CN100445985C - Substrate processing equipment, substrate processing equipment management system and substrate processing equipment management method - Google Patents

Abstract

A substrate processing device and an information storage server are interconnected via a network. The storage section of the substrate processing apparatus stores setting information and a control program, and controls the operation of the substrate processing apparatus according to the setting information and the control program. The substrate processing equipment sends backup instructions according to the process. In response to the instruction command, the substrate processing apparatus makes a copy of the specified information stored in the above-mentioned storage section and sends the copied information to the information storage server via the network. The information storage server stores the received duplicated information in the hard disk as backup data. The information storage server may also only store the differential data of the replicated information. Therefore, information for controlling the operation of the substrate processing equipment can be efficiently backed up.

Description

Substrate processing equipment, substrate processing equipment management system and substrate processing equipment management method

technical field

The present invention relates to a network communication technology, through which substrate processing equipment for performing predetermined processing on semiconductor substrates, glass substrates for liquid crystal displays, glass substrates for photomasks, or substrates for optical discs are transferred via the network (hereinafter referred to as "substrate") is interconnected with the computer.

Background technique

A product such as a semiconductor device or a liquid crystal display is manufactured by performing a series of processes such as cleaning, protective layer coating, exposure, development, etching, formation of an interlayer insulating film, and thermal processing on a substrate. Usually, substrate processing equipment with a built-in resist coating process, a built-in development process unit, etc. performs such processing. The transfer robot provided on the substrate processing equipment continuously transfers the substrate to each processing unit, thereby performing a series of processing on the sinking bottom.

Such substrate processing is automatically controlled, and the substrate processing equipment stores application program data, setting information, etc. for automatic control. In other words, the substrate processing equipment is controlled with the application program according to the contents of the setting information.

The setup information stored in the substrate processing equipment includes basic information commonly used by the substrate processing equipment and information inherent to the substrate processing equipment. When the substrate processing equipment is mainly controlled by default basic information, optimal control cannot be performed with the same setting contents due to setting environment or manufacturing error of the substrate processing equipment. Thus, basic information must be corrected to perform control, and each substrate processing apparatus accumulates such corrected information as inherent information.

Thus, the inherent information is information inherent to each user and each substrate processing apparatus. Therefore, in order to return a substrate processing apparatus that has caused some failure such as hardware failure and loss of accumulated information to the state before the failure, it is necessary to periodically back up the setting information. Also, when the user changes the setting information in a custom manner, past setting information may be requested. Also, in this case, in order to operate the substrate processing apparatus with past setting information, it is necessary to periodically back up the setting information. Usually, the user backs up setting information in a removable disk or the like in each substrate processing apparatus.

However, it takes time to back up the setting information of the substrate processing apparatus in a movable tray or the like, causing a burden on the user. Especially when a large number of substrate processing apparatuses are installed, the backup operation significantly imposes a burden on users waiting for improvement.

In addition, the backup processing interval must be minimized so that the backup data is valid. However, the burden of the backup processing is so heavy that it is not practical to require the user to frequently perform the periodic backup processing.

The above-mentioned basic information (set in the substrate processing apparatus at an initial stage) includes a very large number of setting items. A user or support personnel first sets basic information in the substrate processing equipment, so as to operate the substrate processing equipment according to the basic information. The user also sets inherent information in response to each substrate processing apparatus. In other words, the user corrects the operation of the substrate processing apparatus with inherent information based on basic information, thereby performing optimal control.

As described above, basic information provided in a substrate processing apparatus includes a large number of setting items. If the setting information is wrong for some large number of items, the substrate processing equipment cannot perform the planned operation.

When a plurality of personnel set basic information in different substrate processing equipments in a factory with multiple substrate processing equipments, for example, the setting content of the basic information of the substrate processing equipments may be different due to human error. In this case, even if the substrate processing equipment performs the same processing, the same product cannot be produced.

Also, when it turns out that the basic information set in each substrate processing apparatus includes a setting error caused by the operation of the substrate processing apparatus, it is difficult to find wrong setting contents from a large number of setting items.

Components forming the substrate processing apparatus described above also include consumables. For example, a cleaning brush provided in a cleaning processing unit for cleaning a substrate and a lamp provided in a lamp annealing apparatus for irradiating a rapid annealing substrate with light are generally consumables. In addition, belts, rollers, motors, etc. that form the drive mechanism for driving transfer robots, etc. are also consumables.

Such consumables that are consumed and damaged by use become unusable after significant wear and tear, and therefore, new components must be periodically ordered to replace the consumables.

However, usually, new components are ordered and procured after the consumables are worn out or damaged, so it takes a while for the new components to arrive, reducing the working efficiency of the equipment. Therefore, it is preferable to manage the life of consumables in substrate processing equipment, and it is a great work to require management of consumables in all substrate processing equipments in a substrate processing factory equipped with a plurality of substrate processing equipments.

Also, generally, a large number of such substrate processing apparatuses are provided in one substrate processing factory that manufactures semiconductor devices and the like and are operated by a large number of operators. Inexperienced and unskilled operators must therefore be properly trained in the method of handling the equipment. When changing the instruction manual of the equipment, etc., it is also necessary to teach the new operation method to the skilled operator.

Often, operators must attend lectures about the equipment in groups, repeat the lectures for each group, or gather around a single substrate processing equipment for a unified lecture.

In this case, however, the same content must be taught repeatedly, otherwise all the operators cannot be sufficiently trained, which has the disadvantage that both users and sellers of substrate processing equipment lose efficiency.

Contents of the invention

The invention relates to a substrate processing equipment management system for managing the substrate processing equipment, which can communicate through the network.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the substrate processing equipment management system capable of managing substrate processing equipment through network communication includes: a first storage unit for storing control information for controlling the operation of the substrate processing equipment; a copy information acquisition unit, acquiring copy information of the control information stored in the first storage unit; and a storage unit storing in a second storage unit the copy information acquired by the copy information acquiring unit, the second storage unit included in the network connected to the substrate processing apparatus information stored in the computer.

The storage section connected to the information storage computer via the network stores the control information for the substrate processing equipment so that backup operations to the recording medium are unnecessary. Therefore, the user's burden related to backup operations is significantly reduced.

According to another aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing equipment management system that interconnects the substrate processing equipment and the supporting computer via a network, the supporting computer includes: a first storage unit for storing basic information initially required by the substrate processing equipment; and a basic information sending component, which sends the basic information to the substrate processing equipment via the network. The substrate processing equipment includes a second storage unit for storing the basic information received from the support computer, and the substrate processing equipment is initially loaded with the basic information stored in the second storage unit.

Initialization can be performed correctly and easily in lead-in and reset of the substrate processing apparatus.

In the substrate processing equipment management system with the substrate processing equipment and the computer (both connected to the network) for managing the substrate processing equipment, in another aspect of the present invention, the substrate processing equipment includes a loss measurement part for measuring the substrate processing Equipment components wear out. The substrate processing equipment management system includes a loss information accumulating part, a loss measured by the accumulated loss measuring part, and a loss information disclosing part so that the accumulated loss in the loss information accumulating part can be read from a computer via a network.

Component wear of substrate processing equipment can be effectively managed.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, in the substrate processing equipment management system that interconnects a plurality of substrate processing equipment and computers via a network, the computer includes an educational information distributing component that publishes information related to the operation of a plurality of substrate processing equipment via the network. The educational information, each of the plurality of substrate processing apparatuses includes: receiving means for receiving the educational information distributed from the computer; and display means for displaying the educational information received by the receiving means.

The computer distributes educational information related to the operation of a plurality of substrate processing equipment via the network, so that the operator can be effectively educated on the operation.

The invention also relates to a substrate processing equipment management method, which is used for managing the substrate processing equipment.

The present invention also relates to a substrate processing apparatus connected to a predetermined computer via a network.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for easily backing up information stored in substrate processing equipment while reducing the user's workload.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a network system for easily and reliably setting an initial operation of a substrate processing apparatus while reducing the workload of a user or a support person.

