Method for controlling heat treatment apparatus, and control device for heat treatment apparatus

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of achieving high precision of the management of oxygen concentration in a loading area.SOLUTION: A control method, using a controller for a heat treatment apparatus having a heating furnace structured to apply heat treatment to a treated body and a loading area structured to store a boat retaining the treated body before or after carrying in or out it into / from the heating furnace, includes: receiving a carrying-out instruction of the treated body from the heating furnace; detecting oxygen concentration in the loading area; and outputting an alarm when the oxygen concentration is at least a prescribed threshold value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method for controlling a heat treatment apparatus and a control apparatus for a heat treatment apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] It has been known that in heat treatment apparatuses that perform heat treatment on semiconductor wafers, a loading area for transporting semiconductor wafers into and out of a heat treatment furnace is isolated from the outside air and an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen gas is formed to prevent oxidation of the semiconductor wafers (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] In Patent Document 1, the oxygen concentration in the loading area is controlled to prevent oxidation of unprocessed semiconductor wafers before they are loaded into a heat treatment furnace, but the oxygen concentration in the loading area is not controlled to prevent oxidation of processed semiconductor wafers. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-176045 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present disclosure provides a technique for improving the accuracy of managing oxygen concentration in a loading area. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is a control method by a control device of a heat treatment apparatus having a heating furnace configured to perform heat treatment on a workpiece and a loading area configured to accommodate a boat holding the workpiece before or after it is transported into or out of the heating furnace, the control method receiving an instruction to transport the workpiece from the heating furnace, detecting the oxygen concentration in the loading area, and outputting an alarm if the oxygen concentration is above a predetermined threshold value. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, the accuracy of managing the oxygen concentration in the loading area can be improved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram conceptually illustrating a heat treatment apparatus according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 2] 1 is a perspective view of a heat treatment apparatus according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the periphery of a heating furnace according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a control device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating functions of a control device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 4 is a first flowchart illustrating a process of the control device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example of an operation panel. [Figure 8] 11 is a second flowchart illustrating the process of the control device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example of a display unit of an operation unit. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process of a control device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating functions of a control device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 12]13 is a flowchart illustrating a process of a control device according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] First Embodiment A first embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a heat treatment apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[0010] The heat treatment apparatus 200 of this embodiment includes an apparatus main body 2 and an operation unit 3 that can be carried by hand by an operator.

[0011] The apparatus main body 2 has a drive mechanism 21 such as a transport arm, a control device 22, an operation panel 23, a connector 24, and a stop circuit 25.

[0012] The control device 22 is a computer that controls the operation of the heat treatment device 200, and includes a controller and a program that controls the drive mechanism 21. The operation panel 23 is a display and operation unit that gives, for example, a program start command to the control device 22. The connector 24 connects the device body 2 and the operation unit 3. The stop circuit 25 is a stop circuit for emergency stopping the drive mechanism 21.

[0013] 1, the control device 22 is included in the device body 2 of the heat treatment device 200, but the present invention is not limited to this. The control device 22 may be provided outside the device body 2 of the heat treatment device 200, and may be a system including the heat treatment device 200, the control device 22, and an operation unit 3. In this case, the control device 22 is connected to the heat treatment device 200 by any communication means and controls the heat treatment device 200.

[0014] The operation unit 3 includes an operation unit main body 31 and a connector 32. By connecting the connector 32 to the connector 24 of the device main body 2, the operation unit 3 becomes able to control the drive mechanism 21 via the control device 22 instead of the operation panel 23. In addition, the operation unit main body 31 has a display unit 33. Various information may be displayed on the display unit 33 by the control device 22.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the heat treatment apparatus of the first embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a view for explaining the periphery of the heating furnace of the first embodiment.

[0016] The heat treatment apparatus 200 of this embodiment is a vertical heat treatment apparatus, and includes a housing 40, a carrier loading / unloading section 41, a carrier transport mechanism 42, a carrier stocker 43, a delivery stage 44, a loading area 45a, a heat treatment area 45b, a wafer transport mechanism 46, a boat elevator 47, a wafer boat 48, and a heating furnace 49.

[0017] The driving mechanism 21 in this embodiment corresponds to the carrier transport mechanism 42, the wafer transport mechanism 46, and the boat elevator 47.

