Abstract: An apparatus includes a coating section for coating a substrate with a resist film and a first film thickness detecting section for detecting the thickness of the resist film coated on the substrate, and sets conditions for exposing the resist film and for developing the exposed resist film according to the detected thickness of the resist film. For example, after a resist film is coated, the thickness of the resist film is detected. Subsequently, from the result of the detection, feedforward control of treatment conditions in an exposure process or a developing process following a resist film coating process is performed. Therefore, the line width of a resist pattern can be precisely controlled.

Abstract: Disclosed is a resist coating-developing method and apparatus including (a) a setting step for setting a target value and an allowable range thereof, (b) a resist-coating step, (c) a pre-baking step, (d) a first cooling step, (e) a light-exposure step, (f) a line width measuring step for measuring a line width of a latent image, (g) a post-baking step, (h) a second cooling step, (i) a developing step, (j) a judging step determining whether or not the value of the line width of the latent image measured in the step (f) falls within the allowable range of the target value set in the step (a), (k) a calculating step for calculating a difference between the measured value of the latent image line width and the target value, and (l) a correcting step for correcting the process condition in at least one previous step.

Abstract: Disclosed is a resist coating-developing method, including (a) a setting step for setting a target value and an allowable range thereof, (b) a resist-coating step, (c) a pre-baking step, (d) a first cooling step, (e) a light-exposure step, (f) a line width measuring step for measuring a line width of a latent image, (g) a post-baking step, (h) a second cooling step, (i) a developing step, (j) a judging step determining whether or not the value of the line width of the latent image measured in step (f) falls within the allowable range of the target value set in step (a), (k) a calculating step determining a difference between the measured value of the latent image line width and the target value, and (l) a correcting step for correcting the process condition in at least one previous step.

Abstract: A coating film forming method for forming a resist coating film on an upper surface of a wafer held by a spin chuck in a chamber includes (a) the step of keeping preliminary correlation data representing correlation between a wafer rotating speed and the thickness of the resist coating film formed on the wafer in the chamber, (b) the step of conveying the wafer into the chamber and holding the wafer by the spin chuck, (c) the step of pouring the resist liquid onto the wafer and spin-rotating the wafer to form a resist coating film on the upper surface of the wafer, (d) the step of detecting the thickness of the formed resist coating film by a sensor, (e) the step of detecting a rotating speed of the spin chuck by a sensor, and (f) the step of, on the basis of the detected film thickness and the preliminary correlation data, correcting a set rotating speed of the spin chuck to feedback-control a resist coating process for a next wafer.

Abstract: A developing method comprising the steps of (a) keeping a wafer substantially horizontally such that a resist-coated surface is placed at a top portion, (b) starting a rotation of the wafer at a first speed N1, starting discharging developer from a nozzle at a position where the wafer is prevented from being applied thereon during the rotation of the wafer, and starting scan-moving the nozzle along the wafer as discharging developer, (c) starting a first deceleration for decelerating the rotation of the wafer while the nozzle is scan-moving, (d) stopping the scan-movement of the nozzle above a central area of the wafer when the rotation of the wafer reaches a second speed N2, (e) ending the first deceleration when the rotation of the wafer reaches a third speed N3, and (f) starting a second deceleration for decelerating the rotation of the wafer from the third speed N3 to a fourth speed N4 after rotating the wafer at the third speed N3, ending the second deceleration when the rotation of the wafer reaches at