Substrate processing apparatus, control method adopted in substrate processing apparatus and program

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a plurality of processing chambers, discharge systems each provided in conjunction with one of the processing chambers and a common discharge system connected with the discharge systems of at least two processing chambers among the discharge systems provided in conjunction with the individual processing chambers. The common discharge allows a switch-over between a scrubbing common discharge system that discharges discharge gas from each processing chamber after scrubbing the discharge gas at a scrubbing means and a non-scrubbing common discharge system that directly discharges the discharge gas from the discharge system of the processing chamber without scrubbing at the scrubbing means. In this substrate processing apparatus, switch-over control is executed to select either the scrubbing common discharge system of the non-scrubbing common discharge system in correspondence to the type of processing executed in the processing chamber.

1 . A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: 
 a plurality of processing chambers in each of which a specific type of processing is executed by using a gas supplied thereto;    discharge systems each provided in conjunction with one of said processing chambers; and    a common discharge system connected with said discharge systems of at least two processing chambers among said discharge systems provided in conjunction with said processing chambers, wherein:    said common discharge system allows a switch-over between a scrubbing common discharge system that discharges discharge gas from said discharge system of each processing chamber after scrubbing the discharge gas at a scrubbing means and a non-scrubbing common discharge system that directly discharges the discharge gas from said discharge systems of said processing chambers without scrubbing at said scrubbing means; and    said substrate processing apparatus further includes a control means for executing switch-over control to select either said scrubbing common discharge system or said non-scrubbing common discharge system in correspondence to the type of processing executed at said processing chamber.    
   
   
       2 . A substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein: 
 when concurrent processing is executed in said plurality of processing chambers connected to said common discharge system, said control means executes a specific type of exclusivity control so that while either first processing constituted with processing executed by switching said common discharge system to said non-scrubbing common discharge system or second processing constituted with processing executed by switching said common discharge system to said scrubbing common discharge system is in progress in one of said plurality of processing chambers, the other type of processing is not executed in any of the remaining processing chambers among said plurality of processing chambers    
   
   
       3 . A substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 2 , further comprising: 
 an access right reservation information storage means for storing reservation information with regard to an access right of a given processing chamber to said common discharge system, wherein:    when either said first processing or said second processing is to be executed in a processing chamber among said plurality of processing chambers connected to said common discharge system, said exclusivity control for said processing chambers is executed by;    making a decision as to whether or not one type of processing, i.e., either said first processing or said second processing, is currently being executed in another processing chamber among said plurality of processing chambers connected with said common discharge system; and    executing the other type of processing if said one type of processing is judged not to be in progress in the other processing chamber; or    executing reservation processing through which said other type of processing is set in a processing wait state, access right reservation information for said other type of processing with regard to an access right to said common discharge system is stored into said access right reservation information storage means and then said other type of processing is executed based upon said reservation information in said access right reservation information storage means, if said one type of processing is judged to be currently in progress in said other processing chamber.    
   
   
       4 . A substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein: 
 said reservation processing enables execution of said other type of processing in said processing chamber having been set in the processing wait state, after said one type of processing in said other processing chamber is completed.    
   
   
       5 . A substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein: 
 if a plurality of sets of reservation information indicating access right reservations for said common discharge system corresponding to a plurality of processing chambers have been stored in said access right reservation information storage means, said reservation processing enables execution of said other type of processing in the order in which said plurality of sets of reservation information have been stored.    
   
   
       6 . A substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said first processing at least includes processing through which a subject processing chamber is discharged to a pressure level equal to or greater than a predetermined level without requiring discharge gas scrubbing and said second processing at least includes processing that generates discharge gas requiring scrubbing.    
   
   
       7 . A substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein: 
 said first processing is roughing vacuum processing executed in said subject processing chamber or processing that includes said roughing vacuum processing said second processing is processing gas supply processing that necessitates discharge of said processing chamber or processing that includes said processing gas supply processing.    
   
   
       8 . A substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein: 
 said first processing is automatic inspection processing or maintenance processing executed in said processing chamber, which includes said roughing vacuum processing in said processing chamber.    
   
   
       9 . A substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein: 
 said second processing is automatic inspection processing or maintenance processing executed in said processing chamber, which includes said processing gas supply processing in said processing chamber.    
   
   
       10 . A substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein: 
 both said first processing and said second processing are said roughing vacuum processing executed in said processing chamber, or both said first processing and said second processing are processing that include said roughing vacuum processing.    
   
   
       11 . A substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein: 
 a gas supply system through which gas is supplied into each of said processing chambers includes a processing gas supply system for supplying a processing gas and an inert gas supply system for supplying an inert gas; and    the inert gas supply system includes a first supply system through which the inert gas can be supplied at a predetermined flow rate and a second supply system through which the inert gas can be supplied at a flow rate higher than the flow rate set for said first supply system.    
   
   
       12 . A substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein: 
 when executing particle reduction processing in said processing chamber, the inert gas is supplied at least via said second supply system.    
   
   
       13 . A substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein: 
 said particle reduction processing is executed in said processing chamber by first supplying the inert gas at least via said second supply system over a predetermined length of time and then supplying the inert gas via said first supply system only.    
   
   
       14 . A control method to be adopted in a substrate processing apparatus, comprising: 
 a plurality of processing chambers in each of which a specific type of processing is executed by using a gas supplied thereto;    discharge systems each provided in conjunction with one of said processing chambers; and    a common discharge system connected with said discharge systems of at least two processing chambers among said discharge systems provided in conjunction with said processing chambers, which allows a switch-over between a scrubbing common discharge system that discharges discharge gas from said discharge system of each processing chamber after scrubbing the discharge gas at a scrubbing means and a non-scrubbing common discharge system that directly discharges the discharge gas from said discharge systems of said processing chamber without scrubbing at said scrubbing means, wherein:    switch-over control is executed to select either said scrubbing common discharge system or said non-scrubbing common discharge system in correspondence to the type of processing executed at said processing chamber.    
   
