Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd.

Sokudo Co., Ltd.

Screen Semiconductor Solutions Co., Ltd.

Tetsuya Hamada

Kenji Kamei

Hidekazu Inoue

Toru Kitamoto

Koji Kaneyama

Shuichi Yasuda

Tadashi Miyagi

Masashi Kanaoka

Kazuhito Shigemori

Kenji Hashinoki

Takashi Taguchi

Toru Morimoto

Masami Ohtani

Koji Nishiyama

Joichi Nishimura

Akihiko Morita

Satoshi Yamamoto

Masaki Iwami

Kazuhiro Nishimura

Masami Nishida

Masao Tsuji

Takeo Okamoto

Noriaki Yokono

Yasuo Imanishi

Masahiro Himoto

Takushi Yoshida

A substrate processing apparatus comprises an indexer block, an anti-reflection film processing block, a resist film processing block, a development processing block, a resist cover film processing block, a resist cover film removal block, a cleaning/drying processing block, and an interface block. An exposure device is arranged adjacent to the interface block in the substrate processing apparatus. The exposure device subjects a substrate to exposure processing by means of an immersion method. In the edge cleaning unit in the cleaning/drying processing block, a brush abuts against an end of the rotating substrate, so that the edge of the substrate before the exposure processing is cleaned. At this time, the position where the substrate is cleaned is corrected.

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 apparatus

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 subjected to an exposure process includes the steps of: transporting a substrate subjected to the exposure process to a cleaning processing part and performing a cleaning process in said cleaning processing part on said substrate subjected to the exposure process. The method also includes the steps of transporting said substrate subjected to the cleaning process from said cleaning processing part to a heating processing part and performing a heating process in said heating processing part on said substrate subjected to the cleaning process. A first interprocess time interval between the instant at which the exposure process of a substrate is completed and the instant at which the heating process of the substrate is started is made approximately constant, and a second interprocess time interval between the instant at which the cleaning process of the substrate is completed and the instant at which the heating process of the substrate is started is made approximately constant.

Apparatus for and method of processing substrate subjected to exposure process

A substrate processing apparatus is configured to provide in series a plurality of processing blocks, each block including a processing unit and a transport robot transporting a substrate. A substrate rest is provided in a connecting portion of adjacent processing blocks. A sensor plate with sensor coils is provided spanning over support pins of the substrate rest. Once a temperature-measurement substrate with temperature-measuring elements, each element formed by connecting a coil to a quartz resonator, is placed on the support pins, a transmitter-receiver transmits transmission waves corresponding to the characteristic frequencies of the quartz resonators to the temperature-measuring elements through the sensor coils. After the stop of the transmission, the transmitter-receiver receives electromagnetic waves from the temperature-measuring elements through the sensor coils, and the temperature computer computes the substrate temperature based on the frequencies of the electromagnetic waves.

Temperature measurement in a substrate processing apparatus

A fluid supply pipe is inserted through a motor supporting member, a spin motor, a rotating shaft, and a plate supporting member. A first flange is integrally formed in the vicinity of a curved portion of a straight portion, extending in the vertical direction, of the fluid supply pipe. The first flange is fixed to a motor supporting member. Thus, the fluid supply pipe is fixed to the spin motor through the motor supporting member. The fluid supply pipe has a configuration in which a gas supply pipe made of resin and a plurality of cleaning liquid supply pipes made of resin are accommodated inside a guide pipe made of stainless. Inside the guide pipe, the one gas supply pipe is surrounded by the plurality of cleaning liquid supply pipes.

Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method using the same

A specified time is determined which is a worst-case (or the longest) time period assumed as a time interval required between the instant at which an interface block receives an exposed substrate from an exposure unit and the instant at which a post-exposure bake process of the substrate starts in a heating part. A waiting time is calculated by subtracting a transport time from the specified time. The transport time is a time interval actually required between the instant at which the interference block receives the substrate from the exposure unit and the instant at which the substrate reaches the heating part. The post-exposure bake process of the substrate starts in the heating part after a lapse of the above-mentioned calculated waiting time since the arrival of the substrate at the heating part.

