Patent ID: 6399518
Filing Date: 2002-06-04
Classification: G03F,H01L

Abstract:
A resist coating and developing processing apparatus, comprising:a processing section in which a plurality of processing units for performing various kinds of processing for resist-coating and developing processing for a substrate are disposed; a carrying in/out section, including a mounting portion capable of mounting a substrate housing container for housing a plurality of substrates thereon, for carrying the substrate from the substrate housing container into the processing section and for housing the substrate carried out of the processing section in the substrate housing container; an interface section for receiving the substrate from the processing section and passing it to an aligner and for receiving the substrate after exposure from the aligner and passing it to the processing section; airflow forming means for forming flows of air from the tops of the carrying in/out section, processing section, and interface section toward the bottoms; and control means for controlling the airflow forming means, said processing section including a first and second draft opening communicating with the carrying in/out section and the interface section respectively, and said control means controlling the airflow forming means so that the pressure in the processing section becomes higher than the pressures in the carrying in/out section and in the interface section to form flows of air from the processing section into the carrying in/out section and the interface section; wherein said interface section includes a communicating opening communicating with the aligner, and wherein said control means controls said airflow forming means so that the pressure in said interface section becomes lower than the pressure in the aligner to form a flow of air from the aligner into said interface section.