[0018] The housing 40 constitutes an exterior of the heat treatment apparatus 200, and is divided by a partition into a loading area 45a and a heat treatment area 45b.

[0019] The loading area 45a is an airtight area in which a nitrogen gas atmosphere having an oxygen concentration of, for example, 30 ppm or less is formed by introducing nitrogen gas. The oxygen concentration is detected, for example, by an oxygen concentration meter (not shown) provided in the loading area 45a. The nitrogen gas is an example of an inert gas, and the inert gas may be argon gas or the like. The nitrogen gas atmosphere is an example of an inert gas atmosphere.

[0020] The loading area 45 a includes a carrier loading / unloading section 41 , a carrier transport mechanism 42 , a carrier stocker 43 , a delivery stage 44 , a wafer transport mechanism 46 , a boat elevator 47 , and a wafer boat 48 .

[0021] The heat treatment area 45b includes a heating furnace 49 for performing heat treatment on objects to be treated such as semiconductor wafers. is provided.

[0022] In the heat treatment apparatus 200, a carrier C storing a semiconductor wafer W is carried into a carrier transport mechanism 42 by a carrier carry-in / out section 41, and is temporarily stored in, for example, a carrier stocker 43 by the carrier transport mechanism 42. After being stored in the carrier stocker 43, the semiconductor wafer W is transported to a transfer stage 44. In the following description, the semiconductor wafer may be expressed as a wafer.

[0023] The wafer transfer mechanism 46 takes out the wafer W from the carrier C on the delivery stage 44 and transfers it to the wafer boat 48 .

[0024] The wafer boat 48 is a holder provided on the boat elevator 47 and holds, for example, 100 wafers W in the vertical direction at predetermined intervals. The wafer boat 48 is raised by the boat elevator 47 and carried into the heating furnace 49 from a furnace opening at the bottom of the heating furnace 49.

[0025] After the wafers W (objects to be processed) placed on the wafer boat 48 are subjected to heat treatment in the heating furnace 49, the wafer boat 48 is lowered by the boat elevator 47 and carried out into the loading area 45a through a furnace opening at the bottom of the heating furnace 49. Note that substrates such as semiconductor wafers (wafers W) are an example of objects to be processed, and are targets to be heat-treated by the heat treatment device 200.

[0026] Next, the peripheral portion of the heating furnace 49 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. The heating furnace 4 of this embodiment includes, for example, a reaction tube 51 and a heater 5 provided so as to surround the periphery of the reaction tube 51.

[0027] The reaction tube 51 has a double-tube structure made of, for example, quartz, and includes an inner tube 51a having both open ends and an outer tube 51b having a closed upper end.

[0028] The heater 5 is provided in, for example, three stages (heaters 5a, 5b, 5c) so that the inside of the reaction tube 51 is divided into a plurality of zones vertically and each zone can be subjected to separate heating control.

[0029] The reaction tube 51, together with the inner tube 51a and the outer tube 51b, is supported at its lower side by a cylindrical manifold 52, and a plurality of gas supply pipes 53 (only two are shown here for convenience) are provided in the manifold 52 so that supply ports open to the inner lower region of the inner tube 51a. In this embodiment, an exhaust pipe 54, one end of which is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown), is connected to exhaust gas from between the inner tube 51a and the outer tube 51b.

[0030] 3, a reaction vessel is formed by the inner tube 51a, the outer tube 51b, and the manifold 52. Furthermore, the lower end opening of the manifold 52 is closed by a lid 55 provided at the upper end of the boat elevator 47. In this embodiment, a turntable 56 configured to be rotatable by a drive unit (not shown), for example, and a heat retention unit 57 supported by the turntable 56 are interposed between the lid 55 and the wafer boat 48.

[0031] The wafer boat 48 is loaded (carried into) the heating furnace 49 by raising the lid body 55 using the boat elevator 47, and various substrate processing operations are performed on the wafers W held in the wafer boat 48. After the various substrate processing operations are performed, the lid body 55 is lowered using the boat elevator 47, and the wafer boat 48 is unloaded (carried out) from the heating furnace 49 to the loading area 45a below.

[0032] In the following description, loading (carrying) the wafer boat 48 into the heating furnace 49 may be referred to as a loading process, and unloading (carrying) the wafer boat 48 from inside the processing vessel 4 to a loading area below may be referred to as an unloading process. In the following description, the process from the loading process to the unloading process may be referred to as a substrate processing process.

