Abstract: A thermal processing unit of a thermal processor for anti-reflection films includes: a covering nozzle for covering a substrate from above supported by a thermal processing plate and discharging an adhesion enhancing agent to a periphery of a substrate supported by the thermal processing plate; and a vaporization processor for supplying an adhesion enhancing agent in the vapor phase to the covering nozzle. While a substrate placed over the thermal processing plate is being subjected to thermal process, a control part causes the covering nozzle to discharge an adhesion enhancing agent in the vapor phase onto a periphery of a substrate to realize adhesion enhancement process. Thus, the adhesion between a resist coating film and a substrate surface in the periphery of a substrate is enhanced. Further, parallel implementation of thermal process and adhesion enhancement process exerts no influence on throughput.

Abstract: A cleaning processing unit includes a spin chuck for horizontally holding a substrate and rotating the substrate around the vertical axis passing through the center of the substrate. A bevel cleaner is disposed outside the spin chuck. The bevel cleaner includes a cleaning brush. The cleaning brush has a shape that is symmetric about its vertical axis, and has an upper bevel cleaning surface, an end surface cleaning surface, and a lower bevel cleaning surface. The end surface cleaning surface is a cylindrical surface having its axis in the vertical direction. The upper bevel cleaning surface extends out from and is inclined upward from the upper end of the end surface cleaning surface, and the lower bevel cleaning surface extends out from and is inclined downward from the lower end of the end surface cleaning surface.

Abstract: After a substrate is cleaned, a liquid supply nozzle moves outward from above the center of the substrate while discharging a rinse liquid with the substrate rotated. In this case, a drying region where no rinse liquid exists expands on the substrate. When the liquid supply nozzle moves to above a peripheral portion of the substrate, the rotational speed of the substrate is reduced. The movement speed of the liquid supply nozzle is maintained as it is. Thereafter, the discharge of the rinse liquid is stopped while the liquid supply nozzle moves outward from the substrate. Thus, the drying region spreads over the whole substrate so that the substrate is dried.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: A method for developing a substrate includes spinning the substrate with a spin holder and discharging a developer to the substrate from a plurality of exhaust ports arranged in a row on a developer feeder. The method also includes causing a moving mechanism to move said developer feeder in one direction extending to a center of the substrate in plan view while maintaining a direction of arrangement of said exhaust ports in said one direction, thereby to move said developer feeder between substantially the center and an edge of the substrate. The method further includes causing the developer discharged from said exhaust ports to impinge in separate streams on the substrate, and causing each of the separate streams to impinge spirally on the substrate, thereby to develop the substrate. At least two of loci of positions of impingement of the developer corresponding to said exhaust ports overlap each other.

Abstract: When a substrate is subjected to bevel cleaning processing, a first magnet plate is arranged at a lower position, and a second magnet plate is arranged at an upper position. In this case, each of chuck pins enters a closed state in a region outside the first magnet plate, while entering an opened state in a region outside the second magnet plate. That is, a holder in each of the chuck pins is maintained in contact with an outer edge of the substrate when it passes through the region outside the first magnet plate, while being spaced apart from the outer edge of the substrate when it passes through the region outside the second magnet plate.

Abstract: A method for developing a substrate includes a developing step for supplying a developer to the substrate, and a neutralizing and removing step for supplying a treating solution containing a neutralizing material to the substrate to neutralize the developer, and neutralizing the developer and removing the developer from the substrate. In the neutralizing and removing step, the developer is neutralized by the treating solution. This neutralization reaction forms a product (salt) which easily melts into the treating solution and does not precipitate. Thus, the product is removable from the substrate along with the treating solution. Therefore, the developer is inhibited from remaining on the substrate. As a result, it is possible to prevent post-develop defects due to “residues of the developer” or the developer remaining on the substrate.

