Cleaning method and substrate processing apparatus

Abstract

To quickly detect the presence of residual films after cleaning.SOLUTION: Provided is a method for cleaning a substrate processing device that has a processing container and a boat carrying a substrate in and out of the processing container while holding it, and that forms a film on the substrate. The cleaning method includes: (a) a step for supplying a cleaning gas from a gas supply unit to the inside of the processing container while the boat is carried into the processing container and cleaning the inside of the processing container; (b) a step for acquiring image data in which is captured an image of the boat that is carried out of the processing container after executing the step in (a); (c) a step for determining whether a film remains in the boat, on the basis of the image data; and (d) a step for re-executing the step in (a) or outputting a specific alarm when it is determined that the film remains.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0006] , , , ,

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

Background Art

[0002] Based on image data obtained by photographing a predetermined member of a substrate processing apparatus, the state of the substrate processing apparatus is determined, and automation of a specific process is attempted based on the determination result.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 proposes generating three-dimensional image data of the shape of an object at a transfer source, the shape of an object at a transfer destination, and the state of a substrate based on photographed image data of the object at the transfer source, the object at the transfer destination, and the substrate, and transferring the substrate without causing the object at the transfer source and the object at the transfer destination to collide with the substrate based on the three-dimensional image data.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 2 proposes holding a carrier jig equipped with a camera at a predetermined position on a transfer arm, moving the transfer arm so that the carrier jig comes near an ideal position of a mounting table, correcting the deviation of the transfer arm based on the image data photographed by the camera, and accurately positioning a large number of carriers held with respect to the mounting table.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] The present disclosure provides a technique capable of quickly detecting the presence or absence of a residual film after cleaning. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for cleaning a substrate processing apparatus that forms a film on a substrate, comprising a processing container and a boat for holding a substrate and for loading and unloading a substrate into and out of the processing container, wherein (a) the boat is loaded into the processing container. de ga A cleaning method is provided, which includes the steps of: (b) supplying cleaning gas from a gas supply unit into the processing container to clean the inside of the processing container; (c) acquiring image data of the boat being transported out of the processing container after the step in (a) has been performed; (d) determining whether the film remains on the boat based on the image data; and (d) if it is determined that the film remains, repeating the step in (a) or outputting a specific alarm. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] One aspect of this method is that it allows for rapid detection of the presence or absence of residual film after cleaning. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] A schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a substrate processing system relating to one implementation mode. [Figure 2] A schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a heat treatment apparatus relating to one implementation mode. [Figure 3] A diagram showing an example of a computer hardware configuration related to one execution mode. [Figure 4] A diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a control device related to one execution mode. [Figure 5] A flowchart showing an example of a cleaning method related to the first execution mode. [Figure 6] A diagram illustrating the cleaning method related to the first implementation form. [Figure 7] A flowchart showing an example of a cleaning method related to the second implementation method. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments for implementing this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions may be omitted.

[0011] [Circuit board processing system] The substrate processing system and heat treatment apparatus will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The substrate processing system includes a heat treatment apparatus. The heat treatment apparatus is an example of a substrate processing apparatus that forms, for example, a silicon-containing film on a substrate. The silicon-containing film may be an amorphous silicon film, a polysilicon film, a silicon film doped with phosphorus or boron, etc. The substrate processing apparatus is not limited to a heat treatment apparatus, but may also be a film deposition apparatus that forms a film on a substrate using plasma. In the following, an apparatus for forming a silicon-containing film, such as a boron-doped silicon film, will be given as an example of a heat treatment apparatus, but the heat treatment apparatus is not limited to an apparatus for forming a silicon-containing film, but may also be an apparatus for forming an opaque film (for example, a film of carbon or molybdenum). In other words, the film that the heat treatment apparatus forms on the substrate is not limited to a silicon-containing film, but may be any film that can be distinguished from the white color of the part (component) to be cleaned, which is made of quartz.

