A substrate rotating apparatus may include a spin chuck supporting a substrate and a stage rotating the spin chuck about an axis parallel to a first direction. The spin chuck may include a first magnetic element and a substrate supporting member thereon. The stage may include a stage housing, a rotating part rotating about the axis, an inner control unit controlling rotation of the rotating part, a power supplying part supplying a power to the rotating part, and a wireless communication part receiving a control signal from an outside and transmitting the control signal to the inner control unit. The rotating part may include a second magnetic element spaced apart from the first magnetic element and a rotation driver rotating the second magnetic element. The rotating part, the inner control unit, the power supplying part, and the wireless communication part may be placed in the stage housing.

A processing system 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.

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.

An apparatus for treating a relief precursor such as a printing plate precursor, with a liquid includes a treatment compartment with treatment means configured to treat a relief plate precursor with a liquid and to remove pieces from the relief precursor, and a liquid collection system configured to receive liquid and removed pieces from the treatment means. The liquid collection system is configured to separate pieces having dimensions larger than predefined minimum dimensions from the liquid and to allow at least some of said pieces to be dissolved at least partially in the liquid at least when the liquid is in a static state after or before a treatment of the relief precursor with the treatment means.

An object of the present invention is to provide an aqueous developer for a flexographic printing plate capable of maintaining good developability and suppressing aggregation of a dispersion in the developer diluted with water after repeated use, and a manufacturing method of a flexographic printing plate using the same. The aqueous developer for a flexographic printing plate according to the present invention is an aqueous developer for a flexographic printing plate, containing a nonionic surfactant represented by Formula (1), and water.

R.sup.1O—(AO).sub.n—H   (1)

Here, in Formula (1),

R.sup.1 represents a linear aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 9 to 30 carbon atoms,

A represents an alkylene group having 2 to 4 carbon atoms, and

n represents an integer of 7 or more, in which in a case where n is an integer of 2 or more, a plurality of A's may be the same or different from each other.

A processing system for processing a flexographic printing plate can include a processing path for processing the flexographic printing plate. A hollow tube can be positioned to be extended across the processing path. A pressurized processing liquid supply system is provided. A plurality of pressure-compensating emitters are coupled to the hollow tube Each pressure-compensating emitter can include a casing having a fluidic flow path that is fluidly coupled with the hollow tube and having an outlet. Also, each emitter can include a resilient planar member in the casing and positioned to form at least one resilient surface of the fluidic flow path. Each pressure-compensating emitter is configured to control flow rate of the pressurized processing liquid to produce processing liquid drips from the outlet. The resilient planar member can be positioned to provide a variable outlet cross-sectional profile to the outlet in response to pressure inside the casing.

Lithographic printing plates are provided by imagewise exposing negative-working lithographic printing plate precursors having one or more radiation-sensitive imageable layers, followed by contacting with a processing solution that contains up to 10 weight % of one or more compounds represented by Structure (I) shown as follows:
R.sup.1—C(═O)—N(R.sup.2)—R.sup.3   (I)
wherein R.sup.1, R.sup.2, and R.sup.3 independently represent hydrogen or a substituted or unsubstituted hydrocarbon group, or two or three of R.sup.1, R.sup.2, and R.sup.3 are combined to form one or more cyclic rings, and the total number of carbon atoms in the Structure (I) molecule is at least 7 and up to and including 33. Both negative-working and positive-working lithographic precursors can be imaged and processed using this processing solution using one or more successive applications of the same or different processing solution. The processing solution can be derived from a corresponding processing solution concentrate that can also be used for replenishment.

An apparatus for treating a relief plate precursor, such as a printing plate precursor, with a liquid, includes a treatment compartment for treating the relief plate precursor with a liquid, and a transport system for use with one or more transport bars. A transport bar thereof is configured to be coupled to a relief plate precursor. The transport system is configured to move the transport bar with the coupled relief plate precursor through the treatment compartment. The transport bar is provided with a coupling portion configured to couple the transport bar to the transport system. A protection system is configured to guide and evacuate liquid such that the transport system is protected against wetting with the liquid of the treatment compartment.

A process for producing a flexographic relief printing plate includes using a photopolymer developing solution. This photopolymer developing solution may comprise butylal alone or butylal and one or more organic cosolvents. It may comprise DPnB and one or more cosolvents and no butylal.

A photoresist layer is coated over a wafer. The photoresist layer includes a metal-containing material. An extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography process is performed to the photoresist layer to form a patterned photoresist. The wafer is cleaned with a cleaning fluid to remove the metal-containing material. The cleaning fluid includes a solvent having Hansen solubility parameters of delta D in a range between 13 and 25, delta P in a range between 3 and 25, and delta H in a range between 4 and 30. The solvent contains an acid with an acid dissociation constant less than 4 or a base with an acid dissociation constant greater than 9.