JP7787745B2 - Substrate processing apparatus and article manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and an article manufacturing method.

Patent Document 1 describes a functional film forming apparatus that includes a coating device that coats a substrate with a film-forming solution to form a film, a drying device that dries the film-forming solution coated on the substrate, and a transport device that transports the substrate coated with the film-forming solution by the coating device to the drying device. In this functional film forming apparatus, the first of multiple substrates to be dried by the drying device is transported to the drying device within a predetermined time after the start of coating of the film-forming solution, thereby efficiently forming a high-quality functional film with a uniform film thickness with high precision.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-150206

Even with the film formation apparatus described above, if the transport mechanism or drying device is unavailable when the application of the film formation solution to the substrate is completed, it may not be possible to transport the substrate to the drying device within a predetermined time after the application of the film formation solution to the substrate in the application device. Substrates that cannot be transported to the drying device within the predetermined time may be re-coated with film formation solution after reprocessing, for example, and then transported to the drying device. Alternatively, such substrates may not be reusable. In either case, if the substrate cannot be transported to the drying device within a predetermined time after the application of the film formation solution to the substrate begins, the process from applying the film formation solution to the substrate to drying becomes inefficient.

The present invention provides an advantageous technology for streamlining the process from applying a film-forming solution to a substrate to drying it.

One aspect of the present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus comprising a plurality of processing sections, a transport mechanism for transporting substrates between the plurality of processing sections, and a control section, wherein the plurality of processing sections include an application section for applying a film forming solution to a substrate, and a drying section for drying the film forming solution applied to the substrate by the application section, and the control section determines that the drying section is ready to accept a substrate within a predetermined time after the application section starts applying the film forming solution to the processing substrate, and controls the application section to apply the film forming solution to the processing substrate.

The present invention provides an advantageous technology for streamlining the process from applying a film-forming solution to a substrate to drying it.

1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing a first operation example of the substrate processing apparatus. 10 is a flowchart showing a second operation example of the substrate processing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a processing flow for each substrate in the substrate processing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a processing flow for each substrate in the substrate processing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a processing flow for each substrate in the substrate processing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a table for controlling processing in the substrate processing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a table for controlling processing in the substrate processing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a table for controlling processing in the substrate processing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a table for controlling processing in the substrate processing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a table for controlling processing in the substrate processing apparatus. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining a reservation function. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a processing flow for each substrate in the substrate processing apparatus.

The following describes the embodiments in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the claimed invention. While the embodiments describe multiple features, not all of these features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined in any desired manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used to designate identical or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a substrate processing apparatus 100 according to one embodiment. The substrate processing apparatus 100 processes substrates. The substrate processing apparatus 100 may be configured, for example, as a film forming apparatus for forming a film on a substrate. The film may be, for example, an organic film. The organic film may be, for example, any of the hole injection layer, hole transport layer, light-emitting layer, electron transport layer, and electron injection layer of an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) element. The process for manufacturing an organic EL element may include forming organic films such as the hole injection layer, hole transport layer, light-emitting layer, electron transport layer, and electron injection layer on a substrate. The process for forming each organic film on a substrate may include a coating process in which a film-forming solution is applied or deposited on the substrate by printing or other methods, a drying process in which the film-forming solution is dried to form a dried film, and a baking process in which the dried film is baked. The film-forming solution may be a solution containing a solute and a solvent for forming an organic film. The solvent may have a property that facilitates evaporation in a reduced-pressure environment lower than atmospheric pressure. Evaporation of the solvent can be accelerated, for example, at temperatures higher than room temperature (25°C).

The substrate processing apparatus 100 may include multiple processing sections and a transport mechanism 9 that transports substrates between the multiple processing sections. Each processing section may include a processing chamber. The substrate processing apparatus 100 may include a transfer chamber 10 to which each processing chamber of the multiple processing sections is connected, and the transport mechanism 9 may be disposed within the transfer chamber 10. The transfer chamber 10 may be disposed so as to be surrounded by each processing chamber of the multiple processing sections. The substrate processing apparatus 100 may be a multi-chamber type processing apparatus.

In one example, the multiple processing units include at least a coating unit 1 that coats the substrate with a film-forming solution, and a drying unit 4 that dries the film-forming solution coated on the substrate by the coating unit 1. In another aspect, the multiple processing units may include, for example, a coating unit 1, a cleaning unit 2, a load lock (L/L) unit 3, a drying unit 4, a baking unit 5, a cooling unit 6a, an alignment unit 6b, an unload lock (U/L) unit 7, and a buffer unit 8.

The cleaning unit 2 can be configured to perform a cleaning process to remove contaminants (e.g., organic matter) adhering to the substrate. The cleaning unit 2 can be configured, for example, to generate ozone using an ultraviolet light source such as an excimer lamp, and use that ozone to remove the organic matter.

