IP Library Granted Patent US 12,244,972
Granted Patent B2
US 12,244,972 · App. 17/776,800 · Granted Mar 4, 2025

Substrate processing monitoring apparatus based on imaging video data, substrate processing apparatus, substrate processing monitoring method, and storage medium

Inventors: Yuichiro Kunugimoto (Kumamoto, JP); Keishi Hamada (Kumamoto, JP); Takafumi Hayama (Kumamoto, JP); Motoi Okada (Hokkaido, JP); Shoki Hamaguchi (Hokkaido, JP)
Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
H04N7/183B05C11/00B05C11/10G03F7/162G06T7/0004H04N5/91H04N23/69H04N23/815G06T2207/30148
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 12,244,972
App. No.
17/776,800
Granted
Mar 4, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A monitoring apparatus for a substrate processing apparatus includes: an imaging unit that captures an image of a nozzle of the substrate processing apparatus and a surface of a substrate held by a substrate holder of the substrate processing apparatus; a monitoring data generation unit that generates monitoring video data based on imaging video data captured by the imaging unit during an execution of a substrate process performed by the substrate processing apparatus including a first process and a second process; and a monitoring condition changing unit that changes a generation condition of the monitoring video data during the execution of the substrate process so that at least a resolution or a number of frames of the monitoring video data during an execution of the second process is different from the monitoring video data during an execution of the first process.

Claims (55)

1. A monitoring apparatus for a substrate processing apparatus, the monitoring apparatus comprising:

a camera configured to capture an image of a nozzle of the substrate processing apparatus and a surface of a substrate held by a substrate holder of the substrate processing apparatus;

a monitoring data generation circuitry configured to generate monitoring video data based on imaging video data captured by the camera during an execution of a substrate process performed by the substrate processing apparatus including a first process and a second process; and

a monitoring condition changing circuitry configured to change a generation condition of the monitoring video data during the execution of the substrate process so that at least a resolution or a number of frames of the monitoring video data during an execution of the second process is different from the monitoring video data during an execution of the first process.

2. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the monitoring condition changing circuitry changes the generation condition during the execution of the substrate process so that a size of an imaging region of all pixels of the monitoring video data during the execution of the second process is different from the monitoring video data during the execution of the first process.

3. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the monitoring condition changing circuitry changes a reduction rate in a number of pixels per unit area from the imaging video data during the execution of the substrate process so that the resolution of the monitoring video data during the execution of the second process is different from the monitoring video data during the execution of the first process, and

the monitoring data generation circuitry generates the monitoring video data by reducing the number of pixels from the imaging video data according to the reduction rate changed by the monitoring condition changing circuitry.

4. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the monitoring condition changing circuitry changes a zoom magnification by an imaging optical system of the camera during the execution of the substrate process so that the resolution of the monitoring video data during the execution of the second process is different from the monitoring video data during the execution of the first process, and

the monitoring data generation circuitry generates the monitoring video data based on the imaging video data captured by the camera at the zoom magnification changed by the monitoring condition changing circuitry.

5. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first process is a process of moving the nozzle,

the second process is a process of discharging the processing liquid from the nozzle to the surface of the substrate, and

the monitoring condition changing circuitry changes the generation condition during the execution of the substrate process so that the resolution of the monitoring video data during the execution of the second process is higher than the resolution of the monitoring video data during the execution of the first process.

6. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first process is a process of forming a film of the processing liquid on the surface of the substrate,

the second process is a process of discharging the processing liquid from the nozzle to the surface of the substrate, and

the monitoring condition changing circuitry changes the generation condition during the execution of the substrate process so that the resolution of the monitoring video data during the execution of the second process is higher than the resolution of the monitoring video data during the execution of the first process.

7. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a monitoring condition storage configured to store a condition changing schedule for changing the generation condition according to a processing schedule of the substrate by the substrate processing apparatus,

wherein the monitoring condition changing circuitry changes the generation condition during the execution of the substrate process based on the condition changing schedule.

8. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a reference condition storage configured to store correspondence information in which a content of the substrate process and the generation condition are associated with each other,

wherein the monitoring condition changing circuitry changes the generation condition during the execution of the substrate process based on the processing schedule of the substrate by the substrate processing apparatus and the correspondence information.

9. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

an abnormality determination circuitry configured to determine an abnormality in the substrate process based on the monitoring video data;

a storage data recording circuitry configured to record storage video data based on the imaging video data; and

a storage condition changing circuitry configured to change a storage condition of the storage video data to a time when the storage video data is recorded, when a determination result of the abnormality determination circuitry indicates the abnormality.

10. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein, when the determination result of the abnormality determination circuitry indicates the abnormality, the storage condition changing circuitry changes at least one of a resolution, a number of frames, and a compression format of the storage video data to a time when the storage video data is recorded.

11. The monitoring apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein, when a determination result of the abnormality determination circuitry indicates an abnormality, the storage data recording circuitry also records processing information indicating a content of the substrate process determined to be abnormal.

12. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a substrate holder configured to hold a substrate;

a processing liquid supply including a nozzle and configured to supply a processing liquid to a surface of the substrate held by the substrate holder by discharging the processing liquid from the nozzle;

a camera configured to capture an image of the nozzle and the surface of the substrate held by the substrate holder;

a monitoring data generation circuitry configured to generate monitoring video data based on imaging video data captured by the camera during an execution of a substrate process including a first process and a second process; and

a monitoring condition changing circuitry configured to change a generation condition of the monitoring video data during the execution of the substrate process so that at least a resolution or a number of frames of the monitoring video data during an execution of the second process is different from the monitoring video data during an execution of the first process.

13. A method of monitoring a substrate processing apparatus, the method comprising:

capturing an image of a nozzle of the substrate processing apparatus and a surface of a substrate held by a substrate holder by a camera;

generating monitoring video data based on imaging video data captured by the camera during an execution of a substrate process by the substrate processing apparatus including a first process and a second process; and

changing a generation condition of the monitoring video data during the execution of the substrate process so that at least a resolution or a number of frames of the monitoring video data during an execution of the second process is different from the monitoring video data during an execution of the first process.

14. A computer-readable storage medium that stores therein a program for causing an apparatus to execute the method according to claim 13 .

15. The method according to claim 13 , further comprising;

changing the generation condition during the execution of the substrate process so that a size of an imaging region of all pixels of the monitoring video data during the execution of the second process is different from the monitoring video data during the execution of the first process.

16. The method according to claim 13 , further comprising:

changing a reduction rate in a number of pixels per unit area from the imaging video data during the execution of the substrate process so that the resolution of the monitoring video data during the execution of the second process is different from the monitoring video data during the execution of the first process; and

generating the monitoring video data by reducing the number of pixels from the imaging video data according to the reduction rate.

17. The method according to claim 13 , further comprising:

changing a zoom magnification by an imaging optical system of the camera during the execution of the substrate process so that the resolution of the monitoring video data during the execution of the second process is different from the monitoring video data during the execution of the first process; and

generating the monitoring video data based on the imaging video data captured by the camera at the zoom magnification.

18. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the first process is a process of moving the nozzle,

the second process is a process of discharging the processing liquid from the nozzle to the surface of the substrate, and

the monitoring method further comprises changing the generation condition during the execution of the substrate process so that the resolution of the monitoring video data during the execution of the second process is higher than the resolution of the monitoring video data during the execution of the first process.

19. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the first process is a process of forming a film of the processing liquid on the surface of the substrate,

the second process is a process of discharging the processing liquid from the nozzle to the surface of the substrate, and

the monitoring method further comprises changing the generation condition during the execution of the substrate process so that the resolution of the monitoring video data during the execution of the second process is higher than the resolution of the monitoring video data during the execution of the first process.

20. The method according to claim 13 , further comprising:

storing a condition changing schedule for changing the generation condition according to a processing schedule of the substrate by the substrate processing apparatus; and

changing the generation condition during the execution of the substrate process based on the condition changing schedule.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 2, 2022
From: KUNUGIMOTO, YUICHIRO; HAMADA, KEISHI; HAYAMA, TAKAFUMI; OKADA, MOTOI; HAMAGUCHI, SHOKI
To: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
Reel/Frame 060084/0552 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2019-206954 · Nov 15, 2019 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220400232A1 · Dec 15, 2022
References Cited (12)
US 20180117619A1 · Choi · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 20180275071A1 · Choi · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 20180323095A1 · Peh · 2018 [cited by examiner]
CN 104916570A · 2015 [cited by applicant]
JP 2005073218A · 2005 [cited by applicant]
JP 2015153903A · 2015 [cited by applicant]
JP 2017183493A · 2017 [cited by applicant]
JP 2019062007A · 2019 [cited by applicant]
JP 2019513275A · 2019 [cited by applicant]
WO 2016157330A1 · 2016 [cited by applicant]
WO 2019146456A1 · 2019 [cited by applicant]
International Search Report issued on Jan. 19, 2021 for WO 2021/095612 A1 (4 pages). [cited by applicant]