Substrate processing apparatus, control apparatus, and article manufacturing method

Abstract

To provide a technique advantageous for improving efficiency of a process from application of a film-forming solution to a substrate to drying.SOLUTION: The substrate processing apparatus includes a plurality of processing sections, a transport mechanism that transports a substrate among the plurality of processing sections, and a controller. The plurality of processing units include a coating unit that coats a substrate with a film-forming solution, and a drying unit that dries the film-forming solution coated on the substrate by the coating unit, and the control unit determines whether or not the processing substrate can be transported to the drying unit by the transport mechanism within a predetermined time after the coating unit starts coating the processing substrate with the film-forming solution, and controls the coating unit to coat the processing substrate with the film-forming solution when it is determined that the transport is possible.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and an article manufacturing method. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a functional film forming apparatus that includes a coating device that coats a substrate with a film-forming solution to form a film, a drying device that dries the coated film-forming solution, and a transport device that transports the substrate coated with the film-forming solution by the coating device to the drying device. In this functional film forming apparatus, the first of multiple substrates to be dried by the drying device is transported to the drying device within a predetermined time after the start of coating of the film-forming solution, thereby efficiently forming a high-quality functional film with a uniform film thickness with high precision. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-150206 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Even in the film forming apparatus described above, if, for example, a transport mechanism or a drying device is unavailable at the time when the application of the film forming solution to the substrate is completed, it may be impossible to transport the substrate to the drying device within a predetermined time after the application of the film forming solution to the substrate in the coating device. For a substrate that cannot be transported to the drying device within the predetermined time, for example, after a reprocessing process, the film forming solution may be coated again and then transported to the drying device. Alternatively, such a substrate may not be reusable. In either case, if the substrate cannot be transported to the drying device within a predetermined time after the application of the film forming solution to the substrate is started, the process from application of the film forming solution to the substrate to drying becomes inefficient.

[0005] The present invention provides an advantageous technique for improving the efficiency of the process from coating a film-forming solution on a substrate to drying. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus including a plurality of processing sections, a transport mechanism for transporting substrates between the plurality of processing sections, and a control section, wherein the plurality of processing sections include a coating section for applying a film forming solution to a substrate, and a drying section for drying the film forming solution applied to the substrate by the coating section, and the control section determines whether the transport mechanism can transport the processing substrate to the drying section within a predetermined time after the coating section starts applying the film forming solution to the processing substrate, and controls the coating section to apply the film forming solution to the processing substrate if it is determined that the transport is possible. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, an advantageous technique is provided for improving the efficiency of the process from coating a film-forming solution on a substrate to drying. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 10 is a flowchart showing a first operation example of the substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart showing a second operation example of the substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a processing flow for each substrate in the substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a processing flow for each substrate in the substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a processing flow for each substrate in the substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a table for controlling processing in the substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a table for controlling processing in the substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a table for controlling processing in the substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a table for controlling processing in the substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a table for controlling processing in the substrate processing apparatus. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining a reservation function. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a processing flow for each substrate in the substrate processing apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention claimed. Although multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0010] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 100 according to one embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus 100 processes substrates. The substrate processing apparatus 100 may be configured, for example, as a film forming apparatus for forming a film on a substrate. The film may be, for example, an organic film. The organic film may be, for example, any of a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, an emitting layer, an electron transport layer, and an electron injection layer of an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) device. The process for manufacturing an organic EL device may include forming organic films such as a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, an emitting layer, an electron transport layer, and an electron injection layer on a substrate. The process for forming each organic film on a substrate may include a coating step of disposing or coating a film-forming solution on the substrate by printing or the like, a drying step of drying the film-forming solution to form a dried film, and a baking step of baking the dried film. The film-forming solution may be a solution containing a solute and a solvent for forming an organic film. The solvent may have a property that facilitates evaporation in a reduced-pressure environment lower than atmospheric pressure. Evaporation of the solvent can be accelerated, for example, at temperatures higher than room temperature (25° C.).

[0011] The substrate processing apparatus 100 may include a plurality of processing sections and a transfer mechanism 9 that transfers substrates between the plurality of processing sections. Each processing section may include a processing chamber. The substrate processing apparatus 100 may include a transfer chamber 10 to which the processing chambers of the plurality of processing sections are connected, and the transfer mechanism 9 may be disposed within the transfer chamber 10. The transfer chamber 10 may be disposed so as to be surrounded by the processing chambers of the plurality of processing sections. The substrate processing apparatus 100 may be a multi-chamber type processing apparatus.

