US 10,241,503 B2 · Board processing apparatus, board processing method, and board processing system

Abstract

A second control device of a second substrate processing apparatus creates a virtual carrier, thereby storing a piece of positional information of a substrate to be carried into the second substrate processing apparatus through a direct carry-in entrance before the substrate is carried into the second substrate processing apparatus. The second control device creates a second schedule to convey a substrate carried into the second substrate processing apparatus through the direct carry-in entrance from the outside of the second substrate processing apparatus to the inside of the second substrate processing apparatus, based on the prestored positional information of the substrate outside the second substrate processing apparatus, before the substrate is carried into the second substrate processing apparatus.

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Drawings

Claims18

Dependent claims

A substrate processing apparatus having a control device that creates a job in accordance with a job creation command sent from a host computer and that controls the substrate processing apparatus to convey and/or process a substrate in a predetermined management area in the substrate processing apparatus based on the job;

the substrate processing apparatus receiving a substrate from an intermediate apparatus that conveys a substrate that has been processed by a first substrate processing apparatus while directly supporting the substrate outside the first substrate processing apparatus, the first substrate processing apparatus being another substrate processing apparatus that processes a substrate at an earlier stage than said substrate processing apparatus,
the substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a direct carry-in entrance that accepts a substrate carried in from the intermediate apparatus;
a transfer unit that conveys the substrate carried into the substrate processing apparatus through the direct carry-in entrance and that conveys the substrate inside the management area;
a plurality of processing units in the management area that process the substrate carried in by means of the transfer unit;
and
said control device;
wherein the control device executes:
a first step of, when the fact that a substrate scheduled to be processed by the substrate processing apparatus has been placed at the first substrate processing apparatus is reported from the host computer, storing positional information of the substrate in the first substrate processing apparatus and correlating the positional information of the substrate in the first substrate processing apparatus with virtual substrate positional information capable of being recognized by the control device;
a second step of, when a job creation command for the substrate is given from the host computer, creating a job to convey and/or process the substrate by means of the substrate processing apparatus while using the virtual substrate positional information;
and
a third step of, before the substrate is carried into the substrate processing apparatus, creating a second schedule including a carrying-in step of allowing the transfer unit to convey a substrate carried into the substrate processing apparatus through the direct carry-in entrance from an outside of the substrate processing apparatus to an inside of the substrate processing apparatus by use of the virtual substrate positional information stored in the first step.

9 more elements

A substrate processing method executed by a substrate processing apparatus,

the substrate processing apparatus having a control device that creates a job in accordance with a job creation command sent from a host computer and controls the substrate processing apparatus to execute conveyance and/or processing of a substrate in a predetermined management area in the substrate processing apparatus based on the job,
the substrate processing apparatus receiving a substrate from an intermediate apparatus that conveys a substrate that has been processed by a first substrate processing apparatus while directly supporting the substrate outside the first substrate processing apparatus, the first substrate processing apparatus being another substrate processing apparatus that processes a substrate at an earlier stage than said substrate processing apparatus,
the substrate processing apparatus including a direct carry-in entrance that accepts a substrate carried in from the intermediate apparatus, a transfer unit that conveys the substrate carried into the substrate processing apparatus through the direct carry-in entrance and that conveys the substrate inside the management area, a plurality of processing units in the management area that process the substrate carried in by means of the transfer unit, and said control device,
the substrate processing method being carried out by the control device and comprising:
a first step of, when the fact that a substrate scheduled to be processed by the substrate processing apparatus has been placed at the first substrate processing apparatus is reported from the host computer, storing positional information of the substrate in the first substrate processing apparatus and correlating the positional information of the substrate in the first substrate processing apparatus with virtual substrate positional information capable of being recognized by the control device;
a second step of, when a job creation command for the substrate is given from the host computer, creating a job to convey and/or process the substrate by means of the substrate processing apparatus while using the virtual substrate positional information;
and
a third step of, before the substrate is carried into the substrate processing apparatus, creating a second schedule including a carrying-in step of allowing the transfer unit to convey a substrate carried into the substrate processing apparatus through the direct carry-in entrance from an outside of the substrate processing apparatus to an inside of the substrate processing apparatus by use of the virtual substrate positional information stored in the first step.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Description16,216 words

Summary3,702 words

#The present application is a 35 U.S.C. §§ 371 national phase conversion of PCT/JP2014/068467, filed Jul. 10, 2014, which claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-156946, filed Jul. 29, 2013, the contents of both of which are incorporated herein by reference. The PCT International Application was published in the Japanese language.

