A method includes determining queue times associated with operations of a sequence recipe. The operations are associated with production of substrates in a substrate processing system. The method further includes generating a schedule based on the queue times. The method further includes transmitting the schedule to a controller of the substrate processing system. The controller is to control the substrate processing system to produce the substrates based on the schedule.

Provided is a substrate processing apparatus which can efficiently transfer substrates using a conveying mechanism including a plurality of substrate holding members. The substrate processing apparatus transfers a processed substrate to an intermediate conveying unit using a transport mechanism when the processed substrate returns to a substrate receiving unit. When a conveying mechanism withdraws the processed substrate from the intermediate conveying unit and transfers the processed substrate to the substrate receiving unit, a control unit determines whether both of a first substrate processed first among a plurality of substrates withdrawn from the substrate receiving unit as a set and a succeeding substrate processed later than the first substrate should be transferred together after waiting until the succeeding substrate is transferred to the intermediate conveying unit or to transfer the first substrate without waiting for the succeeding substrate, when the first substrate is transferred to the intermediate conveying unit.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a carrier holding unit which holds a carrier that contains substrates, a plurality of processing units, each of which processes a substrate, a substrate transfer unit which transfers substrates between the carrier and the processing units, and a controller. The controller classifies the plurality of processing units into a plurality of groups and is programmed, when determining a processing unit that is to process a substrate, to select one of the plurality of groups, to select one processing unit belonging to the selected group, and to control the substrate transfer unit to carry a substrate into the selected processing unit.

A method for treating a substrate using a substrate treating apparatus that includes a treating module and an index module that transfers the substrate between a container and the treating module, in which a plurality of process chambers and a main transfer robot are provided in the treating module and a container mounting table and an index robot that transfers the substrate between the container and the treating module are provided in the index module, includes executing a power failure after-treatment operation and thereafter stopping an operation of the substrate treating apparatus when a power failure occurs in the substrate treating apparatus. When the main transfer robot or the index robot is transferring the substrate in the event of the power failure, the power failure after-treatment operation includes an operation of continually maintaining the transfer of the main transfer robot or the index robot until the transfer is completed.

There is provided a technique that includes: receiving type information corresponding to substrate processing; reading the type information and processing time information corresponding to the type information from a memory; calculating a ratio of a processing time of a predetermined process to a total time of the processing time information; selecting one or more reactors according to the ratio; setting the one or more reactors to be capable of performing the predetermined process; transferring a substrate corresponding to the type information to the one or more reactors; and performing the predetermined process corresponding to the type information in the one or more reactors.

A transfer system and a transfer method are provided. The transfer system includes trolley member and a control device. The trolley member moves on a transport rail. The control device is configured to send a first control signal to the trolley member when the trolley member moves to a first preset site. The trolley member grabs a first-type carrier according to the first control signal. The control device is further configured to send a second control signal to the trolley member when the trolley member moves to a second preset site. The trolley member grabs a second-type carrier according to the second control signal. The first-type carrier is configured to carry a semiconductor material, and the second-type carrier is configured to carry a semiconductor material different from the semiconductor material carried by the first-type carrier.

A method of degassing semiconductor substrates includes sequentially loading a plurality of semiconductor substrates into a degas apparatus, and degassing the semiconductor substrates in parallel, the degassing of each semiconductor substrate commencing at a different time related to the time at which the semiconductor substrate was loaded into the degas apparatus. The method further includes unloading a semiconductor substrate from the degas apparatus when the semiconductor substrate has been degassed, while semiconductor substrates which were loaded later in the sequence are still being degassed. The degassing of the semiconductor substrates is performed at pressure of less than 10.sup.−4 Torr, and the degas apparatus is pumped continuously during the degassing of the semiconductor substrates.

A substrate processing system comprises an edge computing device including processor that executes instructions stored in a memory to process an image or video captured by camera(s) of at least one of a substrate and a component of the substrate processing system. The component is associated with a robot transporting the substrate between processing chambers of the substrate processing system or between the substrate processing system and a second substrate processing system. The cameras are located along a travel path of the substrate. The instructions configure the processor to transmit first data from the image to a remote server via a network and to receive second data from the remote server via the network in response to transmitting the first data to the remote server. The instructions configure the processor to operate the substrate processing system according to the second data in an automated or autonomous manner.

A method for forming a fully self-aligned via is provided. A workpiece having a pattern of features in a dielectric layer is received into a common manufacturing platform. Metal caps are deposited on the metal features, and a barrier layer is deposited on the metal caps. A first dielectric layer is added to exposed dielectric material. The barrier layer is removed and an etch stop layer is added on the exposed surfaces of the first dielectric layer and the metal caps. Additional dielectric material is added on top of the etch stop layer, then both the additional dielectric material and a portion of the etch stop layer are etched to form a feature to be filled with metal material. An integrated sequence of processing steps is executed within one or more common manufacturing platforms to provide controlled environments. Transfer modules transfer the workpiece between processing modules within and between controlled environments.

A method and apparatus for evaluating and controlling a semiconductor manufacturing process having a plurality of process steps in a process flow is described. The method comprises retrieving measurements of process step parameters from a process measurement database. The process step parameters comprise at least one of process step measurement data, process step context data or process step control data. The process step parameters are subsequently associated with one or more of the process steps.