A substrate processing apparatus comprises an interface block. An exposure device is arranged adjacent to the interface block. The interface block comprises first and second cleaning/drying processing units. A substrate W is subjected to cleaning and drying processing before exposure processing in the first cleaning/drying processing unit, while being subjected to cleaning and drying processing after the exposure processing in the second cleaning/drying processing unit.

A substrate processing apparatus and an information storage server are connected with each other through a network. A storage part of the substrate processing apparatus stores set information and a control program, for controlling operation of the substrate processing apparatus according to the set information and the control program. The substrate processing apparatus is provided with a schedule function, for transmitting a backup instructional command according to the schedule. In response to this instructional command, the substrate processing apparatus generates a duplicate of specified information stored in the aforementioned storage part and transfers the duplicate information to the information storage server through the network. The information storage server stores the received duplicate information in a hard disk as backup data. The information storage server can also store only differential data of the duplicate information. Thus, information for controlling the operation of the substrate processing apparatus can be efficiently backed up without burdening the user.

Managing apparatus for substrate processing system

A substrate processing apparatus comprises an indexer block, an anti-reflection film processing block, a resist film processing block, a development processing block, a resist cover film processing block, a resist cover film removal block, and an interface block. An exposure device is arranged adjacent to the interface block. The interface block includes a substrate replacement group. The substrate replacement group has a stack of three cleaning/drying processing units. The cleaning/drying processing unit subjects the substrate after exposure processing to cleaning and drying processing.

A substrate processing apparatus comprises an interface block. An exposure device is arranged adjacent to the interface block. The interface block includes a placement/bake unit. A substrate that has been subjected to exposure processing in the exposure device is subjected to cleaning and drying processing in a second cleaning/drying processing unit, and is then transported to a placement/heating unit. In the placement/heating unit, the substrate is subjected to post-exposure bake processing.

When a first substrate transferred outwardly from an indexer cell is the last substrate prior to reticle change in an exposure apparatus, the outward transfer of a second substrate to be processed subsequently to the first substrate from the indexer cell is temporarily stopped. After a lapse of time corresponding to reticle replacement time, the outward substrate transfer is restarted, and the second substrate is transferred outwardly from the indexer cell. For the exposure apparatus, the second substrate subjected to a resist coating process is received at the instant when the reticle replacement is completed after the completion of the exposure process of the first substrate. This provides a constant time interval between the completion of the resist coating process of substrates and the execution of the exposure process thereof without the decrease in processing efficiency. As a result, a uniform processing history for the substrates is achieved to further improve the line width uniformity of a pattern.

A substrate processing system comprises a substrate processing apparatus, an information storage server and a support computer, which are connected to a network respectively. When the substrate processing apparatus causes a failure, an alarm processing part extracts a necessary relevant log file and stores the same in a hard disk of the information storage server. A failure information generation part generates failure information, which in turn is finally stored in the hard disk of the information storage servers as a failure information database. An apparatus information uncasing part renders the relevant log file and the failure information database readable from the support computer located in a remote place. Thus, the relevant log file and the failure information database can be immediately read. In other words, provided is a substrate processing system rendering operation information immediately readable from a remote place when the substrate processing apparatus causes a failure.

Substrate processing system managing apparatus information of substrate processing apparatus

A substrate processing system comprises a substrate processing apparatus and a support computer, which are connected to a network respectively. Updated countermeasure information is accumulated in the support computer by a system administrator. When the substrate processing apparatus causes a failure, content of the failure is displayed on a display part while an alarm processing part controls process according to an alarm definition file. Further, a countermeasure information acquisition part requires updated countermeasure information against the failure from the support computer. In response to this, countermeasure information distribution part of the support computer transmits updated countermeasure information. Thus, updated countermeasure information can be read instantly when a failure occurs.

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Kyoto, Japan

Tetsuya Hamada