Heat treatment apparatus, temperature control method, and information processing apparatus

Abstract

To provide a technique for virtualizing an external physical sensor for measuring a temperature near a heating part of a heat treatment apparatus.SOLUTION: The heat treatment apparatus includes a processing container for heat-treating a substrate to be processed, a heating part for heating the processing container from the outside, an internal physical sensor for measuring a temperature inside the processing container, a prediction part for predicting a measured temperature of an external virtual sensor obtained by virtualizing an external physical sensor in the vicinity of the heating part by using a physical model in which a physical configuration of the heat treatment furnace is reproduced, and a temperature control part for controlling power supplied to the heating part based on the measured temperature of the internal physical sensor and the measured temperature of the external virtual sensor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a heat treatment apparatus, a temperature control method, and an information processing apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventional heat treatment apparatuses are equipped with a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the heater and a temperature sensor that detects the temperature inside the processing vessel, and control the heater output based on signals from the respective temperature sensors so that the wafer or the inside of the processing vessel reaches a set temperature (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-222036 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure provides a technique for virtualizing an external physical sensor that measures the temperature near a heating section of a thermal processing device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is a heat treatment apparatus having a processing vessel for heat-treating a substrate to be processed, a heating unit for heating the processing vessel from the outside, an internal physical sensor for measuring the temperature inside the processing vessel, a prediction unit for predicting the measured temperature of an external virtual sensor that is a virtualized external physical sensor that measures the temperature near the heating unit using a physical model that reproduces the physical configuration of a heat treatment furnace through simulation, and a temperature control unit for controlling the power supplied to the heating unit based on the measured temperature of the internal physical sensor and the measured temperature of the external virtual sensor. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present disclosure, an external physical sensor that measures the temperature near the heating section of a heat treatment device can be virtualized. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing a heat treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an example of the type of thermocouple (T / C) provided in the heat treatment furnace. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of an example of a control unit of the heat treatment apparatus according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of the heat treatment apparatus according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of step S16. [Figure 6] 1 is a configuration diagram of an example of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an example of a computer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a heat treatment apparatus 10 according to this embodiment. The heat treatment apparatus 10 of FIG. 1 includes a vertical heat treatment furnace 60, and wafers W are held and accommodated in a boat 44 at predetermined intervals along the vertical direction, and various heat treatments such as oxidation, diffusion, and low-pressure CVD can be performed on the wafers W. The following describes an example in which the surface of the wafers W in the processing vessel 65 is heat-treated by supplying a gas into the processing vessel 65. The wafers W are an example of a substrate to be processed. The substrate to be processed is not limited to a circular wafer W.

[0010] 1 includes a mounting table 20, a housing 30, and a control unit 100. The mounting table 20 is sometimes called a load port. The mounting table 20 is provided at the front of the housing 30. The housing 30 includes a working area 40 and a heat treatment furnace 60.

[0011] The working area 40 is sometimes called a loading area. The working area 40 is provided in the lower part of the housing 30. The heat treatment furnace 60 is provided in the housing 30 and above the working area 40. A base plate 31 is provided between the working area 40 and the heat treatment furnace 60.

[0012] The mounting table 20 is used to load and unload the wafers W into and from the housing 30. Storage containers 21 and 22 are placed on the mounting table 20. The storage containers 21 and 22 are airtight storage containers (FOUPs) that have a detachable lid (not shown) on the front and can store multiple wafers W (for example, about 25 wafers W) at predetermined intervals.

[0013] An alignment device 23 may be provided below the mounting table 20 to align in one direction a cutout portion (e.g., a notch) provided on the outer periphery of the wafer W transferred by the transfer mechanism 47. The alignment device 23 is also called an aligner.

[0014] In the working area 40, wafers W are transferred between the storage containers 21 and 22 and the boat 44. Also, in the working area 40, the boat 44 is loaded into the processing container 65 and unloaded from the processing container 65. The working area 40 is provided with a door mechanism 41, a shutter mechanism 42, a lid 43, the boat 44, a base 45a, a base 45b, a transfer mechanism 47, a heat-retaining cylinder 48, and a lifting mechanism. The lifting mechanism is not shown in the drawing.

[0015] The door mechanism 41 removes the lids of the storage containers 21 and 22, opening the interiors of the storage containers 21 and 22 to the working area 40. The shutter mechanism 42 is provided above the working area 40 so as to cover (or block) the furnace opening 68a in order to suppress or prevent high-temperature heat from the furnace from being released into the working area 40 from the furnace opening 68a when the lid 43 is open.