[0012] In one example, the multiple processing units include at least a coating unit 1 that coats a film formation solution on a substrate, and a drying unit 4 that dries the film formation solution coated on the substrate by the coating unit 1. In another aspect, the multiple processing units may include, for example, the coating unit 1, a cleaning unit 2, a load lock (L / L) unit 3, a drying unit 4, a baking unit 5, a cooling unit 6a, an alignment unit 6b, an unload lock (U / L) unit 7, and a buffer unit 8.

[0013] The cleaning unit 2 can be configured to perform a cleaning process to remove contaminants (e.g., organic matter) attached to the substrate. The cleaning unit 2 can be configured to generate ozone using an ultraviolet light source such as an excimer lamp, and to remove the organic matter using the ozone.

[0014] The load lock unit 3 can be used as an interface for transporting a substrate from outside the substrate processing apparatus 100 to inside the substrate processing apparatus 100. The drying unit 4 can be configured to dry the film forming solution applied onto the substrate by the application unit 1 to form a dry film. The baking unit 5 can be configured to bake the dry film formed by drying in the drying unit 4.

[0015] In this example, the cooling unit 6a and the alignment unit 6b are configured to be arranged in a single processing chamber, but the cooling unit 6a and the alignment unit 6b may be arranged in different processing chambers. The cooling unit 6a may be configured to cool a substrate cleaned by the cleaning unit 2 and a substrate on which a dry film has been baked by the baking unit 5. The cooling unit 6a may, for example, control the temperature of the substrate so that the temperature or temperature distribution of the substrate falls within ±0.2°C of a target temperature. The alignment unit 6b may, for example, be configured to align a substrate supplied to the coating unit 1. Alignment may be performed, for example, with respect to the position in the X-axis and Y-axis directions in an XYZ coordinate system and rotation around the Z-axis. Furthermore, the alignment unit 6b may align a substrate unloaded from the substrate processing apparatus 100.

[0016] The unload lock (U / L) unit 7 may be configured as an interface for transporting substrates from the substrate processing apparatus 100 to the outside after processing therein. The load lock unit 3 and the unload lock (U / L) unit 7 may be a common unit. The buffer unit 8 may be used to evacuate substrates from inside the substrate processing apparatus 100 in the event of a malfunction in the substrate processing apparatus 100. An additional transfer chamber 11 may be provided between the transfer chamber 10 and the coating unit 1.

[0017] The substrate processing apparatus 100 may further include a control unit 20. The control unit 20 may be configured, for example, by a PLD (abbreviation for programmable logic device) such as an FPGA (abbreviation for field programmable gate array), an ASIC (abbreviation for application specific integrated circuit), a general-purpose or dedicated computer with an embedded program, or a combination of all or part of these. The control unit 20 may determine whether the substrate to be processed can be transported to the drying unit 4 by the transport mechanism 9 within a predetermined time after the coating unit 1 starts coating the substrate with the film deposition solution. If the control unit 20 determines that the transport is possible, it may control the coating unit 1 to coat the substrate with the film deposition solution. Here, the term “processing substrate” refers to one substrate of interest among multiple substrates processed in the substrate processing apparatus 100 and is used to describe the movement of one substrate (processing substrate) in the substrate processing apparatus 100. In contrast, the simple term “substrate” refers to any unspecified substrate as long as it is appropriate in the context. For example, the transport mechanism 9 can be said to be a mechanism for transporting unspecified substrates that have been instructed to be transported, or a mechanism for transporting a processing substrate that is a particular substrate that deserves attention.

[0018] 2 is a flowchart showing a first operation example of the substrate processing apparatus 100. The operation shown in FIG. 2 is controlled by the control unit 20. In the first operation example, n (n is any natural number) substrates are sequentially supplied to the substrate processing apparatus 100, and the control unit 20 also controls the supply of substrates from outside the substrate processing apparatus 100 to the load lock unit 3. The n substrates sequentially supplied to the substrate processing apparatus 100 may constitute a lot. In step S201, the control unit 20 initializes the value of a parameter i for controlling the operation to 1. i is a parameter for identifying the n substrates from one another.

[0019] In step S202, the control unit 20 checks whether the ith substrate can be transferred from outside the substrate processing apparatus 100 to the load lock unit 3, and waits until the ith substrate can be transferred to the load lock unit 3. When the ith substrate can be transferred to the load lock unit 3, the control unit 20 executes step S203. In step S203, the control unit 20 controls a transfer robot (not shown) to transfer the ith substrate to the load lock unit 3. Next, in step S204, the control unit 20 starts controlling the processing of the ith substrate in the substrate processing apparatus 100. Next, in step S205, the control unit 20 determines whether the value of i is n, i.e., whether step S204 has been performed up to the nth substrate. If the value of i is n, the process of FIG. 2 ends; otherwise, in step S206, the value of i is incremented by 1, and steps S202 to S205 are executed again.

