SUBSTRATE PROCESSING SYSTEM, SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD, AND CONTROL PROGRAM

Abstract

To perform a more homogeneous process on a plurality of substrates while the decrease in throughput is suppressed sufficiently.SOLUTION: A substrate processing system that performs a process on a plurality of substrates includes a processing unit including a plurality of processing modules each performing a predetermined process, a transporting unit including a transporting device for transporting the substrate to each of the processing modules, an export-import unit that holds the substrates and exports and imports the substrates to and from the processing unit, and a control unit that controls the processing unit, the export-import unit, and the transporting unit. The control unit controls the transporting unit so that the substrates sequentially transported from the export-import unit to the processing unit are transported sequentially and serially to the processing modules, and includes a standby mode setting unit that can set a substrate standby period with respect to the processing module at a proper timing in accordance with the process content.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing system, a substrate processing method, and a control program. [Background technology]

[0002] A substrate processing system for processing a plurality of substrates has been proposed, which has a plurality of processing modules each performing a predetermined processing, and a transport mechanism for transporting substrates to the plurality of processing modules, and is controlled so as to transport the substrates serially in sequence to the plurality of processing modules (for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 2 also proposes that in such a substrate processing system with serial transport, an interval is set when the substrate is transported from a transport unit for transporting the substrate in and out to a processing unit having a plurality of processing modules, thereby suppressing a decrease in throughput and suppressing non-uniformity in the processing results for the substrates. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6160614 [Patent Document 2] JP 2020-9837 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure provides a technique capable of performing more uniform processing on a plurality of substrates while sufficiently suppressing a decrease in throughput. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A substrate processing system according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a substrate processing system for processing a plurality of substrates, the substrate processing system comprising: a processing section having a plurality of processing modules each performing a predetermined processing; a transport section having a transport device that transports substrates to each of the plurality of processing modules; a load / unload section that holds the plurality of substrates and transports the substrates to and from the processing section; and a control section that controls the processing section, the load / unload section, and the transport section, wherein the plurality of processing modules are arranged along the transport section, and the control section controls the plurality of substrates to be sequentially loaded from the load / unload section into a first processing module of the processing section, each of the plurality of substrates loaded into the first processing module is sequentially transported serially to the plurality of processing modules in the order of their arrangement, and the plurality of substrates are transported from the last processing module to the first processing module in the order of their arrangement, Loading / unloading area the transport device controls the transporting device so that the transported substrate is sequentially unloaded from one of the plurality of processing modules, and controls the transported substrate so that a predetermined processing is performed on the transported substrate in each of the plurality of processing modules, and has a standby mode setting unit capable of setting a waiting period for the substrate for each of the processing modules at an appropriate timing depending on the content of the processing, and the standby mode setting unit selects and sets one of the standby modes: a post-processing standby mode, which is applied to a processing module in which the waiting of the substrate after processing does not affect the processing, and causes the substrate to wait in the processing module after the substrate is processed; a pre-processing standby mode, which is applied to a processing module in which the waiting of the substrate before processing does not affect the processing, and causes the substrate to wait in the processing module before processing the substrate; and a no-wait mode, which is applied to a processing module in which the waiting of the substrate does affect the processing, and does not cause the substrate to wait in the processing module. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present disclosure, a technique is provided that can perform more uniform processing on a plurality of substrates while sufficiently suppressing a decrease in throughput. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a substrate processing system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2]2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a substrate transport path in the substrate processing system according to the embodiment; [Diagram 3] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a controller in the substrate processing system according to the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a functional block diagram of a control unit in the substrate processing system according to the embodiment; FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of timing shift conveyance. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a specific time chart of a processing module in a "post-processing standby mode." [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a specific time chart of a processing module in a "pre-processing standby mode." [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a specific time chart of the processing module in the "immediate discharge mode (no standby mode)." [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of correction of error time in a processing module in a "post-processing standby mode." [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of correction of error time in the processing module in the “post-processing standby mode.” [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of correction of error time when the end of carry-in time is earlier than expected. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of correction of error time when the end of the loading time is later than expected in a processing module in the “pre-processing standby mode.” [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of correction of error time when the end of the unloading time is earlier than expected. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

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

[0009] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a substrate processing system according to an embodiment. This substrate processing system 1 performs a plurality of processes on a substrate W, and includes a processing section 2, a transport section 3, a loading / unloading section 4, and a control section 5. The substrate is not particularly limited, but is, for example, a semiconductor wafer.

[0010] The processing section 2 has a plurality of (ten in this example) processing modules PM1 to PM10 that perform vacuum processing on substrates W.

