Tokyo Electron Limited

Akira Ishihara

Akira Yonemizu

Takanori Miyazaki

Satoru Tanaka

Mitsunori Nakamori

Yusuke Saito

Michiaki Matsushita

Kazuyoshi Namba

Hidetomo Uemukai

Yuji Murakami

Yukihiko Sakata

At first, with a chamber being filled with a first gas, a process liquid is supplied onto a surface of a wafer in the chamber so as to process the surface of the wafer. At this time, the process liquid discharged from the chamber is returned to a process-liquid supplying part. Thereafter, with the chamber being filled with a second gas whose humidity is lower than that of the first gas, a fluid for forming a liquid film is supplied onto the surface of the wafer in the chamber to form a liquid film on the surface of the wafer and to dry the surface of the wafer.

Substrate processing method, substrate processing apparatus, and storage medium

Disclosed herein is a processing system for applying a cleaning processing to a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer which includes a cleaning processing section including a plurality of process units each serving to apply a predetermined treatment to a wafer and a loading/unloading sectionThe cleaning processing section includes four scrub cleaning units consisting of two scrub cleaning units arranged side by side and two additional cleaning units stacked on the two scrub cleaning units arranged side by side, respectively, so as to form upper and lower stages of the scrub cleaning units, a wafer inversion unit for turning the wafer upside down, a wafer transit unit having the wafer disposed thereon temporarily for performing the transfer of the wafer to and from the transfer section, and a main wafer transfer mechanism.

Cleaning processing system and cleaning processing apparatus

A substrate dual-side processing apparatus has a processor to apply a specific process to a front surface and a rear surface of a substrate, a reversing unit to reverse the substrate and a substrate-transfer mechanism to transfer the substrate between the processor and the reversing unit. The reversing unit has a holder for holding the substrate when the substrate is being transferred to and from the substrate-transfer mechanism and a rotating mechanism for rotating the substrate, thus the substrate being reversed while held by the holders. The reversing unit may have a pair of holders for holding the substrate at the front and rear surfaces, a drive mechanism for driving the pair of holders so that the holders become close to or apart from each other and a rotating mechanism for rotating the substrate, thus the substrate being reversed while held by the holders.

Substrate dual-side processing apparatus

A cleaning processing system for applying a cleaning processing to a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer comprises a cleaning processing section including a plurality of process units each serving to apply a predetermined treatment to a wafer W and a loading/unloading sectionfor loading and unloading the wafer W into and out of the cleaning processing section. The cleaning processing section includes four scrub cleaning units consisting of two scrub cleaning units arranged side by side and two additional cleaning units stacked on the two scrub cleaning units arranged side by side, respectively, so as to form upper and lower stages of the scrub cleaning units, a wafer inversion unit for turning the wafer W upside down, a wafer transit unit having the wafer W disposed thereon temporarily for performing the transfer of the wafer W to and from the transfer section, and a main wafer transfer mechanism capable of gaining access to all of these units and performing the transfer of the wafer W between different units.

A processing apparatus and a processing method are capable of properly and easily obtaining accurate data on the contact pressure applied by an end effector to a workpiece while a process is being carried out. A processing apparatus ( ) processes a surface of a wafer (W) held by a spin chuck ( ) (holding means) by bringing an end effector ( ) into contact with the surface of the wafer (W). The end effector ( ) can be retracted from the surface of the wafer (W) to a waiting position ( ). A measuring and cleaning device ( ) comprises, in combination, a measuring device ( ) for measuring contact pressure to be applied to the wafer (W) by the end effector ( ), and a cleaning device ( ) for cleaning the end effector ( ). The measuring device ( ) has a table ( ) for supporting the end effector ( ), and a pressure sensor ( ) for measuring a pressure applied to the table ( ) to estimate a contact pressure actually applied by the end effector ( ) to the wafer (W). The support surface of the table ( ) and the surface of the wafer (W) held by the spin chuck ( ) are on the same level.

Substrate surface processing apparatus and method

A scrub washing apparatus comprises a spin chuck for holding a substrate to be processed substantially horizontally, a nozzle for supplying a washing liquid to the substrate mounted on the spin chuck, an arm vertically and horizontally movably supported, an output shaft provided at the arm, a sponge brush connected directly or indirectly to the output shaft, for scrubbing the substrate on the spin chuck in contact therewith, a press mechanism moving the sponge brush downward together with the output shaft, for pressing the sponge brush against the substrate on the spin chuck, and a rotation drive mechanism provided above the press mechanism at a position where the rotation drive mechanism is capable of being engaged with the output shaft, for directly rotating the sponge brush by engaging with the output shaft.

Scrub washing method

Scrub washing apparatus and scrub washing method

A drive unit,for driving a brush,is provided on a tip of a rotatable arm,The drive unit,includes a motor,for driving the processing member,having a brush,for rotation and an adjustment mechanism,for adjusting a force to urge the processing member,against a wafer W. With no intermediary of a flexible transmitting means, such as a belt, the processing member,is securely joined to the motor,through a shaft,and driven by the motor,directly. The adjustment mechanism,is constituted by an electromagnetic actuator which includes a stationary element,and a movable element,capable of elevating along the stationary element,The motor,is coupled to the armature,The adjustment mechanism,controls the position of the processing member,with respect to the upward and downward direction as well as the force to urge the processing member,against a wafer W.

Growing community of inventors

Tosu, Japan

Akira Ishihara