JP3629404B2 - Processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Technical field to which the invention belongs]
The present invention relates to a processing apparatus that performs a plurality of processes such as resist coating, exposure, and development on an object to be processed such as an LCD glass substrate.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In the manufacture of a liquid crystal display (LCD), a predetermined film is formed on an LCD glass substrate, which is a substrate, and a resist film is then formed by applying a photoresist solution, and a resist film is formed corresponding to a circuit pattern. A circuit pattern is formed by a so-called photolithography technique of exposing and developing this.
[0003]
In this photolithography technique, a predetermined circuit pattern is formed on a resist layer through a series of processes of an adhesion (hydrophobization) process → resist coating → pre-baking → exposure → development → post-baking on an LCD substrate which is an object to be processed.
[0004]
Conventionally, in such processing, processing units for performing each processing are arranged on both sides of the transport path in a form that is conscious of the process flow, and the processing object is carried into and out of each processing unit by a transport device that can travel on the transport path. Is performed by a processing system in which one or a plurality of process blocks are arranged.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, recently, there is a strong demand for large-sized LCD substrates, and even a huge one having a side as long as 1 m has appeared. In a processing system having a planar arrangement as described above, the footprint is extremely large. There is a strong demand for a reduction in footprint from the viewpoint of space saving.
[0006]
In order to reduce the footprint, it is conceivable to stack the processing units in the vertical direction. However, in the current processing system, the transfer device moves a large substrate in the horizontal direction at high speed and high precision from the viewpoint of improving throughput. Therefore, there is a limit to the movement in the height direction with high speed and high accuracy. In addition, the processing unit is also enlarged with the increase in size of the substrate, and it is extremely difficult to provide spinner units such as a resist coating processing unit and a development processing unit in an overlapping manner.
[0007]
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and a processing apparatus having a plurality of processing units that can reduce the footprint without reducing the throughput and without causing problems in the apparatus configuration. The purpose is to provide.
[0008]
[Means for solving the problems]
To solve the above problem,The present invention is a processing apparatus for performing a process consisting of a plurality of processes including a liquid application process and a thermal process on an object to be processed, and a horizontal conveyance path extending horizontallyOn both sidesA plurality of coating system processing units for performing a coating process on an object to be processed are arranged, and the horizontal transport path is moved by a first transport device that moves in the horizontal transport path.On both sidesA first processing unit that transports the object to be processed to each processing unit provided, and a vertical transport path that extends verticallyAroundA plurality of thermal processing units for performing thermal processing on an object to be processedProcessing block constructed by stacking up and downIs arranged, and the vertical transport path is moved by a second transport device that moves in the vertical transport pathAroundA second processing unit that transports the object to be processed to each processing unit provided.The first processing unit and the second processing unit are in contact with one end of the horizontal conveyance path at one of the processing blocks.A processing apparatus is provided.
[0009]
AlsoThe present invention is a processing apparatus for performing a process comprising a plurality of steps including a liquid application process and a thermal process on an object to be processed, and a horizontal conveyance path extending horizontallyOn both sidesA plurality of coating system processing units for performing a coating process on an object to be processed are arranged, and the horizontal transport path is moved by a first transport device that moves in the horizontal transport path.On both sidesTwo first processing units for transporting the object to be processed to each processing unit provided, and a vertical transport path extending verticallyAroundA plurality of thermal processing units for performing thermal processing on an object to be processedProcessing block constructed by stacking up and downIs arranged, and the vertical transport path is moved by a second transport device that moves in the vertical transport pathAroundA second processing unit that transports the object to be processed to each processing unit provided, and the second processing unit is disposed between the two first processing units.The horizontal conveying paths of the two first processing units are arranged in a straight line, and the first processing unit and the second processing unit include one end of the horizontal conveying path and the processing block. Touching by oneA processing apparatus is provided.
