Substrate processing method and substrate processing apparatus

Abstract

The wafer coated with the resist is deliberately placed in the vapor before being transferred to an aligner that exposes the resist on the wafer, the vapor, for example, the moisture, uniformly adheres onto the resist on the wafer. As a result, the substrate can uniformly be exposed in the following exposing process, and the uniformity of the line width and the like can be improved.

1 - 9 . (canceled)  
   
   
       10 . An apparatus for processing a substrate, comprising: 
 a coating processing portion coating a resist on the substrate;    a vapor processing portion placing the substrate coated with the resist in an atmosphere including a vapor; and    a transfer mechanism transferring the substrate at least between the coating processing portion and the vapor processing portion.    
   
   
       11 . The apparatus as set forth in  claim 10 , 
 wherein the vapor processing portion places the substrate coated with the resist in a saturated vapor atmosphere.    
   
   
       12 . The apparatus as set forth in  claim 10 , further comprising: 
 a drying processing portion drying the substrate so that a moisture adheres to a surface of the substrate remains thereon.    
   
   
       13 . The apparatus as set forth in  claim 12 , 
 wherein the drying processing portion has a heating plate heating the substrate.    
   
   
       14 . The apparatus as set forth in  claim 12 , 
 wherein the drying processing portion has means for supplying the substrate with a heating air.    
   
   
       15 . The apparatus as set forth in  claim 10 , 
 wherein the apparatus is disposed adjacent to an aligner, the apparatus further comprising:    a delivering and receiving portion delivering and receiving the substrate between the vapor processing portion and the aligner.    
   
   
       16 . The apparatus as set forth in  claim 12 , 
 wherein the apparatus is disposed adjacent to an aligner, the apparatus further comprising:    a delivering and receiving portion delivering and receiving the substrate between the drying processing portion and the aligner.    
   
   
       17 . The apparatus as set forth in  claim 10 , 
 wherein the vapor processing portion has a pressure controlling portion controlling a pressure of the atmosphere around the substrate.    
   
   
       18 . The apparatus as set forth in  claim 17 , 
 wherein the pressure controlling portion controls the pressure so that the pressure becomes higher than an atmospheric pressure for a predetermined time period beginning from when the substrate is started to be placed in the vapor and controls the pressure so that the pressure becomes lower than the atmospheric pressure after the predetermined time period.