Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate is disclosed. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a substrate processing apparatus is provided. The substrate processing apparatus includes: a reaction tube having an opening formed in a lower portion thereof and performing substrate processing; a boat which carries in and out the reaction tube by means of a boat lifting unit and in which a plurality of substrates are placed in the vertical direction; a substrate loading part which is provided at the lower part of the reaction tube, and in which a loading area for loading and unloading the plurality of substrates to the boat by a substrate transfer robot is formed; an external air inflow part which is formed on one side of the substrate loading part, communicates with the loading area, allows external air to flow into the loading area, and adjusts the amount of external air flowing in; a gas control device that adjusts the injection amount of the inert gas supplied to the inside of the loading region; the particulate matter measuring sensor is used for measuring particulate matter information of the loading area; and a control unit that adjusts any one or more of the outside air inflow unit and the air control device on the basis of the particulate matter information received from the particulate matter measurement sensor in order to reduce particulate matter in the loading area.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a substrate processing device and a substrate processing method, and relates to a substrate processing device and a substrate processing method for processing a substrate. Background Art

[0002] Generally speaking, semiconductor elements and display elements are manufactured by performing various processes such as thin film deposition and etching on a substrate, and a batch deposition system is used as a system for processing the substrate.

[0003] The batch deposition system can transport a front-opening unified pod (FOUP) containing multiple substrates into the interior through a load port and store them on a stocker. The stocker is composed of multiple vertical stacks, and the front-opening unified pods stored on the stocker are moved closely to the FIMS (Front-opening Interface Mechanical Standard) door by a transport robot that moves along a vertically extending transport robot track.

[0004] Then, after the FIMS is attached to the door, a substrate transfer robot receives a plurality of substrates using a transfer fork on the front-opening wafer transfer box with one side open, and the substrate transfer robot moves downward to stack the plurality of substrates on a boat.

[0005] In such a batch deposition system, a plurality of substrates are loaded inside a substrate loading portion, and a boat may be formed inside the substrate loading portion. The plurality of substrates are stacked on the boat in a loading area inside the substrate loading portion.

[0006] The loading area is an area where multiple substrates are exposed. If particles are generated in the loading area, it will have a significant impact on the quality of the wafer. However, since it is impossible to detect particles in the loading area in real time, users cannot identify particles, and therefore there is a problem of being unable to deal with wafer quality defects caused by the unexpected generation of particles. Summary of the invention

[0007] Technical issues to be solved

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a substrate processing device and a substrate processing method, in order to remove particles inside the loading area where the substrate is loaded, a procedure of suppressing particles by controlling the air volume of the fan of the fan filter unit (FFU) or the flow rate of the purge gas is performed. However, this is only exemplary, and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0009] Technical Solution

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a substrate processing device is provided. The substrate processing device may include: a reaction tube, the lower part of which is formed with an opening, and substrate processing is performed; a boat, which is transported into and out of the reaction tube by a boat lifting unit, and multiple substrates are placed in the vertical direction; a substrate loading part, which is arranged at the lower part of the reaction tube, and has a loading area formed inside for loading and unloading the multiple substrates into the boat by a substrate transfer robot; an external air inflow part, which is formed on one side of the substrate loading part, is connected to the loading area so that external air flows into the loading area, and the amount of external air flowing in is adjusted; a gas control device, which adjusts the injection amount of the inert gas supplied to the inside of the loading area; a particle measurement sensor, which measures the particle information of the loading area; and a control part, which adjusts any one or more of the external air inflow part and the gas control device according to the particle information received from the particle measurement sensor in order to reduce the particle in the loading area.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the control unit may include: a particle amount judgment unit, which compares the amount of particle measured by the particle measurement sensor with a preset reference value; and a particle size judgment unit, which judges the size of the particle measured by the particle measurement sensor when the measured particle reaches above the reference value.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the PM measuring sensor determines that the PM larger than a preset size reaches a reference value or more, the control unit controls the strength of the external air inflow unit to increase the amount of external air flowing into the loading area.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the particle measurement sensor determines that the particle size smaller than a preset size reaches or exceeds a reference value, the control unit controls the gas control device to increase the injection amount of the inert gas.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present invention, when the particulate matter measuring sensor determines that the particulate matter larger than a preset size reaches above a baseline value and the particulate matter smaller than a preset size reaches above a baseline value, the control unit is controlled to drive the external air inflow unit and the gas control device respectively at a predetermined time interval, and is controlled to cross-execute an increase in the amount of external air flowing into the loading area and an increase in the amount of inert gas injected.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the external air inlet portion may include: a fan filter unit formed at one side of the loading area to adjust the amount of external air flowing in from the external air inlet portion.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a substrate processing method is provided. The substrate processing method may include: a process processing step, in which a boat on which a plurality of substrates are placed in an upward and downward direction is transported in or out through an opening formed in the lower part of a reaction tube where substrate processing is performed by a boat lifting unit, and the plurality of substrates are processed; a particle measurement step, in which, before or after the process processing step, particle information of the plurality of substrates loaded and unloaded into the loading area of ​​the boat inside a substrate loading part provided in the lower part of the reaction tube is measured; and a control step, in which, based on the particle information measured in the particle measurement step, any one or more of an external gas inflow part for adjusting the amount of external gas flowing into the loading area and a gas control device for adjusting the injection amount of an inert gas supplied to the inside of the loading area are controlled to be adjusted in order to reduce the particles in the loading area.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the control step may include: a particle amount judgment step, comparing the amount of particle measured in the particle measurement step with a preset reference value; and a particle size judgment step, when the measured particle reaches above the reference value, judging the size of the particle measured in the particle measurement step.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the control step may include: a fan filter unit control step, when the particulate matter measuring step measures that the particulate matter larger than a preset size reaches above a baseline value, the strength of the external air inflow part is controlled to increase the inflow of external air into the loading area.