[0011] The transfer section 3 transfers the substrate W to the plurality of processing modules PM1 to PM10 in sequence. The transfer section 3 has a plurality of transfer modules TM1 to TM5. The transfer modules TM1 to TM5 each have a hexagonal container 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d, 30e that is held in vacuum, and a multi-joint structure transfer device 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d, 31e that is provided in each container. Between the transfer devices of the transfer modules TM1 to TM5, transfer units 41, 42, 43, 44 are provided as transfer buffers. The containers 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d, 30e of the transfer modules TM1 to TM5 are connected to each other to form a transfer chamber 12. The transfer chamber 12 extends in the Y direction in the figure, and five of the processing modules PM1 to PM10 are connected to each side of the transfer chamber 12 via an openable and closable gate valve G. The gate valves G of the process modules PM1 to PM10 are opened when the transfer module accesses the process module, and are closed when processing is being performed.

[0012] The load / unload section 4 is connected to one end side of the processing section 2. The load / unload section 4 has an atmospheric transfer chamber (EFEM) 21, three load ports 22, an aligner module 23, and two load lock modules LLM1 and LLM2 connected to the atmospheric transfer chamber 21, and an atmospheric transfer device 24 provided in the atmospheric transfer chamber 21.

[0013] The atmospheric transfer chamber 21 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape with its longitudinal direction being the X direction in the figure. The three load ports 22 are provided on the long side wall of the atmospheric transfer chamber 21 on the opposite side to the processing section 2. Each load port 22 has a mounting table 25 and a transfer port 26. A FOUP 20, which is a substrate storage container that stores a plurality of substrates, is mounted on the mounting table 25, and the FOUP 20 on the mounting table 25 is connected to the atmospheric transfer chamber 21 via the transfer port 26 in a sealed state.

[0014] The aligner module 23 is connected to one short side wall of the atmospheric transfer chamber 21. In the aligner module 23, alignment of the substrate W is performed.

[0015] The two load lock modules LLM1 and LLM2 are for enabling the transfer of the substrate W between the atmospheric transfer chamber 21, which is at atmospheric pressure, and the transfer chamber 12, which is at a vacuum atmosphere, and are capable of varying the pressure between atmospheric pressure and a vacuum equivalent to that of the transfer chamber 12. The two load lock modules LLM1 and LLM2 each have two transfer ports, one of which is connected to the long side wall of the atmospheric transfer chamber 21 on the processing section 2 side via a gate valve G2, and the other of which is connected to the transfer chamber 12 of the processing section 2 via a gate valve G1. The load lock module LLM1 is used when transferring the substrate W from the transfer unit 4 to the processing section 2, and the load lock module LLM2 is used when transferring the substrate W from the processing section 2 to the transfer unit 4. Note that the load lock modules LLM1 and LLM2 may perform processes such as degassing.

[0016] The atmospheric transfer device 24 in the atmospheric transfer chamber 21 has an articulated structure, and transfers the substrate W to the FOUP 20 on the load port 22, the aligner module 23, and the load lock modules LLM1 and LLM2. Specifically, the atmospheric transfer device 24 takes out an unprocessed substrate W from the FOUP 20 on the load port 22, transfers it to the aligner module 23, and transfers the substrate W from the aligner module 23 to the load lock module LLM1. The atmospheric transfer device 24 also receives a processed substrate W transferred from the processing unit 2 to the load lock module LLM2, and transfers the substrate W to the FOUP 20 on the load port 22. Note that, although FIG. 1 shows an example in which the atmospheric transfer device 24 has one pick for receiving the substrate W, two picks may be used.

[0017] In the processing section 2, processing modules PM1, PM3, PM5, PM7, PM9 are arranged in order from the load lock module LLM1 side on one side of the transfer chamber 12, and processing modules PM2, PM4, PM6, PM8, PM10 are arranged in order from the load lock module LLM2 side on the other side of the transfer chamber 12. In addition, in the transfer section 3, transfer modules TM1, TM2, TM3, TM4, TM5 are arranged in order from the load lock modules LLM1 and LLM2 sides.

[0018] The transfer mechanism 31a of the transfer module TM1 can access the load lock modules LLM1 and LLM2, the processing modules PM1 and PM2, and the transfer section 41. The transfer mechanism 31b of the transfer module TM2 can access the processing modules PM1, PM2, PM3, and PM4, and the transfer sections 41 and 42. The transfer mechanism 31c of the transfer module TM3 can access the processing modules PM3, PM4, PM5, and PM6, and the transfer sections 42 and 43. The transfer mechanism 31d of the transfer module TM4 can access the processing modules PM5, PM6, PM7, and PM8, and the transfer sections 43 and 44. The transfer mechanism 31e of the transfer module TM5 can access the processing modules PM7, PM8, PM9, and PM10, and the transfer section 44.