[0016] The lid 43 has a rotation mechanism 49. The heat-retaining cylinder 48 is provided on the lid 43. The heat-retaining cylinder 48 prevents the boat 44 from being cooled by heat transfer to the lid 43 side, and keeps the boat 44 warm.

[0017] The rotation mechanism 49 is attached to the lower part of the lid body 43. The rotation mechanism 49 rotates the boat 44. The rotation shaft of the rotation mechanism 49 passes through the lid body 43 airtightly and is provided to rotate a turntable arranged on the lid body 43.

[0018] The lifting mechanism drives the lid 43 to move up and down when the boat 44 is carried from the working area 40 into the processing vessel 65 and when the boat 44 is carried from the processing vessel 65 to the working area 40. When the boat 44, which has been raised by the lifting mechanism, is carried into the processing vessel 65, the lid 43 abuts against the furnace port 68a to seal the furnace port 68a.

[0019] The boat 44 on the lid 43 can rotatably hold the wafer W in the processing vessel 65 in a horizontal plane. The heat treatment apparatus 10 may have a plurality of boats 44. The working area 40 in FIG. 1 is provided with boats 44a and 44b. The working area 40 is also provided with a base 45a, a base 45b, and a boat transfer mechanism.

[0020] The bases 45a and 45b are mounting tables onto which the boats 44a and 44b are respectively transferred from the lid 43. The boat transfer mechanism transfers the boat 44a or 44b from the lid 43 onto the bases 45a or 45b.

[0021] The boats 44a and 44b are made of, for example, quartz, and can horizontally mount large-diameter wafers W, for example, 300 mm in diameter, at a predetermined interval (pitch width) in the vertical direction. The boats 44a and 44b are provided with a plurality of (for example, three) support columns between the top plate and the bottom plate. The support columns are provided with claws for holding the wafers W. The boats 44a and 44b may also be provided with auxiliary columns as appropriate in addition to the support columns.

[0022] The transfer mechanism 47 transfers wafers W between the storage container 21 or 22 and the boat 44a or 44b. The transfer mechanism 47 has a base 57, a lifting arm 58, and a plurality of transfer plates 59. The transfer plates 59 are sometimes called forks.

[0023] The base 57 is provided so as to be movable up and down and rotatable. The lifting arm 58 is provided so as to be movable up and down (so as to be liftable) by a ball screw or the like. The base 57 is provided on the lifting arm 58 so as to be horizontally rotatable.

[0024] The heat treatment furnace 60 includes a jacket 62, a treatment vessel 65, and a heater (not shown).

[0025] The processing vessel 65 accommodates the wafers W held in the boat 44. The wafers W accommodated in the processing vessel 65 are subjected to a heat treatment. The processing vessel 65 is made of, for example, quartz and has a vertically elongated shape. Gas is supplied to the processing vessel 65 through an injector. The gas supplied to the processing vessel 65 is exhausted from an exhaust system.

[0026] The lid 43 can be raised and lowered by a lifting mechanism, and closes the furnace opening 68a when the boat 44 is carried into the processing vessel 65. A heat-insulating cylinder 48 is placed on top of the lid 43. The boat 44 is provided on top of the heat-insulating cylinder 48.

[0027] Jacket 62 is provided to cover the periphery of processing vessel 65 and defines a space around processing vessel 65. Jacket 62 has a cylindrical shape, similar to processing vessel 65. Inside jacket 62, outside the space defined around processing vessel 65, a heat insulating material made of, for example, glass wool may be provided.

[0028] The heater is provided to cover the periphery of the processing vessel 65. The heater is provided inside the jacket 62 but outside the processing vessel 65. The heater heats the processing vessel 65 and can control the heating of each unit area called a zone inside the processing vessel 65 to a predetermined temperature (e.g., 50 to 1200°C). The heater heats the wafers W housed in the processing vessel 65. The heater is an example of a heating unit that heats the processing vessel 65 from the outside. The heater is configured to be able to control heating, for example, by the output (heater power) of a heater power control unit 86 described below.

[0029] The heat treatment furnace 60 is provided with a thermocouple. The thermocouple is an example of a temperature sensor that measures temperature. The heat treatment furnace 60 is provided with, for example, the type of thermocouple shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an example of the type of thermocouple (T / C) provided in the heat treatment furnace 60. The treatment vessel 65 includes an inner tube 66 and an outer tube 67.

