Substrate processing method and substrate processing system

Abstract

To appropriately calibrate a gas flow control device in a substrate processing system.SOLUTION: In a substrate processing method, when measuring a flow rate of gas output from a flow rate control unit using a flow rate measurement unit, the following steps are sequentially executed: detecting a deviation in the measurement value of a pressure sensor provided in the flow rate measurement unit; calculating an average deviation of the flow rates of gas output from each of a plurality of flow rate control units; and detecting a flow rate difference of the gas output from each of the plurality of flow rate control units. The control unit automatically determines whether or not a malfunction has occurred in the measurement of the gas flow rate, and if the malfunction is detected, automatically gives notification of the location and cause of the malfunction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing method and a substrate processing system. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a method for calculating the flow rate of gas output from a flow controller to a gas flow path using a build-up technique based on the rate of increase in pressure in the gas flow path due to gas supply, the temperature in the gas flow path, and a known gas flow path volume. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-120617 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technology disclosed herein appropriately calibrates a gas flow rate control device in a substrate processing system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is a method of processing a substrate using a substrate processing system, the substrate processing system including a chamber for accommodating the substrate and performing a desired gas process, a gas supply unit for supplying gas into at least the interior of the chamber, a plurality of flow control units for adjusting the flow rate of the gas supplied from the gas supply unit, a flow measurement unit for measuring the flow rate of the gas output from the flow control unit, and a control unit for controlling the measurement of the gas flow rate by the flow measurement unit, the method of processing a substrate sequentially performing, when measuring the gas flow rate output from the flow control unit using the flow measurement unit, a step of detecting a measurement value deviation of a pressure sensor provided in the flow measurement unit, a step of calculating an average deviation of the gas flow rates output from each of the plurality of flow control units, and a step of detecting a flow rate difference of the gas output from each of the plurality of flow control units, the control unit automatically determining whether a malfunction has occurred in the measurement of the gas flow rate, and, if a malfunction is detected, automatically notifying the location and cause of the malfunction. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to appropriately calibrate a gas flow rate control device in a substrate processing system. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing a configuration example of a wafer processing system according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a system diagram showing a configuration example of a gas supply mechanism according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the opening and closing timing of a valve in gas flow rate measurement in a wafer processing system. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing a series of steps for measuring a gas flow rate according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the timing of gas flow rate measurement. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, various gas processes such as etching, film formation, cleaning, etc. are performed under a desired gas atmosphere on a semiconductor substrate (hereinafter referred to as "wafer") placed in the internal space of a chamber. In these gas processes, it is important to precisely measure the flow rate of the gas supplied to the internal space of the chamber in order to obtain the desired gas processing results for the wafer to be processed.

[0009] Patent Document 1 discloses a substrate processing system equipped with a flow meter (flow measurement system) that measures the flow rate of gas supplied to the internal space of a chamber body. According to the flow measurement method described in Patent Document 1, a build-up method is used as one of the methods for measuring gas flow rate, and by supplying gas to a gas flow path with a known volume, the gas flow rate is measured based on the pressure rise rate in the gas flow path associated with the gas supply, the temperature in the gas flow path, and the volume of the gas flow path.

[0010] However, if an abnormality is detected in the gas flow rate measurement as described above, that is, for example, if a deviation occurs in the flow rate measurement result, calibration may be required for the flow rate controller that controls the gas flow rate in the substrate processing system and the flow rate measuring device described above.

[0011] However, when calibrating such flow rate controllers and flow rate meters, it may take a long time from when an abnormality occurs in the measurement results of the gas flow rate until the calibration is actually performed. Specifically, when a notification is issued that an abnormality has occurred in the measurement results, the system operator must manually check the notification, diagnose the abnormality after checking the notification, and calibrate the equipment based on the diagnosis results, so that it may take a long time to calibrate the equipment.

[0012] In general, the system operator and the troubleshooter who diagnoses and calibrates the equipment are often different people. When the system operator and the troubleshooter are different in this way, it becomes necessary for the system operator and the troubleshooter to repeatedly communicate and report the details of the abnormality and the calibration, which may result in an even longer time required for the calibration of the equipment.

[0013] Furthermore, when the above-mentioned device calibration is manually performed by a troubleshooter, there is a risk that the calibration time will vary depending on the skill level of the operator and the environment, and there is a risk of human error such as an operation mistake occurring. Thus, there is room for improvement in the conventional device calibration method from the viewpoint of reducing the time required.

[0014] The technology disclosed herein has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and appropriately calibrates a gas flow rate control device in a substrate processing system. Specifically, a series of steps from detecting an abnormality to calibrating the device, which was previously performed manually, is automated, thereby shortening the time required for calibration and suppressing the occurrence of human error. Hereinafter, a wafer processing system as a substrate processing system according to one embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification and the drawings, elements having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.

