Substrate processing device, substrate fall prevention mechanism, substrate processing method, and manufacturing method and program of semiconductor device

Abstract

To provide a technology capable of preventing a substrate cassette stored in a spare cassette shelf within a device from falling due to shaking such as an earthquake.SOLUTION: A substrate processing device comprises (a) a container storage part for storing a container for housing a substrate, and (b) a fall prevention mechanism disposed so as to be movable between a first position where conveyance of the container is not hindered and a second position where the fall of the container stored in the container storage part or of the substrate in the container is prevented.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate drop prevention mechanism, a substrate processing method, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] When an earthquake occurs, vibrations of the initial tremor (P) wave and the main tremor (S) wave are detected, and the transport mechanism of the processing equipment may be stopped (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-055527 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] If an earthquake occurs and the transport mechanism stops operating, substrate cassettes may fall from the spare cassette shelf.

[0005] The present disclosure provides a technique that can prevent substrate cassettes stored on a spare cassette shelf in an apparatus from falling due to shaking such as an earthquake. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, (a) a container storage unit for storing containers for accommodating substrates; (b) a fall prevention mechanism that is movable between a first position that does not interfere with the transport of the container and a second position that prevents the container stored in the container storage unit or the substrate in the container from falling; A technique is provided that includes: [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent substrate cassettes stored on a spare cassette shelf within an apparatus from falling due to shaking such as an earthquake. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic rear view of the spare cassette shelf in the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic left side view of the spare cassette shelf in the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic top view of the spare cassette shelf and a diagram showing the position of the stopper in the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a fixed stopper provided on the cassette shelf. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a block diagram of the controller and its surroundings. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the overall processing flow including the stopper operation of the spare cassette shelf in the embodiment. [Figure 8A] FIG. 8A is a diagram illustrating the operation of a stopper before a cassette is carried into a spare cassette shelf in the embodiment. [Figure 8B] FIG. 8B is a diagram illustrating the operation of the stopper after the cassette is carried into the spare cassette shelf in the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a controller and its periphery according to another embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the flow of the stopper operation of the spare cassette shelf in another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that all drawings used in the following description are schematic, and the dimensional relationships, ratios, etc. of the elements shown in the drawings do not necessarily correspond to the actual ones. Furthermore, the dimensional relationships, ratios, etc. of the elements do not necessarily correspond between multiple drawings. Furthermore, substantially identical elements are assigned the same reference numerals between multiple drawings, and each element is described in the drawing in which it first appears, and its description is omitted in subsequent drawings unless otherwise necessary. Unless otherwise specified in the specification, each element is not limited to one, and multiple elements may be present.

[0010] [Embodiment] (1) Substrate processing equipment In this embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus (hereinafter also simply referred to as a processing apparatus) is configured as, for example, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus that performs processing steps in a semiconductor device manufacturing method.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, a processing apparatus 10 according to the embodiment includes a housing 11, and a cassette transfer unit 12 is provided on the front (X1 side) of the housing 11. The X1-X2 direction is the front-rear direction of the processing apparatus 10, the Y2-Y1 direction is the left-right direction, and the Z1-Z2 direction is the up-down direction. The cassette transfer unit 12 includes a cassette stage device 13 capable of mounting two open cassettes (hereinafter simply referred to as cassettes) 2 serving as containers for accommodating substrates that are carriers for wafers 1 serving as substrates. Furthermore, two wafer attitude alignment devices 14 are provided below the cassette stage device 13. In other words, the cassette stage device 13 includes multiple stages, each of which is configured to be able to transfer a cassette 2 to and from the outside of the apparatus.

[0012] A cassette 2 transported by an external transport device (not shown) is placed on a cassette stage device 13. A wafer attitude alignment device 14 is provided with an orientation alignment mechanism that aligns the attitude of the wafer 1 so that the notch and orientation flat, which serve as orientation identifying features of the wafers 1 stored in the cassette 2, are identical when the cassette 2 is in a vertical attitude. The cassette stage device 13 is provided with a cassette inversion mechanism that rotates a mounting table (not shown) by 90 degrees to place the cassette 2 in a horizontal attitude (a state in which the wafers 1 are stored vertically). A cassette shelf 15 serving as a main storage section is provided inside the housing 11, facing the cassette transfer unit 12. In addition, a spare cassette shelf 16 is provided above the cassette transfer unit 12 as a container storage section for storing containers that hold wafers 1.

[0013] Between the cassette receiving unit 12 and the cassette shelf 15, a cassette transfer robot 17 is installed, which is a cassette transfer device that moves cassettes 2 to or from the spare cassette shelf 16. The cassette transfer robot 17 is equipped with a robot arm 18 having a hand (not shown) that can move back and forth in the X1-X2 direction, and the robot arm 18 itself is configured to be able to move laterally and up and down. The up and down and lateral movements of the robot arm 18 and the forward and backward (forward and backward) movements of the hand scoop up the cassette 2 on the cassette stage device 13 from below and transport and transfer it to the cassette shelf 15 or the spare cassette shelf 16. The cassette shelf 15 and the spare cassette shelf 16 can also be considered buffer shelves for multiple cassettes 2. Because the cassette stage device 13 is equipped with a cassette inverting mechanism, both orientation alignment by the wafer orientation alignment device 14 and cassette transport by the cassette transfer robot 17 are possible.