[0010]
Furthermore, the present invention is a processing apparatus for performing processing consisting of a plurality of processes including liquid application processing and thermal processing on an object to be processed, which is applied to the object to be processed on both sides of a horizontally extending horizontal conveyance path. A cleaning processing unit that cleans the target object as a plurality of coating system processing units that perform processing, a resist coating unit that applies a resist to the target object, and a development processing unit that develops the resist after exposure are disposed, Two first processing units in which the object to be processed is transferred to each processing unit provided along the horizontal transfer path by the first transfer apparatus that moves along the transfer path, and the periphery of the vertical transfer path that extends vertically A processing block in which a plurality of thermal processing units that perform thermal processing on the object to be processed are stacked in the vertical direction is disposed, and the second transport device that moves on the vertical transport path causes the A second processing unit that conveys the object to be processed to each processing unit provided around the direct conveyance path, and the second processing unit is disposed between the two first processing units. One of the two first processing units is arranged on both sides of the horizontal transport path as the coating system processing unit, and the other is one side of the horizontal transport path as the coating system processing unit. The resist coating unit is disposed on the other side, and the development processing unit is disposed on the other side. The horizontal transport paths of the two first processing units are arranged on a straight line, and the first processing unit and the second processing unit The processing unit provides a processing apparatus in which one end of the horizontal conveyance path is in contact with one of the processing blocks.
[0011]
According to the present invention, the horizontal conveyance pathApply coating on both sidespluralCoating systemA horizontal transport path is provided by a first transport device provided with a processing unit and moving in the horizontal transport pathOn both sidesA first processing unit that transports an object to be processed to each processing unit provided, and a vertical transport path;Apply thermal treatment to the object to be treatedpluralThermalProcessing unitArrange processing blocks that are stacked in the vertical direction,Vertical transport path by the second transport device moving on the vertical transport pathAroundSince it has the 2nd processing part in which the processed object is conveyed to each processing unit provided, there is no problem in stacking up and down.ThermalThe footprint can be reduced by arranging the processing unit in the second processing unit, and the first transport device moves horizontally along the horizontal transport path, and the second transport device moves to the vertical transport path. Move vertically alongSoCapable of separating the functions of the transport deviceAndThroughput can be kept high. Further, in this case, by arranging the second processing unit between the two first processing units, the second processing unit can be accessed from either of the first processing units, and the throughput is further increased. Can be improved.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a resist coating and developing apparatus for an LCD substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing the inside thereof.
[0013]
The resist coating and developing apparatus 100 includes a cassette station 1 on which a cassette C that stores a plurality of substrates G is placed, and a plurality of processing units for performing a series of processes including resist coating and development on the substrates G. An interface station 3 for transferring the substrate G between the processing station 2 and the exposure apparatus 80 is provided, and a cassette station 1 and an interface station 3 are disposed at both ends of the processing unit 2, respectively.
[0014]
The cassette station 1 includes a transport mechanism 11 for transporting the LCD substrate G between the cassette C and the processing station 2, and the cassette C is carried into and out of the cassette station 1. Further, the transport mechanism 11 has a transport arm 11a and can move on a transport path 10 provided along the arrangement direction of the cassette C, and the substrate G can be moved between the cassette C and the processing station 2 by the transport arm 11a. Is carried out.
[0015]
The processing station 2 has two horizontal transfer processing units (first processing units) 21a and 21b and two vertical transfer processing units (second processing units) 22a and 22b. The horizontal conveyance processing unit 21a, the vertical conveyance processing unit 22a, the horizontal conveyance processing unit 21b, and the vertical conveyance processing unit 22b are arranged in a straight line toward the interface station 3 side.
