JP3491002B2 - Operation control method and apparatus for a plurality of power usage systems - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for controlling the operation of a plurality of power usage systems such as a processing apparatus for performing desired processing on a semiconductor wafer or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, when an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer or an LCD substrate is subjected to an oxidation process, a diffusion layer, a silicon oxide film, a silicon nitride film or the like is formed, or a plasma process is performed. Various heat treatment devices and plasma treatment devices are used. Usually, in order to sequentially perform desired processing on a wafer or LCD substrate to complete a product, a plurality of processing apparatuses of the same type or different types are prepared, and in order to improve throughput, these processing apparatuses are arranged in parallel. It is general to make it work. Since the heat treatment and the plasma treatment are mainly performed on the wafer, the LCD substrate, etc., each processing device consumes relatively much electric power,
Since the power supply source that supplies power to these is relatively expensive, power is supplied to as many processing units as possible within the range permitted by one power supply source, and the number of units used is as low as possible. It is supposed to be reduced.

By the way, the electric power consumed by each processing device is not always constant while the device is operating. Depending on the mode of processing, one processing (recipe) may have many The power consumption varies significantly depending on the step.
For example, taking a heat treatment apparatus as an example, power consumption is not so much required when transferring wafers to the wafer boat,
The largest electric power is required when raising the temperature of the processing furnace to a predetermined process temperature, for example, 1000 ° C. Then, the respective processing devices are not generally managed with each other, and are sequentially executed when the processing is started.

[0004]

As described above, although the power consumption varies depending on the type of the step in which the process is executed, the power supply from the power supply source that supplies the power to the plurality of processing devices. When the amount exceeds the allowable output power, the protection circuit operates and the power supply is cut off. If such a power supply cutoff occurs during the execution of a certain step, it is possible that the object being processed at that time cannot be used as a product, so abrupt power supply cutoff must be avoided. Therefore, in the past, the number of processing devices connected to one power supply source was considerably reduced, and a large margin for allowable output power was taken to ensure safety.

For this reason, the number of power supply sources to be installed must be increased more than necessary, resulting in high cost. Also, for example, when the power supply is restored after a power failure has once occurred due to a lightning strike or the like, each processing device simultaneously starts a temperature raising operation to a predetermined keep temperature with full power. However, a large amount of power is consumed at the same time, and the power supply cannot be covered.

In particular, recently, a high-speed temperature rising processing device capable of high-speed temperature rising / falling of the processing furnace has been developed for the purpose of preventing adhesion of a natural oxide film, and the like. Consumes a very large amount of electric power when the temperature is raised, for example, the conventional device consumes 40 KW / hour when the temperature is raised, whereas the high-speed temperature raising apparatus consumes as much as 70 KW / hour. Therefore, if a plurality of such processing devices are connected to a single power supply source, the allowable output power may be easily exceeded, and early resolution of the above-mentioned problems is desired.

The present invention focuses on the above problems,
It was created to solve this effectively. An object of the present invention is to provide an operation control method for a plurality of power usage systems and an apparatus therefor capable of efficiently managing the plurality of power usage systems while taking into consideration the total power usage fee.

[0008]

The invention defined in claim 1 has a plurality of power use systems capable of deciding whether or not to proceed with an operation depending on an external signal, and the above-mentioned respective power use systems.
There are multiple power usage systems, each with different power consumption during operation.
And each of the power sources from one power source.
In an operation control device provided in a power supply system configured to supply power to a utility system, an output power detection unit that detects power output from the power supply source, and a detection value of the output power detection unit and a preset value. A comparison control unit that outputs a comparison signal indicating a comparison result by comparing the generated reference value as the external signal supplied to the plurality of power use systems, and the detected value exceeds the reference value. It said comparison signal in response when configured to indicate operation disable state
In both cases, each of the power usage systems is the system that requires the most power.
Just before the start of the operation, the operation progresses based on the external signal.
It is configured to determine whether or not a line is allowed . Invention as defined in claim 10, depending on that, and an external signal for determining whether the progress of the operation in dependence on an external signal dynamic
In an operation control device provided in a power supply system that supplies power from one power supply source to a plurality of power use systems that can reduce the output state without stopping the operation, the power output from the power supply source And a plurality of comparison signals indicating a comparison result obtained by comparing the detection value of the output power detection unit with a plurality of preset reference values and are supplied to the plurality of power use systems. A comparison control unit for outputting as an external signal, and in response to the detected value exceeding each of the reference values, each of the comparison signals indicates an operation disapproval state and an output reduction instruction. It is designed to be configured.

According to the invention defined in claim 1, the output power from the power supply source is detected by the output power detector,
This detected value is compared with the reference value by the comparison controller. The reference value corresponds to the maximum allowable output power of the power supply source including a certain margin. Here, when the detected value is smaller than the reference value, the comparison signal is output as a signal indicating the operation permission state because the output electric energy has a margin, and conversely when the detected value is larger than the reference value. Since the output electric energy has no margin, the comparison signal is output as a signal indicating the operation disapproval state.

Each power usage system, such as a semiconductor wafer processing apparatus, can generally refer to an external signal when starting an operation and when executing each step in a recipe in order to enhance versatility of a user. Therefore, if the comparison signal is referred to at the start of the operation or at the start of the desired step, the operation is performed when the output electric energy has no margin (operation non-permission state). Is stopped, or the start of the step is stopped to enter the waiting state.

