Operating method of vacuum processing system and vacuum processing system

A method of operating a vacuum processing system, including a plurality of processing units disposed on a maintenance room side for processing wafers, one transferring unit provided for said processing units for carrying the wafers at least one of to and from a plurality of cassettes disposed on a clean room side, and at least one of to and from said processing units in accordance with each of a plurality of recipes, and a control apparatus for controlling each of said processing units and said one transferring unit, said control apparatus including a main control unit disposed on said clean room side for remote controlling said processing units and an auxiliary control unit disposed in said maintenance room side near said processing units, wherein at least two groups of processing units having at least two of said processing units therein are connected to said one transferring unit, and the wafers are processed using said at least two groups of processing units which have a preset recipe relation for said wafers, said method comprising the steps of:

• judging whether each of said processing units of said at least two groups is in an operable condition or an inoperable condition;
• isolating inoperable ones of said processing units of the respective groups judged in said judging step from wafer processing;
• carrying wafers to operable ones of said processing units of the respective groups using said one transferring unit;
• processing said wafers in accordance with the recipe therefor using only said operable processing units of the respective groups;
• and
• performing maintenance work of said isolated inoperable ones of said processing units during said processing of said wafers while shifting operation controllability right of said isolated inoperable ones of said processing units from said main control unit to said auxiliary control unit.

A method of operating a vacuum processing system, including a plurality of processing units disposed on a maintenance room side and arranged in at least two groups in accordance with each of a plurality of recipes according to preset recipe relation for processing wafers, each of said at least two groups having at least two of said processing units therein, one transferring unit provided in each of said processing units for carrying the wafers, and a control apparatus for controlling each of said processing units and said one transferring unit, said control apparatus including a main control unit disposed on a clean room side for remote controlling said processing units and an auxiliary control unit disposed in said maintenance room side near said processing units, wherein said at least two groups of said processing units are connected to said one transferring unit, and the wafers are processed using said at least two groups of said processing units which have the preset recipe relation therefor, said method comprising the steps of:

• selecting processing units from said plurality of processing units of said at least two groups for processing wafers in accordance with the preset recipe relation for the wafers and states of said processing units;
• carrying wafers into said selected processing units using said one transferring unit;
• performing an automatic operation for wafer processing using said selected processing units of said at least two groups;
• and
• interlocking non-selected processing units from said plurality of processing units of said at least two groups from the outside and performing maintenance work thereon.

A vacuum processing system, including a plurality of processing units disposed on a maintenance room side and arranged in at least two groups in accordance with each of a plurality of recipes according to preset recipe relation for processing wafers, each of said at least two groups having at least two of said processing units therein, one transferring unit provided for said at least two groups of said processing units for carrying the wafers and a control apparatus for controlling each of said processing units and said one transferring unit, said control apparatus including a main control unit disposed on a clean room side for remote controlling said processing units and an auxiliary control unit disposed in said maintenance room side near said processing units, wherein said at least two groups of said processing units are connected to said one transferring unit, and the wafers are processed using said at least two groups of processing units in accordance with the preset recipe relation, said vacuum processing system comprising:

• a processing order information storing means for storing a processing order information of said wafers in said vacuum processing system in accordance with the preset recipe relation therefor;
• an operational information signal generating means for generating operational information signal indicating operable/inoperable state of said processing units of said at least two groups;
• a processing system control means for adjusting said processing order information and said operational information signal, isolating inoperable ones of said processing units of said at least two groups and processing said wafers using only said operable processing units of said at least two groups based on said information in accordance with the preset recipe relation;
• wherein, while performing maintenance work of said isolated inoperable ones of said processing units during said processing said wafers, shifting operation controllability right of said isolated inoperable ones of said processing units from said main control unit to said auxiliary control unit.