[0015] <Wafer Processing System Configuration> 1 is a plan view showing an outline of the configuration of a wafer processing system 1 according to this embodiment. In the wafer processing system 1, a desired gas process, such as an etching process, a film forming process, or a cleaning process, is performed on a wafer W as a substrate.

[0016] 1, the wafer processing system 1 has an atmospheric section 10 and a reduced pressure section 11 that are integrally connected via load lock modules 20 and 21. The atmospheric section 10 includes an atmospheric module that performs a desired process on the wafer W in an atmospheric pressure atmosphere. The reduced pressure section 11 includes a reduced pressure module that performs a desired process on the wafer W in a reduced pressure atmosphere.

[0017] The load lock modules 20 and 21 are connected to a loader module 30 (to be described later) in the atmospheric section 10 via gate valves 20a and 21a, respectively. The load lock modules 20 and 21 are also connected to a transfer module 50 (to be described later) in the reduced pressure section 11 via gate valves 20b and 21b, respectively. The load lock modules 20 and 21 are configured to temporarily hold a wafer W. The load lock modules 20 and 21 are also configured so that the interior can be switched between an atmospheric pressure atmosphere and a reduced pressure atmosphere (vacuum state).

[0018] The atmospheric section 10 has a loader module 30 that transports wafers W under atmospheric pressure. The loader module 30 is provided with a plurality of (for example, five) load ports 32 for mounting FOUPs 31 capable of storing a plurality of wafers W, and the above-mentioned load lock modules 20 and 21. The loader module 30 may also be provided with an orienter module (not shown) that adjusts the horizontal orientation of the wafer W, a storage module (not shown) that stores a plurality of wafers W, and the like.

[0019] A wafer transfer mechanism 40 is provided inside the loader module 30 and configured to be movable on a guide rail 41 extending into the loader module 30. The wafer transfer mechanism 40 has a transfer arm 42 that holds and moves a wafer W. The transfer arm 42 is configured to be movable horizontally, vertically, around a horizontal axis, and around a vertical axis. The wafer transfer mechanism 40 is configured to be able to transfer the wafer W to the FOUP 31 of the load port 32 and the load lock modules 20, 21.

[0020] The decompression unit 11 has a transfer module 50 that transports the wafer W under a decompressed atmosphere. The transfer module 50 is provided with a plurality of chambers 60 (for example, six chambers) for performing desired gas processing such as etching, film formation, cleaning, etc. on the wafer W depending on the purpose, and the load lock modules 20 and 21 described above. The chambers 60 are connected to the transfer module 50 via a gate valve 61. The number of chambers 60 connected to the transfer module 50 is not limited to the example shown in the figure, and can be determined arbitrarily.

[0021] A wafer transfer mechanism 70 is provided inside the transfer module 50 and configured to be movable on a guide rail 71 extending inside the transfer module 50. The wafer transfer mechanism 70 has a transfer arm 72 that holds and moves a wafer W. The transfer arm 72 is configured to be movable horizontally, vertically, around a horizontal axis, and around a vertical axis. The wafer transfer mechanism 70 is configured to be able to transfer the wafer W to any of the chambers 60 and the load lock modules 20, 21.

[0022] In the transfer module 50, the transfer arm 72 receives the wafer W held in the load lock module 20 and transfers it to an arbitrary chamber 60. In addition, the transfer arm 72 holds the wafer W that has been subjected to the desired processing in the chamber 60 and transfers it to the load lock module 21.

[0023] The decompression section 11 is also provided with a gas supply mechanism 100 for supplying gas to each of the chambers 60. The gas supply mechanism 100 includes a plurality of gas boxes 110 (for example, six gas boxes 110 corresponding to each of the chambers 60) each housing a gas control unit for controlling the supply of gas to the chambers 60, a main gas unit 120 including at least one gas source provided on the primary side (upstream side) of the gas boxes 110 (chambers 60), and a flow rate measuring unit 130 for measuring the flow rate of gas supplied to the chambers 60. The detailed configuration of the gas supply mechanism 100 will be described later.

[0024] The wafer processing system 1 described above is provided with a control unit 200. The control unit 200 is, for example, a computer equipped with a CPU, a memory, and the like, and has a program storage unit (not shown). The program storage unit stores a program for controlling gas processing of the wafer W in the wafer processing system 1. The program storage unit further stores a program for controlling operations related to equipment calibration, which will be described later. The above program may be recorded in a computer-readable storage medium H and installed from the storage medium H to the control unit 200. The storage medium H may be temporary or non-temporary.

[0025] Next, an example of a detailed configuration of the above-mentioned gas supply mechanism 100 will be described. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a piping system constituting the gas flow path of the gas supply mechanism 100. In the following description, as described above, the main gas unit 120 side in the gas flow direction may be referred to as the primary side (upstream side), and the exhaust unit 150 side in the gas flow direction, which will be described later, may be referred to as the secondary side (downstream side). In Fig. 2, some of the six chambers 60 and gas boxes 110 arranged in the wafer processing system 1 are omitted in order to prevent the illustration from becoming complicated.

