Information processing system, abnormality detection method, and heat treatment device

Abstract

To provide a technique for detecting abnormality of a heat treatment device during execution of heat treatment, using a simulation model.SOLUTION: An information processing system, which has a heat treatment device for heat treating a substrate to be processed using a heating part for heating the substrate to be processed in a processing container capable of supplying gas, and an information processor for controlling power supplied to the heating part, includes: a heating control part for controlling power supplied to the heating part according to a set temperature in the processing container and a measurement temperature; a virtual power output part for outputting virtual power supplied to a simulation model of the heat treatment device according to the set temperature in the processing container and a prediction temperature in the processing container; a temperature prediction part for outputting the prediction temperature in the processing container according to the virtual power to the virtual power output part, using the simulation model of the heat treatment device; and an abnormality detection part for detecting the abnormality of the heat treatment device on the basis of a difference between the power controlled by the heating control part and the virtual power output by the virtual power output part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing system, an abnormality detection method, and a heat treatment apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, a heat treatment apparatus supplies gas into a process tube containing wafers and applies a predetermined heat treatment to the wafers by heating them with a heater. In order to apply a uniform heat treatment to the wafers in the process tube, conventional heat treatment apparatuses have installed temperature sensors at predetermined locations in the process tube and controlled the heating by the heater using the measured temperatures.

[0003] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, there is known a technique for visualizing a process state, such as a temperature state, of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus while the process is being executed in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-132140 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present disclosure provides a technique for detecting an abnormality in a heat treatment apparatus during heat treatment using a simulation model. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing system having a heat treatment apparatus that heat-treats a substrate to be processed using a heating unit that heats the substrate in a processing vessel to which gas can be supplied, and an information processing apparatus that controls the power supplied to the heating unit, the information processing system having: a heating control unit configured to control the power supplied to the heating unit according to a set temperature and a measured temperature in the processing vessel; a virtual power output unit configured to output virtual power to be supplied to a simulation model of the heat treatment apparatus according to the set temperature and a predicted temperature in the processing vessel; a temperature prediction unit configured to output a predicted temperature in the processing vessel corresponding to the virtual power to the virtual power output unit using the simulation model of the heat treatment apparatus; and an abnormality detection unit configured to detect an abnormality in the heat treatment apparatus based on the difference between the power controlled by the heating control unit and the virtual power output by the virtual power output unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, an abnormality in a heat treatment apparatus during heat treatment can be detected using a simulation model. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing a heat treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the outline of the configuration of a heat treatment furnace. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of an example of a control unit of the heat treatment apparatus according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of a control unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] 1 is a configuration diagram of an example of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an example of a computer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a heat treatment apparatus according to this embodiment. The heat treatment apparatus 10 includes a vertical heat treatment furnace 60, and wafers W are held and housed in a boat at predetermined intervals along the vertical direction, and can perform various heat treatments on the wafers W, such as oxidation, diffusion, and low-pressure CVD. The following describes an example in which a gas is supplied into a processing vessel 65 to heat-treat the surface of a wafer W placed in the processing vessel 65. The wafer W is an example of a substrate to be processed. The substrate to be processed is not limited to a circular wafer W.

[0011] 1 includes a mounting table (load port) 20, a housing 30, and a control unit 100. The mounting table (load port) 20 is provided at the front of the housing 30. The housing 30 includes a loading area (work area) 40 and a heat treatment furnace 60.

[0012] The loading area 40 is provided at the bottom inside the housing 30. The heat treatment furnace 60 is provided above the loading area 40 inside the housing 30. A base plate 31 is provided between the loading area 40 and the heat treatment furnace 60.

[0013] The loading stage (load port) 20 is used to load and unload wafers W into and from the housing 30. Storage containers 21 and 22 are placed on the loading stage (load port) 20. The storage containers 21 and 22 are airtight storage containers (FOUPs) that have a detachable lid (not shown) on the front and can store a plurality of wafers W (for example, about 25 wafers W) at predetermined intervals.

[0014] Further, below the mounting table 20, an alignment device (aligner) 23 may be provided to align a cutout portion (for example, a notch) provided on the outer periphery of the wafer W transferred by the transfer mechanism 47 in one direction.

