Substrate storage container management system, load port, and substrate storage container management method

Abstract

The invention provides a substrate storage container management system, a load port, and a substrate storage container management method. An object of the present disclosure is to realize, by using acurrently generally used FOUP instead of an FOUP provided with instruments such as a sensor and the like, a substrate storage container management system capable of predicting a replacement timing ofa substrate storage container, which undergoes deterioration attributable to the use thereof and the like. The loading port (2) capable of processing the substrate (W) in and out of the substrate (F)(4), which is a substrate storage container having a loading / unloading port (41), reads the individual identification ID (4x) attached to the FORP. The ID for individual identification and the sensor value of the sensor (2c) provided in the loading port are sent to the host system (C). In the higher-level system, the ID for individual identification and the sensor value are related to each other, and are stored and stored in the database (Cd). The data in the database is analyzed and the status of the FOUP of each individual identification ID is output.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates to a substrate storage container management system that manages deterioration information of containers (substrate storage containers) capable of storing wafers, a load port applicable to the substrate storage container management system, and a substrate storage container management method. Background technique [0002] In the manufacturing process of semiconductors, wafers are processed in a clean room in order to improve yield and quality. In recent years, the "mini-surrounding method" in which the cleanliness is further improved only in the local space around the wafer has been adopted, and measures for wafer handling and other handling have been adopted. In the small enclosure method, a part of the wall surface of a substantially closed wafer transfer chamber (hereinafter "transfer chamber") is formed inside the box, and a FOUP (Front-Opening Container), which is a container for storing wafers, is placed in a high-clea...

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Problems solved by technology

Therefore, in order to realize the system described in Patent Document 1, the general FOUP currently in use cannot be used as the substrate storage container, and it is necessary to replace all of them with new FOUPs.

In the semiconductor manufacturing line, a large number of FOUPs are widely used, and the management system using this document to replace all of them is a heavy burden on the user, and it is considered difficult to introduce into the manufacturing site

[0014] In addition, the work of individually maintaining devices such as sensors that are attached to a large number of FOUPs requires a huge amount of labor, and attention must be paid to failures of devices such as sensors caused by heat and water immersion when FOUPs are washed with hot water. For the preparation and maintenance of equipment such as sensors in a normal state

In addition, if the preparation or maintenance of equipment such as sensors is insufficient, accurate detection processing cannot be performed by the sensors, or the wireless communication state is unstable, and the FOUP to be replaced cannot be properly selected. The target FOUP also has problems such as gas inflow and outflow (leakage) relative to the FOUP, and the surface of the wafer in the FOUP is oxidized.

Such problems also occur in substrate storage containers other than FOUPs

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