The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 05, 2009
Filed:
Nov. 30, 2004
Shinichi Shinozuka, Koshi, JP;
Shigeki Wada, Koshi, JP;
Masami Yamashita, Koshi, JP;
Tokyo Electron Limited, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
It is an object of the present invention to realize, in a coating and developing apparatus including an inspection section, reduction in the startup time, cost reduction, and an improved operating rate of the inspection section. In the present invention, a control program of the coating and developing apparatus is set such that a processing flow and an inspection flow can be independently executed, the processing flow being a flow in which a substrate is carried to a processing station from a cassette station to be processed in the processing station and an aligner and thereafter is returned to the cassette station, and the inspection flow being a flow in which the substrate is carried from the cassette station to an inspection station to be inspected there, and is thereafter returned to the cassette station. At startup of the coating and developing apparatus, the inspection flow and the processing flow are executed, and an evaluation work of an inspection unit of the inspection station and an adjustment work of a processing unit in the processing station can proceed simultaneously. When the inspection station is idle, a substrate can be carried from an external part to the cassette station to be inspected there.