[0016]
The interface station 3 includes an extension 71 that temporarily holds a substrate when the substrate is transferred to and from the processing station 2, and two buffer stages 72 that are provided on both sides of the extension 71 and in which buffer cassettes are disposed. And a transfer mechanism 74 that carries in and out the substrate G between the exposure apparatus 80 and the exposure apparatus 80. The transport mechanism 74 includes a transport arm 74 a that can move on a transport path 73 provided along the arrangement direction of the extension 71 and the buffer stage 72, and the substrate between the processing station 2 and the exposure apparatus 80 by the transport arm 74 a. G is transported.
[0017]
Next, the processing station 2 will be described in detail.
The horizontal conveyance processing unit 21a has a horizontal conveyance path 31 extending in the direction from the cassette station 1 to the interface station 3 in the center, and a horizontal conveyance device 32 that can move in the horizontal direction along the horizontal conveyance path 31. ing. An excimer unit (EXCIMER) 33 and a scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 34 are disposed on one side of the horizontal conveyance path 31, and two scrubber cleaning units (SCR) 35 are disposed on the other side. 36 is arranged.
[0018]
The horizontal conveyance processing unit 21 b has a conveyance path 51 extending in the direction from the cassette station 1 to the interface station 3 at the center, and includes a horizontal conveyance device 52 that can move in the horizontal direction along the conveyance path 51. A resist processing block 53 in which a resist coating processing unit (CT) 53a, a reduced pressure drying unit (VU) 53b, and a peripheral resist removing unit (ER) 53c are integrated is disposed along one side of the conveyance path 51. On the other side, three development processing units (DEV) 54, 55, 56 are arranged. In the resist processing block 53, the substrate G is carried into the resist coating processing unit (CT) 53 a by the horizontal transport device 52, where the resist solution is applied, and then the pressure is reduced by a sub arm (not shown) in the resist processing block 53. It is transported to a drying unit (VU) 53b and dried under reduced pressure, and further transported to a peripheral resist removal unit (ER) 53c by a sub arm to remove excess resist on the peripheral edge of the substrate G. Thereafter, the substrate G is transferred by a horizontal transport device 52. It is unloaded from the resist processing block 53.
[0019]
The vertical conveyance processing unit 22a includes a vertical conveyance path 41 extending in the vertical direction (perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 1), and a vertical conveyance device 42 that can move in the vertical direction along the vertical conveyance path 41. Yes. Around the vertical conveyance path 41, four processing blocks 43, 44, 45, and 46 each having four thermal processing units stacked one above the other are arranged. All of these thermal processing units perform thermal processing in a state where the substrate G is mounted on a mounting table (not shown).
[0020]
Among the four processing blocks, the processing block 43 transfers the substrate G to and from the horizontal transfer processing unit 21a in order from the bottom, and an extension cooling unit (EXTCOL) that cools the substrate G, and a cooling unit (cooling unit that cools the substrate G) COL) and two hot plate units (HP) for heating the substrate G are disposed. Further, in each of the processing blocks 44 and 45, four hot plate units (HP) are arranged. Further, the processing block 46 transfers the substrate G to and from the horizontal transfer processing unit 21b in order from the bottom, and makes the substrate G hydrophobized to an extension cooling unit (EXTCOL), two cooling units (COL), and the substrate G. An adhesion processing unit (AD) that performs processing is arranged.
[0021]
The vertical conveyance processing unit 22 b includes a vertical conveyance path 61 that extends in the vertical direction (perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1), and includes a vertical conveyance device 62 that can move in the vertical direction along the vertical conveyance path 61. ing. Three processing blocks 63, 64, 65 each having four thermal processing units stacked one above the other are arranged on three sides around the vertical conveyance path 61, and one side faces the interface station 3. doing. Each of these thermal processing units, like the thermal processing unit of the vertical transfer processing unit 22a, performs thermal processing with the substrate G mounted on a mounting table (not shown).
[0022]
Among the three processing blocks, the processing block 63 transfers the substrate G to and from the horizontal transfer processing unit 21b in order from the bottom, and an extension cooling unit (EXTCOL), a cooling unit (COL), and a substrate that cool the substrate G Two hot plate units (HP) for heat-treating G are arranged. In each of the processing blocks 64 and 65, three hot plate units (HP) are disposed on the cooling unit (COL). Further, the vertical transfer device 62 transfers the substrate G to and from the interface station 3.
