Patent Publication Number: US-2020294833-A1

Title: Substrate processing apparatus

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-047057, filed on Mar. 14, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus. 
     BACKGROUND 
     As an apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device, there is a single-wafer apparatus that processes substrates one by one in the related art. In the single wafer apparatus, a robot loads a substrate into a process chamber in the single-wafer apparatus and mounts the substrate on a substrate mounting surface in the process chamber. Here, for example, the substrate is heated and a gas is supplied to the substrate to form a film configured as a part of the semiconductor device. 
     In the case of forming a film on a substrate, it is desirable to suppress variations in a processing state in the plane of the substrate or between plural substrates. 
     The process chamber of the single-wafer apparatus is generally made of, for example, metal such as aluminum. Metal has a certain linear expansion coefficient depending on a temperature change. In an apparatus design including arrangement of components, it is necessary to consider the linear expansion coefficient. 
     However, a robot teaching operation performed after apparatus assembly is usually performed at the room temperature. Therefore, a thermal expansion state of the process chamber during a substrate processing may be different from that during a teaching operation, and the substrate may be shifted from the substrate mounting position set in the teaching operation. Due to this shift, a film of desired film quality may not be formed on the substrate. 
     SUMMARY 
     Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a substrate processing apparatus that subjects a substrate to heat treatment, which is capable of improving a film quality of a film formed on the substrate. 
     According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a technique that includes: a reactor including a process chamber in which a substrate is processed, the reactor being fixed to a vacuum transfer chamber; a substrate mounting stand disposed in the reactor and having a substrate mounting surface on which the substrate is mounted; a heater configured to heat the substrate; a gas supply part configured to supply a gas into the process chamber; an extraction part configured to extract basic information for estimating a position of the substrate mounting surface; a calculation part configured to calculate estimated position information of a center of the substrate mounting surface based on the basic information; a transfer robot disposed in the vacuum transfer chamber and including an end effector supporting the substrate when the substrate is transferred; and a controller configured to perform control to set a target coordinate of the end effector according to the estimated position information, move the end effector to the target coordinate, and mount the substrate on the substrate mounting surface. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an explanatory view for explaining a substrate processing apparatus. 
         FIG. 2  is an explanatory view for explaining a substrate processing apparatus. 
         FIG. 3  is an explanatory view for explaining a substrate processing apparatus. 
         FIGS. 4A and 4B  are explanatory views for explaining a substrate mounting stand. 
         FIG. 5  is an explanatory view for explaining a gas supply part. 
         FIG. 6  is an explanatory view for explaining a gas supply part. 
         FIG. 7  is an explanatory view for explaining a controller of a substrate processing apparatus. 
         FIG. 8  is an explanatory diagram for explaining a coordinate table. 
         FIGS. 9A and 9B  are explanatory views for explaining a comparative example. 
         FIG. 10  is a flowchart for explaining a substrate processing process. 
         FIGS. 11A and 11B  are explanatory views for explaining a substrate mounting stand. 
         FIGS. 12A and 12B  are explanatory views for explaining a substrate mounting stand. 
         FIG. 13  is an explanatory view for explaining a coordinate table. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Embodiments will be now described with reference to the drawings. 
     First Embodiment 
     A first embodiment will be described. 
     (1) Configuration of Substrate Processing Apparatus 
     A schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to  FIGS. 1 to 6 .  FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.  FIG. 2  is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line a-a′ in  FIG. 1 , showing a configuration example of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.  FIG. 3  is an explanatory view for explaining a reactor (RC)  200  according to the present embodiment.  FIGS. 4A and 4B  are explanatory views for explaining a state in which a substrate S is mounted on a substrate mounting stand  212 .  FIGS. 5 to 6  are explanatory views for explaining a gas supply part connected to the RC  200 . 
     In  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a substrate processing apparatus  100  to which the present disclosure is applied is to process a substrate S and mainly includes an IO stage  110 , an atmosphere transfer chamber  120 , a load lock chamber  130 , a vacuum transfer chamber  140  and an RC  200 . (Atmosphere Transfer Chamber and IO Stage, i.e., automated wafer transfer system) 
     The IO stage (load port)  110  is installed in front of the substrate processing apparatus  100 . A plurality of pods  111  is mounted on the IO stage  110 . Each pod  111  is used as a carrier for transferring a substrate S such as a silicon (Si) substrate. 
     The pod  111  is provided with a cap  112  which is opened/closed by a pod opener  121 . The pod opener  121  opens/closes the cap  112  of the pod  111  mounted on the IO stage  110  and opens/closes a substrate entrance to enable loading/unloading of the substrate S in/from the pod  111 . The pod  111  is supplied/discharged to/from the IO stage  110  by an AMEIS (Automated Material Handling Systems) (not shown). 
     The IO stage  110  is adjacent to the atmosphere transfer chamber  120 . The atmosphere transfer chamber  120  is connected to a load lock chamber  130  (which will be described later) at its surface opposite to the IO stage  110 . An atmosphere transfer robot  122  for transferring the substrate S is installed in the atmosphere transfer chamber  120 . 
     A substrate loading/unloading port  128  for loading/unloading the substrate S into/from the atmosphere transfer chamber  120 , and the pod opener  121  are installed on the front side of a housing  127  of the atmosphere transfer chamber  120 . A substrate loading/unloading port  129  for loading/unloading the substrate S into/from the load lock chamber  130  is installed on the rear side of the housing  127  of the atmosphere transfer chamber  120 . The substrate loading/unloading port  129  enables the loading/unloading of the substrate S by being opened/closed by a gate valve  133 . 