[0026] The main gas unit 120 includes gas sources 121 and flow controllers 122 for supplying one or more gases to each gas box 110. In one embodiment, the main gas unit 120 is configured to supply one or more gases from respective gas sources 121 to the gas boxes 110 via respective flow controllers 122. Each flow controller 122 may include, for example, a mass flow controller or a pressure-controlled flow controller.

[0027] A plurality of gas boxes 110 (six gas boxes 110 in this embodiment corresponding to the chambers 60 as described above) are connected to the downstream side of the main gas unit 120 via a connection pipe 123. Further, a valve 123a is arranged in the connection pipe 123 corresponding to each gas box 110, and the gas supply from the main gas unit 120 to each gas box 110 can be arbitrarily switched by opening and closing the valve 123a.

[0028] The gas box 110 is provided with a flow rate controller 111 for controlling the flow rate of the process gas to each of the corresponding chambers 60. A plurality of flow rate controllers 111 may be provided according to the type of gas supplied from the main gas unit 120. A flow rate controller primary valve 111a is disposed on the primary side of the flow rate controller 111, and the gas supply from the main gas unit 120 to each of the flow rate controllers 111 can be arbitrarily switched by opening and closing the flow rate controller primary valve 111a. A flow rate controller secondary valve 111b is disposed on the secondary side of the flow rate controller 111, and the gas supply from the flow rate controller 111 to the secondary side can be arbitrarily switched.

[0029] The downstream side of the gas box 110 is connected to the corresponding chamber 60 via a connection pipe 112. A first output valve 112a is disposed in the connection pipe 112, and the gas supply from the gas box 110 to the chamber 60 can be arbitrarily switched by opening and closing the first output valve 112a.

[0030] Further, downstream of the gas box 110, a flow rate measuring unit 130 is connected via a measurement pipe 131, which branches off from the connection pipe 112. A second output valve 131a is disposed in the measurement pipe 131, and the gas supply from the gas box 110 to the flow rate measuring unit 130 can be arbitrarily switched by opening and closing the second output valve 131a.

[0031] In the gas box 110 according to the present embodiment, when gas is supplied from one flow rate controller 111, for example, when processing gas is supplied to the chamber 60 for the purpose of wafer processing, the first output valve 112a is opened and the second output valve 131a is closed, so that the processing gas is supplied to the chamber 60 through the connection pipe 112. On the other hand, when gas is supplied to the flow rate measuring unit 130 for the purpose of measuring the gas flow rate, the second output valve 131a is opened and the first output valve 112a is closed, so that the gas is supplied to the flow rate measuring unit 130 through the measurement pipe 131.

[0032] As described above, a desired process gas according to the purpose of wafer processing is supplied into the chamber 60 via the connection pipe 112. Then, in the chamber 60, the supplied process gas is used to perform a desired gas process such as an etching process, a film forming process, or a cleaning process on the wafer W. The process gas supplied into the chamber 60 is exhausted to an exhaust unit 150 (described below) via an exhaust pipe 62. An exhaust valve 62a is disposed in the exhaust pipe 62, and an exhaust operation of the process gas from the chamber 60 can be controlled by opening and closing the exhaust valve 62a.

[0033] The flow rate measurement unit 130 includes a plurality of sensors, for example, two pressure sensors 132 and 133 in this embodiment, that measure the internal pressure of the flow rate measurement unit 130, and a temperature sensor 134 that measures the internal temperature of the flow rate measurement unit 130. The pressure measurement range of the pressure sensors 132 and 133 can be determined arbitrarily, but for example, in order to widen the pressure measurement range in the flow rate measurement unit 130, it is preferable to use one sensor that can measure in a high pressure range and the other sensor that can measure in a low pressure range.

[0034] The primary side of the flow rate measuring unit 130 is connected to the measurement pipe 131 via a measuring instrument primary valve 130a, and is configured such that gas from the gas box 110 can be introduced into the flow rate measuring unit 130 by opening the measuring instrument primary valve 130a. In addition, the secondary side of the flow rate measuring unit 130 is connected to a calibration system 140, which will be described later, via a measuring instrument secondary valve 130b.

[0035] In this embodiment, the flow rate measurement unit 130 is configured to form a flow path therein and to allow gas to flow from the gas box 110. Therefore, the inside of the flow rate measurement unit 130 in which the pressure sensors 132, 133 and the temperature sensor 134 are provided is the region between the measurement device primary valve 130a and the measurement device secondary valve 130b, and refers to the internal space of the flow rate measurement unit 130 itself which forms the gas flow path.

