JP2001203143A - Substrate processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve throughput, without raising cost or enlarging a processor. SOLUTION: A substrate processor is provided with an application device 1, having an application part 12 for applying a photosensitive material to a substrate 3 as the object of processing, a cooling part 14 for cooling the substrate 3 to which the photosensitive material is applied and a buffer 152 which temporarily stores the cooled substrate and an exposure device 2 having an exposure part 23 for transferring the image of the pattern of a mask on the substrate 3 and a transfer part 22 for receiving the substrate 3 from the buffer 152 and transferring it to the exposure part 23. The transfer part 22 and the exposure part 23 in the aligner 2 and the buffer 152 and the cooling part 14 in the application device 1 are installed in the same air-conditioning chamber 5.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for applying a photosensitive material to a thin substrate such as a glass substrate or a semiconductor wafer, transferring a pattern, and the like, to obtain a micro device or a mask (reticle) such as a liquid crystal display device or a semiconductor device. The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus for manufacturing a device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a lithography process for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, a resist coating device (coater) for coating a photosensitive material (photoresist) on a glass substrate, and a resist coating device (coater) for coating the photosensitive material on the glass substrate. An exposure device (stepper) for projecting and transferring a pattern image of a reticle (mask) to form a latent image of the pattern; and a developing device (developer) for developing a latent image formed on the substrate, or a part thereof. An all-inclusive substrate processing apparatus is used.

In such a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate carrier (substrate cassette) capable of accommodating a plurality of glass substrates is transferred between the resist coating apparatus and the exposure apparatus and between the exposure apparatus and the developing apparatus. And a method in which the glass substrates are individually delivered to a resist coating device or the like disposed near the exposure device in a form in which the glass substrates are used together.

In recent years, the use of a substrate carrier has been abolished from the viewpoint of improvement in productivity and miniaturization of the apparatus, and a glass substrate has been directly connected between an exposure apparatus and a resist coating apparatus. (Inline-dedicated devices) have been used. According to such an inline-dedicated apparatus, there is no need to provide a space required for installing a substrate carrier in the exposure apparatus, so that the exposure apparatus can be miniaturized, and thus the entire substrate processing apparatus can be downsized. There is.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a conventional substrate processing apparatus as a dedicated in-line apparatus having a resist coating apparatus and an exposure apparatus, and FIG. 5 is a side view thereof. In these figures, 1 is a resist coating device (coater), and 2 is an exposure device (stepper).

The resist coating apparatus 1 applies a photoresist to a carrier mounting portion 11 on which a plurality of substrate carriers 111 accommodating a plurality of glass substrates 3 are mounted, and a glass substrate 3 taken out of the substrate carrier 111. Coating unit 12, drying unit 13 having an oven for heating and drying glass substrate 3 coated with photoresist, exposure apparatus 2
A cooling unit 14 having a cooling plate 141 for cooling the glass substrate 3 before being conveyed to the exposure apparatus 2
Section 15 having arm 151 for transferring glass substrate 3 to
It is provided with. These parts 11 to 15 are box-shaped chambers 4 for preventing ingress or emission of dust and the like.
Is housed in

A glass substrate 3 coated with a photoresist by a resist coating unit 12 and heated and dried by a drying unit 14 is cooled to a room temperature (chamber 4) by a cooling plate 141.
After being cooled to the ambient temperature of the inside, it is transferred to the exposure apparatus 2 by the arm 151.

The exposure apparatus 2 includes a temperature control section 21 having a temperature control holder 211 for mounting the glass substrate 3 carried by the arm 151 and controlling the temperature, and a temperature control holder 21.
1 is provided with a transport unit 22 having an arm 221 for taking out the glass substrate 3 and carrying it into an exposure processing unit (device for projecting and transferring an image of a reticle pattern onto the glass substrate 3) 23. These units 21 to 23 are installed in a thermal chamber 5 in which temperature, humidity and cleanliness are strictly controlled.

The temperature adjusting holder 211 is a device (for example, a heat sink) for rapidly adjusting the temperature of the placed glass substrate 3 to the temperature in the thermal chamber 5 of the exposure apparatus 2.