[0019] 2, the substrate W taken out from the FOUP 20 is serially transported in one direction along the substantially U-shaped path P in the processing section 2, processed in each processing module, and returned to the FOUP 20. That is, the substrate W is transported in the order of processing modules PM1, PM3, PM5, PM7, PM9, PM10, PM8, PM6, PM4, and PM2, and undergoes a predetermined processing in each processing module.

[0020] The substrate processing system 1 can be used for manufacturing a stacked film (MTJ film) used in, for example, MRAM (Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory). The manufacturing of the MTJ film involves a number of processes, such as a pre-cleaning process, a film formation process, an oxidation process, a heating process, and a cooling process, and each of these processes is performed in the process modules PM1 to PM10.

[0021] The control unit 5 controls each component of the substrate processing system 1, for example, the transfer modules TM1 to TM5 (transfer devices 31a to 31e) of the transfer unit 3, the atmospheric transfer device 24, the processing modules PM1 to PM10, the load lock modules LLM1 and LLM2, the transfer chamber 12, and the gate valves G, G1, and G2. The control unit 5 is typically a computer. FIG. 3 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the control unit 5. The control unit 5 includes a main control unit 101, an input device 102 such as a keyboard and a mouse, an output device 103 such as a printer, a display device 104, a storage device 105, an external interface 106, and a bus 107 connecting these to each other. The main control unit 101 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 111, a RAM 112, and a ROM 113. The storage device 105 records and reads information required for control. The storage device 105 includes a computer-readable storage medium, and the storage medium stores a process recipe for processing the substrate W, etc.

[0022] In the control unit 5, the CPU 111 uses the RAM 112 as a working area to execute a program stored in the ROM 113 or the storage medium of the storage device 105, thereby causing the substrate processing system 1 to process the substrate W.

[0023] 4 is a functional block diagram of the control unit 5. The control unit 5 has a transport control unit 121, a process control unit 122, a transport-related setting unit 123, a standby mode setting unit 124, a standby time setting unit 125, and an error time detection and correction unit 126. The transport-related setting unit 123 is connected to the transport control unit 121, and the standby mode setting unit 124, the standby time setting unit 125, and the error time detection and correction unit 126 are connected to the process control unit 122. The control unit 5 also has other functional units, but the description thereof will be omitted here.

[0024] The transfer control unit 121 controls the transfer modules TM1 to TM5 (transfer devices 31a to 31e) and the atmospheric transfer device 24. Specifically, it controls so that the substrate W is transferred out of the FOUP 20, passes through the aligner module 23 and the load lock module LLM1, reaches the processing unit 2, is transferred to each processing module in sequence, and returns to the FOUP 20 via the load lock module LLM2. Note that it is not necessary to use a transfer route that passes through all processing modules, and the transfer mode may be controlled to take a different transfer route, such as a U-shaped transfer from an intermediate processing module. The transfer control unit 121 has a built-in timer.

[0025] The transport control unit 121 creates a transport schedule by using the past process time and the actual transport time stored in the storage device 105 to predict the schedule at the start of transport. At this time, since the transport device of each transport module corresponds to multiple processing modules, the transport schedule is created so that the transport device does not compete (do not compete) with the multiple processing modules.

[0026] In this embodiment, as such a transport control method, for example, a method is used in which a series of transports of a plurality of substrates W to the processing modules PM1 to PM10 is divided into a plurality of transport phases, which are a group of transport units, and transport timing is shifted for each transport phase. Such transport is hereinafter referred to as timing shift transport. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the transport is divided into three transport phases, namely, a right row, an inter-row (transport from PM9 to PM10), and a left row, and transport is controlled so that the substrate transport of the right row in phase 1 is performed first, then the inter-row in phase 2, and then the left row in phase 3. FIG. 5 shows a part of the processing section 2. At this time, in phase 1 and phase 3, it is preferable to transport the substrates by synchronizing a plurality of transport devices. Note that the division of the transport phases and the number of transport phases are not limited to the above example. In order to perform timing shift transport, it is preferable that the residence time of the substrate W in each processing module is appropriately controlled, as described later.

[0027] The transport-related setting unit 123 is configured to enable the transport control unit 121 to perform transport-related settings such as setting the transport mode, such as the transport path, setting the transport phase, and further setting the interval for transporting the substrate by the atmospheric transport device 24.

