JP2007258630A - Substrate processing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a substrate processing apparatus which realizes an improvement in operating rate by shortening a recovery processing time.
A substrate processing apparatus includes a storage unit that stores apparatus data representing an operation state of the apparatus, an alarm generation unit that generates an alarm based on the apparatus data stored in the storage unit, and an alarm generation unit. And a detection unit 310 that detects factors of a plurality of generated alarms.
[Selection] Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate such as a semiconductor device.

  In this type of substrate processing apparatus, there is known one that monitors the state of the substrate processing apparatus and notifies a user (operator, administrator, etc.) of an alarm when a failure or abnormality is detected in the substrate processing apparatus. .

  However, in recent substrate processing apparatuses, the number of control components is increasing, and a plurality of factors (alarm generation factors) that cause the alarm to be generated for one alarm are set. Depending on these alarm generation factors, one alarm may be generated or a plurality of alarms may be generated simultaneously. When multiple alarms occurred at one time, recovery processing took a long time because the cause of the alarm was checked for each alarm in order to analyze the underlying failure.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus that can improve the operating rate by solving the above-mentioned problems and shortening the recovery processing time.

  A feature of the present invention is that storage means for storing device data representing an operation state of the device, alarm generation means for generating an alarm based on the device data in the storage means, and a plurality of alarms generated by the alarm generation means And a detecting means for detecting a common factor of the alarms.

  The method for detecting an alarm generation factor according to the present invention includes a step of storing device data representing a state of the device by a storage unit, a step of generating an alarm based on the device data of the storage unit by an alarm generation unit, and a detection unit Detecting a common factor of a plurality of alarms generated by the alarm generation means.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to detect a common factor of a plurality of generated alarms, so that it is possible to quickly analyze the cause and take countermeasures when a failure occurs, shorten the recovery processing time, and thus operate the apparatus. A rate improvement can be realized.

  In the best mode for carrying out the present invention, as an example, the substrate processing apparatus 100 is configured as a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus that performs processing steps in a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device (IC). In the following description, a case where a vertical apparatus (hereinafter simply referred to as a processing apparatus) that performs oxidation, diffusion processing, CVD processing, or the like is applied to the substrate as the substrate processing apparatus 100 will be described. FIG. 1 is a plan perspective view of a substrate processing apparatus 100 applied to the present invention. 2 is a side perspective view of the substrate processing apparatus 100 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a substrate processing apparatus of the present invention in which a hoop (substrate container; hereinafter referred to as a pod) 110 is used as a wafer carrier containing a wafer (substrate) 200 made of silicon or the like. 100 includes a housing 111. A front maintenance port 103 serving as an opening provided for maintenance is opened at the front front portion of the front wall 111a of the casing 111, and front maintenance doors 104 and 104 for opening and closing the front maintenance port 103 are respectively constructed. It is attached.
A pod loading / unloading port (substrate container loading / unloading port) 112 is opened on the front wall 111a of the casing 111 so as to communicate between the inside and the outside of the casing 111. The pod loading / unloading port 112 has a front shutter (substrate container loading / unloading port). The loading / unloading opening / closing mechanism 113 is opened and closed. A load port (substrate container delivery table) 114 is installed in front of the front side of the pod loading / unloading port 112, and the load port 114 is configured so that the pod 110 is placed and aligned. The pod 110 is loaded onto the load port 114 by an in-process transfer device (not shown), and is also unloaded from the load port 114.

