A substrate processing apparatus includes transport mechanisms 121a to 127a, a sensor 40 for detecting whether a wafer W is held by the transport mechanisms 121a to 127a, a sensor controller 82 for controlling the sensor 40, a position information acquiring part 81 for acquiring position information of the substrate W in the transport passage, a detection result acquiring part 83 for acquiring a detection result from the sensor 40, and a determination processor 84 for determining whether the detection result of the sensor and the position information are consistent with each other. When it is determined that the detection result of the sensor 40 is inconsistent with the position information, the sensor controller 82 makes the sensor 40 retry to detect whether the substrate W is held.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a holding device that includes a conductive member and holds a substrate, a conduction path structure that includes a conductive material and positioned such that the conduction path structure is in contact with the holding device, a supply device that supplies a processing liquid to the substrate held by the holding device, and a grounding structure including a variable resistance device that changes a resistance such that the grounding structure has a first end portion connected the conduction path structure and a second end portion connected to a ground potential.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a carrier holding unit which holds a carrier that contains substrates, a plurality of processing units, each of which processes a substrate, a substrate transfer unit which transfers substrates between the carrier and the processing units, and a controller. The controller classifies the plurality of processing units into a plurality of groups and is programmed, when determining a processing unit that is to process a substrate, to select one of the plurality of groups, to select one processing unit belonging to the selected group, and to control the substrate transfer unit to carry a substrate into the selected processing unit.

According to one embodiment, a substrate transfer apparatus includes: a first gripping plate; a first claw that is supported by the first gripping plate, and has an abutment surface abutting on the outer peripheral surface of a substrate located above and below a surface of the first gripping plate; a second gripping plate arranged as overlapping with the first gripping plate; a second claw that is supported by the second gripping plate, and has an abutment surface abutting on the outer peripheral surface of the substrate located above and below the surface of the first gripping plate; and a gripping part configured to move the first gripping plate and the second gripping plate relative to each other such that the first claw and the second claw move close to and away from each other in a direction intersecting the outer peripheral surface of the substrate.

An organic layer deposition apparatus, and a method of manufacturing an organic light-emitting display device using the organic layer deposition apparatus. The organic layer deposition apparatus includes: an electrostatic chuck that fixedly supports a substrate that is a deposition target; a deposition unit including a chamber maintained at a vacuum and an organic layer deposition assembly for depositing an organic layer on the substrate fixedly supported by the electrostatic chuck; and a first conveyor unit for moving the electrostatic chuck fixedly supporting the substrate into the deposition unit, wherein the first conveyor unit passes through inside the chamber, and the first conveyor unit includes a guide unit having a receiving member for supporting the electrostatic chuck to be movable in a direction.

Reduction of solar wafer LID by exposure to continuous or intermittent High-Intensity full-spectrum Light Radiation, HILR, by an Enhanced Light Source, ELS, producing 3-10 Sols, optionally in the presence of forming gas or/and heating to within the range of from 100° C.-300° C. HILR is provided by ELS modules for stand-alone bulk/continuous processing, or integrated in wafer processing lines in a High-Intensity Light Zone, HILZ, downstream of a wafer firing furnace. A finger drive wafer transport provides continuous shadowless processing speeds of 200-400 inches/minute in the integrated furnace/HILZ. Wafer dwell time in the peak-firing zone is 1-2 seconds. Wafers are immediately cooled from peak firing temperature of 850° C.-1050° C. in a quench zone ahead of the HILZ-ELS modules. Dwell in the HILZ is from about 10 sec to 5 minutes, preferably 10-180 seconds. Intermittent HILR exposure is produced by electronic control, a mask, rotating slotted plate or moving belt.

An apparatus includes a vacuum chamber, a wafer transfer mechanism, a first gas source, a second gas source and a reuse gas pipe. The vacuum chamber is divided into at least three reaction regions including a first reaction region, a second reaction region and a third reaction region. The wafer transfer mechanism is structured to transfer a wafer from the first reaction region to the third reaction region via the second reaction region. The first gas source supplies a first gas to the first reaction region via a first gas pipe, and a second gas source supplies a second gas to the second reaction region via a second gas pipe. The reuse gas pipe is connected between the first reaction region and the third reaction region for supplying an unused first gas collected in the first reaction region to the third reaction region.

A system for depositing one or more layers, particularly layers including organic materials therein, is described. The system includes a load lock chamber for loading a substrate to be processed, a transfer chamber for transporting the substrate, a vacuum swing module provided between the load lock chamber and the transfer chamber, at least one deposition apparatus for depositing material in a vacuum chamber of the at least one deposition chamber, wherein the at least one deposition apparatus is connected to the transfer chamber; a further load lock chamber for unloading the substrate that has been processed, a further transfer chamber for transporting the substrate, a further vacuum swing module provided between the further load lock chamber and the further transfer chamber, and a carrier return track from the further vacuum swing module to the vacuum swing module, wherein the carrier return track is configured to transport the carrier under vacuum conditions and/or under a controlled inert atmosphere.

In some embodiments, an inline substrate processing tool may include a substrate carrier having a plurality of slots configured to retain a plurality of substrates parallel to each other when disposed in the slots, a first substrate processing module and a second substrate processing module disposed in a linear arrangement, wherein each substrate processing module includes an enclosure and a track that supports the substrate carrier and provides a path for the substrate carrier to move linearly through the first and second substrate processing modules, and a first gas cap disposed between the first and second substrate processing modules, wherein the first gas cap includes a first process gas conduit to provide a first process gas to the first substrate processing module, and a second process gas conduit to provide a second process gas to the second substrate processing module.

A processing method in one embodiment includes: a step that takes an image of the end face of a reference substrate, whose warp amount is known, over the whole periphery thereof using a camera to obtain shape data of the end face of the reference substrate over the whole periphery of the reference substrate; a step that takes an image of the end face of a substrate over the whole periphery thereof using a camera to obtain shape data of the end face of the substrate over the whole periphery of the substrate; a step that calculates warp amount of the substrate based on the obtained shape data; a step that forms a resist film on a surface of the substrate; a step that determines the supply position from which an organic solvent is to be supplied to a peripheral portion of the resist film and dissolves the peripheral portion by the solvent supplied from the supply position to remove the same from the substrate.