Production system and manufacturing method

Abstract

To provide a production system that improves throughput by preventing a reduction in the quality of a substrate even at the occurrence of trouble.SOLUTION: A production system performs a plurality of types of processing on a substrate, and comprises: a plurality of processing chambers that sequentially performs the processing; one or more buffer units that temporarily store a substrate on which the processing has been performed in at least one of the plurality of processing chambers; and a control unit that, when stop information is input for one of the plurality of processing chambers, controls whether to execute processing on a substrate under processing in a processing chamber in the next process, or store the substrate under processing in one of the buffer units.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate production system and manufacturing method. [Background technology]

[0002] In a production system that applies chemical or physical processing to substrates, if a problem occurs during the production process and the substrates are left in the processing chamber until the problem is resolved, the physical properties of the substrates will change and the quality will deteriorate. Therefore, the substrates are stocked in a buffer section, but if the allowable waiting time until the next processing step is short, all of the substrates stocked in the buffer section will be discarded, resulting in a problem of reduced yield.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a production system in which substrates are continuously fed into the buffer unit when the stock number in the buffer unit is equal to or less than a specified stock number, and the continuous feeding of substrates into the buffer unit stops when the specified stock number is reached. With this production system, even if a problem occurs during the production process, a decrease in the quality of the substrates can be prevented and throughput can be improved. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-178652 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, if a membrane-forming solvent is applied to a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display, or a glass substrate for an organic electroluminescence device and then left for a long period of time, the chemical properties of the membrane-forming solvent applied to the substrate change, resulting in a problem of a deterioration in quality.

[0006] The present invention provides a production system that improves throughput by preventing a decrease in the quality of substrates even when a problem occurs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A first aspect of the present invention is A production system for performing multiple processes on a substrate, a plurality of processing chambers for sequentially performing processing; One or more processing chambers for temporarily storing substrates that have been processed in at least one of the plurality of processing chambers. or a plurality of buffer units; a control unit that, when stop information is input for any of the plurality of processing chambers, controls whether the substrate being processed is to be processed in the processing chamber for the next process or stored in any of the buffer units; It is a production system that includes the following.

[0008] A second aspect of the present invention is A production system for performing a plurality of processes on a substrate, a first processing chamber group, a second processing chamber group, and a third processing chamber group, each of which includes one or more processing chambers, in which the substrate is processed in this order; a first buffer unit for temporarily storing substrates that have been at least partially processed in the first processing chamber group; a second buffer unit for temporarily storing substrates that have been processed in the second processing chamber group; When the stop information of the third processing chamber group is input, a control unit that controls whether to store the substrate in the first buffer unit or to start processing the substrate in the second processing chamber group; It is a production system that includes the following.

[0009] A third aspect of the present invention is A manufacturing method for manufacturing a processed substrate by processing a substrate in a plurality of processing chambers, comprising: acquiring stop information for any of the plurality of items; a step of controlling whether the substrate being processed is to be processed in the next process or stored in a buffer unit when the stop information is acquired; The manufacturing method is characterized by carrying out the steps of:

[0010] A fourth aspect of the present invention is A method for manufacturing a substrate in a production system including a first processing chamber group, a second processing chamber group, and a third processing chamber group, a first buffer unit for temporarily storing substrates that have been at least partially processed in the first processing chamber group, and a second buffer unit for temporarily storing substrates that have been processed in the second processing chamber group, acquiring stoppage information of the third processing chamber group; a step of controlling whether to store the substrate after processing in the first processing chamber group in the first buffer unit or to start processing in the second processing chamber group; The manufacturing method is characterized by comprising: [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a production system that can prevent deterioration in the quality of substrates even when a problem occurs and can improve throughput. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a production system. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of substrates when a problem occurs in the production system. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the internal configuration of a control unit of the production system. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a table showing a prediction of recovery from trouble in a production system. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is an operation flow diagram of a production system. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is an operation flow diagram of a production system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention claimed. Although the embodiments describe multiple features, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0014] FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of the production system. This production system is a system for performing multiple processes on substrates, and includes multiple processing chambers: a cleaning chamber 1, a coating chamber 3, a drying chamber 4, a baking chamber 6, and a cooling chamber 8. The production system also includes a first buffer unit 2 capable of storing substrates after cleaning in the cleaning chamber 1, a second buffer unit 5 capable of storing substrates after drying in the drying chamber, and a third buffer unit 7 capable of storing substrates after baking in the baking chamber 6. The production system also includes a control unit 100 that controls the entire system. In this embodiment, the process performed using the cleaning chamber 1 is referred to as a first process 101, the process performed using the coating chamber 3 and drying chamber 4 as a second process 102, and the process performed using the baking chamber 6 and cooling chamber 8 as a third process 103. One or more processing chambers for each process can also be referred to as a processing chamber group. That is, The cleaning chamber 1 can be referred to as a first group of treatment chambers, the coating chamber 3 and the drying chamber 4 as a second group of treatment chambers, and the baking chamber 6 and the cooling chamber 8 as a third group of treatment chambers.

