Substrate processing device, method for manufacturing semiconductor device, and recording medium

By introducing reactors with multiple processing capabilities and intelligent processing selection systems into the substrate processing device, the problem of low throughput caused by inconsistent processing times of different reactors is solved, and efficient and uniform substrate processing is achieved.

CN115132627BActive Publication Date: 2025-08-22KOKUSAI DENKI KK
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202111090359.9
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2021-03-29
Filing Date
2021-09-16
Publication Date
2025-08-22
Estimated Expiration
2041-09-16

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

During the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, due to the different processing times of different reactors, the throughput of the substrate processing device is reduced, and continuous processing cannot be carried out efficiently.

Method used

A reactor, conveying chamber, conveying robot, storage unit and calculation unit with multiple processing capabilities is used to record processing category information and time information, calculate the processing time ratio, select a suitable reactor for processing, and set processing parameters to improve processing efficiency.

Benefits of technology

High efficiency and uniformity of substrate processing are achieved, standby time is reduced, and the overall throughput of the device is improved.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The present invention provides a technology for improving processing efficiency, relating to a substrate processing apparatus, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, and a program. The technology provided by the present invention comprises: a reactor capable of performing multiple processes on a substrate; a transport chamber adjacent to the plurality of reactors; a transport robot disposed within the transport chamber and capable of transporting a substrate to each reactor; a storage unit that records category information corresponding to each process and processing time information corresponding to each category information; a calculation unit that calculates the ratio of processing time of a predetermined process within the time matching the processing time information; a process selection unit that selects a reactor for performing the predetermined process based on the ratio; and a process setting unit that sets the predetermined process so that the selected reactor can perform the predetermined process.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present technology relates to a substrate processing apparatus, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, and a recording medium. Background Art

[0002] One type of substrate processing apparatus used in the semiconductor device manufacturing process includes an apparatus having a module including multiple reactors (e.g., Patent Document 1). In such an apparatus, different processes may be performed in each reactor. In such a case, a substrate may be processed in one reactor and then moved to another reactor for further processing.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: WO2005 / 112108 Summary of the Invention

[0006] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0007] In an apparatus that continuously processes by moving to different reactors as described above, since the processing time in each reactor varies, it is desirable to improve the overall throughput of the apparatus by avoiding long standby times, for example, when moving to the next reactor, in order to efficiently process. The present disclosure addresses this issue by providing a technique that increases processing efficiency.

[0008] Means for solving problems

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a technology is provided, which has:

[0010] a reactor capable of performing a variety of treatments on the substrate;

[0011] a transport chamber adjacent to the plurality of reactors;

[0012] a transport robot, disposed in the transport chamber and capable of transporting substrates to each of the reactors;

[0013] a storage unit that records category information corresponding to each of the processes and processing time information corresponding to each of the category information;

[0014] a calculation unit that calculates a ratio of a processing time of a predetermined process in a time period that matches the processing time information;

[0015] a treatment selection unit for selecting a reactor for performing the predetermined treatment based on the ratio;

[0016] A process setting unit is configured to enable the predetermined process to be performed in the selected reactor.

[0017] Effects of the Invention

[0018] According to the present disclosure, a technology with high processing efficiency is provided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 It is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment.

[0020] Figure 2 It is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment.

[0021] Figure 3 It is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of a reactor according to an embodiment.

[0022] Figure 4 It is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a gas supply unit according to an embodiment.

[0023] Figure 5 It is an explanatory diagram for explaining a controller of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment.

[0024] Figure 6 This is a table included in the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment.

[0025] Figure 7 This is a table included in the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment.

[0026] Figure 8 It is an explanatory diagram illustrating a substrate processing flow according to an embodiment.

[0027] Figure 9 It is an explanatory diagram illustrating a substrate processing flow according to an embodiment.

[0028] Figure 10 It is an explanatory diagram illustrating a substrate processing flow according to an embodiment.

[0029] Figure 11 It is an explanatory diagram illustrating a substrate processing flow according to an embodiment.

[0030] Figure 12 It is an explanatory diagram for explaining the substrate processing sequence according to the embodiment.

[0031] Figure 13 It is an explanatory diagram for explaining a substrate processing sequence of a comparative example.

[0032] Figure 14 It is an explanatory diagram for explaining the substrate processing sequence according to the embodiment.

[0033] Figure 15 It is an explanatory diagram for explaining a substrate processing sequence of a comparative example.

[0034] Figure 16 It is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of a reactor according to an embodiment.

[0035] Figure 17 It is an explanatory diagram for explaining the substrate processing sequence according to the embodiment.

[0036] Figure 18 It is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of a reactor according to an embodiment.

[0037] Figure 19 It is an explanatory diagram for explaining the substrate processing sequence according to the embodiment.

[0038] Description of Reference Numerals

[0039] W...substrate, 100...substrate processing apparatus, 200...reactor, 400...controller. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] Hereinafter, embodiments of this mode will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0041] In addition, the drawings used in the following description are schematic, and the relationship between the dimensions of the elements and the ratios of the elements in the drawings may not necessarily be consistent with reality. In addition, the relationship between the dimensions of the elements and the ratios of the elements may not necessarily be consistent between multiple drawings.

[0042] (First embodiment)

[0043] (1) Structure of substrate processing apparatus

[0044] use Figure 1 、 Figure 2 A schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present embodiment will be described. Figure 1 It is a transverse cross-sectional view showing a structural example of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present technique. Figure 2 An example of the structure of the substrate processing device of the present technology is Figure 1 Longitudinal cross-sectional view along α-α'.

[0045] exist Figure 1 and Figure 2 In the present embodiment, a substrate processing apparatus 100 processes a substrate W, and is mainly composed of an IO stage 110, an atmospheric transfer chamber 120, a pass-lock chamber 130, a vacuum transfer chamber 140, and a reactor 200. Next, each component will be described in detail.

[0046] An IO stage (load port) 110 is provided in front of the substrate processing apparatus 100. Multiple wafer cassettes 111 are mounted on the IO stage 110. The wafer cassettes 111 are used as carriers for transporting substrates W, such as silicon (Si) substrates. Furthermore, a dummy substrate storage unit 112 for storing dummy substrates D is provided.

[0047] The IO stage 110 is adjacent to an atmospheric transfer chamber 120. A passage lock chamber 130, described later, is connected to the atmospheric transfer chamber 120 on a surface different from the IO stage 110. An atmospheric transfer robot 122 for transferring a substrate W is provided in the atmospheric transfer chamber 120.

[0048] A substrate loading / unloading port 128 and a wafer cassette opener 121 are provided on the front side of the housing 127 of the atmospheric transfer chamber 120 for loading and unloading substrates W into and out of the atmospheric transfer chamber 120. A substrate loading / unloading port 129 is provided on the rear side of the housing 127 of the atmospheric transfer chamber 120 for loading and unloading substrates W into and out of the access lock chamber 130. The substrate loading / unloading port 129 is opened and closed by a gate valve 133, thereby enabling the loading and unloading of substrates W.

