Substrate Processing System and Substrate Processing Method

Abstract

To shorten a time required for gas flow measurement performed using a flow measurement device in a substrate processing system.SOLUTION: A substrate processing system includes a chamber group including a plurality of chambers, a gas box group including a plurality of gas boxes, a flow rate measuring device, and an exhaust system, the flow rate measuring device includes a measuring instrument and a measuring pipe, the measuring pipe includes a plurality of branch pipes respectively connected to the plurality of gas boxes, a main pipe connected to each of the plurality of branch pipes and the measuring device, and a branch pipe valve provided in each of the plurality of branch pipes, and the meter includes one or more pressure sensors, a temperature sensor, a meter primary valve, and a meter secondary valve.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing system and a substrate processing method.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a method for obtaining the flow rate of gas in a substrate processing system using a flow rate measurement system. According to the method described in Patent Document 1, a step of obtaining the flow rate of gas output from one flow controller is included by executing an operation based on the volume, pressure, and temperature of the gas flow path provided in the flow rate measurement system.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The technology according to the present disclosure shortens the time required for measuring the flow rate of gas performed using a flow rate measuring device in a substrate processing system.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is A substrate processing system, comprising: a plurality of chamber groups including a plurality of chambers for processing a substrate in a desired processing gas; a plurality of gas box groups including a plurality of gas boxes for supplying the processing gas to each of the plurality of chambers; a flow rate measuring device for measuring the flow rate of the processing gas supplied from one of the plurality of gas box groups; and an exhaust device connected to the chamber group and the flow rate measuring device, wherein the flow rate measuring device includes a measuring instrument and a plurality of measuring pipes connected to each of the plurality of gas box groups and the measuring instrument for allowing the processing gas to flow therethrough, one of the measuring pipes includes a plurality of branch pipes connected to each of the plurality of gas boxes of the corresponding one of the gas box groups, a main pipe connected to each of the plurality of branch pipes and the measuring instrument, and a main pipe valve provided in the main pipe, the measuring instrument includes one or more pressure sensors configured to measure the pressure inside the measuring instrument, a temperature sensor configured to measure the temperature inside the measuring instrument, a measuring instrument primary valve provided at an end of the measuring instrument connected to the measuring pipe, and a measuring instrument secondary valve provided at an end of the measuring instrument connected to the exhaust device.

Effects of the Invention

[0006] According to the present disclosure, the time required for measuring the flow rate of gas performed using a flow rate measuring device in a substrate processing system is shortened.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] In the manufacturing process of semiconductor devices, various gas treatments such as film formation treatment, cleaning treatment, and other plasma treatments are performed on a semiconductor substrate (hereinafter referred to as “wafer”) in a desired gas atmosphere. These gas treatments are performed, for example, in a wafer processing system including a vacuum processing chamber (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “chamber”) whose internal pressure can be controlled to a reduced pressure atmosphere. In this wafer processing system, in order to appropriately perform various gas treatments on the wafer, it is important to precisely control the flow rate of the gas supplied to the vacuum processing chamber.

[0009] The flow rate measuring device described in Patent Document 1 is a system for measuring the gas flow rate in such a wafer processing system. In the flow rate measuring device described in Patent Document 1, by controlling the supply and exhaust of gas to the gas flow path provided in the flow rate measuring device, based on the volume, pressure, temperature of the gas flow path, and the measured value of one flow rate controller, the gas flow rate is obtained.

[0010] By the way, in designing a substrate processing system, from the viewpoints of user needs and efficiency improvement of substrate processing, it is required to mount more chambers in a single wafer processing system. However, when the number of chambers to be mounted increases in this way, if the gas flow rate measurement is performed by the method described in Patent Document 1, as the number of gas flow paths increases according to the number of chambers, the enclosed volume of the gas in the flow rate measurement device increases, and the piping length for enclosing the gas also becomes longer. Therefore, there is a risk that it will take a long time for the flow rate measurement.

[0011] In order to shorten the time required for such a flow rate measurement, for example, in order to reduce the enclosed volume of the gas for one flow rate measurement device, it is conceivable to mount two or more flow rate measurement devices. However, when simply increasing the number of flow rate measurement devices in this way, in addition to the increase in the cost of installing the flow rate measurement devices, the flow rate measurement error (system - to - system difference) between the respective flow rate measurement devices will be added. For this reason, in the gas flow rate measurement method using the flow rate measurement device described in Patent Document 1, there is room for improvement in the measurement time, particularly when the number of chambers installed in a single wafer processing system is increased.

[0012] The technology according to the present disclosure has been made in view of the above circumstances, and shortens the time taken for gas flow rate measurement performed using a flow rate measurement device in a substrate processing system. Hereinafter, a wafer processing system as a substrate processing system according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In this specification and the drawings, elements having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

[0013] <Wafer Processing System> The wafer processing system 1 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an outline of the configuration of the wafer processing system 1 according to this embodiment. In the wafer processing system 1, desired gas processing such as film formation processing, cleaning processing, and other plasma processing is performed on a wafer W as a substrate.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the wafer processing system 1 has a configuration in which an atmospheric section 10 and a reduced-pressure section 11 are integrally connected via load lock modules 20 and 21. The atmospheric section 10 includes an atmospheric module that performs a desired process on a wafer W under an atmospheric pressure atmosphere. The reduced-pressure section 11 includes a reduced-pressure module that performs a desired process on the wafer W under a reduced-pressure atmosphere.

[0015] The load lock modules 20 and 21 are provided to connect a loader module 30 (described later) of the atmospheric section 10 and a transfer module 50 (described later) of the reduced-pressure section 11 via gate valves 22 and 23, respectively. The load lock modules 20 and 21 are configured to temporarily hold the wafer W. Further, the load lock modules 20 and 21 are configured such that the inside can be switched between an atmospheric pressure atmosphere and a reduced-pressure atmosphere (vacuum state).

[0016] The atmospheric section 10 includes a loader module 30 having a wafer transfer mechanism 40 (described later) and a load port 32 on which a hoop 31 capable of storing a plurality of wafers W is placed. Note that an orienter module (not shown) for adjusting the horizontal orientation of the wafer W, a storage module (not shown) for storing a plurality of wafers W, etc. may be provided adjacent to the loader module 30.

[0017] The inside of the loader module 30 is formed of a rectangular housing, and the inside of the housing is maintained at an atmospheric pressure atmosphere. A plurality of, for example, five load ports 32 are arranged in parallel on one side surface constituting the long side of the housing of the loader module 30. The load lock modules 20 and 21 are arranged in parallel on the other side surface constituting the long side of the housing of the loader module 30.

