Substrate processing apparatus and process control method thereof
A process control method of a substrate processing apparatus includes monitoring a process status of each process chamber of a plurality of process chambers, determining a shift-to-idle process chamber to be shifted from a process state to an idle state among the plurality of process chambers, storing a first to-be-processed substrate in a storage, associated with the shift-to-idle process chamber, among a plurality of storages provided in a transfer chamber, and transferring the first to-be-processed substrate stored in the storage to the shift-to-idle process chamber in accordance with a shift to the idle state of the shift-to-idle process chamber.
1 . A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:
a plurality of process chambers configured to perform processing processes on a substrate;
a transfer chamber provided with a plurality of storages to temporarily store the substrate, and a transfer robot that transfers the substrate, wherein each of the plurality of storages is disposed on a side wall adjacent to a door of an associated process chamber at a position higher or lower than the door; and
a control circuit configured to:
determine whether the plurality of process chambers has an idle chamber in which a process is not performed;
if the plurality of process chambers are determined not to have the idle chamber, determine a shift-to-idle time for each of the plurality of process chambers based on a remaining process time for each of the plurality of process chambers;
select a shift-to-idle process chamber to be shifted to an idle state first among the plurality of process chambers;
determine a storage associated with the shift-to-idle process chamber;
allocate a to-be-processed substrate to the determined storage; and
control the transfer robot to transfer the to-be-processed substrate to the determined storage while the shift-to-idle process chamber is in a process state.
2 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein each of the plurality of storages comprises:
an upper support and a lower support, ends of which are mounted on the side wall near the door of the associated process chamber of the plurality of process chambers, and configured to project outward from the side wall; and
a substrate storage space provided between the upper support and the lower support, and in which at least a portion of the to-be-processed substrate is inserted and stored.
3 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2 ,
wherein each of the plurality of storages further comprises:
at least one intermediate support provided between the upper support and the lower support; and
a plurality of substrate storage spaces partitioned by the at least one intermediate support.
4 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the control circuit comprises:
a transfer robot controller configured to control the transfer robot that transfers substrates to the plurality of process chambers and the plurality of storages.
5 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 4 ,
wherein the control circuit is further configured to determine and manage a storage status of the to-be-processed substrate for the plurality of storages.
6 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 5 ,
wherein the control circuit is further configured to establish a substrate supply plan for each of the plurality of process chambers on the basis of a process status for each of the plurality of process chambers and the storage status of the to-be-processed substrate stored in the determined storage.
7 . The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the control circuit is configured further to:
compute the shift-to-idle time based on a recipe of each of the plurality of process chambers stored in the control circuit.