A rotary pod shelf (substrate container mounting shelf) 105 is installed at an upper portion of the casing 111 in a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction. The rotary pod shelf 105 stores a plurality of pods 110. It is configured. That is, the rotary pod shelf 105 is vertically arranged and intermittently rotated in a horizontal plane, and a plurality of shelf plates (substrate container mounts) radially supported by the column 116 at each of the four upper and lower positions. And a plurality of shelf plates 117 are configured to hold the pods 110 in a state where a plurality of pods 110 are respectively placed.
A pod transfer device (substrate container transfer device) 118 is installed between the load port 114 and the rotary pod shelf 105 in the housing 111, and the pod transfer device 118 moves up and down while holding the pod 110. A pod elevator (substrate container lifting mechanism) 118a and a pod transfer mechanism (substrate container transfer mechanism) 118b as a transfer mechanism are configured. The pod transfer device 118 includes a pod elevator 118a and a pod transfer mechanism 118b. The pod 110 is transported between the load port 114, the rotary pod shelf 105, and the pod opener (substrate container lid opening / closing mechanism) 121 by continuous operation.

A sub-housing 119 is constructed across the rear end of the lower portion of the housing 111 at a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction. A pair of wafer loading / unloading ports (substrate loading / unloading ports) 120 for loading / unloading the wafer 200 into / from the sub-casing 119 are arranged on the front wall 119a of the sub-casing 119 in two vertical stages. A pair of pod openers 121 and 121 are installed at the wafer loading / unloading ports 120 and 120 at the upper and lower stages, respectively.
The pod opener 121 includes mounting bases 122 and 122 on which the pod 110 is placed, and cap attaching / detaching mechanisms (lid attaching / detaching mechanisms) 123 and 123 for attaching and detaching caps (lids) of the pod 110. The pod opener 121 is configured to open and close the wafer loading / unloading port of the pod 110 by attaching / detaching the cap of the pod 110 placed on the placing table 122 by the cap attaching / detaching mechanism 123.

  The sub-housing 119 constitutes a transfer chamber 124 that is fluidly isolated from the installation space of the pod transfer device 118 and the rotary pod shelf 105. A wafer transfer mechanism (substrate transfer mechanism) 125 is installed in the front region of the transfer chamber 124, and the wafer transfer mechanism 125 rotates the wafer 200 in the horizontal direction or can move the wafer 200 in the horizontal direction. Substrate transfer device) 125a and wafer transfer device elevator (substrate transfer device lifting mechanism) 125b for raising and lowering wafer transfer device 125a. By the continuous operation of the wafer transfer device elevator 125b and the wafer transfer device 125a, the tweezer (substrate holder) 125c of the wafer transfer device 125a is used as a placement portion for the wafer 200 with respect to the boat (substrate holder) 217. The wafer 200 is loaded (charged) and unloaded (discharged).

As shown in FIG. 1, the supply chamber 124 is supplied with a clean atmosphere or an inert gas such as clean air 133 supplied to the right end of the transfer chamber 124 opposite to the wafer transfer device elevator 125b. A clean unit 134 composed of a fan and a dustproof filter is installed, and a notch aligning device as a substrate aligning device for aligning the circumferential position of the wafer between the wafer transfer device 125a and the clean unit 134. 135 is installed.
The clean air 133 blown out from the clean unit 134 is circulated to the notch aligning device 135 and the wafer transfer device 125a, and then sucked in by a duct (not shown) to be exhausted to the outside of the casing 111, or clean. The unit 134 is circulated to the primary side (supply side) which is the suction side, and is again blown into the transfer chamber 124 by the clean unit 134.

In the rear region of the transfer chamber 124, a casing (hereinafter referred to as a pressure-resistant casing) 140 having a confidential performance capable of maintaining a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure (hereinafter referred to as negative pressure) is installed. A load lock chamber 141 which is a load lock type standby chamber having a capacity capable of accommodating the boat 217 is formed by the pressure-resistant housing 140.
A wafer loading / unloading opening (substrate loading / unloading opening) 142 is opened on the front wall 140a of the pressure-resistant housing 140, and the wafer loading / unloading opening 142 is opened and closed by a gate valve (substrate loading / unloading opening / closing mechanism) 143. It has become. A gas supply pipe 144 for supplying nitrogen gas to the load lock chamber 141 and an exhaust pipe 145 for exhausting the load lock chamber 141 to a negative pressure are connected to the pair of side walls of the pressure-resistant housing 140, respectively. Yes.
A processing furnace 202 is provided above the load lock chamber 141. The lower end portion of the processing furnace 202 is configured to be opened and closed by a furnace port gate valve (furnace port opening / closing mechanism) 147. A furnace port gate valve cover (not shown) that houses the furnace port gate valve 147 when the lower end portion of the processing furnace 202 is opened is attached to the upper end portion of the front wall 140 a of the pressure-resistant housing 140.