The load lock unit 3 can be used as an interface for transporting substrates from outside the substrate processing apparatus 100 to inside the substrate processing apparatus 100. The drying unit 4 can be configured to dry the film formation solution applied to the substrate by the application unit 1 to form a dried film. The baking unit 5 can be configured to bake the dried film formed by drying in the drying unit 4.

In this example, the cooling unit 6a and alignment unit 6b are configured to be located within a single processing chamber, but the cooling unit 6a and alignment unit 6b may be located in different processing chambers. The cooling unit 6a may be configured to cool substrates cleaned by the cleaning unit 2 and substrates on which a dry film has been baked by the baking unit 5. The cooling unit 6a may, for example, control the temperature of the substrate so that the temperature or temperature distribution of the substrate falls within ±0.2°C of a target temperature. The alignment unit 6b may, for example, be configured to align substrates supplied to the coating unit 1. Alignment may be performed, for example, with respect to position in the X-axis and Y-axis directions in an XYZ coordinate system and rotation around the Z-axis. Furthermore, the alignment unit 6b may also align substrates unloaded from the substrate processing apparatus 100.

The unload lock (U/L) unit 7 may be configured as an interface for transporting substrates from the substrate processing apparatus 100 to the outside after processing therein. The load lock unit 3 and the unload lock (U/L) unit 7 may be a common unit. The buffer unit 8 may be used to evacuate substrates from inside the substrate processing apparatus 100 in the event of a malfunction in the substrate processing apparatus 100. An additional transport chamber 11 may be provided between the transport chamber 10 and the coating unit 1.

The substrate processing apparatus 100 may further include a control unit 20. The control unit 20 may be configured, for example, by a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a general-purpose or dedicated computer with an embedded program, or a combination of all or part of these. The control unit 20 may determine whether the processing substrate can be transported to the drying unit 4 by the transport mechanism 9 within a predetermined time after the coating unit 1 starts applying the film forming solution to the processing substrate. If the control unit 20 determines that such transport is possible, it may control the coating unit 1 to coat the processing substrate with the film forming solution. Here, the term "processing substrate" refers to one substrate of interest among multiple substrates processed in the substrate processing apparatus 100, and is used to describe the movement of one substrate (processing substrate) in the substrate processing apparatus 100. In contrast, when simply referring to a "substrate," it refers to an unspecified substrate, provided that the context allows. For example, the transport mechanism 9 can be said to be a mechanism that transports unspecified substrates that have been instructed to be transported, or a mechanism that transports a processing substrate, which is one substrate of interest.

Figure 2 is a flowchart showing a first operation example of the substrate processing apparatus 100. The operation shown in Figure 2 is controlled by the control unit 20. In the first operation example, n (n is any natural number) substrates are sequentially supplied to the substrate processing apparatus 100, and the control unit 20 also controls the supply of substrates from outside the substrate processing apparatus 100 to the load lock unit 3. The n substrates sequentially supplied to the substrate processing apparatus 100 may constitute a lot. In step S201, the control unit 20 initializes the value of a parameter i for controlling operation to 1. i is a parameter for distinguishing the n substrates from one another.

In step S202, the control unit 20 checks whether the ith substrate can be transferred from outside the substrate processing apparatus 100 to the load lock unit 3, and waits until the ith substrate can be transferred to the load lock unit 3. The control unit 20 then executes step S203 when the ith substrate can be transferred to the load lock unit 3. In step S203, the control unit 20 controls a transfer robot (not shown) to transfer the ith substrate to the load lock unit 3. Next, in step S204, the control unit 20 begins controlling the processing of the ith substrate in the substrate processing apparatus 100. Next, in step S205, the control unit 20 determines whether the value of i is n, i.e., whether step S204 has been performed up to the nth substrate. If the value of i is n, the process of FIG. 2 ends; otherwise, in step S206, the value of i is incremented by 1, and steps S202 to S205 are executed again.

Figure 3 is a flowchart showing a second operation example of the substrate processing apparatus 100. The operation shown in Figure 3 is controlled by the control unit 20. In the second operation example, n substrates are supplied to the substrate processing apparatus 100 in a batch, i.e., simultaneously, and the control unit 20 also controls the supply of substrates to the load lock unit 3 from outside the substrate processing apparatus 100. The n substrates supplied in a batch to the substrate processing apparatus 100 can constitute a lot. In step S211, the control unit 20 initializes the value of a parameter i for controlling operation to 1. i is a parameter for identifying the n substrates from one another.