[0030] FIG. 2(A) is a diagram showing an example of the position of an external thermocouple 70. The external thermocouple 70 in FIG. 2(A) measures the temperature near the heater. The external thermocouple 70 is an example of an external physical sensor that measures the temperature near the heater. The external thermocouple 70 includes an Outer T / C and an Excess T / C. For example, the Outer T / C is used to control the temperature of the heater. The Excess T / C is used to detect excessive temperature rise of the heater.

[0031] 2(B) is a diagram showing an example of the position of the internal thermocouple 72. The internal thermocouple 72 shown in FIG. 2(B) measures the temperature inside the processing vessel 65. The internal thermocouple 72 shown in FIG. 2(B) is provided inside the outer tube 67 and outside the inner tube 66. The internal thermocouple 72 shown in FIG. 2(B) is an example of an internal physical sensor that measures the temperature inside the processing vessel 65, such as an Inner T / C.

[0032] FIG. 2(C) is a diagram illustrating an example of the position of the internal thermocouple 72. The internal thermocouple 72 illustrated in FIG. 2(C) measures the temperature inside the processing vessel 65. The internal thermocouple 72 illustrated in FIG. 2(C) is provided inside the inner tube 66. The internal thermocouple 72 illustrated in FIG. 2(C) is an example of an internal physical sensor that measures the temperature inside the processing vessel 65, such as Inside T / C. Note that, although an example using the internal thermocouple 72 illustrated in FIG. 2(C) will be described in this embodiment, the internal thermocouple 72 illustrated in FIG. 2(B) may also be used.

[0033] Since the internal thermocouple 72 shown in FIG. 2(C) is provided inside the inner tube 66, the temperature near the wafer W can be measured with high accuracy by the internal thermocouple 72 shown in FIG. 2(B) provided outside the inner tube 66.

[0034] 2A has been used in many control modes of the heat treatment apparatus 10. In recent heat treatment apparatuses 10, the use of the temperature measured by the external thermocouple 70 has been decreasing. In addition, the temperature measured by the external thermocouple 70 is increasingly being used in applications that have little impact on the film formation results on the wafer W, and the required accuracy is also decreasing.

[0035] Therefore, in this embodiment, the external thermocouples 70 that measure the temperature near the heater are virtualized by predicting the measured temperature of the external thermocouples 70 using a physical model that reproduces the physical configuration of the heat treatment furnace 60 through simulation. The virtualization of the external thermocouples 70 may be performed for all the Outer T / Cs, or may be performed so that only some of the Outer T / Cs remain. Note that the Excess T / Cs do not need to be virtualized.

[0036] Returning to the explanation of Figure 1, the measured temperatures measured by the non-virtualized external thermocouples 70 are input to the control unit 100. The measured temperatures measured by the internal thermocouples 72 are input to the control unit 100 as measured temperatures of internal physical sensors. The control unit 100, to which the measured temperatures have been input, controls the heater power supplied to the heater by a heater power control unit 86 (described later). The heater power control unit 86 supplies the heater power adjusted by the control unit 100 to the heater.

[0037] The control unit 100 is realized by, for example, a computer 500 as described below. The control unit 100 reads a program recorded in a storage device, and sends control signals to each component of the heat treatment apparatus 10 in accordance with the program to perform the heat treatment. Furthermore, for example, the control unit 100 can more accurately control the temperature of the wafer W after it has been loaded into the processing chamber 65 by adjusting the heater power supplied to the heater by the heater power control unit 86 as described below.

[0038] The control unit 100 of the heat treatment apparatus 10 is realized by, for example, the functional configuration shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a functional configuration diagram of an example of the control unit 100 of the heat treatment apparatus 10 according to this embodiment. Note that the functional block diagram of Fig. 3 omits illustration of components that are not necessary for explaining this embodiment.

[0039] The control unit 100 executes a program to implement a prediction unit 102, a physical model correction unit 104, a temperature control unit 106, a first measured temperature correction unit 108, and a second measured temperature correction unit 110. The prediction unit 102 uses a physical model 120. The physical model 120 reproduces the physical configuration of the heat treatment furnace 60 through simulation, and simulates the behavior of the heat treatment furnace 60. The physical model 120 uses a 1DCAE thermal simulation model or the like.