As shown in FIG. 1, a boat elevator (substrate holder lifting mechanism) 115 for lifting and lowering the boat 217 is installed in the pressure-resistant housing 140. A seal cap 219 serving as a lid is horizontally installed on an arm 128 serving as a connector connected to the boat elevator 115, and the seal cap 219 supports the boat 217 vertically and closes the lower end of the processing furnace 202. It is configured as possible.
The boat 217 includes a plurality of holding members so that a plurality of (for example, about 50 to 125) wafers 200 are horizontally held in a state where their centers are aligned in the vertical direction. It is configured.

Next, the operation of the processing apparatus of the present invention will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, when the pod 110 is supplied to the load port 114, the pod loading / unloading port 112 is opened by the front shutter 113, and the pod 110 above the load port 114 moves to the pod transfer device 118. Is carried into the housing 111 from the pod loading / unloading port 112.
The loaded pod 110 is automatically transported and delivered by the pod transport device 118 to the designated shelf 117 of the rotary pod shelf 105, temporarily stored, and then one pod opener from the shelf 117. It is conveyed to 121 and transferred to the mounting table 122, or directly transferred to the pod opener 121 and transferred to the mounting table 122. At this time, the wafer loading / unloading port 120 of the pod opener 121 is closed by the cap attaching / detaching mechanism 123, and the transfer chamber 124 is filled with clean air 133. For example, the transfer chamber 124 is filled with nitrogen gas as clean air 133, so that the oxygen concentration is set to 20 ppm or less, which is much lower than the oxygen concentration inside the casing 111 (atmosphere).

  The pod 110 mounted on the mounting table 122 has its opening-side end face pressed against the opening edge of the wafer loading / unloading port 120 on the front wall 119a of the sub-housing 119, and the cap is removed by the cap attaching / detaching mechanism 123. The wafer loading / unloading port of the pod 110 is opened. Further, when the wafer loading / unloading opening 142 of the load lock chamber 141 whose interior is previously set at atmospheric pressure is opened by the operation of the gate valve 143, the wafer 200 is removed from the pod 110 by the tweezer 125c of the wafer transfer device 125a. After being picked up through the loading / unloading port and aligned with the notch aligner 135, the wafer is loaded into the load lock chamber 141 through the wafer loading / unloading opening 142, transferred to the boat 217, and loaded (wafer charging). The wafer transfer device 125 a that has delivered the wafer 200 to the boat 217 returns to the pod 110 and loads the next wafer 110 into the boat 217.

  During the loading operation of the wafer into the boat 217 by the wafer transfer device 125 in the one (upper or lower) pod opener 121, the other (lower or upper) pod opener 121 has a rotary pod shelf 105 or load port 114. The other pod 110 is transported by the pod transport device 118, and the opening operation of the pod 110 by the pod opener 121 proceeds simultaneously.

When a predetermined number of wafers 200 are loaded into the boat 217, the wafer loading / unloading opening 142 is closed by the gate valve 143, and the load lock chamber 141 is evacuated by being evacuated from the exhaust pipe 145.
When the load lock chamber 141 is reduced to the same pressure as that in the processing furnace 202, the lower end portion of the processing furnace 202 is opened by the furnace port gate valve 147. At this time, the furnace port gate valve 147 is carried into and stored in a furnace port gate valve cover (not shown).
Subsequently, the seal cap 219 is raised by the elevator 161 of the boat elevator 115, and the boat 217 supported by the seal cap 219 is loaded into the processing furnace 202.

