Patent ID: 8864933

Claim:
A substrate treatment apparatus for supplying a coating solution to a substrate with projections and depressions on a front surface thereof to form a coating film on the front surface of the substrate, comprising: a cassette station which stores a plurality of substrates; and a processing station which receives said substrates from the cassette station disposed outside the processing station, said processing station including, a coating unit including, a holder which holds respective ones of the substrates to be horizontally rotatable, a coating solution supply nozzle configured to supply the coating solution, a glass-forming compound to the substrate held by said holding means, an etching solution supply nozzle configured to supply an etching solution for etching the coating film formed on the substrate held by holder, a heater which heats the substrate, and a temperature adjusting device which adjusts the temperature of said heater, a buffer unit disposed inside the processing station, separate from the cassette station, separate from the coating unit, and temporarily holds the substrate inside the processing station, a transfer device within the processing station configured to transfer the substrate directly from the coating unit to the buffer unit, and a controller configured to provide rotation control of said holder, supply control of said coating solution supply nozzle and etching solution supply nozzle, and temperature control of said temperature adjusting means, wherein said controller comprises a processor programmed to provide control signals to the coating unit and the buffer unit which execute a first coating step of supplying the coating solution including the glass-forming compound to the substrate rotated by said holder to form a first spin on glass coating film on the front surface of the substrate, thereafter a step of heating the substrate having the first spin on glass coating film formed thereon to adjust an etching condition of the first spin on glass coating film, a step of supplying the etching solution to the substrate to etch the first spin on glass coating film, thereafter a second coating step of supplying the coating solution including the glass-forming compound to the substrate to form a flat second spin on glass coating film on the front surface of the substrate, and then a step of heating the substrate to cure the second spin on glass coating film, and wherein the controller is programmed to provide control signals to provide control signals to the coating unit and the buffer unit which control an order of processing such that, when said first coating step, said first heating step, said etching step, said second coating step, and said second heating step are repeatedly performed, a plurality of the substrates for which treatments for a first time have been finished are temporarily housed in the buffer unit in sequence, and after said first coating step for a last substrate in a lot is finished, treatments for a second time for the substrates are sequentially carried out.