[0019] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the control step may include: a gas supply control step, when the particulate matter smaller than a preset size measured in the particulate matter measuring step reaches above a reference value, controlling the gas control device to increase the injection amount of the inert gas.

[0020] Effects of the Invention

[0021] According to some embodiments of the present invention constructed as above, particulate matter of different sizes inside the loading area can be monitored in real time, and when particulate matter appears, the particulate matter can be reduced through a suppression control algorithm.

[0022] Furthermore, according to the particles caused by physical separation and the particles caused by chemical reaction, the external air control or the injection amount control of the inert gas is selectively driven, and different controls are taken according to the causes, thereby preventing the generation of additional particles, thereby improving the processing quality of the substrate. Of course, the scope of the present invention is not limited to this. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 This is a sequence diagram showing the driving of the substrate processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 3 This is a table showing the driving of the fan filter unit and the gas control device based on the particle size measured in the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 4 1 is a sequence diagram showing a substrate processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 5a and Figure 5b 1 is a graph showing changes in the amount of particulate matter due to driving of a fan filter unit and a gas control device of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] The embodiments of the present invention are provided to more completely explain the present invention to those skilled in the art. The following embodiments may be modified into various forms, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to make the present invention more substantial and complete and to fully convey the ideas of the present invention to those skilled in the art. In addition, for the convenience and clarity of the description, the thickness or size of each layer is exaggerated in the drawings.

[0030] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings which schematically illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention. In the accompanying drawings, for example, variations in the shapes shown may be expected, depending on manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances. Therefore, the embodiments of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited to the specific shapes of the regions shown in this specification, and should include, for example, variations in shapes caused by manufacturing.

[0031] Figure 1 is a diagram showing a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a sequence diagram showing the driving of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 1 is a table showing the driving of the fan filter unit and the gas control device 80 based on the particle size measured in the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention.

[0032] First, the substrate processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention is roughly divided into a reaction tube 10 , a boat 20 , an external gas inlet 70 , a gas control device 80 , a particle measurement sensor 40 , and a control unit 50 .

[0033] like Figure 1 As shown, the lower portion of the reaction tube 10 is opened to accommodate the boat 20 and include a process tube for processing a plurality of substrates S. Components such as a gas supply unit or a gas exhaust unit required for the deposition process may be disposed inside the reaction tube 10 .

[0034] Specifically, the reaction tube 10 may be composed of an inner tube and an outer tube, and may include a heat-resistant material such as quartz. An exhaust port (not shown in the drawings) for exhausting the interior of the reaction tube 10 is formed, and the exhaust port is connected to a pump (not shown in the drawings) having a pumping capability.

[0035] A manifold may be formed on one side of the reaction tube 10 , and a plurality of gas supply pipes (not shown in the drawings) for supplying gas to the interior of the reaction tube 10 may be provided. The plurality of gas supply pipes are combined with gas nozzles (not shown in the drawings) extending upward from the interior of the reaction tube 10 .