[0049] The passage lock chamber 130 is adjacent to the atmospheric transfer chamber 120 . A vacuum transfer chamber 140 , described later, is disposed on a surface of a housing 131 constituting the passage lock chamber 130 that is different from the atmospheric transfer chamber 120 . The vacuum transfer chamber 140 is connected via a gate valve 134 .

[0050] A substrate mounting table 136 having at least two mounting surfaces 135 for mounting substrates W is provided in the access lock chamber 130. The distance between the substrate mounting surfaces 135 is set according to the distance between the end effectors of the arms of the robot 170 described later.

[0051] The substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a vacuum transfer chamber 140, which serves as a transfer chamber and serves as a transfer space for transferring substrates W under negative pressure. A frame 141 constituting the vacuum transfer chamber 140 is pentagonal in plan view, with the passage lock chamber 130 and reactors 200 (200a to 200d) for processing the substrates W connected to each side of the pentagon. A transfer robot 170, serving as a transfer unit for transferring (transferring) substrates W under negative pressure, is installed approximately in the center of the vacuum transfer chamber 140, with a flange 144 serving as a base.

[0052] The vacuum transfer robot 170 installed in the vacuum transfer chamber 140 is configured to be able to be raised and lowered while maintaining the airtightness of the vacuum transfer chamber 140 using the elevator 145 and the flange 144. The two arms 180 of the robot 170 are configured to be able to be raised and lowered by the elevator 145. Figure 2In the figure, for the sake of convenience, the end effector of the arm 180 is shown, and the structure of the robot axis connected to the flange 144 is omitted.

[0053] Reactors 200 (reactors 200a to 200d) are connected to the outer periphery of the vacuum transfer chamber 140. The reactors 200 are radially arranged with the vacuum transfer chamber 140 as the center.

[0054] A substrate loading / unloading port 148 is provided on the side wall of the frame 141 opposite to each reactor 200. Figure 2 As described, a substrate loading / unloading port 148c is provided on the wall facing reactor 200c. Furthermore, each reactor 200 is provided with a gate valve 149. For example, reactor 200c is provided with gate valve 149c. Reactors 200a, 200b, and 200d have the same structure as reactor 200c, and therefore their description is omitted here.

[0055] Next, the robot 170 mounted in the vacuum transfer chamber 140 will be described.

[0056] The robot 170 includes two arms 180. The arms 180 include end effectors on which substrates W are placed.

[0057] The elevator 145 controls the lifting and rotation of the arm 180. The arm 180 can rotate and extend around the arm axis. By rotating or extending, the substrate W is transported into the reactor 200 or unloaded from the reactor 200.

[0058] Next, reactors 200a to 200d will be described. Reactors 200a to 200d have the same structure and are therefore described as one reactor 200. Each reactor 200 is configured to be capable of performing multiple processes. Detailed descriptions are provided below.

[0059] use Figure 3 、 Figure 4 The details of the reactor 200 will be described. Figure 3 As described, the reactor 200 includes a container 202. The container 202 is, for example, a sealed container having a circular, flat cross-section. Furthermore, the container 202 is made of a metal material such as aluminum (Al) or stainless steel (SUS). Within the container 202 are formed a processing chamber 201, which defines a processing space 205 for processing substrates W, such as silicon substrates, and a transport chamber 206, which includes a transport space through which substrates W pass when being transported to the processing space 205. The container 202 is composed of an upper container 202a and a lower container 202b. A partition 208 is provided between the upper container 202a and the lower container 202b.

[0060] A communication hole 148 adjacent to the gate valve 149 is provided on the side surface of the lower container 202b, and the substrate W moves between the vacuum transfer chamber 140 via the communication hole 148. A plurality of lift pins 207 are provided on the bottom of the lower container 202b.

[0061] A substrate support 210 is disposed in the processing space 205 to support a substrate W. The substrate support 210 primarily includes a substrate mounting surface 211 on which the substrate W is mounted, a substrate mounting table 212 having the substrate mounting surface 211 on its surface, and a heater 213 serving as a heating unit disposed within the substrate mounting table 212. Through holes 214 are provided in the substrate mounting table 212 at positions corresponding to the lift pins 207, through which the lift pins 207 extend.

[0062] A wiring 222 for supplying power is connected to the heater 213. The wiring 222 is connected to a heater control unit 223. The heater control unit 223 is electrically connected to the controller 400. The controller 400 controls the heater control unit 223 to operate the heater 213.

[0063] The substrate mounting table 212 is supported by a shaft 217 . The shaft 217 passes through the bottom of the container 202 and is connected to a lifting unit 218 outside the container 202 .

[0064] By operating the lifting unit 218 to lift and lower the shaft 217 and the substrate stage 212 , the substrate stage 212 can lift and lower the substrate W placed on the placement surface 211 .

[0065] The processing chamber 201 is composed of, for example, a buffer structure 230 described later and a substrate mounting table 212. The processing chamber 201 only needs to ensure a processing space 205 for processing the substrate W, and may be composed of other structures.

[0066] When the substrate W is transported, the substrate mounting table 212 lowers the substrate mounting surface 211 to the transport position P0 opposite to the communication hole 148. When the substrate W is processed, Figure 1 As shown, the substrate W is lifted to a processing position in the processing space 205 .

[0067] A buffer structure 230 for gas diffusion is provided at the upper portion (upstream side) of the processing space 205. The buffer structure 230 is mainly composed of a cover 231. The first gas supply unit 240, the second gas supply unit 250, the third gas supply unit 260, and the fourth gas supply unit 270, which will be described later, are connected to the cover 231 in a manner that is connected to the gas inlet hole 231a provided in the cover 231. Figure 3 Although only one gas introduction hole 231 a is shown in the figure, a gas introduction hole may be provided for each gas supply portion.

[0068] Next, the exhaust section 291 will be described. The exhaust pipe 292 is connected to the processing space 205. The exhaust pipe 292 is connected to the upper container 202a so as to communicate with the processing space 205. The exhaust pipe 292 is provided with an APC 293, a pressure controller, which controls the pressure in the processing space 205 to a predetermined level. The APC 293 includes a valve body (not shown) whose opening can be adjusted, and adjusts the flow conductance of the exhaust pipe 292 according to instructions from the controller 400. Furthermore, a valve 294 is provided in the exhaust pipe 292 upstream of the APC 293. The exhaust pipe 292, the valve 294, and the APC 293 are collectively referred to as the exhaust section.

[0069] In addition, a DP (Dry Pump) 295 is provided downstream of the exhaust pipe 292 . The DP 295 exhausts the atmosphere of the processing space 205 through the exhaust pipe 292 .

[0070] Next, use Figure 4 A gas supply unit that supplies gas to the processing chamber 201 will be described.