[0015] The loading area (work area) 40 is used to transfer wafers W between the storage containers 21 and 22 and the boat 44, to load the boat 44 into the processing container 65, and to unload the boat 44 from the processing container 65. The loading area 40 is provided with a door mechanism 41, a shutter mechanism 42, a lid 43, the boat 44, a base 45a, a base 45b, the lifting mechanism 46 shown in FIG. 2, and a transfer mechanism 47.

[0016] The door mechanism 41 is used to remove the lids of the storage containers 21 and 22 and open the interiors of the storage containers 21 and 22 to the loading area 40. The shutter mechanism 42 is provided above the loading area 40. The shutter mechanism 42 is provided to cover (or block) the furnace port 68a in order to suppress or prevent high-temperature heat from inside the furnace from being released into the loading area 40 through the furnace port 68a when the lid 43 is open.

[0017] The lid 43 has a heat-retaining cylinder 48 and a rotation mechanism 49. The heat-retaining cylinder 48 is provided on the lid 43. The heat-retaining cylinder 48 prevents the boat 44 from being cooled by heat transfer to the lid 43 side and serves to keep the boat 44 warm. The rotation mechanism 49 is attached to the lower part of the lid 43. The rotation mechanism 49 serves to rotate the boat 44. The rotation shaft of the rotation mechanism 49 passes through the lid 43 airtightly and is provided to rotate a turntable arranged on the lid 43.

[0018] The lifting mechanism 46 drives the lid body 43 to move up and down when the boat 44 is loaded into and unloaded from the loading area 40 into the processing vessel 65. When the lid body 43 raised by the lifting mechanism 46 is loaded into the processing vessel 65, the lid body 43 abuts against the furnace opening 68a to seal the furnace opening 68a.

[0019] The boat 44 placed on the lid 43 can rotatably hold the wafer W in a horizontal plane within the processing vessel 65. The heat treatment apparatus 10 may have a plurality of boats 44. The loading area 40 is provided with boats 44a and 44b.

[0020] A base 45a, a base 45b, and a boat transfer mechanism are provided in the loading area 40. The bases 45a and 45b are mounting tables onto which the boats 44a and 44b, respectively, are transferred from the lid 43. The boat transfer mechanism is used to transfer the boat 44a or 44b from the lid 43 to the base 45a or 45b.

[0021] The boats 44a and 44b are made of, for example, quartz, and are configured to mount large-diameter wafers W, for example, 300 mm in diameter, in a horizontal position at a predetermined interval (pitch width) in the vertical direction. The boats 44a and 44b are provided with a plurality of support columns (for example, three) between the top plate and the bottom plate. The support columns are provided with claws for holding the wafers W. The boats 44a and 44b may also be provided with auxiliary columns as appropriate in addition to the support columns.

[0022] The transfer mechanism 47 is used to transfer wafers W between the storage container 21 or 22 and the boat 44a or 44b. The transfer mechanism 47 has a base 57, a lifting arm 58, and a plurality of forks (transfer plates) 59. The base 57 is provided so as to be movable up and down and rotatable. The lifting arm 58 is provided so as to be movable up and down (liftable) by a ball screw or the like. The base 57 is provided so as to be rotatable horizontally on the lifting arm 58.

[0023] Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the outline of the configuration of a heat treatment furnace. The heat treatment furnace 60 in Fig. 2 is an example of a vertical furnace for accommodating a plurality of thin, disk-shaped wafers W and subjecting them to a predetermined heat treatment. The heat treatment furnace 60 includes a jacket 62, a heater 63, a space 64, and a treatment container 65.

[0024] The processing vessel 65 is used to store and heat-treat the wafers W held in the boat 44. The processing vessel 65 is made of, for example, quartz and has a vertically elongated shape. The processing vessel 65 is supported on a base plate 66 via a manifold 68 at the bottom. Gas is supplied from the manifold 68 to the processing vessel 65 through an injector 71. The injector 71 supplies gas into the processing vessel 65 from a blowing portion (hole). The injector 71 is connected to a gas supply source 72. The gas supplied to the processing vessel 65 is exhausted through an exhaust port 73 from an exhaust system 74 equipped with a vacuum pump capable of reducing pressure.

[0025] The lid 43 closes the furnace port 68a at the bottom of the manifold 68 when the boat 44 is loaded into the processing vessel 65. The lid 43 is provided so as to be movable up and down by an elevating mechanism 46. A heat-retaining cylinder 48 is placed on the top of the lid 43. The boat 44, which carries a large number of wafers W at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction, is provided on the top of the heat-retaining cylinder 48.