[0033] In this embodiment, when the control device 22 of the heat treatment device 200 receives an instruction to unload the wafer boat 48 into the loading area 45a, the control device 22 detects the oxygen concentration in the loading area 45a before unloading the wafer boat 48. If the detected oxygen concentration is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, the control device 22 issues an alarm and stops the unloading of the wafer boat 48, and then controls the heat treatment device 200 in response to an operation.

[0034] In the heat treatment apparatus 200, before loading the wafer boat 48 into the heating furnace 49, the loading area is isolated from the outside air, an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen gas is formed, and the oxygen concentration in the loading area 45a is detected to control the atmosphere in the loading area 45a. This prevents oxidation of the wafers W. However, after the wafer boat 48 is loaded into the heating furnace 49, the oxygen concentration in the loading area 45a may fluctuate while the wafers W are being heat-treated.

[0035] Therefore, in this embodiment, if the environment in the loading area 45a changes while the wafer boat 48 is loaded into the heating furnace 49 and undergoing heat treatment, this change can be detected and notified.

[0036] More specifically, in this embodiment, even if the oxygen concentration in the loading area 45a increases while the wafer boat 48 is being heat-treated in the heating furnace 49, the change can be detected and notified. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the accuracy of managing the oxygen concentration in the loading area can be improved.

[0037] The control device 22 of this embodiment will be described below. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the control device.

[0038] The control device 22 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 201, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 202, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 203, an I / O port 204, and a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 205, each of which is connected by a bus B.

[0039] The CPU 201 controls the operation of the control device 22 based on models, recipes, and the like stored in a storage device such as a HDD 206 .

[0040] The ROM 202 is a storage medium that is configured from an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), a flash memory, a hard disk, or the like, and that stores the operating program of the CPU 201, and the like.

[0041] The RAM 203 functions as a work area for the CPU 201 .

[0042] The I / O port 204 acquires output values ​​of sensors detecting temperature, pressure, gas flow rate, etc. from the heat treatment device 200 and supplies them to the CPU 201. The I / O port 204 also outputs control signals output by the CPU 201 to each section of the heat treatment device 200. An operation panel 23 through which an operator operates the heat treatment device 200 is also connected to the I / O port 204.

[0043] 4, the operation panel 23 is connected to the outside of the control device 22. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The operation panel 23 may be built into the control device 22.

[0044] The HDD 205 is an auxiliary storage device, and may store recipes, which are information that defines procedures for substrate processing, and programs that realize the functions of the control device 22, which will be described later.

[0045] Next, functions of the control device 22 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining functions of the control device of the first embodiment.

[0046] The control device 22 of this embodiment has a recipe storage unit 220, a recipe reading unit 221, an equipment control unit 222, an equipment state determination unit 223, a setting retention unit 224, an oxygen concentration acquisition unit 225, an alarm output unit 226, a display control unit 227, and an operation unit control unit 228.

[0047] The recipe storage unit 220 of the present embodiment stores a recipe 230. The recipe 230 is information that defines a procedure for a substrate processing step. Specifically, the recipe 230 defines temperature changes, pressure changes, timings for starting and stopping the supply of various gases, supply amounts of various gases, and the like, from loading an unprocessed wafer W into the heat treatment device 200 to unloading a processed wafer W.

[0048] Furthermore, the substrate processing process defined in the recipe 230 includes a plurality of steps, and the recipe 230 defines, for each step included in the substrate processing process, a procedure and the conditions of the heat treatment apparatus 200 when the procedure is performed. The steps included in the substrate processing process include a gas supply step, a loading step, a film forming step, an unloading step, etc. The conditions of the heat treatment apparatus 200 include the conditions of the heat treatment apparatus 200 in the heat treatment included in the substrate processing process.

[0049] The recipe reading unit 221 reads out the recipe 230 stored in the recipe storage unit 220. More specifically, the recipe reading unit 221 selects a recipe 230 corresponding to a process to be performed on the wafer W from the multiple recipes 230 stored in the recipe storage unit 220, and reads it out.

[0050] The equipment control unit 222 executes the substrate processing process defined in the read recipe 230. In the following description, execution of the substrate processing process defined in the recipe 230 may be expressed as executing the recipe 230. Specifically, the equipment control unit 222 controls the heat treatment device 200 based on the recipe 230.