[0018] Inside the loader module 30, a wafer transfer mechanism 40 for transferring the wafer W is provided. The wafer transfer mechanism 40 includes a transfer arm 41 that holds and moves the wafer W, a turntable 42 that rotatably supports the transfer arm 41, and a rotary mounting table 43 on which the turntable 42 is mounted. Further, inside the loader module 30, a guide rail 44 extending in the longitudinal direction of the loader module 30 is provided. The rotary mounting table 43 is provided on the guide rail 44, and the wafer transfer mechanism 40 is configured to be movable along the guide rail 44.

[0019] The decompression unit 11 has a transfer module 50 that transfers the wafer W inside, and a chamber 60 that performs a desired process on the wafer W transferred from the transfer module 50. The interiors of the transfer module 50 and the chamber 60 are each maintained in a decompressed atmosphere. In this embodiment, a plurality of, for example, six chambers 60 are connected to one transfer module 50. In this specification, a group of a plurality of, for example, six chambers 60 connected to the one transfer module 50 is referred to as one chamber group 62. Note that the number and arrangement of the chambers 60 in one chamber group 62 are not limited to this embodiment and can be arbitrarily set.

[0020] The chambers 60 are each provided adjacent to the transfer module 50 via a gate valve 64. In the chamber 60, any gas process such as, for example, a film forming process, a cleaning process, or other plasma processes is performed according to the purpose of the wafer process.

[0021] The transfer module 50 has a rectangular housing inside and is connected to the load lock modules 20 and 21 as described above. The transfer module 50 transfers the wafer W carried into the load lock module 20 to one chamber 60, performs a desired process, and then unloads it to the atmosphere section 10 via the load lock module 21.

[0022] Inside the transfer module 50, a wafer transfer mechanism 70 for transferring the wafer W is provided. The wafer transfer mechanism 70 includes a transfer arm 71 that holds and moves the wafer W, a turntable 72 that rotatably supports the transfer arm 71, and a rotary mounting table 73 on which the turntable 72 is mounted. Also, inside the transfer module 50, a guide rail 74 extending in the longitudinal direction of the transfer module 50 is provided. The rotary mounting table 73 is provided on the guide rail 74, and the wafer transfer mechanism 70 is configured to be movable along the guide rail 74.

[0023] In the transfer module 50, the wafer W held by the load lock module 20 is received by the transfer arm 71 and transferred to an arbitrary chamber 60. Also, the transfer arm 71 holds the wafer W that has been subjected to a desired process in the chamber 60 and unloads it to the load lock module 21.

[0024] The decompression unit 11 is also provided with a plurality of gas boxes 80 for supplying gas to the chambers 60, for example, six gas boxes 80 corresponding to each chamber 60 in the present embodiment, and a main gas unit 90 that houses a gas control unit for controlling the supply of gas to each gas box 80 (chamber 60). The space between each gas box 80 and the corresponding chamber 60 is connected by a connection pipe 82 through which the processing gas can flow.

[0025] In the present embodiment, the six gas boxes 80 connected to each of the six chambers 60 and supplying the processing gas are collectively referred to as a single gas box group 110. Note that the number and arrangement of the gas boxes 80 in a single gas box group 110 are not limited to the present embodiment and can be arbitrarily set. Each gas box 80 is further connected to a flow rate measuring device 120. Specifically, each gas box 80 is connected to a measurement pipe 172, which will be described later, as the flow rate measuring device 120.

[0026] The above wafer processing system 1 is provided with a control unit 122. The control unit 122 is a computer equipped with, for example, a CPU, a memory, etc., and has a program storage unit (not shown). The program storage unit stores a program for controlling the gas processing of the wafer W in the wafer processing system 1. The program storage unit further stores a program for controlling the supply operation of the processing gas described later. Note that the above program may be recorded on a computer-readable storage medium H and installed from the storage medium H to the control unit 122.

[0027] In the above wafer processing system 1, a flow rate measuring device 120 is connected to measure the flow rate of the processing gas supplied from the gas box 80. The flow rate measuring device 120 provides a flow path for the processing gas and various sensors used in measuring the flow rate of the processing gas using the build-up method. Hereinafter, the flow rate measuring device 120 in the wafer processing system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

[0028] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a piping system constituting the flow path of the processing gas in the wafer processing system 1 according to the present embodiment. In this specification, "piping" is configured to allow the processing gas to flow therethrough. When the processing gas is supplied to each "piping", a "flow path" of the processing gas can be formed inside the "piping". Further, when any one of the components of the wafer processing system 1 is connected to any one of the "pipings", or when two or more "pipings" are connected to each other, a continuous "flow path" is formed inside them.

[0029] In the present embodiment, the processing gas is supplied from each gas box 80 to the corresponding chamber 60, and after being used for processing the wafer W, it is supplied to either the wafer processing flow path A that is exhausted by the exhaust device 130, or the measurement flow path B that is supplied from each gas box 80 to the flow rate measuring device 120, measured for the flow rate, and then exhausted by the exhaust device 130. The wafer processing flow path A and the measurement flow path B will be described later.

[0030] The main gas unit 90 is provided with a gas source 140 and a flow control unit 141 for supplying one or more gases to respective gas boxes 80. In one embodiment, the main gas unit 90 is configured to supply one or more gases from respective gas sources to the gas boxes 80 via respective flow control units 141. Each flow control unit 141 may include, for example, a mass flow controller or a pressure-controlled flow controller. In the following description, the mixed gas containing one or more gases supplied from the main gas unit 90 is referred to as a "processing gas" used for gas processing in the chamber 60 or measured for flow rate by the flow rate measuring device 120.

[0031] The gas box 80 includes a plurality of flow controllers 142 and pipes connecting them to form a flow path.

[0032] In the present embodiment, the piping system in the gas box 80 is configured as follows. With the gas source 140 side being the most upstream, an upstream pipe 144 is connected to the gas source 140, and a plurality of, for example, four flow controllers 142 in the present embodiment are connected to the upstream pipe 144. A downstream pipe 146 is connected to the downstream side of the flow controller 142, and the chamber 60 and the flow rate measuring device 120 are connected to the downstream of the downstream pipe 146. In the gas box 80, "upstream side" refers to the upstream side of the supply path of the processing gas (the gas source 140 side), and "downstream side" refers to the downstream side of the supply path of the processing gas (the chamber 60, flow rate measuring device 120 side). In FIG. 2, only two of the six gas boxes 80 are illustrated, and the other four are omitted from the illustration.