[0020] 3 is a flowchart showing a second operation example of the substrate processing apparatus 100. The operation shown in FIG. 3 is controlled by the control unit 20. In the second operation example, n substrates are supplied to the substrate processing apparatus 100 in a batch, i.e., simultaneously, and the control unit 20 also controls the supply of substrates from outside the substrate processing apparatus 100 to the load lock unit 3. The n substrates supplied in a batch to the substrate processing apparatus 100 may constitute a lot. In step S211, the control unit 20 initializes the value of a parameter i for controlling the operation to 1. i is a parameter for identifying the n substrates from one another.

[0021] In step S212, the control unit 20 controls a transfer robot (not shown) to transfer n substrates from outside the substrate processing apparatus 100 to the load lock unit 3. Next, in step S213, the control unit 20 starts controlling the processing of the ith substrate in the substrate processing apparatus 100. Next, in step S214, it is determined whether the value of i is n, that is, whether step S213 has been performed up to the nth substrate. If the value of i is n, the processing of FIG. 3 is terminated; if not, in step S217, the value of i is incremented by 1, and step S213 is performed again.

[0022] In step S215, the control unit 20 determines whether the processing of the nth substrate has been completed, i.e., whether the nth substrate has been transported to the unload lock unit 7, and executes step S216 if it determines that the nth substrate has been transported to the unload lock unit 7. In step S216, the control unit 20 controls a transport robot (not shown) to transport the n substrates from the unload lock unit 7 to the outside of the substrate processing apparatus 100.

[0023] FIG. 7 illustrates a table 700 for managing the status of multiple substrates processed by the substrate processing apparatus 100 or the status of the substrate processing apparatus 100. The table 700 is managed by the control unit 20, and its contents can be updated sequentially over time. In FIG. 7, the first column indicates the value of i for identifying a substrate. For example, a value of i of 1 indicates the first substrate, i.e., the first substrate. A "-" in the first column indicates that the i-th substrate is not present in the substrate processing apparatus 100. The second column indicates the location of the i-th substrate: the coating unit 1, the cleaning unit 2, the load lock (L / L) unit 3, the drying unit 4, the baking unit 5, the cooling unit 6a, the alignment unit 6b, the unload lock (U / L) unit 7, the buffer unit 8, or the transfer mechanism 9. A "-" in the second column indicates that the ith substrate is not present in any of the coating unit 1, cleaning unit 2, load lock unit 3, drying unit 4, baking unit 5, cooling unit 6a, alignment unit 6b, unload lock unit 7, buffer unit 8, and transport mechanism 9. In the second operation example, the ith substrate is present in any of the coating unit 1, cleaning unit 2, load lock unit 3, drying unit 4, baking unit 5, cooling unit 6a, alignment unit 6b, unload lock unit 7, buffer unit 8, and transport mechanism 9.

[0024] The third column indicates the maximum time the i-th substrate can wait at the position indicated in the second column (hereinafter referred to as the maximum wait time). The maximum wait time is a fixed value preset for each substrate position. A "-" in the third column indicates that no maximum wait time is set for the processing unit indicated in the second column, i.e., there is no limit to the wait time. The fourth column indicates the time the i-th substrate has currently waited at the position indicated in the second column (hereinafter referred to as the wait time). A "-" in the fourth column indicates that the i-th substrate is not present in the substrate processing apparatus 100. The fifth column indicates the time obtained by subtracting the wait time from the maximum wait time, i.e., the remaining time the i-th substrate can wait at the position indicated in the second column (hereinafter referred to as the "remaining wait time"). In other words, the remaining wait time is the time a substrate to be transported from the current processing unit to another processing unit can wait in the current processing unit. A "-" in the fifth column indicates that the remaining wait time does not need to be taken into consideration. The sixth column indicates the remaining time required for processing the i-th substrate by the processing unit indicated in the second column (hereinafter referred to as the "remaining processing time"). A "-" in the sixth column means that the remaining processing time does not need to be taken into consideration. Figures 8 and 9 illustrate the transitions of the table 700 shown in Figure 7.

[0025] FIG. 10 illustrates a table 800 showing the status of multiple processing units (1-8) and the transport mechanism 9. The table 800 is managed by the control unit 20, and its contents can be updated sequentially over time. In FIG. 10, the first column shows the components of the substrate processing apparatus 100, specifically, the coating unit 1, the cleaning unit 2, the load lock (L / L) unit 3, the drying unit 4, the baking unit 5, the cooling unit 6a, the alignment unit 6b, the unload lock (U / L) unit 7, the buffer unit 8, and the transport mechanism 9. The second column shows the status of the components. "Available" indicates that the corresponding component is available (ready). If the corresponding component is unavailable, information indicating this is provided.

