Substrate processing apparatus, information processing method, and computer program

Abstract

Provided are a substrate processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a computer program that can be expected to achieve cooperative control of a plurality of units.　The substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment includes an upper control unit and a lower control unit. When a parameter related to control is changed, the lower control unit transmits the changed parameter to the upper control unit. The upper control unit receives the parameter from the lower control unit, stores the received parameter in a database, generates a control command to the lower control unit based on the parameter stored in the database, and transmits the generated control command to the lower control unit.

Description

Substrate Processing Apparatus, Information Processing Method, and Computer Program

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

[0002] In Patent Document 1, there is proposed a substrate processing apparatus including a coating unit that forms a film of a metal-containing resist, a heat treatment unit that heat-treats a workpiece subjected to an exposure process on the film, a development unit that develops the film of the heat-treated workpiece, and a gas supply unit that brings the film into contact with an inert gas during a period from after the exposure process to before the development process is performed.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2024 - 14708

[0004] The present disclosure provides a substrate processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a computer program that can be expected to achieve cooperative control of a plurality of units. [

[0005]

[0005] A substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment is a substrate processing apparatus including an upper control unit and a lower control unit. When a parameter related to control is changed, the lower control unit transmits the changed parameter to the upper control unit. The upper control unit receives the parameter from the lower control unit, stores the received parameter in a database, generates a control command for the lower control unit based on the parameter stored in the database, and transmits the generated control command to the lower control unit.

[0006] According to the present disclosure, it can be expected to achieve cooperative control of a plurality of units.

[0007] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the outline of the substrate processing apparatus according to this embodiment. This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of control of a lower-level control unit. This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to this embodiment. This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control specification DB. This is a schematic diagram showing an example of control specification information stored in the control specification storage unit. This is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for parameter update processing performed by the lower-level control unit of the substrate processing apparatus according to this embodiment. This is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for parameter update processing performed by the higher-level control unit of the substrate processing apparatus according to this embodiment. This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to Modification 1. This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to Modification 2.

[0008] Specific examples of systems and apparatus according to embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, this disclosure is not limited to these examples and is intended to include all changes within the meaning and scope of the claims, as indicated by the claims.

[0009] <System Overview> Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the overview of the substrate processing apparatus according to this embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment is an apparatus that performs various substrate processing on semiconductor substrates (wafers), such as CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition), sputtering, or etching. The substrate processing apparatus 1 is composed of a combination of multiple units. In this embodiment, a unit is a constituent unit, component, or a set of devices realized by dividing hardware resources that are responsible for multiple functions necessary for the substrate processing apparatus 1, such as temperature control, gas flow rate control, and pressure control, into a manner that allows for independent replacement or substitution for each function. A unit may also be called by names such as module, component, or assembly.

[0010] The substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes a plurality of lower-level control units 5, such as an ESC (Electric Static Chuck) temperature control unit 5a, a gas flow rate control unit 5b, and a pressure control unit 5c, and a higher-level control unit 3 that controls these plurality of lower-level control units 5. The substrate processing apparatus 1 also has at least one substrate processing chamber for processing one or more substrates, and the ESC temperature, the gas flow rate supplied to the substrate processing chamber, the pressure inside the substrate processing chamber, etc., are controlled by these lower-level control units 5. Each of the plurality of lower-level control units 5 is connected to the higher-level control unit 3 in a communication manner and operates according to the command value trajectory given by the higher-level control unit 3. In this embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus 1 has a two-tiered configuration of a higher-level control unit 3 and lower-level control units 5, but is not limited to this, and may have a three-tiered configuration of a higher-level control unit, an intermediate control unit and lower-level control units, or a configuration of four or more tiers, for example.

[0011] One of the lower-level control units 5 provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1 is the ESC temperature control unit 5a, which controls the temperature of the electrostatic chuck that electrically holds the substrate to be processed. The gas flow rate control unit 5b is a unit that controls the amount of gas flowing into or out of the chamber provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1. The pressure control unit 5c is a unit that controls the pressure inside the chamber. Note that these lower-level control units 5 shown in Figure 1 are just examples and are not limited to these; various other units not shown may be provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1.