[0015] The cleaning chamber 1 is a processing chamber in which the upper surface of the inserted substrate is cleaned. Cleaning is performed in an oxygen environment using UV light. However, cleaning is not limited to UV light, and cleaning may be performed using light other than UV light.

[0016] When the cleaning process of the substrate is completed, the control unit 100 makes a branching decision as to whether to load the substrate into the coating chamber 3 for the next processing step or into the first buffer unit 2. If there is no processing chamber in which a problem has occurred after the next step, the control unit 100 does not branch to the first buffer unit 2, but loads the substrate into the coating chamber 3.

[0017] The coating chamber 3 is a processing chamber in which the film-forming solution is applied to the upper surface of the substrate in a desired pattern in an oxygen environment. After the film-forming solution application process is completed, the allowable time until the substrate is placed in the drying chamber 4, which is the next process, is short at 30 seconds, so the substrate is quickly placed in the drying chamber 4 after the film-forming solution is applied.

[0018] The drying chamber 4 is a processing chamber that dries the film-forming solvent applied to the substrate in a vacuum environment. The drying chamber 4 is in a nitrogen environment when the substrate is loaded, but after the substrate is loaded, it is evacuated to a nitrogen atmosphere by a turbo molecular pump or the like. -4 The substrate is then evacuated to a vacuum of 100 Pa, and the membrane-forming solvent applied to the upper surface of the substrate is dried.

[0019] When the membrane-forming solvent drying process in the drying chamber 4 is completed, the control unit 100 determines whether to send the substrate to the baking chamber 6 for the next processing step, or to the second buffer unit 5. If there is no processing chamber in which a problem has occurred after the next step, the control unit 100 sends the substrate to the baking chamber 6 without sending it to the second buffer unit 5.

[0020] The baking chamber 6 is a processing chamber in which the substrate is heated to 250° C. in an oxygen environment to fix the film-forming solvent that has been dried in the pre-processing onto the substrate.

[0021] When the baking process in the baking chamber 6 is completed, the control unit 100 determines whether to load the substrate into the cooling chamber 8 for the next process, or to branch off to the third buffer unit 7. If no trouble has occurred in the cooling chamber 8 for the next process, the control unit 100 loads the substrate into the cooling chamber 8.

[0022] Cooling chamber 8 is a processing chamber in which the substrates are cooled by running cold water through a cooling substrate stand in a nitrogen environment. In cooling chamber 8, the substrate temperature is monitored using a radiation thermometer or the like, and once the substrate temperature has dropped to 35°C, the substrate is removed and one substrate is produced.

[0023] Substrates are continuously input into the production system of this embodiment and are continuously produced.

[0024] The first buffer section 2, second buffer section 5, and third buffer section 7 are all configured in a nitrogen environment with an oxygen concentration of less than 1 ppm, and the process buffer section with a longer allowable waiting time has a larger substrate storage capacity. For example, the first buffer section 2 has a 10-hour allowable waiting time, the second buffer section 5 has a 4-hour allowable waiting time, and the third buffer section 7 has a 2-hour allowable waiting time, with the first buffer section 2 having the largest storage capacity and the third buffer section 7 having the smallest storage capacity. In other words, in this embodiment, the more upstream the buffer section, the longer the allowable waiting time and the larger the storage capacity. Furthermore, each processing chamber and each buffer section is equipped with a controller for communicating information with the control section 100.

