JP2007264783A - Support program and support device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable an operator to easily find out the error place of recipe. <P>SOLUTION: In checking a flow recipe and a unit recipe for determining the operation of a substrate processor, the display part of a support device is made to display a job line figure 100 in which a region(job line 101) showing time passage and operation situations is installed for each of a plurality of units arranged in the substrate processor. In each unit, a period when processing to the substrate is performed is shown with a horizontal thick line (for example, thick line 103) in the job line 101 of the pertinent unit, and a pre-processing operation or post-processing operation in each unit is shown with a horizonal line (for example, lines 107 and 109) in the job line 101 of the pertinent unit. Also, the conveyance of the substrate between the units is shown with a vertical line (for example, line 104). Furthermore, the job line 101 is also arranged in the unit to which any substrate is not conveyed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for reducing an operator's work load when checking a flow recipe and a unit recipe for setting an operation of a processing apparatus.

  In a substrate processing apparatus provided with a plurality of units, a technique for defining substrate processing based on a flow recipe and a unit recipe is known. In a flow recipe, when a predetermined processing such as cleaning and drying is performed on a substrate of a lot, a processing unit involved in the predetermined processing is specified from among a plurality of units. The order of conveyance (that is, the order of use of these processing units) is defined. The unit recipe is a recipe created for each processing unit specified in the flow recipe, and is a recipe that specifies an operation in each processing unit. These flow recipes and unit recipes are created by an operator and used in the substrate processing apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a technique for supporting an operator's work by detecting an error in a recipe created by the operator has been proposed.

  FIG. 3 is a conventional example of drawing a flow recipe. FIG. 4 is a conventional example of drawing a unit recipe. When an error in the recipe is detected, the operator performs an operation of finding and correcting the error portion of the recipe while checking the display contents as shown in FIGS.

JP 2005-101028 A

  However, in order to execute a predetermined process, a transport unit that transports a substrate may affect the process. That is, since the transport unit is a unit that is not displayed in the flow recipe, there is a problem that it is difficult to find an error location only by looking at the contents of the flow recipe.

  In addition, a unit (separate unit) in which a substrate is not directly transferred, such as a unit that supplies gas or liquid, may affect the processing in the processing unit. In this case, there is a problem that it is difficult to find an error part only by looking at the unit recipe.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to enable an operator to easily find an erroneous part of a recipe.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention of claim 1 is a computer-readable support program, and the execution of the support program by the computer is performed by a plurality of units including at least one processing unit in the computer. Device information related to a processing apparatus that executes a predetermined process, a flow recipe that specifies the order of use of the at least one processing unit necessary for executing the predetermined process in the predetermined process, and a flow recipe that is specified in the flow recipe An information acquisition step for acquiring a unit recipe that specifies an operation for each at least one processing unit, and the device information acquired in the information acquisition step, the flow recipe, and the unit recipe, based on the unit recipe, The user used for the predetermined process Each Tsu bets, characterized in that to execute a drawing process of drawing a job line diagram representing the operating status and the time elapsed, and a display step of displaying the job line diagram drawn in the drawing step.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the support program according to the invention of claim 1, wherein the predetermined process is a process executed on a substrate, and the processing apparatus is a substrate processing apparatus. It is characterized by.

  The invention of claim 3 is the support program according to the invention of claim 2, wherein the unit used for the predetermined processing is a unit for controlling the transport of a substrate and a unit for adjusting the state of the processing unit. It is characterized by including.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the support program according to the invention of claim 2 or 3, wherein the drawing step has little influence on the substrate even if the substrate is retained based on the device information. Is drawn from the plurality of units, and the drawing method for the unit is drawn separately from the drawing method for the other units.

  Further, the invention of claim 5 is a support device for supporting an operator's work, and apparatus information relating to a processing device that executes a predetermined process by a plurality of units including at least one processing unit, and executes the predetermined process. Information acquisition for acquiring a flow recipe that specifies the order of use of at least one processing unit necessary for the predetermined processing in the predetermined processing, and a unit recipe that specifies an operation for each at least one processing unit specified in the flow recipe And time progress and operation status for each unit used for the predetermined process among the plurality of units based on the device information acquired by the information acquisition unit, the flow recipe, and the unit recipe. A drawing means for drawing a job line diagram expressing Characterized in that it comprises a display means for displaying the job line diagram which demarcated.

  According to the first to fifth aspects of the present invention, a job line diagram representing the passage of time and the operating status is displayed for each unit used for the predetermined processing among the plurality of units, thereby displaying a text format ( Since the operating status is displayed in the form of a diagram instead of text information), the operator can easily understand the operating status. In addition, since the operating status is displayed for units other than the processing unit, the operator can more easily understand the operating status of the processing apparatus.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<1. First Embodiment>
<1-1. Device configuration>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a substrate processing apparatus 1 which is a support apparatus according to the present invention. The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a loader 10, a carrier placement unit (buffer) 11, a horizontal transfer robot 12, a posture conversion mechanism 13, a pusher 14, a transfer robot 15, and the substrate processing unit 2.

