Tokyo Electron Limited

Seiji Kozawa

Naruaki Iida

Jun Ookura

Michiaki Matsushita

Masataka Matsunaga

Naoto Nakamura

Toshihiko Nagano

Ryuji Asai

Yukinori Kataoka

An abnormality determination system for a processing apparatus includes: a data acquiring section that acquires time-series data changing with time from a signal outputted by a sensor installed in a processing apparatus for processing a processing object; a data selecting section that selects only model data, which is useful time-series data, from the time-series data acquired by the data acquiring section; a threshold value setting section configured to calculate variable threshold value data changing with time from the model data selected by the data selecting section; and a determining section configured to determine an occurrence of an abnormality by comparing time-series data to be monitored, acquired by the data acquiring section, with the variable threshold value data. The selection of model data is performed based on an evaluation performed by an inspection device which is configured to evaluate a processing result of the processing object performed by the processing apparatus.

Abnormality determination system and abnormality determination method for processing apparatus

A coating and developing apparatus has an interface section equipped with a temperature adjuster (a cooling unit). A temperature-raised substrate due to exposure on periphery of the substrate outside a circuit-forming area thereon is adjusted to a predetermined temperature by the temperature adjuster and then transferred to an exposing apparatus. The temperature adjustments before exposure provide almost the same temperature over many substrates to be transferred to the exposing apparatus for less thermal effects to exposing processing, thus achieving high yields. The interface section is further provided with first and second transfer mechanisms, the first serving to transfer substrates between the processor and the exposing apparatus and the second serving to transfer substrates to each unit of a shelf section, for high transfer performance, thus achieving high throughput.

Coating and developing apparatus and pattern forming method

A retreat permission position of a carrier arm when the carrier arm is moved back to retreat outside a mounting table after the carrier arm carries a substrate to a position above the mounting table while holding a peripheral portion of the substrate, to thereby place the substrate on a plurality of supporting pins vertically movable through the mounting table. A disk substantially equal in size to the substrate, having insertion holes formed to allow the supporting pins to be inserted therethrough and being supportable by the carrier arm, and a sensor to detect whether or not the supporting pin inserted through the insertion hole of this disk exists. After an output signal is received from the sensor, a position to which the carrier arm is to be moved in a vertical direction relatively to the disk from a detection position of a tip of the supporting pin is calculated by an operation, an amount of this movement exceeding at least a thickness of the carrier arm, and this position is taught as the retreat permission position of the carrier arm.

Method of determining retreat permission position of carrier arm and teaching device thereof

In centering a transfer device so that tweezers of the transfer device transfer a substrate to a predetermined delivery position on a spin chuck when the substrate is delivered to a coating unit by means of the transfer device, the substrate is transferred onto the spin chuck in the coating unit by means of the tweezers, a positional deviation amount of the substrate with respect to the delivery position on the chuck is detected by a detecting device, a positional deviation amount of the tweezers is computed based on this detection value, and a position at which the tweezers deliver the substrate is corrected based on the positional deviation amount of the tweezers. Thus, centering of the substrate transfer device can be performed automatically in a short time.

Transfer device centering method and substrate processing apparatus

A carrier apparatus is provided with a first carrier mechanism, a second carrier mechanism, and a sensor. The first carrier mechanism has a holding portion holding a substrate, a driving pulley, an idler pulley, and a first endless belt, the first endless belt being provided between the driving pulley and the idler pulley and the holding portion being attached to the first endless belt. The second carrier mechanism has a driving source with a rotation output shaft, a speed reducing pulley fixed on the driving pulley and more than one second endless belts, the above more than one second endless belts being provided between the rotation output shaft and the speed reducing pulley. A sensor detects the state of the second endless belt, for example, the occurrence of cutting. As a result, even if the state of a carrier belt deteriorates, the holding portion is prevented from falling.

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Koshi, Japan

Seiji Kozawa