[0025] 2 shows a graph 200 that schematically illustrates the flow of substrates when a problem occurs in this production system. Here, as an example, when a problem occurs in the cooling chamber 8, the cleaning process in the cleaning chamber 1 Graph 200 shows the flow of substrates after cleaning is complete. The vertical axis of graph 200 indicates time, and the horizontal axis indicates the position of the substrate at each time. In this case, the flow of substrates is shown when a pressure C abnormality occurs in cooling chamber 8 in the trouble recovery prediction time table 300 of FIG. 4. After cleaning is complete, the substrate is transported to coating chamber 3 (201), where coating processing is performed (202), transported to drying chamber 4 (203), where drying processing is performed (204), and transported to second buffer unit 5 (205), where it is temporarily stored (206).

[0026] The control unit 100 obtains the predicted time required for the stopped processing chamber to resume operation (hereinafter referred to as the predicted recovery time) from the input stop information. It then controls the processing to be completed up to the downstream process where the allowable waiting time is longer than the predicted recovery time, and then stores the substrate in the buffer unit. The control unit 100 references the predicted recovery time table 300 and determines that the predicted recovery time for the pressure C abnormality in the cooling chamber 8 is 2.5 hours. The allowable waiting time for the third buffer unit 7 is 2 hours, which is shorter than the predicted recovery time of 2.5 hours even when taking into account the time required for processing and transport in each process. Therefore, processing up to the baking chamber 6 and temporary storage in the third buffer unit 7 are not possible. The allowable waiting time for the second buffer unit 5 is 4 hours, which is longer than the predicted recovery time. Therefore, the control unit 100 issues a branch command to process the substrates that have completed cleaning processing up to the drying chamber 4 and then temporarily store them in the second buffer unit 5. Therefore, the substrate flow follows the flow shown in graph 200.

[0027] In this way, the control unit 100 selects a buffer unit whose allowable waiting time is longer than the predicted time for recovery from the trouble, and issues a branch command so that the substrate is transported to the selected buffer unit after processing up to the selected buffer unit. Note that if there are multiple buffer units whose allowable waiting time is longer than the predicted time for recovery from the trouble, the most downstream buffer unit (but upstream of the processing chamber where the trouble occurred) should be selected.

[0028] For example, if the trouble occurring in the cooling chamber 8 is a replacement error in consumable E or an error in consumable F, and the predicted recovery time is 0.5 or 0.1 hours, the control unit 100 issues a control command to perform processing up to the baking chamber 6 and store the substrate in the third buffer unit 7. This is because the allowable waiting time for the third buffer unit 7 is 2 hours, which is longer than the predicted recovery time. Note that if the stock number in the third buffer unit 7 reaches its upper limit, the control unit 100 issues a control command to store the next substrate in the second buffer unit 5 after processing in the drying chamber 4 is completed.

[0029] Although the example shown here is the control of substrates after cleaning processing when a problem occurs in cooling chamber 8, similar control is performed for other substrates when a problem occurs in other cooling chambers. That is, when stop information is input for one of the multiple processing chambers, control unit 100 controls whether the substrate being processed is to be processed in the processing chamber for the next process or stored in one of the buffer units.

[0030] In this way, the production system according to this embodiment selects the most suitable buffer unit for temporary storage based on trouble information from each processing chamber using the control unit 100, and performs control to prevent quality degradation. The number of wafers stored in each buffer unit is determined based on the number of wafers produced each day and the table of predicted trouble recovery times.

[0031] 3 is a schematic diagram showing the functional configuration of the control unit 100 of this production system. The control unit 100 can be configured, for example, by a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a general-purpose or dedicated computer with an embedded program, or a combination of all or part of these.

[0032] The storage device 110 is configured with a hard disk drive or flash memory, and stores various data for controlling each processing chamber that constitutes the production system. Specifically, the storage device 110 stores a control program for operating each processing chamber, a trouble recovery predicted time table 300 for each processing chamber, and a wait allowable time table 301 for each buffer unit.