[0023]
Each processing unit is provided with a loading / unloading port 15 for loading and unloading a substrate by the transfer device of each processing block. The loading / unloading port 15 can be opened and closed by a shutter (not shown).
[0024]
The horizontal transfer apparatuses 32 and 52 have the same structure, and as shown in FIG. 3, the apparatus main body 91 movable along the horizontal transfer paths 31 and 51, and the apparatus main body 91 are moved up and down. A base member 92 that can be swiveled and two upper and lower substrate support members 93a and 93b that are independently movable along the horizontal direction on the base member 92 are provided. The central portion of the base member 92 and the apparatus main body 91 are connected by a connecting portion 94. The base member 92 is swung through the connecting portion 94 by a motor (not shown) built in the apparatus main body 91. With such a mechanism, the horizontal movement and turning movement of the substrate G can be performed at high speed. In addition, the base member 92 can be moved in the vertical direction by a motor built in the apparatus main body 91, and fine adjustment of the transport position in the vertical direction is possible.
[0025]
The vertical conveying devices 42 and 62 have the same structure and, as shown in FIG. 4, extend in the vertical direction and have a cylindrical support having vertical walls 101a and 101b and a side opening 101c therebetween. It has a body 101 and a substrate transfer portion 102 provided on the inside thereof so as to be vertically movable along the cylindrical support body 101. The cylindrical support 101 can be rotated by the rotational driving force of the motor 103, and the substrate transfer section 102 is also rotated integrally with the cylindrical support 101.
[0026]
The substrate transfer unit 102 includes a transport base 110 and two substrate holding arms 111 and 112 that can move back and forth along the transport base 110. These arms 111 and 112 are cylindrical supports. 101 has a size capable of passing through the side opening 101c. The substrate transfer section 102 is moved up and down by driving a belt 105 by a motor 104. Reference numeral 106 denotes a driving pulley and 107 denotes a driven pulley. With such a mechanism, the vertical movement and turning movement of the substrate G can be performed at high speed.
[0027]
In the resist coating and developing processing system configured as described above, the substrate G in the cassette C disposed in the cassette station 1 is transported to the processing station 2 by the transport mechanism 11. The substrate G is carried into the horizontal conveyance processing unit 21a by the horizontal conveyance device 32, and first, scrub pretreatment is performed by the excimer unit (EXCIMER) 33, and the scrubber cleaning unit (SCR) 34, 35, 36 is used. Scrubber cleaning is applied. Thereafter, the substrate G is transferred by the horizontal transfer device 32 to the extension cooling unit (EXTCOL) of the processing block 43 in the vertical transfer processing unit 22a.
[0028]
The substrate G placed in the extension cooling unit (EXTCOL) is transported to one of the hot plate units (HP) by the vertical transport device 42 of the vertical transport processing unit 22a and subjected to heat treatment, and one of the cooling units (COL). ) And cooled, it is transferred to an adhesion processing unit (AD) of the processing block 46 to improve the resist fixability, where it is hydrophobized (HMDS process). Thereafter, the substrate G is transferred to the cooling unit (COL), cooled, and then transferred to the extension cooling unit (EXTCOL) of the processing block 46. The substrate G may be directly transferred to the extension cooling unit (EXTCOL) for cooling without passing through the cooling unit (COL).
