IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,341,000
Granted Patent B2
US 12,341,000 · App. 17/576,670 · Granted Jun 24, 2025

Substrate processing apparatus and recording medium

Inventors: Masanori Okuno (Toyama, JP); Hideki Horita (Toyama, JP); Kazuyoshi Yamamoto (Toyama, JP); Kazuhide Asai (Toyama, JP); Toshihiko Yonejima (Toyama, JP)
Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
H01L21/02002F04B51/00H01L21/67017F04B37/14F04B2201/12F04B2201/1201F04B2203/0201F04B2205/05F04B2207/70G05B23/0286
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,341,000
App. No.
17/576,670
Granted
Jun 24, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

There is provided a technique that includes: a controller configured to execute a process recipe including a plurality of steps to perform a predetermined process on a substrate. The controller acquires device data, which includes at least one of a current value, a rotational speed, and a back pressure of a pump, in a specific step among the plurality of steps and compares an acquired value of the device data with a previously acquired value of the device data. The controller generates a notification if at least one of the following conditions is met: the acquired value for the current value is larger than the previously acquired value for the current value, the acquired value for the back pressure is larger than the previously acquired value for the back pressure, and the acquired value for the rotational speed is smaller than the previously acquired value for the rotational speed.

Claims (47)

1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a controller configured to execute a process recipe including a plurality of steps to perform a predetermined process on a substrate,

wherein the controller is configured to:

acquire device data, which includes at least one selected from the group of a current value of a pump, a rotational speed of the pump, and a back pressure of the pump, in a specific step among the plurality of steps;

compare an acquired value of the device data with a previously acquired value of the device data; and

generate a notification if at least one selected from the group of the following conditions is met:

(a) the acquired value for the current value is larger than the previously acquired value for the current value,

(b) the acquired value for the back pressure is larger than the previously acquired value for the back pressure, and

(c) the acquired value for the rotational speed is smaller than the previously acquired value for the rotational speed.

2. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein comparing the acquired value of the device data with the previously acquired value of the device data is performed a plural number of times, and

wherein the notification is generated if in at least one selected from the group of (a) and (b), the acquired value has been increased in succession for a preset number of times of executing the process recipe.

3. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein comparing the acquired value of the device data with the previously acquired value of the device data is performed a plural number of times, and

wherein the notification is generated if in (c), the acquired value has been decreased in succession for a preset number of times of executing the process recipe.

4. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

a storage configured to store the device data,

wherein the storage is configured to store at least one selected from the group of the process recipe, a cleaning recipe, a purge recipe.

5. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the controller is configured to execute the cleaning recipe after the process recipe is completed.

6. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the controller is configured to execute the cleaning recipe when generating the notification.

7. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the cleaning recipe includes at least one selected from the group of a first cleaning recipe and a second cleaning recipe, and

wherein the first cleaning recipe is a recipe for directly supplying a cleaning gas to an exhaust pipe by passing the cleaning gas by a process chamber for processing the substrate.

8. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the process recipe includes at least a substrate-loading step, a preparing step, a film-forming step, a purging step and a substrate-unloading step, and

wherein, prior to the film-forming step, the specific step is selected from the substrate-loading step and the preparing step.

9. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the specific step is a process of starting evacuation from an atmospheric pressure.

10. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to acquire a maximum value of the device data in the specific step.

11. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to calculate an average value of the device data in the specific step.

12. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the device data comprises at least two device data selected from the group of the current value of the pump, the rotational speed of the pump, and the back pressure of the pump.

13. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

a display configured to display contents of the notification thereon.

14. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to generate the notification if at least two of the conditions are met.

15. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to generate the notification when at least one selected from the group of the conditions changes.

16. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the device data is acquired while executing the process recipe.

17. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the pump includes at least one selected from the group of an auxiliary pump and a main pump, and

wherein the auxiliary pump is located from the apparatus within a first distance, and the main pump is located from the apparatus with a second distance larger than the first distance.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program that causes a controller to execute a process recipe including a plurality of steps to perform a predetermined process on a substrate, wherein the controller is configured to:

acquire device data, which includes at least one selected from the group of a current value of a pump, a rotational speed of the pump, and a back pressure of the pump, in a specific step among the plurality of steps;

compare an acquired value of the device data with a previously acquired value of the device data; and

generate a notification if at least one selected from the group of the following conditions is met:

(a) the acquired value for the current value is larger than the previously acquired value for the current value,

(b) the acquired value for the back pressure is larger than the previously acquired value for the back pressure, and

(c) the acquired value for the rotational speed is smaller than the previously acquired value for the rotational speed.

19. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, the method comprising:

acquiring device data, which includes at least one of a current value of a pump, a rotational speed of the pump, and a back pressure of the pump, in a predetermined specific step among a plurality of steps constituting a process recipe,

comparing an acquired value for each of the device data with a previous value for each of the device data acquired in the specific step during previous execution of the process recipe, and

generating a notification if it is determined that at least one of the following conditions is met:

the acquired value for the current value is larger than the previous value for the current value and has been increased in succession for a preset number of times of executing the process recipe,

the acquired value for the back pressure is larger than the previous value for the back pressure and has been increased in succession for a preset number of times of executing the process recipe, and

the acquired value for the rotational speed is smaller than the previous value for the rotational speed and has been decreased in succession for a preset number of times of executing the process recipe.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 16, 2022
From: OKUNO, MASANORI; HORITA, HIDEKI; YAMAMOTO, KAZUYOSHI; ASAI, KAZUHIDE; YONEJIMA, TOSHIHIKO
To: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 059127/0485 →
Priority Claims (2)
JP 2017-245066 · Dec 21, 2017 · national
JP 2018-224852 · Nov 30, 2018 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation 16228116 · Dec 20, 2018
Related Publication 20220136497A1 · May 5, 2022
References Cited (30)
US 11236743B2 · Okuno · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 20030154052A1 · Samata · 2003 [cited by applicant]
US 20030158705A1 · Ishii et al. · 2003 [cited by applicant]
US 20070012099A1 · Becourt · 2007 [cited by applicant]
US 20080067146A1 · Onishi et al. · 2008 [cited by applicant]
US 20090035151A1 · Sugiura et al. · 2009 [cited by applicant]
US 20120226475A1 · Asai · 2012 [cited by applicant]
US 20130164943A1 · Koshi et al. · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 20130171919A1 · Shinohara et al. · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 20130304419A1 · Nakamura et al. · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 20150096494A1 · Nishiura et al. · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 20150176130A1 · Koshi et al. · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 20150368794A1 · Morita et al. · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 20160218026A1 · Kobayashi · 2016 [cited by applicant]
JP 2000259222A · 2000 [cited by applicant]
JP 2003077780A · 2003 [cited by applicant]
JP 2003077907A · 2003 [cited by applicant]
JP 2006190812A · 2006 [cited by applicant]
JP 2008072030A · 2008 [cited by applicant]
JP 2012054541A · 2012 [cited by applicant]
JP 2012186213A · 2012 [cited by applicant]
JP 2013153159A · 2013 [cited by applicant]
JP 2016134585A · 2016 [cited by applicant]
KR 20130075677A · 2013 [cited by applicant]
KR 20140010686A · 2014 [cited by applicant]
TW 201245909A · 2012 [cited by applicant]
Chinese Office Action issued on Oct. 26, 2022 for Chinese Patent Application No. 201811545130.8. [cited by applicant]
Korean Office Action issued on May 13, 2020 for Korean Patent Application No. 10-2018-0165018. [cited by applicant]
Japanese Office Action dated Nov. 1, 2019, for Japanese Patent Applicatio No. 2018-224852. [cited by applicant]
Taiwanese Office Action issued Oct. 5, 2019 for the Taiwanese Patent Application No. 107145119. [cited by applicant]