JP2011114264A - Substrate processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to efficiently correct a zero point of a flow rate control unit and confirm a correction result.
A flow rate control unit includes a process chamber, a flow rate control unit that adjusts a flow rate of a gas supplied to the process chamber, and a control unit that controls the operation of the flow rate control unit, and the flow rate control unit receives a correction process start request. Then, a correction process for correcting the zero point is started, and when the correction process is completed, flow rate monitor information indicating the flow rate at the zero point is transmitted, and the control unit issues a correction process start request before executing the substrate processing recipe. When the correction process is completed, the flow rate monitor information is received from the flow control unit. If the flow rate at the zero point is within the predetermined range, it is determined that the correction process is successful, and the flow rate at the zero point is outside the predetermined range. Otherwise, it is determined that the correction process has failed.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate.

  As a process of manufacturing a semiconductor device such as a DRAM, a substrate processing process for processing a substrate such as a silicon wafer has been performed. Such a substrate processing step has been performed by a substrate processing apparatus including a processing chamber that accommodates a substrate and a mass flow controller (MFC) as a flow rate control unit that adjusts the flow rate of a gas supplied into the processing chamber.

JP 2003-257878 A JP 2007-258631 A

  However, by repeatedly performing the substrate processing step, a thin film or the like is deposited on each part in the mass flow controller, the zero point of the mass flow controller may fluctuate, and the quality of the substrate processing may deteriorate. In that case, the maintenance staff, etc. go to the site where the substrate processing equipment is installed, and the maintenance staff, etc., manually operate the zero point correction switch, etc., provided on the mass flow controller. Had to do. In addition, when the substrate processing apparatus is provided with a plurality of mass flow controllers, it is necessary for maintenance personnel to check the position of the mass flow controller in which the zero point fluctuates each time, and the above correction can be performed efficiently. It was difficult to do. In addition, it is necessary for maintenance personnel to check the correction results on site, which may increase the number of work steps.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of efficiently correcting a zero point of a flow rate control unit and confirming a correction result.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, the apparatus includes a processing chamber that accommodates a substrate, a flow rate control unit that adjusts a flow rate of a gas supplied into the processing chamber, and a control unit that controls the operation of the flow rate control unit. The substrate processing apparatus, wherein the flow rate control unit starts a correction process for correcting a zero point when a correction process start request is received from the control unit, and indicates a flow rate at the zero point when the correction process is completed. Information is transmitted to the control unit, the control unit transmits the correction process start request to the flow rate control unit before executing the substrate processing recipe, and the flow rate monitor information is transmitted to the flow rate control unit when the correction process is completed. If the flow value at the zero point is within a predetermined range, it is determined that the correction process has been successful, and if the flow value at the zero point is not outside the predetermined range, the correction process has failed. Substrate treatment apparatus is provided with a constant.

  According to the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to efficiently correct the zero point of the flow rate control unit and confirm the correction result.

It is a schematic block diagram of the processing furnace concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which illustrates the content of the substrate processing recipe implemented with the substrate processing apparatus concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows a mode that the correction process of digital MFC is performed by the process control module. (A) is a flowchart when the digital MFC correction processing is successful, and (b) is a flowchart when the digital MFC correction processing fails. It is a schematic diagram which illustrates the cooperation operation | movement of a process control module and an operation module. It is a perspective view of the substrate processing apparatus concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is side surface perspective drawing of the substrate processing apparatus concerning one Embodiment of this invention.

<One Embodiment of the Present Invention>
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

(1) Configuration of Substrate Processing Apparatus First, the configuration of the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a side perspective view of the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is configured as a vertical apparatus that performs oxidation, diffusion processing, CVD processing, and the like on a substrate 200 such as a wafer.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes a housing 111 configured as a pressure vessel. A front maintenance port 103 serving as an opening provided for maintenance is provided in the front front portion of the front wall 111a of the casing 111. The front maintenance port 103 is provided with a pair of front maintenance doors 104 that open and close the front maintenance port 103. A pod (substrate container) 110 containing a wafer (substrate) 200 such as silicon is used as a carrier for transporting the wafer 200 into and out of the housing 111.

