Computer program, information processing method, and information processing device

Abstract

Provided are a computer program, an information processing method, and an information processing device that can be expected to assist with determining an appropriate processing condition for substrate processing.　A computer program according to this embodiment causes a computer to execute processing to receive an input of a page indicating a processing condition and processing results for substrate processing performed by a substrate processing device, receive a selection of a page to register in a cabinet from among the page or pages for which the input was received, said cabinet being associated with a processing environment for the substrate processing, and store the page for which the selection was received in the corresponding cabinet.

Description

Computer program, information processing method, and information processing device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a computer program, an information processing method, and an information processing device.

[0002] Patent Document 1 proposes a substrate processing method in which, in a substrate processing apparatus that holds and rotates a substrate and ejects a processing liquid onto the substrate to etch the surface of the substrate, the amount of etching is controlled according to information regarding the characteristics of the surface processing of the substrate by the post-processing processing apparatus used in the post-processing.

[0003] JP 2016-82220 A

[0004] The present disclosure provides a computer program, an information processing method, and an information processing device that are expected to assist in determining processing conditions suitable for substrate processing.

[0005] A computer program according to one embodiment accepts input of a page indicating the processing conditions and processing results of substrate processing performed by a substrate processing apparatus, accepts selection of a page from the page for which input has been accepted to be registered in a cabinet associated with the processing environment of the substrate processing, and causes a computer to execute a process of storing the selected page in the corresponding cabinet.

[0006] The present disclosure is expected to assist in determining processing conditions suitable for substrate processing.

[0007] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining a configuration example of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining an overview of an information processing system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining data management by the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining an overview of the procedure of a recipe generation process performed in the information processing system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a cabinet management screen displayed by the information processing apparatus. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a page creation screen displayed by the information processing apparatus. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a binder management screen displayed by the information processing apparatus. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining registration of a page to a binder. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a measurement data display screen displayed by the information processing apparatus. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a recipe generated by the information processing apparatus.

[0008] Specific examples of information processing systems according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0009] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment is an apparatus for performing substrate processing, known as wet etching, in which a substrate to be processed (e.g., a wafer having an oxide film, nitride film, or the like formed thereon) is rotated while a chemical solution that dissolves the film is supplied onto the film to process the substrate into a desired shape. The substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment is configured to include a chamber 11, a substrate holding mechanism 12, a discharge unit 13, a collection cup 14, etc.

[0010] The chamber 11 is a sealed reaction vessel that houses therein a substrate holding mechanism 12, a discharge unit 13, a collection cup 14, etc. An FFU (Fan Filter Unit) 15 is provided on the ceiling of the chamber 11. The FFU 15 creates a downflow within the chamber 11.

[0011] The substrate holding mechanism 12 includes a holding unit 12a, a support unit 12b, and a drive unit 12c. The holding unit 12a is, for example, disk-shaped and horizontally holds a substrate (wafer) to be processed on the disk. The support unit 12b is a cylindrical member connected to the center of the underside of the holding unit 12a and extending vertically (up and down in FIG. 1 ), supporting the holding unit 12a horizontally. The lower end of the support unit 12b is connected to the drive unit 12c and rotatably supported by the drive unit 12c. The drive unit 12c has a prime mover such as a motor and rotates the support unit 12b around its axis. As a result, the substrate holding mechanism 12 rotates the support unit 12b using the drive unit 12c, thereby rotating the holding unit 12a supported by the support unit 12b and rotating the substrate held by the holding unit 12a.

[0012] The discharge unit 13 discharges a liquid such as a chemical solution or a cleaning solution onto the substrate held by the substrate holding mechanism 12. For example, dilute hydrofluoric acid is used as the chemical solution, and pure water is used as the cleaning solution, but the liquids discharged by the discharge unit 13 are not limited to these. The discharge unit 13 is connected to a liquid supply source 16 provided outside the chamber 11 via, for example, a tubular liquid supply path, and discharges the liquid supplied from this supply source 16 onto the substrate. The discharge unit 13 is also connected to a drive mechanism (not shown) and can move horizontally between the center and peripheral edge of the substrate. By combining the rotation of the substrate by the substrate holding mechanism 12 and the horizontal movement of the discharge unit 13 by the drive mechanism, the substrate processing apparatus 1 can discharge the liquid from the discharge unit 13 to an appropriate position on the substrate to be processed.

[0013] The collection cup 14 is disposed so as to surround the holder 12a of the substrate holding mechanism 12, and collects liquid scattered from the substrate due to the rotation of the holder 12a. A drain port 14a is provided at the bottom of the collection cup 14, and the liquid collected by the collection cup 14 is discharged from the drain port 14a to the outside of the chamber 11. In addition, an exhaust port 14b is provided at the bottom of the collection cup 14, and the gas supplied from the FFU 15 is discharged from the exhaust port 14b to the outside of the chamber 11.

[0014] 1 is configured to include one discharge unit 13 that discharges a liquid. The substrate processing apparatus 1 can selectively discharge either a chemical liquid for dissolving a substrate or a cleaning liquid for cleaning the substrate by switching between the chemical liquid for dissolving the substrate and the cleaning liquid using a supply source 16. However, the substrate processing apparatus 1 may be configured to include a plurality of discharge units 13. For example, the substrate processing apparatus 1 may be configured to include a separate discharge unit 13 for discharging a chemical liquid and a separate discharge unit 13 for discharging a cleaning liquid.

[0015] 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an overview of an information processing system according to this embodiment. The information processing system according to this embodiment is configured to include the substrate processing apparatus 1 described above and an information processing apparatus 3. The information processing apparatus 3 can communicate with the substrate processing apparatus 1 via wired or wireless communication and provides information such as processing conditions for substrate processing to the substrate processing apparatus 1, thereby controlling the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1 so as to perform the desired substrate processing. The substrate processing apparatus 1 performs substrate processing in accordance with the processing conditions provided by the information processing apparatus 3, and transmits measurement data obtained by performing various measurements related to the substrate processing using its own sensors to the information processing apparatus 3. Note that, in this embodiment, the information processing apparatus 3 is provided as a separate apparatus from the substrate processing apparatus 1, but this is not limited thereto and may be an apparatus integrated with the substrate processing apparatus 1.

[0016] The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a sensor in the chamber 11 for measuring, for example, the etching amount of the substrate to be processed (the depth to which the surface of the substrate is dug by the etching process). This sensor measures the distance to the target object by emitting, for example, light, ultrasonic waves, or radio waves and detecting the reflected waves. The sensor is positioned above the substrate to be processed held by the substrate holding mechanism 12 and measures the distance from the sensor to the substrate surface. The substrate processing apparatus 1 can calculate the etching amount by measuring the distance to the substrate surface before the etching process and the distance to the substrate surface after the etching process using the sensor and calculating the difference between the two distances. Note that, in this embodiment, an example will be described in which etching is performed as the substrate processing; however, the substrate processing is not limited to etching and may be any process, and the measurement data obtained from the substrate processing apparatus 1 may be any data.