[0051] The apparatus state determination unit 223 determines the state of the heat treatment apparatus 200 according to a control signal or the like outputted to the heat treatment apparatus 200 by the apparatus control unit 222. Specifically, the apparatus state determination unit 223 determines, for example, whether or not the operation of the boat elevator 47 has been instructed to the heat treatment apparatus 200. Furthermore, the apparatus state determination unit 223 of this embodiment determines whether or not the lower end opening of the manifold 52 is blocked by the lid 55.

[0052] Before unloading starts, the type of wafer to be subjected to oxygen concentration detection in the loading area 45a is set in the setting holding unit 224. In other words, the setting holding unit 224 holds information indicating the type of wafer to be subjected to oxygen concentration detection in the loading area 45a when unloading starts.

[0053] In this embodiment, the target wafer is a wafer on which an oxide film is likely to be generated if the oxygen concentration in the loading area 45a increases during the unloading process. Specifically, the types of wafer include, for example, product wafers used as products, monitor wafers used for monitoring (trial), and dummy wafers not used as products, and in this embodiment, the target wafers are product wafers and monitor wafers. Dummy wafers do not have to be included in the target wafers.

[0054] In this embodiment, information indicating the type of the target wafer may be input in advance by an administrator of the heat treatment apparatus 200 or the like.

[0055] The oxygen concentration acquisition unit 225 acquires the oxygen concentration detected by an oxygen concentration meter 60 (see FIG. 2) provided in the loading area 45a.

[0056] The alarm output unit 226 determines whether the oxygen concentration acquired by the oxygen concentration acquisition unit 225 is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, and outputs an alarm signal when the oxygen concentration is equal to or higher than the predetermined threshold. The alarm signal may be, for example, a sound signal, or a signal for causing the operation panel 23 or the operation unit 3 to display an error.

[0057] Moreover, the predetermined threshold value in this embodiment may be set in advance by a manager or the like of the heat treatment apparatus 200. The predetermined threshold value in this embodiment may be, for example, 30 [ppm].

[0058] When an alarm signal is output from the alarm output section 226, the display control section 227 causes the operation panel 23 or the operation unit 3 to display an error.

[0059] The operation unit control unit 228 controls the operation of the drive mechanism 21 of the heat treatment device 200 in response to a control signal from the operation unit 3. In addition, the operation unit control unit 228 causes the operation unit 3 to display the alarm signal output from the alarm output unit 226.

[0060] Next, the processing of the control device 22 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a first flowchart illustrating the processing of the control device of the first embodiment.

[0061] FIG. 6 shows the process of the control device 22 when an alarm signal output by the alarm output unit 226 is displayed on the operation panel 23.

[0062] In the present embodiment, the control device 22 receives an operation instruction for the boat elevator 47 through the device control unit 222 (step S601). In the example of Fig. 6, the operation instruction for the boat elevator 47 may be, for example, an instruction based on an operation of the operation panel 23 by an operator. Also, the operation instruction for the boat elevator 47 may be an instruction by a control signal based on the recipe 230 being executed.

[0063] Next, the control device 22 determines whether the received operation instruction is an instruction to start unloading the wafer boat 48 through the apparatus state determination unit 223 (step S602). In other words, the apparatus state determination unit 223 determines whether the received operation instruction is an instruction to unload the wafers W from the heating furnace 49.

[0064] In step S602, if the received operation instruction is not an instruction to start unloading (No), that is, if the operation instruction is an instruction to start loading the boat elevator 47, the control device 22 proceeds to step S610, which will be described later.

[0065] In step S602, if the received operation instruction is an instruction to start unloading (Yes), the controller 22 determines, via the device state determination unit 223, whether or not the lower end opening of the manifold 52 is blocked by the lid 55 (step S603). In step S603, if the lower end opening of the manifold 52 is not blocked by the lid 55 (No), the controller 22 proceeds to step S610, which will be described later.

[0066] In step S603, if the lower end opening of the manifold 52 is blocked by the lid 55 (Yes), the control device 22, via the equipment status determination unit 223, refers to the setting retention unit 224 to determine whether the wafers placed on the wafer boat 48 are of a type that is subject to oxygen concentration detection (step S604).