  A pod loading / unloading port (substrate container loading / unloading port) 112 is opened on the front wall 111 a of the housing 111 so as to communicate between the inside and the outside of the housing 111. The pod loading / unloading port 112 is opened and closed by a front shutter (substrate container loading / unloading port opening / closing mechanism) 113. A load port (substrate container delivery table) 114 is installed on the front front side of the pod loading / unloading port 112. On the load port 114, the pod 110 is placed and aligned. The pod 110 is configured to be transferred onto the load port 114 by an in-process transfer device (not shown).

  A rotary pod shelf (substrate container mounting shelf) 105 is installed at an upper portion of the housing 111 at a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction. A plurality of pods 110 are stored on the rotary pod shelf 105. The rotary pod shelf 105 includes a support column 116 that is erected vertically and intermittently rotates in a horizontal plane, and a plurality of shelf plates (substrate container mounting table) that are radially supported by the support column 116 at each of the upper, middle, and lower levels. 117). The plurality of shelf plates 117 are configured to hold a plurality of pods 110 in a state where they are mounted.

A pod transfer device (substrate container transfer device) 118 is installed between the load port 114 and the rotary pod shelf 105 in the housing 111. The pod transfer device 118 includes a pod elevator (substrate container lifting mechanism) 118a that can be moved up and down while holding the pod 110, and a pod transfer mechanism (substrate container transfer mechanism) 118b as a transfer mechanism. The pod transfer device 118 moves the pod 110 between the load port 114, the rotary pod shelf 105, and the pod opener (substrate container lid opening / closing mechanism) 121 by the continuous operation of the pod elevator 118a and the pod transfer mechanism 118b. It is comprised so that it may convey mutually.

  A sub-housing 119 is provided at a lower portion in the housing 111 from a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction in the housing 111 to a rear end. A pair of wafer loading / unloading ports (substrate loading / unloading ports) 120 that transfer the wafer 200 into and out of the sub-casing 119 are provided on the front wall 119a of the sub-casing 119 so as to be arranged vertically in two stages. Yes. Pod openers 121 are respectively installed at the upper and lower wafer loading / unloading ports 120.

  Each pod opener 121 includes a pair of mounting bases 122 on which the pod 110 is mounted, and a cap attaching / detaching mechanism (lid attaching / detaching mechanism) 123 that attaches / detaches a cap (cover) of the pod 110. The pod opener 121 is configured to open and close the wafer loading / unloading port of the pod 110 by attaching / detaching the cap of the pod 110 placed on the placing table 122 by the cap attaching / detaching mechanism 123.

  In the sub casing 119, a transfer chamber 124 that is fluidly isolated from a space in which the pod transfer device 118, the rotary pod shelf 105, and the like are installed is configured. A wafer transfer mechanism (substrate transfer mechanism) 125 is installed in the front region of the transfer chamber 124. The wafer transfer mechanism 125 includes a wafer transfer device (substrate transfer device) 125a that can rotate or linearly move the wafer 200 in the horizontal direction, and a wafer transfer device elevator (substrate transfer device) that moves the wafer transfer device 125a up and down. (Elevating mechanism) 125b. As shown in FIG. 6, the wafer transfer device elevator 125 b is installed between the right end of the front area of the transfer chamber 124 of the sub-housing 119 and the right end of the housing 111. The wafer transfer device 125 a includes a tweezer (substrate holding body) 125 c as a mounting portion for the wafer 200. By continuous operation of the wafer transfer device elevator 125b and the wafer transfer device 125a, the wafer 200 can be loaded (charged) and unloaded (discharged) from the boat (substrate holder) 217. It is configured.

