Scheduling method and program for a substrate processing apparatus

A method of preparing a schedule for a substrate processing apparatus, wherein a plurality of lots are processed by said substrate processing apparatus including a plurality of processing sections, an order of processing said lots being determined, before an actual processing, based on a recipe including a plurality of processing steps for processing said lots in said processing sections, said method comprising, in determining said order:

• when a first processing step for one of said lots is allocated and thereafter a processing step for a next lot is allocated, and a processing step for said next lot allocated later overtakes and precedes in time a processing step for said one of said lots allocated earlier, subsequent processing steps of said next lot becoming impossible to allocate;
• a step of determining an allocating position to which each processing step for said next lot is allocable, regarding said allocating position as a positive allocating position, determining, as a scheduling time difference, a difference between a time of said positive allocating position and a scheduling reference time of a scheduling reference position for processing steps being allocated, obtaining step times by dividing said scheduling time difference by a predetermined value, and trying an allocation of each processing step for said next lot for each of said step times starting with said scheduling reference time;
• and
• wherein said predetermined value is a range of 5 to 20.

A program for preparing a schedule for a substrate processing apparatus, wherein a plurality of lots are processed by said substrate processing apparatus including a plurality of processing sections, an order of processing said lots being determined, before an actual processing, based on a recipe including a plurality of processing steps for processing said lots in said processing sections, said program comprising, in determining said order:

• when a first processing step for one of said lots is allocated and thereafter a processing step for a next lot is allocated, and a processing step for said next lot allocated later overtakes and precedes in time a processing step for said one of said lots allocated earlier, subsequent processing steps of said next lot becoming impossible to allocate;
• a step of controlling a computer to determine an allocating position to which each processing step for said next lot is allocable, to regard said allocating position as a positive allocating position, to determine, as a scheduling time difference, a difference between a time of said positive allocating position and a scheduling reference time of a scheduling reference position for processing steps being allocated, to obtain step times by dividing said scheduling time difference by a predetermined value, and to try an allocation of each processing step for said next lot for each of said step times starting with said scheduling reference time;
• wherein said predetermined value is a range of 5 to 20.

A method of preparing a schedule for a substrate processing apparatus, said substrate processing apparatus including a plurality of processing sections, use timing of resources in said processing sections being determined to process said plurality of lots with said resources, said method comprising:

• with a view to using said processing sections based on a lifetime determining life of said treating solution from use time of said treating solution in one of said processing sections and a life count determining life of said treating solution from use frequency of said treating solution in said one of said processing sections;
• a step of allocating solution change plans according to the lifetime to said resources in said processing sections before starting an actual processing, thereafter allocating times for using each of said resources for each of said lots, and when said life count expires, canceling those of the solution change plans according to the lifetime already allocated after expiry of said life count, allocating a solution change plan immediately after the expiry of said life count, and thereafter allocating times for using each of said resources for each of said lots again;
• wherein, after allocating said solution change plan following the expiry of said life count, use for a next lot of a processing section for which said treating solution is changed is prevented from being allocated before said solution change plan.

A program for preparing a schedule for a substrate processing apparatus, said substrate processing apparatus including a plurality of processing sections, use timing of resources in said processing sections being determined to process said plurality of lots with said resources, said program comprising:

• with a view to using said processing sections based on a lifetime determining life of said treating solution from use time of said treating solution in said processing sections and a life count determining life of said treating solution from use frequency of said treating solution in said processing sections;
• a step of controlling a computer to allocate solution change plans according to the lifetime to said resources in said processing sections before starting an actual processing, thereafter to allocate times for using each of said resources for each of said lots, and when said life count expires, to cancel those of the solution change plans according to the lifetime already allocated after expiry of said life count, to allocate a solution change plan immediately after the expiry of said life count, and thereafter to allocate times for using each of said resources for each of said lots again;
• wherein, after allocating said solution change plan following the expiry of said life count, use for a next lot of a processing section for which said treating solution is changed is prevented from being allocated before said solution change plan.