[0036] In this embodiment, the measurement pipe 131 is configured to form a flow path therein and to allow the gas from the gas box 110 to flow therethrough. In the wafer processing system 1, the gas from the gas box 110 is sealed in the flow rate measuring unit 130 via the measurement pipe 131, and the rate of increase in the internal pressure of the measurement pipe 131 and the flow rate measuring unit 130 is measured, and the gas flow rate is measured using the rate of increase.

[0037] The calibration system 140 calibrates the flow rate measurement unit 130 based on the measurement result of the gas flow rate by the flow rate measurement unit 130. The calibration system 140 includes a reference device piping 141 and a reference device 142. A reference device valve 141a is disposed in the reference device piping 141, and the supply of gas to the reference device 142 can be arbitrarily controlled by opening and closing the reference device valve 141a.

[0038] The upstream side of the reference pipe 141 is connected to the flow rate measurement unit 130 via the measuring instrument secondary valve 130b as described above. The downstream side of the reference pipe 141 is connected to the exhaust pipe 62, i.e., the exhaust unit 150 described below, via the calibration valve 140a and the exhaust pipe 143. An exhaust valve 143a is disposed in the exhaust pipe 143, and the exhaust pipe 143 and the exhaust pipe 62 can be connected to each other by opening and closing the exhaust valve 143a.

[0039] The exhaust unit 150 is configured to exhaust gas downstream of the exhaust pipe 62. The exhaust unit 150 includes a plurality of exhaust mechanisms 151 provided corresponding to the plurality of chambers 60 arranged in the wafer processing system 1, respectively, and at least one decontamination device 152 for performing decontamination processing of the exhaust gas downstream of the exhaust mechanisms 151. The exhaust mechanism 151 may include, for example, a vacuum pump such as a turbo molecular pump or a dry pump, or a combination thereof.

[0040] Although various exemplary embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described exemplary embodiments, and various additions, omissions, substitutions, and modifications may be made. In addition, elements in different embodiments can be combined to form other embodiments.

[0041] In the wafer processing system 1 configured as described above, in order to properly perform gas processing on the wafer W, the gas flow rate output from the flow rate controller 111 to the chamber 60 is measured by a build-up method, which is also disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example. 3, the internal pressure of the flow rate measuring unit 130 and the measurement pipe 131 is controlled by controlling the opening and closing of various valves of the gas supply mechanism 100, and the internal pressure is measured at a plurality of measurement points (four points of internal pressures P1 to P4 in the illustrated example).Then, the flow rate is calculated using the measured internal pressures P1 to P4 and the known volume V of the flow rate measuring unit 130 (and the measurement pipe 131), etc.

[0042] Here, if an abnormality is found in the measurement of the gas flow rate, it may be necessary to replace or calibrate various devices included in the gas supply mechanism 100. However, as described above, conventionally, diagnosis of an abnormality occurring in the measurement of the gas flow rate and calibration of the devices are performed manually, and there is a risk of it taking a long time from the occurrence of the abnormality until the calibration of the devices is completed. If it takes a long time to complete the calibration of the devices, the downtime of the chamber 60 including the gas supply mechanism 100 in which the abnormality is detected increases, and as a result, the productivity of the wafer processing system 1 decreases.

[0043] In this embodiment, therefore, the time required for device calibration is reduced by automating a series of steps related to detection, diagnosis, and device calibration of an abnormality that occurs in such flow rate measurement.

[0044] <Method of measuring gas flow rate> A gas flow rate measurement method as a wafer processing method will be described below. Fig. 4 is a flow chart showing a series of steps from gas flow rate measurement to equipment calibration according to this embodiment. The series of gas flow rate measurements shown in Fig. 4 are automatically controlled by, for example, the control unit 200.

[0045] 5, gas processing is performed continuously on a plurality of lots (e.g., 25 wafers W per lot) in one chamber 60 in the wafer processing system 1. In this embodiment, the above-described gas flow rate measurement is performed during an idle time of the chamber 60, that is, between successive lot processing operations. The idle time of the chamber 60 can be detected, for example, by referring to a recipe previously output to the control unit 200 or by measuring the system stop time (time during which gas processing is not performed). In other words, the gas flow rate measurement may be automatically started by the control unit 200 automatically detecting that the chamber 60 is in an idle state.

[0046] When the idle time of chamber 60 is detected, prior to measuring the gas flow rate, a leak check is performed on various valves arranged in gas supply mechanism 100, particularly on the valves used in measuring the gas flow rate shown in Fig. 3 (step S1 in Fig. 4). The method of the leak check is not particularly limited, and may be appropriately performed by a known method.

[0047] If a leak occurs in any of the valves when measuring the gas flow rate, the above-mentioned internal pressures P1 to P4 used in calculating the flow rate may not be measured properly. Therefore, in this embodiment, a leak check is performed prior to the gas flow rate measurement in this way, thereby enabling the internal pressure of the flow rate measuring unit 130 to be measured properly in the following gas flow rate measurement.