     (Load Lock Chamber) 
     The load lock chamber  130  is adjacent to the atmosphere transfer chamber  120 . A vacuum transfer chamber  140 , which will be described later, is disposed on a surface, which is opposite to the atmosphere transfer chamber  120 , among surfaces of a housing  131  forming the load lock chamber  130 . 
     A substrate mounting stand  136  having at least two mounting surfaces  135  on which the substrate S is mounted is installed in the load lock chamber  130 . The interior of the load lock chamber  130  communicates with the vacuum transfer chamber  140  via a transfer port  132 . A gate valve  134  is installed in the transfer port  132 . 
     (Vacuum Transfer Chamber) 
     The substrate processing apparatus  100  includes the vacuum transfer chamber (transfer module)  140  as a transfer chamber which is a transfer space into which the substrate S is transferred under a negative pressure. A housing  141  forming the vacuum transfer chamber  140  is formed in a shape of pentagon when seen in plane view, and the load lock chamber  130  and the reactor (RC)  200  (RC  200   a  to RC  200   d ) for processing the substrate S are respectively fixed to sides of the pentagon. A transfer robot  170  as a transfer part for transferring the substrate S under a negative pressure is installed at approximately the center of the vacuum transfer chamber  140  with a flange  144  as a base. 
     The vacuum transfer robot  170  installed in the vacuum transfer chamber  140  is configured to move up and down while maintaining the airtightness of the vacuum transfer chamber  140  by an elevator  145  and the flange  144 . Two arms  180  of the robot  170  are configured to be able to move up and down. The tip of each of the arms  180  is provided with an end effector  181  supporting the substrate S. Each arm  180  has a link structure  182 . The arms  180  are constituted by a plurality of link structures  182  and end effectors  181 . In  FIG. 2 , for the sake of convenience of description, the arms  180  and the end effectors  181  are shown and other structures are omitted. 
     A substrate loading/unloading port  148  is installed on each of side walls of the housing  141  facing the respective RCs  200 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 2 , a substrate loading/unloading port  148   c  is installed on the side wall facing the RC  200   c . Further, a gate valve  149  is provided for each RC  200 . A gate valve  149   c  is installed at the RC  200   c . Since the RCs  200   a ,  200   b , and  200   d  have the same configuration as the RC  200   c , explanation thereof will not be repeated. 
     An arm control part  171  that controls elevation and rotation of the arm  180  is incorporated in the elevator  145 . The arm control part  171  mainly includes a support shaft  171   a  that supports an axis of the arm  180 , and an actuation part  171   b  that elevates or rotates the support shaft  171   a . A hole is formed in the flange  144  between the axis of the arm  180  and the support shaft  171   a , and the support shaft  171   a  is configured to directly support the axis of the arm  180 . 
     The actuation part  171   b  includes, for example, an elevation mechanism  171   c  including a motor for achieving the elevation, and a rotation mechanism  171   d  such as a gear for rotating the support shaft  171   a . In addition, as a part of the arm control part  171 , an instruction part  171   e  for instructing the actuation part  171   b  for elevation and rotation may be installed at the elevator  145 . The instruction part  171   e  is electrically connected to a controller  400 . The instruction part  171   e  controls the actuation part  171   b  based on an instruction from the controller  400 . The instruction part is also called an arm control part. 
     The arm control part  171  controls the arm  180  to enable rotation and extension of the end effector  181 . The rotation and extension is performed to load/unload the substrate S into/from the RC  200 . Further, according to an instruction from the controller  400 , a wafer can be transferred to a designated RC  200 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , a support  270  for supporting the RC  200  is installed on each RC  200 . The support  270  is formed of, for example, a plurality of columns, and has flexibility so that it can support the RC  200  even when the RC  200  is expanded by thermal expansion. 
     Here, the reason why the support  270  has the flexibility will be described. As described above, the RC  200  is fixed to the vacuum transfer chamber  141 . Generally, the vacuum transfer chamber  141  is fixed to the floor because it is connected to another RC  200  or has the robot  170 . Therefore, as will be described later, when the RC  200  is thermally expanded, it may expand in a direction opposite to the transfer chamber  141  with respect to the vacuum transfer chamber  141 . In such a state, when the RC  200  is fixed so as not to move, a damage to the support  270  and the like may be caused. Therefore, the support  270  has the flexibility so as not to be damaged even when the RC  200  expands. 
     (Reactor) 
     Next, the RC  200  will be described with reference to  FIGS. 3 to 6 . The RCs  200   a  to  200   d  have the same configuration, and therefore, description will be here given of the RC  200  as a representative. 
       FIG. 3  is a longitudinal sectional view of the RC  200 .  FIGS. 4A and 4B  are views for explaining the substrate mounting stand  212 ,  FIG. 4A  being a longitudinal sectional view of the substrate mounting stand  212 , and  FIG. 4B  being a view of the substrate mounting stand  212  as viewed from above.  FIG. 5  is a view for explaining a first gas supply part to be described later, and  FIG. 6  is a view for explaining a second gas supply part to be described later, respectively. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the RC  200  includes a container  202 . The container  202  is configured as, for example, a flat sealed container having a circular cross section. The container  202  is made of, for example, a metal material such as aluminum (Al) or stainless steel (SUS). In the container  202  are formed a process chamber  201  constituting a processing space  205  for processing a substrate S such as a silicon wafer, and a transfer chamber  206  having a transfer space through which the substrate S passes when transferring the substrate S to the processing space  205 . The container  202  is constituted by an upper container  202   a  and a lower container  202   b . A partition plate  208  is interposed between the upper container  202   a  and the lower container  202   b.    
     The side wall  202   c  of the lower container  202   b  is directly or indirectly fixed to the substrate loading/unloading port  148  adjacent to the gate valve  149 , and the substrate S is moved between the vacuum transfer chambers  140  and the lower container  202   b  via the substrate loading/unloading port  148 . A plurality of lift pins  207  are installed at the bottom of the lower container  202   b.    
