Substrate processing method and substrate processing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10403525-B2
Application number	US-201715687649-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2017
Priority date	Aug 31, 2016
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

A substrate processing method is provided. The substrate processing method includes placing a substrate storage container storing a substrate on a load port; automatically determining a type of the substrate stored in the placed substrate storage container; and, by referring to a storage unit that stores parameter data set related to a transport condition for each type of substrate, controlling transport of the substrate stored in the substrate storage container based on the parameter data set corresponding to the automatically determined substrate type to process the substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate processing method comprising:
placing a substrate storage container storing a substrate on a load port;
detecting identification information of the substrate storage container;
automatically determining a type of the substrate stored in the placed substrate storage container based on the detected identification information of the substrate storage container; and,
by referring to a storage unit that stores a parameter data set related to a transport condition for each substrate type, controlling transport of the substrate stored in the substrate storage container based on the parameter data set corresponding to the automatically determined type of the substrate to process the substrate.

2. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 ,
wherein the storage unit further stores a parameter data set related to process conditions, the method further comprising: controlling, by referring to the storage unit, processing of the substrate stored in the substrate storage container based on the parameter data set corresponding to the automatically determined type of the substrate, and based on a predetermined recipe.

3. The substrate processing method according to claim 2 , further comprising:
in the case where there is a value, in process conditions of the substrate set in the predetermined recipe, that is outside of the process conditions set in the parameter data set, controlling the processing of the substrate within the process conditions set in the parameter data set.

4. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
in the case where it is determined that, based on the automatically determined type of the substrate, the substrate stored in the substrate storage container is a special substrate different from a product substrate, controlling a transport speed of the special substrate to be slower than a transport speed of the product substrate based on the transport condition set in the parameter data set.

5. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
after automatically determining the type of the substrate, and before transporting the substrate stored in the substrate storage container, performing mapping based on conditions set in the parameter data set to detect an abnormality of the substrate stored in the substrate storage container.

6. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
obtaining identification information of the substrate storage container when placing the substrate storage container on the load port; and automatically determining the type of the substrate stored in the substrate storage container based on the identification information.

7. The substrate processing method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
placing a plurality of the substrate storage containers storing substrates on a load port;
automatically determining each of the types of the substrates stored in the placed substrate storage containers; and,
in the case of processing and transporting in parallel the substrates stored in the substrate storage containers, transporting in parallel the substrates stored in the substrate storage containers at a speed equal to or less than a slowest transport speed of transport speeds set in the parameter data sets corresponding to the automatically determined types of the substrates.

8. A substrate processing system comprising:
a load port on which a substrate storage container storing a substrate is placed; and
a control unit configured to detect identification information of the substrate storage container, automatically determine a type of the substrate stored in the substrate storage container placed on the load port based on the detected identification information of the substrate storage container, and, by referring to a storage unit that stores a parameter data set related to a transport condition for each type of the substrates, to control transport of the substrate stored in the substrate storage container based on the parameter data set corresponding to the automatically determined substrate type.

9. The substrate processing system according to claim 8 , wherein
the storage unit further stores a parameter data set related to process conditions, and wherein
the control unit controls processing of the substrate stored in the substrate storage container based on the parameter data set corresponding to the automatically determined substrate type, and based on a predetermined recipe.

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Nishino Toru
• Iijima Kiyohito
• Ishizawa Shigeru

Classifications

• H10P72/0421

  for drying etching · CPC title

• H10P72/3408

  Docking arrangements · CPC title

• H10P72/3406

  involving removal of lid, door or cover · CPC title

• H10P72/3404

  Storage means · CPC title

• H10P72/3304

  characterised by movements or sequence of movements of transfer devices · CPC title