公开(公告)号：US20230282503A1

公开(公告)日：2023-09-07

申请号：US18113374

申请日：2023-02-23

Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED

Inventor： Takehiro SHINDO

IPC: H01L21/677 ,  H01L21/687 ,  H01L21/67 ,  H01F7/20 ,  B65G54/02

CPC classification number: H01L21/67709 ,  H01L21/67748 ,  H01L21/68707 ,  H01L21/67167 ,  H01F7/206 ,  B65G54/02

Abstract: There is provided a substrate processing system comprising: a plurality of modules including a processing chamber in which a substrate is held and processing is performed on the substrate; a transfer chamber to which the plurality of modules are connected; a substrate transfer device provided inside the transfer chamber, for transferring the substrate to the plurality of modules and taking out the substrate from the plurality of modules; and a controller. The substrate transfer device includes a first transfer unit and a second transfer unit, each of which places thereon the substrate and is linearly movable and swivelable independently and freely over a surface of the transfer chamber, and the controller controls the substrate transfer device such that a substrate replacement operation is performed from one module to another module among the plurality of modules by moving the first transfer unit and the second transfer unit concurrently in parallel.

公开(公告)号：US20220319889A1

公开(公告)日：2022-10-06

申请号：US17656431

申请日：2022-03-25

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Takehiro SHINDO ,  Toshiaki KODAMA

IPC: H01L21/677

Abstract: An apparatus for transporting a substrate includes a transport chamber including a wall having an opening through which carry-in/out of the substrate to/from the substrate processing chamber is performed and a movement surface having a first magnet, a transport module accommodated in the transport chamber to hold the substrate, including a second magnet to which a magnetic force is applied, and configured to be movable along the movement surface in a floating state from the movement surface, an angle adjusting mechanism provided in the transport chamber to switch an angle of the movement surface between a first angle and a second angle which is closer to a vertical state than the first angle, and a transport passage forming a portion of the transport chamber, and including the movement surface at the second angle to which the movement surface switched to the second angle can be connected.

公开(公告)号：US20220084862A1

公开(公告)日：2022-03-17

申请号：US17474644

申请日：2021-09-14

Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED

Inventor： Takehiro SHINDO

IPC: H01L21/677 ,  H01L21/68

Abstract: An control method of a transfer mechanism is provided. The transfer mechanism transfers a substrate and has a holder for holding the substrate. In the control method, an outer edge of the substrate transferred by the transfer mechanism is detected and a center position of the substrate using a preset adjustment value corresponding to a path for transferring the substrate is measured. Further, in the control method, a target position is corrected based on the amount of displacement between the center position of the substrate and a preset reference position of the holder, and the transfer mechanism is controlled such that the reference position of the holder becomes the corrected target position.

公开(公告)号：US20190355599A1

公开(公告)日：2019-11-21

申请号：US16410546

申请日：2019-05-13

Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED

Inventor： Takehiro SHINDO

IPC: H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/683 ,  H01L21/677

Abstract: There is provided a substrate processing apparatus that includes: a polygonal transfer chamber; a process chamber connected to the polygonal transfer chamber via a transfer port through which a substrate is transferred; and a transfer mechanism provided in the polygonal transfer chamber and configured to transfer the substrate between the polygonal transfer chamber and the process chamber via the transfer port, wherein the polygonal transfer chamber and the process chamber have regions overlapping each other when viewed from the top.

公开(公告)号：US20220301921A1

公开(公告)日：2022-09-22

申请号：US17653889

申请日：2022-03-08

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Takehiro SHINDO

IPC: H01L21/687 ,  H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/677

Abstract: An apparatus for transferring a substrate to a substrate processing chamber includes: a substrate transfer chamber including a floor surface portion having a traveling surface-side magnet provided therein and a sidewall portion having an opening for transferring the substrate therethrough; a substrate transfer module including a substrate holder and a floating body-side magnet acting a repulsive force with the traveling surface-side magnet, and configured to be movable on a traveling surface formed in a region provided with the traveling surface-side magnet by magnetic floating using the repulsive force; the substrate processing chamber connected to the substrate transfer chamber via a gate valve constituting a non-traveling region in which the substrate transfer module is not movable by the magnetic floating; and a transfer assist mechanism for assisting the transfer of the substrate by the substrate transfer module between the substrate transfer chamber and the substrate processing chamber via the non-traveling region.

