Substrate processing apparatus control method and substrate processing apparatus

Abstract

This substrate processing apparatus control method is a method for controlling a substrate processing apparatus comprising a plurality of processing units that perform substrate processing using a processing liquid, and one or more supply units that supply a heated processing liquid to the plurality of processing units. The substrate processing apparatus control method includes an acquiring step, an identifying step, and a modifying step. The acquiring step acquires first log information indicating a substrate processing execution status for each processing unit. The identifying step identifies a non-operation time in which substrate processing is not executed by any of the plurality of processing units, on the basis of the first log information. With respect to the supply unit, among the one or more supply units, corresponding to the processing liquid for use in the substrate processing that is not executed in the non-operation time, the modifying step modifies the processing time of temperature adjustment processing, which is for maintaining a temperature of the heated processing liquid, so that the length of the non-operation time becomes smaller.

Description

Substrate processing apparatus control method and substrate processing apparatus

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

[0002] Conventionally, in a substrate processing apparatus having a plurality of processing units that perform substrate processing using a processing liquid and a plurality of supply parts that supply heated processing liquid to the plurality of processing units, a technique for creating a processing recipe that allows overlapping of the timing of use of the plurality of supply parts is known.

[0003] JP 2008-218449 A

[0004] The present disclosure provides a technique that can suppress a decrease in operation rate caused by a decrease in the temperature of a treatment liquid.

[0005] A control method for a substrate processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a control method for a substrate processing apparatus including a plurality of processing units that perform substrate processing using a processing liquid and one or more supply units that supply heated processing liquid to the plurality of processing units. The control method for the substrate processing apparatus includes an acquiring step, an identifying step, and a changing step. The acquiring step acquires first log information indicating the execution status of substrate processing for each processing unit. The identifying step identifies, based on the first log information, an off-time period during which substrate processing is not performed by any of the plurality of processing units. The changing step changes the processing time of a temperature adjustment process that maintains the temperature of the heated processing liquid for a supply unit, among the one or more supply units, that corresponds to a processing liquid used for substrate processing that has not yet been performed during the off-time period, so as to reduce the length of the off-time period.

[0006] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the operating rate due to a decrease in the temperature of the treatment liquid.

[0007] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a processing unit according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control device according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of first log information according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of second log information according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of third log information according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of specifying non-operating time according to an embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of changing the processing time of a temperature adjustment process according to an embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing procedures of an acquisition process, a specification process, and a change process among the processes executed by the substrate processing system according to an embodiment.

[0008] Hereinafter, a method for controlling a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing apparatus according to the present disclosure (hereinafter referred to as an "embodiment") will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiment.

[0009] <Configuration of Substrate Processing System> A schematic configuration of a substrate processing system 1 (an example of a substrate processing apparatus) according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of the substrate processing system 1 according to an embodiment. In the following, to clarify the positional relationships, mutually orthogonal X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are defined, and the positive direction of the Z-axis is defined as the vertically upward direction.

[0010] 1, the substrate processing system 1 includes a loading / unloading station 2 and a processing station 3. The loading / unloading station 2 and the processing station 3 are provided adjacent to each other.

[0011] The loading / unloading station 2 includes a carrier placement unit 11 and a transport unit 12. A plurality of carriers C are placed on the carrier placement unit 11, each of which accommodates a plurality of substrates, in this embodiment, semiconductor wafers W (hereinafter referred to as wafers W), in a horizontal position.

[0012] The transfer section 12 is provided adjacent to the carrier placement section 11 and includes a substrate transfer device 13 and a transfer section 14. The substrate transfer device 13 includes a wafer holding mechanism that holds the wafer W. The substrate transfer device 13 is capable of moving horizontally and vertically and rotating about a vertical axis, and transfers the wafer W between the carrier C and the transfer section 14 using the wafer holding mechanism.

[0013] The processing station 3 is provided adjacent to the transport section 12. The processing station 3 includes a transport section 15 and a plurality of processing units 16 (an example of a processing section). The plurality of processing units 16 are provided side by side on both sides of the transport section 15.

[0014] The transfer section 15 includes a substrate transfer device 17 therein. The substrate transfer device 17 includes a wafer holding mechanism that holds the wafer W. The substrate transfer device 17 is capable of moving in the horizontal and vertical directions and rotating about a vertical axis, and transfers the wafer W between the delivery section 14 and the processing unit 16 using the wafer holding mechanism.

