Substrate processing apparatus, rotational position adjustment method, and information processing apparatus.

Abstract

To provide a technology that reduces the amount of work required by an operator to adjust the rotational position of a rotary table installed inside a chamber for processing circuit boards. [Solution] A substrate processing apparatus that adjusts the set values ​​of the rotation positions of multiple slots on a rotary table using images taken inside a chamber, comprising: a reference rotation position detection unit that detects a reference rotation position of the rotary table; a provisional determination unit that rotates the rotary table according to the reference rotation position, detects the amount of deviation of the rotation position of a first slot based on an image of the rotary table taken from a window, and provisionally determines the rotation positions of multiple slots including the first slot based on the amount of deviation of the rotation position of the first slot; and a final determination unit that rotates the rotary table to the provisionally determined rotation positions of the multiple slots, detects the amount of deviation of the rotation positions of the multiple slots based on an image of the rotary table, and finally determines the rotation positions of the multiple slots based on the amount of deviation of the rotation positions of the multiple slots.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus, a rotation position adjustment method, and an information processing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] For example, there is known a substrate processing apparatus including a chamber for substrate processing and having a susceptor with a plurality of slots accommodated in the chamber. In the startup operation or maintenance operation of the substrate processing apparatus, an operator manually adjusted the rotation position of the susceptor attached in the chamber.

[0003] Conventionally, there is known a substrate position detection device that images a predetermined imaging target inside a chamber through a window provided on the upper surface of the chamber for substrate processing and detects the position of the substrate from an image of the predetermined imaging target (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The present disclosure provides a technique for reducing the work of an operator required for adjusting the rotation position of a rotating table attached in a chamber for substrate processing.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above objective, this embodiment provides a substrate processing apparatus that adjusts the set values ​​of the rotational positions of a plurality of slots on a rotary table housed in a chamber, using an image of the inside of the chamber taken from a window provided on the upper surface of the chamber, comprising: a reference rotational position detection unit that detects a reference rotational position of the rotary table; a provisional determination unit that rotates the rotary table according to the reference rotational position, detects the amount of deviation of the rotational position of a first slot based on an image of the rotary table taken from the window, and provisionally determines the rotational positions of a plurality of slots including the first slot based on the amount of deviation of the rotational position of the first slot; and a final determination unit that rotates the rotary table to the rotational positions of the plurality of slots provisionally determined, detects the amount of deviation of the rotational positions of the plurality of slots based on an image of the rotary table taken from the window, and finally determines the rotational positions of the plurality of slots based on the amount of deviation of the rotational positions of the plurality of slots. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this disclosure, the amount of work required by an operator to adjust the rotational position of a rotary table installed in a chamber for substrate processing can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This figure schematically shows an example of a substrate processing apparatus according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure schematically shows an example of the upper surface of the chamber 1 of the substrate processing apparatus according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] This figure shows the arrangement of chamber marks and susceptor marks in an example of a substrate processing apparatus according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a functional block diagram of an example of the processing unit according to this embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a functional block diagram of an example of a control unit according to this embodiment. [Figure 6] This flowchart shows an example of the processing procedure of the control unit according to this embodiment. [Figure 7]This is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure for step S10. [Figure 8] This is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure in step S12. [Figure 9] This is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure for step S14. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of data used to adjust the rotation position settings for the susceptor slots S1 to S6. [Figure 11] This is an illustrative image of an example screen showing how an operator initiates automatic adjustment of the susceptor's rotational position. [Figure 12] This is an illustrative image of an example screen where an operator performs automatic adjustment of the susceptor's rotational position. [Figure 13] This is a hardware configuration diagram of an example computer. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The following description of this embodiment will be given with reference to the drawings.

[0010] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a substrate processing apparatus 180 according to this embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus 180 includes a substrate position detection device 170. The substrate position detection device 170 has lighting 120, lighting reflector 130, camera 140, housing 150, and processing unit 160.

[0011] Furthermore, the substrate processing apparatus 180 has, in addition to the substrate position detection device 170, a chamber 1, a susceptor 2, a window 110, and a rotating shaft 22 as its main components. In addition, the substrate processing apparatus 180 may include, as necessary, various components within the chamber 1 and various components attached to the chamber 1 that are required for processing the substrate. Figure 1 also shows a wafer W, which is an example of a substrate.

[0012] Chamber 1 is a processing container for processing a substrate such as wafer W. Chamber 1 of the substrate processing apparatus 180 according to the present embodiment is not limited to the content of the substrate processing. Therefore, the substrate processing apparatus 180 can be configured as an apparatus that performs various substrate processes. In the present embodiment, for ease of explanation, an example in which Chamber 1 of the substrate processing apparatus 180 is configured as a film-forming chamber that performs film-forming processing will be described.

[0013] Chamber 1 is configured as a sealed container for processing wafer W. Chamber 1 includes a top plate 11 and a container body 12, and may be configured as a sealed container as a whole. A hole 16 is provided in a part of the top plate 11 so that the inside of Chamber 1 can be imaged by the camera 140. The hole 16 is an opening that leads to the inside of Chamber 1. Chamber 1 is in a sealed state by arranging a window 110 so as to close the hole 16.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the upper surface of Chamber 1 of the substrate processing apparatus 180 according to the present embodiment. The upper surface of Chamber 1 is constituted by the top plate 11. A hole 16 is formed in a part of the top plate 11 of Chamber 1. A window 110 that is larger than the hole 16 by one size is provided on the top plate 11 so as to cover the hole 16. The window 110 is sealed by an O-ring 115 to close the hole 16.