[0033] The transport branch judgment unit 121 judges whether a substrate that has been processed in a processing chamber should be transported to the next processing chamber or to the buffer unit. The production management display unit 122 is an interface for informing the operator of trouble information and operating status of the production line collected by the information transmission / reception unit 124, and has a function for transferring information to a fixed monitor or tablet. The transport main control unit 123 is responsible for controlling the transport of substrates, and in the event of a trouble, controls the transport by referring to the judgment result of the transport branch judgment unit 121. The information transmission / reception unit 124 transmits and receives information between the processing chambers and the buffer unit, and, for example, collects trouble information about the processing chambers and obtains the status of the buffer unit.

[0034] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a trouble recovery prediction time table 300 set in the control unit 100 of this production system. This trouble recovery prediction time table 300 includes a preset recovery prediction time for each type of trouble that may occur in each processing chamber. The trouble recovery prediction time table 300 is stored, for example, as a file for each processing chamber in a predetermined memory area within the storage device 110 of the control unit 100. In this production system, the table format is CSV, but is not limited to CSV. In this production system, this trouble recovery prediction time table 300 is generated for each of five types of processing chambers, and five files are stored in a predetermined memory area within the storage of the control unit 100.

[0035] Furthermore, if a type of trouble not included in the predicted trouble recovery time table 300 occurs, the longest predicted recovery time already set in the predicted trouble recovery time table 300 may be used as the predicted recovery time, or the predicted recovery time may be determined based on other criteria. The time required to recover from this trouble is stored and automatically set as a new predicted trouble recovery time in the predicted trouble recovery time table 300.

[0036] It is not necessary to use a table to calculate the predicted time to recover from a trouble. The control unit 100 may, for example, obtain information on the number of substrates, the lot number, the location of the failure, and the severity of the failure from the processing chamber in which the trouble occurred, and calculate the predicted time to recover from the trouble based on this information.

[0037] 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of the substrate transport control process when a problem occurs, which is executed by the control unit 100 of this production system. The substrate transport control process is a process included as part of the method for manufacturing substrates using this production system.

[0038] The substrate control process when a trouble occurs is started when stop information (trouble information) about any of the processing chambers is input to the control unit 100 in step S1.

[0039] When the stop information is input, in step S2, the control unit 100 refers to the predicted trouble recovery time table 300 to determine the predicted trouble recovery time, and sets the determined predicted trouble recovery time in the transportation branch determination unit 121. Note that the predicted trouble recovery time may be determined by a method other than using the predicted trouble recovery time table 300 as described above.

[0040] In step S3, the control unit 100 selects a substrate for which a transport branch determination is to be performed. Here, it is assumed that the substrate located most downstream among the substrates located upstream of the processing chamber where the trouble occurred is selected.

[0041] In step S4, the control unit 100 selects the most downstream buffer unit among the buffer units located upstream of the stopped processing chamber, that is, the buffer unit located immediately upstream of the stopped processing chamber.

[0042] In step S5, the control unit 100 calculates the allowable waiting time for the selected buffer unit. The allowable waiting time for the buffer unit may be stored in advance in the storage device 110 of the control unit 100, or may be obtained by the control unit 100 from the buffer unit. Note that the allowable waiting time may include the time required to transport the substrate to the buffer unit and the processing time during that time, in addition to the time allowed to wait in the buffer unit. In other words, the allowable waiting time calculated here may be the sum of the time required to continue processing the substrate until it is stored in the buffer unit and the time allowed to wait in the buffer unit.

[0043] In step S6, the control unit 100 determines whether the allowable waiting time of the selected buffer unit is longer than the predicted time for recovery from the trouble. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S7, and if the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step S9.

[0044] In step S7, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the selected buffer unit has free space. More specifically, when the currently considered substrate arrives at the buffer unit, it determines whether or not the buffer unit has free space. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S8, and if the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step S9.

[0045] In step S8, the control unit 100 determines that the substrate to be processed will be processed in the processing chamber up to the selected buffer unit, and then temporarily stored in the buffer unit.

[0046] In step S9, the control unit 100 determines whether there is a buffer unit upstream of the buffer unit selected in step S4. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S4, where the same process is repeated for the buffer unit immediately upstream. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step S10.

[0047] In step S10, the control unit 100 determines to stop the processing without performing any further processing on the substrate selected in step S3.