[0012] The higher-level control unit 3 is a unit that controls the operation of multiple lower-level control units 5 provided by the substrate processing apparatus 1 based on information (recipes) such as procedures or conditions for substrate processing that have been prepared in advance by the user. The higher-level control unit 3 stores information such as parameters that define the response characteristics of each lower-level control unit 5 in the control specification DB (database) 7. The higher-level control unit 3 determines the target output trajectory of each lower-level control unit 5 in order to realize the substrate processing according to the given recipe. Next, the higher-level control unit 3 determines the input trajectory to each lower-level control unit 5 in order to realize the determined target output trajectory based on the response characteristics of the lower-level control unit 5 determined by the parameters stored in the control specification DB 7, and provides the determined trajectory to each lower-level control unit 5 as a command value trajectory.

[0013] In this embodiment, "trajectory" refers to information that shows the time-series changes in values ​​such as input or output values ​​to the unit, and can be treated as data in which multiple values ​​are arranged in chronological order. Each value included in the trajectory data may be a difference value from the value at the previous point in time.

[0014] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the control of the lower-level control unit 5, and shows a model of the ESC temperature control unit 5a as an example of the lower-level control unit 5. The ESC temperature control unit 5a is a unit that controls the temperature of the ESC by having a heater controller control the heater. The ESC temperature control unit 5a receives a temperature command value Tin from the higher-level control unit 3 as input, and the heater controller controls the heater so that the output heater temperature Tout becomes the same as the temperature command value Tin. The heater controller receives the difference between the temperature command value Tin from the higher-level control unit 3 and the heater temperature Tout measured by the sensor equipped in the ESC temperature control unit 5a as input. The heater controller generates and outputs a control signal according to the input difference value. In addition, since the ESC temperature control unit 5a is affected by the heat input from the plasma generated in the chamber of the substrate processing apparatus 1, a value that takes into account the effect of plasma heat input is input to the heater in addition to the output of the heater controller. The final output of the ESC temperature control unit 5a, which is the heater temperature Tout, is obtained by measuring the temperature produced by the heat output by the heater in response to this input value.

[0015] The higher-level control unit 3 stores information such as a model that reproduces the operation of each lower-level control unit 5 to be controlled, or a function that shows the response characteristics, in the control specification DB 7. In the example shown in Figure 2, the higher-level control unit 3 stores information such as the heater controller model, the heater plant model, and the plasma heat input disturbance model as the model of the ESC temperature control unit 5a. The higher-level control unit 3 determines the trajectory of the target value of the heater temperature Tout based on a given recipe, and determines the trajectory of the temperature command value Tin that realizes the heater temperature Tout using the model of the ESC temperature control unit 5a. The higher-level control unit 3 transmits the determined temperature command value Tin to the ESC temperature control unit 5a, and the ESC temperature control unit 5a, upon receiving it, controls the heater based on the given temperature command value Tin.

[0016] Thus, the higher-level control unit 3 needs to understand the operation of the lower-level control unit 5 in order to determine the control command values ​​for the lower-level control unit 5, and stores information such as a model that reproduces the operation of the lower-level control unit 5 or a function that shows the response characteristics in the control specification DB 7. However, as the substrate processing device 1 continuously performs substrate processing, if the user changes the setting values ​​related to the operation of the lower-level control unit 5, or if the operation of the lower-level control unit 5 changes due to changes over time, etc., a difference will occur between the operation of the lower-level control unit 5 obtained from the model or function stored in the control specification DB 7 and the actual operation of the lower-level control unit 5.

[0017] For example, in the ESC temperature control unit 5a shown in Figure 2, the characteristics of the heater change over time, and there is a possibility that a difference may occur between the heater temperature Tout output by the model in relation to the temperature command value Tin and the actual heater temperature Tout output by the ESC temperature control unit 5a. In this embodiment, the ESC temperature control unit 5a has a function to optimize the settings (parameters) related to the operation of the heater controller itself, for example, when the difference between the given Tin and the heater temperature Tout detected by a sensor exceeds a threshold. At this time, the ESC temperature control unit 5a updates the parameters of the heater controller model and the heater plant model, etc., and transmits them to the higher-level control unit 3, causing the higher-level control unit 3 to update the parameters related to the ESC temperature control unit 5a model stored in the control specification DB 7.

[0018] Regarding the updating of model parameters, the model of the ESC temperature control unit 5a shown in Figure 2 includes a plasma heat input disturbance model. However, the parameters of this disturbance model may be updated by the ESC temperature control unit 5a or by a unit other than the ESC temperature control unit 5a. For example, if the substrate processing apparatus 1 is equipped with a plasma generating unit as a lower-level control unit 5, the parameters of the plasma heat input disturbance model may be updated by this lower-level control unit 5.