After loading, arbitrary processing is performed on the wafer 200 in the processing furnace 202.
After the processing, the boat 217 is pulled out by the boat elevator 115, and the gate valve 143 is opened after the inside of the load lock chamber 140 is restored to atmospheric pressure. After that, the wafer 200 and the pod 110 are discharged to the outside of the casing 111 by the reverse procedure described above except for the wafer alignment process in the notch alignment device 135.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of the processing furnace 202 of the substrate processing apparatus 100 suitably used in the embodiment of the present invention, and is shown as a cross-sectional view taken along the line aa in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the processing furnace 202 includes a heater 206 as a heating mechanism. The heater 206 has a cylindrical shape and is vertically installed by being supported by a heater base 251 as a holding plate.

A process tube 203 as a reaction tube is disposed inside the heater 206 concentrically with the heater 206. The process tube 203 includes an inner tube 204 as an internal reaction tube and an outer tube 205 as an external reaction tube provided on the outer side thereof. The inner tube 204 is made of a heat resistant material such as quartz (SiO ₂ ) or silicon carbide (SiC), and is formed in a cylindrical shape with an upper end and a lower end opened. A processing chamber 201 is formed in the cylindrical hollow portion of the inner tube 204, and is configured so that wafers 200 as substrates can be accommodated in a state of being aligned in multiple stages in a horizontal posture and in a vertical direction by a boat 217 described later. The outer tube 205 is made of a heat-resistant material such as quartz or silicon carbide, and is formed in a cylindrical shape having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the inner tube 204 and closed at the upper end and opened at the lower end. It is provided in the shape.

  A manifold 209 is disposed below the outer tube 205 concentrically with the outer tube 205. The manifold 209 is made of, for example, stainless steel and is formed in a cylindrical shape with an upper end and a lower end opened. The manifold 209 is engaged with the inner tube 204 and the outer tube 205, and is provided so as to support them. An O-ring 220a as a seal member is provided between the manifold 209 and the outer tube 205. By supporting the manifold 209 on the heater base 251, the process tube 203 is installed vertically. A reaction vessel is formed by the process tube 203 and the manifold 209.

  A nozzle 230 as a gas introduction unit is connected to a seal cap 219 described later so as to communicate with the inside of the processing chamber 201, and a gas supply pipe 232 is connected to the nozzle 230. A processing gas supply source and an inert gas supply source (not shown) are connected to an upstream side of the gas supply pipe 232 opposite to the connection side with the nozzle 230 via an MFC (mass flow controller) 241 as a gas flow rate controller. Has been. A gas flow rate controller (gas flow rate controller) 235 is electrically connected to the MFC 241, and is configured to control at a desired timing so that the flow rate of the supplied gas becomes a desired amount.

  The manifold 209 is provided with an exhaust pipe 231 that exhausts the atmosphere in the processing chamber 201. The exhaust pipe 231 is disposed at the lower end portion of the cylindrical space 250 formed by the gap between the inner tube 204 and the outer tube 205 and communicates with the cylindrical space 250. A vacuum exhaust device 246 such as a vacuum pump is connected to the downstream side of the exhaust pipe 231 opposite to the connection side with the manifold 209 via a pressure sensor 245 and a pressure adjustment device 242 as a pressure detector. The chamber 201 is configured to be evacuated so that the pressure in the chamber 201 becomes a predetermined pressure (degree of vacuum). A pressure control unit (pressure controller) 236 is electrically connected to the pressure adjustment device 242 and the pressure sensor 245, and the pressure control unit 236 performs processing by the pressure adjustment device 242 based on the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 245. Control is performed at a desired timing so that the pressure in the chamber 201 becomes a desired pressure.