Then, when there is a margin in the output power amount (operation permitting state) due to the end of processing in another power use system or the shift to a step in which the power use amount is small, The step or operation in the waiting state will be started. Here, if a plurality of types of different levels are prepared as reference values and the comparison signals corresponding to each are output, it is possible to control each power usage system in multiple stages. For example, the comparison signal corresponding to the low reference value is referred to when starting the step with the largest power consumption among the multiple steps of the recipe, and the comparison signal corresponding to the high reference value has a large amount of power consumption. It may be referred to at the start of a non-existent step or at the start of the operation of the power usage system. This makes it possible to efficiently manage the operation of each power usage system so that the overall power consumption does not become excessive for the power supply source.

According to the invention defined in claim 10 , the output power from the power supply source is detected by the output power detector, and the detected value is compared with the reference value by the comparison detector. Here, there are a plurality of reference values. For example, the comparison signal based on one reference value is used as a signal indicating the operation non-permission state, and the other comparison signal is used as a signal indicating an output reduction instruction. In each power usage system, when a comparison signal indicating the operation disapproval state is input to the system control unit that manages the start of operation and the execution of each step in the recipe, when there is no margin in the output power (operation disapproval state ), The start of the operation is stopped, or the start of the step is stopped to enter the waiting state.

Then, when there is a margin in the output power amount (operation permitting state) due to the end of the process in another power use system or the shift to a step in which the power use amount is small, The step or operation in the waiting state will be started. The above points are the same as the invention described above. Here, the comparison signal indicating the other output reduction instruction is input to the temperature control unit that directly controls the temperature of the power usage system. When the comparison signal does not instruct output reduction, output is performed at full power, for example, to raise temperature, and when output reduction is instructed, for example, power reduced to a predetermined ratio at full power is used. , Output is done. In this case, the output power per unit time is also reduced by a predetermined ratio in other power use systems. Therefore, when the comparison signal instructing the output reduction is output, the output power per unit time is reduced to a predetermined rate as a whole, and in any case, the output power from the power supply source is excessive. In addition, it is possible to prevent power cutoff.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of an operation control method for a plurality of power use systems and an apparatus thereof according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an operation control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, which is provided in a plurality of power usage systems, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing each step constituting one process of the power usage system. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the amount of electric power used when the steps shown in FIG. 2 are executed.

First, the power supply system will be described. For one power supply source 2, a plurality of power use systems, in the illustrated example, five power use systems, for example, the semiconductor wafer processing apparatuses 4A to 4E are connected to the power supply line 6. They are connected in parallel via the power supply unit and supply electric power according to the demand of each processing device. As a matter of course, the power source 2
Has the maximum power capacity that can be supplied, that is, the maximum allowable output power, and cannot output beyond that capacity.

As described above, each of the processing devices 4A to 4E has the following features.
The semiconductor wafers are configured as the same or different types of devices for performing the same or different types of processing on the semiconductor wafers. For example, as these processing devices, a plasma processing device,
A thermal oxidation processing apparatus, a thermal diffusion processing apparatus, a CVD processing apparatus, a high-speed temperature rising thermal processing apparatus, etc. will be combined appropriately according to the needs of the user. Generally, the operation of each processing device is controlled by a control unit such as a microcomputer incorporated in each processing device, and the contents to be processed, so-called recipes are programmed and stored in advance. The semiconductor wafer is processed according to this recipe.

The control unit of each processing unit controls the operation of the entire processing unit, that is, the start and end of the operation of the processing unit, the timing of starting each step of the recipe, and the like, and controls the system control unit for scheduling. 22A to 22E and the system control unit 22
It has a sub-unit control section that receives commands from A to 22E and performs actual drive control. The sub-unit control section has a gas control section that controls the supply gas and a temperature control that controls the temperature of the furnace body. Departments are included. In the illustrated example,
Among the sub-unit control units, temperature control units 24A to 24E that control the temperature of the furnace body that consumes the most electric power are shown. Although these control units are shown separately from the power usage system in the illustrated example, they are actually built in the power usage system. Then, the first and second comparison signals 20 to be described later
A and 20B are input to the system control units 22A to 22E. Then, the same or different recipes are individually stored in each system control unit or the like in association with each processing device. This recipe for executing one process is usually composed of a plurality of steps, and the amount of electric power used varies depending on the steps.

As an example, the wafer oxidation process in the rapid thermal processing system will be described as one recipe. To perform the wafer oxidation process as shown in FIG. 2, the idling step of the system itself and the wafer boat of the wafer are performed. Transfer step, a boat loading step of loading the boat into the processing furnace, a high-speed heating step of rapidly heating the wafer loaded into the processing furnace to a predetermined process temperature by a heater, and a wafer heating to the process temperature. An oxidation step in which a processing gas or the like is introduced while actually maintaining the oxidation process,
A high-speed cooling step for rapidly cooling the processed wafer,
The boat unloading step for unloading the boat from the processing furnace and the cassette loading step for unloading the processed wafer from the boat and loading it on the wafer cassette are sequentially executed, and the idling state is restored.

