Substrate processing apparatus, substrate drop prevention mechanism, substrate processing method, semiconductor device manufacturing method, and program product

Abstract

The invention provides a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate drop prevention mechanism, a substrate processing method, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, and a program product which can prevent a substrate box stored on a preparation box rack in the apparatus from dropping due to shaking of an earthquake and the like. The present invention is provided with: (a) a container storage unit for storing a container for accommodating a substrate; and (b) a drop prevention mechanism provided so as to be capable of moving between a first position at which the conveyance of the container is not hindered, and a second position at which the container stored in the container storage unit or the substrate in the container is prevented from dropping.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing device, a substrate falling prevention mechanism, a substrate processing method, a semiconductor device manufacturing method and a program product. Background Art

[0002] When an earthquake occurs, vibrations of initial perturbation (P) waves and main sway (S) waves are sometimes detected, and a transport mechanism of a processing device is stopped (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-055527 Summary of the Invention

[0006] When the operation of the transport mechanism stops during an earthquake, the substrate cassette may fall from the spare cassette rack.

[0007] The present invention provides a technology capable of preventing substrate cassettes stored in a spare cassette rack in an apparatus from falling due to shaking such as an earthquake.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a technique comprising:

[0009] (a) a container storage unit that stores containers for storing substrates; and

[0010] (b) a fall prevention mechanism configured to be movable between a first position and a second position, wherein the first position is a position that does not hinder the conveyance of the container, and the second position is a position that prevents the container stored in the container storage portion or the substrate in the container from falling.

[0011] Effects of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent substrate cassettes stored in a spare cassette rack in an apparatus from falling due to shaking such as an earthquake. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 It is a diagram for explaining a substrate processing apparatus in an embodiment.

[0014] Figure 2 This is a schematic back view of the spare box rack in the embodiment.

[0015] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the left side of the spare box rack in the embodiment.

[0016] Figure 4 It is a schematic plan view of the spare cassette holder and a diagram showing the position of the stopper in the embodiment.

[0017] Figure 5 It is a three-dimensional view of a fixed stopper provided on the cassette frame.

[0018] Figure 6 This is a block diagram of the controller and its periphery.

[0019] Figure 7 This is a diagram showing the overall process flow including the stopper operation of the spare cassette rack in the embodiment.

[0020] Figure 8A It is a diagram for explaining the operation of the stopper before the cartridge is carried into the spare cartridge rack in the embodiment.

[0021] Figure 8B It is a diagram for explaining the operation of the stopper after the cartridge of the spare cartridge rack in the embodiment is carried in.

[0022] Figure 9 This is a block diagram of a controller and its surroundings in other methods.

[0023] Figure 10 This is a diagram illustrating the operation flow of the stopper of the reserve cassette rack in another embodiment.

[0024] Description of Reference Numerals

[0025] 10: substrate processing device, 16: preparation box rack (container storage unit), 114: stopper. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the drawings used in the following description are all schematic, and the dimensional relationships of the elements shown in the drawings, the ratios of the elements, etc. may not necessarily be consistent with reality. In addition, the dimensional relationships of the elements, the ratios of the elements, etc. may not necessarily be consistent between multiple drawings. In addition, among multiple drawings, substantially the same elements are marked with the same figure numbers, and the description of each element is carried out in the drawing in which the element first appears. In subsequent drawings, the description is omitted unless otherwise required. Unless otherwise specifically prohibited in the specification, each element is not limited to one, and multiple elements may exist.

[0027] [Implementation Method]

[0028] (1) Substrate processing equipment

[0029] In the present embodiment, a substrate processing apparatus (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a processing apparatus) is configured as, as an example, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus that performs a processing step in a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device.

[0030] like Figure 1As shown, the processing device 10 of the embodiment includes a shell 11, and a box transfer unit 12 is provided in front of the shell 11 (X1 side). The X1-X2 direction is the front-to-back direction of the processing device 10, the Y2-Y1 direction is the left-right direction, and the Z1-Z2 direction is the up-down direction. The box transfer unit 12 includes a box carrier device 13 that can carry two open boxes (hereinafter, simply referred to as boxes) 2 as containers for accommodating substrates, and the boxes 2 are carriers of the wafers 1 as substrates. In addition, two sets of wafer posture calibration devices 14 are provided below the box carrier device 13. In other words, the box carrier device 13 includes a plurality of carriers, and each carrier is configured to be able to transfer the box 2 to the outside of the device.

[0031] The box 2 transported by an external transport device (not shown) is placed on a box carrier device 13. The wafer posture calibration device 14 is provided with an azimuth alignment mechanism, which calibrates the posture of the wafer 1 in a manner that makes the box 2 vertical and the wafer 1 stored in the box 2 have the same notch or orientation plane as the orientation determining portion. The box carrier device 13 is provided with a box inversion mechanism, which rotates the carrier (not shown) 90 degrees to make the box 2 a horizontal posture as the second posture (a state in which the wafer 1 is arranged longitudinally and stored). Inside the housing 11, a box rack 15 as a main storage unit is provided opposite to the box handover unit 12. In addition, above the box handover unit 12, a spare box rack 16 is provided as a container storage unit for storing the container for storing the wafer 1.

