公开(公告)号：US20160169766A1

公开(公告)日：2016-06-16

申请号：US14965684

申请日：2015-12-10

Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED

Inventor： Seiji ISHIBASHI ,  Hiromitsu SAKAUE ,  Yoshiaki SASAKI

IPC: G01M3/02 ,  H01L21/67 ,  G01N33/00

CPC classification number: H01L21/67098 ,  G01M3/205 ,  G01M3/226 ,  G01M3/3209 ,  G01M3/3272 ,  G01N33/0036 ,  H01L21/67196 ,  H01L21/67253

Abstract: A leakage determining method determines whether or not atmospheric air enters a vacuum transfer chamber for transferring a substrate under a vacuum atmosphere between a preliminary vacuum chamber and a processing chamber. The method includes controlling a pressure in the vacuum transfer chamber to a preset pressure by supplying a pressure control gas into the vacuum transfer chamber; performing supply control, when the substrate is not transferred, by reducing the amount of the pressure control gas supplied into the vacuum transfer chamber or stopping the supply of the pressure control gas; and measuring an oxygen concentration in the vacuum transfer chamber after the supply control of the pressure control gas and determining leakage of atmospheric air into the vacuum transfer chamber by determining whether or not atmospheric air whose amount exceeds a preset allowable level enters the vacuum transfer chamber based on temporal changes of the measured oxygen concentration.

Abstract translation: 泄漏确定方法确定大气空气是否进入真空传送室，用于在真空气氛下在预备真空室和处理室之间传送基板。 该方法包括通过向真空传送室中供应压力控制气体来将真空传送室中的压力控制到预定压力; 通过减少供给到真空传送室中的压力控制气体的量或停止供给压力控制气体，进行供给控制，当基板未被传送时; 并且在压力控制气体的供给控制之后测量真空转移室中的氧气浓度，并且通过确定超过预设容许水平的大气空气是否进入真空传送室，确定大气进入真空传送室的泄漏 对测量的氧浓度的时间变化。

公开(公告)号：US20240120225A1

公开(公告)日：2024-04-11

申请号：US18273446

申请日：2022-01-12

Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited

Inventor： Takehiro SHINDO ,  Akinori SHIMAMURA ,  Hiromitsu SAKAUE ,  Dongwei LI

IPC: H01L21/677 ,  H01L21/67

CPC classification number: H01L21/67709 ,  H01L21/67017

Abstract: Provided is an apparatus that transfers a substrate inside a substrate transfer chamber by a substrate transfer module using magnetic levitation. The apparatus includes: a substrate transfer chamber having a floor portion provided with a first magnet and connected, through an opening portion, to a substrate processing chamber in which the substrate is processed; and a substrate transfer module including a substrate holder configured to hold the substrate, and a second magnet configured such that a repulsive force acts between the first magnet and the second magnet. The substrate transfer module is movable inside the substrate transfer chamber by the magnetic levitation based on the repulsive force. The substrate transfer module performs loading/unloading of the substrate by directly entering into the substrate transfer chamber via the opening portion, or delivers the substrate to and from a substrate transfer mechanism fixedly provided inside the substrate transfer chamber.

公开(公告)号：US20210143035A1

公开(公告)日：2021-05-13

申请号：US16612322

申请日：2018-04-24

Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED

Inventor： Hiromitsu SAKAUE

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

Abstract: In a vacuum processing device, a loading/unloading port, a normal pressure transfer chamber and a vacuum transfer chamber are arranged in that order from a front side toward a rear side, and load-lock chambers are connected to the normal pressure transfer chamber. The position in the front-rear direction in a movement range of a wafer W in the normal pressure transfer chamber overlaps with the positions in the front-rear direction of the load-lock chambers. Three vacuum processing modules are connected to each of the left and right sides of the vacuum transfer chamber. Vacuum processing units are arranged in each of the vacuum processing modules in a front-rear direction when viewed from the vacuum transfer chamber side. Wafer mounting shelves for holding wafers W in the load-lock chambers are arranged in the front-rear direction when viewed from the vacuum transfer chamber side.

公开(公告)号：US20190198369A1

公开(公告)日：2019-06-27

申请号：US16224952

申请日：2018-12-19

Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED

Inventor： Hiromitsu SAKAUE ,  Junpei SASAKI

IPC: H01L21/677 ,  B25J18/04 ,  B25J9/10

CPC classification number: H01L21/67742 ,  B25J9/107 ,  B25J18/04 ,  H01L21/67748 ,  H01L21/6776

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus, includes: a substrate transfer mechanism configured to advance and retreat a holding body that holds a substrate by symmetrically arranging two link mechanisms each including a driving arm and a driven arm; a processing module; a rotation angle measuring part configured to measure a rotation angle the driving arms; a holding body detection part configured to detect that a specific portion of the holding body is located at a predetermined position; and a controller configured to execute a step of acquiring a measurement value of the rotation angle of the driving arm, a step of obtaining a moving average of the measurement value of the rotation angle, and a step of obtaining a correction amount of the rotation angle so that a substrate transfer position of the holding body of the substrate transfer mechanism for the processing module becomes a reference position.