The amount of electric power used when executing each of the above steps is naturally different, and as shown in FIG. 3, in the case of the above processing example, the maximum amount of electric power is consumed in the high speed temperature raising step. When such a recipe is programmed, the versatility of the user can be taken into consideration to determine whether or not the operation can proceed depending on an external signal at the start of processing or recipe and at the start of each step. In this way, when the external signal is not input, the operation of course proceeds as it is.

Each of the processing devices 4A to 4E is individually and independently controlled by a system control unit incorporated therein.
Regardless of the operating states of other processing devices, the processes are executed in the order in which they are set. However, under such a situation, if the processing happens to proceed to a step requiring the largest power consumption in some processing devices, for example, the power supply source 2 requires an output power equal to or more than the maximum allowable power amount. However, there are cases in which this cannot be met. Therefore, in such a case, in order to appropriately control the progress of the operation of each processing device, the operation control device of the present invention is provided, and when the output power is smaller than the predetermined value, the operation of each processing device is When the output power exceeds the predetermined value, the operation is stopped from proceeding to a new step until the output power becomes smaller than the predetermined value again. The output power does not exceed the maximum allowable power amount as a whole.

Specifically, the operation control device 8 compares the output power detection unit 10 for detecting the power output from the power supply source 2 with the detection value and a preset reference value. Comparison control unit 1 that outputs a comparison signal indicating a comparison result
It is mainly composed of 2 and. Output power detector 10
Can be easily measured by detecting the current flowing in the power supply line 6 and the supply voltage with the detector 14, and the result is converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 16 and the like built in the detection unit 10. And is supplied to the comparison control unit 12. The comparison control unit 12 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer, and in the present embodiment, the first and second comparison controllers 16A and 16B are provided, for example, in software. The first and second reference values 18A and 18B having different values are given to the respective comparison controllers 16A and 16B, so that the comparators 19A and 19B incorporated therein respectively compare the detected values. Has become. in this case,
When the detected value is smaller than the reference value, the comparison signal changes so as to indicate the operation-enabled state. On the other hand, when it becomes equal to or exceeds the reference value, the operation-disabled state is set. It changes as shown, and these states are corresponded by the signal low and high.

The comparison signals 20A and 20B output as a result of the comparison are supplied as external signals to the respective processing devices 4A to 4E, and when each processing device starts its operation or at a specific step. It will be referred to as an external signal when starting. As the comparison control unit 12,
For example, a demand monitoring control device (trade name) manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric can be used. In this case, the first reference value corresponds to, for example, the power usage amount of the step that requires the maximum power consumption in each of the processing devices 4A to 4E rather than the maximum allowable power amount of the power supply source 2. The value is set to be lower by the amount, and the first comparison signal 20A output corresponding to this is referred to at the start of the maximum power use step of each processing device.

Further, the second reference value is set to a value larger than the first reference value 18A and smaller than the maximum allowable power amount in order to perform control looser than the first reference value 18A. For example, the setting is made so that it is referred to when the operation of each processing device is started. In this embodiment, the first and second reference values 18A and 18B are provided so that the first and second comparison signals 20A and 20B are output, but the second reference values 18A and 18B are output to simplify the control. The reference value 18B and the second comparison signal 20B may be omitted and only the first reference value 18A and the first comparison signal 20A may be configured.

Next, the operation control method of the present invention, which is performed by using the apparatus of the first embodiment configured as described above, will be described. First, in order to make the contents easy to understand, the respective processing devices 4A to 4E are the same processing device, for example, a high-speed temperature rising heat treatment device, and among the steps, a step requiring the maximum power consumption is a high-speed temperature rising step It is assumed that the electric power used is 70 KW. Therefore, if each processing unit simultaneously executes the high-speed temperature raising step, 350 KW (70 KW
X 5) power is required. On the other hand, assuming that the maximum allowable amount of power that the power supply source 2 can output is 270 KW, the first reference value 18A has a margin of 70 KW which is the power consumption of the maximum power consumption step for one processing device. Set to, for example, 200 kW, and the second reference value 1
8B, for example, to provide more control than this, 250
Set to KW. Of course, the second reference value 18B is also less than the maximum allowable power.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the first comparison signal 2
0A is referred to as an external signal immediately before the high-speed temperature raising step is executed, and the second comparison signal 20B is referred to at the start of the operation, that is, immediately before the transfer step from the idling state to the boat is started. It is assumed that it is preset in the program. Here, as a simple control method, first, the second reference value 18B and the second comparison signal 20B are omitted, and the first reference value 18A is omitted.
Also, a case where only the first comparison signal 20A is used will be described.

First, each of the processing devices 4A to 4E is individually turned on, each device operates independently under individual control, and the first comparison signal is used as an external signal only at the start of the corresponding step. With reference to the state of, the decision whether to execute the corresponding step or to wait should be made. During this time, in the operation control device 8, the output power of the power supply source 2 is detected and constantly monitored, and the state of the first comparison signal 20A is determined based on the detected value. The operation of the operation control device will be described based on the flow shown in FIG. FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the output power and the first comparison signal at this time. When the first comparison signal is low, the operation is permitted, and when it is high, the operation is not permitted. In addition, the output power changes with the passage of time.

