surveillance system

Abstract

The present invention provides a monitoring system for a sealed device in which a housing seals a substrate processing apparatus and the sealed space is filled with a predetermined gas atmosphere. The system includes: a laser sensor that detects a human-accessible area in the space between the housing and the substrate processing apparatus; and a control device that outputs a control signal to the substrate processing apparatus or the sealed device based on the detection results of the laser sensor, or outputs a notification signal based on the detection results. The present invention improves the safety of a sealed device in which a sealed space is filled with a predetermined gas atmosphere by sealing the substrate processing apparatus with the housing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a monitoring system. Background Art

[0002] Patent document 1 describes a chamber device, which accommodates a workpiece processing device that needs to process a workpiece in an inert gas atmosphere in a chamber space, and the chamber device includes: the above-mentioned chamber space formed in a roughly rectangular shape; a gas supply flow path for supplying inert gas to the above-mentioned chamber space; an air supply port connected to the above-mentioned gas supply flow path and opening in the above-mentioned chamber space; an exhaust flow path for discharging the inert gas in the above-mentioned chamber space; and an exhaust port connected to the above-mentioned exhaust flow path and opening in the above-mentioned chamber space, the above-mentioned air supply port and the above-mentioned exhaust port being arranged at positions roughly diagonal to each other.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-88485 Summary of the Invention

[0006] Technical problem to be solved by the invention

[0007] The technology of the present invention seals a substrate processing apparatus with a housing to improve the safety of the sealed apparatus in which the sealed space is filled with a predetermined gas atmosphere.

[0008] Technical solutions to technical problems

[0009] One embodiment of the present invention is a monitoring system for a sealed device in which a substrate processing device is sealed with a monitoring shell and the sealed space is filled with a specified gas atmosphere, comprising: a laser sensor that uses an area in the space between the shell and the substrate processing device that is accessible to humans as a detection area; and a control device that outputs a control signal to the substrate processing device or the sealed device based on the detection result of the laser sensor, or outputs a notification signal based on the detection result.

[0010] Effects of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, a substrate processing apparatus can be sealed with a housing, thereby improving the safety of the sealed apparatus in which the sealed space is filled with a predetermined gas atmosphere. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 It is a planar explanatory diagram schematically showing the general configuration of a monitoring system according to an embodiment.

[0013] Figure 2It is an explanatory side view schematically showing the general configuration of the monitoring system according to the embodiment.

[0014] Figure 3 This is a flowchart for exiting the monitoring system according to the embodiment.

[0015] Figure 4 This is a flow chart at the time of entry into the monitoring system according to the embodiment.

[0016] Figure 5 This is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a monitoring system applied to other substrate processing apparatuses.

[0017] Description of Reference Numerals

[0018] 1.61 surveillance system

[0019] 2.63 shell

[0020] 10 Coating and developing equipment

[0021] 31 doors

[0022] 31a Locking mechanism

[0023] 32 Display unit

[0024] 41, 42, 43, 71, 72, 73, 74 laser sensors

[0025] 41a, 42a, 43a Camera

[0026] 51 Gas supply unit

[0027] 52 Air supply unit

[0028] 53 Exhaust

[0029] 100 control device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] For example, in the manufacture of semiconductor devices and flat panel displays, substrate processing apparatuses are used to perform predetermined processes on substrates such as semiconductor wafers and glass substrates. In recent years, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the substrate processing apparatus itself is sealed in a housing, and the space enclosed by the housing is filled with a predetermined inert gas atmosphere, such as nitrogen, to perform the predetermined process within the substrate processing apparatus.

[0031] In this case, an operator performing maintenance or repair of the substrate processing apparatus enters the enclosure to perform operations. However, as described above, the enclosure is filled with, for example, nitrogen. Therefore, once nitrogen is released during operation, an oxygen concentration equivalent to that of air is required. Therefore, after the operator completes the operation, they exit the enclosure, and after confirming their exit, nitrogen is re-supplied into the enclosure.

[0032] However, if nitrogen is supplied while the operator remains inside the housing, there is a possibility of unexpected events. Therefore, when such a substrate processing apparatus is housed in a housing and operated in an atmosphere of an inert gas or the like within the housing, safety precautions must be taken to prevent such events from occurring.

[0033] The technology of the present invention is to seal the substrate processing apparatus with a housing as described above, thereby improving the safety of the sealed apparatus in which the sealed space is filled with a predetermined gas atmosphere.

[0034] Hereinafter, the monitoring system of this embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in this specification, the same reference numerals are attached to elements having substantially the same functional configuration, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0035] Figure 1 This is a plan view of the monitoring system 1 schematically showing the general configuration of the monitoring system 1 according to the present embodiment. Figure 2 1 is a diagram schematically showing a side view of the same monitoring system 1. A substrate processing apparatus to which the monitoring system 1 can be applied is a coating and developing apparatus 10 used in a photolithography process.