[0015] The processing unit 16 performs substrate processing on the wafer W transferred by the substrate transfer device 17. The processing unit 16 performs substrate processing using a processing liquid.

[0016] The substrate processing system 1 also includes a control device 4. The control device 4 is, for example, a computer, and includes a control unit 18 and a storage unit 19. The storage unit 19 stores programs that control various processes executed in the substrate processing system 1. The control unit 18 controls the operation of the substrate processing system 1 by reading and executing the programs stored in the storage unit 19.

[0017] The program may be recorded on a computer-readable storage medium and installed from the storage medium into the storage unit 19 of the control device 4. Examples of computer-readable storage media include a hard disk (HD), a flexible disk (FD), a compact disk (CD), a magnetic optical disk (MO), and a memory card.

[0018] In the substrate processing system 1 configured as described above, first, the substrate transfer device 13 in the loading / unloading station 2 removes the wafer W from the carrier C placed on the carrier placement unit 11 and places the removed wafer W on the transfer unit 14. The wafer W placed on the transfer unit 14 is then removed from the transfer unit 14 by the substrate transfer device 17 in the processing station 3 and carried into the processing unit 16.

[0019] The wafer W carried into the processing unit 16 is subjected to substrate processing by the processing unit 16, and then carried out of the processing unit 16 by the substrate transfer device 17 and placed on the transfer section 14. Then, the processed wafer W placed on the transfer section 14 is returned to the carrier C on the carrier placement section 11 by the substrate transfer device 13.

[0020] <Overview of Processing Unit> Next, an overview of the processing unit 16 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the processing unit 16 according to the embodiment. The processing unit 16 includes a chamber 20, a substrate holding mechanism 30, a processing liquid supply unit 40, and a collection cup 50.

[0021] The chamber 20 accommodates a substrate holding mechanism 30, a processing liquid supply unit 40, and a collection cup 50. A fan filter unit (FFU) 21 is provided on the ceiling of the chamber 20. The FFU 21 forms a downflow within the chamber 20.

[0022] The substrate holding mechanism 30 includes a holding part 31, a support part 32, and a drive part 33. The holding part 31 holds the wafer W horizontally. The support part 32 is a member extending in the vertical direction, and its base end is rotatably supported by the drive part 33, and its tip end supports the holding part 31 horizontally. The drive part 33 rotates the support part 32 around a vertical axis.

[0023] The substrate holding mechanism 30 rotates the support column 32 using the drive unit 33, thereby rotating the holder 31 supported by the support column 32. This causes the wafer W held by the holder 31 to rotate.

[0024] The processing liquid supply unit 40 supplies a processing liquid to the wafer W. The processing liquid supply unit 40 is connected to processing liquid supply sources 70a-70c (an example of a supply unit). Hereinafter, when the processing liquid supply sources 70a-70c are not particularly distinguished from one another, they may be collectively referred to as the "processing liquid supply source 70." The processing liquid supply source 70 has a heater (not shown) and supplies heated processing liquid to the multiple processing units 16. The processing liquid supply source 70a is a pure water supply unit that supplies heated pure water, the processing liquid supply source 70b is a chemical liquid supply unit that supplies heated chemical liquid, and the processing liquid supply source 70c is an ozone water supply unit that supplies heated ozone water. The number of processing liquid supply sources 70 is not limited to three, and may be two or less, or four or more.

[0025] Collection cup 50 is disposed to surround holder 31, and collects the processing liquid scattered from wafer W by the rotation of holder 31. A drain port 51 is formed in the bottom of collection cup 50, and the processing liquid collected by collection cup 50 is discharged from drain port 51 to the outside of processing unit 16. In addition, an exhaust port 52 is formed in the bottom of collection cup 50, through which gas supplied from FFU 21 is discharged to the outside of processing unit 16.

[0026] In the substrate processing system 1, before substrate processing is performed by the plurality of processing units 16, a preparatory process is performed in which the processing liquid supply source 70 heats the processing liquid to a target temperature suitable for the substrate processing. When the preparatory process is performed by the processing liquid supply source 70, substrate processing by each processing unit 16 is temporarily not performed, which may result in a decrease in the operating rate of the substrate processing system 1.

[0027] In contrast, in the substrate processing system 1, in order to reduce a decrease in the temperature of the processing liquid, a temperature control process may be performed by the processing liquid supply source 70 to maintain the temperature of the heated processing liquid. That is, in the temperature control process, the processing liquid supply source 70 continues to heat the processing liquid by controlling the heater to be ON for a predetermined time after the substrate processing is completed. This reduces the processing time of the preparation process by the processing liquid supply source 70.