[0010] The temperature control holder 211 can hold several glass substrates 3, but when the glass substrate 3 becomes full,
When a new glass substrate 3 cannot be received, the glass substrate 3 is transferred to the transport unit 1 of the resist coating apparatus 1.
5 is temporarily stored in a buffer carrier 152 having a shelf on which a plurality of glass substrates 3 can be placed, and the glass substrates 3 wait in the buffer carrier 152 until a space is left in the temperature control holder 211. It is made to be made.

[0011]

However, while the temperature in the thermal chamber 5 in which the exposure apparatus 2 is installed is strictly controlled, the temperature in the chamber 4 in which the resist coating apparatus 1 is installed is quite low. The temperature in the two chambers 4,5 is usually different because it is not controlled or is not so strictly controlled. Generally, the temperature in the thermal chamber 5 in which the exposure apparatus 2 is installed is lower.

Therefore, the cooled glass substrate 3 placed on the cooling plate 141 of the resist coating apparatus 1
Alternatively, the glass substrate 3 stored in the buffer carrier 152
Is the temperature in the chamber 4 of the resist coating apparatus 1, so that the thermal chamber 5 in which the exposure apparatus 2 is installed
When it is carried into the thermal chamber 5, the temperature is different from the temperature in the thermal chamber 5, and the time required to adjust the temperature of the glass substrate 3 to the temperature in the thermal chamber 5 is long.
There is a problem that overall throughput (productivity) is reduced.

In this case, if a strict air-conditioning management function similar to that of the thermal chamber 5 in which the exposure apparatus 2 is installed is added to the chamber 5 in which the resist coating apparatus 1 is installed, a similar thermal chamber can be used. Can be made to coincide with each other, and the above-mentioned problem is solved. However, there is a problem in that the cost is increased and the size of the device is increased.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing apparatus capable of improving the throughput without increasing the cost and size of the apparatus. Aim.

[0015]

In the following description, in order to facilitate understanding, constituent elements of the present invention will be described with reference numerals shown in the drawings of the embodiments. Are not limited by these reference numerals.

In order to achieve the above object, a substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises an application section (12) for applying a photosensitive material to a substrate (3) to be processed, and a cooling unit for cooling the substrate on which the photosensitive material has been applied. Coating apparatus (1) having a section (14) and a buffer section (152) for temporarily storing a cooled substrate; an exposure section (23) for transferring an image of a mask pattern onto the substrate; and the buffer section A substrate processing apparatus provided with an exposure apparatus (2) having a transport section (22) for receiving a substrate from the exposure section and transporting the substrate to the exposure section, the transport section (22) and the exposure section (2) of the exposure apparatus (2).
3) and at least the buffer section (152) of the coating apparatus (1) is installed in the same air-conditioning chamber (5).

According to the present invention, at least the buffer unit of the coating apparatus is also installed in the air-conditioning chamber in which the exposure apparatus is installed. Since time is completely used to or is becoming familiar with the temperature atmosphere in the air-conditioning chamber, the time required to subsequently adjust to the temperature in the air-conditioning chamber can be eliminated or shortened. Therefore, the subsequent exposure processing can be promptly performed, so that the overall throughput can be improved. Further, since only a part of the coating device is provided in the air conditioning chamber, the cost and the size of the device are hardly increased.

[0018] In this case, the cooling section of the coating apparatus can also be installed in the air-conditioning chamber, whereby the throughput can be further improved.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a substrate processing apparatus for performing a resist coating step and an exposure step in a liquid crystal display device manufacturing line.

FIG. 1 is a plan view, partially in section, showing a schematic configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a side view thereof. It is to be noted that the same reference numerals are given to components that are substantially the same as or corresponding to those in the related art illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5.

This substrate processing apparatus includes a resist coating device (coater) 1 and an exposure device (stepper) 2, and individually and individually processes a glass substrate 3 to be processed between the resist coating device 1 and the exposure device 2. It is configured as a so-called dedicated in-line device that is directly delivered.

