CN100383919C - Restoration processing method of substrate processing apparatus, substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a recovery processing method of a substrate processing apparatus. When an abnormality occurs during the operation of the device and the operation stops, the state of the substrate processing device is restored after the abnormality is resolved, including: a substrate recovery process (in steps S110 to S150), and corresponding to wafers (W) staying in each chamber of the substrate processing device In the substrate salvage process performed until the work is stopped, the substrate to be processed is recovered into the substrate storage container; and the state restoration process in the device (step S160, etc.) is to restore the state of each chamber of the substrate processing device. When the operation of the substrate processing apparatus is stopped due to an abnormality during operation, it saves time and labor for recovery processing of the substrate processing apparatus, and saves as many substrates to be processed staying in the substrate processing apparatus as possible.

Description

Restoration processing method of substrate processing apparatus, substrate processing apparatus

technical field

The present invention relates to a recovery processing method, a substrate processing apparatus, and a program when a substrate processing apparatus that performs predetermined processing on a substrate to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer or a liquid crystal substrate stops operating due to an abnormality.

Background technique

Generally, such a substrate processing apparatus includes: a processing unit having a plurality of processing chambers for performing predetermined processing on a substrate to be processed, for example, a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as "wafer" for short); And the delivery unit connected to the processing unit.

For example, in a multi-stage substrate processing apparatus, the processing unit is generally configured by connecting the plurality of processing chambers and load-lock chambers in a gas-tight manner around a common transfer chamber formed in a rectangular shape. A processing unit-side transfer mechanism including a transfer arm and the like is provided in the common transfer chamber, and wafers are carried in and out between the plurality of processing chambers and the load lock chamber by the processing unit-side transfer mechanism. In the transfer unit, there is also provided a transfer unit-side transfer mechanism composed of a transfer arm and the like, by which the wafer is transferred between the cassette container (substrate storage container) in which the wafer is stored and the load lock chamber. in and out.

In such a substrate processing apparatus, when a predetermined process is to be performed on a wafer stored in a substrate storage container (such as a cassette container), first, in the transfer unit, an unprocessed wafer is taken out of the cassette container by a transfer mechanism on the transfer unit side. . Before the unprocessed wafer taken out from the cassette container is sent into the load lock chamber, it is first sent to the positioning device (such as a positioner, a pre-positioning stage) provided on the transport unit for positioning. The positioned unprocessed wafers are removed from the positioning device and sent into the load lock chamber.

The unprocessed wafer carried into the load lock chamber is taken out from the load lock chamber by the processing unit side transfer mechanism, and carried into the processing chamber, where predetermined processing is performed. After the processing in the processing chamber is completed, the processed wafer is taken out of the processing chamber by the processing unit side transport mechanism, and returned to the load lock chamber. The processed wafers returned to the load lock chamber are returned to the cassette container by the transport unit side transport mechanism.

In order to improve the processing efficiency of each processing chamber in such a substrate processing apparatus, it is preferable to make unprocessed wafers stand by as close as possible to the processing chambers. Therefore, even during processing in the processing chambers, the unprocessed wafers are sequentially transferred from the processing chamber to the processing chamber. Take out the cassette container, and make these wafers wait in the common transfer chamber, load lock chamber, and positioning device. Then, after the processing of one wafer is completed in the processing chamber, the processed wafer is directly stored in the cassette container, and the unprocessed wafers on standby are sequentially transported, and the next unprocessed wafer is directly sent to the processing chamber. delivery.

However, in such a substrate processing apparatus, if abnormalities such as failure, power outage, and electric leakage occur in the substrate processing apparatus during operation, the substrate processing apparatus will be powered off or otherwise shut down in an emergency. In this case, for example, the processing of the wafer being processed in the processing chamber is interrupted and stays in the processing chamber. In addition, wafers waiting in each chamber, such as the transfer unit, the common transfer chamber, and the load lock chamber, remain in each chamber as it is. In addition, when pressure control such as vacuuming is performed in each chamber, the pressure control is also stopped due to the stop of the operation of the substrate processing equipment, so there is concern that, for example, garbage or dust will flow back from the exhaust side, or adhesions caused by wafer processing Wait for the particles to float.

In the prior art, when the substrate processing apparatus stops due to an abnormality, after the abnormality is eliminated, the operator will take out the wafers that remain in each chamber of the substrate processing apparatus, and at the same time perform manual operations on the transfer unit, processing chamber, common Each chamber, such as the transfer chamber and the load lock chamber, is cleaned to restore the state of the substrate processing equipment.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-330185.

As described above, when the substrate processing apparatus is stopped in an emergency, in the prior art, an operator manually restores the substrate processing apparatus, which is troublesome and time-consuming. And, for the wafer that is interrupted processing in the processing chamber, because will judge how to carry out remaining processing (referring to patent document 1) to this wafer after this according to the record etc. such as storage wafer etch state, so the processing of saving wafer also needs It takes time and effort, and at the same time, requires experience and knowledge of the operator.

Regarding this point, when the substrate processing apparatus is abnormal and stops working, it is necessary to activate the various conveying mechanisms when the power is turned on after the abnormality is removed, and the transfer mechanism will remain in the conveying unit, the processing chamber, the common conveying chamber, and the load lock. All the wafers in each chamber, such as the chamber, are automatically collected into the original cassette containers, and the recovered wafers are processed by the operator. However, in such a case, although it is possible to save the time spent on recovering the wafer, the remaining processing of the recovered wafer, as in the above case, is not easy to judge because it requires the experience and knowledge of the operator. There is still a problem that the process of saving the wafer takes time and effort.

In addition, when an abnormality occurs in the substrate processing apparatus as described above, all the wafers remaining in the substrate processing apparatus are automatically collected into the original cassette containers, regardless of the wafers when the operation of the substrate processing apparatus is stopped. In the processing stage of the substrate processing apparatus, all the wafers remaining in the substrate processing apparatus are recovered into the cassette container, so all the wafers are exposed to the atmosphere. However, continuous processing in a plurality of processing chambers requires wafers to stay in a common transfer chamber while being transported to the next processing chamber, or the processing in a certain processing chamber is interrupted in the middle and stays in the processing chamber. In the case of a room or the like, depending on the processing stage of the wafer, it may not be possible to save the wafer if it is exposed to the atmosphere at that stage. For example, in the case of clustering processing, etc., the remaining processing (for example, supplementary etching processing, etc.) cannot be performed on the wafer due to the interrupted processing, and thus the wafer cannot be saved.

Contents of the invention

Therefore, the present invention is proposed in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a method for restoring a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate processing apparatus, and a program, which can save time when the operation of the substrate processing apparatus stops due to an abnormality. The time and effort required for the restoration process of the substrate processing equipment, and when the operation of the substrate processing equipment is stopped due to an abnormality, can be saved as much as possible by reliably rescuing the substrates to be processed that remain in the substrate processing equipment. effectively salvage the processed substrate.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in one aspect of the present invention, there can be provided a method for recovering a substrate processing apparatus, comprising at least a plurality of processing chambers for processing a substrate to be processed transported from a substrate storage container. In a substrate processing apparatus composed of chambers, when the operation is stopped due to an abnormality in the operation of the substrate processing apparatus, after the abnormality is resolved, the restoration processing method of the substrate processing apparatus restores the state of the substrate processing apparatus, wherein , the recovery processing method of the substrate processing apparatus includes: a substrate recovery step, for the substrate to be processed remaining in each chamber of the substrate processing apparatus, performing substrate rescue corresponding to the processing stage performed until the operation is stopped. processing, collecting the substrate to be processed into the substrate storage container; and restoring the state in the apparatus, restoring the state of each chamber of the substrate processing apparatus.

In such the present invention, when the operation is stopped due to an abnormality in the operation of the substrate processing apparatus, it is possible to automatically perform the process of restoring the state of the substrate processing apparatus, that is, the recovery and processing of the substrate to be processed remaining in the substrate processing apparatus. The process of restoring the state in the substrate processing apparatus can be performed automatically. In this way, compared with the manual restoration process performed by the operator in the prior art, the time and effort of the restoration process can be greatly saved. In addition, for the substrates to be processed staying in the substrate processing apparatus, according to the processing stage until the operation is stopped due to the abnormality of the substrate processing apparatus, appropriate rescue treatment is performed accordingly, and as many substrates to be processed as possible can be rescued.

In addition, the substrate salvage process in the method may be configured to include the following steps, for example: a substrate detection step, detecting the processed substrates staying in the substrate processing apparatus; a processing stage detection step, for The substrate to be processed detected by the substrate detection process is detected until the processing stage that is carried out when the work is stopped; In the processing stage detected by the process, the corresponding substrate salvage processing is implemented.

In this case, for example, in the substrate saving step, the substrate to be processed is detected in the processing chamber by the substrate detection step, and whether the processing stage of the substrate to be processed is detected by the processing stage detection step remains In the middle of the processing in the processing chamber, the remaining processing is performed on the substrate to be processed in the processing chamber. In this way, when the wafers staying in the substrate processing apparatus, for example, stay in the state where the processing in the processing chamber is interrupted and are in the middle of the processing, after the remaining processing in the processing chamber is performed on the substrate to be processed, It is recovered into the substrate storage container. In this way, the processed substrates in the middle of the remaining processing in the processing chamber can be saved because they are not directly collected but exposed to the atmosphere as in the conventional technology.

In addition, the substrate processing apparatus has a storage device that stores processing history information of the substrate to be processed during operation of the substrate processing apparatus, and the substrate to be processed is detected in the processing chamber through the substrate detection step, and the substrate to be processed is detected through the processing In the stage detection step, when it is detected that the processing stage of the substrate to be processed is in the middle of processing in the processing chamber, the substrate saving step is based on the processing history of the substrate to be processed stored in the storage device. The information sets the remaining processing time of the substrate to be processed, and only the remaining processing of the remaining processing time can be performed on the substrate to be processed. In this way, by setting the remaining processing time of the substrate to be processed based on the processing history information of the substrate to be processed, the optimal remaining processing time can be set for the substrate to be processed, so that the substrate to be processed can be rescued accurately.

In addition, the substrate processing apparatus may include a defect inspection chamber for performing defect inspection after detecting the processing state of the substrate to be processed. In the case where the processing stage detecting step detects that the processing stage of the substrate to be processed is in the middle of processing in the processing chamber, the substrate saving step transports the substrate to be processed to the defect inspection chamber, and In the defect inspection room, the remaining processing time of the substrate to be processed is set according to the detected processing state of the substrate to be processed, and only the remaining processing for the remaining processing time is performed on the substrate to be processed. In this way, by setting the remaining processing time of the substrate to be processed according to the processing status of the substrate to be processed detected in the defect inspection room, the remaining processing time can be set corresponding to the actual processing status of the substrate to be processed, and the processing time can be more accurately Processed substrates are salvaged.

In addition, when the substrate to be processed is detected in the process of being transported from a certain processing chamber to another processing chamber by the substrate detection step, and it is detected by the processing stage detection step that the processing stage of the substrate to be processed is left In the stage where necessary processing in another processing chamber has not been completed, the substrate salvage step performs processing in the remaining processing chamber on the substrate to be processed. In this way, in the substrate processing apparatus, for example, the processing of the wafer in a certain processing chamber is completed, but since the necessary processing in another processing chamber remains, in the case of an incomplete stage in which all necessary processing has not been completed, the The substrate to be processed is recovered into the substrate storage container after being processed in the remaining separate processing chamber. In this way, the processed substrates in the unfinished stage can be saved because they are not directly recovered and exposed to the atmosphere as in the prior art.

In addition, when the substrate to be processed is detected in a certain chamber through the substrate detection step, and the processing stage of the substrate to be processed is detected to be an unprocessed stage or a processed stage through the processing stage detection step, the In the substrate saving step, the substrate to be processed is recovered in the substrate storage container. This is because there is no problem even if the processed substrates in the unprocessed stage or the processed stage are directly collected into the substrate storage container and exposed to the atmosphere. In this way, by performing the rescue treatment corresponding to the processing stage of the substrate to be processed, the substrate to be processed remaining in the substrate processing apparatus can be rescued as much as possible.

In addition, in the state recovery process in the apparatus, each chamber of the substrate processing apparatus includes a gas introduction system capable of introducing at least a purge gas, and an exhaust system capable of adjusting pressure by vacuuming and opening to the atmosphere, for example, A cleaning process may be performed in each chamber of the substrate processing apparatus. For example, each chamber of the processing unit and the conveying unit of the substrate processing apparatus has a gas introduction system capable of introducing at least purge gas, and an exhaust system capable of adjusting pressure by vacuuming and opening to the atmosphere. For example, the process may be repeated multiple times by introducing purge gas (for example, _N2 gas and inert gas, etc.) into each chamber of the substrate processing apparatus through the gas introduction system, and evacuating or opening to the atmosphere through the exhaust system. prescribed processing. In this way, particles (such as attachments, dust, scum, etc.) floating in each chamber of the substrate processing apparatus can be removed. In addition, since the particles adhering to the wall surface of each chamber and components arranged in each chamber are also peeled off and forcibly floated by repeated vacuuming and opening to the atmosphere, they can be removed.

In addition, it is possible to include a reprocessing step of reprocessing the substrate to be processed by detecting whether the substrate to be processed collected in the substrate storage container is in an unprocessed stage or not. In this way, the reprocessing step of the substrate to be processed in the non-processing stage is carried out after once being collected into the substrate storage container, so it may be carried out after the recovery step in the apparatus. In this way, the processing of the substrate to be processed in the non-processing stage can be performed the same as before the substrate processing apparatus is restored.

