Patent ID: 7053008

Claim:
A resist application method comprising the steps of: thermal processing for evaporating water from a surface of a substrate, said substrate containing amorphous silicon on the surface thereof, the step of thermal processing being performed in a first dehumidified atmosphere having a humidity below 20% including 20%; making the surface of the substrate hydrophobic with a hydrophobic processing material of hexamethyldisilazane, the step of making the surface of the substrate hydrophobic being performed in a second dehumidified atmosphere having a humidity below 20% including 20%; and applying a resist onto the substrate in a humid atmosphere controlled to have a prescribed room temperature and a prescribed humidity, the method further comprising the steps of: carrying the substrate to the step of thermal processing through a carrying compartment with a third dehumidified atmosphere therein, the third dehumidified atmosphere having a humidity below 20% including 20% and carrying the substrate from the step of thermal processing to the step of making the surface of the substrate hydrophobic through the carrying compartment, the humid atmosphere having the prescribed humidity higher than the first to the third dehumidified atmospheres.