     A substrate support  210  for supporting the substrate S is disposed in the processing space  205 . The substrate support  210  mainly includes a substrate mounting surface  211  on which the substrate S is mounted, a substrate holder  215  having the substrate mounting surface  211  on its surface, a substrate mounting stand  212  on which the substrate holder  215  is installed, and a heater  213  as a heating part installed at the substrate mounting stand  212 . 
     The substrate mounting stand  212  is made of aluminum nitride, quartz or the like. The substrate mounting stand  212  is configured in a circumferential shape when viewed from above, as shown in  FIG. 4B . The center of the substrate holder  215  is arranged to overlap with the center of the substrate mounting stand  212 . The substrate mounting surface  211  is similarly configured in a circumferential shape when viewed from above. The center of the substrate mounting surface  211  is arranged to overlap with the center of the substrate mounting stand  212 . 
     Through-holes  214  through which lift pins  207  pass are installed in the substrate mounting stand  212  at positions corresponding to the lift pins  207 , respectively. The through-holes  214  are not shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B . 
     The substrate holder  215  is installed on the substrate mounting stand  212  so as to face a gas introduction hole  231   a . The substrate holder  215  has a concave structure, and the substrate mounting surface  211  is on the bottom surface of the concave structure. 
     The diameter of the substrate holder  215  is larger than the diameter of the substrate S to be mounted. Therefore, the substrate S is placed on the bottom of the concave structure. Since the substrate S is disposed on the bottom of the concave structure, it is unlikely to be affected by a gas flow due to the structure around the substrate mounting stand  212 . For example, a gas flow rate on the side of an exhaust pipe  272  is slightly smaller than that on the other sides in an upper surface of the substrate mounting stand  212 , but a bottom surface of the substrate mounting stand  212  is not easily affected. Therefore, it is easy to control a supply amount of a processing gas supplied to the substrate S. 
     When the substrate S is mounted, an arm control part  171  controls the arm  180  so that the end effector  181  can be moved to a target coordinate. The target coordinate is a radial center of the substrate mounting surface  211  and is a coordinate at which a center position of the substrate S overlaps with a center position of the substrate mounting surface  211 . 
     This will be described with reference to  FIGS. 4A and 4B .  FIG. 4A  is a side sectional view of the substrate mounting stand  212  and  FIG. 4B  is a top view thereof.  FIG. 4A  is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D′ in  FIG. 4B . Se denotes an edge of the substrate S. The edge Se is configured in the circumferential direction of the substrate S.  215   e  denotes an edge of the substrate holder  215  on the side facing the edge Se of the substrate S. Similar to the edge Se, the edge  215   e  is configured in the circumferential direction.  212   e  denotes an outer peripheral side edge of the substrate mounting stand  212 . 
     La denotes a distance between the edge Se and the edge  212   e . La 1  denotes a distance La on the side of the substrate loading/unloading port  148 , and La 2  denotes a distance La on the side different from the side of the substrate loading/unloading port  148 . 
     Lb denotes a distance between the edge Se and the edge  215   e . Lb 1  denotes a distance Lb on the side of the substrate loading/unloading port  148 , and Lb 2  denotes a distance Lb on the side different from the side of the substrate loading/unloading port  148 . 
     The arm control part  171  causes the end effector  181  to reach the target coordinate, whereby the substrate S is placed so as to make the distances La and Lb constant in the circumferential direction, as shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B . 
     By keeping the distance La constant, it is possible to make the same turbulent state in a space between the edge Se and the edge  212   e  in the circumferential direction. Therefore, the circumferential processing of the substrate S can be made uniform. 
     Further, by keeping the distance Lb constant, it is possible to make the same turbulent state in a space between the edge Se and the edge  215   e  in the circumferential direction. Therefore, the circumferential processing of the substrate S can be made more uniform. 
     Even when processing other substrates S, the same processing can be uniformly performed among a plurality of substrates S by making La and Lb constant. 
     The substrate mounting stand  212  includes a temperature measuring device  216  which is a first temperature measuring device for measuring a temperature of the heater  213 . The temperature measuring device  216  is connected to a temperature measurement part  221 , which is a first temperature measurement part, via a wiring  220 . 
     A wiring  222  for supplying power is connected to the heater  213 . The wiring  222  is connected to a heater control part  223 . 
     The temperature measurement part  221  and the heater control part  223  are electrically connected to the controller  400  to be described later. The controller  400  transmits control information to the heater control part  223  based on temperature information measured by the temperature measurement part  221 . The heater control part  223  refers to the received control information to control the heater  213 . 
     The substrate mounting stand  212  is supported by a shaft  217 . The shaft  217  passes through a hole  209  of the bottom  202   d  of the container  202  and is connected to a shaft support  218  outside the container  202 . The shaft  217  is made of, for example, aluminum nitride or the like. 
     The shaft support  218  is connected to an elevating shaft  224 . A motor  225  is connected to the elevating shaft  224 . The motor  225  rotates the elevating shaft  224  to raise and lower the shaft support  218 . The elevating shaft  224  is fixed to an elevating shaft support  226 . The elevating shaft support  226  is fixed to the bottom  202   d . The periphery of the lower end portion of the shaft  217  is covered by a bellows  219 , whereby the interior of the processing space  205  is kept airtight. 
