Hitachi-kokusai Electric Inc.

Akihiro Yoshida

Makoto Hirano

Norichika Yamagishi

The invention aims to provide substrate treatment equipment that can automatically collect a substrate in a normal condition without needing manual operation. The equipment includes a substrate holderfor holding substratesin a multistage manner and a substrate transfer unitfor transferring the substratesinto the substrate holder, wherein a substrate holding condition of the substrate holderis sensed by a sensing section. The sensing sectionhas photo-sensors, and sensing waveforms sensed by the photo-sensorsare compared with a normal waveform. A control sectionis provided, which controls a substrate transfer unitsuch that substratesother than at least a substratethat was determined to be abnormal are transferred by the unit.

Substrate treatment equipment and manufacturing method of substrate

The invention aims to provide substrate treatment equipment that can automatically collect a substrate in a normal condition without needing manual operation. The equipment includes a substrate holder for holding substrates in a multistage manner and a substrate transfer unit for transferring the substrates into the substrate holder, wherein a substrate holding condition of the substrate holder is sensed by a sensing section. The sensing section has photo-sensors, and sensing waveforms sensed by the photo-sensors are compared with a normal waveform. A control section is provided, which controls a substrate transfer unit such that substrates other than at least a substrate that was determined to be abnormal are transferred by the unit.

Method of manufacturing a semiconductor device

A processing furnace for performing prescribed heat treatment on plural substrates, a boat for carrying the plural substrates that are laid one over another in the boat into and out of the processing furnace, a substrate detecting sensor for detecting the plural substrates laid one over another in the boat by changing a relative position of the substrate detecting sensor with respect to each of the plural substrates, and a control section for registering reference positions of the plural substrates and an allowable range of positional deviations from the reference positions of the plural substrates are provided. The control section receives pieces of position information of the plural substrates measured by the substrate detecting sensor, compares a maximum value of pieces of position information of substrates with an average thereof and compares a minimum value of pieces of position information of substrates with an average thereof if the pieces of position information of the plural substrates are out of the allowable range of positional deviations from the reference positions of the plural substrates, and judges that deviation has occurred in a boat stop position if differences determined by the respective comparisons are within the allowable range of deviations of the substrates.

Growing community of inventors

Toyama, Japan

Akihiro Yoshida