[0015] Returning to the description of FIG. 1, when performing film-forming processing, it is common to heat the inside of Chamber 1 and supply a reaction gas for film-forming into Chamber 1. In film-forming processing, an atomic deposition method (Atomic Layer Deposition) for forming an atomic layer on the surface of wafer W or a molecular deposition method (Molecular Layer Deposition) for forming a molecular layer on the surface of wafer W is used.

[0016] A chamber mark 18, which is an example of a mark for indicating the reference position of Chamber 1, is provided on the bottom surface of Chamber 1. The details of the chamber mark 18 will be described later. Chamber 1 houses a susceptor 2. The susceptor 2 is an example of a rotating table.

[0017] The susceptor 2 is a substrate mounting platform for placing a substrate. The susceptor 2 is installed inside the chamber 1. On the surface of the susceptor 2, a recess 24 is formed as a substrate mounting area, which is approximately the same size as the wafer W and has a recessed shape on which the wafer W can be placed. The recess 24 of the susceptor 2 is an example of a slot, and is configured so that the wafer W is placed in a predetermined position. Hereinafter, the recess 24 will be referred to as a slot. The susceptor 2 is formed in a circular disc shape and is configured so that multiple wafers W can be placed along the circumferential direction.

[0018] The susceptor 2 is connected to the rotating shaft 22 and configured to be rotatable. The susceptor 2, connected to the rotating shaft 22, requires adjustment of the rotational position of the rotating shaft 22 so that it can stop the desired slot at the desired position. This adjustment of the rotational position of the rotating shaft 22 is performed, for example, by adjusting the set value for which the rotational position of the rotating shaft 22 is configured. The adjustment of the rotational position of the rotating shaft 22 of the susceptor 2 is performed during startup or maintenance.

[0019] The surface of the susceptor 2 is provided with susceptor marks 25, which are an example of marks used to detect the position of the slots of the susceptor 2. By detecting the susceptor marks 25 from the image captured by the camera 140, the substrate processing apparatus 180 according to this embodiment detects the positions of multiple slots of the susceptor 2.

[0020] The window 110 is provided above the hole 16, closing the opening created by the hole 16 and ensuring an imaging field of view that can be viewed from above by the camera 140 installed above. The window 110 is made of various light-transmitting materials. For example, the window 110 may be made of quartz glass and configured as a quartz window.

[0021] Illumination 120 is a light source that emits light. Illumination 120 emits light upward toward an illumination reflector 130 located above it, and the reflected light from the illumination reflector 130 is used to illuminate the window 110. Various light sources can be used for illumination 120 as long as they can emit light at an appropriate brightness, but for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) may be used. Illumination 120 is installed near the wall surface of the housing 150 so as not to obstruct the imaging field of view of the camera 140, and emits light diagonally upward.

[0022] The illumination reflector 130 reflects light incident from the illumination 120. The illumination reflector 130 illuminates the window 110 with reflected light, brightening the inside of the chamber 1. Since the illumination reflector 130 reflects light incident from below, it has a reflective surface 131 on its lower surface. The illumination reflector 130 may have a reflection limiting portion on its reflective surface 131 that forms a shadow in a predetermined area within the imaging field of the camera 140, in addition to the portion that reflects light. The illumination reflector 130 has an opening so as not to obstruct the imaging field of the camera 140.

[0023] The camera 140 images the inside of the chamber 1 through the window 110. In the substrate position detection device 170 according to this embodiment, the camera 140 can be used with various configurations depending on the application, such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device).

[0024] The housing 150 is a casing (frame) for housing the window 110, lighting 120, lighting reflector 130, and camera 140. By covering the entire substrate position detection device 170 with the housing 150, the area around the camera 140 can be darkened, creating conditions suitable for imaging.

[0025] The processing unit 160 detects the positions of the chamber mark 18 and the susceptor mark 25 based on the image captured by the camera 140, and performs calculation processing to detect the amount of rotational position deviation of the slot, as described later. The processing unit 160 is, for example, a microcomputer equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and operated by a program. Alternatively, the processing unit 160 may be configured as an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) designed and manufactured for a specific application.

[0026] Figure 3 shows the arrangement of the chamber mark 18 and susceptor mark 25 in an example of the substrate processing apparatus 180 according to this embodiment. Figure 3(A) is an overall view showing the arrangement of the chamber mark 18 and susceptor mark 25 within the chamber 1.

[0027] As shown in Figure 3(A), substrates can be placed in multiple slots along the circumferential direction on the susceptor 2 housed in the chamber 1. In the example in Figure 3(A), substrates can be placed in six slots. Two susceptor marks 25 are formed on each slot of the susceptor 2. The arrangement relationship between the slots and the susceptor marks 25 is known in advance. Therefore, the substrate position detection device 170 can detect the position of the slots by detecting the susceptor marks 25 from the image captured by the camera 140.

[0028] Chamber marks 18 are provided on the surface of the bottom 14 of chamber 1. Two chamber marks 18 are provided at one location of the substrate discharge port 15 of chamber 1. The substrate position detection device 170 can detect the amount of rotational position deviation corresponding to the slot of susceptor 2 from the positional relationship between the chamber marks 18 and the susceptor marks 25, if the chamber marks 18 and the susceptor marks 25 are included in the imaging range 141 of the camera 140.