[0071] First, the first gas supply unit 240 will be described. A first gas supply pipe 241 is provided with, in order from upstream, a first gas source 242, an MFC 243 as a flow controller (flow control unit), and a valve 244 as an on-off valve.

[0072] The first gas source 242 is a source of a first gas containing a first element (also referred to as a "first-element-containing gas"). The first-element-containing gas is a type of raw material gas, or process gas. Here, the first element is, for example, silicon (Si). That is, the first gas is, for example, a silicon-containing gas. Specifically, hexachlorodisilane (Si2Cl6, HCDS) gas is used as the silicon-containing gas.

[0073] A bypass pipe 246 may be provided in the first gas supply pipe 241. The bypass pipe 246 is used when the first gas is not supplied to the processing chamber 201. For example, the valve 244 may be closed to allow the second gas to flow into the bypass pipe 246. The bypass pipe 246 merges with the exhaust pipe 292, and the gas supplied to the bypass pipe 246 is exhausted from the exhaust pipe 292.

[0074] The first gas supply unit 240 is mainly composed of a first gas supply pipe 241, an MFC 243, and a valve 244. The first gas supply unit 240 may also include a bypass pipe 246.

[0075] The second gas supply unit 250 will be described. The second gas supply pipe 251 is provided with a second gas source 252, an MFC 253 as a flow controller (flow control unit), and a valve 254 as an on-off valve in this order from the upstream direction.

[0076] The second gas source 252 is a source of a second gas containing a second element (hereinafter also referred to as "second element-containing gas"). The second element-containing gas is a type of processing gas. In addition, the second gas can also be considered a reaction gas or a modifying gas.

[0077] Here, the second gas contains a second element different from the first element. Examples of the second element include oxygen (O), nitrogen (N), and carbon (C). Here, the second element-containing gas is described as a nitrogen-containing gas, for example. Specifically, ammonia (NH3) gas is used as the nitrogen-containing gas.

[0078] A remote plasma unit (RPU) 255 may be provided in the second gas supply pipe 251. The RPU 255 turns the second gas passing through the second gas supply pipe 251 into a plasma state.

[0079] A bypass pipe 256 may be provided in the second gas supply pipe 251. The bypass pipe 256 is used when the second gas is not supplied to the processing chamber 201. For example, the valve 254 may be closed to allow the second gas to flow into the bypass pipe 256. The bypass pipe 256 merges with the exhaust pipe 292, and the gas supplied to the bypass pipe 256 is exhausted from the exhaust pipe 292.

[0080] The second gas supply unit 250 is mainly composed of the second gas supply pipe 251, the MFC 253, and the valve 254. The RPU 255 can be included in the second gas supply unit 250. In addition, a bypass pipe 256 can also be included.

[0081] In addition, when a film is formed on the substrate W using the first gas alone, the second gas supply unit 250 may not be provided.

[0082] The third gas supply unit 260 will be described. The third gas supply pipe 261 is provided with a third gas source 262, an MFC 263 as a flow controller (flow control unit), and a valve 264 as an on-off valve in this order from the upstream direction.

[0083] The third gas source 262 is a source of a third gas containing a third element (hereinafter also referred to as "third-element-containing gas"). The third-element-containing gas is one of the reactant gases that react with the film formed using the first and second gases. It should be noted that the third gas can also be considered a modifying gas.

[0084] Here, the third element is, for example, any one of oxygen (O), nitrogen (N), carbon (C), and hydrogen (H). Here, the gas containing the third element is described as, for example, a hydrogen-containing gas. Specifically, hydrogen (H2) is used as the hydrogen-containing gas.

[0085] A remote plasma unit (RPU) 265 may be provided in the third gas supply pipe 261. The RPU 265 turns the third gas passing through the third gas supply pipe 261 into a plasma state.

[0086] Alternatively, a bypass pipe 266 may be provided in the third gas supply pipe 261. The bypass pipe 266 is used when the third gas is not supplied to the processing chamber 201. For example, the valve 264 may be closed to allow the second gas to flow into the bypass pipe 266. The bypass pipe 266 merges with the exhaust pipe 292, and the gas supplied to the bypass pipe 266 is exhausted from the exhaust pipe 292.

[0087] The third gas supply unit 260 is mainly composed of a third gas supply pipe 261, an MFC 263, and a valve 264. The RPU 265 may be included in the third gas supply unit 260. Furthermore, the bypass pipe 266 may be included in the third gas supply unit 260.

[0088] The fourth gas supply unit 270 will be described. The fourth gas supply pipe 271 is provided with a fourth gas source 272, an MFC 273 as a flow controller (flow control unit), and a valve 274 as an on-off valve in this order from the upstream direction.

[0089] The fourth gas source 272 is a gas source of an inert gas. The inert gas is a gas that does not react with the film formed on the substrate W, such as nitrogen (N2) gas.

[0090] Alternatively, a bypass pipe 276 may be provided in the fourth gas supply pipe 271. The bypass pipe 276 is used when the fourth gas is not supplied to the processing chamber 201. For example, the valve 274 may be closed to allow the fourth gas to flow into the bypass pipe 276. The bypass pipe 266 merges with the exhaust pipe 292, and the gas supplied to the bypass pipe 266 is exhausted through the exhaust pipe 292.

[0091] The fourth gas supply unit 270 is mainly composed of a fourth gas supply pipe 271, an MFC 273, and a valve 294. In addition, the fourth gas supply unit 270 may include a bypass pipe 276.

[0092] As described later, in this embodiment, a film is formed on a substrate W using the first gas and the second gas, and the film formed using the third gas is modified. The inert gas is used for exhausting the atmosphere in the processing chamber 201 .

[0093] Each component selectively operates based on the process type selected by process selection unit 408, described later. For example, if process selection unit 408 selects process A in reactor 200, components associated with process A, such as first gas supply unit 240 and second gas supply unit 250, operate to supply gas into process chamber 201. Furthermore, third gas supply unit 260 stops operating to prevent the third gas from affecting process A, or exhausts gas through bypass pipe 266 to prevent the third gas from entering process chamber 201. Here, stopping the operation of each gas supply unit also includes maintaining the on-off valve closed.

[0094] Furthermore, for example, when the process selection unit 408, described later, selects to perform process B in the reactor 200, the third gas supply unit 260, which is a component associated with process B, is operated to supply gas into the process chamber 201. Furthermore, the first gas supply unit 240 and the second gas supply unit 250 are stopped to prevent the first gas and the second gas from affecting process B, or the first gas supply unit 240 and the second gas supply unit 250 are exhausted via the bypass pipe 246, the bypass pipe 256, etc. to prevent the first gas and the second gas from intruding into the process chamber.

[0095] Next, use Figure 5 The controller 400 will be described.

[0096] The substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a controller 400 for controlling the operation of each unit.

[0097] The controller 400, serving as a control unit (control unit), is configured as a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 401, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 402, a storage unit 403 serving as a storage device, and an I / O port 404. The RAM 402, storage unit 403, and I / O port 404 are configured to exchange data with the CPU 401 via an internal bus 405. Data transmission and reception within the substrate processing apparatus 100 is performed by instructions from a transmission / reception instruction unit 406, which is a function of the CPU 401.