  In the rear region of the transfer chamber 124, a standby unit 126 that houses and waits for the boat 217 is configured. A processing furnace 202 serving as a substrate processing system is provided above the standby unit 126. The lower end portion of the processing furnace 202 is configured to be opened and closed by a furnace port shutter (furnace port opening / closing mechanism) 147.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a boat elevator (substrate holder lifting mechanism) 115 for raising and lowering the boat 217 is installed between the right end of the standby section 126 and the right end of the casing 111 of the sub casing 119. ing. An arm 128 as a connecting tool is connected to the elevator platform of the boat elevator 115. A seal cap 219 serving as a lid is horizontally installed on the arm 128. The seal cap 219 is configured to support the boat 217 vertically and to close the lower end portion of the processing furnace 202.

  The boat 217 includes a plurality of holding members. The boat 217 is configured to hold a plurality of wafers 200 (for example, about 50 to 125 wafers) horizontally in a state where the centers are aligned in the vertical direction.

  As shown in FIG. 6, clean air 133, which is a cleaned atmosphere or inert gas, is supplied to the left end of the transfer chamber 124 opposite to the wafer transfer device elevator 125b side and the boat elevator 115 side. A clean unit 134 composed of a supply fan and a dustproof filter is installed. Although not shown, a notch alignment device as a substrate alignment device that aligns the circumferential position of the wafer 200 is installed between the wafer transfer device 125a and the clean unit 134.

  The clean air 133 blown out from the clean unit 134 flows around the boat 217 in the notch alignment device, wafer transfer device 125a, and standby unit 126 (not shown), and is then sucked in by a duct (not shown) to the outside of the casing 111. Or is circulated to the primary side (supply side) that is the suction side of the clean unit 134 and is blown out again into the transfer chamber 124 by the clean unit 134.

(2) Operation of Substrate Processing Apparatus Next, the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, when the pod 110 is supplied to the load port 114, the pod loading / unloading port 112 is opened by the front shutter 113. Then, the pod 110 on the load port 114 is carried into the housing 111 from the pod carry-in / out port 112 by the pod carrying device 118.

  The pod 110 carried into the housing 111 is automatically transported and temporarily stored on the shelf plate 117 of the rotary pod shelf 105 by the pod transport device 118, and then one of the pods 110 from the shelf plate 117. It is transferred onto the mounting table 122 of the pod opener 121. Note that the pod 110 carried into the housing 111 may be directly transferred onto the mounting table 122 of the pod opener 121 by the pod transfer device 118. At this time, the wafer loading / unloading port 120 of the pod opener 121 is closed by the cap attaching / detaching mechanism 123, and clean air 133 is circulated and filled in the transfer chamber 124. For example, when the transfer chamber 124 is filled with nitrogen gas as clean air 133, the oxygen concentration in the transfer chamber 124 becomes, for example, 20 ppm or less, which is much lower than the oxygen concentration in the casing 111 that is an atmospheric atmosphere. It is set to be.

  The pod 110 mounted on the mounting table 122 is pressed against the opening edge of the wafer loading / unloading port 120 in the front wall 119a of the sub-housing 119, and the cap is removed by the cap attaching / detaching mechanism 123. Then, the wafer loading / unloading port is opened. Thereafter, the wafer 200 is picked up from the pod 110 through the wafer loading / unloading port by the tweezer 125c of the wafer transfer device 125a, aligned in the notch alignment device, and then in the standby unit 126 at the rear of the transfer chamber 124. Are loaded into the boat 217 (charging). The wafer transfer device 125 a loaded with the wafer 200 in the boat 217 returns to the pod 110 and loads the next wafer 200 into the boat 217.

  During the loading operation of the wafer into the boat 217 by the wafer transfer mechanism 125 in the one (upper or lower) pod opener 121, another pod is placed on the mounting table 122 of the other (lower or upper) pod opener 121. 110 is transferred from the rotary pod shelf 105 by the pod transfer device 118 and transferred, and the opening operation of the pod 110 by the pod opener 121 is simultaneously performed.

  When a predetermined number of wafers 200 are loaded into the boat 217, the lower end portion of the processing furnace 202 closed by the furnace port shutter 147 is opened by the furnace port shutter 147. Subsequently, the boat 217 holding the wafer 200 group is loaded into the processing furnace 202 when the seal cap 219 is lifted by the boat elevator 115.