[0012] Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a substrate processing system according to one implementation. Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a heat treatment apparatus according to one implementation. As shown in Figure 1, the substrate processing system includes a heat treatment apparatus 10 and a control device 100. The control device 100 may be provided inside the housing of the heat treatment apparatus 10 as part of the configuration of the heat treatment apparatus 10, or it may be provided outside the housing of the heat treatment apparatus 10 separately from the configuration of the heat treatment apparatus 10. For example, the control device 100 may be implemented using a host computer or server device connected to a network for data communication, or a cloud service available via a network.

[0013] The heat treatment apparatus 10 includes a vertical processing container 40 (vertical furnace) described later, and holds and accommodates a plurality of substrates W, such as semiconductor wafers, at predetermined intervals along the vertical direction in a boat 24, and can perform various heat treatments such as oxidation, diffusion, and reduced-pressure CVD on the substrate W. Hereinafter, an example applied to a heat treatment apparatus 10 that forms a silicon-containing film on a substrate W by the CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method by supplying a processing gas to the substrate W installed in the reaction tube 41 of the processing container 40 described later will be described.

[0014] The heat treatment apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 has a mounting table (load port) 12, a housing 18, and a control device 100. The mounting table 12 is provided at the front part of the housing 18. The housing 18 has a loading area 20 and a processing container 40.

[0015] The loading area 20 is provided below in the housing 18. The processing container 40 is inside the housing 18 and is provided above the loading area 20. Also, a base plate 19 is provided between the loading area 20 and the processing container 40.

[0016] The mounting table 12 is for loading and unloading the substrate W into and out of the housing 18. Storage containers 13 and 14 are placed on the mounting table 12. The storage containers 13 and 14 are FOUPs that are detachably provided with lids on the front and can store a plurality of (for example, about 25) substrates W at predetermined intervals.

[0017] <00000�2>Also, an aligner for aligning the notch (for example, a notch) provided on the outer periphery of the substrate W transferred by a transfer mechanism 27 described later in one direction may be provided below the mounting table 12.

[0018] The loading area 20 is an area (transfer chamber) for transferring the substrate W between the storage containers 13 and 14 and the boat 24, loading the boat 24 into the reaction tube 41, and unloading the boat 24 from the reaction tube 41. In the loading area 20, a door mechanism 21, a shutter mechanism 22, a boat 24, a base 25a, a base 25b, and a transfer mechanism 27 are provided.

[0019] The door mechanism 21 is for removing the lids of the storage containers 13 and 14 and communicating and opening the storage containers 13 and 14 with the loading area 20. The shutter mechanism 22 is provided above the loading area 20. The shutter mechanism 22 is provided to cover (or block) the furnace port 43 in order to suppress or prevent the heat in the high-temperature furnace from being released from the furnace port 43 to the loading area 20 when the lid body 23 is opened.

[0020] The boat 24 has a mounting portion 26 for mounting the substrate W, a heat-insulating cylinder 28, a lid body 23, and a rotation mechanism 29. The heat-insulating cylinder 28 is provided on the lid body 23. The heat-insulating cylinder 28 is for preventing the boat 24 (mounting portion 26) from being cooled by heat transfer with the lid body 23 side and keeping the boat 24 warm. The rotation mechanism 29 is attached to the lower part of the lid body 23. The rotation mechanism 29 is for rotating the boat 24. The rotation axis of the rotation mechanism 29 penetrates the lid body 23 in an airtight manner and is provided to rotate a rotation table (not shown) disposed on the lid body 23.

[0021] A lifting mechanism (not shown) drives the boat 24 to move up and down when the boat 24 is carried into the reaction tube 41 from the loading area 20 and when the boat 24 is carried out of the reaction tube 41 to the loading area 20. And when the boat 24 lifted by the lifting mechanism is carried into the reaction tube 41, the lid body 23 is provided to abut against the furnace port 43 and seal the furnace port 43. The boat 24 can hold the substrate W rotatable in the horizontal plane in the reaction tube 41.

[0022] The heat treatment apparatus 10 may have multiple boats 24. In this embodiment, an example having two boats 24a and 24b will be described.