[0036] The boat 20 is transported into and out of the reaction tube 10 by the boat lifting unit 21, and the plurality of substrates S picked up by the substrate transfer robot are placed in the vertical direction, and the lifting operation is performed in a state where the plurality of substrates S are stacked inside. When the boat 20 is lifted, the pad is sealed and coupled to the reaction tube 10.

[0037] When all the substrates S are loaded into the boat 20, the boat 20 is lifted up and placed in the reaction tube 10. A process gas is injected into the reaction tube 10 so that a thin film is deposited on the substrates S.

[0038] like Figure 1 As shown, the external air inlet 70 is formed on at least one side of the substrate loading portion 100 and may include a blower fan and a filter portion.

[0039] The outside air inflow portion 70 is a device for adjusting the amount of outside air flowing in from the inflow pipe.

[0040] For example, the external air inflow portion 70 may include a plurality of the blower fans formed at the side of the loading area A, and the external air flows from the outside of the loading area A into the loading area A through the rotation of the blower fans. The amount of the inflowing external air varies depending on the rotation intensity of the blower fans.

[0041] The external air inflow portion 70 may include a filter portion for filtering pollutants contained in the external air flowing in from the outside before the external air flows into the loading area A through the blower fan. The filter portion may be formed by being respectively coupled to the plurality of blowers, or formed around at least one side of a frame coupled to the plurality of blowers.

[0042] For example, the external air inlet 70 may include a fan filter unit formed at one side of the loading area A to adjust the amount of external air flowing in from the external air inlet 70 .

[0043] The external air inflow portion 70 may allow external air to flow into the loading area A through an inflow pipe formed at one side of the substrate loading portion 100 and communicating with the loading area A.

[0044] The inflow pipe may be formed on the side of the substrate loading unit 100 behind the blower fan, or formed on the upper part behind the blower fan, so that the external air flowing into the inflow pipe flows from the upper part to the lower part.

[0045] In order to exhaust the internal gas of the loading area A to the outside, an exhaust pipe 60 and a shutoff valve 61 are formed in at least a portion of the substrate loading part 100. The exhaust pipe 60 can exhaust gas in all directions through a Slit Damper formed on the side, a T / RDamper formed on the bottom, and an L / A exhaust pipe formed on the top.

[0046] The exhaust pipe 60 may be formed at four sides of the substrate loading part 100 so that the flow of the loading area A changes with the exhaust of air or gas in the loading area A, thereby guiding the discharge of particles remaining in the loading area A.

[0047] like Figure 1 As shown, the gas control device 80 can adjust the injection amount of the inert gas supplied to the inside of the loading area A.

[0048] Specifically, the gas control device 80 may be formed at least in a portion of a flow path connecting a gas supply unit 81 formed outside the loading area A and supplying the inert gas and the loading area A.

[0049] The gas control device 80 is a gas control valve that blocks the flow of the inert gas or blocks the backflow of the gas or the external air. For example, the gas control device 80 may be a mass flow controller (MFC) that accurately and quickly controls the flow rate of the inert gas supplied. The gas control device 80 is controlled by the control unit 50 described later.

[0050] The inert gas may include nitrogen gas, argon gas, and in addition, may include a gas whose gas molecules are strongly bound and not easily broken or whose atoms themselves are stable and do not produce chemical reactions.

[0051] like Figure 1 As shown, the particle measurement sensor 40 includes a device for measuring particle information in the loading area A inside the substrate loading unit 100 where the reaction tube 10 and the boat 20 are formed.

[0052] Specifically, the PM measurement sensor 40 extracts a portion of the gas or air in the loading area A to measure the size and amount of PM in the loading area A and measures PM information contained in the sample. The PM information may include the size and amount of PM in the sample.

[0053] For example, the particle measurement sensor 40 is formed inside the substrate loading part 100, and a part of the gas or air in the loading area A flows into the particle measurement sensor 40, thereby measuring the size and amount of particles contained in the flowing gas or air. Preferably, the particle measurement sensor 40 is formed on one side of the substrate loading part 100 and extracts the gas or air flowing into the sampling port 41 connected to the loading area A, and measures the size and amount of particles contained in the sampling port, thereby measuring the particle information existing in the loading area A.

[0054] The PM measurement sensor 40 is connected to the control unit 50 via wired or wireless connections, and can record and store the PM information and send the PM information to the control unit 50 .

