Tokyo Electron Limited

Junya Minamida

Issei Ueda

Daisuke Aoki

Keisuke Tsugao

Yasunori Toyoda

Katsuhiro Morikawa

Osamu Kuroda

Satoshi Morita

Takashi Takekuma

Seiki Ishida

Kazuyoshi Eshima

Yoshiteru Fukuda

Takahiro Okubo

Masahiro Yoshida

Akira Murata

Yasuhiro Chouno

Yasuyuki Kometani

Masaru Oda

Sho Watanabe

Jun Tamada

Tatsuya Ito

Shogo Kiyama

A substrate processing apparatus includes a liquid processing unit configured to supply, onto a front surface of a substrate, individual multiple processing liquids different from each other; an exhaust unit configured to exhaust an exhaust gas exhausted from the liquid processing unit to an outside. The exhaust unit includes a main exhaust pipe including a first portion and a second portion, a first individual exhaust pipe, a second individual exhaust pipe, a switching unit and an outside air introduction pipe. The switching unit includes a first switching mechanism, a second switching mechanism, a third switching mechanism provided between the first portion and the second portion of the main exhaust pipe, an outside air introduction pipe connected to the second portion to allow outside air to be introduced into the second portion, and a fourth switching mechanism provided in the outside air introduction pipe.

Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

A substrate processing apparatus includes a first atmosphere control system configured to control an atmosphere inside a processing zone of a substrate processing area and a second atmosphere control system configured to control an atmosphere inside a substrate transfer zone of the substrate processing area. The first atmosphere control system supplies, when a liquid processing is performed in a liquid processing unit, an atmosphere control gas to the corresponding liquid processing unit by a first gas supply, and discharges an atmosphere inside the corresponding liquid processing unit by a first gas discharge unit. The second atmosphere control system circulates an atmosphere adjustment gas in a circulation system of the corresponding second atmosphere control system, and discharges an atmosphere inside the circulation system of the second atmosphere control system when at least one of the liquid processing unit is opened to the substrate transfer zone.

Substrate processing apparatus

A substrate processing apparatus includes a container carrying in/out section on which a substrate conveyance container accommodating a substrate is placed; a processing unit that performs a process on the substrate; a conveyance space through which the substrate is conveyed; a substrate conveyor that conveys the substrate between the container carrying in/out section and the processing unit through the conveyance space; a first gas supply passage that supplies an atmosphere adjusting gas to the processing unit; a first gas discharge passage that discharges the atmosphere adjusting gas from the processing unit; a circulation passage that returns the atmosphere adjusting gas flowing out from the conveyance space to the conveyance space; a second gas supply passage that supplies the atmosphere adjusting gas to a circulation system constituted by the conveyance space and the circulation passage; and a second gas discharge passage that discharges the atmosphere adjusting gas from the circulation system.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a plurality of processing units and a gas supply unit. The plurality of processing units are stacked and arranged, and each configured to hold a substrate in a chamber and to process the substrate by a processing liquid, and the gas supply unit is provided for each of the processing units to supply a gas into each of the processing units. The gas supply unit includes an intake unit and an air supply unit. The intake unit takes in and purifies outside air, and the air supply unit configured to supplies a clean air purified by the intake unit into the processing units. In addition, the intake unit is arranged on a lateral side of the chamber, and is arranged on the same side face of the chambers between the stacked and arranged processing units.

Particles can be suppressed from adhering to a substrate. A substrate processing apparatus includes a carry-in/out chamber, a transfer chamber, and a delivery chamber. In the carry-in/out chamber, the substrate is carried in and out with respect to a carrier, and in the transfer chamber, a transfer path for the substrate toward a substrate processing chamber, where a predetermined process is performed on the substrate, is formed. Further, the delivery chamber is arranged between the carry-in/out chamber and the transfer chamber. Moreover, an internal pressure of the delivery chamber is higher than an internal pressure of the carry-in/out chamber and an internal pressure of the transfer chamber.

A substrate liquid processing apparatus includes a liquid unit configured to process a liquid processing unit configured to process a substrate with multiple kinds of processing liquids, an exhaust pipe connected to the liquid processing unit, and configured to allow an exhaust gas from the liquid processing unit to flow therein, a plurality of individual exhaust pipes provided to correspond to at least one of the multiple kinds of processing liquids, and an exhaust switching unit connected to the exhaust pipe and the individual exhaust pipes, and configured to change a discharge destination of the exhaust gas flowing within the exhaust pipe to one of the individual exhaust pipes. The exhaust switching unit is positioned above the liquid processing unit.

Substrate liquid processing apparatus

Gas-liquid separation of an exhaust gas from a liquid processing unit can be improved. A substrate liquid processing apparatus includes a liquid processing unit, a first exhaust pipe and a second exhaust pipe. The liquid processing unit is configured to process a substrate with a processing liquid. At least a part of the first exhaust pipe at is located above the liquid processing unit. One end of the second exhaust pipe is connected to the liquid processing unit, and the second exhaust pipe is configured to evacuate the liquid processing unit through the first exhaust pipe by an exhaust device. Further, the other end of the second exhaust pipe is connected to a portion of the first exhaust pipe which is located above the liquid processing unit.