[0033] The flow controller 142 is provided with a primary valve 150 of the flow controller on the upstream side, and the flow controller 142 is connected to the upstream pipe 144 via the primary valve 150 of the flow controller. Further, the flow controller is provided with a secondary valve 152 of the flow controller on the downstream side, and the flow controller 142 is connected to the downstream pipe 146 via the secondary valve 152 of the flow controller.

[0034] Note that the number and arrangement of the flow controllers 142 in the gas box 80 are not limited to this embodiment and can be arbitrarily set. Each flow controller 142 may be a mass flow controller or a pressure-controlled flow controller 142. Further, the number and arrangement of the gas sources 140 are not limited to this embodiment and can be arbitrarily set. The gas source 140 may be provided either inside or outside the main gas unit 90.

[0035] The downstream pipe 146 includes a connection pipe 154 that connects to the above-described connection pipe 82. Note that the connection pipe 82 includes a first output valve 156. Further, the downstream pipe 146 includes a connection pipe 160 that connects to the flow measurement device 120 and a second output valve 162 provided in the connection pipe 160.

[0036] In the gas box 80 according to this embodiment, when supplying the processing gas from one of the plurality of flow controllers 142, when supplying the processing gas to the chamber in the wafer processing flow path A, the first output valve 156 is opened and the second output valve 162 is closed, so that the processing gas is supplied to the chamber through the connection pipe 154. Conversely, when supplying the processing gas to the flow measurement device 120 in the measurement flow path B, the second output valve 162 is opened and the first output valve 156 is closed, so that the processing gas is supplied to the flow measurement device 120 through the connection pipe 160.

[0037] The flow measurement device 120 according to this embodiment includes a measuring instrument 170 and a measurement pipe 172 that connects to the gas box group 110 on the upstream side and connects to the measuring instrument 170 on the downstream side.

[0038] The measurement pipe 172 includes a plurality of branch pipes 174 connected to the second output valves 162 in each of the gas boxes 80 on the upstream side, branch pipe valves 176 provided in the plurality of branch pipes 174, and a main pipe 178 connected to each of the plurality of branch pipes 174 on the upstream side and connected to the measuring instrument 170 on the downstream side. In the flow rate measuring device 120, the "upstream side" refers to the upstream side of the supply path of the processing gas (the gas box 80 side), and the "downstream side" refers to the downstream side of the supply path of the processing gas (the exhaust device 130 side).

[0039] One branch pipe 174 may be provided for each gas box 80. In the present embodiment, since six gas boxes 80 are provided, a total of six branch pipes 174 may be provided. Also, one branch pipe valve 176 may be provided for each branch pipe 174. In FIG. 2, it is assumed that branch pipes 174 are similarly connected to the other four gas boxes 80 (not shown), and the illustration of these four branch pipes 174 is partially omitted. However, the number and arrangement of the branch pipes 174 and the branch pipe valves 176 are not limited to the present embodiment and can be arbitrarily set. For example, when the number of gas boxes 80 is changed, the number of branch pipes 174 may be changed accordingly. Also, in the case where a plurality of pipes on the flow rate measuring device 120 side and the second output valves 162 are provided in the downstream pipe 146 of the gas box, the number of branch pipes 174 connected to each gas box may be changed accordingly.

[0040] In the present embodiment, one main pipe 178 is provided for one gas box group 110. Since the wafer processing system 1 has one gas box group 110, only one main pipe 178 needs to be provided. However, the number and arrangement of the main pipes 178 are not limited to the present embodiment and can be arbitrarily set.

[0041] The measuring device 170 is connected to the main pipe 178 via a measuring device primary valve 180 on the upstream side and is connected to a calibration system 190 described later via a measuring device secondary valve 182 on the downstream side. The measuring device 170 includes one or more, in this embodiment two, pressure sensors 184, 186 configured to measure the pressure inside the measuring device 170, and a temperature sensor 188 configured to measure the temperature inside the measuring device 170.

[0042] In this embodiment, the measuring device 170 is configured to form a flow path inside and allow the processing gas to flow through. Therefore, the inside of the measuring device 170 where the pressure sensor and the temperature sensor are provided refers to the region sandwiched between the measuring device primary valve 180 and the measuring device secondary valve 182, which is the internal space of the measuring device 170 itself that forms the flow path of the processing gas. However, the configuration of the measuring device 170 is not limited to this embodiment and can be set arbitrarily. For example, as the measuring device 170, an upstream valve and a downstream valve capable of opening or closing the flow of the processing gas, and an internal space that constitutes the flow path of the processing gas sandwiched between them, and any measuring device 170 configured to be able to measure the volume, pressure, and temperature of the internal space that constitutes the flow path of the processing gas can be adopted.

[0043] In this embodiment, a calibration system 190 is provided downstream of the flow rate measuring device 120. The calibration system 190 includes a reference device pipe 192, a reference device 194, and a reference device valve 196. The reference device pipe 192 is connected to the measuring device secondary valve 182 upstream and is connected to the exhaust device 130 downstream. A branch path 192a is provided in the reference device pipe 192, and the reference device 194 is connected to the branch path 192a via the reference device valve 196.

[0044] The exhaust device 130 is configured to exhaust the processing gas downstream of the wafer processing flow path A and the measurement flow path B. In the present embodiment, an exhaust pipe 200 connected to the downstream side of each chamber 60 and an exhaust pipe 202 connected via an exhaust device valve 201 on the downstream side of the measuring device 170, in the present embodiment, on the downstream side of the reference device pipe 192 are provided. A vacuum pump 203, which is an exhaust mechanism in the present embodiment, is connected to the exhaust pipe 200. The exhaust pipe 202 has a plurality of exhaust branch pipes 202a. The exhaust pipe 200 and the exhaust branch pipes 202a are provided so as to correspond to the gas boxes 80 connected to their respective upstream sides. Valves 204 and 206 are provided on these exhaust pipes 200 and exhaust branch pipes 202a, and by controlling the opening and closing of these valves, it is possible to control the individual exhaust of the processing gas supplied from the corresponding gas boxes 80. In FIG. 2, it is assumed that an exhaust pipe 200 is similarly connected to the downstream side of the chamber 60 (not shown), and a part of these exhaust pipes 200 is not shown.

[0045] Here, the wafer processing flow path A and the measurement flow path B will be described. In the wafer processing system 1 configured as described above, the wafer processing flow path A refers to the flow path of the processing gas when the processing gas supplied from the gas source 140 flows through the upstream pipe 144, flow rate controller 142, downstream pipe 146, connection pipe 82, chamber 60, and the inside of the exhaust pipe 200 of each gas box 80 to form a flow path. The measurement flow path B refers to the flow path of the processing gas when the processing gas supplied from the gas source 140 flows through the upstream pipe 144, flow rate controller 142, downstream pipe 146, measurement pipe 172, measuring device 170, calibration system 190, and the inside of the exhaust pipe 202 of each gas box 80 to form a flow path.