  A carrier cassette 91 that stores a plurality of substrates 90 is placed on the loader 10, and the substrates 90 stored in the carrier cassette 91 are carried into and out of the substrate processing apparatus 1. At this time, the plurality of substrates 90 are held in a horizontal posture in the carrier cassette 91.

  The carrier cassette 91 carried into the loader 10 is placed on the carrier placement unit 11.

  The horizontal transfer robot 12 is an articulated transfer robot, and is movable within a predetermined range of three-dimensional space while holding the substrate 90 with a substrate support hand, and is placed on the carrier placement unit 11. The substrate 90 is transported between the carrier cassette 91 and the posture changing mechanism 13.

  The attitude conversion mechanism 13 converts the attitude of the plurality of held substrates 90 between a horizontal attitude and a vertical attitude.

  The pusher 14 transfers a plurality of substrates 90 having a vertical posture between the posture changing mechanism 13 and the transfer robot 15 by moving up and down.

  The transfer robot 15 can move horizontally and move up and down. Further, the transfer robot 15 includes a pair of holding mechanisms 150 for holding a plurality of substrates 90 having a vertical posture. The transfer robot 15 having such a configuration exchanges the substrate 90 with the pusher 14. In addition, the substrate 90 can be exchanged with each of the lifters 16 to 18. The transport robot 15 transports or transfers the substrate 90 from one place to another before, during and after the cleaning process.

  The transfer robot washing unit 19 has a cleaning tank for cleaning the pair of clamping mechanisms 150 of the transfer robot 15.

  The substrate processing unit 2 includes, as a plurality of units, a liquid processing unit 20 to 25 including a processing tank that stores a chemical solution and a cleaning solution, and a drying processing unit 26 that dries the substrate 90. Note that the liquid processing units 20 to 25 and the drying processing unit 26 included in the substrate processing unit 2 are units for performing some processing on the substrate 90, respectively. There is.

  The plurality of processing units are linearly arranged along the X-axis direction, and the transfer robot 15 described above is provided on the side of the linear array. Accordingly, the transfer robot 15 transfers the substrate 90 by moving in the linear arrangement direction while holding the substrate 90.

  Further, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes lifters 16 to 18. The lifters 16 to 18 have substantially the same structure, and can move up and down (Z-axis direction) and traverse (X-axis direction). The lifters 16 to 18 transfer the substrate 90 to and from the transfer robot 15.

  The lifter 16 is disposed on the rear side of the liquid processing units 20 and 21. The lifter 16 traverses in the raised state, moves to above the liquid processing unit 20 or the liquid processing unit 21 and then descends, whereby the substrate 90 received from the transfer robot 15 into the processing tank of the liquid processing units 20 and 21. Carry in.

  That is, the transfer of the substrate 90 between the liquid processing unit 20 and the liquid processing unit 21 is performed by the lifter 16. Similarly, the lifter 17 transports the substrate 90 between the liquid processing unit 22 and the liquid processing unit 23, and the lifter 18 transports the substrate 90 between the liquid processing unit 24 and the liquid processing unit 25.

  Further, when the lifters 16 to 18 are lowered while holding the substrate 90, the substrate 90 is immersed in the processing liquid stored in the processing tanks of the liquid processing units 21 to 25, and processing with the processing liquid is performed.

  The configuration for carrying the substrate 90, controlling the posture, and the like, for example, the horizontal transfer robot 12, the carrying robot 15, the lifters 16 to 18, and the like may be collectively referred to as “carrying unit” hereinafter for convenience.

  The substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a gas supply mechanism 3 and a liquid supply mechanism 4. The gas supply mechanism 3 and the liquid supply mechanism 4 are mainly composed of a unit group for supplying a gas or a liquid to the processing unit.

  The gas supply mechanism 3 includes, for example, a steam supply unit 30 that supplies high-temperature and high-pressure steam, an ozone supply unit 31 that supplies ozone, and an inert gas supply unit 32 that supplies an inert gas such as nitrogen gas.

  The liquid supply mechanism 4 supplies a chemical liquid supply unit 40 for supplying a chemical liquid for etching the substrate 90, a cleaning liquid supply unit 41 for supplying a liquid for cleaning the substrate 90 such as sulfuric acid water or phosphoric acid water, and pure water. A pure water supply unit 42 is provided.

  As described above, among the plurality of units included in the substrate processing apparatus 1, a unit in which the substrate 90 is not directly transferred, such as a unit that supplies a gas or a liquid necessary for substrate processing, is referred to as “ Collectively referred to as a “mounting unit” Note that the number and types of separately placed units are not limited to those shown here.