[0026] Jacket 62 is provided to cover the periphery of processing vessel 65 and defines a space 64 around processing vessel 65. Jacket 62 has a cylindrical shape similar to processing vessel 65. Jacket 62 is supported by a base plate 66. A heat insulating material 62a made of, for example, glass wool may be provided inside jacket 62 and outside space 64.

[0027] The heater 63 is provided to cover the periphery of the processing vessel 65. For example, the heater 63 is provided inside the jacket 62 and outside the space 64. The heater 63 heats the processing vessel 65 and also heats the wafers W held in the boat 44, i.e., the wafers W in the processing vessel 65. The heater 63 functions as a heating unit that heats the wafers W.

[0028] The heater 63 includes a heating resistor such as a carbon wire, and can control the temperature of the gas flowing inside the space 64 and heat the inside of the processing vessel 65 to a predetermined temperature (for example, 50 to 1200° C.).

[0029] The space 64 and the space within the processing vessel 65 are divided vertically into a plurality of unit areas, for example, 10 unit areas A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, A9, and A10. The heater 63 is divided vertically into 63-1, 63-2, 63-3, 63-4, 63-5, 63-6, 63-7, 63-8, 63-9, and 63-10 corresponding to one of the unit areas. Each of the heaters 63-1 to 63-10 is configured to independently control heating for each of the unit areas A1 to A10 by the output (heater power) of a heater output unit 86 including, for example, a thyristor. The heaters 63-1 to 63-10 are examples of heating elements.

[0030] 2 shows an example in which space 64 and the space within processing vessel 65 are divided into 10 unit areas along the vertical direction. The number of unit areas is not limited to 10, and space 64 and the space within processing vessel 65 may be divided into numbers other than 10. Although FIG. 2 shows equal divisions, this is not limiting, and the vicinity of furnace opening 68a, where temperature changes are large, may be divided into smaller areas. Heaters 63 may be provided at different positions along the vertical direction, and do not have to be provided in one-to-one correspondence with each of unit areas A1 to A10.

[0031] Heater temperature sensors Ao1-Ao10 are provided in the space 64 as Outer T / C to measure temperatures corresponding to the unit areas A1-A10, respectively. Furthermore, in the space within the processing vessel 65, in-processing vessel temperature sensors Ai1-Ai10 are provided as Inner T / C to measure temperatures corresponding to the unit areas A1-A10, respectively. The heater temperature sensors Ao1-Ao10 and in-processing vessel temperature sensors Ai1-Ai10 measure temperatures to measure the temperature distribution along the vertical direction. The temperatures measured by the in-processing vessel temperature sensors Ai1-Ai10 are an example of the measured temperatures within the processing vessel 65.

[0032] Measurement signals from the heater temperature sensors Ao1 to Ao10 are input to the control unit 100 via lines 81. Measurement signals from the processing vessel internal temperature sensors Ai1 to Ai10 are input to the control unit 100 via lines 82. The control unit 100, to which the measurement signals are input, controls the heater power supplied to the heaters 63-1 to 63-10 by a heater output unit 86 based on a set temperature, which will be described later. Under the control of the control unit 100, the heater output unit 86 supplies heater power to each of the heaters 63-1 to 63-10 via heater output lines 87 and heater terminals 88.

[0033] The heat treatment furnace 60 may also include a cooling mechanism 90 for cooling the treatment vessel 65. The cooling mechanism 90 includes, for example, a blower 91, an air duct 92, and an exhaust duct 94.

[0034] A blower 91 blows a cooling gas, such as air, into a space 64 in which a heater 63 is provided, thereby cooling a processing vessel 65. A blower pipe 92 sends the cooling gas from the blower 91 to the heater 63. The blower pipe 92 is connected to each of the ejection holes 92a-1 to 92a-10, and supplies the cooling gas to the space 64.

[0035] The exhaust pipe 94 is for discharging air from the space 64. An exhaust port 94a is provided in the space 64 for discharging the cooling gas from the space 64. One end of the exhaust pipe 94 is connected to the exhaust port 94a.

[0036] 2, the heat treatment furnace 60 may be provided with a heat exchanger 95 in the middle of an exhaust pipe 94, with the other end of the exhaust pipe 94 connected to the suction side of a blower 91. The cooling gas exhausted through the exhaust pipe 94 may be heat exchanged in the heat exchanger 95 and then returned to the blower 91 for circulating use, rather than being discharged into the factory exhaust system. In this case, the cooling gas may be circulated through an air filter (not shown). Alternatively, the cooling gas exhausted from the space 64 may be discharged from the exhaust pipe 94 through the heat exchanger 95 into the factory exhaust system.