[0048] In step S11, the control unit 100 determines whether or not there is an unprocessed substrate. If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S3, where the same process is repeated for a new substrate. If the determination is negative, the process ends.

[0049] In this way, when stop information is input for one of the processing chambers, the control unit 100 selects the most downstream buffer unit (but upstream of the stopped processing chamber) among the buffer units whose allowable waiting time is longer than the predicted restoration time. The control unit 100 then controls the processing of the substrate in the processing chambers up to the selected buffer unit, and then stores the substrate in the selected buffer unit. Furthermore, if starting processing of the substrate in the processing chamber for the next process would result in the allowable waiting time being shorter than the predicted restoration time for all subsequent buffer units, the substrate processing is stopped without loading the substrate into the processing chamber for the next process. Furthermore, even if a buffer unit with an allowable waiting time longer than the predicted restoration time exists, if it is determined that there is no vacant buffer unit at the time the substrate arrives, processing is performed up to the buffer unit upstream of the selected buffer unit, and the substrate is stored in the upstream buffer unit.

[0050] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a specific example of the process of FIG. 5. More specifically, when a problem occurs in the cooling chamber 8 (third process), the control unit 100 controls the cooling chamber 8 to cool the substrate before the first process is started. 10 is a flowchart showing a transport control process performed by the transport control unit 100.

[0051] First, in step S20, the transfer main control unit 123 starts loading a substrate into the first process 101. In step S21, if no trouble information is input to the control unit 100 from the cooling chamber 8 of the third process 103, no trouble response processing is required, so the process proceeds to step S38 and the operation flow ends for the time being. Thereafter, in step S20 again, loading of the next substrate into the first process 101 begins, and the process proceeds to step S21. Here, if trouble information is input to the control unit 100 from the cooling chamber 8 of the third process 103, the process proceeds to step S22.

[0052] In step S22, the control unit 100 determines a predicted recovery time from the input trouble information and the trouble recovery predicted time table 300, and sets it in the transportation branch determination unit 121.

[0053] In step S23, the transport branch determination unit 121 determines whether the allowable waiting time for the third buffer unit 7 is longer than the estimated recovery time, and if the "allowable waiting time>estimated recovery time" is not true, the process proceeds to step S24. In step S24, the transport branch determination unit 121 determines whether the allowable waiting time for the second buffer unit 5 is longer than the estimated recovery time, and if the "allowable waiting time>estimated recovery time" is not true, the process proceeds to step S25. In step S25, the transport main control unit 123 performs a branch transport to the first buffer unit 2 without performing a cleaning process on the substrate, and then proceeds to step S38 and ends.

[0054] In step S23, if the "allowable waiting time>estimated recovery time" of the third buffer unit 7 is satisfied (S23-YES), the process proceeds to step S26. In step S26, the transport main control unit 123 controls the substrate to be transported to the first process 101 and subjected to cleaning processing in the cleaning chamber 1, and the process proceeds to step S27.

[0055] In step S27, the transport branch determination unit 121 determines whether or not there is free space in the second buffer unit 5 for stocking. If there is free space in the second buffer unit 5, in step S28, the transport main control unit 123 controls the substrate to be transported to the second process 102 for processing in the coating chamber 3 and the drying chamber 4. Thereafter, in step S29, the transport branch determination unit 121 determines whether or not there is free space in the third buffer unit 7 for stocking. If there is free space in the third buffer unit 7, in step S31, the transport main control unit 123 controls the substrate to be transported to the third process 103 for processing in the baking chamber 6. Thereafter, in step S31, the transport main control unit 123 branches the substrate to be transported to the third buffer unit 7, and the process proceeds to step S38 and ends.

[0056] In step S27, if there is no space to store the items in the second buffer unit 5, the process proceeds to step S32. In step S32, the transport main control unit 123 performs a branch transport to the first buffer unit 2, and then proceeds to step S34 and ends. In step S9, if there is no space in the third buffer unit 7, the process proceeds to step S33. In step S33, the transport main control unit 123 performs a branch transport to the second buffer unit 5, and then proceeds to step S38 and ends.