In step S212, the control unit 20 controls a transfer robot (not shown) to transfer n substrates from outside the substrate processing apparatus 100 to the load lock unit 3. Next, in step S213, the control unit 20 starts controlling the processing of the i-th substrate in the substrate processing apparatus 100. Next, in step S214, it is determined whether the value of i is n, i.e., whether step S213 has been performed up to the n-th substrate. If the value of i is n, the processing of FIG. 3 is terminated; if not, in step S217, the value of i is incremented by 1, and step S213 is performed again.

In step S215, the control unit 20 determines whether processing of the nth substrate has been completed, i.e., whether the nth substrate has been transported to the unload lock unit 7, and if it determines that the nth substrate has been transported to the unload lock unit 7, it executes step S216. In step S216, the control unit 20 controls a transport robot (not shown) to transport the n substrates from the unload lock unit 7 to the outside of the substrate processing apparatus 100.

Figure 7 illustrates a table 700 for managing the status of multiple substrates processed by the substrate processing apparatus 100, or the status of the substrate processing apparatus 100. Table 700 is managed by the control unit 20, and its contents can be updated sequentially over time. In Figure 7, the first column indicates the value of i, which identifies the substrate. For example, an i value of 1 indicates the first substrate, i.e., the first substrate. A "-" in the first column indicates that the i-th substrate is not present in the substrate processing apparatus 100. The second column indicates the location of the i-th substrate: the coating unit 1, cleaning unit 2, load lock (L/L) unit 3, drying unit 4, baking unit 5, cooling unit 6a, alignment unit 6b, unload lock (U/L) unit 7, buffer unit 8, or transport mechanism 9. A "-" in the second column indicates that the i-th substrate is not present in any of the coating unit 1, cleaning unit 2, load lock unit 3, drying unit 4, baking unit 5, cooling unit 6a, alignment unit 6b, unload lock unit 7, buffer unit 8, and transport mechanism 9. In the second operation example, the i-th substrate is present in any of the coating unit 1, cleaning unit 2, load lock unit 3, drying unit 4, baking unit 5, cooling unit 6a, alignment unit 6b, unload lock unit 7, buffer unit 8, and transport mechanism 9.

The third column indicates the maximum time the i-th substrate can wait at the position indicated in the second column (hereinafter referred to as the maximum wait time). The maximum wait time is a fixed value preset for each substrate position. A "-" in the third column indicates that no maximum wait time has been set for the processing unit indicated in the second column, i.e., there is no limit on the wait time. The fourth column indicates the time the i-th substrate has currently waited at the position indicated in the second column (hereinafter referred to as the wait time). A "-" in the fourth column indicates that the i-th substrate is not present in the substrate processing apparatus 100. The fifth column indicates the time obtained by subtracting the wait time from the maximum wait time, i.e., the remaining time the i-th substrate can wait at the position indicated in the second column (hereinafter referred to as the "remaining wait time"). In other words, the remaining wait time is the time a substrate to be transported from the current processing unit to another processing unit can wait in the current processing unit. A "-" in the fifth column indicates that the remaining wait time does not need to be taken into consideration. The sixth column indicates the remaining time required for processing the i-th substrate by the processing unit indicated in the second column (hereinafter referred to as the "remaining processing time"). A "-" in the sixth column means that the remaining processing time does not need to be taken into consideration. Figures 8 and 9 show examples of the transitions in table 700 shown in Figure 7.

Figure 10 illustrates a table 800 showing the status of multiple processing units (1-8) and the transport mechanism 9. Table 800 is managed by the control unit 20, and its contents can be updated sequentially over time. In Figure 10, the first column shows the components of the substrate processing apparatus 100, specifically the coating unit 1, cleaning unit 2, load lock (L/L) unit 3, drying unit 4, baking unit 5, cooling unit 6a, alignment unit 6b, unload lock (U/L) unit 7, buffer unit 8, and transport mechanism 9. The second column shows the status of the component. "Available" indicates that the corresponding component is available for use (ready). If the corresponding component is unavailable, information indicating this is provided.

Figures 4, 5, and 6 show detailed examples of the processing in step S204 in Figure 2 and step S213 in Figure 3, i.e., the processing of the ith substrate. Tables 700 and 800 can be used to control the processing shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6. In step S401, the control unit 20 determines whether the ith substrate can be transported from the load lock unit 3 to the cleaning unit 2 by referring to tables 700 and 800. Then, when it becomes possible to transport the ith substrate from the load lock unit 3 to the cleaning unit 2, the control unit 20 executes step S402. In other words, in step S402, the control unit 20 waits until it becomes possible to transport the ith substrate from the load lock unit 3 to the cleaning unit 2.

