Substrate Processing With Time-Matched Single-Substrate Inspection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing substrate processing systems face inefficiencies in integrating batch-type and single-substrate-type processing, particularly in optimizing inspection times and processing times to enhance productivity and prevent substrate pattern collapse.
Innovation Solution
A substrate processing system with a batch-type processor and single-substrate-type processor, controlled by a circuit that calculates batch-type processing time and selects inspection items based on correspondence information to match inspection times, ensuring efficient parallel processing and minimizing substrate pattern collapse.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If inspection items are performed on the single-substrate-type processor, then substrate quality control is improved, but processing time increases and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The control circuit selectively performs only certain inspection items on the single-substrate-type processor based on predetermined correspondence information, rather than performing all possible inspections. This partial inspection approach maintains adequate quality control while reducing the total inspection time and preserving processing throughput.
2Productivity
If batch-type processing is performed on multiple substrates, then productivity is improved, but inspection flexibility and precision are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The inspection process is segmented into two types: batch-type inspection for general quality control and single-substrate-type inspection for detailed precision inspection. The control circuit determines which type to perform based on the specific processing situation, allowing the system to leverage both approaches - batch processing for efficiency and single-substrate inspection when higher precision is needed.
3Reliability
If inspection time is extended to cover all inspection items, then quality control is improved, but substrate pattern collapse risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control circuit predeterminedly establishes correspondence information that maps specific inspection items to the single-substrate-type processor with their required inspection times. This preliminary planning allows the system to select and execute only the necessary inspections within the available time window before substrate pattern collapse becomes a risk, rather than attempting exhaustive inspections.
Data Source
AI summary
A substrate processing system includes a batch-type processor configured to collectively process a plurality of substrates, a single-substrate-type processor configured to process the plurality of substrates one by one, and a control circuit configured to execute: calculating a batch-type processing time including a time required for processing the plurality of substrates by the batch-type processor, based on recipe information including an procedure in which the plurality of substrates is processed; and selecting, based on correspondence information in which inspection items and inspection times in an inspection on the single-substrate-type processor are associated with each other, one or two or more of the inspection items for which the inspection times are equal to or less than the batch-type processing time, and executing the inspection on the selected one or two or more inspection items.