[0026] 4, 5, and 6 show detailed examples of the process in step S204 of FIG. 2 and step S213 of FIG. 3, i.e., the process of the ith substrate. Tables 700 and 800 can be used to control the processes shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6. In step S401, the control unit 20 determines whether the ith substrate can be transferred from the load lock unit 3 to the cleaning unit 2 by referring to tables 700 and 800. Then, when it becomes possible to transfer the ith substrate from the load lock unit 3 to the cleaning unit 2, the control unit 20 executes step S402. In other words, in step S402, the control unit 20 waits until it becomes possible to transfer the ith substrate from the load lock unit 3 to the cleaning unit 2.

[0027] Here, as an example, a case will be described in which processing of a seventh substrate (i=7) is controlled in the state shown in table 700 in FIG. 7 . In this case, the control unit 20 can refer to table 700 to determine whether the seventh substrate located in the load dock unit (L / L) 3 can be transported from the load lock unit 3 to the cleaning unit 2. In the example of FIG. 7 , because the sixth substrate is present in the cleaning unit 2, the control unit 20 cannot transport the seventh substrate from the load lock unit 3 to the cleaning unit 2. Therefore, the control unit 20 must wait for the sixth substrate present in the cleaning unit 2 to be removed from the cleaning unit 2 and transported to the cooling unit 6 a or the buffer unit 8. Alternatively, if table 800 indicates that the cleaning unit 2 is unavailable, the control unit 20 cannot transport the seventh substrate from the load lock unit 3 to the cleaning unit 2.

[0028] The control unit 20 can determine that the seventh substrate can be transported from the load lock unit 3 to the cleaning unit 2 when the substrate present in the cleaning unit 2 is removed from the cleaning unit 2 and transported to the cooling unit 6a or the buffer unit 8, and the table 700 is updated accordingly. At this time, the control unit 20 refers to the fifth column (remaining waiting time) of the table 700, and if there is a substrate whose remaining waiting time is shorter than a predetermined threshold time, the control unit 20 may wait until the remaining waiting time becomes unnecessary to consider. This allows the transport of other substrates by the transport mechanism 9 to be given priority. In step S402, the control unit 20 controls the transport mechanism 9 to transport the ith substrate from the load lock unit 3 to the cleaning unit 2. In step S403, the control unit 20 controls the cleaning unit 2 to clean the ith substrate transported to the cleaning unit 2.

[0029] In step S404, the control unit 20 determines whether the ith substrate can be transported from the cleaning unit 2 to the cooling unit 6a by referring to the tables 700 and 800. When it becomes possible to transport the ith substrate from the cleaning unit 2 to the cooling unit 6a, the control unit 20 executes step S405. In other words, the control unit 20 waits in step S404 until it becomes possible to transport the ith substrate from the cleaning unit 2 to the cooling unit 6a. When the substrate in the cooling unit 6a is removed from the cooling unit 6a and the table 700 is updated accordingly, the control unit 20 can determine that it is possible to transport the ith substrate from the cleaning unit 2 to the cooling unit 6a. At this time, the control unit 20 may refer to the fifth column (remaining waiting time) of the table 700. If there is a substrate whose remaining waiting time is shorter than a predetermined threshold time, the control unit 20 may wait until the remaining waiting time becomes unnecessary to consider. This allows the transport of other substrates by the transport mechanism 9 to be prioritized. Alternatively, when cooling unit 6a is changed from an unusable state to an usable state on table 800, control unit 20 can determine that it is possible to transport the ith substrate from cleaning unit 2 to cooling unit 6a. In step S405, control unit 20 controls transport mechanism 9 to transport the ith substrate from cleaning unit 2 to cooling unit 6a. In step S406, control unit 20 waits until the ith substrate transported to cooling unit 6a is cooled to within the target temperature range in cooling unit 6a.

[0030] In step S407, the control unit 20 determines whether the ith substrate can be transported from the cooling unit 6a to the alignment unit 6b by referring to the tables 700 and 800. Then, when it becomes possible to transport the ith substrate from the cooling unit 6a to the alignment unit 6b, the control unit 20 executes step S408. In other words, the control unit 20 waits in step S407 until it becomes possible to transport the ith substrate from the cooling unit 6a to the alignment unit 6b. The control unit 20 can determine that it is possible to transport the ith substrate from the cooling unit 6a to the alignment unit 6b when the substrate currently in the alignment unit 6b is removed from the alignment unit 6b and the table 700 is updated accordingly. At this time, the control unit 20 may refer to the fifth column (remaining waiting time) of the table 700. If there is a substrate whose remaining waiting time is shorter than a predetermined threshold time, the control unit 20 may wait until the remaining waiting time becomes unnecessary to consider. This allows the transport of other substrates by the transport mechanism 9 to be prioritized. Alternatively, the control unit 20 can determine that it is possible to transport the ith substrate from the cooling unit 6a to the alignment unit 6b when the state of the alignment unit 6b on the table 800 is changed from an unusable state to an usable state. In step S408, the control unit 20 controls the transport mechanism 9 to transport the ith substrate from the cooling unit 6a to the alignment unit 6b. In step S409, the control unit 20 controls the alignment unit 6b so that the ith substrate transported to the alignment unit 6b is aligned.