Here, as an example, we will explain the case where processing of the seventh substrate (i=7) is controlled in the state shown in table 700 in Figure 7. In this case, the control unit 20 can refer to table 700 to determine whether the seventh substrate located in the load dock unit (L/L) 3 can be transported from the load lock unit 3 to the cleaning unit 2. In the example of Figure 7, because the sixth substrate is present in the cleaning unit 2, the control unit 20 cannot transport the seventh substrate from the load lock unit 3 to the cleaning unit 2. Therefore, the control unit 20 must wait for the sixth substrate present in the cleaning unit 2 to be removed from the cleaning unit 2 and transported to the cooling unit 6a or the buffer unit 8. Alternatively, if table 800 indicates that the cleaning unit 2 is unavailable, the control unit 20 cannot transport the seventh substrate from the load lock unit 3 to the cleaning unit 2.

When the substrate in cleaning unit 2 is removed from cleaning unit 2 and transported to cooling unit 6a or buffer unit 8, and table 700 is updated accordingly, control unit 20 can determine that the seventh substrate can be transported from load lock unit 3 to cleaning unit 2. At this time, control unit 20 refers to the fifth column (remaining waiting time) of table 700, and if there is a substrate whose remaining waiting time is shorter than a predetermined threshold time, it may wait until the remaining waiting time no longer needs to be considered. This allows the transport of other substrates by transport mechanism 9 to be given priority. In step S402, control unit 20 controls transport mechanism 9 to transport the i-th substrate from load lock unit 3 to cleaning unit 2. In step S403, control unit 20 controls cleaning unit 2 to clean the i-th substrate transported to cleaning unit 2.

In step S404, the control unit 20 determines whether the ith substrate can be transported from the cleaning unit 2 to the cooling unit 6a by referring to tables 700 and 800. Then, when it becomes possible to transport the ith substrate from the cleaning unit 2 to the cooling unit 6a, the control unit 20 executes step S405. In other words, the control unit 20 waits in step S404 for the ith substrate to be transported from the cleaning unit 2 to the cooling unit 6a. The control unit 20 can determine that the ith substrate can be transported from the cleaning unit 2 to the cooling unit 6a when a substrate present in the cooling unit 6a is removed from the cooling unit 6a and the table 700 is updated accordingly. At this time, the control unit 20 may refer to the fifth column (remaining waiting time) in table 700. If there is a substrate whose remaining waiting time is shorter than a predetermined threshold time, the control unit 20 may wait until the remaining waiting time becomes unnecessary to consider. This allows the transport of other substrates by the transport mechanism 9 to be prioritized. Alternatively, when the cooling unit 6a on the table 800 is changed from an unusable state to an usable state, the control unit 20 can determine that the ith substrate can be transported from the cleaning unit 2 to the cooling unit 6a. In step S405, the control unit 20 controls the transport mechanism 9 to transport the ith substrate from the cleaning unit 2 to the cooling unit 6a. In step S406, the control unit 20 waits until the ith substrate transported to the cooling unit 6a is cooled to within the target temperature range in the cooling unit 6a.

In step S407, the control unit 20 determines whether the i-th substrate can be transported from the cooling unit 6a to the alignment unit 6b by referencing the tables 700 and 800. Then, when the i-th substrate can be transported from the cooling unit 6a to the alignment unit 6b, the control unit 20 executes step S408. In other words, the control unit 20 waits in step S407 for the i-th substrate to be transported from the cooling unit 6a to the alignment unit 6b. The control unit 20 can determine that the i-th substrate can be transported from the cooling unit 6a to the alignment unit 6b when the substrate in the alignment unit 6b is removed from the alignment unit 6b and the table 700 is updated accordingly. At this time, the control unit 20 may refer to the fifth column (remaining waiting time) in the table 700. If there is a substrate whose remaining waiting time is shorter than a predetermined threshold time, the control unit 20 may wait until the remaining waiting time no longer needs to be considered. This allows the transport of other substrates by the transport mechanism 9 to be prioritized. Alternatively, when the state of the alignment unit 6b on the table 800 changes from an unusable state to an usable state, the control unit 20 can determine that the ith substrate can be transported from the cooling unit 6a to the alignment unit 6b. In step S408, the control unit 20 controls the transport mechanism 9 to transport the ith substrate from the cooling unit 6a to the alignment unit 6b. In step S409, the control unit 20 controls the alignment unit 6b so that the ith substrate transported to the alignment unit 6b is aligned.