[0014] A wafer transfer device (transfer machine) 19 is provided behind (on the X2 side of) the cassette shelf 15, and is capable of rotating and moving up and down. The wafer transfer device 19 can transfer the wafers 1 in the cassette 2 to a substrate support (hereinafter referred to as a boat) 25, either multiple wafers at once or one by one. The wafer transfer device 19 is equipped with a wafer holding section 20 that can move back and forth, and multiple wafer holding plates 21 are attached horizontally to the wafer holding section 20. A boat elevator 22 is provided behind (on the X2 side of) the wafer transfer device 19, and a seal cap 24 that rotatably holds a boat 25 is installed horizontally on an arm 23 of the boat elevator 22.

[0015] The processing apparatus 10 has a transfer chamber 50 and a cassette holding chamber 60. The transfer chamber 50 is equipped with a wafer transfer device 19, a wafer holder 20, a wafer holding plate 21, a boat elevator 22, etc. The cassette holding chamber 60 is equipped with a cassette shelf 15, a spare cassette shelf 16, a cassette transport robot 17, etc. A wall 70 is provided between the transfer chamber 50 and the cassette holding chamber 60. The wafer transfer device 19 transfers wafers 1 from a cassette 2 in the cassette holding chamber 60 to a boat 25.

[0016] The processing apparatus 10 is equipped with a reaction tube (processing tube, processing furnace) 31 made of a highly heat-resistant material such as quartz glass and formed into a cylindrical shape with one end open and the other closed, and the reaction tube 31 is vertically arranged with its center line vertical and fixedly supported. The cylindrical hollow portion of the reaction tube 31 forms a processing chamber 32 in which multiple wafers 1 are accommodated, and the opening at the bottom end of the reaction tube 31 forms a furnace port 33 for loading and unloading the wafers 1. The furnace port 33 opens into a transfer chamber 50, and the processing chamber 32 and the transfer chamber 50 are connected.

[0017] A seal cap 24 for closing the furnace throat 33 is adapted to abut against the lower end surface of the reaction tube 31 from below in the vertical direction. The seal cap 24 is formed in a disk shape and is adapted to be moved up and down in the vertical direction by a boat elevator 22 provided outside the reaction tube 31. A furnace throat shutter 28 for sealing the furnace throat 33 when the seal cap 24 is moved to the lower end position may be provided.

[0018] A boat 25 for holding wafers 1 is supported vertically on the seal cap 24. The boat 25 has a pair of upper and lower end plates 26, 27 and a plurality of holding members (pillars) (three in this embodiment) arranged vertically between the end plates 26, 27. Each holding member has a number of holding grooves that are equally spaced in the longitudinal direction and recessed so that they open opposite each other. The outer peripheral edges of the wafers 1 are inserted between the multiple holding grooves of each holding member, so that the plurality of wafers 1 are held in the boat 25 in a horizontal alignment with their centers aligned.

[0019] (spare cassette shelf) Next, the spare cassette shelf 16 onto which the cassettes 2 are carried from the cassette stage device 13 installed in the processing device 10 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0020] The spare cassette shelf 16 is a shelf that holds cassettes 2 with their openings facing the same direction (X2 direction) as the cassette transport robot 17 removes the cassettes 2 from the spare cassette shelf 16. The spare cassette shelf 16 is configured to be able to place multiple cassettes 2 along a surface parallel to the opening for loading and unloading wafers 1. The spare cassette shelf 16 can place three cassettes 2 in the Y direction on a lower plate 161 and an upper plate 162, each of which is provided with a cassette stopper 170. Between the lower plate 161 and the upper plate 162, there are provided a substantially rectangular side support 163 on the Y1 side, a substantially rectangular side support 164 on the Y2 side, a central support 165 on the Y1 side, and a central support 166 on the Y2 side, all of which extend in the Z direction. Furthermore, shelf plates 167 are also provided to support the upper plate 162 and the supports 163 and 164, respectively. A frame 110 is also provided, at least a portion of which is disposed above the cassettes 2 and fixed to the spare cassette shelf 16. The frame 110 is provided on the X1 side of the lower plate 161 and the upper plate 162. The frame 110 includes an upper frame 110a extending in the Y direction, a frame 110b erected from the Y1-side upper surface of the lower plate 161 and supporting the upper frame, a frame 110c erected from the Y2-side upper surface and supporting the upper frame, a frame 110d erected from the central upper surface on the Y1 side and supporting the upper frame, and a frame 110e erected from the central upper surface on the Y2 side and supporting the upper frame. The frame 110 is structured so that multiple cassettes 2 can be stored in the Y direction. An area 111 is provided above the upper frame 110a, into which a robot arm 18 of a cassette transport robot 17, which transfers cassettes 2 to the cassette shelf 15, enters. The spare cassette shelf 16 has this frame structure installed inside the shelf.