[0036] The coating and developing apparatus 10 includes a wafer cassette loading and unloading unit 11 for loading and unloading wafer cassettes containing semiconductor wafers, a storage unit 12 for storing the wafer cassettes, and a transfer unit 14 for transferring semiconductor wafers between the storage unit 12 and a processing unit 13. Furthermore, the processing unit 13 is provided with a thermal treatment unit 15 for performing a predetermined thermal treatment on the semiconductor wafers and a liquid treatment unit 16 for performing a predetermined liquid treatment. Furthermore, the coating and developing apparatus 10 has conveyance units 17, 18, and 19 for conveying semiconductor wafers.

[0037] The coating and developing apparatus 10 having the above-described structure can be sealed on its upper surface and four side surfaces by a housing 2 constituting a sealed device. Specifically, the housing 2 is formed, for example, from a panel material and includes an upper surface portion 2a covering the upper surface of the coating and developing apparatus 10, a front portion 2b surrounding the four side surfaces, a side portion 2c, a rear portion 2d, and a side portion 2e.

[0038] Furthermore, an openable and closable door 31 is provided on, for example, the back portion 2d of the housing 2, allowing an operator to enter and exit the housing 2. A locking mechanism 31a is provided on the door 31. In order for the operator to enter the housing 2, the operator must unlock the locking mechanism 31a and open the door 31. The locking mechanism 31a is, for example, an electromagnetic lock, which is configured to be locked while any of the laser sensors 41, 42, and 43, described later, detects an object.

[0039] like Figure 1 、 Figure 2 As shown, a substantially U-shaped space S is formed between the coating and developing apparatus 10 and the housing 2, into which an operator can enter. Laser sensors 41 and 42 are provided at two opposing corners of the space S, i.e., at diagonally opposite corners of the housing 2 when viewed from above.

[0040] The laser sensors 41 and 42 have the same structure. In this embodiment, a so-called laser beam scanning structure is used to scan and irradiate an infrared laser beam in a radial shape by rotating it back and forth within a predetermined angle range. In this example, the rotation angle of the laser sensors 41 and 42 is set to 90 degrees. Figure 1 As shown, laser sensor 41 is configured to emit a laser beam at a rotation angle A indicated by the reciprocating arrows in the figure, with the area between the front portion 2b and the side portion 2c of the housing 2 as its detection range. Laser sensor 42 is configured to emit a laser beam at a rotation angle B indicated by the reciprocating arrows in the figure, with the area between the back portion 2d and the side portion 2e of the housing 2 as its detection range. When an object is present within this detection range, laser sensors 41 and 42 detect the object and output a detection signal to control device 100. Laser sensors 41 and 42 are installed at a height of, for example, 100 to 300 mm, for example, 200 mm, from bottom surface F. This makes it possible to detect, for example, a fallen person.

[0041] On the other hand, a laser sensor 43 is provided near the upper surface portion 2a of the housing 2, i.e., at a position higher than the top of the coating and developing apparatus 10, for example, at the center of the lower side surface portion 2c when viewed from above. The basic structure of the laser sensor 43 is the same as that of the laser sensors 41 and 42, but the reciprocating rotation angle is set to 180 degrees. Figure 1 As shown, the rotation angle C of the laser beam from the laser sensor 43 is set to 180 degrees.

[0042] Each laser sensor 41, 42, 43 is provided with an imaging device 41a, 42a, 43a. For example, the imaging devices 41a and 42a may be cameras with a field of view of at least 90 degrees, and the imaging device 43a may be a camera with a field of view of 180 degrees, which continuously capture the detection range of each laser sensor 41, 42, 43. Of course, the imaging devices 41a, 42a, and 43a may also be configured to capture the detected position when the laser sensors 41, 42, and 43 detect an object. In this case, the camera's field of view may be smaller than the aforementioned 90 degrees and 180 degrees.

[0043] The captured image data is then stored in an appropriate storage device, such as a server or a storage area of ​​the control device 100, in association with the position and time at which any one of the laser sensors 41, 42, and 43 detected an object. Furthermore, when any one of the laser sensors 41, 42, and 43 detects an object, the detected position, the identification of the laser sensor that detected the object, and the captured image are displayed on the display unit 32 provided outside the housing 2 near the door 31.

[0044] Furthermore, when any of the laser sensors 41 , 42 , and 43 detects an object, the control device 100 outputs an alarm or a warning signal to notify the outside of the situation, and the situation is also displayed on the display unit 32 , for example.

