Tokyo Electron Limited

Junji Oikawa

Hiroyuki Nakayama

Jun Yamawaku

A transfer chamber is provided between a processing unit for performing a predetermined process on a target substrate to be processed in a depressurized environment and an atmospheric maintaining unit for maintaining the target substrate in an atmospheric environment to transfer the target substrate therebetween. The transfer chamber includes a chamber main body for accommodating the target substrate, a gas exhaust unit for exhausting the chamber main body to set the chamber main body to the depressurized environment, and a gas supply unit for supplying a predetermined gas to the chamber main body to set the chamber main body in the atmospheric environment. Further, in the transfer chamber, an ionization unit is provided outside the chamber main body, for ionizing the predetermined gas and an ionized gas supply unit is provided to supply the ionized gas generated by the ionization unit to the chamber main body.

Transfer chamber and method for preventing adhesion of particle

A substrate transfer device includes an atmosphere introduction unit and an atmosphere exhaust unit provided at a top and a bottom portion of a main body of the device, respectively; and a substrate transfer mechanism provided between the atmosphere introduction unit and the atmosphere exhaust unit. The substrate transfer device further includes a downward flow forming unit provided, adjacent to the atmosphere introduction unit, to allow an atmosphere to be introduced through the atmosphere introduction unit and to downwardly flow through the substrate transfer mechanism and be exhausted through the atmosphere exhaust unit; and a gas ionizing unit for ionizing the atmosphere and a particle collecting unit for collecting particles included in the atmosphere, the gas ionizing unit and the particle collecting unit being sequentially provided in the direction in which the atmosphere downwardly flows, between the downward flow forming unit and the substrate transfer mechanism.

Substrate transfer device and substrate transfer method

A substrate processing apparatus includes a processing chamber for accommodating therein a processing target substrate; a gas exhaust path through which a gas inside the processing chamber is exhausted; one or more exhaust pumps provided in the gas exhaust path; and a scrubber for collecting harmful components from an exhaust gas. The apparatus further includes an ionized gas supply unit for supplying to the gas exhaust path an ionized gas for neutralizing charged particles included in the exhaust gas flowing therethrough.

Growing community of inventors

Nirasaki, Japan

Junji Oikawa