[0031] In step S410, the control unit 20 determines whether the ith substrate can be transported from the alignment unit 6b to the coating unit 1 by referring to the tables 700 and 800. When the ith substrate can be transported from the alignment unit 6b to the coating unit 1, the control unit 20 executes step S411. In other words, the control unit 20 waits in step S410 for the ith substrate to be transported from the alignment unit 6b to the coating unit 1. The control unit 20 can determine that the ith substrate can be transported from the alignment unit 6b to the coating unit 1 when the substrate present in the coating unit 1 is removed from the coating unit 1 and transported to the coating unit 1 or the buffer unit 8, and the table 700 is updated accordingly. At this time, the control unit 20 may refer to the fifth column (remaining waiting time) of the table 700. If there is a substrate whose remaining waiting time is shorter than a predetermined threshold time, the control unit 20 may wait until the remaining waiting time becomes unnecessary to consider. This allows the transport of other substrates by the transport mechanism 9 to be prioritized.

[0032] If the control unit 20 determines in step S410 that the ith substrate can be transported from the alignment unit 6b to the coating unit 1, the control unit 20 executes step S411. In step S411, the control unit 20 determines whether the ith substrate can be transported to the drying unit 4 by the transport mechanism 9 within a predetermined time after the coating unit 1 starts applying the film-forming solution to the ith substrate. In one example, the control unit 20 can determine whether the ith substrate can be transported to the drying unit 4 by the transport mechanism 9 within the predetermined time based on whether the drying unit 4 is ready to receive the ith substrate. Here, simply, for example, if there is no substrate in the drying unit 4 on the table 700 and the drying unit 4 and the transport mechanism 9 on the table 800 are normal, the control unit 20 can determine that the drying unit 4 is ready to receive the ith substrate. More preferably, the control unit 20 can determine that the drying unit 4 is ready to receive the ith substrate by adjusting the environment in the chamber of the drying unit 4 to a predetermined state. The predetermined state may include, for example, a state related to at least one of pressure, atmosphere, temperature, and residue. In this case, the drying unit 4 is provided with a sensor that detects at least one of the states related to pressure, atmosphere, temperature, and residue, and the control unit 20 can determine whether the environment in the chamber of the drying unit 4 has been adjusted to the predetermined state based on the output of the sensor. When it is determined in step S411 that the drying unit 4 is ready to receive the ith substrate, the control unit 20 executes step S412.

[0033] By providing step S411, coating of the film formation solution on the ith substrate (processing substrate) by the coating unit 1, which will be described below, can be performed on the ith substrate (processing substrate) on the condition that the drying unit 4 is ready to receive the ith substrate (processing substrate). This control can prevent a situation in which the drying unit 4 is not ready to receive the ith substrate (processing substrate) when coating of the film formation solution on the ith substrate (processing substrate) is completed. This prevents the drying process of the ith substrate (processing substrate) by the drying unit 4 from being delayed beyond an allowable time after coating of the film formation solution on the ith substrate (processing substrate) is started. In other words, by providing step S411, the control unit 20 can control the transport mechanism 9 to transport the ith substrate to the drying unit 4 before an allowable predetermined time has elapsed since coating of the film formation solution on the ith substrate by the coating unit 1 is started. Here, the control unit 20 may control the transport mechanism 9 to transport the ith substrate to the drying unit 4 after a predetermined waiting time has elapsed since the coating unit 1 started coating the ith substrate with the film formation solution and before an allowable predetermined time has elapsed. The predetermined waiting time is, for example, about 15 seconds, and the allowable predetermined time is, for example, about 30 minutes. The control unit 20 may determine that the ith substrate can be transported to the drying unit 4 when the drying unit 4 is (estimated to be) ready to receive the ith substrate within the predetermined time since the coating unit 1 started coating the ith substrate with the film formation solution. This determination can be made by referring to the remaining processing time in table 700 for the drying unit 4 that is processing the (i-1)th substrate.

[0034] In step S412, the control unit 20 controls the transport mechanism 9 to transport the ith substrate from the alignment unit 6b to the coating unit 1. In step S413, the control unit 20 controls the coating unit 1 to coat the ith substrate transported to the coating unit 1 with the film forming solution.