[0067] In step S604, if the placed wafer is not the target wafer (No), the controller 22 proceeds to step S610, which will be described later.

[0068] In step S604, if the placed wafer is the target wafer (Yes), the control device 22 acquires the oxygen concentration in the loading area 45a by the oxygen concentration acquisition unit 225, and determines whether the acquired oxygen concentration is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value (step S605).

[0069] In step S605, if the oxygen concentration is less than the predetermined threshold value (No), the control device 22 proceeds to step S610, which will be described later.

[0070] In step S605, if the oxygen concentration is equal to or higher than the predetermined threshold (Yes), the control device 22 causes the alarm output unit 226 to output an alarm signal (step S606). In other words, the control device 22 causes the alarm output unit 226 to output an alarm signal to the operation panel 23, and causes the display control unit 227 to display an error on the operation panel 23.

[0071] Next, the control device 22 accepts an operation indicating a response to the alarm from the operation panel 23 (step S607).

[0072] In this embodiment, when an operation instruction for the boat elevator 47 is received in step S601, in the case of a loading operation, the boat elevator 47 is raised to load the wafer boat 48. In the case of an unloading operation, the operation of the boat elevator 47 may be temporarily stopped. Also, in this embodiment, the operation of the boat elevator 47 may be temporarily stopped during the period from when an alarm signal is output until an operation indicating a response to the alarm is received.

[0073] In step S607, if an operation to stop the operation of the boat elevator 47 is received from the operation panel 23, the control device 22 causes the device control unit 222 to stop the operation of the boat elevator 47 (step S608), and ends the process.

[0074] In step S607, when a retry instruction is received from the operation panel 23, the control device 22 causes the oxygen concentration acquisition unit 225 to detect and acquire the oxygen concentration in the loading area 45a again (step S609), and returns to step S605.

[0075] In step S607, when an instruction to continue the process is received from the operation panel 23, the control device 22 resumes the operation of the boat elevator 47 (step S610).

[0076] In this manner, in this embodiment, when an instruction to start unloading is received and before unloading starts, the oxygen concentration in the loading area 45a is detected, and if the oxygen concentration is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, an alarm is output.

[0077] Therefore, in this embodiment, the state of the loading area 45a is notified to an operator or the like before unloading is started after the wafers W are loaded into the heating furnace 49 and heat-treated. Therefore, in this embodiment, the operator or the like can deal with the alarm before unloading is started, and the accuracy of management of the oxygen concentration in the loading area 45a can be improved.

[0078] In this embodiment, before detecting the oxygen concentration, it is determined whether or not the wafers placed on the wafer boat 48 are of a type that is affected by an increase in the oxygen concentration in the loading area 45a. Then, in this embodiment, when the wafers placed on the wafer boat 48 are of a type that is affected by an increase in the oxygen concentration in the loading area 45a, the oxygen concentration is detected.

[0079] Therefore, in this embodiment, for example, when wafers (dummy wafers or the like) that are not affected by an increase in oxygen concentration are placed on the wafer boat 48, unloading can be started quickly.

[0080] Next, a display example of the operation panel 23 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a display example of the operation panel.

[0081] 7 is an example of an error screen displayed on the operation panel 23. The screen 231 is displayed on the operation panel 23, for example, in step S607 in FIG.

[0082] The screen 231 includes a display field 232 and operation buttons 233, 234, and 235. The display field 232 displays an error message (alarm) indicating that the oxygen concentration in the loading area 45a is increasing.

[0083] Operation buttons 233 , 234 , and 235 are used to instruct how to deal with an error message displayed in display field 232 .

[0084] When operation button 233 is operated on screen 231, operation panel 23 instructs control device 22 to retry. When operation button 234 is operated on screen 231, operation panel 23 instructs control device 22 to continue processing. When operation button 235 is operated on screen 231, operation panel 23 instructs control device 22 to stop operation of boat elevator 47.

[0085] Next, with reference to FIG. 8, a process of the control device 22 when an alarm signal output from the alarm output unit 226 causes the operation unit 3 to display an error will be described.

[0086] FIG. 8 is a second flowchart illustrating the process of the control device according to the first embodiment.

[0087] In the present embodiment, the control device 22 receives an operation instruction for the boat elevator 47 via the device control unit 222 (step S801). In the example of Fig. 8, the operation instruction for the boat elevator 47 may be input by, for example, an operator operating the operation unit 3.