[0028] On the other hand, if the processing time of the temperature control processing by the processing liquid supply source 70 is not appropriate, the temperature of the processing liquid will drop and the processing time of the preparation processing by the processing liquid supply source 70 will become longer, which may result in substrate processing by each processing unit 16 not being performed efficiently and reducing the operating rate.

[0029] Therefore, in the substrate processing system 1 according to the embodiment, the processing time of the temperature control processing by the processing liquid supply source 70 is appropriately changed to suppress the temperature drop of the processing liquid and suppress the decrease in operating rate caused by the temperature drop of the processing liquid.

[0030] <Configuration of Control Device> Next, the configuration of the control device 4 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device 4 according to the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the control device 4 includes a control unit 18 and a storage unit 19.

[0031] The control unit 18 is a controller. The control unit 18 is realized, for example, by a central processing unit (CPU) or a micro processing unit (MPU) executing various programs stored in a storage device inside the control device 4 using a RAM as a work area. The control unit 18 is also realized, for example, by an integrated circuit such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0032] The storage unit 19 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a random access memory (RAM) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 18 includes an acquisition unit 181, a specification unit 182, and a change unit 183, and realizes or executes the functions and actions of the processes described below.

[0034] The acquisition unit 181 acquires first to third log information 191 to 193. Specifically, the acquisition unit 181 acquires the first to third log information 191 to 193 by controlling the plurality of processing units 16 to execute various substrate processes in accordance with recipe information (not shown) stored in the storage unit 19. The acquisition unit 181 stores the acquired first to third log information 191 to 193 in the storage unit 19.

[0035] The first log information 191 is log information that indicates the execution status of substrate processing for each processing unit 16. An example of the contents of the first log information 191 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the first log information 191 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the first log information 191 is information that associates a "date and time" item with an "execution status of substrate processing" item.

[0036] The "date and time" stores the date and time when the corresponding "substrate processing execution status" was acquired. The "substrate processing execution status" stores information indicating whether substrate processing is currently being performed for each processing unit 16. For example, the first line in Figure 4 indicates that at the date and time "20xx / yy / zz 00:01:00", substrate processing is being performed by the processing unit 16 of "processing unit #1", but substrate processing is not being performed by the processing unit 16 of "processing unit #2".

[0037] The second log information 192 is log information that indicates the start date and time and the end date and time for each process recipe of substrate processing that has been performed by the multiple processing units 16. An example of the content of the second log information 192 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the second log information 192 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the second log information 192 is information that associates an "performed substrate processing ID" item with a "processing recipe name" item, a "start date and time" item, and an "end date and time" item.

[0038] The "Completed Substrate Processing ID" field stores an identifier for identifying substrate processing that has been performed by multiple processing units 16. The "Processing Recipe Name" field stores the name of the processing recipe for the corresponding "Completed Substrate Processing ID." The "Start Date / Time" field stores the date and time when the substrate processing for the corresponding "Completed Substrate Processing ID" started in accordance with the processing recipe for the "Processing Recipe Name." The "End Date / Time" field stores the date and time when the substrate processing for the corresponding "Completed Substrate Processing ID" ended in accordance with the processing recipe for the "Processing Recipe Name." For example, the first row in FIG. 5 indicates that the substrate processing for the completed substrate processing ID "PJ1" started at the start date and time "20xx / yy / zz 23:44:25" and ended at the end date and time "20xx / yy / zz 23:57:18" in accordance with the processing recipe for the processing recipe name "R1."

[0039] The third log information 193 is log information that indicates an event that prevents the supply of the processing liquid for each processing liquid supply source 70. An example of the content of the third log information 193 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the third log information 193 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the third log information 193 is information that associates a "date and time" item with an "event" item.

[0040] The "date and time" field stores the date and time when the corresponding "event" occurred. The "event" field stores information indicating an event that occurred in each of the processing liquid supply sources 70a to 70c and prevented the supply of the processing liquid. For example, the first line in FIG. 6 indicates that, at the date and time "20xx / yy / zz 06:05:41," the supply of the processing liquid from the processing liquid supply source 70a was prevented because the preparatory process for heating the processing liquid by the processing liquid supply source 70a to a target temperature suitable for substrate processing had not yet been completed. The first line in FIG. 6 also indicates that, at the date and time "20xx / yy / zz 06:05:41," no event preventing the supply of the processing liquid occurred for the processing liquid supply sources 70b and 70c. If a failure occurs in the processing liquid supply source 70, "failure" indicating that failure occurs is stored in the "event."

