Tokyo Electron Limited

Tokyo Electron Kyushu Limited

Akira Yonemizu

Yuji Matsuyama

Takanori Miyazaki

Akira Ishihara

Masami Akimoto

Hidetami Yaegashi

Akihiro Fujimoto

Takashi Takekuma

Michiaki Matsushita

Takahide Fukuda

Hiroyuki Matsukawa

Tomoko Hamada

Shinji Nagashima

Nobukazu Ishizaka

Yoji Mizutani

Hiroyuki Kudou

Kiyohisa Tateyama

Hiroki Taniyama

Miyako Yamasaka

Mitiaki Matsushita

Shigeyoshi Kojima

Kazuyoshi Namba

When a substrate coated with a coating solution which oxidizes at high temperatures is heat-treated, an oxygen concentration of a treatment atmosphere is lowered when the temperature is low. Next, the substrate is heat-treated in the treatment atmosphere of which the oxygen concentration is lowered. Sequentially, the treatment atmosphere is returned to that with the original oxygen concentration after the passage of a predetermined time after completing the heat treatment. Thereby, the substrate can be heat-treated, with the oxidization of the coating solution being controlled.

Heat treatment method, heat treatment apparatus and treatment system

A substrate processing apparatus comprises a heating process chamber in which a heating process is performed for a wafer, a load lock chamber, connected to the heating process chamber, for controlling at least oxygen concentration and pressure, a transferring arm transferring the wafer between the heating process chamber and the load lock chamber, and a gate valve shielding the heating process chamber from the load lock chamber. Thus, an insulation film with high quality can be formed. In addition, the wafer is temporarily placed in the load lock chamber adjacent to the heating process chamber without need to be transferred to another unit. Thus, the transferring time period for the wafer can be shortened. In addition, footprints can be decreased.

Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

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.

Processing apparatus

A method for washing both surfaces of a substrate, comprising (a) a first washing step for washing a front surface of a substrate, which is kept rotated, by bringing a scrubbing member into contact with said front surface of the substrate while supplying a washing liquid onto the front surface, (b) a second washing step for washing a back surface of the substrate, which is kept rotated, by bringing a scrubbing member into contact with said back surface of the substrate while supplying a washing liquid onto the back surface, (c) a heating step for drying under heat the wet surfaces of the substrate, (d) a recipe determining step for determining whether said heating step (c) is performed, at a period between said first washing step (a) and second washing step (b) and at a period after the second washing step (b), whether the heating step (c) is performed only once after the second washing step (b), or whether the heating step (c) is not performed, and (e) a conducting step for performing or not performing the heating step (C) in accordance with the recipe determined in said recipe determining step (d).

Apparatus for washing both surfaces of a substrate

The present invention provides a wet etching method applied to a thin, including the steps of (a) setting in advance an etching rate of said thin film in view of a kind of the thin film to be etched, components of said etchant solution, and temperature, (b) loading the substrate on a spin chuck such that the surface having the thin film formed thereon faces upward and, (c) detecting a thickness of the thin film in at least a peripheral portion and a central portion of the substrate. The method also includes the steps (d) calculating moving speeds of a nozzle at predetermined passing points of said nozzle on the basis of the etching rate set in step (a) and a film thickness detected in the step (c), (e) rotating the substrate by driving the spin chuck, and (f) controlling the moving speed of the nozzle, while allowing the nozzle to supply the etchant solution to the thin film formed on the surface of the substrate which is being rotated, to conform with the moving speeds calculated in step (d) at the predetermined passing points of the nozzle so as to move the nozzle in a radial direction of the substrate.

Method for wet etching of thin film

An apparatus and method for scrubbing both surfaces of a substrate which includes a process section having a first unit, a second unit, a main arm mechanism for transferring a substrate into/from the first and second units, a first cassette or a second cassette section for transferring plural cassettes, a first and second sub-arm for transferring a substrate into/from the cassette sections, and controllers, such that a first substrate taken out from the first cassette section is subjected to the first unit and then subjected to the second unit, while a second substrate taken out from the second cassette is subjected to the second unit and then subjected to the first unit.

Apparatus and method for washing both surfaces of a substrate

A processing apparatus of this invention has an openable window portion for transferring a target processing substrate, and an inlet port for introducing the outer atmosphere. Further, the processing apparatus includes a closed processing chamber for performing predetermined processing for the target processing substrate transferred via the window portion, an exhaust means for evacuating the interior of the processing chamber, and an opening/closing mechanism for closing the inlet port, and opening the inlet port when the pressure in the processing chamber is negative.

Processing apparatus for target processing substrate

There is provided a double-sided substrate cleaning apparatus including a carrier station for loading/unloading a carrier in which objects to be processed are stored, a convey mechanism for conveying an object taken out from the carrier station, at least one cleaning mechanism, arranged along a convey path on which the convey mechanism conveys the object, for cleaning the object, and an object reversing mechanism, arranged along the convey path, for reversing the object.

Double-sided substrate cleaning apparatus and cleaning method using the

A method for washing both surfaces of a substrate, comprising (a) a first washing step for washing a front surface of a substrate, which is kept rotated, by bringing a scrubbing member into contact with said front surface of the substrate while supplying a washing liquid onto the front surface, (b) a second washing step for washing a back surface of the substrate, which is kept rotated, by bringing a scrubbing member into contact with said back surface of the substrate while supplying a washing liquid onto the back surface, (c) a heating step for drying under heat the wet surfaces of the substrate, (d) a recipe determining step for determining whether said heating step (c) is performed at a period between said first washing step (a) and second washing step (b) and at a period after the second washing step (b), whether the heating step (c) is performed only once after the second washing step (b), or whether the heating step (c) is not performed, and (e) a conducting step for performing or not performing the heating step (C) in accordance with the recipe determined in said recipe determining step (d).

Method for washing both surfaces of a substrate

The present invention provides a cleaning method in which an object to be cleaned is held such that a surface of the object to be cleaned faces a cleaning body and the object to be cleaned and the cleaning body are moved relative to each other in a state where the cleaning body is in contact with the surface to the object to be cleaned, thereby cleaning the surface of the object to be cleaned, wherein a contact pressure of the cleaning body to the surface of the object to be cleaned is set at most 20 gf/cm.sup.2, when the surface is cleaned.

Method of cleaning a substrate by scrubbing

A substrate cleaning method in which the substrate is rotated and cleaned utilizing a brush which is brought into contact with the substrate. In accordance with one presently preferred aspect, the substrate is held between a stepped portion and a stopper portion at the fringe of the substrate, thereby preventing movement of the substrate as it is rotated and the brush is brought into contact with the substrate. In accordance with another aspect, a freely rotatable brush is brought into contact with the substrate so that the brush can rotate with the rotating substrate, and damage to the substrate can be minimized.

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Kumamoto, Japan

Akira Yonemizu