#The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus that processes substrates, relates to a substrate processing method, and relates to a substrate processing system. Examples of substrates to be processed include a semiconductor wafer, a substrate for use in liquid crystal display devices, a substrate for use in plasma displays, a substrate for use in FEDs (Field Emission Displays), a substrate for use in optical disks, a substrate for use in magnetic disks, a substrate for use in magnet-optical disks, a substrate for use in photomasks, a ceramic substrate, and a substrate for use in solar batteries.

#In a process of manufacturing a semiconductor device or a liquid crystal display device, many steps that include two or more steps among a cleaning step, a heating step, a film forming step, an etching step, a resist applying step, an exposing step, and a developing step are performed for a substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate that is used in a liquid crystal display device.

Brief description of the drawings11 figures

#FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a substrate processing system 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

#FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing an arrangement of the inside of a second substrate processing apparatus 4 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

#FIG. 3 is a schematic front view showing an arrangement of the inside of an intermediate apparatus 3 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed description12,274 words

#FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a substrate processing system 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing an arrangement of the inside of a second substrate processing apparatus 4 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic front view showing an arrangement of the inside of an intermediate apparatus 3 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

#As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing system 1 includes a single substrate processing type first substrate processing apparatus 2 that processes substrates W one by one, a single substrate processing type second substrate processing apparatus 4 that processes substrates W one by one, an intermediate apparatus 3 that connects the first substrate processing apparatus 2 and the second substrate processing apparatus 4 together, and a carrier transfer robot 5 that transfers a carrier C (for example, FUOP) capable of containing a plurality of substrates W to the first substrate processing apparatus 2 and to the second substrate processing apparatus 4. The carrier C has its inner portion having a plurality of slots (shelves) disposed in the up-down direction with intervals therebetween. The carrier C is capable of supporting the substrates W by means of the slots such that the substrates Ware stacked together up and down with intervals therebetween in a horizontal posture.

#The first substrate processing apparatus 2 may be any of a cleaning apparatus, a heat treatment apparatus, a film formation apparatus, an etching apparatus, a resist applying apparatus, an exposure apparatus, and a developing apparatus, or may be an apparatus that performs other processing operations with respect to the substrate W. The same applies to the second substrate processing apparatus 4. Additionally, the first substrate processing apparatus 2 and the second substrate processing apparatus 4 may be apparatuses that perform the same kind of processing operation with respect to the substrate W, or may be apparatuses that perform mutually-different kind of processing operations with respect to the substrate W. An example will be hereinafter described in which the first substrate processing apparatus 2 is a dry etching apparatus and in which the second substrate processing apparatus 4 is a wet cleaning apparatus that cleans a substrate W, which has undergone dry etching, by use of a cleaning solution, such as a chemical solution or a rinse solution.

Facts

Application

14/907,617Filed 10 Jul 2014

Priority

JP 2013-15694629 Jul 2013

Published

US 2016/0161941 A19 Jun 2016

Granted

26 Mar 2019

Term ends

23 Apr 2035

Estimated · how

20 years from earliest known nonprovisional domestic filing plus recorded patent term adjustment, including 287 days of adjustment. Maintenance-fee lapses, terminal disclaimers and statutory extensions have not been checked. The continuity chain may be incomplete; this is not an enforceability determination.

Classification12 codes

G05B 19/4189
Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible…:…
G05B 19/402
Numerical control [NC], i.e. automatically operating machines, in particular machine tools, e.g. in a manufacturing environment, so as to…
G05B 19/41815
Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible…:…
G05B 2219/40066
Robotics, robotics mapping to robotics vision: stack and align identical layers, laminates, electronic substrate layers

Timeline

29 Jul 2013Priority claimedJP 2013-156946
10 Jul 2014Application filedUS 14/907,617
26 Jan 2016Assigned to Screen Holdings Co., Ltd.assignment of assignor's interest
9 Jun 2016PublishedUS 2016/0161941 A1
26 Mar 2019GrantedUS 10,241,503 B2
12 Oct 2026TodayWithin its term
23 Apr 2035Term endsEstimated, includes 287 days of adjustment

Board processing apparatus, board processing method, and board processing system

Life of this patent

Board processing apparatus, board processing method, and board processing system

Life of this patent

Life of this patent

Abstract

Drawings

Drawings

Claims18

Description16,216 words

Drawings

Classification12 codes

Life of this patent

Description16,216 words