Abstract: An apparatus processing a substrate, comprising a plurality of lift pins causing the substrate to move up and down, a first lifting mechanism causing the plurality of lift pins to move up and down, a heating plate performing a heating process onto the substrate, having a plurality of holes causing the plurality of lift pins to protrude and sink there-through to a surface facing the substrate, a lid having an inside portion and a outside portion, being disposed above the heating plate so that the inside portion faces the heating plate, and capable of moving up and down, a second lifting mechanism causing the lid to move up and down, a first inert gas introducing mechanism introducing a first inert gas to the inside portion of the lid and a second inert gas introducing mechanism introducing a second inert gas onto the surface of the heating plate through the plurality of holes.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to grasp easily a process history of a target object such as a semiconductor wafer. The processing apparatus of the present invention includes: a processing apparatus body which includes a plurality of process units for executing a prescribed process to a target object, and transport mechanism for transporting said target object between the process units; a first controller for controlling the processing apparatus as a whole; a second controller for controlling the process units; an information storage section for taking in a signal transmitted and received between the first and second controllers; and a host computer for monitoring operation states of the process units. The present invention is extended to a processing system including a plurality of the processing apparatuses connected with a host computer which is further connected with a monitor computer through a communication network.

Abstract: A closed space is formed in a reduced pressure drying station, and the closed space is brought to a vacuum state. In this state, an EB unit irradiates a wafer mounted on a hot plate with an electron beam to foam an insulating film material. Subsequently, the hot plate is raised to a predetermined temperature, and drying processing is performed under a reduced pressure. As described above, since the foaming processing is performed in the reduced pressure drying station, bubbles remain in the insulating film, so that the existence of the bubbles can decrease the relative dielectric constant.

Abstract: A plurality of multi-staged heating process unit groups having units relating to heating process on upper stages and units relating to temperature controlling on lower stages are disposed in line with a moving direction of a sub-transfer mechanism provided in a cassette station. By taking out a wafer from a temperature controlling unit with using a sub-transfer mechanism after performing a heating process at a heating unit followed by a temperature controlling process at the temperature controlling unit, throughput is improved. Furthermore, since the transfer of the wafer from the temperature controlling unit and the cassette station is always performed by the sub-transfer mechanism, heat history of each wafer becomes uniform.

Abstract: Thermal processing unit sections each with ten tiers and coating processing unit sections each with five tiers are disposed around a first main wafer transfer section and a second main wafer transfer section, and in the thermal processing unit section, the influence of the time required for substrate temperature regulation processing on a drop in throughput can be reduced greatly by transferring the wafer W while the temperature of the wafer W is being regulated by a temperature regulation and transfer device.

Abstract: A predetermined process is provided to a substrate, a plurality of processing apparatuses, each having a controller, are connected to a host computer in a ring shape, and the transfer of substrate is performed according to each processing apparatus. Transfer mechanism, each having no controller, are directly connected to the host computer independently of the respective processing apparatuses, and execute the operation under direct control from the host computer. Accordingly, even if a cable for connecting the host computer to the respective processing apparatuses is damaged, the processes for substrate can be carried safely without exerting an influence upon the operation of each transfer mechanism.

Abstract: A developing process of the photo-resist coated on the wafer is performed, cleaning the developing solution by a cleaning solution then transferring the wafer to the electron beam radiation unit before the rinsing solution and the resist dries out. The radiation chamber is replaced with a helium gas to form a predetermined degree of vacuum or atmospheric pressure. An electron beam is radiated and the front face of the wafer is heated for a predetermined period of time. In this method, deformation and breaking of a pattern caused by drying after the development can be prevented.

Abstract: In a method of fabricating a conductive layer in an insulating film using a damascene process, a copper film is formed on a wafer in a copper formation processing chamber of a film forming apparatus, and then CMP processing is performed for the wafer in a CMP processing chamber. After the CMP processing, the wafer is subjected to cleaning processing in a cleaning chamber, and dried under reduced pressure in a reduced-pressure drying chamber. The wafer which has been subjected to the reduced-pressure drying processing is carried into a CVD unit under reduced pressure, thereby securely suppressing natural oxidization of the copper film formed on the wafer. This can prevent the oxidization of a conductive material as much as possible.

Abstract: A closed space is formed in a reduced pressure drying station, and the closed space is brought to a vacuum state. In this state, an EB unit irradiates a wafer mounted on a hot plate with an electron beam to foam an insulating film material. Subsequently, the hot plate is raised to a predetermined temperature, and drying processing is performed under a reduced pressure. As described above, since the foaming processing is performed in the reduced pressure drying station, bubbles remain in the insulating film, so that the existence of the bubbles can decrease the relative dielectric constant.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for processing a substrate in which a processing consisting of a plurality of process steps is applied to a substrate to be processed. The apparatus comprises a transfer zone extending in a vertical direction, a plurality of process groups arranged to surround the transfer zone for processing the substrate, each process group consisting of a plurality of process units stacked one upon the other, and each process unit having an opening communicating with the transfer zone for transferring the substrate into and out of the process unit, a main arm mechanism movably mounted in the transfer zone for transferring the substrate into and out of the process unit through the opening, and down flow forming means for forming a down flow of a clean air within the transfer zone.

Abstract: A processing apparatus comprises a plurality of processing sets, each set including a transport path extending vertically, a plurality of processing sections which are provided around the transport path and each have a plurality of processing units laid one on top of another vertically, which each perform a specific process on objects, and a main transport mechanism which moves along the transport path, loads the objects on and unloads the objects from each processing unit in the plurality of processing sections, and an inter-set transport mechanism for transporting objects between the adjacent processing sets.

Abstract: A resist processing method in which a substrate is successively transferred by an arm mechanism into a plurality of process units for successively processing the substrate, comprising the steps of (a) loading a substrate having a reference region which is aligned as desired relative to the process unit and the arm mechanism in a horizontal plane, into the process unit, the substrate being held substantially horizontal by a spin chuck surrounded by a drain cup, (b) rotating the spin chuck holding the substrate and supplying a process solution onto the substrate rotated together with the spin chuck, (c) stopping the supply of the process solution and also stopping rotation of the substrate, (d) detecting a position of the reference region in the horizontal plane of the substrate held on the spin chuck, (e) rotating the substrate together with the spin chuck based on the position detected in the step (d) to permit the reference region of the substrate to be aligned with an initial position in the step (a) of loa

Abstract: A static chuck and a workpiece push-up pin are disposed on a susceptor which is one of opposed electrodes generating plasma. The push-up pin and the susceptor are electrically connected. A grounding circuit which discharges electric charges remaining on the susceptor is disposed in parallel with an RF power supply circuit which supplies RF power to the susceptor. Thus, electric charges remaining in the power supply circuit can be discharged and an abnormal discharging between the push-up pin and the susceptor can be prevented.

Abstract: In order to prevent any possible electrical discharge between a lower electrode and a grounded member through a backside gas supply conduit when performing a plasma treatment with a supply of a backside gas such as He gas to the backside of a semiconductor wafer being held by an electromagnetic chuck on the lower electrode for the generation of a plasma within a plasma treatment chamber, the gas supply conduit is fitted therein with cylindrical flowpath members made of two types of electrically insulating materials each having a multiplicity of axially extending small-diameter conduction holes, at a position within an electrically insulating body disposed between the lower electrode and a grounded member. The small diameter conduction holes in the backside gas flowpath serve to increase an electrical discharge start voltage for the prevention of electrical discharge. The formation of the multiplicity of conduction holes provides a large conductance.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a processing chamber that processes an object to be processed in an atmosphere of a processing gas. The processing chamber is provided with a mounting stand having a holder mechanism that holds the object to be processed within the processing chamber. The mounting stand is connected to a rotational mechanism and is free to rotate, and the holder mechanism on the mounting stand is also provided with a separate, independent rotational mechanism whereby the front surface and rear surface of the object to be processed can be rotated (inverted) relative to the mounting stand. Thus the present invention provides a processing method and apparatus therefor in which the front surface and rear surface of the object to be processed can be processed under the same conditions, without having to change the atmospheric status of the object to be processed.

Abstract: A substrate detector device comprises a boat or chuck for holding substrates, a light emitting section having a plurality of light emitting elements, arranged side by side, for respectively applying light beams to the substrates, a light receiving section, facing the light emitting section and having a plurality of light receiving elements, for receiving light beams passed through the substrates, the light receiving elements arranged side by side so as not face the light emitting elements, a polarization filter provided on optical axes of the respective optical beams incident on the light receiving elements, a memory for storing, as reference data, an amount of light received by a receiving element which has been measured in advance when a light beam is applied to a substrate in a state where no other substrate is present on either side of the substrate, and controller for discriminating the presence, the number, and the state of arrangement of the substrates on the holding means based on the reference data a