[0023] The loading area 20 is provided with boats 24a and 24b. The loading area 20 is also provided with bases 25a and 25b, and a boat transport mechanism (not shown). Bases 25a and 25b are platforms on which boats 24a and 24b are transferred from the lid 23, respectively. The boat transport mechanism (not shown) is for transferring the portion of boat 24a or 24b above the lid 23 to base 25a or 25b.

[0024] Boats 24a and 24b are made of, for example, quartz, and are designed to mount large-diameter substrates W, for example, with a diameter of 300 mm, horizontally at predetermined intervals (pitch width) in the vertical direction. Boats 24a and 24b are constructed by interposing multiple (for example, three) support columns 53 between, for example, the top plate and the bottom plate (see Figure 6). Each support column 53 is provided with a support part such as a groove or claw for supporting (holding) the substrate W.

[0025] The transfer mechanism 27 is for transferring the substrate W between the storage containers 13 and 14 and the boat 24a or 24b. The transfer mechanism 27 has a base 51, a lifting arm 52, and a plurality of forks 54. The base 51 is provided so as to be able to move up and down and to rotate. The lifting arm 52 is provided so as to be able to move up and down (move up and down) by a ball screw or the like. The base 51 is provided so as to be able to rotate horizontally on the lifting arm 52.

[0026] Additionally, a camera 71 is installed in the loading area 20. Camera 71 is an example of a filming device. Camera 71 is installed to film at least the unloading of the boat 24.

[0027] For example, camera 71 is mounted on the back door 70 of the loading area 20. Camera 71 photographs the boat 24 being removed from inside the reaction tube 41. However, as long as it can photograph the boat 24 being removed from inside the reaction tube 41, the position of camera 71 is not limited to the vicinity of the back door 70, but can be located anywhere in the loading area 20. For example, camera 71 may be located near the furnace opening 43. There may be one or more cameras 71. If there is only one camera 71, the boat 24 may be rotated while being removed in order to photograph at least its sides all around. After removal, a video of the boat 24 rotating once may be recorded. By rotating the boat 24, it is possible to photograph its sides all around without having to place multiple cameras 71.

[0028] For example, camera 71 photographs at least the substrate W mounting portion 26, the insulation cylinder 28, and the lid 23 of the boat 24 as it is removed from inside the reaction tube 41. The reaction tube 41, and the boat 24's mounting portion 26, insulation cylinder 28, and lid 23 are made of quartz (SiO2). Camera 71 may photograph the area below the furnace opening 43 at all times, not just when the boat 24 is removed from inside the reaction tube 41.

[0029] The control device 100 is a device that controls the entire heat treatment apparatus 10. The control device 100 controls the operation of the heat treatment apparatus 10 so that a silicon-containing film is formed on the substrate W under various processing conditions indicated in the recipe. The control device 100 also controls the heat treatment apparatus 10 so that cleaning can be performed.

[0030] Even after cleaning, a silicon-containing film may remain on the boat 24, etc. (hereinafter also referred to as "film residue"), meaning that the cleaning may not be completely finished. In such cases, the control device 100 determines whether there is film residue, and if it determines that there is film residue, it performs a process such as automatically re-cleaning as described later, or outputting a specific alarm.

[0031] [Heat treatment equipment] Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a heat treatment apparatus 10, an example of a substrate processing apparatus. The heat treatment apparatus 10 includes a processing vessel 40, a supply mechanism 44, and an exhaust mechanism 37. The processing vessel 40 can be, for example, a vertical furnace for housing multiple thin, disc-shaped substrates W and performing a predetermined process, such as CVD processing. The processing vessel 40 includes a reaction tube 41 and a heater 42.

[0032] The reaction tube 41 is made of, for example, quartz, has an elongated shape, and has a furnace opening 43 at its lower end (see Figure 1). The heater 42 is provided so as to surround the reaction tube 41 and can control the heating of the inside of the reaction tube 41 to a predetermined temperature, for example, 100 to 1200°C.