[0017] The information processing device 3 stores measurement data obtained from the substrate processing device 1 that performed the substrate processing in association with the processing conditions of the substrate processing in a process DB (database) 5. The information processing device 3 causes the substrate processing device 1 to perform substrate processing under various processing conditions, obtains measurement data as the processing results under each processing condition, and accumulates data sets of the processing conditions and the processing results in the process DB 5. The information processing device 3 according to this embodiment assists in the work of collecting data related to such substrate processing.

[0018] After sufficient data has been accumulated in the process DB 5, the information processing device 3 performs an optimization process using the accumulated data to generate a "recipe" for causing the substrate processing device 1 to perform a desired substrate processing. When performing substrate processing, such as wet etching, in the substrate processing device 1, various conditions must be set, such as the amount and timing of the cleaning solution and chemical solution discharged from the discharge unit 13, the timing and speed of translation of the discharge unit 13, and the rotation speed of the substrate held by the substrate holding mechanism 12. Setting these various processing conditions for substrate processing significantly affects the results of the substrate processing, and in the past, users set appropriate conditions through repeated trial and error. Data that collects these substrate processing condition settings is called a "recipe." Conventionally, substrate processing was performed according to the user's settings by inputting recipe data created by a user into the substrate processing device 1. The information processing device 3 according to this embodiment generates a recipe for substrate processing based on previously collected data, thereby assisting the user in creating the recipe.

[0019] Furthermore, the information processing device 3 according to this embodiment also has functions to assist the user in the work of storing data in the process DB 5 and the work of managing the data stored in the process DB 5. Details of these support functions will be described later.

[0020] 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing device 3 according to this embodiment. The information processing device 3 according to this embodiment can be realized by installing a predetermined application program or the like in a general-purpose information processing device such as a personal computer or a server computer. The information processing device 3 according to this embodiment is configured to include a processing unit 31, a storage unit 32, a communication unit 33, a display unit 34, an operation unit 35, etc. Note that, in this embodiment, the processing will be described as being performed by a single information processing device 3, but the processing of the information processing device 3 may be distributed among multiple devices.

[0021] The processing unit 31 is configured using an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) or a quantum processor, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The processing unit 31 reads and executes a program 32a stored in the storage unit 32 to perform various processes, such as a process of collecting measurement data related to substrate processing, a process of storing and managing the collected data in the process DB 5, and a process of generating an optimal recipe using the stored data.

[0022] The storage unit 32 is configured using a large-capacity storage device such as a hard disk or an SSD (Solid State Drive). The storage unit 32 stores various programs executed by the processing unit 31 and various data required for the processing of the processing unit 31. In this embodiment, the storage unit 32 stores a program 32a executed by the processing unit 31. The storage unit 32 also includes the above-mentioned process DB 5 and a recipe storage unit 32b that stores information on generated recipes. The process DB 5 may not be provided in the storage unit 32 of the information processing device 3, but may be provided as a device separate from the information processing device 3.

[0023] In this embodiment, the program (computer program, program product) 22a is provided in a form recorded on a recording medium 99 such as a memory card or an optical disc, and the information processing device 3 reads the program 32a from the recording medium 99 and stores it in the storage unit 32. However, the program 32a may also be written to the storage unit 32, for example, during the manufacturing stage of the information processing device 3. Alternatively, the program 32a may be distributed by a remote server device or the like and acquired by the information processing device 3 via communication. For example, the program 32a may be read from the recording medium 99 by a writing device and written to the storage unit 32 of the information processing device 3. The program 32a may be provided in a form distributed via a network or provided in a form recorded on the recording medium 99.

[0024] The process DB 5 is a database that stores processing conditions and processing results (observation data) related to substrate processing performed in the substrate processing apparatus 1 in association with each other. The recipe storage unit 32b stores recipe information generated by the information processing apparatus 3 based on the data stored in the process DB 5. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining data management by the information processing apparatus 3 according to this embodiment. The information processing apparatus 3 according to this embodiment manages sets of processing conditions and observation data stored in the process DB 5 under the name of "page." However, a page may include information only on processing conditions, but may also include pages for which no observation data related to these processing conditions has been obtained. A substrate processing for which information on processing conditions and processing results is stored as pages in the process DB 5 is a process in which a series of processes performed on a substrate to be processed is divided into the smallest (or nearly the smallest) units for which the user can set conditions (or measure processing results). The substrate processing apparatus 1 can perform a desired substrate processing on a substrate to be processed by sequentially performing processes for multiple pages.

[0025] The information processing device 3 according to this embodiment manages these multiple pages by storing (memorizing) them in multiple "cabinets" that are divided according to the environments in which substrate processing is performed. The information processing device 3 according to this embodiment also accepts the selection of multiple pages to be used for recipe generation from the multiple pages stored in the cabinet, and stores and manages the selected multiple pages in a "binder." Multiple "binders" may exist, but one of the multiple binders is selected as an "active binder," and the other binders are "inactive binders." The information processing device 3 generates a recipe that achieves the goals set by the user by optimizing the combination of multiple pages based on the multiple pages included in the active binder. Note that the pages included in the binder must contain both processing conditions and processing results; it is prohibited to include pages that only contain processing conditions but no processing results in the binder.

[0026] The recipe generated in this embodiment is a list of substrate processing conditions included in each of multiple pages selected by the optimization process, arranged in substrate processing order. The substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment processes substrates by alternately repeating two types of operation patterns: one in which the discharge unit 13 discharges a chemical or cleaning solution at the center of the substrate to be processed, and another in which the discharge unit 13 discharges a chemical or cleaning solution while moving horizontally. Correspondingly, the pages stored in the process DB 5 in this embodiment include two types of pages: a "center discharge page" corresponding to the operation pattern in which discharge is performed at the center, and an "arm swing discharge page" corresponding to the operation pattern in which discharge is performed while moving horizontally. In FIG. 4 , the center discharge page is represented by a rectangular area with rounded corners, and the arm swing discharge page is represented by a rectangular area with unrounded corners. In the recipe according to this embodiment, processing conditions are defined such that the center discharge page and the arm swing discharge page are alternately arranged, and a pair of one center discharge page and one arm swing discharge page is managed as a "leaf."

[0027] The communication unit 33 of the information processing device 3 transmits and receives data to and from the substrate processing device 1 via, for example, a wired or wireless network N. In this embodiment, the communication unit 33 receives observation data transmitted from the substrate processing device 1 and provides the data to the processing unit 31. The communication unit 33 may also transmit, for example, a command to control the operation of the substrate processing device 1 to the substrate processing device 1 based on the information provided by the processing unit 31.