[0041] The identifying unit 182 identifies, based on the first log information 191, a non-operating time during which substrate processing is not performed by any of the plurality of processing units 16.

[0042] Here, the identification of non-operating time by the identifying unit 182 will be described with reference to FIG. 7 . FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of identifying non-operating time according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7 , the identifying unit 182 first generates plot data in which data indicating the execution status of substrate processing for each processing unit 16 is plotted against elapsed time based on the first log information 191. For example, in the plot data, a plot (black plot in FIG. 7 ) is added when substrate processing is being performed for each processing unit 16. Then, the identifying unit 182 identifies, as non-operating time, a time ΔT in the plot data where there is no plot corresponding to all of the processing units 16 (processing units #1 to #12 in FIG. 7 ).

[0043] The modification unit 183 modifies the processing time of the temperature control process for maintaining the temperature of the heated processing liquid for the processing liquid supply source 70 among the multiple processing liquid supply sources 70 corresponding to the processing liquid used for the substrate processing that has not yet been performed during the non-operating time ΔT so that the length of the non-operating time is shortened.

[0044] Specifically, first, the change unit 183 identifies, based on the downtime ΔT and the second log information 192, a substrate treatment that has been performed immediately after the downtime ΔT as a substrate treatment that has not been performed during the downtime ΔT. For example, the change unit 183 references the second log information 192 and identifies, as a substrate treatment that has not been performed during the downtime ΔT, a substrate treatment whose start date and time is closest to the end of the downtime ΔT. Then, based on the downtime ΔT and the third log information 193, the change unit 183 extracts events that occurred during the downtime ΔT for the processing liquid supply source 70 corresponding to the processing liquid used in the substrate treatment that has been performed immediately after the downtime ΔT. Then, if the content of the extracted event indicates that a preparation process for heating the processing liquid to a target temperature has not yet been completed, the change unit 183 changes the processing time of the temperature adjustment process to shorten the downtime ΔT.

[0045] Here, the change of the processing time of the temperature adjustment processing by the change unit 183 will be described with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of a change of the processing time of the temperature adjustment processing according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the processing liquid supply source 70 continues to heat the processing liquid by controlling the heater to be ON for a predetermined time ΔT1 after the substrate processing is completed. This reduces the processing time of the preparation processing by the processing liquid supply source 70.

[0046] On the other hand, if the processing time ΔT1 of the temperature control processing by the processing liquid supply source 70 is not appropriate, the temperature of the processing liquid will drop and the processing time of the preparatory processing by the processing liquid supply source 70 will become longer, which may result in substrate processing by each processing unit 16 not being performed efficiently and reducing the operating rate.

[0047] In response to this, the change unit 183 changes the processing time ΔT1 of the temperature adjustment processing by the processing liquid supply source 70 to a processing time ΔT2 that is longer than the processing time ΔT1. As a result, the processing liquid after substrate processing is heated by the processing liquid supply source 70 for a longer period of time, thereby suppressing a decrease in the temperature of the processing liquid, thereby shortening the processing time of the preparatory processing by the processing liquid supply source 70 or omitting the preparatory processing by the processing liquid supply source 70. As a result, substrate processing by each processing unit 16 is performed efficiently, and the length of the non-operating time ΔT is shortened.

[0048] As described above, in the embodiment, the changing unit 183 changes the processing time ΔT1 of the temperature adjustment processing for the processing liquid supply source 70 corresponding to the processing liquid used for the unexecuted substrate processing during the non-operational time ΔT among the plurality of processing liquid supply sources 70 so as to shorten the non-operational time ΔT. This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in the availability of the substrate processing system 1 due to a decrease in the temperature of the processing liquid.

[0049] In the embodiment, the change unit 183 calculates the time interval between the multiple substrate processing operations that have already been performed based on the non-operating time ΔT and the second log information 192, and changes the processing time ΔT1 of the temperature adjustment processing so that it is equal to or shorter than the calculated maximum time interval. This makes it possible to suppress an increase in power consumption of the processing liquid supply source 70 that is caused by changing the processing time of the temperature adjustment processing.