The resist coating apparatus 1 includes a carrier mounting section 1
1, a resist coating unit 12, a drying unit 13, a cooling unit 14, and a transport unit (buffer unit) 15.

The carrier mounting part 11 is provided with a substrate carrier 11.
A carrier mounting table having a positioning mechanism such as a universal coupling for detachably mounting 1;
An elevating device that elevates and lowers the carrier mounting table in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction) is provided as necessary. A plurality of substrate carriers 1 containing a plurality of glass substrates 3 to be processed by the substrate processing apparatus are placed on a carrier mounting table of the carrier mounting unit 11.
11 is carried in from the outside and placed.

The resist coating unit 12 includes a spin coater. The glass substrate 3 is taken out of the substrate carrier 111, placed on a rotary table of the spin coater in a horizontal state, and a photoresist is dropped to rotate the glass substrate. Then, a uniform photoresist film is formed on the glass substrate 3.

The drying section 13 has an oven, and the glass substrate 3 on which the photoresist is applied is heated and dried by the oven. The cooling unit 14 is a cooling plate 14
1, the glass substrate 3 which has been heated and dried is placed on the cooling plate 141 to be cooled to the same temperature as its surroundings.

The substrate carrier 111 of the glass substrate 3
A transfer device having a transfer arm or the like (not shown) is used to transfer the glass substrate 3 after the photoresist is applied to the drying unit 13 and to transfer the dried glass substrate 3 to the cooling unit 14. Is to be performed.

The transport section 15 has an arm 151 for sucking and holding the glass substrate 3 for handling, and a buffer carrier 152 for temporarily storing a plurality of glass substrates 3. The arm 151 stores the glass substrate 3 placed on the cooling plate 141 in the buffer carrier 152 or transfers the glass substrate 3 to the exposure device 2, or takes out the glass substrate 3 stored in the buffer carrier 152 and transfers the glass substrate 3 to the exposure device 2. Can be passed.

The above-described components 11 to 11 of the resist coating apparatus 1
Among 15, the carrier mounting part 11, the coating part 12, and the drying part 13 are installed in a box-shaped chamber 5 for preventing ingress or emission of dust and the like.

The exposure apparatus 2 includes a temperature control section 21, a transport section 22, and an exposure processing section (exposure section) 23.
The temperature control unit 21 includes a temperature control holder 211 for controlling the temperature of the placed glass substrate 3.
Reference numeral 1 denotes a heat sink configured by attaching a radiation fin 213 to a lower portion of the table 212 as shown in FIG. The glass substrate 3 is placed on the temperature control holder 211 of the exposure device 2 by the arm 151 of the resist coating device 1, and the temperature is controlled (usually cooled). The temperature adjustment holder 211 may cool the placed glass substrate 3 using a refrigerant such as Fluorinert. The temperature control holder 211 includes several glass substrates 3
Have several levels of shelves on which shelves can be placed.

The transfer section 22 includes an arm 221 for moving the glass substrate 3 by suction and holding the glass substrate 3.
The glass substrate 3 placed thereon is transported to the exposure processing section 23.

The exposure processing unit 23 is a step-and-stitch projection exposure apparatus in this embodiment.
This is an apparatus for sequentially exposing and transferring images of the pattern of the reticle on the glass substrate 3 while connecting the adjacent shots while exchanging a plurality of reticles.

Hereinafter, although not shown in detail, the configuration of the exposure processing section 23 will be outlined. For example, a laser beam pulsed from an exposure light source that oscillates a KrF excimer laser (wavelength: 248 nm) passes through an illumination optical system including a beam shaping / modulation optical system, an optical integrator, an aperture stop, a relay lens, a condenser lens, and the like. Thus, the reticle held on the reticle stage is illuminated with a uniform illuminance distribution.

The reticle stage holds, for example, four reticles, and each reticle is set above the projection optical system 231 by a laser interferometer and a motor.
Each of the reticles is configured to be finely movable in the X, Y, and θ (rotation) directions on a reticle stage. By finely moving the reticle using a reticle alignment system, the center of the pattern area to be transferred is adjusted. It is positioned so as to substantially coincide with the optical axis of the projection optical system 231.