[0088] The processing from step S802 to step S805 in FIG. 8 is the same as the processing from step S602 to step S605 in FIG. 6, except that if the judgment in each of steps S802, S803, and S804 is No, the processing proceeds to step S809. Therefore, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0089] In step S805, if the oxygen concentration in the loading area 45a is less than the predetermined threshold value (No), the control device 22 proceeds to step S809, which will be described later.

[0090] In step S805, if the oxygen concentration in the loading area 45a is equal to or higher than the predetermined threshold value (Yes), the control device 22 outputs an alarm signal via the alarm output unit 226, and causes the display control unit 227 to display an error and an operation button on the display unit 33 of the operation unit 3 (step S806).

[0091] Next, the control device 22 receives an operation from the operation unit 3 via the device control section 222 (step S807).

[0092] In step S807, when an operation to stop the operation of the boat elevator 47 is received from the operation unit 3, the control device 22 stops the operation of the boat elevator 47 by the device control unit 222 (step S808), and ends the process.

[0093] In step S807, when an operation to lower the boat elevator 47 (an instruction to start unloading) is received from the operation unit 3, the control device 22 causes the device control unit 222 to resume the operation of the boat elevator 47 (step S809).

[0094] A display example of the display section 33 of the operation unit 3 will be described below with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a display example of the display section of the operation unit.

[0095] A screen 301 shown in FIG. 9 is an example of a screen displayed on the display section 33 of the operation unit 3 in step S806 in FIG.

[0096] An error message 302 and operation buttons 303, 304, and 305 are displayed on a screen 301.

[0097] The error message 302 is a message indicating that the oxygen concentration in the loading area 45a is equal to or higher than a threshold value.

[0098] The operation button 303 is an operation button for instructing to stop the operation of the boat elevator 47. The operation button 304 is an operation button for instructing to raise (load) the boat elevator 47. The operation button 305 is an operation button for instructing to lower (unload) the boat elevator 47.

[0099] When screen 301 is displayed on display unit 33, heat treatment apparatus 200 is in a state in which the lower end opening of manifold 52 is covered by cover 55 provided at the upper end of boat elevator 47. For this reason, operation button 304 may be displayed in a state in which it cannot be selected. In this case, operation button 304 may be displayed in a display mode different from the display mode of other operation buttons 303 and 305. By displaying in this manner, it is possible to make the operator aware that operation button 304 cannot be selected.

[0100] In this embodiment, even when an operator is operating the heat treatment apparatus 200 using the operation unit 3, the operator can be notified via the operation unit 3 of the increase in oxygen concentration in the loading area 45a before unloading begins.

[0101] Second Embodiment The second embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the processing performed when the control device receives a retry instruction. Therefore, in the following description of the second embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be described, and components having the same functional configuration as the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals as those used in the description of the first embodiment, and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0102] Fig. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the process of the control device of the second embodiment. Fig. 10 shows the process of the control device 22 when an alarm signal output by the alarm output unit 226 is displayed on the operation panel 23.

[0103] The processing from step S1001 to step S1008 in FIG. 10 is similar to the processing from step S601 to step S608 in FIG. 6, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0104] In step S1007 of FIG. 10, if a retry instruction is received from the operation panel 23, the control device 22 causes the device control unit 222 to flow nitrogen gas into the loading area 45a from a gas supply pipe (not shown) for a certain period of time (step S1009), and returns to step S1005.

[0105] The process of step S1009 will be specifically described below.

[0106] The loading area 45a of the heat treatment apparatus 200 of this embodiment is provided with a valve (not shown) for introducing air, and an exhaust valve (not shown) connected to a nitrogen gas exhaust pipe.

[0107] The control device 22 of this embodiment closes these valves through the device control unit 222, and causes nitrogen gas to flow into the loading area 45a for a certain period of time.

[0108] In this embodiment, by controlling the heat treatment device 200 in this manner, the oxygen concentration in the loading area 45a can be reduced.

[0109] In the example of FIG. 10, the oxygen concentration is detected after nitrogen gas is caused to flow into the loading area 45a for a certain period of time, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0110] In this embodiment, for example, when the control device 22 receives an instruction to retry, nitrogen gas may be caused to flow into the loading area 45a while monitoring the oxygen concentration in the loading area 45a.