[0055] The sampling port 41 may be formed by one or more collecting ports located at the bottom surface of the lower portion of the loading area A of the FIMS, the boat 20, the transport robot, etc. to collect the particles that fall to the lower portion.

[0056] In order to reduce the PM in the loading area A, the control unit 50 adjusts one or more of the air atmosphere and the inert gas atmosphere inside the loading area A according to the PM information received from the PM measurement sensor 40 .

[0057] Specifically, the control unit 50 controls the air volume output of the fan filter unit that adjusts the amount of external air flowing into the loading area A to be between 0% and 100% based on the particulate matter information measured by the particulate matter measuring sensor 40, and can adjust the flow rate of the inert gas injected from the gas control device 80 that adjusts the injection amount of the inert gas in the loading area to 0slm to 2,000slm, and selectively controls the fan filter unit and the gas control device 80.

[0058] The control unit 50 may include a PM amount determination unit 51 for comparing the PM amount measured by the PM measurement sensor 40 with a preset reference value and a PM size determination unit 52 for determining the size of the PM measured by the PM measurement sensor 40 when the PM is greater than the reference value.

[0059] Specifically, when the PM measurement sensor 40 measures PM larger than a preset size to be greater than a reference value, the control unit 50 controls the strength of the fan filter unit to increase the amount of external air flowing into the loading area A.

[0060] For example, when the particle amount determination unit 51 determines that the particle detected by the particle measurement sensor 40 reaches the reference value or above and is larger than the size preset by the particle size determination unit 52, the control unit 50 controls the fan filter unit to be driven with a stronger intensity than the original state.

[0061] At this time, as the fan filter unit is driven more strongly, the exhaust duct including the Slit Damper, T / RDamper, L / A, etc. is opened to reduce the particulate matter concentration in the loading area A.

[0062] Specifically, when the particle size larger than the preset size appears above the reference value, it generally means that physical separation from the surface of the material such as surface peeling or divergence has occurred, or dust or pollution sources have entered from the outside. Therefore, the control unit 50 controls to drive the fan filter unit more strongly, allowing a larger amount of outside air to enter and discharge foreign matter floating in the loading area A to the outside.

[0063] Furthermore, when the PM measurement sensor 40 measures PM smaller than a preset size to be greater than a reference value, the control unit 50 controls the gas control device 80 for adjusting the injection amount inside the loading area A to increase the injection amount of the inert gas.

[0064] For example, when the particulate matter detected by the particulate matter measurement sensor 40 is determined by the particulate matter amount determination unit 51 to be above the reference value and smaller than the size preset by the particulate matter size determination unit 52, the control unit 50 controls the gas control device 80 to increase the injection amount of the inert gas flowing into the loading area A.

[0065] The fan filter unit is driven at the same intensity to allow the inert gas to flow into the loading area A, and the exhaust pipe including the Slit Damper, T / R Damper, L / A, etc. is opened to reduce the particle concentration in the loading area A.

[0066] Specifically, the generation of particles smaller than a preset size, for example, the generation of particles of 0.1 μm above the reference value is generally caused by the fume (Fume) discharged from the substrate loading unit 100, such as H+, OH-, Cn and other elements or ions combined with oxygen (Oxygen) elements to form reactants. Therefore, the control unit 50 controls the input of a large amount of inert gas (InertGas) to suppress the particles formed by the chemical reaction to prevent the generation of particles, and discharges the generated particles.

[0067] Furthermore, when a large amount of external air is introduced, the control unit 50 may control the inert gas to increase the density of the inert gas, thereby preventing the formation of oxides or carbon bonds.

[0068] When the particle measurement sensor 40 determines that the particle size larger than a preset size reaches above a baseline value and the particle size smaller than a preset size reaches above a baseline value, the control unit 50 operates the fan filter unit and the gas control device 80 at predetermined time intervals, respectively, and alternately increases the amount of external air flowing into the loading area A and the amount of inert gas injected.

[0069] That is, when the particulate matter amount judgment unit 51 determines that the amount has reached or exceeded the reference value, and the particulate matter size judgment unit 52 determines that both particulate matter larger than a preset size and small particulate matter exist, the control unit 50 drives the fan filter unit to the maximum extent to discharge particulate matter caused by physical detachment, and increases the injection amount of the inert gas flowing into the loading area A through the gas control device 80 to discharge particulate matter caused by chemical reaction.

[0070] After the fan filter unit is driven for a certain period of time, the gas control device 80 is controlled again for a certain period of time, thereby achieving cross execution.

