US 11,809,158 B2
Apparatus and method for treating substrate based on defect values of transfer paths
Tae Woong Seo, Cheonan-si (KR); Taerim Lee, Cheonan-si (KR); and Youngje Um, Busan (KR)
Assigned to SEMES CO., LTD., Chungcheongnam-do (KR)
Filed by Semes Co., Ltd, Cheonan-si (KR)
Filed on Jul. 22, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/518,059.
Claims priority of application No. 10-2018-0085170 (KR), filed on Jul. 23, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2020/0026258 A1, Jan. 23, 2020
Int. Cl. G05B 19/4065 (2006.01); H01L 21/67 (2006.01)
CPC G05B 19/4065 (2013.01) [H01L 21/67173 (2013.01); H01L 21/67259 (2013.01); G05B 2219/40006 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A substrate treating apparatus comprising:
a process module including a plurality of process units configured to perform a plurality of steps included in a substrate treating process, wherein the process units perform the substrate treating process on substrates sequentially placed in the process units, based on process recipes for the substrates;
a scheduler configured to control operations of the process module and the process units included in the process module;
a storage configured to store transfer paths information of the substrates, the transfer paths information including transfer paths of the substrates and defect values of the substrates according to the transfer paths of the substrates;
a selection module configured to apply weighting values to the process units included in the transfer paths stored in the transfer paths information, and to select a process unit to proceed, based on a result of feeding back the transfer paths information stored in the storage to the scheduler; and
a measuring instrument configured to measure the defect values of the transfer paths information along which the substrates are transferred,
wherein the weighting values include numerical indicators of the process units' condition and are based on the transfer paths and the defect values of the substrates,
wherein the selecting the process unit to proceed includes determining a priority of the process units based on a comparison of the weighting values of the process units,
wherein the selection module determines the priority based on a result obtained by applying the weighting values and selects a process unit having the highest priority,
wherein the process module further including a transport robot configured to transfer the substrate,
wherein the scheduler is configured to control the transport robot as follows,
(a) when the transport robot is in a position to select a process unit from which the substrate is picked:
prior to selection of a process unit, determine whether a substrate is present in the corresponding process unit among target process units;
when it is determined that the substrate is present in the corresponding process unit, determine whether a substrate treating process is completely performed in the corresponding process unit;
when it is determined that the substrate treating process is completely performed in the corresponding process unit, determine whether the corresponding substrate corresponds to a foremost job; and
when the conditions are all satisfied, select the process unit having the highest priority from the process units that satisfy all of the conditions,
(b) when the transport robot is in a position to select a process unit from which the substrate is placed:
prior to selection of a process unit, determine whether there is no substrate in the corresponding process unit among target process units;
when it is determined that the corresponding process unit has no substrate therein, determine whether an environment for performing a process of the corresponding process unit is set; and
when the conditions are all satisfied, select the process unit having the highest priority from the process units that satisfy all of the conditions,
(c) when the transport robot is in a position to select a process unit from which the substrate is pick and placed:
prior to selection of a process unit, determine whether a process of a substrate present in the corresponding process unit is completed;
when it is determined that the process is completed, determine whether lot overtaking occurs even though an existing substrate is replaced with a subsequent substrate;
determine whether an environment for performing a process of the corresponding process unit is set when the substrate is placed in the corresponding process unit; and
when the conditions are all satisfied, select the process unit having the highest priority from the process units that satisfy all of the conditions, and a process is performed by the corresponding process unit.