[0048] If a leak is detected in any of the valves in step S1, an error notification to that effect, i.e., that a leak has been detected in gas supply mechanism 100, is sent to a system operator (step C1 in FIG. 4), and the operation related to the gas flow rate measurement in gas supply mechanism 100 is stopped (step G1 in FIG. 4). Note that the error notification to the system operator can be sent by any method selected from, for example, a display on an information display unit (not shown) provided in wafer processing system 1, sounding a buzzer, and notifying by email, or a combination of these methods. In gas supply mechanism 100 in which a leak in a valve has been detected, the valve may then be replaced or mechanically adjusted, and the gas flow rate measurement described below may be resumed.

[0049] Incidentally, step S1, i.e., checking for leaks in various valves, may be omitted as appropriate in consideration of various conditions such as the state of the device and the time required for flow rate measurement.

[0050] When it is confirmed in step S1 that no leak is detected in any of the valves, gas flow rate measurement in the gas supply mechanism 100 is then started.

[0051] When measuring the gas flow rate, first, it is confirmed whether the measured value of the gas flow rate output from the flow rate controller 111 is valid, that is, the normality of the flow rate measurement unit 130. If the measured value of the flow rate measurement unit 130 is invalid when measuring the gas flow rate, for example, even if the gas flow rate output from the flow rate controller 111 can be precisely controlled, the above-mentioned internal pressures P1 to P4 may not be measured appropriately. In other words, since the validity of the gas flow rate output from the flow rate controller 111 is determined using the measured value by the flow rate measurement unit 130, if there is a deviation in the flow rate measurement unit 130, the validity of the gas flow rate output from the flow rate controller 111 cannot be determined appropriately. Therefore, in this embodiment, the validity of the flow rate measuring unit 130 is judged prior to judging the validity of the flow rate controller 111 in this manner.

[0052] When checking the validity of the flow rate measuring unit 130, first, it is checked whether there is any deviation (e.g., zero point deviation or span deviation) in the measurement value by the flow rate measuring unit 130 (step S2 in FIG. 4). The method of checking the deviation in the measurement value is not particularly limited, but for example, the set value of the gas flow rate output from the flow rate controller 111 is compared with the measured value of the gas flow rate by the flow rate measuring unit 130, and if the difference between the measured value and the set value deviates from the measurement accuracy of the flow rate measuring unit 130, it can be determined that there is a deviation in the measurement value of the flow rate measuring unit 130. Moreover, it is preferable that the validity of the flow rate measuring unit 130 is checked using all gas lines provided in the gas supply mechanism 100, i.e., all flow rate controllers 111.

[0053] When a deviation is detected in the measurement value of the flow rate measurement unit 130 in step S2, the flow rate measurement unit 130 is subsequently calibrated, that is, the pressure sensors 132, 133 and the temperature sensor 134 are zero-point adjusted (step S2-1 in FIG. 4). The calibration of the flow rate measurement unit 130 can be performed, for example, by the above-mentioned calibration system 140. Note that, prior to the calibration of the flow rate measurement unit 130, an error message to that effect, that is, to perform calibration of the flow rate measurement unit 130, may be sent to the system operator (step C2 in FIG. 4).

[0054] When the flow rate measuring unit 130 is calibrated in step S2-1, a check is made to see if there is any deviation in the measurement value by the calibrated flow rate measuring unit 130, i.e., the calibration result is checked (step S2-2 in FIG. 4). The method for checking the calibration result in step S2-2 is preferably the same as the method for checking the deviation in the measurement value of the flow rate measuring unit 130 before calibration in step S2. Note that, prior to checking the calibration result, a system operator may be notified of this, i.e., that the measurement value deviation after calibration will be checked (step C3 in FIG. 4).

[0055] If a deviation is detected in the measurement value of the flow rate measuring unit 130 in step S2-2, in other words, if no improvement is observed in the flow rate measuring unit 130 through calibration, it is determined that it is difficult for the control unit 200 to automatically calibrate the flow rate measuring unit 130. Then, an error notification to that effect, that is, for example, that it is determined that the gas supply mechanism 100 needs to be replaced, is sent to the system operator (step C4 in FIG. 4), and the gas flow rate measurement operation in the gas supply mechanism 100 is stopped (step G2 in FIG. 4). In addition, in the gas supply mechanism 100 in which it is determined that automatic calibration of the flow measurement unit 130 is difficult, the gas flow measurement may be resumed after, for example, the flow measurement unit 130 is replaced or mechanically adjusted.

[0056] When it is confirmed in step S2 or step S2-2 that there is no deviation in the measurement value of the flow measurement unit 130, the flow deviation average of all gas lines provided in the gas supply mechanism 100, i.e., all flow controllers 111, i.e., the difference between the measurement value of the gas flow output from each flow controller 111 and the average value of the measurement values ​​is then calculated (step S3 in FIG. 4). In step S3, it is preferable to find the flow rate deviation average by excluding the maximum and minimum values ​​from among the multiple difference values ​​found from each flow rate controller 111.

