas in the first searching step and a selecting step of selecting one of the above-mentioned processing areas from at least one of the above-mentioned processing areas found in the above-mentioned second searching step. The substrate processing apparatus of any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the control device further performs a substrate processing step with a processing time shorter than the most recent substrate processing time conveyed to any one of the plurality of processing units, After the said board|substrate conveyance process, the said process unit selected in the said unit selection process is made to process the said board|substrate. A computer-readable recording medium that records a computer program, the computer program is executed by a control device included in a substrate processing apparatus, the substrate processing apparatus is provided with a plurality of processing units, and a substrate conveying system is used to transfer the substrates. The plurality of processing units are transported from the carrier on the loading port to the above-mentioned plurality of processing units, and the plurality of processing units are formed with complexes having different distances from the loading port. A plurality of processing areas are used to process the above-mentioned substrate, and the computer program is programmed into the step group in such a manner that the computer serving as the above-mentioned control device executes the substrate processing method according to any one of Claims 1 to 3.

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