[0033] The supply mechanism 44 includes a first raw material gas supply unit 45, a second raw material gas supply unit 46, a purge gas supply unit 47, and a cleaning gas supply unit 48. The first raw material gas supply unit 45 is connected to an injector 45c via a flow controller 45a and a valve 45b. The second raw material gas supply unit 46 is connected to an injector 46c via a flow controller 46a and a valve 46b. The purge gas supply unit 47 is connected to an injector 47c via a flow controller 47a and a valve 47b. The cleaning gas supply unit 48 is connected to an injector 48c via a flow controller 48a and a valve 48b. The first raw material gas may be a silicon-containing gas such as monosilane (SiH4). The second raw material gas may be nitrogen (N2) gas or a reaction gas such as boron trichloride (BCl3). The purge gas may be nitrogen gas. The cleaning gas may be fluorine (F2) gas or chlorine (Cl2) gas. The cleaning gas removes the boron-doped silicon film adhering to the reaction tube 41, injectors 45c~48c, the mounting section 26 of the boat 24, the insulation cylinder 28, the lid 23, etc.

[0034] The exhaust mechanism 37 includes an exhaust device 38 and an exhaust pipe 39 provided inside the processing container 40. The exhaust mechanism 37 is for exhausting gas from inside the processing container 40.

[0035] Openings are provided on the sides of the injectors 45c, 46c, 47c, and 48c. During film deposition on the substrate, valves 45b and 46b are opened, and the first raw material gas and the second raw material gas are supplied to the substrate W by the first raw material gas supply unit 45 and the second raw material gas supply unit 46, as indicated by the arrows in the drawing. The supplied first and second raw material gases react on the substrate W to form a predetermined silicon-containing film. The first and second raw material gases that did not contribute to film deposition are purged by a purge gas supplied after the film deposition process and discharged outside the processing container 40 through the exhaust pipe 39. At this time, valves 45b and 46b are closed, valve 47b is opened, and purge gas is supplied from the purge gas supply unit 47. During cleaning, valves 45b, 46b, and 47b are closed, valve 48b is opened, and cleaning gas is supplied from the cleaning gas supply unit 48. Furthermore, the boat 24 is rotated by the aforementioned rotating mechanism 29 so that a silicon-containing film is uniformly formed on the substrate W.

[0036] [Control device hardware configuration] The control device 100 is implemented by a computer with a hardware configuration such as that shown in Figure 3. Figure 3 is a hardware configuration diagram of an example computer.

[0037] The computer in Figure 3 includes an input device 101, an output device 102, an external interface 103, RAM (Random Access Memory) 104, ROM (Read Only Memory) 105, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 106, a communication interface 107, and an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 108, all of which are interconnected via bus B. The input device 101 and output device 102 may be connected and used only when necessary.

[0038] The input device 101 is a keyboard, mouse, touch panel, etc., used by the user (worker) to input various operation signals. The output device 102 is a display, etc., which displays the processing results from the computer. The communication I / F 507 is an interface that connects the computer to a network. The HDD 108 is an example of a non-volatile storage device that stores programs and data.

[0039] External I / F 103 is an interface to external devices. The computer can read from and / or write to recording media 103a, such as an SD (Secure Digital) memory card, via External I / F 103. ROM 105 is an example of a non-volatile semiconductor memory (storage device) that stores programs and data. RAM 104 is an example of a volatile semiconductor memory (storage device) that temporarily holds programs and data.

[0040] The CPU 106 is a computing unit that reads programs and data from storage devices such as the ROM 105 and HDD 108 onto the RAM 104 and executes processing, thereby realizing the control and functions of the entire computer.

[0041] The control device 100 can realize the various functions described later by having a computer with the hardware configuration shown in Figure 3 execute processing according to a program.

[0042] [Control device function configuration] The control device 100 has a functional configuration as shown in Figure 4, for example. An example of the functional configuration of the control device 100 will be explained with reference to Figure 4. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control device 100 for one execution mode. The control device 100 includes an image data acquisition unit 110, an image processing unit 120, a determination unit 130, a transport device control unit 140, a recipe execution unit 150, and a substrate transfer control unit 160.

