Adjustment apparatus for adjusting processing units provided in a substrate processing apparatus, and a substrate processing apparatus having such an adjustment apparatus

• US 9,915,938 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2015
• Issued: 03/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ebara Corporation
• Original Assignee: Ebara Corporation
• Inventors: Takeda, Koichi, Nakamura, Takamasa
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Adam
• Application Number:
  US14/596,531
• Publication Number:
  US 20150241866A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,154 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4184 characterised by fault tolerance, reliability of production system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2602 Wafer processing
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31044 Assembly of modular products, variant configurability
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32139 Select at workstation control parameters for cell, node
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

An adjustment apparatus capable of adjusting various types of processing units of a substrate processing apparatus within a shorter period of time is disclosed. The adjustment apparatus includes a main operation device configured to manipulate the processing units and adjust the designated operations, terminal operation devices configured to manipulate the processing units and adjust the designated operations, a network that connects the processing units and the main operation device to each other; and connecting devices configured to connect the terminal operation devices to the network and disconnect the terminal operation devices from the network. Each of the terminal operation devices is configured to be able to manipulate at least one of the processing units.

Claims

1. An adjustment apparatus comprising:

a main terminal having software installed therein that instructs the main terminal to adjust designated operations of a plurality of processing stations, the processing stations being included in one substrate processing apparatus and performing the designated operations on a substrate;

secondary terminals having software installed therein that instructs the secondary terminals to adjust the designated operations of the processing stations, each of the main terminal and the secondary terminals having a user interface;

a network that connects the processing stations, secondary terminals, and the main terminal to each other; and

connection ports that removably connect the secondary terminals to the network, wherein each of the secondary terminals has a function to request an exclusive manipulation right that allows one secondary terminal to exclusively manipulate at least one processing station selected from the processing stations, and the main terminal has a function to reject the request from the secondary terminal if an exclusive manipulation right has already been established for the selected processing station.

2. The adjustment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the main terminal has a storage that stores therein adjustment parameters sent from the secondary terminals, the adjustment parameters having been used to adjust the processing stations by the secondary terminals.

3. The adjustment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the adjustment parameters stored in the main terminal are shared by all of the main terminal and the secondary terminals through the network.

4. The adjustment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the software installed in the main terminal and the software installed in the secondary terminals is the same software.

5. The adjustment apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the main terminal and the secondary terminals have the same user interfaces.

6. The adjustment apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the secondary terminals are configured to automatically download the software stored in the main terminal through the network, and install the downloaded software therein.

7. The adjustment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the number of secondary terminals is the same as the number of processing stations.

8. The adjustment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a parameter window.

9. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

processing stations for performing designated operations on a substrate; and

an adjustment system for adjusting the processing stations, the adjustment system including;

a main terminal having software installed therein that instructs the main terminal to adjust the designated operations of the processing stations;

secondary terminals having software installed therein that instructs the secondary terminals to adjust the designated operations of the processing stations, each of the main terminal and the secondary terminals having a user interface;

a network that connects the processing stations, secondary terminals, and the main terminal to each other; and

connection ports that removably connect the secondary terminals to the network, wherein each of the secondary terminals has a function to request an exclusive manipulation right that allows one secondary terminal to exclusively manipulate at least one processing station selected from the processing stations, and the main terminal has a function to reject the request from the secondary terminal if an exclusive manipulation right has already been established for the selected processing station.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the main terminal has a storage that stores therein adjustment parameters sent from the secondary terminals, the adjustment parameters having been used to adjust the processing stations by the secondary terminals.

11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the adjustment parameters stored in the main terminal are shared by all of the main terminal and the secondary terminals through the network.

12. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the software installed in the main terminal and the software installed in the secondary terminals is the same software.

13. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the main terminal and the secondary terminals terminal operation devices have the same user interfaces.

14. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the secondary terminals are configured to automatically download the software stored in the main terminal through the network, and install the downloaded software therein.

15. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the number of secondary terminals is the same as the number of processing stations.

16. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the user interface includes a parameter window.