[0045] The monitoring system 1 includes a gas supply unit 51 that supplies a predetermined gas, such as an inert gas such as nitrogen, into the housing 2. The supply and stop of the inert gas by the gas supply unit 51 are controlled by the control device 100. For example, if any of the laser sensors 41, 42, and 43 detects an object, a control signal is output to the gas supply unit 51 to stop the supply of the inert gas.

[0046] Furthermore, the housing 2 is provided with an air supply unit 52. The supply of air by the air supply unit 52 is controlled by the control device 100. The atmosphere within the housing 2 is exhausted by an exhaust unit 53 provided in the housing 2. The exhaust unit 53 is provided with a valve 53a, and the opening and closing of the valve 53a is controlled by the control device 100.

[0047] The monitoring system 1 of the embodiment is constructed as described above, and its operation will be described below. The technology of the present invention improves safety by supplying gas into the housing 2 without sealing the housing 2 when the operator exits. Figure 3 , explaining the exit process.

[0048] First, when the operator exits the housing 2 (step S1), the door 31 is closed (step S2). Next, the locking mechanism 31a is locked (step S3). Next, the laser sensors 41, 42, 43 are activated (step S4). Thus, the detection process performed by the laser sensors 41, 42, 43 is started. Then, it is confirmed that from this state, none of the laser sensors 41, 42, 43 detects any object within a specified time, for example, 20 to 30 seconds (step S5). Then, after confirming that none of the laser sensors 41, 42, 43 detects an object, the supply of gas from the gas supply unit 51 is started (step S6). The supply of gas from the gas supply unit 51 can be performed after the control device 100 recognizes that all the above steps are completed.

[0049] If any of the laser sensors 41, 42, or 43 detects an object within the housing 2 during any of the above steps, the process cannot proceed to the next step. For example, after the door 31 is closed in step S2, if any of the laser sensors 41, 42, or 43 detects an object, the locking mechanism 31a cannot be locked. This type of control can also be performed by the control device 100.

[0050] Then, after the laser sensors 41, 42, 43 are activated, if any of the laser sensors 41, 42, 43 detects an object in the housing 2, the gas supply unit 51 cannot start supplying gas. Therefore, the safety of the operator in the housing 2 is improved.

[0051] Furthermore, if any of the laser sensors 41, 42, or 43 detects an object within the housing 2, an alarm is issued, thereby allowing the operator or other operators within the housing 2 to be notified of the alarm. If any of the laser sensors 41, 42, or 43 detects an object within the housing 2, the area where the object is detected is captured, making it easy to confirm whether the detected object is the operator or a missing operating tool. However, the images captured in connection with the above detections can be stored on the server or control device 100, allowing for subsequent or later verification.

[0052] Furthermore, the control device 100 may be configured to interlock the coating and developing apparatus 10 when any of the laser sensors 41, 42, and 43 detects an object during each of the above steps. This further ensures operator safety.

[0053] Then, according to Figure 4, the process for entering the chamber is described. First, stop supplying gas from the gas supply unit 51 (step S11). Next, open the valve 53a of the exhaust unit 53 (step S12). Then, start supplying air from the air supply unit 52 into the housing 2 (step S13). Steps S12 and S13 can also be performed simultaneously. In this way, the interior of the housing 2 is replaced with air.

[0054] Then, after confirming that a predetermined time has passed (which varies depending on the volume of the housing 2, for example, about one hour), the oxygen concentration in the housing 2 is confirmed (step S14). The oxygen concentration benchmark is, for example, 19.5% or higher. If the benchmark is not exceeded, the air replacement operation is continued until the benchmark is met. Then, after the oxygen concentration benchmark is met, the locking state of the locking mechanism 31a of the door 31 is released (step S15). In this case, the control device 100 is preferably configured to control the locking mechanism 31a so that when the benchmark is not met, the operator cannot release the lock of the locking mechanism 31a even if he wants to.

[0055] Then, after releasing the lock state of the locking mechanism 31a of the door 31, the operator opens the door 31 (step S16) and then enters the housing 2 (step S17). In addition, when the door 31 is open, for example, control may be performed to apply an interlock so that the gas from the gas supply unit 51 is not supplied into the housing 2.

[0056] In the above-mentioned monitoring system 1, the coating and developing device 10 as the substrate processing device constituting the monitoring target is provided only on the bottom surface. Therefore, the area entered by the operator is only on the bottom surface within the housing 2. However, the present invention is not limited to such substrate processing devices. For example, it can also be applied to Figure 5 The device shown has an area for operator access at a portion above the bottom surface.

[0057] That is, given Figure 5 The illustrated monitoring system 61 is applied to a sealed housing 63 housing a substrate processing device 62. The substrate processing device 62 has an operator-accessible area 62a and a stepped area 62b above the bottom. Specifically, in addition to laser sensors 71 and 72 positioned near the bottom, laser sensors 73 and 74 are also provided, targeting areas 62a and 62b. This eliminates blind spots even in highly elevated substrate processing devices, such as inkjet devices, and prevents the supply of a specified gas into the housing while the operator remains inside.

