Abstract: Provided is a data processing method of a printing apparatus for printing a multi-color image on a printing medium by each of printing heads for at least two colors while transporting the printing medium relative to the printing heads in a paper-feed direction. The method includes a skew detecting step of detecting a degree of skew of the printing medium; a correction printing-data generating step of shifting print data from a printing unit for performing printing in a direction orthogonal to the paper-feed direction in accordance with the degree of skew to generate correction printing-data, the printing unit having a first printing head disposed upstream in the paper-feed direction and a second printing head spaced away from the first printing head downstream in the paper-feed direction; and a printing step of performing printing on the printing medium with the printing unit in accordance with the correction printing-data.

Abstract: An inspection apparatus inspects a photovoltaic cell panel in which the photo device is formed. The inspection apparatus includes: an irradiation part that irradiates the photovoltaic cell panel with pulsed light (pump light) emitted from a femtosecond laser; a detecting part that detects an electromagnetic wave pulse, which is generated from the photovoltaic cell panel according to the irradiation of the pump light; and a continuous light irradiation part that irradiates a portion, which is irradiated with the pump light in the photovoltaic cell panel, with continuous light.

Abstract: A substrate treatment apparatus is used for treating a major surface of a substrate with a chemical liquid. The substrate treatment apparatus includes: a substrate holding unit which holds the substrate; a chemical liquid supplying unit having a chemical liquid nozzle which supplies the chemical liquid onto the major surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit; a heater having an infrared lamp to be located in opposed relation to the major surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit to heat the chemical liquid supplied onto the major surface of the substrate by irradiation with infrared radiation emitted from the infrared lamp, the heater having a smaller diameter than the substrate; and a heater moving unit which moves the heater along the major surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit.

Abstract: In an inkjet printer, a pattern for density correction that indicates a constant density image is printed on printing paper with a head having a plurality of outlet rows, and pattern image data that indicates the pattern is acquired. A target outlet that ejects ink toward a linear region having a missing part in the pattern is detected, and a reference outlet that is included in the same outlet row as the target outlet and located close to the target outlet is specified. A density correction value of the target outlet among density correction values that are acquired based on a density profile of the pattern is replaced with a representative value of a density correction value of the reference outlet. Through this, even if an ink ejection failure occurs in any of the outlets, appropriate density correction values can be obtained for a plurality of outlets.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus is composed of an indexer block, a first processing block and a second processing block that are provided in parallel with one another. The indexer block is provided with an indexer robot. The first processing block is provided with a plurality of back surface cleaning units and a first main robot. The second processing block is provided with a plurality of end surface cleaning units, a plurality of top surface cleaning units and a second main robot.

Abstract: The front surface of a semiconductor wafer with a back surface supported by lift pins is irradiated with a flash of light from flash lamps, so that the semiconductor wafer is heated. A transparent restriction ring made of quartz is into abutment with or close to a peripheral portion of the front surface of the semiconductor wafer. In this state, the flash irradiation is performed. If the temperature of the front surface of the semiconductor wafer rises rapidly when the flash irradiation is performed, the restriction ring restrains the semiconductor wafer from jumping up from the lift pins. This prevents wafer cracking resulting from the jumping of the semiconductor wafer when the flash irradiation is performed.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method are capable of restraining or preventing the generation of streaky particles on a substrate surface by excellent removal of a rinsing liquid therefrom. The substrate processing apparatus has a substrate inclining mechanism for inclining a substrate held by a substrate holding mechanism. After a rinsing liquid has been supplied onto a substrate to form a liquid mass, the substrate is inclined at a small angle by the substrate inclining mechanism. Then, the liquid mass is downwardly moved without being fragmented and then falls down without leaving minute droplets on the substrate top. Thereafter, the substrate is returned to a horizontal posture and then dried.

Abstract: A first flash heating is performed in which a lower flash lamp irradiates a back surface of a semiconductor wafer with flashes of light, so that heat conduction from the back surface to a surface of the semiconductor wafer raises the temperature of the surface from the room temperature to an intermediate temperature. Then, a second flash heating is performed in which an upper flash lamp irradiates the surface of the semiconductor wafer with flashes of light, to raise the temperature of the surface of the semiconductor wafer from the intermediate temperature to a target temperature. Since only the irradiation with flashes of light emitted from the lower flash lamp and the upper flash lamp is used to cause the semiconductor wafer having the room temperature to reach the target temperature, all heat treatments can be completed in an extremely short time of one second or less.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus is composed of an indexer block, a first processing block and a second processing block that are provided in parallel with one another. The indexer block is provided with an indexer robot. The first processing block is provided with a plurality of back surface cleaning units and a first main robot. The second processing block is provided with a plurality of end surface cleaning units, a plurality of top surface cleaning units and a second main robot.

Abstract: An appearance inspection apparatus comprises an inspection part for detecting a defect of a pattern on the basis of an image of a surface of a substrate on which the pattern is formed, which is captured by an imaging part. The inspection part comprises an image transfer part for transferring image data which is obtained by imaging a region to be inspected on the substrate and stored in an image storing memory by the imaging part to a plurality of image processing memories and a plurality of GPUs for taking image data corresponding to respective regions to be processed out of transferred image data which are transferred to the image processing memories by the image transfer part and performing an inspection process for defect detection on the image data.

