CONTROL DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD THEREFOR

Abstract

An EC 200 includes a substrate processing execution unit 280 that executes an etching process on a product substrate, a dummy processing execution unit 275 that executes a dummy process on a dummy substrate and a decision-making unit 270 that makes a decision as to whether the dummy process is to be executed based upon a temperature-related condition. The decision-making unit 270 obtains temperature-related information to be used to regulate the atmosphere inside the individual PM processing containers and makes a decision as to whether the temperature status inside each processing container is regulated based upon the obtained temperature information. If it is decided by the decision-making unit 270 that the temperature status in the processing container has been regulated, the substrate processing execution unit 280 executes the etching process on a product substrate without executing the dummy process.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the substrate processing system achieved in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 presents a diagram of the hardware configuration adopted in the EC in the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 presents a diagram of the hardware configuration adopted in the PMs in the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a PM achieved in the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of the EC achieved in the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates the continuous lot feed and the discontinuous lot feed, as implemented in the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 presents a flowchart of the lot processing routine executed in the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 presents a flowchart of the dummy decision-making/substrate processing routine (continuous lot feed) executed in the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 presents an example of the recipe A used for the immediately preceding processing in the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 presents an example of the recipe B to be used next in the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 presents another example of the recipe B to be used next in the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 presents a flowchart of the dummy decision-making/substrate processing routine (discontinuous lot feed) executed in the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 presents yet another example of the recipe B to be used next in the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a longitudinal sectional view of another PM that may be used in an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 15 is a longitudinal sectional view of another PM that may be used in an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. A control device for a substrate processing apparatus comprising: a substrate processing execution unit that executes a predetermined processing on a product substrate;a dummy processing execution unit that executes dummy processing on a non-product substrate; anda decision-making unit that obtains information related to a temperature to be used to regulate the atmosphere within a processing container included in the substrate processing apparatus and makes a decision as to whether or not a temperature status within the processing container is already regulated based upon the obtained temperature information, wherein:the substrate processing execution unit executes the predetermined processing on the product substrate without allowing the dummy processing execution unit to execute the dummy processing in case that the decision-making unit determines that the temperature status in the processing container is already regulated.

2. The control device for a substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a storage unit in which a single recipe or a plurality of recipes to be used when processing substrates are stored, wherein:the decision-making unit makes a decision as to whether or not the temperature status in the processing container is regulated based upon a first decision-making condition for comparing a temperature setting indicated in a recipe used when processing an immediately preceding product substrate with a temperature setting indicated in a recipe to be used in the next product substrate among the recipes stored in the storage unit.

3. The control device for a substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: the decision-making unit makes a decision as to whether or not the temperature status in the processing container is regulated based upon a second decision-making condition for comparing a value calculated in correspondence to a power setting indicated in a recipe used when processing a previous product substrate with a value of a power setting indicated in a recipe to be used when processing the next product substrate in addition to the first decision-making condition.

4. The control device for a substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the substrate processing apparatus includes a temperature sensor that detects the temperature inside the processing container; andthe decision-making unit obtains the temperature inside the processing container detected by the temperature sensor and makes a decision as to whether or not the temperature status in the processing container is regulated based upon a third decision-making condition for comparing the obtained temperature in the processing container with the temperature setting indicated in a recipe to be used when processing the next product substrate.

5. The control device for a substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising: a continuous lot feed instruction unit that issues a continuous lot feed instruction so as to allow a second lot constituted with another product substrate group to be continuously processed in succession to a first lot constituted with a product substrate group that includes a product substrate undergoing processing, wherein:the decision-making unit makes a decision based upon the second decision-making condition or conditions including the second decision-making condition, when the continuous lot feed instruction unit has issued a continuous lot feed instruction.

6. The control device for a substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a discontinuous lot feed instruction unit that issues a discontinuous lot feed instruction so as to discontinuously execute processing for a given lot when a lot constituted with a product substrate group that includes a product substrate undergoing processing does not exist, wherein:the dummy processing execution unit executes dummy processing on a non-product substrate before the predetermined processing is executed on product substrates in the discontinuously fed lot, without allowing the decision-making unit to make the decision in case that a discontinuous lot feed instruction is issued by the discontinuous lot feed instruction unit.

7. The control device for a substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: the decision-making unit makes a decision as to whether or not the temperature status inside the processing container is regulated based upon at least any one of decision-making condition among the first decision-making condition, the second decision-making condition and the third decision-making condition in correspondence to a parameter indicating a specified dummy processing execution condition.

8. The control device for a substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein: the decision-making unit makes a decision as to whether or not the temperature status inside the processing container is regulated based upon the third decision-making condition in case that a continuous lot feed instruction is issued by the continuous lot feed instruction unit and “continuous lot feed” is specified in the parameter as the dummy processing execution condition.

9. The control device for a substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein: the decision-making unit makes a decision as to whether or not the temperature status in the processing container is regulated based upon the first decision-making condition and the second decision-making condition in case that a continuous lot feed instruction is issued by the continuous lot feed instruction unit and “continuous lot feed” is not specified in the parameter as the dummy processing execution condition.

10. The control device for a substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein: if a continuous lot feed instruction is issued by the continuous lot feed instruction unit and “continuous lot feed” is not specified in the parameter as the dummy processing execution condition, the decision-making unit makes a decision as to whether or not the temperature status in the processing container is regulated based upon the first decision-making condition, the second decision-making condition and the third decision-making condition.

11. The control device for a substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein: the dummy processing execution unit executes dummy processing on a non-product substrate before executing the predetermined processing on the discontinuously fed product substrates without allowing the decision-making unit to make the decision in case that a discontinuous lot feed instruction is issued by the discontinuous lot feed instruction unit and “discontinuous lot feed” is specified in the parameter as the dummy processing execution condition.

12. The control device for a substrate processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein: the dummy processing execution unit makes a decision as to whether or not the temperature status inside the processing container is regulated based upon the first decision-making condition and the third decision-making condition in case that a discontinuous lot feed instruction is issued by the discontinuous lot feed instruction unit and “discontinuous lot feed” is not specified in the parameter as a dummy processing execution condition.

13. A control method to be adopted when controlling a substrate processing apparatus that executes a predetermined processing on a product substrate, comprising: obtaining temperature-related information to be used to regulate the atmosphere inside a processing container;making a decision as to whether or not a temperature status inside the processing container is regulated based upon the obtained temperature information; andexecuting the predetermined processing on a product substrate without executing dummy processing on a non-product substrate in case that the temperature status inside the processing container is decided to be regulated.

14. A computer-readable recording medium having stored therein a control program in conformance to which a substrate processing apparatus that executes a predetermined processing on a product substrate is controlled, with the control program enabling a computer to execute: a module for obtaining temperature-related information to be used to regulate the atmosphere inside a processing container;a module for making a decision as to whether or not a temperature status inside the processing container is regulated based upon the obtained temperature information; anda module for executing the predetermined processing on a product substrate without executing dummy processing on a non-product substrate in case that the temperature status inside the processing container is decided to be regulated.