[0019] Furthermore, such parameter updates may also be performed if, for example, maintenance or calibration work is performed on the substrate processing device 1, causing a change in the response characteristics of the lower-level control unit 5. Also, for example, when the substrate processing device 1 is newly installed in a factory or the like and is started up, or when parts of the lower-level control unit 5 are replaced, the parameters of the lower-level control unit 5 may not be stored in the control specification DB 7 of the upper-level control unit 3, and in such cases, parameter updates may also be performed.

[0020] The substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment can be expected to improve the accuracy of the control of the lower-level control unit 5 by the higher-level control unit 3 by updating the parameters stored in the control specification DB 7 in response to changes in the operation of the lower-level control unit 5.

[0021] <Device Configuration> Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. Although the substrate processing apparatus 1 is equipped with a plurality of lower control units 5, Figure 3 shows a simplified configuration in which only one lower control unit 5 is illustrated. The substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment is equipped with a higher control unit 3 and a plurality of lower control units 5, and the higher control unit 3 and each lower control unit 5 are connected by communication lines or the like to exchange data with each other. The substrate processing apparatus 1 may be equipped with a plurality of higher control units 3.

[0022] The higher-level control unit 3 is configured to include a processing unit 31, a storage unit 32, a communication unit 33, and the like. The processing unit 31 is configured to use a computing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), MPU (Micro-Processing Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or quantum processor, as well as ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory). The processing unit 31 performs various processes, such as processing to control the operation of multiple lower-level control units 5 by reading and executing a program 32a stored in the storage unit 32, and processing to store information such as parameters of the lower-level control units 5 necessary for this control in the control specification DB 7.

[0023] The storage unit 32 is configured using a 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 necessary for the processing of the processing unit 31. In this embodiment, the storage unit 32 stores the program 32a executed by the processing unit 31. The storage unit 32 is also provided with a control specification DB 7 that stores data relating to the response characteristics of the lower-level control unit 5 provided in the substrate processing device 1.

[0024] In this embodiment, the program (computer program, program product) 32a is provided in a form recorded on a recording medium 99 such as a memory card or optical disc, and the substrate processing device 1 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 during the manufacturing stage of the substrate processing device 1 or the higher-level control unit 3, for example. Alternatively, the program 32a may be obtained by the substrate processing device 1 via communication from a remote server device or the like that distributes it. 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 higher-level control unit 3. The program 32a may be provided in a form distributed via a network, or it may be provided in a form recorded on the recording medium 99.

[0025] The control specification DB7 is a database that stores various control specification information necessary for the upper-level control unit 3 to control the multiple lower-level control units 5 provided by the substrate processing device 1. As described above, the control specification DB7 stores parameters of a model that reproduces the operation of the lower-level control units 5 or parameters of a function that shows the response characteristics, etc., in association with the identification information of the lower-level control units 5. The control specification DB7 also stores various information necessary for the upper-level control unit 3 to generate the command value trajectory that it gives to the lower-level control units 5, such as the control period or the range of values.

[0026] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing one example configuration of the control specification DB 7. The control specification DB 7 according to this embodiment is a database that stores information such as "subordinate control device ID," "item," "value," and "input / output ID" in association with each other. The "subordinate control device ID" is identification information uniquely assigned to each subordinate control unit 5, and in this example, numerical values ​​such as "1" and "2" are stored as IDs. The "item" is information indicating the type of value to be stored in this database, and various items such as "control cycle," "number of inputs," "input constraint type," "input range," "number of outputs," "output constraint type," "output resolution," and "model parameter" may be provided. The "value" is the value (parameter) of the corresponding item, and an appropriate value such as an integer or decimal is set. The "input / output ID" is identification information for distinguishing between multiple inputs to the subordinate control unit 5 or multiple outputs to the subordinate control unit 5. Note that the items and values ​​of the control specification DB 7 shown in Figure 4 are just examples and are not limited thereto.

[0027] In this embodiment, the control specification DB7 stores information for a plurality of lower-level control units 5, including (1) specifications relating to the target value response characteristics or model of the lower-level control unit 5, (2) specifications relating to the control input, and (3) specifications relating to the output. (1) The specifications relating to the target value response characteristics or model of the lower-level control unit 5 may include, for example, coefficients (parameters) of a function that shows the target value response characteristics, parameters of the plant model, parameters of the controller model, parameters of the disturbance model, etc. The function or model of the lower-level control unit 5 may be, for example, a transfer function, a state-space model, a frequency response data model, a mathematical formula, a tabular table, or a flowchart (rule-based).