Abstract: A rapid temperature change (RTC) system includes a bake plate assembly including a heat spreader; a heater substrate coupled to the heat spreader; and a heater layer coupled to the heater substrate. The RTC system also includes a passive chill structure positioned adjacent the bake plate assembly. The passive chill structure is moveable to make physical contact with the heater layer. The passive chill structure includes a chill plate and a thermal pad coupled to the chill plate. The RTC system further includes an active chill structure positioned adjacent the passive chill structure. The passive chill structure is moveable to make physical contact with the active chill structure.

Abstract: An apparatus for dispensing fluid during semiconductor substrate processing operations comprises an enclosure having a first side and a second side. The enclosure comprises a first processing station and a second processing station. The second processing station is positioned adjacent to the first processing station. In addition, the substrate processing apparatus includes a first dispense arm configured to deliver a fluid to the first processing station wherein the first dispense arm is positioned between the first side and the first processing station and a second dispense arm configured to deliver the fluid to the second processing station wherein the second dispense arm is positioned between the second side and the second processing station. The substrate processing apparatus also comprises a first rinse arm configured to deliver a rinsing fluid to the first processing station and a second rinse arm configured to deliver the rinsing fluid to the second processing station.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes an anti-reflection film processing block, a resist film processing block, and a resist cover film processing block. In the processing blocks, an anti-reflection film, a resist film, and a resist cover film are formed on a substrate, respectively. Additionally, a film formed at a peripheral edge of the substrate is removed. The film formed at the peripheral edge of the substrate is removed by supplying a removal liquid capable of dissolving and removing the film to the peripheral edge of the substrate during rotation. When the peripheral edge of the film is removed, the position of the substrate is corrected such that the center of the substrate coincides with the center of a rotation shaft.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus comprises an indexer block, an anti-reflection film processing block, a resist film processing block, a development processing block, and an interface block. An exposure device is arranged adjacent to the interface block. The interface block comprises washing processing units and an interface transport mechanism. Before a substrate is subjected to exposure processing by the exposure device, the substrate is transported to a washing processing unit by the interface transport mechanism. The substrate is washed and dried by the washing processing unit.

Abstract: In a substrate processing apparatus, an indexer block, a resist film processing block, a cleaning/drying processing block, a development processing block, and an interface block are provided side by side in this order. An exposure device is arranged adjacent to the interface block. The exposure device subjects a substrate to exposure processing by means of a liquid immersion method. Substrate platforms are provided in close proximity one above the other between the cleaning/drying processing block and the development processing block for receiving and transferring the substrate therebetween. Reversing units that reverse one surface and the other surface of the substrate are respectively stacked above and below the substrate platforms.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: An apparatus for monitoring a position of a semiconductor process fluid interface in a dispense nozzle includes an extended optical source adapted to provide an optical beam propagating along an optical path. The optical beam is characterized by a path width measured in a first direction aligned with a dispense direction. The apparatus also includes an optical detector coupled to the optical path and adapted to detect at least a portion of the optical beam and a dispense nozzle disposed along the optical path at a location between the extended optical source and the optical detector. The apparatus further includes a nozzle positioning member coupled to the dispense nozzle and adapted to translate the dispense nozzle in the first direction.

Abstract: A first thermometry system for measuring a temperature of an object under test includes a first detecting sheet having crystal oscillators arranged on a first sheet-like object formed of resin, and a first measuring device for measuring the temperature based on frequencies acquired from the crystal oscillators and corresponding to natural frequencies of the crystal oscillators. In this system, the first detecting sheet is placed in contact with the object under test, whereupon the crystal oscillators provide the natural frequencies corresponding to the temperature of the object under test. The first measuring device measures the temperature of the object under test accurately based on the frequencies corresponding to the natural frequencies.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus for heating a substrate is provided. The substrate processing apparatus can include a top and bottom planar member. A heater layer can be disposed between the top and the bottom planar member and held in place by evacuating a region between the two planar members. The heater layer can be made of alternating insulating and conducting layers with heater elements formed on the conducting layers in predetermined pattern.