In step S410, the control unit 20 determines whether the ith substrate can be transported from the alignment unit 6b to the coating unit 1 by referring to tables 700 and 800. Then, when it becomes possible to transport the ith substrate from the alignment unit 6b to the coating unit 1, the control unit 20 executes step S411. In other words, the control unit 20 waits in step S410 for the ith substrate to be transported from the alignment unit 6b to the coating unit 1. The control unit 20 can determine that the ith substrate can be transported from the alignment unit 6b to the coating unit 1 when the substrate present in the coating unit 1 is removed from the coating unit 1 and transported to the coating unit 1 or the buffer unit 8, and the table 700 is updated accordingly. At this time, the control unit 20 refers to the fifth column (remaining waiting time) in table 700. If there is a substrate whose remaining waiting time is shorter than a predetermined threshold time, the control unit 20 may wait until the remaining waiting time no longer needs to be considered. This allows the transport of other substrates by the transport mechanism 9 to be prioritized.

If the control unit 20 determines in step S410 that the i-th substrate can be transported from the alignment unit 6b to the coating unit 1, the control unit 20 executes step S411. In step S411, the control unit 20 determines whether the i-th substrate can be transported to the drying unit 4 by the transport mechanism 9 within a predetermined time after the coating unit 1 starts applying the film-forming solution to the i-th substrate. In one example, the control unit 20 can determine whether the i-th substrate can be transported to the drying unit by the transport mechanism 9 within the predetermined time by checking whether the drying unit 4 is ready to receive the i-th substrate. Here, simply, for example, if there is no substrate in the drying unit 4 on the table 700 and the drying unit 4 and the transport mechanism 9 on the table 800 are normal, the control unit 20 can determine that the drying unit 4 is ready to receive the i-th substrate. More preferably, the control unit 20 can determine that the drying unit 4 is ready to receive the i-th substrate by adjusting the environment in the chamber of the drying unit 4 to a predetermined state. The predetermined state may include, for example, a state related to at least one of pressure, atmosphere, temperature, and residue. In this case, the drying unit 4 is provided with a sensor that detects at least one of the conditions of pressure, atmosphere, temperature, and residue, and the control unit 20 can determine whether the environment inside the chamber of the drying unit 4 has been adjusted to the predetermined state based on the output of the sensor. If the control unit 20 determines in step S411 that the drying unit 4 is ready to receive the i-th substrate, it executes step S412.

By providing step S411, the coating unit 1, as described below, can apply the film formation solution to the i-th substrate (processing substrate), provided that the drying unit 4 is ready to receive the i-th substrate (processing substrate). This control prevents a situation in which the drying unit 4 is not ready to receive the i-th substrate (processing substrate) when application of the film formation solution to the i-th substrate (processing substrate) is complete. This prevents the drying process of the i-th substrate (processing substrate) by the drying unit 4 from having to wait longer than an allowable time after application of the film formation solution to the i-th substrate (processing substrate) has begun. In other words, by providing step S411, the control unit 20 can control the transport mechanism 9 to transport the i-th substrate to the drying unit 4 before an allowable predetermined time has elapsed since application of the film formation solution to the i-th substrate by the coating unit 1 began. Here, the control unit 20 may control the transport mechanism 9 to transport the ith substrate to the drying unit 4 after a predetermined waiting time has elapsed since the coating unit 1 started coating the ith substrate with the film-forming solution and before an acceptable predetermined time has elapsed. The predetermined waiting time is, for example, about 15 seconds, and the acceptable predetermined time is, for example, about 30 minutes. The control unit 20 may determine that the ith substrate can be transported to the drying unit 4 if the drying unit 4 is (presumably) ready to receive the ith substrate within the predetermined time since the coating unit 1 started coating the ith substrate with the film-forming solution. This determination can be made by referencing the remaining processing time in table 700 for the drying unit 4 that is processing the (i-1)th substrate.

In step S412, the control unit 20 controls the transport mechanism 9 to transport the i-th substrate from the alignment unit 6b to the coating unit 1. In step S413, the control unit 20 controls the coating unit 1 to coat the i-th substrate transported to the coating unit 1 with the film-forming solution.

In step S414, the control unit 20 determines whether the ith substrate can be transported from the coating unit 1 to the drying unit 4 by referring to tables 700 and 800. Then, when it becomes possible to transport the ith substrate from the coating unit 1 to the drying unit 4, the control unit 20 executes step S415. In other words, in step S414, the control unit 20 waits for the ith substrate to be transported from the coating unit 1 to the drying unit 4. Here, if it is not possible to transport the ith substrate from the coating unit 1 to the drying unit 4, this may be because the drying unit 4 is unavailable and/or the transport mechanism 9 is unavailable; however, such an event rarely occurs after the determination in step S410. For example, the control unit 20 can determine that it is possible to transport the ith substrate from the coating unit 1 to the drying unit 4 when the drying unit 4 and/or the transport mechanism 9 become available and the table 700 is updated accordingly. In step S415, the control unit 20 controls the transport mechanism 9 to transport the i-th substrate from the coating unit 1 to the drying unit 4. In step S416, the control unit 20 controls the drying unit 4 to perform a drying process on the i-th substrate transported to the drying unit 4.

