Substrate processing apparatus and process management method for substrate processing apparatus

Abstract

This invention discloses a substrate processing apparatus and a process management method for the substrate processing apparatus. The method involves monitoring the current process status of each of multiple process chambers within a substrate processing apparatus, placing a substrate to be processed into each process chamber and storing it in a storage chamber located in a transfer chamber, and transferring the substrate stored in the storage chamber to the corresponding process chamber based on the progress of the process in that process chamber. The substrate processing apparatus includes: multiple process chambers for performing process steps on the substrate; a transfer chamber equipped with a storage chamber and a transfer robot, the storage chamber being disposed among the multiple process chambers and temporarily storing the substrate to be processed, the transfer robot transferring the substrate to the storage chamber; and a control module. The process management method for the substrate processing apparatus includes a process status monitoring step, a rest period determination step, a substrate storage step, a substrate supply arrangement step, and a substrate transfer step.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a process management method for the substrate processing apparatus. The method involves monitoring the current process status of each of the multiple process chambers provided in the substrate processing equipment, placing a substrate to be processed into each process chamber and storing it in a storage chamber provided in a transfer chamber, and transferring the substrate stored in the storage chamber to the corresponding process chamber according to the process progress of the corresponding process chamber. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, with the increasing sophistication and integration of semiconductor equipment, there is a need for higher precision and complexity in processes, as well as larger wafer diameters. Furthermore, from the perspective of increased throughput due to the addition of composite processes or single-leaf-type processes, multi-chamber substrate processing devices with multiple chambers have attracted much attention in order to unify the semiconductor equipment manufacturing process.

[0003] This multi-chamber substrate processing apparatus includes at least one transfer chamber disposed between a plurality of process chambers and each process chamber for transferring the substrate to the process chambers. Based on the configuration of the process chambers and transfer chambers, the substrate processing apparatus is classified into cluster platforms and inline platforms.

[0004] In a multi-chamber substrate processing apparatus, the proportion of time required to move the substrate between chambers during process processing gradually increases in the total manufacturing time of the semiconductor device, depending on the complexity of the composite process.

[0005] In this context, research is actively underway on the layout of semiconductor manufacturing equipment to reduce unnecessary handling processes and enable continuous processing in order to improve substrate productivity. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention is proposed to solve the problems of the prior art mentioned above, and aims to provide a substrate processing scheme that can improve productivity by reducing the time required to handle substrates in a multi-chamber substrate processing apparatus.

[0007] In particular, the problem to be solved is that when multiple chambers are in the process of processing, the substrate to be processed is kept in a load-locked chamber for standby. If a certain chamber completes the process, the substrate is transferred to the transfer chamber. The transfer robot then moves the substrate to the corresponding chamber. The substrate transfer takes a considerable amount of time, so the efficiency is low.

[0008] Furthermore, the problem to be solved is that, since the number of substrates that the transfer robot on the transfer chamber can transfer at one time and the number of substrates that can be transferred to the load locking chamber are limited, as the number of process chambers is increased, the substrate transfer is delayed, thus necessitating a limitation on the addition of process chambers.

[0009] The purpose of this invention is not limited to the foregoing, and other purposes and advantages of the invention not mentioned can be understood through the following description.

[0010] An embodiment of the process management method for a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention includes: a process status monitoring step, which monitors the process status of each of a plurality of process chambers; a rest-predetermining step, which determines a rest-transition process chamber among the plurality of process chambers to be converted to a rest state; a substrate storage step, which transfers a pre-processed substrate corresponding to the rest-transition process chamber to a storage chamber located in a transfer chamber and stores the pre-processed substrate; and a substrate transfer step, which, according to the conversion of the rest state of the rest-transition process chamber, transfers the pre-processed substrate stored in the storage chamber to the rest-transition process chamber.

[0011] Preferably, the process status monitoring step determines the rest state transition time point for each of the plurality of process chambers, and the rest pre-determination step determines the rest transition process chamber that should be converted to a rest state first.

[0012] Furthermore, the process status monitoring step may correspond to each of the plurality of process chambers in determining whether a predetermined substrate is stored and processed in the storage chamber, and determine the rest state transition time point for each of the plurality of process chambers by considering whether the predetermined substrate is stored and processed.