[0029] Figure 3(B) is an enlarged view showing the imaging range 141 of the camera 140 through the window 110. As shown in Figure 3(B), the chamber mark 18 provided on the chamber 1 and the susceptor mark 25 provided on the susceptor 2 are included in the imaging range 141. The susceptor mark 25 may be made of any easily visible color, but for example, it is black.

[0030] Returning to the explanation of Figure 1, the substrate processing apparatus 180 comprises a flattened chamber 1 with a planar shape that is generally circular, and a susceptor 2 housed within the chamber 1. The susceptor 2 is located inside the chamber 1 and has a center of rotation at the center of the chamber 1. The chamber 1 is configured such that the top plate 11 can be separated from the container body 12. The top plate 11 is pressed against the container body 12 side via a sealing member (e.g., an O-ring 13) due to the reduced pressure inside, thereby airtightly sealing the chamber 1. On the other hand, when it is necessary to separate the top plate 11 from the container body 12, the top plate 11 is lifted upward by a drive mechanism (not shown).

[0031] Furthermore, the top plate 11 is provided with an opening 16. A window 110 is airtightly installed on the upper surface of the top plate 11, facing the opening 16. The aforementioned substrate position detection device 170 is detachably mounted on the window 110.

[0032] The susceptor 2 is fixed in the center to a cylindrical core 21. The core 21 is fixed to the upper end of a vertically extending rotating shaft 22. The rotating shaft 22 passes through the bottom 14 of the container body 12, and its lower end is attached to a drive unit 23 that rotates the rotating shaft 22 around a vertical axis (for example, clockwise). The rotating shaft 22 and the drive unit 23 are housed in a cylindrical case body 20 with an open top.

[0033] The case body 20 is airtightly attached to the lower surface of the bottom 14 of the chamber 1 via a flange portion 20a provided on its upper surface. As a result, the case body 20 isolates its internal atmosphere from the external atmosphere.

[0034] The surface of the susceptor 2 is provided with circular slots (recesses 24) for placing multiple wafers W along the rotational direction (circumferential direction). The slots have an inner diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the wafer W (e.g., 4 mm) and a depth approximately equal to the thickness of the wafer W. The surface of the wafer W housed in the slots is approximately the same height as the surface of the susceptor 2 (the area where the wafer W is not placed). Through holes (none shown) are formed in the bottom surface of the slots through which, for example, three lifting pins (lifter pins) for supporting the back surface of the wafer W and raising and lowering the wafer W pass.

[0035] Above the susceptor 2, the reaction gas nozzle and the separation gas nozzle are arranged at intervals from each other in the circumferential direction of the chamber 1 (the rotational direction of the susceptor 2). The reaction gas nozzle and the separation gas nozzle are introduced into the chamber 1 from the outer circumferential wall of the chamber 1 by fixing the gas introduction port, which is the base end, to the outer circumferential wall of the container body 12, and are mounted so as to extend horizontally to the susceptor 2 along the radial direction of the container body 12. The reaction gas nozzle is connected to the gas supply source via piping and a flow control device, etc. The separation gas nozzle is connected to the separation gas supply source via piping and a flow control valve, etc.

[0036] The reaction gas nozzle has multiple gas discharge holes that open toward the susceptor 2, arranged along the length of the reaction gas nozzle at intervals of, for example, 10 mm. For example, as the wafer W rotates and sequentially passes through the processing area to which the gas is supplied, a film is formed on the surface of the wafer W. An exhaust port 61 is formed at the bottom of the container body 12. The exhaust port 61 is connected to a vacuum evacuation means, such as a vacuum pump 64, via an exhaust pipe 63 and a pressure controller 65.

[0037] A heater unit 7, which is a heating means, is provided in the space between the susceptor 2 and the bottom 14 of the chamber 1. The heater unit 7 heats the wafer W on the susceptor 2 to a temperature (e.g., 400°C) determined by the process recipe.

[0038] A ring-shaped cover member 71 is provided on the lower side near the periphery of the susceptor 2 to separate the atmosphere from the space above the susceptor 2 to the exhaust region from the atmosphere in which the heater unit 7 is located, thereby preventing gas from entering the area below the susceptor 2. The case body 20 is provided with a purge gas supply pipe 72 for supplying purge gas into a narrow space for purging. In addition, at the bottom 14 of the chamber 1, a plurality of purge gas supply pipes 73 are provided at predetermined angular intervals in the circumferential direction below the heater unit 7 for purging the space in which the heater unit 7 is located.

[0039] Furthermore, a separation gas supply pipe 51 is connected to the center of the top plate 11 of the chamber 1, and is configured to supply separation gas to the space between the top plate 11 and the core 21. The separation gas supplied to this space is discharged towards the periphery along the surface of the susceptor 2 through a narrow gap 50 between the protrusion 5 and the susceptor 2. The gap 50 is maintained at a higher pressure than the processing area to suppress the mixing of the gas supplied to the processing area through the central area C.

[0040] Furthermore, a transfer port is formed in the side wall of the chamber 1 for transferring the wafer W, which is the substrate, between the external transfer arm and the susceptor 2. The transfer port is opened and closed by a gate valve. The slot of the susceptor 2 is positioned facing the transfer port, at which point the wafer W is transferred between it and the transfer arm. For this reason, the substrate processing apparatus 180 is provided with a lifting pin and its lifting mechanism on the lower side of the susceptor 2, at a location corresponding to the transfer position, for lifting the wafer W from the back side by passing through the slot. In order to lift the wafer W from the back side of the slot using the lifting pin and its lifting mechanism, it is necessary to appropriately adjust the rotational positions of the multiple slots of the susceptor 2.