[0111] In this case, the control device 22 may allow a certain amount of nitrogen gas to flow into the loading area 45a, and when the oxygen concentration reaches a predetermined threshold, the amount of nitrogen gas allowed to flow into the loading area 45a may be reduced to less than the certain amount, and the supply of nitrogen gas may continue for a certain period of time.

[0112] In this manner, in the present embodiment, even after receiving an instruction to start unloading, the oxygen concentration in the loading area 45a can be monitored and managed to be below a predetermined threshold value. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the accuracy of management of the oxygen concentration in the loading area 45a can be improved.

[0113] Third embodiment The third embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. The third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that nitrogen gas is flowed into the loading area 45a in advance before an instruction to start unloading is given during execution of a recipe. Therefore, in the following description of the third embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be described, and components having the same functional configuration as the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals as in the description of the first embodiment, and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0114] 11 is a diagram for explaining the functions of the control device of the third embodiment. The control device 22A of this embodiment has a recipe storage unit 220, a recipe reading unit 221, an apparatus control unit 222A, an apparatus state determination unit 223, a setting storage unit 224A, an oxygen concentration acquisition unit 225, an alarm output unit 226, a display control unit 227, an operation unit control unit 228, and an unload time prediction unit 229.

[0115] In the setting storage unit 224A of this embodiment, a period for starting the inflow of nitrogen gas into the loading area 45a is set. In other words, the setting storage unit 224 has information indicating a set period for inflowing nitrogen gas into the loading area 45a set in advance.

[0116] The set period in this embodiment is a period for forming a nitrogen gas atmosphere in which the oxygen concentration in the loading area 45a is less than a predetermined threshold. If the loading area 45a is filled with a sufficient amount of nitrogen gas, the oxygen concentration in the loading area 45a will be less than the predetermined threshold. The set period in this embodiment may be set in advance by an administrator of the heat treatment device 200 depending on the state of the heat treatment device 200, and stored in the setting storage unit 224A.

[0117] Specifically, for example, when there is a possibility of maintenance that may cause air to flow into the loading area 45a or a breakdown of the loading area 45a, the set period may be set to a longer period compared to when no maintenance is performed.

[0118] In addition, in this embodiment, after the execution of the recipe 230 is started, the setting of the set period may be accepted, or a change to the set set period may be accepted.

[0119] The unload time prediction unit 229 of this embodiment predicts the time from when the recipe reading unit 221 reads out the recipe 230 and the device control unit 222 starts controlling the heat treatment device 200 based on the recipe 230 until an instruction to start unloading is issued. In other words, the unload time prediction unit 229 predicts the time from when the execution of the recipe 230 starts until the unload process starts.

[0120] The device control unit 222A of this embodiment refers to the setting storage unit 224A and starts the flow of nitrogen gas into the loading area 45a so that the time predicted by the unloading time prediction unit 229 becomes the end time of the set period.

[0121] The process of the control device 22A of this embodiment will be described below with reference to Fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the process of the control device of the third embodiment.

[0122] In the present embodiment, the control device 22A reads out the recipe 230 from the commercial power source 210 by the recipe reading unit 221, and starts control of the heat treatment device 200 by the device control unit 222A (step S1201).

[0123] Next, the controller 22A causes the unload time prediction unit 229 to predict the time at which an instruction to start unloading will be issued in the substrate processing step (step S1202).

[0124] Next, the control device 22A determines whether or not it is time to start the inflow of nitrogen gas by the device control unit 222A (step S1203). Specifically, the device control unit 222A determines whether or not it is the start time of the set period when the time predicted in step S1202 is set as the end time of the set period.

[0125] In step S1203, if it is not time to start the flow of nitrogen gas, the control device 22A waits until it is time to start the flow of nitrogen gas.

[0126] In step S1203, when it is time to start the inflow of nitrogen gas, the control device 22A causes the device control section 222A to start the inflow of nitrogen gas into the loading area 45a, and causes the nitrogen gas to flow for a set period (step S1204), and proceeds to step S601 in Fig. 6. Note that at this time, the control device 22A may proceed to step S1001 in Fig. 10 after step S1204.

[0127] In this embodiment, during the execution of the recipe 230, nitrogen gas is introduced into the loading area 45a to form a nitrogen gas atmosphere before the start of unloading is instructed.