[0013] Furthermore, the substrate storage step may include: identifying and selecting a storage chamber among a plurality of storage chambers located in the transfer chamber that corresponds to the rest and conversion process chamber; and transferring the predetermined substrate to the storage chamber corresponding to the rest and conversion process chamber and storing the predetermined substrate.

[0014] As an example, the substrate storage step may correspond to the rest and conversion process chamber, and multiple pre-processed substrates may be stored sequentially in the storage chamber according to the predetermined substrate processing order.

[0015] Furthermore, the process management method of the substrate processing apparatus may further include, after performing the substrate storage step, a substrate supply arrangement step, which involves formulating a substrate supply plan for the rest and conversion process chamber.

[0016] As an example, the substrate transfer step may include: a step of determining a resting process chamber to switch to a resting state based on the current process status of each of the plurality of process chambers; a process predetermined substrate retrieval step of retrieving the processing predetermined substrate stored in the storage chamber corresponding to the resting process chamber; and a step of transferring the processing predetermined substrate to the resting process chamber.

[0017] Furthermore, the predetermined substrate extraction step may involve retrieving and storing the predetermined substrate by accessing the storage chamber corresponding to the rest and conversion process chamber among the multiple storage chambers located in the transmission chamber.

[0018] Alternatively, one embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention may include: a plurality of process chambers for performing process steps on a substrate; a transfer chamber having a storage chamber and a transfer robot, the storage chamber being disposed among the plurality of process chambers and temporarily storing a predetermined substrate for processing, the transfer robot transferring the substrate to the process chambers and the storage chamber; and a control module for monitoring the process status of each of the plurality of process chambers and managing the storage and retrieval of the predetermined substrate for processing in the storage chamber in accordance with each of the process chambers.

[0019] Preferably, the transmission chamber and the plurality of process chambers may each have a plurality of storage chambers.

[0020] More preferably, the storage chamber may be located near the door of the process chamber.

[0021] As an example, the storage chamber may be positioned on the side wall near the door of the process chamber at a position higher or lower than the door.

[0022] As an example, the storage chamber may include: an upper support platform and a lower support platform, the ends of which are mounted on the side wall near the door of the process chamber and protrude outward from the side wall; and a substrate storage space, which is provided between the upper support platform and the lower support platform via the upper support platform and the lower support platform, thereby processing at least a portion of a predetermined substrate to be inserted into and stored in the substrate storage space.

[0023] As another example, the storage chamber may further include: one or more intermediate support platforms disposed between the upper support platform and the lower support platform; and multiple substrate storage spaces divided by the intermediate support platforms.

[0024] Furthermore, the control module may include: a process status monitoring unit for monitoring the process status of the plurality of process chambers; a substrate supply arrangement unit for managing the storage and retrieval of the substrate to be processed in the storage room in accordance with the process status of the plurality of process chambers; and a transfer robot control unit for controlling a transfer robot that transfers the substrate to the process chambers and the storage room.

[0025] Furthermore, the control module may also include a storage room status monitoring unit, which monitors and manages the storage status of the processing predetermined substrates for the multiple storage rooms.

[0026] As an example, the substrate supply arrangement unit of the control module may formulate a substrate supply plan for each of the multiple process chambers based on the current process status of the multiple process chambers and the current storage status of the processing-predetermined substrates stored in the storage chamber.

[0027] As another example, the substrate supply arrangement unit of the control module may select a storage room to store the predetermined substrate based on the current process status of the multiple process chambers and the current storage status of the predetermined substrate stored in the multiple storage rooms.

[0028] Furthermore, the process status monitoring unit may be able to determine the time points for the transition of rest states for each of the process chambers.

[0029] A preferred embodiment of the process management method for the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention includes: a process status monitoring step, which monitors the process status of each of a plurality of process chambers and considers whether to store a predetermined substrate for processing in a storage chamber located in a transfer chamber corresponding to each of the process chambers, thereby determining the rest state transition time point for each of the process chambers; a rest state transition determination step, which determines the rest transition process chamber that is to be transitioned to a rest state first among the plurality of process chambers; a substrate storage step, which monitors the storage chamber located in the plurality of storage chambers located in the transfer chamber that corresponds to the rest transition process chamber, and transfers the predetermined substrate for processing to the storage chamber corresponding to the rest transition process chamber and stores the predetermined substrate for processing; a substrate supply arrangement step, which formulates a substrate supply plan for the rest transition process chamber; and a substrate transfer step, which confirms the substrate supply plan for the rest transition process chamber based on the rest state transition of the rest transition process chamber, thereby transferring the predetermined substrate for processing stored in the storage chamber to the rest transition process chamber.

