Production systems and manufacturing methods

Abstract

This production system aims to improve throughput by preventing a decline in circuit board quality even when problems occur. [Solution] A production system for performing multiple processes on a substrate, comprising: a first processing chamber for performing a first process on the substrate; a second processing chamber provided downstream of the first processing chamber for performing a second process on the substrate; a buffer unit for temporarily storing substrates that have been processed in the first processing chamber and capable of performing a third process; and a control unit that, after receiving information that the first or second processing chamber has stopped, performs the third process on the multiple substrates stored in the buffer unit and transports the substrates that have undergone the third process to the second processing chamber.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate production system and a manufacturing method, which involve inputting a substrate into a production line, subjecting the substrate to predetermined processes on the production line, and then carrying out the substrate obtained from the production line.

Background Art

[0002] In a production system that subjects a substrate to chemical or physical treatment, if a trouble occurs upstream in the production process and the substrate is left in the processing chamber until the trouble is recovered, the physical properties of the substrate change and the quality deteriorates. Also, when the substrate cannot be flowed to the downstream process, the processed substrate is temporarily stocked in the buffer section. However, the quality of the stocked substrate deteriorates over time. When the trouble recovery time is long, all the substrates become targets for disposal, resulting in a problem of reduced yield.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology related to a production system that performs different repair processes depending on the degree of defect when a quality defect occurs during the production process, and re-inserts the product into the production process to improve the yield.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, if a film-forming solvent is applied to a semiconductor wafer, a glass substrate for liquid crystal display, or a glass substrate for organic electroluminescence and then left for a long time, the chemical physical properties of the film-forming solvent applied to the substrate change, leading to a quality decline.

[0006] In light of the above circumstances, the objective of the present invention is to provide a production system that improves throughput by preventing a decline in substrate quality even when problems occur. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above problems, a first aspect of the present invention is a production system for performing multiple processes on a substrate, comprising: a first processing chamber for performing a first process on the substrate; a second processing chamber provided downstream of the first processing chamber for performing a second process on the substrate; a buffer unit for temporarily storing substrates that have been processed in the first processing chamber and capable of performing a third process; and a control unit that, after receiving information that the first or second processing chamber has stopped, performs the third process on the multiple substrates stored in the buffer unit and transports the substrates that have undergone the third process to the second processing chamber.

[0008] A second aspect of the present invention is a manufacturing method for producing a substrate that has undergone processing in a first processing chamber and a second processing chamber, characterized in that, under normal circumstances, the substrate that has finished processing in the first processing chamber is transported to the second processing chamber via a normal transport path of a buffer unit, and when stop information for the first or second processing chamber is input, the substrate that has finished processing in the first processing chamber is transported to the second processing chamber via a circulating transport path different from the normal transport path, and a third processing is performed on the substrate along the circulating transport path. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, substrate supply to downstream systems can continue even while a problem is being resolved, thereby improving the throughput of the production system. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the production system. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram showing the flow of circuit boards during normal transport in a production system. [Figure 3]This is a schematic diagram showing the flow during the circulation of large-capacity cassettes in the production system. [Figure 4] This is a diagram illustrating a trouble recovery prediction table for a production system. [Figure 5] This is a diagram showing the disposal deadline for circuit boards in a production system. [Figure 6] This is an internal configuration diagram of the control unit of the production system. [Figure 7] This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the production system when the first processing chamber is shut down and when the second processing chamber is restarted. [Figure 8] This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the production system during normal transport and when the first processing chamber is restarted. [Figure 9] This is a flowchart illustrating the operation when the second processing chamber of the production system is shut down. [Figure 10] This is a schematic diagram showing the circuit board housing structure inside a high-capacity cassette of a production system. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the figures. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention as defined in the claims. While multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any way. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same or similar configurations are given the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0012] Figure 1 schematically shows the configuration of the present production system. The present production system includes a first processing chamber 101 that performs a first process on a substrate, and a second processing chamber provided downstream of the first processing chamber 101 that performs a second process on the substrate. Further, the present production system includes a buffer section between the first processing chamber 101 and the second processing chamber 102 that temporarily stores the substrate after the processing in the first processing chamber 101 and enables a third process. In this example, the first processing chamber 101 is a drying and film-forming chamber, and the second processing chamber 102 is a vapor deposition chamber. The control unit 100 controls the overall operation of the present production system. Each of the processing chambers 101, 102 and the buffer chambers of the buffer section 103 includes a controller for information communication with the control unit 100.

