Scheduler, substrate processing apparatus, and substrate conveyance method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10824138-B2
Application number	US-201916258137-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2019
Priority date	Mar 1, 2018
Publication date	Nov 3, 2020
Grant date	Nov 3, 2020

Abstract

A calculation amount and calculation time for a substrate conveyance schedule are reduced. A scheduler is provided which is incorporated in a control section of a substrate processing apparatus including a plurality of substrate processing sections that process a substrate, a conveyance section that conveys the substrate, and the control section that controls the conveyance section and the substrate processing sections, and calculates a substrate conveyance schedule. The scheduler includes: a modeling section that models processing conditions, processing time and constraints of the substrate processing apparatus into nodes and edges using a graph network theory, prepares a graph network, and calculates a longest route length to each node; and a calculation section that calculates the substrate conveyance schedule based on the longest route length.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A scheduler incorporated in a control section of a substrate processing apparatus including a plurality of substrate processing sections that process a substrate, a conveyance section that conveys the substrate, and the control section that controls the conveyance section and the substrate processing sections, and calculating a substrate conveyance schedule, the scheduler comprising:
a modeling section that models processing conditions, processing time and constraints of the substrate processing apparatus into nodes and edges by using a graph network theory, prepares a graph network, and calculates a longest route length to each node; and
a calculation section that calculates the substrate conveyance schedule based on the longest route length,
wherein the modeling section defines as one unit a predetermined number of the substrates out of the substrates for which graph networks are to be prepared and prepares a graph network for each of the substrates,
wherein the scheduler fixes one of the prepared graph networks,
wherein the modeling section defines as another one unit a predetermined number of the substrates out of the substrates for which graph networks are to be prepared except for the substrates for which the graph networks have already been fixed, and prepares a graph network for each of the substrates in the other one unit to add to the fixed graph network,
wherein the scheduler fixes one of the added graph networks; and
wherein the control section is configured to control the conveyance section based on the calculated substrate conveyance schedule.

2. The scheduler according to claim 1 ,
wherein a start time of the processing on the substrate for which the graph network has been prepared is calculated, and
wherein the start time of the processing is fixed.

3. The scheduler according to claim 2 ,
wherein the start time of the processing on the substrates for which the graph network has been fixed is fixed when the start time of the processing remains unchanged at the time of adding the graph network for the substrate in the other one unit to the fixed graph network.

4. The scheduler according to claim 1 ,
wherein the modeling section prepares graph networks for all the substrates for which graph networks are to be prepared.

5. The scheduler according to claim 1 , comprising
a detection section that detects whether or not the substrate processing apparatus has shifted to a nonstationary state,
wherein the modeling section models the processing conditions, the processing time and the constraints of the substrate processing apparatus in the nonstationary state to the nodes and the edges using the graph network theory when the detection section detects that the substrate processing apparatus has shifted to the nonstationary state, prepares the graph network, and calculates the longest route length to each node, and
wherein the calculation section is configured to calculate the substrate conveyance schedule based on the longest route length to each node in the nonstationary state.

6. The scheduler according to claim 5 ,
wherein the nonstationary state includes a state at the time of a fault of the substrate processing apparatus, a state at the time of maintenance of the substrate holder, or a state at the time of maintenance of an anode holder.

7. A substrate conveyance method using a substrate processing apparatus including a plurality of substrate processing sections that process a substrate, a conveyance section that conveys the substrate, and a control section that controls the conveyance section and the substrate processing sections, the method comprising:
a modeling step of modeling processing conditions, processing time and constraints of the substrate processing apparatus into nodes and edges by using a graph network theory, preparing a graph network, and calculating a longest route length to each node;
a calculation step of calculating a substrate conveyance schedule based on the longest route length; and
a step of conveying the substrate based on the substrate conveyance schedule,
wherein the calculation step includes
a step of defining as one unit a predetermined number of the substrates out of the substrates for which graph networks are to be prepared and preparing a graph network for each of the substrates,
a step of fixing one of the prepared graph networks,
a step of defining as another one unit a predetermined number of the substrates out of the substrates for which graph networks are to be prepared except for the substrates for which the graph networks have already been fixed, and preparing a graph network for each of the substrates in the other one unit to add to the fixed graph network, and
a step of fixing one of the added graph networks.

8. The substrate conveyance method according to claim 7 ,
wherein the calculation step includes
a step of calculating a start time of the processing on the substrate for which the graph network has been prepared, and
a step of fixing the start time of the processing.

9. The substrate conveyance method according to claim 8 ,
wherein the step of fixing the start time of processing fixes the start time of the processing on the substrates for which the graph network has been fixed when the start time of the processing remains unchanged at the time of adding the graph network for the substrate in the other one unit to the fixed graph network.

10. The substrate conveyance method according to claim 7 , comprising
a step of detecting whether or not the substrate processing apparatus has shifted to a nonstationary state,
wherein the modeling step includes a step of modeling the processing conditions, the processing time and the constraints of the substrate processing apparatus in the nonstationary state to the nodes and the edges using the graph network theory when it is detected that the substrate processing apparatus has shifted to the nonstationary state, preparing the graph network, and calculating the longest route length to each node, and
wherein the calculation step includes a step of calculating the substrate conveyance schedule based on the longest route length to each node in the nonstationary state.

11. The substrate conveyance method according to claim 10 ,
wherein the nonstationary state includes a state at the time of a fault of the substrate processing apparatus, a state at the time of maintenance of the substrate holder, or a state at the time of maintenance of an anode holder.

Assignees

• Ebara Corp

Inventors

• Nonobe Koji
• Mitsuya Takashi
• Koizumi Ryuya
• Oishi Kunio

Classifications

• H10P72/3304

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

• H10P72/0612

  Production flow monitoring, e.g. for increasing throughput · CPC title

• H10P72/0456

  in-line arrangement · CPC title

• H10P72/32

  between different workstations · CPC title

• H10P72/0604 Primary

  Process monitoring, e.g. flow or thickness monitoring · CPC title