Patent ID: 7745347

Claim:
A heat treatment method of performing successive heat treatment of substrates using a heat treatment apparatus, said heat treatment apparatus including a hot plate portion for subjecting said substrate to which a coating liquid is applied to heat treatment, a cooling plate for cooling said substrate, a drive mechanism for moving said cooling plate, and a heating mechanism for heating said cooling plate, the method comprising the steps of: moving said cooling plate, using said drive mechanism, between a home position where said substrate is passed between said cooling plate and an external transfer mechanism and a position above said hot plate portion where said substrate is passed between said cooling plate and said hot plate portion; and heating said cooling plate with said heating mechanism before a start of a successive treatment of said substrates, in order to bring closer to each other a surface temperature of said cooling plate immediately before a reception from said hot plate portion, of said substrate to be treated first after the start of the successive treatment of said substrates and a surface temperature of said cooling plate immediately before a reception from said hot plate portion, of said substrate to be treated second, wherein said cooling plate is heated by said heating mechanism before the start of the successive treatment of said substrates to a temperature at which a first temperature of said cooling plate which is raised as a result of reception and accumulation of heat at the time of reception of said substrates and a second temperature which is lowered due to natural heat dissipation are substantially stabilized in the successive treatment of said substrates.