[0030] According to the present invention as described above, productivity can be improved by reducing the time required to handle substrates in a multi-chamber substrate processing apparatus.

[0031] In particular, in this invention, when all process chambers are in the process of processing, the substrate to be processed can be stored in a storage room near the corresponding process chamber in advance. If the corresponding process chamber is switched to a resting state, the substrate to be processed can be retrieved from the storage room immediately and supplied to the corresponding process chamber, thereby significantly reducing the time required for substrate supply.

[0032] Furthermore, when adding a process chamber to the substrate processing apparatus, by adding a corresponding storage chamber, the process chamber can be added without being restricted by the transfer robot for the transfer chamber.

[0033] The effects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above. Those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains will clearly understand from the following description any other effects not mentioned. Attached Figure Description

[0034] Figure 1 An embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention is shown.

[0035] Figure 2 A structural diagram is shown for one embodiment of the control module of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention.

[0036] Figure 3 as well as Figure 4 An embodiment of a storage chamber disposed in the transfer chamber is shown in the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention.

[0037] Figure 5 Another embodiment of a storage chamber disposed in the transfer chamber in the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention is shown.

[0038] Figure 6 A flowchart is shown for one embodiment of a process management method for a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention.

[0039] Figure 7 The flowchart illustrates an embodiment of the process of storing a substrate to be processed in a storage room in the process management method of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention.

[0040] Figures 8a to 8c An example is shown of storing a substrate to be processed in a storage room using the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention.

[0041] Figure 9 A flowchart is shown for one embodiment of the process of extracting a substrate stored in a storage chamber and transferring it to a process chamber in a process management method of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention.

[0042] Figure 10a as well as Figure 10bAn example is shown of extracting a substrate stored in a storage chamber and transferring it to a process chamber using a substrate processing apparatus according to the invention.

[0043] (Explanation of reference numerals in the attached diagram)

[0044] 100: Substrate processing apparatus

[0045] 131, 131a~131f: Process chambers

[0046] 140: Transmission Chamber

[0047] 141: Transfer Robot

[0048] 210, 210a~210d, 220, 230, 240: Storage rooms

[0049] 250: Control Module

[0050] 251: Process Status Monitoring Department

[0051] 253: Storage Room Status Monitoring Department

[0052] 255: Substrate Supply Arrangement Department

[0053] 257: Transfer Robot Control Unit Detailed Implementation

[0054] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited or restricted by the embodiments.

[0055] To illustrate the advantages of the present invention and the objectives achieved through its implementation, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to these embodiments.

[0056] First, the terminology used in this application is only for describing specific embodiments and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, provided that there is no obvious difference in meaning in the context, and singular expressions may include plural expressions. Furthermore, it should be understood in this application that terms such as "comprising" or "having" are used to specify the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, constituent elements, components, or combinations thereof described in the specification, without precluding the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features or numbers, steps, operations, constituent elements, components, or combinations thereof.

[0057] When describing this invention, detailed descriptions of related announcement structures or functions are omitted if they are deemed to obscure the key points of the invention.

[0058] Figure 1 An embodiment of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention is shown.

[0059] In this invention, the substrate processing apparatus 100 may include an index module 110, a load locking chamber 120, a process module 130, etc.

[0060] The index module 110 may include a loading port 111 and an index frame 115. The loading ports 111 may be configured in front of the index frame 115, with multiple ports arranged in a row, and can hold a carrier loaded with multiple substrates during the process. The index frame 115 is configured between the loading port 111 and the load locking chamber 121, and houses a substrate transfer robot inside, enabling substrate transfer between the carrier and the load locking chamber 121. The index frame 115 may be configured as an Equipment Front End Module (EFEM).

[0061] The load-locking chamber 120 is located between the index module 110 and the transmission chamber 140 of the process module 130, and is provided as a multiple or multi-layer structure as appropriate.

[0062] Here, by keeping the internal space 125 the same as the process environment, the load locking chamber 120 can maintain the process environment of the transfer chamber 140 and the process chamber 131.

[0063] The process module 130 may include a transfer chamber 140 and multiple process chambers 131. The process chambers 131 may be provided as multiple multi-chamber decorations.