[0013] In the drying and film-forming chamber, a process of applying a film-forming solution onto the upper surface of the substrate in a desired pattern is performed, and then evacuation is carried out to 10 -4 Pa using a turbo molecular pump or the like, and a process of drying the film-forming solvent applied onto the upper surface of the substrate is performed.

[0014] The control unit 100 makes a branch determination as to whether to store the substrate after the drying and film-forming process in the buffer section 103 or to pass through the buffer section 103 without storing and input it into the vapor deposition process in the second processing chamber 102 which is the next process. When no trouble-related stop has occurred after the second processing chamber 102, the control unit 100 determines not to store the substrate in the buffer section 103 and to input it into the vapor deposition chamber.

[0015] In the vapor deposition chamber which is the second processing chamber 102, a process of collectively heating a plurality of substrates in a vacuum environment and vapor-depositing a film-forming material onto the substrate with the dried film formed is performed.

[0016] The buffer unit 103 includes three or more buffer chambers, including a first buffer chamber that receives substrates processed in the first processing chamber 101, and a second buffer chamber that dispenses substrates to the second processing chamber 102. In this example, the buffer unit 103 includes six buffer chambers, from buffer chamber A (10) to buffer chamber F (15), with buffer chamber A corresponding to the first buffer chamber and buffer chamber D corresponding to the second buffer chamber. The buffer unit 103 stores the substrates one by one in small-capacity cassettes for subsequent processing. The system includes a normal transport route 20 for transporting substrates to the processing chamber and a circulating transport route 21 for circulating five large-capacity cassettes for storing multiple substrates via roller transport. The normal transport route 20 consists of two buffer chambers, buffer chamber A and buffer chamber D. The circulating transport route 21 consists of six buffer chambers, from buffer chamber A to buffer chamber F. Of the multiple buffer chambers that make up the circulating transport route 21, buffer chamber C, which is upstream and adjacent to buffer chamber D, is capable of performing repair processing (third processing) on ​​substrates. This repair processing is a heat treatment performed at a lower temperature than the heat treatment in the first processing chamber 101. Each buffer chamber can be switched between an oxygen environment, an atmospheric environment, a nitrogen environment with an oxygen concentration of 1 ppm or less, and a vacuum environment. The control unit 100 sets the environment to nitrogen when substrates are fed into the buffer chamber from the first processing chamber 101, to a vacuum environment when substrates are discharged from the buffer chamber to the second processing chamber, and to a vacuum environment when substrates stored in large-capacity cassettes are stored until they are discharged to the second processing chamber.

[0017] In this production system, the input cycle of substrates from the drying and film-forming chamber 101, which is the first processing chamber, is shorter than the output cycle of substrates to the evaporation chamber 102, which is the second processing chamber. In this production system, a large-capacity cassette is provided, and the extra substrates caused by this difference in processing time are stored in the large-capacity cassette. When the first processing chamber stops, instead of the normal transfer path, the large-capacity cassette storing the substrates is circulated and discharged to the second processing chamber. This enables the manufacturing process to continue even when the first processing chamber stops, reduces downtime, and improves productivity. When discharging substrates from the large-capacity cassette, a repair process for repairing deterioration due to temporary storage is performed on the substrates, so quality deterioration does not occur. Also, not only when the first processing chamber stops, but also when the second processing chamber stops, by continuing the processing in the first processing chamber and storing it in the large-capacity cassette, and discharging the substrates from the large-capacity cassette to the second processing chamber after the second processing chamber resumes operation, downtime can be reduced.

[0018] Fig. 2(A) schematically shows the normal substrate flow of this production system. In this case, small-capacity cassettes capable of accommodating one substrate each are provided in buffer chamber A and buffer chamber D, and a transfer robot 3 equipped with a hand for gripping the substrate is installed between buffer chamber A and buffer chamber D to transfer the substrate.