[0028] Furthermore, the specifications for (2) control inputs stored in the control specification DB7 may include information such as the number of control input values, the period of the control input, the constraint type of the control input, the range of the control input, and the resolution of the control input. Furthermore, the specifications for (3) outputs may include information such as the number of observed values ​​output by the sensor, the period of the observed value output, the constraint type of the observed value output, the range of the observed value output, and the resolution of the observed value output.

[0029] In the following, the "parameters" exchanged between the upper control unit 3 and the lower control unit 5 shall include not only parameters in the narrow sense, such as the functions or models described in (1) above, but also various information related to the use of (2) and (3) above.

[0030] The communication unit 33 of the upper-level control unit 3 is connected to the lower-level control unit 5 via, for example, a communication line or a control signal line, and transmits and receives various data with the lower-level control unit 5. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the upper-level control unit 3 and the lower-level control unit 5 communicate on a one-to-one basis, but it is not limited to this, and the upper-level control unit 3 and multiple lower-level control units 5 may be connected in a network configuration such as a bus type or a ring type. The communication unit 33 transmits command value trajectory data generated by the processing unit 31 to the lower-level control unit 5, and also receives observed value data etc. transmitted by the lower-level control unit 5 as a response to the control and provides it to the processing unit 31. In this embodiment, the communication unit 33 also receives parameter data transmitted by the lower-level control unit 5 and provides it to the processing unit 31.

[0031] Furthermore, in the higher-level control unit 3 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, the processing unit 31 reads and executes the program 32a stored in the storage unit 32, thereby realizing the control processing unit 31a and the update processing unit 31b, etc., as software-based functional units in the processing unit 31. In this figure, the functional units of the processing unit 31 shown are those related to the control of the lower-level control unit 5 and the processing of parameter updates of the control specification DB 7, while functional units related to other processing are omitted from the illustration.

[0032] The control processing unit 31a achieves desired substrate processing by controlling the operation of a plurality of lower-level control units 5 provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1. In this embodiment, the control processing unit 31a determines the target value trajectory of the output of each lower-level control unit 5 based on a recipe created by the user, for example. The process of determining the target value trajectory of each lower-level control unit 5 from a given recipe is based on existing technology, so a detailed explanation is omitted. The control processing unit 31a may determine the target value trajectory of each lower-level control unit 5 by any method.

[0033] The control processing unit 31a, having determined the target value trajectory, constructs a model or function representing the response characteristics of each subordinate control unit 5 based on the parameters stored in the control specification DB 7, and uses this model or function to determine the optimal input value trajectory for each subordinate control unit 5 to achieve the target value trajectory. The determination of the input value trajectory that achieves the target value trajectory can be performed, for example, using an appropriate optimization method. Since the process of determining the input value trajectory is an existing technology, a detailed explanation is omitted. The control processing unit 31a transmits the determined input value trajectory as a command value trajectory to each subordinate control unit 5. The control processing unit 31a may also acquire data such as observed values ​​transmitted by each subordinate control unit 5 as a response to the command value trajectory transmitted to each subordinate control unit 5, and reflect this in the generation of the next command value trajectory.

[0034] The update processing unit 31b updates the parameters stored in the corresponding control specification DB 7 when the lower control unit 5 updates the parameters. For example, when the update processing unit 31b receives a parameter update request from the lower control unit 5, it starts the update process and gives an update permission response to the lower control unit 5 that sent the update request. The update processing unit 31b then receives the parameter information transmitted from the lower control unit 5 and updates the parameters by storing the received information in the control specification DB 7. When the update processing unit 31b stores new parameters in the control specification DB 7, it may delete the old parameters, or it may retain the old parameters as an update history. After the update of the parameters stored in the control specification DB 7 is completed, the update processing unit 31b notifies the lower control unit 5 that the update is complete.

[0035] The lower-level control unit 5 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 is configured to include a processing unit 51, a storage unit 52, a communication unit 53, and the like. The processing unit 51 is configured to use a processing unit such as a CPU or MPU, ROM, RAM, and the like. The processing unit 51 reads and executes a program 52a stored in the storage unit 52, thereby performing various processes such as control processing according to the command value trajectory from the higher-level control unit 3, and updating its own parameters.