[0029]
The substrate G placed in the extension cooling unit (EXTCOL) is transported to the resist coating processing unit (CT) 53a of the resist processing block 53 by the horizontal transport device 52 of the horizontal transport processing unit 21b. In this resist coating processing unit (CT) 53a, a resist solution is applied to the substrate G, and then is transferred to a vacuum drying unit (VU) 53b by a sub-arm (not shown) in the resist processing block 53 and dried under reduced pressure. The sub-arm is transported to the peripheral resist removal unit (ER) 53c to remove excess resist on the peripheral edge of the substrate G. After the removal of the peripheral resist, the substrate G is unloaded from the resist processing block 53 by the horizontal transfer device 52. As described above, the reduced pressure drying unit (VU) 53b is provided after the resist coating unit (CT) 53a because the substrate G coated with the resist is pre-baked or post-baked after development, The shape of the fixing pin or the like may be transferred to the substrate G. In this way, the solvent in the resist is gradually released and heated by performing vacuum drying without heating by the vacuum drying unit (VU). This is because rapid drying as in the case of drying is not generated, drying of the resist can be promoted without adversely affecting the resist, and transfer can be effectively prevented from occurring on the substrate.
[0030]
After the coating process is completed in this way, the substrate G is transferred by the horizontal transfer device 52 to the extension cooling unit (EXTCOL) of the processing block 63 in the vertical transfer processing unit 22b.
[0031]
The substrate G placed in the extension cooling unit (EXTCOL) is transferred to the hot plate unit (HP) of the processing blocks 63, 64, 65 by the vertical transfer device 62 of the vertical transfer processing unit 22b and prebaked. , Then transported to any cooling unit (COL) and cooledThe
[0032]
Thereafter, the substrate G is placed on the extension 71 of the interface station 3 and is transported to the exposure device 80 by the transport mechanism 74, where a predetermined pattern is exposed.
[0033]
After the exposure is completed, the substrate G is again carried into the processing station 2 through the interface station 3, and is placed in the extension cooling unit (EXTCOL) of the processing block 63 by the vertical transfer device 62 of the vertical transfer processing unit 22b, so that the horizontal transfer processing is performed. The block 21b is transported to one of the development processing units 54, 55, and 56 by the horizontal transport device 52, and is subjected to development processing to form a predetermined circuit pattern.
[0034]
The developed substrate G is transported to the extension cooling unit (EXTCOL) of the processing block 46 in the vertical transport processing unit 22a by the horizontal transport device 52, and one of the hot plate units (HP) is transported by the vertical transport device 42. After being subjected to post-baking processing, it is cooled by any one of the cooling units (COL) and transferred to the extension cooling unit (EXTCOL) of the processing block 43. The substrate G of the extension cooling unit (EXTCOL) is transported toward the cassette station 1 by the horizontal transport device 32 of the horizontal transport processing unit 21a, and is stored in a predetermined cassette C on the cassette station 1 by the transport mechanism 11. The
[0035]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the resist coating processing unit (CT) 53a, the development processing units (DEV) 54, 55, and 56, and the scrubber cleaning units (SCR) 34 and 35 are provided along the horizontal conveyance paths 31 and 51. , 36, etc., and horizontal conveyance processing units 21a, 21b for conveying an object to be processed to these coating system processing units by means of horizontal conveyance devices 32, 52 that move along the horizontal conveyance paths 31, 51; A plurality of thermal processing units are provided vertically by stacking along the vertical conveyance paths 41 and 61, and a plurality of vertical processing apparatuses 42 and 62 moving along the vertical conveyance paths 41 and 61 are provided along the vertical conveyance paths. The vertical transfer processing units 22a and 22b that transfer the substrate G to the thermal processing unit are provided. Vertical transfer section 22a overlapping the Tsu bets vertically, by configuring the 22b can be reduced by that amount footprint. In addition, since the vertical conveyance processing units 22a and 22b are arranged with processing blocks formed by stacking a plurality of thermal processing units around the vertical conveyance paths 41 and 61, the footprint can be further reduced. Also, since the coating system processing units that hinder the vertical stacking are arranged horizontally to form the horizontal transport processing units 21a and 21b and transport by a transport device different from the vertical transport processing units 22a and 22b, the horizontal transport processing is performed. The horizontal transfer devices 32 and 52 of the units 21a and 21b use devices that can move in the horizontal direction at high speed, and the vertical transfer devices 42 and 62 of the vertical transfer processing units 22a and 22b can move in the vertical direction at high speed. This makes it possible to separate the functions of the transport device and maintain high throughput.