[0043] The image data acquisition unit 110 acquires image data captured by the camera 71. For example, the image data acquisition unit 110 acquires image data of the movement operation in which the boat 24 is removed from the reaction tube 41 by controlling the lifting mechanism (not shown) of the substrate transfer control unit 160.

[0044] The image processing unit 120 processes the image data acquired by the image data acquisition unit 110 so that it can determine from the processed image data whether there is any remaining film (remaining silicon-containing film) on the mounting section 26, insulation tube 28, and lid 23 of the boat 24. For example, the image processing unit 120 may perform image processing to binarize the color of each pixel of the image data to either white or black. The boat 24 is made of white quartz. For example, if there is remaining film, an area of ​​a color other than white (black in this implementation) will appear on one of the mounting section 26, insulation tube 28, or lid 23 that make up the boat 24 (see Figure 6(a)). If there is no remaining film, the mounting section 26, insulation tube 28, and lid 23 that make up the boat 24 are the color of quartz, i.e., white (see Figure 6(b)). Note that if the camera 71 has an image processing function to binarize the image data it captures, the control device 100 does not need to have the function of the image processing unit 120. In this case, the image data acquisition unit 110 acquires the image data after binarization and image processing.

[0045] The recipe execution unit 150 performs the deposition of a silicon-containing film, such as a silicon film containing boron (a silicon film doped with boron). The silicon film containing boron is generally black. With the boat 24 loaded into the processing container 40, the recipe execution unit 150 supplies cleaning gas from the cleaning gas supply unit 48 to the processing container 40 via the injector 48c, thereby cleaning the inside of the processing container 40.

[0046] The image processing unit 120 processes the image data (such as binarization) of the image data when the boat 24 is removed from the processing container 40 after cleaning, so that it can determine whether any film remains from the processed image data. The remaining film is not limited to silicon film, but may also be silicon carbide (SiC) film or silicon nitride (SiN) film. By identifying the color (a color other than white) of these films based on the image data, it is possible to determine whether or not any film remains after cleaning.

[0047] The determination unit 130 determines whether there is any film residue on the boat 24 based on the image-processed image data. In the example in Figure 6(a), the determination unit 130 identifies a black region Ar in the image-processed image data and determines that there is film residue. In the example in Figure 6(b), the determination unit 130 determines that there is no black region in the image-processed image data and determines that there is no film residue.

[0048] The determination unit 130 may also output a determination result for the remaining film by performing machine learning using the image-processed image data as input data (training data).

[0049] The timing of the camera 71's shooting can be as follows: it may shoot continuously, only while the boat 24 is being removed from the processing container 40, or it may shoot the boat 24 after the removal of the boat 24 from the processing container 40 is complete.

[0050] The transport device control unit 140 controls the movement of the transfer mechanism 27. The transport device control unit 140 also controls the lifting and lowering of a lifting mechanism (not shown) and controls the loading of the boat 24 from the loading area 20 to the reaction tube 41 and the unloading of the boat 24 from the reaction tube 41 to the loading area 20.

[0051] The recipe execution unit 150 controls the operation of the heat treatment apparatus 10 so that heat treatment is performed in the processing container 40 under the processing conditions indicated in the recipe. The recipe execution unit 150 also controls the operation of the heat treatment apparatus 10 so that a cleaning process is performed to remove the film from the reaction tube 41 after a predetermined number of substrates W have been deposited. Furthermore, if the determination unit 130 determines that a film remains, the recipe execution unit 150 either performs re-cleaning or outputs an alarm. The alarm output may be on the display screen of the control device 100, on the display screen of a host computer or server device connected to the control device 100, on the display screen of the heat treatment apparatus 10, or on the screen of other control devices. The alarm may be displayed as text, such as "film remaining," or as an alarm sound. The message may also be displayed on the normal screen using a pop-up function. This allows the user to choose whether to perform re-cleaning or to prioritize the process at the time the alarm is output and proceed with the substrate deposition process without cleaning.

[0052] The substrate transfer control unit 160, in accordance with the control from the recipe execution unit 150, instructs the transport device control unit 140 to transport the substrate W between the storage containers 13 and 14 and the boat 24a or 24b.