[0050] <Processing Flow of Substrate Processing System> Next, the procedures of the acquisition process, the specification process, and the change process among the processes executed by the substrate processing system 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing the procedures of the acquisition process, the specification process, and the change process among the processes executed by the substrate processing system 1 according to the embodiment. Each process shown in Fig. 1 is executed under the control of the control device 4.

[0051] First, an acquisition process is performed in the substrate processing system 1. Specifically, the control unit 18 acquires first to third log information 191 to 193 by controlling the plurality of processing units 16 to perform various substrate processes in accordance with recipe information (not shown) stored in the storage unit 19 (step S101). The control unit 18 stores the acquired first to third log information 191 to 193 in the storage unit 19.

[0052] Next, the specific process is performed in the substrate processing system 1. Specifically, the control unit 18 generates plot data in which data indicating the execution status of the substrate processing for each processing unit 16 is plotted against the elapsed time based on the first log information 191 (step S102).

[0053] Then, the control unit 18 identifies, in the plot data, a time ΔT during which there are no plots corresponding to all of the plurality of processing units 16 as non-operating time (step S103).

[0054] If the non-operating time ΔT is not specified (step S104; No), the control unit 18 ends the specifying process.

[0055] On the other hand, if the non-operating time ΔT has been identified (step S104; Yes), a change process is performed in the substrate processing system 1. Specifically, based on the non-operating time ΔT and the second log information 192, the control unit 18 identifies the substrate processing that has been performed immediately after the non-operating time ΔT as the substrate processing that has not been performed during the non-operating time ΔT (step S105).

[0056] Based on the non-operating time ΔT and the third log information 193, the control unit 18 extracts events during the non-operating time ΔT for the processing liquid supply source 70 among the multiple processing liquid supply sources 70 corresponding to the processing liquid used for the substrate processing that was performed immediately after the non-operating time ΔT (step S106).

[0057] The control unit 18 determines whether the content of the extracted event indicates that the preparation process for heating the treatment liquid to the target temperature has not yet been completed (step S107).

[0058] In step S107, if the content of the extracted event does not indicate that the preparation process for heating the treatment liquid to the target temperature has not yet been completed (step S107; No), the control unit 18 performs processing according to the content of the extracted event (step S108). For example, if the content of the extracted event indicates a failure of the treatment liquid supply source 70, the control unit 18 causes an output device (not shown), such as a display unit or an audio output unit, to output warning information such as a warning screen or a warning sound.

[0059] In step S107, if the content of the extracted event indicates that the preparatory process of heating the processing liquid to the target temperature has not yet been completed (step S107; Yes), the control unit 18 changes the processing time of the temperature adjustment process so that the length of the non-operating time ΔT is shortened (step S109).

[0060] After completing the processes of steps S108 and S109, the control unit 18 ends the change process.

[0061] As described above, the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment (for example, the substrate processing system 1) includes a plurality of processing units (for example, the processing unit 16), one or more supply units (for example, the processing liquid supply sources 70a to 70c), and a controller (for example, the controller 18). The plurality of processing units perform substrate processing using processing liquid. The one or more supply units supply heated processing liquid to the plurality of processing units. The controller controls each unit. The controller executes an acquiring step, an identifying step, and a changing step. The acquiring step acquires first log information (for example, first log information 191) indicating the execution status of substrate processing for each processing unit. The identifying step identifies, based on the first log information, an off-time period (for example, an off-time period ΔT) during which substrate processing is not performed by all of the plurality of processing units. The changing step changes the processing time of a temperature adjustment process for maintaining the temperature of the heated processing liquid for one or more supply units corresponding to the processing liquid used for substrate processing not yet performed during the off-time period so as to reduce the length of the off-time period. This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in the operating rate due to a decrease in the temperature of the processing liquid.

[0062] The acquiring step may further acquire second log information (e.g., second log information 192) indicating start dates and times and end dates and times for each process recipe of substrate processing performed by the multiple processing units, and third log information (e.g., third log information 193) indicating an event that prevents supply of a processing liquid for each supply unit. The changing step may identify, based on the downtime and the second log information, a substrate processing performed immediately after the downtime as the substrate processing not performed during the downtime. The changing step may extract, based on the downtime and the third log information, an event that occurred during the downtime for a supply unit corresponding to a processing liquid used in a substrate processing performed immediately after the downtime. If the extracted event indicates that a preparation process for heating a processing liquid to a target temperature has not been completed, the changing step may change the processing time of the temperature adjustment process to shorten the length of the downtime. This shortens the processing time for preparatory processing by the supply unit, or even eliminates the preparatory processing by the supply unit, allowing substrate processing by each processing unit to be carried out efficiently, and as a result, the length of non-operating time ΔT can be reduced.