[0028] The display unit 34 is configured using a liquid crystal display or the like, and displays various images, characters, and the like based on the processing of the processing unit 31. The display unit 34 displays various information, such as a screen for managing measurement data acquired from the substrate processing apparatus 1, data on processing conditions and processing results stored in the process DB 5, or information on generated recipes.

[0029] The operation unit 35 accepts user operations and notifies the processing unit 31 of the accepted operations. For example, the operation unit 35 accepts user operations using an input device such as a mechanical button or a touch panel provided on the surface of the display unit 34. Furthermore, for example, the operation unit 35 may be an input device such as a mouse and a keyboard, and these input devices may be configured to be detachable from the information processing device 3.

[0030] The storage unit 32 may be an external storage device connected to the information processing device 3. The information processing device 3 may be a multi-computer including multiple computers, or may be a virtual machine virtually constructed by software. The information processing device 3 is not limited to the above configuration, and may include, for example, a reading unit that reads information stored in a portable storage medium, and may not include, for example, the display unit 34 and the operation unit 35.

[0031] In the information processing apparatus 3 according to this embodiment, the processing unit 31 reads and executes a program 32a stored in the storage unit 32, whereby a data collection processing unit 31a, a data management processing unit 31b, a recipe generation processing unit 31c, a control processing unit 31d, a display processing unit 31e, etc. are realized as software functional units in the processing unit 31. Note that in the figure, functional units that perform processing related to data collection from the substrate processing apparatus 1, management of the collected data, and generation of recipes are shown as functional units of the processing unit 31, and functional units related to processing other than these are not shown.

[0032] The data collection processor 31a collects data required for generating a recipe from the substrate processing apparatus 1 and stores the data in the process DB 5. In the information processing system according to this embodiment, a user registers processing conditions requiring observation data in advance in a cabinet as pages (pages without processing results). The data collection processor 31a acquires pages without processing results from the cabinet, causes the substrate processing apparatus 1 to perform substrate processing under the processing conditions set in the acquired pages, and acquires observation data representing the processing results from the substrate processing apparatus 1. The data collection processor 31a stores the acquired observation data together with the processing conditions in the corresponding pages.

[0033] The data management processing unit 31b performs processing to manage the substrate processing condition and processing result data stored in the process DB 5 using names such as "page," "cabinet," "binder," and "leaf." These names were introduced in response to the conventional metaphor of calling the data used by the substrate processing apparatus 1 to control substrate processing a "recipe." The entities of "page," "cabinet," "binder," and "leaf" can be treated as, for example, files, folders, or objects in a general computer system. The data management processing unit 31b can perform the above information management by storing information regarding which cabinet, binder, and leaf each page (data on processing conditions and processing results) is contained in. The data management processing unit 31b performs this data management by displaying, for example, a page input screen, a page registration screen for a cabinet, and a page registration screen for a binder, and accepting information input from the user.

[0034] The recipe generation processing unit 31c performs processing to generate a recipe for controlling substrate processing in the substrate processing apparatus 1 based on information on multiple pages stored in the process DB 5. In this embodiment, the recipe generation processing unit 31c generates a recipe by determining, through optimization processing, a combination of pages that can achieve a target value for substrate processing set by the user, based on the multiple pages included in the activated binder. Based on the optimized combination of multiple pages, the recipe generation processing unit 31c generates data as a recipe in which the processing conditions included on these pages are arranged in processing order, and stores the generated recipe in the recipe storage unit 32b. The recipe generation processing unit 31c realizes feedforward on a substrate-by-substrate basis by generating a recipe that achieves a target value for measurement data of the substrate to be processed.

[0035] The control processing unit 31d controls the substrate processing operation of the substrate processing apparatus 1 based on the recipe stored in the recipe storage unit 32b. The control processing unit 31d sequentially transmits multiple processing conditions included in the recipe to the substrate processing apparatus 1 and instructs the substrate processing apparatus 1 to perform the substrate processing under the processing conditions set in the recipe. Alternatively, the control processing unit 31d may transmit recipe information collectively to the substrate processing apparatus 1 and instruct the substrate processing apparatus 1 to perform the substrate processing according to the recipe. The control processing unit 31d may acquire, for example, measurement data of the etching amount of the substrate processing based on the recipe from the substrate processing apparatus 1 as a processing result of the substrate processing performed by the substrate processing apparatus 1 based on the recipe, and store the data in the storage unit 32. Furthermore, while the substrate processing apparatus 1 is performing the substrate processing, the control processing unit 31d acquires data measured by various sensors mounted on the substrate processing apparatus 1 and performs control processing based on the acquired data, such as stopping the substrate processing if an abnormality occurs, for example.

[0036] The display processing unit 31e performs processing to display various characters, images, and the like on the display unit 34. In the present embodiment, the display processing unit 31e graphs, for example, measurement data measured by the substrate processing apparatus 1 or processing results included in pages stored in the process DB 5, and displays the graphs on the display unit 34. The display processing unit 31e also displays, on the display unit 34, information about multiple pages stored in the process DB 5, a management screen for managing these pages using concepts such as cabinets and binders, and a setting screen for the user to set target values ​​for substrate processing. The display processing unit 31e also displays, on the display unit 34, information about the recipe generated by the recipe generation processing unit 31c. When the substrate processing apparatus 1 is performing substrate processing, the display processing unit 31e also displays, on the display unit 34, information such as the status of the substrate processing. The display processing unit 31e may also display various other information on the display unit 34.

[0037] <Recipe Creation Process> Figure 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the outline of the recipe creation process performed by the information processing system according to this embodiment. In the information processing system according to this embodiment, the information processing device 3 accepts input of a page that associates information on substrate processing conditions and results of substrate processing performed by the substrate processing device 1, or a page that contains only information on substrate processing conditions but no information on results (step S1). Input of the substrate processing conditions included in the page may be accepted, for example, by acquiring numerical values ​​entered by a user using the operation unit 35 of the information processing device 3, or by loading a file created by a user in advance using another application program such as a spreadsheet, or by other methods. Input of the substrate processing results included in the page may be accepted, for example, by the information processing device 3 loading a file containing measurement data recorded by the substrate processing device 1.

[0038] The information processing device 3 registers the page input in step S1 in a cabinet (step S2). In the information processing system according to this embodiment, for example, a plurality of cabinets are created in advance by the user in association with the processing environment of the substrate processing device 1, and the information processing device 3 stores in advance information about the cabinet names and processing environments, etc. The information processing device 3 displays, for example, information about one or more cabinets created in advance, and accepts an operation from the user to select in which cabinet the input page should be stored. In response to the user's selection operation, the information processing device 3 stores each page in the process DB 5 in association with the selected cabinet.

