Substrate treating apparatus with substrate reordering

Abstract

A treating section has substrate treatment lines arranged one over the other for treating substrates while transporting the substrates substantially horizontally. An IF section transports the substrates fed from each substrate treatment line to an exposing machine provided separately from this apparatus. The substrates are transported to the exposing machine in the order in which the substrates are loaded into the treating section. The throughput of this apparatus can be improved greatly, without increasing the footprint, since the substrate treatment lines are arranged one over the other. Each substrate can be controlled easily since the order of the substrates transported to the exposing machine is in agreement with the order of the substrates loaded into the treating section.

1 . A substrate treating apparatus comprising:
 a treating section including a plurality of substrate treatment lines for treating substrates while transporting the substrates substantially horizontally, the substrate treatment lines being capable of treating the substrates in parallel; and   an interface section disposed adjacent to the treating section for transporting the substrates fed from the substrate treatment lines to an exposing machine provided separately from the apparatus, wherein the substrates are transported to the exposing machine in an order in which the substrates are loaded into the treating section.   
   
   
       2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the substrate treatment lines are arranged one over another. 
   
   
       3 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the interface section is arranged to adjust an order of the substrates fed from the substrate treatment lines to the order in which the substrates are loaded into the treating section. 
   
   
       4 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the interface section includes:
 an interface transport mechanism for transporting the substrates to and from each of the substrate treatment lines and the exposing machine; and   a buffer unit for temporarily storing the substrates,
 wherein the interface transport mechanism is arranged, when a substrate is fed from one of the substrate treatment lines, to receive the substrate and to transport the substrate received to the exposing machine when the substrate is a next substrate to be transported to the exposing machine, and to place the substrate received in the buffer unit when the substrate is different from a next substrate to be transported to the exposing machine. 
   
   
   
       5 . The apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the interface transport mechanism is arranged, when a substrate placed in the buffer unit becomes a next substrate to be transported to the exposing machine, to transport the substrate from the buffer unit to the exposing machine. 
   
   
       6 . The apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein the interface transport mechanism is arranged, when a substrate is being fed from one of the substrate treatment lines even when a substrate placed in the buffer unit becomes a next substrate to be transported to the exposing machine, to receive the fed substrate by priority. 
   
   
       7 . The apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the interface transport mechanism includes:
 a first transport mechanism for transporting the substrates to and from each of the substrate treatment lines and the buffer unit; and   a second transport mechanism for transferring the substrates to and from the first transport mechanism and transporting the substrates to and from the exposing machine,
 wherein the first transport mechanism is arranged to transfer the substrate received from one of the substrate treatment lines to the second transport mechanism when the substrate is a next substrate to be transported to the exposing machine, to place the substrate received in the buffer unit when the substrate is different from a next substrate to be transported to the exposing machine, and when a substrate placed in the buffer unit becomes a next substrate to be transported to the exposing machine, to transfer the substrate from the buffer unit to the second transport mechanism, and 
 wherein the second transport mechanism is arranged to transport a substrate received from the first transport mechanism to the exposing machine. 
   
   
   
       8 . The apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the interface transport mechanism includes:
 a first transport mechanism for transporting the substrates to and from each of the substrate treatment lines and the buffer unit; and   a second transport mechanism for transferring the substrates to and from the first transport mechanism and transporting the substrates to and from the buffer unit and the exposing machine
 wherein the first transport mechanism is arranged to transfer the substrate received from one of the substrate treatment lines to the second transport mechanism when the substrate is a next substrate to be transported to the exposing machine, and to place the substrate received in the buffer unit when the substrate is different from a next substrate to be transported to the exposing machine, and 
 wherein the second transport mechanism is arranged to transport a substrate received from the first transport mechanism to the exposing machine, and when a substrate placed in the buffer unit becomes a next substrate to be transported to the exposing machine, to transport the substrate from the buffer unit to the exposing machine. 
   
   
   
       9 . The apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the interface transport mechanism is arranged to change positions of substrates placed in the buffer unit according to the substrate treatment lines from which the substrates are fed. 
   
   
       10 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the order in which the substrates are loaded into the treating section is determined based on a relationship of substrate identifying information with the order in which the substrates are loaded into the treating section. 
   
   
       11 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the order in which the substrates are loaded into the treating section is determined based on a relationship of the substrate treatment lines transporting the substrates with the order in which the substrates are loaded into the treating section. 
   
   
       12 . A substrate treating apparatus comprising:
 a treating section including a plurality of treating blocks arranged in juxtaposition, each having treating units arranged on each of vertical stories for treating substrates, and a main transport mechanism provided on each story for transporting the substrates to and from the treating units on the each story, the main transport mechanisms on the same story of adjacent treating blocks being constructed to transfer the substrates to and from each other, the treating blocks arranged at opposite ends acting as a first treating block and a second treating block, respectively, the substrates receiving a series of treatments on each story while the substrates loaded into each story of the first treating block are transported to the second treating block through the same story of each treating block;   an indexer section disposed adjacent the first treating block for transporting the substrates to each story of the first treating block;   an interface section disposed adjacent the second treating block and having an interface transport mechanism for transporting the substrates to and from each story of the second treating block and an exposing machine provided separately from the apparatus; and   a controller for controlling the interface transport mechanism to transport the substrates fed from the second treating block to the exposing machine in an order in which the substrates are loaded into the first treating block.   
   
   
       13 . The apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein, under control of the controller, the interface transport mechanism is arranged to adjust the substrates fed from the second treating block to the order in which the substrates are loaded into the first treating block. 
   
   
       14 . The apparatus according to  claim 12  wherein the interface section includes a buffer unit for temporarily storing the substrates and wherein, under control of the controller, the interface transport mechanism is arranged to transport the substrate received from the second treating block to the exposing machine when the substrate is a next substrate to be transported to the exposing machine, and to place the substrate received in the buffer unit when the substrate is different from a next substrate to be transported to the exposing machine. 
   
   
       15 . The apparatus according to  claim 14  wherein, under control of the controller, the interface transport mechanism is arranged, when a substrate placed in the buffer unit becomes a next substrate to be transported to the exposing machine, to transport the substrate from the buffer unit to the exposing machine. 
   
   
       16 . The apparatus according to  claim 15  wherein, under control of the controller, the interface transport mechanism is arranged, when a substrate is being fed from the second treating block even when a substrate placed in the buffer unit becomes a next substrate to be transported to the exposing machine, to receive the fed substrate by priority. 
   
   
       17 . The apparatus according to  claim 14 , wherein the interface transport mechanism includes:
 a first transport mechanism for transporting the substrates to and from each story of the second treating block and the buffer unit; and   a second transport mechanism for transferring the substrates to and from the first transport mechanism and transporting the substrates to and from the exposing machine
 wherein, under control of the controller, the first transport mechanism is arranged to transfer the substrate received from each story of the second treating block to the second transport mechanism when the substrate is a next substrate to be transported to the exposing machine, to place the substrate received in the buffer unit when the substrate is different from a next substrate to be transported to the exposing machine, and when a substrate placed in the buffer unit becomes a next substrate to be transported to the exposing machine, to transfer the substrate from the buffer unit to the second transport mechanism; and 
 wherein the second transport mechanism is arranged to transport a substrate received from the first transport mechanism to the exposing machine. 
   
   
   
       18 . The apparatus according to  claim 14 , wherein the interface transport mechanism includes:
 a first transport mechanism for transporting the substrates to and from each story of the second treating block and the buffer unit; and   a second transport mechanism for transferring the substrates to and from the first transport mechanism and transporting the substrates to and from the buffer unit and the exposing machine;
 wherein, under control of the controller, the first transport mechanism is arranged to transfer the substrate received from each story of the second treating block to the second transport mechanism when the substrate is a next substrate to be transported to the exposing machine, and to place the substrate received in the buffer unit when the substrate is different from a next substrate to be transported to the exposing machine, and 
 wherein the second transport mechanism is arranged to transport a substrate received from the first transport mechanism to the exposing machine, and when a substrate placed in the buffer unit becomes a next substrate to be transported to the exposing machine, to transport the substrate from the buffer unit to the exposing machine. 
   
   
   
       19 . The apparatus according to  claim 14  wherein the controller is arranged to stop loading the substrates from the indexer section into the treating section when the substrates placed in the buffer unit exceeds a predetermined number. 
   
   
       20 . The apparatus according to  claim 12  wherein the controller is arranged to adjust an order of the substrates to be transported to the exposing machine based on a relationship of substrate identifying information with the order in which the substrates are loaded from the indexer section into the treating section. 
   
   
       21 . The apparatus according to  claim 12  wherein the controller is arranged to adjust an order of the substrates to be transported to the exposing machine based on a relationship of the stories of the first treating block transporting the substrates with the order in which the substrates are loaded from the indexer section into the treating section. 
   
   
       22 . The apparatus according to  claim 12  wherein the indexer section is arranged to distribute the substrate loaded into the treating section regularly and alternately to the stories of the first treating block. 
   
   
       23 . The apparatus according to  claim 12  wherein
 the treating section includes coating blocks and developing blocks as the treating blocks, and   each of the coating blocks has resist film coating units as the treating units for applying a resist film material to the substrates, and   each of the developing blocks has developing units as the treating units for supplying a developer to the substrates.