Substrate processing apparatus and method

A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:

• an apparatus body for applying a prescribed processing to a substrate, the substrate being reversed inside said apparatus body;
• substrate transfer means for transferring the substrate inside said apparatus body;
• memory means for storing information concerning the position and direction of the substrate present inside said apparatus body when the power supply of said apparatus body is cut off and for taking out the stored information when the power supply of said apparatus body is turned on again;
• information operating means for operating the information taken out of said memory means when the power supply of said apparatus body is turned on;
• control means for controlling said substrate transfer means based on the substrate information obtained by said information operating means so as to permit the substrate to be recovered in a prescribed position outside said apparatus body;
• and
• recovery start-up means for emitting an instruction to start the substrate recovery to said control means,
• wherein, after it has been confirmed that the substrate present inside said apparatus body is recovered under the state that the said substrate faces in a prescribed direction, said recovery start-up means emits an instruction to recover the substrate to said control means.

A substrate processing apparatus for applying a prescribed processing to a substrate, comprising:

• a container loading/unloading section for loading and unloading a container capable of housing a plurality of substrates a prescribed distance apart from each other;
• an apparatus body including a substrate processing section having a liquid processing unit for applying a prescribed liquid processing to the front surface or back surface of the substrate and a reversal unit for reversing the substrate, and a substrate transfer section for transferring the substrate between said container loading/unloading section and said substrate processing section;
• a first substrate transfer device for transferring the substrate in said substrate processing section;
• a second substrate transfer device for transferring the substrate in said substrate transfer section;
• substrate detecting means for detecting the substrate present inside said apparatus body;
• memory means for storing the information concerning the position and direction of the substrate present inside said apparatus body when the power supply of said apparatus body is cut off and taking out the stored information when the power supply of said apparatus body is turned on again;
• alarm means for checking the information detected by said substrate detecting means with the information taken out of said memory means when the power supply of said apparatus body is turned on so as to generate an alarm when the detected information and the information taken out of said memory means differ from each other;
• alarm canceling means for canceling said alarm;
• control means for controlling said first substrate transfer device and said second substrate transfer device so as to permit the substrate present inside said apparatus body to be recovered in a container arranged in said container loading/unloading section;
• and
• recovery start-up means for emitting an instruction to start the substrate recovery to said control means,
• wherein, after the alarm is canceled by said alarm canceling means and after it has been confirmed that the substrate inside said apparatus body is recovered under the state that the substrate faces in a prescribed direction, said recovery start-up means emits an instruction to start the substrate recovery to said control means.

A substrate processing apparatus for applying a prescribed processing to a substrate, comprising:

• a container loading/unloading section for loading and unloading a container capable of housing a plurality of substrates a prescribed distance apart from each other;
• an apparatus body including a substrate processing section having a liquid processing unit for applying a prescribed liquid processing to the front surface or back surface of the substrate and a reversal unit for reversing the substrate, and a substrate transfer section for transferring the substrate between said container loading/unloading section and said substrate processing section;
• a first substrate transfer device for transferring the substrate in said substrate processing section;
• a second substrate transfer device for transferring the substrate in said substrate transfer section;
• memory means for storing the information concerning the position and direction of the substrate present inside said apparatus body when the power supply of said apparatus body is cut off and for taking out the stored information when the power supply of said apparatus body is turned on again;
• information operating means for operating the information taken out of said memory means when the power supply of said apparatus body is turned on;
• control means for controlling said first substrate transfer device and said second substrate transfer device so as to permit the substrate present inside said substrate body to be recovered in a container arranged in said container loading/unloading section on the basis of the substrate information obtained by said information operating means;
• and
• recovery start-up means for emitting an instruction to start the substrate recovery to said control means,
• wherein, after it has been confirmed that the substrate present inside said apparatus body is recovered under the state that the substrate faces in a prescribed direction, said recovery start-up means emits an instruction on the substrate recovery to said control means.

A substrate processing method in a substrate processing apparatus for applying a prescribed processing to the front surface and the back surface of a substrate, said substrate processing apparatus being provided with substrate transfer means for transferring the substrate therein, comprising the steps of:

• storing information concerning the position and direction of the substrate present inside said substrate processing apparatus in a memory when the power supply of said substrate processing apparatus is cut off;
• taking out the information stored in the memory when the power supply of said substrate processing apparatus is turned on first after said storing step;
• correcting the information taken out in said step of taking out the stored information to coincide with the actual substrate state inside said substrate processing apparatus, and determining a substrate information;
• and
• allowing said substrate transfer means to transfer the substrate present inside said substrate processing apparatus under the state that the substrate faces in a prescribed direction to a prescribed position outside said substrate processing apparatus based on the substrate information determined in said determining step.

A substrate processing method in a substrate processing apparatus for applying a prescribed processing to the front surface and the back surface of a substrate, said substrate processing apparatus being provided with substrate transfer means for transferring the substrate therein, comprising the steps of:

• storing information concerning the position and direction of the substrate present inside said substrate processing apparatus in a memory when the power supply of said substrate processing apparatus is cut off;
• taking out the information stored in the memory when the power supply of said substrate processing apparatus is turned on first after said storing step, and detecting the substrate present inside said substrate processing apparatus;
• and
• checking the information taken out of the memory in said detecting step with a position information of the substrate detected within said substrate processing apparatus so as to determine a substrate information when the information taken out of said memory coincides with said position information of the substrate, and allowing said substrate transfer means to transfer the substrate present inside said substrate processing apparatus under the state that the substrate faces in a prescribed direction to a prescribed position outside said substrate processing apparatus based on said substrate information.

A substrate processing method in a substrate processing apparatus for applying a prescribed processing to the front surface and the back surface of a substrate, said substrate processing apparatus being provided with substrate transfer means for transferring the substrate therein, comprising the steps of:

• storing information concerning the position and direction of the substrate present inside said substrate processing apparatus in a memory when the power supply of said substrate processing apparatus is cut off;
• taking out the information stored in the memory when the power supply of said substrate processing apparatus is turned on first after said storing step, and detecting the substrate present inside said substrate processing apparatus;
• checking the information taken out of the memory with a position information of the substrate detected within said substrate processing apparatus, and emitting an alarm when there is a difference between the information taken out of the memory and said position information differ or there is an unclear point in the information;
• allowing an operator to determine a substrate information denoting the actual state of the substrate inside said substrate processing apparatus so as to cancel said alarm;
• and
• allowing said substrate transfer means to transfer the substrate present inside said substrate processing apparatus under the state that the substrate faces in a prescribed direction to a prescribed position outside said substrate processing apparatus based on the substrate information determined in said alarm canceling step.

A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:

• an apparatus body for applying a prescribed processing to a substrate, the substrate being reversed within said substrate body;
• substrate transfer means for transferring the substrate within said apparatus body;
• substrate detecting means for detecting the substrate present inside said apparatus body;
• control means for determining the operation of said substrate transfer means to recover the substrate in a prescribed position outside said apparatus body in the case where said substrate detecting means has detected the substrate within said apparatus body when the power supply of said apparatus body is turned on;
• and
• recovery start-up means for emitting an instruction to start the recovery of the substrate present inside said apparatus body to said control means,
• wherein, after it has been confirmed that the substrate present inside said apparatus body is recovered under the state that the substrate faces in a prescribed direction, said recovery start-up means emits an instruction to recover the substrate to said control means.

A substrate processing apparatus for applying a prescribed processing to a substrate, comprising:

• a container loading/unloading section for loading and unloading a container capable of housing a plurality of substrates a prescribed distance apart from each other;
• an apparatus body including a substrate processing section having a liquid processing unit for applying a prescribed liquid processing to the front surface or back surface of a substrate and a reversal unit for reversing the substrate to permit the front surface or the back surface of the substrate to face upward, and a substrate transfer section for transferring the substrate between said container loading/unloading section and said substrate processing section;
• a first substrate transfer device for transferring the substrate within said substrate processing section;
• a second substrate transfer device for transferring the substrate within said substrate transfer section;
• substrate detecting means for detecting the substrate present inside said apparatus body;
• control means for determining the operation of said first substrate transfer device and said second substrate transfer device to recover the substrate in a container disposed within said container loading/unloading section in the case where said substrate detecting means has detected the substrate within said apparatus body when the power supply of said apparatus body is turned on;
• and
• recovery handling means for emitting an instruction to start the recovery of the substrate present inside said apparatus body to said control means,
• wherein, after it has been confirmed that the substrate present inside said substrate processing section is recovered under the state that the substrate faces in a prescribed direction, said recovery start-up means emits an instruction to recover the substrate to said control means.