[0039] The information processing device 3 performs a process of collecting measurement data that serves as information on the processing results for pages stored in the cabinet that have substrate processing conditions but no processing result information (step S3). At this time, the information processing device 3 causes the substrate processing device 1 to perform substrate processing based on the processing condition information included in the page from which data is to be collected, and acquires measurement data measured in relation to this substrate processing from the substrate processing device 1. The information processing device 3 stores the measurement data acquired from the substrate processing device 1 in association with the page on which the substrate processing conditions are set as information on the processing results.

[0040] The information processing device 3 registers, in a binder, one or more pages stored in the cabinet that contain information on both substrate processing conditions and substrate processing results (step S4). In the information processing system according to this embodiment, one or more binders are created in advance by the user, and the information processing device 3 stores information on the binders, such as their names, in advance. The binders are used to store pages used in optimization processing for recipe generation. The information processing device 3 displays, for example, information on one or more binders created in advance, and accepts an operation from the user to select pages to be registered in the binder from the pages stored in the cabinet. The information processing device 3 associates the selected pages with the binder in accordance with the user's selection operation.

[0041] The information processing device 3 accepts input of target values ​​for the optimization process for the binder for which page registration was accepted in step S4 (step S5). For example, if the substrate processing is an etching process, the thickness of the substrate to be excavated by the etching process (etching amount) may be input as the target value. Note that the target value to be input is not limited to the etching amount, and may be any value related to the results of the substrate processing.

[0042] If there are multiple binders, the information processing device 3 activates one of the multiple binders in response to a user selection operation (step S6). Note that if there is only one binder, the single binder may be activated, or the activation process in the information processing system may be omitted. The information processing device 3, for example, displays information about multiple binders, accepts a selection of one binder to be activated from the user, and stores the selected binder with information such as a flag indicating that it has been activated.

[0043] The information processing device 3 communicates with the substrate processing device 1 via the communication unit 33 to obtain pre-processing measurement data from the substrate processing device 1, which measures the thickness of the target substrate before processing, for the substrate to be etched (step S7).

[0044] Based on the target value set in step S5, the multiple pages stored in the binder activated in step S6, and the pre-processing measurement data acquired in step S7, the information processing device 3 performs an optimization process (step S8) to search for an optimal combination of pages (processing conditions included in the pages) for performing substrate processing that can achieve the set target value. The information processing device 3 appropriately combines the multiple pages stored in the binder, calculates the final substrate processing results obtained when multiple substrate processing processes corresponding to the combined multiple pages are performed by adding up the substrate processing results included in each page, and searches for a page combination whose calculated final substrate processing results are closest to the target value. Note that any method may be used for the search (optimization) by the information processing device 3, and for example, it may perform a brute force search of all combinations.

[0045] The information processing device 3 may not simply combine multiple pages, but may also perform various arithmetic operations on the information contained in the pages to perform optimization. The information processing device 3 may search for a combination of pages while taking into account fluctuations in the etching amount of the etching process that occur when combining multiple processes. For example, the information processing device 3 may predict and take into account the etching amount during changes in the substrate rotation speed. The information processing device 3 may also take into account the effect of special swing speed changes to seamlessly connect the arm operation when transitioning from the previous process to the next process. The information processing device 3 may also search for an optimal combination of pages by adjusting the processing time or number of processes contained in each page. For example, for a page that had 10 swings during data collection in step S3, the information processing device 3 may reduce the number of swings to 6 or the like during the optimization process, and generate measurement data corresponding to this number of swings by interpolation or the like.

[0046] Based on the results of the optimization process in step S8, the information processing device 3 generates a recipe for causing the substrate processing device 1 to perform substrate processing (step S9). At this time, the information processing device 3 arranges the substrate processing conditions included in each page in an appropriate execution order based on the optimal page combination that achieves the target value obtained by the optimization process in step S8, and generates a recipe that adds conditions for predetermined processes such as pre-processing and post-processing that are essential for substrate processing. The information processing device 3 stores information about the generated recipe in the recipe storage unit 32b.

[0047] After generating the recipe, the information processing device 3 performs substrate processing, for example, in response to a user operation (step S10). At this time, the information processing device 3 reads out recipe information stored in the recipe storage unit 32b, transmits it to the substrate processing device 1, and instructs the substrate processing device 1 to perform substrate processing according to the recipe, thereby causing the substrate processing device 1 to perform the substrate processing according to the recipe. After performing the substrate processing, the substrate processing device 1 performs post-substrate processing measurements using its own sensors and transmits the measurement results to the information processing device 3. The information processing device 3 acquires the substrate processing results transmitted from the substrate processing device 1 (step S11) and terminates the processing. Note that the information processing device 3 can provide the user with information regarding the substrate processing results by, for example, displaying data comparing the substrate processing results acquired in step S11 with the predicted substrate processing results obtained by the optimization process in step S8 on the display unit 34.

[0048] 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a cabinet management screen displayed by the information processing device 3. The information processing device 3 according to this embodiment displays the illustrated cabinet management screen on the display unit 34, for example, when a program 32a stored in the storage unit 32 is executed. The initial screen displayed on the display unit 34 upon execution of the program 32a may be the cabinet management screen shown in the figure, a binder management screen (described later), or another screen. The illustrated cabinet management screen, for example, displays the title string "Cabinet Management Screen" in the title bar at the top, menu items such as "Edit Menu" and "Binder" in the menu bar below, and two tables, "Cabinet List" and "Page List," on the main screen below.

[0049] Although not shown, the "Edit Menu" on the menu bar further includes menu items such as creating a new cabinet, changing, and deleting a cabinet, as well as creating a new page, changing, deleting a page, and registering it in a cabinet, and the user can perform various editing operations related to cabinets and pages by selecting these menu items. "Binder" is used to switch the display to the binder management screen described below.

[0050] The "Cabinet List" displayed on the main screen is a table in which information such as "ID," "creation date and time," "chemical concentration," and "arm operation" are associated with each other. The "Cabinet List" in this figure shows that three cabinets, with "IDs" of 1, 2, and 3, are registered. Cabinets are used to store pages associated with substrate processing environments. In this example, multiple cabinets are created with combinations of "chemical concentration" and "arm operation" as processing environments. Note that in this example, "chemical concentration" is set to a value indicating the concentration of the chemical used for etching. In addition, in this embodiment, multiple patterns are prepared for horizontally moving the discharge unit 13 of the substrate processing apparatus 1, and "arm operation" is set to information specifying which of these horizontal movement patterns is to be used. However, the substrate processing environment is not limited to "chemical concentration" and "arm operation" and may be expressed by a combination of various other conditions.