[0098] The CPU 401 is configured to read and execute a control program from the storage unit 403, and to read a process recipe from the storage unit 403 in response to input of an operation command from the input / output device 281. Furthermore, the CPU 401 is configured to control the opening and closing of the gate valve 149, the lifting and lowering of the lifting mechanism 218, the heater control unit 223, the opening and closing control of each pump, the flow rate adjustment of the MFC, valves, and the like, in accordance with the contents of the read process recipe.

[0099] The CPU 401 further includes a calculation unit 407, a process selection unit 408, and a process setting unit 409. The configurations of these units will be described later.

[0100] The storage unit 403 is comprised of, for example, a flash memory or a hard disk drive (HDD). The storage unit 403 readablely stores a recipe 410, which includes a process recipe describing substrate processing steps and conditions, and a control program 411 for controlling the operation of the substrate processing apparatus. Furthermore, the storage unit 403 includes a processing type information table 412 and a processing history information table 413. The processing type information may also be simply referred to as type information.

[0101] In addition, the process is combined so that the controller 400 can execute each step in the substrate processing process described later and obtain a predetermined result, and functions as a program. Hereinafter, the process and the control program are simply collectively referred to as a program. In addition, when the term "program" is used in this specification, there are cases where only the process alone is included, only the control program alone is included, or both are included. In addition, the RAM 402 is configured as a memory area (work area) for temporarily storing programs, data, etc. read by the CPU 401.

[0102] The I / O port 404 is connected to the gate valve 149 , the lifting mechanism 218 , each pressure regulator, each pump, and each component of the heater control unit 223 .

[0103] Furthermore, a network transceiver 283 connected via a network is provided in the host device 284. The network transceiver 283 can receive processing history records of substrates W in a batch, information on processing schedules, and the like.

[0104] use Figure 6 The following describes the process type information table 412. The process type information table 412 is a table that stores a plurality of process types and corresponding process time information, process plans, and the like.

[0105] Process type information refers to information about the processes performed on the substrate W. Examples of processes include process A, which uses a first gas and a second gas, and process B, which uses a third gas. Furthermore, while processes A and B may be similar in content, there may be processes C and D, which may have different processing times. Specific examples of process type information include information about processing time, processing plan, and processing gas. While this example illustrates four processes, this is not limiting; five or more process type information may also be stored.

[0106] exist Figure 6In the process A, the process time is set to T1, and process A, a Si-containing gas as the first gas, and a N-containing gas as the second gas are used. Under these conditions, a SiN film is formed on the substrate in process A. Furthermore, process C differs from process A in the process time, and the process time in process C is set to T3.

[0107] In Process B, the processing time is set to T2, and a hydrogen-containing gas is used as the third gas in Process B. Furthermore, the plasma generation unit is turned on. Process B is performed continuously after Process A. Under these conditions, the SiN film formed in Process A is modified using the third gas. Furthermore, Process D differs from Process B in terms of processing time, with the processing time set to T4.

[0108] The processing time referred to here is, for example, the time from when the substrate W is loaded into the reactor 200 to when it is unloaded from the reactor 200 after undergoing each process. Figure 9 In the described process A, the process starts from the substrate carrying-in step S302 and ends at the substrate carrying-out step S306. Figure 10 The described process B starts from the substrate carrying-in step S402 and ends at the substrate carrying-out step S406. The same considerations apply to processes C and D, and their descriptions are omitted here.

[0109] In addition, process information is information including the processing sequence of each process. The processing sequence also includes the order of the actions of each component, its action time, etc. Figure 6 In the , process information and gas type information used are recorded separately, but the gas type information used can also be included in the process information.

[0110] Next, the calculation unit 407, process selection unit 408, and process setting unit 409 included in the CPU 401 will be described. The calculation unit 407 has a function for calculating the proportion of the processing time of a predetermined process within the total processing time involved in the continuous processing. For example, if there are processes A and B, the proportion of the processing time of process B is calculated.

[0111] The process selection unit 408 selects a process to be performed in each reactor based on the process type information stored in the process type information table 412. For example, process A is selected to be performed in reactors 200a, 200b, and 200c, and process B is selected to be performed in reactor 200d.

[0112] The process setting unit 409 reads the recipe information corresponding to the process selected by the process selection unit 408 in each reactor 200 and sets components and the like in each reactor 200 .

[0113] Next, use Figure 7 The processing history information table 413 will be described. The processing history information table 413 stores processing history information for each process corresponding to each reactor 200. For example, information Aa, which is information about the cumulative processing time of process A in reactor 200a, is stored, and information Bc, which is information about the cumulative processing time of process B in reactor 200c, is stored. These are updated in the processing history recording step S214 described later.

[0114] In addition, the controller 400 can be configured as the controller 400 of the present technology by installing the program in the computer using an external storage device (e.g., a magnetic disk such as a hard disk, an optical disk such as a DVD, an optical magnetic disk such as an MO, a semiconductor memory such as a USB memory) 282 that stores the above-mentioned program. In addition, the unit for supplying the program to the computer is not limited to the case where the supply is performed via the external storage device 282. For example, a communication means such as the Internet or a dedicated line can also be used instead of supplying the program via the external storage device 282. In addition, the storage unit 403 and the external storage device 282 are configured as a computer-readable recording medium. Hereinafter, they will be collectively referred to as recording media. In addition, in this specification, when the term recording medium is used, there is a case where only the storage unit 403 is included, a case where only the external storage device 282 is included, or a case where both are included.

[0115] (2) Substrate processing

[0116] Next, use Figure 8 A substrate processing step will be described. As one step of the substrate processing apparatus, a step of processing a substrate W using the substrate processing apparatus 100 having the above-described structure will be described. In the following description, the operations of the various components constituting the substrate processing apparatus are controlled by the controller 400 .

[0117] (Substrate Information Receiving Step S202)

[0118] The substrate information receiving step S202 is described. The substrate processing apparatus 100 receives a FOUP containing a plurality of substrates W from a robot in the factory. Furthermore, the processing type information of these substrates W is received from the host device 284. In other words, information on how to process the substrates W is received. Here, for example, Figure 6 The information related to the described process type information is specifically information on whether each substrate W is subjected to only process A, for example, whether process A and process B are continuously subjected to process A and process D are continuously subjected to process C and process D.

[0119] (Processing History Reading Step S204)

[0120] The process history reading step S204 will be described. The process history of each reactor 200 is read from the process history information table 413. Specifically, for example, when processes A and B are performed on a substrate W, the cumulative processing time for each process A and process B is read. For example, the cumulative processing time for process A, i.e., Aa to Ad, is read for each reactor 200, and the cumulative processing time for process B, i.e., Ba to Bd, is read. By reading the cumulative processing time, the status of each reactor 200 can be understood. The status of each reactor 200, for example, includes the film thickness of byproducts adhering to the inner wall of the reactor 200.