[0053] <First Implementation Form> [Cleaning Instructions] The cleaning method according to the first implementation form includes an image data analysis function in the control device 100 of the heat treatment apparatus 10, which has the function of determining whether or not there is any film residue on the quartz boat 24 from the image data captured by the camera 71 installed in the loading area 20. Then, by performing re-cleaning according to the determination result of whether or not there is any film residue, cleaning can be completed without any film residue remaining. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the cleaning method according to the first implementation form.

[0054] Before performing the following cleaning method, the heat treatment apparatus 10 is used to supply the first raw material gas and the second raw material gas to deposit a boron-doped silicon film onto the substrate W using the CVD method. The silicon film deposition process is carried out in a cumulative manner until a predetermined number of substrates W have been deposited.

[0055] After a predetermined number of substrates W have undergone film deposition processing, this process is started. In step S1, the control device 100 (transport device control unit 140) moves the boat 24 from the transport chamber (loading area 20) to the reaction tube 41 using a lifting mechanism. Alternatively, before executing step S1, the control device 100 (substrate transfer control unit 160) may place dummy wafers stored in storage containers 13 and 14 onto the mounting section 26 of the boat 24, and then move the boat 24 from the transport chamber (loading area 20) to the reaction tube 41.

[0056] Next, in step S2, the control device 100 (recipe execution unit 150) supplies cleaning gas from the cleaning gas supply unit 48 to the reaction tube 41 via the injector 48c, cleaning the inside of the reaction tube 41, including the boat 24.

[0057] Next, in step S3, the control device 100 (recipe execution unit 150) supplies purge gas from the purge gas supply unit 47 to the reaction tube 41 via the injector 47c and purges the cleaning gas from inside the reaction tube 41.

[0058] Next, in step S4, the control device 100 (transportation device control unit 140) transports the boat 24 from the reaction tube 41 to the transport room (loading area 20) using the lifting mechanism.

[0059] Next, in step S5, the control device 100 (image data acquisition unit 110) acquires image data, including images of the boat 24 taken by the camera 71 as it is being transported from the reaction tube 41 to the transport room (loading area 20).

[0060] Next, in step S6, the control device 100 (image processing unit 120) performs image processing on the acquired image data, for example, by binarizing it.

[0061] Next, in step S7, the control device 100 (determination unit 130) determines whether a film remains on the boat 24 based on the image data after image processing. The control device 100 (determination unit 130) determines whether a film remains on at least one of the mounting section 26, the insulating cylinder 28, or the lid 23 of the boat 24. If a dummy wafer is placed on the mounting section 26, the control device 100 (determination unit 130) determines whether a film remains on at least one of the mounting section 26 of the boat 24, the dummy wafer placed on the mounting section 26, the insulating cylinder 28, or the lid 23.

[0062] For example, as shown in Figure 6(a), if the control device 100 (determination unit 130) determines that there is a black area Ar on the boat 24 based on the image data after image processing, it can determine that there is remaining film. In this case, the process returns to step S1, the boat 24 is moved from the transport chamber (loading area 20) to the reaction tube 41 by the lifting mechanism, and the process from step S2 onward is executed to re-clean the inside of the reaction tube 41.

[0063] After performing re-cleaning, steps S1 to S7 are repeated until it is determined in step S7 that no film remains on the boat 24. In step S7, if the control device 100 (determination unit 130) determines from the image data after image processing that there is no remaining film, this process is terminated. For example, as shown in Figure 6(b), if there are no black areas on the boat 24 in the image data based on the image data after image processing, the control device 100 (determination unit 130) determines that there is no remaining film and terminates this process.

[0064] In step S7, even if it is determined that there is a black area in the boat 24 of the image data, if the area of ​​the black area is less than a predetermined area, the system may decide to terminate the process without automatically performing re-cleaning.

[0065] Furthermore, in step S7, the location where the membrane of the boat 24 remains may be identified based on the image data, and additional cleaning conditions may be set according to the identified location. Then, re-cleaning may be performed based on the set additional cleaning conditions.