In FIG. 4, when the power of the control device is turned on, the output power of the power supply 2 is detected by the output power detector 10 (S1), and the detected value is the first comparator of the comparison controller 12. It is compared with the first reference value 18A (200 KW) at 19A (S2). Note that the second reference value and the like are omitted here. Here, the detected value is the first reference value 18
If it is smaller than A (NO), it means that there is a margin in electric power, so the first comparison signal 20A is set to low and output as a signal indicating the operation permission state (S).
3). In this case, as will be described later, the progress to the high-speed temperature raising step is permitted.

On the other hand, the detected value is the first reference value 18
If A or more (YES), it means that there is no margin in terms of electric power, so that the first comparison signal 20A is set to high and a signal indicating an operation disapproval state is output (S4). In this case, the progress to the high-speed temperature raising step is stopped and the standby state is entered. In FIG. 5, a point P1 indicates a time point when the power usage amount becomes larger than the first reference value and the first comparison signal changes from low to high, and a point P2, on the contrary, indicates that the power usage amount is the first power value. Is smaller than the reference value of 1 and the first comparison signal changes from high to low. This series of operations is performed until the control power of the device is turned off (S
5) When the power of the device is turned off, the process ends.

Next, the operation of the processing device at this time will be described taking one processing device as an example. FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the operation of the processing apparatus at this time. First, when the power of the processing device is turned on (S1), it enters an idling state and it is confirmed whether or not an operation should be started by the presence of an external signal (S).
2). Here, at the time of starting the operation, the external signal is not referred to, so the result is NO and the operation starts. When the second comparison signal is used, as will be described later, YES is determined here and the process proceeds to step S3.

Then, if NO in S2, in order to execute the predetermined recipe, first, the step number n is initialized to zero (S4), and then the step number n is incremented by 1 (S5). ), Shift to processing. Next, the presence or absence of an external signal is determined (S6), and in the case of NO, the processing of the corresponding step is actually performed. This step is performed until the processing is completed, for example, when the wafer is transferred to the boat, the transfer is completed (S8).

When the processing of this corresponding step is completed, it is next determined whether or not all steps are completed (S9),
When all the steps are completed (YES), the process ends, but in the case of NO, the process returns to S5, the step number n is incremented by 1, and the process proceeds to the next step.
In this way, when each step of one recipe is sequentially performed to shift to the high-speed temperature raising step, the external signal is configured to be referred to as described above before the start of the step. The result of S6 is YES, and then the external signal, that is, the first comparison signal 20A in this case
Is determined to be the operation-permitted state (low) or the operation-permitted state (high) (S10). If the operation-permitted state (YES), the other processing device does not use much power. Since the power has a margin, the processing of the corresponding step, that is, the high-speed temperature raising processing here is executed as it is (S7).

On the other hand, when the comparison signal is in the operation non-permission state (high) in S10, it means that there is no power margin, so the start of the processing of the corresponding step is stopped, Wait until the operation is enabled (S1
1).

As described above, under the condition that the total power consumption is small and the power consumption is smaller than the first reference value (operation permitting state).
In the above, when the processing of each step is completed, the processing proceeds without waiting, but when the total power consumption increases and becomes equal to or more than the first reference value, the first comparison signal indicates that the operation is not permitted. And while this state is maintained,
After that, the operation of the processing apparatus which is newly approaching the high-speed temperature raising step is stopped at that point and enters the standby state. In addition, in the other processing apparatus, the steps other than the high-speed temperature raising step are sequentially processed. Therefore, the operation of each power use system can be efficiently controlled, and the power supply source 2 can be prevented from requesting the output power amount of the maximum allowable amount or more from the power use system side.

Next, regarding the operation when not only the first reference value and the second comparison signal but also the second reference value and the second comparison signal are used, refer to the flow shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. And explain. As described above, the second reference value is a loose reference value, and the second comparison signal 2
0B is a point P when the output power changes beyond the second reference value of 250 kW as shown in FIG.
3, P4 changes from low to high or vice versa.

As described above, when only one kind of comparison signal is used, progress of a step with large power consumption can be waited, but progress of a step with small power consumption is allowed. As a result, if a number of these steps are collected, the maximum allowable power may be exceeded.
This is to prevent this. As described above, by using a plurality of, for example, two comparison signals, it is possible not only to prevent the step of large power consumption from progressing but also to prevent the step of small power consumption from progressing depending on conditions. It is possible to have a wide range. Here, the case where the second comparison signal 20B is incorporated so as to be referred to when the processing operation is started from the idling state will be described as an example (see FIG. 2).

In FIG. 8, between P1 and P2, new progress of the high-speed temperature raising step is blocked, and P3 to P4
In between, even the start of processing operations will be blocked. The state of the first and second comparison signals 20A and 20B at this time will be described with reference to FIG. 7. The output power of the power supply 2 is detected by the output power detection unit 10 as in the flow shown in FIG. (S1), the detected value is compared by the comparison controller 12 with the first reference value 18A and the second reference value 18B (S2).

Here, when the detected value is smaller than the first reference value 18A (200 KW) having a small value, both the first and second comparison signals 20A and 20B are output as the operation enable state (low). (S3), if the detected value is equal to or greater than the first reference value 18A and equal to or less than the second reference value 18B (250 KW), the first comparison signal 18A is output as an operation disapproval state (high), and The second comparison signal 18B is output as the operation enable state (low) (S4), and when the detected value is larger than the second reference value (P in FIG. 8).
3-P4), the first and second comparison signals 18A, 18B
Are both output as an operation disapproval state (high) (S
5). Then, such an operation is repeatedly performed until the power of the control device is turned off (S6).