[0064] Process chambers 131 are disposed on both sides of transfer chamber 140, so that substrates can be received from transfer chamber 140 for processing, and processed substrates can be re-provided to transfer chamber 140.

[0065] The transmission chamber 140 may be located among multiple process chambers 131. In this embodiment, the transmission chamber 140 and process chambers 131 are described in an inline manner, but it is not limited thereto. The present invention can also be applied to a cluster configuration.

[0066] The transfer chamber 140 is disposed among the plurality of process chambers 131, thereby transferring the substrate to be processed to each process chamber 131 or extracting the processed substrate from each process chamber 131.

[0067] In this embodiment, a single transmission chamber 140 is used for illustration, but multiple transmission chambers 140 may also be configured in series, depending on the circumstances.

[0068] The transfer chamber 140 may be equipped with a transfer robot 141 and a storage chamber 210.

[0069] The transfer robot 141 can transfer and deliver the substrate to multiple process chambers 131 arranged in an inline configuration.

[0070] When a transfer robot 141 is provided in the transfer chamber 140, the transfer robot 141 can move on the moving frame 145 and transfer substrates to the respective process chambers 131 located on both sides.

[0071] The predetermined substrate can be stored and processed in the storage chamber 210 provided in the transmission chamber 140.

[0072] Storage chambers 210 can be configured in multiple ways on the transfer chamber 140 corresponding to each of the multiple process chambers 131, or multiple storage chambers 210 can be configured on the transfer chamber 140 corresponding to several process chambers 131. For example, a storage chamber 210 can also be configured between two process chambers 131.

[0073] Storage chamber 210 can be configured near the door 135 of the corresponding process chamber 131. When the corresponding process chamber 131 is being processed, storage chamber 210 can temporarily store and process the predetermined substrate.

[0074] Alternatively, the control module 250 can monitor the current process status of each of the multiple process chambers 131 and control the transfer robot 141 in accordance with the process chamber 131 in the process to store the predetermined substrate in the storage chamber 210. The transfer robot 141 can be controlled so that if the corresponding process chamber 131 is put into a resting state, the predetermined substrate stored in the storage chamber 210 is retrieved and transferred to the corresponding process chamber 131.

[0075] Reference Figure 2 The diagram shown is a structural diagram of an embodiment of the control module of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention, thereby providing a more detailed description of the control module 250.

[0076] The control module 250 may include a process status monitoring unit 251, a storage room status monitoring unit 253, a substrate supply arrangement unit 255, a transfer robot control unit 257, etc.

[0077] The process status monitoring unit 251 can monitor the process status of each of the multiple process chambers 131. For example, for each process chamber 131, it can monitor in real time whether it is in the process processing or in a resting state, the remaining time until the process processing ends, the time point for the transition to the resting state, and other process conditions of each process chamber 131, and simultaneously grasp the process status.

[0078] The storage chamber status monitoring unit 253 can detect whether a substrate destined for processing is stored in the storage chamber 210 corresponding to the process chamber 131. The storage chamber status monitoring unit 253 can monitor and manage the storage status of the substrate destined for processing in the multiple storage chambers 210 by corresponding to each of the multiple process chambers 131.

[0079] The substrate supply arrangement unit 255 can allocate the substrates to be processed to the process chamber 131 based on the process status monitored by the process status monitoring unit 251.

[0080] When the substrate supply arrangement unit 255 has remaining process chambers in a resting state, the substrate to be processed can be assigned to the corresponding process chamber and transferred. If all process chambers are in the process of processing and there are no remaining process chambers in a resting state, the substrate supply arrangement unit 255 can store the substrate to be processed in the storage chamber 210.

[0081] The substrate supply arrangement unit 255 can store the substrates to be processed in the storage room 210 in accordance with the process status of each process chamber 131 as monitored by the process status monitoring unit 251.

[0082] The substrate supply arrangement unit 255 can extract the predetermined substrate from the storage chamber 210 and supply it to the corresponding process chamber 131 based on the process status of each process chamber 131 as monitored by the process status monitoring unit 251.

[0083] The substrate supply arrangement unit 255 can select a storage chamber 210 and store the substrate to be processed based on the current process status of each of the multiple process chambers 131 and the current storage status of the substrate to be processed stored in the multiple storage chambers 210.

