Patent ID: 6313903
Filing Date: 2001-11-06
Classification: H01L

Abstract:
A coating and developing unit for coating resist on a substrate and developing the resist exposed by a exposing unit connected to the coating and developing unit, the coating and developing unit comprising:a carrier loading and unloading portion that loads and unloads a carrier that accommodates a plurality of substrates;a coating portion that applies resist on a substrate removed from a carrier transferred from said carrier loading and unloading portion;a developing portion that develops the resist on the substrate exposed by said exposing unit and forms a predetermined resist pattern;a conveyor that transfers the substrate among said carrier loading and unloading portion, said coating portion, and said developing portion;a pattern inspecting portion that inspects a resist pattern formed on the substrate and determines whether or not the resist pattern is acceptable;a substrate separator that separates a substrate determined as an unacceptable substrate by said pattern inspecting portion from a substrate determined as an acceptable substrate;a monitor substrate accommodating portion that accommodates a monitor substrate;a film thickness measuring portion that measures the film thickness of resist on the monitor substrate and determines whether or not the film thickness of the resist is proper; anda first controller that instructs the conveyor to transfer the monitor substrate accommodated in said monitor substrate accommodating portion to said coating portion and said conveyor to transfer the monitor substrate with resist coated by said coating portion to said film thickness measuring portion,wherein the monitor substrate is used to determine whether a processing condition results in resist in the proper resist film thickness; andwherein the monitor substrate accommodating portion only accommodates the monitor substrate; andwherein the coating and developing unit is an integrated unit.