[0051] A user can create a new cabinet by setting information related to the processing environment, such as "chemical concentration" and "arm operation." The information processing device 3 does not prohibit the creation of multiple cabinets with the exact same information related to the processing environment, such as "chemical concentration" and "arm operation." The information processing device 3 also accepts the user's selection of one cabinet from multiple cabinets shown in the "Cabinet List," and displays information related to one or more pages registered for the selected cabinet in the "Page List." In this figure, a cabinet with an "ID" of 2 has been selected, and the pages registered in this cabinet are shown in the "Page List."

[0052] The "page list" is a table in which information such as "ID," "rotation speed," "swing speed," "swing amount," "center discharge time," "total discharge time," "process status," and "measurement date and time" are associated with each other. In this diagram, five pages with "IDs" of 101 to 105 are registered for a cabinet with an "ID" of 2. Of the multiple items in the "page list," "rotation speed," "swing speed," "swing amount," "center discharge time," and "total discharge time" are items related to substrate processing conditions, and appropriate numerical values ​​are set for them.

[0053] In the information processing system according to this embodiment, as described above, there are two types of pages: "center discharge page" and "arm swing discharge page." Either type of page can be registered in the cabinet. In the "page list," a "center discharge page" is shown as a page in which, for example, "swing speed" and "swing amount" are not set, but "center discharge time" is set. Also, an "arm swing discharge page" is shown as a page in which, for example, "swing speed" and "swing amount" are set, but "center discharge time" is not set.

[0054] The "Process Status" item in the "Page List" is set to either "Waiting for Processing," "In Processing," or "Processed." "Waiting for Processing" indicates that substrate processing has not been performed under the processing conditions set for the page, and the page does not have any measurement data of the processing results. "In Processing" indicates that substrate processing under the processing conditions set for the page is currently being performed in the substrate processing apparatus 1. "Processed" indicates that substrate processing under the processing conditions set for the page has already been performed, and the page has measurement data of the processing results. For pages with a "Processed" "Process Status," information about the date and time when the measurement data was obtained is entered in the "Measurement Date and Time," and the measurement data of the processing results is associated and stored in the process DB 5.

[0055] The user can select one of the cabinets in the "Cabinet List" and register a page for the selected cabinet. The information processing device 3 accepts input of processing conditions for substrate processing from the user, creates one or more new "Waiting for Process" pages, and registers the created one or more pages in the cabinet. At this time, the information processing device 3 displays a page creation screen on the display unit 34 for accepting input of processing conditions for the pages to be created from the user.

[0056] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a page creation screen displayed by the information processing device 3. This diagram shows a simplified screen on the assumption that three processing conditions, "rotation speed," "swing speed," and "swing amount," are set for the page to be created. The information processing device 3 displays three tables displaying the set values ​​of the settable processing conditions, "rotation speed," "swing speed," and "swing amount," arranged horizontally in the left-hand region of the page creation screen. In this example, two values, 100 and 200, are set in the "rotation speed" table, two values, 50 and 60, are set in the "swing speed" table, and three values, 10, 15, and 20, are set in the "swing amount" table. The information processing device 3 displays a button labeled "Add" above each table and a button labeled "Delete" below each table. When the information processing device 3 receives an operation on the "Add" button, the information processing device 3 displays, for example, a dialog box for inputting numerical values ​​to receive the processing condition settings from the user and adds the received numerical values ​​of the processing conditions to the tables. Furthermore, when the information processing device 3 receives an operation on the "Delete" button while any of the values ​​shown in the table is selected, it deletes the selected value from the table.

[0057] Furthermore, the information processing device 3 displays a graph in the right-hand region of the page creation screen indicating the propriety of combinations of "swing speed" and "swing amount," which are settable processing conditions. In the illustrated graph, the horizontal axis is "swing amount" and the vertical axis is "swing speed," and prohibited combinations of "swing speed" and "swing amount" are indicated by hatched regions. Prohibited combinations are determined, for example, by the hardware configuration of the substrate processing device 1, and the information processing device 3 stores information about prohibited combinations in advance in the storage unit 32 and displays the graph on the page creation screen based on the stored information.

[0058] The information processing device 3 also displays a button labeled "Add All Combinations" and a button labeled "Cancel" side by side below the table of three processing conditions on the page creation screen. When the information processing device 3 accepts an operation on the "Add All Combinations" button, it adds multiple pages corresponding to all combinations of values ​​shown in the table of the three processing conditions to the cabinet and registers them all at once, hides the page creation screen, and displays the cabinet management screen on the display unit 34. In this example, two "rotation speeds," two "swing speeds," and three "swing amounts" are set, so that 2 x 2 x 3 = 12 different pages are registered in the cabinet by combining these. However, pages are not registered in the cabinet for prohibited combinations shown in the graph. When the information processing device 3 accepts an operation on the "Cancel" button, it hides the page creation screen without creating a page, and displays the cabinet management screen.

[0059] On the cabinet management screen, the information processing device 3 may accept from the user operations such as setting or changing processing conditions for one or more pages already registered in the cabinet. The information processing device 3 accepts from the user the selection of one or more pages to be set from among the multiple pages displayed in the "page list," accepts input of a value related to a processing condition, for example, "total discharge time," and collectively sets the "total discharge time" of the selected pages to the input value. The collective setting of processing conditions on the cabinet management screen is not limited to the processing condition "total discharge time," and can be performed for any processing condition. However, processing conditions can only be changed for "waiting for process" pages where substrate processing is not being performed, and the information processing device 3 does not accept changes to processing conditions for "in process" and "processed" pages.

[0060] Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a binder management screen displayed by the information processing device 3. When the information processing device 3 according to the present embodiment receives an operation for the "Binder" item provided on the menu bar of the cabinet management screen shown in Fig. 6, the information processing device 3 displays the binder management screen shown in Fig. 8 on the display unit 34. The binder management screen shown in the figure has, for example, a title character string "Binder Management Screen" displayed in the title bar at the top, menu items such as "Edit Menu" and "Cabinet" displayed in the menu bar below that, and three tables, "Binder List," "Optimization Conditions," and "Page List," displayed on the main screen below that.

[0061] The "Edit Menu" on the menu bar, although not shown, further includes menu items such as creating, modifying, and deleting binders, activating and deactivating created binders, and registering and deregistering pages to binders, and the user can perform various editing operations related to binders and pages by selecting these menu items. "Cabinet" is used to switch the display to the binder management screen shown in Figure 6.

[0062] The "Binder List" displayed on the main screen is a table in which information such as "ID," "Creation Date and Time," "Activation," and "Number of Pages" are associated. The "Binder List" in this figure shows that three binders with "IDs" A, B, and C are registered. Binders are used to store pages to be optimized, i.e., pages with processing conditions that may be included in the recipe generated by the optimization process. A user can create multiple binders and activate at most one of the multiple binders. The "Activation" field in the "Binder List" indicates whether each binder is activated; only one binder can be activated, and the others are inactive. The "Number of Pages" field indicates the number of pages stored in each binder.