[0037] The blower 91 may be configured so that the air volume of the blower 91 can be controlled by controlling the power supplied from a power supply unit 91a including an inverter, for example, in response to an output signal from the control unit 100.

[0038] The control unit 100 is realized by, for example, a computer 500 described later. The control unit 100 reads a program recorded in a storage device, and sends control signals to each component of the heat treatment apparatus 10 in accordance with the program to execute the heat treatment. For example, the control unit 100 adjusts the temperature inside the processing vessel 65 by controlling the heater power supplied to the heater 63 based on the temperature measured by the processing vessel temperature sensor Ai and a set temperature described later.

[0039] 1 and 2, a malfunction of injector 71 causes the amount of gas supplied to unit areas A1 to A10 in processing vessel 65 to change from the state before the malfunction of injector 71. Malfunctions of injector 71 include breakage and dislodgment. Breakage of injector 71 includes damage to the base due to impact, as well as breakage of the blowout portion due to etching.

[0040] For example, if the base of the injector 71 breaks, the amount of gas supplied to the upper part of the processing vessel 65 decreases, and the amount of gas supplied to the lower part of the processing vessel 65 increases. If the temperature of the gas supplied from the injector 71 is lower than the temperature of the processing vessel 65, the heater power required to heat the upper part of the processing vessel 65 decreases. Also, if the temperature of the gas supplied from the injector 71 is lower than the temperature of the processing vessel 65, the heater power required to heat the lower part of the processing vessel 65 increases.

[0041] Thus, in the heat treatment apparatus 10, a failure of the injector 71 causes the heater power supplied to the heater 63 to deviate from the state before the failure. Therefore, in the heat treatment apparatus 10 according to this embodiment, the heater power (virtual power) to be supplied to the heater 63 in a state where there is no failure is predicted as described below, and compared with the heater power actually supplied to the heater 63 in the heat treatment apparatus 10. Then, if there is a difference between the predicted virtual power and the heater power actually supplied to the heater 63 in the heat treatment apparatus 10, the heat treatment apparatus 10 can detect that an abnormality has occurred in the heat treatment apparatus 10, such as a failure of the injector 71.

[0042] For example, under the following assumptions, the heater power actually supplied to the heater 63 in the heat treatment apparatus 10 changes as follows when the injector 71 breaks.

[0043] (Premise) Gas flow rate by mass flow controller (MFC): 500sccm Gas temperature: 150 degrees Temperature of treatment vessel 65: 500 degrees (calculation) Mass flow rate of sih4: 0.000011943 kg / s Specific heat of SiH4: 1213.12 Difference between the gas temperature and the temperature of the treatment vessel 65: 500°C - 150°C = 350°C The specific heat of SiH4 was calculated simply as 1093 x 1.11 = 1213.23, based on the fact that SiH4 is 1.11 times denser than air and the specific heat of air at around 500°C being 1093.

[0044] The change in heater power supplied to the heater 63 of the heat treatment apparatus 10 can be calculated as 0.000011943 x 1213.23 x 350 = 5.071 W. For example, the table below shows the heater power supplied to the heater 63 for each unit area. A unit area is also called a zone. In the table below, the heater power for all areas other than unit area Z01 is approximately 200 W.

[0045] [Table 1]

[0046] Therefore, for heaters 63 other than unit area Z01, a break in the injector 71 will cause a change in heater power of approximately 2.5% (5.071 W ÷ 200 W), so by comparing this with the predicted virtual power in real time, the break in the injector 71 can be detected.

[0047] The control unit 100 of the heat treatment apparatus 10 is realized by, for example, the functional configuration shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a functional configuration diagram of an example of the control unit of the heat treatment apparatus according to this embodiment.

[0048] The control unit 100 of the heat treatment apparatus 10 according to this embodiment is realized by, for example, the functional blocks shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram of an example of the control unit according to this embodiment. Note that the functional block diagram of Fig. 3 omits illustration of components that are not necessary for explaining this embodiment.

[0049] By executing a program, the control unit 100 realizes a process parameter acquisition unit 102, a temperature sensor data acquisition unit 104, a process control unit 106, a heating control unit 108, a virtual power output unit 110, a temperature prediction unit 112, and an abnormality detection unit 114.

