Screen Semiconductor Solutions Co., Ltd.

Sokudo Co., Ltd.

Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd.

Screen Holdings Co., Ltd.

Takashi Taguchi

Tsuyoshi Mitsuhashi

Toru Asano

Yukio Toriyama

Koji Kaneyama

Shuichi Yasuda

Joji Kuwahara

Tadashi Miyagi

Tetsuya Hamada

Masashi Kanaoka

Kazuhito Shigemori

Yoshihisa Yamada

Tsuyoshi Okumura

Masafumi Maeda

Masahito Kashiyama

Kohei Iwasaki

A method of processing a substrate in a substrate processing apparatus that is arranged adjacent to an exposure device and includes first, second and third processing units, includes forming a photosensitive film on the substrate by said first processing unit before exposure processing by said exposure device and applying washing processing to the substrate by supplying a washing liquid to the substrate in said second processing unit after the formation of said photosensitive film and before the exposure processing. The method also includes applying drying processing to the substrate in said second processing unit after the washing processing by said second processing unit and before the exposure processing and applying development processing to the substrate by said third processing unit after the exposure processing. Applying the drying processing to the substrate includes the step of supplying an inert gas onto the substrate, to which the washing liquid is supplied.

Substrate processing apparatus

A substrate processing apparatus includes a processing section and an exposure transport section. The exposure transport section includes a horizontal transport region and a plurality of vertical transport regions in a casing. The horizontal transport region is provided at the upper portion of the casing to extend in the X direction. A plurality of exposure devices are arranged below the horizontal transport region to be lined up in the X direction. A transport mechanism is provided in the horizontal transport region. The transport mechanism is configured to be capable of transporting a substrate between the processing section and the plurality of exposure devices.

Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing system

A substrate is transported based on coordinates information indicating a receiving position of the substrate and a placement position of the substrate by a hand. If the substrate is shifted from a first position, the substrate is received by the hand while a center of the substrate is shifted from a normal position of the hand. The hand that holds the substrate is moved toward a second position. A plurality of portions at an outer periphery of the substrate are detected before the substrate is placed. A shift of the substrate with respect to the normal position of the hand is detected based on the detection result, and the coordinates information is corrected such that a shift between a position of the center of the substrate to be placed at the second position by the hand and the center of the second position is canceled.

Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

A method for processing a plurality of substrates after forming a photosensitive film on each substrate includes carrying each substrate into a placement buffer including a plurality of supporters by a first transport mechanism; taking out each substrate from the placement buffer to an interface by a second transport mechanism; carrying each substrate into the exposure device; carrying each substrate out of the exposure device into the placement buffer by the second transport mechanism; taking out each substrate from the placement buffer to the processing section by the first transport mechanism; performing development processing on each substrate; making each substrate stand by at the placement buffer based on timing at which the exposure device can accept each substrate; and making each substrate stand by at the placement buffer based on timing at which the developing device can accept each substrate.

Substrate processing method

An interface block is constituted by a cleaning/drying processing block and a carry-in/carry-out block. The cleaning/drying processing block includes cleaning/drying processing sections and a transport section. The transport section is provided with a transport mechanism. The carry-in/carry-out block is provided with a transport mechanism. The transport mechanism carries substrates in and out of an exposure device.

A method of processing a substrate in a substrate processing apparatus that is arranged adjacent to an exposure device and includes first, second and third processing units, includes the steps of: forming a photosensitive film made of a photosensitive material on the substrate by said first processing unit before exposure processing by said exposure device. The method also includes applying washing processing to the substrate by said second processing unit after the formation of said photosensitive film by said first processing unit and before the exposure processing by said exposure device and transporting the substrate after the washing processing to said exposure device. The method further includes transporting the substrate from said exposure device and applying development processing by said third processing unit to the substrate transported after the exposure processing by said exposure device.

A substrate processing apparatus comprises an indexer block, an anti-reflection film processing block, a resist film processing block, a development processing block, a processing block for liquid immersion exposure processing, and an interface block. An exposure device is arranged adjacent to the interface block. The processing block for liquid immersion exposure processing comprises a coating processing group for resist cover film and a removal processing group for resist cover film. The resist cover film is formed in the processing block for liquid immersion exposure processing before the exposure processing. The resist cover film is removed in the processing block for liquid immersion exposure processing after the exposure processing.

A forward direction-only path (first substrate transport path) is formed for transporting substrates in a forward direction to pass the substrates on to an exposing apparatus. A separate, substrate transport path (second substrate transport path) is formed exclusively for post-exposure bake (PEB). Substrate transport along each path is carried out independently of substrate transport along the other. A fourth main transport mechanism is interposed as a predetermined substrate transport mechanism between transfer points consisting of a buffer acting as a temporary storage module for temporarily storing the substrates and a post-exposure bake (PEB) unit corresponding to a predetermined treating unit. This arrangement forms the path for transporting the substrates between the buffer and the PEB unit, to allow PEB treatment of the substrates to be performed smoothly. Similarly, the substrates are transported smoothly to the buffer.

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Kyoto, Japan

Takashi Taguchi