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:
Oct. 11, 2011
Filed:
Dec. 17, 2008
Junya Minamida, Koshi, JP;
Seiki Ishida, Koshi, JP;
Junya Minamida, Koshi, JP;
Seiki Ishida, Koshi, JP;
Tokyo Electron Limited, Tokyo-To, JP;
Abstract
Leakage of an atmosphere of a solvent vapor used by a smoothing process for smoothing the surface of a resist pattern outside from a smoothing unit is prevented to facilitate incorporating the smoothing unit into a coating and developing system. A substrate processing system has a coating and developing block, a smoothing block, an airflow producing unitfor producing down airflow that flows down from above the coating and developing blockand the smoothing block, and a main controllerfor controlling the airflow producing unit. The main controllercontrols a flow regulating valveplaced in an air passageconnecting the airflow producing unitto the coating and developing blockand a flow regulating valveplaced in an air passageconnecting the airflow producing unitto the smoothing blockon the basis of a signal provided by a pressure sensorfor measuring the pressure in the coating and developing blockand a signal provided by a pressure sensorfor measuring the pressure in the smoothing blocksuch that the pressure in the smoothing blockis lower than that in the coating and developing block