公开(公告)号：US20220301911A1

公开(公告)日：2022-09-22

申请号：US17692754

申请日：2022-03-11

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Dongwei LI ,  Takehiro SHINDO

IPC: H01L21/677 ,  H01L21/67

Abstract: An opening/closing apparatus for opening/closing an opening which allows a first chamber and a second chamber adjacent to the first chamber to communicate with each other, includes a planar motor including coils arranged in the first chamber, a moving body including a valve body configured to move on the planar motor and close the opening, and a controller configured to control energization of the coils.

公开(公告)号：US20220285191A1

公开(公告)日：2022-09-08

申请号：US17652334

申请日：2022-02-24

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Dongwei LI ,  Takehiro SHINDO

IPC: H01L21/677 ,  H01L21/687

Abstract: A substrate transfer device includes: a planar motor provided in a transfer chamber and including an array of coils; a transfer unit configured to move above the planar motor; and a controller configured to control supply of a current to the array of the coils, wherein the transfer unit includes: a first base including an array of first magnets and configured to move above the planar motor; a second base including an array of second magnets and configured to move above the planar motor, the second base being arranged coaxially with the first base; and at least one arm configured to be extended/contracted by rotating the second base relative to the first base.

公开(公告)号：US20220193897A1

公开(公告)日：2022-06-23

申请号：US17554343

申请日：2021-12-17

Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED

Inventor： Takehiro SHINDO ,  Akira TAKAHASHI ,  Takashi HORIUCHI ,  Toshiaki KODAMA

IPC: B25J9/16 ,  B25J17/02 ,  B25J13/08 ,  B25J15/00 ,  B25J11/00 ,  H01L21/687

Abstract: There is provided an apparatus for transporting a substrate. The apparatus comprises: an end effector including a fork which holds the substrate and a wrist part which holds a proximal end portion of the fork; an arm provided with the end effector installed thereon and a mechanism which moves the fork; and an inclination adjusting mechanism provided between the fork and the wrist part or between the wrist part and the arm to adjust an inclination of the fork.

公开(公告)号：US20220181178A1

公开(公告)日：2022-06-09

申请号：US17536467

申请日：2021-11-29

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Takehiro SHINDO

IPC: H01L21/67

Abstract: A correction method includes: a placement operation of holding and moving, by a holder, a sensor-equipped substrate equipped with an inclination sensor provided thereon, to a temporary delivery position, and delivering the sensor-equipped substrate from the holder to the stage; an inclination detection operation of detecting, by the inclination sensor, an inclination of the sensor-equipped substrate delivered to the stage; and performing the placement operation and the inclination detection operation on one or a plurality of different temporary delivery positions. The one or plurality of different temporary delivery positions include a position at which a portion of the sensor-equipped substrate is boarded on the stepped portion when the sensor-equipped substrate is delivered from a respective temporary delivery position to the stage. The method further includes: a correction operation of correcting the delivery position based on a detection result in the inclination detection operation.

公开(公告)号：US20210220989A1

公开(公告)日：2021-07-22

申请号：US16977473

申请日：2019-07-12

Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED

Inventor： Takehiro SHINDO

IPC: B25J9/02 ,  F16H37/14 ,  F16H7/02 ,  F16H25/20 ,  F16H25/22 ,  F16H55/36

Abstract: This extendable device includes: a base member; a first ball screw that is provided to the base member and that rotates according to a driving force supplied from a drive source; a first movable member that is coupled to the base member via the first ball screw and that moves relative to the base member as the first ball screw rotates; a second ball screw that is provided to the first movable member and that rotates as the first movable member moves; a third ball screw that is provided to the first movable member; a transmission mechanism that transmits the rotation of the second ball screw to the third ball screw; and a second movable member that is coupled to the first movable member via the third ball screw and that moves relative to the first movable member as the third ball screw rotates.