[0046] In one embodiment, when a processing gas is supplied from a gas box 80 to a chamber 60 in a wafer processing flow path A, a valve in an exhaust pipe 200 connected to the downstream of the chamber is opened, and the processing gas is configured to be exhausted through the exhaust pipe 200. In this case, when the processing gas is supplied from the gas box 80 to a flow rate measuring device 120 in a measurement flow path B, a valve in an exhaust branch pipe 202a connected to the exhaust pipe 200 is opened, and the processing gas is configured to be exhausted through the exhaust branch pipe 202a and the exhaust pipe 200. Therefore, the processing gas supplied from a gas box can be exhausted from the exhaust pipe 200 after the confluence in both the wafer processing flow path A and the measurement flow path B. An abatement device 208 is connected to the exhaust pipe 200 after the confluence to abate the exhausted processing gas.

[0047] As described above, various exemplary embodiments have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described exemplary embodiments, and various additions, omissions, substitutions, and changes may be made. Also, it is possible to form other embodiments by combining elements in different embodiments.

[0048] The wafer processing system 1 according to the present embodiment is configured as described above. Next, a method for measuring the flow rate of a gas using the flow rate measuring device 120 as a wafer processing method in the wafer processing system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0049] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a method for obtaining the flow rate of a gas according to an embodiment. The method MT shown in FIG. 3 is executed using the flow rate measuring device 120 to obtain the flow rate of the gas in the wafer processing system 1. The wafer processing system 1 can use those described above and in FIGS. 1 and 2. In the method MT, it is assumed that the flow rate of the processing gas output from one flow rate controller 142 in one of the six gas boxes of the wafer processing system is measured. Hereinafter, when simply referring to the gas box, it refers to the one gas box used for measurement, and when simply referring to the flow rate controller 142, it refers to the one flow rate controller 142 used for measurement. Also, when simply referring to the branch pipe 174 and the branch pipe valve 176, it refers to the branch pipe 174 connected to the one gas box and the branch pipe valve 176 provided in the branch pipe 174. However, the same method MT can also be adopted when the processing gas is supplied from other gas boxes other than the one gas box in the gas box group 110.

[0050] The method MT includes steps ST1 to ST16. In one embodiment, the method MT may further include step STA in addition to steps ST1 to ST16. In one embodiment, the method MT may further include step STB. Step STA is a step of calibrating the pressure sensor and the temperature sensor of the measuring device 170 in the flow rate measuring device 120 using the calibration system 190, and the step STA described in Patent Document 1 may be used. Also, step STB is a step of verifying the reliability of the capacity V3 of the measuring device 170 using the calibration system 190, and the step STB described in Patent Document 1 may be used.

[0051] FIG. 4 is a timing diagram related to the method shown in FIG. 3. In the timing diagram of FIG. 4, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the measured value of the pressure in the measuring device 170, the open / closed state of the flow rate controller secondary valve 152, the open / closed state of the measuring device primary valve 180, the open / closed state of the measuring device secondary valve 182, and the open / closed state of the exhaust device valve 201.

[0052] In step ST1 of method MT, a 0th state is formed in which all valves of the wafer processing system are closed. In the present embodiment, all valves refer to a plurality of flow controller primary valves 150 in a plurality of gas boxes, a plurality of flow controller secondary valves 152, a first output valve 156, a second output valve 162, a plurality of branch pipe valves 176 in a flow rate measuring device 120, a measuring device primary valve 180, a measuring device secondary valve 182, a reference device valve 196, an exhaust device valve 201, a valve 204, and a valve 206.

[0053] In step ST2 of method MT, starting from the 1st state, first, the flow controller secondary valve 152, the second output valve 162 of the gas box 80, the branch pipe valve 176, the measuring device primary valve 180, the measuring device secondary valve 182, the exhaust device 130 valve, and the exhaust pipe valve are opened. Subsequently, the downstream pipe 146, the measurement pipe 172, the measuring device 170, and the reference device pipe 192 in the gas box are evacuated by the exhaust device 130.

[0054] According to steps ST1 and ST2 above, in the present embodiment, the measurement pipe 172 has the branch pipe valve 176 in the branch pipe 174 connected to a gas box other than the one gas box used for measurement closed, and the branch pipe valve 176 in the branch pipe 174 connected to the one gas box used for measurement open. Therefore, the measurement pipe 172 consists of three regions: the branch pipe 174 connected to the one gas box 80 used for measurement, the main pipe 178, and the branch pipe 174 on the downstream side of the branch pipe valve 176 in the branch pipe 174 connected to a gas box other than the one gas box 80. In other words, the measurement pipe 172 consists of the region combining all the branch pipes 174 and the main pipe 178, excluding the branch pipe 174 on the upstream side of the branch pipe valve 176 in the branch pipe 174 connected to a gas box other than the one gas box 80. In step ST1 above and the following steps ST2 to ST16, the measurement pipe 172 refers to the portion of the measurement pipe 172 consisting of the above regions.

[0055] In the subsequent step ST3, the primary valve 150 of the flow controller is opened, and the supply of gas from the flow controller 142 is started. In the subsequent step ST4, the secondary valve 152 of the flow controller and the secondary valve 182 of the measuring device are closed. By executing step ST4, the gas output from the flow controller 142 of the gas box 80 is enclosed between the secondary valve 152 of the flow controller and the secondary valve 182 of the measuring device, that is, in the downstream pipe 146 of the gas box 80, the measuring pipe 172, and the measuring device 170 to form a second state.

[0056] In the subsequent step ST5, the measured value P of the pressure in the measuring device 170 is obtained by the pressure sensor 184 and / or the pressure sensor 186. 11 The measured value P 11 may be the average value of the measured value obtained by the pressure sensor 184 and the measured value obtained by the pressure sensor 186. In step ST5, the measured value P 11 can be obtained when the measured values obtained by the pressure sensor 184 and / or the pressure sensor 186 are stable. The measured values obtained by the pressure sensor 184 and / or the pressure sensor 186 are determined to be stable when the amount of variation thereof is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

[0057] In the subsequent step ST6, the secondary valve 152 of the flow controller and the secondary valve 182 of the measuring device are opened. In the subsequent step ST7, the pressure in the downstream pipe of the gas box, the measuring pipe 172, and the measuring device 170 is increased. Specifically, in step ST7, the secondary valve 182 of the measuring device is closed. That is, in step ST7, gas is supplied from the flow controller 142 of the gas box to the downstream pipe of the gas box, the measuring pipe 172, and the measuring device 170, and a third state in which the secondary valve 182 of the measuring device is closed is formed. In this third state, the pressure in the downstream pipe 146 of the gas box 80, the measuring pipe 172, and the measuring device 170 rises.