[0050] The process parameter acquisition unit 102 acquires process parameters of a process executed in the heat treatment apparatus 10. The process parameter acquisition unit 102 provides the acquired process parameters to the process control unit 106. The process parameters include a set temperature in the processing vessel 65. The process parameter acquisition unit 102 also provides the set temperature in the processing vessel 65 to the virtual power output unit 110.

[0051] The temperature sensor data acquisition unit 104 acquires measured temperatures from the heater temperature sensor Ao (hereinafter referred to as Outer T / C) and the processing vessel internal temperature sensor Ai (hereinafter referred to as Inner T / C) and provides the acquired measured temperatures to the process control unit 106.

[0052] The process control unit 106 executes a process in the heat treatment apparatus 10 according to the process parameters provided by the process parameter acquisition unit 102. The process control unit 106 has a temperature controller. The temperature controller determines the heater power to be supplied to the heater 63 by the heater output unit 86 according to the set temperature and measured temperature in the processing vessel 65 provided. The heating control unit 108 provides a heater power control signal to the heater output unit 86, thereby controlling the heater power determined by the temperature controller to be supplied from the heater output unit 86 to the heater 63.

[0053] The virtual power output unit 110 has a temperature controller (hereinafter referred to as a virtual temperature controller) similar to that of the process control unit 106. The virtual temperature controller of the virtual power output unit 110 determines the heater power (hereinafter referred to as a virtual power) to be supplied to the heater 63 in accordance with the set temperature in the processing vessel 65 provided by the process parameter acquisition unit 102 and the predicted temperature of InnerT / C (described later) provided by the temperature prediction unit 112. The virtual power output unit 110 provides the determined virtual power to the temperature prediction unit 112.

[0054] The temperature prediction unit 112 has a simulation model of the heat treatment apparatus 10. The simulation model of the heat treatment apparatus 10 is a physical model, and is a thermal model that outputs a predicted temperature of Inner T / C in the processing vessel 65 according to the virtual power. For example, a 1DCAE simulation model can be used as the simulation model. The simulation model models the heat exchange relationship, specific heat, etc.

[0055] For example, by creating a simulation model that includes the configuration of the heater 63, the reactor configuration, and the configuration surrounding the heater 63 as a 1DCAE physical model, the simulation model can predict and output the temperature of InnerT / C in the processing vessel 65, which is an example of output data, based on the heater power, which is an example of input data to be applied to the heater 63.

[0056] In this way, the simulation model of this embodiment can predict the temperature of InnerT / C in the processing vessel 65 and output it as a predicted temperature by inputting necessary information such as virtual power.

[0057] The temperature prediction unit 112 uses a simulation model of the heat treatment apparatus 10 to predict the predicted temperature of InnerT / C in the processing vessel 65 according to the virtual power, and outputs (feeds back) the predicted temperature of InnerT / C to the virtual power output unit 110.

[0058] In this way, the virtual power output unit 110 and the temperature prediction unit 112 can determine the virtual power according to the set temperature in the processing vessel 65 provided by the process parameter acquisition unit 102 using a virtual temperature controller similar to that of the process control unit 106. The virtual power determined by the virtual power output unit 110 is a prediction of the heater power supplied to the heater 63 when the injector 71 is not malfunctioning.

[0059] The abnormality detection unit 114 constantly compares the heater power controlled by the heating control unit 108 with the virtual power provided by the virtual power output unit 110. The abnormality detection unit 114 detects an abnormality in the heat treatment device 10, such as a failure of the injector 71, based on the difference between the heater power controlled by the heating control unit 108 and the virtual power provided by the virtual power output unit 110.

[0060] For example, if the injector 71 of the heat treatment apparatus 10 fails, the amount of gas supplied into the processing vessel 65 changes from the state when there is no failure, as described above. Therefore, the heater power controlled by the heating control unit 108 increases or decreases according to the measured temperature, which changes with an increase or decrease in the amount of gas supplied into the processing vessel 65. On the other hand, the virtual power provided by the virtual power output unit 110 is predicted according to the predicted temperature predicted by the temperature prediction unit 112, not the measured temperature, and is therefore not affected by the failure of the injector 71 of the heat treatment apparatus 10.

