Tokyo Electron Limited

Genichi Nanasaki

Seiichi Kaise

Hideyuki Osada

Norihiko Amikura

Takehiro Shindo

Masatomo Kita

Toshiaki Toyomaki

Masahiro Dogome

Eiji Takahashi

Hiroshi Ikari

Shigeki Amemiya

Daisuke Hara

Hikaru Nihei

Tatsuya Morioka

Akihiro Matsui

Takashi Takizawa

A substrate processing apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a vacuum transfer chamber including a top surface, a bottom surface, and side surfaces between the top and the bottom surfaces, including a first side surface and a second side surface opposite to the first side surface; a transfer robot, disposed in the vacuum transfer chamber, for transferring a substrate; a load lock module connected to the first side surface; a pipe, connected to a purge gas supply source, for supplying a purge gas into the vacuum transfer chamber; one or more gas ports provided in the top surface in the vicinity of the second side surface and connected to the pipe; and one or more exhaust ports, provided in the bottom surface in the vicinity of the first side surface, to which an exhaust pump for exhausting the purge gas supplied into the vacuum transfer chamber is connected.

Substrate processing apparatus, purge gas control method, and vacuum transfer chamber cleaning method

A substrate processing system is disclosed, comprising: a vacuum transfer module; a substrate processing module connected to the vacuum transfer module and configured to process a substrate in a depressurized environment; a load-lock module connected to the vacuum transfer module; at least one substrate cooling stage disposed in the load-lock module; at least one substrate transfer robot disposed the vacuum transfer module and having at least one end effector; and a controller configured to control a particle removal operation. The operation includes: cooling at least one dummy substrate placed on said at least one substrate cooling stage to a first temperature; and holding said at least one end effector in any one of a plurality of positions in the vacuum transfer module or the substrate processing module for a first time period in a state where at least one cooled dummy substrate is placed on said at least one end effector.

Substrate processing system and particle removal method

Provided is a conveyance robot replacement apparatus used for replacing a conveyance robot installed in an atmosphere conveyance chamber of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus in order to convey a substrate. The conveyance robot replacement apparatus includes a positioning unit configured to determine a position of the conveyance robot replacement apparatus with respect to the atmospheric conveyance chamber, a holding unit configured to suspend the conveyance robot to be supported, a guide portion configured to guide advancing and retreating into and from the atmospheric conveyance chamber of the holding unit by being engaged with the positioning unit, a position adjustment unit configured move the holding unit in each of the longitudinal direction, the horizontal direction, and the vertical direction to adjust a position of the holding unit, and a connecting component connectable to the holding unit as well as the conveyance robot.

Conveyance robot replacement apparatus and conveyance robot replacement method

Provided is a purging apparatus including an upper nozzle provided above an opening of a substrate storage container and configured to supply a dry gas obliquely downwardly to a side opposite to the opening of the substrate storage container and over the entire surface of the width of the opening of the substrate storage container; and a plurality of side nozzles provided at both left and right sides of the opening of the substrate storage container, respectively, and each configured to supply the dry gas towards the inside of the substrate storage container from an outside of the opening of the substrate storage container. Each of the side nozzles is longer than a height of the opening of the substrate storage container and is provided with a plurality of supply holes formed thereon at predetermined intervals in a vertical direction.

Purging apparatus and purging method for substrate storage container

Growing community of inventors

Miyagi, Japan

Genichi Nanasaki