Tokyo Electron Limited

Other

Yoshiaki Sasaki

Hiroaki Saeki

Yasushi Taniyama

Hirofumi Yamaguchi

Tetsuo Yoshida

Hirohito Kikushima

Keisuke Kondoh

Teruo Asakawa

Shigeru Ishizawa

Keiichi Nagakubo

Keiichi Matsushima

Takaaki Hirooka

Keita Kumagai

Atsushi Tanaka

Masato Kubodera

Hayato Itomi

Shuuji Hagiwara

Hiroshi Takizawa

Shuji Hagihara

Yuichi Nishimori

Meng Yiau Yu

A substrate processing apparatus includes: a chamber having a container including at least one substrate-heating region and at least one substrate-cooling region; a heating mechanism configured to heat a first substrate in the at least one substrate-heating region; a cooling mechanism configured to cool a second substrate in the at least one substrate-cooling region while the first substrate is being heated; and a partition provided in the container and configured to separate the at least one substrate-heating region and the at least one substrate-cooling region from each other in terms of heat and pressure.

Substrate processing apparatus and substrate processing method

There is provided a substrate processing apparatus having a transfer arm configured to transfer two substrates between a transfer chamber and a processing chamber having two mounting tables, the transfer arm holding the two substrates in a state where the two substrates overlap each other with a gap between the two substrates. The substrate processing apparatus includes: a lower substrate detection sensor configured to detect an edge portion of a lower substrate when the lower substrate is transferred; and an upper substrate detection sensor configured to detect an edge portion of an upper substrate when the upper substrate is transferred.

Substrate processing apparatus and method of transferring substrate

A cooling mechanism includes a plurality of support stands which is provided in a vertical direction over a plurality of stages in an atmospheric transfer chamber where a down-flow is formed, a plurality of support pins which is provided in each of the support stands and supports a target object in contact with the backside of the target object. The cooling mechanism further includes a plurality of air guide plates which is provided in the support stands and cools the target object supported by the support stand located at a lower stage using the down-flow.

Cooling mechanism and processing system

In a method for positioning a transfer unit including, support pins for supporting object, and a pick having at a leading end thereof a detection unit for detecting presence or absence of the object, a height reference position of the pick is determined by detecting an upper edge of one of the support pins by the detection unit. A forward moving angle of the pick is corrected by obtaining a deviation angle between a radial direction of the mounting table passing through the corresponding support pin and a forward moving direction of the pick. A forward movement starting point of the pick is corrected by obtaining a horizontal deviation distance between the radial direction of the mounting table and the forward moving direction of the pick. A forward moving reference amount of the pick is obtained from coordinates of the corresponding support pin.

Method for positioning a transfer unit, method for calculating positional deviation amount of an object to be processed, and method for correcting teaching data of the transfer unit

A substrate processing system includes a processing chamber, and an orientercentering a wafer W. The orienteris provided with an orienter sensormeasuring a central position discrepancy of the wafer W, and an image sensormeasuring a width of a non-film forming portion at circumferential portions of the wafer W. After a film deposition processing in the processing chamber, the wafer W is loaded into the orienterwhere a central position discrepancy of the wafer W is measured, and the wafer W is then centered. Further, the width of the non-film forming portion of the wafer W is measured, and a film position discrepancy is calculated based on the width of the non-film forming portion. To correct the calculated film position discrepancy, a target transfer position of the wafer W on a mounting tablein the processing chamberis adjusted.

Film position adjusting method, memory medium and substrate processing system

In a port structureA in a semiconductor processing system, a doorA is disposed in a portA defined by upright walland. A tableopposed to the port is disposed outside the system. Defined on the table is a mount regionfor mounting an open type cassetteA for a process subject substrate W. A hoodis disposed rotatable relative to the table. The hood defines in its closed position a closed space surrounding the mount region and port, the space having a size to receive the cassette. First ventholesare formed in the upright walls and/or the door so as to introduce gas from within the system into the closed space in the hood. Second ventholesare formed in the table so as to discharge the gas can be discharged out of the closed space.

Port structure in semiconductor processing system

An attaching and removing unit of a lid for a wafer carrier according to the invention includes: a lid holding plate that can move forward and backward relatively to a lid for a wafer carrier provided with a lock unit having a keyhole exposed outside, on a side of the keyhole; a driver for causing the lid holding plate to move forward and backward; and a key element protruding from the lid holding plate on a side of the lid in a pivotable manner, the key element disposed opposite the keyhole in a direction of the forward and backward movement. The lock unit is adapted to be locked and unlocked by the key element pivoting in the keyhole. In a locked state, the key element can be inserted into and released from the keyhole, and in an unlocked state, the key element is engaged with and can not be released from the keyhole, while the lid holding plate holds the lid. The lid holding plate is provided with a lid-detecting unit for detecting whether the lid holding plate is holding the lid or not.

Mounting/demounting device for wafer carrier lid

Method for aligning conveying position of object processing system, and object processing system

A table for a transfer container is provided with an opening portion formed therein. A clamp is swingably supported on the lower side of the table. The clamp has a second engaging portion hook to project upward from the table through the opening portion, and to engage with the first engaging portion of the transfer container. A first actuator is disposed to apply a swing-driving force to the clamp. The first actuator has a reciprocation rod pivotally connected to the clamp, and is swingably supported on the lower side of the table.

Device for attaching target substrate transfer container to semiconductor processing apparatus

An object of the present invention is to provide a wafer transfer robot mount/demount cart for simply mounting and demounting a wafer transfer robot which is linearly, substantially horizontally reciprocated in a wafer transfer apparatus to transfer wafers. A pair of mount/demount cart-side rails which can be connected to a pair of wafer transfer apparatus-side guide rails mounted inside a wafer transfer apparatus D is mounted on a raised portion of the mount/demount cart A. A joint rail S is mounted in a gap between the pair of wafer transfer apparatus-side rails and the pair of mount/demount cart-side rails so as to slide a wafer transfer robot R onto the pair of mount/demount cart-side rails via the joint rail S.

Cart for mounting/demounting wafer transfer robot

A vacuum processing apparatus includes a transfer chamber filled with a gas to have an upper limit of a target pressure range, a gas supply system connected to a gas supply source to supply the gas into the transfer chamber, a gas exhaust system for releasing the gas from within the transfer chamber, first and second vacuum chambers connected to the transfer chamber, first and second gate valves interposed between the transfer chamber and the vacuum chambers, which selectively permit the transfer chamber and the vacuum chambers to communicate with each other and a transfer mechanism for transferring a target object from the first vacuum chamber to the transfer chamber via the first gate valve and for transferring the target object from the transfer chamber to the second vacuum chamber via the second gate valve. An opening/closing valve is provided in the gas supply system for selectively supplying the gas from the gas supply source into the transfer chamber, a gas loading space being defined upstream of the opening/closing valve to permit the gas having a volume and pressure set in accordance with the upper limit of a target pressure range to be stored in the gas loading space when the opening/closing valve is closed.

Vacuum processing apparatus

A wafer processing system comprises a container-housing chamber for housing the conveying container conveyed from the common area, a cleaning chamber disposed adjacent to the container-housing chamber, and a load-lock chamber disposed adjacent to the cleaning chamber. The cleaning chamber has an inlet line for introducing a clean gas into the cleaning chamber and a pressure control means for controlling the pressure in the cleaning chamber. The load-lock chamber has a conveying unit capable of extending to the container-housing chamber through the cleaning chamber, in order to take out the object from the conveying container housed in the container-housing chamber to the load-lock chamber through the cleaning chamber.

Growing community of inventors

Nirasaki, Japan

Yoshiaki Sasaki