After loading, arbitrary processing is performed on the wafer 200 in the processing furnace 202. After the processing, the boat 217 storing the processed wafers 200 is unloaded from the processing chamber 201 in a procedure almost opposite to the above procedure except for the wafer alignment process in the notch aligner 135, and the processed wafers are processed. The pod 110 storing 200 is carried out of the casing 111.

(3) Configuration of Processing Furnace First, the configuration of the processing furnace 202 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating the contents of the substrate processing recipe executed by the processing furnace 202 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

(Processing room)
As shown in FIG. 1, the processing furnace 202 according to this embodiment includes a processing tube 203 configured as a vacuum vessel. In the processing tube 203, a processing chamber 201 for accommodating a wafer 200 as a substrate is formed. In addition, the above-described boat 217 (see FIGS. 6 and 7) is loaded into the processing chamber 201. The wafer 200 is held in a horizontal posture by the boat 217, for example. In addition, the processing tube 203 includes a heating unit (not shown) that heats the inside of the processing chamber 201 to a predetermined temperature.

(Gas supply system)
For example, on the ceiling of the processing pipe 203, downstream ends of gas supply pipes 241, 242, and 243 that supply a predetermined gas into the processing chamber 201 are connected. The gas supply pipes 241, 242, and 243 are sequentially provided with gas supply sources 241a, 242a, and 243a for supplying a predetermined gas, and a digital mass flow controller (MFC) 241b as a flow rate control unit that controls the flow rate of the gas. 242b, 243b and open / close valves 241c, 242c, 243c are provided. From the gas supply sources 241a, 242a, and 243a, various gases appropriately selected according to the content of the substrate processing performed in the processing chamber 201 (for example, a source gas for forming a film, a reactive gas, an oxidizing gas, and a nitriding gas) Is configured to be supplied. A gas supply system for supplying gas into the processing chamber 201 mainly by gas supply pipes 241, 242, 243, gas supply sources 241a, 242a, 243a, digital MFCs 241b, 242b, 243b, and opening / closing valves 241c, 242c, 243c. It is configured.

(Gas exhaust system)
The upstream end of the exhaust pipe 231 is connected below the processing pipe 203. The exhaust pipe 231 is provided with an APC (Auto Pressure Controller) valve 231a as a pressure adjusting unit and a vacuum pump 231b as an exhaust device in order from the upstream side. A gas exhaust system that exhausts the inside of the processing chamber 201 is mainly configured by the exhaust pipe 231, the APC valve 231a, and the vacuum pump 231b.

(Process control module and operation module)
The digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b, the open / close valves 241c, 242c, and 243c, the APC valve 231a, and the vacuum pump 231b are connected to a process control module 240 as a control unit via a control line 280a such as Devicenet. The process control module 240 is configured to control a flow rate adjusting operation by the digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b, an opening / closing operation of the opening / closing valves 241c, 242c, and 243c, and a pressure adjusting operation of the APC valve 231a.

The process control module 240 is connected to an operation module 300 as an operation unit via a network 400 such as a LAN or a WAN. The operation module 300 may be configured as a higher-level management apparatus (host computer) that manages the plurality of substrate processing apparatuses 100 in an integrated manner, or may be configured as a terminal apparatus. The operation module 300 is not limited to the case where it is arranged on the same floor (in the same clean room) as the substrate processing apparatus 100. For example, the substrate processing apparatus 100 is disposed in a clean room, and the operation module 300 is disposed in an office (a floor different from the clean room) so that the progress of the substrate processing process and the state of the substrate processing apparatus 100 can be remotely monitored. It is configured.

  The process control module 240 includes a substrate processing recipe that defines substrate processing procedures and processing conditions. FIG. 2 illustrates the contents of the substrate processing recipe. One or more processing procedures (steps 1, 2,... N) are defined in the substrate processing recipe. By executing such a procedure in time series, a substrate processing step of forming a thin film on the wafer 200 or oxidizing or nitriding the surface of the wafer 200 is performed. In the substrate processing recipe, specific processing conditions in each processing procedure (that is, temperature setting of a heating unit (not shown), pressure setting by the APC valve 231a, flow rate setting by the digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b, etc.) are set. ing. Furthermore, in the above-described substrate processing recipe, whether or not to execute the zero point correction processing for each digital MFC 241b, 242b, 243b is preset. Details of the zero point correction process will be described later.