[0041] Furthermore, the substrate processing apparatus 180 according to this embodiment is equipped with a control unit 100, which is a computer for controlling the operation of the entire apparatus. The memory of the control unit 100 stores a program that causes the substrate processing apparatus 180 to perform substrate processing according to the control of the control unit 100. The program is stored on a medium such as a hard disk, compact disk, magneto-optical disk, memory card, or flexible disk, read by a predetermined reader, and installed in the control unit 100. The program may also be downloaded via a network and installed in the control unit 100.

[0042] Although Figure 1 shows an example where the control unit 100 and the processing unit 160 are configured separately, the control unit 100 and the processing unit 160 may be integrated. If the control unit 100 and the processing unit 160 are configured separately, the processing of the control unit 100 and the processing unit 160 can be distributed between the two. The substrate position detection device 170 according to this embodiment may be provided as a camera unit having a light 120, a light reflector 130, a camera 140, a housing 150, and a processing unit 160.

[0043] The processing unit 160 of the substrate processing apparatus 180 according to this embodiment is implemented by a functional block as shown in Figure 4, for example. Figure 4 is a functional block diagram of an example of the processing unit 160 according to this embodiment. Note that the functional block diagram in Figure 4 omits the illustration of components that are not necessary for the explanation of this embodiment.

[0044] The processing unit 160 in Figure 4 executes a program and implements the image acquisition unit 200, the image storage unit 202, the image processing unit 204, and the image control unit 206. The image processing unit 204 includes a mark detection unit 210 and a position calculation unit 212.

[0045] The image acquisition unit 200 acquires images of the inside of the chamber 1 captured by the camera 140 through the window 110 (hereinafter referred to as the images captured by the camera 140). The images captured by the camera 140 acquired by the image acquisition unit 200 are stored in the image storage unit 202.

[0046] The image capture processing unit 204 performs calculations to detect the positions of the chamber marks 18 and susceptor marks 25, which are used to position the rotational positions of the multiple slots of the susceptor 2, based on the images captured by the camera 140 stored in the image capture storage unit 202.

[0047] The mark detection unit 210 detects the areas of the chamber mark 18 and the susceptor mark 25 from the image captured by the camera 140. The position calculation unit 212 calculates the positions of the chamber mark 18 and the susceptor mark 25 from the areas of the chamber mark 18 and the susceptor mark 25 detected by the mark detection unit 210 from the image captured by the camera 140. For example, the position calculation unit 212 calculates the amount of rotational position deviation of the multiple slots of the susceptor 2 based on the positional relationship of the chamber mark 18 and the susceptor mark 25. The image capture processing unit 204 transmits information such as the amount of rotational position deviation of the slots used for positioning the multiple slots of the susceptor 2 to the control unit 100.

[0048] The imaging control unit 206 controls the imaging by the camera 140 according to the imaging request received from the control unit 100.

[0049] The control unit 100 of the substrate processing apparatus 180 according to this embodiment is implemented by a functional block as shown in Figure 5, for example. Figure 5 is a functional block diagram of an example of the control unit 100 according to this embodiment. Note that the functional block diagram in Figure 5 omits the illustration of components that are not necessary for the explanation of this embodiment.

[0050] The control unit 100 in Figure 5 executes a program and implements the reference rotation position detection unit 300, susceptor rotation control unit 302, adjustment unit 304, displacement amount acquisition unit 306, imaging control unit 308, and data storage unit 310. The adjustment unit 304 includes an imaging range adjustment unit 320, a provisional determination unit 322, a final determination unit 324, an inspection unit 326, and a reflection unit 328.

[0051] The reference rotation position detection unit 300 detects the reference rotation position of the susceptor 2. Hereinafter, the six slots on the susceptor 2 will be referred to as slots S1 to S6. Note that slot S1 is an example of the first slot. The reference rotation position of the susceptor 2 is the position on the susceptor 2 where slot S1 is located, and is the home position (origin) of the susceptor 2.

[0052] The reference rotational position of the susceptor 2 is detected using an encoder configured to detect the rotation angle of the rotation axis 22 of the susceptor 2. Japanese Patent Publication No. 6114708 describes a technique for detecting the rotation angle of the rotation axis using an encoder provided on a motor. The reference rotational position of the susceptor 2 may also be detected using a laser sensor configured to detect the detected part of the susceptor 2. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-87467 describes a technique in which the rotational position when a detected object provided on the periphery of the susceptor 2 is detected by a laser sensor is used as the reference.

[0053] The susceptor rotation control unit 302 controls the rotation of the susceptor 2. When adjusting the set values ​​of the rotation positions of slots S1 to S6 of the susceptor 2, the susceptor rotation control unit 302 controls the rotation of the susceptor 2 according to the request from the adjustment unit 304.

[0054] The adjustment unit 304 controls the process of adjusting the set values ​​of the rotational positions of slots S1 to S6 of the susceptor 2. The displacement amount acquisition unit 306 acquires the displacement amount of the rotational positions of slots S1 to S6 of the susceptor 2 from the processing unit 160 and provides it to the adjustment unit 304. The imaging control unit 308 sends an imaging request to the processing unit 160 and controls imaging by the camera 140.

[0055] The data storage unit 310 stores not only the set values ​​for the rotational positions of slots S1 to S6 of the susceptor 2, but also various data necessary for adjusting the set values ​​for the rotational positions of slots S1 to S6 of the susceptor 2.