  Furthermore, the substrate processing apparatus 1 includes a controller 5 for controlling each component. FIG. 2 is a bus wiring diagram showing the configuration of the controller 5.

  The controller 5 includes a CPU 50 that performs arithmetic processing, a storage device 51 that stores data such as a program 510 and recipes, an operation unit 52 that an operator operates to input instructions, and a display that displays data such as a job line diagram on the screen. A unit 53 and a reading device 54 are provided.

  Although not shown in detail, the storage device 51 mainly includes a ROM that stores the program 510, a RAM that is used as a working area of the CPU 50, a hard disk device, and the like. The operation unit 52 includes buttons, a keyboard, a mouse, and the like. The display unit 53 is a liquid crystal panel display. The reading device 54 is a device that reads data stored in the portable disk 92. Examples of the disk 92 include a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a compact disk, and a DVD.

  With such a configuration, the controller 5 has a function as a general computer.

  The controller 5 selects a plurality of units (conveyance unit, processing unit, and separate unit) based on preset apparatus information and a flow recipe and unit recipe created by an operator according to the process to be executed. Control. Thereby, the substrate processing apparatus 1 can execute the processing desired by the operator on the substrate 90.

  Although not shown in detail, the apparatus information is information relating to the performance and the like of the configuration (including each unit) included in the substrate processing apparatus 1. The information included in the apparatus information is, for example, a conversion speed of the posture conversion mechanism 13, a transfer speed of the transfer robot 15, or a preparation time of a separate unit, which is a parameter that cannot be changed mainly depending on processing. .

  In addition, the flow recipe is a plurality of units provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1 including at least one processing unit involved in a series of processes until the substrate 90 carried into the substrate processing apparatus 1 is unloaded from the substrate processing apparatus 1. It is a recipe which selects from and prescribes the order of use.

  Furthermore, the unit recipe is a recipe that defines an operation for at least one processing unit defined in the flow recipe.

  Further, as described above, the controller 5 has a function as a general computer, so that the CPU 50 mainly executes the program 510 to function as a support device that supports the operator's work as described later. To do. Thus, since the substrate processing apparatus 1 in this Embodiment can implement | achieve a support apparatus only with the hardware as the substrate processing apparatus 1, it can suppress cost.

<1-2. Flow recipe and unit recipe structure>
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of the flow recipe. The flow recipe 7 illustrated in FIG. 3 is data having a table structure including a name storage column 70 in which information for identifying the flow recipe 7 is stored.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, the name storage field 70 stores a character string “FRecipe1” as the name of the flow recipe 7. A portion for storing the file name of the data indicating the flow recipe 7 may be used as the “name storage column 70”.

  Furthermore, the flow recipe 7 is composed of a plurality of records 71. One record 71 has a structure indicated by a thick frame in FIG. 3, and each record 71 includes three items. The flow recipe 7 includes an item name storage field 72 that stores the names of items included in the record 71. In the present embodiment, the record 71 includes three items of “record number”, “processing / processing unit name”, and “unit recipe name”. Note that the number of items provided in one record 71 is not limited to three.

  The “record number” corresponds to each step number of the process executed by the flow recipe 7. Therefore, the processing by the processing unit designated in the record 71 is executed in ascending order of the record number. In the example shown in FIG. 3, records 71 from “nth” to “n + 3th” of the flow recipe 7 are shown, and by this part, “nth” to “n + 3” of processing executed by the substrate processing apparatus 1 are shown. Steps up to "th" are specified.

  In the flow recipe 7, “RINSE / T21” is stored in the “processing / processing unit name” item of the “n + 1” th record 71 indicated by a thick frame. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that “T21” is defined as a character string indicating “liquid processing unit 21” (such definition can be performed in the apparatus information). That is, the flow recipe 7 specifies that the liquid processing unit 21 performs the rinsing process for the (n + 1) th step.

  With such a data structure, the flow recipe becomes data in which the processing units used for the series of processing among the plurality of processing units provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1 are specified in the order of use.

  In the flow recipe 7 illustrated in FIG. 3, “U Recipe 2” is stored in the “unit recipe name” item of the “n + 1” th record 71. That is, the flow recipe 7 shown in FIG. 3 indicates that the operation of the processing unit (liquid processing unit 21) in the (n + 1) th step is designated as “URecipe 2”.

  As described above, in the flow recipe 7, an item for storing the unit recipe name (identifier) is provided in each record 71, whereby the flow recipe 7 is associated with a plurality of unit recipes.

  However, for a unit that executes only uniform processing, the operation is uniquely determined only by specifying the unit in the flow recipe. Therefore, in the step (record 71) using such a unit, the unit recipe may not be associated. In this case, information corresponding to the unit recipe may be prepared as device information and associated with the unit.