[0021] The frame 110 is also provided with a first drive unit 112 that moves linearly in a direction (Y direction) substantially parallel to the opening through which the wafer 1 is inserted and removed, a second drive unit 113 that moves linearly in a direction (X direction) substantially perpendicular to the opening, and a stopper 114 that prevents the wafer from falling and is moved by the first drive unit 112 and the second drive unit 113. The first drive unit 112, the second drive unit 113, and the stopper 114 constitute a fall prevention mechanism. The first drive unit 112 has a linear guide (rail) 112a that is provided on the upper frame 110a and extends in the Y direction, two movable units (carriages) 112b that move along the linear guide 112a, a mounting plate 112c supported by the movable units, and a first cylinder 112d that serves as a first actuator that pushes and pulls the mounting plate 112c in the Y direction. The second drive unit 113 is provided on the mounting plate 112c. The second driving unit 113 has a second cylinder 113a as a second actuator, a plurality of arms 113b, a mounting plate 113c to which the plurality of arms 113b are fixed, and a linear guide 113d that supports the mounting plate 113c so that it can move in the two X directions. Since this stopper 114 is provided for each of the plurality of cassettes 2, it is possible to prevent many cassettes from falling with a small number of driving mechanisms.

[0022] As mentioned above, there is an area 111 above the frame 110. Because the robot arm 18 enters this area 111 when loading or unloading a cassette 2 onto or from the spare cassette shelf 16, it is necessary to reduce the space required for the first drive unit 112 and second drive unit 113, which are the sources of movement for the stopper 114. For this reason, these drive units use, for example, power components such as a compact, slim, low-dust-generating cylinder that operates on air pressure, a space-saving cylinder with a guide, a low-friction, low-noise linear guide with linear motion that supports the cylinder drive shaft so that it does not move in any direction other than the drive shaft, and a solenoid valve.

[0023] The first drive unit 112 is mounted on the frame 110, and the second drive unit 113 is mounted on the first drive unit 112. However, depending on the type of processing apparatus 10, the size of the area 111, the shape of the robot arm 18, the shape of the stopper 114, and the wafer size, the combined structure of the first drive unit and the second drive unit is not necessarily required. For example, depending on the combination of the material, shape, etc. of the stopper 114, it is also possible to prevent the wafer from falling by only using the movement of the stopper fixed to the first drive unit 112 that moves linearly in a direction approximately parallel to the opening.

[0024] The spare cassette shelf 16 on which the stopper 114 is provided has its opening for the cassettes 2 facing the X2 direction, which is the same direction as the cassette transport robot 17's removal of the cassettes 2. Furthermore, a predetermined distance g is set between the stopper 114 and the wafers 1 aligned at the innermost position. In other words, by setting this predetermined distance g on the side of the opening of the cassette 2, even if wafers 1 are present at different positions within the distance range, all wafers 1 are prevented from falling, enabling the cassette transport robot 17 to safely transport the cassettes 2. The design dimension of the distance g is, for example, 1 mm. Taking into account assembly dimensional tolerances, it is desirable that the stopper 114 be fixed near the tip of the arm 113b so that the distance g is adjustable. Note that the distance g may be zero. In this case, it is desirable that the speed and pressure of the movement of the second cylinder 113a be appropriately adjusted.

[0025] The shape of the stopper 114 is preferably a shape that increases the moment of inertia in the X2 direction, which is the direction in which the wafer 1 jumps out, and has, for example, a substantially rectangular cross section. Note that the number, shape, and position of the stopper are not necessarily limited as long as the drop prevention effect is confirmed.

[0026] The material of the stopper 114 is, for example, the same as that of the cassette 2, and is a thermoplastic PEEK (polyether ether ketone) resin for preventing contamination of the wafer 1. Needless to say, any material having the same level of contamination prevention effect, strength, abrasion resistance, dimensional stability, etc. can also be used.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 4 , the stopper 114 is movable between a first position 201 and a second position 202 by the first drive unit 112 and the second drive unit 113. In other words, the first position 201 is set on the X2 side of the lower plate 161 or the upper plate 162, and the second position 202 is set at a position approximately at the center of the opening of the cassette 2. Because the first position 201 is outside the Y-direction length of the cassette 2 and at the end of the lower plate 161 or the upper plate 162, it does not affect the operation of the cassette transport robot 17, i.e., it does not interfere with the transport of the cassette 2. The second position 202 is set at a position that can prevent the cassette 2 or the wafers 1 in the cassette 2 from falling, i.e., approximately at the center of the opening, so that a single stopper 114 can provide a fall prevention function. In FIG. 4, the wafer 1 is shown on the plate 162, but this wafer 1 is stored in a cassette 2, which is not shown.

[0028] (Cassette shelf) The cassette shelf 15 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. The cassette shelf 15 stores the cassettes 2 with the openings of the cassettes 2 facing in the opposite direction to the direction in which the cassette transport robot 17 takes out the cassettes 2 from the spare cassette shelf 16.