[0058] In the subsequent step ST8, from the third state, the secondary valve 152 of the flow controller is closed to form a fourth state.

[0059] In the subsequent step ST9, the measured value P of the pressure inside the measuring instrument 170 in the fourth state is obtained by the pressure sensor 184 and / or the pressure sensor 186 12 and the measured value T of the temperature inside the measuring instrument 170 in the fourth state is obtained by the temperature sensor 188 12 . The measured value P 12 may be the average value of the measured value obtained by the pressure sensor 184 and the measured value obtained by the pressure sensor 186. In step ST9, when the measured value obtained by the pressure sensor 184 and / or the pressure sensor 186 is stable and the measured value obtained by the temperature sensor 188 is stable, the measured value P 12 and the measured value T 12 may be obtained. In that case, when the amount of variation of the measured value obtained by the pressure sensor 184 and / or the pressure sensor 186 is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the measured value is determined to be stable. Also, when the amount of variation of the measured value obtained by the temperature sensor 188 is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the measured value is determined to be stable.

[0060] In the subsequent step ST10, the measuring instrument primary valve 180 and the exhaust device valve 201 are closed. In the subsequent step ST11, the measuring instrument secondary valve 182 is opened. According to steps ST10 and ST11, when the measuring instrument primary valve 180 is closed and the measuring instrument secondary valve 182 is opened, a fifth state is formed. In the fifth state, the gas inside the measuring instrument 170 in the fourth state is at least partially exhausted. In the fifth state of one embodiment, the gas inside the measuring instrument 170 is partially discharged to the reference instrument piping 192. In the fifth state of another embodiment, the gas inside the measuring instrument 170 may be completely discharged through the reference instrument piping 192.

[0061] In the subsequent step ST12, from the fifth state, the measuring instrument secondary valve 182 is closed, thereby forming the sixth state. In one embodiment, by partially exhausting the gas in the measuring instrument 170 in step ST12 to form the sixth state, the pressure in the measuring instrument 170 in the sixth state may be made higher than the pressure in the evacuated measuring instrument 170. In that case, the gas enclosed in the measuring instrument 170 in the fourth state is partially discharged, that is, the sixth state is formed without being completely discharged. Therefore, the time required to form the sixth state from the fourth state is shortened. In one embodiment, a step ST12a of opening the exhaust device valve 201 may be added after ST12, and the pressure in the measuring instrument 170 may be reduced by repeating steps ST11 to ST12a.

[0062] In the subsequent step ST13, the measured value P of the pressure in the measuring instrument 170 in the sixth state is obtained by the pressure sensor 184 and / or the pressure sensor 186 13 is obtained. The measured value P 13 may be the average value of the measured value obtained by the pressure sensor 184 and the measured value obtained by the pressure sensor 186. In step ST13, the measured value P 13 can be obtained when the measured values obtained by the pressure sensor 184 and / or the pressure sensor 186 are stable. The measured values obtained by the pressure sensor 184 and / or the pressure sensor 186 are determined to be stable when the amount of variation thereof is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

[0063] In the subsequent step ST14, from the sixth state, the measuring instrument primary valve 180 is opened, thereby forming the seventh state. In the subsequent step ST15, the measured value P of the pressure in the measuring instrument 170 in the seventh state is obtained by the pressure sensor 184 and / or the pressure sensor 186 14 is obtained. The measured value P 14It may be the average value of the measurement value acquired by the pressure sensor 184 and the measurement value acquired by the pressure sensor 186. In step ST15, when the measurement values acquired by the pressure sensor 184 and / or the pressure sensor 186 are stable, the measurement value P 14 can be acquired. The measurement values acquired by the pressure sensor 184 and / or the pressure sensor 186 are determined to be stable when the amount of variation thereof is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

[0064] In the subsequent step ST16, the flow rate Q is obtained. The flow rate Q is the flow rate of the gas output from the flow rate controller 142 of the gas box in the second state. In step ST16, in order to obtain the flow rate Q, the calculation of the following formula (1) is executed. Q=(P 12 -P 11 ) / Δt×(1 / R)×(V / T) …(1) In formula (1), Δt is the time length of the execution period of step ST7, R is the gas constant, and (V / T) includes {V3 / T 12 ×(P 12 -P 13 ) / (P 12 -P 14 )}.

[0065] In one embodiment, the specific calculation in step ST16 is the calculation of the following formula (1a). Q=(P 12 -P 11 ) / Δt×(1 / R)×{Vst / Tst+V3 / T 12 ×(P 12 -P 13 ) / (P 12 -P 14 )} …(1a) In formula (1a), Vst is the volume of the flow path between the orifice member (not shown) of the flow rate controller 142 in the gas box 80 and the valve body of the flow rate controller secondary valve 152, and is a predetermined design value. Tst is the temperature in the flow path between the orifice member of the flow rate controller 142 in the gas box and the valve body of the flow rate controller secondary valve 152, and is acquired by the temperature sensor of the flow rate controller 142. Note that Tst may be the temperature acquired in the fourth state. In formula (1a), (Vst / Tst) may be omitted.

[0066] In method MT, with the secondary valve 182 of the measuring instrument closed, gas from one flow rate controller 142 of one gas box is supplied to the downstream pipe 146 of the gas box, the measuring pipe 172, and the measuring instrument 170 to cause a pressure increase. By using the rate of this pressure increase, that is, the rate of pressure rise, in formula (1), the flow rate of the gas output from the flow rate controller 142 is obtained. In formula (1), V / T should originally include the sum of (V E / T E ) and (V3 / T 12 ). That is, the calculation of formula (1) should originally be the following formula (1b). Q=(P 12 -P 11 ) / Δt×(1 / R)×(Vst / Tst+V E / T E +V3 / T 12 ) …(1b) Here, VE is the sum of the volume of the downstream pipe of the gas box and the volume of the measuring pipe 172, and TE is the temperature in the downstream pipe of the gas box and the measuring pipe 172 in the fourth state.