In step S417, the control unit 20 determines whether the ith substrate can be transported from the drying unit 4 to the baking unit 5 by referring to tables 700 and 800. Then, when it becomes possible to transport the ith substrate from the drying unit 4 to the baking unit 5, the control unit 20 executes step S418. In other words, the control unit 20 waits in step S417 for the ith substrate to be transported from the drying unit 4 to the baking unit 5. The control unit 20 can determine that the ith substrate can be transported from the drying unit 4 to the baking unit 5 when a substrate present in the baking unit 5 is removed from the baking unit 5 and table 700 is updated accordingly. At this time, the control unit 20 may refer to the fifth column (remaining waiting time) in table 700. If there is a substrate whose remaining waiting time is shorter than a predetermined threshold time, the control unit 20 may wait until the remaining waiting time becomes unnecessary to consider. This allows the transport of other substrates by the transport mechanism 9 to be prioritized. Alternatively, when the baking unit 5 is changed from an unusable state to an usable state on the table 800, the control unit 20 can determine that the ith substrate can be transported from the drying unit 4 to the baking unit 5. In step S418, the control unit 20 controls the transport mechanism 9 to transport the ith substrate from the drying unit 4 to the baking unit 5. In step S419, the control unit 20 controls the baking unit 5 to perform a baking process on the ith substrate transported to the baking unit 5.

In step S420, the control unit 20 determines whether the ith substrate can be transported from the baking unit 5 to the cooling unit 6a by referring to tables 700 and 800. Then, when it becomes possible to transport the ith substrate from the baking unit 5 to the cooling unit 6a, the control unit 20 executes step S421. In other words, the control unit 20 waits in step S420 for the ith substrate to be transported from the baking unit 5 to the cooling unit 6a. The control unit 20 can determine that the ith substrate can be transported from the baking unit 5 to the cooling unit 6a when a substrate present in the cooling unit 6a is removed from the cooling unit 6a and the table 700 is updated accordingly. At this time, the control unit 20 may refer to the fifth column (remaining waiting time) in table 700. If there is a substrate whose remaining waiting time is shorter than a predetermined threshold time, the control unit 20 may wait until the remaining waiting time becomes unnecessary to consider. This allows the transport of other substrates by the transport mechanism 9 to be prioritized. Alternatively, when the baking unit 5 is changed from an unusable state to an usable state on the table 800, the control unit 20 can determine that the ith substrate can be transported from the baking unit 5 to the cooling unit 6a. In step S421, the control unit 20 controls the transport mechanism 9 to transport the ith substrate from the baking unit 5 to the cooling unit 6a. In step S422, the control unit 20 waits until the ith substrate transported to the cooling unit 6a is cooled to within the target temperature range in the cooling unit 6a.

In step S423, the control unit 20 determines whether the ith substrate can be transported from the cooling unit 6a to the unload lock unit 7 by referring to tables 700 and 800. Then, when it becomes possible to transport the ith substrate from the cooling unit 6a to the unload lock unit 7, the control unit 20 executes step S424. In other words, the control unit 20 waits in step S423 for the ith substrate to be transported from the cooling unit 6a to the unload lock unit 7. When the unload lock unit 7 is able to accept the ith substrate and the transport mechanism 9 is able to transport the ith substrate, the control unit 20 can determine that the ith substrate can be transported from the cooling unit 6a to the unload lock unit 7. At this time, the control unit 20 refers to the fifth column (remaining waiting time) in table 700. If there is a substrate whose remaining waiting time is shorter than a predetermined threshold time, the control unit 20 may wait until the remaining waiting time no longer needs to be considered. This allows the transport of other substrates by the transport mechanism 9 to be prioritized.

4, 5, and 6 are initiated for each substrate in step S204 of FIG. 2 and step S213 of FIG. 3. Therefore, the processes shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 can be performed in parallel for at least two substrates. In the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the transport mechanism 9 can transport only one substrate at a time. Therefore, as described above, the control unit 20 can prioritize the transport of substrates with remaining wait times shorter than a predetermined threshold time based on the remaining wait time, which can be managed using table 700. Alternatively, the control unit 20 can prioritize the transport of substrates with the shortest remaining wait times among multiple substrates to be processed. FIG. 11 schematically shows an example in which the remaining wait time is determined based on the maximum wait time and the waiting time. For example, the remaining wait time tc_1 of the third substrate in the baking unit 5 can be given by T_1 - ta_3, and the remaining wait time tc_2 of the fourth substrate in the drying unit 4 can be given by T_2 - ta_4. If a substrate needs to be transported from one processing section to the next processing section (a processing section other than the buffer section 8) and the next processing section is not available, the substrate may be temporarily transported to the buffer section 8.

