Tokyo Electron Limited

Kazuhiko Ito

Issei Ueda

Mitiaki Matsushita

Masami Akimoto

Yuji Matsuyama

Masatoshi Kaneda

Yoshio Kimura

Michio Kinoshita

Naruaki Iida

Yuichi Douki

Jun Ookura

Michiaki Matsushita

Tadayuki Yamaguchi

Kazutoshi Ishimaru

A substrate processing apparatus can align a substrate with a high precision and a high speed by monitoring a mark formed on a surface of the substrate; operating an amount of misalignment between the center of the substrate and a rotation center of a substrate support member; determining a presence of the misalignment and adjusting the substrate such that the center of the substrate coincides with the rotation center of the substrate support member.

Substrate processing apparatus and method for adjusting a substrate transfer position

The present invention has a first optical detection mark having a predetermined positional coordinate in a lateral direction with respect to a carrier opening of a processing unit through which a carrier apparatus enters and exits, a second optical detection mark having a predetermined positional coordinate in a vertical direction with respect to the carrier opening, and an optical sensor provided on the substrate carrier apparatus for detecting the first or second optical detection mark. The substrate carrier apparatus is rotated by a predetermined angle from a position of the substrate carrier apparatus where the optical sensor detects the first optical detection mark, and the substrate carrier apparatus is moved in the vertical direction by a predetermined amount of movement from a position of the substrate carrier apparatus where the optical sensor detects the second optical detection mark. After the substrate carrier apparatus faces the carrier opening of the processing unit, the substrate carrier apparatus is allowed to enter the processing unit to acquire in advance a precise transfer position when transferring a substrate to a predetermined position on a mounting table in the processing unit.

Substrate processing apparatus and method of aligning substrate carrier apparatus

A substrate processing apparatus comprises a processing section for performing processing for a substrate, a substrate carrier transfer section into/out of which a substrate carrier holding a plurality of substrates is carried, and a substrate transfer mechanism for taking an unprocessed substrate out of the substrate carrier carried into the substrate carrier transfer section to deliver it to the processing section and for receiving a processed substrate from the processing section to deliver it into the substrate carrier placed on the substrate carrier transfer section. The substrate carrier transfer section shifts the position of the substrate carrier between a first position at which the substrate carrier is carried to/from the outside and a second position at which the substrate in the substrate carrier is delivered to/from the substrate transfer mechanism.

Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

A substrate transfer system comprising a cassette table for mounting a cassette which has an opening portion for loading and unloading a substrate and a cover detachably provided to the opening portion, process portion for processing the substrate housed in a cassette on the cassette table, a transfer arm mechanism for taking out the substrate from the cassette table, transferring it to process units G to G and returning a processed substrate to the cassette on the cassette table, partition members provided between the transfer arm mechanism and the cassette table, for separating an atmosphere on the side of the transfer arm mechanism from that on the side of the cassette table, a passage formed in the partition member so as to face the opening portion of the cassette on the cassette table, for passing the substrate taken out from the cassette on the cassette table by the transfer arm mechanism and returning the substrate to the cassette on the cassette table, cassette moving mechanisms for moving the opening portion of the cassette on the cassette table closer to the passage or to be farther from the passage, and a cover removing mechanism for detaching the cover from the opening portion or attaching the cover to the opening portion of the cassette.

Substrate treatment system, substrate transfer system, and substrate transfer method

A substrate transfer system comprising a cassette table for mounting a cassette which has an opening portion for loading and unloading a substrate and a cover detachably provided to the opening portion, process portion for processing the substrate housed in a cassette on the cassette table, a transfer arm mechanism for taking out the substrate from the cassette table, transferring it to process units G to G , and returning a processed substrate to the cassette on the cassette table, partition members provided between the transfer arm mechanism and the cassette table, for separating an atmosphere on the side of the transfer arm mechanism from that on the side of the cassette table, a passage formed in the partition member so as to face the opening portion of the cassette on the cassette table, for passing the substrate taken out from the cassette on the cassette table by the transfer arm mechanism and returning the substrate to the cassette on the cassette table, cassette moving mechanisms for moving the opening portion of the cassette on the cassette table closer to the passage or to be farther from the passage, and a cover removing mechanism for detaching the cover from the opening portion or attaching the cover to the opening portion of the cassette.

Temperature regulation is performed at a buffer cassette in which a wafer is temporarily housed before and after being delivered to/from an aligner, or at an inlet-side delivery stage of a portion for delivering a wafer to the aligner, in reference with a state of temperature regulation of the wafer in the aligner, so that the temperature of the wafer can be more accurately regulated on a temperature regulating plate in the aligner in a shorter time. Therefore, circuit patterns can be accurately transferred, and throughput can be improved by speeding up the processing.

Substrate processing apparatus

A substrate transfer system comprising a cassette table for mounting a cassette which has an opening portion for loading and unloading a substrate and a cover detachably provided to the opening portion, process portion for processing the substrate housed in a cassette on the cassette table, a transfer arm mechanism for taking out the substrate from the cassette table, transferring it to process units G1 to G5, and returning a processed substrate to the cassette on the cassette table, partition members provided between the transfer arm mechanism and the cassette table, for separating an atmosphere on the side of the transfer arm mechanism from that on the side of the cassette table, a passage formed in the partition member so as to face the opening portion of the cassette on the cassette table, for passing the substrate taken out from the cassette on the cassette table by the transfer arm mechanism and returning the substrate to the cassette on the cassette table, cassette moving mechanisms for moving the opening portion of the cassette on the cassette table closer to the passage or to be farther from the passage, and a cover removing mechanism for detaching the cover from the opening portion or attaching the cover to the opening portion of the cassette.

Growing community of inventors

Kumamoto-ken, Japan

Kazuhiko Ito