Substrated processing system, and method of control therefor, control program and storage medium
AssigneeTokyo Electron Limited
InventorsYasushi Hayashida, Yoshitaka Hara
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Abstract
A transfer schedule SA and a transfer schedule SB for an A lot and a B lot different from each other are generated on a transfer control table, the succeeding transfer schedule SB is moved ahead in the direction of a time axis within a range over which it does not interfere with the transfer schedule SA for the preceding A lot to make the start timing for the succeeding transfer schedule SB become earlier than the end timing for the transfer schedule for the preceding A lot, so that the transfer schedule SA and the transfer schedule SB are executed in parallel, thereby improving the throughput a wafer transfer process.
Claims28
A substrate processing system including a plurality of modules into and out of which a substrate is transferred, and a substrate moving mechanism which moves the substrate among said modules, said system comprising:
- a transfer control table in which a transfer schedule representing a relationship between a transfer timing of the substrate and said modules into and out of which the substrate is transferred is stored;
- and
- control means including a function of generating said transfer schedule of a plurality of substrates in a unit of a lot on said transfer control table, and a function of controlling the substrate moving mechanism based on said transfer schedule read from said transfer control table.
A substrate processing system including a plurality of modules into and out of which a substrate is transferred, and a substrate moving mechanism which moves the substrate among said modules, said system comprising:
- a transfer control table in which a transfer schedule representing a relationship between a transfer timing of the substrate and said modules into and out of which the substrate is transferred is stored;
- and
- control means including a function of generating said transfer schedule of a plurality of substrates in a unit of a lot on said transfer control table, a function of setting a start timing for said transfer schedule of a succeeding lot ahead to an end timing for a preceding lot within a range over which said transfer schedule of each of a plurality of said lots does not interfere, and a function of controlling the substrate moving mechanism based on said transfer schedule read from said transfer control table.
A substrate processing system including a plurality of modules into and out of which a substrate is transferred, and a substrate moving mechanism which moves the substrate among said modules, and comprising:
- a transfer control table comprised of a time axis along which transfer timings at which a transfer operation of the substrate is performed in a predetermined cycle is set, and a transfer flow axis along which said modules into and out of which the substrate is transferred are laid out;
- and
- control means including a function of generating said transfer schedule of a plurality of substrates in a unit of a lot on said transfer control table by setting identification information of each of the substrates which is transferred into and out from said modules with respect to a cell to be specified by designating a specific one of said transfer timings and a specific one of said modules in said two-dimensional table, a function of moving all of said cells included in said transfer schedule of a succeeding lot ahead in a direction of said time axis within a range over which a contour of a figure constituted by said cells included in said transfer schedule of each of a plurality of said lots set on said transfer control table does not interfere, and a function of controlling said substrate moving mechanism based on said transfer schedule read from said transfer control table at every said transfer timing.
A substrate processing system including a resist coating module which performs resist coating on a semiconductor substrate, a development module which develops a resist coated on said semiconductor substrate, and a process module which performs any one of a hydrophobic process, a heating process, a cooling process, and a holding process on the semiconductor substrate, and a substrate moving mechanism which moves the semiconductor substrate among said modules, said system comprising:
- a transfer control table comprised of a time axis along which transfer timings at which a transfer operation of the semiconductor substrate is performed in a predetermined cycle is set, and a transfer flow axis along which said modules into and out of which the semiconductor substrate is transferred are laid out;
- and
- control means including a function of generating said transfer schedule of a plurality of semiconductor substrates in a unit of a lot on said transfer control table by setting identification information of each of the semiconductor substrates which is transferred into and out from said modules with respect to a cell to be specified by designating a specific one of said transfer timings and a specific one of said modules in said two-dimensional table, a function of moving all of said cells included in said transfer schedule of a succeeding lot ahead in a direction of said time axis within a range over which a contour of a figure constituted by said cells included in said transfer schedule of each of a plurality of said lots set on said transfer control table does not interfere, and a function of controlling said substrate moving mechanism based on said transfer schedule read from said transfer control table at every said transfer timing.
A control method for a substrate processing system including a plurality of modules into and out of which a substrate is transferred, and a substrate moving mechanism which moves the substrate among said modules, said control method comprising steps of:
- generating, on a transfer control table in which a transfer schedule representing a relationship between a transfer timing of the substrate and said modules into and out of which said substrate is transferred is stored, said transfer schedule of a plurality of substrates in a unit of a lot on said transfer control table;
- and
- controlling said substrate moving mechanism based on said transfer schedule read from said transfer control table.
A control method for a substrate processing system including a plurality of modules into and out of which a substrate is transferred, and a substrate moving mechanism which moves the substrate among said modules, said control method comprising steps of:
- generating, on a transfer control table in which a transfer schedule representing a relationship between a transfer timing of said substrate and said modules into and out of which the substrate is transferred is stored, said transfer schedule of a plurality of substrates in a unit of a lot on said transfer control table;
- moving a start timing for said transfer schedule of a succeeding lot ahead to an end timing for a preceding lot within a range over which said transfer schedule of each of a plurality of said lots set on said transfer control table does not interfere;
- and
- controlling the substrate moving mechanism based on said transfer schedule read from said transfer control table.
