Tokyo Electron Limited

Takuya Umise

Naoyuki Suzuki

Tetsuya Miyashita

Hiroshi Sone

Masato Shinada

A processing method for processing a substrate includes: a first arrangement step of mounting, on a stage provided in a processing container to mount the substrate on the stage, a plate-shaped protective member which is prepared in advance at a location in the processing container different from a location on the stage and which is configured to protect an upper surface of the stage; an adjustment step of adjusting a distance between the stage and an annular cover member provided above an edge portion of the stage to a second distance different from a first distance between the stage and the cover member when the substrate is processed; and a pretreatment step of performing a pretreatment in the processing container to change a state in the processing container to a predetermined state, wherein the protective member has a thickness different from a thickness of the substrate.

Processing method and processing apparatus

A substrate accommodating unit is disposed adjacent to each of consecutively arranged vacuum transfer units. The substrate accommodating unit includes a hollow housing having, on one sidewall in an arrangement direction of the vacuum transfer units, a loading/unloading port for loading/unloading a substrate into/from the adjacent vacuum transfer unit, a vertically movable partition member disposed in the housing, and a driving mechanism for vertically moving the partition member. When an inner space of the housing is divided horizontally into a first space on a loading/unloading port side and a second space on an opposite side of the loading/unloading port side, the partition member is vertically moved from a state where the first space and the second space communicate with each other to thereby airtightly separate the first space and the second space with the partition member.

Substrate accommodating unit and maintenance method for vacuum transfer unit in substrate transfer apparatus

A substrate processing apparatus includes a transfer chamber row of transfer chambers arranged linearly, a processing chamber row of processing chambers arranged on one side or both sides of the transfer chamber row, a driving mechanism for rotating/extending/contracting a transfer arm of a substrate transfer mechanism in each transfer chamber, and a controller. A center of a substrate supporting region in the processing chamber is positioned closer to the transfer chamber row than a line connecting a rotation axis of the transfer arm and a center of a gate valve. Further, when loading and unloading a substrate between the processing chamber and the adjacent transfer chamber, the controller controls the driving mechanism such that a center of the substrate held by the transfer arm passes along an outer side of a line that connects a rotation axis of the transfer arm and a center of a substrate supporting region.

Substrate processing apparatus and substrate transfer method

In a processing apparatus according to one embodiment, a stage is installed inside a process chamber. The stage has a plurality of through-holes formed therein, which corresponds to a plurality of lift pins. The plurality of lift pins is supported by a spline shaft through a support body. The spline shaft is supported by a spline bearing such that the spline shaft is vertically moved. The plurality of lift pins is biased upward by a spring member through the spline shaft. The spline shaft, the spline bearing, and the spring member are installed in an outer space separated from a depressurizable inner space of the process chamber.

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Nirasaki, Japan

Takuya Umise