[0036]
Further, since the vertical transfer processing unit 22a is arranged between the two horizontal transfer processing units 21a and 21b, the vertical transfer processing unit 22a can be accessed from either of the horizontal transfer processing units 21a and 21b, and the throughput is increased. It can be very high. Furthermore, since the transport paths 31 and 51 of the two horizontal transport processing units 21a and 21b are arranged in a straight line with the vertical transport processing unit 22a interposed therebetween, it is easy to transport the substrate G to each processing unit. Furthermore, the processing blocks 43, 46 and 63 located at the boundaries between the vertical transfer processing units 22a and 22b and the horizontal transfer units 21a and 21b receive the substrate G between the horizontal transfer processing unit and the vertical transfer processing unit. Since an extension cooling unit (EXTCOL) that functions as a delivery unit for delivery is provided, the transfer of the substrate G between the horizontal transfer processing unit and the vertical transfer processing unit is smooth.
[0037]
In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible. For example, in the above-described embodiment, one horizontal conveyance processing unit is mainly configured by a plurality of scrubber cleaning units, and the other horizontal conveyance processing unit is mainly configured by a resist processing unit and a development processing unit. Alternatively, other combinations may be used. For example, one horizontal conveyance processing unit may be configured by only the resist processing unit or only the development processing unit. Further, the apparatus layout is not limited to the above embodiment, and the number of horizontal conveyance processing units and the vertical conveyance processing units may be one or three or more, and the same is true even if these numbers are different. It may be. Further, the horizontal conveyance processing units and the vertical conveyance processing units may be continuous. Further, the processing is not limited to the processing by the resist coating and developing apparatus as described above, and can be applied to an apparatus for performing another series of processing. Furthermore, although the case where the LCD substrate is used as the object to be processed has been described, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to the case of processing other objects to be processed such as a color filter.
[0038]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the horizontal conveyance pathApply coating on both sidespluralCoating systemA horizontal transport path is provided by a first transport device provided with a processing unit and moving in the horizontal transport pathOn both sidesA first processing unit that transports an object to be processed to each processing unit provided, and a vertical transport path;Apply thermal treatment to the object to be treatedpluralThermalProcessing unitArrange processing blocks that are stacked in the vertical direction,Vertical transport path by the second transport device moving on the vertical transport pathAroundSince it has the 2nd processing part in which the processed object is conveyed to each processing unit provided, there is no problem in stacking up and down.ThermalThe footprint can be reduced by arranging the processing unit in the second processing unit, and the first transport device moves horizontally along the horizontal transport path, and the second transport device moves to the vertical transport path. Move vertically alongSoCapable of separating the functions of the transport deviceAndThroughput can be kept high. Further, in this case, by arranging the second processing unit between the two first processing units, the second processing unit can be accessed from either of the first processing units, and the throughput is further increased. Can be improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a resist coating and developing apparatus for an LCD substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a side view showing the inside of an LCD substrate resist coating and developing treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a horizontal conveyance device.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a horizontal conveyance device.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 ... Cassette station
2 ... Processing station
3 …… Interface station
21a, 21b ... Horizontal conveyance processing section (first processing section)
22a, 22b... Vertical conveyance processing unit (second processing unit)
31, 51 ... Horizontal conveyance path
32, 52 ... Horizontal direction transport device (first transport device)
41, 61 …… Vertical transport path
42, 62 ... Vertical transfer device (second transfer device)
34, 35, 36 ... Scrubber cleaning unit (SCR)
43, 44, 45, 46, 63, 64, 65 ... processing block
53 …… Regist processing block
53a: Resist coating unit
54, 55, 56 ... Development processing unit
100: Resist coating and developing apparatus
G …… LCD substrate

Claims (7)

A processing apparatus for performing a process consisting of a plurality of steps including a liquid application process and a thermal process on an object to be processed,
