Abstract: A substrate inspection apparatus includes: a storage configured to store inspection image data obtained from a captured image of a periphery of a substrate on which a film is formed, and an inspection recipe; an edge detector configured to detect a target edge as an edge of an inspection target film on the basis of the inspection image data stored in the storage by using the inspection recipe stored in the storage; a periphery calculator configured to calculate a position of a theoretical periphery of the substrate; and a width calculator configured to calculate a width between the theoretical periphery of the substrate and the target edge on the basis of position data of the theoretical periphery of the substrate obtained by the periphery calculator and position data of the target edge obtained by the edge detector.

Abstract: A substrate inspection apparatus includes: a storage configured to store inspection image data obtained from a captured image of a periphery of a substrate on which a film is formed, and an inspection recipe; an edge detector configured to detect a target edge as an edge of an inspection target film on the basis of the inspection image data stored in the storage by using the inspection recipe stored in the storage; a periphery calculator configured to calculate a position of a theoretical periphery of the substrate; and a width calculator configured to calculate a width between the theoretical periphery of the substrate and the target edge on the basis of position data of the theoretical periphery of the substrate obtained by the periphery calculator and position data of the target edge obtained by the edge detector.

Abstract: An information processing method includes obtaining information on a deformation factor of a surface of a target substrate; obtaining a surface image of the target substrate; calculating a correction coefficient for correcting an image change due to deformation of the surface, based on the information on the deformation factor of the surface; and generating a corrected image of the target substrate by correcting the surface image of the target substrate using the correction coefficient.

Abstract: A substrate inspection apparatus includes: a storage configured to store inspection image data obtained from a captured image of a periphery of a substrate on which a plurality of films is formed, and an inspection recipe; and an edge detector configured to detect a target edge as an edge of an inspection target film among the films on the basis of the inspection image data stored in the storage by using the inspection recipe stored in the storage. Each of edges of the films extends along the periphery of the substrate. The inspection recipe is configured by combining parameters each of which has one option specified among a plurality of options.

Abstract: An apparatus includes: a processed-image acquisition part for acquiring a processed image including image information of a surface of a substrate having a target film formed thereon; an estimation part for estimating a shape characteristic value of the target film, by applying an estimation model for estimating the shape characteristic value of the target film to the processed image; an underlying influence model creation part for creating an underlying influence model associated with a correlation between a difference between an estimation result of the shape characteristic value of the target film and a shape characteristic value of the target film acquired without using the estimation model, and information related to a color of a surface of an underlying substrate before the target film is formed, and an estimated-result correction part for correcting the estimation result of the shape characteristic value of the target film based on the underlying influence model.

Abstract: A substrate inspection device for inspecting a substrate, includes: a setting part configured to define a group according to a basic state that is not dependent on a presence or absence of a defect in a substrate and set the defined group for each inspection target substrate; an inspection part configured to perform a defect inspection based on a captured image of the inspection target substrate and an inspection recipe corresponding to the defined group to which the inspection target substrate belongs and including a reference image; a recipe creation part configured to create the inspection recipe for each group; and a determination part configured to perform a determination as to whether a group-setting target substrate, for which the group is set by the setting part, belongs to the group defined by the setting part.

Abstract: A device for creating a shape characteristic value estimation model for estimating a shape characteristic value includes: a post-processing-image acquisition part for acquiring a post-processing image of a surface of a substrate subjected to film processing; a pre-processing-image acquisition part for acquiring a pre-processing image of the surface not subjected to the film processing; a color-change estimation model creation part for creating a color-change estimation model for estimating first color-related information of the surface of the substrate included in the post-processing image from second color-related information of the surface of the substrate included in the pre-processing image; and a correlation estimation model creation part for creating a correlation estimation model by obtaining a difference between the first information and a result estimated by the color-change estimation model, the correlation estimation model being used for estimating correlation between the difference and the shape c

Abstract: An information processing method includes obtaining information on a deformation factor of a surface of a target substrate; obtaining a surface image of the target substrate; calculating a correction coefficient for correcting an image change due to deformation of the surface, based on the information on the deformation factor of the surface; and generating a corrected image of the target substrate by correcting the surface image of the target substrate using the correction coefficient.