[0057] If the flow rate deviation average is outside the specifications of the flow rate measurement unit 130, the difference between the measured value and the average value is biased toward either the positive or negative side. In such a case, it is determined that automatic calibration of the flow rate measurement unit 130 by the control unit 200 is difficult. Then, an error notification to that effect, that is, for example, that it is determined that the gas supply mechanism 100 needs to be replaced, is sent to the system operator (step C4 in FIG. 4), and the gas flow rate measurement operation in the gas supply mechanism 100 is stopped (step G2 in FIG. 4). In addition, in the gas supply mechanism 100 in which it is determined that automatic calibration of the flow measurement unit 130 is difficult, the gas flow measurement may be resumed after, for example, the flow measurement unit 130 is replaced or mechanically adjusted.

[0058] If it is confirmed in step S3 that the flow rate deviation average is within the specifications of the flow rate measurement unit 130, then, in addition to the result of the measurement deviation confirmation operation in step 2, it is determined that the measurement value of the flow rate measurement unit 130 is valid.

[0059] When the validity of the flow rate measuring unit 130 is confirmed, the validity of each flow rate controller 111 provided in the gas supply mechanism 100 is then determined based on the validity of the flow rate measuring unit 130. Specifically, a flow rate difference between the gases output from each of the flow rate controllers 111 is determined (step S4 in FIG. 4). Please give me a simple explanation of how to determine the flow rate difference. The following is based on my own speculation.

[0060] When a flow controller 111 that deviates from the calibration specifications in step S4, more specifically, a flow controller 111 having a large difference in the measured flow rate with respect to other flow controllers 111 or a flow controller 111 that requires updating of the mutual calibration coefficient (CCF), a zero point adjustment is subsequently performed for that flow controller 111 (step S4-1 in FIG. 4). Prior to the zero point adjustment of the flow controller 111, an error notification to that effect, i.e., to perform zero point adjustment of the flow controller 111, may be sent to the system operator (step C5 in FIG. 4).

[0061] When the zero point adjustment of the flow rate controller 111 is performed in step S4-1, it is confirmed whether the gas flow rate output from the flow rate controller 111 after the zero point adjustment deviates from the calibration specification, that is, the zero point adjustment result is confirmed (step S4-2 in FIG. 4). The method of confirming the zero point adjustment result in step S4-2 is preferably the same as the method of determining the flow rate difference of the gas before the zero point adjustment in step S4. Note that, prior to confirming the calibration result, the system operator may be notified of this, that is, that the measurement value deviation after calibration will be confirmed (step C6 in FIG. 4).

[0062] If a flow controller 111 that deviates from the calibration specifications is detected in step S4-2, in other words, if the flow controller 111 does not improve due to the zero point adjustment, an error is notified to the system operator that an abnormality has been detected in the correction gain value of the flow controller 111 (step C7 in FIG. 4). Furthermore, if a flow controller 111 that requires further updating of the mutual calibration coefficient is detected, a flow rate difference determination is performed for the other flow controllers 111 excluding the flow controller 111 whose abnormality was confirmed in the above-mentioned steps S4-1 and S4-2 (step S4-3 in FIG. 4). Note that, prior to such flow rate difference determination, the system operator may be notified of such a fact, i.e., that a flow rate difference determination will be performed (step C8 in FIG. 4).

[0063] If an abnormality is detected in flow rate controller 111 in step S4-3, an error notification is sent to the system operator to inform the system that an abnormality has been detected in the correction gain value of flow rate controller 111 (step C9 in FIG. 4), and the mutual calibration coefficients are automatically updated (step S4-4 in FIG. 4). If it is determined that the mutual calibration coefficients need to be updated, an error notification is sent to the system operator to inform the system that the mutual calibration coefficients need to be updated (step C10 in FIG. 4), and the mutual calibration coefficients are automatically updated (step S4-5 in FIG. 4). Then, when the mutual calibration coefficients are updated in step S4-4 or step S4-5, the update contents of the mutual calibration coefficients are notified to the system operator (step C11 in FIG. 4), and a series of operations related to gas flow rate measurement in gas supply mechanism 100 is terminated (step G2 in FIG. 4).

[0064] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S4, step S4-2, or step S4-3 that the flow rate controller 111 is within the calibration specifications, in other words, that updating of the mutual calibration coefficient is not necessary, the system operator is notified of this (step C12 in FIG. 4), and the series of operations related to gas flow rate measurement in the gas supply mechanism 100 is terminated (step G3 in FIG. 4). The gas flow rate measurement according to this embodiment and the instrument calibration when an abnormality is detected in the gas flow rate measurement are performed as described above.