[0028] The process control unit 122 controls the processes of the process modules PM1-PM10 based on a process recipe stored in a storage medium of the storage device 105. The process modules PM1-PM10 each have an individual controller, and the process control unit 122 controls the process modules PM1-PM10 via these controllers. The process control unit 122 also controls the substrate W to wait in each process module so as to suppress variations in waiting time until the next process due to differences in the length of the process time of each process module, etc. The process control unit 122 also has a built-in timer.

[0029] The standby mode setting unit 124 can set a standby period for the substrate W for each processing module at an appropriate timing according to the content of the processing. Specifically, the standby mode setting unit 124 is configured to be able to select one of a plurality of standby modes in which a standby period is set at an appropriate timing according to the content of the processing of the processing module. The standby modes in which the timing of the standby period is set include a "post-processing standby mode," a "pre-processing standby mode," and a "immediate removal mode (no standby mode)."

[0030] The "post-processing standby mode" is a mode in which the substrate W is made to wait in the processing module after processing has been performed. This standby mode is applied to processing modules where the waiting of the substrate after processing does not affect the processing. A specific time chart for the "post-processing standby mode" is as shown in Figure 6. A is the cycle time, which is the total time of the corresponding processing module, and progresses in the order of load time B, processing time C, standby time D1, and unload time E.

[0031] The "pre-processing standby mode" is a mode in which the substrate W is made to wait in the processing module before processing. This standby mode is applied to processing modules in which waiting after the completion of temperature-dependent processing such as heating and cooling processes affects the processing, but waiting for the substrate before starting the processing does not affect the processing. A specific time chart for the "pre-processing standby mode" is as shown in Figure 7. A is the cycle time, which is the total time for the corresponding processing module, and progresses in the order of load time B, standby time D2, processing time C, and unload time E.

[0032] The "immediate unloading mode" is a mode in which the substrate W does not wait. This waiting mode is applied to processing modules in which the process characteristics change simply by the substrate W staying in the processing module, such as an oxidation process. A specific time chart for the "immediate unloading mode" is as shown in Figure 8. A is the cycle time, which is the substrate residence time in the corresponding processing module, and progresses in the order of load time B, processing time C, and unload time E.

[0033] The waiting time setting unit 125 sets the waiting time when the waiting mode set by the waiting mode setting unit 124 is the "post-processing waiting mode" or the "pre-processing waiting mode". The waiting time setting unit 125 sets the waiting time for each processing module so that the cycle time, which is the residence time of the substrate W in each processing module, is optimized. The waiting time may be automatically set by the transport control unit 121. For the processing modules in the "post-processing waiting mode" and the "pre-processing waiting mode", the waiting time can be set so that the cycle time is constant. This makes it easier to perform timing shift transport in which the transport timing is shifted for each transport phase as described above, and effectively prevents competition for the transport device. In this case, it is preferable to match the cycle time of the processing module to the cycle time of the processing module with the longest processing time.

[0034] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, when timing shift transport is divided into three transport phases, namely, the right row, the inter-row, and the left row, it is preferable to shorten the cycle time by the transport time (transport shift) in the processing modules PM9 and PM10 adjacent to the transport module TM5 where the transport turns back.

[0035] A processing module in the "immediate unloading mode" does not have a waiting time for the substrate W, so the waiting time cannot be adjusted. However, by adjusting the waiting time on the transport device from which the substrate W was unloaded and the waiting time in the next processing module, it is possible to optimize substrate transport.

[0036] The error time detection and correction unit 126 has a function of detecting an error time ("deviation") from the schedule of processing and / or transport of the substrate W occurring in each processing module, and correcting the error time. In actual transport of the substrate W, an error time from the initially created schedule may occur due to a variation in processing time due to plasma ignition retries in plasma processing, a transport error, etc. If such an error time occurs, the desired transport of the substrate W cannot be performed. For such an error time, the error time detection and correction unit 126 detects the error time generated in the substrate in the processing module, and transmits a signal for correcting the error time to the transport control unit 121, thereby correcting the error. The timing for detecting the error time may be after the substrate is loaded into the processing module, after the processing in the processing module is completed, or after the substrate is unloaded from the processing module.

[0037] In a processing module in the "post-processing standby mode," the error time can be corrected by shortening or extending the standby time of the substrate W depending on the error time. For example, if the processing time becomes longer than the planned time in the processing recipe, the standby time D1 can be corrected to be shortened by the increased time C1, as shown in Fig. 9. Conversely, if the processing time becomes shorter than the planned time in the processing recipe, the standby time can be corrected to be extended by the decreased time C2, as shown in Fig. 10. If the extended processing time becomes longer than the standby time, the correction can be made at the timing of the next correction (the correction timing in the transfer module that unloads the substrate or the next processing module).