[0019] At this time, the control unit 100 transfers the substrates with a shorter input cycle from the drying and film-forming chamber 101, which is the first processing chamber, than the output cycle of substrates to the evaporation chamber 102, which is the second processing chamber. Then, when a substrate is input from the first processing chamber 101, if there is space in the small-capacity cassette, the control unit 100 accommodates the substrate in the small-capacity cassette, and if there is no space, it accommodates the substrate in the large-capacity cassette 31. For example, if the input cycle from drying and film-forming is 85 seconds and the output cycle to evaporation is 90 seconds, one extra substrate is generated every 1530 seconds during normal transfer, and it is accommodated in the large-capacity cassette. The large-capacity cassette can stack multiple substrates in a multi-layer manner. When it is full, the large-capacity cassette is circulated and stored in a vacuum environment, and an empty large-capacity cassette is repositioned in buffer chamber A to continue accepting the extra substrates.

[0020] Substrates coated with a film-forming solvent may experience deterioration in film quality over time due to the accumulation of impurities. Therefore, the control unit 100 monitors the elapsed time after film formation and switches between the normal transport route 20 and the circulating transport route 21 to ensure that the substrate is dispensed from the large-capacity cassette to the deposition chamber before the substrate disposal deadline is exceeded. The substrate disposal deadline is stored in the memory device 110 within the control unit 100.

[0021] Figure 2(B) schematically shows a small-capacity cassette 33 used during normal transport. The small-capacity cassette 33 can store one substrate and is equipped with a vacuum evacuation function. The transport main control unit 123 in the control unit 100 gives commands to the transport robot 3 to transport the substrate between buffer chamber A and buffer chamber D. In this disclosure, the small-capacity cassette 33 is also referred to as a small-capacity substrate storage unit.

[0022] Figure 3(A) schematically shows the circulation of substrates using a large-capacity cassette. When stop information for the first processing chamber is input, the control unit 100 stops receiving substrates into the small-capacity cassette 33 in buffer chamber A(10). Subsequently, the large-capacity cassette 31 containing multiple substrates is circulated to buffer chamber C(11), where multiple substrates are heated together in a vacuum environment to repair the dried film-deposited substrates. After that, the control unit 100 circulates the large-capacity cassette 31 to buffer chamber D(13) and discharges the substrates to the deposition chamber. The control unit 100 repeats the above circulation and heating until all substrates from the five large-capacity cassettes used in this production system have been discharged. In this disclosure, the large-capacity cassette 31 is also referred to as the large-capacity substrate housing section or simply the substrate housing section.

[0023] Furthermore, if information indicating the shutdown of the second processing chamber is input, the control unit 100 will store the work-in-progress substrates from the first processing chamber, the drying and deposition chamber, into the large-capacity cassette 31 located in buffer chamber A. The control unit 100 is equipped with a recovery prediction function for the second processing chamber, the deposition chamber, and can obtain a recovery prediction time from a recovery prediction time table corresponding to the trouble. The control unit 100 automatically sets an upper limit on the number of substrates that can be stored in the large-capacity cassette 31 so that the time required to dispense the substrates during recovery does not exceed the post-drying and deposition disposal deadline. For example, the control unit 100 determines that the number of work-in-progress substrates from the first processing chamber does not exceed the substrate storage limit of the large-capacity cassette 31 in the buffer chamber so as not to generate discarded substrates during recovery by accepting too many dried and deposition substrates. In addition, if confirmed information such as the maintenance completion time is input, the large-capacity cassette 31 containing multiple substrates is circulated to buffer chamber C, and the dried and deposition substrates are repaired by heating multiple substrates together in a vacuum environment. Subsequently, the large-capacity cassette 31 is circulated to buffer chamber D and controlled so that it can be dispensed for deposition simultaneously with the reopening of the second processing chamber.

[0024] Figure 3(B) schematically shows a large-capacity cassette 31 used during circulating transport. The large-capacity cassette 31 can stack multiple circuit boards, and the buffer circulation control unit 121 issues commands to the transport rollers 32 to circulate the large-capacity cassette through each buffer chamber.