[0071] The substrate processing device of the present invention is driven as follows Figure 2 As shown, particulate matter may flow into a sampling port 41 formed at one side of the substrate loading portion 100 to connect the loading area A and the particulate matter measurement sensor 40 .

[0072] Afterwards, the particulate matter measuring sensor 40 extracts a portion of the gas or air in the loading area A for measurement. The particulate matter amount determining unit 51 of the control unit 50 can determine whether the measured particulate matter reaches or exceeds the reference value. If it is determined that the reference value is not reached, the standard flow control state can be maintained. Figure 3 In the case of C-1, the air volume of the fan filter unit is controlled to be maintained at a standard state, the injection of the gas control device 80 is not performed, and the exhaust pipe is opened.

[0073] Next, the sampled particles that continue to flow in are measured, or the sampled particles are measured at the next preset period such as a certain time or before and after a process.

[0074] Furthermore, when the PM amount determination unit 51 of the control unit 50 determines that the measured PM reaches or exceeds the reference value, the PM size determination unit 52 determines whether there is PM larger than a preset size.

[0075] When there are no particles larger than the preset size in the detected particles, that is, when the particles are smaller than or equal to the preset size, the gas control device 80 can increase the injection amount of the inert gas. Figure 3 In case C-2, the air volume of the fan filter unit is maintained at a standard state, the injection volume of the gas control device 80 is maximized, and the exhaust pipe is opened.

[0076] When there are particles larger than a preset size in the detected particles, the air volume of the fan filter unit can be increased. Figure 3 In the case of C-3 and C-4, increase the air volume of the fan filter unit to the maximum speed and open the exhaust duct.

[0077] The particle size determination unit 52 of the control unit 50 determines whether there are particles smaller than a preset size.

[0078] When there are no particles smaller than the preset size in the detected particles, the air volume of the fan filter unit is increased, and the gas control device 80 may not inject the inert gas or maintain the standard flow control state. Figure 3 In case C-3, the air volume of the fan filter unit is increased to the maximum speed, the gas control device 80 does not eject, and the exhaust pipe is opened.

[0079] Next, the sampled particles that continue to flow in are measured, or the sampled particles are measured at the next preset period such as a certain time or before and after a process.

[0080] When there are particles smaller than the preset size in the detected particles, the air volume of the fan filter unit is increased, and the gas control device 80 increases the injection amount of the inert gas. Figure 3 In case of C-4, the air volume of the fan filter unit is increased to the maximum speed, the injection volume of the gas control device 80 is maximized, and the exhaust pipe is opened.

[0081] Next, the sampled particles that continue to flow in are measured, or the sampled particles are measured at the next preset period such as a certain time or before and after a process.

[0082] Figure 4 1 is a sequence diagram showing a substrate processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0083] A substrate processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a process step S100 , a particle measurement step S200 , and a control step S300 .

[0084] like Figure 4 As shown, the process step S100 is a step of processing the plurality of substrates S by moving the boat 20 on which the plurality of substrates S are placed in the vertical direction into or out of an opening formed at the bottom of the reaction tube 10 where the substrate processing is performed through the boat lifting unit 21 .

[0085] In the process step S100, a plurality of substrates S picked up by the substrate transfer robot are placed in the boat 20 in the vertical direction and stacked inside, and then lifted by the boat lifting unit 21 and transported into the reaction tube 10 formed by the process tube, thereby processing the plurality of substrates S.

[0086] The process step S100 may include the following steps: when the boat 20 is raised, the cushion part is sealed and combined with the reaction tube 10 .

[0087] The particle measurement step S200 is a step of measuring particle information of the loading area A inside the substrate loading unit 100 forming the reaction tube 10 and the boat 20 using the particle measurement sensor 40 before or after the process step S100 .

[0088] Figure 4 As shown, the particle measurement step S200 may be performed before the process step S100 , and although not shown, it may also be performed after the process step S100 or during the process step S100 .

[0089] The particle measuring step S200 is a step of measuring the size and amount of particles contained in the gas or air formed in the substrate platform 100 and in the loading area A by partly flowing into the particle measuring sensor 40 .

[0090] Preferably, the particle measurement step S200 is a step of sampling the gas or air flowing into the sampling port 41 connected to the loading area A, measuring the size and amount of the particles contained in the sample, and thereby measuring the particle information of the loading area A.