(4) Zero Point Correction Processing Next, zero point correction processing of the digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b performed in the processing furnace 202 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing how the process control module 240 executes correction processing for the digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b. FIG. 4A is a flowchart when the correction processing of the digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b succeeds, and FIG. 4B is a flowchart when the correction processing of the digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b fails. FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustrating the cooperative operation of the process control module 240 and the operation module 300.

  First, a “substrate processing recipe execution request” (command) is input to the operation module 300 as an operation unit by an operation of a maintenance staff or the like. The input “execution request for substrate processing recipe” is transmitted to the process control module 240 as a control unit via the network 400 (S10 in FIG. 5).

  When the process control module 240 receives the above “substrate processing recipe execution request”, the process control module 240 executes a correction processing sequence for correcting the zero point of the flow rate of the digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b before starting execution of the substrate processing recipe. (S20 to S40 in FIG. 3), and the result of the correction process is determined (S50 in FIG. 3).

  Specifically, the process control module 240 transmits a “correction processing start request” to the digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b via the control line 280a (S21 in FIG. 3). When the digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b receive the “correction processing start request” from the process control module 240 via the control line 280a, the digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b start correction processing for correcting the zero point. The content of such processing is appropriately set based on the configuration and specifications of the digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b. Then, the digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b transmit a “correction processing start response” indicating that the correction processing for correcting the zero point is started to the process control module 240 via the control line 280a (S22 in FIG. 3). ).

The process control module 240 that has transmitted the “correction processing start request” transmits the “correction processing state request” to the digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b via the control line 280a (S31 in FIG. 3). The digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b that have received the “correction processing state request” via the control line 280a indicate the progress of the correction processing (for example, that the correction processing is in progress, that the correction processing has been completed, A “correction processing state response” indicating which step of S40 is being executed, the expected remaining time of processing, etc.) is transmitted to the process control module 240 (S32 in FIG. 3). The transmission of the “correction processing state request” from the process control module 240 is performed at predetermined time intervals or in response to a request from the operation module 300 as needed.

  Then, when the zero point correction processing is completed, the digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b transmit “flow rate monitor information” indicating the flow rate at the zero point to the process control module 240 via the control line 280a (FIG. 3). S41). Transmission of the “flow rate monitor information” by the digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b is performed at predetermined time intervals or at any time in response to a request from the process control module 240.

  The process control module 240 reads and temporarily stores the corrected “flow rate at zero point” from the received series of “flow rate monitor information” and temporarily stores the corrected “flow rate at zero point”. It is confirmed whether or not “flow rate” is within a predetermined flow rate range. Then, the process control module 240 determines that the correction process is successful if the received “flow rate at the zero point” is within a predetermined range, and the correction process fails unless the flow value at the zero point is outside the predetermined range. (S50 in FIG. 3).

  If the process control module 240 determines that the correction process is successful, the process control module 240 starts to execute the substrate processing recipe as a step after the correction process (FIG. 4A). If the process control module 240 determines that the correction process has failed, the process control module 240 does not proceed to the next step (does not start execution of the substrate processing recipe), and performs a predetermined recovery process (for example, re-execution of the correction process, operation (Notification to that effect to the module 300) is performed ((b) of FIG. 4). That is, the process control module 240 performs control so as to avoid erroneous execution of the substrate processing recipe when the correction processing fails.

  Note that the process control module 240 includes information included in the “correction state response” received from the digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b (for example, that the correction process is in progress, the correction process has been completed, the current S20 to S40 An indication of which step is being executed, the estimated remaining time of processing, etc.) is transmitted to the operation module 300 via the network 400 (S60 in FIG. 5) and displayed on the display device included in the operation module 300 ( S61 in FIG. Further, the process control module 240 transmits the determination result of the correction processing performed based on the “flow rate monitor information” to the operation module 300 via the network 400 (S60 in FIG. 5), and the display device provided in the operation module 300 (S61 in FIG. 5).