[0036] The storage unit 52 is configured using a non-volatile storage device such as flash memory or EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory). The storage unit 52 stores various programs executed by the processing unit 51, and various data necessary for the processing of the processing unit 51. In this embodiment, the storage unit 52 stores the program 52a executed by the processing unit 51. The storage unit 52 is also provided with a control specification storage unit 52b that stores data related to its own control specifications.

[0037] In this embodiment, the program (computer program, program product) 52a is provided in a form recorded on a recording medium 98 such as a memory card or optical disc, and the substrate processing device 1 reads the program 52a from the recording medium 98 and stores it in the storage unit 52. However, the program 52a may also be written to the storage unit 52 during the manufacturing stage of the substrate processing device 1 or the lower control unit 5, for example. Alternatively, the program 52a may be distributed by a remote server device or the like and acquired by the substrate processing device 1 via communication. For example, the program 52a may be read from the recording medium 98 by a writing device and written to the storage unit 52 of the lower control unit 5. The program 52a may be provided by distribution via a network, or it may be provided in a form recorded on the recording medium 98.

[0038] The control specification storage unit 52b stores information about its own control specifications. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the control specification information stored in the control specification storage unit 52b. The control specification information according to this embodiment includes multiple pieces of information such as "item," "value," and "input / output ID." These multiple pieces of information included in the control specification information are of the same type as the information stored in the control specification DB 7 shown in Figure 4. That is, the control specification information that each lower-level control unit 5 stores in the control specification storage unit 52b corresponds to the information extracted from the information that the higher-level control unit 3 stores in the control specification DB 7. In other words, the information stored in the control specification DB 7 of the higher-level control unit 3 corresponds to the collection of control specification information that multiple lower-level control units 5 store in the control specification storage unit 52b. Furthermore, the control specification information stored in the control specification storage unit 52b is the parameter that is transmitted from the lower-level control unit 5 to the higher-level control unit 3 during the parameter update process.

[0039] The communication unit 53 is connected to the higher-level control unit 3 via, for example, a communication line or a control signal line, and transmits and receives various data with the higher-level control unit 3. The communication unit 53 receives command value trajectory data transmitted by the higher-level control unit 3 and provides it to the processing unit 51, and also transmits data such as observed values ​​from sensors provided by the processing unit 51 to the higher-level control unit 3. In this embodiment, the communication unit 53 also transmits parameters (control specification information) provided by the processing unit 51 to the higher-level control unit 3 during the parameter update process.

[0040] Furthermore, in the lower-level control unit 5 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, the processing unit 51 reads and executes the program 52a stored in the storage unit 52, thereby realizing the control processing unit 51a and the update processing unit 51b, etc., as software-based functional units in the processing unit 51. In this figure, the functional units of the processing unit 51 shown are those related to control of substrate processing and parameter update processing, while functional units related to other processing are omitted from the illustration.

[0041] The control processing unit 51a performs control processing related to substrate processing according to the command value trajectory provided by the higher-level control unit 3. For example, if the lower-level control unit 5 is an ESC temperature control unit 5a, the control processing unit 51a controls the temperature of the ESC equipped in the substrate processing device 1 by having the heater controller control the operation of the heater with the temperature command value Tin, which is provided as the command value trajectory, as the target value. The control processing unit 51a may also measure the result of the substrate processing it has controlled using a sensor or the like and transmit the obtained measurement data to the higher-level control unit 3. For example, in the case of an ESC temperature control unit 5a, the control processing unit 51a may measure the heater temperature Tout, which is the output, and transmit the measurement data to the higher-level control unit 3.

[0042] The update processing unit 51b performs processing related to updating parameters stored as control specifications in the control specification storage unit 52b. If, for example, the user can change some or all of the parameters (control specification information), the update processing unit 51b accepts the user's setting change and changes the corresponding value in the control specification storage unit 52b. The update processing unit 51b also periodically checks for changes over time, etc., and adjusts the response characteristics if they have changed from their previous state due to changes over time, etc. This adjustment results in a change in the parameters, and the update processing unit 51b stores the adjusted parameters in the control specification storage unit 52b. The parameters stored as control specification information in the control specification storage unit 52b of the lower control unit 5 may be changed by any factor and by any method.