[0061] Therefore, if the difference between the heater power controlled by the heating control unit 108 and the virtual power provided by the virtual power output unit 110 is equal to or greater than a threshold, the abnormality detection unit 114 can detect the occurrence of an abnormality. When the abnormality detection unit 114 detects the occurrence of an abnormality, it notifies the occurrence of the abnormality by displaying a monitor, turning on a light, outputting a sound, or the like.

[0062] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the control unit according to this embodiment. In step S10, the control unit 100 of the heat treatment apparatus 10 acquires process parameters for the process to be executed in the heat treatment apparatus 10.

[0063] In step S12, the process control unit 106 of the control unit 100 executes the process in the heat treatment device 10 according to the acquired process parameters, and starts controlling the heater power supplied to the heater 63. As a result, the temperature inside the processing container 65 is adjusted according to the set temperature.

[0064] In step S14, the control unit 100 starts predicting the virtual power using the virtual temperature controller and the simulation model. For example, the virtual temperature controller of the virtual power output unit 110 determines the virtual power according to the set temperature in the processing vessel 65 and the predicted temperature of InnerT / C provided by the temperature prediction unit 112. Furthermore, the temperature prediction unit 112 predicts the predicted temperature of InnerT / C in the processing vessel 65 according to the virtual power using the simulation model of the heat treatment apparatus 10, and feeds the predicted temperature back to the virtual power output unit 110.

[0065] In step S16, the abnormality detection unit 114 of the control unit 100 compares the heater power controlled by the heating control unit 108 with the virtual power provided by the virtual power output unit 110 constantly or at predetermined intervals.

[0066] The abnormality detection unit 114 determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the heat treatment apparatus 10 based on the difference between the heater power controlled by the heating control unit 108 and the virtual power provided by the virtual power output unit 110. For example, the abnormality detection unit 114 determines that there is an abnormality in the heat treatment apparatus 10 if the difference between the heater power controlled by the heating control unit 108 and the virtual power provided by the virtual power output unit 110 is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

[0067] The abnormality detection unit 114 repeats the processes of steps S16 to S18 until it determines in step S18 that there is an abnormality in the heat treatment device 10 or ends the process. If it determines that there is an abnormality in the heat treatment device 10, the abnormality detection unit 114 proceeds to step S20 and notifies the occurrence of the abnormality by displaying a monitor, turning on a light, outputting a sound, or the like.

[0068] In this manner, in this embodiment, an abnormality in the heat treatment apparatus 10, such as a failure of the injector 71, can be detected by comparing the difference between the heater power controlled by the heating control unit 108 and the virtual power provided by the virtual power output unit 110. Note that abnormalities due to the gas flow rate that can be detected by this embodiment include, in addition to a failure of the injector 71, a failure of the mass flow controller and a malfunction such as a zero point deviation of the mass flow controller.

[0069] Furthermore, for example, if the hole of the injector nozzle, which is the blowing portion of the injector 71, gradually becomes larger due to excessive etching caused by etching, the amount of gas supplied from the lower part of the injector 71 increases, and the amount of gas supplied from the upper part of the injector 71 decreases. For this reason, the heater power supplied to the heater 63 gradually shifts in accordance with changes in the amount of gas supplied to the processing vessel 65, so that the heater power is higher for lower unit areas and lower for upper unit areas. Therefore, by monitoring such shifts in heater power, the control unit 100 can also perform advance detection of breakage of the injector 71 due to etching.

[0070] Although the present embodiment illustrates an example in which an abnormality in the heat treatment apparatus 10 is detected during processing, an abnormality in the heat treatment apparatus 10 may also be detected when the processing vessel 65 is empty, such as when the boat 44 is unloaded. For example, when the processing vessel 65 is empty, such as when the boat 44 is unloaded, the heat treatment apparatus 10 may have a gas check routine that releases N2 gas or the like from the injector 71 as a check process that also serves as a purge, and detects a malfunction of the injector 71 from the difference between the heater power and the virtual power. The gas check routine enables the heat treatment apparatus 10 to prevent in advance the start of a process when the injector 71 is malfunctioning.

[0071] The control unit 100 of the heat treatment apparatus 10 can detect abnormalities in the heat treatment apparatus 10 while the heat treatment is being performed by using digital twin technology.

[0072] In the above embodiment, the control unit 100 of the heat treatment device 10 detects an abnormality in the heat treatment device 10. The process of detecting an abnormality in the heat treatment device 10 may be executed by another information processing device connected to the control unit 100 so as to be able to perform data communication.