[0067] Here, from Boyle - Charles' law, the following formula (4) holds. P 12 ×V E / T E +P 13 ×V3 / T 12 =P 14 ×V E / T E +P14 ×V3 / T 12 …(4) (4) From equation (4), the sum of (V E / T E ) and (V3 / T 12 ) is expressed as shown in the following equation (5). V E / T E +V3 / T 12 =V3 / T 12 +V3 / T 12 ×(P 14 -P 13 ) / (P 12 -P 14 ) =V3 / T 12 ×(P 12 -P 13 ) / (P 12 -P 14 ) …(5) Therefore, in equation (1), instead of the sum of (V E / T E ) and (V3 / T 12 ), V3 / T 12 ×(P 12 -P 13 ) / (P 12 -P 14 )} can be used.

[0068] Note that the flow rate Q may be obtained for all the flow controllers 142 of the gas box 80. Also, the method MT may be sequentially executed for all of the plurality of gas boxes 80.

[0069] Note that in the method MT, when executing steps ST1 to ST16, a hard interlock may be configured such that when the second output valve 162 in one gas box 80 is opened, the second output valve 162 in the other gas box 80 is closed. The above hard interlock may further be configured such that when the second output valve 162 in one gas box 80 is opened, the first output valves 156 in one gas box 80 and the other gas box 80 are closed.

[0070] In this embodiment, in steps ST1 to ST16, the branch valve 176 in the branch pipe 174 connected to a gas box other than the one gas box used for measurement is closed, and the branch valve 176 in the branch pipe 174 connected to the one gas box used for measurement is opened. Therefore, in steps ST1 to ST16, the measurement pipe 172 consists of three regions: the branch pipe 174 connected to the one gas box used for measurement, the main pipe 178, and the branch pipe 174 on the downstream side of the branch valve 176 in the branch pipe 174 connected to a gas box other than the one gas box. In other words, the measurement pipe 172 consists of the region of all the branch pipes 174 and the main pipe 178 combined, excluding the branch pipe 174 on the upstream side of the branch valve 176 in the branch pipe 174 connected to a gas box other than the one gas box.

[0071] Therefore, the volume of the region of the measurement pipe 172 is configured to be smaller than the volume of the measurement pipe 172 when the branch valve 176 is not provided. Thereby, in steps ST1 to ST16, in the steps that require exhausting and filling the process gas in the measurement pipe 172, the responsiveness of the pressure change in the flow rate measurement device 120 can be improved. Specifically, the time required for evacuation in step ST2, the time required for gas supply and pressure stabilization in step ST3 for forming the second state in step ST4, the time required for pressure increase and pressure stabilization in the third state in step ST7, etc. can be shortened.

[0072] In the above embodiment, by providing the branch valve 176 in all the branch pipes 174, the responsiveness of the steps that require exhausting and filling the process gas in the measurement pipe 172 in steps ST1 to ST16 is improved. However, the improvement of the above responsiveness can also be realized by other embodiments.

[0073] The above-described other embodiment may be a wafer processing system having a plurality of chamber groups as shown in FIG. 5 and a plurality of gas box groups corresponding to the plurality of chamber groups. Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, the wafer processing system 300 and the wafer processing method in the other embodiment will be described. In the above-described other embodiment, components substantially the same as those in the wafer processing system 300 in the one embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

[0074] FIG. 5 is an example of the configuration of the wafer processing system 300 in the above-described other embodiment. In the above-described other embodiment, the wafer processing system 300 includes a front transfer module 302, a plurality of chambers 60 connected to the front transfer module 302, a front chamber group 304 including six chambers 60 in this embodiment, a front gas box group 306 corresponding to the front chamber group 304, a rear transfer module 310, a plurality of chambers 60 connected to the rear transfer module 310, a rear chamber group 312 including eight chambers 60 in this embodiment, and a rear gas box group 314 corresponding to the rear chamber group 312.

[0075] Similar to the transfer module 50 in the above-described one embodiment, the front transfer module 302 has a rectangular housing inside and is connected to the load lock modules 20 and 21. The front transfer module 302 conveys the wafer W carried into the load lock module 20 to one chamber 60, performs a desired process, and then unloads it to the atmosphere section 10 via the load lock module 21.

[0076] Unlike the transfer module 50 in the above-described one embodiment, the rear transfer module 310 is not connected to the load lock modules 20 and 21. Instead, a path module 320 is provided, and in the path module 320, it is connected to the front transfer module 302. The front transfer module 302 and the rear transfer module 310 are configured to be able to transfer the wafer W via the path module 320.

[0077] Both the front gas box group 306 and the rear gas box group 314 are connected to a single flow rate measuring device 120. Hereinafter, the flow rate measuring device 120 in the wafer processing system 300 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6.

[0078] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a piping system constituting a flow path of a processing gas in the wafer processing system 300 according to the above-described other embodiment.

[0079] In the wafer processing system 300 according to the above-described other embodiment, a flow rate measuring device 120 is connected to measure the flow rate of the processing gas supplied from one gas box 80 among the front gas box group 306 or the rear gas box group 314.

[0080] The flow rate measuring device 120 in the above-described other embodiment includes a measuring instrument 170, a front measuring pipe 330 connected to the front gas box group 306 on the upstream side, a rear measuring pipe 332 connected to the rear gas box group 314 on the upstream side, and a confluence pipe 334 connected to the front measuring pipe 330 and the rear measuring pipe 332 on the upstream side and connected to the measuring instrument 170 on the downstream side.

[0081] The front measurement pipe 330 includes a plurality of front branch pipes 340 and a front main pipe 342. In each of the front branch pipes 340, it is connected to each of the gas boxes 80 of the front gas box group 306. Further, the rear measurement pipe 332 includes a plurality of rear branch pipes 344 and a rear main pipe 346. In each of the rear branch pipes 344, it is connected to each of the gas boxes of the rear gas box group 314.

[0082] The front main pipe 342 and the rear main pipe 346 respectively have a front main pipe valve 350 and a rear main pipe valve 352.

[0083] The exhaust device 130 is configured to exhaust the processing gas downstream of the wafer processing flow path A and the measurement flow path B. In the present embodiment, an exhaust pipe 200 connected to the downstream side of each chamber 60, a front exhaust pipe 360 connected to the downstream side of the reference device pipe 192, and a rear exhaust pipe 362 are provided, and an exhaust mechanism, in this embodiment, a vacuum pump 203 is provided in these. The exhaust pipe 200, the front exhaust pipe 360, and the rear exhaust pipe 362 are provided corresponding to the gas boxes 80 connected to their respective upstream sides. Valves are provided on these exhaust pipes 200, the front exhaust pipe 360, and the rear exhaust pipe 362, and by controlling the opening and closing of these valves, it is possible to control to exhaust the processing gas supplied from each corresponding gas box 80 individually.

