Coating apparatus – Gas or vapor deposition – Multizone chamber
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-06
2001-07-24
Jones, Deborah (Department: 1775)
Coating apparatus
Gas or vapor deposition
Multizone chamber
C118S715000, C118S719000, C156S345420, C156S345420, C156S345420, C156S345420
Reexamination Certificate
active
06264748
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for applying a resist coating and developing processes to a substrate such as an LCD glass substrate, a semiconductor wafer, etc, and an etching process to the developed substrate.
2. Discussion of the Background
In the manufacture of liquid crystal displays (LCD) and semiconductor devices, a predetermined film is formed on an LCD glass substrate or a semiconductor wafer. Thereafter, the resultant film is coated with photo resist liquid to form a resist film, and the resist film is exposed corresponding to a circuit pattern, and developed. This is the so-called lithography technique by which a circuit pattern is formed. Thereafter, an etching process is applied to the substrate to form a wire circuit.
Conventionally, there is adopted a layout in which the apparatuses performing each of such processes are intensively provided. In many cases, processing apparatuses for dry systems and processing apparatuses for wet systems are laid out to be separated from each other. Particularly, a cleaning process, which is performed after etching, is a wet process, and the unit for such a cleaning process is intensively provided at a position separating from a dry etching unit.
Regarding resist coating and developing, there is often used an apparatus in which a plurality of process units for performing a series of processes are combined. Even in this case, a coating/developing unit, a film forming unit and an etching unit are separately provided.
Each of the process units for performing the respective processes is thus intensively provided, and this arrangement is seemingly efficient. However, in consideration of a series of processes applied to one substrate, a transferring distance of the substrate extremely increases, thereby bringing about an inefficient result.
A vacuum process system such as a film forming process, an etching process and an ashing process, etc., and a cleaning unit and a resist coating/developing process units are provided at positions which are completely separated from each other. Therefore, for example, when the developing process, the etching process, and the ashing process are sequentially performed, thereafter the substrate is cleaned, and when the substrate is cleaned before or after the film forming process, the substrate transferring distance extremely increases, thereby bringing about an inefficient result.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of applying a series of processes to a substrate at high efficiency without increasing a substrate transferring distance.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of applying a vacuum process and a process corresponding to a pre-process and/or a post-process of the vacuum process at high efficiency without increasing a substrate transferring distance.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a processing section having a plurality of process units for applying a series of processes including a resist coating to a substrate to be processed, a developing to an exposed substrate, and an etching to the developed substrate; and
a substrate transferring mechanism for transferring/receiving the processing substrate to/from respective process units of the processing section, wherein the plurality of process units is integrally provided.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a transferring path;
a processing section, provided along the transferring path, having a plurality of process units for applying a series of processes including a resist coating to a substrate to be processed, a developing to an exposed substrate, and an etching to the developed substrate; and
a substrate transferring mechanism, provided to move along the transferring path, for transferring/receiving the substrate to/from respective process units of the processing section, wherein the plurality of process units and the transferring path are integrally provided.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a processing section, provided along a transferring path, portion having a plurality of process units for applying a series of processes including a resist coating to a substrate to be processed, a developing to an exposed substrate, and an etching to the developed substrate;
a substrate transferring mechanism, provided to move along the transferring path, for transferring/receiving the processing substrate to/from respective process units of the processing section; and
a loading/unloading portion having a transferring/receiving mechanism for transferring/receiving the substrate to/from the substrate transferring mechanism, wherein the plurality of process units, the transferring path, and the loading/unloading portion are integrally provided.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a processing section having a plurality of process units for applying a series of processes including a film forming process for forming a thin film on a substrate to be processed, a resist coating to the substrate, a developing to an exposed substrate, and an etching to the developed substrate; and
a substrate transferring mechanism for transferring/receiving the substrate to/from respective process units of the processing section, wherein the plurality of process units is integrally provided.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a transferring path;
a processing section, provided along the transferring path, having a plurality of process units for applying a series of processes including a film forming for forming a thin film on a substrate to be processed, a resist coating to the substrate, a developing to an exposed substrate, and an etching to the developed substrate; and
a substrate transferring mechanism for transferring/receiving the processing substrate to/from the respective process units of the processing section, wherein the plurality of process units and the transferring path are integrally provided.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a processing section, provided along a transferring path, having a plurality of process units for applying a series of processes including a film forming for forming a thin film on a substrate to be processed, a resist coating to the substrate, a developing to an exposed substrate, and an etching to the developed substrate;
a substrate transferring mechanism, provided to move along the transferring path, for transferring/receiving the processing substrate to/from respective process units of the processing section; and
a loading/unloading portion having a transferring/receiving mechanism for transferring/receiving the substrate to/from the substrate transferring mechanism, wherein the plurality of process units, the transferring path, and the loading/unloading portion are integrally provided.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a first process block having at least a cleaning process unit for cleaning a substrate to be processed and an etching process unit for applying an etching process to the substrate, which are provided along a first transferring path;
a second process block having at least a resist coating unit for applying a resist coating to the substrate and a heat process unit for applying a heat process to the substrate, which are provided along a second transferring path;
a third process block having at least a developing process unit for applying a developing process to the exposed substrate and a heat process unit for applying a
Hara Kozo
Kuriki Yasuyuki
Takamori Hideyuki
Jones Deborah
Miranda Lymarle
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Tokyo Electron Limited
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