[0065] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the gas flow rate is measured in one chamber 60 among the multiple chambers 60 provided in the wafer processing system 1. However, the gas flow rate can also be measured in the other chambers 60 provided in the wafer processing system 1 using a similar method.

[0066] According to the above embodiment, in flow rate measurement in the gas supply mechanism 100, by automating tasks that occur frequently and can be adjusted by the control unit 200, such as zero point adjustment of the flow rate measurement unit 130 and the flow rate controller 111, and updating the mutual calibration coefficient in the flow rate controller 111, the time required from such flow rate measurement to equipment calibration can be significantly shortened.

[0067] Specifically, in the conventional wafer processing system 1, when a problem occurs in the flow rate measurement in the gas supply mechanism 100, for example, (a) A system operator reports to a troubleshooter that a problem has occurred (b) Diagnosis by a troubleshooter (identifying the location of the problem and the cause of the problem) (c) Equipment adjustment and calibration by troubleshooters (d) Reporting of diagnostic and calibration results from the troubleshooter to the system operator Because a series of operations including the above were required, it took a long time from flow measurement to equipment calibration. In this respect, in the present embodiment, the above-mentioned operations (a) to (d) by a system operator or a troubleshooter are not required, and the process from the occurrence of a malfunction to the adjustment of the equipment, the calibration of the equipment, and the reporting to the system operator can be automated. As a result, whereas a series of steps from the above-mentioned (a) reporting the occurrence of a malfunction in flow measurement to the (d) reporting the results of the calibration of the equipment took at least several days in the past, the above-mentioned operations that occur frequently and can be adjusted by the control unit 200 can be handled on the same day.

[0068] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, even if the gas supply mechanism 100 itself or an installed valve or the like needs to be replaced (steps G1, G2, etc. in FIG. 4), that is, if a malfunction occurs that is difficult for the control unit 200 to automatically adjust, an error notification (steps C1, C4, etc. in FIG. 4) identifying the location and cause of the malfunction can be sent to the system operator. In other words, since there is no need to perform (b) diagnosis by a troubleshooter when a malfunction occurs, as in the past, the time required for equipment calibration can be appropriately shortened.

[0069] According to this embodiment, the series of steps from flow rate measurement to equipment calibration of the gas supply mechanism 100 can be automated, that is, can be performed without manual work by a system operator or a troubleshooter. This makes it possible to suppress the occurrence of human errors in the series of steps, such as operation mistakes and input mistakes, and also makes it possible to appropriately suppress variations in work time caused by the skill level of the operator and the environment.

[0070] 5, the gas flow rate measurement and equipment calibration of the gas supply mechanism 100 can be performed during idle time between successive lot processes. This allows the gas flow rate measurement and equipment calibration of the gas supply mechanism 100 to be performed without affecting the gas processing time of the wafer W in the chamber 60, i.e., without reducing the productivity of the target chamber 60, and also shortens the time required for maintenance in which the gas flow rate measurement and equipment calibration were conventionally performed. In other words, the time required for maintenance, i.e., the downtime of the chamber 60, is thus shortened, and therefore it is possible to increase the time for gas processing the wafer W in the chamber 60. In other words, by resuming the gas processing without delay after the maintenance of the chamber 60 is completed, it is possible to improve the productivity in the chamber 60.

[0071] 5, the gas flow rate measurement and the equipment calibration of the gas supply mechanism 100 are performed every idle time in the chamber 60. In other words, the gas processing (lot processing) of the wafer W performed in the chamber 60 can be performed in a state where the equipment calibration of the gas supply mechanism 100 is always performed. This appropriately prevents the gas processing of the wafer W from being performed in a state where a malfunction occurs in the gas supply mechanism 100, and thus prevents a decrease in the throughput of the gas processing performed in the chamber 60.

[0072] It should be noted that the series of gas flow rate measurement operations shown in Fig. 4 may not be able to be performed entirely during one idle time shown in Fig. 5, in other words, the time required for the series of gas flow rate measurements may be longer than one idle time. In such a case, the series of gas flow rate measurement operations may be interrupted in accordance with one idle time, and the interrupted gas flow rate measurement operations may be resumed during the next idle time.

[0073] In the above embodiment, a series of gas flow rate measurement operations are performed during the idle time of the chamber 60 shown in FIG. 5 . However, the gas flow rate measurement operations are not limited to being performed during the idle time of the chamber 60. Specifically, conventionally, the flow rate measurement operation of the gas supply mechanism 100 and the manual diagnosis and manual calibration of the troubleshooter performed based on the flow rate measurement operation are also performed during start-up and maintenance of the wafer processing system 1. Therefore, the series of gas flow rate measurement operations (automatic diagnosis and automatic calibration) according to the embodiment may be further performed during start-up and maintenance of the wafer processing system 1. This makes it possible to appropriately reduce the time required for start-up and maintenance of the wafer processing system 1.