A plurality of coating system processing units for applying a coating process to the object to be processed are arranged on both sides of a horizontal conveyance path extending horizontally, and provided on both sides of the horizontal conveyance path by a first conveyance device that moves on the horizontal conveyance path. A first processing unit in which the object to be processed is conveyed to each processing unit;
A processing block configured by vertically stacking a plurality of thermal processing units for performing thermal processing on an object to be processed is disposed around a vertically extending vertical transport path , and moves along the vertical transport path. A second processing unit that transports the object to be processed to each processing unit provided around the vertical transport path by a transport device ;
The processing apparatus, wherein the first processing unit and the second processing unit are in contact with one end of the horizontal conveyance path at one of the processing blocks . A processing apparatus for performing processing consisting of a plurality of steps including liquid application processing and thermal processing on an object to be processed,
A plurality of coating system processing units for applying a coating process to the object to be processed are arranged on both sides of a horizontal conveyance path extending horizontally, and provided on both sides of the horizontal conveyance path by a first conveyance device that moves on the horizontal conveyance path. Two first processing units in which the object to be processed is conveyed to each processing unit;
A processing block configured by vertically stacking a plurality of thermal processing units for performing thermal processing on an object to be processed is disposed around a vertically extending vertical transport path , and moves along the vertical transport path. A second processing unit that transports the object to be processed to each processing unit provided around the vertical transport path by a transport device;
The second processing unit is disposed between the two first processing units ,
The horizontal conveyance paths of the two first processing units are arranged to form a straight line,
The processing apparatus, wherein the first processing unit and the second processing unit are in contact with one end of the horizontal conveyance path at one of the processing blocks . The processing apparatus is a processing apparatus that performs resist coating on a target object and development after exposure, and the first processing unit includes a resist coating processing unit that applies a resist to the target object and / or or processing apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2 characterized by having a developing unit for performing developing treatment. The processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the first processing unit further includes a cleaning processing unit that cleans an object to be processed. A processing apparatus for performing processing consisting of a plurality of steps including liquid application processing and thermal processing on an object to be processed,
  A cleaning unit for cleaning the object to be processed as a plurality of coating system processing units for applying the object to the object to be processed on both sides of a horizontal conveyance path extending horizontally, a resist coating unit for applying a resist to the object to be processed, and a resist after exposure A development processing unit for performing the development processing is disposed, and two first objects are conveyed to each processing unit provided along the horizontal conveyance path by a first conveyance device that moves along the horizontal conveyance path. 1 processing unit;
  A processing block configured by vertically stacking a plurality of thermal processing units for performing thermal processing on the object to be processed is disposed around a vertically extending vertical transport path, and moves along the vertical transport path. A second processing unit for transporting the object to be processed to each processing unit provided around the vertical transport path by a transport device;
Comprising
  The second processing unit is disposed between the two first processing units,
  One of the two first processing units arranges the cleaning unit as a coating system processing unit on both sides of the horizontal transport path, and the other serves as the coating system processing unit as the horizontal transport path. The resist coating unit is disposed on one side, and the development processing unit is disposed on the other side,
  The horizontal transport paths of the two first processing units are arranged to form a straight line,
  The processing apparatus, wherein the first processing unit and the second processing unit are in contact with one end of the horizontal conveyance path at one of the processing blocks. The said 2nd process part has a delivery unit for delivering a to-be-processed object between said 1st process parts, The any one of Claims 1-5 characterized by the above-mentioned. Processing equipment. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a loading / unloading unit having a storage container mounting portion for mounting a processing object storage container capable of storing the processing object, and for loading / unloading the processing object. The processing apparatus of any one of 6 .

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