[0063] For example, by selecting an appropriate item from the "Edit Menu," a user can perform operations such as creating a new binder, deleting an existing binder, adding / removing pages from a binder, activating / deactivating a binder, and editing optimization conditions. However, the information processing device 3 prohibits adding / removing pages from an activated binder, deleting an activated binder, and editing the optimization conditions of an activated binder. The information processing device 3 also accepts a user's selection of one binder from among multiple binders displayed in the "Binder List." The information processing device 3 then displays information about one or more pages registered in the selected binder in the "Page List" and the optimization conditions for the selected binder in the "Optimization Conditions." In this figure, a binder with an "ID" of B is selected, and the pages registered in this binder are displayed in the "Page List," and the conditions set for this binder are displayed in the "Optimization Conditions."

[0064] The "optimization conditions" are a table in which information such as "conditions" and "values" are associated with each other. In this figure, the user has set the "etching amount" to "1.2" as an optimization condition. The "optimization conditions" include at least one condition that is a target value for substrate processing, such as the etching amount in an etching process. Note that in this example, only one condition, the etching amount, is set as the optimization condition, but this is not limited to this, and multiple optimization conditions may be set, and conditions other than the etching amount may also be set.

[0065] The "page list" is a table in which information such as "ID," "rotation speed," "swing speed," "swing amount," "center discharge time," "total discharge time," and "measurement date and time" are associated. The "page list" displayed on the binder management screen has the same configuration as the "page list" on the cabinet management screen shown in FIG. 6, so a detailed description will be omitted. However, because only "processed" pages can be registered in a binder, the "page list" on the binder management screen does not need to include the "process status" item.

[0066] The user can select one binder from the "Binder List" and register pages to the selected binder. For example, when a "Page Registration" item is selected from the "Edit Menu" on the menu bar, the information processing device 3 displays a registration screen for registering pages to a binder on the display unit 34 and accepts the user's operation to register pages to the binder. The registration screen displayed by the information processing device 3 at this time is not illustrated in detail. However, similar to the cabinet management screen shown in FIG. 6 , the registration screen may include a cabinet list and a page list, and may display multiple pages stored in the cabinet selected by the user in the page list. The information processing device 3 may then accept the selection of one or more pages to register in the binder from this page list. However, the pages displayed in the page list on the registration screen are "Processed" pages that contain the results of substrate processing.

[0067] 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining how pages are registered in a binder. In this diagram, cabinets and binders are indicated by rounded-corner square frames, and pages are indicated by unrounded-corner square frames. The processing condition values ​​are written within the square frame on each page, with center ejection pages indicated by dashed-dotted square frames and arm swing ejection pages indicated by solid-line square frames. The center ejection pages also contain processing condition values ​​such as rotation speed and ejection time, while the arm swing ejection pages contain processing condition values ​​such as rotation speed and swing speed.

[0068] In this example, there are two cabinets, Cabinet 1 and Cabinet 2, with six pages stored in Cabinet 1 and five pages stored in Cabinet 2. In this state, the user creates two binders, Binder A and Binder B. The user registers five pages stored in Cabinet 1 and one page stored in Cabinet 2 in Binder A. The user also registers two pages stored in Cabinet 1 and five pages stored in Cabinet 2 in Binder B. In this manner, the information processing system according to this embodiment allows pages from multiple cabinets to be registered in one binder. For example, multiple cabinets with the same processing environment, such as "chemical solution concentration" and "arm operation," may be created, and some pages included in the first cabinet may have updated measurement data (e.g., through re-experiments) and registered in the second cabinet. In such a case, there is no problem in registering pages registered in the first cabinet and the second cabinet together in one binder.

[0069] Note that some constraints may be set for the registration of pages to a binder. In this example, the following four constraints are set. (Constraint 1) One or more arm swing ejection pages must be registered in the binder. (Constraint 2) A center ejection page with the same rotation speed as the registered arm swing ejection page must be registered. (Constraint 3) A center ejection page with a rotation speed of 1000 rpm must be registered. (Constraint 4) Pages with the same processing environment (arm operation and chemical concentration) must be registered.

[0070] If the above constraints are not met, the information processing device 3 will not accept activation of a binder that does not meet the constraints. Note that binders A and Binder B shown in Figure 9 have pages registered so as to meet the above constraints. When an operation is performed to activate a binder that does not meet the constraints, the information processing device 3 may, for example, display a message indicating that activation is not possible, or may, for example, automatically register additional pages so as to meet the constraints and activate the binder.

[0071] Furthermore, the information processing device 3 according to this embodiment can accept from the user a deletion operation for a cabinet, binder, page, etc. stored in the process DB 5, and can delete the cabinet, binder, page, etc. designated by the user. Regarding the deletion of data such as a cabinet, binder, page, etc., the information processing device 3 may, for example, (completely) delete the data to be deleted from the process DB 5, or may, for example, store the data to be deleted without deleting it from the process DB 5, and display to the user that the data has been deleted.

[0072] However, in the information processing system according to this embodiment, the following restrictions are imposed on deletion: Deletion of a page contained in at least one binder from a cabinet is not accepted. Addition and deletion of a page to an activated binder is not accepted. Deletion of a cabinet containing a page that is not accepted for deletion is not accepted.

[0073] For example, when a user performs an operation to delete a page from a cabinet, the information processing device 3 determines whether or not this page is included in any binder. If the page to be deleted is included in any binder, the information processing device 3 displays an error message or the like to notify the user that deletion is prohibited and does not delete the page. If the page to be deleted is not included in any binder, the information processing device 3 deletes information related to this page from the cabinet.

[0074] Furthermore, when a user performs an operation to add or delete a page from a binder, for example, the information processing device 3 determines whether the binder is activated. If the binder to which a page is to be added or deleted is activated, the information processing device 3 displays an error message or the like to notify the user that adding or deleting a page from the activated binder is prohibited, and does not add or delete the page from the binder. If the binder to which a page is to be added or deleted is not activated, the information processing device 3 adds or deletes the page from the binder.

[0075] Furthermore, for example, when a user performs an operation to delete a cabinet, the information processing device 3 determines whether one or more pages included in the cabinet can be deleted. As described above, pages included in at least one binder cannot be deleted. In addition, there can be various other reasons why a page cannot be deleted, such as when the user has set a page to be non-deletable. If the cabinet to be deleted contains at least one undeletable page, the information processing device 3 displays an error message or the like to notify the user that deletion is prohibited, and does not delete the cabinet. If the cabinet to be deleted does not contain any undeletable pages, the information processing device 3 deletes information about the target cabinet and the pages included in the cabinet.