[0040] The control unit 100 is an example of an information processing device that controls the temperature inside the processing vessel 65 of the heat treatment device 10. The temperature control unit 106 acquires a set temperature that is a target value according to the process to be executed in the heat treatment device 10. The temperature control unit 106 also acquires outputs from the first measured temperature correction unit 108 and the second measured temperature correction unit 110.

[0041] The first measured temperature correction unit 108 acquires the measured temperature (measured temperature of the internal physical sensor) measured by the internal thermocouple 72 and performs offset correction for the auto profile function. The offset correction is performed using the temperature difference between the stable temperature of the profile thermocouple installed near the wafer W and the measured temperature of the internal thermocouple 72. The first measured temperature correction unit 108 outputs the corrected measured temperature of the internal thermocouple 72 to the temperature control unit 106. The first measured temperature correction unit 108 also saves the corrected measured temperature of the internal thermocouple 72 in a trace log.

[0042] The second measured temperature correction unit 110 acquires the measured temperature of the external virtual sensor, which is the measured temperature of the external thermocouple 70 predicted by the prediction unit 102, and performs profile correction for the auto profile function. In the profile correction, correction is performed using the temperature difference between the measured temperature of the external thermocouple 70 and the measured temperature of the internal thermocouple 72. The second measured temperature correction unit 110 outputs the corrected measured temperature of the external virtual sensor to the temperature control unit 106. The second measured temperature correction unit 110 also saves the corrected measured temperature of the external virtual sensor in a trace log.

[0043] The temperature control unit 106 outputs a heater power control signal to the heater power control unit 86 so that the temperature of the wafer W in the processing vessel 65 approaches the set temperature, which is the target value, based on the set temperature, the corrected temperature measured by the internal thermocouple 72, and the corrected temperature measured by the external virtual sensor. The heater power control unit 86 supplies heater power to the heater in accordance with the heater power control signal output from the temperature control unit 106. In this way, the temperature control unit 106 performs feedback control of the heater power control unit 86.

[0044] Furthermore, the temperature control unit 106 outputs the heater power control signal output to the heater power control unit 86 to the prediction unit 102. The prediction unit 102 predicts the measured temperature of an external virtual sensor that virtualizes the external thermocouple 70 and the measured temperature of an internal virtual sensor that virtualizes the internal thermocouple 72 using a physical model 120. The physical model 120 outputs the measured temperature of the external virtual sensor and the measured temperature of the internal virtual sensor according to the heater power.

[0045] For example, the prediction unit 102 can output the measured temperature of an external virtual sensor and the measured temperature of an internal virtual sensor according to the heater power by using the physical model 120, which is a thermal simulation model of 1DCAE that reproduces the configuration of the heat treatment furnace 60 of the heat treatment apparatus 10. The physical model 120, which is a thermal simulation model of 1DCAE, models the relationship between heat exchange and specific heat of components such as the members of the heat treatment furnace 60 and the wafer W.

[0046] The prediction unit 102 outputs the measured temperature of the external virtual sensor predicted according to the heater power to the second measured temperature correction unit 110. The prediction unit 102 also outputs the measured temperature of the internal virtual sensor predicted according to the heater power to the physical model correction unit 104.

[0047] The physical model correction unit 104 acquires the measured temperature (measured temperature of the internal physical sensor) measured by the internal thermocouple 72. The physical model correction unit 104 also acquires the measured temperature of the internal virtual sensor predicted by the prediction unit 102 using the physical model 120.

[0048] The physical model correction unit 104 corrects the physical model 120 based on the difference (predicted-actual difference) between the measured temperature of the internal physical sensor and the measured temperature of the internal virtual sensor. Specifically, the physical model correction unit 104 calculates the correction amount of the physical model 120 based on the difference between the measured temperature of the internal physical sensor and the measured temperature of the internal virtual sensor. The physical model correction unit 104 corrects the physical model of the prediction unit 102 by outputting the calculated correction amount of the physical model 120 to the prediction unit 102.

[0049] In the heat treatment apparatus 10 according to this embodiment, the difference between the temperature measured by the internal physical sensor and the temperature measured by the internal virtual sensor is fed back to the physical model 120, thereby correcting the physical model 120 so that the temperature measured by the internal physical sensor approaches the temperature measured by the internal virtual sensor. As shown in FIG. 3 , in the heat treatment apparatus 10 according to this embodiment, the temperature measured by the external thermocouple 70 is not used to correct the physical model 120.

