Tokyo Electron Limited

Hiroshi Kikuchi

Hisashi Inoue

Katsuhiko Mihara

Masahiro Kobayashi

Yudo Sugawara

Satoshi Asari

Yoshiyuki Kobayashi

Kiichi Takahashi

Harunari Hasegawa

Mitsuru Obara

Michihiro Takahashi

Yoshihisa Kumagai

Keishi Shionaga

Tamotsu Hatakeyama

Tsutomu Wakamori

Norio Baba

Eiki Fujii

Naoto Saito

Provided is an assembling apparatus for a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. The assembling apparatus includes: a body; lift attached to the body and configured to move a reaction tube having an opening at a lower end portion thereof vertically, thereby allowing a gas supply pipe to be installed inside the reaction tube through the opening while the reaction tube is held by the lift; gas supply source configured to supply a gas into the reaction tube through the gas supply pipe while the reaction tube is held by the lift; and an exhaust mechanism including a pump configured to exhaust an inside of the reaction tube through the opening, thereby performing a leakage test of the reaction tube while the reaction tube is held by the lift.

Assembling apparatus and assembling method for semiconductor manufacturing apparatus

Provided is a method of conveying a storage container from a placing table to a conveyance place using a conveying mechanism in a substrate processing apparatus. The storage container hermetically stores a substrate and includes a flange portion formed on the top thereof. The conveying mechanism includes a hand portion provided with a flange insertion portion. The substrate processing apparatus is provided with at least two placing tables arranged side by side in a first horizontal direction. The method includes moving the placing table to the conveyance place in the second horizontal direction by a predetermined distance; sliding the hand portion from a side of a placing table neighboring to the placing table in the first horizontal direction such that the flange portion is inserted into the flange inserting portion; and conveying the storage container from the placing table to the conveyance place through the hand portion.

Conveying method and substrate processing apparatus

The clamp apparatus of the present disclosure includes a clamp member configured to contact a substrate accommodating container from an upper side and fix the substrate accommodating container to a predetermined position when a cover provided on a front surface of the substrate accommodating container is opened/closed, a driving mechanism configured to drive the clamp member; a casing configured to cover the driving mechanism, a suction port configured to communicate with the casing, an exhaust chamber provided near the casing, and a fan provided inside the exhaust chamber.

Clamp apparatus, substrate carry-in/out apparatus using the same, and substrate processing apparatus

The present disclosure provides a support mechanism for supporting a cover that performs sealing of a furnace opening of a heat treatment furnace or release the sealing by being moved up or down by an elevating unit. The support mechanism includes a first elastic body having a first elastic modulus; and a second elastic body having a second elastic modulus larger than the first elastic modulus. A reaction force in relation to the first elastic body is applied to the cover when the cover abuts on the furnace opening by being moved up by the elevating unit, and a reaction force in relation to the first elastic body and the second elastic body is applied to the cover after the cover abuts on the furnace opening by being moved up by the elevating unit.

Support mechanism and substrate processing apparatus

Disclosed is a vertical heat treatment apparatus. The apparatus includes: a heat treatment furnace provided with a furnace inlet at a lower end thereof; a cover unit disposed on the furnace inlet of the heat treatment furnace; a cover unit opening/closing mechanism configured to support the cover unit in a cantilever manner from a bottom side of the cover unit; and an auxiliary mechanism configured to press the cover unit from the bottom side of the cover unit when the cover unit is disposed on the furnace inlet. The auxiliary mechanism is provided with a toggle mechanism.

Vertical heat treatment apparatus

Disclosed is a substrate heat treatment apparatus. The apparatus includes: a conveyance storage unit which includes a first storage section and a second storage section each of which stores a plurality of conveyance containers, and a conveyance mechanism configured to convey the conveyance containers, each of the conveyance containers accommodating a plurality of wafers; and a heat treatment unit including a heat treatment furnace which accommodates a holder configured to hold the plurality of wafers in multiple stages, and performs the heat treatment on the wafers. A mounting stage of a transfer section is provided below the first storage section in the conveyance storage unit. On the mounting stage, the conveyance containers are mounted so that the wafers within the conveyance containers are transferred to the holder in the heat treatment unit.

Substrate heat treatment apparatus, method of installing substrate heat treatment apparatus

Provided is a substrate processing apparatus including: a carry-in area where a placing table is provided to place thereon a carrying container including a take-out opening, a flange formed on an upper portion of a side formed with the take-out opening, and a recess formed on a top surface of the flange; a transfer area maintained under an atmosphere different from that of the carry-in area; a partition wall configured to partition the carry-in area and the transfer area and formed with an opening; a door configured to open/close the opening; a carrying container pressing unit configured to press the carrying container placed on the placing table against the partition wall so that the take-out opening of the carrying container faces the opening of the partition wall; and a carrying container holding unit configured to be inserted into the recess to press the carrying container against the partition wall.

Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

A loading unit avoiding the need to enhance the performance of a lifting elevator mechanism, thus preventing an increase in the cost of the lifting elevator mechanism. The loading unit is configured to vertically move a substrate holder, holding a plurality of substrates, into and out of a cylindrical processing container upon heat treatment of the substrates. The loading unit includes: a lifting elevator mechanism for holding and vertically moving the substrate holder and a cap; and a pressing mechanism, having a piezoelectric actuator, for upwardly pressing against the cap lying at a bottom opening of the processing container.

Loading unit and processing system

An earthquake damage spread reducing method and an earthquake damage spread reducing system, for use in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, which can predict occurrence of an earthquake and prevent fall down of a boat, thus minimizing damage by the earthquake. An earthquake damage spread reducing system includes a receiving unit for receiving urgent earthquake information, based on preliminary tremors, distributed via a communication network, or alternatively, includes a preliminary tremors detection unit for directly detecting the preliminary tremors. A control unit performs a first step of stopping operation of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, based on the urgent earthquake information received or on the preliminary tremors detected, as well as performs a second step of holding a boat in order to prevent fall of the boat, in which objects to be processed are loaded in a multistage fashion.

Earthquake damage spread reducing method and earthquake damage spread reducing system for use in semiconductor manufacturing apparatus

To predict occurrence of an earthquake so as to minimize damage by preventing an object to be processed from flying out of an opened container. An emergency earthquake notice, which is delivered based on a preliminary tremor through a communication line, is received by a reception part, or a preliminary tremor is directly detected by a preliminary-tremor detection part. A control partcarries out a first step in which an operation of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatusis stopped based on the emergency earthquake notice received by the reception partor the preliminary tremor detected by the preliminary-tremor detection part, and a second step in which, when the door mechanism is being opened, the door mechanismis closed.

Method for limiting expansion of earthquake damage and system for limiting expansion of earthquake damage for use in semiconductor manufacturing apparatus

Disclosed is an improved transfer mechanism that transfers, in a vertical heat treatment system, process objects W between a container (carrier), and a holder (boat) holding plural process objects at vertical intervals. The transfer mechanism includes plural substrate support devices spaced at intervals, and each of the substrate support devices has a gripping mechanism for gripping a process object on the under side. The gripping mechanism includes a fixed engagement member on a distal end of the substrate support device, and a movable engagement member movably attached to a proximal end of the substrate support device.

Vertical heat treatment system and method of transferring process objects

A transfer mechanismof a vertical heat treatment systemincludes a base capable of vertical movement and turning movement, and plural substrate support devices, disposed on the base so as to be movable anteroposterior, that hold wafers W. Provided on the baseis a first sensorthat emits a light beam directed toward a direction in which the substrate support devicemoves anteroposterior, and detects the target member upon receipt of a reflected light of the light beam. Provided on two tip end portions of the substrate support deviceis a second sensorthat detects the target member upon interruption of a light beam traveling between the tip end portions by the target member. When a target memberprovided at its specific positions with projectionsandis placed at a position in a wafer boatthe basemoves vertically and turns, and the substrate support devicemoves anteroposterior. The position of the target member, or the transfer target position of the wafer, is automatically detected based on the detection signals of the first sensorand the second sensor obtained at the time and encoder values of drive systems relating to the movement of the baseand the substrate support member

Vertical heat treatment system and automatic teaching method for transfer mechanism

A vertical heat treatment system has a transfer apparatus for transferring semiconductor wafers and a cassette serving as a transport container for the semiconductor wafers. The transfer apparatus has a base disposed to be vertically movable and rotatable within a horizontal plane. Wafer arms for transferring the wafers placed on them are disposed on the base. The wafer arms can reciprocally move on the base between a standby position and an advanced position in the horizontal direction. A cassette arm for transferring a cassette placed on it is also disposed on the base. The cassette arm can reciprocally move on the base between a retreat position and a protruded position in the horizontal direction. The wafer arms and the cassette arm are reciprocally movable in opposite directions to oppose each other. While the wafer arms and the cassette arm are at the standby position and the retreat position, respectively, a holding portion of the cassette arm is present immediately above the wafer arms.

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Iwate, Japan

Hiroshi Kikuchi