  In each record of the flow recipe, a processing unit is mainly designated, but other units (for example, a transport unit) may of course be designated.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of a unit recipe. The unit recipe 8 is an example showing a unit recipe identified by the name (character string) “URecipe2” shown in FIG. The unit recipe 8 illustrated in FIG. 4 is data having a table structure including a name storage field 80 in which information for identifying the unit recipe 8 is stored.

  In the example shown in FIG. 4, a character string “URecipe2” is stored in the name storage field 80 as the name of the unit recipe 8. A portion for storing the file name of data indicating the unit recipe 8 may be used as the “name storage field 80”.

  Further, the unit recipe 8 is composed of a plurality of records 81. One record 81 has a structure indicated by a thick frame in FIG. 4, and each record 81 includes a plurality of items.

  The unit recipe 8 includes an item name storage field 82 for storing the names of items included in the record 81. FIG. 4 shows items of “record number”, “processing time”, “DIW”, “temperature”, and “O3” included in the record 81. The items provided in the record 81 are provided according to the state of the processing unit and a separate unit that supplies gas or liquid to the processing unit, and stores setting conditions related to these.

  In the present embodiment, the record number in the unit recipe corresponds to each step number of the processing unit specified by the unit recipe. Therefore, the controller 5 controls the processing units so as to execute the processes specified in the records in ascending order of record numbers.

  FIG. 4 shows the records 81 from “m” to “m + 3” in the unit recipe 8, and by this portion, “m” to “m + 3” of the rinsing process executed by the liquid processing unit 21. The steps up to are specified. Although not shown in FIG. 4, the unit recipe 8 stores the first to final steps (record 81) of the rinsing process executed by the liquid processing unit 21.

  In the present embodiment, the time required for the record 81 is stored in the “processing time” item of the record 81. In the unit recipe 8 shown in FIG. 4, “600” is stored in the “processing time” item of the “m-th” record 81 indicated by a thick frame. In this way, the unit recipe 8 specifies that the “m-th” process of the rinsing process by the liquid processing unit 21 is performed for “600 seconds”.

  Next, in the present embodiment, the “DIW” item of the record 81 stores the pure water supply method by the pure water supply unit 42 which is a separate unit. In the unit recipe 8 shown in FIG. 4, “Upflow” is stored in the “DIW” item of the “m-th” record 81 indicated by a thick frame. That is, the unit recipe 8 designates that the pure water is supplied to the pure water supply unit 42 in the “m-th” process of the rinsing process by the liquid processing unit 21.

  Next, in the present embodiment, the “temperature” item of the record 81 stores the temperature of the liquid processing unit 21. In the unit recipe 8 shown in FIG. 4, “25” is stored in the “temperature” item of the “m-th” record 81 indicated by a thick frame. That is, the unit recipe 8 specifies that the “mth” process of the rinsing process by the liquid processing unit 21 is performed at 25 ° C.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the “O3” item of the record 81 specifies whether or not to use the ozone supply unit 31 that is a separate unit. In the unit recipe 8 shown in FIG. 4, “Necessary” is stored in the “O3” item of the “m-th” record 81 indicated by a thick frame. That is, the unit recipe 8 specifies that the ozone supply unit 31 should be used in the “mth” process of the rinsing process by the liquid processing unit 21.

  Although only one unit recipe 8 is shown here, a plurality of processing units are normally specified for one flow recipe, so when one flow recipe is created, a plurality of corresponding unit recipes are created. A unit recipe is created.

  The flow recipe and unit recipe having the above-described structure are created by an operator and input to the substrate processing apparatus 1, whereby the controller 5 can appropriately control a plurality of units included in the substrate processing apparatus 1. Become.

<1-3. Conventional problems>
Since the flow recipe and the unit recipe are created by the operator every time the substrate 90 is processed, in order to reduce the recipe creation work by the operator, it is better that there are fewer input items. That is, it is preferable not to specify data (for example, uniquely determined setting conditions) that need not be set for each process in the flow recipe and unit recipe. It is preferable that the flow recipe and the unit recipe are configured with minimum necessary data in order to define a process for the substrate 90.

  On the other hand, the support device that checks whether or not the contents of the flow recipe and unit recipe created by the operator are appropriate displays the flow recipe and unit recipe created as necessary. At least, when an error is detected for the flow recipe and the unit recipe, the final confirmation and correction must be performed by the operator, so the support apparatus must display the contents of the flow recipe and the unit recipe to the operator.

