Substrate-processing system and method of aging a substrate-processing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016128203-A1
Application number	US-201514921605-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 23, 2015
Priority date	Oct 31, 2014
Publication date	May 5, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of aging a substrate-processing apparatus according to the inventive concepts may include receiving advance information of a scheduled substrate-receiving container to be loaded on a load port of the substrate-processing apparatus from a host computer, and loading a test substrate into a process chamber to perform an inspection process by means of the advance information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A substrate-processing system comprising:
a substrate-processing apparatus performing a semiconductor unit manufacturing process; a distribution automation apparatus transferring a substrate-receiving container receiving process substrates to the substrate-processing apparatus; and a host computer outputting a transfer control signal instructing the distribution automation apparatus to transfer the substrate-receiving container in such a way that the substrate-receiving container is smoothly transferred into the substrate-processing apparatus, wherein the host computer provides advance information to the substrate-processing apparatus such that an auto-inspection process is performed using a test substrate in the substrate-processing apparatus before the substrate-receiving container arrives at the substrate-processing apparatus.

2 . The substrate-processing system of claim 1 , wherein the substrate-processing apparatus comprises: a controller provided with the advance information from the host computer, and
wherein the controller controls the substrate-processing apparatus through the advance information such that a process chamber of the substrate-processing apparatus is shut down and the test substrate is loaded into the shut-down process chamber to perform an inspection process for an idle time before the substrate-receiving container transferred by the distribution automation apparatus arrives.

3 . A method of aging a substrate-processing apparatus including a test receiving container receiving test substrates, the method comprising:
receiving advance information of a scheduled substrate-receiving container to be loaded on a load port of the substrate-processing apparatus, from a host computer; and loading the test substrate into a process chamber to perform an inspection process by means of the advance information.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the advance information comprises: a process recipe of substrates loaded in the scheduled substrate-receiving container; and a time at which the scheduled substrate-receiving container arrives on the load port.

5 . The method of claim 3 , wherein loading the test substrate into the process chamber to perform the inspection process comprises:
making an environment, in which substrates loaded in the scheduled substrate-receiving container will be processed, in the process chamber before the scheduled substrate-receiving container arrives on the load port.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein loading the test substrate into the process chamber to perform the inspection process comprises:
adjusting a start time of the inspection process to set an end time of the inspection process to an estimated time of arrival of the scheduled substrate-receiving container if the end time of the inspection process is earlier than the estimated time of arrival of the scheduled substrate-receiving container.

Assignees

• Semes Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lim Sung Min

Classifications

• H10P72/0612 Primary

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

• H05K3/10 Primary

  in which conductive material is applied to the insulating support in such a manner as to form the desired conductive pattern · CPC title

• G05B2219/45031

  Manufacturing semiconductor wafers · CPC title

• G05B2219/32195

  Feedforward quality control · CPC title

• G05B19/00

  Program-control systems · CPC title