[0056] The imaging range adjustment unit 320 of the adjustment unit 304 controls the rotation of the susceptor 2 by requesting the susceptor rotation control unit 302, thereby adjusting the range of the image of the susceptor 2 that is included in the imaging range 141 of the camera 140.

[0057] The provisional determination unit 322 requests the imaging range adjustment unit 320 to rotate the susceptor 2 according to the reference rotation position, detects the amount of rotational displacement of slot S1 based on the image of the susceptor 2 captured from the window 110, and provisionally determines the rotational positions of slots S1 to S6 based on the amount of rotational displacement of slot S1. Details of the processing of the provisional determination unit 322 will be described later.

[0058] The determination unit 324 requests the imaging range adjustment unit 320 to rotate the susceptor 2 according to the tentatively determined position (the rotational position of the tentatively determined slots S1 to S6). Based on the image of the susceptor 2 captured from the window 110, it detects the amount of deviation in the rotational position of slots S1 to S6 and then finalizes the rotational position of slots S1 to S6 based on the amount of deviation in the rotational position of slots S1 to S6. Details of the processing of the determination unit 324 will be described later.

[0059] The inspection unit 326 requests the imaging range adjustment unit 320 to rotate the susceptor 2 according to the final determined position (the rotational position of the final determined slots S1 to S6). Based on the image of the susceptor 2 captured from the window 110, it detects the amount of deviation in the rotational position of slots S1 to S6 and uses the amount of deviation in the rotational position of slots S1 to S6 to inspect the final determined rotational position of slots S1 to S6. Details of the processing of the inspection unit 326 will be described later.

[0060] After the inspection unit 326 has inspected the rotational positions of the slots S1 to S6, the reflection unit 328 reflects the determined rotational positions of the slots S1 to S6 into the set values ​​of the rotational positions of the slots S1 to S6. The reflection unit 328 may also reflect the determined rotational positions of the slots S1 to S6 into the set values ​​of the rotational positions of the slots S1 to S6 after receiving instructions from the operator.

[0061] The processing procedure of the control unit 100 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 6 to 12. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the control unit 100 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 6, the control unit 100 according to this embodiment automatically adjusts the set values ​​of the rotational positions of the slots S1 to S6 of the susceptor 2 in three processing steps.

[0062] In step S10, the provisional determination unit 322 of the adjustment unit 304 provisionally determines the rotational position of each slot (slots S1 to S6). The process in step S10 is carried out, for example, according to the processing procedure shown in Figure 7.

[0063] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure in step S10.

[0064] In step S20, the provisional determination unit 322 initializes the rotational position of the susceptor 2. Initialization of the rotational position of the susceptor 2 is a process in which the reference rotational position detection unit 300 detects the reference rotational position of the susceptor 2 and rotates the susceptor 2 according to the reference rotational position. The process in step S20 is to adjust the position of the slot S1 on the susceptor 2 so that it is included in the imaging range 141 of the camera 140 by rotating the susceptor 2 according to the reference rotational position.

[0065] In step S22, the imaging control unit 308 sends an imaging request to the processing unit 160, causing the camera 140 to capture an image of the inside of the chamber 1 through the window 110. The displacement amount acquisition unit 306 provides the displacement amount of the rotational position of slot S1 of the susceptor 2, acquired from the processing unit 160, to the provisional determination unit 322 of the adjustment unit 304. If slot S1, which is an example of the first slot, is not included within the imaging range 141, the displacement amount acquisition unit 306 provides information to that effect to the provisional determination unit 322.

[0066] In step S24, if slot S1, which is an example of the first slot, is not included within the imaging range 141, the provisional determination unit 322 proceeds to the process in step S26. In step S26, the provisional determination unit 322 requests the imaging range adjustment unit 320 to rotate the susceptor 2 by 1.0° in a clockwise direction, for example, and then returns to the process in step S22.

[0067] If slot S1 is included within the imaging range 141, the provisional determination unit 322 proceeds to step S28. In step S28, the provisional determination unit 322 determines whether the rotational position deviation of slot S1 of susceptor 2 is ±0.03° or less. The rotational position deviation of slot S1 of susceptor 2 refers to the degree of deviation between the rotational position of slot S1 of susceptor 2 calculated from the position of chamber mark 18 and the rotational position of slot S1 of susceptor 2 calculated from the position of susceptor mark 25.

[0068] If the rotational position deviation of the slot S1 of the susceptor 2 is not ±0.03° or less, the provisional determination unit 322 performs the process in step S30. In the process of step S30, the provisional determination unit 322 requests the imaging range adjustment unit 320 to rotate the susceptor 2 clockwise by the amount of the rotational position deviation of the slot S1 of the susceptor 2, for example, and then returns to the process in step S22.

[0069] If the rotational position deviation of slot S1 of susceptor 2 is ±0.03° or less, the provisional determination unit 322 proceeds to step S32 and provisionally determines the rotational position of slot S1. The provisional determination unit 322 sets the provisional position of slot S1 to a value obtained by adding the rotational position deviation of slot S1 to the set value of the current rotational position of slot S1.

[0070] In step S34, the provisional determination unit 322 determines the provisional positions of slots S2 to S6 based on the provisional position of slot S1 determined in step S32. If the susceptor 2 has six slots, the provisional determination unit 322 determines the provisional position of slot S2 by adding +60° to the provisional position of slot S1, the provisional position of slot S3 by adding +120° to the provisional position of slot S1, the provisional position of slot S4 by adding +180° to the provisional position of slot S1, the provisional position of slot S5 by adding +240° to the provisional position of slot S1, and the provisional position of slot S6 by adding +300° to the provisional position of slot S1.

[0071] Returning to Figure 6, in step S12, the final determination unit 324 determines the rotational positions of slots S1 to S6. The process in step S12 is carried out, for example, according to the processing procedure shown in Figure 8.

[0072] Figure 8 is a flowchart of an example of the processing procedure in step S12.

[0073] In step S40, the determination unit 324 initializes the rotational position of the susceptor 2 in the same manner as in step S20.

[0074] In step S42, the determination unit 324 sequentially rotates the susceptor 2 to the temporary positions that are the rotation positions of the provisionally determined slots S1 to S6. The rotation of the susceptor 2 in step S42 switches the rotation position of the slot whose position is being finalized.

[0075] In step S44, the determination unit 324 obtains the amount of deviation in the rotational position of the slot being determined.

[0076] In step S46, the determination unit 324 performs the process in step S48 if the slot for which the rotation position is being determined is included within the imaging range 141. If the determination unit 324 does not include the slot for which the rotation position is being determined within the imaging range 141, it skips the process in step S48.

[0077] In step S48, the determination unit 324 accumulates the amount of deviation in the rotational position of the slots being determined for each of the slots S1 to S6.

[0078] In step S50, the decision unit 324 determines whether the process of sequentially rotating the susceptor 2 to the provisional positions, which are the rotation positions of the provisionally determined slots S1 to S6, has been completed five times. If five times have not been completed, the decision unit 324 returns to the process of step S40. If it determines that five times have been completed, the decision unit 324 proceeds to the process of step S52.

[0079] In step S52, the determination unit 324 finalizes slots S1 to S6 using the amount of rotational position deviation accumulated for each slot S1 to S6 in step S48. The determination unit 324 finalizes the rotational positions of slots S1 to S6 from their provisional positions using the average value of the amount of rotational position deviation accumulated for each slot S1 to S6 in step S48. Specifically, the determination unit 324 finalizes the rotational positions of slots S1 to S6 by subtracting the average value of the amount of rotational position deviation accumulated for each slot S1 to S6 in step S48 from the provisional positions of slots S1 to S6. Note that the median or standard deviation may be used instead of the average value of the amount of rotational position deviation accumulated for each slot S1 to S6 in step S48.

[0080] Returning to Figure 6, in step S14, the inspection unit 326 inspects the rotational positions of the final determined slots S1 to S6. The process in step S14 is carried out, for example, according to the procedure shown in Figure 9.

[0081] Figure 9 is a flowchart of an example of the processing procedure in step S14.

[0082] In step S60, the inspection unit 326 initializes the rotational position of the susceptor 2 in the same manner as in step S20.

[0083] In step S62, the inspection unit 326 sequentially rotates the susceptor 2 to the rotational positions of the predetermined slots S1 to S6. The rotation of the susceptor 2 in step S62 switches the rotational position of the slot being inspected.

[0084] In Step S64, the inspection unit 326 obtains the amount of deviation in the rotational position of the slot being inspected.

[0085] In step S66, the inspection unit 326 determines whether the cumulative amount of rotational position deviation obtained in step S64 is ±0.03° or less. If it is ±0.03° or less, the inspection unit 326 proceeds to the process in step S68. If it is not ±0.03° or less, the inspection unit 326 proceeds to the process in step S70.

[0086] In step S68, the inspection unit 326 determines whether the process of rotating the susceptor 2 sequentially to the determined rotation positions of slots S1 to S6 has been completed for two rotations. If two rotations have not been completed, the inspection unit 326 returns to the process in step S60. If it determines that two rotations have been completed, the inspection unit 326 terminates the process in step S14 shown in Figure 9.

[0087] In step S70, the inspection unit 326 determines whether or not it is a retry out. If it is not a retry out, the inspection unit 326 returns to the process in step S12 via step S16 in Figure 6. The number of times it returns to step S12 via step S16 is counted as the number of retries. The determination of whether or not it is a retry out in step S70 is made based on whether or not the number of retries is equal to or greater than a threshold (for example, 3 times). If the number of retries reaches the threshold, the inspection unit 326 determines that it is a retry out.

[0088] If a retry is performed, the inspection unit 326 proceeds to step S72, issues an alarm, and notifies the operator of the abnormal termination.

[0089] Figure 10 shows an example of data used to adjust the set values ​​for the rotational positions of slots S1 to S6 of susceptor 2.

[0090] The "Position" value in Figure 10 shows an example of the position (temporary position) tentatively determined in step S10. The "Number of Trials" value in Figure 10 shows an example of the amount of rotational position deviation of slots S1 to S6 calculated for each number of trials in step S12. The "Average1-5" value in Figure 10 is the average value of the rotational position deviation for "Number of Trials" from "1" to "5". Also, the "Average1-20" value in Figure 10 is the average value of the rotational position deviation for "Number of Trials" from "1" to "20".

[0091] As shown in Figure 10, the difference in the average value between the number of trials "5" and "20" is within 0.002°, so sufficient accuracy can be ensured with the number of trials "5". For this reason, in the process shown in Figure 8, the number of times the process from steps S40 to S50 is repeated is set to "5".

[0092] Figure 11 is an illustrative image of an example of screen 1000, which allows the operator to initiate automatic adjustment of the rotational position of susceptor 2. Screen 1000 displays the standard and set values ​​for the rotational positions of slots S1 to S6. By pressing button 1002 in Figure 11, the operator can execute the process shown in Figure 6 to adjust the set values ​​for the rotational positions of slots S1 to S6 displayed on screen 1000.

[0093] When button 1002 in Figure 11 is pressed, the screen transitions to the screen 1100 shown in Figure 12. Figure 12 is an illustrative image of an example screen in which an operator performs automatic adjustment of the rotational position of the susceptor 2.

[0094] The "Setting Value" display field 1102 on screen 1100 displays the same value as the setting value for the rotation position of slots S1 to S6 shown on screen 1000 in Figure 11.

[0095] The "Adjustment Angle" display area 1104 on screen 1100 displays the values ​​for the provisionally determined or final determined positions of slots S1 to S6.

[0096] The "Slot Position Confirmation" display area 1106 on screen 1100 displays the accumulated amount of deviation during the inspection of the rotational positions of the final determined slots S1 to S6 in step S14.

[0097] The "Number of Retry Count" display field 1108 on screen 1100 shows the number of retries required during the inspection of the rotational positions of the final determined slots S1 to S6 in step S14.

[0098] The status display area 1110 displays the status of the automatic adjustment of the rotation position of susceptor 2. The status displayed in the status display area 1110 is idle, initializing, adjusting slot x (x=S1~S6 etc.), readjusting slot x, slot x adjustment retry out, abnormality occurred during slot x operation, slot x position confirmation error, normal completion, initialization abnormality, or position confirmation retry out.

[0099] The Exit button 1112 is an example of a button used by the operator to return to screen 1000 in Figure 11. The Save Adjustment Value button 1114 is an example of a button used to reflect the value of the finalized position displayed in the "Adjustment Angle" display field 1104 on screen 1100 to the "Setting Value" on screen 1000 and the "Setting Value" on screen 1100.

[0100] Thus, in this embodiment, by providing the adjustment value save button 1114, the values ​​(adjustment angles) of the finalized slots S1 to S6 displayed in the "Adjustment Angle" display field 1104 of screen 1100 are reflected in the "Setting Value" on screen 1000 and the "Setting Value" on screen 1100 after receiving instructions from the operator. Furthermore, if screen 1100 receives an operation from the operator to transition to another screen before the values ​​(adjustment angles) of the finalized slots S1 to S6 displayed in the "Adjustment Angle" display field 1104 of screen 1100 are reflected, a message to that effect may be displayed.

[0101] The automatic adjustment execution button 1116 is a button for starting the automatic adjustment of the rotational position of the susceptor 2 shown in Figure 6. The data clear button 1118 is a button for clearing the values ​​of display fields 1104, 1106, and 1108 on the screen 1100 in Figure 12.

[0102] In this embodiment, the rotational position of each slot is roughly determined in a short time by the process in step S10. Then, in this embodiment, after moving to the temporary position of each slot by the process in step S12, the rotational position of each slot is precisely determined. In this way, by performing the automatic adjustment of the rotational position of the susceptor 2 in two processing steps, the time required to adjust the rotational position of the susceptor 2 can be reduced and the adjustment speed can be improved.

[0103] According to this embodiment, the rotational position of the susceptor 2 installed in the substrate processing chamber 1 can be adjusted automatically, thereby enabling labor savings, reduced working time, and decreased variability in adjustments made by operators.

[0104] For example, if an operator manually adjusts the rotational position of the susceptor 2 by changing the set value of the susceptor 2's rotational position while viewing the image captured by camera 140, the operator's workload is significant. In this embodiment, the rotational position of the susceptor 2, which is installed in the substrate processing chamber 1, is adjusted automatically, thereby reducing the operator's workload required to adjust the rotational position of the susceptor 2.

[0105] The process for automatically adjusting the rotational position of susceptor 2, as shown in Figure 6, may also be added as a command in a maintenance macro, for example. A maintenance macro is a function that automatically executes one or more commands in a specified order by specifying the commands to be executed and the order in which they will be executed.

[0106] In this embodiment, for example, a maintenance macro can be created using a command to automatically adjust the rotational position of susceptor 2 and a command to adjust the position of the lifter pin, so that the rotational position of susceptor 2 is automatically adjusted, and then the position of the lifter pin is adjusted.

[0107] In this embodiment, the processing that was performed by the control unit 100 or processing unit 160 of the substrate processing apparatus 180 may be performed by another information processing apparatus that is data-communicable with the substrate processing apparatus 180.

[0108] For example, other information processing devices connected to the control unit 100, processing unit 160, or substrate processing device 180 in a data communication manner are implemented by a computer with a hardware configuration as shown in Figure 13. Figure 13 is a hardware configuration diagram of an example computer.

[0109] An example of an information processing device that is data-communicable with the control unit 100, processing unit 160, or other information processing device is an information processing device that adjusts the set values ​​of the rotational positions of multiple slots of the susceptor 2 housed in the substrate processing chamber 1 of the substrate processing device 180 using an image captured from the window 110 inside the chamber 1.

[0110] The computer 500 in Figure 13 includes an input device 501, an output device 502, an external interface 503, RAM (Random Access Memory) 504, ROM (Read Only Memory) 505, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 506, a communication interface 507, and an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) / SSD (Solid State Drive) 508, all of which are interconnected via bus B. The input device 501 and output device 502 may be connected and used only when necessary.