(5) Effects according to one embodiment of the present invention According to the present embodiment, one or more effects described below are exhibited.

(A) The digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b according to the present embodiment start the correction processing for correcting the zero point when the “correction processing start request” is received from the process control module 240, and at the zero point when the correction processing is completed. “Flow rate monitor information” indicating the flow rate is transmitted to the process control module 240. Further, the process control module 240 transmits a “correction processing start request” to the digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b before executing the substrate processing recipe, and when the correction processing is completed, the “flow rate monitor information” is transmitted to the digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b. If the flow rate at the zero point is within a predetermined range, it is determined that the correction process has been successful, and if the flow rate at the zero point is not outside the predetermined range, it is determined that the correction process has failed. Yes.

As a result, the zero point of the digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b can be efficiently corrected. That is, in the substrate processing recipe, whether or not to execute the zero point correction processing for each digital MFC 241b, 242b, 243b is set in advance, and a “correction processing start request” is transmitted from the process control module 240. By doing so, the zero point correction processing of the digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b is automatically started, so that it is not necessary for the maintenance staff to manually operate the zero point correction switch provided in the mass flow controller. The correction work can be made more efficient. Even when a plurality of digital MFCs are provided in the substrate processing apparatus 100, it is not necessary for maintenance personnel to check the position of the digital MFC each time, and the correction work can be made more efficient. In addition, since the process control module 240 automatically determines the result of the correction, it is not necessary for the maintenance staff to check whether the correction has been normally performed or not, and the number of work steps can be reduced. .

(B) The process control module 240 according to the present embodiment executes the substrate processing recipe when it is determined that the correction process is successful, and executes the substrate processing recipe when it is determined that the correction process has failed. It is configured to execute a predetermined recovery process without doing so. As a result, it is possible to prevent the substrate processing recipe from being erroneously executed when the correction process has failed, to prevent a reduction in the quality of the substrate processing, and to improve the production yield.

(C) When the process control module 240 according to the present embodiment receives a “substrate processing recipe execution request” from the operation module 300 connected to the process control module 240, the process control module 240 sends a “correction processing start request” to the digital MFC 241b, It is configured to transmit to 242b, 243b. As a result, the zero point of the digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b can be corrected more efficiently. That is, by sending a “substrate processing recipe execution request” from the remotely placed operation module 300, the zero point correction processing of the digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b is automatically started. A maintenance staff or the like visits the site where the system is installed, and it is not necessary for the maintenance staff to manually operate a zero point correction switch or the like provided in the mass flow controller, so that the correction work can be made more efficient.

(D) The process control module 240 according to the present embodiment is configured to transmit a “correction processing state request” to the digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b when the “correction processing start request” is transmitted to the digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b. Has been. The digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b are configured to transmit a “correction process state response” indicating the progress of the correction process to the process control module 240 when the “correction process state request” is received from the process control module 240. ing. As a result, the maintenance staff can easily grasp the progress of the correction processing of the digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b.

(E) In addition, the process control module 240 according to the present embodiment has completed the correction process (for example, the correction process is in progress, information included in the “correction state response” received from the digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b). , Indicating which step of S20 to S40 is currently being executed, expected remaining time of processing, etc.) is transmitted to the operation module 300 and displayed. The process control module 240 according to the present embodiment is configured to transmit the correction processing determination result to the operation module 300 for display. As a result, the maintenance staff can more easily grasp the progress of correction processing and the correction results of the digital MFCs 241b, 242b, and 243b.

<Other Embodiments of the Present Invention>
The present invention is not limited to film formation by CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition), ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition), PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition), as well as diffusion, annealing, oxidation, nitridation, lithography, etc. It can be suitably applied to the substrate processing. Furthermore, the present invention can be suitably applied to other substrate processing apparatuses such as an annealing processing apparatus, an oxidation processing apparatus, a nitriding processing apparatus, an exposure apparatus, a coating apparatus, a drying apparatus, and a heating apparatus in addition to a thin film forming apparatus.