   
       15 . A control method to be adopted in a substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 14 , wherein: 
 a specific type of exclusivity control is executed when concurrent processing is executed in said plurality of processing chambers connected to said common discharge system, so that while either first processing constituted with processing executed by switching said common discharge system to said non-scrubbing common discharge system or second processing constituted with processing executed by switching said common discharge system to said scrubbing common discharge system is in progress in one of said plurality of processing chambers, the other type of processing is not executed in any of the remaining processing chambers among said plurality of processing chambers.    
   
   
       16 . A control method to be adopted in a substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein: 
 said substrate processing apparatus further includes an access right reservation information storage means for storing reservation information with regard to an access right of a given processing chamber to said common discharge system, and    said exclusivity control executed in each of said processing chambers includes steps for:    making a decision as to whether or not one type of processing, i.e., either said first processing or said second processing, is currently being executed in another processing chamber among said plurality of processing chambers connected with said common discharge system when either said first processing or said second processing is to be executed in a processing chamber among said plurality of processing chambers connected to said common discharge system;    executing the other type of processing if said one type of processing is judged not to be in progress in said other processing chamber, or    executing reservation processing through which said other type of processing is set in a processing wait state, access right reservation information for said other type of processing with regard to an access right to said common discharge system is stored into said access right reservation information storage and then said other type of processing is executed based upon said reservation information in said access right reservation information storage means if said one type of processing is judged to be in progress in said other processing chamber.    
   
   
       17 . A control method to be adopted in a substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 16 , wherein: 
 said reservation processing enables execution of said other type of processing in said processing chamber having been set in the processing wait state, after said one type of processing in said other processing chamber is completed.    
   
   
       18 . A control method to be adopted in a substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein: 
 if a plurality of sets of reservation information indicating access right reservations for said common discharge system corresponding to a plurality of processing chambers have been stored in said access right reservation information storage means, said reservation processing enables execution of said other type of processing in the order in which said plurality of sets of reservation information have been stored.    
   
   
       19 . A control method to be adopted in a substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 14 , wherein: 
 said first processing at least includes processing through which a subject processing chamber is discharged to a pressure level equal to or greater than a predetermined level without requiring discharge gas scrubbing and said second processing at least includes processing that generates discharge gas requiring scrubbing.    
   
   
       20 . A control method to be adopted in a substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 19 , wherein: 
 said first processing is roughing vacuum processing executed in said subject processing chamber or processing that includes said roughing vacuum processing said second processing is processing gas supply processing that necessitates discharge of said processing chamber or processing that includes said processing gas supply processing.    
   
   
       21 . A control method to be adopted in a substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 20 , wherein: 
 said first processing is automatic inspection processing or maintenance processing executed in said processing chamber, which includes said roughing vacuum processing in said processing chamber.    
   
   
       22 . A control method to be adopted in a substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 20 , wherein: 
 said second processing is automatic inspection processing or maintenance processing executed in said processing chamber, which includes said processing gas supply processing in said processing chamber.    
   
   
       23 . A control method to be adopted in a substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 19 , wherein: 
 both said first processing and said second processing are said roughing vacuum processing executed in said processing chamber, or both said first processing and said second processing are processing that include said roughing vacuum processing.    
   
   
       24 . A control method to be adopted in a substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 14 , wherein: 
 a gas supply system through which gas is supplied into each of said processing chambers includes a processing gas supply system for supplying a processing gas and an inert gas supply system for supplying an inert gas; and    the inert gas supply system includes a first supply system through which the inert gas can be supplied at a predetermined flow rate and a second supply system through which the inert gas can be supplied at a flow rate higher than the flow rate set for said first supply system.    
   
   
       25 . A control method to be adopted in a substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 24 , wherein: 
 when executing particle reduction processing in said processing chamber, the inert gas is supplied at least via said second supply system.    
   
   
       26 . A control method to be adopted in a substrate processing apparatus according to  claim 25 , wherein: 
 said particle reduction processing is executed in said processing chamber by first supplying the inert gas at least via said second supply system over a predetermined length of time and then supplying the inert gas via said first supply system only.    
   
   
       27 . A program that enables control of a substrate processing apparatus, comprising: 
 a plurality of processing chambers in each of which a specific type of processing is executed by using gas supplied thereto;    discharge systems each provided in conjunction with one of said processing chambers; and    a common discharge system connected with said discharge systems of at least two processing chambers among said discharge systems provided in conjunction with said processing chambers, which allows a switch-over between a scrubbing common discharge system that discharges discharge gas from said discharge system of each processing chamber after scrubbing the discharge gas at a scrubbing means and a non-scrubbing common discharge system that directly discharges the discharge gas from said discharge system of said processing chamber without scrubbing at said scrubbing means, wherein:    said program enables a computer to execute switch-over control between said scrubbing common discharge system and said non-scrubbing common discharge system in correspondence to the type of processing executed at said processing chamber.    
   
   
       28 . A program according to  claim 27 , wherein: 
 if processing is concurrently executed at said plurality of processing chambers connected with said common discharge system, a specific type of exclusivity control is executed so that while either first processing constituted with processing executed by switching said common discharge system to said non-scrubbing common discharge system or second processing constituted with processing executed by switching said common discharge system to said scrubbing common discharge system is in progress in one of said plurality of processing chambers, the other type of processing is not executed in any of the remaining processing chambers among said plurality of processing chambers