[0043] When a change occurs in the parameters stored in the control specification storage unit 52b, the update processing unit 51b performs parameter update processing with the upper control unit 3. First, the update processing unit 51b sends a parameter update request to the upper control unit 3 and receives an update permission sent from the upper control unit 3 as a response thereto. The update processing unit 51b of the lower control unit 5 that has received the update permission sends the changed parameters to the upper control unit 3. At this time, the update processing unit 51b may send only the changed information among the information stored in the control specification storage unit 52b to the upper control unit 3, or may send the upper control unit 3 including the information that has not been changed. After sending the changed parameters, the update processing unit 51b waits until it receives an update completion notification from the upper control unit 3, and ends the update processing when this notification is received. If the update completion notification is not received within a predetermined time, the update processing unit 51b repeats the above processing from the update request, for example.

[0044] Also, for example, when the substrate processing apparatus 1 is started up for the first time, a situation may occur in which the parameters of the lower control unit 5 are not stored in the control specification DB 7 of the upper control unit 3. Also, for example, when the lower control unit 5 is easily replaced due to a failure or the like, the parameters of the previous lower control unit 5 are stored in the control specification DB 7 of the upper control unit 3, and a situation may occur in which the parameters of the replaced lower control unit 5 are not stored. The lower control unit 5 according to the present embodiment sends the parameters stored in the control specification storage unit 52b to the upper control unit 3 after the substrate processing apparatus 1 is started up (after power-on) or after being first connected to the upper control unit 3.

[0045] <Parameter Update Processing> Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for parameter update processing performed by the lower-level control unit 5 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. The update processing unit 51b of the processing unit 51 of the lower-level control unit 5 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment determines whether the parameters stored in the control specification storage unit 52b have changed due to some factor, such as changes by the user or changes due to its own optimization (step S1). If the parameters have not changed (S1: NO), the update processing unit 51b waits until the parameters change.

[0046] If a parameter changes (S1: YES), the update processing unit 51b communicates with the higher-level control unit 3 via the communication unit 53 and sends an update request for the changed parameter to the higher-level control unit 3 (step S2). The update processing unit 51b determines whether or not it has received an update permission from the higher-level control unit 3 in response to the update request sent in step S2 (step S3). If an update permission is not received from the higher-level control unit 3 even after a predetermined time has elapsed, for example, a predetermined timeout period (S3: NO), the update processing unit 51b returns to step S2 and resends the update request.

[0047] If the update processing unit 51b receives permission to update from the higher-level control unit 3 (S3: YES), it sends the changed parameters to the higher-level control unit 3 (step S4). The update processing unit 51b determines whether or not it has received an update completion notification from the higher-level control unit 3 for the parameters sent in step S4 (step S5). If the update completion notification is not received from the higher-level control unit 3 even after a predetermined time has elapsed, for example, a predetermined timeout period (S5: NO), the update processing unit 51b returns to step S2 and resends the update request. If the update completion notification is received (S5: YES), the update processing unit 51b terminates the parameter update process.

[0048] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of parameter update processing performed by the host control unit 3 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. The update processing unit 31b of the processing unit 31 of the host control unit 3 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment determines whether or not a parameter update request has been received from any of the lower control units 5 (step S21). If the update request has not been received (S21: NO), the update processing unit 31b waits until the update request is received. When the update request is received from the lower control unit 5 (S21: YES), the update processing unit 31b transmits an update permission to the lower control unit 5 that is the source of the received update request (step S22).

[0049] After that, the update processing unit 31b determines whether or not update parameters have been received from the lower control unit 5 that has been given the update permission (step S23). If the parameters have not been received from the lower control unit 5 (S23: NO), the update processing unit 31b waits until the parameters are received. When the parameters are received from the lower control unit 5 (S23: YES), the update processing unit 31b overwrites and stores the received parameters with respect to the previous parameters stored in, for example, the control specification DB7 (step S24). The update processing unit 31b transmits an update completion notification to the lower control unit 5 that is the source of the parameters (step S25) and ends the parameter update processing.

[0050] <Modification Example> In the present embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus 1 having a two-layer structure in which a plurality of lower control units 5 are connected to one host control unit 3 has been described as an example. However, the substrate processing apparatus
is not limited to this configuration, and various configurations can be adopted.

