Substrate treating apparatus and substrate treating methods

A substrate treating apparatus comprising:

• a receiver for receiving a carrier placed thereon, the carrier being constructed to contain a plurality of substrates;
• a substrate detecting sensor for detecting presence or absence of each substrate in at least two different locations in a fore-and-aft direction in which the substrates are moved into and out of the carrier;
• a height sensor for detecting heights of the substrate detecting sensor;
• an up-and-down mechanism for moving the substrate detecting sensor up and down;
• a controller for causing the substrate detecting sensor to detect presence or absence of each substrate and causing the height sensor to detect heights of the substrate detecting sensor for detecting heights of each substrate in at least two different locations in the fore-and-aft direction by operating the up-and-down mechanism to move the substrate detecting sensor up and down;
• and
• a substrate condition acquiring unit for acquiring a tilt of each substrate relative to a horizontal plane in the fore-and-aft direction based on a difference in heights of each substrate detected in the at least two different locations.

A substrate treating method comprising:

• placing on a receiver a carrier constructed to contain a plurality of substrates;
• advancing into the carrier a substrate detecting sensor facing a horizontal direction crossing a fore-and-aft direction in which the substrates are moved into and out of the carrier, to be capable of detecting presence or absence of each substrate;
• causing the substrate detecting sensor to detect presence or absence of each substrate and causing a height sensor to detect heights of the substrate detecting sensor for detecting heights of each substrate in at least two different locations in the fore-and-aft direction by moving the substrate detecting sensor up and down, and moving the substrate detecting sensor in the fore-and-aft direction in a state where the substrate detecting sensor has been advanced into the carrier;
• and
• acquiring a tilt of each substrate relative to a horizontal plane in the fore-and-aft direction based on a difference in heights of each substrate detected in the at least two different locations.

A substrate treating method comprising:

• placing on a receiver a carrier constructed to contain a plurality of substrates;
• advancing into the carrier a substrate detecting sensor capable of detecting presence or absence of each substrate in at least two different locations in a fore-and-aft direction in which the substrates are moved into and out of the carrier;
• causing the substrate detecting sensor to detect presence or absence of each substrate and causing a height sensor to detect heights of the substrate detecting sensor for detecting heights of each substrate in at least two different locations in the fore-and-aft direction by moving the substrate detecting sensor up and down in a state where the substrate detecting sensor has been advanced into the carrier;
• and
• acquiring a tilt of each substrate relative to a horizontal plane in the fore-and-aft direction based on a difference in heights of each substrate detected in the at least two different locations.