[0074] Furthermore, when performing the gas flow rate measurement operation according to the embodiment at the start-up of the wafer processing system 1, the zero point adjustment of the flow rate controller 111 (steps S4-1 to S4-3 in FIG. 4) may be omitted as appropriate.

[0075] As described above, from the viewpoint of not affecting the gas processing time in chamber 60, i.e., performing gas flow rate measurement while maintaining the throughput of the gas processing, gas flow rate measurement may be performed, for example, during cleaning of chamber 60 in wafer processing system 1.

[0076] In the above embodiment, the control unit 200 controls the flow rate measurement unit 130 (steps S2-1 and S2-2 in FIG. 4) and the flow rate controller 111 (steps S4-1 to S4-5) to start automatically. However, each of these device calibration operations may be started after confirming a response from a system operator, for example. Specifically, for example, a switch for starting the execution of the equipment calibration may be added to the notification sent to the system operator immediately before the equipment calibration.

[0077] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The above-described embodiments may be omitted, substituted, or modified in various forms without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 1. Wafer Processing System 60 Chamber 111 Flow Controller 120 Main Gas Unit 130 Flow Measuring Unit 132 Pressure Sensor 133 Pressure Sensor 200 Control section W wafer

Claims

1. A method for processing a substrate using a substrate processing system, comprising: The substrate processing system includes: a chamber for receiving the substrate and subjecting it to a desired gas treatment; a gas supply unit that supplies a gas to at least the inside of the chamber; a plurality of flow rate control units that adjust the flow rate of the gas supplied from the gas supply unit; a flow rate measuring unit that measures a flow rate of the gas output from the flow rate control unit; A control unit that controls the flow rate measurement of the gas by the flow rate measurement unit, The method for processing a substrate includes the steps of: When the gas flow rate output from the flow control unit is measured using the flow rate measurement unit, detecting a deviation in a measurement value of a pressure sensor included in the flow rate measuring unit; calculating an average deviation of the gas flow rates output from each of the plurality of flow rate control units; detecting a flow rate difference between the gases output from each of the plurality of flow rate control units; The control unit automatically determines whether or not a malfunction has occurred in the measurement of the gas flow rate, A substrate processing method, in which, when the occurrence of a defect is detected, the location and cause of the defect are automatically notified.

2. 2. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of automatically calibrating the pressure sensor based on the detected deviation in the measurement value of the pressure sensor.

3. 2. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of automatically calibrating the flow rate control unit based on the detected flow rate difference of the gas.

4. The substrate processing system includes: a flow control secondary valve disposed on the secondary side of the flow control section; A flow controller primary valve disposed on the primary side of the flow measurement unit; A flow controller secondary valve disposed on the secondary side of the flow measurement unit, Prior to measuring the gas flow rate, 2. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of checking the flow control section secondary valve, the flow controller primary valve, and the flow controller secondary valve for leaks.

5. 5. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein the gas flow rate is measured between successive gas processes performed in the substrate processing system.

6. 5. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein the gas flow rate is measured at the time of starting up the substrate processing system.

7. 5. The substrate processing method according to claim 1, wherein the gas flow rate is measured during maintenance of the substrate processing system.

8. A substrate processing system for processing a substrate, comprising: a chamber for receiving the substrate and subjecting it to a desired gas treatment; a gas supply unit that supplies a gas to at least the inside of the chamber; a plurality of flow rate control units that adjust the flow rate of the gas supplied from the gas supply unit; a flow rate measuring unit that measures a flow rate of the gas output from the flow rate control unit; A control unit that controls the flow rate measurement of the gas by the flow rate measurement unit, The control unit is When the gas flow rate output from the flow control unit is measured using the flow rate measurement unit, detecting a deviation in a measurement value of a pressure sensor included in the flow rate measuring unit; calculating an average deviation of the gas flow rates output from each of the plurality of flow rate control units; detecting a flow rate difference between the gases output from each of the plurality of flow rate control units; Automatically determining whether or not a malfunction has occurred in the measurement of the gas flow rate; When occurrence of a malfunction is detected, the substrate processing system controls an operation related to flow rate measurement so as to automatically notify the location and cause of the malfunction.

9. The substrate processing system according to claim 8 , wherein the control unit performs automatic calibration of the pressure sensor based on the detected deviation in the measurement value of the pressure sensor.

10. 9. The substrate processing system according to claim 8, wherein the control unit performs automatic calibration of the flow rate control unit based on the detected flow rate difference of the gas.

11. a flow control secondary valve disposed on the secondary side of the flow control section; A flow controller primary valve disposed on the primary side of the flow measurement unit; A flow controller secondary valve disposed on the secondary side of the flow measurement unit, Prior to measuring the gas flow rate, the control unit 11. The substrate processing system according to claim 8, wherein the flow control section secondary valve, the flow rate controller primary valve, and the flow rate controller secondary valve are checked for leaks.

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