[0029] A fixed stopper 301 is installed on the cassette shelf 15, extending in the direction of wafer arrangement so as to form a predetermined gap between the wafers arranged at the innermost position as viewed from the opening of the stored cassette. Unlike the stopper 114 described for the spare cassette shelf 16, this stopper 301 is fixed in advance at its bottom with screws or the like to the plate 15a on which the cassettes 2 are placed on a shelf portion other than the transfer shelf, and is installed approximately perpendicular to the wafers 1 stored in the cassettes 2. In other words, because the stopper 301 has a fixed structure, it is a stopper that is always effective in preventing the cassettes 2 and wafers 1 from falling, regardless of the operation of the processing device 10 or the operation of the cassette transport robot 17.

[0030] Note that the shape and position of the stopper 301 are not necessarily limited as long as the drop prevention effect is confirmed. The stopper 301 may be a square prism with a substantially rectangular cross section, or may be a polygonal prism or a cylinder. Two stoppers 301 are installed on the left and right of the wafer opening of the cassette 2. As long as the drop prevention effect is confirmed, the number and position are not necessarily limited. However, as with the stopper 114 on the spare cassette shelf 16, in consideration of the possibility of contact with the wafer 1, it is desirable for the area facing the wafer 1 to be as small as possible in order to minimize physical damage to the wafer 1 due to friction, etc.

[0031] As with the stopper 114 described above, the material of the fixed stopper 301 is preferably the same as that of the cassette 2, that is, thermoplastic PEEK resin, for preventing contamination of the wafers 1. Needless to say, resins having the same level of contamination prevention effect, strength, abrasion resistance, dimensional stability, etc. can also be used as the material.

[0032] (controller) 6, controller 121, which is a control unit, is configured as a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 121a, RAM (Random Access Memory) 121b, storage device 121c, and I / O port 121d. RAM 121b, storage device 121c, and I / O port 121d are configured to be able to communicate with CPU 121a via an internal bus. An input / output device 122, such as a touch panel, and an external storage device 123 are connected to controller 121.

[0033] The storage device 121c is composed of, for example, a flash memory, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), etc. Control programs for controlling the operation of the substrate processing apparatus, process recipes describing procedures and conditions for substrate processing (described later), etc. are readably stored in the storage device 121c. Note that a recipe is a combination of procedures in a substrate processing step (described later) that are executed by the controller 121 to obtain a predetermined result, and is a higher-level language compared to a control program. The control program and recipe are collectively referred to as a program. The storage device 121c also sequentially stores log information recording the operation and status of the apparatus. The RAM 121b is configured as a memory area (work area) for temporarily holding programs, data, etc. read by the CPU 121a.

[0034] The I / O port 121d is connected to the cassette transfer unit 12, the cassette stage device 13, the wafer posture alignment device 14, the cassette transport robot 17, the wafer transfer device 19, the boat elevator 22, the first drive unit 112 of the stopper 114, the second drive unit 113, etc.

[0035] The CPU 121a is configured to read and execute a control program from the storage device 121c, and also to read a wafer recipe from the storage device 121c in response to input of an operation command from the input / output device 122. The CPU 121a is configured to control the posture alignment operation of the cassette receiving unit 12, the rotation operation of the cassette stage device 13, the wafer posture alignment device 14, operation control of the robot arm 18 of the cassette transport robot 17, rotation and elevation control of the wafer transfer device 19, the elevation operation of the boat elevator 22, and the operations of the first drive unit 112 and second drive unit 113 of the stopper 114, etc., in accordance with the contents of the read recipe.

[0036] Such a controller 121 can control the movement of the cassette 2 by the cassette transport robot 17 and can also control the stopper 114 described below.

[0037] When the cassette transport robot 17 moves the cassette 2 to and from the spare cassette shelf 16, the drop prevention mechanism corresponding to the cassette 2 is controlled to move to a first position 201, that is, a position that does not interfere with the movement of the cassette 2.

[0038] Furthermore, when the cassette transport robot 17 starts moving from its standby position (home position) when not accessing the cassettes 2 stored on the spare cassette shelf 16, the control unit 16 controls the multiple drop prevention mechanisms corresponding to the multiple cassettes 2 stored on the spare cassette shelf 16 to move to a first position 201. Furthermore, the control unit 16 controls the multiple drop prevention mechanisms to move to a second position 202 after a predetermined time has elapsed since the cassette transport robot 17 returned to the home position. These cooperations can reduce the time lag between the cassette 2 transfer operation and the activation of the drop prevention mechanisms, in other words, reduce the risk of wafer 1 loss.

[0039] The controller 121 can be configured by installing the above-mentioned programs and recipes stored in an external storage device (for example, a magnetic disk such as a hard disk, or a semiconductor memory such as a USB memory) 123 into a computer. The storage device 121c and the external storage device 123 are configured as computer-readable tangible recording media.

[0040] Hereinafter, these will be collectively referred to simply as recording media. When the term is used, it may include only the storage device 121c alone, only the external storage device 123 alone, or both. Note that the program may be provided to the computer using a communication means such as the Internet or a dedicated line, without using the external storage device 123.

