Patent ID: 9460947
Filing Date: 2016-10-04
CPC Classification: G03F,H01L

Claim Text:
1. A coating and developing apparatus comprising a carrier block, a processing block, and an interface block connectable to an exposure apparatus, said coating and developing apparatus being configured to transfer a substrate, which has been carried by a carrier into the carrier block, to the processing block, form at least two coating films, including a resist film, on the substrate in the processing block, send the substrate to the exposure apparatus via the interface block, develop the substrate after exposure, which has returned via the interface block, in the processing block, and transfer the substrate to the carrier block, wherein: (a) the processing block includes a plurality of early-stage processing unit blocks vertically stacked on each other, a plurality of later-stage processing unit blocks vertically stacked on each other and provided on an interface block side of a stack of the early-stage processing unit blocks such that each of the later-stage processing unit blocks is disposed laterally adjacent to respective ones of the early-stage processing unit blocks, a plurality of first developing unit blocks vertically stacked on each other and vertically stacked on the stack of the early-stage processing unit blocks, and a plurality of second developing unit blocks vertically stacked on each other and vertically stacked on a stack of the later-stage processing unit blocks such that each of the second developing unit blocks is disposed laterally adjacent to respective ones of the first developing unit blocks; each of the early-stage processing unit blocks has a plurality of processing modules, including an antireflection film-forming module as a liquid processing module for forming a lower antireflection film, a resist film-forming module as a liquid processing module for forming a resist film on the lower antireflection film, and heating modules for heating the substrate, and is provided with a transport mechanism that moves on a linear transport passage, extending from the carrier block side to the interface block side, to transport the substrate between the processing modules; each of the later-stage processing unit blocks has a plurality of processing modules, including an upper film-forming module as a liquid processing module for forming an upper film on the resist film and heating modules for heating the substrate, and is provided with a transport mechanism that moves on a linear transport passage, extending from the carrier block side to the interface block side, to transport the substrate between the processing modules; each of the first developing unit blocks has a plurality of processing modules, including developing modules for supplying a developer to the substrate, and heating modules for heating the substrate, and is provided with a transport mechanism that moves on a linear transport passage, extending from the carrier block side to the interface block side, to transport the substrate between the processing modules; each of the second developing unit blocks has a plurality of processing modules, including developing modules for supplying a developer to the substrate, and heating modules for heating the substrate, and is provided with a transport mechanism that moves on a linear transport passage, extending from the carrier block side to the interface block side, to transport the substrate between the processing modules; said coating and developing apparatus further includes: a plurality of first transfer units, each of which is disposed between the laterally adjacent early-stage processing unit block and later-stage processing unit block to transfer a substrate therebetween; a plurality of second transfer units, each of which is disposed between the laterally adjacent first and second developing unit blocks to transfer a substrate therebetween; a vertically movable auxiliary transfer mechanism for transferring a substrate between the first transfer units and between the second transfer units; (b) a plurality of third transfer units, each of which is provided on the carrier block side of respective ones of the early-stage processing unit blocks and the first developing unit blocks, for transferring a substrate to the transport mechanism of the associated early-stage processing unit block or for transferring a substrate from the transport mechanism of the associated first developing unit block; (c) a first transfer mechanism for transferring a substrate to distribute substrates from the carrier to the third transfer units associated with the early-stage processing unit blocks, and for transferring a substrate to return substrates from third transfer units associated with the developing unit blocks to the carrier; and (d) a second transfer mechanism for receiving a substrate before exposure which has been processed in the processing block, and for transferring a substrate to distribute substrates after exposure to the second developing unit blocks.