  At this time, since the conventional support apparatus displays the contents based on the flow recipe and unit recipe to be confirmed, the displayed information is mainly input by the operator. However, since the information input by the operator is limited information as described above, it is not enough to check the flow recipe and the unit recipe efficiently.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3, in the state where the flow recipe 7 is displayed, it is not displayed how the substrate 90 is transferred between the processing units. That is, information regarding the transport operation and the preparation operation regarding the transport unit used at that time is not displayed. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, only the necessity of use is displayed for the separately placed unit, so the operator cannot understand the preparation operation, use operation, and end operation in the separately placed unit.

  Further, the conventional apparatus draws a table corresponding to the table structure of the flow recipe and the unit recipe, and displays the contents of the flow recipe and the unit recipe as character information in each item column of the table (that is, (Display equivalent to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4). Therefore, the display format is a text format (character information), and the operator cannot easily grasp the overall flow of processing for the substrate 90.

  In this way, with the conventional display format and display contents, even if a mistake in the recipe is pointed out by the support device, it is difficult for the operator to find the cause, and the operator who performs the confirmation / correction work is not displayed on the unit. It was necessary to be familiar with the operation.

<1-4. Operation explanation>
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing recipe inspection processing of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the present embodiment. The recipe inspection process is a process for inspecting the flow recipe and unit recipe created by the operator for any errors or contradictions.

  When the recipe inspection process is started, the controller 5 acquires apparatus information of the substrate processing apparatus 1 (step S1). In the present embodiment, the reading device 54 reads from the disk 92 storing the device information, and the device information is acquired by storing the read device information in the storage device 51. However, the apparatus information may be input by operating the operation unit 52 by the operator. Or you may download from a network etc.

  When the apparatus information is acquired, a flow recipe and unit recipe acquisition process is executed (step S2).

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow recipe and unit recipe acquisition process. First, the controller 5 acquires the flow recipe from the disk 92 by controlling the reading device 54 (step S10).

  Next, one record in the flow recipe is read, and the processing position of the step corresponding to the record is acquired based on the information stored in the “processing / processing unit name” item of the record and the device information. (Step S11).

  The process in step S11 will be specifically described by taking as an example a case where the record read at this time is the record 71 indicated by a thick frame in FIG. From the content of “RINSE / T21” specified in the record 71, the controller 5 knows that this process is performed in the liquid processing unit 21. And the controller 5 acquires the process position of the said process from the position of the liquid process part 21 set to apparatus information.

  Next, the controller 5 controls the reading device 54 based on the information stored in the “unit recipe name” item of the record read in step S11 to acquire the corresponding unit recipe from the disk 92 (step S12). ).

  When the unit recipe is acquired, the controller 5 acquires the process designated by the unit recipe and the separately placed unit from the item name storage field 82 of the acquired unit recipe (step S13).

  Next, the controller 5 reads one unit recipe record acquired in step S12, and acquires processing time and processing contents (temperature, necessity of separate unit, etc.) (step S14).

  Further, it is determined whether or not the record read in step S14 is the final step (record) of the unit recipe (step S15). If it is not the final step, step S14 is repeated. As a result, the unit recipe records are sequentially read from the first record to the last record.

  When all the records of the unit recipe acquired in step S12 are read (Yes in step S15), the controller 5 creates a processing plan specified in the unit recipe for the processing unit in the unit recipe.

  Furthermore, the controller 5 determines whether or not the record read in step S11 is the final step (record) of the flow recipe (step S16). If the record is not the final step, the processing from step S11 is repeated. As a result, all the records of the flow recipe are read and all the unit recipes are read.

  When all the flow recipe records are read (Yes in step S16), the controller 5 ends the flow recipe and unit recipe acquisition process and returns to the process of FIG.

  When the flow recipe and unit recipe acquisition processing is completed, the controller 5 calculates and plans the transfer time (step S3), calculates and plans the preparation ON / OFF of the separately placed unit (step S4), and calculates the cleaning operation of the transfer unit. The plan (step S5) is sequentially executed.

  In step S3, based on the processing position acquired from the flow recipe (step S11) and the apparatus information, a transport unit that transports the substrate 90 to the processing position and the time required for the transport unit are calculated, and a plan for the transport unit is created. It is processing to do.

  Although details are omitted, the processing of steps S3 to S5 will be briefly described.

  Step S4 calculates the ON time and OFF time of the separately placed unit based on the processing time and processing content (step S14) acquired from each record of the unit recipe and the device information, and creates a plan for the different value unit. It is processing.

  For example, if it is specified in the unit recipe step (record 81) that the ozone supply unit 31 is to be used, preparation of the ozone supply unit 31 needs to be completed before the step is started. . Therefore, the controller 5 acquires the time required for preparation of the ozone supply unit 31 from the apparatus information, and the preparation of the ozone supply unit 31 is completed before the step is started. The time to start preparation (ON time) is calculated.