[0050] On the other hand, due to the effect of correction by the physical model 120 based on the difference between the measured temperature of the internal physical sensor and the measured temperature of the internal virtual sensor, the measured temperature of the external virtual sensor predicted according to the heater power approaches the measured temperature (actual measurement) by the external thermocouple 70. In this way, the correction by the physical model 120 based on the difference between the measured temperature of the internal physical sensor and the measured temperature of the internal virtual sensor indirectly improves the prediction accuracy of the measured temperature of the external virtual sensor.

[0051] In the heat treatment apparatus 10 according to this embodiment, the measured temperature of the external thermocouple 70 is not used to correct the physical model 120, and therefore even if at least a portion (all or part) of the external thermocouple 70 is omitted, the physical model 120 can be corrected to improve the accuracy of the measured temperature of the external virtual sensor predicted by the prediction unit 102.

[0052] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of the heat treatment apparatus 10 according to this embodiment.

[0053] In step S10, the heat treatment apparatus 10 starts a process according to a recipe. The recipe of the heat treatment apparatus 10 divides the process into a plurality of processing steps (sections). The recipe sets the order of the processing steps to be executed and parameters for each processing step. In step S12, the heat treatment apparatus 10 executes the processing steps according to the recipe.

[0054] In step S14, the physical model correction unit 104 of the control unit 100 acquires the measured temperature measured by the internal thermocouple 72 during execution of the processing step (the measured temperature of the internal physical sensor) and the measured temperature of the internal virtual sensor during execution of the processing step predicted by the prediction unit 102 using the physical model 120. The physical model correction unit 104 calculates the difference (predicted-actual difference) between the measured temperature of the internal physical sensor and the measured temperature of the internal virtual sensor.

[0055] In step S16, the physical model corrector 104 corrects the physical model 120 based on the difference between the predicted and actual values ​​calculated in step S14. The process of step S16 is executed, for example, as shown in FIG.

[0056] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of step S16.

[0057] In step S30, the physical model correction unit 104 acquires a correction formula set for each component constituting the heat treatment furnace 60. The components for which a correction formula is set include, for example, the heat insulating material, heater, inner tube 66, outer tube 67, Inside T / C, Inner T / C, Outer T / C, T / C tube, wafer edge, and wafer center constituting the heat treatment furnace 60.

[0058] The correction calculation formula is configured as shown in the following formula (1), for example.

[0059] Correction amount for each part = difference between expected and actual x adjustment value for each part...(1) The adjustment values ​​for each component may include an adjustment value common to all components and an adjustment value for each component. The correction formula for the outer tube 67 may be used as the correction formula for the Outer T / C.

[0060] In step S32, the physical model correcting unit 104 calculates the correction amount for each component constituting the heat treatment furnace 60 based on the difference between the predicted and actual values, using the correction calculation formula shown in Equation (1).

[0061] In step S34, the physical model correcting unit 104 corrects the physical model 120 based on the correction amount for each part calculated in step S32.

[0062] According to the processing of the flowchart in FIG. 5, the physical model correction unit 104 uses a correction calculation formula set for each component constituting the heat treatment furnace 60 to calculate the correction amount for each component based on the difference between the predicted and actual values, and can correct the physical model 120 based on the calculated correction amount.

[0063] Returning to step S18 in Fig. 4, if the recipe started in step S10 has a next processing step, the heat processing apparatus 10 returns to step S12 and executes the next processing step. If there is no next processing step, the heat processing apparatus 10 determines in step S20 whether there is a next recipe. If there is a next recipe, the heat processing apparatus 10 returns to step S10 and starts the next recipe. If there is no next recipe, the heat processing apparatus 10 ends the processing of the flowchart in Fig. 4.

[0064] In the processing of the flowchart in FIG. 4, for each processing step of the recipe, the physical model 120 can be corrected based on the difference between the measured temperature of the internal virtual sensor predicted using the physical model 120 and the measured temperature of the internal physical sensor.

[0065] In the heat treatment apparatus 10 according to this embodiment, at least a part of the external thermocouples 70 that measure the temperature near the heater can be virtualized. Furthermore, in the heat treatment apparatus 10 according to this embodiment, the effect of correcting the physical model 120 based on the difference between the predicted and actual values ​​of the internal thermocouples 72 can improve the prediction accuracy of the measured temperature of the external virtual sensor corresponding to the external thermocouples 70.