[0032] Between the box transfer unit 12 and the box rack 15, a box transport robot 17 is provided as a box transfer device for moving the box 2 to the standby box rack 16 or moving the box 2 from the standby box rack 16. The box transport robot 17 has a robot arm 18 with a hand (not shown) that can move forward and backward in the front-back direction (X1-X2 direction), and the robot arm 18 itself is configured to be able to move laterally and up and down. Through the lifting and down movement and the lateral movement of the robot arm 18 and the forward and backward movement (front and back) of the hand, the box 2 on the box carrier device 13 is picked up from below and transported and transferred to the box rack 15 or the standby box rack 16. The box rack 15 and the standby box rack 16 can be regarded as a buffer rack for multiple boxes 2. Since the box carrier device 13 has a box inversion mechanism, both the orientation alignment based on the chip posture calibration device 14 and the box transport based on the box transport robot 17 can be achieved.

[0033] A wafer transfer device (transfer machine) 19 is provided behind the cassette rack 15 (on the X2 side) in a rotatable and elevating manner. This wafer transfer device (transfer machine) 19 can transfer the wafers 1 within the cassette 2, either collectively or individually, to a substrate support (hereinafter referred to as a boat) 25. The wafer transfer device 19 includes a wafer holding portion 20 that can move forward and backward, and a plurality of wafer holding plates 21 are horizontally mounted on the wafer holding portion 20. A boat elevator 22 is provided behind the wafer transfer device 19 (on the X2 side), and a sealing cover 24 is horizontally mounted on the arm 23 of the boat elevator 22 to rotatably hold the boat 25.

[0034] The processing apparatus 10 includes a transfer chamber 50 and a cassette holding chamber 60. The transfer chamber 50 is equipped with a wafer transfer device 19, a wafer holding unit 20, a wafer holding plate 21, and a boat elevator 22. The cassette holding chamber 60 is equipped with a cassette rack 15, a spare cassette rack 16, and a cassette transfer robot 17. A wall 70 is provided between the transfer chamber 50 and the cassette holding chamber 60. The wafer transfer device 19 transfers wafers 1 from the cassette 2 in the cassette holding chamber 60 to the boat 25.

[0035] The processing apparatus 10 includes a reaction tube (processing tube, processing furnace) 31. This reaction tube 31 is made of a highly heat-resistant material such as quartz glass and is cylindrically shaped, open at one end and closed at the other. The reaction tube 31 is longitudinally arranged with its centerline perpendicular and is fixedly supported. The hollow portion of the reaction tube 31 forms a processing chamber 32 for accommodating multiple wafers 1. The lower end of the reaction tube 31 is open, forming a furnace port 33 for loading and unloading wafers 1. The furnace port 33 is open to a transfer chamber 50, connecting the processing chamber 32 to the transfer chamber 50.

[0036] The sealing cover 24, which closes the furnace opening 33, abuts the lower end surface of the reaction tube 31 from the vertical lower side. The sealing cover 24 is formed in a disk shape and is configured to be raised and lowered in the vertical direction by a boat elevator 22 installed outside the reaction tube 31. In addition, a furnace opening gate 28 can be provided to close the furnace opening 33 when the sealing cover 24 moves to the lower end position.

[0037] The boat 25 for holding the wafers 1 is vertically supported on the sealing cover 24. The boat 25 comprises a pair of upper and lower end plates and a plurality (three in this embodiment) of vertically arranged holding members (pillars) spanning between the end plates. Each holding member has a plurality of recessed holding grooves, evenly spaced in the longitudinal direction and open to each other. By inserting the outer edges of the wafers 1 between the plurality of holding grooves of each holding member, multiple wafers 1 are horizontally arranged and held on the boat 25 with their centers aligned.

[0038] (Preparation box rack)

[0039] Next, use Figures 2 to 4 The following describes the spare cassette rack 16 for carrying in the cassette 2 from the cassette stage device 13 provided in the processing apparatus 10 .

[0040] The standby cassette rack 16 holds cassettes 2 so that their openings face the same direction (X2) as the direction in which the cassette transport robot 17 removes them from the standby cassette rack 16. The standby cassette rack 16 is configured to accommodate multiple cassettes 2 along a surface parallel to the opening for loading and unloading wafers 1. In the standby cassette rack 16, three cassettes 2 can be loaded along the Y direction on each of the lower plate 161 and upper plate 162, each of which is provided with a cassette stopper 170. Between the lower plate 161 and upper plate 162, there are roughly rectangular lateral supports 163 on the Y1 side, roughly rectangular lateral supports 164 on the Y2 side, a central support 165 on the Y1 side, and a central support 166 on the Y2 side, extending in the Z direction. A shelf plate 167 is also provided to support the upper plate 162 and supports 163 and 164. A frame 110 is also provided, at least a portion of which is positioned above the cassettes 2 and fixed to the standby cassette rack 16. The frame 110 is located on the X1 side of the lower plate 161 and the upper plate 162. The frame 110 includes: an upper frame 110a extending in the Y direction; a frame 110b erected from the upper surface of the Y1 side of the lower plate 161 and supporting the upper frame; a frame 110c erected from the upper surface of the Y2 side and supporting the upper frame; a frame 110d erected from the center upper surface of the Y1 side and supporting the upper frame; and a frame 110e erected from the center upper surface of the Y2 side and supporting the upper frame. The interior of the frame 110 is structured to accommodate multiple boxes 2 in the Y direction. Furthermore, an area 111 is provided above the upper frame 110a for the robot arm 18 of the box transport robot 17, which transfers the boxes 2 to the box rack 15, to enter. This frame structure is provided within the rack of the reserve box rack 16.