[0057] In step S24, if the allowable waiting time for the second buffer unit 5 is greater than the predicted recovery time, the process proceeds to step S34. In step S34, the transport main control unit 123 controls the substrate to be transported to the first process 101 to undergo processing in the cleaning chamber 1, as in step S6. In step S35, the transport branch determination unit 121 determines whether there is free space in the second buffer unit 5, and if there is free space, controls the substrate to be transported to the second process 102 to undergo processing in the coating chamber 3 and drying chamber 4 in step S36. Thereafter, In step S37, the sheet is diverted and transported to the second buffer unit 5, and the process proceeds to step S38 and ends.

[0058] In step S35, if it is determined that there is no free space in the second buffer unit 5, the process proceeds to step S32. After proceeding to step S32, as described above, the product is diverted and transported to the first buffer unit 2, and the process proceeds to step S38 and ends.

[0059] 6 is a flow for when a problem occurs in the cooling chamber 8 in the third step 103, and a similar flow for when a problem occurs in another processing chamber is stored in the transfer main control unit 123 of the control unit 100. The process when a problem occurs in another processing chamber can be easily understood by those skilled in the art from FIGS. 5 and 6, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0060] <Other Examples> The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program.The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0061] <Additional Notes> The present disclosure includes the following configurations. [Configuration 1] A production system for performing multiple processes on a substrate, a plurality of processing chambers for sequentially performing processing; One or more processing chambers for temporarily storing substrates that have been processed in at least one of the plurality of processing chambers. or a plurality of buffer units; a control unit that, when stop information is input for any of the plurality of processing chambers, controls whether the substrate being processed is to be processed in the processing chamber for the next process or stored in any of the buffer units; A production system comprising: [Configuration 2] The control unit acquiring a predicted time required for the stopped processing chamber to resume operation based on the stop information; selecting a buffer section whose waiting time is longer than the predicted time; and storing the substrate in the selected buffer unit after the buffer unit has been subjected to processing in the processing chamber up to the selected buffer unit. The production system according to configuration 1, [Configuration 3] when there are a plurality of buffer units whose allowable waiting time is longer than the predicted time, the control unit stores the substrate in the buffer unit that is closest to the stopped processing chamber on the upstream side. 3. The production system according to configuration 2. [Configuration 4] when processing of the substrate in the processing chamber for the next process is started, if the allowable waiting time of any of the buffer units thereafter is shorter than the predicted time, the control unit stops loading of the substrate into the processing chamber for the next process; 4. The production system according to configuration 2 or 3. [Configuration 5] The control unit stores in advance an allowable waiting time in the buffer unit. 5. The production system according to any one of configurations 2 to 4. [Configuration 6] when there is no free space in the selected buffer section at the time the substrate arrives, the control section stores the substrate in a buffer section upstream of the selected buffer section. 6. The production system according to any one of configurations 2 to 5. [Configuration 7] The stop information includes the type of trouble, the control unit acquires, as the predicted time, a time that is set in advance depending on the type of the trouble; 7. The production system according to any one of configurations 2 to 6. [Configuration 8] the plurality of processing chambers include a cleaning chamber, a coating chamber, a drying chamber, and a baking chamber in this order from the upstream side; the plurality of buffer units include a first buffer unit that stores the substrate after the cleaning process in the cleaning chamber, a second buffer unit that stores the substrate after the drying process in the drying chamber, and a third buffer unit that stores the substrate after the baking process in the baking chamber. 8. The production system according to any one of configurations 1 to 7. [Configuration 9] the plurality of processing chambers include a cleaning chamber, a coating chamber, a drying chamber, and a baking chamber in this order; the plurality of buffer units include a first buffer unit capable of storing the substrate after the treatment in the cleaning chamber and before the treatment in the coating chamber, and a second buffer unit capable of storing the substrate after the treatment in the drying chamber and before the treatment in the baking chamber. 