Next, the operation of the processing apparatus at this time will be described by returning to FIG. First, after turning on the power of the processing device (S
1) In the idling state, when actually starting an operation according to a certain recipe, the presence or absence of an external signal is determined (S2). Here, unlike the case described above, the second comparison signal 20B Since it is constructed so as to refer to, the judgment is YES, and then it is judged whether or not this comparison signal is in the operation permitting state (S3). When the amount of power consumption is small and less than 250 KW, the second comparison signal becomes the operation enable state (low) and shifts to S4, and as described above, the operation specifically starts and follows the recipe. Wafer processing is performed.

On the other hand, as a result of the determination in S3, when the amount of electric power used is large and is 250 KW or more, the second comparison signal becomes the operation non-permission signal (high) and the start of the operation is stopped. Then, the standby state is established (S12). This standby state is maintained until the second comparison signal enters the operation permitting state. The subsequent process flow is similar to that described above, and the progress operation of the high temperature heating step is controlled by the state of the first comparison signal 20A (S1).
0). Therefore, between P1 and P2, a new start of a high power consumption step (high-speed temperature raising step) is restricted, and between P3 and P4, even the start of operation is prohibited, and the idling state is maintained. It will be. By using two types of comparison signals in this way,
The operation control mode can have a wide range, and in this case, even the start of the operation can be prohibited. Therefore, the power supply source 2
It is possible to almost surely prevent the output power of the above from exceeding the maximum allowable power amount and becoming excessively large.

In this embodiment, the second comparison signal is incorporated so as to be referred to at the time of starting the operation, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the series of steps, the step with the second highest power consumption is selected. It may be referred to when starting, and its mode does not matter. Further, three or more comparison signals may be used.

The values of the first and second reference values and the like are, of course, merely examples. In particular, in order to determine the value of the first reference value, as described above, with respect to the maximum allowable power amount of the power supply source 2, at least a little less than the amount corresponding to the power consumption of the maximum power consumption step of each processing device. It is recommended to set a large margin.
For example, in the case of the above example, the maximum allowable power amount is 270 kW
On the other hand, with a margin slightly larger than the maximum power consumption step of 70 kW, for example, about 80 kW,
The first reference value may be set to about 0 kW.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, since the first and second comparison signals are both introduced into the system control units 22A to 22E, for example, when the power is turned on, all power use systems are idling. If the temperature raising operation is performed for preheating at that time, the power may be shut down due to excessive power supply. For example, if all the power usage systems are switched on at the start of the factory when all the furnace bodies are cooled to room temperature due to long factory vacation, or the power supply source is down due to a lightning strike, etc. When the power is restored after the temperature has dropped to near room temperature, all the power usage systems are operated simultaneously, and the temperature controller operates to raise the temperature of the furnace body to the idling temperature, for example, 400 ° C. It will be. As described above, in the power usage system, the step that requires the most power is when the temperature of the furnace body is raised, and when all the power usage systems perform the temperature raising operation as described above, the output from the power supply source 2 is changed. This goes down beyond the maximum allowable power.

In this case, in the first embodiment described above, since the temperature control section is not regulated by any external signal, the temperature control section operates according to the temperature command during idling from the system control section, and each power consumption system is operated. Is to be raised to a preheat temperature at the time of idling with full power, for example, 400 ° C., which may cause the power supply source 2 to go down due to excessive power supply. In order to prevent this, it is preferable to introduce the comparison signal not only to the system control unit but also to the temperature control unit so that excessive power supply does not occur.

The second embodiment is configured in this way, and the second embodiment will be described below. FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram showing a second embodiment of the device of the present invention, FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a schedule after the power supply system is turned on, and FIG. 11 executes each step of the schedule shown in FIG. It is a figure showing the amount of electric power used at the time. The same parts as those of the device shown in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

The difference of the second embodiment from the first embodiment described above is that in the first embodiment, both the first comparison signal 20A and the second comparison signal 20B are supplied to each system. While being introduced into the control units 22A to 22E, in the second embodiment, the first comparison signal 20A is introduced into each system control unit 22A to 22E as in the case of the first embodiment. On the other hand, the second comparison signal 20B is introduced into each of the temperature control units 24A to 24E and used as an instruction signal for instructing output reduction. That is,
Each of the temperature control units 24A to 24E uses the second comparison signal 2
When 0B becomes significant, that is, when an instruction to reduce the output is given, the output per unit time is controlled so as to reduce the output power to a magnitude obtained by subtracting a predetermined rate from the output power immediately before that time. To do. Therefore, for example, when the temperature of the furnace body is raised, the power is generally output at full power to raise the temperature to a predetermined temperature. However, as described above, when the second comparison signal becomes significant, the unit The output per time becomes a power of a magnitude obtained by subtracting a predetermined ratio from the full power, and as a phenomenon, it means that the time required for temperature rise is prolonged by the amount corresponding to the reduction of the output per unit time.

Here, the second comparison signal 20B for instructing the output reduction is the second threshold voltage which becomes significant.
The reference value of is set to, for example, 250 KW, and is 20 KW with respect to the maximum allowable output value of 270 KW of the power supply source 2.
Only the margin is expected. In addition, each temperature control unit 24
The ratio of the output reduction of the second comparison signal in A to 24E when it is significant is set to be slightly smaller than 5/7% (≈71%), and each power use system 4A to 4E needs the most power at the same time. Even if the temperature rise step is reached, the total power consumption at that time is approximately 250 kW (= 70 kW x 5 units x 5).
/ 7), and the maximum allowable output value 270 of the power supply source 2
I try not to exceed kW. The second reference value is not limited to the above 250 kW, and it goes without saying that the second reference value may be changed depending on how the margin is set.
The output reduction rate of the second comparison signal at the time of significance in A to 24E is not limited to the above value, and may be changed depending on the number of power use systems, the maximum power use amount of each use system, and the like. Further, here, the threshold value at which the first comparison signal 20A becomes significant, that is, the first reference value is set to 200 KW as in the case of the first embodiment, and is equivalent to one power use system. The maximum amount of power consumption is expected as a margin.

Next, the operation of this device will be described.
First, FIG. 10 shows a general flow of each process after turning on the power of the apparatus. When the power of the apparatus is turned on, the furnace body that has been cooled to room temperature until now is in an idling state. The temperature is raised to a preset temperature of 400 ° C. at a normal speed or at a high speed to shift to an idling state. After that, the oxidation process and idling of the wafer are repeated until the power is turned off. The amount of electric power used in the above flow is shown in FIG. 11, and the temperature raising step immediately after the power is turned on consumes a large amount of electric power which is substantially equal to or close to the high speed temperature raising step in the recipe. ing. Here, the power use system 4A will be described as a representative, but the same applies to other use systems. The system control unit 22A, at the start of the process and the high-speed temperature raising step requiring the most electric power in the recipe,
Both refer to the first comparison signal, and the temperature control unit 24A always refers to the second comparison signal 20B, and checks whether or not this is significant. The second comparison signal may be allocated such that it becomes high when it is significant and becomes low when it is insignificant, or vice versa.

Now, the control flow in the system control unit 22A is basically the same as the flow shown in FIG. 6 described in the first embodiment, and in the flow shown in FIG. Instead, only the first comparison signal is used, and the description thereof is omitted. Here, in parallel with the above flow, the temperature control unit 24A constantly refers to the second comparison signal 20B, and the other power usage systems 4B to 4E also operate, so that the output power from the power supply source 2 is When the value exceeds the second reference value, for example, 250 KW, the second comparison signal 20B changes from low to high and becomes significant. This second comparison signal 20B
Is always referred to by all the temperature control units 24A to 24E, the temperature control unit operating at that time should reduce the output value of the unit time to a predetermined ratio (5/7). The output power will be controlled. Therefore, even if the power more than the allowable amount is drawn from the power supply source 2, the increase in the output power amount from the power supply source 2 is suppressed in response to the significant shift of the second comparison signal 20B. Prevent more than the allowable amount of power from being drawn,
It is possible to prevent the power supply itself from shutting down.

By controlling in this way, for example, when the factory is restarted after being stopped for a long time, or when the power is restored after a power failure occurs for several hours due to a lightning strike or the like, the supplied power is reduced. It becomes possible to prevent the excess. For example, in the above-mentioned case, since the furnace body temperature has dropped to room temperature or near room temperature, when the factory is restarted or when the power is restored, all power use systems 4A to 4E The temperature raising operation is started toward the standby temperature, and the temperature control units 24A to 24A
E starts the temperature raising operation with full power based on the temperature command from the system control unit. Here, each power usage system has a maximum of 7
Since the power consumption is 0 kW, 350 kW (= 70 kW x
It requires as much as 5 units of power. However, in the present embodiment, each of the temperature control units 24A to 24E uses the second comparison signal 2
Since 0B is constantly referred to, the second comparison signal 2 is output when the power consumption starts to increase and the detected value exceeds 250 kW.
0B becomes significant, and each temperature control unit 24A to
24E controls the output power so as to reduce the output power per unit time to a predetermined rate. Therefore, the maximum amount of power used in each of the power use systems 4A to 4E is suppressed to 50 KW, and as a result, the output power from the power supply source 2 is 250 KW.
(= 50 kW × 5 units), the power supply can be prevented from shutting down.

As a result of suppressing the output power per unit time in this way, the time required to reach the predetermined idling temperature becomes longer as compared with the case of full power, as indicated by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. This disadvantage is very small compared to the disadvantage caused by shaft down of the power supply. Further, when the second comparison signal 20B becomes insignificant from the insignificance, the processing temperature may decrease when other power use system is performing, for example, an oxidation processing step. The power consumption in the processing step is much smaller than the power consumption at the time of temperature rise, and the power control of the heater for heating the furnace body is generally controlled by the pulse width as shown in FIG. Therefore, when the output power indicated by the alternate long and short dash line is reduced, the pulse height is lowered by the amount corresponding to the power reduction, and the pulse width is output correspondingly longer. Therefore, since the temperature of the furnace body is stably maintained at the processing temperature, the processing temperature does not change during the wafer processing.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the second comparison signal is supplied to each of the temperature control units 24A to 24 immediately after the power is turned on.
Since it is constantly referred to in 24E, it is not limited to restarting after a long-term outage or returning after a power failure due to a lightning strike, etc.
When the output power from the power supply source 2 is about to exceed the second reference value for some reason, the total amount of power used can be immediately suppressed, so that the power supply can be shut down in any situation. It is possible to prevent the occurrence. In the above embodiments, the semiconductor wafer has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to a processing apparatus that processes another object to be processed, for example, an LCD substrate.

[0052]

As described above, according to the operation control method of the electric power use system and the apparatus thereof of the present invention, the following excellent operational effects can be exhibited. Claim 1 to
According to the invention defined in No. 9 , it is possible to control the progress of processing in each power usage system while monitoring the total power usage of the plurality of power usage systems. Therefore, when the amount of power used is large, it is possible to stop the new start of the step of maximum power consumption in each power usage system and make it stand by, so it is possible to prevent the use of power above the maximum allowable power, It is possible to efficiently manage the power use system, prevent the occurrence of power interruption, and improve the throughput. Therefore, since the power usage system can be efficiently managed, the number of power supply sources used can be reduced and the facility cost can be suppressed. Furthermore, by using a plurality of comparison signals having different reference levels, it is possible to give the control mode a wider range, and it is possible to more effectively prevent the occurrence of power interruption. Claim 10
According to the inventions defined in any one of Claims 23 to 23 , in addition to exhibiting the same effect as the above invention, the comparison signal is input to the temperature control unit so as to be constantly referred to as the output reduction instruction signal. When the amount of power consumption is detected, the output power from each temperature control unit is suppressed to a predetermined ratio, so it is possible to restart not only when executing a normal so-called recipe, but also after a long stoppage. It is also possible to prevent power cutoff in any case such as when.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of an operation control device of the present invention provided in a plurality of power usage systems.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing each step constituting one process of the power usage system.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an amount of electric power used when executing each step shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation of the operation control device when one reference value is used.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing a relationship between output power and a first comparison signal.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation of a power usage system (processing device).

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the operation control device when two reference values are used.

FIG. 8 is a graph showing a relationship between output power and first and second comparison signals.

FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram showing a second embodiment of the operation control device of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a schedule after the power of the power use system is turned on.

11 is a diagram showing the amount of power used when each step of the schedule shown in FIG. 10 is executed.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a temperature rising rate up to an idling temperature when the output power is full power and when the output is reduced.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a power control state of processing steps when output power is a normal output and when the output power is reduced.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 Power supply source 4A-4E Semiconductor wafer processing equipment (power usage system) 6 power supply line 8 Motion control device 10 Output power detector 12 Comparison control unit 16A, 16B Comparative controller 18A, 18B First and second reference values 19A, 19B comparator 20A, 20B comparison signal 22A-22E system control unit 24A to 24E Temperature control unit

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H02J 3/00-5/00 G05F 1/66

Claims (23)

(57) [Claims] 1. A system having a plurality of power usage systems capable of determining whether or not an operation progresses depending on an external signal.
In addition, each of the power usage system is
With multiple different steps from one power source
In an operation control device provided in a power supply system configured to supply power to each power use system, an output power detection unit that detects power output from the power supply source, and a detection value of the output power detection unit. And a comparison control unit that outputs a comparison signal indicating a comparison result by comparing a reference value set in advance to the plurality of power use systems as the external signal, and the detected value is the reference value. said comparison signal in response to exceeding the When configured to indicate operation disable state co
In addition, each of the power usage systems requires the step that requires the most power.
Just before starting the operation, the operation progresses based on the external signal.
An operation control device for a plurality of electric power use systems, which is configured to determine whether or not to use. 2. The comparison control unit outputs a plurality of types of comparison signals corresponding to a plurality of reference values having different set values, and each of the plurality of comparison signals starts a different step in the operation. The operation control device for a plurality of power use systems according to claim 1 , wherein the operation control device is configured to be referred to as the external signal immediately before. 3. Each of the plurality of power use systems is a semiconductor.
A processing apparatus for performing a predetermined process on a body wafer
Therefore, each processing unit is programmed in advance with the contents to be processed.
Have a recipe that includes the steps described above.
A plurality of power use systems according to claim 1 or 2,
Motion control device. 4. The most power consuming step is prior to
Raise the temperature of the semiconductor wafer to the specified process temperature
4. The method according to claim 3, which is a temperature raising step.
Number of power consumption operation control device. 5. A power supply system having a plurality of power use systems capable of determining whether or not to proceed with an operation depending on an external signal.
In addition, each of the power usage system is
With multiple different steps from one power source
In an operation control method of a power supply system, which supplies power to each power use system, a step of detecting output power from the power supply source and comparing the detected value with a preset reference value. A step of outputting a comparison signal indicating a comparison result, and a step of supplying the comparison signal to each of the power use systems as the external signal, in response to the detected value exceeding the reference value. co when the comparison signal is configured to indicate operation disable state
In addition, each of the power usage systems requires the step that requires the most power.
Just before starting the operation, the operation progresses based on the external signal.
A method for controlling the operation of a plurality of power use systems, wherein the operation control method is configured to determine whether or not 6. A plurality of types of the comparison signals are formed corresponding to a plurality of different reference values, and the plurality of comparison signals are referred to as the external signals immediately before starting different steps in the operation. The operation control method for a plurality of power use systems according to claim 5, wherein the operation control method is configured as follows. 7. The plurality of comparison signals according to claim 6, wherein one of the plurality of comparison signals is configured to be referred to as the external signal for determining whether to start an operation. Operation control method of power usage system. 8. The plurality of power use systems are semiconductors, respectively.
A processing apparatus for performing a predetermined process on a body wafer
Therefore, each processing unit is programmed in advance with the contents to be processed.
Have a recipe that includes the steps described above.
A plurality of the plurality of claims 5 to 7 characterized in that
Operation control method of power usage system. 9. The step of using the most power is prior to
Raise the temperature of the semiconductor wafer to the specified process temperature
9. The compound according to claim 8, which is a temperature raising step.
Control method of power consumption system of number. 10. Determining whether or not the operation progresses depending on an external signal, and stopping the operation depending on the external signal.
In an operation control device provided in a power supply system that supplies power from a single power supply source to a plurality of power use systems that can reduce the output state without detecting the power output from the power supply source. The output power detection unit, a plurality of comparison signals indicating the comparison result by comparing the detection value of the output power detection unit and a plurality of preset reference values, as external signals supplied to the plurality of power use system And a comparison control unit for outputting, wherein each of the comparison signals is configured to indicate an operation disapproval state and an output reduction instruction in response to the detected value exceeding each of the reference values. An operation control device for a plurality of electric power use systems characterized by: 11. The power usage system performs a temperature control according to a command from the system control unit, which can determine whether or not the operation progresses depending on the external signal, and at the same time. A temperature control unit capable of reducing an output state depending on an external signal, the comparison signal indicating an operation non-permission state is input to the system control unit, and the comparison signal indicating an output reduction instruction is The operation control device for a plurality of power use systems according to claim 10 , wherein the operation control device inputs the temperature control unit. 12. Each of the power usage systems has a plurality of steps of different power usage during operation, and the system control unit immediately before the operation starts and / or a step of the largest power usage. 12. The operation control device for a plurality of power use systems according to claim 11 , wherein whether or not to proceed is determined based on the comparison signal immediately before starting. 13. The temperature control unit constantly refers to the comparison signal, and when the comparison signal indicates an output reduction instruction, the temperature control unit is configured to reduce the output power to a predetermined ratio. The operation control device for a plurality of power use systems according to claim 12 . 14. The plurality of power use systems are each half
It is a processing device for performing a predetermined process on a conductor wafer.
Yes, the contents to be processed by each processor are programmed in advance
Have a recipe that includes the steps described above.
The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that
Operation control device for multiple power usage systems. 15. The most power consuming step comprises:
Raise the temperature of the semiconductor wafer to a predetermined process temperature
15. The temperature raising step according to claim 14,
Of a plurality of power usage operation controllers of. 16. The output power is reduced to a predetermined rate.
When the operation is performed by reducing the output per unit time,
Extends the time required to raise the body wafer to a specified temperature
The operation according to claim 1, wherein the operation is to cause the operation.
5. An operation control device for a plurality of power use systems according to item 5. 17. Determining whether to proceed with the operation depending on an external signal and stopping the operation depending on the external signal.
In a method for controlling the operation of a power supply system that supplies power from a single power supply source to a plurality of power use systems that can reduce the output state without a step, a step of detecting output power from the power supply source , A step of comparing the detected value with a plurality of preset reference values to output a plurality of comparison signals indicating a comparison result; and a step of supplying the plurality of comparison signals to the power use systems as the external signals. And an operation control method for a plurality of power use systems, characterized in that it is configured to indicate an operation disapproval state or an output reduction instruction in response to the detected value exceeding each of the reference values. . 18. The power usage system, before a system control unit which may be dependent on Kigaibu signal to determine whether to progress the operation, the temperature control in accordance with a command from the system control unit A temperature control unit capable of reducing the output state depending on the external signal, the system control unit performs control based on the comparison signal indicating the operation non-permission state, the temperature control unit 18. The operation control method for a plurality of power use systems according to claim 17, wherein the control is performed based on the comparison signal indicating the output reduction instruction. 19. Each of the power use systems has a plurality of steps of different power use amounts during operation, and the system control unit performs a step immediately before the operation is started and / or a step of the largest power use amount. The operation control method for a plurality of power use systems according to claim 18 , wherein whether or not to proceed is determined based on the comparison signal immediately before starting. 20. The temperature controller constantly refers to the comparison signal, and when the comparison signal indicates an output reduction instruction, reduces the output power to a predetermined ratio. The operation control method for a plurality of power use systems according to claim 19 . 21. Each of the plurality of power use systems has a half
It is a processing device for performing a predetermined process on a conductor wafer.
Yes, the contents to be processed by each processor are programmed in advance
Have a recipe that includes the steps described above.
Contracts characterized by 20. The claim 16
Operation control method for multiple power consumption systems. 22. The step of using the most power comprises:
Raise the temperature of the semiconductor wafer to a predetermined process temperature
22. The temperature raising step according to claim 21,
Control method for multiple power usage systems. 23. The output power is reduced to a predetermined rate.
When the operation is performed by reducing the output per unit time,
Extends the time required to raise the body wafer to a specified temperature
3. The operation according to claim 2, wherein the operation is to cause the operation.
2. A method for controlling operation of a plurality of power use systems according to 2.