Tokyo Electron Limited

Satoshi Yamazaki

Tsukasa Makino

Taira Takase

Mitsuru Hashimoto

A substrate processing method which is capable of enhancing productivity in manufacturing product substrates. In process chambers of an etching apparatus, etching is carried out on a substrate as an object to be processed, and dummy processing is carried out on at least one non-product substrate before execution of the etching. A host computer determines whether or not the dummy processing is to be executed. The host computer determines whether or not the interior of each of the process chambers and is in a stable state, and omits the execution of the dummy processing when it is determined that it is in the stable state.

Substrate processing apparatus, substrate processing method, and program for implementing the method

A substrate processing system which is capable of preventing dust from becoming attached to substrates without increasing the degree of cleanliness of a clean room to a predetermined level, and also capable of increasing the substrate processing throughput without increasing the burden on workers. a plasma processing apparatusthat subjects semiconductor wafers W to plasma processing in a cleaned atmosphere. A SMIFhas a enclosurethat is connected to the plasma processing apparatusand has a cleaned atmosphere therein, a pod stageon which a podhousing semiconductor wafers W is mounted, a pod mounting portionthat carries out removal of semiconductor wafers W from the podand housing of semiconductor wafers W into the pod, and a wafer cassette transfer armthat transfers semiconductor wafers W between the pod stageand the plasma processing apparatusvia the enclosure. A preliminary loaderhaving a stage-shaped unprocessed pod portthat stores a podhousing semiconductor wafers W that have not been subjected to the plasma processing, a shelf-like processed pod portthat stores a sealed container housing semiconductor wafers W that have been subjected to the plasma processing, and a pod moving mechanismthat moves the podsbetween the stage-shaped unprocessed pod portand the pod stage, and between the pod stageand the shelf-like processed pod port

Substrate processing system, substrate processing method, sealed container storing apparatus, program for implementing the substrate processing method, and storage medium storing the program

A plasma processing apparatus includes a processing chamber for accommodating therein an object to be processed, a plurality of bar-shaped magnets rotatably installed standing around the processing chamber, a rotation driving mechanism for synchronously rotating the bar-shaped magnets, a rotation detection unit for detecting a rotation of a bar-shaped magnet and clocking times corresponding to the detected rotation, and an abnormal rotation determination unit for determining whether the rotation driving mechanism is abnormal by comparing an interval calculated from the clocked times to a time period.

Growing community of inventors

Nirasaki, Japan

Satoshi Yamazaki