  Step S5 is a process of calculating the time required for cleaning the transport unit and creating a plan for this. For example, when the pair of holding mechanisms 150 of the transfer robot 15 holds the substrate 90 in a state wet with the processing liquid, the transfer robot water washing processing unit 19 needs to clean it. It should be noted that in what case (when the substrate 90 of which processing tank is held) the cleaning is necessary, the time for the transfer robot 15 to move to the transfer robot washing unit 19, the time required for the cleaning, etc. Stored in advance.

  Next, the controller 5 draws a job line diagram based on the device information, the flow recipe, and the unit recipe (step S6), and causes the display unit 53 to display the drawn job line diagram (step S7).

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the job line diagram 100. In the job line diagram 100, a job line 101 that is a horizontally long display area is provided for each of a plurality of units provided in the substrate processing apparatus 1.

  A unit display area 102 for displaying a unit name (abbreviated name) is provided in the head area (right end area in FIG. 7) of each job line 101. As a result, the operator can easily understand which unit the individual job line 101 indicates the operating status.

  Note that “LD / ULD” is a unit group for transporting the substrate 90 between the transport robot 15 and the carrier cassette 91, that is, a loader 10, a carrier mounting portion (buffer) 11, a horizontal transfer robot 12, and a posture changing mechanism. 13 and pusher 14 are shown. Further, “CHCL” indicates the transport robot water washing processing unit 19, and “LPD” indicates the drying processing unit 26. Further, “ONB1 to 3” indicate the liquid processing units 20, 22, and 24, and “CHB1 to 3” indicate the liquid processing units 21, 23, and 25. Further, “CSB 1 to 6” indicate units (separate units) included in the gas supply mechanism 3 and the liquid supply mechanism 4.

  For example, since “LD / ULD” is displayed in the unit display area 102 of the uppermost job line 101 in FIG. 7, this job line 101 indicates the operation status of the unit related to loading / unloading of the substrate 90. You can see that

  In the job line diagram 100, the processing for the substrate 90 is indicated by a horizontal thick line in each job line 101. That is, it indicates that the process is executed during the period in which the bold line is drawn. On the other hand, the transfer operation of the substrate 90 by the transfer unit is mainly indicated by a vertical line connecting the two job lines 101. In the area excluding the unit display area 102 of the job line 101, the horizontal axis corresponds to the time axis, and the right side area of the job line 101 is the time when processing has started. The state will be shown.

  This will be specifically described below using an example shown in FIG.

  First, a thick line 103 is displayed on the job line 101 of “LD / ULD”. Thereby, it is understood that the processing is executed in “LD / ULD” with the start of the processing in the substrate processing apparatus 1.

  The rear end of the line 103 is connected to the job line 101 of “CHB1” by a line 104. Therefore, it is understood that when the processing in “LD / ULD” is completed, the substrate 90 is transferred to the liquid processing unit 21 by the transfer robot 15 and immersed in the processing tank of the liquid processing unit 21 by the lifter 16.

  In addition, since the “CHB1” job line 101 and the “LPD” job line 101 are connected by the line 105, the transfer robot 15 that has transferred the substrate 90 to the liquid processing unit 21 waits. It turns out that it moves to the drying process part 26. FIG.

  The substrate 90 that has been processed by “CHB1” and the liquid processing unit 21 is transferred to the liquid processing unit 20 by the lifter 16. The operation of this lifter 16 is indicated by line 106.

  Note that the liquid processing unit 20 requires a preparatory operation such as supplying a liquid to the processing tank before starting the processing on the substrate 90. The preparation operation of the liquid processing unit 20 is indicated by a line 107. The operations of the separate units involved in these preparation operations are also displayed on the respective job lines 101 of “CSB1, 3, 6”. Conversely, since the horizontal line is not displayed in the job line 101 of “CSB 2, 4, 5” which is another separately placed unit, it can be understood that these units do not perform any operation.

  Next, when the processing in the liquid processing unit 20 is completed, the transfer robot 15 that has been waiting in the drying processing unit 26 needs to move to the liquid processing unit 20 in order to transfer the substrate 90 to the drying processing unit 26. . The operation of the transfer robot 15 is indicated by a line 108.

  Further, a line 109 is drawn on the job line 101 of the liquid processing unit 20 at the rear end of the horizontal thick line indicating the processing for the substrate 90. This indicates post-processing for exhaust / drainage, etc., which is performed by the liquid processing unit 20 after the processing on the substrate 90 is completed. As described above, in the job line diagram 100, not only the processing performed on the substrate 90 but also the post-processing period can be displayed.

  The transfer robot 15 is cleaned by the transfer robot washing unit 19 as necessary. When this process is executed, the transfer robot 15 is displayed as a line 110 on the job line 101 of “CHCL”. Therefore, it can be easily understood that the substrate 90 cannot be transferred by the transfer robot 15 during the period in which the line 110 is drawn.