[0058] Of course, the present invention is not limited to such a high-position area. For example, when there is an area for people to enter below the bottom surface of the substrate processing device, the above-mentioned laser sensor can also be installed in this area.

[0059] The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and should not be considered restrictive. The above embodiments may be omitted, replaced, or modified in various ways without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

[0060] In addition, the following configurations also belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

[0061] (1) A monitoring system for a sealed device in which a substrate processing device is sealed with a monitoring housing and the sealed space is filled with a predetermined gas atmosphere, comprising:

[0062] A laser sensor that uses an area in the space between the housing and the substrate processing device, where humans can enter, as a detection area; and

[0063] A control device that outputs a control signal to the substrate processing device or the sealing device based on the detection result of the above-mentioned laser sensor, or outputs a notification signal based on the above-mentioned detection result.

[0064] The substrate processing apparatus referred to here is, for example, an apparatus for manufacturing semiconductor devices or flat panel displays.

[0065] Furthermore, the control signal output to the substrate processing apparatus may be, for example, a signal for applying an interlock.

[0066] Examples of the control signal output to the sealing device include a signal that prohibits the completion of sealing, prohibits locking the door, and prohibits supplying a predetermined gas.

[0067] The notification signal based on the detection result may include, for example, an appropriate warning signal, the issuance of an alarm, the lighting of a warning light, and the like.

[0068] (2) In the monitoring system described in (1):

[0069] The sealing device includes a supply unit for supplying a predetermined gas for filling the sealed space with the predetermined gas atmosphere.

[0070] The control device outputs a control signal to the sealing device to prevent the supply unit from supplying the predetermined gas when the laser sensor detects an object.

[0071] (3) In the monitoring system described in either (1) or (2):

[0072] It also includes a camera for photographing the area that the above-mentioned person can enter.

[0073] When an object is detected by the laser sensor, the imaging device captures at least an area where the object is detected.

[0074] (4) In the monitoring system described in (3):

[0075] The detection result of the laser sensor is associated with the captured image.

[0076] (5) In the monitoring system described in any one of (1) to (4):

[0077] The sealing device has an openable and closable door for entering and exiting the enclosed space and a locking mechanism for the door.

[0078] The control device outputs a signal for switching the operation of the door locking mechanism based on the detection result of the laser sensor.

[0079] The operation of the door locking mechanism can be exemplified by an operation in which a person cannot lock the door even though the person wants to do so.

[0080] (6) In the monitoring system described in any one of (1) to (5):

[0081] The control signal output to the substrate processing apparatus based on the detection result of the laser sensor is a signal for interlocking the substrate processing apparatus.

Claims

1. A monitoring system, characterized in that: The monitoring system is a monitoring system for monitoring a sealed device in which a housing is used to seal a substrate processing device, and the sealed space is filled with a predetermined gas atmosphere. The housing has an upper surface portion covering the upper surface of the substrate processing device, and a front portion, a first side portion, a back portion, and a second side portion surrounding four side surfaces. The monitoring system includes: A first laser sensor and a second laser sensor that use an area in the space between the housing and the substrate processing device, where a person can enter, as a detection area; and a control device that outputs a control signal to the substrate processing device or the sealing device based on the detection result of the laser sensor, or outputs a notification signal based on the detection result, The first laser sensor and the second laser sensor are arranged at a height of 100 to 300 mm from the bottom surface at corners located on a diagonal line when viewed from above. The first laser sensor is configured to irradiate a laser beam at a rotation angle such that the area between the front portion and the first side portion is the detection range. The second laser sensor is configured to irradiate a laser beam at a rotation angle such that the region between the rear surface portion and the second side surface portion is the detection range.

2. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein: The sealing device includes a supply unit for supplying a predetermined gas to fill the sealed space with the predetermined gas atmosphere. The control device outputs a control signal to the sealing device to prevent the supply unit from supplying the predetermined gas when the laser sensor detects an object.

3. The monitoring system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: Also included is a camera for photographing the area that the person can enter. When an object is detected by the laser sensor, the imaging device captures at least an area where the object is detected.

4. The monitoring system according to claim 3, wherein: The detection result of the laser sensor is associated with the captured image.

5. The monitoring system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The sealing device has an openable and closable door for entering and exiting the enclosed space and a locking mechanism for the door. The control device outputs a signal for switching the operation of the door locking mechanism based on the detection result of the laser sensor.

6. The monitoring system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The control signal output to the substrate processing apparatus based on the detection result of the laser sensor is a signal for interlocking the substrate processing apparatus.

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