A control method for a substrate processing system including a plurality of modules into and out of which a substrate is transferred, and a substrate moving mechanism which moves the substrate among said modules, said control method comprising steps of:
- generating, on a transfer control table comprised of a time axis along which transfer timings at which a transfer operation of the substrate is performed in a predetermined cycle is set, and a transfer flow axis along which said modules into and out of which the substrate is transferred are laid out, said transfer schedule of a plurality of substrates in a unit of a lot on said transfer control table by setting identification information of each of the substrates which is transferred into and out from said modules with respect to a cell to be specified by designating a specific one of said transfer timings and a specific one of said modules in said two-dimensional table;
- moving all of said cells included in said transfer schedule of a succeeding lot ahead in a direction of said time axis within a range over which a contour of a figure constituted by said cells included in said transfer schedule of each of a plurality of said lots set on said transfer control table does not interfere;
- and
- controlling the substrate moving mechanism based on said transfer schedule read from said transfer control table at every said transfer timing.
A control method for a substrate processing system including a resist coating module which performs resist coating on a semiconductor substrate, a development module which develops a resist coated on said semiconductor substrate, and a process module which performs any one of a hydrophobic process, a heating process, a cooling process, and a holding process on the semiconductor substrate, and a substrate moving mechanism which moves the semiconductor substrate among said modules, said control method comprising steps of:
- generating, on a transfer control table comprised of a time axis along which transfer timings at which a transfer operation of the semiconductor substrate is performed in a predetermined cycle is set, and a transfer flow axis along which said modules into and out of which the semiconductor substrate is transferred are laid out, said transfer schedule of a plurality of semiconductor substrates in a unit of a lot on said transfer control table by setting identification information of each of the semiconductor substrates which is transferred into and out from said modules with respect to a cell to be specified by designating a specific one of said transfer timings and a specific one of said modules in said two-dimensional table;
- moving all of said cells included in said transfer schedule of a succeeding lot ahead in a direction of said time axis within a range over which a contour of a figure constituted by said cells included in said transfer schedule of each of a plurality of said lots set on said transfer control table does not interfere;
- and
- controlling said substrate moving mechanism based on said transfer schedule read from said transfer control table at every said transfer timing.
A control program for a substrate processing system including a plurality of modules into and out of which a substrate is transferred, a substrate moving mechanism which moves said substrate among said modules, and a computer which controls said modules and said substrate moving mechanism, said control program allowing said computer to execute:
- a step of generating, on a transfer control table in which a transfer schedule representing a relationship between a transfer timing of said substrate and said modules into and out of which the substrate is transferred is stored, said transfer schedule of a plurality of substrates in a unit of a lot on said transfer control table;
- and
- a step of controlling said substrate moving mechanism based on said transfer schedule read from said transfer control table.
A control program for a substrate processing system including a plurality of modules into and out of which a substrate is transferred, a substrate moving mechanism which moves the substrate among said modules, and a computer which controls said modules and said substrate moving mechanism, said control program allowing said computer to execute:
- a step of generating, on a transfer control table in which a transfer schedule representing a relationship between a transfer timing of said substrate and said modules into and out of which the substrate is transferred is stored, said transfer schedule of a plurality of substrates in a unit of a lot on said transfer control table;
- a step of moving a start timing for said transfer schedule of a succeeding lot ahead to an end timing for a preceding lot within a range over which said transfer schedule of each of a plurality of said lots set on said transfer control table does not interfere;
- and
- a step of controlling said substrate moving mechanism based on said transfer schedule read from said transfer control table.
A computer readable storage medium storing a control program for a substrate processing system including a plurality of modules into and out of which a substrate is transferred, a substrate moving mechanism which moves the substrate among said modules, and a computer which controls said modules and said substrate moving mechanism, said control program allowing said computer to execute:
- a step of generating, on a transfer control table in which a transfer schedule representing a relationship between a transfer timing-of the substrate and said modules into and out of which the substrate is transferred is stored, said transfer schedule of a plurality of substrates in a unit of a lot on said transfer control table;
- and
- a step of controlling said substrate moving mechanism based on said transfer schedule read from said transfer control table.
A computer readable storage medium storing a control program for a substrate processing system including a plurality of modules into and out of which a substrate is transferred, a substrate moving mechanism which moves the substrate among said modules, and a computer which controls said modules and said substrate moving mechanism, said control program allowing said computer to execute:
- a step of generating, on a transfer control table in which a transfer schedule representing a relationship between a transfer timing of the substrate and said modules into and out of which the substrate is transferred is stored, said transfer schedule of a plurality of substrates in a unit of a lot on said transfer control table;
- a step of moving a start timing for said transfer schedule of a succeeding lot ahead to an end timing for a preceding lot within a range over which said transfer schedule of each of a plurality of said lots set on said transfer control table does not interfere;
- and
- a step of controlling said substrate moving mechanism based on said transfer schedule read from said transfer control table.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.