[0084] Furthermore, the substrate supply arrangement unit 255 can also comprehensively consider the process status information of the process status monitoring unit 251 and the storage status information of the storage room status monitoring unit 253 to formulate a substrate supply plan for each process chamber 131.

[0085] With the control module 250 described above, when the process chamber 131 is in the process of processing, the next substrate to be processed can be stored in the storage chamber 210 near the corresponding process chamber 131 in advance. If the corresponding process chamber 131 is switched to the resting state, the substrate to be processed is immediately retrieved from the storage chamber 210 and supplied to the corresponding process chamber 131.

[0086] In this invention, a storage chamber for temporarily storing and processing predetermined substrates is configured in the transmission chamber, thereby reducing substrate supply delay time. An example is provided to illustrate the storage chamber configured in the transmission chamber.

[0087] Figure 3 as well as Figure 4 An embodiment of a storage chamber disposed in the transfer chamber is shown in the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention.

[0088] Storage chambers 210 can be configured on the transfer chamber corresponding to each process chamber 131. Alternatively, one storage chamber 210 can be configured corresponding to one process chamber 131, or one storage chamber 210 can be configured corresponding to two or more process chambers 131.

[0089] Storage chamber 210 can be configured on the side wall near the door 135 of the corresponding process chamber 131.

[0090] The storage chamber 210 may include an upper support platform 211 and a lower support platform 213 that are mounted on the side wall near the door 135 of the process chamber 131 and protrude outward from the side wall, with a substrate storage space 215 provided between the upper support platform 211 and the lower support platform 213.

[0091] The upper support platform 211 and the lower support platform 213 can be modified in various ways to correspond to the size of the substrate being stored and the shape of the transfer robot 141.

[0092] For example, the transfer robot 141 may include a multi-joint robotic arm 143 and a substrate support 142, which serves as an end effector for placing a substrate at the end of the robotic arm 143. The upper support platform 211 and the lower support platform 213 may be deformed to accommodate the shapes of the substrate support 142 and the robotic arm 143. The middle portion of the upper support platform 211 and the lower support platform 213 may have an inwardly recessed shape so that the substrate can be stably placed on the substrate storage space 215, whether the substrate support 142 is inserted into the substrate storage space 215 or not inserted to a certain extent.

[0093] Storage chamber 210 may be disposed at the same height as the door 135 of process chamber 131 on a nearby side wall, but preferably, storage chamber 210 may be disposed in a position that does not obstruct substrate transfer.

[0094] For example, as described Figure 4 As shown in (a), the storage chamber 220 may also be positioned on a nearby side wall above the door 135 of the process chamber 131, or as described Figure 4 As shown in (b), the storage chamber 230 may also be configured on a side wall near the door 135 of the process chamber 131.

[0095] This storage chamber 210 can be adapted to accommodate various shapes and positions of the substrate without hindering the transfer robot 141 from transferring the substrate, while also stably placing and storing the substrate.

[0096] Furthermore, multiple substrates can be stored in a single storage room; related to this, Figure 5 Another embodiment of a storage chamber disposed in the transfer chamber in the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention is shown.

[0097] The storage chamber 240 may include an intermediate support platform 243 between the upper support platform 241 and the lower support platform 245. The intermediate support platform 243 divides the space between the upper support platform 241 and the lower support platform 245, thereby providing multiple substrate storage spaces 247 and 249.

[0098] The amount of substrate storage space that can store the substrate can be changed by altering the spacing between the upper support platform 241 and the lower support platform 245 and the number of intermediate support platforms 243 disposed between them.

[0099] As described above, the storage chamber 240 can store multiple substrates, and multiple substrates to be processed can be stored in the corresponding process chamber 131 in sequence.

[0100] Furthermore, in this invention, a process management method applicable to the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention described above is proposed. The following description pertains to the process management method of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention. The process management method according to the present invention is implemented by the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention described above; therefore, reference is made to embodiments of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention.

[0101] Figure 6 A flowchart is shown for one embodiment of a process management method for a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention.

[0102] The control module 250 can monitor the process status of multiple process chambers 131 while keeping track of the current process status of each process chamber 131 (S110).

[0103] For example, for each process chamber 131, the current process status can be monitored in real time, including whether it is in the process processing or in the resting state, the remaining time until the process processing ends, and the time point for the transition to the resting state.