     By the way, when the container  202  is thermally expanded, the container  202  extends in the direction of an arrow  276  opposite to the vacuum transfer chamber  141  as described above. When the container  202  is heated, the positions of the shaft  217  and the substrate mounting stand  212  fixed thereto are shifted. Specifically, when the bottom  202   d  extends in the direction of the arrow  276  due to heating, the position of the elevating shaft support  226  fixed to the bottom  202   d  is shifted in the direction of the arrow. Along with this, the position of the shaft support  218  fixed to the elevating shaft support  226  is shifted to the arrow  276 . Along with the position shift, since the center position of the substrate mounting surface  211  is also shifted, it is also shifted from a target coordinate at the time of teaching. 
     The shaft  217  and the substrate mounting stand  212  made of ceramic or quartz have a thermal expansion coefficient significantly lower than that of the metal container  202 , and their thermal expansion is very small. That is, when heated, influence of the thermal expansion of the container  202  is dominant. Therefore, the shaft  217  and the substrate mounting stand  212  do not follow the thermal expansion of the metal as described above. Therefore, an amount of shift from the target coordinate becomes more remarkable. 
     The process chamber  201  includes, for example, a buffer structure  230  to be described later, and the substrate mounting stand  212 . The process chamber  201  may have another structure as long as the processing space  205  for processing the substrate S can be secured. 
     When transferring the substrate S, the substrate mounting stand  212  moves down to a transfer position P 0  at which the substrate mounting surface  211  faces the substrate loading/unloading port  148 . When processing the substrate S, the substrate mounting stand  212  moves up to a processing position of the substrate S in the processing space  205 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     The buffer structure  230  for gas diffusion is installed above the processing space  205  (upstream side). The buffer structure  230  is mainly constituted by a lid  231 . 
     The lid  231  communicates with a first gas supply unit  240  and a second gas supply unit  250 , which will be described later, so as to communicate with a gas introduction hole  231   a  installed in the lid  231 . The reference numeral “A” shown in  FIG. 3  corresponds to the reference numeral “A” shown in  FIG. 5 , and the reference numeral “B” shown in  FIG. 3  corresponds to the reference numeral “B” shown in  FIG. 6 , which mean that gas supply parts are connected respectively. Although only one gas introduction hole  231   a  is shown in  FIG. 3 , a gas introduction hole may be installed for each gas supply part. 
     A temperature measuring device  235  is installed at the bottom  202   d  of the container  202 . The temperature measuring device  235  is connected to a temperature measurement part  237 , which is a second temperature measurement part, via a wiring  236 . The temperature measuring device  235  detects the temperature of the container  202 , particularly the temperature of the bottom  202   d . As will be described later, since the detected temperature is also used to detect the position of the substrate mounting surface  211 , the temperature measuring device  235  is also called a position detection part. 
     (First Gas Supply Part) 
     Next, the first gas supply part  240  will be described with reference to  FIG. 5 . A first gas source  242 , a mass flow controller (MFC)  243 , which is a flow rate controller (flow rate control part), and a valve  244 , which is an opening/closing valve, are installed on a first gas supply pipe  241  in this order from the upstream side. 
     The first gas source  242  is a source of a first gas containing a first element (also referred to as a “first element-containing gas”). The first element-containing gas is a precursor gas, that is, one of processing gases. Here, the first element is, for example, silicon (Si). That is, the first element-containing gas is, for example, a silicon-containing gas. Specifically, a monosilane (SiH 4 ) gas is used as the silicon-containing gas. 
     The first gas supply part  240  (also referred to as a silicon-containing gas supply system) is mainly constituted by the first gas supply pipe  241 , the mass flow controller  243  and the valve  244 . 
     (Second Gas Supply Part) 
     Next, the second gas supply part  250  will be described with reference to  FIG. 6 . A second gas source  252 , a mass flow controller (MFC)  253 , which is a flow rate controller (flow rate control part), and a valve  254 , which is an opening/closing valve, are installed on a second gas supply pipe  251  in this order from the upstream side. 
     The second gas source  252  is a source of a second gas containing a second element (also referred to as a “second element-containing gas”). The second element-containing gas is one of processing gases. The second element-containing gas may be considered as a reactive gas or a reforming gas. 
     Here, the second element-containing gas contains the second element different from the first element. The second element is, for example, any one of oxygen (O), nitrogen (N) and carbon (C). Here, the second element-containing gas will be described with, for example, an oxygen-containing gas. Specifically, an oxygen gas (O 2 ) is used as the oxygen-containing gas. 
     The second gas supply part  250  (also referred to as a reactive gas supply system) is mainly constituted by the second gas supply pipe  251 , the mass flow controller  253  and the valve  254 . 
     When a film is formed on the substrate S by the first gas alone, the second gas supply part  250  may be excluded. 
     The first gas supply part  240  and the second gas supply part  250  described above are collectively called a gas supply part. 
     (Exhaust Part) 
     An exhaust part  271  will be described with reference to  FIG. 3 . An exhaust pipe  272  communicates with the processing space  205 . The exhaust pipe  272  is connected to the upper container  202   a  so as to communicate with the processing space  205 . An APC (Auto Pressure Controller)  273  which is a pressure controller that controls the interior of the processing space  205  to a predetermined pressure is installed at the exhaust pipe  272 . The APC  273  has a valve body (not shown) whose opening degree can be adjusted, and adjusts the conductance of the exhaust pipe  272  according to an instruction from the controller  400 . Further, a valve  274  is installed at the exhaust pipe  272  in the upstream side of the APC  273 . The exhaust pipe  272 , the valve  274  and the APC  273  are collectively referred to as an exhaust part. 
     Furthermore, a DP (Dry Pump)  275  is installed at the downstream side of the exhaust pipe  272 . The DP  275  exhausts the atmosphere of the processing space  205  via the exhaust pipe  272 . 
     (Controller) 
     Next, a controller  400  will be described with reference to  FIG. 7 . The substrate processing apparatus  100  includes the controller  400  that controls operations of various parts. 
     The controller  400 , which is a control part (control means), is configured as a computer including a central processing unit (CPU)  401 , a random access memory (RAM)  402 , a storage part  403  as a memory device, and an I/O port  404 . The RAM  402 , the storage part  403  and the I/O port  404  are configured to be able to exchange data with the CPU  401  via an internal bus  405 . Transmission/reception of data in the substrate processing apparatus  100  is performed according to an instruction from a transmission/reception instruction part  406  which is also a function of the CPU  401 . 
     The CPU  401  further includes an extraction part  407  and a calculation part  408 . The extraction part  407  has a role of extracting basic information to be described later and storing the basic information in a basic information storage part  411 . The calculation part  408  has a role of analyzing a relationship between the basic information storage part  411  to be described later and a coordinate table  412  and calculating a target coordinate of the end effector  181 . 
     Further, a network transmission/reception part  283  connected to a host device  284  via a network is installed. The network transmission/reception part  283  can receive a processing history of the substrate S in the lot, substrate processing information on a recipe and the like to be executed, and the like. 
     The storage part  403  is configured by, for example, a flash memory, a hard disk drive (HDD) or the like. Process recipes  409  in which procedures and conditions of the substrate processing are described and a control program  410  for controlling the operation of the substrate processing apparatus are readably stored in the storage part  403 . Further, the storage part  403  includes a basic information storage part  411  storing basic information such as temperature data measured by the temperature measurement parts  221  and  237 , and a coordinate table  412  indicating a relationship between the basic information and the target coordinate of the end effector  181 . 
     The process recipes are combined to obtain a predetermined result by causing the controller  400  to execute the respective procedures in the substrate processing process to be described later, and function as a program. Hereinafter, the process recipes and the control program are collectively referred to simply as a program. In the present disclosure, the term “program” may include only a process recipe, only a control program, or both. Further, the RAM  402  is configured as a memory area (work area) in which programs, data and the like read by the CPU  401  are temporarily held. 
     The I/O port  404  is connected to the gate valve  149 , the motor  225 , the pressure regulators, the pumps, the heater control part  223 , the arm control part  171 , and various components of the substrate processing apparatus  100 . 
     The CPU  401  is configured to read and execute the control program from the storage part  403  and to read the process recipes from the storage part  403  in response to an input of an operation command from the input/output device  281 . Then, the CPU  401  can control the opening/closing operation of the gate valve  149 , the operation of the motor  225 , the temperature measurement parts  221  and  237 , the heater control part  223 , on/off control of the pumps, the flow rate adjusting operation of the mass flow controllers, the valves and so on according to the contents of the read process recipes. 
     Further, based on the information of the coordinate table  412  to be described later, the CPU  401  controls the actuation part  171   b  and the instruction part  171   e  and controls intrusion position of the arm. The coordinate table  412  will be described in detail later. 
     The controller  400  according to this technique can be configured by installing the program in a computer using an external storage device  282  (for example, a magnetic disk such as a hard disk, an optical disk such as a DVD, a magneto-optical disk such as an MO, or a semiconductor memory such as a USB memory) storing the above-mentioned program. The means for supplying the program to the computer is not limited to being supplied via the external storage device  282 . For example, a communication means such as Internet or a dedicated line may be used to supply the program without going through the external storage device  282 . Further, the storage part  403  and the external storage device  282  are configured as a computer-readable recording medium. Hereinafter, these are collectively referred to simply as a recording medium. In the present disclosure, when the term “recording medium” is used, it may include the storage part  403  alone, the external storage device  282  alone, or both. 
     Next, the coordinate table  412  will be described with reference to  FIG. 8 . The coordinate table  412  shows the relationship among the temperature of the container  202  as the basic information, an estimated position coordinate which is the center coordinate of the substrate holder  215  moved by thermal expansion, and the target coordinate of the end effector  181 . The temperature of the container  202  is, for example, the temperature of the bottom  202   d . The target coordinate is a coordinate for the end effector  181  to place the substrate S on the center of the substrate holder  215 . 
     Each of “Temp Zone 1” to “Temp Zone m” to “Temp Zone n” described as the container temperature has a constant width (for example, every 50 degrees C.). Temp Zone 1 is an initial temperature, which is a temperature at which thermal expansion does not occur. Therefore, in the processing of the first substrate S, a target coordinate A2 is set for the robot  170 . The reference numerals m and n are arbitrary numbers, and the temperature is set according to a process. It is assumed that m is smaller than n. Further, it is assumed that “Temp Zone m” is smaller than “Temp Zone n.” 
     Here, as a result of careful research by the present inventors, it has been found that the temperature of the container  202  and the positional shift amount of the substrate mounting surface  211  have a certain relationship. As described above, this is because, since the expansion direction due to thermal expansion is constant, when the temperature of the container  202  is detected, the center position of the substrate mounting surface  211  after thermal expansion can be determined automatically. 
     When the substrate mounting surface  211  is shifted due to thermal expansion, the target coordinate is reset using the coordinate table  412  so that the end effector  181  always transfers the substrate S to the center coordinate of the substrate mounting surface  211 . 
     By resetting the target coordinate in this way, since the distances La 1  and La 2  can be equal to each other and the distances Lb 1  and Lb 2  can be equal to each other, even when the substrate mounting surface  211  is shifted due to thermal expansion, the influence of a gas on the edge Se can be equalized. Therefore, an in-plane film thickness uniformity can be improved. Further, when a plurality of substrates is processed, a film thickness uniformity between the substrates can be improved. 
