Substrate Processing Scheduling Abnormality Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate processing apparatuses lack a method to handle abnormalities during scheduling, leading to potential degradation in substrate processing quality and operational inefficiencies when abnormalities occur or are resolved.
Innovation Solution
A scheduling method that prioritizes preliminary and post-resolution preliminary processing steps, allowing for flexible rescheduling and process interruptions to maintain quality and efficiency, including the option to restart processes and switch processing units when abnormalities occur.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the substrate processing process is stopped when an abnormality occurs during preliminary processing, then substrate processing quality is maintained, but productivity decreases due to process interruptions and restarts
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary processing (such as heating, cooling, or atmosphere preparation) before the actual substrate processing. When an abnormality occurs during preliminary processing, the system detects it and stops the process before substrate processing begins, preventing quality degradation while allowing for controlled restart after resolution
Solution Approach 2:
The scheduling system continuously monitors the processing apparatus for abnormalities and provides feedback control. When an abnormality is detected during preliminary processing, the system automatically adjusts the schedule to stop the process, and when the abnormality is resolved, the system reschedules to restart the preliminary processing followed by substrate processing, maintaining quality while recovering productivity
2Productivity
If the schedule is automatically adjusted when an abnormality occurs, then operational efficiency is maintained, but device complexity increases due to scheduling control mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The scheduling system dynamically adjusts the processing schedule based on real-time abnormality detection. The controller modifies the sequence and timing of preliminary processing and substrate processing steps in response to abnormalities, enabling flexible operational efficiency maintenance without requiring complex permanent structural changes to the apparatus
Solution Approach 2:
The scheduling control mechanism serves multiple functions: it monitors for abnormalities, determines their resolution status, adjusts the processing schedule accordingly, and coordinates restart procedures. This multi-functional approach maintains operational efficiency while avoiding the need for separate dedicated systems for each function, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A scheduling method includes a first step where a controller prepares the schedule so that a preliminary processing process and a substrate processing process are performed in that order by a processing unit in common, a second step where, when an abnormality occurs in a substrate processing apparatus in a period from the start of the preliminary processing process to before the start of the substrate processing process, the controller stops the substrate processing process at the processing unit designated in the first step, and a third step where, when the abnormality is resolved, the controller prepares the schedule so that a post-resolution preliminary processing process and the substrate processing process are performed in that order at the processing unit designated in the first step.