[0104] When a substrate to be processed is provided, the control module 250 determines whether there are any remaining process chambers in a resting state based on the current process status (S120). If there are any remaining process chambers in a resting state, the substrate to be processed can be assigned to the corresponding process chamber (S130), and the transfer robot 141 of the transfer chamber 140 is controlled so that the substrate to be processed can be transferred to the corresponding process chamber (S135).

[0105] When multiple process chambers are in the process of processing, the control module 250 determines the current process status of each process chamber (S140) so as to determine which process chambers need to be switched to a resting state.

[0106] Furthermore, the control module 250 transfers and stores the predetermined substrate and the corresponding process chamber in the storage chamber 210 provided in the transfer chamber 140 (S150).

[0107] Subsequently, the control module 250 can continuously monitor the current process status of the process chamber (S160) while simultaneously tracking the transition of the process chamber corresponding to the predetermined processing substrate stored in the storage chamber 210 to the resting state (S170).

[0108] If the corresponding process chamber is switched to a resting state, the control module 250 can retrieve the pre-processed substrate stored in the storage chamber 210 (S180) and transfer it to the corresponding process chamber (S190).

[0109] As described above, in this invention, while the predetermined substrate is temporarily stored near the process chamber, the stored substrate is immediately supplied when the corresponding process chamber is switched to a resting state, thereby minimizing the substrate supply delay.

[0110] The process management method of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in more detail by distinguishing between the substrate storage process and the substrate supply process.

[0111] Regarding the substrate storage process Figure 7 The flowchart illustrates an embodiment of the process of storing a substrate to be processed in a storage room in the process management method of the substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention.

[0112] The control module 250 can monitor the current process status of each of the multiple process chambers and determine the rest state transition time point for each process chamber (S210).

[0113] As an example, it can be determined which process chamber should be converted to a resting state first among multiple process chambers.

[0114] Meanwhile, the control module 250 can determine whether there is a pre-processed substrate stored in the storage chamber 210 corresponding to each process chamber (S220).

[0115] Furthermore, the control module 250 can determine the rest state transition time for multiple process chambers by considering whether the predetermined substrate is stored in the storage chamber 210.

[0116] The control module 250 can select the rest transition process chamber (S230) that should be converted to the rest state first by considering whether to store and process the predetermined substrate together.

[0117] If a rest and conversion process chamber is selected, the control module 250 can determine the storage chamber 210 corresponding to the selected process chamber (S240) and allocate the pre-processed substrate to the corresponding storage chamber 210 (S250).

[0118] As storage chambers 210 are allocated, control module 250 can control transfer robot 141 in transfer chamber 140 to transfer the predetermined substrate to the corresponding storage chamber 210 (S260) and store it (S270).

[0119] If it is known that a process-defined substrate is allocated and stored in multiple process chambers, or if it is known that a process chamber that has been allocated a process-defined substrate is converted to a resting state before a process chamber that has not been allocated a process-defined substrate, the control module 250 can store multiple process-defined substrates in the storage chamber 210 in sequence according to the substrate processing sequence and corresponding to the corresponding process chambers.

[0120] Furthermore, the control module 250 can formulate a substrate supply plan for the corresponding process chamber after storing multiple pre-processed substrates in the storage chamber 210 in accordance with the corresponding process chamber (S280).

[0121] For example, the control module 250 can comprehensively consider the remaining time until the end of the process in each process chamber, the presence and quantity of the allocated substrates to be processed, the order in which the substrates to be processed, and the predetermined time required to process the substrates, thereby arranging the substrate supply for the process chambers. Preferably, the control module 250 can monitor the real-time process status of the process chambers to modify the established substrate supply plan.

[0122] Figures 8a to 8c An example is shown of storing a predetermined substrate in a storage room using a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention.

[0123] As described Figure 8a In this way, when process chambers 131a to 131f are in the process of processing, the substrate to be processed is put on standby in load locking chamber 120. If a process chamber 131a to 131f is switched to rest state and a substrate is transferred, the substrate supply delay time of each process chamber 131a to 131f will increase as the transfer robot 141 moves repeatedly on the transfer chamber 140.

[0124] Therefore, in this invention, the current state of the process in the process chambers 131a to 131f and the pre-processed substrate w1 stored in the storage chamber 210d are considered together, thereby understanding the process chambers that are converted to a resting state.

[0125] If the process chamber 131b, which needs to be switched to a resting state first, is known, then as described... Figure 8b In this way, the transfer robot 141 moves the predetermined substrate w2 to the storage chamber 210a corresponding to the corresponding process chamber 131b, as described above. Figure 8c In this way, the substrate w2 to be processed is stored in the corresponding storage chamber 210a in the corresponding process chamber 131b.

[0126] Next, regarding the substrate supply process, Figure 9 A flowchart is shown for one embodiment of the process of extracting a substrate stored in a storage chamber and transferring it to a process chamber in a process management method of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention.

[0127] The control module 250 can monitor the process status of multiple process chambers in real time, thereby grasping the current process status of each process chamber (S310). If a substrate supply plan is formulated for each process chamber, the control module 250 can grasp the current process status of the process chamber based on the formulated substrate supply plan.

[0128] If the process chamber that has been converted to a resting state in multiple process chambers is known (S320), the control module 250 can determine whether there is a processing predetermined substrate stored in the storage chamber 210 corresponding to the corresponding process chamber (S330).

[0129] If there is no processing substrate to be stored in the corresponding process chamber, the control module 250 can register the corresponding process chamber as a resting remaining process chamber (S340) and thus formulate a substrate supply plan for the corresponding process chamber.

[0130] When a processing predetermined substrate corresponding to a rest and transition process chamber exists, the control module 250 can access the storage chamber 210 corresponding to the corresponding rest and transition process chamber, and through the control of the transfer robot 141 for the transfer chamber 140, extract the processing predetermined substrate stored in the storage chamber 210 (S350) and transfer it to the corresponding rest and transition process chamber (S360).

[0131] Figure 10a as well as Figure 10b An example is shown of extracting a substrate stored in a storage chamber and transferring it to a process chamber using a substrate processing apparatus according to the invention.

[0132] As described Figure 10aIn this way, for process chamber 131f that is converted to a rest state among the multiple process chambers 131a to 131f, it is determined whether the predetermined substrate is stored in storage chamber 210d, and the predetermined substrate w1 is extracted from storage chamber 210d by transfer robot 141.

[0133] Furthermore, as stated Figure 10b In this way, the extracted pre-processed substrate w1 is transferred to the rest and conversion process chamber 131f by the transfer robot 141.

[0134] As described above, in this invention, the substrate to be processed is temporarily stored in a storage chamber located near the process chamber, corresponding to the process chamber. When the corresponding process chamber is switched to rest mode, the substrate to be processed can be immediately transferred to the corresponding process chamber, thereby significantly reducing the delay time during substrate transfer.

[0135] The above description is merely illustrative of the technical concept of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations without departing from the essential characteristics of the invention. Therefore, the embodiments described in this invention are not intended to limit the technical concept of the invention but rather to illustrate it; the technical concept of the invention is not limited to these embodiments. The scope of protection of this invention should be interpreted by the appended claims, and all technical concepts within the same scope should be interpreted as included within the scope of the claims of this invention.

Claims

1. A process management method for a substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that, include: The process status monitoring steps are used to understand the process status of each of the multiple process chambers. The rest pre-determination step determines which of the multiple process chambers should be converted to a rest state. The substrate storage step involves transferring the predetermined substrate to a storage chamber located in the transfer chamber, corresponding to the rest and conversion process chamber, and storing the predetermined substrate. as well as In the substrate transfer step, the substrate to be processed, which is stored in the storage room, is transferred to the resting and conversion process chamber according to the change of the resting state of the resting and conversion process chamber.

2. The process management method for the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The process status monitoring step determines the rest state transition time point for each of the multiple process chambers. The rest pre-determination step determines the rest conversion process chamber that should be converted to a rest state first.

3. The process management method for the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The process status monitoring step corresponds to each of the plurality of process chambers to determine whether a predetermined substrate is stored and processed in the storage chamber, and determines the rest state transition time point for each of the plurality of process chambers by considering whether the predetermined substrate is stored and processed.

4. The process management method of the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The substrate storage steps include: The steps of mastering and selecting the storage chamber corresponding to the rest and conversion process chamber among the multiple storage chambers located in the transmission chamber; and The step of transferring the predetermined substrate for processing to a storage room corresponding to the rest and conversion process chamber and storing the predetermined substrate for processing.

5. The process management method of the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The substrate storage step corresponds to the rest and conversion process chamber, and multiple pre-processed substrates are stored sequentially in the storage chamber according to the predetermined substrate processing order.

6. The process management method of the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The process management method of the substrate processing apparatus further includes, after performing the substrate storage step: The substrate supply arrangement step involves developing a substrate supply plan for the rest and transition process chamber.

7. The process management method of the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The substrate transfer step includes: Understand the current process status of each of the multiple process chambers and determine the steps for switching the process chamber to a resting state. The process predetermined substrate extraction step, corresponding to the rest and conversion process chamber, involves retrieving the process predetermined substrate stored in the storage chamber; and The step of transferring the pre-processed substrate to the rest and conversion process chamber.

8. The process management method of the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that, The predetermined substrate extraction step retrieves and stores the predetermined substrate by accessing the storage chamber corresponding to the rest and conversion process chamber among the multiple storage chambers located in the transmission chamber.

9. A substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that, include: Multiple process chambers perform process steps on the substrate; A transfer chamber includes multiple storage chambers and a transfer robot. The multiple storage chambers are arranged between the multiple process chambers and temporarily store and process predetermined substrates. The transfer robot transfers the substrates to the process chambers and the storage chambers. as well as The control module monitors the current process status of each of the plurality of process chambers, determines which process chamber needs to be converted to a resting state, and moves the predetermined processing substrate to the storage chamber for storage in accordance with the resting process chamber. Furthermore, based on the conversion of the resting state of the resting process chamber, the predetermined processing substrate stored in the storage chamber is moved to the resting process chamber.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that, The plurality of storage chambers are provided corresponding to the plurality of process chambers.

11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that, The storage chamber is located near the door of the process chamber.

12. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that, The storage chamber is located on the side wall near the door of the process chamber at a position higher or lower than the door.

13. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that, The storage room includes: The upper support platform and the lower support platform are mounted at their ends on the side wall near the door of the process chamber and protrude outward from the side wall; and A substrate storage space is provided between the upper support platform and the lower support platform via the upper support platform and the lower support platform, and at least a portion of a predetermined substrate is inserted into and stored in the substrate storage space.

14. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that, The storage room also includes: One or more intermediate support platforms are disposed between the upper support platform and the lower support platform; and Multiple substrate storage spaces are divided by the intermediate support platform.

15. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that, The control module includes: The process status monitoring department monitors the current process status of the multiple process chambers. The substrate supply arrangement department, based on the current process status of the plurality of process chambers, manages the storage and retrieval of the substrates scheduled for processing in the storage chamber corresponding to each of the process chambers; and The transfer robot control unit controls the transfer robot that moves the substrate to the process chamber and the storage chamber.

16. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 15, characterized in that, The control module also includes: The storage room status monitoring department monitors and manages the storage status of the processing substrates in the multiple storage rooms.

17. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 16, characterized in that, The substrate supply arrangement unit of the control module formulates a substrate supply plan for each of the multiple process chambers based on the current process status of the multiple process chambers and the current storage status of the pre-processed substrates stored in the storage chamber.

18. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 16, characterized in that, The substrate supply arrangement unit of the control module selects a storage room to store the predetermined substrate based on the current process status of the multiple process chambers and the current storage status of the predetermined substrate stored in the multiple storage rooms.

19. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 15, characterized in that, The process status monitoring unit knows the time points for the transition of each process chamber to its resting state.

20. A process management method for a substrate processing apparatus, characterized in that, include: The process status monitoring step is to grasp the process status of each of the multiple process chambers and consider whether to store the predetermined substrate in the storage chamber located in the transfer chamber corresponding to each of the process chambers, thereby determining the rest state transition time point for each of the process chambers. The rest pre-determination step determines the rest transition process chamber that is the first among the multiple process chambers to be converted to a rest state. The substrate storage step involves storing the substrate in a storage chamber corresponding to the rest and conversion process chamber among a plurality of storage chambers located in the transfer chamber, and transferring the substrate to be processed to the storage chamber corresponding to the rest and conversion process chamber and storing the substrate. The substrate supply arrangement steps include developing a substrate supply plan for the rest and transition process chamber; as well as The substrate transfer step involves confirming the substrate supply plan for the rest and transition process chamber based on the rest state transition of the rest and transition process chamber, thereby transferring the pre-processed substrate stored in the storage chamber to the rest and transition process chamber.

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