[0035] In step S414, the control unit 20 determines whether the ith substrate can be transported from the coating unit 1 to the drying unit 4 by referring to the tables 700 and 800. When it becomes possible to transport the ith substrate from the coating unit 1 to the drying unit 4, the control unit 20 executes step S415. In other words, in step S414, the control unit 20 waits for the ith substrate to be transported from the coating unit 1 to the drying unit 4. The ith substrate cannot be transported from the coating unit 1 to the drying unit 4 if the drying unit 4 is unavailable and / or the transport mechanism 9 is unavailable; however, such an event rarely occurs after the determination in step S410. For example, when the drying unit 4 and / or the transport mechanism 9 become available and the table 700 is updated accordingly, the control unit 20 can determine that the ith substrate can be transported from the coating unit 1 to the drying unit 4. In step S415, the control unit 20 controls the transport mechanism 9 to transport the ith substrate from the coating unit 1 to the drying unit 4. In step S416, the control unit 20 controls the drying unit 4 to perform a drying process on the ith substrate transported to the drying unit 4.

[0036] In step S417, the control unit 20 determines whether the ith substrate can be transported from the drying unit 4 to the baking unit 5 by referring to tables 700 and 800. Then, when it becomes possible to transport the ith substrate from the drying unit 4 to the baking unit 5, the control unit 20 executes step S418. In other words, the control unit 20 waits in step S417 until it becomes possible to transport the ith substrate from the drying unit 4 to the baking unit 5. When a substrate present in the baking unit 5 is removed from the baking unit 5 and table 700 is updated accordingly, the control unit 20 can determine that it is possible to transport the ith substrate from the drying unit 4 to the baking unit 5. At this time, the control unit 20 may refer to the fifth column (remaining waiting time) of table 700, and if there is a substrate whose remaining waiting time is shorter than a predetermined threshold time, it may wait until the remaining waiting time becomes unnecessary to consider. This allows the transport of other substrates by the transport mechanism 9 to be prioritized. Alternatively, when the baking unit 5 is changed from an unusable state to an usable state on the table 800, the control unit 20 can determine that it is possible to transport the ith substrate from the drying unit 4 to the baking unit 5. In step S418, the control unit 20 controls the transport mechanism 9 to transport the ith substrate from the drying unit 4 to the baking unit 5. In step S419, the control unit 20 controls the baking unit 5 to perform a baking process on the ith substrate transported to the baking unit 5.

[0037] In step S420, the control unit 20 determines whether the ith substrate can be transported from the baking unit 5 to the cooling unit 6a by referring to tables 700 and 800. Then, when it becomes possible to transport the ith substrate from the baking unit 5 to the cooling unit 6a, the control unit 20 executes step S421. In other words, the control unit 20 waits in step S420 until it becomes possible to transport the ith substrate from the baking unit 5 to the cooling unit 6a. When a substrate present in the cooling unit 6a is removed from the cooling unit 6a and the table 700 is updated accordingly, the control unit 20 can determine that it is possible to transport the ith substrate from the baking unit 5 to the cooling unit 6a. At this time, the control unit 20 may refer to the fifth column (remaining waiting time) of the table 700. If there is a substrate whose remaining waiting time is shorter than a predetermined threshold time, the control unit 20 may wait until the remaining waiting time becomes unnecessary to consider. This allows the transport of other substrates by the transport mechanism 9 to be prioritized. Alternatively, when the baking unit 5 is changed from an unusable state to an usable state on the table 800, the control unit 20 can determine that the ith substrate can be transported from the baking unit 5 to the cooling unit 6a. In step S421, the control unit 20 controls the transport mechanism 9 to transport the ith substrate from the baking unit 5 to the cooling unit 6a. In step S422, the control unit 20 waits until the ith substrate transported to the cooling unit 6a is cooled to within the target temperature range in the cooling unit 6a.

[0038] In step S423, the control unit 20 determines whether the ith substrate can be transported from the cooling unit 6a to the unload lock unit 7 by referring to tables 700 and 800. Then, when it becomes possible to transport the ith substrate from the cooling unit 6a to the unload lock unit 7, the control unit 20 executes step S424. In other words, the control unit 20 waits in step S423 until it becomes possible to transport the ith substrate from the cooling unit 6a to the unload lock unit 7. When the unload lock unit 7 is able to accept the ith substrate and the transport mechanism 9 is able to transport the ith substrate, the control unit 20 can determine that it is possible to transport the ith substrate from the cooling unit 6a to the unload lock unit 7. At this time, the control unit 20 may refer to the fifth column (remaining waiting time) of table 700, and if there is a substrate whose remaining waiting time is shorter than a predetermined threshold time, it may wait until the remaining waiting time becomes unnecessary to consider. This allows the transport of other substrates by the transport mechanism 9 to be given priority.