The illumination light having passed through the reticle enters a projection optical system 231 which is telecentric on both sides, and the projection optical system 23
Reference numeral 1 denotes an image of the projected image of the reticle pattern at the same magnification, which is formed on a glass substrate 3 having a resist layer formed on the surface thereof and held so that the surface substantially coincides with the image forming surface of the projection optical system 231. .

The glass substrate 3 is placed on a substrate stage 232 via a substrate holder. Substrate stage 232
Is configured to be two-dimensionally movable in a step-and-repeat manner by a motor. When transfer exposure of an image of a reticle onto the glass substrate 3 is completed, stepping is performed to the next shot position. The two-dimensional position of the substrate stage 232 is always detected at a predetermined resolution by a laser interferometer.

The reticle stage and the substrate stage 2
32 and other devices are controlled by the main controller.
The exposure processing section 23 is installed on a base plate installed on the floor via a vibration isolator or the like.

The above-mentioned temperature control section 21, transport section 22 and exposure processing section 23 are installed in a thermal chamber 5 in which temperature, humidity and cleanliness are strictly controlled. In this embodiment, a cooling unit 14 and a transport unit (buffer unit) 15 that are part of the resist coating device 1 are also installed in the thermal chamber 5.

Although not shown, the thermal chamber 5 is provided with an air conditioner for maintaining the environment in the chamber in a predetermined state, and is connected to the air conditioner by a duct or the like via a purification device such as a HEPA filter. Depending on the device,
By controlling and circulating the temperature of the gas (for example, air) in the chamber, the temperature is controlled to a predetermined temperature (about 23 ° C.). The temperature in the chamber is controlled by the control unit of the air conditioner to reach the predetermined temperature based on a detection result of a temperature sensor or the like installed at a predetermined position in the chamber.

Openings for loading and unloading the glass substrate 3 are formed on opposing surfaces of the thermal chamber 5 and the chamber 4, respectively. In the opening of the thermal chamber 5,
In order to maintain the environment in the thermal chamber 5, an opening / closing door for closing the opening may be provided except when the glass substrate 3 is carried in.

The exposure light includes KrF excimer laser light, a mercury lamp i-line (wavelength 365 nm), A
rF excimer laser beam (wavelength 193 nm), _{F 2} laser beam (wavelength 157 nm), or a harmonic like such as YAG laser can be used. When exposure light having a wavelength equal to or less than that of the ArF excimer laser light is used, a so-called gas purge is performed in which part or all of the optical path of the illumination optical system or the projection optical system is replaced with an inert gas such as nitrogen or helium. Will be

The glass substrate 3 to be processed is
The chamber 4 is housed in the substrate carrier 111.
And the carrier mounting unit 1 of the resist coating apparatus 1
1. The glass substrate 3 in the substrate carrier 11 is taken out by the transfer arm and transferred to the resist coating unit 12 where the photoresist is coated and then dried by heating in the drying unit 13. The dried glass substrate 3 is passed through the openings of the chamber 4 and the thermal chamber 5 by the transfer arm, is loaded into the thermal chamber 5, and is transferred onto the cooling plate 141 of the cooling unit 14.

The glass substrate 3 has a cooling plate 14
1, the temperature is cooled down to or close to the temperature in the thermal chamber 5, and is transferred by the arm 151 onto the temperature control holder 211 when there is a space in the temperature control holder 211. The glass substrate 3 is temporarily stored in the buffer carrier 152 when there is no space in the temperature control holder 211, and is taken out from the buffer carrier 152 by the arm 151 when the temperature control holder 211 becomes free, and the glass substrate 3 is placed on the temperature control holder 211. Placed on

Since the cooling section 14 and the transport section (buffer section) 15 of the resist coating apparatus 1 are set in the same thermal chamber 5 as the exposure apparatus 2, the glass substrate 3 is placed on the temperature control holder 211. At this point, it will be present in the thermal chamber 5 for a longer time than before. Therefore, the glass substrate 3 is placed on the temperature control holder 21 of the exposure apparatus 2.
At the time of being placed on 1, the temperature is sufficiently adjusted to the temperature in the thermal chamber 5 (substantially coincides).

