Tokyo Electron Limited

Katsuhiko Oyama

Yasushi Takeuchi

Kiichi Takahashi

Katsuyuki Hishiya

Katsuyoshi Aikawa

Satoshi Asari

Shinji Asari

Daisuke Yamagishi

Masataka Sato

A film deposition apparatus for sequentially supplying reaction gases, which mutually react, into a chamber to deposit a film on a substrate includes a turntable rotatable and including a concave portion on an upper surface, a bottom portion of the concave portion having a through hole, a substrate supporting member attachable to and detachable from the concave portion, an upper surface of the substrate supporting member mounting the substrate, a lower surface of the substrate supporting member having a first protruding portion, a drive mechanism moving up and down the turntable and revolving the turntable, a lid member located lower than the turntable, an upper surface of the lid member having a second protruding portion, and a control unit revolving the turntable to cause the first protruding portion to contact the second protruding portion and cause the substrate supporting member to be spun a predetermined angle relative to the turntable.

Film deposition apparatus, method of depositing film, and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium

A method for managing an atmosphere in a storage container in a processing apparatus including a substrate transfer region and a container transfer region which are partitioned by a partition wall; a load port; a container keeping rack; and a cover opening/closing mechanism, includes substituting the internal atmosphere of the storage container that stores non-processed substrates with the inert gas for using the cover opening/closing mechanism; transferring the storage container of which the internal atmosphere has been substituted with the inert gas, to the container keeping rack and placing and keeping the storage container on the container keeping rack; and putting the storage container on standby on the container keeping rack while maintaining the atmosphere substituted with the inert gas.

Method for managing atmosphere in storage container

According to an embodiment of present disclosure, a spacer is provided. The spacer includes at least a protrusion formed to protrude from an outer periphery of the spacer. The protrusion serves to locate the spacer in place in a transfer mechanism configured to transfer the spacer when the spacer is fixed by the transfer mechanism in such a way that the protrusion comes in contact with the transfer mechanism, and configured to allow the spacer to rotate or move in case the spacer is deviated from a predetermined transfer position when the spacer is engaged with the transfer mechanism.

Spacer, spacer transferring method, processing method and processing apparatus

Provided is a cover opening/closing apparatus which includes: a wafer conveyance port having an opening edge and configured to be opened/closed by an opening/closing door; and a cover removal apparatus installed on the opening/closing door and configured to remove a cover of a FOUP which is formed with a substrate outlet having a opening edge. When the cover removal apparatus removes the cover of the FOUP, the opening edge of the substrate outlet is closely contacted with the opening edge of the wafer conveyance port. The cover removal apparatus includes: a latch key which is engaged with the cover of the FOUP, a driving unit configured to drive the latch key, and an accommodation unit configured to accommodate the driving unit. The cover opening/closing apparatus further includes an exhaust system configured to exhaust a space within the accommodation unit.

Cover opening/closing apparatus, thermal processing apparatus using the same, and cover opening/closing method

A substrate conveying method conveying a layered body having first and second substrates stacked with a spacer member provided between their respective bottom surfaces facing each other includes receiving the first substrate by holding the first substrate from below its bottom surface using a first holding mechanism provided on a side of a first fork provided above a second fork, and turning the first fork upside down and placing the received first substrate on the second fork; receiving the spacer member held in a substrate holding part by holding the spacer member from above using a second holding mechanism provided on the same side of the first fork as the first holding mechanism, and placing the received spacer member on the first substrate; and holding the second substrate from above its top surface using the first holding mechanism, and placing the received second substrate on the spacer member.

Substrate conveying method, recording medium in which program is recorded for causing substrate conveying method to be executed, and substrate conveyor

A substrate transport apparatus includes a first fork which is disposed to be movable in a forward/backward direction to a substrate holding part to transport a stacked member to or receive the stacked member from the substrate holding part. A second fork is arranged to be reversible and disposed above the first fork to be movable in a forward/backward direction to an accommodating part that accommodates substrates and spacer members to transport a substrate or a spacer member between the accommodating part and the first fork. A first grip module is disposed on a first surface of the second fork to hold and support the substrate from an upward direction. A second grip module is disposed on the first surface of the second fork on the same side as the first grip module to hold and support the spacer member from an upward direction.

Substrate transport apparatus, substrate transport method, and recording medium

A substrate conveying container opening/closing device includes an elevator carriage provided in a substrate transfer area and configured to be moved up and down by an elevator mechanism, a cover member for opening and closing an opening of a wall, a seal member for sealing a gap between the cover member and the periphery of the opening, a lid detaching/attaching mechanism provided in the cover member and configured to detach and attach the lid, a guide unit provided in the elevator carriage and configured to guide the cover member upward so that the cover member can advance from a retracting position toward the wall, a guideway provided in the wall to extend in a direction perpendicular to a seal surface of the opening, and a rotating body provided in the cover member and configured to roll downward along the guideway as the elevator carriage is moved downward.

Substrate conveying container opening/closing device, lid opening/closing device and semiconductor manufacturing apparatus

The present invention is a vertical-type heat processing apparatus comprising: a heat processing furnace; a holder capable of being loaded into the heat processing furnace and unloaded therefrom, with holding therein a plurality of objects to be processed at predetermined vertical intervals in a tier-like manner; a transfer mechanism including a base table capable of vertically moving and rotating, and a substrate supporter capable of horizontally moving on the base table; and a controller for controlling the transfer mechanism; wherein the transfer mechanism is adapted to transfer an object to be processed between a container containing a plurality of objects to be processed at predetermined intervals, and the holder; the substrate supporter includes a to-and-fro driving part for driving the substrate supporter in the horizontal direction, and a pitch-change driving part for changing a pitch at which the objects to be processed are supported; the controller is adapted to monitor at least one information of position, velocity and current fed back to a motor for driving the transfer mechanism; and the controller is adapted to judge, by comparing the monitored information with predetermined information corresponding to a normal drive, that the transfer mechanism is abnormally driven, and then is adapted to stop the drive of the transfer mechanism.

Vertical-type heat processing apparatus and method of controlling transfer mechanism in vertical-type heat processing apparatus

The present invention includes: a box case having a size capable of containing an open type of cassette that can hold a plurality of first objects to be processed and capable of containing a plurality of second objects to be processed, the second objects to be processed being larger than the first objects to be processed; a supporting part provided at an inside wall surface of the box case, the supporting part being capable of supporting the second objects to be processed in a tier-like manner; an open-close lid provided at an opening part of the box case in a removable and attachable manner; and a positioning-engaging part provided at a bottom part of the box case in a removable and attachable manner. The open-close lid is capable of sealing the box case. The positioning-engaging part is capable of engaging with a positioning part provided at a lower surface of a bottom part of the cassette to position the cassette.

Growing community of inventors

Iwate, Japan

Katsuhiko Oyama