[0041] Furthermore, the frame 110 is provided with a first drive unit 112 that linearly moves in a direction approximately parallel to the opening for loading and unloading the wafer 1 (the Y direction); a second drive unit 113 that linearly moves in a direction approximately perpendicular to the opening (the X direction); and a stopper 114 that is moved by the first and second drive units 112, 113 to prevent the wafer from falling. The first and second drive units 112, 113, and stopper 114 constitute a wafer drop prevention mechanism. The first drive unit 112 includes a linear guide (rail) 112a extending in the Y direction and provided on the upper frame 110a; two movable units (carriages) 112b that move along the linear guide 112a; a loading plate 112c supported by the movable units; and a first cylinder 112d serving as a first actuator that pushes and pulls the loading plate 112c in the Y direction. The second drive unit 113 is provided on the loading plate 112c. The second drive unit 113 includes a second cylinder 113a serving as a second actuator, a plurality of arms 113b, a mounting plate 113c to which the arms 113b are fixed, and a linear guide 113d supporting the mounting plate 113c so as to be movable in two X directions. The stopper 114 is provided for each of the plurality of cartridges 2, thereby preventing a large number of cartridges from falling using a small number of drive mechanisms.

[0042] As mentioned above, there is an area 111 above the frame 110. When loading and unloading cassettes 2 into and out of the reserve cassette rack 16, the robot arm 18 intrudes into this area 111. Therefore, space saving is required for the first and second drive units 112 and 113, which act as the actuation sources for the stopper 114. To achieve this, these drive units utilize power components such as compact and slender pneumatically operated clean cylinders, space-saving cylinders with guides, linear guides for linear motion that provide low friction and noise and support the cylinder drive shaft to prevent movement in directions other than the drive shaft, and solenoid valves.

[0043] The first drive unit 112 is mounted on the frame 110, and the second drive unit 113 is mounted on the first drive unit 112. However, depending on the type of processing apparatus 10, the size of the area 111, the shape of the robot arm 18, the shape of the stopper 114, and the size of the wafer, a structure that is not necessarily a combination of the first and second drive units is not required. For example, by combining the material and shape of the stopper 114, it is possible to prevent the wafer from falling simply by the movement of the stopper fixed to the first drive unit 112, which moves linearly in a direction generally parallel to the opening.

[0044] The preliminary box rack 16 provided with a stopper 114 makes the opening of the box 2 face the same direction as the direction in which the box transport robot 17 takes out the box 2, that is, the X2 direction. In addition, a predetermined gap g is set between the stopper 114 and the chip 1 arranged at the deepest position. In other words, by setting the predetermined gap g on the opening side of the box 2, even if there are chips 1 at different positions within the range of the gap, it has a falling prevention effect for all chips 1, and the box 2 can be safely transported by the box transport robot 17. The design size of the gap g is, for example, 1 mm. Considering the assembly dimensional tolerance, the stopper 114 is preferably fixed near the top of the arm 113b in a manner that allows the gap g to be adjusted. In addition, the gap g includes zero. In this case, it is desired to appropriately adjust the speed and pressure of the movement of the second cylinder 113a.

[0045] The shape of the stopper 114 is preferably a shape that increases the second moment of cross section in the X2 direction, i.e., the direction in which the wafer 1 flies out, and for example, has a substantially rectangular cross section. Furthermore, if the fall prevention effect can be confirmed, the number, shape, and position of the stopper do not need to be limited.

[0046] The material of the stopper 114 is, for example, PEEK (polyetheretherketone), a thermoplastic resin that is made of the same material as the cassette 2 and is used to suppress contamination of the wafer 1. Of course, any material having the same level of contamination suppression effect, strength, wear resistance, dimensional stability, etc. can also be used as the raw material.

[0047] like Figure 4 As shown, the stopper 114 is configured to be movable between a first position 201 and a second position 202 by the aforementioned first drive unit 112 and second drive unit 113. In other words, the first position 201 is set at the X2 side of the lower plate 161 or the upper plate 162, and the second position 202 is set at a position approximately in the center of the opening of the box 2. The first position 201 is outside the Y-direction length of the box 2 and is at the end of the lower plate 161 or the upper plate 162, so it will not affect the movement of the box transport robot 17, that is, it will not hinder the transport of the box 2. The second position 202 is set at a position that can prevent the box 2 or the chip 1 in the box 2 from falling, that is, at the approximately center of the opening, so that a stopper 114 can be used to have a falling prevention function. In addition, in Figure 4 In the figure, the wafer 1 is shown on the plate 162, but the wafer 1 is stored in the box 2, and the box 2 is omitted.

[0048] (Box rack)

[0049] use Figure 5 The cassette rack 15 is described below. The cassette rack 15 stores the cassettes 2 with the opening thereof facing in the direction opposite to the direction in which the cassette transport robot 17 takes out the cassettes 2 from the spare cassette rack 16 .