As a result, when the exposure processing unit 23 finishes processing the glass substrate carried in before it, the arm 221 immediately carries the glass substrate 3 on the temperature control holder 211 into the exposure processing unit 23. This eliminates the need to wait for the start of the exposure process until the temperature of the glass substrate 3 adjusts to the temperature in the thermal chamber 5 on the temperature adjustment holder 211 as in the related art, thereby improving the throughput (the number of processes per unit time). can do.

Further, as compared with the prior art shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the thermal chamber 5 can be accommodated only by enlarging the thermal chamber 5 and reducing the size of the chamber 4, so that the apparatus can be manufactured without increasing the cost so much. There is no increase in size.

Further, the temperature control section 21 (temperature control holder 21)
The temperature control function of 1) can be omitted and a simple mounting table (buffer) for the glass substrate 3 can be used.
Can be omitted, and the glass substrate 3 can be directly carried into the exposure processing section 23 from the buffer carrier 152, and the size and cost of the apparatus can be positively reduced. . When the temperature control holder 211 and the like are omitted, there is also an advantage that static electricity generated when the glass substrate 3 is separated from the temperature control holder 211 can be prevented.

The cooling plate 141, the arm 151, the buffer carrier 152, the temperature control holder 21
1. The temperature of the glass substrate 3 can be more strictly controlled by providing a temperature sensor on the arm 221 and the like and transporting the glass substrate 3 while detecting the temperature of the glass substrate 3 at each location. For example, the cooling plate 1 of the glass substrate 3
By estimating the transfer time from 41 to the temperature control holder 211 and taking the temperature change during that time into account and carrying out the glass substrate 3 from the cooling plate 141 at an early stage, the throughput can be further improved.

The embodiments described above are described for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and are not described for limiting the present invention. Therefore,
Each element disclosed in the above embodiment is intended to include all design changes and equivalents belonging to the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the cooling section 14 and the transport section (buffer section) 15 are arranged side by side in the thermal chamber 5 in which the exposure apparatus 2 is installed as a part of the resist coating apparatus 1. Transport unit (buffer unit) 1
Alternatively, only 5 may be provided in the thermal chamber 5.

In the above embodiment, the exposure apparatus 2
The (exposure processing unit 23) has been described as an equal-magnification projection exposure apparatus that performs stitching exposure by a static exposure method. There may be. A mirror projection system, a proximity system, a contact system, or the like may be used. The projection method is not limited to the 1: 1 projection type, but may be a reduction projection type or an enlargement projection type.

The present invention is not limited to a substrate processing apparatus used for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, but may be used for manufacturing micro devices such as a plasma display device, a semiconductor device, a thin film magnetic head, an image pickup device (eg, a CCD), and a micromachine. There may be. Further, the present invention is not limited to the one used for manufacturing such a micro device, and the present invention can be applied to a substrate processing apparatus for forming a circuit pattern on a glass substrate or a silicon wafer for manufacturing a reticle or a mask. That is, the present invention can be applied irrespective of the exposure method, application, and the like.

Steps for manufacturing a reticle and the like
In the case of using an AND stitch (joining) reduction projection type exposure apparatus, a circuit pattern to be formed on a substrate (for example, a reticle substrate) is enlarged by a reciprocal multiple of the reduction magnification, and a plurality of the enlarged patterns are formed. The reticle is formed into a plurality of reticles, and the respective patterns of the plurality of reticles are reduced and projected, and are connected and transferred on a substrate. When transferring the pattern of each reticle onto the substrate, either a scanning exposure method or a static exposure method may be adopted. Further, the connecting portion may not be provided between a plurality of patterns transferred adjacently on the substrate. That is, the stitch method is to transfer a reticle pattern to a plurality of exposure areas that partially overlap on a substrate, regardless of the presence or absence of a pattern connection.