[0076] Furthermore, the information processing device 3 according to this embodiment accepts the selection of any one "processed" page in the "page list" of the cabinet management screen shown in Fig. 6 or the binder management screen shown in Fig. 8, and displays measurement data of the processing results for the selected page. Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a measurement data display screen displayed by the information processing device 3. The information processing device 3 obtains measurement data of the processing results corresponding to the selected page from the process DB 5, graphs the measurement data, and displays it on the measurement data display screen.

[0077] In this embodiment, the measurement data is data obtained by measuring the wafer thickness before and after etching, and is data that associates the position from the center to the periphery of the wafer with the wafer thickness at that position. The information processing device 3 can calculate the amount of etching removed by the etching process by calculating the difference between the thickness before etching and the thickness after etching. On the illustrated measurement data display screen, the information processing device 3 displays, one above the other, a graph of the etching amount, with the horizontal axis representing the wafer position and the vertical axis representing the etching amount, and a graph of the wafer thickness, with the horizontal axis representing the wafer position and the vertical axis representing the wafer thickness.

[0078] In this example, the information processing device 3 displays the measurement data using a graph, but the present invention is not limited to this and may instead display, for example, a table that associates the wafer position with the thickness or etching amount. By having the information processing device 3 display the measurement data using a graph or table, the user can easily check the processing conditions and processing results for each page registered in the cabinet or binder.

[0079] In the information processing system according to this embodiment, after registering multiple pages in a binder on the binder management screen, setting optimization conditions, and activating the binder, substrate processing is started in the substrate processing apparatus 1. The substrate processing apparatus 1 measures the thickness of the substrate before processing, and the information processing apparatus 3 acquires the measurement data on the substrate before processing from the substrate processing apparatus 1, and then starts the optimization process. The information processing apparatus 3 acquires information on the multiple pages registered in the activated binder from the process DB 5, and performs optimization processing to search for an optimal combination of pages that satisfies the optimization conditions preset for the activated binder based on the processing results of the acquired pages and the pre-processing observation data of the substrate to be processed.

[0080] In the information processing system according to this embodiment, the recipe input to the substrate processing apparatus 1 must be set with multiple substrate processing conditions arranged in the order of execution so that substrate processing is performed on a set of center discharge pages and arm swing discharge pages with the same rotation speed. Therefore, when optimizing substrate processing based on multiple pages registered in the activation binder, the information processing apparatus 3 takes into account the conditions for recipe generation in addition to the optimization conditions set by the user. In this embodiment, a combination of one center discharge page and one arm swing discharge page with the same rotation speed is called a "leaf," and optimization processing and recipe generation processing are performed on a leaf-by-leaf basis.

[0081] The information processing device 3 may perform the optimization process by any method. The information processing device 3 performs the optimization process by searching for an optimal combination of leaves (center discharge pages and arm swing discharge pages) that achieves the target value of the substrate processing set as the "optimization condition." For example, if an etching amount is set as the target value of the etching process, the information processing device 3 reads out the etching amount of the measurement data associated with each page as the processing result, combines the etching amounts of the processing results of multiple pages, and searches for a combination of pages (leaves) that is closest to the target etching amount.

[0082] The information processing device 3 generates a recipe for operating the substrate processing device 1 based on the multiple leaves obtained by the optimization process. In this embodiment, the recipe generated by the information processing device 3 includes essential processes such as pre-processing for starting up or initializing units included in the substrate processing device 1, and post-processing for stopping or cleaning up the units. The information processing device 3 generates a recipe by arranging, in an appropriate execution order, the processing conditions for essential processes such as pre-processing and post-processing, and the processing conditions for the multiple leaves (center discharge pages and arm swing discharge pages) obtained by the optimization process.

[0083] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a recipe generated by the information processing device 3. In this embodiment, the recipe is information in a table format in which information such as "No.", "rotation speed," "swing speed," "swing amount," and "center discharge time" is associated with each other. The substrate processing device 1 performs etching processing specified by processing conditions such as "rotation speed," "swing speed," "swing amount," and "center discharge time" in the order of the "No." of the recipe. In this example, the recipe sets required pre-processing as No. 1 and No. 2 processes, then sets the first leaf for No. 3 to No. 7, and sets the second leaf for No. 8 to No. 12. In this embodiment, one leaf includes one center discharge page including one step and one arm swing discharge page including four steps.

[0084] The information processing device 3 stores the generated recipe data in the recipe storage unit 32b. The information processing device 3 then reads out the recipe stored in the recipe storage unit 32b, transmits it to the substrate processing device 1, and instructs the substrate processing device 1 to perform an etching process based on this recipe. The substrate processing device 1 performs the etching process in sequence according to the process conditions included in the recipe provided by the information processing device 3, and transmits measurement data such as the thickness of the substrate measured using a sensor after the etching process to the information processing device 3 as the process result. The information processing device 3 presents the results of the substrate processing to the user by, for example, graphing the measurement data obtained from the substrate processing device 1 and displaying it on the display unit 34.

[0085] <Summary> In the information processing system according to the present embodiment configured as described above, the information processing device 3 accepts input of pages indicating processing conditions and processing results for substrate processing performed by the substrate processing device 1, accepts selection of pages to be registered in a cabinet associated with the processing environment for the substrate processing from the input pages, and stores the selected pages in association with the cabinet in the process DB 5. As a result, the information processing system according to the present embodiment can manage the processing conditions and processing results for the substrate processing as pages and associate multiple pages with cabinets in the processing environment, and is expected to assist in determining processing conditions suitable for substrate processing.

[0086] Furthermore, in the information processing system according to this embodiment, the information processing device 3 displays multiple pages registered in the cabinet on the display unit 34, accepts selection of pages to be used for optimization processing from the multiple displayed pages, and stores the multiple selected pages in a binder. As a result, the information processing system according to this embodiment can manage pages to be used for optimization processing for generating a recipe in a binder separate from the cabinet, and is expected to assist in determining processing conditions suitable for substrate processing.

[0087] Furthermore, in the information processing system according to this embodiment, the information processing device 3 displays a plurality of binders on the display unit 34, accepts the selection of one binder to be activated from the displayed plurality of binders, and performs optimization processing based on the plurality of pages registered in the activated binder. As a result, the information processing system according to this embodiment can provide a plurality of binders and can select one target from the plurality of binders to perform optimization, which is expected to assist in determining processing conditions suitable for substrate processing.

[0088] Furthermore, in the information processing system according to this embodiment, the information processing device 3 generates a recipe for substrate processing based on a leaf that includes a center discharge page (first page) and an arm swing discharge page (second page) that have different processing patterns for the substrate processing device 1 in substrate processing, and that combines the center discharge page and the arm swing discharge page included in a binder on which optimization processing has been performed. As a result, the information processing system according to this embodiment can generate a recipe by combining multiple types of pages with different processing patterns, and is expected to assist in determining processing conditions suitable for substrate processing.