[0121] (Processing Time Ratio Calculation Step S206)

[0122] The processing time ratio calculation step S206 is described. Based on the processing category information received in the substrate information receiving step S202, the processing time information of each process is read out. Furthermore, the ratio of the processing time of the predetermined process in the time that matches the processing time information of the next process is calculated. For example, if only process A is performed, the ratio of process A is calculated as 100%. In the case where process A and process B are performed continuously, the ratio of the processing time of process A and process B is calculated. For example, with respect to the processing time (arbitrary unit), if process A is 0.5 and process B is 1.5, the processing time ratio is calculated to be 1:3. In addition, if process A is 1.5 and process B is 0.5, the processing time ratio is calculated to be 3:1. The processing time mentioned here refers to, for example, the time from the start of moving the substrate W into the reactor 200 to the end of moving it out.

[0123] (Processing Selection Step S208)

[0124] The process selection step S208 will be described. The process selection unit 408 determines the number of reactors 200 corresponding to each process based on the ratio calculated in the process time ratio calculation step S206. For example, if the ratio of the processing time of process A to process B is 1:3, one reactor 200 corresponding to process A and three reactors 200 corresponding to process B are selected. Alternatively, if the ratio of the processing time of process A to process B is 3:1, three reactors 200 corresponding to process A and one reactor 200 corresponding to process B are selected.

[0125] In this embodiment, the treatment time ratio of treatment A to treatment B is set to 3:1. For example, reactors 200a, 200b, and 200c are selected as reactors 200 corresponding to treatment A. Furthermore, reactor 200d is selected as reactor 200 corresponding to treatment B.

[0126] Preferably, in this step, the reactor 200 is selected by referring to the cumulative processing time of each process in each reactor 200 read out in the processing history reading step S204 for the following reasons.

[0127] For example, if there is a discrepancy in the cumulative processing time of components between reactors, there may also be discrepancies in the processing conditions of the substrates. Therefore, in order to avoid discrepancies in the processing history of the reactor 200, the reactor 200 is selected so that the processing time becomes uniform.

[0128] Here, variations in substrate processing conditions include differences in the usage time of components installed in each reactor and differences in the surface conditions of components within the processing chamber 201 of each reactor 200. Due to differences in component usage time, even with identical processing conditions, there may be variations in the amount of gas supplied to the substrate W and the temperature of the substrate W. By making the processing history of each reactor 200 uniform, the processing uniformity of each reactor can be improved.

[0129] In addition, the processing uniformity of each substrate W processed in the same reactor can be improved. For example, in a processing chamber 201 where the processing time of the modification process is long, it can be considered to modify the surface of the component in the processing chamber 201 with the gas used in the modification process. In such a case where the surface of the component in the processing chamber 201 is modified, the amount of processing gas consumed in the processing chamber 201 sometimes changes. Since the amount of processing gas consumed in the processing chamber 201 changes, the amount of processing gas supplied to the substrate W sometimes changes. Therefore, there is a possibility that the processing uniformity of each substrate W will change. In addition, the consumption of processing gas in the processing chamber 201 changes according to the amount of processing gas adsorbed on the surface of the component in the processing chamber 201. By controlling in a manner so that the processing history of the reactor 200 does not deviate, not only can the processing time be made uniform, but also the processing uniformity of each reactor and the processing uniformity of each substrate can be improved.

[0130] (Reactor Setting Step S210)

[0131] The reactor setting step S210 will be described. In each reactor 200, the operation of each component is set based on the information in the process type information table 412 so that the process selected in the process selection step S208 can be performed. For example, in a reactor performing process A, the first and second gas supply units are set to be inoperative, and further, the third gas supply unit and the plasma generation unit are set to be inoperative. In a reactor performing process B, the third gas supply unit and the plasma generation unit are set to be operational, and further, the first and second gas supply units are set to be inoperative.

[0132] (Membrane Treatment Step S212)

[0133] The film processing step S212 will be described. The substrate W moves to each reactor 200. Here, the film formed on the substrate W is processed in each reactor 200. In each reactor 200, the process set in the process type setting step S208 is performed. The details of this step will be described later.

[0134] (Processing history recording step S214)

[0135] The process history recording step S214 will be described. After each process is completed, the process time corresponding to the process type of each reactor 200 is recorded in the process history information table 413. In addition, this step is not limited to being performed after the membrane treatment step S212, and can also be performed in parallel with other steps.

[0136] (Determination S216)

[0137] Determination S216 is described. Here, a determination is made as to whether a predetermined number of substrates W have been processed. If the predetermined number of substrates W have been processed, processing of one batch of substrates W is considered complete, and processing ends. If processing of the predetermined number of substrates W has not been completed, the next substrate W to be processed is transported. After processing ends, processing of the next batch of substrates W, for example, begins.

[0138] Next, use Figure 9 The membrane treatment step S212 will be described in detail. Figure 9 1 is a diagram illustrating a flow for one substrate W. This diagram shows a flow of operations for one substrate W, for example, a flow in which process A is performed and then process B is performed.

[0139] (Substrate Moving Step S302)

[0140] The substrate movement step S302 will be described. Robot 170 moves substrate W to a reactor 200 selected from vacuum transfer chamber 140. Here, process A is performed first, so substrate W is moved to a reactor 200 configured for process A. For example, substrate W is moved to reactor 200a configured for process A. In reactor 200a, gate valve 149 is opened, and arm 180 loads substrate W.

[0141] (First Film Treatment Step S304)

[0142] The first film treatment step S304 is described. In the first film treatment step S304, the substrate W is treated in the reactor 200 set to perform treatment A. Figure 10 The process described in the description is specific.

[0143] (Substrate Loading Step S402)

[0144] The substrate carrying-in step S402 will be described. In the moving step S302, the substrate W is carried into the reactor 200. For example, the substrate W is carried into the reactor 200a.

[0145] At this point, the substrate stage 212 is lowered to the transfer position for the substrate W (transfer position P0), and the lift pins 207 are inserted through the through-holes 214 of the substrate stage 212. As a result, the lift pins 207 protrude a predetermined height from the surface of the substrate stage 212. In parallel with these operations, the fourth gas supply unit supplies inert gas, and the atmosphere in the transfer chamber 206 is exhausted, achieving a pressure equal to or lower than that of the adjacent vacuum transfer chamber 140.

[0146] Next, the gate valve 149 is opened to connect the transfer chamber 206 with the adjacent vacuum transfer chamber 140 . Then, the robot 170 carries the substrate W from the vacuum transfer chamber 140 into the transfer chamber 206 and places it on the lift pins 207 .

[0147] When the substrate W is placed on the lift pins 207, the substrate mounting table 212 is raised to place the substrate W on the substrate mounting surface 211, and then the substrate W is placed on the substrate mounting surface 211. Figure 3 As described above, it is raised to the substrate processing position.