[0084] Specifically, the front exhaust pipe 360 includes a front exhaust main pipe 364 connected to the reference pipe 192 on the upstream side, and a plurality of front exhaust branch pipes 366 connected to the front exhaust main pipe 364. Each of the plurality of front exhaust branch pipes 366 is provided with a valve 206. And the plurality of front exhaust branch pipes 366 are each configured to merge into the exhaust pipe 200 connected to the downstream of the chamber 60. The rear exhaust pipe 362 includes a rear exhaust main pipe 368 connected to the reference pipe 192 on the upstream side, and a plurality of rear exhaust branch pipes 370 connected to the rear exhaust main pipe 368. Each of the plurality of rear exhaust branch pipes 370 is provided with a valve 206. And the plurality of rear exhaust branch pipes 370 are each configured to merge into the exhaust pipe 200 connected to the downstream of the chamber 60.

[0085] Here, the wafer processing channel A and the measurement channel B in the above other embodiments will be described. In the wafer processing system 300 configured as described above, the wafer processing channel A refers to the flow path of the processing gas when the processing gas supplied from the gas source 140 flows through the upstream pipes 144, flow controllers 142, downstream pipes 146, connection pipes 82, chambers 60, and exhaust pipes 200 of each gas box 80 in the front gas box group 306 or the rear gas box group 314. The measurement channel B refers to the flow path of the processing gas when the processing gas supplied from the gas source 140 flows through the upstream pipes 144, flow controllers 142, downstream pipes 146, front measurement pipes 330, measuring instruments 170, calibration systems 190, front exhaust pipes 360, and exhaust pipes 200 of each gas box 80 in the front gas box group 306, or when the processing gas supplied from the gas source 140 flows through the upstream pipes 144, flow controllers 142, downstream pipes 146, rear measurement pipes 332, measuring instruments 170, calibration systems 190, rear exhaust pipes 362, and exhaust pipes 200 of each gas box 80 in the rear gas box group 314.

[0086] In the above-described other embodiments, when the processing gas is supplied from one gas box 80 in the front gas box group 306 or the rear gas box group 314 to one chamber 60 in the wafer processing flow path A, the valve in one exhaust pipe 200 connected to the downstream of the chamber 60 is opened, and the processing gas is configured to be exhausted through the one exhaust pipe 200. In this case, when the processing gas is supplied from the one gas box 80 to the flow rate measuring device 120 in the measurement flow path B, the valve 206 in one front exhaust branch pipe 366 or rear exhaust branch pipe 370, which is connected to the one exhaust pipe 200 of the front exhaust pipe 360 or rear exhaust pipe 362 connected to the downstream of the flow rate measuring device 120, is opened, and the processing gas is configured to be exhausted through the one front exhaust branch pipe 366 or rear exhaust branch pipe 370 and the one exhaust pipe 200. Therefore, the processing gas supplied from one gas box 80 is exhausted from the one exhaust pipe 200 after the confluence in both the wafer processing flow path A and the measurement flow path B.

[0087] In the present embodiment, a front exhaust main pipe valve 372 and a rear exhaust main pipe valve 374 are provided in the front exhaust main pipe 364 and the rear exhaust main pipe 368, respectively. When the processing gas is supplied from one gas box 80 in the front gas box group 306 to the flow rate measuring device 120 in the measurement flow path B, the front exhaust main pipe valve 372 may be configured to be opened and the rear exhaust main pipe valve 374 to be closed. Conversely, when the processing gas is supplied from one gas box 80 in the rear gas box group 314 to the flow rate measuring device 120 in the measurement flow path B, the rear exhaust main pipe valve 374 may be configured to be opened and the front exhaust main pipe valve 372 to be closed.

[0088] The wafer processing system 300 according to the above-described other embodiments is configured as described above. Next, a method MT for measuring the flow rate of a gas using the flow rate measuring device 120 as a wafer processing method in the wafer processing system 300 will be described.

[0089] Method MT is executed using a flow rate measuring device 120 to determine the flow rate of gas in a wafer processing system 300. The wafer processing system 300 can use those described above and in FIGS. 5 and 6. In method MT, the flow rate of the processing gas output from one flow rate controller 142 in one of the six gas boxes 80 in the front gas box group 306 of the wafer processing system 300 is measured. Hereinafter, when simply referring to the gas box 80, it refers to the one gas box 80, and when simply referring to the flow rate controller 142, it refers to the one flow rate controller 142. However, the same method MT can also be adopted when the processing gas is supplied from other gas boxes 80 other than the one gas box 80 in the front gas box group 306, or when the processing gas is supplied from one of the eight gas boxes 80 in the rear gas box group 314.

[0090] Method MT includes steps ST1 to ST16. In one embodiment, method MT may further include step STA in addition to steps ST1 to ST16. In one embodiment, method MT may further include step STB. Step STA is a step of configuring the pressure sensors 184, 186 and the temperature sensor 188 of the measuring instrument 170 in the flow rate control system using a calibration system, and the step STA described in Patent Document 1 may be used. Further, step STB is a step of verifying the reliability of the capacity V3 of the measuring instrument 170 using a calibration system, and the step STB described in Patent Document 1 may be used.

[0091] In step ST1 of method MT, a first state is formed in which the following valves of the wafer processing system 300 are closed. In the present embodiment, the valves to be closed are the plurality of flow controller primary valves 150, the plurality of flow controller secondary valves 152, the first output valve 156, the second output valve 162, the front main pipe valve 350, the rear main pipe valve 352, the measuring device primary valve 180, the measuring device secondary valve 182, the reference device valve, the exhaust device valve 201, the front exhaust main pipe valve 372, the rear exhaust main pipe valve 374, the valve 204, and the valve 206 in the front gas box group 306.

[0092] In step ST2 of method MT, starting from the first state, first, the flow controller secondary valve 152, the second output valve 162 of the gas box 80, the front main pipe valve 350, the measuring device primary valve 180, the measuring device secondary valve 182, the exhaust device valve 201, the front exhaust main pipe valve 372, and the valve 206 are opened. Subsequently, the downstream pipe 146, the measuring pipe 172, the measuring device 170, and the reference device pipe 192 in the gas box 80 are evacuated by the exhaust device 130.

[0093] According to the above steps ST1 and ST2, in the present embodiment, the measurement pipe 172 is such that the front main valve 350 of the front measurement pipe 330 connected to the front gas box group 306 including the one gas box 80 used for measurement is open, and the rear main valve 352 of the rear measurement pipe 332 connected to the rear gas box group 314 not including the one gas box 80 is closed. Therefore, the measurement pipe 172 is composed of three regions: the front measurement pipe 330 connected to the one gas box 80 used for measurement, the confluence pipe 334, and the rear main pipe 346 on the downstream side of the rear main valve 352 of the rear measurement pipe 332 connected to the rear gas box group 314. In other words, the measurement pipe 172 is composed of the region combining the front measurement pipe 330, the rear measurement pipe 332, and the confluence pipe 334, excluding the region of the rear measurement pipe 332 on the upstream side of the rear main valve 352 in the rear measurement pipe 332. In steps ST1 to ST16, the measurement pipe 172 refers to the portion of the measurement pipe 172 composed of the above regions.

