Tokyo Electron Limited

Tokyo Electron Kyushu Limited

Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Tokyo Electron Tohoku Limited

Tokyo Electron Saga Kabushiki Kaisha

Electron Kyushu Limited

Tokyo Electron Kyuchu Limited

Kiyohisa Tateyama

Kimio Motoda

Hideyuki Takamori

Mitsuhiro Sakai

Noriyuki Anai

Masami Akimoto

Masafumi Nomura

Osamu Hirose

Tsutae Omori

Tatsuya Iwasaki

Tetsuya Sada

Yoichi Honda

Mitsuru Ushijima

Kiyomitsu Yamaguchi

Kengo Mizosaki

Fumio Satou

Yoshitaka Matsuda

Taketora Shinogi

Kenji Sekiguchi

Nobuo Konishi

Takenobu Matsuo

Kazuki Denpoh

Michiaki Matsushita

Yasuhiro Sakamoto

Takayuki Tomoeda

Keizo Hasebe

Takeshi Tsukamoto

Eiji Yamaguchi

Norio Uchihira

Tetu Ohsawa

Shinobu Tanaka

Yuji Shimomura

Yoshio Kimura

Yuji Matsuyama

Akira Yonemizu

Takashi Takekuma

Tetsu Kawasaki

Hiroshi Hashimoto

Yuji Yoshimoto

Shinzi Kitamura

Masaaki Murakami

Mitiaki Matsushita

Yoshiharu Ota

Tomoko Hamada

Norimitsu Morioka

Tetsuro Nakahara

In this developing method and apparatus, a concentration measuring unit 222 picks part of developing fluid in a blending tank 186 to measure the resist concentration by an absorption photometry and feeds the detected resist concentration to a control unit 240. The control unit 240 controls respective valves 210, 212, 216 of a TMAH concentrate solution 200, a solvent pipe 204 and a drain pipe 208 in a manner that the developing fluid in the blending tank 186 has a TMAH concentration corresponding to a measured resist-concentration value to accomplish a constant developing rate, performing component control of the developing fluid. The developing fluid transferred from the blending tank 186 to a supply tank 188 is fed to a developer nozzle DN in a developing section 126 through a developer pipe 224 owing to the drive of a pump 228. Accordingly, even if the developing fluid is reused in the developing process in multiple times, it is possible to make sure of the uniformity in development.

Developing method and apparatus

In this developing method and apparatus, a concentration measuring unitpicks part of developing fluid in a blending tankto measure the resist concentration by an absorption photometry and feeds the detected resist concentration to a control unit. The control unitcontrols respective valvesof a TMAH concentrate solution, a solvent pipeand a drain pipein a manner that the developing fluid in the blending tankhas a TMAH concentration corresponding to a measured resist-concentration value to accomplish a constant developing rate, performing component control of the developing fluid. The developing fluid transferred from the blending tankto a supply tankis fed to a developer nozzle DN in a developing sectionthrough a developer pipeowing to the drive of a pump. Accordingly, even if the developing fluid is reused in the developing process in multiple times, it is possible to make sure of the uniformity in development.

A substrate transfer apparatus capable of preventing contaminants from sticking to a substrate again when the substrate is unloaded, wherein a first support member and a second support member are provided on an arm, the first support member supporting the substrate when the substrate is loaded into a processing machine and the second support member supporting the substrate when the substrate is unloaded from the processing machine.

Apparatus for and method of transferring substrates

A cooling device for cooling an object to be processed to a target temperature comprises a plurality of contact members mounted on a placing table, for supporting the object such that the object opposes a top surface of the placing table with an interval, temperature sensors for outputting temperature information of the object supported by the contact members, a first cooling unit for cooling the placing table to a temperature lower than the target temperature to cool the object, a second cooling unit for heating the object cooled by the first cooling unit to a temperature almost equal to the target temperature, and a contrast circuit for performing a switching operation between cooling by the first cooling unit and heating by the second cooling unit on the basis of the temperature information from the temperature sensors.

Cooling device and cooling method

After the first workpieces have been processed in the first process portion while the second workpieces are being processed in the second process portion, the first process portion in which the first process condition has been set for the third process condition. By repeating such processes, a plurality of workpieces can be successively processed in different types of process conditions.

Processing method and processing apparatus

A coating apparatus has a spin chuck for attracting and holding a semiconductor wafer in a horizontal state by means of vacuum. A movable beam is arranged above the spin chuck. The movable beam includes first and second nozzles integrally formed. The first nozzle is used for supplying a photo-resist liquid while the second nozzle is used for supplying a solvent for the photo-resist liquid. When a coating process is performed, the movable beam above the wafer is horizontally moved in one direction. The solvent is first supplied onto the wafer from the second nozzle, and the coating or photo-resist liquid is then supplied from the first nozzle, following the solvent. Wettability of the wafer relative to the photo-resist is increased by the solvent, prior to supply of the photo-resist liquid.

Coating method and apparatus for semiconductor process

A drive pulley is disposed to a driving motor. A plurality of follower pulleys are disposed to a rotating shaft of a spin chuck that vacuum sucks a substrate. A belt is passed from one follower pulley to the drive pulley. Belts are passed from the other follower pulleys to the drive shafts of a plurality of air motors. Since the air motors assist the driving of the driving motor, a large substrate can be rotated at a predetermined rotating acceleration. Thus, a film forming apparatus and a film forming method that allow the quantity of process solution supplied to be reduced and a film of process solution to be equally formed on a substrate can be provided.

Film forming apparatus and film forming method

A substrate is held on a spin chuck, and resist solution is supplied to the surface of the substrate at a plurality of positions spaced at predetermined intervals from a plurality of resist nozzles provided the bottom surface of a resist pipe provided over a first direction across the surface of the substrate. Thereafter, the substrate is oscillated or rotated, thereby making the resist solution on the substrate a thin coating film with a uniform thickness. In the coating apparatus and method, which are excellent in responsiveness to a degree of viscosity of coating solution, various kinds of treatment agents with a wide range of viscosity can be used, and mechanical accuracy such as the space between the nozzles and the substrate, accuracy of the nozzle size, and the like can be loosened.

Coating apparatus and coating method

A substrate coated with a coating solution, for example, a resist solution is heated at a predetermined temperature, thereafter putted in a non-heated state, and then heated at a second predetermined temperature. Alternatively, a heating process in which a substrate coated with a resist solution is heated and a non-heated process in which the substrate is putted in a non-heated state are repeated a plurality of times. The adoption of the above treating methods can prevent the occurrence of transfer which is an index of ununiformity of film thickness of a resist solution and the like and change in line width of a circuit pattern, thus improving yield in substrate treatment.

Substrate treating method

Just after resist solution is coated on a substrate, it is dried substantially in a non-heating state. In reality, inertia gas or the like is blown from a shower head to the substrate. Thus, the resist solution coated on the substrate is dried. Consequently, transfer marks that cause the film thickness of resist film to be unequal and the line width of a circuit pattern to fluctuate can be prevented.

Substrate process method and substrate process apparatus

An apparatus for a treatment is provided, the apparatus comprising a vessel for recovering a treatment liquid flowing out or flying out when the object is treated, cleaning means for cleaning an inner wall surface of the vessel by supplying a cleaning liquid into the vessel, and a circulation system for recovering a discharged liquid discharged from the vessel when the inner wall surface of the vessel is cleaned by the cleaning means and supplying the recovered liquid to the cleaning means.

Method and apparatus for cleaning treatment

A resist solution applying apparatus and a method of using the resist solution applying apparatus. The apparatus comprises a hold and rotate member that holds and rotates a member to be processed, a resist solution discharge nozzle that discharges a resist solution almost at a center of rotation of the member to be processed, a resist solution supply mechanism that supplies the resist solution to the resist solution discharge nozzle, and a discharge controller connected to the rest solution supply mechanism that controls a predetermined amount of the resist solution discharged from the resist solution discharge nozzle to be reduced gradually or in stages after discharge is started, and increased again before the discharge is stopped.

Apparatus and method of applying resist

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Kumamoto, Japan

Kiyohisa Tateyama