[0148] When the substrate W is placed on the substrate placement surface 211 , power is supplied to the heater 213 , and control is performed so that the surface of the substrate W reaches a predetermined temperature.

[0149] During the substrate carrying-in step S402 , various components are controlled according to the settings of the process A. For example, the heater 213 , the gas supply system, the exhaust system, etc. are controlled.

[0150] (First Membrane Treatment Gas Supplying Step S404)

[0151] The first film processing gas supply step S404 is described. Here, the film on the substrate W is processed by controlling each component according to the operation set in the reactor setting step S210.

[0152] First, the pressure in the processing chamber is adjusted according to the process of process A. For example, the exhaust unit 291 and the fourth gas supply unit 270 are operated. When the desired pressure is reached, the first gas supply unit 240 and the second gas supply unit 250 are controlled to supply the first gas and the second gas to the processing chamber 205 to process the substrate W. The process in this step refers to, for example, a process in which the first gas and the second gas react to form a predetermined film on the substrate W. In addition, in this step, the plasma generation unit 255 may also be operated according to the process. In this embodiment, HCDS is supplied as the first gas and NH3 gas is supplied as the second gas to form a silicon nitride (SiN) film.

[0153] In this step, the treatment is performed under the following conditions, for example.

[0154] First gas: HCDS

[0155] The gas supply rate of the first gas is 5 to 5000 sccm

[0156] Second gas: NH3:

[0157] The gas supply rate of the second gas is 10 to 10,000 sccm

[0158] Processing chamber pressure: 133~13332Pa

[0159] Processing temperature: 300~500℃

[0160] After a predetermined time has passed, the first gas supply unit 240 and the second gas supply unit 250 are stopped. Then, an inert gas is supplied from the fourth gas supply unit to exhaust the ambient air in the processing chamber 201.

[0161] In this step, for example, the operation of the third gas supply unit 260 is stopped, and the third gas is not supplied to the processing chamber 201. Alternatively, the valve 262 may be closed to discharge the third gas from the bypass pipe 266 to prevent the third gas from being supplied.

[0162] (Substrate Unloading Step S406)

[0163] The substrate unloading step S406 will be described. After the desired processing is performed on the substrate W, the substrate W is unloaded from the processing chamber in the reverse order of the substrate loading step S402. At this time, the substrate W is supported by the robot 170.

[0164] (Substrate Moving Step S306)

[0165] The substrate movement step S306 will be described. The robot 170 moves the substrate W to the next reactor 200. For example, when processes A and B are being performed consecutively, the substrate W is moved to the reactor 200 set for process B, which is the next process. For example, the substrate W is moved to reactor 200d. In reactor 200d, the gate valve 149 opens, and the arm 180 supporting the substrate W enters reactor 200d.

[0166] (Second Film Treatment Step S308)

[0167] The second film treatment step S308 is described. In the second film treatment step S304, the substrate W is treated using the reactor 200 set to perform treatment B. Figure 11 The process described in the description is specific.

[0168] (Substrate Loading Step S502)

[0169] The substrate loading step S502 is now described. Here, a substrate W is loaded using the same method as in the substrate loading step S402. The loaded substrate W is moved to the substrate processing position. During the substrate loading step S502, various components are controlled based on the settings for process B. For example, the heater 213, gas supply system, and exhaust system are controlled.

[0170] (Second Membrane Processing Gas Supplying Step S504)

[0171] The second film processing gas supply step S504 is described. Here, the film on the substrate W is processed by controlling each component according to the operation set in the reactor setting step S210.

[0172] First, the pressure in the processing chamber is adjusted according to the process of Process B. For example, the exhaust unit 291 and the fourth gas supply unit 270 are operated. After reaching the desired pressure, the third gas supply unit 260 is controlled to supply the third gas to the processing chamber 205 to process the film on the substrate W. Film treatment refers to, for example, modifying the film formed in the first film treatment step S304 using the third gas. Furthermore, in this step, the plasma generation unit 265 may be operated according to the process. In this embodiment, H2 gas is supplied to modify the SiN film formed in Process A.

[0173] In this step, the treatment is performed under the following conditions, for example.

[0174] Third gas: H2

[0175] The gas supply rate of the third gas is 10 to 500 sccm

[0176] Processing chamber pressure: 133~6666Pa

[0177] Processing temperature: 100~600℃

[0178] When the predetermined time has passed, the third gas supply unit 260 is stopped, and then the inert gas is supplied from the fourth gas supply unit to exhaust the ambient air in the processing chamber 201 .

[0179] In this process, for example, the operation of the first gas supply unit 240 and the second gas supply unit 250 is stopped, and the first gas and the second gas are not supplied to the processing chamber 201. Alternatively, to prevent the supply, for example, the valves 244 and 254 may be closed, and the first gas and the second gas may be exhausted from the bypass pipes 246 and 256.

[0180] (Substrate Unloading Step S506)

[0181] The substrate unloading step S506 will be described. After the desired processing is performed on the substrate W, the substrate W is unloaded from the processing chamber 201 in the reverse order of the substrate loading step S402. At this time, the substrate W is supported by the robot 170.

[0182] (Substrate Moving Step S310)

[0183] The substrate moving step S310 will be described. After the second film processing step S308 is completed, the robot 170 unloads the substrate W from the reactor 200 and moves it to the access lock chamber 130. This concludes the description of the film processing step S212. The process then proceeds to the processing history recording step S214.

[0184] Next, use the reference Figures 12 to 15 The timing of this embodiment and the timing of the comparative example will be described. Figure 12 、 Figure 14 is a diagram illustrating this embodiment, Figure 13 、 Figure 15 It is a diagram illustrating a comparative example.

[0185] W1 to W10 on the vertical axis represent the substrates W to be processed. For example, W1 is the first substrate W to be processed, and W10 is the tenth substrate W to be processed. The horizontal axis represents time. In addition, the unit is an arbitrary unit. In addition, the shading before and after each treatment represents the movement time of the substrate W. The movement mentioned here refers to, for example, the movement between reactors 200 and the movement between the reactor 200 and the access lock chamber 130. Furthermore, it also includes the loading / unloading of a substrate W and the replacement of the substrate W. For the sake of convenience, the movement time of the substrate W is set to be constant.

[0186] exist Figure 12 、 Figure 13In the experiment, the ratio of the treatment time of treatment A to treatment B is set to 3:1. Figure 12 In the experiment, the ratio of the number of reactors is set to 3:1 corresponding to the ratio of the treatment time. Figure 13 In the above example, the processing time of the substrate W is calculated by assuming that the number of reactors is the same regardless of the ratio of the processing time.

[0187] exist Figure 14 、 Figure 15 In the experiment, the ratio of the treatment time of treatment A to that of treatment B is set to 1:3. Figure 14 In the process, the ratio of the number of reactors is set to 1:3 to match the ratio of the treatment time. Figure 15 In the above example, the ratio of the processing time is not related to each other, and the number of reactors corresponding to process A and the number of reactors corresponding to process B are set to be the same. Under such conditions, the processing time of the substrate W is calculated.