  The present invention can be suitably applied not only to a substrate processing apparatus that processes a wafer substrate such as a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment but also to a substrate processing apparatus that processes a glass substrate such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) manufacturing apparatus. .

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described concretely, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, Various changes are possible in the range which does not deviate from the summary.

<Preferred embodiment of the present invention>
Hereinafter, desirable aspects of the present invention will be additionally described.

One embodiment of the present invention provides:
A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a processing chamber that accommodates a substrate; a flow rate control unit that adjusts a flow rate of a gas supplied into the processing chamber; and a control unit that controls the operation of the flow rate control unit,
The flow rate controller
When a correction process start request is received from the control unit, a correction process for correcting the zero point is started, and when the correction process is completed, flow rate monitor information indicating a flow rate at the zero point is transmitted to the control unit,
The controller is
Before executing the substrate processing recipe, the correction process start request is transmitted to the flow rate control unit, and when the correction process is completed, the flow rate monitor information is received from the flow rate control unit, and the flow rate at the zero point is within a predetermined range. If it is within, the substrate processing apparatus determines that the correction process has been successful, and determines that the correction process has failed if the flow rate at the zero point is not within a predetermined range.

Preferably,
The controller is
When it is determined that the correction process has been successful, the substrate processing recipe is executed, and when it is determined that the correction process has failed, a predetermined recovery process is executed without executing the substrate processing recipe.

Also preferably,
The controller is
When the execution request for the substrate processing recipe is received from the operation unit connected to the control unit, the correction process start request is transmitted to the flow rate control unit.

Also preferably,
The controller is
When the correction process start request is transmitted to the flow rate control unit, the correction process state request is configured to be transmitted to the flow rate control unit,
The flow rate controller
When the correction process state request is received from the control unit, a correction process state response indicating the progress of the correction process is transmitted to the control unit.

Also preferably,
The control unit causes the operation unit to display information included in the correction state response received from the flow rate control unit.

Also preferably,
The control unit displays the determination result of the correction process on the operation unit.

Another aspect of the present invention is:
A semiconductor device implemented by a substrate processing apparatus comprising: a processing chamber that accommodates a substrate; a flow rate control unit that adjusts a flow rate of a gas supplied into the processing chamber; and a control unit that controls the operation of the flow rate control unit. A manufacturing method of
A step of transmitting a correction processing start request to the flow rate control unit before the control unit executes the substrate processing recipe;
When the flow rate control unit receives the correction process start request from the control unit, the correction process for correcting the zero point is started, and when the correction process is completed, flow rate monitor information indicating the flow rate at the zero point is transmitted to the control unit. And a process of
The control unit is
When the correction process is completed, the flow rate monitor information is received from the flow rate control unit, and if the flow rate at the zero point is within a predetermined range, it is determined that the correction process is successful, and the flow rate at the zero point is predetermined. Determining that the correction process has failed if it is not out of range;
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device having

100 substrate processing apparatus 200 wafer (substrate)
201 processing chamber 240 process control module (control unit)
241b, 242b, 243b Digital MFC (flow rate controller)
300 Operation module (operation unit)

Claims (1)

A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a processing chamber that accommodates a substrate; a flow rate control unit that adjusts a flow rate of a gas supplied into the processing chamber; and a control unit that controls the operation of the flow rate control unit,
The flow rate controller
When a correction process start request is received from the control unit, a correction process for correcting the zero point is started, and when the correction process is completed, flow rate monitor information indicating a flow rate at the zero point is transmitted to the control unit,
The controller is
Before executing the substrate processing recipe, the correction process start request is transmitted to the flow rate control unit, and when the correction process is completed, the flow rate monitor information is received from the flow rate control unit, and the flow rate at the zero point is within a predetermined range. If it is within the range, it is determined that the correction process is successful, and if the flow rate at the zero point is not within a predetermined range, it is determined that the correction process is unsuccessful.