A substrate liquid processing apparatus includes a liquid processing unit that processes a substrate with processing liquids, an exhaust pipe, individual exhaust pipes corresponding to at least one of the processing liquids and an exhaust switching unit. Further, the exhaust switching unit comprises an exhaust gas inlet chamber and switching mechanisms. The switching mechanisms correspond to the individual exhaust pipes, respectively, and each of the switching mechanisms includes an exhaust gas suction opening communicating with the exhaust gas inlet chamber; an outlet opening communicating with a corresponding one of the individual exhaust pipes; an exterior air suction opening; and a valve body that switches a communication state of the exhaust gas suction opening, the outlet opening and the exterior air suction opening between a state where the exhaust gas suction opening communicates with the outlet opening and a state where the exterior air suction opening communicates therewith.

Substrate liquid processing apparatus, exhaust switching unit and substrate liquid processing method

A throughput can be improved. A substrate processing apparatus includes processing units arranged in a vertical direction and configured to process substrates; and a substrate transfer device configured to be moved in the vertical direction and perform loading/unloading of the substrates into/from the processing units. Further, the substrate transfer device comprises a first transfer arm and a second transfer arm which are arranged in the vertical direction and configured to be moved in the vertical direction independently, and movement ranges of the first transfer arm and the second transfer arm in the vertical direction are overlapped with each other.

Provided is a substrate processing apparatus wherein, even if a trouble occurs, it is bound to continue a process for the substrate without stopping the substrate processing apparatus entirely. The substrate processing apparatus according to the present disclosure includes first and second substrate conveying devices configured to convey wafers, and first and second processing blocks provided on the right and left sides of the substrate conveying device and having processing unit arrays each configured to perform the same process. Processing unit arrays on one side and processing unit arrays on the other side are respectively connected to a processing liquid supply system commonly provided with them. And, when any one of substrate conveying devices, processing liquid supply systems has a problem, the process for the wafer can be performed in the processing unit array to which the substrate conveying device and the processing liquid supply system under normal operation belong.

Manufacturing cost or energy consumption of a substrate processing apparatus can be reduced. The substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate loading/unloading unit (a substrate transit chamber) that transfers a substrateaccommodated in a carrier; a substrate transfer chamber() communicating with the substrate loading/unloading unit via a substrate loading/unloading port(); a plurality of substrate processing chambersto(to) arranged along the substrate transfer chamber(); a substrate transfer device() provided in the substrate transfer chamber() and configured to transfer the substratebetween the substrate loading/unloading unit and the substrate processing chambersto(to); and a clean air flowing unit() that allows clean air to flow along the substrate transfer chamber().

Leakage of an atmosphere of a solvent vapor used by a smoothing process for smoothing the surface of a resist pattern outside from a smoothing unit is prevented to facilitate incorporating the smoothing unit into a coating and developing system. A substrate processing system has a coating and developing block, a smoothing block, an airflow producing unitfor producing down airflow that flows down from above the coating and developing blockand the smoothing block, and a main controllerfor controlling the airflow producing unit. The main controllercontrols a flow regulating valveplaced in an air passageconnecting the airflow producing unitto the coating and developing blockand a flow regulating valveplaced in an air passageconnecting the airflow producing unitto the smoothing blockon the basis of a signal provided by a pressure sensorfor measuring the pressure in the coating and developing blockand a signal provided by a pressure sensorfor measuring the pressure in the smoothing blocksuch that the pressure in the smoothing blockis lower than that in the coating and developing block

Substrate processing system

A processing solution pressurized at a constant pressure is supplied to improve processing accuracy. A controller receives a pressure signal indicating a measured pressure exerted on a processing solution from a pressure sensor, and controls an electropneumatic regulator on the basis of the pressure signal so that pressure on the discharge side of the electropneumatic regulator is constant. The controller decides whether the processing solution contained in a processing solution tank has been depleted on the basis of a difference between a desired pressure and the pressure measured by the pressure sensor, and switches pressurizing shut-off valves accordingly.

Processing solution supply system, processing solution supply method and recording medium for storing processing solution supply control program

A coating process method in which a coating liquid is discharged onto the surface of a target substrate to be processed while rotating the target substrate so as to expand the coating liquid radially outward on the target substrate and, thus, to form a coated film comprises the step of detecting that the actual discharging of a coating liquid from a coating liquid discharging nozzle is started, and the step of controlling based on a signal of the detection at least one of the driving timing of a pump for allowing the coating liquid to be discharged from the coating liquid discharging nozzle, the operation timing of a valve mounted to a pipe for supplying the coating liquid into the coating liquid discharging nozzle, and the rotation starting or stopping timing of the target substrate.

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Koshi, Japan

Junya Minamida