Substrate processing apparatus and recording medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11236743-B2
Application number	US-201816228116-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2018
Priority date	Dec 21, 2017
Publication date	Feb 1, 2022
Grant date	Feb 1, 2022

Abstract

There is provided a technique that includes: a main controller configured to execute a process recipe including a plurality of steps to perform a predetermined process on a substrate so as to acquire device data when executing the process recipe; and a storage part configured to store the acquired device data, wherein the main controller is configured to: acquire the device data in a predetermined specific step among the steps constituting the process recipe; calculate a value of the acquired device data in the specific step; compare the calculated value with a value of the device data in the specific step calculated at a time of previous execution of the process recipe; and generate an alarm when the calculated value shows a predefined tendency.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a main controller configured to execute a process recipe including a plurality of steps to perform a predetermined process on a substrate so as to acquire device data when executing the process recipe; and
a storage part configured to store the acquired device data,
wherein the main controller is configured to:
acquire the device data, which includes a current value, a rotational speed, and a back pressure of an auxiliary pump, in a predetermined specific step among the steps constituting the process recipe;
calculate an average value for each of the device data acquired in the specific step;
compare the calculated average value with a previous average value for each of the device data acquired in the specific step during previous execution of the process recipe; and
generate an alarm if it is determined that at least one of the following conditions is met:
the calculated average value for the current value is larger than the previous average value for the current value and has been increased in succession for a preset number of times of executing the process recipe,
the calculated average value for the back pressure is larger than the previous average value for the back pressure and has been increased in succession for a preset number of times of executing the process recipe, and
the calculated average value for the rotational speed is smaller than the previous average value for the rotational speed and has been decreased in succession for a preset number of times of executing the process recipe.

2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the storage part is configured to store a cleaning recipe for directly supplying a cleaning gas to an exhaust pipe by passing the cleaning gas by a process chamber for processing the substrate, and
wherein the main controller is configured to execute the cleaning recipe while generating the alarm.

3. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the main controller is configured to execute the cleaning recipe after the process recipe is completed.

4. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the process recipe includes at least a boat-loading process, a preparing step, a film-forming process, a purging step and a boat-unloading process, and
wherein the specific step is selected from the boat-loading process and the preparing step prior to the film-forming process.

5. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the specific step is a process of starting evacuation from an atmospheric pressure.

6. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the main controller is configured to acquire a maximum value of the device data in the specific step.

7. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a display part,
wherein the main controller is configured to display contents of the alarm the display part.

8. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the preset number of times is set to three times or larger and seven times or smaller.

9. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the main controller is configured to generate the alarm when a predefined tendency of the at least one of the conditions in each of the device data changes.

10. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the main controller is configured to generate the alarm if it is determined that at least two of the conditions are met.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program that causes a computer to perform a process in a substrate processing apparatus including a main controller configured to execute a process recipe including a plurality of steps to perform a predetermined process on a substrate so as to acquire device data when executing the process recipe, and a storage part configured to store the acquired device data, the process comprising:
acquiring device data, which includes a current value, a rotational speed, and a back pressure of an auxiliary pump, while executing the process recipe, and storing the acquired device data;
acquiring the device data in a predetermined specific, step among the steps constituting the process recipe from the stored device data;
calculating an average value for each of the device data acquired in the specific step;
comparing the calculated average value with a previous average value for each of the device data acquired in the specific step during previous execution of the process recipe; and
generating an alarm if it is determined that at least one of the following conditions is met:
the calculated average value for the current value is larger than the previous average value for the current value and has been increased in succession for a preset number of times of executing the process recipe,
the calculated average value for the back pressure is larger than the previous average value for the back pressure and has been increased in succession for a preset number of times of executing the process recipe, and
the calculated average value for the rotational speed is smaller than the previous average value for the rotational speed and has been decreased in succession for a preset number of times of executing the process recipe.

Assignees

• Kokusai Electric Corp

Inventors

• Okuno Masanori
• Horita Hideki
• Yamamoto Kazuyoshi
• Asai Kazuhide
• Yonejima Toshihiko

Classifications

• H10P72/0402 Primary

  Apparatus for fluid treatment (H10P72/0441, H10P72/0448 take precedence) · CPC title

• H10P90/00 Primary

  Preparation of wafers not covered by a single main group of this subclass, e.g. wafer reinforcement · CPC title

• F04B2205/05

  Pressure after the pump outlet · CPC title

• F04B2203/0201

  Current · CPC title

• G05B23/0286

  Modifications to the monitored process, e.g. stopping operation or adapting control · CPC title