9. The production system according to any one of configurations 1 to 8. [Configuration 10] The longer the allowable waiting time, the larger the storage capacity of the plurality of buffer units. 10. The production system according to any one of configurations 1 to 9. [Configuration 11] Each of the plurality of buffer sections is in a nitrogen environment with an oxygen concentration of less than 1 ppm. 11. The production system according to any one of configurations 1 to 10. [Configuration 12] A production system for performing a plurality of processes on a substrate, a first processing chamber group, a second processing chamber group, and a third processing chamber group, each of which includes one or more processing chambers, in which the substrate is processed in this order; a first buffer unit for temporarily storing substrates that have been at least partially processed in the first processing chamber group; a second buffer unit for temporarily storing substrates that have been processed in the second processing chamber group; a control unit that, when stop information for the third processing chamber group is input, controls whether to store the substrate after processing in the first processing chamber group in the first buffer unit or to start processing in the second processing chamber group; A production system comprising: [Configuration 13] The control unit acquiring a predicted time required for the third processing chamber group to resume operation based on the stop information; If the allowable waiting time in the second buffer unit is longer than the predicted time, processing of the substrate in the second processing chamber group is started, and if not, the substrate is stored in the first buffer unit. 13. The production system according to configuration 12. [Configuration 14] a third buffer unit for temporarily storing substrates that have been at least partially processed in the third processing chamber group; when the second buffer unit is longer than the predicted time and the allowable waiting time in the third buffer unit is shorter than the predicted time, the control unit starts processing the substrate in the second processing chamber group, and stores the substrate in the second buffer unit after the processing in the second processing chamber group is completed. 14. The production system according to configuration 13. [Configuration 15] the control unit stops loading of substrates into the first processing chamber group when the allowable waiting time in the second buffer unit and the third buffer unit is shorter than the predicted time. 15. The production system according to configuration 14. [Configuration 16] when there is no free space in the second buffer unit, the control unit stores the substrate in the first buffer unit even if the allowable waiting time in the second buffer unit is longer than the predicted time. 14. The production system according to configuration 13. [Configuration 17] The first buffer unit has a longer allowable waiting time and a larger storage capacity than the second buffer unit. 17. The production system according to any one of configurations 12 to 16. [Configuration 18] The first buffer section and the second buffer section are both in a nitrogen environment with an oxygen concentration of less than 1 ppm. 17. The production system according to any one of configurations 12 to 16. [Configuration 19] A manufacturing method for manufacturing a processed substrate by processing a substrate in a plurality of processing chambers, comprising: acquiring stop information for any of the plurality of items; a step of controlling whether the substrate being processed is to be processed in the next process or stored in a buffer unit when the stop information is acquired; A manufacturing method characterized by carrying out the steps of: [Configuration 20] A method for manufacturing a substrate in a production system including a first processing chamber group, a second processing chamber group, and a third processing chamber group, a first buffer unit for temporarily storing substrates that have been at least partially processed in the first processing chamber group, and a second buffer unit for temporarily storing substrates that have been processed in the second processing chamber group, acquiring stoppage information of the third processing chamber group; a step of controlling whether to store the substrate after processing in the first processing chamber group in the first buffer unit or to start processing in the second processing chamber group; A manufacturing method comprising: [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 1: Cooling chamber 2: First buffer section 3: Coating chamber 4: Drying chamber 5: Second buffer section 6: baking chamber 7: third buffer section 8: cooling chamber 100: control section