  Below the manifold 209, a seal cap 219 is provided as a furnace port lid that can airtightly close the lower end opening of the manifold 209. The seal cap 219 is brought into contact with the lower end of the manifold 209 from the lower side in the vertical direction. The seal cap 219 is made of a metal such as stainless steel and has a disk shape. On the upper surface of the seal cap 219, an O-ring 220b is provided as a seal member that contacts the lower end of the manifold 209. A rotation mechanism 254 for rotating the boat is installed on the side of the seal cap 219 opposite to the processing chamber 201. A rotation shaft 255 of the rotation mechanism 254 passes through the seal cap 219 and is connected to a boat 217 described later, and is configured to rotate the wafer 200 by rotating the boat 217. The seal cap 219 is configured to be lifted vertically by a boat elevator 115 as a lifting mechanism vertically installed outside the process tube 203, and thereby the boat 217 is carried into and out of the processing chamber 201. Is possible. A drive control unit (drive controller) 237 is electrically connected to the rotation mechanism 254 and the boat elevator 115, and is configured to control at a desired timing so as to perform a desired operation.

  The boat 217 serving as a substrate holder is made of a heat-resistant material such as quartz or silicon carbide, and is configured to hold a plurality of wafers 200 in a horizontal posture and in a state where the centers are aligned with each other and held in multiple stages. ing. A plurality of heat insulating plates 216 as a disk-shaped heat insulating member made of a heat resistant material such as quartz or silicon carbide are arranged in a multi-stage in a horizontal posture at the lower part of the boat 217, and the heat from the heater 206 is arranged. Is difficult to be transmitted to the manifold 209 side.

  A temperature sensor 263 is installed in the process tube 203 as a temperature detector. A temperature control unit 238 is electrically connected to the heater 206 and the temperature sensor 263, and the temperature in the processing chamber 201 is adjusted by adjusting the power supply to the heater 206 based on the temperature information detected by the temperature sensor 263. Is controlled at a desired timing so as to have a desired temperature distribution. The temperature sensor 263 is provided with a temperature switch (not shown) that operates when the temperature is higher than a predetermined temperature.

  A cooling water main pipe (not shown) is disposed around the processing chamber 201. The cooling water main pipe has a flow switch (not shown) that operates when the cooling water becomes a predetermined amount or less, and a water-cooled radiator. (Not shown) and a water-cooled thyristor are provided. These water-cooled radiators and water-cooled thyristors are provided with a temperature switch (not shown) that operates when the temperature exceeds a predetermined temperature.

  The gas flow rate control unit 235, the pressure control unit 236, the drive control unit 237, and the temperature control unit 238 also constitute an operation unit and an input / output unit, and are electrically connected to a main control unit (main controller) 239 that controls the entire substrate processing apparatus. Connected. These gas flow rate control unit 235, pressure control unit 236, drive control unit 237, temperature control unit 238, and main control unit 239 are configured as a controller 240.

  Next, a method of forming a thin film on the wafer 200 by the CVD method as one step of the semiconductor device manufacturing process using the processing furnace 202 having the above configuration will be described. In the following description, the operation of each part constituting the substrate processing apparatus is controlled by the controller 240.

  When a plurality of wafers 200 are loaded into the boat 217 (wafer charge), as shown in FIG. 3, the boat 217 holding the plurality of wafers 200 is lifted by the boat elevator 115 and processed in the processing chamber 201. Is loaded (boat loading). In this state, the seal cap 219 seals the lower end of the manifold 209 via the O-ring 220b.

  The processing chamber 201 is evacuated by a vacuum evacuation device 246 so that a desired pressure (degree of vacuum) is obtained. At this time, the pressure in the processing chamber 201 is measured by the pressure sensor 245, and the pressure regulator 242 is feedback-controlled based on the measured pressure. In addition, the inside of the processing chamber 201 is heated by the heater 206 so as to have a desired temperature. At this time, the power supply to the heater 206 is feedback-controlled based on the temperature information detected by the temperature sensor 263 so that the inside of the processing chamber 201 has a desired temperature distribution. Subsequently, the wafer 200 is rotated by rotating the boat 217 by the rotation mechanism 254.