[0066] For example, the temperature of the insulation cylinder 28 is lower than the temperature of the mounting section 26 of the boat 24 above it, so the cleaning gas tends to be less effective. Also, there are many structures around the insulation cylinder 28, making it difficult for the gas to escape. For this reason, a film tends to remain on the insulation cylinder 28. Therefore, the location where the film remains can be identified from the image data, and if the identified location is on the surface of the insulation cylinder 28, a shorter cleaning gas injector for the insulation cylinder, with a height equal to the height of the insulation cylinder 28, can be prepared, and cleaning gas can be supplied only to the cleaning gas injector for the insulation cylinder to perform re-cleaning. In this case, an additional cleaning condition is set to supply cleaning gas only to the cleaning gas injector for the insulation cylinder.

[0067] The re-cleaning may also involve at least one of the reaction tube 41, the boat 24, or the dummy wafer (dummy substrate) placed on the boat, or a combination thereof.

[0068] In conventional cleaning methods, if any film residue remained, the cleaning process had to be restarted from the beginning. This required time to transfer boats 24a and 24b to bases 25a and 25b, respectively, using boat transport and lifting mechanisms, and to load and unload them into and out of the reaction tube 41 between the loading area 20 and the reaction tube 41.

[0069] In contrast, according to the first implementation form of the cleaning method, after etching (cleaning) with the cleaning gas is completed, image data of the boat 24 being moved from the reaction tube 41 to the loading area 20 is acquired, and the image data is analyzed. As a result, the state of remaining film can be immediately determined based on the analyzed image data, and as a result, it can be automatically determined whether re-cleaning should be performed. This makes it possible to complete cleaning without any remaining film in a single (continuous) cleaning process, and also shortens the boat 24 transfer time. As a result, the total cleaning time can be reduced, and the substrate processing time can be increased.

[0070] <Second Implementation Form> [Cleaning Instructions] Next, the cleaning method for the second execution mode will be explained with reference to Figure 7. Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the cleaning method for the second execution mode. Steps that are the same as those in the cleaning method for the first execution mode shown in Figure 5 are given the same step numbers. In other words, steps S1 to S7 are the same as those in the cleaning method for the first execution mode, so their explanation will be omitted.

[0071] In the cleaning method according to the second implementation form, in step S7, if the control device 100 (determination unit 130) determines, based on the image data after image processing, that a film remains on the boat 24, in step S8, it outputs an alarm on the display screen of the control device 100. Examples of alarms include displaying a message indicating remaining film, displaying a message indicating remaining film along with the location of the remaining film, or outputting an alarm sound. Instead of the display screen of the control device 100, the alarm may be displayed on a host computer or server device connected via a network for data communication.

[0072] Furthermore, in step S8, the control device 100 (determination unit 130) may set additional cleaning conditions. However, the control device 100 (determination unit 130) does not have to set additional cleaning conditions. If no additional cleaning conditions are set, the cleaning is performed again under the same conditions as the cleaning performed immediately before.

[0073] Next, in step S9, the control device 100 (recipe execution unit 150) determines whether to perform cleaning according to the user's selection (instruction). The user can choose not to perform cleaning in order to prioritize substrate processing if film residue is detected. Alternatively, the user can choose to perform re-cleaning if film residue is detected. For example, the user can select whether to perform re-cleaning or not from a selection screen of the control device 100 (not shown).

[0074] If re-cleaning is performed in step S9, the processes from step S1 to step S9 are repeated until it is determined in step S7 that no film remains on boat 24, or until it is determined in step S9 that cleaning should not be performed. If it is determined in step S7 that no film remains, or if it is determined in step S9 that cleaning should not be performed, this process is terminated.

[0075] According to the second implementation form of the cleaning method, similar to the first implementation form of the cleaning method, cleaning can be completed without leaving any film residue in a single cleaning process, and the transfer time of the boat 24 can be shortened. As a result, the total cleaning time can be reduced, and the substrate processing time can be increased.

