A substrate treating apparatus includes a plurality of solution treating units for performing solution treatment of substrates, and a plurality of individual gas supply devices provided to correspond individually to the solution treating units, each for supplying gas at a variable rate only to one of the solution treating units. The solution treating units perform the solution treatment by supplying treating solutions to the substrates. The individual gas supply devices supply gas only to the solution treating units corresponding thereto. The individual gas supply devices supply the gas at adjustable rates to the solution treating units. The rate of gas supply to the solution treating units can therefore be varied for each solution treating unit. A pair of the solution treating units are both arranged and carry out the solution treatment in a same chamber.

Various embodiments of systems and methods for drain line monitoring are disclosed herein. More specifically, a liquid dispense unit for a coating/developing processing system is provided herein for applying one or more liquid solutions to a substrate disposed within the liquid dispense unit. In the disclosed embodiments, a pH sensor and/or a line particle counter (LPC) is coupled to a drain line of the liquid dispense unit to monitor various parameters of the liquid waste, which is ejected from the substrate and disposed of through the drain line. In some embodiments, measurements obtained from the pH sensor may be used to optimize a develop process by detecting an endpoint of the develop process, avoiding pH shock and/or detecting excursions in the develop process. In some embodiments, measurements obtained from the LPC may additionally or alternatively be used to optimize the develop process.

Disclosed is a substrate treating apparatus including a first liquid treatment chamber that performs a liquid treatment to a substrate, a second liquid treatment chamber that is disposed below the first liquid treatment chamber and performs a liquid treatment to a substrate, a first feed channel that supplies gases to the first liquid treatment chamber, and a second feed channel that supplies gases to the second liquid treatment chamber. The first feed channel includes a first vertical member that extends substantially vertically. The second feed channel includes a second vertical member that extends substantially vertically. The first vertical member and the second vertical member both extend to a position lower in level than the second liquid treatment chamber.

A system is for processing a photosensitive flexographic printing plate having a latent image formed by image-wise exposure of an aqueous-processable photopolymer. The system can use a first aqueous processing solution with the latent image for cleaning and then washing a resulting relief image with a second aqueous processing solution, where the second aqueous processing solution is devoid of the photopolymer. A processing solution tank is configured to combine the first used aqueous processing solution with the second used aqueous processing solution to form a combined used aqueous processing solution. A processing solution removal can include: a holding tank configured for receiving the combined used aqueous processing solution; and a conduit from the processing solution tank to the holding tank. The processing solution tank includes the combined used aqueous processing solution at less than a predefined maximum volume and having the photopolymer at less than a predefined maximum concentration.

Provided are a processing method and a processing apparatus in which a concentration of a solid content of a development fatigue liquid is low and a moisture content of a discharged solid substance is small. The processing method is a method for removing a first solid substance having a smaller specific gravity than the washout liquid and a second solid substance having a larger specific gravity than the washout liquid from a development fatigue liquid including a solid substance generated by removal of a non-exposed portion of a photosensitive resin plate that has been exposed in an image shape by development using the washout liquid. The method includes a first step of centrifugally separating the first solid substance and the second solid substance included in the development fatigue liquid in a rotating container, accumulating the second solid substance on an inner wall of the container, and accumulating the first solid substance on a holding member provided in the container, a second step of discharging the development fatigue liquid from the container in a state in which the first solid substance accumulated on the holding member is held on the holding member, and a third step of rotating the container, thereby removing the first solid substance held on the holding member from the holding member.

A method for removing air micro-bubbles from photoresist used to purge a new photoresist filter is disclosed. The method includes flowing photoresist through a photoresist filter to remove air trapped in the photoresist filter, where the trapped air forms air micro-bubbles in the photoresist; collecting, in a buffer tank, the photoresist with air micro-bubbles; removing, in the buffer tank, the air micro-bubbles from the photoresist; and transferring the photoresist without air micro-bubbles from the buffer tank to photolithography equipment.

The present invention has an object of providing a stepped wafer that can prevent a resist from remaining after development, and a method for manufacturing the stepped wafer. The stepped wafer according to the present invention is a stepped wafer having a step and whose main surface is thinner in a center portion and is thicker in an outer periphery. The step includes a curved surface with a radius of curvature ranging from 300 m to 1800 m.

A method for processing a photosensitive flexographic printing plate having an aqueous-processable photopolymer. A main processing unit is used to develop a relief image by removing unexposed photopolymer using an aqueous processing solution including a first dispersing agent while the photosensitive flexographic printing plate is being subjected to mechanical cleaning. Used aqueous processing solution containing the removed photopolymer is returned back into a processing solution tank. A secondary processing unit is used to wash the developed relief image with secondary aqueous processing solution including a second dispersing agent to remove debris from the developed relief image. Used secondary aqueous processing solution containing the removed photopolymer is directed into the processing solution tank. A portion of the aqueous processing solution from the processing solution tank is removed to keep a volume of aqueous processing solution in the processing solution tank below a predefined maximum volume.

Provided are a processing method and a processing apparatus in which a concentration of a solid content of a development fatigue liquid is low and a moisture content of a discharged solid substance is small. The processing method is a method for removing a first solid substance having a smaller specific gravity than the washout liquid and a second solid substance having a larger specific gravity than the washout liquid from a development fatigue liquid including a solid substance generated by removal of a non-exposed portion of a photosensitive resin plate that has been exposed in an image shape by development using the washout liquid. The method includes a first step of centrifugally separating the first solid substance and the second solid substance included in the development fatigue liquid in a rotating container, accumulating the second solid substance on an inner wall of the container, and accumulating the first solid substance on a holding member provided in the container, a second step of discharging the development fatigue liquid from the container in a state in which the first solid substance accumulated on the holding member is held on the holding member, and a third step of rotating the container, thereby removing the first solid substance held on the holding member from the holding member.

The present disclosure describes a method that can be used to remove air micro-bubbles from photoresist used to purge a new photoresist filter. For example, the method includes flowing photoresist through a photoresist filter to remove air trapped in the photoresist filter, where the trapped air forms air micro-bubbles in the photoresist; collecting, in a buffer tank, the photoresist with air micro-bubbles; removing, in the buffer tank, the air micro-bubbles from the photoresist; and transferring the photoresist without air micro-bubbles from the buffer tank to photolithography equipment.