[0050] A fixed stopper 301 is provided on the cassette rack 15. This stopper 301 extends along the wafer arrangement direction, creating a predetermined gap between the stopper 301 and the wafer that is arranged at the deepest position when viewed from the opening of the stored cassette. Unlike the stopper 114 described in the preliminary cassette rack 16, this stopper 301 is pre-secured to the plate 15a on the shelf portion outside the transfer rack, where the cassettes 2 are placed, using screws or the like. It is positioned approximately perpendicular to the wafers 1 stored in the cassettes 2. In other words, the stopper 301 is fixed, and therefore always prevents the cassettes 2 and wafers 1 from falling, regardless of the operation of the processing apparatus 10 or the movement of the cassette transport robot 17.

[0051] Furthermore, if the drop prevention effect can be confirmed, the shape and position of the stopper 301 are not limited. The stopper 301 may also be a quadrangular prism with a roughly rectangular cross-section, or it may be a polygonal prism or cylindrical shape. Furthermore, two stoppers 301 are provided on either side of the wafer opening of the cassette 2. If the drop prevention effect can be confirmed, the number and position of the stoppers are not limited. However, similar to the stoppers 114 of the backup cassette rack 16, in order to minimize physical damage to the wafer 1 due to friction, etc., in the event of contact, it is desirable to minimize the area facing the wafer 1.

[0052] In addition, the material of the fixed stopper 301 is preferably the same as the material of the aforementioned stopper 114, that is, thermoplastic PEEK resin, which is the same material as the cassette 2 and is used to suppress contamination of the wafer 1. Of course, any resin having the same level of contamination suppression effect, strength, wear resistance, dimensional stability, etc. can also be used as the material.

[0053] (Controller)

[0054] like Figure 6 As shown, the controller 121, serving as a control unit, is configured as a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 121a, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 121b, a storage device 121c, and an I / O port 121d. The RAM 121b, the storage device 121c, and the I / O port 121d are configured to communicate with the CPU 121a via an internal bus. An input / output device 122, such as a touch panel, and an external storage device 123 are connected to the controller 121.

[0055] The storage device 121c is composed of, for example, a flash memory, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), etc. A control program for controlling the operation of the substrate processing device, a process recipe that records the order and conditions of the substrate processing described later, etc. are stored in a readable manner in the storage device 121c. In addition, the recipe is a combination of methods that enable the controller 121 to execute each step in the substrate processing process described later and obtain a specified result, and is a high-level language compared to the control program. The control program and the recipe are collectively referred to as a program. The storage device 121c also sequentially stores log information that records the operation and status of the device. The RAM 121b is configured as a storage area (work area) that temporarily holds the program, data, etc. read by the CPU 121a.

[0056] The I / O port 121d is connected to the box transfer unit 12, the box stage device 13, the chip posture calibration device 14, the box transfer robot 17, the chip transfer device 19, the boat elevator 22, the first drive part 112 of the stopper 114, the second drive part 113, etc.

[0057] The CPU 121a is configured to read and execute a control program from the storage device 121c, and to read a wafer recipe from the storage device 121c based on input of an operation command from the input / output device 122. The CPU 121a is configured to control, in accordance with the contents of the read recipe, the posture calibration operation of the cassette transfer unit 12, the rotation operation of the cassette stage device 13, the wafer posture calibration device 14, the motion control of the robot arm 18 of the cassette transfer robot 17, the rotation and lifting control of the wafer transfer device 19, the lifting operation of the boat elevator 22, the operation of the first drive unit 112 and the second drive unit 113 of the stopper 114, and the like.

[0058] By means of such a controller 121 , the movement of the cassette 2 by the cassette transport robot 17 can be controlled, and the control of the stopper 114 described below can be realized.

[0059] When the cassette transport robot 17 moves the cassette 2 to or from the spare cassette rack 16 , the drop prevention mechanism corresponding to the cassette 2 is controlled to move to the first position 201 , that is, a position that does not hinder the movement of the cassette 2 .

[0060] Furthermore, when the cassette transport robot 17 is activated from its standby position (home position) in which it does not contact the cassettes 2 stored in the standby cassette rack 16, control is performed so that the plurality of drop prevention mechanisms corresponding to the plurality of cassettes 2 stored in the standby cassette rack 16 are moved to the first position 201. Furthermore, control is performed so that the plurality of drop prevention mechanisms are moved to the second position 202 after a predetermined time has elapsed since the cassette transport robot 17 returned to the home position. This coordination reduces the time delay between the cassette 2 transfer operation and the activation of the drop prevention mechanisms, thereby reducing the risk of wafer 1 loss.

[0061] The controller 121 can be configured by installing the above-mentioned programs and recipes stored in an external storage device (eg, a magnetic disk such as a hard disk, a semiconductor memory such as a USB memory) 123 into a computer. The storage device 121c and the external storage device 123 are configured as computer-readable tangible recording media.

[0062] Hereinafter, these are collectively referred to as recording media. When the term "recording medium" is used in this specification, it may include only the storage device 121c, only the external storage device 123, or both. Furthermore, the program may be provided to the computer using a communication method such as the Internet or a dedicated line, rather than the external storage device 123.

[0063] (2) Substrate processing method

[0064] Next, refer to Figure 7 、 Figure 8A and Figure 8B A substrate processing method using the processing apparatus 10 will be described. This substrate processing method will be described using, as an example, a film forming process in which a film is formed on a wafer 1 using the reaction tube 31 of the processing apparatus 10 as part of a semiconductor device (equipment) manufacturing process. In the following description, the operations of the various components of the processing apparatus 10 are controlled by the controller 121.

[0065] (Box loading: S10)

[0066] Cassette 2 is loaded with wafers 1 before processing. When cassette 2 is transported to the front of housing 11 by an external transport device (not shown), cassette 2 is placed (loaded) onto cassette stage device 13 of cassette transfer unit 12. At this point, the wafers 1 in cassette 2 are in a vertical position. Wafer posture alignment device 14 aligns the wafers 1, and cassette stage device 13 rotates 90 degrees, thereby rotating cassette 2 90 degrees. Within processing apparatus 10, the wafers 1 in cassette 2 are now in a horizontal position, and the position of the wafers 1 in cassette 2 is aligned by the movement of cassette 2.

[0067] (Preparatory cassette rack transfer: S11)

[0068] At the stage before the box 2 starts to move to the preparation box rack 16, the stopper 114 is as described above. Figure 4 As shown, the cassette 2 and the wafer 1 are located at the second position 202 where they are prevented from falling.

[0069] The box conveying robot 17 starts to convey the box 2 from the box stage device 13 to the rear of the loading position of the reserve box rack 16 (S111). Simultaneously with the start of the box conveying robot 17, the stopper 114 is moved as shown in FIG. Figure 8A As shown, the controller 121 sequentially operates the second drive unit 113, the first drive unit 112, and the second drive unit 113, moving the cassette 2 from the second position 202 to the first position 201, where it does not hinder the transport of the cassette 2 (S112). Specifically, the stopper 114 moves from the second position 202 in the X2 direction, separating from the wafer 1 (S112a). Next, the stopper 114 moves in the Y2 direction (S112b), and then in the X1 direction, repositioning at the first position 201 (S112c).

[0070] Next, the cassette transport robot 17 places the cassette 2 at a predetermined placement position in the spare cassette rack 16 ( S113 ).

[0071] The cassette transport robot 17 retracts the robot arm 18 from the reserve cassette shelf 16 and moves the robot arm 18 toward the home position or another target location ( S114 ).

[0072] After the box transport robot 17 has completed its retreat from the reserve box rack 16, the stopper 114 is as shown in FIG. Figure 8B As shown, the controller 121 moves from the first position 201 to the second position 202 (S115) based on the actions performed in the order of the second drive unit 113, the first drive unit 112, and the second drive unit 113. That is, the stopper 114 starts to move from the first position 201 in the X2 direction (S115a). Thereafter, it moves in the Y1 direction to the front of the opening of the box 2 (S115b). Next, the stopper 114 moves in the X1 direction and is arranged at the second position 202 (S115c). It should be noted that in order to make the position of the stopper 114 relative to the wafer 1 clear, the depiction of the box 2 on the left side being transported is omitted.

[0073] Furthermore, after a cassette 2 is unloaded from the spare cassette rack 16, when the cassette transport robot 17 returns to the standby position and a predetermined time has elapsed, the controller 121 also moves the stopper 114 to the second position 202. Specifically, the stopper 114 is substantially always located at the second position to prevent at least one cassette 2 and wafer 1 from falling, and moves between the first position 201 and the second position 202 in conjunction with the movement of the cassette transport robot 17.

[0074] In this embodiment, three cassettes are arranged on each level in the horizontal direction of the reserve cassette rack 16. In this case, the stopper 114 operates for a total of six cassettes on two levels without interfering with the movements of the cassette transport robot 17 or other parts except the robot arm 18.

[0075] (Cartridge rack transfer: S12)

[0076] Next, the cassette transport robot 17 uses its robot arm 18 to hold the cassette 2 from the standby cassette rack 16 and transfer the cassette 2 to the cassette rack 15, or transfers the cassette 2 from the standby cassette rack 16 to a transfer rack located on the cassette rack 15 and opposite the wafer transfer device 19. At this time, simultaneously with the start of the transfer operation by the cassette transport robot 17, the controller 121 moves the stopper 114 from the second position 202 to the first position 201 where it does not hinder the transfer of the cassette 2, in the same manner as in the aforementioned step S112. After the cassette 2 is unloaded from the standby cassette rack 16, the stopper 114 moves from the first position 201 to the second position 202, in the same manner as in the aforementioned step S115.

[0077] (First wafer transfer: S13)

[0078] The wafers 1 placed in a horizontal state in the cassette rack 15 or the cassette 2 of the transfer rack are transferred by the wafer transfer device 19 and loaded into the boat 25 .

[0079] (Film forming process: S14)

[0080] Next, the boat 25 is loaded into the reaction tube 31 by the boat elevator 22 .

[0081] After the boat 25 (wafers 1 ) is loaded into the reaction tube 31 , for example, source gas and reaction gas are supplied, and a film is formed on the wafers 1 under predetermined conditions.

[0082] (Second wafer transfer: S15)

[0083] After the film formation process, the boat 25 is taken out of the reaction tube 31 by the boat elevator 22. Then, the processed wafers 1 in the boat 25 are transferred by the wafer transfer device 19 to the cassette 2 of the transfer rack.

[0084] (Cartridge rack transfer: S16)

[0085] Next, the cassette 2 on the transfer rack is transferred to the cassette rack 15 by the robot arm 18 .