[0025] Figure 4 schematically shows the trouble recovery prediction time table 300 set in the control unit 100 of this production system. This trouble recovery prediction time table 300 stores the recovery prediction time for each type of trouble that may occur in each processing room. The trouble recovery prediction time table 300 is a table-format file and is stored in a designated memory area within the storage of the control unit 100 of this production system. In this production system, the table format is CSV format, but it is not limited to CSV format. In this production system, this trouble recovery prediction time table 300 is generated for each processing room and stored in a designated memory area within the storage of the control unit 100. However, this trouble recovery prediction time table 300 does not necessarily have to be stored in a memory area; for example, it may be managed by a device other than the control unit 100, a server, or the cloud.

[0026] Furthermore, if a type of trouble occurs that is not stored in the trouble recovery prediction time table 300, the control unit 100 will, for example, start repair processing based on the longest recovery prediction time already set in the trouble recovery prediction time table 300. At this time, the control unit 100 stores the time required to recover from the trouble and automatically sets it as a new trouble recovery prediction time in the trouble recovery prediction time table 300.

[0027] It should be noted that a table is not necessarily required to determine the estimated recovery time from trouble. For example, the control unit 100 may obtain information regarding the number of circuit boards, lot number, location of the failure, and the extent of the failure from the processing room where the trouble occurred, and determine the estimated recovery time from trouble based on this information.

[0028] Figure 5 schematically shows the substrate disposal deadline table 301 set in the control unit 100 of this production system. This substrate disposal deadline table 301 stores the disposal deadline, or in other words, the allowable waiting time for the substrate, for each type of film applied in each processing room. The substrate disposal deadline table 301 is a table-format file and is stored in a designated memory area within the storage of the control unit 100 of this production system. However, this substrate disposal deadline table 301 does not necessarily have to be stored in a memory area; for example, it may be managed by equipment other than the control unit 100, a server, or the cloud. In this production system, the table format is set to CSV format, but it is not limited to CSV format. Furthermore, the control unit 100 of this production system refers to the disposal deadline for each type of film registered in this substrate disposal deadline table 301 and uses it as a threshold to preferentially hand over substrates to the next process according to the type of film to avoid generating waste substrates.

[0029] Figure 6 schematically shows the internal configuration of the control unit 100 of this production system. The control unit 100 monitors trouble information and operating status of the production line via the information transmission / reception unit 124 and controls each processing room. The control unit 100 functions as a buffer circulation control unit 121, a production management display unit 122, a transport main control unit 123, an information transmission / reception unit 124, an atmosphere control unit 125, and a repair processing control unit 126, as the processor 120 executes a program.

[0030] The control unit 100 has a storage device 110, which is made up of a hard disk or flash memory. The storage device 110 stores various data for controlling each processing chamber and buffer unit that make up the production system. Specifically, the storage device 110 stores control programs and control parameters for operating each processing chamber, a trouble recovery prediction time table 300 for each processing chamber, and a board disposal deadline table 301 for each process.

[0031] The control unit 100 may be composed of, for example, a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a general-purpose or dedicated computer with a program installed, or a combination of all or part of these.

[0032] The buffer circulation control unit 121 oversees the overall circulation of cassettes within the buffer. The production management display unit 122 is an interface for informing operators of trouble information and operating status of the main production line collected by the information transmission / reception unit 124, and has a function to transfer information to a fixed monitor or tablet. The transport main control unit 123 controls the transport of cassettes by issuing commands to the transport robot 3 or transport roller 32. The information transmission / reception unit 124 monitors trouble information and operating status of the main production line. The atmosphere control unit 125 controls the atmosphere inside the buffer room. The repair processing control unit 126 controls the repair processing in the buffer room.

[0033] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of dispensing the large-capacity buffer cassette when either the first or second processing chamber stops and then restarts.

[0034] In step S0, if a substrate is loaded from the first processing chamber 101 (drying and film formation chamber) into the buffer unit's large-capacity cassette 31 by the transport main control unit 123, the process proceeds to step S1.