[0066] In the heat treatment apparatus 10 according to this embodiment, all external thermocouples 70 may be virtualized and all of the virtualized external thermocouples 70 may be omitted, or some of the virtualized external thermocouples 70 may be omitted.

[0067] In the heat treatment apparatus 10 in which the external thermocouple 70 is replaced with an external virtual sensor, the virtualized external thermocouple 70 can be omitted, thereby reducing the work required to replace the external thermocouple 70 in the event of a malfunction. By reducing the work required to replace the external thermocouple 70, the heat treatment apparatus 10 according to this embodiment is expected to improve productivity. Furthermore, by reducing the work required to replace the external thermocouple 70, the heat treatment apparatus 10 according to this embodiment is expected to reduce the cost of the external thermocouple 70.

[0068] Furthermore, in the heat treatment apparatus 10 according to this embodiment, when some of the external thermocouples 70 remain unvirtualized, the failed external thermocouples 70 may be sequentially replaced with external virtual sensors for operation.

[0069] Furthermore, in the heat treatment apparatus 10 according to this embodiment, when some of the external thermocouples 70 are left unvirtualized, the measured temperatures of the remaining external thermocouples 70 may be used to correct the physical model 120.

[0070] In the above-described embodiment, the processing performed by the control unit 100 of the heat treatment device 10 may be executed by another information processing device connected to the control unit 100 so as to be able to perform data communication.

[0071] 6 is a configuration diagram of an example of an information processing system according to this embodiment. The information processing system shown in Fig. 6 includes a heat treatment apparatus 10, an autonomous controller 210, an apparatus controller 220, a host computer 230, an external measuring device 240, and an analysis server 250.

[0072] The heat treatment apparatus 10, the autonomous controller 210, the apparatus controller 220, the host computer 230, the external measuring device 240, and the analysis server 250 are communicably connected via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network).

[0073] The heat treatment apparatus 10 executes a process in accordance with control commands (process parameters) output from the apparatus controller 220. The autonomous controller 210 is a controller for autonomously controlling the heat treatment apparatus 10, and performs a simulation of the process state being executed in the heat treatment apparatus 10 using a simulation model.

[0074] An autonomous controller 210 is provided for each heat treatment device 10. The autonomous controller 210 executes at least a part of the processing that is performed by the control unit 100 in the above embodiment.

[0075] The equipment controller 220 is a controller having a computer configuration for controlling the heat treatment apparatus 10. The equipment controller 220 outputs process parameters for controlling control components of the heat treatment apparatus 10 to the heat treatment apparatus 10. The host computer 230 is an example of a man-machine interface (MMI) that receives instructions for the heat treatment apparatus 10 from an operator and provides information related to the heat treatment apparatus 10 to the operator.

[0076] The external measuring instrument 240 is a measuring instrument that measures the results after a process is executed in accordance with process parameters, such as a film thickness measuring instrument, a sheet resistance measuring instrument, a particle measuring instrument, etc. For example, the external measuring instrument 240 measures the degree of film adhesion on a wafer W such as a monitor wafer.

[0077] The analysis server 250 performs data analysis required for the processing executed by the autonomous controller 210. The analysis server 250 may correct the physical model 120 of the heat treatment apparatus 10 using data collected from multiple heat treatment apparatuses 10.

[0078] 6 is just an example, and it goes without saying that there are various system configuration examples depending on the application and purpose. The classification of devices such as the heat treatment device 10, the autonomous controller 210, the device controller 220, the host computer 230, the external measuring device 240, and the analysis server 250 in FIG. 6 is just an example.

[0079] For example, the information processing system can have various configurations, such as a configuration in which at least two of the heat treatment device 10, autonomous control controller 210, device control controller 220, host computer 230, external measuring device 240, and analysis server 250 are integrated, or a configuration in which they are further divided.

[0080] The autonomous controller 210, the device controller 220, the host computer 230, and the analysis server 250 of the information processing system shown in Fig. 6 are realized by, for example, a computer having the hardware configuration shown in Fig. 7. The control unit 100 of the heat treatment device 10 described above is also realized by a computer having the hardware configuration shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a hardware configuration diagram of an example of a computer.

[0081] The autonomous controller 210, the device controller 220, the host computer 230, the analysis server 250, and the control unit 100 are an example of an information processing device that controls the temperature inside the processing chamber 65 of the heat treatment device 10.