Abstract: An apparatus includes: a processed-image acquisition part for acquiring a processed image including image information of a surface of a substrate having a target film formed thereon; an estimation part for estimating a shape characteristic value of the target film, by applying an estimation model for estimating the shape characteristic value of the target film to the processed image; an underlying influence model creation part for creating an underlying influence model associated with a correlation between a difference between an estimation result of the shape characteristic value of the target film and a shape characteristic value of the target film acquired without using the estimation model, and information related to a color of a surface of an underlying substrate before the target film is formed, and an estimated-result correction part for correcting the estimation result of the shape characteristic value of the target film based on the underlying influence model.

Abstract: A period from a time point when a wafer W is carried into a housing 10 to a time point when the wafer W after being exposed is completely ready to be carried out is set as a single cycle. A time period before a next cycle is begun and after the single cycle is completed is referred to as a standby time period. When an illuminance in dummy light emission is set to be Id; an illuminance in exposure, Is; a time length of the dummy light emission, Td; and a time length of the exposure, Ts, by setting the Id to satisfy an expression of Id=(Tp/Td)·Iw?(Ts/Td)·Is, an average illuminance within the single cycle is maintained constant between substrates.

Abstract: A substrate inspection apparatus includes: a storage configured to store inspection image data obtained from a captured image of a periphery of a substrate on which a plurality of films is formed, and an inspection recipe; and an edge detector configured to detect a target edge as an edge of an inspection target film among the films on the basis of the inspection image data stored in the storage by using the inspection recipe stored in the storage. Each of edges of the films extends along the periphery of the substrate. The inspection recipe is configured by combining parameters each of which has one option specified among a plurality of options.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes carry in/out station, transfer station, processing station, and image capturing unit. The carry in/out station includes first conveyance device that takes out and conveys substrate from cassette. The transfer station is disposed adjacent to the carry in/out station, and includes substrate placement unit on which the substrate conveyed by the first conveyance device is placed. The processing station is disposed adjacent to the transfer station, and includes second conveyance device that takes out and conveys the substrate from the substrate placement unit, and a plurality of processing units that processes the substrate conveyed by the second conveyance device. The image capturing unit is disposed in the transfer station, and captures an image of the peripheral edge portion of one of the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate and the end surface of the substrate.

Abstract: A period from a time point when a wafer W is carried into a housing 10 to a time point when the wafer W after being exposed is completely ready to be carried out is set as a single cycle. A time period before a next cycle is begun and after the single cycle is completed is referred to as a standby time period. When an illuminance in dummy light emission is set to be Id; an illuminance in exposure, Is; a time length of the dummy light emission, Td; and a time length of the exposure, Ts, by setting the Id to satisfy an expression of Id=(Tp/Td)·Iw?(Ts/Td)·Is, an average illuminance within the single cycle is maintained constant between substrates.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes carry in/out station, transfer station, processing station, and image capturing unit. The carry in/out station includes first conveyance device that takes out and conveys substrate from cassette. The transfer station is disposed adjacent to the carry in/out station, and includes substrate placement unit on which the substrate conveyed by the first conveyance device is placed. The processing station is disposed adjacent to the transfer station, and includes second conveyance device that takes out and conveys the substrate from the substrate placement unit, and a plurality of processing units that processes the substrate conveyed by the second conveyance device. The image capturing unit is disposed in the transfer station, and captures an image of the peripheral edge portion of one of the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate and the end surface of the substrate.

Abstract: A method of a sheet alignment includes carrying a sheet from a sheet discharging port; transferring the sheet on a tray device toward a sheet end regulating device; moving the sheet on the tray device in a width direction orthogonal to the sheet discharging direction for widthwise alignment; and abutting again the sheet on the tray device against the sheet end regulating device while the sheet is in the widthwise alignment. When the sheet on the tray device is transferred toward the sheet end regulating device, the sheet is transferred at a predetermined speed. Before the sheet abuts against the sheet end regulating device, the speed is reduced to provide a conveying force to the sheet without stopping. While the conveying force is continuously applied to the sheet, the sheet is aligned in the width direction to thereby prevent skewing of the sheet relative to the sheet end regulating device.

Abstract: A sheet accumulation apparatus includes a tray moving device elevatably provided at an apparatus frame and having a fork member; a tray device detachably attached to the fork member; a driving device for elevating the tray moving device; and a carrier device having a hand truck frame with a fork member. An operation handle is connected to the hand truck frame for accommodating the tray device separated from the tray moving device to transport the tray device from the tray moving device. The tray moving device and the carrier device are structured so that the tray device is transferred between the tray moving device and the carrier device at an attachment/detachment position at which the tray moving device is lowered.

Abstract: A method of a sheet alignment includes carrying a sheet from a sheet discharging port; transferring the sheet on a tray device toward a sheet end regulating device; moving the sheet on the tray device in a width direction orthogonal to the sheet discharging direction for widthwise alignment; and abutting again the sheet on the tray device against the sheet end regulating device while the sheet is in the widthwise alignment. When the sheet on the tray device is transferred toward the sheet end regulating device, the sheet is transferred at a predetermined speed. Before the sheet abuts against the sheet end regulating device, the speed is reduced to provide a conveying force to the sheet without stopping. While the conveying force is continuously applied to the sheet, the sheet is aligned in the width direction to thereby prevent skewing of the sheet relative to the sheet end regulating device.

Abstract: A sheet accumulation apparatus includes a tray moving device elevatably provided at an apparatus frame and having a fork member; a tray device detachably attached to the fork member; a driving device for elevating the tray moving device; and a carrier device having a hand truck frame with a fork member. An operation handle is connected to the hand truck frame for accommodating the tray device separated from the tray moving device to transport the tray device from the tray moving device. The tray moving device and the carrier device are structured so that the tray device is transferred between the tray moving device and the carrier device at an attachment/detachment position at which the tray moving device is lowered.

Abstract: A sheet aligning device includes a sheet discharging port, a tray device, a sheet end regulating device, a sheet transfer device, a widthwise aligning device for moving the sheet on the tray device in a direction orthogonal to a sheet discharging direction for widthwise alignment, and a control device for allowing the sheet transfer device to abut the sheet on the tray device against the sheet regulating device and allowing the widthwise aligning device to place the sheet at an appropriate position in a width direction. The sheet transfer device adjusts a conveying force applied to the sheet on the tray device, and the control device controls the sheet transfer device so that the conveying force applied to the sheet by the sheet transfer device is reduced, and the conveying force applied to the sheet by the sheet transfer device is increased.

Abstract: In order to obtain an electrolyte membrane-electrode assembly using a thin electrolyte membrane, the present invention provides a production method of an electrolyte membrane-electrode assembly comprising: a step of forming a hydrogen ion-conductive polymer electrolyte membrane on a base material; a treatment step of reducing adhesion force between the base material and the hydrogen ion-conductive polymer electrolyte membrane; a step of separating and removing the base material; and a step of bonding a catalyst layer and a gas diffusion layer onto the hydrogen ion-conductive polymer electrolyte membrane, and, in order to obtain an electrolyte membrane-electrode assembly which has a catalyst without clogging and is excellent in electrode characteristics, the present invention provides a production method of an electrolyte membrane-electrode assembly comprising: a step of bonding a hydrogen ion-conductive polymer electrolyte membrane and a catalyst layer via a coating layer; a step of removing the coating layer