[0089] Furthermore, in the information processing system according to this embodiment, the pages stored in the cabinet may include pages that have processing conditions but no processing results, and the information processing device 3 performs substrate processing using the substrate processing device 1 based on the pages that do not have processing results, and stores the processing results of the substrate processing in association with these pages in the process DB 5. In this way, the information processing system according to this embodiment can perform substrate processing for pages that do not have processing results and obtain the processing results, which is expected to assist in determining processing conditions suitable for substrate processing.

[0090] Furthermore, in the information processing system according to this embodiment, the processing conditions for each page include multiple condition items, and the information processing device 3 accepts input of a condition for one condition item and collectively sets the input condition as the processing conditions for multiple pages (pages that do not have processing results). This makes it possible for the information processing system according to this embodiment to easily input pages that do not have processing results, and is expected to assist in determining processing conditions suitable for substrate processing.

[0091] Furthermore, in the information processing system according to this embodiment, when the information processing device 3 accepts the selection of pages to store in a binder, it does not accept the selection of pages that do not have processing results. Furthermore, the information processing device 3 does not store multiple pages with the same processing conditions in a single binder. As a result, the information processing system according to this embodiment can store pages suitable for optimization processing in a binder, and is expected to assist in determining processing conditions suitable for substrate processing.

[0092] Furthermore, in the information processing system according to this embodiment, the information processing device 3 accepts input of processing conditions for pages to be registered in the cabinet, and collectively registers multiple pages that satisfy the input processing conditions in the cabinet. This makes it possible for the information processing system according to this embodiment to facilitate the registration of pages (pages that do not have processing results) in the cabinet, and is expected to assist in determining processing conditions suitable for substrate processing.

[0093] Furthermore, in the information processing system according to this embodiment, the information processing device 3 receives input of target values ​​for substrate processing, and selects a combination of pages from the multiple pages included in the activated binder that meets the input target values ​​based on the processing results of each page. This allows the information processing system according to this embodiment to perform optimization processing to generate an optimal recipe based on the multiple pages included in the binder, and is expected to assist in determining processing conditions suitable for substrate processing.

[0094] Furthermore, in the information processing system according to this embodiment, the information processing device 3 does not accept the deletion of pages contained in at least one binder. Furthermore, the information processing device 3 does not accept the addition or deletion of pages to or from an activated binder. Furthermore, the information processing device 3 does not accept the deletion of a cabinet that includes a page that does not accept deletion. As a result, the information processing system according to this embodiment can prevent the erroneous deletion of pages, cabinets, etc., and is expected to assist in determining processing conditions suitable for substrate processing.

[0095] In the present embodiment, the substrate processing performed by the substrate processing apparatus 1 is described as being an etching process, but the substrate processing is not limited to the etching process and may be various other processes such as a film formation process.

[0096] The embodiments disclosed herein are to be considered as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, not by the above meaning, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0097] The matters described in each embodiment can be combined with each other. Furthermore, the independent claims and dependent claims described in the claims can be combined with each other in any and all combinations, regardless of the reference format. Furthermore, the claims use a format in which a claim references two or more other claims (multiple claim format), but this is not limited to this. A multiple claim (multi-multi claim) that references at least one other multiple claim may also be used.

[0098] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 substrate processing apparatus 3 information processing apparatus (computer) 5 process DB 11 chamber 12 substrate holding mechanism 12a holding section 12b support section 12c driving section 13 discharge section 14 collection cup 14a drain outlet 14b exhaust outlet 15 FFU 16 supply source 31 processing section 31a data collection processing section 31b data management processing section 31c recipe generation processing section 31d control processing section 31e display processing section 32 storage section 32a program (computer program) 32b recipe storage section 33 communication section 34 display section 35 operation section N network

Claims

1. A computer program that causes a computer to execute the following process: accept input of pages indicating processing conditions and processing results of substrate processing performed by a substrate processing apparatus; accept selection of pages to be registered in a cabinet associated with the processing environment of the substrate processing from the accepted input pages; and store the selected pages in the corresponding cabinet.

2. The computer program according to claim 1, which displays a plurality of pages registered in the cabinet on a display unit, accepts a selection of pages to be used in optimization processing from the displayed plurality of pages, and stores one or more selected pages in a binder.

3. The computer program according to claim 2, which displays a plurality of binders on a display unit, accepts the selection of one binder to be activated from the displayed plurality of binders, and performs optimization processing based on the activated binder.

4. The computer program according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of pages stored in the binder include a first page and a second page having different processing patterns for substrate processing, and a recipe for substrate processing is generated based on a leaf that combines at least one first page and at least one second page included in the binder on which optimization processing has been performed.

5. The computer program according to claim 4, further comprising: controlling substrate processing in the substrate processing apparatus based on the generated recipe.

6. The computer program according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of pages stored in the cabinet include pages that have processing conditions but no processing results, substrate processing is performed by the substrate processing apparatus based on the pages that have no processing results, and the processing results of the substrate processing are stored in association with the pages.

7. The computer program according to claim 6, wherein the processing conditions include a plurality of condition items, the input of a condition for one condition item is accepted, and the condition for the accepted input condition item is set collectively as the processing conditions for a plurality of pages that do not have processing results.

8. The computer program according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of pages stored in the cabinet include pages that have processing conditions but no processing results, and when accepting selection of pages to store in the binder, selection of pages that do not have processing results is not accepted.

9. The computer program of claim 2, wherein the binder does not store multiple pages with the same processing conditions.

10. The computer program according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving processing conditions for pages to be stored in a cabinet; and storing a plurality of pages that satisfy the received processing conditions in the cabinet together.

11. The computer program of claim 2, wherein the optimization process accepts input of target values ​​for substrate processing, and selects, from among multiple pages contained in an activated binder, a combination of pages that meets the accepted target values ​​based on the processing results of each page.

12. The computer program of claim 2, wherein the computer program does not accept deletion from the cabinet of pages contained in at least one binder.

13. The computer program of claim 3, wherein adding or deleting pages to an activated binder is not accepted.

14. The computer program according to claim 12 or 13, wherein deletion of a cabinet containing a page that is not allowed to be deleted is not allowed.

15. An information processing method in which an information processing device receives input of a page indicating the processing conditions and processing results of substrate processing performed by the substrate processing device, receives a selection of a page to be registered in a cabinet associated with the processing environment of the substrate processing from the received input page, and stores the selected page in the corresponding cabinet.

16. An information processing device comprising a processing unit, wherein the processing unit receives input of a page indicating processing conditions and processing results of substrate processing performed by a substrate processing device, receives a selection of a page to be registered in a cabinet associated with the processing environment of the substrate processing from the received input page, and stores the selected page in the corresponding cabinet.

Images