Abstract: An inspection unit is provided in a substrate processing apparatus performing resist coating processing and development processing on a substrate. In the inspection unit, a film thickness measuring device, a line width measuring device, an overlay measuring device and a macro defect inspection device are successively stacked and arranged from below. The inspection unit is provided on an intermediate portion of a substrate transport path formed in the substrate processing apparatus. The substrate processed in the substrate processing apparatus is selectively introduced into each inspection part. Therefore, the apparatus can properly inspect the substrate at need while suppressing reduction of the throughput. Thus provided are a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate inspection method capable of properly inspecting a substrate while suppressing reduction of the throughput.

Abstract: Substrate processing parts are stacked and arranged in a multistage manner around a transport robot arranged at the center of a processing area. Rotary application units are arranged on a second layer through an indexer and the transport robot. Rotary developing units are stacked above the rotary application units respectively on a fourth layer located above the second layer. Multistage thermal processing units and an edge exposure unit are horizontally arranged in line above the indexer. In place of the processing units, inspection units performing a macro defect inspection and pattern line width measurement may be arranged in the upside region of the indexer space.

Abstract: Transport robot circulates in a predetermined order among a plurality of substrate processing parts while holds substrates, thereby to perform circulating transportation of the substrates. Controller calculates a minimum wait cycle which corresponds to the number of circulating transportation during time from first circulating of a first substrate to first circulating of a second substrate under the condition that interference between the first and second substrates is prohibited. When the minimum wait cycle is shorter than a standard wait cycle which corresponds to the number of circulating transportation for processing of the first substrate, starting of the circulating transportation of the second substrate is delayed in the range of the minimum wait cycle to a standard wait cycle. Hence, the processing of the second substrate can be started without waiting for completion of the processing of the first substrate, resulting in that through put is improved.

Abstract: Substrates of a precedent lot are transported among first processing parts while being processed by the first processing parts. The circulating transportation for the precedent lot is interrupted after starting of the circulating transportation of the first substrate of the precedent lot before starting of the circulating transportation of the last substrate of the precedent lot. Thereafter, a substrate of a subsequent lot is transported among second processing parts while being processed by the second processing parts. Hence, processing of the substrates of the precedent and subsequent lots are concurrently processed, resulting in improving a through put.