[0051] (Modification 1) Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a substrate processing apparatus 1 according to Modification 1. The substrate processing apparatus 1 according to Modification 1 has a three-tiered structure in which one upper-level control unit 3 is connected to two intermediate-level control units 4, and each intermediate-level control unit 4 is connected to two lower-level control units 5. The upper-level control unit 3 and the two intermediate-level control units 4 are each equipped with a control specification DB 7. The control specification DB 7 of the upper-level control unit 3 stores information regarding the response characteristics of the two intermediate-level control units 4 connected to the upper-level control unit 3. The control specification DB 7 of the upper-level control unit 3 does not need to store information regarding the response characteristics of the lower-level control units 5 (but it may). The control specification DB 7 of the intermediate-level control unit 4 stores information regarding the response characteristics of the lower-level control units 5 connected to this intermediate-level control unit 4. The control specification DB 7 of the intermediate-level control unit 4 does not need to store information regarding the response characteristics of the lower-level control units 5 connected to other intermediate-level control units 4 (but it may).

[0052] The substrate processing apparatus 1 may have multiple substrate processing chambers, known as multi-chambers. These multiple substrate processing chambers may perform the same type of processing, or they may perform different processing. Multiple intermediate control units 4 may be assigned to each of the multiple substrate processing chambers, and each intermediate control unit 4 may control a lower control unit 5 that controls the processing in each substrate processing chamber.

[0053] (Modification 2) Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to Modification 2. The substrate processing apparatus 1 according to Modification 2, like the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to Modification 1, has a three-tiered structure in which one upper-level control unit 3 is connected to two intermediate-level control units 4, and each intermediate-level control unit 4 is connected to two lower-level control units 5. However, the upper-level control unit 3 and the two intermediate-level control units 4 of the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to Modification 2 do not have a control specification DB 7. The substrate processing apparatus 1 according to Modification 2 does not have a control specification DB 7, and the control specification DB 7 is provided in an external device, such as a server device, that is different from the substrate processing apparatus 1. The substrate processing apparatus 1 according to Modification 2 accesses the control specification DB 7 provided in this external device via wired or wireless communication. The control specification DB 7 stores information regarding the response characteristics of the intermediate-level control units 4 and lower-level control units 5 provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1, and the upper-level control unit 3 and intermediate-level control units 4 can read information from the external control specification DB 7 as needed and use it for control processing.

[0054] In the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to Modification 2, the process of storing information such as the response characteristics of the intermediate control unit 4 in the control specification DB 7 may be performed by the intermediate control unit 4, or it may be performed by the upper control unit 3 to which the intermediate control unit 4 is connected. Similarly, the process of storing information such as the response characteristics of the lower control unit 5 in the control specification DB 7 may be performed by the lower control unit 5, or it may be performed by the intermediate control unit 4 to which the lower control unit 5 is connected. Furthermore, the control specification DB 7 may store information about multiple substrate processing apparatuses 1. In addition, although the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to Modification 1 and Modification 2 above has a three-tiered structure, the substrate processing apparatus 1 may have a tiered structure of four or more tiers.

[0055] <Summary> The substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, having the above configuration, has a hierarchical structure comprising a higher-level control unit 3 and a lower-level control unit 5. When the parameters related to control are changed, the lower-level control unit 5 transmits the changed parameters to the higher-level control unit 3. The higher-level control unit 3 receives the parameters from the lower-level control unit 5 and stores the received parameters in the control specification DB 7. The higher-level control unit 3 generates a control command to the lower-level control unit 5 based on the parameters stored in the control specification DB 7, and performs substrate processing by transmitting the generated control command to the lower-level control unit 5. As a result, the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment can reflect changes in the parameters of one unit in the processing of other units, and is expected to realize coordinated control of multiple units. In particular, in various substrate processing such as CVD, sputtering, or etching, the parameters of individual units influence each other, so the effect of optimizing processing by coordinated control is high.

[0056] Furthermore, in the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, the upper-level control unit 3 transmits a command value trajectory containing multiple control command values ​​for multiple time points to the lower-level control unit 5. This allows the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment to have different operating speeds or operating frequencies between the upper-level control unit 3 and the lower-level control unit 5.

[0057] Furthermore, in the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, the lower-level control unit 5 transmits parameters related to the response characteristics when the command value trajectory is targeted to the upper-level control unit 3. As a result, the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment is expected to enable the upper-level control unit 3 to generate an appropriate command value trajectory based on the parameters stored in the control specification DB 7.

[0058] Furthermore, in the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, the lower-level control unit 5 sends a parameter update request to the upper-level control unit 3 when the parameters related to control are changed. When the lower-level control unit 5 receives permission from the upper-level control unit 3 to update the request, it sends the parameters to the upper-level control unit 3, and if it does not receive confirmation that the parameter update is complete, it resends the update request to the upper-level control unit 3. As a result, the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment is expected to reliably reflect the parameters changed by the lower-level control unit 5 in the control specification DB 7 of the upper-level control unit 3.