[0076] Furthermore, with the second implementation method of cleaning, if any film residue remains, the user can choose to perform a re-cleaning. This allows for re-cleaning or prioritizing substrate processing depending on the need for cleaning, thereby increasing the operating rate of the substrate processing equipment.

[0077] The cleaning method and substrate processing apparatus disclosed herein should be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The embodiments can be modified and improved in various ways without departing from the scope and spirit of the attached claims. The matters described in the above-mentioned embodiments can also be configured in other ways and combined in a non-contradictory manner.

[0078] In the above-described implementation, the substrate processing apparatus is described as a batch-type apparatus that processes multiple wafers at once, but the disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the substrate processing apparatus may be a single-wafer apparatus that processes wafers one at a time. Alternatively, for example, the substrate processing apparatus may be a semi-batch-type apparatus that processes wafers by rotating multiple wafers placed on a rotary table in a processing container and passing them sequentially through a region supplied with a first gas and a region supplied with a second gas. Furthermore, for example, the substrate processing apparatus may be a multi-wafer deposition apparatus equipped with multiple mounting stages in a single processing container. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0079] 10 Heat treatment equipment 20 Loading Area 24 boats 27 Transfer mechanism 28 Heat insulation tube 40 Processing containers 41 reaction tube 45. First Raw Material Gas Supply Department 46. ​​Second Raw Material Gas Supply Department 48 Cleaning gas supply unit 71 Camera 100 Control device 110 Image data acquisition unit 120 Image Processing Unit 130 Judgment section 140 Conveying device control unit 150 Recipe Execution Unit 160 Substrate Transfer Control Unit W board

Claims

1. A method for cleaning a substrate processing apparatus that forms a film on a substrate, comprising a processing container and a boat for holding a substrate and for loading and unloading a substrate into and out of the processing container, (a) A step of supplying cleaning gas from the gas supply unit into the processing container with the boat inside the processing container, and cleaning the inside of the processing container, (b) A step of obtaining image data of the boat being transported out of the processing container after the step of (a) has been performed, (c) A step of determining whether the film remains on the boat based on the image data, (d) If it is determined that the film remains, the process of (a) is repeated or a specific alarm is output, Cleaning methods, including

2. If the specific alarm is output in step (d) above, and the user selects to repeat the cleaning step in response to the output of the alarm, then step (a) above is repeated. The cleaning method according to claim 1.

3. In step (b) above, the image data obtained is captured by photographing at least the entire circumference of the side of the boat. The cleaning method according to claim 1.

4. In step (b) above, image data is obtained of the boat being transported out of the processing container while rotating. The cleaning method according to claim 3.

5. In step (c) above, based on the results of image processing of the image data, it is determined whether the film remains based on the difference in color between the boat and the film. The cleaning method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. In step (d) above, set additional cleaning conditions, When step (a) is to be performed again, step (a) is to be performed again based on the additional cleaning conditions. The cleaning method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

7. A dummy circuit board is placed on the aforementioned boat. In step (c) above, based on the image data, it is determined whether the film remains on the boat or the dummy substrate. The cleaning method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

8. If step (a) is to be performed again, steps (a) to (d) are repeatedly performed until it is determined in step (c) that no film remains on the boat. The cleaning method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

9. In step (c) above, based on the image data, the location where the membrane remains on the boat is identified, Set additional cleaning conditions according to the identified location. The cleaning method according to claim 6.

10. The film formed on the substrate by the substrate processing apparatus is a silicon-containing film. The cleaning method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

11. A substrate processing apparatus comprising a processing container, a boat for holding a substrate and loading and unloading it into the processing container, and a control device, wherein a film is formed on a substrate, The control device is (a) A step of supplying cleaning gas from the gas supply unit into the processing container with the boat inside the processing container, and cleaning the inside of the processing container, (b) A step of obtaining image data of the boat being transported out of the processing container after the step of (a) has been performed, (c) A step of determining whether the film remains on the boat based on the image data, (d) If it is determined that the film remains, the process of (a) is repeated or a specific alarm is output, A substrate processing apparatus that controls processes including those described above.

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