  When all the processes in the substrate processing apparatus 1 are completed, the substrate 90 is transferred to “LD / ULD” and unloaded from the substrate processing apparatus 1. That is, in the job line diagram 100, as shown in FIG. 7, the substrate 90 is always transported to “LD / ULD” at the end of the process.

  As described above, since the substrate processing apparatus 1 displays the job line diagram indicating the passage of time and the operating status for each of a plurality of units, the operator can display the operating status mainly by only character information as in the past. Compared with the case where it is done, the operating condition of the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be easily grasped.

  Further, the job line 101 is displayed not only for the processing units such as the liquid processing unit 20 to the liquid processing unit 25 but also for the transport unit and the separate unit. Therefore, the entire processing in the substrate processing apparatus 1 can be easily grasped.

  Further, the conveyance of the substrate 90 between the processing units is represented by a line (such as the lines 104 and 106 shown in FIG. 7) connecting the job lines 101 of the respective processing units. Further, an operation when the substrate 90 is not transported is also displayed (lines 105 and 108 shown in FIG. 7). Further, a process for the transport unit (process by the transport robot washing unit 19) is also displayed (line 110 shown in FIG. 7). Therefore, the operator can more easily grasp the operation status of the transfer unit (transfer robot 15) as compared with the conventional display format.

  Although details are not shown in FIG. 7, in the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the present embodiment, the line color is changed and displayed for each transport unit that transports the substrate 90. In the example shown in FIG. 7, a line 104 indicating that the substrate 90 is transferred by the transfer robot 15 and a line 106 indicating that the substrate 90 is transferred by the lifter 16 are drawn and displayed in different colors. Thereby, the operator can grasp | ascertain the operating condition of a conveyance unit still more easily.

  Further, in the conventional display format, the contents are displayed only when the unit operates, but in the job line diagram 100, the job line 101 also reliably displays the status where the corresponding unit is not operating. Therefore, the operating status can be more easily grasped.

  Further, in the job line diagram 100, the elapsed time in each unit is displayed in parallel, so that the operation status between the units can be easily compared.

  Further, the controller 5 identifies a unit with little damage even if the substrate 90 stays on the basis of the device information, and displays the job line 101 of the unit in a different color from the job line 101 of other units. (In FIG. 7, it shows distinguishing by the presence or absence of sand spot hatching). As a result, the operator can easily identify a unit that does not cause a problem even if the substrate 90 stays. Therefore, in the flow recipe or unit recipe, for example, when batting occurs due to processing time, the operator can easily determine in which unit the substrate should be retained and the time adjusted.

  Returning to FIG. 5, when the job line diagram 100 is displayed, the controller 5 determines whether or not an error has been detected (step S8). Mainly in steps S3 to S5, the flow recipe and the unit recipe are inconsistent. If an error or the like is detected, a warning message is displayed on the display unit 53 (step S9).

  8 and 9 are diagrams showing display examples of the job line diagram 100 when the controller 5 finds an error. The example shown in FIG. 8 is a case where a cleaning plan for the transfer robot 15 by the transfer robot washing unit 19 has not been established. FIG. 9 shows a case where a contradiction occurs in the processing time in the substrate processing unit 2.

  In the process shown in FIG. 8, since the transfer robot 15 has accessed the liquid processing unit 23, the transfer robot water washing processing unit 19 must clean the pair of clamping mechanisms 150 of the transfer robot 15, which is the job line of “CHCL”. 101 is displayed as a line 111. However, on the other hand, the end time of the processing in the liquid processing unit 20 is early, and a line 112 indicating that the transfer robot 15 transfers between the liquid processing unit 20 and the drying processing unit 26 is temporally a line 111. It has overlapped.

  As described above, since the process of the transfer robot washing unit 19 and the transfer process of the transfer robot 15 that were not conventionally displayed are displayed in the job line diagram 100, the operator can easily find an error.

  In the process shown in FIG. 9, the substrate 90 processed by the liquid processing unit 20 is once transported to the liquid processing unit 23 and then processed again by the liquid processing unit 20. However, it takes a long time to return to the liquid processing unit 20, and the line 113 indicating the post-processing in the liquid processing unit 20 and the line 114 indicating the pre-processing in the liquid processing unit 20 may interfere with each other in time. Recognize.

  As described above, in the job line diagram 100, the pre-processing operation and the post-processing operation in the processing unit not conventionally displayed are displayed, so that the operator can easily find an error.

  In the case of FIG. 8, the controller 5 causes the display unit 53 to display a message “Process start could not be executed because a CHCL plan could not be established” in step S9. On the other hand, in the case of FIG. 9, the controller 5 causes the display unit 53 to display a message “Process start cannot be executed because the processing time cannot be processed”.

<2. Second Embodiment>
In the first embodiment, in the substrate processing apparatus 1, the example in which the operator checks the created recipe while using the substrate processing apparatus 1 as the support apparatus has been described, but an apparatus other than the substrate processing apparatus 1 is used as the support apparatus. It is good.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the support device 6 according to the second embodiment configured based on such a principle. FIG. 11 is a bus wiring diagram of the support device 6. Note that, among the configurations of the support device 6, configurations having functions equivalent to those of the substrate processing apparatus 1 in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

  The support device 6 includes a housing 60, a keyboard 55 and a mouse 56 as the operation unit 52, and a display unit 53. In addition, the housing 60 includes a CPU 50, a storage device 51, and a reading device 54.

  The support device 6 can read the program 510, device information, flow recipe, and unit recipe stored in the disk 92 by the reading device 54, transfer it to the storage device 51, and use it. That is, in the second embodiment, the reading device 54 mainly corresponds to the information acquisition unit in the present invention. As a form for realizing the information acquisition means, the support device 6 may be connected to a network, and these data may be acquired from an external device via the network.

  The support device 6 having such a configuration can execute processing equivalent to that of the first embodiment by causing the CPU 50 to execute the program 510 stored in the storage device 51. Therefore, the support device 6 can obtain the same effect as the substrate processing apparatus 1.

  Further, as shown in the present embodiment, by using the support apparatus 6 and the substrate processing apparatus 1 as separate apparatuses, the recipe can be checked without stopping the substrate processing in the substrate processing apparatus 1.

<3. Modification>
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made.

  For example, the operation for displaying the job line diagram is not limited to the steps shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and the order and processing of each step may be changed if the same effect can be obtained. Good.

It is a figure which shows the substrate processing apparatus which is the assistance apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a bus wiring diagram which shows the structure of a controller. It is a figure which illustrates the data structure of a flow recipe. It is a figure which illustrates the data structure of a unit recipe. It is a flowchart which shows the recipe inspection process of the substrate processing apparatus in this Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows a flow recipe and a unit recipe acquisition process. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a job line figure. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the job line figure when a controller discovers an error. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the job line figure when a controller discovers an error. It is a figure which shows the assistance apparatus in 2nd Embodiment. It is a bus wiring diagram of a support device.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate processing apparatus 100 Job line figure 15 Transfer robot 16, 17, 18 Lifter 19 Transfer robot water washing processing part 2 Substrate processing part 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 Liquid processing part 26 Drying processing part 3 Gas supply mechanism 30 Steam supply unit 31 Ozone supply unit 32 Inert gas supply unit 4 Liquid supply mechanism 40 Chemical solution supply unit 41 Cleaning solution supply unit 42 Pure water supply unit 5 Controller 50 CPU
51 Storage Device 510 Program 52 Operation Unit 53 Display Unit 54 Reading Device 6 Support Device 7 Flow Recipe 8 Unit Recipe 90 Substrate

Claims (5)

A computer-readable support program, the computer executing the support program,
Designates apparatus information relating to a processing apparatus that executes a predetermined process by a plurality of units including at least one processing unit, and an order of use of the at least one processing unit necessary for executing the predetermined process in the predetermined process An information acquisition step for acquiring a flow recipe and a unit recipe for specifying an operation for each at least one processing unit specified in the flow recipe;
Based on the device information acquired in the information acquisition step, the flow recipe, and the unit recipe, for each unit used for the predetermined process among the plurality of units, the elapsed time and the operating status are expressed. A drawing process for drawing a job line diagram;
A display step for displaying the job line drawing drawn in the drawing step;
A support program characterized by executing The support program according to claim 1,
The predetermined process is a process executed on a substrate,
The support program is a substrate processing apparatus. The support program according to claim 2,
The support program characterized in that the units used for the predetermined processing include a unit for controlling the conveyance of the substrate and a unit for adjusting the state of the processing unit. The support program according to claim 2 or 3,
The drawing step identifies, from the plurality of units, a unit that has little influence on the substrate even if the substrate is retained based on the device information, and the drawing method for the unit is different from the drawing method for other units. A support program characterized by drawing with distinction. A support device for supporting an operator's work,
Designates apparatus information relating to a processing apparatus that executes a predetermined process by a plurality of units including at least one processing unit, and an order of use of the at least one processing unit necessary for executing the predetermined process in the predetermined process Information acquisition means for acquiring a flow recipe, and a unit recipe that specifies an operation for each of at least one processing unit specified in the flow recipe;
Based on the device information acquired by the information acquisition means, the flow recipe, and the unit recipe, the passage of time and the operation status are expressed for each unit used for the predetermined process among the plurality of units. A drawing means for drawing a job line diagram;
Display means for displaying the job line diagram drawn by the drawing means;
A support apparatus comprising:

Images