Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

• a substrate placing table having a placing surface for placing a substrate thereon;
• a processing section for processing the substrate on the placing surface;
• a relative position changing device for changing a relative position of the substrate on the placing surface relative to the processing section;
• an image pickup section holding member which is fitted to the substrate placing table so as to be movable in a first direction relative to the placing surface and which has a facing section facing a normal direction of the placing surface and extending along a second direction;
• an image pickup section which is fitted to the facing section and which can pick up images of a first marker, a second marker,
• a third marker and a fourth marker formed on the substrate placed on the placing surface;
• a storage section which can store a position of the third marker on the substrate and a position of the fourth marker on the substrate;
• and
• a control unit for performing control comprising,
• a first control, based on a signal from the image pickup section, to make the relative position changing device change the relative position so that a direction of a line connecting the first marker and the second marker accords with the first direction,
• a second control, based on a signal from the image pickup section, to store positions of the third marker and the fourth marker in a state that the direction of the line connecting the first marker and the second marker accords with the first direction, and
• a third control, based on a signal from the image pickup section that has picked up an image of a substrate other than the foregoing substrate of which the positions of the third marker and the fourth marker have been stored in the storage section, to make the relative position changing device change a relative position of the other substrate relative to the processing section so that a direction of a line connecting a third marker and a fourth marker on the other substrate accords with a direction of a line connecting the third marker and the fourth marker calculated from the positions of the third marker and the fourth marker stored in the storage section.

A substrate processing method comprising the steps of:

• placing a first substrate on a placing surface of a substrate placing table, and drawing a line connecting a first marker and a second marker, making a direction of the line connecting the first marker and the second marker accord with a first direction of an image pickup section holding member which is mounted on the substrate placing table so as to be movable in the first direction relative to the placing surface and which extends along a second direction;
• storing a position of the first marker and a position of a third marker on the first substrate in a state that a direction of the line connecting the first marker and the second marker accords with the first direction;
• and
• placing a second substrate on the placing surface of the substrate placing table, making a line connecting a first marker and a third marker on the second substrate accord with a direction a line connecting the first marker and the third marker on the first substrate calculated based on the position of the first marker and the position of the third marker on the first substrate stored in the storage section.

A substrate processing method comprising the steps of:

• placing a first substrate on a placing surface of a substrate placing table, and drawing a line connecting a first marker and a second marker, making a direction of the line connecting the first marker and the second marker accord with a first direction of an image pickup section holding member which is mounted on the substrate placing table so as to be movable in the first direction relative to the placing surface and which extends along a second direction;
• storing a position of a third marker and a position of a fourth marker on the first substrate in a state that a direction of the line connecting the first marker and the second marker accords with the first direction;
• and
• placing a second substrate on the placing surface of the substrate placing table, and drawing a line connecting a third marker and a fourth marker on the second substrate, and making the line connecting the third marker and the fourth marker on the second substrate accord with a direction of a line connecting the third marker and the fourth marker on the first substrate calculated based on the position of the third marker and the position of the fourth marker on the first substrate stored in the storage section.