[0111] The input device 501 is a keyboard, mouse, touch panel, etc., used by operators to input various operation signals. The output device 502 is a display, etc., which displays the processing results from the computer 500. The communication I / F 507 is an interface that connects the computer 500 to a network. The HDD / SSD 508 is an example of a non-volatile storage device that stores programs and data.

[0112] External I / F 503 is an interface to external devices. Computer 500 can read from and / or write to recording media 503a such as an SD (Secure Digital) memory card via External I / F 503. ROM 505 is an example of a non-volatile semiconductor memory (storage device) that stores programs and data. RAM 504 is an example of a volatile semiconductor memory (storage device) that temporarily holds programs and data.

[0113] The CPU 506 is a processing unit that reads programs and data from storage devices such as the ROM 505 and HDD / SSD 508 onto the RAM 504 and executes processing, thereby realizing the overall control and functions of the computer 500.

[0114] Other information processing devices connected to the control unit 100, processing unit 160, or substrate processing device 180 in a data communication manner can implement various functions based on the hardware configuration of the computer 500 shown in Figure 13.

[0115] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0116] 1 Chamber 2 Susceptors 18 Chamber Mark 25 Suscepter Mark 100 Control Unit 110 windows 120 Lighting 130 Lighting reflector 131 Reflective surface 132 Reflector 133 Reflection limiting section 140 Cameras 160 Processing Unit 300 Reference rotation position detection unit 302 Susceptor Rotation Control Unit 306 Displacement amount acquisition unit 322 Provisional Decision Section 324 Main Decision Section 326 Inspection Department 328 Reflection section

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus that adjusts the set values ​​of the rotational positions of multiple slots of a rotary table housed in a substrate processing chamber using an image taken from the top surface of the chamber, A reference rotation position detection unit for detecting the reference rotation position of the rotary table, A provisional determination unit rotates the rotary table according to the aforementioned reference rotation position, detects the amount of rotational position deviation of the first slot based on an image of the rotary table captured from the window, and provisionally determines the rotational positions of a plurality of slots, including the first slot, based on the amount of rotational position deviation of the first slot. The rotary table is rotated to the rotation positions of the multiple slots that were provisionally determined, and the amount of deviation in the rotation positions of the multiple slots is detected based on the image of the rotary table captured from the window, and the rotation positions of the multiple slots are final determined from the amount of deviation in the rotation positions of the multiple slots. A substrate processing apparatus having

2. An inspection unit rotates the rotary table to the rotational positions of the predetermined multiple slots, detects the amount of deviation in the rotational positions of the multiple slots based on an image of the rotary table captured from the window, and uses the detected amount of deviation in the rotational positions of the multiple slots to inspect the rotational positions of the predetermined multiple slots. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

3. A reflection unit that, after receiving instructions from the operator, reflects the rotational positions of the aforementioned predetermined multiple slots in the set values ​​of the rotational positions of the aforementioned multiple slots. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising the above.

4. The inspection unit will issue an alarm if the cumulative amount of the rotational position deviation of the detected multiple slots exceeds a threshold. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2.

5. The final determination unit rotates the rotary table multiple times to the rotation positions of the multiple slots that have been tentatively determined, detects the amount of deviation in the rotation positions of the multiple slots based on the image captured by the rotary table, and uses the average value, median, or standard deviation of the amount of deviation in the rotation positions of the multiple slots to finalize the rotation positions of the multiple slots from the tentatively determined rotation positions. A substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The reference rotation position detection unit detects the reference rotation position of the rotary table using an encoder configured to detect the rotation angle of the rotary axis of the rotary table, or detects the reference rotation position of the rotary table using a laser sensor configured to detect the detected part of the rotary table. A substrate processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

7. A method for adjusting the rotational position of a substrate processing apparatus, which uses an image taken from a window on the upper surface of the chamber to capture the inside of the chamber for substrate processing, to adjust the set values ​​of the rotational positions of multiple slots on a rotary table housed in the chamber, To detect the reference rotational position of the aforementioned rotary table, The rotary table is rotated according to the aforementioned reference rotation position, and the amount of deviation in the rotational position of the first slot is detected based on the image of the rotary table captured from the window, and the rotational positions of a plurality of slots, including the first slot, are tentatively determined from the amount of deviation in the rotational position of the first slot. The rotary table is rotated to the rotational positions of the aforementioned provisionally determined plurality of slots, and the amount of deviation in the rotational positions of the plurality of slots is detected based on the image of the rotary table captured from the window, and the rotational positions of the plurality of slots are finalized based on the amount of deviation in the rotational positions of the plurality of slots. A method for adjusting the rotational position having the following characteristics.

8. An information processing device that adjusts the set values ​​of the rotational positions of multiple slots of a rotary table housed in a substrate processing chamber of a substrate processing device, using an image taken from a window provided on the upper surface of the chamber, A reference rotation position detection unit for detecting the reference rotation position of the rotary table, A provisional determination unit rotates the rotary table according to the aforementioned reference rotation position, detects the amount of rotational position deviation of the first slot based on an image of the rotary table captured from the window, and provisionally determines the rotational positions of a plurality of slots, including the first slot, based on the amount of rotational position deviation of the first slot. The rotary table is rotated to the rotation positions of the multiple slots that were provisionally determined, and the amount of deviation in the rotation positions of the multiple slots is detected based on the image of the rotary table captured from the window, and the rotation positions of the multiple slots are final determined from the amount of deviation in the rotation positions of the multiple slots. An information processing device having

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