[0086] (Preparatory cassette rack transfer: S17)

[0087] Next, the cassette transport robot 17 holds the cassette 2 using the robot arm 18 and transfers it to the standby cassette rack 16. Simultaneously with the start of the cassette transport robot 17's operation, the controller 121 moves the stopper 114 provided on the standby cassette rack 16 from the second position 202 to the first position 201 in the same manner as in the aforementioned step S112, so as not to obstruct the loading of the cassette 2. After the cassette 2 is loaded into the standby cassette rack 16, the controller 121 moves the stopper 114 from the first position 201 to the second position 202 in the same manner as in the aforementioned step S115.

[0088] (Box removal: S18)

[0089] When the box 2 is moved out of the processing device 10, the stopper 114 is moved from the second position 202 to the first position 201 through the controller 121 in the same action as the aforementioned S112 process, and then the robot arm 18 is used to transfer the box 2 from the preparation box rack 16 to the box carrier device 13 of the box transfer unit 12.

[0090] The above describes the movement of the stopper 114 of the reserve cassette rack 16 between the first position 201 and the second position 202, which is achieved by the controller 121 of the processing device 10, in conjunction with the operation of the cassette transport robot 17 and the loading and unloading of cassettes 2 into and out of the reserve cassette rack 16. If it is difficult to incorporate the operation of the stopper 114 into the controller 121 from a software perspective, it is possible to implement the control coordination with the home position sensors of each axis of the cassette transport robot 17, as described below, using a separate controller, such as a programmable logic controller (PLC) capable of performing various processes. Using this PLC also avoids interference with the operations of the controller 121.

[0091] (a) If at least one of the starting position sensors (not shown) of the CS axis or CZ axis of the box transport robot 17 changes from ON (open) to OFF (closed), that is, moves from the starting position, the stopper 114 starts to move from the second position 202 to the first position 201.

[0092] (b) Until the stopper 114 completes its movement from the second position 202 to the first position 201 , the operations of the box transport robot 17 (CS / CZ axis) and the robot arm 18 (CX axis) are temporarily stopped.

[0093] (c) After the stopper 114 moves to the first position 201 , the temporary stop of the operation of the cassette transport robot 17 (CS / CZ axis) and the robot arm 18 (CX axis) is released, and the operation can be resumed.

[0094] (d) When the home position sensors of the CS axis and the CZ axis of the cassette transport robot 17 are ON for a certain period of time, that is, when the cassette transport robot 17 is at the home position, the stopper 114 starts moving from the first position 201 to the second position 202 .

[0095] According to the above-described embodiment, one or more of the following effects can be obtained.

[0096] When the robot arm 18 of the box transport robot 17 is not in a state of intruding into the spare box rack 16, the stopper 114 is moved to the opening side of the box 2 by the first drive unit 112 and the second drive unit 113, and is maintained approximately vertically relative to the arrangement of the chip 1, thereby reliably preventing the box 2 and the chip 1 placed on the spare box rack 16 from falling.

[0097] The driving parts of the fall prevention mechanism shared by multiple boxes, namely the first driving part 112 that moves linearly in a direction roughly parallel to the opening for loading and unloading chips, and the second driving part 113 that moves linearly in a direction roughly perpendicular to the opening, can be constructed inexpensively.

[0098] If there are protruding wafers 1 in the cassette 2, the stopper 114 can be used to push them inward, i.e., to align the wafers. This eliminates the need to reposition the wafers 1 after the cassette 2 has been transferred to the cassette stage assembly 13 after the scheduled substrate processing steps have been completed.

[0099] [Other methods]

[0100] use Figure 9 、 Figure 10 A controller 121 in a processing apparatus 10 according to another embodiment and a substrate processing method using the controller 121 will be described.

[0101] like Figure 9 As shown, the basic structure of the controller 121 in other embodiments is the same as that of the aforementioned embodiment. Figure 6 Same. Figure 9 An earthquake signal acquisition unit 401 is additionally provided.

[0102] The seismic signal acquisition unit 401 is used to receive detection signals of initial micro-vibration (P) waves and / or main shaking (S) waves. Figure 9 1 is described as a block diagram attached to the controller 121. As long as it is a system that can receive earthquake signals from the outside, it can also be built into the controller 121.

[0103] When the seismic signal acquisition unit 401 receives a detection signal, the controller 121 is configured to control the stopping of the transport mechanism and processing mechanism in response to the detection signals for P and S waves, respectively. For example, the CPU 121a and the I / O port 121d are configured to activate and control the first drive unit 112 and the second drive unit 113 of the stopper 114 of the present invention when an earthquake occurs. In other words, at the stage of detecting the first arrival of the P wave, movement to the second position 202 can be immediately initiated to prevent damage to the wafer 1, such as from falling, etc. In other words, the controller 121 can determine whether the wave is a P wave or an S wave, and can independently set the stopping of the transport mechanism and processing mechanism.

[0104] Next, in the substrate processing method in the case of receiving the seismic signal, regarding the operation of the stopper 114 in the process of carrying the cassette in and out with respect to the preliminary cassette rack 16, the following is used. Figure 10 . The wafer loading and unloading processes for the standby cassette rack 16 when no seismic signal is being received, the transfer process between the processing chamber 32 and the cassette rack 15 within the processing apparatus 10, and the film formation process are the same as those in the embodiment, and therefore detailed descriptions are omitted. Furthermore, the operating method associated with the movement of the stopper 114 between the first position 201 and the second position 202 is also the same as that shown in FIG8 as an embodiment.

[0105] (Stopper moves from the second position to the first position: S49)

[0106] After the cassette 2 is loaded into the processing apparatus 10 in the same manner as in step S10 of the embodiment, the cassette transport robot 17 begins to transfer the cassette 2 to the rear of the placement position of the spare cassette rack 16, i.e., begins to transport the cassette 2 toward the spare cassette rack 16, in the same manner as in step S111 of the embodiment. Simultaneously with this start, the stopper 114 is moved by the controller 121 from the second position 202 to the first position 201 where it does not hinder the transport of the cassette 2.

[0107] (Box loading and seismic signal reception: S50, S51, S52)

[0108] At this time, when the earthquake signal acquisition unit 401 receives a signal due to an earthquake, the stopper 114 is moved from the first position 201 to the second position 202 by the controller 121 without the robot arm 18 of the box transport robot 17 invading the spare box rack 16 (S521).

[0109] On the other hand, when the robot arm 18 of the cassette transport robot 17 intrudes into the spare cassette rack 16 , the controller 121 immediately retracts the robot arm 18 ( S522 ) and moves the stopper 114 from the first position 201 to the second position 202 ( S523 ).

[0110] Furthermore, when an earthquake signal is received when the cassette is carried in, the transport / unloading of the cassette 2 to / from the spare cassette rack 16 and all functions within the processing device 10 are stopped until a manual release operation is performed.

[0111] (Stopper moves from the first position to the second position: S53)

[0112] If no seismic signal is received when cassette 2 is loaded into spare cassette rack 16, cassette 2 is transferred from spare cassette rack 16 to cassette rack 15, and stopper 114 of spare cassette rack 16 moves from first position 201 to second position 202. Then, steps S12 and S13 of the embodiment are performed.

[0113] (Film forming process: S60)

[0114] After the boat 25 (wafers 1) is loaded into the reaction tube 31, source gas and reaction gas are supplied, and films are formed on the wafers 1 under predetermined conditions. After film formation is completed on all wafers, the cassettes 2 are transferred to the cassette rack 15 via the transfer rack, similar to S15 and S16 of the embodiment.

[0115] (Stopper moves from the second position to the first position: S69)

[0116] At the start of transfer from the cartridge magazine 15 to the spare cartridge magazine 16 , the controller 121 moves the stopper 114 of the spare cartridge magazine 16 from the second position 202 to the first position 201 ( S69 ).

[0117] (Box removal and seismic signal reception: S70, S71, S72)

[0118] At this time, when the earthquake signal acquisition unit 401 receives a signal due to an earthquake, the stopper 114 is moved from the first position 201 to the second position 202 by the controller 121 without the robot arm 18 of the box transport robot 17 invading the spare box rack 16 (S721).

[0119] On the other hand, when the robot arm 18 of the cassette transport robot 17 intrudes into the spare cassette rack 16 , the controller 121 immediately retracts the robot arm 18 ( S722 ) and moves the stopper 114 from the first position 201 to the second position 202 ( S723 ).

[0120] (Stopper moves from the first position to the second position: S79)

[0121] If no seismic signal is received when unloading the wafer to the spare cassette shelf 16 , the controller 121 moves the stopper 114 of the spare cassette shelf 16 from the first position 201 to the second position 202 after transferring the wafer from the cassette shelf 15 to the spare cassette shelf 16 .

[0122] In addition, when a seismic signal is received when the chip is moved out, as with the case when the chip is moved in, the transport / unloading of the above-mentioned box 2 relative to the spare box rack 16 and all functions within the processing device 10 are stopped until the manual release operation is performed.

[0123] When the cassette 2 is moved out of the processing apparatus 10 , similarly to S18 of the embodiment, the controller 121 moves the stopper 114 to the first position 201 , and then the robot arm 18 transfers the cassette 2 from the spare cassette rack 16 to the cassette stage device 13 of the cassette transfer unit 12 .

[0124] The above describes the movement of the stopper 114 between the first position 201 and the second position 202 when an earthquake occurs while loading or unloading cassettes 2 from the reserve cassette rack 16, based on the movement and position of the robot arm 18 of the cassette transport robot 17. The movement and position of the stopper 114 upon reception of an external earthquake signal can also be coordinated with the control of the device operating components described below through software application.

[0125] When the stopper 114 is in the second position 202 , all the operating parts of the device are prohibited from returning to the initial position or moving from the initial position.

[0126] When the stopper 114 is present at the first position 201 , after the robot arm 18 (CX axis) returns to the home position, the box transport robot 17 (CS / CZ axes) returns to the home position, and the stopper 114 moves to the second position 202 .

[0127] This seismic signal reception method also achieves the same effects as the above-described embodiment. Under the control of the controller 121, in conjunction with the movement of the cassette transport robot 17 or the robot arm 18, the stopper 114 moves toward the opening of the cassette 2, maintaining it approximately perpendicular to the arrangement of the wafers 1. This reliably prevents the cassette 2 and wafers 1 placed on the spare cassette rack 16 from falling.

[0128] In the above-mentioned several methods, examples of forming a film using a batch-type substrate processing device that processes multiple substrates at a time are described. The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned methods. For example, even when a film is formed using a cluster-type substrate processing device that processes one or more substrates at a time, the present invention can be well applied. In addition, in the above-mentioned methods, examples of forming a film using a substrate processing device with a hot-wall processing furnace are described. The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned methods. For example, even when a film is formed using a substrate processing device with a cold-wall processing furnace, the present invention can be well applied.

[0129] Even when these substrate processing apparatuses are used, each process can be performed in the same processing sequence and processing conditions as those in the above-mentioned embodiment, and the same effects as those in the above-mentioned embodiment can be obtained.

Claims

1. A substrate processing device, characterized in that: have: (a) a container storage unit that stores containers for storing substrates; and (b) a fall prevention mechanism configured to be movable between a first position and a second position, wherein the first position is a position that does not hinder the conveyance of the container, and the second position is a position that prevents the container stored in the container storage portion or the substrate in the container from falling.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The fall prevention mechanism comprises: a first driving portion that moves linearly in a direction substantially parallel to an opening for placing the substrate in and out of the container; a second driving portion that moves linearly in a direction substantially perpendicular to the opening; and a stopper that is moved by the first drive unit and the second drive unit, When the stopper is moved from the first position to the second position, the first drive unit moves the stopper to the front of the opening, and then the second drive unit moves the stopper in a direction approaching the substrate.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: The container storage portion is configured to be able to place a plurality of the containers along a surface parallel to the opening, and the stopper is provided for each of the plurality of containers.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: The device further includes a frame at least a portion of which is disposed above the container and fixed to the container storage portion. The first driving portion is mounted on the frame, and the second driving portion is mounted on the first driving portion.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The invention also provides a box transfer device, which is arranged in the same shell as the container storage part and moves the container to or from the container storage part. The container storage part holds the container with the opening of the container facing the same direction as the direction in which the box transfer device takes the container out of the container storage part.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein: It also includes a control unit that is capable of controlling the movement of the container based on the box transfer device, and capable of controlling so that when the box transfer device moves the container to the container storage unit and when the box transfer device moves the container from the container storage unit, the fall prevention mechanism corresponding to the container is moved to the first position.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: The control unit is configured to be able to control so that when the box transfer device is started from the standby position where it does not contact the container stored in the container storage unit, the multiple fall prevention mechanisms corresponding to the multiple containers stored in the container storage unit are moved to the first position, and after a specified time has passed since the box transfer device returned to the standby position, the multiple fall prevention mechanisms are moved to the second position.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: The control unit is configured to perform control so as to preferentially move the fall prevention mechanism to the second position when all functions are stopped due to reception of an earthquake signal.

9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: When the stopper is in the second position, it extends in the vicinity of the opening of the container in a direction substantially identical to the arrangement direction of the substrates in the container, thereby preventing the substrates from flying out of the container.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: The drop prevention mechanism further includes an alignment function capable of retaining the wafer protruding from the container within the container when the mechanism moves to the second position.

11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein: The second position is set so that a predetermined gap is formed between the substrate arranged at the innermost position when viewed from the vicinity of the opening and the stopper.

12. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein: The predetermined interval is set so that a cassette transfer device that moves the container to or from the container storage unit can transport any substrate at a different position within the range of the predetermined interval.

13. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein: The apparatus further comprises a main storage unit for storing the container containing the substrate so that the opening of the container faces a direction opposite to the direction in which the cassette transfer device takes out the container from the rack. The main storage portion includes a fixed stopper extending in the arrangement direction of the substrates so as to form a predetermined gap between the fixed stopper and the substrate arranged at the innermost position as viewed from the opening of the stored container.

14. A substrate falling prevention mechanism, characterized in that: have: a first driving unit mounted on the frame and linearly moving in a direction substantially parallel to an opening of a container for accommodating substrates; a second driving portion that moves linearly in a direction substantially perpendicular to the opening; and The stopper moves between a first position and a second position by the first driving unit and the second driving unit, wherein the first position is a position that does not hinder the conveyance of the container, and the second position is a position that prevents the container stored in the container storage unit or the substrate in the container from falling.

15. A substrate processing method, characterized in that: The process includes the following steps: (a) a substrate loading step of receiving a substrate housed in a container and loading the substrate into a processing furnace; (b) processing the substrate in the processing furnace; and (c) a step of taking the substrate out of the processing furnace and unloading the substrate received in the container, At least one of (a) and (c) includes a step of moving a fall prevention mechanism provided on a container storage portion for storing the container in a substrate processing apparatus between a first position and a second position, wherein the first position is a position that does not hinder the transport of the container, and the second position is a position that prevents the container stored in the container storage portion or the substrate in the container from falling.

16. The substrate processing method according to claim 15, wherein: The substrate carrying-in step is performed while the substrate is maintained in a horizontal position in the container, and the position of the substrate in the container is aligned by the moving step.

17. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, characterized in that: Including the substrate processing method according to claim 15.

18. A program product, characterized in that The invention includes a program for causing a substrate processing apparatus to execute the following steps using a computer: (a) a substrate loading step of receiving a substrate housed in a container and loading the substrate into a processing furnace; (b) processing the substrate in the processing furnace; as well as (c) taking the substrate out of the processing furnace and unloading the substrate received in the container, At least one of (a) and (c) includes the step of moving a fall prevention mechanism provided on a container storage portion for storing the container in a substrate processing apparatus between a first position and a second position, wherein the first position is a position that does not hinder the transportation of the container, and the second position is a position that prevents the container stored in the container storage portion or the substrate in the container from falling.

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