[0091] like Figure 4 As shown, control step S300 is a step in which the control unit 50 adjusts any one or more of the atmospheric atmosphere and the inert gas atmosphere inside the loading area A to reduce the particulate matter in the loading area A according to the particulate matter information measured in the particulate matter measurement step S200. Specifically, it is a step of controlling the external air inflow unit 70 for adjusting the amount of external air flowing into the loading area A and the gas control device 80 for adjusting the injection amount of the inert gas injected into the loading area.

[0092] Specifically, the control step S300 may include: a particle amount judgment step S310, comparing the amount of particle measured in the particle measurement step S200 with a preset reference value; and a particle size judgment step S320, when the measured particle reaches above the reference value, judging the size of the particle measured in the particle measurement step S200.

[0093] The controlling step S300 may include a fan filter unit controlling step S330 and a gas supply controlling step S340.

[0094] The fan filter unit control step S330 is a step of controlling the strength of the external air inlet 70 to increase the amount of external air flowing into the loading area A when the particulate matter larger than a preset size measured in the particulate matter measuring step S200 reaches a reference value or more.

[0095] For example, when the particulate matter detected in the particulate matter measuring step S200 is judged by the particulate matter amount judging step S310 to be greater than the size preset in the particulate matter size judging step S320, the fan filter unit controlling step S330 is a step of controlling the external air inflow part 70, for example, controlling the fan filter unit to be driven more strongly than before.

[0096] The fan filter unit control step S330 further includes the following steps: as the fan filter unit is driven more strongly, the exhaust pipe including the Slit Damper, T / R Damper, L / A, etc. is opened, thereby reducing the concentration of particulate matter in the loading area A.

[0097] The gas supply control step S340 is a step of controlling the gas control device 80 to adjust the injection amount inside the loading area A and increase the injection amount of the inert gas when the particulate matter smaller than the preset size measured in the particulate matter measuring step S200 reaches or exceeds the reference value.

[0098] For example, when the particulate matter detected in the particulate matter measuring step S200 is smaller than the preset size in the particulate matter size judging step S320 and the particulate matter measured as being above the reference value in the particulate matter amount judging step S310, the gas supply control step S340 is a step for controlling the gas control device 80 to increase the injection amount of the inert gas flowing into the loading area A.

[0099] Among them, the gas supply control step S340 also includes the following steps: the external air inflow part 70, for example, the drive of the fan filter unit maintains the original intensity so that the inert gas flows into the loading area A, and the exhaust pipe including the above-mentioned Slit Damper, T / R Damper, L / A, etc. is opened, thereby reducing the particulate matter concentration in the loading area A.

[0100] Furthermore, when the particles detected in the particle measuring step S200 contain particles larger than a preset size and particles smaller than a preset size, the gas supply controlling step S340 and the fan filter unit controlling step S330 may be executed alternately.

[0101] Furthermore, when the detected particulate matter reaches above the baseline value and lasts for a certain period of time, the boat 20 is transported out of the reaction tube 10, or the flow of substrates into the FIMS outside the substrate loading part 100 is stopped, and control is continued until no particles are detected in the loading area A, thereby protecting multiple substrates S from the harm of particulate matter.

[0102] Figure 5a and Figure 5b1 is a graph showing changes in the amount of particulate matter due to driving of the external air inlet 70 and the gas control device 80 of the substrate processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0103] Specifically, Figure 5a The graph shows the size of PM detected by PM measurement sensor 40 and PM detected after the fan filter unit is driven based on time. The preset size of PM size determination unit 52 is 0.5 μm, and the standard flow rate control of the fan filter unit is 60%.

[0104] Figure 5a As shown, 4 to 5 particles with a size of 0.5 μm or more were detected at 300 sec, 500 sec, 800 sec, and 850 sec. Thereafter, the speed of the fan filter unit was started at 100% at 900 sec, and accordingly, the particle measurement sensor 40 did not detect any particles. That is, by the maximum drive of the fan filter unit, the particles floating in the loading area A can be discharged to the outside.

[0105] and, Figure 5b The graph shows the size of the PM detected by the PM measurement sensor 40 and the PM detected after the gas control device 80 is driven based on time. The preset size of the PM size determination unit 52 is 0.1 μm, and the standard flow rate control of the gas control device 80 is 600 slm.

