Photocopying – Projection printing and copying cameras – With developing
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-22
2002-04-23
Adams, Russell (Department: 2851)
Photocopying
Projection printing and copying cameras
With developing
C355S030000, C118S719000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06377329
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 11-143424, filed May 24, 1999, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for coating a resist solution onto a substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer and liquid crystal display substrate, and developing a resist coated film.
In the case where a semiconductor device is manufactured by utilizing a photolithography, use is made of a system with a substrate processing apparatus (coating/developing apparatus) and light exposure apparatus combined.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, a conventional substrate processing apparatus includes a cassette section
10
, a coating block S
1
, developing block S
2
and interface section
51
and is connected to a light exposure apparatus S
3
through the interface section
51
. Such substrate processing apparatus is operated as will be set out below.
A sub-arm conveying mechanism not shown takes out a wafer W from a cassette C and conveys it to a first passing base
11
. A first main arm conveying mechanism MA
1
takes out the wafer W from a first passing base
11
and conveys it to the coating unit
12
, heat treating section
15
and second passing base
13
. Then a second main arm conveying mechanism MA
2
takes out the wafer W from the second passing base
13
and conveys it to a third passing base
14
. Then, the sub-arm conveying mechanism, not shown, takes out the wafer W from a third passing base
14
, conveys it to an interface section
51
and passes it to a transfer arm mechanism, not shown, of the light exposure apparatus S
3
. And the wafer W is transferred to a light exposure stage and a resist coated film is patterned with a light exposure.
The wafer W is conveyed, in a backward path reverse to that set out above, from the light exposure apparatus S
3
to the third passing base
14
. The second main arm conveying mechanism MA
2
takes out the wafer W from the third passing base
14
and conveys it to a heat treating section
17
, developing unit
16
and second passing base
13
. Then the first main arm conveying mechanism MA
1
takes out the wafer W from the second passing base
13
and conveys it to the first passing base
11
. The sub-arm conveying mechanism takes out the wafer W from the first passing base
11
and stores it in the cassette C.
In recent times, an anti-reflective film has been used to coat it on the upper or lower side of the resist film and its dedicated-use coating unit has been adopted within the coating block S
1
. For this reason, more number of steps are required in the coating block S
1
and an increasing burden is borne on the first main arm conveying mechanism MA
1
. In the conventional system, however, the first main arm conveying mechanism MA
1
not only conveys the wafer W in the coating block S
1
but also bears a burden to allow the wafer W to be passed between the cassette section
10
and the developing block S
2
, so that an excess burden is borne on the mechanism. For this reason, the wafer W stays longer in the developing block S
2
side in a stand-by state and the throughput is lowered.
In the developing block S
2
, each processing has to be done in a predetermined shorter time and each unit in the developing block S
2
contends with other units for the second main arm conveying mechanism MA
2
. In addition thereto, the second main conveying mechanism MA
2
has also a burden to allow the wafer W to be passed between the interface section
51
and the coating block S
1
, so that it bears an excessive burden. For this reason, the wafer W stays longer in the interface section
51
in a stand-by state and the throughput is lowered.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly the object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing apparatus which can alleviate a burden on a main arm conveying mechanism and ensures a higher throughput.
(1) There is provided a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention which processes substrates one by one in accordance with a photolithography, comprising a cassette section for loading/unloading a plurality of cassettes; a first sub-arm conveying mechanism provided in the cassette section to insert and take out the substrate into and from the cassette; a first processing block provided adjacent to the cassette section and having a plurality of coating units for coating a resist solution onto the substrate; and interface section provided adjacent to a second processing block for exposing, with light, a resist-coated film formed on the substrate by the coating unit; a third processing block provided between the interface section and the first processing block and, having a plurality of developing units for developing the resist coated film exposed by the second processing block with light; a first main arm conveying mechanism provided in the first processing block to allow the substrate to be passed to and from the first sub-arm conveying mechanism and to allow the substrate to be inserted into and taken out from the coating unit; a third main arm conveying mechanism provided in the third processing block to allow the substrate to be passed to and from the first main arm conveying mechanism and to allow the substrate to be inserted into and taken out from the developing unit; a second sub-arm conveying mechanism provided in the interface section to allow the substrate to be passed to and from the third main arm conveying mechanism and to allow the substrate to be passed to and from the second processing block; a forward bypath so provided as to extend from the first processing block to the third processing block and having one end extending toward the neighborhood of the cassette section and the other end extending toward the neighborhood of the interface section; and a forward direct feeding mechanism movable along the forward bypath and so provided as to prevent an interference with the third main arm conveying mechanism, the forward direct feeding mechanism receiving the substrate coated with the resist by the coating unit from the first main arm conveying mechanism and directly feeding the substrate from the first processing block to the interface section.
According to the above-mentioned invention, the resist-coated substrate is fed by the forward direct feeding mechanism from the first processing block straight toward the interface section, thus alleviating a burden on the third main arm conveying mechanism in the third processing block (developing block).
(2) There is provided a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention which processes substrates one by one in accordance with a photolithography, comprising a cassette section for loading and unloading a plurality of cassettes; a first sub-arm conveying mechanism provided in the cassette section to insert and take out the substrate into and from the cassette; a first processing block provided adjacent to the cassette section and having a plurality of coating units for coating a resist solution onto the substrate; an interface section provided adjacent to a second processing block for exposing, with light, the resist coated film formed on the substrate by the coating unit; a third processing block provided between the interface section and the first processing block, and having a plurality of developing units for developing the resist coated film exposed with light by the second processing block; a first main arm conveying mechanism provided in the first processing block to allow the substrate to be passed to and from the first sub-arm conveying mechanism and to allow the substrate to be inserted into and taken out from the coating unit; a third main arm conveying mechanism provided in the third processing block to allow the substrate to be passed to and from the first main arm conveying mechanism and to allow the substrate to be inserted into and taken out from the developing unit; a secon
Adams Russell
Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.
Kim Peter B.
Tokyo Electron Limited
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