[0035] In step S1, if the substrate contained in the large-capacity cassette 31 is to be dispensed to the deposition chamber, and the dispensing time exceeds the disposal deadline, an error flag is set and the substrate is excluded from dispensing. On the other hand, if it does not exceed the disposal deadline, the process proceeds to step S2.

[0036] If trouble recovery information is input to the control unit 100 from the deposition chamber in step S2, the process proceeds to step S3. If no trouble recovery information is input to the control unit 100 from the deposition chamber, the process proceeds to step S13, the flow is terminated, and after a predetermined time, it resumes from step S0.

[0037] In step S3, the repair processing control unit 126 starts vacuum heating in the buffer chamber C, and the process proceeds to step S4.

[0038] In step S4, the control unit 100 counts and stores the number N of large-capacity cassettes containing the circuit boards, resets the cycle count n to zero, and then proceeds to step S5.

[0039] In step S5, the buffer circulation control unit 121 moves (circulates) the large-capacity cassette to the next buffer chamber. Specifically, large-capacity cassette L1 is circulated to buffer chamber C12, large-capacity cassette L2 to buffer chamber B11, large-capacity cassette L3 to buffer chamber A10, large-capacity cassette L4 to buffer chamber F15, and large-capacity cassette L5 to buffer chamber E14. As a result of this circulating movement, the circuit board inside large-capacity cassette L1, which has been moved to buffer chamber C12, is subjected to vacuum heating treatment.

[0040] In step S6, after waiting for the vacuum heating process of the large-capacity cassette L1 to be completed, the process proceeds to step S7.

[0041] In step S7, the buffer circulation control unit 121 circulates the large-capacity cassettes in each buffer chamber using transport rollers. Specifically, large-capacity cassette L1 is circulated to buffer chamber D13, large-capacity cassette L2 to buffer chamber C12, large-capacity cassette L3 to buffer chamber B11, large-capacity cassette L4 to buffer chamber A10, and large-capacity cassette L5 to buffer chamber F15.

[0042] In step S8, the control unit 100 increments the number of cyclic movements n and proceeds to step S9.

[0043] In step S9, the buffer circulation control unit 121 starts discharging the large-capacity cassette L1, which has been moved to the buffer chamber D, to the deposition chamber, which is the second processing chamber 102.

[0044] In step S10, the buffer circulation control unit 121 waits for the dispensing of the large-capacity cassette L1 and the completion of the vacuum heating process of the large-capacity cassette L2 before proceeding to step S11. The process from step S7 to step S10 is repeated until there are no more circuit boards in the large-capacity cassettes, and when the number of times n has been circulated in step S11 reaches the number of large-capacity cassettes N, the unit proceeds to step S12.

[0045] In step S12, the vacuum heating of buffer chamber C is stopped, and the process proceeds to step S13 to terminate. This operation flow is used when the first processing chamber is stopped and when the second processing chamber is restarted.

[0046] Figure 8(A) shows the operation flow diagram during normal transport of small-capacity cassettes.

[0047] In step S20, if the first processing chamber 101, which is the drying and film deposition chamber, and the second processing chamber 102, which is the deposition chamber, are operating normally, the process proceeds to step S21.

[0048] In step S21, the transport main control unit 123 determines whether a circuit board has been placed in the small-capacity cassette 33 of the buffer chamber A10. If it has been placed, the unit proceeds to step S22. If it has not been placed, the unit waits until it is placed.

[0049] In step S22, the transport main control unit 123 checks for the presence of a circuit board in the small-capacity cassette 33 in the buffer chamber D13. If there is no circuit board, it proceeds to step S23. If there is a circuit board in the small-capacity cassette 33, it waits until the circuit board is dispensed and the cassette becomes empty.

[0050] In steps S23 and S24, the transport control unit 123 instructs the transport robot 3 to take out the circuit board from the small-capacity cassette 33 in buffer chamber A10 and transport it to the small-capacity cassette 33 in buffer chamber D13.

[0051] Figure 8(B) shows the operation flow diagram during normal transport of a large-capacity cassette.

[0052] In step S30, if the drying film deposition chamber of the first processing chamber 101 and the deposition chamber, which is the second processing chamber 102, are operating normally, the process proceeds to step S31.

[0053] In step S31, the transport main control unit 123 checks for the presence of a circuit board in the small-capacity cassette 33 of the buffer chamber A10. If there is no circuit board, the unit proceeds to step S32. If there is a circuit board in the small-capacity cassette 33, the unit waits until the circuit board is dispensed and the cassette becomes empty.

[0054] In step S32, the transport main control unit 123 determines whether the large-capacity cassette 31 in buffer chamber A10 is full. If it is full, it proceeds to step S33. If it is not full, it waits until the large-capacity cassette 31 is full.

[0055] In step S33, the transport main control unit 123 compares the number of circuit boards being processed in the first processing chamber 101 with the number of empty stages (empty capacity) in the large-capacity cassette 31 in the buffer unit 103.

[0056] If the number of empty slots in the large-capacity cassette 31 is greater than the number of boards in progress in the first processing chamber 101 (S33-YES), the process proceeds to step S34. In step S34, the transport main control unit 123 circulates the large-capacity cassettes to move empty large-capacity cassettes from buffer chamber F15 to buffer chamber A10.

[0057] On the other hand, if the number of empty slots in the large-capacity cassette in the buffer unit 103 is less than the number of boards in progress in the first processing chamber 101 (S33-NO), the process proceeds to step S35. In step S35, the transport main control unit 123 stops feeding boards into the first processing chamber 101 and then proceeds to step S34. Once the circulation of the large-capacity cassette to the adjacent chamber is completed in step 34, the process proceeds to step S36 and terminates.

[0058] Figure 9 shows the operation flow diagram of the buffer unit's large-capacity cassette when the second processing chamber is shut down.

[0059] In step S40, if the deposition chamber, which is the second processing chamber 102, is stopped, and a substrate has been fed from the drying film deposition in the first processing chamber 101 to the large-capacity cassette 31 of the buffer section by the transport main control unit 123, the process proceeds to step S41.

[0060] In step S41, the transport main control unit 123 refers to the trouble recovery prediction time table 300 and obtains the recovery prediction time for the second processing room.

[0061] In step S42, the transport main control unit 123 determines that the time when all boards will be dispensed after recovery is earlier than the disposal deadline for the boards stored in the large-capacity cassette in the buffer unit 103. The upper limit M for the number of substrates to be accepted from the first processing room is calculated so that only a certain number of substrates are accepted.

[0062] In step S43, the transport main control unit 123 counts and stores the number N of large-capacity cassettes containing the substrates, and then resets the cycle count n to zero before proceeding to step S44.

[0063] In step S44, the system waits until the large-capacity cassette L1 in buffer chamber A10 is full, and then proceeds to step S45. In step S45, the transport main control unit 123 circulates the large-capacity cassettes to move empty large-capacity cassettes from buffer chamber F15 to buffer chamber A10. In step S46, the circulation movement count n is incremented. In step S47, the system checks whether the upper limit M for the number of substrates to be received has been reached until the large-capacity cassettes are full, and if the upper limit M has been reached, the system proceeds to step S49 and terminates. If the upper limit M has not been reached and the large-capacity cassettes are full, the system proceeds to step S48, and as soon as there are no more empty large-capacity cassettes, the system proceeds to step S49 and terminates.

[0064] Figure 10(A) is a schematic diagram showing the circuit board housing structure inside the high-capacity cassette 31, and Figure 10(B) is a view taken along arrow A in Figure 10(A).

[0065] To accommodate many circuit boards 30 in the large-capacity cassette 31, the circuit boards 30 are supported inside the cassette 31 by wires 400. Wires 400 are installed not only at both ends of the circuit board 30 but also in the center, and the circuit board is supported by at least three wires 400 to suppress bending of the circuit board. Because there is a reserve of circuit boards, the wires 400 are positioned so as not to interfere with the transport robot hand 402.

[0066] In the above embodiment, the first treatment is drying film formation and the second treatment is vapor deposition, but the present invention is not limited to this, and any treatment may be used. For example, the first treatment may be a coating treatment and the second treatment may be a drying film formation treatment. Alternatively, the first treatment may be a drying film formation treatment and the second treatment may be a firing treatment. Alternatively, the first treatment may be a cleaning treatment and the second treatment may be a coating treatment. Alternatively, the first treatment may be a firing treatment and the second treatment may be a cooling treatment. Regardless of what the first and second treatments are, the present invention is applicable as long as the cycle time of the second treatment is longer than that of the first treatment.