  Next, the gas supplied from the processing gas supply source and controlled to have a desired flow rate by the MFC 241 is introduced into the processing chamber 201 from the nozzle 230 through the gas supply pipe 232. The introduced gas rises in the processing chamber 201, flows out from the upper end opening of the inner tube 204 into the cylindrical space 250, and is exhausted from the exhaust pipe 231. The gas comes into contact with the surface of the wafer 200 when passing through the processing chamber 201, and at this time, a thin film is deposited on the surface of the wafer 200 by a thermal CVD reaction.

  When a preset processing time has passed, an inert gas is supplied from an inert gas supply source, the inside of the processing chamber 201 is replaced with an inert gas, and the pressure in the processing chamber 201 is returned to normal pressure. .

  Thereafter, the seal cap 219 is lowered by the boat elevator 115, the lower end of the manifold 209 is opened, and the processed wafer 200 is carried out from the lower end of the manifold 209 to the outside of the process tube 203 while being held by the boat 217 ( Boat unloading). Thereafter, the processed wafer 200 is taken out from the boat 217 (wafer discharge).

Note that as an example, the processing conditions for processing a wafer in the processing furnace of the present embodiment include, for example, a processing temperature of 400 to 800 ° C. and a processing pressure of 1 in the formation of a SiN film (silicon nitride film). -50 Torr, film forming gas species SiH ₂ Cl ₂ , NH ₃ , film forming gas supply flow rate SiH ₂ Cl ₂ : 0.02 to 0.30 slm, NH ₃ : 0.1 to 2.0 slm are exemplified, and Poly -In the film formation of a Si film (polysilicon film), a processing temperature of 350 to 700 ° C., a processing pressure of 1 to 50 Torr, a film forming gas type SiH ₄ , a film forming gas supply flow rate of 0.01 to 1.20 slm are exemplified. The wafer 200 is processed by keeping each processing condition constant at a certain value within each range.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the controller 240 described above.
As illustrated in FIG. 4, the controller 240 includes a main control unit (main controller) 239, a sub control unit (sub controller) 302, a storage unit 304, and a display unit 306. The main control unit 239 is connected to the sub control unit 302, the storage unit 304, and the display unit 306, and inputs / outputs data between the sub control unit 302, the storage unit 304, and the display unit 306. . The main control unit 239 has an alarm generation unit 308 as an alarm generation unit and a detection unit 310 as a detection unit, which will be described later. The storage unit 304 stores (stores) the data output from the main control unit 239 and outputs the data stored in the storage unit 304 to the main control unit 239. The display unit 306 has a display screen 306a described later, and displays data in the storage unit 304 output from the main control unit 239 on the display screen 306a. Further, the display unit 306 is provided with a keyboard, a mouse, and the like as input means so that input can be made on the display screen 306a.

  The sub-control unit 302 includes a dedicated controller 312 and a PLC (Program Logic controller) 314. The dedicated controller 312 is a controller that performs dedicated control of temperature, gas, pressure, and conveyance system (mechanical), and includes a gas flow rate control unit 235, a pressure control unit 236, a drive control unit 237, a temperature control unit 238, and a conveyance control unit. 316. On the other hand, each sensor and switch that are not connected to the dedicated controller 312 are connected to the PLC 314. For example, a flow switch that operates when the cooling water in the cooling water main pipe becomes a predetermined amount or less is connected to the PLC 314.

  An MFC (Mass Flow Controller) 241 or the like is connected to the gas flow rate control unit 235, and a pressure adjusting device (APC: Auto Presser Controller) 242 and a pressure sensor 245 are connected to the pressure control unit 236. Each of the drive units such as the boat elevator 115 and the rotation mechanism 254 is connected to the temperature control unit 238, and a heater 206, a thyristor (semiconductor rectifier that controls output direct current), a temperature switch, and the like are connected to the temperature control unit 238. Is connected to a photo sensor, a cassette sensor (not shown), and the like, and a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) 314 is connected to various sensors, an external input / output device, a flow switch, and the like.