[0128] In this embodiment, even after an instruction to start unloading is given, it is determined whether the oxygen concentration in the loading area 45a is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, and if the oxygen concentration is equal to or higher than the predetermined threshold, an alarm signal is output.

[0129] Therefore, in this embodiment, the oxygen concentration in the loading area 45a after the start of unloading can be managed to be less than a predetermined threshold value, thereby improving the accuracy of the management of the oxygen concentration in the loading area.

[0130] The heat treatment apparatus control method and heat treatment apparatus control device according to the presently disclosed embodiments should be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The embodiments can be modified and improved in various forms without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims. The matters described in the above embodiments can be configured in other ways without any contradiction, and can be combined without any contradiction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0131] 2. Device body 3 Operation Unit 21 Drive mechanism 22, 22A Control Device 23 Operation Panel 31 Operation unit body 33 Display section 45a Loading Area 45b Heat treatment area 47 Boat Elevator 48 Wafer Boat 49 Heating Furnace 200 Heat treatment equipment 220 Recipe Memory Unit 221 Recipe Readout Unit 222, 222A Device control section 223 Equipment status determination unit 224, 224A setting holding section 225 Oxygen concentration acquisition unit 226 Alarm output section 227 Display control section 228 Operation unit control section 229 Unload Time Prediction Unit 230 Recipes

Claims

1. 1. A control method for a heat treatment apparatus having a heating furnace configured to perform a heat treatment on a workpiece, and a loading area configured to accommodate a boat holding the workpiece before the boat is loaded into the heating furnace or after the boat is unloaded from the heating furnace, the control method comprising: receiving an instruction to unload the workpiece from the heating furnace, and detecting an oxygen concentration in the loading area; The method for controlling a heat treatment apparatus further comprises outputting an alarm when the oxygen concentration is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value.

2. 2. The method for controlling a heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying a message corresponding to the alarm and an operation button for instructing how to deal with the alarm on a display operation unit of the heat treatment apparatus.

3. 3. The method for controlling a heat treatment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the instruction to remove the object is an instruction based on an operation on the display operation unit, or an instruction by a control signal based on a recipe that defines a procedure for a substrate processing process for the object.

4. When an instruction to retry carrying out the object is received from the display operation unit, the oxygen concentration in the loading area is detected again; The heat treatment apparatus control method according to claim 3 , further comprising the step of: stopping operation of a mechanism for loading the boat into the heating furnace or unloading the boat from the heating furnace when an instruction to stop unloading the object is received from the display operation unit.

5. when receiving an instruction from the display operation unit to retry carrying out the workpiece, flowing an inert gas into the loading area for a certain period of time, and then detecting the oxygen concentration in the loading area again; When an instruction to stop carrying out the object is received from the display operation unit, the operation of a mechanism for carrying the boat into the heating furnace or carrying the boat out of the heating furnace is stopped. The method for controlling the heat treatment apparatus according to claim 3.

6. predicting a time when an instruction to remove the object from the heating furnace will be issued based on the recipe; 6. The method for controlling a heat treatment apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising flowing an inert gas into the loading area before the predicted time so that the oxygen concentration in the loading area at the predicted time is less than the predetermined threshold value.

7. 2. The method of controlling a heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the instruction to unload the object is based on an operation on an operation unit connected to the control apparatus.

8. displaying a message corresponding to the alarm and an operation button for instructing how to deal with the alarm on a display unit of the operation unit; 8. The method for controlling a heat treatment apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the operation buttons include an operation button for stopping an operation of a mechanism for loading the boat into the heating furnace or unloading the boat from the heating furnace.

9. receiving an instruction to remove the object, and determining whether the object is a type of object that is set as being easily affected by the oxygen concentration in the loading area; The method for controlling a heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising detecting an oxygen concentration in the loading area.

10. A control device for a heat treatment apparatus having a heating furnace configured to perform a heat treatment on a workpiece, and a loading area configured to accommodate a boat holding the workpiece before the boat is loaded into or after the boat is unloaded from the heating furnace, an oxygen concentration detection unit that detects an oxygen concentration in the loading area in response to an instruction to unload the object from the heating furnace; and an alarm output unit that outputs an alarm when the oxygen concentration is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold.

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