Ebara Corporation

Tohoku University

Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd.

Hiroaki Nishida

Jun Sato

Shinya Imano

Kiyohito Ishida

Hiroyuki Kaneko

Shigeki Ueta

Toshihiro Omori

Takashi Mitsuya

Hiroomi Torii

Takamasa Nakamura

Mototsugu Osaki

Tomoki Shiota

Misao Date

Masahiro Hayashi

There is provided a device and method for accurately positioning a substrate on a stage by a simple method using power of a movement mechanism provided for a movable stage. A substrate holding device for holding a substrate is provided. The substrate holding device includes a substrate stage for supporting the substrate, a stage drive mechanism for causing the substrate stage to move, positioning pin for positioning the substrate on the substrate stage, first urging members each urging the positioning pin, and a stopper member capable of applying a force against the urging member to the positioning pin. The positioning pin is configured to move together with the substrate stage by the stage drive mechanism. The positioning pin moving together with the substrate stage allows the substrate to be positioned on the substrate stage.

Substrate holding device and substrate processing apparatus including the same

A tool set that can easily check positions of positioning pins for a workpiece even in an environment using a liquid is disclosed. The tool set includes: a reference tool to be placed on the holding stage; a dummy workpiece to be placed on the reference tool; and a check pin having a cylindrical circumferential surface. The reference tool has a central protrusion having a cylindrical circumferential surface. The dummy workpiece has a circular through-hole having a diameter larger than a diameter of the circumferential surface of the central protrusion. A diameter of the check pin is smaller than a value determined by dividing a difference between the diameter of the circular through-hole and the diameter of the circumferential surface of the central protrusion by 2.

Tool set for use in position adjustment of positioning pins

A substrate holding mechanism includes a substrate holding claw for holding the substrate. The substrate holding claw includes a slant face for sliding the substrate thereon. Height of the slant face is increased from the inside of a space for holding the substrate toward the outside of the space. A crossing angle formed by a direction in which a machining mark is formed on the slant face and a direction in which the substrate is slid is not less than 0 degree and not more than 45 degrees at least in a partial region of the slant face.

Substrate holding mechanism, substrate transporting device, and semiconductor manufacturing apparatus

The present invention enables adjustment of a motion range of a workpiece conveying mechanism by a simple configuration. Provided is a workpiece conveying device including a simple motion range adjusting mechanism for conveying workpieces of different sizes. According to one embodiment of the invention, the workpiece conveying device for conveying workpieces includes a workpiece holding mechanism configured to operate to hold and release the workpiece. The workpiece conveying device also includes an actuator equipped with a movable member directly or indirectly connected to the workpiece holding mechanism to drive the workpiece holding mechanism. The workpiece conveying device further includes a stopper device having a male member and a female member, and these male member and female member are configured to engage with each other in at least two different arrangements, thereby defining at least two predefined discontinuous holding positions of the workpiece holding mechanism connected to the movable member.

Movable range adjusting mechanism for workpiece conveying device

A method of operating a substrate processing apparatus, upon the occurrence of a nonfatal failure in the apparatus, makes it possible to continue part of the apparatus operations for substrates to clean and recover a substrate or to easily discharge a substrate from the apparatus, without stopping an entire apparatus, thereby reducing the risk of a substrate becoming unprocessable. The method of operating a substrate processing apparatus having a polishing section, a cleaning section and a transferring mechanism, includes: classifying substrates, upon detection of a malfunction in any of the polishing section, the cleaning section and the transferring mechanism, according to the site of the malfunction and to the positions of the substrates in the substrate processing apparatus; and carrying out an operation for each of the substrates after the detection of the malfunction, the operation varying depending on the classification of the substrate.

Method of operating substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Hiroaki Nishida