There is provided a technique that includes abnormality detecting by picking up a sound generated from a transfer configured to be capable of transporting the substrate and comparing a waveform of sound data with a preset threshold value to detect an abnormality of the transfer; and failure detecting by picking up vibration of the transfer and comparing a waveform of vibration data with a preset threshold value to detect a failure of the transfer.

Disclosed are a slit valve apparatus and a method for controlling a slit valve. The slit valve apparatus includes a slit valve assembly and a servo-control system in communication with the slit valve assembly. The slit valve assembly includes at least one gate able to transition between an open position and a closed position, at least one pneumatic actuator, at least one proportional pneumatic valve including a plurality of controllers, and a continuous position sensor. The servo-control system includes a centralized controller that generates a control signal and adjusts the movement of the at least one gate based on the position trajectory for the gate, a linear position measurement of the gate from the continuous position sensor, and fluid pressure/flow measurements from the plurality of controllers.

A side surface unit of a heat treatment space S is formed by a shutter member 250 including an outer shutter 260 and an inner shutter 270. Supply air A is supplied as a horizontal laminar flow toward a wafer W from a lower end side of the shutter member 250, that is, from a gap d.sub.1 located on the level with the wafer W placed on a heat plate 211 of a mounting table 210. Supply air B is supplied into the heat treatment space S from an upper end side of the shutter member 250, that is, from a gap d.sub.2 positioned higher than the wafer W. A ratio between a flow rate of the supply air A and a flow rate of the supply air B is 4:1.

The present invention relates to an EFEM for transferring a wafer between a wafer storage container and process equipment and, specifically, to an EFEM which can reduce the defect rate of wafers received in a wafer storage container by actively using a downflow flowing along a wall surface of the EFEM. The present invention relates to an EFEM system for transferring a wafer between a wafer storage container and process equipment and, specifically, to an EFEM system which can selectively achieve moisture removal from wafers and fume removal from wafers depending on conditions of the wafers by controlling the direction of a downflow in a wafer transfer chamber in accordance with environmental conditions inside a wafer storage container.

A side surface unit of a heat treatment space S is formed by a shutter member 250 including an outer shutter 260 and an inner shutter 270. Supply air A is supplied as a horizontal laminar flow toward a wafer W from a lower end side of the shutter member 250, that is, from a gap d.sub.1 located on the level with the wafer W placed on a heat plate 211 of a mounting table 210. Supply air B is supplied into the heat treatment space S from an upper end side of the shutter member 250, that is, from a gap d.sub.2 positioned higher than the wafer W. A ratio between a flow rate of the supply air A and a flow rate of the supply air B is 4:1.

A processing method of a workpiece in which the workpiece with a plate shape is processed by using a vacuum chamber is provided. In the processing method of a workpiece, a negative pressure is caused to act on a holding surface from a suction path, and suction holding of the workpiece is executed by a chuck table. Then, the gas pressure in the vacuum chamber is reduced to at least 50 Pa and at most 5000 Pa. Then, while the suction holding of the workpiece is executed, an inert gas in a plasma state is supplied to the workpiece, and voltages are applied to electrodes disposed in the chuck table to execute electrostatic adhesion of the workpiece by the chuck table. Then, a processing gas in a plasma state is supplied, and dry etching of the workpiece is executed.

A substrate processing system is disclosed which includes a processing chamber comprising a susceptor having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, a groove formed in the first surface adjacent to a perimeter thereof, and a substrate support structure including a plurality of carrier lift pins, each of the plurality of carrier lift pins movably disposed in an opening formed from the second surface to the first surface, wherein the opening is recessed from the groove.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a processing container; a placement table; a plurality of pins provided on the placement table configured to perform delivery of the substrate; a plurality of drivers configured to vertically drive the plurality of pins, respectively; a plurality of measuring devices each including an encoder configured to measure height positions of the plurality of pins, respectively. The substrate processing apparatus also includes a controller configured to: measure the height positions of the plurality of pins; select a reference pin; estimate a reference height position; calculate an adjustment speed for making the height positions of the pins other than the reference pin match with the estimated reference height position; and control the drivers, which drive the other pins, to adjust driving speeds of the other pins to an adjustment speed.

A front surface of a semiconductor wafer is momentarily heated by irradiation with a flash of light from flash lamps. An upper radiation thermometer and a high-speed radiation thermometer unit measure a temperature of the front surface of the semiconductor wafer after the irradiation with the flash of light. The temperature data are sequentially accumulated, so that a temperature profile is acquired. An analyzer determines the highest measurement temperature of the semiconductor wafer subjected to the flash irradiation from the temperature profile to calculate a jump distance of the semiconductor wafer from a susceptor, based on the highest measurement temperature. If the calculated jump distance is greater than a predetermined threshold value, there is a high probability that the semiconductor wafer is significantly out of position, so that the transport of the semiconductor wafer to the outside is stopped.

Examples of the present invention provide an apparatus for transferring substrates and confining a processing environment in a chamber. One example provides a hoop assembly for use in a processing chamber. The hoop assembly includes a confinement ring defining a confinement region therein. A hoop body mates with the confinement ring. The hoop body is slanted to reduce a thickness across a diameter of the hoop body. Three or more lifting fingers are attached to the hoop body and extend downwards. Each of the three or more lifting fingers has a contact tip positioned radially inward from the hoop body to form a substrate support surface below and spaced apart from the confinement region.