[0063] The changing step may calculate the time interval between the plurality of substrate processing operations that have already been performed based on the non-operating time and the second log information, and change the processing time of the temperature adjustment processing so that it is equal to or shorter than the calculated maximum time interval, thereby suppressing an increase in power consumption of the supply unit due to a change in the processing time of the temperature adjustment processing.

[0064] The identifying step may generate plot data that plots data indicating the execution status of the substrate processing for each processing unit against elapsed time based on the first log information. The identifying step may also identify, as non-operating time, a time in the plot data in which there is no plot corresponding to all of the plurality of processing units. This makes it possible to easily identify non-operating time.

[0065] The one or more supply units may include at least one of a pure water supply unit that supplies heated pure water, a chemical solution supply unit that supplies heated chemical solution, and an ozone water supply unit that supplies heated ozone water, thereby making it possible to suppress a decrease in the operating rate due to a decrease in the temperatures of the pure water, chemical solution, and ozone water.

[0066] The disclosed embodiments should be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. Indeed, the above-described embodiments may be embodied in various forms. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments may be omitted, substituted, or modified in various ways without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

[0067] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Substrate processing system 4 Control device 16 Processing unit 18 Control unit 19 Memory unit 70 Processing liquid supply source 70a Processing liquid supply source 70b Processing liquid supply source 70c Processing liquid supply source 181 Acquisition unit 182 Identification unit 183 Change unit 191 First log information 192 Second log information 193 Third log information W Wafer

Claims

1. A method for controlling a substrate processing apparatus having a plurality of processing sections which perform substrate processing using a processing liquid, and one or more supply sections which supply heated processing liquid to the plurality of processing sections, comprising the steps of: acquiring first log information which indicates the execution status of the substrate processing for each of the processing sections; identifying non-operating times during which the substrate processing is not performed by all of the plurality of processing sections based on the first log information; and changing a processing time of a temperature adjustment process which maintains the temperature of the heated processing liquid for a supply section among the one or more supply sections which corresponds to a processing liquid used for the substrate processing which has not been performed during the non-operating times, so that the length of the non-operating times is shortened.

2. The method of controlling a substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acquiring step further acquires, for each processing recipe of the substrate processing performed by the plurality of processing units, second log information indicating a start date and time and an end date and time, and for each supply unit, third log information indicating an event that prevents a supply of the processing liquid; and the changing step identifies, based on the non-operating time and the second log information, the substrate processing performed immediately after the non-operating time as the substrate processing not performed during the non-operating time; based on the non-operating time and the third log information, extracts the event during the non-operating time for a supply unit among the one or more supply units that corresponds to the processing liquid used for the substrate processing performed immediately after the non-operating time; and, if the content of the extracted event indicates that a preparatory process for heating the processing liquid to a target temperature has not been completed, changes the processing time of the temperature adjustment process so that the length of the non-operating time is reduced.

3. The method for controlling a substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the changing step calculates a time interval between multiple substrate processing operations that have already been performed based on the non-operating time and the second log information, and changes the processing time of the temperature adjustment processing so that it is equal to or shorter than the calculated maximum time interval.

4. A method for controlling a substrate processing apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein the identifying step comprises generating plot data in which data indicating the execution status of the substrate processing for each processing unit is plotted against elapsed time based on the first log information, and identifying a time in the plot data in which there is no plot corresponding to all of the plurality of processing units as the non-operating time.

5. The method of controlling a substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more supply units include at least one of a pure water supply unit that supplies heated pure water, a chemical liquid supply unit that supplies heated chemical liquid, and an ozone water supply unit that supplies heated ozone water.

6. A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a plurality of processing sections which perform substrate processing using a processing liquid; one or more supply sections which supply heated processing liquid to the plurality of processing sections; and a control section which controls each section, wherein the control section executes the following steps: acquiring first log information which indicates the execution status of the substrate processing for each of the processing sections; identifying non-operating time during which the substrate processing is not performed by all of the plurality of processing sections based on the first log information; and changing a processing time of a pre-processing for heating the processing liquid before the execution of the substrate processing for a supply section among the one or more supply sections which corresponds to a processing liquid used for the substrate processing that has not been performed during the non-operating time, so that the length of the non-operating time is reduced.

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