[0082] 7 includes an input device 501, an output device 502, an external I / F (interface) 503, a RAM (random access memory) 504, a ROM (read only memory) 505, a CPU (central processing unit) 506, a communication I / F 507, and an HDD (hard disk drive) 508, all of which are interconnected by a bus B. The input device 501 and the output device 502 may be connected and used when necessary.

[0083] The input device 501 is a keyboard, mouse, touch panel, etc., and is used by an operator or the like to input various operation signals. The output device 502 is a display, etc., and displays the results of processing by the computer 500. The communication I / F 507 is an interface that connects the computer 500 to a network. The HDD 508 is an example of a non-volatile storage device that stores programs and data.

[0084] The external I / F 503 is an interface with an external device. The computer 500 can read and / or write data from and to a recording medium 503a such as an SD (Secure Digital) memory card via the external I / F 503. The ROM 505 is an example of a non-volatile semiconductor memory (storage device) that stores programs and data. The RAM 504 is an example of a volatile semiconductor memory (storage device) that temporarily stores programs and data.

[0085] The CPU 506 is a computing device that controls the entire computer 500 and realizes its functions by reading programs and data from storage devices such as the ROM 505 and HDD 508 onto the RAM 504 and executing the processes.

[0086] The autonomous controller 210, the device controller 220, the host computer 230, and the analysis server 250 of the information processing system shown in Fig. 6 can realize various functions by the hardware configuration of the computer 500 shown in Fig. 7. The control unit 100 of the heat treatment device 10 described above can also realize various functions by the hardware configuration of the computer 500 shown in Fig. 7.

[0087] By utilizing the technology of the above-described embodiment, the heat treatment apparatus 10 according to this embodiment can virtualize an external physical sensor that measures the temperature near the heater of the heat treatment apparatus 10.

[0088] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0089] 10 Heat treatment device 70 External thermocouple 72 Internal thermocouple 100 control section 102 Prediction Department 104 Physical model correction unit 106 Temperature control unit 120 Physical Models

Claims

1. a processing vessel for heat-treating a substrate to be processed; a heating unit that heats the processing vessel from the outside; an internal physical sensor for measuring a temperature inside the processing vessel; a prediction unit that predicts a temperature measured by an external virtual sensor that is a virtualized external physical sensor that measures a temperature near the heating unit, using a physical model that reproduces a physical configuration of the heat treatment furnace by simulation; a temperature control unit that controls power supplied to the heating unit based on the temperature measured by the internal physical sensor and the temperature measured by the external virtual sensor; A heat treatment device comprising:

2. a physical model correction unit that corrects the physical model based on a difference between a measured temperature of an internal virtual sensor predicted using the physical model and a measured temperature of the internal physical sensor; The heat treatment apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

3. The physical model correction unit calculates a correction amount for each component based on the difference using a correction calculation formula set for each component constituting the heat treatment furnace, and corrects the physical model based on the correction amount. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 2 .

4. the processing vessel includes an inner tube and an outer tube, The internal physical sensor is a physical temperature sensor inside the inner tube. The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. At least some of the external physical sensors corresponding to the external virtual sensors are omitted. The heat treatment apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. 1. A temperature control method performed by a heat treatment apparatus having a processing vessel for heat-treating a substrate to be processed, a heating unit for heating the processing vessel from the outside, and an internal physical sensor for measuring a temperature inside the processing vessel, comprising: predicting a temperature measured by an external virtual sensor obtained by virtualizing an external physical sensor that measures a temperature near the heating unit, using a physical model that reproduces a physical configuration of a heat treatment furnace by simulation; controlling the power supplied to the heating unit based on the temperature measured by the internal physical sensor and the temperature measured by the external virtual sensor; A temperature control method comprising:

7. 1. An information processing apparatus for controlling the temperature of a heat treatment apparatus having a processing vessel for heat-treating a substrate to be processed, a heating unit for heating the processing vessel from the outside, and an internal physical sensor for measuring the temperature inside the processing vessel, a prediction unit that predicts a temperature measured by an external virtual sensor that is a virtualized external physical sensor that measures a temperature near the heating unit, using a physical model that reproduces a physical configuration of the heat treatment furnace by simulation; a temperature control unit that controls power supplied to the heating unit based on the temperature measured by the internal physical sensor and the temperature measured by the external virtual sensor; An information processing device having the above.

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