  The gas flow rate control unit 235 adjusts a flow rate adjustment valve (not shown) based on device data (gas flow rate detection data) output by the MFC 241 to control the gas flow rate to be supplied. The pressure controller 236 controls a pressure in the processing chamber 201 by adjusting a pressure adjustment valve (not shown) based on device data (pressure detection data) output from the pressure adjustment device 242 and the pressure sensor 245. The drive control unit 237 controls operations of the boat elevator 115 and the rotation mechanism 254 based on device data (detection data) output by a position detection sensor (not shown) or the like. The temperature control unit 238 adjusts the heater 206 based on device data (temperature detection data) output from a temperature switch or the like provided in a temperature sensor 263, a thyristor (for example, water-cooled type) and a water-cooled type radiator, and the like. The temperature in 201 is controlled. The transfer control unit 316 controls operations of the pod transfer device 118, the wafer transfer mechanism 125, and the like based on device data (detection data) output from a photo sensor or a cassette sensor (not shown). The PLC 314 takes in device data (detection data) output from various sensors (not shown), flow switches, and the like, and outputs them to the main control unit 239. Further, the PLC 314 performs data input / output between external input devices as necessary.

  The main control unit 239 receives the above-described device data from the sub-control unit 302 and stores the device data in the storage unit 304. The alarm generation unit 308 of the main control unit 239 generates an alarm based on the device data in the storage unit 304. That is, the alarm generation unit 308 of the main control unit 239 constantly monitors each device data, and when the sub control unit 302 detects a failure such as an abnormality or failure of each sensor or the like, an alarm corresponding to the content of the failure is detected. Is displayed on the display screen 306a of the display 306. For example, when the pressure of the supply gas decreases, the alarm generation unit 308 detects the pressure decrease of the supply gas by operating the pressure switch, and displays the supply gas pressure decrease alarm on the display screen 306 a of the display unit 306. Further, for example, when the exhaust pressure is lowered, the alarm generation unit 308 detects the pressure drop of the exhaust pressure by operating the pressure switch, and displays the exhaust pressure drop alarm on the display screen 306 a of the display unit 306.

5 and 6 are diagrams illustrating alarms stored in the storage unit 304. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the storage unit 304 stores a plurality of (for example, six in this figure) alarms, and each alarm is associated with a factor causing the alarm. For example, alarm D (for example, thyristor temperature abnormality alarm) is associated with factor D (for example, cooling water flow rate drop) and factor E (for example, thyristor temperature abnormality) as alarm generation factors.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the factor matrix table 320 is stored in the storage unit 304, and a plurality of occurrence factors considered for each of the plurality of alarms described above are formed into a matrix, and each alarm is associated with the occurrence factor of the alarm. Attached. The user registers the occurrence factors that can be considered for each alarm in the factor matrix table 320 in advance. For example, the factor matrix table 320 may be displayed and registered on the display screen 306a.

Next, a case where a plurality of alarms occur at one time will be described with reference to FIGS.
For example, alarm 2 is “cooling water flow rate drop alarm”, alarm 3 is “radiator temperature abnormality alarm”, alarm 5 is “thyristor temperature abnormality alarm”, and alarm 6 is “processing chamber temperature abnormality alarm”. A case where it occurs at one time will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in step S100, the alarm generation unit 308 of the main control unit 310 determines whether or not a plurality of alarms are generated. If a plurality of alarms are generated at one time, the process proceeds to step S105. If one alarm occurs, the process proceeds to step S115.

