Photography – Fluid-treating apparatus – Fluid application to one side only of photographic medium
Reexamination Certificate
2003-06-09
2004-12-21
Rutledge, D. (Department: 2851)
Photography
Fluid-treating apparatus
Fluid application to one side only of photographic medium
C414S269000, C414S935000, C414S940000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06832863
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to substrate treating apparatus and methods with a plurality of treating cells for treating semiconductor wafers, glass substrates for liquid crystal displays, glass substrates for photomasks, and substrates for optical disks (hereinafter called simply “substrates”).
(2) Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, such a substrate treating apparatus is used, for example, in a photolithographic process for forming photoresist film on substrates, exposing the substrates having the photoresist film formed thereon, and developing the exposed substrates.
This apparatus will be described with reference to a plan view shown in FIG.
1
. This substrate treating apparatus includes an indexer
103
having a cassette table
102
for receiving a plurality of cassettes C each containing or for containing a plurality of (e.g. 25) substrates or wafers W to be treated, or substrates or wafers W having been treated in treating cells
104
described hereinafter, and a transport mechanism
108
a
movable horizontally along the cassettes C for transporting the wafers W between the cassettes C and treating cells
104
. The apparatus further includes, besides the treating cells
104
, a main substrate transport path
105
along which the wafers W are transported from one treating cell
104
to another, and an interface
106
for transferring the wafers W between the treating cells
104
and an external treating apparatus
107
.
The indexer
103
is constructed for successively fetching wafers W to be treated from each cassette C placed on the cassette table
102
and transferring these wafers W to the treating cells
104
, and receiving treated wafers W from the treating cells
104
and successively depositing the treated wafers W in a predetermined cassette C.
The interface
106
connects the treating cells
104
and external treating apparatus
107
. Where the substrate treating apparatus is designed for resist application and development as noted above, the external treating apparatus
107
is an exposing apparatus for exposing the wafers W.
The substrate treating apparatus further includes a transport mechanism
108
b
movable along the substrate transport path
105
, and a transport mechanism
108
c
movable along a transport path of the interface
106
. In addition, a table
109
a
is disposed at a connection between the indexer
103
and substrate transport path
105
, and a table
109
b
at a connection between the substrate transport path
105
and interface
106
.
The above substrate treating apparatus performs substrate treatment through the following procedure. A cassette C containing wafers W to be treated is placed on the cassette table
102
. The transport mechanism
108
a
takes one wafer W out of this cassette C, and transports the wafer W to the table
109
a
to pass the wafer W to the transport mechanism
108
b
. The transport mechanism
108
b
, after receiving the wafer W placed on the table
109
a
, transports the wafer W into each treating cell
104
for a predetermined treatment (e.g. resist application) in the treating cell
104
. Upon completion of the predetermined treatment, the transport mechanism
108
b
takes the wafer W out of the treating cell
104
, and transports the wafer W into another treating cell
104
for a next treatment.
After a series of pre-exposure treatments is completed, the transport mechanism
108
b
transports the wafer W treated in the treating cells
104
to the table
109
b
to pass the wafer W to the transport mechanism
108
c
. The transport mechanism
108
c
receives the wafer W placed on the table
109
b
and transports the wafer W to the external treating apparatus
107
. After a predetermined treatment (e.g. exposure), the transport mechanism
108
c
takes the wafer W out of the external treating apparatus
107
, and transports it to the table
109
b
. Subsequently, the transport mechanism
108
b
transports the wafer W to the treating cells
104
where a series of post-exposure treatments (e.g. heating and cooling treatments and development) is performed. Treated wafers W are successively loaded into a predetermined cassette C to complete a series of substrate treatments.
The conventional apparatus with such a construction has the following problems (I)-(III):
Problem (I)
In the conventional substrate treating apparatus, the transport mechanism
108
b
transports wafers W from the indexer
103
to the interface
106
and from the interface
106
to the indexer
103
. Thus, the transport mechanism
108
b
cannot perform the two transporting operations (from the indexer
103
to the interface
106
and from the interface
106
to the indexer
103
) simultaneously. Even if two transport mechanisms
108
b
were provided, one adjacent the indexer
103
and the other adjacent the interface
106
, interference could occur on the substrate transport path
105
between a wafer W transported from the indexer
103
to the interface
106
and a wafer W transported from the interface
106
to the indexer
103
. Then, until one of the wafers W is sidestracked or loaded into a treating cell
104
, the other wafer W must be kept on standby on the table
109
a
or
109
b
or on a temporary tray (buffer) not shown. As a result, a wasteful waiting time of wafers W increases to hamper improvement in treating efficiency.
Further, since the transport mechanism
108
b
transports wafers W from the indexer
103
to the interface
106
and from the interface
106
to the indexer
103
as noted above, a transport control for controlling substrate treatment is encumbered.
Problem (II)
The conventional substrate treating apparatus has a limit in treating a large number of wafers W. When a plurality of wafers W are treated simultaneously, interference will occur between the wafers W to lower the efficiency of treatment. To enable treatment of a large number of wafers W, it is conceivable to extend the substrate transport path
105
or provide an additional substrate transport path or paths. However, this will require an increased floor space (footprint) for installing the apparatus.
Problem (III)
In order to examine or test wafers W in the course of treatment, a testing device (not shown) is provided separately from the substrate treating apparatus. Wafers W are unloaded from the substrate treating apparatus, and transported to the testing device. The testing device may, for example, be one for checking linewidths of circuit patterns formed in a photolithographic process, one for checking alignment accuracy for exposure, one for checking sizes and numbers of dust particles adhering to the wafers W, or one for checking defects of circuit patterns. Such a testing device is in the form of an optical microscope, for example. A wafer W is tested in the course of treatment by transporting to the testing device the wafer W taken out of a treating cell
104
performing the treatment relating to the test.
Since the substrate treating apparatus and testing device are separate from each other as noted above, the substrate processing time is extended by the time taken in transporting the wafers W and other operations. Then, it is conceivable to incorporate the testing device into the substrate treating apparatus. However, since the testing device is operated in the middle of substrate treatment, to avoid interference between a wafer W subjected to the test and other wafers W, the other wafers W must be kept on standby. As a result, a wasteful waiting time of wafers W increases to hamper improvement in treating efficiency.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention has been made having regard to the state of the art noted above, and its object is to provide substrate treating apparatus and methods for (I) improving the efficiency of treating substrates and controlling transportation of the substrates simply, (II) improving the efficiency of treating substrates without enlarging a footprint, and (III) improving the efficiency of treating substrates when testing the substrates.
To solve the problem (I) no
Aoki Kaoru
Kodama Mitsumasa
Matsunaga Minobu
Mitsuhashi Tsuyoshi
Nagao Takashi
Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co,. Ltd.
Ostrolenk Faber Gerb & Soffen, LLP
Rutledge D.
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