[0067] <Other examples> The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that implements one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and by having one or more processors in the computer of that system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

[0068] <Note> This disclosure includes the following components. [Configuration 1] A production system that performs multiple processes on a substrate, The substrate is provided with a first processing chamber for performing the first processing, A second processing chamber is provided downstream of the first processing chamber and performs a second processing on the substrate, A buffer section for temporarily storing substrates that have been processed in the first processing chamber and for which a third processing can be performed, A control unit that, after receiving stop information for the first or second processing chamber, performs the third processing on a plurality of substrates stored in the buffer unit and transports the substrates that have undergone the third processing to the second processing chamber, A production system characterized by being equipped with [a specific feature]. [Configuration 2] The buffer section has a substrate housing section that can accommodate and move the plurality of substrates, The control unit performs the third process on a plurality of substrates housed in the substrate housing section. The production system described in Configuration 1. [Configuration 3] The control unit transports the plurality of substrates that have undergone the third processing, which are housed in the substrate housing section, to the second processing chamber. The production system described in Configuration 2. [Structure 4] The buffer section includes a plurality of buffer chambers, The aforementioned substrate housing section is a plurality of units, The buffer section has a circulating transport path that allows it to move around the substrate housing section. The production system described in configuration 2 or 3. [Composition 5] The control unit, after receiving the recovery information for the second processing chamber, performs the third processing on the plurality of substrates stored in the buffer unit, and transports the plurality of substrates that have undergone the third processing to the second processing chamber. A production system as described in any one of items 1 to 4. [Composition 6] The first treatment is a heat treatment, The third treatment is a heat treatment performed at a lower temperature than the first treatment. A production system as described in any one of items 1 to 5. [Composition 7] The buffer unit is It further has a small capacity substrate housing section capable of housing one substrate, In addition to the circulating transport path for transporting the substrate housing unit containing the multiple substrates that have undergone the third processing, there is a normal transport path where there is no input of stop information for the first processing chamber or recovery information for the second processing chamber. A production system as described in any one of items 1 to 6. [Structure 8] The normal transport path consists of two buffer chambers: a first buffer chamber that receives the substrates processed in the first processing chamber, and a second buffer chamber that discharges the substrates to the second processing chamber. The circulating transport path consists of three or more buffer chambers, including the first buffer chamber and the second buffer chamber. The production system described in Configuration 7. [Composition 9] The third process is performed in an upstream buffer chamber adjacent to the second buffer chamber, among the three or more buffer chambers that constitute the circulating transport path. The production system described in Configuration 8. [Configuration 10] The feeding cycle of substrates from the first processing chamber is shorter than the discharging cycle of substrates to the second processing chamber. When the substrate is inserted from the first processing chamber, if there is space available in the small-capacity substrate housing, the substrate is placed in the small-capacity substrate housing; otherwise, the substrate is placed in the substrate housing. A production system as described in any one of items 7 to 9. [Composition 11] When information indicating the second processing chamber has stopped is input to the control unit, the control unit will restore the second processing chamber. Based on the predicted time and the allowable waiting time for the substrate, the acceptance of the substrate from the first processing chamber to the substrate housing is controlled so that the time for dispensing the substrate from the substrate housing does not exceed the allowable waiting time for the substrate when the second processing chamber is restored. The production system described in Configuration 2. [Composition 12] The first process described above is dry film formation, The second process is vapor deposition. A production system as described in any one of items 1 through 11. [Composition 13] The buffer unit is switchable between a vacuum environment, an atmospheric environment, and a nitrogen environment. A production system as described in any one of items 1 to 12. [Composition 14] The substrate housing section comprises at least three wires that support the substrate. The production system described in Configuration 2. [Composition 15] A manufacturing method for producing a substrate that has undergone processing in a first processing chamber and a second processing chamber, Under normal circumstances, the substrate that has been processed in the first processing chamber is transported to the second processing chamber via the normal transport path of the buffer section. If information indicating the cessation of the first or second processing chamber is received, the substrate that has finished processing in the first processing chamber is transported to the second processing chamber via a circulating transport route different from the normal transport route, and the third processing is performed on the substrate along the circulating transport route. A manufacturing method characterized by the following features. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 100: Control Unit 101: First Processing Room 102: Second Processing Room 103: Buffer Unit

