Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd.

Screen Semiconductor Solutions Co., Ltd.

Sokudo Co., Ltd.

Fujitsu Corporation

Dainippon Screen Mgf. Co., Ltd.

Kenya Morinishi

Tsuyoshi Mitsuhashi

Yoshiteru Fukutomi

Hiroyuki Ogura

Yasuo Kawamatsu

Hiromichi Nagashima

Masanobu Sato

Shuichi Yasuda

Sadao Hirae

Hiroaki Sugimoto

Takuya Kuroda

Seiichiro Okuda

Masayoshi Imai

Masami Ohtani

Kazuhiro Watanabe

Masahiro Miyagi

Joichi Nishimura

Akihiko Morita

Masaki Iwami

Kazuo Kinose

Mitsuaki Yoshitani

Kentaro Tokuri

Satoru Tanaka

Naoshige Itami

A substrate treating apparatus for treating substrates includes a plurality of substrate treatment lines arranged vertically for carrying out plural types of treatment on the substrates while transporting the substrates substantially horizontally, and a controller for changing processes of treatment carried out on the substrates for each of the substrate treatment lines. By changing the processes of treatment carried out for the substrates for each substrate treatment line, the processes of treatment carried out for the substrates can be changed for each substrate conveniently. Thus, a plurality of different processes of treatment corresponding to the number of substrate treatment lines can be carried out in parallel for the respective substrates.

Substrate treating apparatus with parallel first and second parts of substrate treatment lines on multiple stories for simultaneously treating a plurality of substrates

A substrate treating method for treating substrates with a substrate treating apparatus having an indexer section, a treating section and an interface section includes performing resist film forming treatment in parallel on a plurality of stories provided in the treating section and performing developing treatment in parallel on a plurality of stories provided in the treating section.

Substrate treating apparatus with parallel gas supply pipes and a gas exhaust pipe

A substrate treating apparatus includes a first treating block and a second treating block disposed adjacent to the first treating block. Each of the first treating block and the second treating block include a plurality of stories arranged vertically. Each of the plurality of stories includes treating units for treating substrates and a main transport mechanism for transporting the substrates to and from the treating units. The substrates are transportable between the stories of the first treating block and the stories of the second treating block at same heights as corresponding stories of the first treating block. The substrates are transportable between the stories of the first treating block and the stories of the second treating block at different heights from corresponding stories of the first treating block.

Multi-story substrate treating apparatus with flexible transport mechanisms and vertically divided treating units

A treating section has substrate treatment lines arranged one over the other for treating substrates while transporting the substrates substantially horizontally. An IF section transports the substrates fed from each substrate treatment line to an exposing machine provided separately from this apparatus. The substrates are transported to the exposing machine in the order in which the substrates are loaded into the treating section. The throughput of this apparatus can be improved greatly, without increasing the footprint, since the substrate treatment lines are arranged one over the other. Each substrate can be controlled easily since the order of the substrates transported to the exposing machine is in agreement with the order of the substrates loaded into the treating section.

Substrate treating apparatus with substrate reordering

Substrate treating apparatus with parallel substrate treatment lines simultaneously treating a plurality of substrates

Substrate treating apparatus

A treating section includes a plurality of treating blocks juxtaposed horizontally. Each treating block is vertically divided into stories. Each story includes treating units and a main transport mechanism. Substrates are transportable between the same stories of the treating blocks. Further, the substrates are transportable between different stories. Thus, the apparatus can transport the substrates flexibly between the treating blocks.

A substrate treating apparatus includes a treating block including a plurality of cells arranged one over another. Each cell has treating units for treating substrates and a single main transport mechanism disposed in a transporting space for transporting the substrates to the treating units. The treating units include solution treating units and heat-treating units. The solution treating units are arranged at one side of the transporting space, the heat-treating units are arranged at the other side of the transporting space, and the main transport mechanism and the treating units are in substantially the same layout in plan view for the respective cells. The solution treating units are in substantially the same layout in side view for the respective cells, the heat-treating units are in substantially the same layout in side view for the respective cells, and treatments of the substrates carried out in the respective cells are the same.

Substrate treating apparatus using horizontal treatment cell arrangements with parallel treatment lines

A substrate treating apparatus includes a treating block including a plurality of cells arranged one over another. Each cell has treating units for treating substrates and a single main transport mechanism for transporting the substrates to the treating units. Each cell also has a blowout unit for supplying a clean gas into a transporting space of the main transport mechanism and an exhaust unit for exhausting gas from the transporting space. The blowout unit and the exhaust unit are arranged one over the other in the transporting space to separate the transporting space of each cell from that of another cell.

Substrate treating apparatus with vertical treatment arrangement including vertical blowout and exhaust units

A substrate treating apparatus includes a plurality of substrate treatment lines arranged vertically. Each substrate treatment line has a plurality of main transport mechanisms arranged horizontally, and a plurality of treating units provided for each main transport mechanism for treating substrates. A series of treatments is carried out for the substrates, with each main transport mechanism transporting the substrates to the treating units associated therewith, and transferring the substrates to the other main transport mechanism horizontally adjacent thereto. The substrate treating apparatus realizes increased processing capabilities by treating the substrates in parallel through the substrate treatment lines.

Parallel substrate treatment for a plurality of substrate treatment lines

The invention provides coating units, heat-treating units, and a first main transport mechanism for transporting substrates to each of these treating units. The substrates are transferred from the first main transport mechanism to a second main transport mechanism through a receiver. When a substrate cannot be placed on the receiver, this substrate is placed on a buffer. Thus, the first main transport mechanism can continue transporting other substrates. The other substrates in the treating units are transported between the treating units without delay, to receive a series of treatments including coating treatment and heat treatment as scheduled. This prevents lowering of the quality of treatment for forming film on the substrates.

Substrate treating apparatus with inter-unit buffers

Of a substrate-facing surfaceof an atmosphere blocking member, a central areawhich is faced with an approximately central portion of a substrate S is a flat surface while a periphery edge areawhich is faced with a periphery edge of the substrate S is an angled surface which becomes closer to the substrate S with a distance toward a periphery edge of the substrate-facing surface. Hence, a micro-space SP between the substrate S and the atmosphere blocking memberbecomes gradually narrower in a direction R which is toward the periphery edge of the substrate S. As an atmosphere gas is fed into the micro-space SP, the atmosphere gas is compressed in the vicinity of a periphery edge of the micro-space SP and a pressure rises. As a result, the micro-space SP becomes positively pressurized as compared with a mist-splashed atmosphere, which effectively prevents a mist from invading other major surface Sof the substrate S.

Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing system

The substrate processing apparatus is provided with a gas-liquid mixing nozzle for generating a process liquid mist by mixing a liquid and a pressurized gas, to discharge the process liquid mist to a substrate at high speeds. The liquid may be remover liquid, intermediate rinse liquid or deionized water. The reaction products which having been generated on the substrate in etching process is removed at high speeds with the flow of the mist, whereby the quality of the process is improved.

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Kyoto, Japan

Kenya Morinishi