When there are multiple substrates for which processing should be interrupted because their remaining waiting time is shorter than the reference time, the control unit 20 preferably prioritizes the transport of substrates downstream in the processing of the substrate processing apparatus 100. For example, when the substrates for which processing should be interrupted because their remaining waiting time is shorter than the reference time are the third and fourth substrates, the control unit 20 preferably prioritizes the transport of the third substrate. This is because the third substrate is more advanced in processing than the fourth substrate, and therefore discarding the fourth substrate results in less process loss than discarding the third substrate.

The control unit 20 may include a reservation function that reserves the use of the drying unit 4 so that the substrate can be transported to the drying unit 4 within a predetermined time after the coating unit 1 starts applying the film formation solution to the substrate. The control unit 20 may also include a reservation function that reserves the use of the transport mechanism 9 in addition to the use of the drying unit 4 so that the substrate can be transported to the drying unit 4 within a predetermined time after the coating unit 1 starts applying the film formation solution to the substrate. The control unit 20 may also include a reservation function that reserves the use of the coating unit 1 and the transport mechanism 9 in addition to the use of the drying unit 4 so that the substrate can be transported to the drying unit 4 within a predetermined time after the coating unit 1 starts applying the film formation solution to the substrate. Figure 12 shows a schematic diagram of the reservation function. The numbers in Figure 12 indicate the value of the substrate number i.

The process of reserving use as described above can be performed at any time before step S411, which applies the film-forming solution to the substrate. Figure 13 shows an example in which such a reservation process has been added. Specifically, in the example of Figure 13, reservation process 500, which reserves the use of drying unit 4, or the use of drying unit 4 and transport mechanism 9, or the use of coating unit 1, drying unit 4 and transport mechanism 9, is inserted between step S401 and step S402. However, reservation process 500 can be performed at any time before step S411, which applies the film-forming solution to the substrate.

The control unit 20 may further be configured to schedule, when multiple substrates are to be processed consecutively, the transport of each of the multiple substrates to the drying unit 4 within a predetermined time from the completion of coating of the film forming solution by the coating unit 1. The substrate processing apparatus 100 may further include an information input unit such as a keyboard, pointing device, or communication unit, and the control unit 20 may determine the predetermined time based on information provided to the information input unit.

The processes or steps performed by the substrate processing apparatus 100 may constitute at least a part of a method for manufacturing an article by processing a substrate. For example, a method for manufacturing an article such as an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) element may be realized by processing a substrate using a substrate processing apparatus 100 including multiple processing units and a transport mechanism 9 for transporting substrates between the multiple processing units. The multiple processing units may include a coating unit 1 that applies a film-forming solution to the substrate and a drying unit 4 that dries the film-forming solution applied to the substrate by the coating unit 1. The method for manufacturing an article includes a predetermined control step. The control step may determine whether the transport mechanism 9 can transport the processed substrate to the drying unit 4 within a predetermined time after the coating unit 1 begins applying the film-forming solution to the processed substrate. If transport is possible, the control step may control the coating unit 1 to apply the film-forming solution to the processed substrate. Alternatively, the control step may reserve the use of the drying unit 4 so that the processed substrate can be transported to the drying unit 4 within a predetermined time after the coating unit 1 begins applying the film-forming solution to the processed substrate.

The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the following claims are appended to clarify the scope of the invention.

100: Substrate processing apparatus, 1: Coating section, 2: Cleaning section, 3: Load lock (L/L) section, 4: Drying section, 5: Baking section, 6a: Cooling section, 6b: Alignment section, 7: Unload lock section, 8: Buffer section

Claims (16)

A substrate processing apparatus including a plurality of processing sections, a transport mechanism that transports substrates between the plurality of processing sections, and a control section,
the plurality of processing sections include a coating section that coats a film forming solution on a substrate, and a drying section that dries the film forming solution coated on the substrate by the coating section;
When the drying unit becomes ready to receive the substrate within a predetermined time after the coating unit starts coating the processing substrate with the film forming solution, the control unit determines that the processing substrate can be transported to the drying unit by the transport mechanism, and controls the coating unit to coat the processing substrate with the film forming solution.
A substrate processing apparatus characterized by: the control unit determines that the transport is possible within the predetermined time from when the drying unit is ready to receive the substrate, after the application of the film forming solution to the processing substrate is started.
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 . the drying unit includes a chamber for drying the film forming solution;
The preparation is completed by adjusting the environment in the chamber to a predetermined state.
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2 . the predetermined conditions include conditions related to at least one of pressure, atmosphere, temperature, and residue;
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3 . the control unit prioritizes the transport of the substrate from the coating unit to the drying unit among the transport of the substrate between the plurality of processing units.
5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is a processing chamber. the control unit manages, for each of the plurality of processing units, a remaining waiting time during which a substrate to be transported from a current processing unit to another processing unit can wait in the current processing unit, and prioritizes the transport of a substrate having a shorter remaining waiting time among the plurality of substrates to be processed.
6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is a processing chamber. when there are a plurality of substrates for which processing should be interrupted because the remaining waiting time is shorter than a reference time, the control unit prioritizes transport of substrates on a downstream side of processing in the substrate processing apparatus.
The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 6 . When a plurality of substrates are to be processed continuously, the control unit controls each of the plurality of substrates to:
scheduling the transport of the film forming solution to the drying unit within the predetermined time from the completion of the application of the film forming solution by the application unit;
8. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is a processing chamber. A substrate processing apparatus including a plurality of processing sections, a transport mechanism that transports substrates between the plurality of processing sections, a control section, and an information input section,
the plurality of processing sections include a coating section that coats a film forming solution on a substrate, and a drying section that dries the film forming solution coated on the substrate by the coating section;
the control unit determines whether the transport mechanism can transport the processing substrate to the drying unit within a predetermined time after the coating unit starts coating the processing substrate with the film forming solution, and when it determines that the transport is possible, controls the coating unit to coat the processing substrate with the film forming solution;
the control unit determines the predetermined time based on information provided to the information input unit.
A substrate processing apparatus characterized by: the plurality of processing units further include at least one of a cooling unit, an alignment unit, a cleaning unit, a buffer, a load lock unit, and an unload lock unit;
10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is a processing chamber. the control unit controls the transport mechanism to transport the processing substrate to the drying unit before the predetermined time has elapsed since the coating unit started coating the processing substrate with the film forming solution.
11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is a processing chamber. the control unit controls the transport mechanism to transport the processing substrate to the drying unit after a predetermined waiting time has elapsed since the coating unit started coating the processing substrate with the film forming solution and before the predetermined time has elapsed.
11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is a processing chamber. 1. A method for manufacturing an article by processing a substrate using a substrate processing apparatus including a plurality of processing sections and a transport mechanism that transports substrates between the plurality of processing sections, comprising:
the plurality of processing sections include a coating section that coats a film forming solution on a substrate, and a drying section that dries the film forming solution coated on the substrate by the coating section;
The method for manufacturing an article includes:
a control step of determining that the drying unit is ready to receive the substrate within a predetermined time after the coating unit starts coating the processing substrate with the film forming solution and controlling the coating unit to coat the processing substrate with the film forming solution by the transport mechanism.
A method for manufacturing an article. 1. A method for manufacturing an article by processing a substrate using a substrate processing apparatus including a plurality of processing sections and a transport mechanism that transports substrates between the plurality of processing sections, comprising:
the plurality of processing sections include a coating section that coats a film forming solution on a substrate, and a drying section that dries the film forming solution coated on the substrate by the coating section;
The method for manufacturing an article includes:
a control step of determining whether the substrate to be processed can be transported to the drying unit by the transport mechanism within a predetermined time after the coating unit starts coating the substrate with the film-forming solution, and controlling the coating unit to coat the substrate with the film-forming solution if the substrate can be transported;
a determining step of determining the predetermined time based on information provided to an information input unit,
A method for manufacturing an article. A control device for controlling a substrate processing apparatus including a plurality of processing sections and a transport mechanism for transporting substrates between the plurality of processing sections,
the plurality of processing sections include a coating section that coats a film forming solution on a substrate, and a drying section that dries the film forming solution coated on the substrate by the coating section;
When the drying unit becomes ready to receive the substrate within a predetermined time after the coating unit starts coating the processing substrate with the film forming solution, the control device determines that the processing substrate can be transported to the drying unit by the transport mechanism, and controls the coating unit to coat the processing substrate with the film forming solution.
A control device characterized by : A control device for controlling a substrate processing apparatus including a plurality of processing sections, a transport mechanism for transporting substrates between the plurality of processing sections, and an information input section,
the plurality of processing sections include a coating section that coats a film forming solution on a substrate, and a drying section that dries the film forming solution coated on the substrate by the coating section;
the control device determines whether the transport mechanism can transport the processing substrate to the drying unit within a predetermined time after the coating unit starts coating the processing substrate with the film forming solution, and when it determines that the transport is possible, controls the coating unit to coat the processing substrate with the film forming solution;
the control device determines the predetermined time based on information provided to the information input unit.
A control device characterized by: