Tokyo Electron Limited

Toyko Electron Limited

Keisuke Kondoh

Hiroki Oka

Shinji Wakabayashi

Tsuyoshi Moriya

Hiroyuki Nakayama

Hiroaki Saeki

Hiroshi Koizumi

Shigeru Ishizawa

Norihiko Tsuji

Makoto Tashiro

Tsutomu Hiroki

Masahiro Dogome

Yoshiaki Sasaki

Sensho Kobayashi

Tetsuo Yoshida

Wataru Machiyama

Atsushi Kawabe

Hiroshi Narushima

Motohiro Kumagai

Shota Shimazaki

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a transfer apparatus comprising at least one arm configured to support a substrate; at least one gear disposed at a joint that rotatably supports the at least one arm, the at least one gear rotating the at least one arm; and a detector disposed to face the at least one gear and configured to detect a temperature of the at least one gear without contacting the at least one gear.

Transfer apparatus

Provided is a substrate transferring method which is capable of accurately mounting a substrate at a desired rotation angle. In order to eliminate a misalignment of a wafer W in a rotational direction in a vacuum process chamber, which is caused by a variation in a transfer distance of the wafer W, the wafer W is mounted on a stage while being offset from the center of the stage in a load lock chamber and an angle of rotation of the wafer W with respect to a fork when a transfer arm receives the wafer W is changed.

Substrate transporting method and substrate processing system

A substrate gripping mechanism, for gripping a substrate between a fixed clamp portion to be engaged with an edge portion of a substrate and a movable clamp portion configured to reciprocate with respect to the fixed clamp portion by a reciprocating driving unit, includes an interlocking member configured to move together with the movable clamp portion, and a first sensor and a second sensor, each having a detection region and configured to detect whether or not the interlocking member exists in the detection region. The interlocking member has a first to a fourth portion connected in a reciprocating direction of the movable clamp portion. The first to the fourth portion have shapes to make detection results thereof by the first sensor and the second sensor different from each other.

Substrate gripping mechanism, substrate transfer device, and substrate processing system

Four groups of a three-tier arrangement of processing units, each of the processing units being provided with two processing modules and a load lock module, are provided in the front and rear sides along a Y-guide extending rearward when viewed from an EFEM and in the left and right sides of the Y-guide. An exchange of a substrate between a delivery mechanism on the EFEM side and a substrate transfer mechanism on the processing unit side is performed by a substrate loading part, which is movable along the Y-guide and can move upward and downward, and on which a plurality of wafers can be placed in a shelf-like manner.

Substrate processing device

A system includes a transfer device for transferring workpieces in an atmospheric atmosphere, a transfer unit for transferring the workpieces in a vacuum atmosphere, and a vacuum processing unit including vacuum process chambers connected to the transfer unit and for performing a process on the workpieces in each process chamber. The vacuum processing unit simultaneously performs the process on the workpieces in each process chamber. The process chambers are arranged along a first direction. The transfer unit includes first and second common transfer devices installed along the first direction to transfer the workpieces along the first direction. The first common transfer device is connected to each process chamber at a first side in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the second common transfer device is connected to each process chamber at a second side in the second direction.

Processing system

A carrier transport device capable of delivering a carrier to and from an external transport device which transports the carrier is provided. The carrier transport device includes a housing on which the carrier is mountable, first ports provided in the housing and configured to deliver the carrier to and from the external transport device, second ports provided in the housing and provided with a lid opening/closing mechanism, and a transfer machine provided in the housing and configured to transfer the carrier. The first ports, the transfer machine and the second ports are disposed under a transport path of the external transport device. The first ports and the second ports are disposed on both sides of the transfer machine. The second ports are configured at multiple stages.

Carrier transport device and carrier transport method

A compartment variable device is provided with: a baffle plate which has a plurality of openings and which as a whole has a rectangular shape; a rectangular frame disposed around the baffle plate; a bellows connected to a bottom of the frame; and a bellows support portion to which the lower end of the bellows is fixed. When a transfer arm of an atmosphere-side transfer device is lifted, the frame of the compartment variable device which is engaged with the transfer arm is lifted, thereby extending the bellows. Accordingly, the volume of a gas flow space in an atmospheric pressure transfer chamber is decreased, allowing the atmosphere in the gas flow space in the atmospheric pressure transfer chamber to be replaced in a short time.

Substrate transfer chamber, substrate processing system, and method for replacing gas in substrate transfer chamber

A substrate transfer chamber for unloading the substrates from the containers includes a housing-shaped main body and a plurality of container connecting mechanisms to which the containers are connected. In the main body, some of the container connecting mechanisms are arranged on top of one another in a height direction of the main body.

Substrate transfer chamber and container connecting mechanism with lid opening mechanisms

A connecting mechanism includes a mounting unit, a substrate transfer port, a door closing or opening the substrate transfer port, a coupling mechanism coupling a cover of the substrate container mounted on the mounting unit with the door, and a gas exhaust/purge unit. First, second and third seal members respectively seal a first space between a peripheral portion of the substrate transfer port and the door, a second space between the door and the cover of the substrate container, and a space between the peripheral portion of the substrate transfer port and the main body. The gas exhaust unit exhausts the first space and a second space. The purge gas, which has been supplied into the substrate container by the gas exhaust/purge unit, is supplied into the first and the second space by allowing the gas exhaust unit to exhaust the first and the second space.

Connecting mechanism and connecting method of substrate container

Provided is a substrate transfer method for sequentially transferring a substrate between a heat treatment chamber and another chamber different from the heat treatment chamber using a transfer unit having a first pick and a second pick. An unprocessed substrate is held by the first pick, and the substrate is transferred to the heat treatment chamber. A processed substrate, heat-treated in the heat treatment chamber, is held by the second pick, and the unprocessed substrate held by the first pick is loaded into the heat treatment chamber. The processed substrate held by the second pick is transferred to the other chamber. An unprocessed substrate in the other chamber is held by the first pick, the processed substrate held by the second pick is loaded into the other chamber, and then both the first pick and the second pick are put into a state of not holding a substrate.

Substrate transfer method and processing system

Disclosed is a gate valve that opens/closes a plurality of vertically arranged openings by a plurality of valve bodies when conveying a plurality of vertically arranged substrates to an inside of a vacuum container. The gate valve includes: a housing including the plurality of openings formed therein; a supporting member configured to support the plurality of valve bodies; a driving mechanism configured to move the plurality of valve bodies via the supporting member such that the plurality of openings is opened/closed; and a plurality of guide mechanisms arranged to correspond to the plurality of valve bodies, respectively. Each of the plurality of guide mechanisms includes: a vertically stretchable bellows fixed to the housing; and a guide member contained in the bellows and configured to guide the supporting member inside the bellows.

Gate valve and substrate processing system

A loader module of a substrate processing system includes a transportation arm configured to move towards a wafer accommodated in a carrier and receive the wafer, and a control unit configured to confirm a delivery position of the wafer based on an upward movement amount of an end effector of the transportation arm, and a contact sound generated when the end effector comes in contact with the wafer. The control unit confirms the delivery position of the wafer based on an average height of the end effector when the contact sound of each pad of the end effector comes in contact with the wafer to generate a contact sound a plurality of times.

Substrate transporting apparatus, substrate delivery position confirming method, and substrate processing system

In a method for detecting a position of a substrate transfer device including a substrate supporting unit, the light-transmitting optical sensor is moved with respect to a detection target provided at a predetermined relative position with respect to a position where a substrate is to be transferred by the substrate transfer device, and a vertical dimension of the detection target that blocks the optical axis is measured by setting the substrate supporting unit in a first orientation and relatively moving up or down the optical sensor with respect to the detection target. A vertical dimension of the detection target that blocks the optical axis is measured by setting the substrate supporting unit in a second orientation and relatively moving the optical sensor with respect to the detection target. Horizontal coordinates of a reference position of the detection target are obtained based on the measured vertical dimensions in the respective orientations.

Method and apparatus for detecting position of substrate transfer device, and storage medium

In a vacuum transfer chamber, a position detecting mechanism for detecting the positions of semiconductor wafers is arranged. The semiconductor wafers disposed at predetermined positions in a load lock chamber and vacuum processing chambers are transferred to the position detecting mechanism by a vacuum transfer mechanism and the positions of the wafers are detected. Then, based on the detection results, aligning between the load lock chamber and the vacuum processing chambers is performed.

Delivery position aligning method for use in vacuum processing apparatus, vacuum processing apparatus and computer storage medium

In a positional deviation detection apparatus provided with a transfer mechanism where plural arm portions are connected pivotably and in series with each other, the transfer mechanism being adapted to hold and transfer an object to be processed with a distal end arm portion, there are provided an edge detection unit that detects at least an edge of the object to be detected held by the distal end arm portion, the edge detection unit being provided in an arm portion among the plural arm portions, except for the distal end arm portion; and a positional deviation detection portion that obtains positional deviation of the object to be processed, in accordance with a detected value of the edge detection unit.

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Nirasaki, Japan

Keisuke Kondoh