公开(公告)号：US20170117169A1

公开(公告)日：2017-04-27

申请号：US15334179

申请日：2016-10-25

Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED

Inventor： Hiromitsu SAKAUE ,  Shinya OKANO

IPC: H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/677

CPC classification number: H01L21/67109 ,  H01L21/67167 ,  H01L21/67173 ,  H01L21/67201 ,  H01L21/67742

Abstract: A substrate cooling method is for, using a load-lock mechanism for controlling a pressure therein between a first pressure close to an atmospheric pressure and a second pressure in a vacuum state, cooling a substrate transferred from the second module to the first module. The method includes maintaining a pressure in the chamber to the second pressure, allowing the chamber to communicate with a second module, and loading the substrate into the chamber; locating the substrate to a cooling position close to the cooling member; exhausting the chamber such that the pressure in the chamber becomes a third pressure where a region between a surface of the cooling member and a backside of the substrate satisfies a molecular flow condition. The method further includes introducing a purge gas into the chamber to increase the pressure in the chamber to the first pressure, and cooling the substrate by the cooling member.

公开(公告)号：US20240355662A1

公开(公告)日：2024-10-24

申请号：US18683478

申请日：2022-06-28

Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED

Inventor： Hiromitsu SAKAUE ,  Toru YAMAUCHI ,  Shinji AIZAWA ,  Yoshinobu WATANABE

IPC: H01L21/68 ,  B25J9/16 ,  G06T7/73

CPC classification number: H01L21/681 ,  B25J9/1697 ,  G06T7/73 ,  G06T2207/30148

Abstract: A jig substrate (200) is used in a teaching method for conveyance mechanisms (12a, 12b, 150) and comprises first cameras (202) and second cameras (204). The first cameras (202) capture first image data for detecting the positions of forks (120, 151) of the conveyance mechanisms (12a, 12b, 150). The second cameras (204) capture second image data for detecting the positions of tables (130, 140) on which substrates are placed.

公开(公告)号：US20230317488A1

公开(公告)日：2023-10-05

申请号：US18021157

申请日：2021-08-12

Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED

Inventor： Hiromitsu SAKAUE

IPC: H01L21/677 ,  H01L21/687

CPC classification number: H01L21/67751 ,  H01L21/68742 ,  H01L21/68764 ,  H01L21/68785

Abstract: There is provided a substrate processing apparatus comprising: a substrate transfer chamber having a floor provided with a first magnet a substrate transfer module including a stage on which a substrate is placed, a traveling plate disposed below the stage, and a second magnet having a repulsive force with respect to the first magnet, the substrate transfer module being configured to be movable in the substrate transfer chamber by magnetic levitation using the repulsive force; and a substrate processing chamber disposed on an upper surface side of the substrate transfer chamber to process the substrate, the substrate processing chamber having an opening having a size that allows at least a part of the stage on which the substrate is placed to pass therethrough, the opening being open toward the inside of the substrate transfer chamber. The substrate is processed in a state where the stage on which the substrate is placed is inserted into the substrate processing chamber through the opening by raising the substrate transfer module and the opening is closed by the traveling plate.

公开(公告)号：US20220199442A1

公开(公告)日：2022-06-23

申请号：US17553158

申请日：2021-12-16

Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED

Inventor： Hiromitsu SAKAUE ,  Toshiaki KODAMA

IPC: H01L21/677 ,  G01N21/95

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a substrate transfer apparatus for transferring a substrate to a substrate processing apparatus in a reduced pressure atmosphere. The apparatus comprises a substrate holder to hold the substrate; and a substrate measurer, provided on the substrate holder, to measure a position of the substrate with respect to the substrate holder.

公开(公告)号：US20170217017A1

公开(公告)日：2017-08-03

申请号：US15422293

申请日：2017-02-01

Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED

Inventor： Hiromitsu SAKAUE

IPC: B25J9/16 ,  H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/687 ,  B25J13/08

CPC classification number: H01L21/68742 ,  H01L21/67259 ,  H01L21/67748 ,  H01L21/681 ,  Y10S901/03 ,  Y10S901/46

Abstract: A method includes a first step of vertically moving the arm or the pins from a reference position in one direction by a predetermined distance, a second step of moving the arm in a horizontal direction, a third step of vertically moving the arm or the pins moved in the one direction in the other direction by a distance equal to or greater than the predetermined distance, a fourth step of detecting a horizontal position of the substrate held by the arm with respect to the arm. The steps are repeated. Whenever the processes are performed, the reference position in the first step is shifted in the one direction by the predetermined distance, and a vertical position of the arm or the pins which is obtained when the horizontal position of the substrate detected in the fourth step is deviated from a preset position is taught as the delivery position.

公开(公告)号：US20170162421A1

公开(公告)日：2017-06-08

申请号：US15364910

申请日：2016-11-30

Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED

Inventor： Hiromitsu SAKAUE ,  Seiji ISHIBASHI

IPC: H01L21/687 ,  H01L21/677

CPC classification number: H01L21/68707 ,  H01L21/67706 ,  H01L21/67742 ,  H01L21/67748 ,  H01L21/68

Abstract: A transfer device includes a rotation driving mechanism for rotationally driving a first linear arm and a second linear arm to move a holding part between a waiting location and a transfer location; a rotation angle detection mechanism for detecting rotation angles of the first linear arm and the second linear arm; a position detection sensor for detecting a position of the second linear arm; a calculation part for calculating a position of the holding part based on the rotation angles of the first linear arm and the second linear arm; and a control part for comparing a position information of the holding part with a position information of the second linear arm and allowing the transfer location to which the target object is transferred to be collected, based on a difference between the position information of the holding part and the position information of the second linear arm.