[0038] In the case of a processing module in "pre-processing wait mode," when the processing time is shortened or extended, the shortened or extended processing time cannot be corrected by adjusting the substrate wait time, but can be corrected at the timing of the next correction (the correction timing at the transport module that unloads the substrate or the next processing module).

[0039] If the end of the loading time is earlier than expected, regardless of the waiting mode, it can be corrected by inserting a waiting time F before processing as shown in Figure 11. If the end of the loading time is later than expected, in "pre-processing waiting mode", the pre-processing waiting time is shortened by the delayed time B1 as shown in Figure 12. If the delay exceeds the pre-processing waiting time, the excess amount can be corrected at the next correction timing. If the end of the loading time is later than expected in "post-processing waiting mode", it can be corrected at the next correction timing.

[0040] If the end of the carry-out time is earlier than expected, a waiting time G is inserted in the transport module for the amount of time that it was earlier, as shown in Fig. 13. If the end of the carry-out time is later than expected, it can be corrected at the next correction timing.

[0041] In the case of a processing module in "immediate removal mode," since there is no standby time within the processing module, time correction cannot be performed in that processing module. In this case, correction can be performed using the standby time of subsequent processing modules.

[0042] However, when the processing of a "certain substrate" is delayed in a processing module in the "immediate unloading mode," if the "next substrate" is immediately transported to that processing module, a situation may occur in which the next processing module is not available when the processing of the "next substrate" in that processing module is completed, and the "next substrate" cannot be unloaded. For example, assume that a substrate W is transported along a transport path from processing module PM1 to transport module TM2 (transport device 31b) to processing module PM3 to transport module TM3 (transport device 31c) to processing module PM5, and processing module PM3 is in the "immediate unloading mode." The processing time in the processing recipe of processing module PM3 is 200 seconds, and the time that the processing recipe should progress in processing module PM5 at the start of processing module PM3 is 50 seconds. Under these conditions, for example, if the processing time of processing module PM3 is delayed by 50 seconds, if the "next substrate" is immediately transported from processing module PM1 to processing module PM3, processing module PM5 will not become available until 250 seconds have passed. For this reason, the "next substrate" cannot be unloaded to processing module PM5. In such a case, the "next substrate" is made to wait in processing module PM1 or transfer module TM2, and when it is determined that the processing recipe of processing module PM5 has progressed for the desired period, the "next substrate" is transferred to processing module PM3.

[0043] Such waiting time adjustment by the preceding processing module can also be adopted in the processing modules PM9 and PM10 that shorten the residence time (cycle time) of the substrate when performing timing shift transport as described above.

[0044] Next, a description will be given of the processing operation in the substrate processing system 1 configured as above. The processing operation is executed under the control of the control unit 5.

[0045] First, the atmospheric transfer device 24 takes out the substrate W from the FOUP 20 on the load port 22 and transfers it to the aligner module 23. After the substrate W is aligned in the aligner module 23, the substrate W is taken out by the atmospheric transfer device 24 and transferred to the load lock module LLM1. At this time, the load lock module LLM1 is at atmospheric pressure, and is evacuated to a vacuum after receiving the substrate W.

[0046] Thereafter, the substrate W is taken out of the load lock module LLM1 by the transfer mechanism 31a of the transfer module TM1 in the transfer section 3, and transferred to the processing module PM1. Then, a predetermined processing is performed on the substrate W in the processing module PM1. Thereafter, the substrate W is transferred in sequence to the processing modules PM3, PM5, PM7, PM9, PM10, PM8, PM6, PM4, and PM2 by the transfer mechanisms 31a to 31e of the transfer modules TM1 to TM5, and a predetermined processing is sequentially performed in these processing modules. After the processing in the processing module PM2 is completed, the substrate W is transferred to the load lock module LLM2 by the transfer mechanism 31a of the transfer module TM1. At this time, the load lock module LLM2 is in a vacuum, and is opened to the atmosphere after receiving the substrate W.

[0047] Thereafter, the substrate W in the load lock module LLM2 is transferred into the FOUP 20 of the load port 22 by the atmospheric transfer device 24.

[0048] The above-mentioned series of processes is repeated for a plurality of substrates W.

[0049] Conventionally, in this type of substrate processing system, the transfer system has been controlled so as to place importance on transfer efficiency and to transfer a plurality of substrates continuously in the shortest possible time by trigger transfer.

[0050] However, the processing time for each processing module is not constant, and even if the first substrate can be transported without waiting time, the second and subsequent substrates have to wait in a processing module before the processing module with a longer recipe time, which can result in different process results.