[0073] 5 is a configuration diagram of an example of an information processing system according to this embodiment. The information processing system in Fig. 5 includes a heat treatment apparatus 10, an autonomous controller 210, an apparatus controller 220, a host computer 230, an external measuring device 240, and an analysis server 250.

[0074] The heat treatment apparatus 10, the autonomous controller 210, the apparatus controller 220, the host computer 230, the external measuring device 240, and the analysis server 250 are communicably connected via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network).

[0075] The heat treatment apparatus 10 executes a process in accordance with control commands (process parameters) output from the apparatus controller 220. The autonomous controller 210 is a controller for autonomously controlling the heat treatment apparatus 10, and performs simulations of the process state being executed in the heat treatment apparatus 10 using a simulation model. An autonomous controller 210 is provided for each heat treatment apparatus 10. The autonomous controller 210 executes the process of detecting an abnormality in the heat treatment apparatus 10, which was performed by the control unit 100 in the above embodiment.

[0076] The equipment controller 220 is a controller having a computer configuration for controlling the heat treatment apparatus 10. The equipment controller 220 outputs process parameters for controlling the control components of the heat treatment apparatus 10 to the heat treatment apparatus 10. The host computer 230 is an example of a man-machine interface (MMI) that receives instructions for the heat treatment apparatus 10 from an operator and provides information about the heat treatment apparatus 10 to the operator.

[0077] The external measuring instrument 240 is a measuring instrument that measures the results after a process is executed in accordance with process parameters, such as a film thickness measuring instrument, a sheet resistance measuring instrument, a particle measuring instrument, etc. For example, the external measuring instrument 240 measures the adhesion state of a film on a wafer such as a monitor wafer.

[0078] The analysis server 250 performs, for example, data analysis required for processing executed by the autonomous controller 210. The analysis server 250 may compile a simulation model of the heat treatment apparatus 10 by machine learning or the like using data collected from multiple heat treatment apparatuses 10.

[0079] 5 is just an example, and there are various system configuration examples depending on the application and purpose. The division of the devices shown in FIG. 5, such as the heat treatment device 10, the autonomous controller 210, the device controller 220, the host computer 230, the external measuring device 240, and the analysis server 250, is just an example.

[0080] For example, the information processing system can have various configurations, such as a configuration in which at least two of the heat treatment device 10, autonomous control controller 210, device control controller 220, host computer 230, external measuring device 240, and analysis server 250 are integrated, or a configuration in which they are further divided.

[0081] The autonomous controller 210, the device controller 220, the host computer 230, and the analysis server 250 of the information processing system shown in Fig. 5 are realized by a computer having a hardware configuration as shown in Fig. 6. The control unit 100 of the heat treatment device 10 described above is also realized by a computer having a hardware configuration as shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a hardware configuration diagram of an example of a computer.

[0082] 6 includes an input device 501, an output device 502, an external I / F (interface) 503, a RAM (random access memory) 504, a ROM (read only memory) 505, a CPU (central processing unit) 506, a communication I / F 507, and an HDD (hard disk drive) 508, all of which are interconnected by a bus B. The input device 501 and the output device 502 may be connected and used when necessary.

[0083] The input device 501 is a keyboard, mouse, touch panel, etc., and is used by an operator or the like to input various operation signals. The output device 502 is a display, etc., and displays the results of processing by the computer 500. The communication I / F 507 is an interface that connects the computer 500 to a network. The HDD 508 is an example of a non-volatile storage device that stores programs and data.

[0084] The external I / F 503 is an interface with an external device. The computer 500 can read and / or write data from and to a recording medium 503a such as an SD (Secure Digital) memory card via the external I / F 503. The ROM 505 is an example of a non-volatile semiconductor memory (storage device) that stores programs and data. The RAM 504 is an example of a volatile semiconductor memory (storage device) that temporarily stores programs and data.

[0085] The CPU 506 is a computing device that controls the entire computer 500 and realizes its functions by reading programs and data from storage devices such as the ROM 505 and HDD 508 onto the RAM 504 and executing the processes.

[0086] The autonomous controller 210, the device controller 220, the host computer 230, and the analysis server 250 of the information processing system shown in Fig. 5 can realize various functions by the hardware configuration of the computer 500 shown in Fig. 6. The control unit 100 of the heat treatment device 10 described above can also realize various functions by the hardware configuration of the computer 500 shown in Fig. 6.