The light source of the exposure apparatus 2 constituting the substrate processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied is not particularly limited.
Other excimer laser (wavelength 248 nm), ArF excimer laser (wavelength 193 nm), _{F 2} laser (wavelength 15
7 nm), Kr ₂ laser (wavelength 146 nm), KrA
r laser (wavelength 134 nm), Ar ₂ laser (wavelength 1
26 nm) can be used.

For example, a single-wavelength laser in the infrared or visible range oscillated from a DFB semiconductor laser or a fiber laser is amplified by a fiber amplifier doped with erbium (or both erbium and yttrium), and further amplified. It is also possible to use a harmonic whose wavelength has been converted to ultraviolet light using a nonlinear optical crystal. Note that an ytterbium-doped fiber laser is used as the single-wavelength oscillation laser.

A reduction projection exposure apparatus using a soft X-ray having a wavelength of about 10 nm as a light source, and an X-ray projection apparatus using a light source having a wavelength of about 1 nm.
Line exposure apparatus, electron beam (E
The present invention can also be applied to a case where an exposure apparatus that exposes and draws on a photosensitive substrate using B) or an ion beam is used.

In the above-described substrate processing apparatus, the illumination optical system, the reticle stage, the substrate stage 232, the projection optical system 231, the alignment device, and other components are electrically connected.
After being assembled mechanically or optically, the exposure processing unit 23, the transport unit 22, the temperature control unit 21, and the resist coating device manufactured by performing comprehensive adjustment (electrical adjustment, operation confirmation, etc.) The cooling unit 14 and the transporting unit (buffer unit) 15 are housed and installed in the thermal chamber 5, and the carrier mounting table 11, the coating unit 12, and the drying unit 13 of the resist coating device 1 are installed in the chamber 4 adjacent to the cooling unit 14. It is manufactured by housing and installing and adjusting. In addition, it is desirable that the manufacture of each device housed and installed in the thermal chamber 5 including the exposure processing unit 23 be performed in a clean room in which temperature, cleanliness, and the like are controlled.

In the micro device, a step of designing the function and performance of the device, a step of manufacturing a reticle based on the design step, a step of manufacturing a substrate such as a glass substrate or a silicon wafer, A step of forming a resist layer by a resist coating device 1 of a processing apparatus, a step of exposing and transferring a reticle pattern onto a substrate by an exposure apparatus 2 of the substrate processing apparatus, a developer (developing apparatus)
, A device assembling step (including a dicing step, a bonding step, and a package step), an inspection step, and the like.

[0058]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since a part of the resist coating apparatus constituting the substrate processing apparatus is installed in the air conditioning chamber in which the exposure apparatus is installed, the throughput and processing efficiency are improved without increasing the cost and size of the apparatus. There is an effect that can be. Also, there is an effect that it is possible to actively reduce the cost and size of the device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating an overall configuration of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the overall configuration of the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a temperature control unit of the substrate processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an overall configuration of a conventional substrate processing apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing an overall configuration of a conventional substrate processing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Resist application apparatus 11 ... Carrier mounting part 111 ... Substrate carrier 12 ... Resist application part 13 ... Drying part 14 ... Cooling part 141 ... Cooling plate 15 ... Conveying part 151 ... Arm 152 ... Buffer part 2 ... Exposure device 21 ... Temperature Adjusting unit 211 Temperature control holder 22 Transport unit 221 Arm 23 Exposure processing unit (exposure unit) 231 Projection optical system 232 Substrate stage 3 Glass substrate 4 Chamber 5 Thermal chamber (air conditioning chamber)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H01L 21/30 564C

Claims (2)

[Claims] A coating unit for coating a photosensitive material on a substrate to be processed, a cooling unit for cooling the substrate coated with the photosensitive material, and a buffer unit for temporarily storing the cooled substrate; A substrate processing apparatus comprising: an exposure unit that transfers an image of a pattern of a mask onto the substrate; and a transport unit that receives a substrate from the buffer unit and transports the substrate to the exposure unit. A substrate processing apparatus, wherein the unit, the exposure unit, and at least the buffer unit of the coating device are installed in the same air-conditioning chamber. 2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said cooling unit of said coating apparatus is also installed in said air conditioning chamber.