In addition, the substrate processing apparatus has a particle measurement chamber, and the substrate recovery step is carried out in the particle measurement chamber by transporting the substrate to be processed to the particle measurement chamber before collecting the substrate into the substrate storage container. The amount of particles on the substrate to be processed is measured, and the measurement result is stored in a storage device corresponding to the substrate to be processed. In this manner, it is possible to determine whether or not a substrate to be processed that has undergone recovery processing is a substrate to be processed that can be reprocessed based on the particle amount measurement result.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in another aspect of the present invention, there can be provided a method for recovering a substrate processing apparatus, in which, when an abnormality occurs in the operation of the substrate processing apparatus, the operation is stopped. , the method for recovering the substrate processing apparatus to restore the state of the substrate processing apparatus after the abnormality is resolved, and the substrate processing apparatus includes: a processing unit comprising at least a plurality of processing chambers for processing substrates to be processed; Consisting of individual chambers; the transport unit is connected to the processing unit and has a transport chamber for transferring the processed substrate to and from the substrate storage container storing the processed substrate; the transport unit side transport mechanism, a processing unit-side conveying mechanism provided in the processing unit to transport the processed substrate to the processing unit; The processing chamber is brought in and taken out, wherein, the recovery processing method includes: a substrate recovery process, for the processed substrates that remain in the processing unit and/or the transport unit of the substrate processing device, corresponding to The substrate salvage process is performed up to the stage of the process performed when the operation is stopped, and the substrate to be processed is recovered into the substrate storage container by the process unit side transport mechanism and/or the transport unit side transport mechanism and a step of restoring the state in the apparatus to restore the state in the processing unit and the transfer unit of the substrate processing apparatus.

In this case, the substrate recovering step detects whether the processing stage of the processed substrate remaining in the processing unit is a processing stage of the remaining necessary processing for the processed substrate, and if the processing stage of the remaining necessary processing is In the case of the processing stage of the processing, the remaining processing is carried out, and the processing unit side conveying mechanism and the conveying unit side conveying mechanism are used to recover the substrate storage container. The substrate rescue process in the processing unit recovered into the substrate storage container is carried out by the processing unit-side conveying mechanism and the conveying unit-side conveying mechanism, and the substrate to be processed remaining in the conveying unit may be A substrate salvage process in the transfer unit that is recovered to the substrate storage container is performed.

In such the present invention, when the operation is stopped due to an abnormality in the operation of the substrate processing apparatus, the process of restoring the state of the substrate processing apparatus can be automatically performed, that is, the process of staying in the processing unit and/or the Recovery of the substrate to be processed in the transfer unit, and a process of restoring the state in the processing unit and/or in the transfer unit. In this way, compared with the manual restoration process performed by the operator in the prior art, the time and effort of the restoration process can be greatly saved. In addition, by carrying out the rescue treatment according to where the substrate to be processed stays as described above in the processing unit and the transport unit, the rescue treatment can be accurately performed in accordance with the processing stage of the substrate to be processed. This saves as much of the processed substrate as possible.

In addition, the substrate processing apparatus includes storage means for storing processing history information of the substrate to be processed during operation of the substrate processing apparatus, and the substrate salvage process in the processing unit is based on the processing history information of the substrate to be processed stored in the storage means. History information, detecting whether the processing stage of the substrate to be processed staying in the processing unit is a processing stage that must be processed for the remaining substrate to be processed, and performing the remaining processing according to the detection result; in addition, the substrate processing device includes a defect inspection room for inspecting defects after detecting the processing state of the processed substrate, and the substrate salvage processing in the processing unit is based on the processing state of the processed substrate detected in the defect inspection room to detect Whether the processing stage of the substrate to be processed in the unit is the remaining processing stage that the substrate to be processed must be processed, the remaining processing is carried out according to the detection result. In this way, according to the processing history information of the processed substrate or the inspection results in the defect inspection room, by implementing the remaining processing of the processed substrate, the optimal remaining processing time for the processed substrate can be set, so the processed substrate can be accurately saved. .

In addition, in the step of restoring the state in the apparatus, for example, a cleaning process of each chamber in the processing unit and in the transfer unit of the substrate processing apparatus may be performed. For example, each chamber of the processing unit and the conveying unit of the substrate processing apparatus has a gas introduction system capable of introducing at least a purge gas, an exhaust system adjusted by vacuuming and opening to the atmosphere, and the cleaning process After the purge gas is introduced into each chamber of the processing unit and the conveying unit, the processes of vacuuming and opening to the atmosphere may be repeated multiple times. In addition, the substrate to be processed collected in the substrate storage container may detect whether the substrate to be processed is in an unprocessed stage, and once it is detected to be an unprocessed stage, there may be a reprocessing step of reprocessing the substrate to be processed. In addition, the substrate processing apparatus has a particle measurement chamber, and the substrate to be processed is transported to the particle measurement chamber before being returned to the substrate storage container, and the amount of particles on the substrate to be processed is measured in the particle measurement chamber. The measurement results can be stored in the storage device corresponding to the processed substrates.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in another aspect of the present invention, there can be provided a method for recovering a substrate processing apparatus, in which, when an abnormality occurs in the operation of the substrate processing apparatus, the operation is stopped. , the method for restoring the substrate processing apparatus to restore the state of the substrate processing apparatus after the abnormality is resolved, and the substrate processing apparatus includes: a conveying unit having a a transfer chamber for transferring the substrate to be processed; a processing unit having a common transfer chamber connecting a plurality of processing chambers for processing the substrate to be processed; and a transfer chamber connecting the common transfer chamber and the transfer unit a load lock chamber; a transfer unit side transfer mechanism provided in the transfer unit for carrying the substrate to be processed into and out of the load lock chamber; and a processing unit side transfer mechanism provided in the processing unit The substrate to be processed is transported into and taken out between the load lock chamber and each of the processing chambers in a common transfer chamber, wherein the recovery processing method of the substrate processing apparatus includes: a substrate recovery process, for The substrate to be processed in each chamber of the processing unit and/or the transfer unit of the substrate processing apparatus is subjected to a substrate salvage process corresponding to a stage of processing that has been performed until the operation is stopped, by the The processing unit-side conveying mechanism and/or the conveying unit-side conveying mechanism collects the substrate to be processed into the substrate storage container; and the state restoration step in the apparatus restores the state of each chamber of the substrate processing apparatus.

In this case, if a substrate to be processed is detected in the transfer unit in the substrate recovery step, a substrate rescue process in the transfer unit that is recovered to the substrate storage container is performed, and if a processed substrate is detected in the load lock chamber For the substrate, after the exhaust process of the load lock chamber is performed, the substrate rescue process is carried out in the load lock chamber where the substrate to be processed is recovered to the substrate storage container. If the substrate to be processed is detected in the common transfer chamber, It is judged whether the processing stage of the substrate to be processed is the stage of unfinished processing, if it is the stage of unfinished processing, then carry out the processing in the remaining processing chambers and then recover it to the substrate storage container, if it is not the stage of unfinished processing For implementing the substrate rescue process in the common transfer chamber recovered to the substrate storage container, if a substrate to be processed is detected in the processing chamber, it is determined whether the processing stage of the substrate to be processed is in the middle of processing, and if it is in the middle of processing If it is not in the middle of the process, the substrate salvage process in the processing chamber recovered to the substrate storage container can be performed.

According to the present invention, when the operation of the substrate processing apparatus is stopped due to an abnormality in the operation, the process of restoring the state of the substrate processing apparatus can be automatically performed, that is, the process of staying in the processing unit and/or the transfer unit can be automatically performed. Recovering of substrates to be processed in each chamber, and recovery of the state in each chamber of the processing unit and/or the transfer unit. In this way, compared with the manual recovery process performed by the operator at present, the time and effort of the recovery process can be greatly saved. In addition, by carrying out the rescue processing according to where the substrates to be processed stay, such as the substrate rescue processing in the transfer unit, the substrate rescue processing in the load lock chamber, the substrate rescue processing in the common transfer chamber, and the substrate rescue processing in the processing chamber, Rescue processing can be performed correctly according to the processing stage of the substrate to be processed. In this way, as many processed substrates as possible can be salvaged.

In addition, the substrate processing apparatus has a storage device for storing processing history information of the substrate to be processed during operation of the substrate processing apparatus, and the substrate salvage processing in the processing chamber is determined to be processing at a stage of processing the substrate to be processed in the processing chamber. In the case of an intermediate stage, the remaining processing time of the substrate to be processed is set based on the processing history information of the substrate to be processed stored in the storage device, and only the remaining processing of the remaining time can be performed on the substrate to be processed. The substrate processing apparatus has a defect inspection room that detects a processing state of the substrate to be processed and then inspects a defect, and the substrate salvage process in the processing chamber is determined to be in the middle of processing the substrate to be processed in the processing chamber. In this case, the substrate to be processed is transported to the defect inspection chamber, and the remaining processing time of the substrate to be processed is set in the defect inspection chamber according to the processing state of the substrate to be processed, so that the substrate to be processed can be Process the substrate for the remainder of this remaining time only. In this way, by performing the remaining processing of the substrate to be processed based on the processing history information of the substrate to be processed or the inspection results in the defect inspection room, the optimal remaining processing time of the substrate to be processed can be set, so that the substrate to be processed can be saved accurately.

In addition, in the step of restoring the state in the apparatus, a cleaning process may be performed in the processing unit of the substrate processing apparatus and each chamber of the transfer unit. In addition, each chamber of the processing unit and the transfer unit of the substrate processing apparatus has a gas introduction system capable of introducing at least a purge gas, an exhaust system adjusted by vacuuming and pressure opening to the atmosphere, and the cleaning For the treatment, after the purge gas is introduced into each chamber of the treatment unit and the transfer unit, the treatment of vacuuming and opening to the atmosphere may be repeated multiple times. In addition, the substrate to be processed collected in the substrate storage container may detect whether the substrate to be processed is an unprocessed stage, and if it is detected to be an unprocessed stage, there may be a reprocessing step of reprocessing the substrate to be processed. In addition, the substrate processing apparatus has a particle measurement chamber to which the processed substrate is transported before the process of recovering the processed substrate to the substrate storage container, and the particle measurement chamber performs the particle measurement in the particle measurement chamber. For the measurement of the amount of particles on the substrate to be processed, the measurement result may be stored in a storage device corresponding to the substrate to be processed.

In order to solve the above problems, in another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate to be processed, which is characterized in that it includes: a processing unit comprising at least a plurality of processing chambers for processing the substrate to be processed Consisting of a plurality of chambers; a conveying unit connected to the processing unit, having a conveying chamber for transferring the substrate to be processed between the substrate storage container storing the substrate to be processed; the conveying unit side conveying The mechanism is arranged in the conveying unit, and the substrate to be processed is sent into and taken out from the processing unit; the conveying mechanism on the processing unit side is arranged in the processing unit, and the substrate to be processed is sent to the processing unit. The processing chamber is fed into and taken out; and the control device, when the operation is stopped due to an abnormality in the operation of the substrate processing device, restores the state of the substrate processing device after the abnormality is resolved, wherein the control device includes: a substrate a recovering device that performs a substrate salvage process corresponding to the stage of the process performed until the stop of the operation for the substrate to be processed remaining in the processing unit and/or in the transport unit of the substrate processing apparatus, The processing unit-side conveying mechanism and/or the conveying unit-side conveying mechanism collects the substrate to be processed into the substrate storage container; The state within the unit and within the delivery unit is restored.

In such the present invention, when the operation is stopped due to an abnormality in the operation of the substrate processing apparatus, the process of restoring the state of the substrate processing apparatus can be automatically performed, that is, staying in the processing unit and/or the conveyance The recovery of the processed substrates in the unit, the process of restoring the state in the processing unit and/or in the transfer unit can be performed automatically. In this way, compared with the manual recovery process performed by the operator at present, the time and effort of the recovery process can be greatly saved. In addition, by performing the corresponding correct rescue treatment corresponding to the processing stage of the processed substrate, as many processed substrates as possible can be saved.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate to be processed, which is characterized in that it includes: a transfer chamber for transferring the substrate to be processed; a processing unit including a common transfer chamber connecting a plurality of processing chambers for processing the substrate to be processed; and a transfer chamber connecting the common transfer chamber and the transfer unit The load lock chamber of the transport unit side; the transport mechanism on the transport unit side is arranged in the transport chamber of the transport unit, and sends the substrate to be processed into and out of the load lock chamber; the transport unit side transport mechanism is set in the transport chamber a common transfer chamber of a processing unit for carrying in and out the substrate to be processed between the load lock chamber and each of the processing chambers; and a control device for generating an abnormal operation during operation of the substrate processing apparatus When stopping, the state of the substrate processing apparatus is restored after the abnormality is resolved, wherein the control device includes: a substrate recovering device for staying in the processing unit of the substrate processing apparatus and/or the conveying The substrates to be processed in each chamber of the unit are subjected to a substrate rescue process corresponding to the stage of the process until the operation is stopped, and the substrates are transported by the processing unit side transport mechanism and/or the transport unit side transport mechanism The substrate to be processed is recovered to the substrate storage container; and the state recovery device in the device restores the state of each chamber of the substrate processing device.

In such the present invention, when the operation is stopped due to an abnormality in the operation of the substrate processing apparatus, the process of restoring the state of the substrate processing apparatus can be automatically performed, that is, the substrate processing apparatus stays in the processing unit and/or the transfer unit. The recovery of the substrates to be processed in each chamber and the state restoration of each chamber of the processing unit and/or the transport unit can be performed automatically. In this way, compared with the manual recovery process performed by the operator at present, the time and effort of the recovery process can be greatly saved. In addition, by performing correct rescue treatment corresponding to the processing stage of the processed substrate, as many processed substrates as possible can be rescued.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program, a substrate processing apparatus comprising a plurality of chambers including at least a processing chamber for processing a substrate transported from a substrate storage container. In the present invention, when the operation is stopped due to an abnormality in the operation of the substrate processing apparatus, a program for restoring the substrate processing apparatus to restore the state of the substrate processing apparatus is performed after the abnormality is resolved, wherein, in the computer, the The following processing: substrate recovery processing, for the substrate to be processed remaining in each chamber of the substrate processing apparatus, performing substrate salvage processing corresponding to the stage of processing until the operation is stopped, and retrieving the processed substrate The substrate is collected in the substrate storage container; and the state restoration process in the apparatus restores the state of each chamber of the substrate processing apparatus.

In addition, the substrate salvage processing includes, for example, substrate detection processing, which detects the processed substrates staying in the substrate processing apparatus; processing stage detection processing, which detects the processed substrates detected by the substrate detection processing. The stage of processing performed up to the stop of the operation; the substrate salvage processing is performed on the substrate to be processed detected by the substrate detection processing corresponding to the processing stage detected by the processing stage detection processing.

In such the present invention, when the operation is stopped due to an abnormality in the operation of the substrate processing apparatus, the process of restoring the state of the substrate processing apparatus can be automatically performed by the computer, that is, the recovery of the substrate to be processed remaining in the substrate processing apparatus And the process of restoring the state in the substrate processing apparatus can be automatically performed by a computer. In this way, compared with the manual recovery process performed by the operator at present, the time and effort of the recovery process can be greatly saved. In addition, for the substrates to be processed staying in the substrate processing apparatus, corresponding correct rescue treatment is performed according to the processing stage until the operation is stopped due to the abnormality of the substrate processing apparatus, and as many substrates to be processed as possible can be saved.

Invention effect:

In the present invention, when the operation is stopped due to an abnormality in the operation of the substrate processing apparatus, the process of restoring the state of the substrate processing apparatus is automatically performed, thereby saving time and labor for restoration processing. In addition, for the substrates to be processed staying in the substrate processing apparatus, according to the processing stage until the operation is stopped due to the abnormality of the substrate processing apparatus, appropriate rescue treatment is performed accordingly, and as many substrates to be processed as possible can be rescued.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a control unit shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a specific example of the wafer storage information shown in FIG. 2 .

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of the wafer processing history information shown in FIG. 2 .

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a specific example of restoration processing in the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a specific example of wafer salvage processing in the transfer unit shown in FIG. 5 .

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a specific example of wafer salvage processing in the load lock chamber shown in FIG. 5 .

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a specific example of wafer salvage processing in the common transfer chamber shown in FIG. 5 .

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a specific example of the processing of the unprocessed wafer shown in FIG. 8 .

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a specific example of wafer salvage processing in the processing chamber shown in FIG. 5 .

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a specific example of processing for a wafer in process shown in FIG. 10 .

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing the processing steps of the wafer, in which (a) is a diagram showing a state in which the substrate processing apparatus is stopped in the middle of the stabilization process in the processing chamber, and (b) is a diagram showing a substrate in the middle of the stabilization process in the processing chamber A diagram of the remaining processing of the wafer W with the processing apparatus stopped.

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing the processing steps of the wafer, in which (a) is a diagram showing a state in which the substrate processing apparatus is stopped in the middle of the etching process in the processing chamber, and (b) is a diagram showing a substrate in the middle of the etching process in the processing chamber A diagram of the remaining processing of the wafer W with the processing apparatus stopped.

Fig. 14 is a diagram showing the processing steps of the wafer, in which (a) is a diagram showing a state in which the substrate processing apparatus is stopped in the middle of the finishing process in the processing chamber, and (b) is a diagram showing a substrate in the middle of the finishing process in the processing chamber A diagram of the remaining processing of the wafer W with the processing apparatus stopped.

Label description

100 substrate processing device

110 processing units

120 delivery unit

130 conveying room

131 (131A～131C) boxes

132 (132A～132C) box containers

133 (133A～133C) gate valve

134 particle measurement room

135 stage

135a chip sensor

136 Locator

138 rotating stage

138a chip sensor

139 optical sensors

140 (140A～140F) treatment room

142 (142A～142F) stage

144 (144A～144F) gate valve

150 shared conveying room

164M, 164N handover station

165M, 165N chip sensor

170 conveying unit side conveying mechanism

172 base

173a, 173b wafer sensor

173A, 173B Pickup

174 guide rail

176 linear motor drive mechanism

180 processing unit side conveying mechanism

182 base

183a, 183b wafer sensor

183A, 183B pickup

184 guide rail

186 arm mechanism

188 (188A～188F) chip sensor

189 position sensor

200 Control Department

210CPU

220ROM

230RAM

240 timing device

250 display devices

260 input and output device

270 notification device

280 various controllers

290 storage devices

292 chip containment information

194 wafer processing history information

Detailed ways

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this specification and the drawings, the same reference numerals are attached to components that actually have the same functional structure, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

(Example of configuration of substrate processing equipment)

First, a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The substrate processing apparatus 100 includes: a plurality of processing units 110 for performing various processes such as film formation processing and etching processing on a substrate to be processed, such as a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to simply as "wafer") W, and transferring the wafer W to the processing unit 110. The unit 110 is fed into or removed from the delivery unit 120 .

First, a configuration example of the transport unit 120 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1 , the transfer unit 120 has a transfer chamber 130 between a substrate storage container, such as a cassette container 132 ( 132A to 132C ) described later, and the processing unit 110 , into or out of which wafers are loaded. The transfer chamber 130 is formed in a box shape with a substantially polygonal cross section. A plurality of cassette stages 131 ( 131A to 131C) are arranged side by side on one side of the longer side constituting the transfer chamber 130 with a substantially polygonal cross section. These cassette stages 131A to 131C are configured so that cassette containers 132A to 132C, which are examples of substrate storage containers, can be placed therein, respectively.

In each of the cassette containers 132 ( 132A to 132C ), for example, a maximum of 25 wafers W can be accommodated in multiple layers at equal intervals, and the inside has a sealed structure filled with N ₂ gas atmosphere. The transport chamber 130 is configured so that the wafer W can be transported in and out through the gate valves 133 ( 133A to 133C). In addition, the numbers of the cassette table 131 and the cassette container 132 are not limited to those shown in FIG. 1 .

A particle monitor (Particle Monitor) 134 is arranged on one side of the transport chamber 130. The particle measurement chamber 134 has a stage 135 on which a wafer W is placed, and is configured to measure the amount of particles such as deposits adhering to the wafer W placed on the stage 135 . A well-known structure can be used for the structure inside the particle measurement chamber 134, and a detailed description of the structure is omitted here. A wafer sensor 135 a capable of detecting whether a wafer W is placed on the stage 135 is disposed on the stage 135 of the particle measurement chamber 134 . The wafer sensor 135a may be constituted by, for example, a well-known pickup sensor.

When measuring the amount of particles on the wafer W using such a particle measurement chamber 134, for example, the wafer W whose particle amount is to be measured can be sent into the particle measurement chamber 134 through the transfer mechanism 170 on the side of the transfer unit, and directly attached to the wafer W. The amount of particles is measured. Based on the measurement result of the particle amount, it is judged whether or not the wafer W is reprocessable.

In addition, when measuring the amount of particles in each chamber, such as the transfer unit 120, the common transfer chamber 150, the load lock chambers 160M, 160N, and the processing chambers 140A to 140F, it is possible to use a separate particle measurement tool that is different from the wafer that is processed. wafer for measurement. Specifically, for example, assuming that a particle measurement wafer is accommodated in the cassette container 132C, the particle measurement wafer is temporarily sent from the cassette container 132C to a chamber where the particle amount is to be measured, and a predetermined time is waited for. Then, after a predetermined time has elapsed, the particle measurement wafer is returned to the particle measurement chamber 134, and the amount of particles adhering to the particle measurement wafer is measured in the particle measurement chamber 134.

The control unit 200 described later is connected to the particle measurement chamber 134, and the measurement results such as the amount of particles after measurement are sent to the control unit 200 and stored as records in the storage device 290 and a memory provided in the control unit 200, for example.

At the end of the transfer chamber 130, that is, on one of the short sides constituting a substantially polygonal cross section, an optical sensor 139 is provided as an optical sensor 139 having a rotary stage 138 inside and optically detecting the peripheral portion of the wafer W. The locator (pre-positioning stage) 136. For example, the positioner 136 detects the positioning plane, the notch, etc. of the wafer W and performs positioning. A wafer sensor 138 a capable of detecting whether a wafer W is placed on the rotary stage 138 is disposed on the rotary stage 138 . The wafer sensor 138a is constituted by, for example, a well-known pickup sensor.

Inside the transfer chamber 130 is provided a transfer unit-side transfer mechanism (transfer chamber transfer mechanism) 170 for transferring the wafer W in the longitudinal direction (direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 1 ). The base 172 to which the transport unit side transport mechanism 170 is fixed is slidably supported on a guide rail 174 provided in the transport chamber 130 along the length direction. A movable part and a fixed part of the linear motor are provided on the base 172 and the guide rail 174, respectively. A linear motor drive mechanism 176 for driving the linear motor is provided at the end of the guide rail 174 . The control unit 200 is connected to the linear motor drive mechanism 176 . Therefore, the linear motor driving mechanism 176 is driven based on a control signal from the control unit 200 so that the conveying unit side conveying mechanism 170 moves along the guide rail 174 in the arrow direction together with the base 172 .

The transport mechanism 170 on the transport unit side is composed of a double-arm mechanism having two pickers (picks) 173A and 173B, and can pick up two wafers at a time. Therefore, for example, when loading or unloading wafers into or from the cassette container 132 , positioner 136 , load lock chambers 160M, 160N, etc., wafers can be loaded or unloaded by exchanging wafers. Pickers 173A, 173B of the transport mechanism 170 on the transport unit side are respectively provided with wafer sensors 173a, 173b capable of detecting whether the wafer W is clamped. The wafer sensors 173a and 173b can be constituted by, for example, well-known pickup sensors, respectively. Wherein, the number of pickers of the processing unit-side conveying mechanism 180 is not limited to the above-mentioned case, for example, it may be a single-arm mechanism with only one picker.

Next, a configuration example of the processing unit 110 will be described. For example, in the case of a combined table type substrate processing apparatus, as shown in FIG. A plurality of processing chambers 140 (first to sixth processing chambers 140A to 140F) for predetermined processing such as film formation processing (for example, plasma CVD processing) and etching processing (for example, plasma etching processing), and load lock chambers 160M and 160N.

Each of the processing chambers 140A to 140F performs, for example, the same type of processing or different types of processing on the wafer W. Stages 142 ( 142A to 142F) on which wafers W are placed are provided in respective processing chambers 140 ( 140A to 140F). However, the number of processing chambers 140 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 1 .

In each of the processing chambers 140A to 140F, predetermined processing is performed in each of the processing chambers 140A to 140F based on wafer processing information indicating processing steps and processing methods stored in advance in the storage device 290 of the control unit 200 . Wafer processing information differs depending on the processing type and conditions of the wafer. The processing steps shown in FIG. 12 are exemplified as the processing information on the wafer W when a process is performed on the wafer W, for example, an etching process is performed.

The processing steps shown in FIG. 12 are composed of a stabilization step, an etching step (processing step), and a finishing step. Here, the so-called stabilizing step is a step of adjusting the state in the processing chamber 140 in order to perform etching processing on the wafer W in the subsequent etching processing step. The stabilizing step includes, for example, a step of vacuuming the processing chamber 140 after placing the wafer W on the stage 142; a step of introducing a predetermined processing gas; Apply a predetermined high-frequency electric current to the electrodes such as the lower electrode used to make plasma, and stabilize the plasma state. The etching treatment step is a step of performing an etching treatment for a predetermined time in the plasma state. The finishing step is a step of adjusting the state of the inside of the processing chamber 140 after performing the etching process in the immediate etching step. In this end step, for example, an end step of terminating the etching process in the previous etching step at the end point is included. In addition, the processing steps of such a wafer W are not limited to this specific example.

The common transfer chamber 150 has the function of carrying in or taking out wafers W between the processing chambers 140A to 140F or between the processing chambers 140A to 140F and the first and second load lock chambers 160M and 160N. . The common transfer chamber 150 is formed in a polygonal shape (for example, hexagonal), and each processing chamber 140 (140A-140F) is connected to its periphery through gates 144 (144A-144F), while the first and second load-lock chambers 160M, 160N The front end is connected to its periphery through gates (vacuum side gates) 154M and 154N, respectively. The bottom ends of the first and second load lock chambers 160M, 160N are connected to the other side of the long side of the substantially polygonal cross section constituting the transfer chamber 130 through gates (atmosphere side gates) 162M, 162N, respectively.

The first and second load lock chambers 160M and 160N have the function of temporarily storing the wafer W to adjust the pressure and then leading to the next stage. Transfer stations 164M and 164N on which wafers W can be placed are provided inside the first and second load lock chambers 160M and 160N, respectively. Wafer sensors 165M, 165N capable of detecting whether a wafer W is placed on the transfer stations 164M, 164N are provided on the transfer stations 164M, 164N. The wafer sensors 165M and 165N are each constituted by a well-known pickup sensor, for example.

The first and second load lock chambers 160M and 160N are configured to be able to purge particles such as residues and evacuate them. Specifically, the first and second load lock chambers 160M and 160N are respectively provided with an exhaust system, and a vacuum pump such as a dry pump is connected to an exhaust pipe with an exhaust valve (exhaust control valve); and a gas introduction system , Connect the gas introduction source to the gas introduction pipe with a purge valve (purge gas control valve). Such a purge valve controls the purge valve or the like to perform cleaning and exhaust processing by repeatedly introducing purge gas into vacuum and opening to the atmosphere.

In addition, the common transfer chamber 150 and the processing chambers 140A to 140F may be configured to be capable of purging particles such as residues and evacuating them. For example, in the common transfer chamber 150, the above-mentioned gas introduction system for introducing purge gas and an exhaust system capable of evacuating are arranged, and each processing chamber 140A-140F is equipped with a A gas introduction system for process gases other than purge gas and an exhaust system that can be vacuumed.

In such a processing unit 110 , as described above, between the common transfer chamber 150 and the respective processing chambers 140A to 140F and between the common transfer chamber 150 and the respective load-lock chambers 160M and 160N are configured to be openable and closable. In a dense state, it becomes a combined platform, which can be connected to the shared delivery chamber 150 as required. In addition, between the first and second load lock chambers 160M, 160N and the transfer chamber 130 , an airtight state may be formed so as to be openable and closable, respectively.

In the common transport chamber 150, for example, a processing unit side transport mechanism (transport mechanism in the common transport chamber) 180 constituted by a multi-joint arm structurally capable of bending, lifting, and rotating is provided. The processing unit side transport mechanism 180 is supported on a base 182 and can rotate freely. The base 182 is configured to be slidable on a guide rail 184 arranged from the bottom end side to the front end side in the common transport chamber 150 , for example, by an arm mechanism 186 . According to the processing unit side transport mechanism 180 configured in this way, the load lock chambers 160M, 160N and the processing chambers 140A to 140F can be accessed by sliding the processing unit side transport mechanism 180 along the guide rail 184 .

For example, when the processing unit-side transport mechanism 180 accesses the load lock chambers 160M, 160N and the processing chambers 140A, 140F facing each other, the processing unit-side transport mechanism 180 is positioned near the common transport chamber 150 along the guide rail 184. Bottom side. In addition, when the processing unit side transport mechanism 180 is made to access the processing chambers 140B to 140E, the processing unit side transport mechanism 180 is positioned near the front end side of the common transport chamber 150 along the guide rail 184 . Therefore, with one processing unit side transfer mechanism 180 , access can be made to all the load lock chambers 160M and 160N connected to the common transfer chamber 150 and the respective processing chambers 140A to 140F. The processing unit side transport mechanism 180 has two pickers 183A, 183B, and can pick up two wafers at a time. The pickers 183A, 183B of the processing unit side transport mechanism 180 are respectively provided with wafer sensors 183a, 183b capable of detecting whether or not the wafer W is clamped. The wafer sensors 183a and 183b can be constituted by, for example, well-known pick-up sensors, respectively.

In addition, the structure of the processing unit side conveyance mechanism 180 is not limited to the above-mentioned structure, It may consist of two conveyance mechanisms. For example, a first conveying mechanism composed of a structurally bendable, lifting and rotating multi-joint arm may be provided on the side of the common conveying chamber 150 close to the bottom end, and a structure capable of The second conveying mechanism is composed of a multi-joint arm that bends, lifts, and rotates. In addition, the number of pickers in the processing unit-side transport mechanism 180 is not limited to two, and may be a transport mechanism with only one picker, for example.

In the common transfer chamber 150 , in front of the gate valves 144 ( 144A to 144F ) of the processing chambers 140 ( 140A to 140F ), there are respectively disposed the processing chambers 140 ( 140A to 140F ) capable of detecting whether the wafer W is carried in or out. wafer sensors 188 (188A-188F). Further, a position sensor 189 for correcting the position of the wafer W transported by the processing unit side transport mechanism 180 is provided on the front end side of the common transport chamber 150 . In addition, a specific example of the position correction of the wafer W will be described later. These wafer sensors 188A to 188F and position sensor 189 are constituted by well-known pickup sensors, for example.

The substrate processing apparatus 100 is provided with a control unit 200, including the transport unit side transport mechanism 170, the processing unit side transport mechanism 180, gate valves 133, 144, 154, 162, positioner 136, particle measurement chamber 134, etc. control to control the overall operation of the substrate processing apparatus.

(Example of configuring the control unit)

Here, an example of a specific configuration of the control unit 200 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a specific configuration of the control unit 200 . As shown in FIG. 2 , the control unit 200 includes: a CPU (central processing unit) 210 constituting the main body of the control unit, program data stored in the CPU 210 to control each part (such as program data for the processing of the wafer W and the restoration process described later). ) such as ROM (read only memory) 220, RAM (random access memory) 230 provided with storage areas for various data processing performed by CPU 210, etc., timer device 240 composed of timer counters, etc., used to display operation screens and select A display device 250 composed of a liquid crystal display such as a screen, and an input/output device 260 capable of inputting and editing various data such as processing methods of an operator, and outputting various data such as processing methods and processing records to a predetermined storage medium. , a notification device 270 such as an alarm (such as a buzzer) that notifies when an abnormality such as an electric leakage occurs in the substrate processing apparatus 100, various controllers 280 for controlling various parts of the substrate processing apparatus 100, and a hard disk (HDD), etc. storage device 290.

Electrically connect with the CPU 210, ROM 220, RAM 230, timing device 240, display device 250, input and output device 260, notification device 270, various controllers 280, and storage device 290 through buses such as control bus, system bus, and data bus. .

In the storage device 290, for example, wafer storage information 292 such as whether or not each wafer W is stored in the cassette container 132 (132A to 132C), and wafer processing history information (for example, processing records) such as the stage of processing of each wafer W, etc. are stored. 294.

Here, a specific example of the wafer storage information 292 will be described with reference to FIG. 3 . As shown in FIG. 3 , the wafer storage information 292 includes items such as container name, serial number, wafer ID, wafer storage status, restoration process, and wafer processing status. The container name item is used to specify the box container. Wafer accommodation information 292 is for storage in each cassette container. For example, in the case of the substrate processing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 , the types of the cassette containers 132A to 132C are shown.

The item of the serial number is an item for specifying a wafer storage layer in the cassette container 132 that stores wafers W one by one. For example, when 25 wafers W can be accommodated in one cassette container 132, the series numbers are 1-25. The item of wafer ID is an item for indicating the wafer ID of the wafer W in each lot in the cassette container 132 . The wafer ID mentioned here is an ID given by the operator before the wafer W is processed. For example, the operator sets the wafer W in the cassette container 132 through a predetermined operation using the input/output device 260 before the processing. The item of the wafer storage status is an item indicating whether the wafer W is stored in the wafer storage layer of the cassette container 132 . In the example shown in FIG. 3 , the case of "Yes" means that the wafer W is accommodated, and the case of "No" means that the wafer W is not accommodated.

The item of recovery processing is an item for indicating whether or not each wafer W of the cassette container 132 is a wafer W subjected to recovery processing described later. Here, the restoration process is a process for restoring the state of the substrate processing apparatus 100 after the abnormality is resolved, for example, when the substrate processing apparatus 100 has an abnormality such as electric leakage and stops operating. In the example shown in FIG. 3 , the case of "Yes" indicates a wafer W that has undergone recovery processing, and the case of "No" indicates a wafer W that has not undergone recovery processing. The wafer processing status item is an item for indicating the current processing status (processing stage) of each wafer W in the cassette container 132 . In the example shown in FIG. 3 , "processing complete" means that all necessary processing of wafer W is completed, and "no processing" means that necessary processing of wafer W is not performed at all. In addition, "restoration processing" indicates that restoration processing is currently being performed.

According to such wafer storage information 292, in addition to the storage status of the wafer W in the cassette container 132, the presence or absence of recovery processing and the processing status of the wafer W can be grasped. In addition, if such wafer storage information 292 is displayed on the display device 250 through the operation of the input/output device 260 by the operator, the operator can also see the wafer storage information. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3 , the wafer W subjected to the restoration process is indicated by oblique lines, and the wafer W under the restoration process may also be indicated by dark oblique lines. In this way, it is possible to easily determine whether or not the wafer W is recovered, and it can be effectively used, for example, in inspection of the wafer W thereafter.

In addition, the wafer storage information 292 is not limited to the items shown in FIG. 3 , and the number of items may be increased. Furthermore, if at least the wafer storage status is separated, there is no need to provide recovery processing and wafer processing status items.

A specific example of the wafer processing history information 294 will be described below with reference to FIG. 4 . As shown in FIG. 4 , wafer process history information 294 includes items such as container name, serial number, wafer ID, process number, wafer process stage, and elapsed time. Items of container name, serial number, and wafer ID are the same as those shown in FIG. 3 , so detailed explanations are omitted.

The item of the process number is an item indicating that the process stage performed on the wafer W is assigned a number. The item of the wafer processing stage is an item indicating each processing stage performed on the wafer W. The item of elapsed time is an item for indicating time information of each processing stage. In the example shown in FIG. 4 , for example, the processing start time (STARTTIME) of the wafer W, the time (IN) of carrying the wafer W into each chamber, and the time (OUT) of taking out the wafer W from each chamber are shown. In addition, when the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100 is stopped in the middle of the processing stage, the stop time (STOP TIME) is indicated. In the example shown in FIG. 4 , it can be seen that the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100 is stopped in the middle of the etching process in the first processing chamber 140A.

In addition, such wafer processing history information 294 is based on, for example, the wafer sensors 135a, 138a, 165M, 165N, 188A to 188F provided in each chamber and the wafer sensors 173a, 173b, 183a, 183b provided in each transport mechanism 170, 180 Wafer processing information such as the inspection result of the wafer W, the processing method, etc., the timing time of the timing device 240, etc. are determined. For example, the timing at which the wafer W is carried into or taken out from the positioner 136 is determined based on the timing at which the wafer W is detected by the wafer sensor 138a. In addition, the timing at which the wafer W is carried into or taken out from the load lock chamber 160M, 160N is determined based on the timing at which the wafer W is detected by the wafer sensors 165M, 165N. The timing at which the wafer W is carried into or taken out from the first to sixth processing chambers 140A to 140F is determined based on the timing at which the wafer W is detected by the wafer sensors 188A to 188F.

According to such wafer processing history information 294, in addition to the positioning information of which chamber the wafer W resides (stays in) and the time information related to the processing stage, it is also possible to grasp the positioning information of the wafer W when the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100 is stopped. and processing stage information. Also, by adding the processing stages of the restoration processing to the wafer processing history information 294, it is possible to grasp to which stage the restoration processing has been carried out.

In addition, when such wafer processing history information 294 is displayed on the display device 250 by the operation of the input/output device 260 by the operator, the operator can also see the wafer processing history information 294 . In addition, the wafer processing history information 294 is not limited to the items shown in FIG. 4 .

In addition to the above-mentioned wafer storage information 292 and wafer processing history information 292 , information necessary for operating the substrate processing apparatus 100 to process wafers and the like are stored in the storage device 290 . For example, particle measurement result information storing measurement results measured in particle measurement chamber 134 , and wafer processing information such as processing methods required for processing wafer W in each processing chamber 140 ( 140A to 140F ) are also stored in storage device 290 . The CPU 210 of the control unit 200 controls the processing of the wafer W in each of the processing chambers 140A to 140F based on the wafer processing information stored in the storage device 290 .

(Operation of substrate processing equipment)

Next, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus configured as described above will be described. The substrate processing apparatus 100 operates according to the program of the CPU 210 of the control unit 200 as described above, and creates wafer processing history information (for example, processing method) 294 at each processing stage of each wafer W, and stores it in the storage device 290 .

For example, the wafer W transported from any one of the cassette containers 132A to 132C by the transport unit side transport mechanism 170 is transported to the positioner 136, transferred to the rotary stage 138 of the positioner 136, and positioned there. The positioned wafer W is carried out from the positioner 136 and carried into the load lock chamber 160M or 160N. At this time, if the processed wafer W on which all necessary processes have been completed is in the load lock chamber 160M or 160N, the processed wafer W is taken out, and the unprocessed wafer W is loaded.

The wafer W carried into the load lock chamber 160M or 160N is taken out of the load lock chamber 160M or 160N by the processing unit side transfer mechanism 180, and the wafer W is carried into the processing chamber 140 for processing to perform predetermined processing. Then, the processed wafer W that has been processed in the processing chamber 140 is taken out of the processing chamber 140 by the processing unit side transfer mechanism 180 . In this case, when the wafer W needs to be continuously processed in a plurality of processing chambers 140 , the wafer W is sent to another processing chamber 140 where the next processing is performed, and the processing in the processing chamber 140 is performed.

The processed wafer, which completes all required processing, is returned to the load lock chamber 160M or 160N. The processed wafer W returned to the load lock chamber 160M or 160N is returned to the original cassette containers 132A to 132C by the transport unit side transport mechanism 170 .

In order to improve the processing efficiency of each processing chamber 140, it is desirable to make the wafer W stand by as close as possible to the processing chamber 140. Therefore, during the ongoing processing of the processing chamber 140, the wafer W is also sequentially taken out from the cassette container 132, so that these The wafer W waits in the common transfer chamber 150 , the load lock chamber 160M or 160N, and the positioner 136 . When the processing of one wafer W is completed in the processing chamber 140, the wafer W is directly returned to the original cassette container 132, and the waiting wafers W are sequentially transferred, and the next wafer W waiting in the common transfer chamber 150 is directly sent into the processing chamber. 140.

During operation of such a substrate processing apparatus 100, if abnormalities such as failure, power outage, and electric leakage occur in the substrate processing apparatus 100, the substrate processing apparatus 100 is powered off, for example, and stops operating. When the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100 is stopped, for example, the processing of the wafer being processed in each of the processing chambers 140A to 140F is interrupted midway and remains in the processing chambers 140A to 140F as they are. In addition, those waiting in the transfer unit 120 (for example, in the transfer chamber 130, the positioner 136, and the particle measurement chamber 134) and the processing unit 110 (for example, in the common transfer chamber 150, the load lock chambers 160M, 160N), etc. Wafer W stays in each chamber as it is.

In the substrate processing apparatus 100 of this embodiment, when the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100 is stopped due to an abnormality as described above, after the abnormality is resolved, when the substrate processing apparatus 100 is powered on again, the The restoration processing described below is performed.

(recovery processing)

Here, the recovery process of the substrate processing apparatus 100 will be described. The restoration process of the substrate processing apparatus 100 is performed by the CPU 210 of the control unit 200 in accordance with a program stored in the ROM 220, the storage device 290, or the like.

The recovery processing in this embodiment can be mainly divided into: substrate recycling processing (substrate recycling process), performing prescribed wafer salvage processing (substrate salvage processing) on the wafer W, such as cassette container 132 recovery; device internal state restoration processing (device internal state Restoration step) restores the state of each chamber of the substrate processing apparatus 100 . Next, each processing will be described respectively.

(Substrate recovery processing during recovery processing)

First, the substrate recycling process will be described. In the substrate recovery process, wafers W staying in each chamber of the substrate processing apparatus 100 are processed correspondingly to the stage of processing performed until the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100 is stopped (hereinafter also simply referred to as the time of operation stop). In the salvage process (substrate salvage process), the wafer W is returned to the cassette container 132 at the starting point of transport. For example, with respect to the wafer W in the substrate processing apparatus 100 , corresponding rescue treatment is carried out corresponding to the chamber where the wafer W stays when the operation is stopped. From a general point of view, depending on the chamber in which the wafer W stays, the wafer processing stage, such as how far the wafer W has been processed until the work is stopped, differs. For example, the wafer W remaining in the transfer unit 120 is taken out of the cassette container 132 and then transferred to the processing unit without processing, or the processing completion step is returned from the processing unit 110 after all required processing has been completed. On the contrary, the wafers W staying in the common transfer chamber 150 are not only wafers in the unprocessed stage and wafers in the process completed stage, but also wafers in the incomplete stage of processing in other processing chambers. possibility. Therefore, by performing the salvage process corresponding to the chamber where the wafer W stays in this way, it is possible to perform the salvage process appropriately according to the processing stage of the wafer W.

As such a wafer salvage process, for example, the wafers W remaining in the transfer unit 120 (for example, the transfer chamber 130, the positioner 136, the particle measurement chamber 134, etc.) can be regarded as unprocessed wafers that have not been processed at all. W, or processed wafers W that have completed all required processing, so these wafers W are directly returned to the cassette container 132 at the starting point of transportation, and there is no problem. Therefore, the wafer W in the transfer unit 120 is returned to the cassette container 132 at the transfer start point as it is on the substrate.

In contrast, the wafers W staying in the processing unit 110 (for example, the processing chambers 140A to 140F, the common transfer chamber 150, and the load lock chambers 160M and 160N) are not processed wafers or processed wafers. , there is also the possibility that there are still wafers left with no processing stages. For example, in the processing chamber 140 , there is a possibility that a wafer W (wafer during processing) in the middle of the processing in which the processing such as an etching step is interrupted may remain in this state. In addition, in the common transfer chamber 150, there are wafers W to be processed in a plurality of processing chambers 140, and there are wafers W that are still processed in other processing chambers and have not yet been completely processed. (Processing incomplete wafers) possibility. For example, assume that there are wafers that need to be continuously processed in the first to sixth processing chambers 140A to 140F, and there is a wafer W that has been processed in the first to fifth processing chambers 140A to 140E, taken out from the processing chamber 140E, and processed in the first to fifth processing chambers 140A to 140E. The common transfer chamber 150 waits for the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100 to stop while the remaining sixth processing chamber 140F is processing.

Assuming that the wafers W that are in the middle of the process and the wafers W that have not been processed are collected into the cassette container 132 as described above, these wafers W may not be salvageable. For example, as in the process of clustering, if the interrupted processing is returned to the original cassette container 132, the wafer W cannot be processed for the remainder because the wafer W is exposed to the atmosphere ( such as the remainder of the etching process, etc.), sometimes it becomes impossible to salvage the wafer itself. Therefore, the remaining processing is performed on the wafer W substrate in the processing unit 110, and after the processing is completed, it is collected into the cassette container 132 at the starting point of transportation.

When the remaining processing is performed on the wafer W, a stabilization step is first performed to adjust the state in the processing chamber 140 . For example, in the case of performing the remaining etching process on the wafer W in the processing chamber 140, after the evacuation process in the processing chamber 140 is performed, the pressure in the processing chamber 140 is evacuated to a predetermined pressure, and the processing gas is reintroduced. , apply high-frequency electricity to restore the plasma. As the exhaust process of the processing chamber 140, for example, introducing a purge gas such as N ₂ gas or an inert gas, opening to the atmosphere, and repeating a predetermined number of cycles of opening to the atmosphere and evacuating, etc. For example, when a corrosive gas (for example, chlorine gas, hydrogen chloride, etc.) is used as the processing gas, circulation purge of introducing a diluent gas such as N ₂ gas can be implemented as an acid exhaust treatment.

In this way, in the present embodiment, when the operation of the substrate processing apparatus is stopped due to an abnormality such as electric leakage, by performing rescue processing corresponding to each chamber of the substrate processing apparatus 100 in which the wafer W is stagnant, it is possible to respond to the failure of the wafer W. In the processing stage, the corresponding salvage process is performed, so the wafer W can be salvaged correctly. The order of the chambers for performing the salvage process is preferably to perform the substrate salvage process starting from the wafer W in the chamber near the transfer start point and the container 132 . For example, the order of the transfer unit 120 , the load lock chamber 160 , the common transfer chamber 150 , and the processing chamber 140 is preferable. In this way, since the recovery of the wafer W can be performed smoothly, an efficient restoration process can be realized.

In addition, when the substrate salvage process is performed, it is necessary to detect whether or not the wafer W is stagnant in each chamber (for example, the transfer unit 120 , the load lock chamber 160 , the common transfer chamber 150 , and the processing chamber 140 ). As such a wafer detection method, for example, it is possible to detect which chamber in the processing unit 110 or the transfer unit 120 the wafer W is staying in based on the wafer processing stage stored in the wafer processing history information 294 shown in FIG. 4 .

In addition, in the particle measurement chamber 134, the positioner 136, and the transfer chamber 130 of the transfer unit 120, the wafer W may be detected by the wafer sensors 135a, 138a in each chamber, and the sensors 173a, 173b of the transfer mechanism 170 on the transfer unit side. Further, in each of the load lock chambers 160M and 160N of the processing unit 110 and the common transfer chamber 150 , the wafer W is detected by the wafer sensors 165M and 165N of the chambers and the wafer sensors 183a and 183b of the processing unit side transfer mechanism 180 .

In addition, it is also possible to detect whether or not a wafer W remains by carrying in or taking out the wafer W by using the transport unit-side transport mechanism 170 and the process unit-side transport mechanism 180 . For example, in the processing chambers 140A to 140F, the wafer W is carried in or out by the processing unit side transfer mechanism 180, and the wafer W is carried in or out according to the wafer sensors 188A to 188F of the common transfer chamber corresponding to each chamber and the processing unit side transfer mechanism 180. Each of the wafer sensors 183a and 183b detects whether or not a wafer W remains in the processing chambers 140A to 140F.

(In-device status restoration processing during restoration processing)

Next, in the restoration processing, the state restoration processing in the device will be described. The state recovery process in the device here is, for example, performing cleaning treatment on each chamber in the transfer unit 120, the common transfer chamber 150, the load lock chambers 160M and 160N, and the processing chambers 140A to 140F, so that each chamber can be restored. Recovery processing of the processing of the wafer W is carried out. As the cleaning process for each chamber, for example, a purge gas such as N ₂ gas is introduced, and a cleaning process (such as NPPC: Non-Plasma Particle Cleaning) is performed to repeat predetermined times of evacuation and opening to the atmosphere. In this cleaning process, the purge gas is continuously introduced not only when opening to the atmosphere but also during evacuation. By adopting such cleaning treatment, fine particles (for example, deposits, dust, waste residue, etc.) floating in each chamber can be removed. In addition, by repeating evacuation and opening to the atmosphere, particles adhering to the walls of each chamber and components placed in each chamber are also peeled off and forced to float to remove them.

In addition, the cleaning process of each chamber of the substrate processing apparatus 100 is not limited to the method described above, and a well-known cleaning process may be performed. For example, a cleaning treatment using plasma can be used.

(Concrete example of restoration processing)

Hereinafter, the restoration processing as described above will be described in more detail with reference to a specific example. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a main routine of a specific example of restoration processing in the substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

In the recovery process shown in FIG. 5 , as the substrate recovery process, first, in steps S110 to S150 and steps S200 to S500 , a wafer salvage process (substrate salvage process) corresponding to each chamber where the wafer W remains is performed, and the remaining wafer W is removed from each chamber. The wafers W are collected into the cassette container 132 at the transport starting point. That is, as the substrate salvage process in the transport unit, when it is determined in step S110 that there is wafer W in the transport unit 120, the wafer salvage process in the transport unit 120 is performed in step S200. In addition, as the substrate salvage process in the processing unit, when it is determined in step S120 that there is wafer W in the load lock chamber 160, the wafer salvage process in the load lock chamber 160 is performed in step S300 (substrate salvage process in the load lock chamber). If it is determined in step S130 that there is a wafer W in the common transport chamber 150, the wafer salvage process in the common transport chamber 150 (substrate salvage process in the common transport chamber) is performed in step S400, and it is determined in the step S140 that there is a wafer W in the processing chamber. If there is a wafer W in 140, the wafer salvage process in the process chamber 140 (substrate salvage process in the process chamber) is performed in step S500. Specific examples of these wafer salvage processes will be described below.

(Wafer salvage processing in the transfer unit)

First, a specific example of the wafer salvage process (step S200 ) in the transfer unit will be described with reference to FIG. 6 . FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of wafer salvage processing in the transfer unit. As the wafer W in the transport unit 120, for example, wafers staying in the positioner 136 and the particle measurement chamber 134 are considered in addition to the wafer W held in the transport chamber 130 by the transport mechanism 170 on the transport unit side. W, therefore, these wafers W are targeted for salvage processing in the transfer unit 120 .

In the wafer salvage process in the transport unit shown in FIG. 6 , first, in step S210 , the wafer W remaining in the transport unit 120 is transported into the particle measurement chamber 134 by, for example, the transport unit side transport mechanism 170 . At this time, the wafer W in the transport chamber 130 , that is, the wafer W on the picker of the transport mechanism 170 on the transport unit side is directly transported into the particle measurement chamber 134 . The wafer W inside the positioner 136 is taken out from the positioner 136 by the transport unit-side transport mechanism 170 and carried into the particle measurement chamber 134 . In this case, when the wafer W has already accumulated in the particle measurement chamber 134, the particle measurement is performed on the wafer W, and then the wafer W is returned to the cassette container 132 at the starting point of transportation.

Then, in step S220, the amount of particles adhering to the wafer W carried into the particle measurement chamber 134 is measured (particle measurement), and in step S230, the result of the measurement is stored in the control unit 200 as, for example, a record of particle measurement result information. in the storage device 290. Then, in step S240, the wafer W is taken out from the particle measurement chamber 134 by the transport unit side transport mechanism 170, and returned to the cassette container 132 at the transport starting point. Once such a series of wafer salvage processing in the transfer unit 120 is completed, it returns to the main routine shown in FIG. 5 .

According to such a wafer salvage process in the transport unit 120, all the wafers W remaining in the transport unit 120 are collected into the cassette container 132 at the transport starting point after the particle measurement is performed. This is because, assuming that wafers W stay in the transfer unit 120, the processing stage of such wafers W is an unprocessed stage in which no processing has been performed, or a processed stage in which all processing has been completed, so these wafers W cannot be recovered even if they are directly recovered. no problem. Therefore, in the wafer salvage process in the transfer unit 120, the processing stage of the wafer W can be known as long as it is detected in the transfer unit 120, so it is not necessary to detect the processing stage of the wafer W from the wafer processing history information 294, for example.

In addition, before the wafer W remaining in the transfer unit 120 is collected into the cassette container 132 , particle measurement is performed, and the result is stored in a log or the like. Therefore, based on the measurement result of the particle amount, it can be judged whether or not the wafer W recovered into the cassette container 132 can be reprocessed.

(wafer salvage processing in load lock chamber)

Next, a specific example of the wafer salvage process (step S300 ) in the load lock chamber 160 will be described with reference to FIG. 7 . FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of the wafer salvage process in the load lock chamber 160 . In the substrate processing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1, since there are two load lock chambers 160M, 160N, the process shown in FIG. Processing of the load lock chamber 160 in 160N.

In the wafer salvage process in the load lock chamber shown in FIG. 7 , first, in step S310 , the wafer W is placed in the load lock chamber 160 and the load lock chamber 160 is exhausted. As the exhaust process, for example, the exhaust system and the gas introduction system of the load lock chamber 160 are controlled, evacuation and opening to the atmosphere are repeated a predetermined number of times at the same time, and a purge gas (for example, _N gas) is introduced at the time of opening to the atmosphere. The cycle purging described above.

Then, in step S320 , the wafer W located in the load lock chamber 160 is transported into the particle measurement chamber 134 by the transport unit side transport mechanism 170 . Specifically, after performing pressure adjustment such as opening the load lock chamber 160 to the atmosphere, the wafer W is taken out by the transport unit side transport mechanism 170 and transported into the particle measurement chamber 134 . Thereafter, in step S330, the particle measurement is performed, and in step S340, the measurement result thereof is stored in, for example, a log or the like. Thereafter, in step S350, the wafer W is taken out from the particle measurement chamber 134 by the transport unit side transport mechanism 170, and returned to the cassette container 132 at the transport starting point. When the series of wafer salvage processes in the load lock chamber 160 are completed, the process returns to the main routine shown in FIG. 5 .

According to the wafer salvage process in the load lock chamber 160, all the wafers W staying in the load lock chamber 160 are the same as the wafers W in the transfer unit 120, and after particle measurement, they are recovered to the cassette container 132 at the transfer starting point. middle. This is because, assuming that the wafer W stays in the load lock chamber 160, the processing stage of the wafer W is the same as that of the wafer W in the transfer unit 120, and there is no processing stage or processing completion stage, so these wafers W will not be recovered even if they are directly recovered. question.

However, before the wafer W is taken out of the load lock chamber 160, the load lock chamber 160 is exhausted (eg, cyclic purge). This is because there is a concern that the processing gas from the processing chamber 140 remains on the wafer W in the load lock chamber 160 . In addition, there is a concern that slag and dust may flow back from the exhaust side when the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100 is stopped during evacuation of the load lock chamber 160 . These remaining processing gases, slag, dust, and the like can be removed by performing an exhaust process of the load lock chamber 160 . In addition, when the wafer W is processed using a corrosive gas (for example, chlorine gas, hydrogen chloride, etc.) as the processing gas, the evacuation process may be performed as an acid evacuation process in the load lock chamber 160 . Therefore, since the corrosive gas can be prevented from flowing toward the transport unit 120 side, corrosion of the components of the transport unit 120 and the transport unit-side transport mechanism 170 and the like can be prevented.

(Wafer salvage processing in shared transfer chamber)

Next, a specific example of the wafer salvage process (in step S400 ) in the common transfer chamber 150 will be described with reference to FIG. 8 . FIG. 8 shows a flowchart of a subroutine of the wafer salvage process in the common transfer chamber 150 . In the common transfer chamber 150 , in addition to unprocessed wafers W not processed in any of the processing chambers 140 , there may be processed wafers W that have already been processed in one or more processing chambers 140 . In addition, among the processed wafers W, there are not only processed wafers that have been processed in all required processing chambers 140, but also wafers W that need to be continuously processed in a plurality of processing chambers 140, as well as wafers that are processed in other processing chambers 140. The processing of the incomplete wafer W in the processing chamber 140 is not yet completed. Therefore, in the wafer salvage process in the common transfer chamber 150, the processing stage of such a wafer W is detected, and corresponding wafer salvage processing is performed corresponding to the processing stage.

In the wafer salvage process in the common transfer chamber shown in FIG. 8, first, in step S410, it is determined whether the wafer W in the common transfer chamber 150 is a wafer W whose processing has not been completed. Specifically, for example, the processing stage of the wafer W located in the common transfer chamber 150 is detected from the wafer processing history information 294 shown in FIG. For example, a wafer W that needs to be processed in the first processing chamber 140A and the second processing chamber 140B, the wafer processing stage of the wafer W is stopped in the common transfer chamber 150 after the processing of the first processing chamber 140A is completed, for example. In this case, since the processing in the second processing chamber 140B has not yet been performed, it can be judged that the processing of the wafer W is not completed.

In the step S410, if it is determined that the wafer W in the common transfer chamber 150 is an incomplete wafer W, the incomplete wafer W is processed in the step S420, and then proceeds to the processing in the step S430. Here, the processing of the wafer W whose processing in step S420 has not been completed will be described in detail later. In addition, when it is determined in step S410 that the wafer W located in the common transfer chamber 150 is not an unprocessed wafer W, that is, when it is determined that it is an unprocessed wafer W or a processed wafer W, the process proceeds to S430. Step processing.

In step S430, the wafer W that has not been processed or the wafer W that has been processed is sent into the load lock chamber 160M or 160N by, for example, the transfer mechanism 180 on the processing unit side. Exhaust gas treatment, such as the implementation of the cycle purging as described above. The processed wafer W mentioned here includes not only the processed wafer W when the operation was stopped (or the recovery process started) due to an abnormality of the substrate processing apparatus 100, but also the unprocessed wafer W for which the recovery process was performed. After the processing (step S420), it becomes a processed wafer W.

Next, in step S440 , the wafer W is transported into the particle measurement chamber 134 by the transport unit side transport mechanism 170 . Specifically, after performing pressure adjustment such as opening the load lock chamber 160M or 160N to the atmosphere, the wafer W is taken out by the transport unit side transport mechanism 170 and transported into the particle measurement chamber 134 . Then, particle measurement is performed in step S450, and its measurement result is stored, for example, in a record or the like in step S460. Thereafter, in step S470, the wafer W is taken out from the particle measurement chamber 134 by the transport unit side transport mechanism 170, and returned to the cassette container 132 at the transport starting point. In this way, when a series of wafer salvage processes in the common transfer chamber 150 are completed, the routine returns to the main routine shown in FIG. 5 .

(processing of unfinished wafers)

Here, a specific example of the processing of the wafer W that has not been processed in step S420 shown in FIG. 8 will be described with reference to FIG. 9 . FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a subroutine for processing a wafer W whose processing has not been completed.

In the processing of the incomplete wafer W shown in FIG. 9 , first, in step S421, it is judged whether or not the processing chamber 140 to which the incomplete wafer W is to be transported is in the process of another wafer W being processed. . Whether or not the processing chamber 140 of the transfer destination is in the process of processing another wafer W is determined by detecting the processing stage of the other wafer W using the wafer processing history information 294 shown in FIG. 4 , for example. When it is judged in step S421 that the processing chamber 140 of the transfer destination is in the middle of processing, it waits in step S422 until the processing of other wafers W in the processing chamber 140 of the transfer destination is completed, and returns to the process shown in FIG. 8 . display program. After the processing of other wafers W in the processing chamber 140 of the transfer destination is completed, the processing of the unfinished wafer W is performed. Specifically, in this case, since the wafer W whose processing has not been completed is in the state of waiting in the common transfer chamber 150, when the program in FIG. 8 ends and returns to the main program in FIG. The wafer W has not been collected yet, so the process of S400 is re-executed, that is, the subroutine shown in FIG. 9 is re-executed. At this time, when the processing of other wafers W in the processing chamber of the transfer destination is completed, the processing of the unfinished wafer W that is waiting in the common transfer chamber 150 is performed through the processing after step S423.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S421 that the processing chamber 140 of the transfer destination is not in the process of processing, in step S423 the transfer mechanism 180 on the processing unit side is controlled to correct the position of the unprocessed wafer W. This is because, when the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100 is stopped during the conveying operation of the processing unit-side conveying mechanism 180, the processing unit-side conveying mechanism 180 in the conveying operation is also stopped suddenly, and there may be cases where the substrate is caught due to inertial force or the like. The position of the wafer held on the picker of the transport mechanism 180 on the processing unit side deviates. If the wafer W is transported into the processing chamber 140 in a state where the position of the wafer W is deviated in this way, for example, it may be caught by the gate valve 144 or placed away from the stage 142 of the processing chamber 140. Therefore, in order to prevent such a positional deviation of the wafer W, The position correction of the wafer W is performed before the wafer W is carried into the processing chamber 140 .

The correction of the position of the wafer W is performed as follows, for example, using the position sensor 189 provided in the common transfer chamber 150 . That is, the processing unit side conveyance mechanism 180 is sent to the position sensor 189 while the wafer W is held by the picker, and the deviation amount of the wafer W is detected by the position sensor 189 . The position of the wafer W is corrected by shifting and adjusting the picker position of the processing unit side transport mechanism 180 based on the amount of deviation detected by the position sensor 189 .

Then, in step S424, the wafer W whose position correction has not been completed is carried into the processing chamber 140 for the next processing by the processing unit side transfer mechanism 180 . Subsequently, in step S425 , the processing of the unfinished wafer W is performed in the processing chamber 140 of the transfer destination.

Thereafter, it is judged in step S426 whether or not all processing is completed. In the case of a wafer W to be processed in a plurality of processing chambers 140 , it is judged whether or not all processing in each processing chamber 140 has been completed, and whether or not all processing on the wafer W has been completed. When it is judged in step S426 that all the processing has not been completed, the process returns to the processing in step S424, and the remaining processing is performed. In addition, when it is judged in step S426 that all processes have been completed, the processing of the wafers for which a series of processes has not been completed is completed, and the process returns to the routine shown in FIG. 8 .

If the wafer salvage process in the common transfer chamber 150 is adopted, when the processing stage of the wafer W in the common transfer chamber 150 is the processing completion stage, the evacuation process and particle measurement in the load lock chamber 160 are performed. After that, it is recovered to the box container 132 at the delivery starting point. On the contrary, when the processing stage of the wafer W in the common transfer chamber 150 is the stage in which the processing is not completed, the processing in the necessary processing chamber is performed until all the processing is completed, and then it is recovered to the cassette at the transfer starting point. Container 132. Therefore, for example, since the unfinished wafers W are not directly recovered to the cartridge container 132 in the atmosphere, the unfinished wafers W are not exposed to the atmosphere, and irreparable situations can be prevented. In this way, by performing the correct salvage process corresponding to the processing stage of the wafer W, as many substrates to be processed as possible can be salvaged.

(wafer salvage processing in processing chamber)

Next, a specific example of the wafer salvage process in the process chamber 140 will be described with reference to FIG. 10 . FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of wafer salvage processing in the processing chamber 140 . Since the substrate processing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 has six processing chambers 140A to 140F, it is suitable for the processing shown in FIG. Processing in the processing chamber 140 .

In addition, in the processing chamber 140, unprocessed wafers W that have not yet started processing except for being carried into the processing chamber 140, or processed wafers W that have not been taken out after all processing in the processing chamber 140 In addition to wafers W whose processing has not been completed and wafers W whose processing has been completed, wafers W in the middle of processing that have started processing in the processing chamber 140 but are interrupted in the middle may remain. In addition, even if the wafer W is in the process of being processed, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100 is stopped depending on which of the processing stages in the processing chamber 140 (for example, during the stabilization process, during the etching process, and during the finishing process described later) The interrupted ones are different, and the rescue processing is also different. Therefore, the wafer salvage processing in the processing chamber 140 also includes salvage processing corresponding to the processing of the wafer W in the processing chamber.

In the wafer salvage process in the processing chamber 140 shown in FIG. 10 , first, in step S510, it is determined whether the wafer W in the processing chamber 140 is a wafer W in process. Specifically, for example, the processing stage of the wafer W in the processing chamber 140 is detected using the wafer processing history information 294 shown in FIG. 4, and it is determined whether the processing stage of the wafer W is in the middle of processing. For example, using the wafer processing history information 294 shown in FIG. 4 , it can be determined that the wafer W of wafer ID 132A-22 is in the middle of the process because the substrate processing apparatus 100 is stopped during the etching process in the first processing chamber 140A.

If it is judged in step S510 that the wafer W in the processing chamber 140 is a wafer W in process, the wafer W in process is processed in step S520, and then proceeds to the process in step S530. In addition, the detailed processing of the wafer W in the middle of processing in step S520 will be described later. In addition, when it is determined in step S510 that the wafer W in the processing chamber 140 is not a wafer W in process, for example, if it is determined that it is an unprocessed wafer W or a processed wafer W, the process proceeds directly to step S530.

In step S530, it is determined whether the wafer W in the processing chamber 140 is a wafer W whose processing has not been completed. The unfinished wafer W mentioned here includes the processing of the incomplete wafer W in step S520 in addition to the unfinished wafer W that is processed when the operation is stopped (or when the recovery process is started) due to an abnormality of the substrate processing apparatus 100. Even if the processing of the intermediate wafer W is carried out, the processing of the unfinished wafer W in the other processing chamber 140 is required.

If it is determined in step S530 that the wafer W in the processing chamber 140 is an unprocessed wafer W, the process proceeds to step S550 after processing the incomplete wafer W in step S540. In addition, the processing of the unfinished wafer W in step S540 is the same as the processing in step S420 shown in FIG. 8 , and its specific example is the same as that shown in FIG. 9 . In addition, when it is determined in step S530 that the wafer W in the processing chamber 140 is not an unprocessed wafer W, that is, an unprocessed wafer W or a processed wafer W, the process proceeds to step S550. deal with.

In step S550, for example, the unprocessed wafer W or the processed wafer W is sent into the load lock chamber 160M or 160N through the processing unit side conveying mechanism 180, and the exhaust process is carried out in the load lock chamber 160M or 160N, For example, a circular purge is implemented. The processed wafers W mentioned here include, in addition to the processed wafers W when the operation is stopped (or when the recovery process is started) due to an abnormality of the substrate processing apparatus 100, it also includes the wafer W that has not been processed in the step S540. The processed wafer W becomes a processed wafer W after processing.

Next, the wafer W is transported into the particle measurement chamber 134 by the transport unit side transport mechanism 170 in step S560. Specifically, after performing pressure adjustment such as opening the load lock chamber 160M or 160N to the atmosphere, the wafer W is taken out by the transport unit side transport mechanism 170 and transported into the particle measurement chamber 134 . Thereafter, particle measurement is performed in step S570, and its measurement result is stored in, for example, a log or the like in step S580. Thereafter, in step S590, the wafer W is taken out from the particle measurement chamber 134 by the transport unit side transport mechanism 170, and returned to the cassette container 132 at the transport starting point. When such a series of wafer salvage processes in the process chamber 140 are completed, the process returns to the main routine shown in FIG. 5 .

(processing of wafers in progress)

Here, a specific example of the processing of the wafer W in the middle of the process in step S520 shown in FIG. 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 11 . FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a subroutine for processing a wafer W that is being processed. The processing of a wafer in process shown in FIG. 11 is to perform rescue processing corresponding to the stage of wafer processing that is interrupted when the operation is stopped due to an abnormality of the substrate processing apparatus 100 . That is, generally, the processing of the wafer W in the processing chamber 140 is carried out in stages through a plurality of processing steps (processing methods), so by interrupting the remaining processing at the stage corresponding to the processing step, the processing corresponding to the wafer W can be performed. Appropriate wafer salvage handling at the processing stage.

The processing steps (processing procedure method) of the wafer W in the processing chamber 140 are different depending on the type and conditions of the processing of the wafer W. Here, _FIGS . _P. A specific example of the case where the etching process is performed at the end of the step _TE . T _S , T _P , and _TE in FIGS. 12 to 14 represent the time required for the stabilization process, the etching process, and the termination process, respectively. FIGS. 12 to 14 are diagrams showing specific examples of wafer processing steps. (a) of FIGS. (b) of 14 shows the remaining processing of the wafer W when the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100 is stopped in FIG. 12 to FIG. 14( a ), respectively.

In the processing of the in-process wafer W shown in FIG. 11 , first, in step S521 , it is determined whether or not the process of the in-process wafer W in the processing chamber 140 was stopped during the stabilization process. Specifically, for example, the processing stage of the wafer W in the processing chamber 140 is detected from the wafer processing history information 294 shown in FIG. When it is determined in step S521 that the wafer W in process in the processing chamber 140 is stopped in the middle of the stabilization process, the stabilization process is implemented from the beginning in step S522.

As shown in FIG. 12( a), when the processing of the wafer W is stopped in the middle of the stabilization process, since the etching process has not been performed on the wafer W, as the remaining processing of the wafer W in the middle of such processing, as follows As shown in Fig. 12(b), it is sufficient to perform reprocessing directly from the beginning of the stabilization process.

Then, if the processing in the S522 step ends, that is, if the stabilization process ends, then continue the processing thereafter in the S527 step, and judge whether the remaining processing of the processing chamber 140 ends in the S528 step, if it is judged that the remaining processing has not ended Next, return to the processing in step S527. As the subsequent processing, in the remaining processing of the wafer W in the middle of the processing as shown in FIG. 12(b), after the stabilization step is completed, the etching step TP and the end step _TE are continuously performed. In this manner, when all the processes are completed, the processed wafer W is taken out after the state in the processing chamber 140 is adjusted by performing exhaust processing, pressure control, and the like. Then, when it is judged in step S528 that the remaining processing in the processing chamber 140 is completed, a series of processing of the wafer in the middle of processing is completed, and the process returns to the wafer salvage processing in the processing chamber shown in FIG. 10 .

When it is determined in step S521 that the wafer W in process in the processing chamber 140 is not stopped in the middle of the stabilization process, it is determined in step S523 whether the wafer W in process in the process chamber 140 is in the middle of the etching process. stop. In this case as well, the processing stage of the wafer W in the processing chamber 140 is detected using the wafer processing history information 294 shown in FIG. According to the wafer processing history information 294 shown in FIG. 4, since the substrate processing apparatus 100 stops operating the wafer W of the wafer ID 132A-22 in the middle of the etching process in the first processing chamber 140A, it can be judged that the wafer W is in the middle of the etching process. Stop processing.

When it is determined in step S523 that the processing of wafer W in process chamber 140 is stopped during the etching process, the rest of the etching process is performed after the stabilization process in step S524. That is, after exhausting the processing chamber 140, vacuumize the processing chamber 140 to make the pressure inside the processing chamber 140 a predetermined pressure, reintroduce the processing gas, apply high-frequency power to restore the plasma, and restart the etching for the remaining time.

As shown in FIG. 13( a ), when the process is stopped in the middle of the etching process, since the etching process is in progress on the wafer W, basically only the etching process for the remaining time T _PR should be performed. However, in this case, since the etching process is once interrupted, after the exhaust process is performed again through the stabilization process, and a new process gas is introduced to perform plasma formation, it is considered that the state of the plasma cannot be changed before and after the interruption of the etching process. Exactly the same situation. Therefore, in the remaining processing of the wafer W, the additional etching time T _A as shown in FIG. 13( b ) can be set. Therefore, in the remaining processing of the wafer W as shown in FIG. 13( b ), the supplementary etching time is added to the remaining time T _PR of the etching process when the operation is stopped due to an abnormality of the substrate processing apparatus 100 (when the process is interrupted). T _A , only the etching process at this time is performed. This supplementary etching time T _A is used as a method of recovery processing in the processing steps (processing methods) of the wafer W, and the operator can freely set it in the storage device 290 in advance using the operation of the input and output device 260, or it can be used when performing the recovery process. The operator uses the input and output device 260 to input.

In addition, in the remaining processing of the wafer W in this embodiment, the remaining time T _PR of the etching process is obtained from _the wafer processing history information 294 shown in FIG. The supplementary etching time _TA is added below, and these times are regarded as the remaining processing time, and the case of performing only the etching process for the remaining processing time will be described, but the remaining processing time does not necessarily need to be based on the wafer processing history information 294 shown in FIG. 4 Find out. For example, one of the processing chambers 140A to 140F (for example, the processing chamber 140F) is configured as a defect inspection chamber, and the wafer W whose processing is stopped in the middle of the etching process is sent into the defect inspection chamber, and the processing state of the wafer W is inspected in the defect inspection chamber. (for example, the amount of etching residue at the bottom of the hole formed by the etching process on the wafer W), and the remaining processing time of the etching process (for example, T _PR + _TA ) can be set according to the detection result. In the defect inspection room, there is an inspection device such as an electron microscope, and by taking pictures of the wafer W in the defect inspection room with an electron microscope, etc., the processing state of the wafer W can be inspected from the obtained electron image.

In addition, the stabilizing step performed in advance in the etching step may also be performed in advance in the stabilizing step T _S in the processing step (processing method) of the wafer W, or may be performed separately from the processing step (processing method) of the wafer W. A stable process T _S ' during a given wafer salvage process. In this case, for example, the high-frequency voltage to be applied to the lower electrode or the like can be set in a divided manner. In particular, in the case of applying a relatively high high-frequency voltage, generation of particles in the processing chamber 140 can be prevented, for example, by applying it in stages. Such a high-frequency voltage application method can be set by, for example, the voltage value of the step, the time for applying the voltage, and the like.

Then, if the processing in the S524 step is finished, that is, if the remaining processing of the etching process is finished, the subsequent processing is continued in the S527 step, and whether the remaining processing of the processing chamber 140 is judged in the S528 step is completed. If not finished, return to the processing in step S527. As subsequent processing, in the remaining processing of the wafer W in the middle of the processing as shown in FIG. 13( b ), the finishing step is continued after the etching step is completed. In this manner, when all the processes are completed, the processed wafer W is taken out after the state in the processing chamber 140 is adjusted by performing exhaust processing, pressure control, and the like. Then, when it is judged in step S528 that the remaining processing in the processing chamber 140 is completed, a series of processing of the wafer in the middle of processing is completed, and the process returns to the wafer salvage processing in the processing chamber shown in FIG. 10 .

When it is determined in the step S523 that the processing of the wafer W in the processing chamber 140 is not stopped in the middle of the etching process, it is determined in the step S525 whether the wafer W in the process of processing in the processing chamber 140 is stopped in the middle of the finishing process. processed. In this case, for example, the processing stage of the wafer W in the processing chamber 140 is detected using the wafer processing history information 294 shown in FIG.

When it is determined in step S525 that the processing of the wafer W in the process chamber 140 is stopped during the end process, in step S526 the rest of the end process is performed after the stabilization process. That is, after the exhaust process in the processing chamber 140 is performed, the vacuum is evacuated to make the pressure in the processing chamber 140 a predetermined pressure, the processing gas is re-introduced, the plasma is restored by applying high-frequency electricity, and the end-point processing of the remaining time is re-executed. Waiting for the end of the process.

For example, when the processing is stopped in the middle of the end process as shown in FIG. 14( a ), as shown in FIG. 14( b ), only the end processing of the remaining time _TER of the end processing in the end process is performed. That is, the etching process in the preceding etching process is terminated with the elapse of the remaining time _TER of the completion process as the end point.

Then, if the processing in the S525 step ends, that is, if the end process ends, then continue the processing thereafter in the S527 step, and judge whether the remaining processing of the processing chamber 140 ends in the S528 step, if it is judged that the remaining processing has not ended In this case, return to the processing in step S527. As subsequent processing, in the remaining processing of the wafer W in the middle of the processing as shown in FIG. After the state in 140, the processed wafer W is taken out. Then, when it is judged in step S528 that the remaining processing in the processing chamber 140 is completed, a series of processing of the wafer in the middle of processing is completed, and the process returns to the wafer salvage processing in the processing chamber shown in FIG. 10 .

However, there are various methods for end-point processing as described above. For example, there is a method of ending the etching process with the elapsed time of a predetermined end point time as the end point (the first end point processing method), and a method of ending the etching process based on the plasma state and the end point detected by the end point detection method (the second end point method). processing method), when the endpoint is detected by the endpoint detection method, the etching process is terminated at that time, and when the predetermined endpoint time has elapsed without the endpoint being detected, the etching process is terminated at the elapsed time method (the third endpoint processing method), etc. In addition, as such an endpoint detection method, in addition to a method based on a change in the light emission vector of the plasma excited in the processing chamber 140, there is also a method based on a change in diffracted light of the reflected light by irradiating light from a light source onto the wafer W. method of detection.

The wafer salvage process shown in FIG. 11 of this embodiment can be used in any finishing process including any finishing process. For example, in the case of including processing to determine the end point by using a predetermined end point time elapsed like the first end point processing method and the third end point processing method, the predetermined end point time (for example, T _E in FIG. 14 ) is set in advance. ), so if the work stop time T _S is known, the remaining time T _ER for the end process can be calculated. Therefore, as described above, the etching process is terminated with the elapse of the remaining time T _ER of the end process as an end point. In this case, detection of an endpoint using a plasma state or the like is not performed in the third endpoint processing method.

In contrast, in the case of the second endpoint processing method, since the endpoint of the etching process is detected exclusively based on the state of the plasma and the state of the wafer, a prescribed endpoint time for determining the endpoint is not set in advance (for example, FIG. 14 The reason for T _E in . In this case, for example, when the end process of each wafer W is performed, the end time is measured and stored in a memory or the like in advance, and when the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100 is stopped due to an abnormality, the previous end time of each wafer W is recorded. The average value of is used as the end time of the wafer W subjected to the salvage treatment, and the remaining time T _ER for finishing the process can be calculated according to the end time.

Wherein, the stabilizing step performed before the finishing step is the same as the stabilizing step performed before the etching step, and a predetermined stabilizing step T _S may also be carried out in the processing step (processing method) of the wafer W, However, it is also possible to implement the stabilization step T _S ' during the wafer salvage process which is set separately from the processing step (processing method) of the wafer W. In this case, for example, the high-frequency voltage to be applied to the lower electrode can be set to be applied in stages.

In this way, when the series of wafer salvage processing in the processing chamber 140 is completed, the processing returns to the main routine shown in FIG. 5 . That is, in step S150 shown in FIG. 5, it is judged whether or not all the wafers W being conveyed have been recovered. That is, it is judged whether or not the wafer W processed by each wafer salvage process in steps S200 to S500 is carried into the cassette container 132 at the transport starting point and all the wafers are recovered. In the case of judging in the S150 step that all wafers W have not been recovered, return to the process of S110, and in the case of judging that all the wafers are recovered, go to the next device state recovery process (in the step S160, in the step S170) ) processing.

(Status restoration processing in the device)

In the restoration processing shown in FIG. 5 , as the state restoration processing in the apparatus, cleaning processing of each chamber of the substrate processing apparatus 100 is performed, for example, in step S160 . That is, for example, the cleaning process is performed on each chamber such as the inside of the transfer unit 120 , the inside of the common transfer chamber 150 , the inside of the load lock chambers 160M and 160N, and the inside of the processing chambers 140A to 140F. As the cleaning process for each chamber, for example, a purge gas (for example, N ₂ gas) is introduced, and a cleaning process (for example, NPPC: Non-Plasma Particle Cleaning) is performed to repeat predetermined times of evacuation and opening to the atmosphere. Particles in these chambers are removed, and each chamber is adjusted to a state where wafer processing can be performed. In addition, as the cleaning process, it is not limited to the above-mentioned process, and it may be applied to a well-known cleaning process automatically performed by a substrate processing apparatus.

Then, in step S170, the microparticle measurement processing in each of the chambers is performed. For example, assuming that a wafer for particle measurement is accommodated in the cassette container 132C, the wafer for particle measurement is taken out from the cassette container 132C, and sent to each chamber again, after that, returns to the particle measurement chamber 134, and is measured in the particle measurement chamber 134. The amount of particles adhered to the wafer for particle measurement. Then, the measurement result of the amount of fine particles in each chamber is stored, for example, in a log or the like. This record can be stored, for example, in the storage means 290 and memory of the control unit 200 .

After the particle measurement process in each chamber is completed, the unprocessed wafer collected into the cassette container 132 is reprocessed. Specifically, it is determined in step S180 whether or not unprocessed wafers remain among the unprocessed wafers W collected into the cassette container 132 . Specifically, for example, it is determined whether or not unprocessed wafers remain among the wafers W collected in the cassette container 132 by using the wafer storage information 292 shown in FIG. 3 . For example, using the wafer accommodation information 292 shown in FIG. 3 , the wafer with the wafer ID 132A-23 is “existing” due to the recovery process, and the wafer processing status is “not processed”, so it can be judged that the wafer W is the wafer W of the recovery process. in the unprocessed stage.

When it is judged in step S180 that unprocessed wafers remain, reprocessing of unprocessed wafers is performed in step S190 (reprocessing step of unprocessed wafers). However, for an unprocessed wafer, wafer processing is performed from the beginning based on the processing information (processing method) of the wafer W. In this way, the reprocessing of the unprocessed wafer W is recovered in the cassette container 132 again, and since it is carried out after the cleaning process is performed in each chamber of the substrate processing apparatus 100, the processing of the unprocessed wafer W can be synchronized with that of the substrate processing apparatus 100. Proceed as before the restoration. When the reprocessing of such unprocessed wafers ends, a series of restoration processes also ends.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where the cleaning process of each chamber is carried out again after the completion of the substrate recovery process of all the chambers in the apparatus state recovery process of each chamber of the substrate processing apparatus 100 has been described as an example, but this is not necessarily the case. Limiting to this, it is also possible to perform the substrate recovery process and the state recovery process in the apparatus in each chamber. For example, the cleaning process in the processing unit 110 is performed immediately after the wafer recovery process in the processing unit 110 , and the cleaning process in the common transfer chamber 150 may be performed immediately after the wafer recovery process in the common transfer chamber 150 . The cleaning process in the processing chamber 140 may be performed directly while the wafer W is staying. Therefore, when the processing in the processing chamber 140 is interrupted, the particles floating and falling on the wafer W can be removed simultaneously with the cleaning in the processing chamber 140 .

In addition, the restoration process of the above-mentioned embodiment can be automatically implemented by turning on the power after the abnormality is resolved. In addition, for example, the selection screen for whether to perform the restoration process is displayed on the display device 250 of the control unit 200, and the operator can use input and output. The operation of the device 260 is performed after selection. In addition, recovery processing is not limited to all, but also a part of it may be selected and implemented. For example, wafer salvage processing in the transfer unit (in step S200), wafer salvage processing in the load lock chamber (S300), The wafer salvage process (S400) in the transfer chamber and the wafer salvage process (S500) in the processing chamber are implemented in common.

According to the substrate processing apparatus 100 of this embodiment, when the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100 is stopped due to an abnormality occurring during operation, after the abnormality is resolved, the restoration process for restoring the state of the substrate processing apparatus 100 is performed on the substrate processing apparatus. The wafers W staying in each chamber correspond to the processing stage until the work is stopped, and the corresponding salvage processing is carried out, and the wafer W is automatically recovered into the cassette container 132 (substrate recovery process), and at the same time, each process of the substrate processing device 100 is automatically carried out. In the cleaning process of the chamber, etc., the state of each chamber is restored (in-apparatus state restoration process), and the process of restoring the state of the substrate processing apparatus 100 can be performed automatically. This saves time and labor for the recovery process of the substrate processing apparatus 100 . In addition, when the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100 is stopped due to an abnormality, as many wafers W as possible can be saved by performing correct rescue processing according to the processing stage of the wafer W.

The recovery process in the above-mentioned embodiment has been described for the substrate processing apparatus 100 having the particle measurement chamber 134 , but can also be applied to the substrate processing apparatus 100 not having the particle measurement chamber 134 . In this case, the particle measurement of the wafer W in the particle measurement chamber 134 and each chamber may be omitted. For example, for step S170 shown in FIG. 5, steps S210-S230 shown in FIG. 6, steps S320-S340 shown in FIG. 7, steps S440-S460 shown in FIG. 8, and steps S560-S580 shown in FIG. respectively can be omitted.

In addition, the present invention described in detail using the above-mentioned embodiments is applicable to a system composed of a plurality of devices, and is also applicable to a device composed of a single device. Provide a system or device with a storage medium that stores a software program that implements the functions of the embodiments, and the computer (or CPU and MPU) of the system or device implements the program after reading the program that contains the storage medium and other media. Of course, the present invention can also be realized. .

In this case, the program itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and as a medium such as a storage medium storing the program, for example, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, an optical disk, etc. can be used. Disk, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, magnetic tape, non-volatile memory card, ROM, or download via the Internet, etc.

In addition, by executing the program read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments can be realized, but also based on the instructions of the program, the OS or the like operating in the computer performs a part or all of the actual processing, and realizes the above-mentioned embodiment by this processing. The case of the function of the embodiment is also included in the present invention.

In addition, after the program read from the medium of the storage medium is written into the function expansion plug-in board inserted into the computer or the memory having the function expansion part connected to the computer, according to the instruction of the program, the function expansion plug-in board and It is also included in the present invention that a CPU or the like having a function expansion means performs part or all of actual processing, and realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments by using this processing.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is of course not limited to the examples described above. It is needless to say that those skilled in the art can conceive of various changes or amendments within the scope described in the claims, and it can be understood that these naturally also belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above-mentioned embodiments, the processing unit has been described by taking a so-called multi-stage substrate processing apparatus in which a plurality of processing chambers are connected around a common transfer chamber as an example. In addition to the so-called tandem type substrate processing apparatus in which a plurality of processing units are connected side by side to the transfer unit, the present invention can be applied to various types of substrate processing apparatuses in which the operation of the substrate apparatus stops due to an abnormality.

Industrial Applicability

The present invention can be applied to a recovery processing method, substrate processing apparatus, and program of a substrate processing apparatus when a substrate processing apparatus that performs predetermined processing on a substrate to be processed stops operating due to an abnormality.

Claims (16)

1. A recovery processing method for a substrate processing device, characterized in that: In the substrate processing apparatus, when the operation is stopped due to an abnormality in the operation of the substrate processing apparatus, the substrate processing apparatus restores the state of the substrate processing apparatus after the abnormality is resolved, and the The substrate processing apparatus includes: a processing unit composed of a plurality of chambers at least including a plurality of processing chambers for processing a substrate to be processed; a conveying unit connected to the processing unit and having a mechanism for storing the substrate to be processed a transfer chamber for transferring the substrate to be processed between the substrate storage containers; a transfer unit-side transfer mechanism provided in the transfer unit to carry the substrate to be processed into and out of the processing unit; and The unit-side conveying mechanism is arranged in the processing unit, and transports the substrate to be processed into and out of the processing chamber, wherein the restoration processing method includes: The substrate recovery step is to detect whether the processing stage of the processed substrate remaining in the processing unit is a processing stage in which necessary processing remains for the processed substrate, and in the case of a processing stage in which necessary processing remains , carry out the remaining processing, and recover to the substrate storage container through the processing unit side conveying mechanism and the conveying unit side conveying mechanism, and in the case of a processing stage that is not necessary for remaining processing, pass through the processing unit side The transport mechanism and the transport unit-side transport mechanism perform a substrate rescue process in the processing unit recovered to the substrate storage container, For the substrate to be processed remaining in the transfer unit, the transfer unit-side transfer mechanism performs a substrate rescue process in the transfer unit that is recovered to the substrate storage container; and The in-apparatus state restoration step restores states in the processing unit and the transfer unit of the substrate processing apparatus. 2. The recovery processing method of the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The substrate processing apparatus includes storage means for storing processing history information of substrates to be processed during operation of the substrate processing apparatus, The substrate salvage process in the processing unit detects whether the processing stage of the substrate to be processed remaining in the processing unit is the remaining substrate to be processed that must be processed according to the processing history information of the substrate to be processed stored in the storage device. In the processing stage, the rest of the processing is carried out according to the detection result. 3. The recovery processing method of the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The substrate processing apparatus includes a defect inspection chamber for detecting a processing state of the substrate to be processed and then inspecting defects, The substrate salvage process in the processing unit detects whether the processing stage of the processed substrate remaining in the processing unit is necessary based on the processing state of the processed substrate detected in the defect inspection chamber. In the processing stage of processing, the remaining processing is carried out based on the detection result. 4. The recovery processing method of the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The state restoration process in the apparatus performs a cleaning process in the processing unit of the substrate processing apparatus and in each chamber of the transfer unit. 5. The recovery processing method of the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that: Each chamber of the processing unit and the transfer unit of the substrate processing apparatus includes a gas introduction system capable of introducing at least purge gas, and an exhaust system capable of adjusting pressure by vacuuming and opening to the atmosphere, The cleaning process is to introduce a purge gas into each chamber of the processing unit and the conveying unit through the gas introduction system, and repeat the predetermined process multiple times by evacuating or opening to the atmosphere through the exhaust system. . 6. The recovery processing method of the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: It also includes a reprocessing step of detecting whether the processed substrate recovered into the substrate storage container is in an unprocessed stage, and performing reprocessing on the processed substrate if detected to be in an unprocessed stage. 7. The recovery processing method of the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The substrate processing apparatus includes a particle measurement chamber, In the substrate recovery step, before the substrate to be processed is recovered into the substrate storage container, it is transported to the particle measurement chamber, and the amount of particles on the substrate to be processed is measured in the particle measurement chamber. The measurement results are stored in the storage device in association with the substrate to be processed. 8. A recovery processing method for a substrate processing device, characterized in that: In the substrate processing apparatus, when the operation is stopped due to an abnormality in the operation of the substrate processing apparatus, the substrate processing apparatus restores the state of the substrate processing apparatus after the abnormality is resolved, and the The substrate processing apparatus includes: a conveying unit having a conveying chamber for transferring the substrate to be processed between a substrate processing container for storing the substrate to be processed; a processing unit having a plurality of processing chambers for processing the substrate to be processed; The chamber is connected to the surrounding common transfer chamber and the load lock chamber connecting the common transfer chamber and the transfer chamber of the transfer unit; the transfer unit side transfer mechanism is arranged in the transfer unit, and transfers the substrate to be processed to the transfer unit. The load lock chamber is sent into and taken out; and the processing unit side conveying mechanism is arranged in the common conveying chamber of the processing unit, and the substrate to be processed is sent into and out between the load lock chamber and the processing chambers. and taking out, wherein, the restoration processing method of the substrate processing device includes: In the substrate recovery step, if a substrate to be processed is detected in the transport unit, performing a substrate rescue process in the transport unit recovered to the substrate storage container, If a substrate to be processed is detected in the load lock chamber, after exhausting the load lock chamber, performing substrate rescue processing in the load lock chamber where the substrate to be processed is recovered into the substrate storage container, If a substrate to be processed is detected in the common transfer chamber, it is judged whether the processing stage of the substrate to be processed is an unfinished processing stage, and if it is an unfinished processing stage, the processing in the remaining processing chambers is carried out to all processing chambers. If the recovery of the above-mentioned substrate storage container is not at the stage where the processing is not completed, the substrate salvage process is carried out in the common transfer chamber recovered to the above-mentioned substrate storage container, If a substrate to be processed is detected in the processing chamber, it is judged whether the processing stage of the substrate to be processed is in the middle of processing, and if it is in the middle of processing, after performing the remaining processing in the processing chamber, the Recovering the substrate storage container, if it is not in the middle of the process, performing a substrate rescue process in the processing chamber recovered into the substrate storage container; and The state restoration step in the apparatus restores the state of each chamber of the substrate processing apparatus. 9. The recovery processing method of the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that: The substrate processing apparatus includes storage means for storing processing history information of substrates to be processed during operation of the substrate processing apparatus, In the substrate salvage process in the processing chamber, when it is determined that the processing stage of the substrate to be processed in the processing chamber is in the middle of processing, the processing stage of the substrate to be processed is set according to the processing history information of the substrate to be processed stored in the storage device. For the remaining processing time of the processed substrate, only the remaining processing of the remaining time is performed on the processed substrate. 10. The recovery processing method of the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that: The substrate processing apparatus includes a defect inspection chamber for detecting a processing state of the substrate to be processed and then inspecting defects, In the substrate salvage process in the processing chamber, when it is determined that the processing stage of the substrate to be processed in the processing chamber is in the middle of processing, the substrate to be processed is transported to the defect inspection chamber, and the defect inspection chamber is based on The detected processing state of the substrate to be processed is used to set the remaining processing time of the substrate to be processed, and only the remaining processing within the remaining time is performed on the substrate to be processed. 11. The recovery processing method of the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that: The state restoration process in the apparatus performs a cleaning process in the processing unit of the substrate processing apparatus and in each chamber of the transfer unit. 12. The recovery processing method of the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that: Each chamber of the processing unit and the transfer unit of the substrate processing apparatus includes a gas introduction system capable of introducing at least purge gas, and an exhaust system capable of adjusting pressure by vacuuming and opening to the atmosphere, The cleaning process is to introduce a purge gas into each chamber of the processing unit and the conveying unit through the gas introduction system, and repeat the predetermined process multiple times by evacuating or opening to the atmosphere through the exhaust system. . 13. The recovery processing method of the substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that: It also includes a reprocessing step of detecting whether the processed substrate recovered into the substrate storage container is in an unprocessed stage, and performing reprocessing on the processed substrate if it is detected to be in an unprocessed stage. 14. The method for recovering a substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein: The substrate processing apparatus includes a particle measurement chamber, In the substrate recovery step, before the substrate to be processed is recovered into the substrate storage container, it is transported to the particle measurement chamber, and the amount of particles on the substrate to be processed is measured in the particle measurement chamber. The measurement results are stored in the storage device corresponding to the processed substrate. 15. A substrate processing device for processing a substrate to be processed, comprising: a processing unit consisting of a plurality of chambers including at least a plurality of processing chambers for processing the substrate to be processed; a transport unit, connected to the processing unit, having a transport chamber for transferring the processed substrate to and from a substrate storage container storing the processed substrate; The conveying mechanism on the conveying unit side is arranged in the conveying unit, and transports the substrate to be processed into and out of the processing unit; a processing unit-side conveying mechanism, which is provided in the processing unit, and transports the substrate to be processed into and out of the processing chamber; and The control device restores the state of the substrate processing apparatus after the abnormality is resolved when the operation is stopped due to an abnormality in the operation of the substrate processing apparatus, wherein, The control device includes: The substrate recovering device detects whether the processing stage of the processed substrate remaining in the processing unit is a processing stage in which necessary processing remains for the processed substrate, and in the case of a processing stage in which necessary processing remains , carry out the remaining processing, and recover to the substrate storage container through the processing unit side conveying mechanism and the conveying unit side conveying mechanism, and in the case of a processing stage that is not necessary for remaining processing, pass through the processing unit side The transport mechanism and the transport unit-side transport mechanism perform a substrate rescue process in the processing unit recovered to the substrate storage container, For the substrate to be processed remaining in the transfer unit, the transfer unit-side transfer mechanism performs a substrate rescue process in the transfer unit that is recovered to the substrate storage container; and The in-device state restoration device restores the states in the processing unit and the transfer unit of the substrate processing apparatus. 16. A substrate processing device for processing a substrate to be processed, comprising: The transfer unit has a transfer chamber for transferring the processed substrate between the substrate storage container for storing the processed substrate; a processing unit having a common transfer chamber connecting around a plurality of processing chambers for processing the substrate to be processed, and a load lock chamber connecting the common transfer chamber and the transfer chamber of the transfer unit; The transport mechanism on the transport unit side is arranged in the transport chamber of the transport unit, and transports the substrate to be processed into and out of the load lock chamber; a processing unit-side transport mechanism provided in a common transport chamber of the processing unit, and transporting the substrate to be processed into and out between the load lock chamber and each of the processing chambers; and The control device recovers the state of the substrate processing apparatus after the abnormality is resolved when the operation of the substrate processing apparatus is abnormally stopped, wherein, The control device includes: a substrate recovering device that, if a substrate to be processed is detected in the transport unit, performs a substrate rescue process in the transport unit recovered to the substrate storage container, If a substrate to be processed is detected in the load lock chamber, after exhausting the load lock chamber, performing substrate rescue processing in the load lock chamber where the substrate to be processed is recovered into the substrate storage container, If a substrate to be processed is detected in the common transfer chamber, it is judged whether the processing stage of the substrate to be processed is an unfinished processing stage, and if it is an unfinished processing stage, the processing in the remaining processing chambers is carried out to all processing chambers. If the recovery of the above-mentioned substrate storage container is not at the stage where the processing is not completed, the substrate salvage process is carried out in the common transfer chamber recovered to the above-mentioned substrate storage container, If a substrate to be processed is detected in the processing chamber, it is judged whether the processing stage of the substrate to be processed is in the middle of processing, and if it is in the middle of processing, after performing the remaining processing in the processing chamber, the Recovering the substrate storage container, if it is not in the middle of the process, performing a substrate rescue process in the processing chamber recovered into the substrate storage container; and The state restoring device in the apparatus restores the state of each chamber of the substrate processing apparatus.

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