  For example, a case where a plurality of alarms occur at one time will be described. The alarm generation unit 308 generates a cooling water drop alarm when device data (operation detection data) of a flow switch installed in the cooling water main is input from the sub control unit 302. The alarm generator 308 generates a radiator temperature abnormality alarm when device data (operation detection data) of the temperature switch is input due to the high temperature of the water-cooled radiator. Further, the alarm generation unit 308 generates a thyristor temperature abnormality alarm when the device data (operation detection data) of the temperature switch is input from the sub-control unit 302 due to the high temperature of the water-cooled thyristor. Further, the alarm generation unit 308 generates a processing chamber temperature abnormality alarm when the device data (operation detection data) of the temperature switch is input from the sub control unit 302 due to the high temperature of the processing chamber.

  In step S <b> 105, the detection unit 310 of the main control unit 239 detects a plurality of common factors generated by the alarm generation unit 308. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the detection unit 310 detects “common factor D” of alarm 2, alarm 3, alarm 5, and alarm 6 using the factor matrix table 320. Specifically, the detection unit 310 has the cause of alarm 2 as factor C and factor D, the cause of alarm 3 as factor A, factor D and factor F, and the cause of alarm 5 as factor D. Recognizing that the factor E is the cause of the alarm 6 and that the factor D and the factor G are generated, it is determined that the common factor is the factor D. More specifically, the detection unit 310 detects “cooling water flow rate decrease” as a common factor of the cooling water flow rate decrease alarm, the radiator temperature abnormality alarm, the thyristor temperature abnormality alarm, and the processing chamber temperature abnormality alarm. As described above, the detection unit 310 of the main control unit 239 detects a common factor when a plurality of alarms are generated at one time, that is, a basic factor.

  In step S <b> 110, the main control unit 239 displays the detection result of the detection unit 310, that is, the common factor among the plurality of alarm generation factors on the display screen 306 a of the display unit 306. As shown in FIG. 8, on the display screen 306a, a factor display screen 322 showing the date and time of a plurality of alarms that occurred at the same time and a factor common to the plurality of alarms that occurred is displayed.

  In step S115, the user (operator) confirms a common factor of the plurality of alarms displayed on the display screen 306a of the display unit 306, and responds to a predetermined failure.

  When a plurality of alarms are generated, a factor matrix table 320 in which factors common to the display screen 306a of the display unit 306 are colored may be displayed.

  As described above, according to the substrate processing apparatus 100 of the present invention, when a plurality of alarms are generated at one time, it becomes easy to isolate a basic factor, and a cause analysis and a countermeasure when a failure occurs can be quickly performed. Can do. Therefore, the recovery processing time is shortened, and thus the operating rate of the apparatus can be improved.

  The present invention can be applied not only to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus but also to an apparatus for processing a glass substrate such as an LCD apparatus as a substrate processing apparatus. Further, the present invention can be applied not only to a vertical apparatus but also to a single wafer apparatus or a horizontal apparatus. Further, the present invention can be applied to, for example, oxidation, diffusion, annealing, etc. in addition to CVD, regardless of the treatment in the furnace.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used in a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate such as a semiconductor device, which needs to quickly analyze the cause and take measures when a failure occurs when a plurality of alarms are generated at one time.

It is a top view which shows the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. 1 shows a processing furnace of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line aa of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the controller of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the alarm memorize | stored in the memory | storage part of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and the factor of this alarm. It is the table | surface which matrixed the generation | occurrence | production factor of the some alarm memorize | stored in the memory | storage part of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart explaining the process by the main-control part when an alarm generate | occur | produces in the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which illustrates the common factor display screen displayed on the display part of the substrate processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

100 Substrate processing device 304 Storage unit 306 Display unit 308 Alarm generation unit 310 Detection unit

Claims (1)

Storage means for storing device data representing the operating state of the device;
Alarm generating means for generating an alarm based on the device data of the storage means;
Detecting means for detecting a common factor of a plurality of alarms generated by the alarm generating means;
A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

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