[0051] For example, in the case of manufacturing an MTJ film for MRAM, there are multiple processes such as pre-cleaning, film formation, oxidation, heating, cooling, etc. Therefore, the second and subsequent substrates wait in the process modules PM1, PM3, and PM5 until the process of the preceding substrate in the process module PM7 is completed.

[0052] In this case, if the processing performed on the substrates in the waiting processing modules PM1, PM3, and PM5 is a processing such as an oxidation processing or a cooling processing that may change the state of the substrate during waiting, the process results may be different between the first substrate and the second and subsequent substrates because the thermal history is different.

[0053] Patent Document 2 proposes a technique for solving such problems without reducing throughput, in which a desired interval is set between the time a substrate is unloaded from the loading / unloading section and the time the next substrate is unloaded.

[0054] However, in the technology of Patent Document 2, since no adjustment is made in the processing module, if an error or sudden delay occurs in the processing module during a series of processes, unexpected substrate waiting may occur, making it difficult to sufficiently suppress uneven processing. Also, if an error or sudden delay occurs in the processing module and substrate transport is disrupted, multiple processing devices may compete for the transport device, which may also result in substrate waiting and insufficient uniformity and throughput of processing.

[0055] Therefore, in this embodiment, the control unit 5 has a function of setting the standby mode setting unit 124 for each processing module to a standby period for the substrate W at an appropriate timing according to the content of the processing. Specifically, the standby mode setting unit 124 has a plurality of standby modes in which standby periods are set at appropriate timing according to the content of the processing of the processing module, and any one of the standby modes can be selected. The standby modes are set to "post-processing standby mode," "pre-processing standby mode," and "immediate removal mode (no standby mode)," and any one of the standby modes can be selected.

[0056] This provides a buffer for substrate transport without affecting the processing of substrates W in each processing module, and prevents substrates from accumulating in front of processing modules that require longer processing times. This effectively prevents uneven substrate processing while maintaining a high throughput. For processing modules in which the process characteristics change simply because substrates W remain in the processing module, such as an oxidation process, the processing module is set to an "immediate removal mode" in which substrates do not wait, thereby preventing uneven substrate processing.

[0057] In this case, the waiting time setting unit 125 can set the substrate waiting time in the processing module, so that the cycle time, which is the substrate residence time in each processing module, can be optimized and the cycle time can also be made constant for multiple processing modules.

[0058] Furthermore, the error time detection and correction unit 126 can detect an error time ("deviation") from the schedule that occurs in a processing module and correct the error time, so that even if an error time occurs in a processing module, retention of substrates W can be suppressed extremely effectively. In the case of a processing module in "immediate unloading mode," there is no waiting time within the processing module, so time correction cannot be performed in that processing module, but correction can be performed by using the waiting time of subsequent transport modules or processing modules. Furthermore, if processing of a "certain substrate" is delayed in a processing module in "immediate unloading mode," in the processing of the "next substrate," the loading of the next substrate into the processing module prior to that processing module can be delayed according to the amount of delay, thereby suppressing retention of the next substrate.

[0059] In this embodiment, to address the above problem, a series of transports of a plurality of substrates W to the processing modules PM1 to PM10 by the transport devices 31a to 31e is divided into a plurality of transport phases, which are a group of transport units, and a timing shift transport is performed in which the transport timing is shifted for each transport phase. For example, as shown in Fig. 5, the transport can be divided into three phases: right row, inter-row (transport from PM9 to PM10), and left row, and the transport can be controlled so that first the right row substrate transport in phase 1 is performed, then the inter-row transport in phase 2, and then the left row transport in phase 3.

[0060] This allows the transport device to access the multiple processing modules at different times, effectively preventing competition among the multiple processing modules.

[0061] In this case, it is preferable to optimize the cycle time, which is the substrate residence time in each processing module, by setting the substrate waiting time by the waiting time setting unit 125, so that the transfer timing is aligned in each transfer phase. In particular, by making the cycle times of multiple processing modules constant, the transfer timing in each transfer phase can be easily aligned. However, in the processing modules PM9 and PM10 adjacent to the transfer module TM5 where the transfer turns back, it is preferable to shorten the cycle time by the amount of the transfer time shift in order to perform timing shift transfer. In addition, although a waiting time cannot be provided for a processing module in the "immediate transfer mode," the shift transfer can be accommodated by adjusting the waiting time on the transfer device from which the substrate W was transferred and the waiting time in the next processing module.