[0041] (2) Substrate processing method Next, a substrate processing method using the processing apparatus 10 will be described with reference to Figures 7, 8A, and 8B. In the substrate processing method described here, a film formation process for forming a film on a wafer 1, which is one step in the manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, will be described as an example using the reaction tube 31 of the processing apparatus 10 described above. In the following description, the operation of each part constituting the processing apparatus 10 is controlled by a controller 121.

[0042] (Cassette loading: S10) Unprocessed wafers 1 are loaded in cassette 2, and cassette 2 is carried to the front of housing 11 by an external transport device (not shown), where it is placed (carried in) on cassette stage 13 of cassette transfer unit 12. At this time, wafer 1 in cassette 2 is in a vertical position. Wafer position alignment device 14 aligns the position of wafer 1, and cassette stage device 13 rotates 90 degrees, causing cassette 2 to rotate 90 degrees. Inside processing device 10, wafer 1 in cassette 2 is maintained in a horizontal position, and the position of wafer 1 in cassette 2 is aligned by moving cassette 2.

[0043] (Spare cassette shelf transfer: S11) Before the cassette 2 starts to be transferred to the spare cassette shelf 16, the stopper 114 is in the second position 202 to prevent the cassette 2 and wafers 1 from falling, as shown in FIG.

[0044] The cassette transport robot 17 starts transporting the cassette 2 from the cassette stage 13 to a position behind the placement position of the spare cassette shelf 16 (S111). Simultaneously with the start of this cassette transport robot 17 operation, the controller 121 controls the stopper 114 to move from the second position 202 to the first position 201 where the transport of the cassette 2 is not hindered, by the operation of the second drive unit 113, the first drive unit 112, and the second drive unit 113 in that order (S112), as shown in FIG. 8A. That is, the stopper 114 moves from the second position 202 in the X2 direction to move away from the wafer 1 (S112a). Next, the stopper 114 moves in the Y2 direction (S112b), and then moves in the X1 direction to be placed at the first position 201 (S112c).

[0045] Next, the cassette transport robot 17 places the cassette 2 at a predetermined placement position in the spare cassette shelf 16 (S113).

[0046] The cassette transport robot 17 retreats the robot arm 18 from the spare cassette shelf 16 and heads toward the home position or another destination (S114).

[0047] After the cassette transport robot 17 has completely retracted from the spare cassette shelf 16, the stopper 114 is moved from the first position 201 to the second position 202 by the controller 121, as shown in FIG. 8B, through the operation of the second drive unit 113, the first drive unit 112, and the second drive unit 113 in this order (S115). That is, the stopper 114 starts moving in the X2 direction from the first position 201 (S115a). Then, it moves in the Y1 direction to a position in front of the opening of the cassette 2 (S115b). Next, the stopper 114 moves in the X1 direction and is disposed at the second position 202 (S115c). Note that to clarify the position of the stopper 114 relative to the wafer 1, the illustration of the transported left cassette 2 is omitted.

[0048] Furthermore, when a cassette 2 is carried out from the spare cassette shelf 16, and the cassette transport robot 17 returns to the standby position and a predetermined time has elapsed, the controller 121 also moves the stopper 114 to the second position 202. That is, the stopper 114 basically always exists at the second position to prevent at least one cassette 2 and wafer 1 from falling, and moves between the first position 201 and the second position 202 in conjunction with the operation of the cassette transport robot 17.

[0049] In this embodiment, three cassettes are arranged on each tier in the horizontal direction of the spare cassette shelf 16. In this case, the stopper 114 operates in a lump to move six cassettes across two tiers, and does not interfere with the operation of the cassette transport robot 17 other than that of the robot arm 18.

[0050] (Cassette shelf transfer: S12) Next, the cassette 2 is held by the cassette transport robot 17 with the robot arm 18 from the spare cassette shelf 16 to the transfer shelf located opposite the wafer transfer device 19 on the cassette shelf 15 or the spare cassette 16. At this time, the stopper 114 is moved by the controller 121 from the second position 202 to the first position 201 where the transfer of the cassette 2 is not impeded, in the same manner as in step S112 described above, at the same time as the cassette transport robot 17 starts the transfer operation. After the cassette 2 is taken out of the spare cassette shelf 16, it is moved from the first position 201 to the second position 202 in the same manner as in step S115 described above.

[0051] (First wafer transfer: S13) The wafers 1 in a horizontal position in the cassette 2 placed on the cassette shelf 15 or transfer shelf are transferred and loaded onto the boat 25 by the wafer transfer device 19 .

[0052] (Film formation process: S14) Next, the boat 25 is loaded into the reaction tube 31 by the boat elevator 22 . After the boat 25 (wafers 1) has been loaded into the reaction tube 31, for example, source gases and reactive gases are supplied to form a film on the wafers 1 under predetermined conditions.

[0053] (Second wafer transfer: S15) After the film formation process, the boat 25 is removed from the reaction tube 31 by the boat elevator 22. Next, the processed wafers 1 in the boat 25 are transferred by the wafer transfer device 19 into the cassette 2 on the transfer shelf.

[0054] (Cassette shelf transfer: S16) Next, the cassette 2 on the transfer shelf is transferred to the cassette shelf 15 by the robot arm 18.

