Substrate processing method, substrate processing system and substrate processing apparatus

• Main Author: KANEYAMA KOJI,SHIGEMORI KAZUHITO,KANAOKA MASASHI,MIYAGI TADASHI,YASUDA SHUICHI
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 31.10.2007
• Subjects: APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; PHOTOGRAPHY; PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES,e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTORDEVICES; PHYSICS; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

In an exposure unit compatible with immersion exposure, a dummy substrate to be used for an alignment process for adjustment of an exposure position for a pattern image is transferred to a substrate processing apparatus for performing a resist coating process before exposure and a development process after exposure. In the substrate processing apparatus, the received dummy substrate is reversed and transferred to a back surface cleaning unit, to be subjected to a back surface cleaning process. After that, the dummy substrate is reversed again and transferred to a front surface cleaning unit, to be subjected to a front surface cleaning process. The dummy substrate after being cleaned is transferred back from the substrate processing apparatus to the exposure unit. Since the alignment process can be performed by using a clean dummy substrate in the exposure unit, it is possible to reduce contamination of mechanisms in the exposure unit, such as a substrate stage and the like.