[0188] exist Figure 12 In the embodiment, the processing of the 9th substrate W is completed at time 59, whereas Figure 13 The time to completion in the comparative example is 71. Figure 14 In the embodiment, the processing of the 9th substrate W is completed at time 59, whereas Figure 15 In the comparative example, it is 72.

[0189] In this way, by setting the number of reactors in accordance with the ratio of the processing time, the processing throughput can be improved, and consequently, the processing efficiency can be improved.

[0190] (Second embodiment)

[0191] Next, use Figure 16 The second embodiment is described. In this embodiment, the structure of the reactor 200 is different from that of the first embodiment. Specifically, for example, Figure 1 In the embodiment, reactors 200a to 200c are single-wafer devices that process substrates one by one, similar to the first embodiment. However, reactor 200d is a batch device capable of processing multiple substrates simultaneously. For ease of explanation, the reactor that processes substrates one by one is referred to as the first reactor, and the reactor that processes substrates in batches is referred to as the second reactor.

[0192] In addition, in the first embodiment, the number of reactors is set according to the ratio of the processing time, but in this embodiment, the number of substrates W processed in the second reactor 200 is changed according to the number of substrates processed in the first reactor 200 in the substrate processing device 100, which is different.

[0193] The specific content will be explained below.

[0194] The first reactor is a device capable of processing substrates one by one, and is used, for example, in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Figure 3 The number of gas supply units and the like may also vary depending on the treatment.

[0195] Next, use Figure 16 The second reactor 200d is described. Figure 4 The structures having the same functions as the reactor described in the above are given the same numbers and their descriptions are omitted.

[0196] The reactor 200 is an apparatus capable of collectively processing multiple substrates W. The reactor 200d includes a processing chamber 301 for loading multiple substrates W. A transfer chamber 306 is provided below the processing chamber 301. This transfer chamber 306 has a transfer space through which the substrates W pass when being transferred to a processing space 305. During this process, the substrates W are transferred while being supported by a wafer boat 310, which serves as a substrate support (described later).

[0197] A furnace port is provided between the processing chamber 301 and the transfer chamber 306. The furnace port serves as the entrance and exit through which the wafer boat 310 passes when inserted into the processing chamber 201. A furnace port gate 307 is provided to seal the atmosphere of the processing chamber 301 while processing substrates W. The furnace port gate 307 is closed during substrate processing and opened to move the boat 310.

[0198] The wafer boat 310 is configured to accommodate horizontally supported substrates W arranged in multiple layers in the vertical direction. Each substrate W is supported by a plurality of substrate supports 311 provided on the boat 310. The substrate supports 311, for example, conform to the outer periphery of the substrate W and support the edges of each substrate W. If a dummy substrate D is required, the substrate supports 311 can also support it.

[0199] The wafer boat 310 is connected to the rotation / elevation mechanism 304 via a rotation shaft 306. The rotation / elevation mechanism 304 can elevate the boat 310 between the processing chamber 301 and the transfer chamber 306. Furthermore, by rotating the rotation shaft 306, the boat 310 can be rotated while a plurality of substrates W are loaded thereon while maintaining the airtightness of the processing chamber 201.

[0200] A gas introduction pipe 308 for introducing a process gas, a purge gas, etc., and an exhaust unit 291 for exhausting the gas in the process chamber 201 are connected to the process chamber 201 .

[0201] Gas inlet pipe 308 is a nozzle. Multiple gas supply holes are provided on the downstream side of gas inlet pipe 308. The interior of gas inlet pipe 308 is configured to communicate with reaction tube 301. Processing gases and the like are supplied to processing chamber 201 through the gas supply holes. Gas inlet pipe 308 is connected to third gas supply unit 260 and fourth gas supply unit 270 on the upstream side.

[0202] A heater 311 is disposed on the outer periphery of the processing chamber 301. The heater 311 is configured to heat the atmosphere in the processing chamber 201 so that the entire interior of the processing chamber 201 has a uniform or predetermined temperature distribution.

[0203] Next, the reactor setting process in this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, as described above, the number of substrates processed in reactor 200d is set to match the processing time ratio. For example, if there are three substrates W undergoing process A in substrate processing apparatus 100 and the substrates are processed in reactors 200a to 200c, then reactor 200d, serving as the second reactor, will process these three substrates.

[0204] In this case, if Figure 17 As described, after a total of three substrates W are processed in the reactors 200 a to 200 c , the respective substrates W are moved to the reactor 200 d , and the three substrates W are processed B together.

[0205] Furthermore, when two substrates W are to undergo process A, for example, the substrates W are processed separately in the reactors 200a and 200b, and then each substrate W is moved to the reactor 200d, where the two substrates W are collectively subjected to process B. In this case, if the substrates W are not supported by some of the substrate support structures 311, the substrate support structures 311 may support a dummy substrate D. By supporting the dummy substrate D, the same process as when the substrates W are supported by all of the substrate support structures 311 can be performed.

[0206] In this way, by setting the number of substrates to be processed in the second reactor in accordance with the total number of substrates processed in the first reactor, efficient processing can be performed.

[0207] (Other embodiments)

[0208] As mentioned above, although embodiment of this aspect was specifically described, it is not limited to this, Various changes are possible without departing from the scope of the subject matter.

[0209] For example, in the above embodiment, a film formation process is performed as the first film process, and a modification process is performed as the second film process. However, this is not limiting. For example, a laminated film can be formed by performing the first film formation process as the first film process and the second film formation process as the second film process. Alternatively, an ashing process can be performed as the first film process, and an etching process can be performed as the second film process. This is effective when performing continuous processing on substrates.

[0210] In addition, as the reactor 200, for example Figure 18 As described above, an activation unit 510 may be provided adjacent to the processing chamber 201. Figure 18 In the reactor described, a window 511 is provided on the top 231 of the reactor 200. A housing 513 is provided above the window 511, for example, to house a plurality of lamps 512. A lamp control unit 514 is electrically connected to each lamp 512. The lamp control unit 514 controls the on / off switching and power of the lamps 512.

[0211] In use Figure 18 In the case of the reactor 200 described in , for example, in the first film treatment, the lamp is turned off and the film forming treatment is performed in the same manner as the first film treatment in the first embodiment, and in the second film treatment, the lamp is turned on and the modification treatment is performed.

[0212] In addition, although the example using four reactors 200 as the substrate processing apparatus 100 has been described, the present invention is not limited thereto and may also be Figure 19 As described above, a substrate processing apparatus using five or more, for example, eight, reactors 200 is used. In this case, as in the first embodiment, the number of reactors is set according to the ratio of the processing time. For example, if the ratio of the time for the first film processing to the time for the second film processing is 3:1, six reactors corresponding to the first film processing and two reactors corresponding to the second film processing are set. Specifically, for example, six reactors are set so that the first film processing can be performed in reactors 200a to 200f, and two reactors are set so that the second film processing can be performed in, for example, 200g and 200h. In addition, if the ratio of the time for the first film processing to the time for the second film processing is 1:3, two reactors, for example, reactors 200a to 200b, are set so that the first film processing can be performed, and six reactors, for example, 200c to 200h, are set so that the second film processing can be performed.