[0062] In a processing module in "immediate unloading mode" or a processing module that shortens the cycle time to perform timing shift transport, if the processing of a substrate in that processing module is delayed, it is preferable to have the "next substrate" wait in the previous processing module or previous transport module. This makes it possible to prevent a situation in which the next processing module is not available when processing in the processing module is completed due to the "next substrate" being transported to that processing module immediately when processing in the processing module is delayed.

[0063] As described above, according to this embodiment, the standby mode setting unit 124 is provided with a function for setting a standby period for the substrate W at an appropriate timing for each processing module according to the contents of the processing. This makes it possible to prevent the substrate from being stuck in front of a processing module that takes a long time to process without affecting the processing of the substrate W in each processing module, and effectively suppresses unevenness in the substrate processing while maintaining a high throughput. In addition, a series of transports of multiple substrates to multiple processing modules by the transport device is divided into multiple transport phases, which are a group of transport units, and timing shift transport is performed in which the transport timing is shifted for each transport phase. This allows the transport device to access multiple processing modules at different times, thereby suppressing competition between multiple processing modules.

[0064] Although the embodiments have been described above, the embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The above-described embodiments may be omitted, substituted, or modified in various forms without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

[0065] For example, the substrate processing system 1 of the embodiment is merely an example, and may be any system that sequentially transports substrates to a plurality of processing modules for processing. Also, although the manufacturing of an MTJ film of an MRAM is given as an example of processing, the present invention is not limited thereto. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1. Substrate processing system 2; Processing section 3. Conveyor section 4. Loading and unloading area 5; Control section 12. Transport room 20;FOUP 22; Loading port 23; Aligner module 24: Atmospheric transport device 31a to 31e: Transport device 121: Transport control section 122: Process control section 123: Transport related settings section 124: Standby mode setting section 125; Waiting time setting section 126: Error time detection and correction unit LLM1, LLM2; Load lock module PM1~PM10; Processing module TM1~TM5: Transport modules W; Substrate

Claims

1. A substrate processing system for processing a plurality of substrates, a processing unit having a plurality of processing modules each performing a predetermined process; a transport unit having a transport device that transports substrates to each of the plurality of processing modules; a loading / unloading unit that holds a plurality of substrates and loads / unloads the substrates into / from the processing unit; A control unit that controls the processing unit, the loading / unloading unit, and the transport unit; Equipped with The plurality of processing modules are arranged along the transport section, the control unit controls the transport device so that the plurality of substrates are sequentially loaded from the loading / unloading unit into a first processing module of the processing unit, each of the plurality of substrates loaded into the first processing module is sequentially and serially transported to the plurality of processing modules in the order of their arrangement, and the plurality of substrates are sequentially unloaded from the last processing module to the loading / unloading unit, and also controls so that a predetermined processing is performed on the transported substrates in each of the plurality of processing modules, and has a standby mode setting unit capable of setting a waiting period for the substrates at an appropriate timing for the processing module depending on the content of the processing, The standby mode setting unit is a post-processing standby mode, which is applied to a processing module where the standby of the substrate after processing does not affect the processing, and in which the substrate is made to wait in the processing module after the processing of the substrate is performed; A pre-processing standby mode is applied to a processing module where the waiting of the substrate before processing does not affect the processing, and the substrate is made to wait in the processing module before being processed; a standby mode that is applied to a processing module in which the standby of the substrate affects processing, or a no-standby mode that does not cause the substrate to wait in the processing module.

2. The substrate processing system according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit includes a standby time setting unit that sets a standby time for each of the processing modules.

3. The substrate processing system according to claim 2 , wherein the waiting time setting unit sets the waiting time such that residence times of the substrate in the processing module are constant among the plurality of processing modules.

4. The substrate processing system according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the control unit has an error time detection / correction unit having a function of detecting an error time with respect to a schedule for substrate processing and / or transportation occurring in each of the processing modules and correcting the error time.

5. The substrate processing system according to claim 4 , wherein the error time detection and correction unit corrects the error time by shortening or extending the waiting time in the processing module according to the error time.

6. The substrate processing system according to claim 4 , wherein, when the error time cannot be corrected in the processing module, the error time detection and correction unit corrects the error time in a transport device that unloads the substrate from the processing module or in a next processing module.

7. 5. The substrate processing system of claim 4, wherein the processing module is unable to correct processing time errors, and the error time detection and correction unit makes the next substrate wait for a time corresponding to the extension of the processing time when the next substrate is loaded into the processing module when the processing module is not capable of correcting processing time errors.