Yet another aspect of the present invention is to provide a technique for effectively managing wear and tear of substrate processing equipment components.

Still another aspect of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing system that is effective and operable in educating operators.

The above and other objects, aspects and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Description of drawings

1 is a schematic block diagram of a substrate processing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a schematic plan view of a substrate processing device;

3 is a block diagram showing the structure of a control system for a substrate processing apparatus;

Figure 4 illustrates the basic structure of an information storage server or supporting computer;

Figure 5 illustrates example content of setting information;

Figure 6 illustrates example content of prescription (recipe) data;

7 is a block diagram showing a functional structure of the substrate processing system according to the first embodiment;

8 is a block diagram of a local instruction (local instruction) section including a progress control section according to the present invention;

9 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a substrate processing system according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 illustrates device basic data supporting versions managed in a computer according to a second embodiment;

FIG. 11 schematically illustrates the structure of a substrate processing system according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

12 is a schematic plan view of a substrate processing apparatus according to a third embodiment;

Fig. 13 schematically illustrates the structure of the surface cleaning processing unit of the substrate processing equipment shown in Fig. 12;

14 is a block diagram showing the structure of a control system for a substrate processing apparatus according to a third embodiment;

Figure 15 illustrates the basic structure of an information storage server, support computer or order acceptance server;

FIG. 16 is a functional block diagram showing a functional structure of a substrate processing system according to a third embodiment;

17 is a flowchart showing a procedure in the substrate processing system according to the third embodiment;

Figure 18 illustrates exemplary wear and tear information;

19 is a functional block diagram showing the functional structure of another substrate processing system according to the third embodiment, which is provided with a substrate processing apparatus having an alarm function and a component order signal transmission function;

20 is a functional block diagram showing an exemplary functional structure of a substrate processing system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 21 is a functional block diagram showing another exemplary functional structure of the substrate processing system according to the fourth embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE BEST EMBODIMENTS

Now, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1. The first embodiment

First, the outline of the overall substrate processing system 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is described. FIG. 1 schematically illustrates the structure of a substrate processing system 10 . As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of substrate processing equipment 1 and information storage server 2 are included in a substrate processing factory 4, and a support computer 3 is included in a support center 5. The substrate processing equipment 1, information storage server 2 and support computer 3 are interconnected via a network 6 in the substrate processing system 10. A remote person who remotely controls the substrate processing apparatus 1 is posted on the support center 5 .

In the substrate processing factory 4 , the substrate processing equipment 1 and the information storage server 2 are interconnected via a LAN (Local Area Network) 41 . The LAN 41 is connected to a wide area network 61 such as the Internet via a connector 42 having functions of a router, a firewall, and the like. The support center 5 also has a LAN 51 connected to the support computer 3, and the LAN 51 is also connected to a wide area network 61 such as the Internet via a connector 52 having functions of a router, a firewall, and the like. Therefore, the substrate processing apparatus 1, the information storage server 2, and the support computer 3 can perform various types of data communication with each other. Throughout the specification, 41 and 51 and wide area network 61 are generally referred to as network 6 .

Referring to FIG. 1 , a substrate processing plant 4 may include a single substrate processing facility 1 instead of a plurality of substrate processing facilities 1 , and a support center 5 may also include a single support computer 3 instead of a plurality of support computers 3 .

Each substrate processing apparatus 1 provided on the substrate processing factory 4 will now be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the substrate processing apparatus 1 . This substrate processing apparatus 1 performs resist coating processing, development processing, and subsequent thermal processing on a substrate. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes: an indexer ID that delivers an unprocessed substrate from a carrier while receiving and storing a processed substrate in the carrier; a coating processing unit (so-called spin coater) SC that rotates the substrate The photoresist is dropped onto the main surface of the substrate when the photoresist is applied thereto; the development processing unit (so-called spin developer (spin developer)) SD supplies the developer to the exposed substrate, thereby performing development processing; and transferring the robot TR to transfer the indexer ID and the substrate between the respective processing units. A thermal processing unit (not shown) is arranged on the above-mentioned coating processing unit SC and development processing unit SD via a sector filter unit. A heating unit (so-called hot plate) for heating the substrate and a cooling unit (so-called cold plate) for cooling the heated substrate are provided to process the substrate to a constant temperature as a heat treatment unit. Throughout the specification, the coating process unit SC, the development process unit SD, and the heat process unit are generally referred to as a process unit 110, and perform predetermined processes on a substrate.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system for the substrate processing apparatus 1 . As shown in FIG. 3 , the control system for the substrate processing apparatus 1 is composed of a system control section 100 that controls the overall apparatus 1 and a unit control section 115 that individually controls a plurality of processing units 110 .

The system control section 100 that controls the overall apparatus 1 in a unified manner includes a microcomputer. In detail, the system control part 100 includes: CPU101, which plays the role of the main part; ROM102, which plays the role of read-only memory for storing basic programs, etc.; RAM103, which plays the role of random access memory which mainly defines the operation work area; It includes a hard disk, etc., storing application program data, etc.; and a communication section 105, performing data communication with an external device. They are connected to each other with a bus 190 .

The communication section 105 is connected to the network 6 via a network interface (not shown), so that the substrate processing apparatus 1 can transmit various data to or receive multiple data from the information storage server 2, the support computer 3, etc. kinds of data. The communication section 105 can perform wired communication or radio communication via the network 6, and a wired communication system is used in this embodiment.

Together with the system control section 100 and a plurality of processing units 110, a display section 130 (displays a variety of information), an operation section 140 (accepts an operator's prescription input operation, command operation, etc.), a reader 150 (from such as a magnetic disk or a magneto-optical disk and other recording media 91 to read a variety of data) are also electrically connected to the bus 190. Therefore, data can be transferred between various parts of the substrate processing apparatus 1 via the bus 190 under the control of the system control part 100 .

In practice, each processing unit 110 includes a unit control part 115 and a substrate processing part 116. The substrate processing part 116 functions as a working part for processing the substrate (for example, a mechanism for rotating the substrate, a mechanism for releasing the processing solution onto the substrate). mechanism, mechanism for heating the substrate, etc.). The unit control section 115 (individually controlling the processing unit 110 ) controls and monitors the operation of the substrate processing section 116 of the processing unit 110 provided with the unit control section 115 . In other words, the above-mentioned system control section 100 is in charge of collectively controlling the entire substrate processing apparatus 1 , and each unit control section 115 is in charge of controlling the processing contents in response to each substrate processing section 116 . The unit control section 115 includes a microcomputer like the system control section 100 . More specifically, the unit control section 115 includes: a CPU 111, which functions as a main body; a ROM 112, which functions as a read-only memory for storing basic programs, etc.; a RAM 113, which functions as a random access memory mainly defining an operation work area; a storage section 114, which It includes battery-backed SRAM for storing various data.

The storage section 104 of the system control section 100 stores: a control program 152 functioning as an application program for system control related to the overall apparatus 1; setting information 151 for determining the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1, etc. (see FIG. 7 ) . When the CPU 101 of the system control section 100 executes arithmetic processing according to the control program 152 and the setting information 151, the operation control and data processing unit control section 115's storage section 114 stores the control program 153 on the entire substrate processing apparatus 1 subsequently, which functions as The role of the application program is to respond to the unit control of the processing contents of the substrate processing section 116 of the processing unit 110 . When the CPU 111 of the unit control section 115 executes arithmetic processing according to the control program 153 , operation control and data processing are subsequently realized on the substrate processing section 116 .

Therefore, the control information for controlling the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes: control programs 152 and 153 for controlling the substrate processing apparatus 1; and setting information 151 for determining the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1, while the storage section 104 and 114 form first storage means for storing control information.