[0213] By setting the reactor in accordance with the ratio of the treatment time in this manner, efficient treatment can be performed.

[0214] Furthermore, for example, in each of the above-described embodiments, in the film formation process performed by the substrate processing apparatus, HCDS gas is used as the first element-containing gas (first process gas), and NH3 gas is used as the second element-containing gas (second process gas), to form a SiN film on the substrate W. However, the present embodiment is not limited thereto. That is, the process gases used for the film formation process are not limited to HCDS gas, NH3 gas, etc. Other types of gases may be used to form other types of thin films. Furthermore, more than three types of process gases may be used. In addition, the first element may be other than Si, but various elements such as titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), and hafnium (Hf). In addition, the second element may be other than H, but nitrogen (N), etc.

[0215] In addition, for example, in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the case of using H-containing gas as a modification treatment is described, but it is not limited to this. For example, a gas containing any one of oxygen (O), nitrogen (N), carbon (C), hydrogen (H) or a combination thereof can also be used.

[0216] Furthermore, for example, in the above-described embodiments, an example in which the modification treatment is performed after the film formation treatment is described, but the invention is not limited thereto, and the film formation treatment may be performed after the modification treatment is performed.

[0217] In addition, for example, in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, film forming and modification processing are listed as examples of processing performed by the substrate processing device, but this embodiment is not limited to this. That is, in addition to the film forming and modification processing exemplified in each embodiment, this embodiment can also be applied to film forming and modification processing other than the thin films exemplified in each embodiment. In addition, the specific content of the substrate processing is not limited, and it can be applied not only to film forming and modification processing, but also to other substrate processing such as annealing, diffusion, oxidation, nitriding, and photolithography. Furthermore, this embodiment can also be applied to other substrate processing devices, such as annealing devices, etching devices, oxidation devices, nitriding devices, exposure devices, coating devices, drying devices, heating devices, and other substrate processing devices that utilize plasma. In addition, a part of the structure of a certain embodiment can be replaced with the structure of another embodiment, and a structure of another embodiment can also be added to the structure of a certain embodiment. For a part of the structure of each embodiment, other structures can also be added, deleted, or replaced.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, characterized in that: The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprises: The process of recording the processing history of the processing in each reactor in a storage unit; a step of receiving category information corresponding to processing of a substrate; a step of reading the category information and the processing time information corresponding to each category information from a storage unit; a step of calculating a ratio of a processing time of a scheduled process to a time period matching the processing time information; selecting a process of a reactor for performing the predetermined treatment in such a manner as to make the treatment history records in the reactor uniform by referring to the ratio and the treatment history records of the reactor; A process is set to be capable of performing the predetermined treatment in the selected reactor; a step of conveying a substrate corresponding to the category information to the reactor; as well as and performing a process corresponding to the category information in the reactor.

2. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein: In the step of performing the selection, the number of reactors corresponding to the ratio is selected.

3. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein: The treatment is a film-forming treatment or a modification treatment.

4. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein: The category information is information on a film forming process or information on a modification process.

5. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein: After the substrate is subjected to the process corresponding to the type information in the reactor, it is moved to a reactor different from the reactor and subjected to a process different from the reactor.

6. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein: The treatment time in the reactor is longer than the treatment time in the different reactor.

7. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein: The treatment time in the reactor is shorter than the treatment time in the different reactor.

8. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein: The processing time is the time from when the substrate is carried in to when it is carried out.

9. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein: The reactor is connected to a gas supply unit used in the first membrane treatment and a gas supply unit used in the second membrane treatment. The operation of each of the gas supply units is set according to the processing.

10. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 9, wherein: In the first film treatment, supplying a gas used in the first membrane treatment to the reactor from a gas supply unit used in the first membrane treatment, The gas used in the second membrane treatment is not supplied to the reactor from the gas supply unit used in the second membrane treatment.

11. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 10, wherein: The gas used in the second membrane treatment is exhausted through a bypass pipe.

12. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein: The reactor is provided with an activation unit, The activation section is set not to be operated in the first membrane treatment, and is set to be operated in the second membrane treatment.

13. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein: The processing history information is information on the accumulated processing time for each of the category information.

14. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein: The processing history information is information on the accumulated processing time used by the components of each category information.

15. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein: After the process corresponding to the category information is performed, the process history is recorded.

16. The method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein: After the step of performing the processing corresponding to the category information, a processing history of each category information is recorded for each reactor.

17. A substrate processing device, characterized in that: The substrate processing device comprises: a reactor capable of performing a variety of treatments on the substrate; a transport chamber adjacent to the plurality of reactors; a transport robot disposed in the transport chamber and capable of transporting substrates to each of the reactors; a storage unit that records category information corresponding to each of the processes, processing time information corresponding to each of the category information, and a processing history record of the processes in each reactor; a calculation unit that calculates a ratio of a processing time of a predetermined process in a time period that matches the processing time information; a treatment selection unit for selecting a reactor for performing the predetermined treatment so as to make the treatment history information of the reactor uniform by referring to the ratio and the treatment history information of the reactor; A process setting unit is configured to enable the predetermined process to be performed in the selected reactor.

18. A recording medium having a program recorded thereon. It is characterized in that The program causes the substrate processing apparatus to execute the following steps via a computer: a step of recording a processing history of processing in each reactor in a storage unit; receiving a plurality of category information corresponding to processing of the substrate; a step of reading the category information and the processing time information corresponding to each category information from a storage unit; calculating a ratio of a processing time of a predetermined process in a time period that matches the processing time information; the step of selecting a reactor for performing the predetermined treatment in such a manner as to uniformize the treatment history in the reactor by referring to the ratio and the treatment history information of the reactor; A step of being configured to be capable of performing the predetermined treatment in the selected reactor; a step of delivering a substrate corresponding to the category information to the reactor; as well as and performing a process corresponding to the category information in the reactor.

19. A substrate processing method, characterized in that: have: The process of recording the processing history of the processing in each reactor in a storage unit; a step of receiving category information corresponding to processing of a substrate; a step of reading the category information and the processing time information corresponding to each category information from a storage unit; a step of calculating a ratio of a processing time of a scheduled process to a time period matching the processing time information; selecting a process of a reactor for performing the predetermined treatment in such a manner as to make the treatment history records in the reactor uniform by referring to the ratio and the treatment history records of the reactor; A process is set to be capable of performing the predetermined treatment in the selected reactor; a step of conveying a substrate corresponding to the category information to the reactor; as well as and performing a process corresponding to the category information in the reactor.

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