[0087] In this embodiment, the autonomous controller 210 executes a simulation of a physical model using real-time process parameters of the heat treatment apparatus 10, thereby realizing a digital twin of the actual heat treatment apparatus 10 and the simulated heat treatment apparatus 10. By comparing the heater power of the actual heat treatment apparatus 10 with the heater power of the simulated heat treatment apparatus 10 in real time, it is possible to detect an abnormality in the heat treatment apparatus 10 during heat treatment.

[0088] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0089] 10 Heat treatment device 44 Boat 63, 63-1 to 63-10 Heater 65 Processing vessel 100 control section 102 Process parameter acquisition unit 104 Temperature sensor data acquisition unit 106 Process Control Unit 108 Heating control unit 110 Virtual power output section 112 Temperature prediction unit 114 Abnormality detection unit 210 Autonomous Controller 220 Equipment Controller 230 Host Computer 240 External Measuring Instrument 250 analysis servers 500 computers Ai1~Ai10 Temperature sensors inside the processing vessel W wafer

Claims

1. 1. An information processing system including: a heat treatment apparatus that heat-treats a substrate to be processed using a heating unit that heats the substrate to be processed in a processing chamber that can supply gas; and an information processing apparatus that controls power supplied to the heating unit, a heating control unit configured to control power supplied to the heating unit in accordance with a set temperature and a measured temperature in the processing vessel; a virtual power output unit configured to output virtual power to be supplied to a simulation model of the heat treatment apparatus according to a set temperature in the processing vessel and a predicted temperature in the processing vessel; a temperature prediction unit configured to output a predicted temperature in the processing vessel corresponding to the virtual power to the virtual power output unit using a simulation model of the heat treatment apparatus; an abnormality detection unit configured to detect an abnormality in the heat treatment device based on a difference between the power controlled by the heating control unit and the virtual power output by the virtual power output unit; An information processing system having the above.

2. The abnormality detection unit is configured to detect an abnormality in the function of supplying gas into the processing vessel based on a difference between the power controlled by the heating control unit and the virtual power output by the virtual power output unit.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein:

3. The abnormality detection unit is configured to detect an abnormality in an injector that supplies gas into the processing vessel based on a difference between the power controlled by the heating control unit and the virtual power output by the virtual power output unit.

3. The information processing system according to claim 2, wherein:

4. The virtual power output unit is configured to output the virtual power based on a set temperature in the processing vessel and a predicted temperature in the processing vessel using the same mechanism as the heating control unit.

4. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein:

5. the heating unit is associated with one of a plurality of unit areas obtained by dividing an area in the processing vessel, The abnormality detection unit is configured to calculate, for each unit area, a difference between the power controlled by the heating control unit and the virtual power output by the virtual power output unit, and to detect an abnormality in the heat treatment device based on the difference.

4. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein:

6. The simulation model of the heat treatment apparatus is a thermal model that outputs a predicted temperature in the processing vessel according to the virtual power.

4. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein:

7. 1. An abnormality detection method executed by an information processing system having a heat treatment apparatus that heat-treats a substrate to be processed using a heating unit that heats the substrate in a processing chamber that can supply gas, and an information processing apparatus that controls power supplied to the heating unit, controlling the power supplied to the heating unit according to the set temperature and the measured temperature in the processing vessel; outputting a virtual power to be supplied to a simulation model of the heat treatment apparatus according to the set temperature in the treatment vessel and the predicted temperature in the treatment vessel; outputting a predicted temperature in the processing vessel according to the virtual power using a simulation model of the heat treatment apparatus; detecting an abnormality in the heat treatment device based on a difference between the power supplied to the heating unit and the virtual power; An anomaly detection method comprising:

8. 1. A heat treatment apparatus for heat-treating a substrate to be treated using a heating unit that heats the substrate to be treated in a treatment container capable of supplying gas, comprising: a heating control unit configured to control power supplied to the heating unit in accordance with a set temperature and a measured temperature in the processing vessel; a virtual power output unit configured to output virtual power to be supplied to a simulation model of the heat treatment apparatus according to a set temperature in the processing vessel and a predicted temperature in the processing vessel; a temperature prediction unit configured to output a predicted temperature in the processing vessel corresponding to the virtual power to the virtual power output unit using a simulation model of the heat treatment apparatus; an abnormality detection unit configured to detect an abnormality in the heat treatment device based on a difference between the power controlled by the heating control unit and the virtual power output by the virtual power output unit; A heat treatment device comprising:

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