[0055] (Spare cassette shelf transfer: S17) Next, the cassette 2 is held by the cassette transport robot 17 using the robot arm 18 and transferred to the spare cassette shelf 16. At this time, the stopper 114 provided on the spare cassette shelf 16 is moved from the second position 202 to the first position 201 by the controller 121 in the same manner as in step S112 described above, simultaneously with the start of operation of the cassette transport robot 17, so as not to interfere with the loading of the cassette 2. After the cassette 2 has been loaded onto the spare cassette shelf 16, the stopper 114 is moved from the first position 201 to the second position 202 by the controller 121 in the same manner as in step S115 described above.

[0056] (Cassette removal: S18) When the cassette 2 is to be transported out of the processing device 10, the stopper 114 is moved from the second position 202 to the first position 201 by the controller 121 in the same manner as in the aforementioned step S112, and then the cassette 2 is transferred by the robot arm 18 from the spare cassette shelf 16 to the cassette stage 13 of the cassette transfer unit 12.

[0057] The movement of the stopper 114 of the spare cassette shelf 16 between the first position 201 and the second position 202 by the controller 121 of the processing device 10 has been described above based on the operation of the cassette transport robot 17 and the loading and unloading of the cassette 2 into and from the spare cassette shelf 16. If it is difficult to incorporate the operation of this stopper 114 into the controller 121 in terms of software, it is possible to use a separate controller, for example, a programmable logic controller (hereinafter referred to as PLC) capable of various processes, to enable control coordination with the home sensors of each axis of the cassette transport robot 17 as described below. Using this PLC also makes it possible to avoid interference with the operation of the controller 121.

[0058] (a) When at least one home sensor (not shown) of the CS axis or CZ axis of the cassette transport robot 17 is changed from ON to OFF, i.e., when it moves from the home position, the stopper 114 starts moving from the second position 202 to the first position 201.

[0059] (b) Until the stopper 114 has completely moved from the second position 202 to the first position 201, the cassette transport robot 17 (CS / CZ axes) and the robot arm 18 (CX axis) are temporarily stopped.

[0060] (c) After the stopper 114 moves to the first position 201, the cassette transport robot 17 (CS / CZ axes) and the robot arm 18 (CX axis) can resume their operations by canceling the temporary stop.

[0061] (d) When the home sensors of the CS axis and CZ axis of the cassette transport robot 17 are in the ON state for a certain period of time, that is, when the stopper 114 is at the home position, the stopper 114 starts to move from the first position 201 to the second position 202 .

[0062] According to the above-described embodiment, one or more of the following effects can be obtained.

[0063] When the robot arm 18 of the cassette transport robot 17 is not in the state of entering the spare cassette shelf 16, the first drive unit 112 and the second drive unit 113 move the stopper 114 toward the opening side of the cassette 2 and maintain it approximately perpendicular to the arrangement of the wafers 1, thereby reliably preventing the cassettes 2 and wafers 1 placed on the spare cassette shelf 16 from falling.

[0064] The drive units of the fall prevention mechanism, i.e., the first drive unit 112 that moves linearly in a direction approximately parallel to the opening for inserting and removing wafers and the second drive unit 113 that moves linearly in a direction approximately perpendicular to the opening, are shared for multiple cassettes, allowing for an inexpensive configuration.

[0065] If any wafers 1 protrude from the cassette 2, the stopper 114 has the effect of pushing them in, i.e., an alignment function, which can be used for aligning the wafers. This eliminates the need to rearrange the wafers 1 after the cassette 2 is transferred to the cassette stage device 13 after the set substrate processing process is completed.

[0066] [Other aspects] Another embodiment of the controller 121 in the processing apparatus 10 and a substrate processing method using the same will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0067] As shown in Fig. 9, the basic configuration of the controller 121 in this other aspect is the same as that of the previously described embodiment in Fig. 6. In Fig. 9, an earthquake signal acquisition unit 401 is additionally provided.

[0068] The earthquake signal acquisition unit 401 receives detection signals of the initial tremor (P) waves and / or the main tremor (S) waves. In Fig. 9, it is shown as a block diagram attached to the controller 121. If the system is capable of receiving earthquake signals from the outside, it can also be built into the controller 121.

[0069] When the earthquake signal acquisition unit 401 receives a detection signal, the controller 121 is configured to control the stopping operation of the transport mechanism and the processing mechanism in accordance with the detection signals for P waves and S waves. For example, the CPU 121a and the I / O port 121d are configured to operate and control the first driving unit 112 and the second driving unit 113 of the stopper 114 of the present disclosure when an earthquake occurs. In other words, when the first arriving P wave is detected, it is possible to immediately start the movement operation to the second position 202 to prevent loss of the wafer 1 due to breakage, dropping, etc. That is, the controller 121 can determine whether it is a P wave or an S wave, and it is possible to individually set the stopping operation of the transport mechanism and the processing mechanism.

[0070] Next, the operation of stopper 114 in the process of loading and unloading a cassette onto and from spare cassette shelf 16 in the substrate processing method when an earthquake signal is received will be described with reference to Figure 10. Note that the process of loading and unloading wafers onto and from spare cassette shelf 16 when an earthquake signal is not received, the transfer process between processing chamber 32 and cassette shelf 15 within processing apparatus 10, and the film formation process are the same as in the embodiment, so detailed description will be omitted. In addition, the operation method for moving stopper 114 between first position 201 and second position 202 is also the same as in the embodiment shown in Figure 8.