[0059] Furthermore, in the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, the lower-level control unit 5 performs parameter optimization processing based on the response characteristics to control commands from the upper-level control unit 3, and transmits the parameters modified by the optimization processing to the upper-level control unit 3. As a result, the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment can be expected to improve the accuracy of substrate processing by, for example, having the lower-level control unit 5 automatically perform parameter optimization processing periodically and reflecting the results of the optimization processing in the control specification DB 7 of the upper-level control unit 3.

[0060] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus 1 transmits its own parameters to the upper control unit 3 when the lower control unit 5 is connected to the upper control unit 3. This allows the substrate processing apparatus 1 to transmit necessary information for controlling the lower control unit 5 to the upper control unit 3, for example, when the lower control unit 5 is replaced.

[0061] Furthermore, the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment includes a plurality of lower-level control units 5. The upper-level control unit 3 stores the parameters received from the plurality of lower-level control units 5 in the control specification DB 7, and generates a control command to one of the lower-level control units 5 based on the parameters of the plurality of lower-level control units 5 stored in the control specification DB 7. As a result, the substrate processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment can reflect the changes made in parameters in any of the plurality of lower-level control units 5 when generating control commands to other lower-level control units 5.

[0062] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of this disclosure is indicated by the claims, not in the sense described above, and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims are intended.

[0063] The matters described in each embodiment can be combined with each other. Furthermore, the independent and dependent claims described in the claims can be combined with each other in any combination, regardless of the form of reference. In addition, the claims use a form in which claims referencing two or more other claims (multi-claim form), but are not limited to this. A form in which multi-claims referencing at least one multi-claim (multi-multi-claim) may also be used.

[0064] 1. Substrate processing unit 3. Upper control unit 4. Middle control unit 5. Lower control unit 5a. ESC temperature control unit (lower control unit) 5b. Gas flow rate control unit (lower control unit) 5c. Pressure control unit (lower control unit) 7. Control specification DB 31. Processing unit 31a. Control processing unit 31b. Update processing unit 32. Storage unit 32a. Program (computer program) 33. Communication unit 51. Processing unit 51a. Control processing unit 51b. Update processing unit 52. Storage unit 52a. Program (computer program) 52b. Control specification storage unit 53. Communication unit 98, 99. Recording medium

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising a higher-level control unit and a lower-level control unit, wherein the lower-level control unit transmits the changed parameters to the higher-level control unit when the parameters related to control are changed, the higher-level control unit receives the parameters from the lower-level control unit, stores the received parameters in a database, generates a control command to the lower-level control unit based on the parameters stored in the database, and transmits the generated control command to the lower-level control unit.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the higher-level control unit generates a command value trajectory including multiple control command values ​​for multiple time points as the control command.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the lower-level control unit transmits parameters relating to the response characteristics when the command value trajectory is targeted to the higher-level control unit.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lower control unit transmits a request to the upper control unit to update the parameters when the parameters related to control are changed, transmits the parameters to the upper control unit when it receives permission to update from the upper control unit for the transmission of the update request, and retransmits the update request to the upper control unit when it does not receive confirmation that the parameters have been updated.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lower-level control unit performs an optimization process for the parameters based on the response characteristics to the control command from the higher-level control unit, and transmits the parameters modified by the optimization process to the higher-level control unit.

6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lower-level control unit transmits its own parameters to the upper-level control unit when connected to the upper-level control unit.

7. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of lower control units, wherein the upper control unit stores parameters received from the plurality of lower control units in the database, and generates a control command to one lower control unit based on the parameters of the plurality of lower control units stored in the database.

8. An information processing method performed by a substrate processing apparatus comprising a higher-level control unit and a lower-level control unit, wherein when a parameter related to control is changed by the lower-level control unit, the changed parameter is transmitted to the higher-level control unit; the higher-level control unit receives the parameter from the lower-level control unit, stores the received parameter in a database, generates a control command for the lower-level control unit based on the parameter stored in the database, and transmits the generated control command to the lower-level control unit.

9. A computer program that causes the upper control unit of a substrate processing apparatus comprising an upper control unit and a lower control unit to receive changed parameters transmitted by the lower control unit when the parameters related to control are changed, to store the received parameters in a database, to generate a control command to the lower control unit based on the parameters stored in the database, and to transmit the generated control command to the lower control unit.

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