Substrate processing apparatus
View Patent ↗After an exposure process in an exposure part, the exposure part transmits an exposure completion signal to a main controller. At time (t12) which is a predetermined time interval (T12) later than an exposure completion time (t11), the main controller transmits a substrate transport signal to a heating part, to cause the transport of a substrate from a temporary substrate rest part to a heating plate and the start of a heating process by the heating plate. This provides substantially the same length of the time interval between the completion of the exposure process and the start of the heating process in the heating part, if there are variations in the time at which each substrate is placed on the temporary substrate rest part of the heating part.
1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
(a) a thermal processor for performing a thermal process on a substrate subjected to an exposure process and including
(a-1) a temporary substrate rest chamber in which is provided a temporary substrate rest part for placing said substrate thereon when said substrate is transferred to and received from an outside of said thermal processor,
(a-2) a heating chamber in which is provided a heating unit for heating said substrate subjected to said exposure process, said heating chamber and said temporary substrate rest chamber being disposed in stacked relationship with each other, and
(a-3) a first transport unit for holding and transporting said substrate between said temporary substrate rest part and said heating unit while cooling said substrate heated by said heating unit; and
(b) a controller configured to cause the start of thermal process of said substrate by said thermal processor when said predetermined time interval has elapsed since the completion of said exposure process by controlling the timing of take out of said substrate from said temporary substrate rest part by said first transport unit and adjusting a time interval during which said substrate rests on said temporary substrate rest part.
2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said temporary substrate rest chamber is stacked on top of said heating chamber.
3. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a thermal processor
(a) for performing a thermal process on a substrate subjected to an exposure process,
and including
(a-1) a temporary substrate rest chamber in which is provided a temporary substrate rest part for placing said substrate thereon when said substrate is transferred to and received from an outside of said thermal processor
(a-2) a heating chamber in which is provided a heating unit for heating said substrate subjected to said exposure process, said heating chamber and said temporary substrate rest chamber being disposed in stacked relationship with each other, and
(a-3) a first transport unit for holding and transporting said substrate between said temporary substrate rest part and said heating unit while cooling said substrate heated by said heating unit; and
(b) a controller configured to cause the start of thermal process of said substrate by said thermal processor when said predetermined time interval has elapsed since the completion of said exposure process by setting movement parameters of said first transport unit and adjusting a time interval during which said substrate taken out from said temporary substrate rest part is transported to said heating unit.
4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
said temporary substrate rest part is stacked on top of said heating chamber.
5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
said heating unit includes
a plurality of movable support pins extendable out of and retractable into an upper surface of said heating unit for supporting said substrate, and
said controller controls the timing of retraction of said plurality of movable support pins into the heating unit, thereby to control the start timing of said thermal process.
6. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
(c) a substrate transfer part for transfer of a substrate between said exposure part and said thermal processor; and
(d) a second transport unit for transporting said substrate between said substrate transfer part and said thermal processor.