[0071] (Stopper moves from second position to first position: S49) As in step S10 of the embodiment, the cassette 2 is carried into the processing device 10, and then, as in step S111 of the embodiment, the cassette transport robot 17 moves the cassette 2 to a position behind the placement position of the spare cassette shelf 16, i.e., starts transporting the cassette 2 toward the spare cassette shelf 16. At the same time as this starts, the controller 121 moves the stopper 114 from the second position 202 to the first position 201 where there is no obstruction to the transport of the cassette 2.

[0072] (Cassette delivery and earthquake signal reception: S50, S51, S52) At this time, when an earthquake occurs and the earthquake signal acquisition unit 401 receives a signal, if the robot arm 18 of the cassette transport robot 17 has not entered the spare cassette shelf 16, the controller 121 moves the stopper 114 from the first position 201 to the second position 202 (S521).

[0073] On the other hand, if the robot arm 18 of the cassette transport robot 17 has entered the spare cassette shelf 16, the controller 121 immediately causes the robot arm 18 to retreat (S522), and the stopper 114 moves from the first position 201 to the second position 202 (S523).

[0074] If an earthquake signal is received during this cassette loading, the transport / unloading of the cassette 2 to / from the spare cassette shelf 16 and all functions within the processing device 10 will be stopped until a manual release operation is performed.

[0075] (Stopper moves from the first position to the second position: S53) If no earthquake signal is received when cassette 2 is carried into spare cassette shelf 16, cassette 2 is transferred from spare cassette shelf 16 to cassette shelf 15, and stopper 114 of spare cassette shelf 16 moves from first position 201 to second position 202. Then, steps S12 and S13 of the embodiment are carried out.

[0076] (Film formation process: S60) After the boat 25 (wafers 1) has been loaded into the reaction tube 31, for example, a source gas and a reactive gas are supplied to form a film on the wafers 1 under predetermined conditions. After film formation on all the wafers is completed, the cassette 2 is transferred to the cassette shelf 15 via the transfer shelf, similar to S15 and S16 in the embodiment.

[0077] (Stopper moves from the second position to the first position: S69) When the transfer from the cassette shelf 15 to the spare cassette shelf 16 starts, the controller 121 moves the stopper 114 of the spare cassette shelf 16 from the second position 202 to the first position 201 (S69).

[0078] (Cassette removal and earthquake signal reception: S70, S71, S72) At this time, when an earthquake occurs and the earthquake signal acquisition unit 401 receives a signal, if the robot arm 18 of the cassette transport robot 17 has not entered the spare cassette shelf 16, the controller 121 moves the stopper 114 from the first position 201 to the second position 202 (S721).

[0079] On the other hand, if the robot arm 18 of the cassette transport robot 17 has entered the spare cassette shelf 16, the controller 121 immediately causes the robot arm 18 to retreat (S722), and the stopper 114 moves from the first position 201 to the second position 202 (S723).

[0080] (Stopper moves from the first position to the second position: S79) If no earthquake signal is received when wafers are transferred to the spare cassette shelf 16, the controller 121 moves the stopper 114 of the spare cassette shelf 16 from the first position 201 to the second position 202 after the wafers are transferred from the cassette shelf 15 to the spare cassette shelf 16.

[0081] Furthermore, if an earthquake signal is received during wafer unloading, the transport / unloading of cassette 2 to / from the above-mentioned spare cassette shelf 16 and all functions within the processing device 10 will be stopped until manual release work is performed, just as during wafer loading.

[0082] When the cassette 2 is to be transported outside the processing device 10, as in S18 of the embodiment, the controller 121 moves the stopper 114 to the first position 201, and then the robot arm 18 transfers the cassette 2 from the spare cassette shelf 16 to the cassette stage 13 of the cassette transfer unit 12.

[0083] The movement of the stopper 114 between the first position 201 and the second position 202 in the event of an earthquake occurring during loading or unloading of a cassette 2 on the spare cassette shelf 16 has been described above based on the movement and position of the robot arm 18 of the cassette transport robot 17. The movement and position of this stopper 114 when an external earthquake signal is received can also be controlled and linked with the operating parts of the device as shown below by software operation.

[0084] When the stopper 114 is at the second position 202, all of the device operating parts are prevented from returning to their home positions or from moving from their home positions.

[0085] When the stopper 114 is at the first position 201, after the robot arm 18 (CX axis) returns to the home position, the cassette transport robot 17 (CS / CZ axes) returns to the home position, and the stopper 114 moves to the second position 202.

[0086] This earthquake signal reception mode also provides the same effects as the above-described embodiment. Under the control of the controller 121, the stopper 114 moves toward the opening of the cassette 2 in conjunction with the movement of the cassette transport robot 17 or the robot arm 18, and is maintained approximately perpendicular to the arrangement of the wafers 1, thereby reliably preventing the cassettes 2 and wafers 1 placed on the spare cassette shelf 16 from falling.

[0087] In the above-described embodiments, examples of forming a film using a batch-type substrate processing apparatus that processes multiple substrates at a time have been described. The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be suitably applied, for example, to cases where a film is formed using a single-wafer substrate processing apparatus that processes one or several substrates at a time. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, examples of forming a film using a substrate processing apparatus having a hot-wall processing furnace have been described. The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be suitably applied to cases where a film is formed using a substrate processing apparatus having a cold-wall processing furnace.

[0088] When using these substrate processing apparatuses, each process can be performed under the same process procedures and conditions as in the above-described embodiment, and the same effects as in the above-described embodiment can be obtained. [Explanation of symbols]

[0089] 10. Substrate processing device 16. Spare cassette shelf (container storage area) 114 Stopper

Claims

1. (a) a container storage unit for storing containers for accommodating substrates; (b) A substrate processing apparatus equipped with a fall prevention mechanism that is movable between a first position that does not interfere with the transportation of the container and a second position that prevents the container stored in the container storage section or the substrate in the container from falling.

2. the fall prevention mechanism includes a first drive unit that moves linearly in a direction substantially parallel to an opening through which the substrate is inserted into and removed from the container; a second drive unit that moves linearly in a direction substantially perpendicular to the opening; a stopper that is moved by the first driving unit and the second driving unit; 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a first driving unit that drives the stopper forward of the opening when the stopper is moved from the first position to the second position; and a second driving unit that drives the stopper in a direction approaching the substrate.

3. 3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the container storage unit is configured so that a plurality of the containers can be placed along a surface parallel to the opening, and the stopper is provided for each of the plurality of containers.

4. 3. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a frame at least partially positioned above the container and fixed to the container storage section, wherein the first drive section is mounted on the frame and the second drive section is mounted on the first drive section.

5. 2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a cassette transfer device installed in the same housing as the container storage unit and moving the container to or from the container storage unit, the container storage unit holding the container with the opening of the container facing in the same direction as the cassette transfer device removes the container from the container storage unit.

6. A substrate processing apparatus as described in claim 5, further comprising a control unit configured to control the movement of the container by the cassette transfer device and to control the fall prevention mechanism corresponding to the container to move to the first position when the cassette transfer device moves the container to the container storage section and when it moves the container from the container storage section.

7. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a control unit configured to control, when the cassette transfer device starts moving from a standby position when not accessing the containers stored in the container storage unit, a plurality of fall prevention mechanisms corresponding to the plurality of containers stored in the container storage unit to move to the first position, and to control the plurality of fall prevention mechanisms to move to the second position after a predetermined time has elapsed since the cassette transfer device returned to the standby position.

8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising a control unit configured to be able to control the fall prevention mechanism to move preferentially to the second position when all functions stop due to reception of an earthquake signal.

9. 3. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the fall prevention mechanism has a stopper that extends in approximately the same direction as the arrangement direction of the substrates in the container near the opening of the container when in the second position, and that prevents the substrates from popping out of the container.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising an alignment function that can store the wafer protruding from the container into the container when the drop prevention mechanism moves to the second position.

11. 10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the second position is set so as to form a predetermined gap between the stopper and a substrate aligned at the innermost position as viewed from the vicinity of the opening.

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

13. a main storage unit that stores the container that accommodates the substrate with an opening of the container facing in a direction opposite to a direction in which the cassette transfer device takes out the container from a shelf, 6. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the main storage section has a fixed stopper extending in the arrangement direction of the substrates so as to form a predetermined gap between the substrates aligned at the innermost position as viewed from the opening of the container being stored.

14. a first driving unit that moves linearly in a direction substantially parallel to an opening of a container that accommodates substrates and is placed on a shelf; a second drive unit that moves linearly in a direction substantially perpendicular to the opening; A substrate drop prevention mechanism having a stopper that is moved by the first drive unit and the second drive unit between a first position that does not interfere with the transportation of the container and a second position that prevents the container stored in the container storage unit or the substrate in the container from falling.

15. (a) a substrate carrying-in step of receiving a substrate accommodated in a container and carrying the substrate into a processing furnace; (b) processing the substrate in the processing furnace; (c) a substrate unloading step of unloading the substrate from the processing furnace and storing it in the container, At least one of (a) and (c) is a substrate processing method including a step of moving a fall prevention mechanism provided in a container storage section that stores the container in a substrate processing apparatus between a first position that does not interfere with the transport of the container and a second position that prevents the container stored in the container storage section or the substrate in the container from falling.

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

17. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising the substrate processing method according to claim 15.

18. (a) a substrate loading step of receiving a substrate contained in a container and loading the substrate into a processing furnace; (b) processing the substrate in the processing furnace; (c) removing the substrate from the processing furnace and placing it in the container; At least one of (a) and (c) is a program that causes a computer to execute a procedure in the substrate processing apparatus to move a fall prevention mechanism provided in a container storage unit that stores the container in the substrate processing apparatus between a first position that does not interfere with the transport of the container and a second position that prevents the container stored in the container storage unit or the substrate in the container from falling.

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