[0106] Figure 5b As shown, 3 to 5 particles with a size of 0.1 μm were detected from 250 sec to 430 sec. After that, at 450 sec, the nitrogen gas flow rate of the gas control device 80 reached 1400 slm, and accordingly, the particle measurement sensor 40 did not detect any particles. That is, by increasing the flow rate of the inert gas of the gas control device 80 to suppress the formation of particles caused by chemical reactions, the particles floating in the loading area A can be discharged to the outside.

[0107] According to a substrate processing device and a substrate processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention, particles of various sizes inside the loading area can be monitored in real time, and when particles are generated, the particles are reduced by a suppression control algorithm. In addition, according to particles caused by physical separation and particles caused by chemical reactions, the external air inflow unit 70 or the gas control device 80 is selectively controlled, and different controls are taken according to the causes, thereby preventing the generation of additional particles, thereby improving the processing quality of the substrate.

[0108] Although the present invention is described with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, this is only exemplary, and anyone skilled in the art of the present invention will understand that various modifications and equivalent embodiments are possible. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention should be determined by the technical ideas of the attached claims.

Claims

1. A substrate processing device, characterized in that: include: A reaction tube, with an opening formed at the bottom, for performing substrate processing; A boat is transported into and out of the reaction tube by a boat lifting unit to place a plurality of substrates in an upward and downward direction; A substrate loading unit is arranged at the lower part of the reaction tube, and has a loading area formed therein for loading and unloading the plurality of substrates to the boat by a substrate transfer robot; An external air inflow portion is formed at one side of the substrate loading portion and communicates with the loading area to allow external air to flow into the loading area and adjust the amount of external air flowing in; a gas control device for adjusting the injection amount of the inert gas supplied to the interior of the loading area; a particle measurement sensor for measuring particle information in the loading area; and The control unit adjusts at least one of the external air inflow unit and the gas control device based on the particulate matter information received from the particulate matter measurement sensor in order to reduce particulate matter in the loading area.

2. The substrate processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control unit includes: a PM amount determination unit that compares the PM amount measured by the PM measurement sensor with a preset reference value; and The PM size determination unit determines the size of the PM measured by the PM measurement sensor when the measured PM reaches a reference value or more.

3. The substrate processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the PM measurement sensor measures that the PM with a size larger than a preset size reaches a reference value or more, the control unit controls the strength of the external air inflow unit to increase the amount of external air flowing into the loading area.

4. The substrate processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the particulate matter measuring sensor determines that the particulate matter smaller than a preset size reaches or exceeds a reference value, the control unit controls the gas control device to increase the injection amount of the inert gas.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: When the particle measurement sensor determines that the particle size larger than a preset size reaches above a baseline value and the particle size smaller than a preset size reaches above a baseline value, the control unit controls to drive the external air inflow unit and the gas control device respectively at a predetermined time interval, and controls to cross-execute the increase in the amount of external air flowing into the loading area and the increase in the injection amount of the inert gas.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The external air inlet portion includes a fan filter unit formed at one side of the loading area and adjusting the amount of external air flowing in from the external air inlet portion.

7. A substrate processing method, characterized in that: include: A process step of carrying a boat on which a plurality of substrates are placed in an upward and downward direction through an opening formed at a lower portion of a reaction tube where substrate processing is performed by a boat lifting unit, and carrying the plurality of substrates in or out, thereby processing the plurality of substrates; a particle measuring step of measuring particle information of a loading area of ​​the boat where the plurality of substrates are loaded and unloaded from a substrate loading part disposed at a lower portion of the reaction tube before or after the process step; and A control step, based on the particulate matter information measured in the particulate matter measuring step, controls to adjust any one or more of an external air inflow part for adjusting the amount of external air flowing into the loading area and a gas control device for adjusting the injection amount of the inert gas supplied to the inside of the loading area in order to reduce the particulate matter in the loading area.

8. The substrate processing method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The control step includes: a particle amount determination step of comparing the particle amount measured in the particle measurement step with a preset reference value; and The particle size determination step is to determine the size of the particle measured in the particle measurement step when the measured particle reaches or exceeds a reference value.

9. The substrate processing method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The control step includes: a fan filter unit control step, when the particle measuring step determines that the particle larger than a preset size reaches a reference value or more, controlling the strength of the external air inflow portion to increase the inflow amount of external air into the loading area.

10. The substrate processing method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The control step includes: a gas supply control step, when the particulate matter smaller than a preset size measured in the particulate matter measuring step reaches or exceeds a reference value, controlling the gas control device to increase the injection amount of the inert gas.

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