8. A substrate processing system for processing a plurality of substrates, a processing unit having a plurality of processing modules each performing a predetermined process; a transport unit configured to transport substrates to each of the plurality of processing modules; a loading / unloading unit that holds a plurality of substrates and loads / unloads the substrates into / from the processing unit; A control unit that controls the processing unit and the transport unit; Equipped with The transport unit includes a transport chamber and a plurality of transport devices arranged in a line within the transport chamber. The plurality of processing modules are connected to both sides of the transport chamber, The control unit controls the transport unit so that the multiple substrates transported from the loading / unloading unit to the processing unit are transported sequentially and serially to the multiple processing modules, and controls the transport unit to divide the series of transports of the multiple substrates to the multiple processing modules into multiple transport phases, which are a single transport unit, and to stagger the transport timing for each transport phase.

9. 9. The substrate processing system of claim 8, wherein the control unit has a standby mode setting unit capable of setting a waiting period for the substrate at an appropriate timing for each of the plurality of processing modules depending on the content of the processing, and a standby time setting unit that sets the standby time, and the standby time setting unit sets the standby time so that the residence time of the substrate in the processing module is constant across the plurality of processing modules.

10. 9. The substrate processing system of claim 8, wherein the control unit controls the transport unit so that the substrate loaded into the processing unit from the loading / unloading unit is transported in a U-shape from a processing module at one end of one side of the transport chamber to a processing module at one end of the other side of the transport chamber, and sets three transport phases: a row of processing modules on one side of the transport chamber, a row of processing modules on the other side of the transport chamber, and a row between these rows.

11. the control unit has a standby mode setting unit capable of setting a standby period for the substrate at an appropriate timing according to the content of the processing for each of the plurality of processing modules, and a standby time setting unit that sets the standby time; 11. The substrate processing system of claim 10, wherein the waiting time setting unit sets the waiting time so that a residence time of the substrate in the processing modules other than the processing module corresponding to the space between the rows is constant and so that the residence time of the substrate in the processing module corresponding to the space between the rows is shorter than the residence time of the substrate in the other processing modules by an amount corresponding to a transport shift.

12. a substrate processing method for processing substrates in a substrate processing system including a processing section having a plurality of processing modules each performing a predetermined process, a transport section having a transport device that transports substrates to each of the plurality of processing modules, and a load / unload section that holds a plurality of substrates and transports the substrates into and out of the processing section, the plurality of processing modules being arranged along the transport section, the method comprising: setting a waiting period for the substrate at an appropriate timing for each of the plurality of processing modules according to the content of the processing; sequentially loading a plurality of substrates from the loading / unloading section into a first processing module of the processing section; transporting each of the plurality of substrates loaded into the first processing module to the plurality of processing modules in the order of their arrangement; performing a predetermined process on the transported substrate in each of the plurality of process modules; Sequentially unloading the substrates from a last processing module to the loading / unloading section; having Setting a waiting period for the substrate includes: a post-processing standby mode, which is applied to a processing module where the standby of the substrate after processing does not affect the processing, and in which the substrate is made to wait in the processing module after the processing of the substrate is performed; A pre-processing standby mode is applied to a processing module where the waiting of the substrate before processing does not affect the processing, and the substrate is made to wait in the processing module before being processed; a non-waiting mode that is applied to a processing module in which waiting for a substrate affects processing, and a non-waiting mode that does not cause the substrate to wait in the processing module.

13. a control program for controlling processing of substrates in a substrate processing system, the control program operating on a computer and comprising: a processing section having a plurality of processing modules each performing a predetermined process; a transport section having a transport device for transporting a substrate to each of the plurality of processing modules; and a loading / unloading section for holding a plurality of substrates and loading / unloading the substrates into and from the processing section, the plurality of processing modules being arranged along the transport section; The control program, when executed, setting a waiting period for the substrate at an appropriate timing for each of the plurality of processing modules according to the content of the processing; sequentially loading a plurality of substrates from the loading / unloading section into a first processing module of the processing section; transporting each of the plurality of substrates loaded into the first processing module to the plurality of processing modules in the order of their arrangement; performing a predetermined process on the transported substrate in each of the plurality of process modules; Sequentially unloading the substrates from a last processing module to the loading / unloading section; causing a computer to control the substrate processing system so as to execute Setting a waiting period for the substrate includes: a post-processing standby mode, which is applied to a processing module where the standby of the substrate after processing does not affect the processing, and in which the substrate is made to wait in the processing module after the processing of the substrate is performed; A pre-processing standby mode is applied to a processing module where the waiting of the substrate before processing does not affect the processing, and the substrate is made to wait in the processing module before being processed; a control program for selecting and setting either a standby mode, which is applied to a processing module in which the waiting of the substrate affects the processing, or a no-wait mode, which does not cause the substrate to wait in the processing module.

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