Claims

1. A production system that performs multiple processes on a substrate, The substrate is provided with a first processing chamber for performing the first processing, A second processing chamber is provided downstream of the first processing chamber and performs a second processing on the substrate, A buffer section for temporarily storing substrates that have been processed in the first processing chamber and for which a third processing can be performed, A control unit that, after receiving stop information for the first or second processing chamber, performs the third processing on a plurality of substrates stored in the buffer unit and transports the substrates that have undergone the third processing to the second processing chamber, A production system characterized by being equipped with [a specific feature].

2. The buffer section has a substrate housing section that can accommodate and move the plurality of substrates, The control unit performs the third process on a plurality of substrates housed in the substrate housing section. The production system according to claim 1.

3. The control unit transports the plurality of substrates that have undergone the third processing, which are housed in the substrate housing section, to the second processing chamber. The production system according to claim 2.

4. The buffer section includes a plurality of buffer chambers, The aforementioned substrate housing section is a plurality of units, The buffer section has a circulating transport path that allows it to move around the substrate housing section. The production system according to claim 2.

5. After receiving the recovery information for the second processing chamber, the control unit performs the third processing on the plurality of substrates stored in the buffer unit, and transports the plurality of substrates that have undergone the third processing to the second processing chamber. The production system according to claim 1.

6. The first treatment is heat treatment, The third treatment is a heat treatment performed at a lower temperature than the first treatment. The production system according to claim 1.

7. The buffer unit is It further has a small capacity substrate housing section capable of housing one substrate, In addition to the circulating transport path for transporting the substrate housing unit containing the multiple substrates that have undergone the third processing, there is a normal transport path where there is no input of stop information for the first processing chamber or recovery information for the second processing chamber. The production system according to claim 1.

8. The normal transport path consists of two buffer chambers: a first buffer chamber that receives the substrates processed in the first processing chamber, and a second buffer chamber that discharges the substrates to the second processing chamber. The circulating transport path consists of three or more buffer chambers, including the first buffer chamber and the second buffer chamber. The production system according to claim 7.

9. The third process involves, among the three or more buffer chambers that constitute the circulating transport path, the second This is performed in the upstream buffer room adjacent to the buffer room. The production system according to claim 8.

10. The feeding cycle of substrates from the first processing chamber is shorter than the discharging cycle of substrates to the second processing chamber. When the substrate is inserted from the first processing chamber, if there is space available in the small-capacity substrate housing, the substrate is placed in the small-capacity substrate housing; otherwise, the substrate is placed in the substrate housing. The production system according to claim 7.

11. When information indicating the second processing chamber has stopped is input, the control unit controls the acceptance of the substrate from the first processing chamber to the substrate housing, based on the predicted recovery time of the second processing chamber and the allowable waiting time for the substrate, so that the dispensing time of the substrate from the substrate housing does not exceed the allowable waiting time for the substrate when the second processing chamber is restored. The production system according to claim 2.

12. The first treatment is a drying film formation, The second process is vapor deposition. The production system according to claim 1.

13. The buffer unit is switchable between a vacuum environment, an atmospheric environment, and a nitrogen environment. The production system according to claim 1.

14. The substrate housing section comprises at least three wires that support the substrate. The production system according to claim 2.

15. A manufacturing method for producing a substrate that has undergone processing in a first processing chamber and a second processing chamber, Under normal circumstances, the substrate that has been processed in the first processing chamber is transported to the second processing chamber via the normal transport path of the buffer section. If information indicating the cessation of the first processing chamber or the second processing chamber is received, the substrate that has finished processing in the first processing chamber is transported to the second processing chamber via a circulating transport route different from the normal transport route, and the third processing is performed on the substrate along the circulating transport route. A manufacturing method characterized by the following features.

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