Abstract: A coating/developing apparatus has a carrier block including a first transfer device, a process block including processing modules, an examination block including examination modules and a second transfer device, and first to forth stages. A controller executes a first operation mode preset to transfer substrates from the process block and carrier block into the examination block in parallel. The first operation mode includes transferring substrates processed by the process block to the third or fourth stage through or not through an examination module by the second transfer device, transferring substrates to be only examined from a carrier in the carrier block to the second stage by the first transfer device, and transferring these substrates from the second stage to an examination modules by the second transfer device, and transferring substrates thus examined from the examination block to the third or fourth stage by the second transfer device.

Abstract: A plurality of process modules for conducting processes on a wafer; conveying modules for conveying the wafer, a turnout module for transferring the wafer to/from the conveying module, and a CPU for detecting a trouble occurring in the process module and centrally controlling each of the modules based on a detection signal. When the controller detects the trouble occurring in any one of the process modules, the wafer to be conveyed to the process module where the trouble occurs is conveyed to the turnout module, and conveyance of the wafer before the process module where the trouble occurs is temporarily stopped, and conveyance and processing of the other wafer are continued, and thereafter, conveyance and processing of the wafer before the process module where the trouble occurs are conducted.

Abstract: In a coating and developing apparatus applied to liquid-immersion light exposure, substrates without an appropriately formed protective film can be recovered without adversely affecting normal-substrate processing efficiency, and in addition, removal of protective films can be simplified. In the coating and developing apparatus of the present invention, abnormal substrates not appropriately surface-coated with a protective film during liquid-immersion light exposure are queued in a queuing module, instead of being loaded into an exposure unit, and after the immediately preceding substrate has been unloaded from the exposure unit and loaded into a designated module, for example, a pre-developing second heating module, each abnormal substrate is loaded into the designated module in order to prevent so-called “scheduled transfer” from being affected, and a protective-film removing unit is also controlled to process the abnormal substrate.

Abstract: In a coating/developing apparatus, a process section includes post-exposure baking units each having a waiting position and configured to perform a baking process on a substrate. An interface section transfer mechanism includes a first transfer mechanism configured to transfer the substrate to and from the process section and to load the substrate into the post-exposure baking units, and a second transfer mechanism configured to transfer the substrate to and from the light exposure apparatus. An interface section includes a relay position configured to place thereon the substrate transferred by the second transfer mechanism, and to allow the first transfer mechanism to receive the substrate therefrom. A control section is arranged to set the substrate on standby at the relay position and the waiting position, to make a time period constant among substrates from an end of the light exposure process to a start of a post-exposure baking process.

Abstract: For accurately estimating an air quantity flowing into a cylinder at the time of operating an intake control valve, a control apparatus for an engine according to the present invention is provided with an intake control valve which can open/close an intake passage in synchronization with opening/closing of an intake valve, intake control valve controlling means which opens the intake control valve in the midst of the intake stroke and thereafter, closes the intake control valve, and air quantity estimating means which estimates an air quantity flowing into a cylinder after the intake control valve has opened, based upon opening timing of the intake control valve, closing timing or an opening period of the intake control valve, and a pressure at a downstream side of the intake control valve at the opening timing of the intake control valve.

Abstract: A coating and developing system includes a cassette station, a processing station and an inspection station interposed between the cassette station and the processing station. Time for which a substrate is held uselessly in the inspection module is reduced. A substrate carrying means disposed in the inspection module places priority to transferring a substrate between the cassette station and the processing station, and transfers a substrate to an inspection module in a part of a cycle time in which a substrate carrying means disposed in the processing station carries out one carrying cycle. It is permitted to carry out a substrate from the inspection module in a skip carrying mode, in which a substrate specified by a larger ordinal numeral is carried ahead of a substrate specified by a smaller ordinal numeral. It is inhibited to carry a substrate to the inspection module in the skip carrying mode.

Abstract: For accurately estimating an air quantity flowing into a cylinder at the time of operating an intake control valve, a control apparatus for an engine according to the present invention is provided with an intake control valve which can open/close an intake passage in synchronization with opening/closing of an intake valve, intake control valve controlling means which opens the intake control valve in the midst of the intake stroke and thereafter, closes the intake control valve, and air quantity estimating means which estimates an air quantity flowing into a cylinder after the intake control valve has opened, based upon opening timing of the intake control valve, closing timing or an opening period of the intake control valve, and a pressure at a downstream side of the intake control valve at the opening timing of the intake control valve.

Abstract: Disclosed is a countermeasure to be taken when a fault occurs in one of process modules 11-17 or a transport module 20 that makes it impossible to transport substrates to a process module positioned downstream of a post-exposure baking module 15 in accordance with a predetermined transport schedule in a post-exposure substrate transport path that starts from an exposure apparatus 5 and goes through the post-exposure baking (PEB) module 15, a developing module 12, and a post-development baking module 15. In this instance, part of post-exposure processes to a post-exposure baking process are continuously performed to the exposed substrates and the wafers W having been subjected to the PEB process are loaded into a buffer module 32 and temporarily stored in the buffer module 32 until the fault is cleared.

Abstract: A substrate processing system 100 and a substrate processing method process a plurality of substrates in a single-substrate processing mode by the cooperative operation of a first processing system and a second processing system. The substrate processing system 100 suppresses increase in cost and footprint and the reduction of yield and throughput. The substrate processing system 100 includes a first processing system 50 for processing substrates in a single-substrate processing mode and a second processing system 60 for processing substrates in a single-substrate processing mode. The second processing system 60 processes a substrate processed by a first process by the first processing system 50 by a second process, and the first processing system processes the substrate processed by the second process by the second processing system 60 by a third process. The first processing system 50 includes a first control means 30 for controlling a substrate carrying operation.

Abstract: Provided is a game machine including a portable phone terminal having a non-contact IC chip including an electronic money storage unit and a game point storage unit; an electronic money processing terminal capable of downloading, in a non-contact manner, to an electronic money amount storage unit the amount of electronic money purchased; a selection unit for selecting whether to conduct the settlement for executing the game application program based on the electronic money or the game points; a processing unit enabling the input of the amount of electronic money or game points necessary in executing the game application program to the settlement processing unit from the respective storage units of the IC chip, and a point generation unit for generating the acquired points according to the game execution status.

Abstract: The pressure within the common-rail 3 is reduced when the engine is stopped without an operation of the automatic engine stopping and restarting device for automatically stopping and restarting the engine to improve fuel consumption. A reducing amount of the pressure within the common-rail 3 when the engine is stopped with an operation of the automatic engine stopping and restarting device is made smaller than that when the engine is stopped without an operation of the automatic engine stopping and restarting device.

Abstract: In an eco-run control, determination of a stop of an internal combustion engine (1) is reliably and promptly made.

Abstract: A control apparatus and method of an internal combustion engine performs a predetermined stop control of the engine that includes a control to stop the supply of fuel to the engine upon establishment of a predetermined stop condition, and a re-start control that includes a control to restart the supply of fuel to the engine in response to the establishment of a predetermined re-start condition. The apparatus has a stop control discontinuing device for discontinuing the stop control if the re-start condition is established within a predetermined period between establishment of the stop condition and a stop of the engine.

Abstract: In an eco-run control, determination of a stop of an internal combustion engine (1) is reliably and promptly made.

Abstract: The pressure within the common-rail 3 is reduced when the engine is stopped without an operation of the automatic engine stopping and restarting device for automatically stopping and restarting the engine to improve fuel consumption. A reducing amount of the pressure within the common-rail 3 when the engine is stopped with an operation of the automatic engine stopping and restarting device is made smaller than that when the engine is stopped without an operation of the automatic engine stopping and restarting device.

Abstract: A circuit is disclosed that can output signals from different circuit blocks at a common output terminal with a smaller number of transistors than conventional approaches. When a level shifter circuit receives a high voltage level at a control terminal (2), a level shifter unit (12) is placed in the operational state to provide an output signal from a low voltage system block, and a clocked inverter (106) is placed in the non-operational state. When a level shifter circuit receives a low voltage level at a control terminal (2), a clocked inverter (106) is placed in the operational state to provide an output signal from a high voltage system block. At the same time, PMOS transistor (105) can be turned on, resulting in PMOS transistors (5) being turned off. Further, NMOS transistors (109 and 110) are turned off. This can result in an output impedance of a level shifter unit (12) being set to a high impedance state.

Abstract: A circuit is disclosed that can output signals from different circuit blocks at a common output terminal with a smaller number of transistors than conventional approaches. When a level shifter circuit receives a high voltage level at a control terminal (2), a level shifter unit (12) is placed in the operational state to provide an output signal from a low voltage system block, and a clocked inverter (106) is placed in the non-operational state. When a level shifter circuit receives a low voltage level at a control terminal (2), a clocked inverter (106) is placed in the operational state to provide an output signal from a high voltage system block. At the same time, PMOS transistor (105) can be turned on, resulting in PMOS transistors (5) being turned off. Further, NMOS transistors (109 and 110) are turned off. This can result in an output impedance of a level shifter unit (12) being set to a high impedance state.

Abstract: A control apparatus and method of an internal combustion engine performs a predetermined stop control of the engine that includes a control to stop the supply of fuel to the engine upon establishment of a predetermined stop condition, and a re-start control that includes a control to restart the supply of fuel to the engine in response to the establishment of a predetermined re-start condition. The apparatus has a stop control discontinuing device for discontinuing the stop control if the re-start condition is established within a predetermined period between establishment of the stop condition and a stop of the engine.

Abstract: It is possible, in a rolling method of a strip shifting one-side-tapered work rolls in the axial direction and causing the upper and the lower work rolls to cross each other, to appropriately set a quantity of shift and a crossing angle and to improve an edge drop satisfactorily, by utilizing the relationship of the three factors including the quantity of shift and the crossing angle for determining quantities of operation necessary to correcting an edge drop of the strip and the quantity of correction of edge drop corresponding to these quantities of operation in the form of the relationship between the roll gap between the upper and the lower work rolls and the quantity of correction of edge drop, by providing an effective roll gap reference position apart from the strip edge by a prescribed distance.

Abstract: A cement admixture comprising a polymer latex and a water reducing agent as effective components, wherein the polymer latex comprises a copolymer of monomers comprising ethylene, vinyl acetate and an acrylic ester, and an emulsion stabilizer, said emulsion stabilizer being a surfactant.