Claims

1. A production system for performing multiple processes on a substrate, a plurality of processing chambers for sequentially performing processing; One or more processing chambers for temporarily storing substrates that have been processed in at least one of the plurality of processing chambers. or a plurality of buffer units; a control unit that, when stop information is input for any of the plurality of processing chambers, controls whether the substrate being processed is to be processed in the processing chamber for the next process or stored in any of the buffer units; A production system comprising:

2. The control unit acquiring a predicted time required for the stopped processing chamber to resume operation based on the stop information; selecting a buffer section whose waiting time is longer than the predicted time; and storing the substrate in the selected buffer unit after the buffer unit has been subjected to processing in the processing chamber up to the selected buffer unit.

2. The production system according to claim 1.

3. when there are a plurality of buffer units whose allowable waiting time is longer than the predicted time, the control unit stores the substrate in the buffer unit that is closest to the stopped processing chamber on the upstream side.

3. The production system according to claim 2.

4. when processing of the substrate in the processing chamber for the next process is started, if the allowable waiting time of any of the buffer units thereafter is shorter than the predicted time, the control unit stops loading of the substrate into the processing chamber for the next process; 3. The production system according to claim 2.

5. The control unit stores in advance an allowable waiting time in the buffer unit.

3. The production system according to claim 2.

6. when there is no free space in the selected buffer section at the time the substrate arrives, the control section stores the substrate in a buffer section upstream of the selected buffer section.

3. The production system according to claim 2.

7. The stop information includes the type of trouble, the control unit acquires, as the predicted time, a time that is set in advance depending on the type of the trouble; 3. The production system according to claim 2.

8. the plurality of processing chambers include a cleaning chamber, a coating chamber, a drying chamber, and a baking chamber in this order from the upstream side; the plurality of buffer units include a first buffer unit that stores the substrate after the cleaning process in the cleaning chamber, a second buffer unit that stores the substrate after the drying process in the drying chamber, and a third buffer unit that stores the substrate after the baking process in the baking chamber.

2. The production system according to claim 1.

9. the plurality of processing chambers include a cleaning chamber, a coating chamber, a drying chamber, and a baking chamber in this order; The plurality of buffer units include a first buffer unit capable of storing the substrate after the treatment in the cleaning chamber and before the treatment in the coating chamber, and a second buffer unit capable of storing the substrate after the treatment in the drying chamber and before the treatment in the baking chamber. a second buffer section capable of storing a previous substrate; 2. The production system according to claim 1.

10. The longer the allowable waiting time, the larger the storage capacity of the plurality of buffer units.

2. The production system according to claim 1.

11. Each of the plurality of buffer sections is in a nitrogen environment having an oxygen concentration of less than 1 ppm.

2. The production system according to claim 1.

12. A production system for performing a plurality of processes on a substrate, a first processing chamber group, a second processing chamber group, and a third processing chamber group, each of which includes one or more processing chambers, in which the substrate is processed in this order; a first buffer unit for temporarily storing substrates that have been at least partially processed in the first processing chamber group; a second buffer unit for temporarily storing substrates that have been processed in the second processing chamber group; a control unit that, when stop information for the third processing chamber group is input, controls whether to store the substrate after processing in the first processing chamber group in the first buffer unit or to start processing in the second processing chamber group; A production system comprising:

13. The control unit acquiring a predicted time required for the third processing chamber group to resume operation based on the stop information; If the allowable waiting time in the second buffer unit is longer than the predicted time, processing of the substrate in the second processing chamber group is started, and if not, the substrate is stored in the first buffer unit.

13. The production system according to claim 12.

14. a third buffer unit for temporarily storing substrates that have been at least partially processed in the third processing chamber group; when the second buffer unit is longer than the predicted time and the allowable waiting time in the third buffer unit is shorter than the predicted time, the control unit starts processing the substrate in the second processing chamber group, and stores the substrate in the second buffer unit after the processing in the second processing chamber group.

14. The production system according to claim 13.

15. the control unit stops loading of substrates into the first processing chamber group when the allowable waiting time in the second buffer unit and the third buffer unit is shorter than the predicted time.

15. The production system according to claim 14.

16. when there is no free space in the second buffer unit, the control unit stores the substrate in the first buffer unit even if the allowable waiting time in the second buffer unit is longer than the predicted time.

14. The production system according to claim 13.

17. The first buffer unit has a longer allowable waiting time and a larger storage capacity than the second buffer unit.

13. The production system according to claim 12.

18. The first buffer section and the second buffer section both have an oxygen concentration of less than 1 ppm. It is a low nitrogen environment, 13. The production system according to claim 12.

19. A manufacturing method for manufacturing a processed substrate by processing a substrate in a plurality of processing chambers, comprising: acquiring stop information for any of the plurality of items; a step of controlling whether the substrate being processed is to be processed in the next process or stored in a buffer unit when the stop information is acquired; A manufacturing method characterized by carrying out the steps of:

20. A method for manufacturing a substrate in a production system including a first processing chamber group, a second processing chamber group, and a third processing chamber group, a first buffer unit for temporarily storing substrates that have been at least partially processed in the first processing chamber group, and a second buffer unit for temporarily storing substrates that have been at least partially processed in the second processing chamber group, acquiring stoppage information of the third processing chamber group; a step of controlling whether to store the substrate after processing in the first processing chamber group in the first buffer unit or to start processing in the second processing chamber group; A manufacturing method comprising:

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