Abstract: A solvent vapor containing a solvent material capable of dissolving hydrogen fluoride is supplied to a surface of a substrate, thereby covering the surface of the substrate with a liquid film containing solvent material. Thereafter an etching vapor containing a hydrogen fluoride is supplied to the surface of the substrate covered by the liquid film containing the solvent material, thereby etching the surface of the substrate.

Abstract: In a substrate processing apparatus, a liquid film of a supercooled liquid of pure water is formed on the upper surface of a substrate and then cooled with cooling gas into a frozen film. The temperature of the liquid film is lower than the freezing point of pure water, and thus the liquid film is in an easy-to-freeze state. Thus, the time required to freeze the liquid film can be shortened. Even if the temperature of the cooling gas is increased, the liquid film can be speedily frozen as compared with the case in which a liquid film is formed of pure water having a temperature higher than its freezing point. Thus, heat insulating facilities such as piping that supply cooling gas can be simplified. This results in a reduction of the cooling cost required to freeze the liquid film.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus (1) includes a bath body (11), cover members (12), processing liquid nozzles (31) for ejecting an SPM liquid like a shower, and gas nozzles (32) for ejecting nitrogen gas. The processing liquid nozzles eject a processing liquid (91) onto substrates (9) from sidewalls (111) of the bath body (11). By ejecting gas toward lower surfaces of the cover members from the gas nozzles before the substrates are loaded into the bath body, it is possible to remove droplets of the processing liquid deposited on the lower surfaces of the cover members during the previous processing of the substrates or during a temperature control where the processing liquid is ejected from the processing liquid nozzles. It is thereby possible to prevent or reduce deposition of droplets of the processing liquid dropped onto the substrates immediately after being loaded into the bath body.

Abstract: A preprocess step for supplying an inert gas into an enclosed space in which a substrate is disposed, while exhausting gas by sucking out of the enclosed space. And then, an etching step for supplying a process vapor into the enclosed space while exhausting gas out of the enclosed space at an rate lower than a rate in the preprocess step. And then a post-process step for supplying an inert gas into the enclosed space while exhausting gas by sucking out of the enclosed space at a rate higher than the rate in the etching step.

Abstract: An anodizing apparatus for causing an anodizing reaction to substrates immersed in an electrolyte solution. The apparatus includes a storage tank for storing the electrolyte solution, a holder for holding a plurality of substrates in liquid-tight contact with circumferential surfaces of the substrates, a moving mechanism for moving the holder between a transfer position outside the storage tank and a treating position inside the storage tank, and a closing device disposed in the storage tank for cooperating with the holder to complete a liquid-tight closure of the circumferential surfaces of the substrates held by the holder. Chemical reaction treatment is carried out with the circumferential surfaces of the substrates placed in a liquid-tight state. After the chemical reaction treatment is completed, the closing device is made inoperative and the holder is moved away from the treating position to unload the substrates from the storage tank.

Abstract: There is provided an electroless plating apparatus which, despite using a high-productivity batch processing method, can reduce the amount of a liquid chemical brought out of a processing tank, thereby reducing the cleaning time in a cleaning step, and can perform flushing easily and quickly. The electroless plating apparatus includes a pre-plating treatment module including a pre-plating treatment tank, a plating module, and an inter-module substrate transport device. The pre-plating treatment tank is provided with a pre-plating treatment solution circulation line having a temperature control function for a pre-plating treatment solution. The plating tank is provided with a plating solution circulation line having a filter and a temperature control function for a plating solution. The plating solution circulation line is connected to a flushing line for flushing the interior of the plating solution circulation line and the interior of the plating tank.

Abstract: In an assembling apparatus according to the present invention, a control portion controls an operation of a working portion such that a first reference position, which corresponds to a first reference point of an assembling component defined in three-dimensional model data of the assembling component, and a second reference position, which corresponds to a second reference point of the assembling component defined in three-dimensional model data of an assembled component, are associated with each other. Therefore, it is possible to carry out an assembling operation properly and efficiently irrespective of a positional shift of the assembled component.

Abstract: An inkjet printing apparatus for printing images on printing paper by discharging ink while moving inkjet heads and the printing paper relative to each other. The apparatus includes an inkjet head holder for holding the inkjet heads, a controller for operating a plurality of motors to move the inkjet head holder vertically at least between a printing position and an origin position, and a monitoring unit for monitoring, during a vertical movement caused by the controller, synchronous rotations of the plurality of motors, and corresponding directions of rotation of the plurality of motors.

Abstract: A degassing apparatus of a liquid feed line for removing gas present in a liquid before feeding the liquid includes a degassing module for receiving, and removing the gas present in, the liquid. The apparatus is constructed and operated for removing gas in deionized water in a semiconductor process or in ink used in printing.

Abstract: An inkjet printing apparatus includes a plurality of nozzles for discharging ink, a CIS (Contact Image Sensor) type scanner for reading, as image data, charts for correction printed in the ink discharged from the nozzles, light emitters for emitting light to the charts for correction, a scanner controller for causing the scanner to scan the charts for correction with a plurality of read conditions, a correction table creator for creating nozzle shading correction tables based on the image data read, and a shading corrector for carrying out shading correction for the nozzles based on the correction tables.