IP Library Granted Patent US 11,876,010
Granted Patent B2
US 11,876,010 · App. 16/821,563 · Granted Jan 16, 2024

Substrate processing apparatus and recording medium

Inventors: Tadashi Okazaki (Toyama, JP); Hajime Abiko (Toyama, JP); Tomoyuki Miyada (Toyama, JP); Yukinao Kaga (Toyama, JP)
Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
H01L21/67742G05B19/418H01L21/02005H01L21/67276H01L21/67754H01L21/67757H01L21/67781
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,876,010
App. No.
16/821,563
Granted
Jan 16, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

There is provided a configuration that includes a substrate holder configured to hold substrates; a transfer mechanism configured to transfer the substrates to the substrate holder; and a controller configured to: acquire a number of substrates mountable on the substrate holder and a number of the product substrates to be mounted on the substrate holder; divide the product substrates into product substrate groups; divide the dummy substrates into dummy substrate groups based on the number of the product substrates, the number of the substrates mountable on the substrate holder, and a number of the product substrate groups; combine the product substrate groups and the dummy substrate groups; create substrate arrangement data for distributing and mounting the product substrates on the substrate holder; and cause the transfer mechanism to transfer the substrates according to the substrate arrangement data.

Claims (33)

1. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:

a substrate holder configured to hold a plurality of substrates including product substrates, which are homogeneous, and dummy substrates;

a transfer mechanism configured to transfer the product substrates and the dummy substrates to the substrate holder; and

a controller configured to be capable of:

acquiring a number of substrates mountable on the substrate holder and a number of the product substrates to be mounted on the substrate holder;

dividing the product substrates into a plurality of product substrate groups based on the acquired number of the product substrates;

calculating a number of the dummy substrates based on the acquired number of the product substrates and the acquired number of the substrates mountable on the substrate holder;

dividing the dummy substrates into a plurality of dummy substrate groups based on the number of the dummy substrates and a number of the product substrate groups;

creating substrate arrangement data for arranging the dummy substrate groups between the product substrate groups; and

causing the transfer mechanism to transfer the product substrates and the dummy substrates to the substrate holder according to the created substrate arrangement data.

2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the transfer mechanism is configured to be capable of collectively transferring N substrates of the plurality of substrates, where N is a positive integer, and

wherein the controller is configured to:

divide the product substrates into the plurality of product substrate groups of N product substrates and N−1 product substrates according to the acquired number of the product substrates; and

create the substrate arrangement data such that the divided product substrate groups are transferred to a plurality of regions of the substrate holder.

3. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:

combine the product substrate groups and the dummy substrate groups; and

create the substrate arrangement data for distributing and mounting the product substrates on a plurality of regions of the substrate holder.

4. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to create a number of the dummy substrate groups to be larger than the number of the product substrate groups.

5. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to arrange the dummy substrate groups outside substrate groups that are arranged at both ends of the product substrate groups.

6. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the number of the product substrates is 20 or more and 100 or less.

7. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the product substrate groups includes five or less of the product substrates.

8. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller includes a setting screen for setting a transfer pattern by which monitor substrates are transferred to the substrate holder, and is configured to set, on the setting screen, a number of a part of the monitor substrates to be transferred to upper and lower ends of the substrate holder and a number of a part of the monitor substrates to be transferred to a substrate holding region of the substrate holder.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program executed by a substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a substrate holder configured to hold a plurality of substrates including product substrates, which are homogeneous, and dummy substrates;

a transfer mechanism configured to transfer the product substrates and the dummy substrates to the substrate holder; and

a controller configured to be capable of controlling the transfer mechanism to transfer the product substrates and the dummy substrates to the substrate holder;

wherein the program causes the controller to be capable of performing:

acquiring a number of substrates mountable on the substrate holder and a number of the product substrates to be mounted on the substrate holder;

dividing the product substrates into a plurality of product substrate groups based on the acquired number of the product substrates;

calculating a number of the dummy substrates based on the acquired number of the product substrates and the acquired number of the substrates mountable on the substrate holder;

dividing the dummy substrates into a plurality of dummy substrate groups based on the number of the dummy substrates and a number of the product substrate groups;

creating substrate arrangement data for arranging the dummy substrate groups between the product substrate groups; and

causing the transfer mechanism to transfer the product substrates and the dummy substrates to the substrate holder according to the created substrate arrangement data.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 17, 2020
From: OKAZAKI, TADASHI; ABIKO, HAJIME; MIYADA, TOMOYUKI; KAGA, YUKINAO
To: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 052141/0529 →
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTJP2017035004 · Sep 27, 2017
Related Publication 20200219745A1 · Jul 9, 2020