The information storage server 2 arranged on the substrate processing factory 4 and each support computer 3 arranged on the support center 5 will now be described. The hard disk structures of the information storage server 2 and the support computer 3 are similar to common computers. Thus, the basic structure of each information storage server 2 and support computer 3 (similar to each other) is described with reference to FIG. 4 . As shown in FIG. 4, by using CPU21 or 31 (CPU21 is used for information storage server 2, CPU31 is used for supporting computer 3: this also applies to the description below), ROM22 or 32 storing basic programs, and RAM23 storing various information Or 33 is connected to the bus to form each information storage server 2 and support computer 3. Hard disk 24 or 34 (stores various information such as application programs), display 25 or 35 (displays various information), keyboard 26a or 36a and mouse 26b or 36b (accepts input operations from the operator), reader 27 or 37 ( Reading various data from a recording medium 91 such as a magnetic disk or a magneto-optical disk) and the communication section 28 or 38 (communicating with external devices via the network 6) are also appropriately connected to the bus via an interface (I/F) or the like.

Each information storage server 2 and support computer 3 can read data from the recording medium 91 via the reader 27 or 37 and store it in the hard disk 24 or 34 . Each information storage server 2 and support computer 3 can also download data from another server via the network 6 and store it in the hard disk 24 or 34 . The CPU 21 or 31 performs arithmetic processing according to various programs stored in the hard disk 24 or 34 to perform various operations.

The operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1 is controlled by the control program 152 or 153 stored in the storage section 104 or 114 according to the program described above for the flow recipe. The control program 152 or 153 controls the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the setting information 151 stored in the storage section 104 . FIG. 5 illustrates exemplary contents of the setting information 151 stored in the storage section 104. As shown in FIG.

The setting information 151 includes setting information related to the general control of the substrate processing equipment 1 and setting information related to the control of each processing unit 110. It is assumed that the storage part 104 of the system control part 100 jointly stores the setting information 151 (including the setting information in this embodiment) Information 151). Alternatively, the storage section 114 of each unit control section 115 may store setting information of each processing unit 110 .

The setting information 151 is data including prescription data 151a, device basic data 151b, and device inherent data 151c. These data 151a, 151b, and 151c are controlled by an operator's input via the operation section 140 so as to be updated as required. Or the support computer 3 or the information storage server 2 can input the control setting information 151 by remote control.

The recipe data 151a is data defining a program of the substrate processing apparatus 1 . In other words, the transfer robot TR of the substrate processing apparatus 1 transfers the substrate to the target processing unit 110 according to the processing progress described in the recipe data 151a.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary process prescription described in prescription data 151a. Referring to FIG. 6, each substrate transferred with the transfer robot TR in a circular manner is processed in the following order:

Step 1: Adhesion enhancing processing in a hot plate;

Step 2: cooling process in cold plate;

Step 3: protective layer coating process in any coating process unit SC;

Step 4: prebaking process in hot plate;

 …

Therefore, the recipe data 151a (information defining the program of the substrate processing equipment 1) is stored in the know-how of the user. In other words, the user creates recipe data 151a capable of performing the most efficient processing, and controls the substrate processing apparatus 1 based on the recipe data 151a.

The basic equipment data 151b is information common to the substrate processing equipment 1 , that is, default setting information for the substrate processing equipment 1 . In each processing unit 110, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a large number of work sections and control sections such as transfer robots. The equipment basic data 151b defines setting values for dividing work sections and control sections. For example, the device basic data 151b includes data such as robot basic data, temperature control data, and the like.

Robot base data defines the operation of the transport robot TR. In other words, the robot basic data defines the setting values for the operation of the transfer robot TR (setting values for the moving distance, setting values for the arm selection angle, etc.), transferring the substrate to each processing unit 110, indexer ID, thermal processing unit, etc. The temperature control data sets the temperature of the thermal processing unit in the substrate processing apparatus 1 and the like.

The apparatus-specific data 151c is correction data inherently set for each of the plurality of substrate processing apparatuses 1 . The substrate processing equipment 1 can be basically controlled with the same setting information, that is, the equipment basic data 151b, and when they have the same structure, it is practically necessary to correct the information of each equipment. This is because the structure of the substrate processing apparatus 1 has dispersion strictly speaking, and also because adjustment in response to the environment is required because there is a difference between the installation position of the substrate processing apparatus 1 or the installation environment. In other words, the setting information must be corrected for each apparatus 1 so that the substrate processing apparatus 1 performs the same processing, thereby obtaining the same processing result.

For example, the device inherent data 151c includes data such as teaching data and temperature control correction data.

The teaching data is data for correcting the above-mentioned robot basic data. When the substrate processing apparatuses 1 are identical in structure to each other, the transfer robot TR can basically perform the same operation based on the same setting information. However, the transfer robot TR (including a large number of elements and movable parts) causes operational errors due to slight differences between structures. Thus, the operation of the transfer robot TR is adjusted optimally, and setting information for this adjustment is stored as teaching data. The control of the transport robot TR can be optimized by correcting the basic data of the robot with the teaching data.

The temperature control correction data is data for correcting the default-set temperature control data in response to a difference between the setting position of the substrate processing apparatus 1 and the setting environment.

Therefore, the recipe data 151a determines the sequence of processing steps for each substrate processing apparatus 1 , while the default-set apparatus basic data 151b and the apparatus-specific data 151c as correction data for each apparatus 1 control the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1 . While the prescription data 151a stored as the user's know-how and the device proper data 151c which is the proper data of each device 1 are extremely important information, it is not easy to restore these data 151a and 151c. Therefore, the data 151a and 151c must be efficiently backed up to prevent them from disappearing.

Having described the hard disk structure of the substrate processing system 10 and the substrate processing apparatus 1, the information storage server 2 and the support computer 3 forming it, and the contents of the setting information 151, the functions and processing contents of the substrate processing system 10 will now be described. FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram showing the functional structure of the substrate processing system 10 .

Referring to FIG. 7, CPU 101 of system control section 100 runs maintenance program 154, thereby realizing local instruction section 121, copy information acquisition section 122, and restoration processing section 123 as processing sections. The storage section 104 stores a maintenance program 154 .

Referring to FIG. 7, CPU 21 of information storage server 2 runs maintenance program 252, thereby realizing storage section 221 and difference extraction section 222 as processing sections. The CPU 31 of the support computer 3 allows the maintenance program 351, thereby realizing the remote instruction section 321 as a processing section. The hard disk 34 stores a maintenance program 351 .

The local instruction section 121 has a function of transferring an instruction command for backup processing of the setting information 151 and control programs 152 and 153 to the copy information acquisition section 122, and a function of transferring the instruction commands for the restoration processing of the setting information 151 and the control programs 152 and 153. The instruction command is sent to resume the function of the processing section 123 .

When the backup timing is determined due to the built-in process function, the local instruction section 121 transmits an instruction command for backup processing. In addition to the periodic backup processing according to the progress function, the user can perform an input operation through the operation section 140 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 to explicitly instruct the backup processing of the setting information 151 and the control programs 152 and 153 .

In other words, due to the instructions of the process function, the setting information 151 and the like are automatically backed up in an easy-to-plan manner. On the other hand, the user can configure backup processing to maintain the current device state at any point in time before maintenance or temporary storage of the device 1 .

When the local instruction section 121 issues an instruction command for backup processing, the copy information acquisition section 122 generates the setting information 151 and the control program 152 stored in the storage section 104 of the system control section 100 and the storage section 114 of the storage unit control section 115. The control program 153 copies the information, and transmits the generated copy information (ie, the setting information 151 and the data of the control programs 152 and 153 ) to the information storage server 2 via the LAN 41 .

The backup process can be performed on all data of the setting information 151 and the control programs 152 and 153, or only on individual data.

As shown in FIG. 8, the local instruction section 121 includes a process control section 121a. The process control section 121a is a functional section for setting the process of backup processing, and the local instruction section 121 transmits an instruction command for backup processing according to the process setting set in the process control section 121a. The process settings show which information is backed up when.

For example, it is possible to schedule the backup process to backup the setting information 151 every week and the control programs 152 and 153 every month. It is also possible to set whether to back up all data or differential data, as described below. For example, it is possible to set a process to back up all data of the setting information 151 every week and back up differential data every day. The user can set the course through the operation section 140 . It is more convenient to display the guide menu on the display part 130, so the user can set the course according to the menu.

The copy information sent from the copy information acquisition section 122 is transferred to the storage section 221 of the information storage server 2, so the storage section 221 stores the copy information in the hard disk 24 as the second storage means. FIG. 7 shows copy information stored in the hard disk 24 as backup data 251. As shown in FIG.

In order to back up differential data, that is, but when the process control section 121a designates a backup operation of differential data or the user explicitly instructs backup of differential data, the copy information acquisition section 122 adds information representing the backup differential data to the copy information and sends it to the storage section 221. The storage part 221 can store the setting information 151 and the control programs 152 and 153 in the hard disk 24 as complete data, and when receiving the information of the instruction backup difference data, the difference extraction part 222 extracts the difference data of the backup object data, and then stores the copy information In the hard disk 24.

In other words, the difference extraction section 222 compares the copy information received from the copy information acquisition section 122 with the backup data 251 stored in the hard disk 24, and extracts difference data.

When the backup process is periodically performed according to the process function of the local command section 121, for example, in a method of storing complete data every time, the quality of the backup data 251 stored in the hard disk 24 is significantly increased. Not only the last data but also data backed up in the past can be requested as the backup data 251 . For example, it may be acceptable to request that the setting information of the device 1 return to a state several weeks ago. In addition, it is acceptable to go back to 2 months ago to prescribe trial and error changes to the process.

Thus, it is effective to leave the backup data 251 at a large number of points over a long period of time, and the capacity of the hard disk 24 is not limited. Thus, the difference extracting section 222 extracts difference data between the copy information and the previous backup data 251 and stores only the difference data in the hard disk 24 .

Therefore, the substrate processing system 10 according to the first embodiment periodically stores the setting information 151 as the backup data 251 in the information storage server 2 connected to the substrate processing apparatus 1 via the network 6 to control the substrate processing apparatus 1 and control The operation of programs 152 and 153, so that the user does not need to perform complicated backup operations.

In particular, the substrate processing equipment 1 has the recipe data 151a updated according to the user's technical know-how and the equipment inherent data 151c of the adjustment equipment 1, and works at the actual setting position at the same time, therefore, it is very important to back up these prescription data 151a and 151c periodically, so that prevent them from disappearing.

The substrate processing equipment 1 is set in a clean room, and when the information storage server 2 connected via the network 6 is set outside the clean room, the data stored in the backup process can be maintained outside the clean room.

In this embodiment, the user can manually execute the backup process via the operation section 140 of the substrate processing apparatus 1, or the information server 2 sends an instruction command for the backup process via the network 6. Thus instruction commands for backup processing can be sent from outside the clean room.

The information storage server 2 may not necessarily be provided in the substrate processing factory 4 . Alternatively, the system management center can be set near the substrate processing factory 4, and the backup data 251 can be transmitted via a dedicated line.

According to the above processing, the information storage server 2 saves the backup data 251 of the setting information 151 and the control programs 152 and 153 periodically or at an arbitrary time.

The restoration processing section 123 included in the system control section 100 fetches the backup data 251 from the hard disk 24 for restoring the setting information 151 and the control programs 152 and 153 .

The setting information 151 and the control programs 152 and 153 can be restored at any time. For example, the restoration setting information 151 and the control programs 152 and 153 may disappear due to a hardware failure, or the user mistakenly loses data during a maintenance operation. In this case, to recover data at an abnormal recovery time, the user can request to return the setting information 151 and the control programs 152 and 153 to past backup data.

For example, the user may request that the prescription data 151a operating the substrate processing apparatus 1 since the update be returned to the previous prescription data 151a. In addition, the user who finely controls the operation of the transfer robot TR and updates the teaching data again can request to return the teaching data to the previous state.

In this case, the user inputs an instruction to resume processing via the operation section 140 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 . More specifically, the user instructs restoration processing by designating information on data to be restored, a restoration target, and the like. Therefore, the local instruction section 121 sends the restoration instruction command to the restoration processing section 123 . The restoration processing section 123 refers to the backup data 251 stored in the hard disk 24 of the information storage server 2, extracts necessary information and executes restoration processing.

When the setting information 151 and the control programs 152 and 153 specified as the target of the restoration process are restored as complete data, the restoration processing section 123 extracts the same complete data and stores it in the storage section 104 of the system control section 100 or the unit control section 115 in the storage section 114.

When the setting information 151 and the control programs 152 and 153 specified as the target of the recovery processing are retained as differential data, the recovery processing section 123 extracts the full data backed up before the date of the backup differential data by accumulating and from the full data and the specified data backup The data obtained from the difference data starting from the date. Therefore, the restoration processing section 123 also restores full data on the backup data 251 stored as differential data.

In the substrate processing system 10 according to the first embodiment, the information storage server 2 connected to each substrate processing apparatus 1 via the network 6 stores backup data, so that a restoration operation can be easily performed through the network 6 in restoration processing. Therefore, the recovery operation can be completed in a short time, thereby improving the work efficiency of the substrate processing apparatus 1 .

As described above, the local instruction section 121 of the system control section 100 sends a processing command, thereby executing backup processing. The local instruction section 121 sends a backup processing command according to a schedule function, or when a user inputs an instruction via the operation section 140 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 .

In the system configuration according to the first embodiment, each support computer 3 of the support center 5 is connected to the substrate processing apparatus 1 via the wide area network 61, and it is also possible to perform backup processing by remote control from the support computer 3.

When a person who remotely controls the substrate processing apparatus 1 inputs a backup processing instruction in the support computer 3 of the support center 5, the remote instruction section 321 sends the backup processing instruction via the network 6. When a backup processing command is transmitted to the duplication information acquisition section 122 in the substrate processing apparatus 1, processing similar to that described above is performed.

When the support center 5 executes backup processing by remote control, a more acceptable user support system can be provided. The backup data 251 can be transmitted to the support center 5 .

2. The second embodiment

A second embodiment of the present invention will now be described. The overall schematic structure of a substrate processing system 10 according to the second embodiment is the same as that shown in FIG. 1 . The hardware structure of the substrate processing apparatus 1 is the same as that of the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 . The hardware structure of each information storage server 2 and support computer 3 is also the same as that of the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. 4 .

Similar to the first embodiment, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1 is controlled by the control programs 152 and 153 stored in the storage section 104 and the storage section 114 according to the program of the flow recipe described earlier. The control programs 152 and 153 control the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the setting information 151 stored in the storage section 104 .

The content of the setting information 151 is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 5 . However, the device basic data 151b includes a very large number of data kinds other than those explained with reference to the first embodiment. These are information for initialization of each substrate processing apparatus 1, and when a part of data content is erroneously set in a large amount of data, the substrate processing apparatus 1 cannot perform a planned operation. While it is possible to correct the operation of the substrate processing equipment 1 using the equipment specific data 151c, such correction is extremely complicated or impossible if the equipment basic data 151b is not reliably set as basic information. Therefore, in the introduction and reset of the substrate processing equipment 1, it is necessary to correctly set the equipment basic data 151b.

FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram showing the functional structure of a substrate processing system 10 according to the second embodiment. Referring to FIG. 9, CPU 101 of system control section 100 runs maintenance program 154, thereby realizing basic data request section 1121, version acquisition section 1122, and basic data registration section 1123 as processing sections. The storage section 104 stores a maintenance program 154 .

Referring to FIG. 9, CPU 21 of information storage server 2 runs maintenance program 252, thereby realizing basic data request section 1221 as a processing section. The hard disk 24 stores a maintenance program 252 .

Referring to FIG. 9, the CPU 31 of the support computer 3 runs a maintenance program 351, thereby realizing a basic data setting section as a processing section. The hard disk 34 stores a maintenance program 351 .

The basic data request section 1121 is a functional section that transmits a transmission request for the equipment basic data 151 b from the substrate processing equipment 1 to the support center 5 . The user instructs to acquire the basic equipment data 151b via the operation section 140 provided on the substrate processing equipment 1 . In response to the instruction, the basic data request section 1121 requests the basic data setting section 1321 of the support computer 3 to send the device basic data 151b.

In order to simplify the operator's input operation, the display part 130 may display a menu to acquire the device basic data 151b. When the input operation is performed according to the wizard, the burden on the operator can be reduced. If the support center 5 has a plurality of support computers 3 and the support computer 3 requesting to send the device basic data 151b is not fixed, the operator just specifies the support computer 3 to send the device basic data 151b through an input operation.

The version acquisition part 1122 is a functional part that detects the version of the control program 152 that controls the overall substrate processing equipment 1 . The substrate processing equipment 1 requests the support computer 3 to send the equipment basic data 151b, and the setting content of the equipment basic data 151b varies with the software version of the control program 152 controlling the substrate processing equipment 1 . Thus, the substrate processing apparatus 1 issues the software version of the control program 152 to the support computer 3, thereby requesting transmission of the apparatus basic data 151b corresponding to the software version.

The basic data request section 1221 included in the information storage server 2 also includes functions similar to those of the basic data request section 1121 included in the substrate processing apparatus 1 . When the operator inputs a request instruction for basic data in information storage server 2 via keyboard 26a or mouse 26b, basic data request section 1221 sends a transmission request instruction for device basic data 151b.

However, assume that when the information storage server 2 requests transmission of the device basic data 151b, an operation of specifying the substrate processing device 1 registering the device basic data 151b is performed. In this way, the information storage server 2 can transmit a transmission request for the equipment basic data 151b about the substrate processing equipment 1 provided in the substrate processing factory 4 . The basic data request section 1221 requests to acquire the software version to the version acquisition section 1122 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 via the LAN 41 . Therefore, the basic data request section 1221 sends a transmission request for the device basic data 151b to the support computer 3 after designating the software version.

FIG. 10 shows various versions of device basic data 151b stored in the hard disk 34 of the support computer 3. As shown in FIG. The version of the device basic data 151b corresponds to the version of the control program 152 for the substrate processing device 1 .

According to the second embodiment, while the device basic data 151b is managed corresponding to the software version of the control program 152 controlling the entire substrate processing device 1, the device basic data corresponding to the control program 153 controlling each processing unit can also be managed. In this case, the version acquisition section 1122 of the system control section 100 also detects the version information of the control program 153 stored in the storage section 114 of the unit control section 115 .

When receiving a transmission request instruction to the device basic data 151b from the basic data requesting part 1121 (or basic data requesting part 1221), the basic data setting part 1321 of the support computer 3 acquires the control program 152 software included in the sending request instruction data version, and extract the device basic data 151b corresponding to the software version from the hard disk 34. The basic data setting section 1321 sends the extracted device basic data 151b to the substrate processing device 1 .

In the substrate processing equipment 1 , the basic data registration section 1123 receives the equipment basic data 151 b sent from the support computer 3 and stores it in the storage section 104 . Therefore, subsequently, the substrate processing apparatus 1 is initialized corresponding to the control program 152 for the substrate processing apparatus 1 .

In the state shown in FIG. 10 , the substrate processing equipment 1A installed with the control program 152 version 1.0 stores the basic data of the equipment (Ver1.0), and the substrate processing equipment 1B installed with the control program 152 version 2.0 stores the basic data of the equipment (Ver2. 0).

Therefore, the substrate processing system 10 according to the second embodiment can easily acquire the basic device data 152b for controlling the substrate processing device 1 via the network and reflect the basic device data 152b on the substrate processing device 1. basic information, so that, subsequently, a stable initialization operation can be performed on the same substrate processing apparatus 1 . Also, when initialization operations are performed on a plurality of substrate processing apparatuses 1 controlled by the same software version, the substrate processing apparatuses 1 are initialized uniformly with each other. In other words, the initialization states of a plurality of substrate processing apparatuses 1 can be synchronized with each other. In this way, when the operator manually copies the device basic data 151b, it is possible to completely avoid the dispersion caused by the settings between devices 1 .

After registering the device basic data 151b in each substrate processing device 1, each substrate processing device 1 performs intrinsic tuning. Then, each substrate processing equipment 1 is optimally controlled based on the equipment basic data 151b received from the support computer 3 and the equipment specific data 151c established by each equipment 2 .

In the second embodiment, when the support computer 3 determines the software version of the control program 152 installed in the substrate processing equipment 1 to transmit the appropriate equipment basic data 151b, if each substrate processing equipment 1 announces its type as information to The support computer 3 may transmit the basic equipment data 151b in response to the type of each substrate processing equipment 1 when different substrate processing equipment 1 exists in a mixed manner.

In the second embodiment, when the support computer 3 manages the equipment basic data 151b set commonly to the substrate processing equipment 1, the support computer 3 can replace it with the management equipment proper data 151c. As described above, when the device-specific data 151c is information inherent to each device 1, the data 151c does not need to be directly applied in another device, and the user can use the information set for a certain substrate processing device 1 for another device 1. The device-specific data 151c serves as a know-how.

In the second embodiment, when the version acquisition section 1122 included in the system control section 100 automatically detects the software version of the control program 152, the functional part is not important. As described above, when inputting a transmission request instruction for the device basic data 151b via the operation section 140, the user can designate the software version of the device 1. In order to avoid human errors, it is better for the version acquisition part 1122 to automatically detect the software version.

3. The third embodiment

A third embodiment of the present invention will now be described. FIG. 11 schematically illustrates the structure of a substrate processing system 10A according to the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, this structure of the substrate processing system 10A is: a plurality of processing equipment 1C and an information storage server 2 included in the substrate processing factory 4; a support computer 3 included in the support center 5, here, and the order acceptance server 8 included in the component center 7 that supplies the components of the substrate processing apparatus 1 to the substrate processing factory 4 . A plurality of processing equipment 1C and information storage server 2 , support computer 3 and order acceptance server 8 are all interconnected via network 6 .

In the substrate processing system 10A, the information storage server 2 accumulates wear information describing the wear of consumables (hereinafter, the term "element" refers to consumables) mounted on the substrate processing apparatus 1C so that the support computer 3 can read them via the network 6. Stored wear information. The order accepting server 8 accepts orders for components via the network 6 .

In the substrate processing factory 4 , the substrate processing equipment 1C and the information storage server 2 are interconnected via a LAN (Local Area Network) 41 . The LAN 41 is connected to a wide area network 61 such as the Internet via a connector 42 having functions of a router, a firewall, and the like. The support center 5 also has a LAN 51 connected to the support computer 3, and this LAN 51 is also connected to a wide area network 61 such as the Internet via a connector 52 having functions such as a router and a firewall. The component center 7 also has a LAN 71 connected to the order acceptance server 8, and this LAN 71 is also connected to a wide area network 61 such as the Internet via a connector 72 having a function of a router, a firewall, or the like. In this way, various data communications can be performed among the substrate processing apparatus 1C, the information storage server 2, the support computer 3, and the order acceptance server 8. Throughout the specification, LANs 41 , 51 and 71 and wide area network 61 are generally referred to as network 6 .

Referring to FIG. 11 , alternatively, a substrate processing plant 4 including a plurality of substrate processing apparatuses 1C may include a single substrate processing apparatus 1C. Alternatively, a support center 5 comprising a plurality of support computers 3 may also comprise a single support computer 3 . Also, alternatively, the component center 7 may include a plurality of order acceptance servers 8 .

Now, each substrate processing apparatus 1C arranged on the substrate processing plant 4 is described. FIG. 12 is a schematic plan view of a substrate processing apparatus 1C. This substrate processing apparatus 1C cleans the front and rear surfaces of the substrate. The substrate processing apparatus 1C includes: an indexer ID that delivers an unprocessed substrate from a carrier and stores it in the carrier when a processed substrate is received; a surface cleaning processing unit SS that brings cleaning brushes into contact with the substrate surface or The substrate cleaning process is performed by bringing the former close to the latter while rotating the substrate; the rear surface cleaning processing unit SSR makes the cleaning brush come into contact with the rear surface of the substrate or brings the former into contact with the latter while rotating the substrate, thereby performing the rear surface cleaning process unit SSR. surface cleaning processing; and a transfer robot TR that transfers substrates between the indexer ID and each cleaning processing unit. The substrate processing apparatus 1C also includes a surface inversion unit (not shown).

Fig. 13 schematically illustrates the structure of each surface cleaning processing unit SS. The surface cleaning processing unit SS is a so-called spin scrubber. The spin chuck 13 is a so-called vacuum chuck that vacuum-suctions the rear surface of the substrate W so as to hold the substrate W horizontally. The motor shaft 14 of motor (not shown) is hung on the center of the lower surface of the rotary chuck 13 . The motor rotates the spin chuck 13 via the motor shaft 14, thereby rotating the substrate W held therein.

A cup 15 is arranged around the substrate W to receive and recover process solution scattered by the rotating substrate W. The cup 15 moves vertically with a lifting mechanism (not shown). When the vertical mechanism moves the cup 15 downward, the upper end of the cup 15 is under the front of the rotary chuck 13 . In this state, the transfer robot TR can introduce and release the substrate W into and from the spin chuck 13 . The cup 15 surrounds the substrate W held by the spin chuck 13 with the upper end of the cup 15 positioned in front of the substrate W when moving upward. The substrate W is cleaned while the cup 15 moves upward.

The cleaning brush 11 is mounted on the front end of the brush arm 12 . The brush arm 12 moves vertically and can swing on a horizontal plane via a driving mechanism (not shown). When surface cleaning processing is performed on the substrate W, the brush arm 12 swings while bringing the cleaning brush 11 into contact with the surface of the substrate W or bringing the former close to the latter and rotating the substrate W, thereby removing impurities such as particles of impurities. Each rear surface cleaning processing unit SSR (structure basically similar to the surface cleaning processing unit SS) grasps the edge of the substrate W with a so-called mechanical gripper to hold the substrate W horizontally, such as a spin chuck 13 . In the third embodiment, the surface cleaning processing unit SS and the rear surface cleaning processing unit SSR generally refer to the processing unit 110 that performs predetermined processing on the substrate.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the structure of a control system for the substrate processing apparatus 1C. As shown in FIG. 14, the control system for the substrate processing apparatus 1C is composed of a system control section 100 that controls the substrate processing apparatus 1C and a unit control section 115 that controls a plurality of processing units 110, respectively.

The system control section 100 that controls the substrate processing apparatus 1C in a unified manner includes a microcomputer. More specifically, the system control part 100 includes: CPU101, which acts as a main part; ROM102, which acts as a read-only memory for storing basic programs, etc.; It includes a hard disk, etc., storing application program data, etc.; and a communication section 105, which performs data communication with external devices. They are connected to each other with a bus 190 .

The communication section 105 is connected to the network 6 via a network interface (not shown), so that the substrate processing apparatus 1C can transmit various data to or receive various data from the information storage server 2, the support computer 3, etc. kinds of data. The communication section 105 can perform wired communication or radio communication via the network 6, and a wired communication system is used in this embodiment.

Together with the system control section 100 and a plurality of processing units 110, the display section 130 (displays a variety of information), the operation section 140 (accepts prescription input operations and command operations from the operator), the reader 150 (from the The recording medium 91 for reading various data) is also electrically connected to the bus 190. Therefore, data can be transferred between the various sections of the substrate processing apparatus 1C via the bus 190 under the control of the system control section 100 .

In practice, each processing unit 110 includes a unit control part 115 and a substrate processing part 116. The substrate processing part 116 functions as a working part for processing the substrate (for example, a mechanism for rotating the substrate, a mechanism for releasing the processing solution onto the substrate). mechanism, the mechanism driving the cleaning brush 11, etc.). The unit control section 115 (individually controlling the processing unit 110 ) controls and monitors the operation of the substrate processing section 116 of the processing unit 110 provided with the unit control section 115 . In other words, the above-mentioned system control section 100 is in charge of collectively controlling the entire substrate processing apparatus 1C, and each unit control section 115 is in charge of controlling the processing contents in response to each substrate processing section 116 . The unit control section 115 includes a microcomputer like the system control section 100 . More specifically, the unit control section 115 includes: a CPU 111, which functions as a main body; a ROM 112, which functions as a read-only memory for storing basic programs, etc.; a RAM 113, which functions as a random access memory mainly defining an operation work area; a storage section 114, which It includes battery-backed SRAM for storing various data.

Each processing unit 110 is also provided with a timer 117 and a calculator 118 . The timer 117 has a function of measuring, for example, the use time of the cleaning brush 11 of the processing unit 110 (the time for substrate processing after the cleaning brush 11 is replaced with a new one). When the machining unit 110 is provided with a plurality of components, the timer 117 measures the usage time of each component. The calculator 118 has a function of counting the number of substrates processed by elements such as, for example, the cleaning brush 11 of the processing unit 110 (the number of substrates processed after changing to a new cleaning brush 11). When the processing unit 110 is provided with a plurality of components, the calculator 118 measures the number of processed substrates per component.

The ROM 102 and the storage section 104 of the system control section 100 store in advance a system control program regarding the overall device 1C. When the CPU 101 of the system control section 100 executes arithmetic processing according to the system control program, then, operation control and data processing are realized on the entire substrate processing apparatus 1C. The ROM 112 and the storage section 114 of the unit control section 115 store in advance a unit control program corresponding to processing contents of the substrate processing section 116 of the processing unit 110 . When the CPU 111 of the unit control section 115 executes arithmetic processing according to the unit control program, then operation control and data processing are realized on the substrate processing section 116 .

These programs can be acquired and updated by reading from the recording medium 91 via the reader 150 or downloading from a predetermined server memory or the like via the network 6 . Each program has a version, and when the program is updated, version information such as a numerical value for identifying the version is changed. The storage section 104 of the system control section 100 stores version information of each program run by the substrate processing apparatus 1C.

The information storage server 2 arranged on the substrate processing factory 4, the support computer 3 arranged on the support center 5, and the order acceptance server 8 arranged on the component center 7 will now be described. The hard disk structures of the information storage server 2, the support computer 3 and the order accepting server 8 are similar to ordinary computers. Thus, referring to FIG. 15, the basic structure of the information storage server 2, the support computer 3, and the order acceptance server 8 similar to each other will be described. As shown in FIG. 15, by using CPU21, 31 or 81 (CPU21 is used for information storage server 2, CPU31 is used for support computer 3, CPU81 is used for order acceptance server 8: this also applies to the following description), ROM22, 32 or 82 (to store basic programs) and RAM 23, 33 or 83 (to store various information) are connected to the bus to form information storage server 2, support computer 3 and order acceptance server 8. Hard disk 24, 34 or 84 (stores various information), display 25, 35 or 85 (displays various information), keyboard 26a, 36a or 86a and mouse 26b, 36b or 86b (accepts input from the operator), reader 27 , 37 or 87 (reading various data from a recording medium 91 such as an optical disk, a magnetic disk, or a magneto-optical disk) and a communication section 28, 38 or 88 (communicating with an external device via the network 6) are also suitably via an interface (I/F) etc. connected to the bus.

Each of the information storage server 2 , support computer 3 and order acceptance server 8 can read the program from the recording medium 91 via the reader 27 , 37 or 87 or store the program in the hard disk 24 , 34 or 84 . Each of the information storage server 2, the support computer 3 and the order acceptance server 8 can also download a program from another server via the network 6 and store it in the hard disk 24, 34 or 84. The CPU 21, 31, or 81 performs arithmetic processing in accordance with programs stored in the hard disk 24, 34, or 84 to perform operations. In other words, subsequently, as a result of performing arithmetic operations according to the program, the information storage server 2 operates as the information storage server 2, the support computer 3 operates as the support computer 3, and the order acceptance server 8 operates as the order acceptance server 8.

Having described the substrate processing system 10A, the substrate processing apparatus 1C, and the information storage server 2, support computer 3, and order acceptance server 8 forming them, the functions and processing contents of the substrate processing system 10A will now be described. FIG. 16 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of the substrate processing system 10A. FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the procedure in the substrate processing system 10A. Referring to Fig. 16, the CPU 21 of the information storage server 2 runs a processing program, thereby implementing the loss information registration part 231 and the information disclosure part 236 as processing parts respectively, and supports the CPU 31 of the computer 3 to run a processing program, thereby making the WEB browser 312, the alarm Section 313 and order signal transmission section 314 are realized as processing sections, respectively.

In step S1 of FIG. 17, element wear of the substrate processing apparatus 1C is measured. The wear of each processing unit 110 is measured. According to the present embodiment, the timer 117 measures the use time of an element such as the cleaning brush 11 as wear. The unit control section 115 collects the loss measured by each processing unit 110 and sends it to the system control section 100 . The system control section 100 collects the measured loss of each substrate processing apparatus 1C and transmits the loss of each element of the substrate processing apparatus 1C from the communication section 105 to the loss information registration section 231 of the information storage server 2 via the LAN 41 .

Then, the process proceeds to step S2 of FIG. 17 , so the wear information registration section 231 registers the wear of each element of the substrate processing apparatus 1C in the hard disk 24 . The hard disk 24 gradually stores each element wear of the substrate processing apparatus 1C as wear information 241 .

FIG. 18 illustrates exemplary wear information 241 . Referring to FIG. 18, the "Equipment" column shows the identification number assigned to each substrate processing apparatus 1C, the "Component" column indicates the name of consumables, and the "Usage Time" and "Number of Processed Substrates" columns indicate wear and tear. In this embodiment, the usage time is used as the loss, so the loss information 241 does not describe the number of processed substrates. As shown in FIG. 18 , the wear information 241 accumulates wear with respect to each element of each substrate processing apparatus 1C arranged on the substrate processing factory 4 . For the substrate processing equipment 1C having the equipment number "8101", for example, the wear information 241 records that the usage time of the cleaning brush 11 provided with the "brush 2" is 12 hours. The timer 117 measures the use time of each component at a constant interval, and the wear information registration section 231 continuously registers the measurement results in the hard disk 24 , thereby constructing the wear information 241 .

The information disclosure section 236 discloses the wear information 241 accumulated in the hard disk 24 of the information storage server 2 which can be read via the network 6 . The personnel of the support center 5 can read the wear information 241 via the WEB browser 312 by acquiring the wear information 241 accumulated in the hard disk 24 from the information disclosure part 236 and displaying it on the display 35 to confirm the arrangement on the substrate processing factory 4 The wear and tear of each element of the substrate processing equipment 1C. Therefore, the support center 5 can effectively manage the wear and tear of each element of the substrate processing apparatus 1C. The wear information 241 is regularly acquired via the WEB browser 312 .

The CPU 31 of the support computer 3 determines whether the component wear of the substrate processing equipment 1C exceeds a preset value based on the wear information 241 acquired through the WEB browser 312 (step S3 ). The CPU 31 performs this determination for each element registered in the wear information 241 , that is, for each element of a plurality of substrate processing apparatuses 1C. When the wear of any component exceeds the predetermined value, that is, when the use time exceeds the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S4, so the alarm section 313 issues an alarm to prompt replacement of the component. In other words, the alarm part 313 issues an alarm to prompt replacement of components when the accumulated component wear in the hard disk 24 reaches a predetermined value. For example, an alarm may be displayed on the display 35 or sounded.

A person maintaining the substrate processing apparatus 1C can recognize that a component has reached the end of its service life by an alarm prompting replacement.

In the third embodiment, when the wear of any component exceeds the preset value, the process proceeds to step S5, so the order signal transmitting section 314 transmits an order signal for new components to the order accepting server 8. When the wear of the worn components accumulated in the hard disk 24 reaches a predetermined value, the order signal transmitting section 314 transmits an order signal for a new component for replacing the component to the order accepting server 8 .

When the order acceptance server 8 receives the order signal, the component center 7 immediately sends the process of supplying new components to the substrate processing factory 4 . Steps S4 and S5 are sequentially replaced with each other, or executed simultaneously.

According to the third embodiment, subsequently, when any element of the substrate processing apparatus 1C is worn out or damaged, a new element has been prepared in the substrate processing factory 4 so that the element can be replaced immediately, and the substrate processing apparatus caused by the element replacement The 1C stop time can be minimized so that the device 1C operating efficiency can be prevented from significantly decreasing.

Therefore, the predetermined value as described above is preferably set just to a value at which the element is worn out to the state where replacement is required and cannot be used. A period of 90 hours is set as the value requiring replacement when any element becomes unusable after, for example, 100 hours of use. The life of each element can be obtained by experiment, the value of required replacement can be calculated, or the value of required replacement can be obtained by extrapolating from the accumulated wear information 241 in the above-mentioned manner. More specifically, the wear information 241 records the wear of each component so that the wear when the component is unusable can be grasped. The lifetime of each component can be obtained by grasping or speculatively processing the level of wear leading to a plurality of component unusable states, so that the value just before the component is worn out to the unusable state (value requiring replacement) can be determined from the life.

In the third embodiment, the information storage server 2 is arranged in the substrate processing factory 4. The present invention is not limited thereto, but as long as it can be connected to the network 6 and can communicate with the substrate processing equipment 1C and the support computer 3, the information storage server 2 can be arranged anywhere.

In the third embodiment, when the wear and tear of any component exceeds a predetermined value, both the alarm and the sending of the order signal are performed simultaneously, or one of them may be performed. When only the alarm is executed and the support staff of the support center 5 realizes that any component has reached the end of its life and orders a new component to the component center 7 by e-mail or the like, then, when the substrate processing equipment 1C is worn out or damaged, the substrate processing factory 4. By preparing new components so that the components can be replaced immediately, the substrate processing apparatus 1C can be prevented from being significantly lowered in operating efficiency.

Neither alarm nor order signaling may be performed. In this case, subsequently, the support staff of the support center 5 monitors the wear information 241, determines the replacement period and orders new components to the component center 7 by e-mail or the like.

In the third embodiment, the loss information 241 is configured to allow the support computer 3 to determine whether the wear of any component exceeds a predetermined value (a value requiring replacement), or the system control part 100 of the substrate processing apparatus 1C may directly send the component loss to to the support computer 3 without forming the loss information 241.

In the third embodiment, when time is used as the loss, alternatively, the number of processed substrates may be used as the loss. When the number of processed substrates is used as the loss, the calculator 118 measures the number of substrates processed with any element such as the cleaning brush 11 as the loss. The wear and tear to process the measurements is the same as the usage time above. In this case as well, an effect similar to that in the case of using the usage time as the loss can be obtained. Alternatively, both the usage time and the number of processed substrates can be used as the loss. In this case, an alarm or an order signal for new components can be sent when the usage time and the number of processed substrates exceed preset values.

Furthermore, not only the support computer 3 but also the substrate processing apparatus 1C or the support computer 3 may have an alarm function and a function of sending an order signal for new components. FIG. 19 is a functional block diagram showing the functional structure of a substrate processing system 10A provided with a substrate processing apparatus 1C (having an alarm function and a component order signal sending function). Referring to Fig. 19, components having the same functions as those in Fig. 16 are denoted by the same reference numerals. Referring to Fig. 19, the CPU 101 of the system control section 100 executes the processing program, thereby realizing the order signal sending part 108 and the alarm part 109, respectively as the processing part having the same effect as the order signal sending part 314 shown in Fig. 16 and the alarm part 313.

In this case, the system control section 100 (strictly speaking, the CPU 101) determines whether the wear measured by the timer 117 or the calculator 118 has exceeded a predetermined value (a value requiring replacement), so that the alarm section 109 gives a notification from the display section 130 or the like. An alarm or order signal transmission section 108 transmits an order signal for new components from the communication section 105 to the order acceptance server 8 via the network 6 . In this case also, effects similar to those of the third embodiment can be obtained.

Assuming that the substrate processing apparatus 1C performs cleaning processing on a substrate, wear of the cleaning brush 11 forming it is managed in the third embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the technique according to the present invention can also be applied to management such as running out Irradiation heating of the substrate forms a condition of lamp wear in lamp annealing equipment. Furthermore, the technique according to the present invention can also be used to manage wear and tear of belts, rollers, motors, etc. used to drive the transfer robot TR.

4. The fourth embodiment

A fourth embodiment of the present invention will now be described. The overall structure of a substrate processing system 10 according to the fourth embodiment is the same as that shown in FIG. 1 . However, in the substrate processing system 10 according to the fourth embodiment, each support computer 3 distributes educational information related to the operation of each substrate processing apparatus 1 to the substrate processing apparatus 1 via the network 6, and the delivery is announced at the support center 5. Personnel who give lectures on the operation of the substrate processing facility 1 .

The hardware structure of the substrate processing apparatus 1 is the same as that in the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 . Also, the hardware configurations of the information storage server 2 and the support computer 3 are the same as those of the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. 4 .

FIG. 20 is a functional block diagram showing the functional structure of a substrate processing system 10 according to the fourth embodiment. Referring to FIG. 20, the CPU 101 of the system control section 100 runs a control program, thereby realizing the issue request section 2108 as a processing section, and the CPU 31 of the support computer 3 runs a control program, thereby realizing the issue section 2315 as a processing section.

Hard disk 34 included in support computer 3 in support center 5 stores educational program 2341 so that distribution section 2315 can distribute educational information on the operation of each substrate processing apparatus 1 of substrate processing factory 4 via network 6 from communication section 38. For example, stream publishing technology can be used as a publishing mode. The communication section 105 receives educational information distributed from the support computer 3 and displays it on the display section 130 .

With regard to distribution timing, educational information may be distributed simultaneously to a plurality of substrate processing facilities 1 arranged on a certain substrate processing plant 4 regardless of the presence/absence of a distribution request from the substrate processing facility 1, or may be distributed only to the presence The substrate processing equipment 1 that issued the request. More specifically, when an issue request command is input from the operation section 140 , the issue request section 2108 transmits the issue request from the communication section 105 to the support computer 3 via the network 6 . The distribution section 2315 of the support computer 3 receiving the distribution request distributes the educational information from the communication section 38 to the substrate processing apparatus 1 via the network 6 .

When lectures on operating instructions are delivered to operators of a large number of substrate processing plants 4 at the same time, educational information can be distributed to a plurality of substrate processing facilities 1 at the same time. A large number of operators can learn by operating the apparatus 1 with the substrate processing apparatus 1 assigned to each group and viewing educational information displayed on the display portion 130 .

In the event that a lecture on operating instructions is delivered to a partially unskilled substrate processing plant 4 operator, the operator may be released to the substrate processing facility 1, which in turn generates a release request so that educational information is released only to that substrate. Bottom processing equipment1. The operator can learn how to operate the device 1 by viewing educational information displayed on the display section 130 .

In either case, the equipment seller can deliver lectures on the operating instructions by simply creating the educational program 2341 and storing it in the support computer 3, and the user can keep the lectures on the operating instructions repeatedly at desired times, Efficiently educate operators on operations.

In the fourth embodiment, the support computer 3 stores the educational program 2341 so that the support center 5 delivers educational information to the substrate processing apparatus 1 via the Internet, or the information storage server 2 may function as the support computer 3 . FIG. 21 is a block diagram showing another exemplary functional structure of the substrate processing system 10 according to the fourth embodiment. Referring to FIG. 21, the CPU 21 of the information storage server 2 runs a control program, thereby realizing a distribution section 2215 as a processing section.

The hard disk 24 included in the information storage server 2 stores educational programs 2241 . The CPU 21 of the information storage server 2 reads and executes this 2241 so that the distribution section 2215 can distribute the operation of each substrate processing apparatus 1 of the substrate processing factory 4 from the communication section 28 via the LAN 41 . The mode and timing of publishing is similar to the above embodiment.

Also, when distributing educational information via the LAN 41, the equipment seller can deliver lectures on the operation instructions by simply creating the educational program 2241 and storing it in the information storage server 2, and the user can repeatedly keep information on the operation at a desired time. Instructional lecture notes to effectively educate the operator on the operation.

The technique according to the present invention can be used in any substrate processing equipment, such as: lamp annealing equipment that heats the substrate with light irradiation, cleaning equipment that performs a cleaning process that removes particles while rotating the substrate, or, for example, by immersing the substrate in a processing solution Immersion equipment that performs surface processing in (such as hydrofluoric acid) performs predetermined processing on a substrate.

While the invention has been shown and described in detail, the foregoing description is illustrative and not restrictive. Thus, it will be appreciated that numerous modifications and changes may be involved without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (10)

1. A substrate processing equipment management system, which interconnects the substrate processing equipment and supporting computers via a network, wherein The supporting computers include: a-1) a first storage unit, storing basic information necessary for initialization of the substrate processing equipment, and a-2) a basic information sending component, which sends the basic information to the substrate processing equipment via the network, The substrate processing equipment includes: b-1) a second storage means for storing said basic information received from said support computer, and The initialization state of the substrate processing apparatus is installed with the basic information stored in the second storage section. 2. The substrate processing equipment management system according to claim 1, wherein The basic information is information shared by substrate processing equipment of the same type. 3. The substrate processing equipment management system according to claim 2, wherein The basic information is information that changes with the version of the control program that controls the substrate processing equipment, The substrate processing equipment also includes: b-2) publishing means for publishing the version of the control program installed in the substrate processing apparatus to the support computer, and The basic information sending components include: a-2-1) Publishing basic information corresponding to the version of the control program published by the substrate processing facility to the substrate processing facility. 4. The substrate processing equipment management system according to claim 3, wherein The substrate processing equipment also includes: b-3) means for instructing the support computer to send a request for the basic information. 5. The substrate processing equipment management system according to claim 4, wherein The support computer also includes: a-3) A component that issues an instruction to send the basic information to the substrate processing equipment. 6. A substrate processing device for controlling basic information stored in a storage unit as initialization information, comprising: a) receiving means for receiving said basic information from a computer connected to said substrate processing equipment via a network; and b) a storage component, storing the received basic information in the storage component. 7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein The basic information is information shared by substrate processing equipment of the same type. 8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein The basic information is information that changes with the version of the control program that controls the substrate processing equipment, The substrate processing equipment also includes: c) distributing means for distributing the version of the control program installed in the substrate processing apparatus to the computer. 9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising: d) means for instructing the computer to send a request for the basic information. 10. A substrate processing equipment management method for managing substrate processing equipment, the substrate processing equipment is controlled by basic information, and the basic information is stored in a storage unit as initialization information, the method comprising the steps of: a) receiving said basic information from a computer connected to said substrate processing facility via a network; and b) storing the received basic information in the storage unit.

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