     Next, as a comparative example, a problem of an apparatus which does not have the coordinate table  412  will be described with reference to  FIGS. 9A and 9B .  FIGS. 9A and 9B  are explanatory views for explaining a state of the substrate mounting surface  211  when the container  202  is thermally expanded. In  FIGS. 9A and 9B , the side wall  202   c  is disposed on the left side of the figure, but its illustration is omitted. 
       FIG. 9A  shows a state where the substrate mounting surface  211  is not affected by thermal expansion, which is the same state as  FIG. 4A .  FIG. 9B  shows a state where the container  202  is thermally expanded and the substrate mounting stand  212  having the substrate mounting surface  211  is shifted in the direction opposite to the substrate loading/unloading port  148 . A dotted line C indicates the center of the substrate S. 
     In typical, the robot  170  is controlled to be transferred such that the coordinate of the center C of the substrate S overlaps with the coordinate of the center of the substrate mounting surface  211 , as shown in  FIG. 9A . Therefore, the distances La 1  and La 2  become equal to each other. Further, the distances Lb 1  and Lb 2  become equal to each other. The operation of overlapping the coordinates is adjusted by a teaching operation when installing the apparatus in, for example, a clean room. 
     As described above, when the heating treatment is performed, the position of the substrate mounting stand  212 , that is, the position of the substrate mounting surface  211 , may be shifted. 
     In the comparative example, since the coordinate table  412  does not exist, the arm  180  is controlled to place the substrate at the target coordinate before thermal expansion. Therefore, when the position of the substrate mounting surface  211  is shifted, the arm  180  places the substrate S at a position shifted from the center of the substrate holder  215 , as shown in  FIG. 9B . In such a case, the following problem occurs. 
     For example, the distance La 1  becomes different from the distance La 2 , and the distance Lb 1  becomes different from the distance Lb 2 . In  FIG. 9B , the distance La 1  is smaller than the distance La 2 , and the distance Lb 1  is smaller than the distance Lb 2 . 
     When a gas is supplied in the state as shown in  FIG. 9A , the distances La 1  and La 2  are equal to each other, and the distances Lb 1  and Lb 2  are equal to each other. Therefore, since the turbulent state may be made equal around the substrate S, the substrate S can be processed uniformly. 
     However, when a gas is supplied in the state as shown in  FIG. 9B , the distance La 1  is different from the distance La 2 , and the distance Lb 1  is different from the distance Lb 2 . Therefore, the turbulent state becomes different around the substrate S. That is, the substrate S cannot be processed uniformly. 
     Such a situation reduces the in-plane film thickness uniformity of the substrate S, which leads to significant reduction in yield. 
     Therefore, the present technique provides the coordinate table  412  and controls the robot  170  based on information of the coordinate table  412 . Here, the robot  170  is controlled to transfer the substrate S to the center coordinate of the substrate mounting surface  211 . By doing this, since the distances La 1  and La 2  can be equal to each other, and the distances Lb 1  and Lb 2  can be equal to each other, even when the substrate mounting surface  211  is shifted due to thermal expansion, the turbulent state at the edge Se may be made equal. Therefore, the in-plane film thickness uniformity can be improved and further, the film thickness uniformity among a plurality of substrates can be improved. 
     (2) Substrate Processing Process 
     Next, as one of semiconductor manufacturing processes, a process of forming a film on the substrate S using the substrate processing apparatus  100  will be described with reference to  FIG. 10 . In the following description, the controller  400  controls the operations of various components of the substrate processing apparatus. 
     Here, a substrate processing method in one RC  200  will be described as an example. 
     (Teaching Step S 102 ) 
     A teaching step S 102  will be described. Here, the trajectory and target coordinate of the end effector  181  are adjusted in a state in which the heater  213  is not in operation, that is, in a state in which the substrate S is not yet processed. Specifically, the arm  180  is operated to learn the operation of the arm  180  so that the substrate S is mounted on the substrate mounting surface  211 . At this time, the target coordinate of the end effector  181  is a coordinate at which the center of the substrate S to be transferred overlaps with the center of the substrate mounting surface  211 . The target coordinate at this time is an initial coordinate A2 to be described later. 
     (Basic Information Extracting Step S 104 ) 
     The basic information extraction step S 104  will be described. Here, the basic information for determining whether or not the center of the substrate mounting surface  211  is shifted from the initial coordinate A2 is extracted. The basic information is, for example, the temperature of the container  202 . The extracted basic information is stored in the basic information storage part  411 . 
     (Determining Step S 106 ) 
     A determining step S 106  will be described. Here, it is determined whether to reset the target coordinate of the end effector  181 . Specifically, when a temperature detected in the basic information extracting step S 104  is higher than the range of “Temp Zone 1” which is the temperature range of the initial setting, it is determined that the thermal expansion level has an effect on the yield and it is necessary to reset the target coordinate, and the process proceeds to a target coordinate setting step S 108 . 
     When the detected temperature is equal to or lower than the range of “Temp Zone 1”, it is determined that the thermal expansion level does not have an effect on the yield and it is unnecessary to reset the target coordinate, and the process proceeds to a substrate transferring step S 110 . At this time, the initial coordinate A2 is maintained in the substrate transferring step S 110 . 
     (Target Coordinate Setting Step S 108 ) 
     The target coordinate setting step S 108  will be described. When a result of the determination in the determining step S 106  is “Yes,” the process proceeds to the target coordinate setting step S 108 . Here, the calculation part  408  uses the coordinate table  412  to calculate the target coordinate of the end effector  181  corresponding to the value detected in the basic information extracting step S 104 . For example, when the temperature detected in the basic information extracting step S 104  is in the range of “Temp Zone m,” the estimated position information of the substrate holder  215  is estimated as B1, and a target coordinate B2 corresponding to the estimated position information B1 is calculated. After setting the calculated target coordinate B2, the process proceeds to the substrate transferring step S 110 . 
     (Substrate Transferring Step S 110 ) 
     The substrate transferring step S 110  will be described. When the target coordinate setting step S 108  is ended, or when a result of the determination in the determining step S 106  is “No,” the process proceeds to the substrate transferring step S 110 . 
     Here, the substrate mounting stand  212  is lowered to the transfer position (transfer position P 0 ) of the substrate S, whereby the lift pins  207  pass through the through-holes  214  of the substrate mounting stand  212 . As a result, the lift pins  207  project from the surface of the substrate mounting stand  212  by a predetermined height. In parallel with these operations, the atmosphere of the transfer chamber  206  is exhausted to have a pressure equal to or lower than the pressure of the adjacent vacuum transfer chamber  140 . 
     Next, the gate valve  149  is opened to communicate the transfer chamber  206  with the adjacent vacuum transfer chamber  140 . Then, the vacuum transfer robot  170  extends the end effector  181  supporting the substrate S to the set target coordinate. Thereafter, the substrate S is placed on the lift pins  207 . 
     By performing the control in this manner, even when the position of the substrate holder  215  is shifted due to thermal expansion, the distances L 1  and L 2  may always be made equal. 
     (Substrate Mounting Step S 112 ) 
     A substrate mounting step S 112  will be described. After the substrate S is placed on the lift pins  207 , the substrate mounting stand  212  is raised to mount the substrate S on the substrate mounting surface  211  of the substrate holder  215 . 
     (Substrate Processing Position Moving Step S 114 ) 
     When the substrate S is mounted on the substrate mounting surface  211 , the substrate mounting stand  212  is raised to a substrate processing position, as shown in  FIG. 1 . At this time, as shown in  FIG. 4A , the distances La 1  and La 2  are equal to each other and the distances Lb 1  and Lb 2  are equal to each other. 
     (Film-Forming Step S 116 ) 
     A film-forming step S 116  will be described. When the substrate mounting stand  212  moves to the substrate processing position, the atmosphere is exhausted from the process chamber  201  through the exhaust pipe  272  to adjust the internal pressure of the process chamber  201 . 
     Further, the substrate S is heated by the heater  213  in a state in which the substrate S is mounted on the substrate mounting surface  211 . When the temperature of the substrate S reaches a predetermined temperature, for example, 500 degrees C. to 600 degrees C. while a pressure is adjusted to be a predetermined pressure, processing gases such as a monosilane gas and an oxygen gas are supplied from the gas supply part to the process chamber. 
     The supplied gases are supplied to the substrate S and are supplied between the substrate edge Se and the edge  215   e  of the substrate holder  215  and between the edge  215   e  and the edge  212   e . A silicon-containing film is formed on the substrate S by the supplied monosilane gas and oxygen gas. The substrate S is processed until the silicon-containing film has a desired thickness. At this time, since the distances La 1  and La 2  are equal to each other and the distances Lb 1  and Lb 2  are equal to each other, the substrate edge Se can be processed uniformly in the circumferential direction. Further, since the distances La and Lb can be secured, the center and the edge Se of the substrate S can be processed uniformly. 
     (Transfer Position Moving Step S 118 ) 
     A transfer position moving step S 118  will be described. After a film having a desired film thickness is formed, the substrate mounting stand  212  is lowered to move to the transfer position P 0  shown in  FIG. 3 . Therefore, the substrate S stands by in the transfer chamber  206 . 
     (Substrate Unloading Step S 120 ) 
     A substrate unloading step S 120  will be described. When the substrate S is moved to a transfer position P 0 , the gate valve  149  is opened and the substrate S is unloaded from the transfer chamber  206  to the vacuum transfer chamber  140 . 
     (Determining Step S 122 ) 
     A determining step S 122  will be described. When the RC unloading step S 120  is completed, the process proceeds to a determining step S 122 . Here, after processing a predetermined number of substrates S, it is determined whether or not there is a substrate S to be processed next. When it is determined that n substrates, which are all the substrates in one lot, including substrates processed by the other RCs  200 , have been processed, the process is ended. Alternatively, even if the n substrates have not been processed, the process is ended when there is no substrate S to be processed next. When there is a substrate S to be processed next, the process proceeds to the basic information extracting step S 104 . 
     According to the method described above, even when the substrate holder  215  is moved due to thermal expansion, the in-plane processing of the substrate can be made uniform. Further, since the processing can be performed with high reproducibility, the processing among a plurality of substrates can be made uniform. 
     Second Embodiment 
     A second embodiment will be described with reference to  FIGS. 11A and 11B .  FIG. 11A  is a side sectional view of the substrate mounting stand  212 , and  FIG. 11B  is a top view thereof.  FIG. 11A  is a cross-sectional view taken along line E-E′ in  FIG. 11B . The elements which are the same as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. 
     The second embodiment is different in a shape of the substrate mounting stand  212  from the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the description will be made while focusing on the difference. 
     Notches  291  are installed at the substrate mounting stand  212  of the present embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 11A and 11B . The notches  291  are uniformly arranged in the circumferential direction between the edge  212   e  of the substrate mounting stand  212  and the edge  215   e .  FIGS. 11A and 11B  show four notches. The notches  291  are installed to prevent an excessive gas from staying in the substrate holder  215 . 
     Even in this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the robot  170  is controlled to place the substrate S at the center of the substrate mounting surface  211  even after thermal expansion. By doing this, since each of the distance La 1  and the distance La 2  can be made constant in the circumferential direction in the notches  291 , the substrate edge Se can be uniformly processed in the circumferential direction while preventing an excessive gas from staying in the substrate holder  215 . 
     As described above, even with the substrate processing apparatus having the notches  291 , the substrate S can be processed uniformly. 