[0039] The processes shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6 are initiated for each substrate in step S204 of Figure 2 and step S213 of Figure 3. Therefore, the processes shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6 can be performed in parallel for at least two substrates. In the configuration shown in Figure 1, the transport mechanism 9 can transport only one substrate at a time. As described above, the control unit 20 can prioritize the transport of substrates with remaining wait times shorter than a predetermined threshold time based on the remaining wait time, which can be managed using the table 700. Alternatively, the control unit 20 can prioritize the transport of substrates with the shortest remaining wait times among the multiple substrates to be processed. Figure 11 schematically illustrates an example in which the remaining wait time is determined based on the maximum wait time and the waiting time. For example, the remaining wait time tc_1 of the third substrate in the baking unit 5 can be given by T_1 - ta_3, and the remaining wait time tc_2 of the fourth substrate in the drying unit 4 can be given by T_2 - ta_4. When a substrate needs to be transported from one processing section to the next processing section (a processing section other than the buffer section 8) and the next processing section is not available, the substrate may be temporarily transported to the buffer section 8.

[0040] When there are multiple substrates for which processing should be interrupted because their remaining waiting time is shorter than the reference time, the control unit 20 preferably prioritizes the transport of substrates downstream in the processing of the substrate processing apparatus 100. For example, when the substrates for which processing should be interrupted because their remaining waiting time is shorter than the reference time are the third and fourth substrates, the control unit 20 preferably prioritizes the transport of the third substrate. This is because the third substrate is more advanced in processing than the fourth substrate, and therefore discarding the fourth substrate results in less process loss than discarding the third substrate.

[0041] The control unit 20 may include a reservation function for reserving the use of the drying unit 4 so that the substrate can be transported to the drying unit 4 within a predetermined time after the coating unit 1 starts coating the substrate with the film formation solution. The control unit 20 may also include a reservation function for reserving the use of the transport mechanism 9 in addition to the use of the drying unit 4 so that the substrate can be transported to the drying unit 4 within a predetermined time after the coating unit 1 starts coating the substrate with the film formation solution. The control unit 20 may also include a reservation function for reserving the use of the coating unit 1 and the transport mechanism 9 in addition to the use of the drying unit 4 so that the substrate can be transported to the drying unit 4 within a predetermined time after the coating unit 1 starts coating the substrate with the film formation solution. Figure 12 schematically illustrates the reservation function. The numbers in Figure 12 indicate the value of the substrate number i.

[0042] The above-described process of reserving use can be performed at any timing before step S411 of applying the film deposition solution to the substrate. Fig. 13 shows an example in which such a reservation process is added. Specifically, in the example of Fig. 13, a reservation process 500 for reserving use of the drying unit 4, or use of the drying unit 4 and the transport mechanism 9, or use of the coating unit 1, the drying unit 4, and the transport mechanism 9 is inserted between step S401 and step S402. However, the reservation process 500 can be performed at any timing before step S411 of applying the film deposition solution to the substrate.

[0043] The control unit 20 may further be configured to perform scheduling when a plurality of substrates are to be processed consecutively so that each of the plurality of substrates can be transported to the drying unit 4 within a predetermined time from the completion of coating of the film forming solution by the coating unit 1. The substrate processing apparatus 100 may further include an information input unit such as a keyboard, a pointing device, or a communication unit, and the control unit 20 may determine the predetermined time based on information provided to the information input unit.

[0044] The processes or steps performed by the substrate processing apparatus 100 may constitute at least a part of a method for manufacturing an article by processing a substrate. For example, a method for manufacturing an article such as an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) device may be realized by processing a substrate using the substrate processing apparatus 100, which includes multiple processing units and a transport mechanism 9 for transporting the substrate between the multiple processing units. The multiple processing units may include a coating unit 1 that applies a film-forming solution to the substrate and a drying unit 4 that dries the film-forming solution applied to the substrate by the coating unit 1. The method for manufacturing an article includes a predetermined control step. The control step may determine whether the transport mechanism 9 can transport the processed substrate to the drying unit 4 within a predetermined time after the coating unit 1 starts applying the film-forming solution to the processed substrate. If the transport is possible, the control step may control the coating unit 1 to apply the film-forming solution to the processed substrate. Alternatively, the control step may reserve the use of the drying unit 4 so that the processed substrate can be transported to the drying unit 4 within a predetermined time after the coating unit 1 starts applying the film-forming solution to the processed substrate.

[0045] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 100: substrate processing apparatus, 1: coating section, 2: cleaning section, 3: load lock (L / L) section, 4: drying section, 5: baking section, 6a: cooling section, 6b: alignment section, 7: unload lock section, 8: buffer section

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus including a plurality of processing sections, a transport mechanism that transports substrates between the plurality of processing sections, and a control section, the plurality of processing sections include a coating section that coats a film forming solution on a substrate, and a drying section that dries the film forming solution coated on the substrate by the coating section; the control unit determines whether the transport mechanism can transport the processing substrate to the drying unit within a predetermined time after the coating unit starts coating the processing substrate with the film forming solution, and when it determines that the transport is possible, controls the coating unit to coat the processing substrate with the film forming solution. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by:

2. the control unit determines that the transport is possible within the predetermined time from when the drying unit is ready to receive the substrate, after the application of the film forming solution to the processing substrate is started. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. the control unit determines that the transport is possible when the drying unit becomes ready to receive the substrate within the predetermined time after the coating unit starts coating the substrate with the film forming solution. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 .

4. the drying unit includes a chamber for drying the film forming solution; The preparation is completed by adjusting the environment in the chamber to a predetermined state.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is a processing chamber.

5. the predetermined conditions include conditions related to at least one of pressure, atmosphere, temperature, and residue; 5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is a processing chamber.

6. the control unit prioritizes the transport of the substrate from the coating unit to the drying unit among the transport of the substrate between the plurality of processing units.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is a processing chamber.

7. the control unit manages, for each of the plurality of processing units, a remaining waiting time during which a substrate to be transported from a current processing unit to another processing unit can wait in the current processing unit, and prioritizes the transport of a substrate having a shorter remaining waiting time among the plurality of substrates to be processed.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is a processing chamber.

8. when there are a plurality of substrates for which processing should be interrupted because the remaining waiting time is shorter than a reference time, the control unit prioritizes transport of substrates on a downstream side of processing in the substrate processing apparatus. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7 .

9. the control unit, when a plurality of substrates are to be processed successively, performs scheduling so that each of the plurality of substrates can be transported to the drying unit within the predetermined time from the completion of coating of the film forming solution by the coating unit.

9. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is a processing chamber.

10. further comprising an information input unit, the control unit determines the predetermined time based on information provided to the information input unit.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is a processing chamber.

11. A substrate processing apparatus including a plurality of processing sections, a transport mechanism that transports substrates between the plurality of processing sections, and a control section, the plurality of processing sections include a coating section that coats a film forming solution on a substrate, and a drying section that dries the film forming solution coated on the substrate by the coating section; the control unit reserves use of the drying unit so that the processing substrate can be transported to the drying unit within a predetermined time after the coating unit starts coating the processing substrate with the film forming solution. A substrate processing apparatus characterized by:

12. the control unit reserves use of the transport mechanism in addition to use of the drying unit so that the processing substrate can be transported to the drying unit within a predetermined time after the coating unit starts coating the processing substrate with the film forming solution. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 11 .

13. the control unit reserves use of the drying unit, the coating unit, and the transport mechanism so that the processing substrate can be transported to the drying unit within a predetermined time after the coating unit starts applying the film forming solution to the processing substrate. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 11 .

14. the plurality of processing units further include at least one of a cooling unit, an alignment unit, a cleaning unit, a buffer, a load lock unit, and an unload lock unit; 14. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is a processing chamber.

15. the control unit controls the transport mechanism to transport the processing substrate to the drying unit before the predetermined time has elapsed since the coating unit started coating the processing substrate with the film forming solution.

15. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is a processing chamber.

16. the control unit controls the transport mechanism to transport the processing substrate to the drying unit after a predetermined waiting time has elapsed since the coating unit started coating the processing substrate with the film forming solution and before the predetermined time has elapsed.

15. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is a processing chamber.

17. 1. A method for manufacturing an article by processing a substrate using a substrate processing apparatus including a plurality of processing sections and a transport mechanism that transports substrates between the plurality of processing sections, comprising: the plurality of processing sections include a coating section that coats a film forming solution on a substrate, and a drying section that dries the film forming solution coated on the substrate by the coating section; The article manufacturing method includes a control step of determining whether the transport mechanism can transport the processing substrate to the drying unit within a predetermined time after the coating unit starts coating the processing substrate with the film forming solution, and controlling the coating unit to coat the processing substrate with the film forming solution if the transport is possible. A method for manufacturing an article.

18. 1. A method for manufacturing an article by processing a substrate using a substrate processing apparatus including a plurality of processing sections and a transport mechanism that transports substrates between the plurality of processing sections, comprising: the plurality of processing sections include a coating section that coats a film forming solution on a substrate, and a drying section that dries the film forming solution coated on the substrate by the coating section; the article manufacturing method includes a control step of reserving use of the drying unit so that the processing substrate can be transported to the drying unit within a predetermined time after the coating unit starts coating the processing substrate with the film forming solution, A method for manufacturing an article.

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