[0094] Regarding steps ST3 to ST16, since they are the same as steps ST3 to ST16 in the method MT for measuring the gas flow rate as the wafer processing method using the wafer processing system 300 according to the above embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

[0095] In the measurement pipe 172 in the above-described other embodiment, in steps ST1 to ST16, the front main valve 350 of the front measurement pipe 330 connected to the front gas box group 306 including the one gas box 80 to be measured is opened, and the rear main valve 352 of the rear measurement pipe 332 connected to the rear gas box group 314 not including the one gas box 80 is closed. Therefore, the measurement pipe 172 is composed of three regions: the front measurement pipe 330 connected to the one gas box 80 to be measured, the merging pipe 334, and the rear main pipe 346 on the downstream side of the rear main valve 352 of the rear measurement pipe 332 connected to the rear gas box group 314. In other words, the measurement pipe 172 is composed of a region combining the front measurement pipe 330, the rear measurement pipe 332, and the merging pipe 334, excluding the region of the rear measurement pipe 332 upstream of the rear main valve 352 in the rear measurement pipe 332.

[0096] Therefore, the volume of the region of the measurement pipe 172 is configured to be smaller than the volume of the measurement pipe 172 when the front main valve 350 and the rear main valve 352 are not provided. Thereby, in steps ST1 to ST16, in the steps that require exhaust and filling of the processing gas in the measurement pipe 172, the responsiveness of the pressure change in the flow rate measurement device 120 can be improved. Specifically, the time required for evacuation in step ST2, the time required for gas supply and pressure stabilization in step ST3 for forming the second state in step ST4, the time required for pressure increase and pressure stabilization in the third state in step ST7, etc. can be shortened.

[0097] In the method MT, the flow rate Q may be obtained for all the flow rate controllers 142 of the gas box 80. Also, the method MT may be sequentially executed for all of the plurality of gas boxes 80. Also, the method MT may be sequentially executed for all of the gas boxes in the rear gas box group 314.

[0098] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The above embodiments may be omitted, replaced, or changed in various forms without departing from the scope and gist of the appended claims.

Explanation of Signs

[0099] W wafer 1 wafer processing system 60 chamber 62 chamber group 80 gas box 110 gas box group 120 flow rate measuring device 130 exhaust device 170 measuring instrument 172 measuring pipe 174 branch pipe 176 branch pipe valve 178 main pipe 180 measuring instrument primary valve 182 measuring instrument secondary valve 184 pressure sensor 186 pressure sensor 188 temperature sensor

Claims

1. A substrate processing system, comprising: a plurality of chamber groups including a plurality of chambers for processing a substrate in a desired processing gas; a plurality of gas box groups including a plurality of gas boxes for supplying the processing gas to each of the plurality of chambers; a flow rate measuring device for measuring the flow rate of the processing gas supplied from one of the plurality of gas box groups; an exhaust device connected to the chamber group and the flow rate measuring device; and comprising: the flow rate measuring device includes a measuring instrument and a plurality of measuring pipes connected to each of the plurality of gas box groups and the measuring instrument for allowing the processing gas to flow therethrough; one of the measuring pipes includes a plurality of branch pipes connected to each of the plurality of gas boxes of the corresponding one of the gas box groups, a main pipe connected to each of the plurality of branch pipes and the measuring instrument, and a main pipe valve provided on the main pipe; the measuring instrument includes one or more pressure sensors configured to measure the pressure inside the measuring instrument, a temperature sensor configured to measure the temperature inside the measuring instrument, a measuring instrument primary valve provided at an end of the measuring instrument connected to the measuring pipe, and a measuring instrument secondary valve provided at an end of the measuring instrument connected to the exhaust device, the substrate processing system.

2. the exhaust device includes an exhaust pipe connected to the chamber and provided with a valve, and a plurality of exhaust pipes connected to the flow rate measuring device and corresponding to the plurality of gas box groups; the plurality of exhaust pipes include an exhaust main pipe provided with a valve and a plurality of exhaust branch pipes connected to the exhaust main pipe and provided with valves; the substrate processing system according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust pipe connected to the chamber and the exhaust branch pipe merge.

3. The substrate processing system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a control unit configured to control the gas box group such that when the processing gas is output from one of the gas boxes in one of the gas box groups, the processing gas is not output from the other gas boxes.

4. A substrate processing method in a substrate processing system, wherein: the substrate processing system includes: a plurality of chamber groups including a plurality of chambers for processing a substrate in a desired processing gas; a plurality of gas box groups including a plurality of gas boxes for supplying the processing gas to each of the plurality of chambers; A flow rate measuring device that measures the flow rate of the processing gas supplied from one gas box group among the plurality of gas box groups; An exhaust device connected to the chamber group and the flow rate measuring device; Comprising; The flow rate measuring device includes a measuring instrument and a plurality of measuring pipes connected to each of the plurality of gas box groups and the measuring instrument to allow the processing gas to flow through; One of the measuring pipes includes a plurality of branch pipes connected to each of the plurality of gas boxes of the corresponding one gas box group, a main pipe connected to each of the plurality of branch pipes and the measuring instrument, and a main pipe valve provided on the main pipe; The measuring instrument includes one or more pressure sensors configured to measure the pressure inside the measuring instrument, a temperature sensor configured to measure the temperature inside the measuring instrument, a measuring instrument primary valve provided at an end of the measuring instrument connected to the measuring pipe, and a measuring instrument secondary valve provided at an end connected to the exhaust device; The exhaust device includes an exhaust pipe connected to the chamber and provided with a valve, and a plurality of exhaust pipes connected to the flow rate measuring device and corresponding to the plurality of gas box groups; The plurality of exhaust pipes include an exhaust main pipe provided with a valve and a plurality of exhaust branch pipes connected to the exhaust main pipe and provided with valves, and the exhaust pipe connected to the chamber and the exhaust branch pipes are provided so as to merge; The method is; Forming a state in which the main pipe valve of the measuring pipe connected to other gas box groups other than one gas box group including one gas box that supplies the processing gas for measuring the flow rate is closed; In the state, measuring the flow rate of the processing gas supplied from the one gas box that supplies the processing gas for measuring the flow rate; A substrate processing method including.

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