     Third Embodiment 
     A third embodiment will be described with reference to  FIGS. 12A and 12B . In the third embodiment, an electrode  292  for adsorbing the substrate S is installed at the substrate mounting stand  212  without installing the substrate holder  215  of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the description will be made while focusing on the difference. 
     The substrate S is adsorbed on the substrate mounting surface  211  by the electrode  292 , whereby the substrate S does not slide. Therefore, the substrate S can be placed at the same height as the edge  212   e.    
     Even in this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the robot  170  is controlled to place the substrate S at the center of the substrate mounting surface  211  even after thermal expansion. By doing this, since each of the distance La 1  and the distance La 2  can be made constant in the circumferential direction, the substrate edge Se can be uniformly processed in the circumferential direction. 
     As described above, even in the structure in which the substrate S is placed at the same height as the edge  212   e , the substrate S can be processed uniformly. 
     Fourth Embodiment 
     A fourth embodiment will be described with reference to  FIG. 13 . The fourth embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a coordinate table  413  illustrated in  FIG. 13  is used instead of the coordinate table  412  of the first embodiment. Also in the configuration of the controller  400  in  FIG. 7 , the coordinate table  413  is used instead of the coordinate table  412 . The other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the description will be made while focusing on the difference 
     The coordinate table  413  includes recipe information as the basic information. Further, the coordinate table  413  further includes substrate temperature information for each recipe. The substrate temperature information is information for managing the processing temperature of the substrate S, for example, the temperature of the heater  213 . Estimated position information is the center coordinate of the substrate holder  215  moved due to thermal expansion, and a target coordinate is the target coordinate of the end effector  181 . 
     The column in the coordinate table  413  represents a type of recipe. Each recipe differs in at least the temperature at which the substrate S is processed. For example, Recipe  1 , Recipe p and Recipe q are recipes for processing the substrate S at 400 degrees C., 550 degrees C., and 750 degrees C., respectively. These recipes are determined from the substrate processing information received by the calculation part  408  from the host device  284 . 
     In that the temperature is set by each recipe, similarly to the coordinate table  412 , positional information of a movement destination of the substrate holder  215  is estimated. Therefore, the target coordinate of the end effector  181  is set from the type of recipe. 
     Next, a substrate processing process in the present embodiment will be described with reference to  FIG. 10 . In the substrate processing process, the basic information extracting step S 104  to the target coordinate setting step S 108  differ. Hereinafter, the description will be made while focusing on the difference. 
     (Basic Information Extracting Step S 104 ) 
     The basic information extracting step S 104  of this embodiment will be described. Here, it is determined which recipe the substrate S is to be processed with. First, the CPU  401  determines which recipe the substrate S is to be processed with, based on the substrate processing information received from the host device  284 , and sets a process. The extraction part  407  extracts the set recipe information as the basic information. 
     (Determining Step S 106 ) 
     The determining step S 106  of the present embodiment will be described. Here, it is determined whether to set the target coordinate of the end effector  181 . When loading and processing the substrate S for the first time or when executing a recipe which is different in a thermal influence from the recipe of the previously processed substrate, it is determined that the thermal expansion level has an effect on the yield and it is necessary to reset the target coordinate, and the process proceeds to the target coordinate setting step S 108 . 
     When the temperature set in the recipe for processing the next substrate is at the same level of thermal effect as the recipe for the previously processed substrate, it is determined that the temperature is not at the thermal expansion level that has an effect on the yield and it is unnecessary to reset the target coordinate, and the process proceeds to the substrate transferring step S 110 . 
     The thermal effect described here is the effect of heat on a metal component, for example, in consideration of the processing temperature of the substrate, the processing time at that temperature, and the like. 
     (Target Coordinate Setting Step S 108 ) 
     The target coordinate setting step S 108  in the present embodiment will be described. When a result of the determination in the determining step S 106  is “Yes,” the process proceeds to the target coordinate setting step S 108 . Here, the calculation part  408  uses the coordinate table  413  to calculate the target coordinate of the end effector  181  corresponding to the value detected in the basic information extracting step S 104 . 
     By doing this, even when the processing temperature is changed depending on a recipe, the robot  170  is controlled to place the substrate S at the center of the substrate mounting surface  211 . Therefore, each of the distance La 1  and the distance La 2  can be made constant in the circumferential direction, and the substrate edge Se can be processed uniformly in the circumferential direction. 
     Further, since the target coordinate can be set according to the recipe, the yield can be improved without newly installing a detection part such as the temperature measuring device  235  or the like. 
     Other Embodiments 
     Although the embodiments have been specifically described above, the present technique is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but various modifications can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. 
     For example, in the above-described embodiments, the positional shift is measured by measuring the temperature of the container  202 . However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, a positional shift sensor may be used for the container  202  to sense the positional shift. As the positional shift sensor, for example, a reflection sensor  261  or the like may be installed in the vicinity of the substrate mounting stand  212 . 
     In the film-forming process performed by the substrate processing apparatus, examples have been described in which a film is formed using a monosilane gas as a first element-containing gas (first processing gas) and an O 2  gas as a second element-containing gas (second processing gas). However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, but other types of gases may be used to form other types of thin films. 
     Further, although an example in which two types of gases are supplied has been described above, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, but one type of gas or three or more types of gases may be supplied to form a film. 
     Although “the same,” “equal,” and “constant” are expressed in the above embodiments, the present disclosure is limited to completely “the same,” “equal” and “constant.” As long as there is no influence on the yield, a range of substantially “the same,” “equal,” and “constant” is also included. 
     According to the present disclosure in some embodiments, it is possible to improve the quality of a film formed on a substrate. 
     While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosures. Indeed, the embodiments described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the disclosures. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosures.