An apparatus for containing a substrate and a method of manufacturing the apparatus are provided. The apparatus for containing a substrate includes: a base having a periphery and an upward-facing top horizontal planar surface with a plurality of contact elements, the contact elements being used for engaging the substrate to hold the substrate upon the upward-facing top horizontal planar surface, an upward-facing frame-like support surface extending from the upward-facing top horizontal planar surface and surrounding the contact elements at a position proximate to the periphery of the base; and a cover having a downward-facing frame-like support surface being in large-area contact with the upward-facing frame-like support surface to define a cavity for containing the substrate between the base and the cover. The downward-facing and upward-facing frame-like support surfaces in contact with each other are not at the same level as the upward-facing top horizontal planar surface.

An apparatus for containing a substrate and a method of manufacturing the apparatus are provided. The apparatus for containing a substrate includes: a base having a periphery and an upward-facing top horizontal planar surface with a plurality of contact elements, the contact elements being used for engaging the substrate to hold the substrate upon the upward-facing top horizontal planar surface, an upward-facing frame-like support surface extending from the upward-facing top horizontal planar surface and surrounding the contact elements at a position proximate to the periphery of the base; and a cover having a downward-facing frame-like support surface being in large-area contact with the upward-facing frame-like support surface to define a cavity for containing the substrate between the base and the cover. The downward-facing and upward-facing frame-like support surfaces in contact with each other are not at the same level as the upward-facing top horizontal planar surface.

The invention provides an object positioner comprising:an object support having an object support surface which is configured to engage at least a part of an object, said object support surface having a support surface temperature,a thermal device, which thermal device is configured to provide at least a part of the object with a first object temperature, which first object temperature differs from the support surface temperature by a first predetermined temperature difference.

The present disclosure generally relates to a method and apparatus for loading, processing, and unloading substrates. A processing system comprises a load/unload system coupled to a photolithography system. The load/unload system comprises a first set of tracks having a first height and a first width, and a second set of tracks having a second height and a second width different than the first height and first width. An unprocessed substrate is transferred from a lift pin loader to a chuck along the first set of tracks on a first tray while a processed substrate is transferred from the chuck to the lift pin loader along the second set of tracks on a second tray. While a first tray remains with a substrate on the chuck during processing, the load/unload system is configured to unload a processed substrate and load an unprocessed substrate on a second tray.

A system for a semiconductor fabrication facility includes a manufacturing tool including a load port, a maintenance tool including a first track and at least one maintenance crane on the first track, a rectangular zone overlapping with the load port, a plurality of first sensors on the first track and at corners of the rectangular zone configured to detect a location of the maintenance crane and generate a first location date, a transporting tool including a second track and a OHT vehicle on the second track, at least a second sensor on the OHT vehicle and configured to generate a second location data, at least a third sensor on the load port, and a control unit configured to receive the first location data and the second location data, and send signals to the second sensor and the third sensor or to cut off the signal to the second sensor.

A lithographic apparatus comprising a substrate storage module having a controllable environment for protecting lithographically exposed substrates from ambient air. The substrate storage module is configured to store at least twenty substrates and the substrate storage module is an integral part of the lithographic apparatus. The substrate storage module may be used to protect substrates from ambient air during stitched lithographic exposures.

A carrier system and method carries a plate-like object to an object mounting section. The system imparts vibration to the object that has been moved such that the object is vibrating when the object is placed onto the mounting section.

There is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: a light radiator configured to radiate a light for processing into an irradiation area which is smaller than a processing target area of a surface of a substrate; a driver configured to move the irradiation area in two directions that cross each other in a plane along the surface of the substrate; and a controller configured to control the driver to move an irradiation position in two directions according to a movement pattern which has been set to radiate the light to an entire area of the processing target area.

A conveyance apparatus that is advantageous in terms of productivity is provided. The conveyance apparatus includes a holding unit configured to hold and convey a substrate, and an outlet unit which is disposed in the holding unit and includes a first outlet port configured to blow a gas in a first direction, which is a direction oblique to a first surface of the substrate held by the holding unit, toward the first surface.

The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus that processes a substrate, the apparatus including a stage configured to hold and move the substrate, a conveying unit configured to hold and convey the substrate between conveying unit and the stage, an accumulation unit configured to accumulate control information concerning the stage and the conveying unit which is generated by processing the substrate, and a determination unit configured to determine a conveying procedure when conveying the substrate between the stage and the conveying unit by selecting one of a plurality of conveying procedures which can be set for the stage and the conveying unit based on control information accumulated in the accumulation unit.