The present invention provides a substrate treating apparatus. The substrate treating apparatus includes: a liquid treatment chamber configured to treat a substrate with a liquid; a drying chamber configured to dry the liquid-treated substrate; a transfer robot configured to transfer the substrate between the liquid treatment chamber and the drying chamber, and including a hand which is movable along an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis and is rotatably driven based on the Z-axis, and on which the substrate is placed; an optical system configured to photograph a form of a liquid film of the substrate, in which when the substrate is transferred from the liquid treatment chamber to the drying chamber, the substrate is wetted with a chemical liquid and is transferred by the transfer robot in a state of being formed with a liquid film formed; and a controller configured to measure the form of the liquid film photographed by the optical system.

A transfer apparatus including a frame, multiple arms connected to the frame, each arm having an end effector and an independent drive axis for extension and retraction of the respective arm with respect to other ones of the multiple arms, a linear rail defining a degree of freedom for the independent drive axis for extension and retraction of at least one arm, and a common drive axis shared by each arm and configured to pivot the multiple arms about a common pivot axis, wherein at least one of the multiple arms having another drive axis defining an independent degree of freedom with respect to other ones of the multiple arms.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a process chamber having a substrate input port, a support disposed in the process chamber and on which a substrate is mounted, an inner edge ring disposed adjacent to the support and having a smaller width than that of the substrate input port, and an outer edge ring disposed adjacent to the inner edge ring and having a greater width than that of the substrate input port.

Examples of a substrate treatment apparatus include a plurality of load ports, a front-end module adjacent to the plurality of load ports, a plurality of load lock chambers adjacent to the front-end module, the plurality of load lock chambers include a plurality of wafer housing slots, a wafer handling chamber adjacent to the plurality of load lock chambers, a first wafer transfer device in the front-end module, a second wafer transfer device in the wafer handling chamber, and a controller including a processor and a memory configured to cause the processor to execute a program stored in the memory, or including a dedicated circuitry, to issue a command to a wafer moving device to move a wafer between the plurality of load lock chambers when predetermined wafer transfer conditions are satisfied.

A substrate treating method for treating substrates with a substrate treating apparatus having an indexer section, a treating section and an interface section includes performing resist film forming treatment in parallel on a plurality of stories provided in the treating section and performing developing treatment in parallel on a plurality of stories provided in the treating section.

An apparatus including a robot drive, a first arm connected to the robot drive, and a second arm connected to the robot drive. The first arm includes a first upper arm, a first forearm and a first end effector. The second arm includes a second upper arm, a second forearm and a second end effector. The first and second upper arms are connected to a first drive shaft of the robot drive. The first and second upper arms are either a same member or two members stationarily connected to one another. While the first arm is being extended and retracted, straight movement of the first end effector is provided relative to the robot drive along an axis which intersects a drive axis of the robot drive, where a wrist joint of the first arm does not intersect the drive axis while the first arm is being extended and retracted.

A processing system for processing a plurality of workpieces includes a transfer chamber in process flow communication with a first processing chamber and a second processing chamber, the transfer chamber having a first straight side, wherein the first process chamber includes at least one first processing station, and wherein the first processing chamber is disposed along the first straight side, wherein the second process chamber includes at least two second processing stations, wherein the second processing chamber is disposed along the first straight side, and wherein the second process chamber disposed in linear arrangement with the first process chamber along the first straight side, and wherein the transfer chamber includes at least one workpiece handling robot configured to transfer at least one workpiece to the at least one first processing station and the at least two second processing stations.

There is provided a method of automatically supervising a transfer operation of a transfer device including an optical sensor, the optical sensor having a light emitting part and a light receiving part provided in a head of a holding part for holding a substrate, the method including: acquiring a change in intensity of a first reflected light reflected off a first object by radiating a light from the light emitting part toward the first object below the holding part and receiving the first reflected light reflected off the first object by the light receiving part, while horizontally moving the holding part; and specifying an end position of the first object based on the change in intensity of the first reflected light.

Examples of the present invention provide an apparatus for transferring substrates and confining a processing environment in a chamber. One example provides a hoop assembly for use in a processing chamber. The hoop assembly includes a confinement ring defining a confinement region therein. A hoop body mates with the confinement ring. The hoop body is slanted to reduce a thickness across a diameter of the hoop body. Three or more lifting fingers are attached to the hoop body and extend downwards. Each of the three or more lifting fingers has a contact tip positioned radially inward from the hoop body to form a substrate support surface below and spaced apart from the confinement region.

A substrate transport apparatus including, a torsional motion driver member having an exterior perimeter circumscribing an axis of rotation of the torsional motion driver member, and a torsional motion follower member including a body portion and a bearing collar rotatably coupled to the body portion, the torsional motion follower member being coupled to the torsional motion driver member with a dimensionally substantially invariant interface, wherein the bearing collar is decoupled from the exterior perimeter of the torsional motion driver member so that the exterior perimeter, as a whole, is free of the bearing collar.