公开(公告)号：US20200098606A1

公开(公告)日：2020-03-26

申请号：US16580232

申请日：2019-09-24

Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED

Inventor： Seiji ISHIBASHI

IPC: H01L21/673 ,  H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/677

Abstract: A vacuum processing apparatus for performing a predetermined process on a workpiece in a depressurized state, including: a processing module including a vacuum processing chamber whose interior is depressurized and in which the process is performed on the workpiece; a vacuum transfer module including a vacuum transfer chamber whose interior is maintained in a depressurized state; a gas supply mechanism for supplying the gas for preventing at least oxidation into the vacuum transfer chamber; and a controller for controlling the gas supply mechanism to supply the gas into the vacuum transfer chamber in an idle state in which the process is not performed on the workpiece in the vacuum processing apparatus such that a first oxygen concentration in the vacuum transfer chamber in the idle state is adjusted to be lower than a second oxygen concentration the vacuum transfer chamber in a vacuum state.

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：US20220288796A1

公开(公告)日：2022-09-15

申请号：US17761361

申请日：2020-09-11

Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED

Inventor： Seiji ISHIBASHI ,  Hayato ITOMI ,  Hiroyuki TAKAHASHI

IPC: B25J15/06 ,  B25J21/00 ,  B25J9/16 ,  B25J11/00

Abstract: A vacuum transfer device, which is arranged between a process chamber and a load lock chamber and transfers a substrate between the process chamber and the load lock chamber, includes a container, a transfer device, an exhaust device, a dew-point meter, and a control device. The container is connected to each of the process chamber and the load lock chamber via a gate valve. The transfer device is provided inside the container and transfers the substrate between the process chamber and the load lock chamber. The exhaust device exhausts a gas in the container. The dew-point meter measures a dew-point temperature of the gas in the container. The control device determines whether a process is ready to be executed, based on the dew-point temperature measured by the dew-point meter, and when the process is ready to be executed, notifies that fact to a user of the vacuum transfer device.

公开(公告)号：US20200083079A1

公开(公告)日：2020-03-12

申请号：US16564504

申请日：2019-09-09

Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED

Inventor： Kazuharu YOKOUCHI ,  Seiji ISHIBASHI

IPC: H01L21/673 ,  H01L21/677

Abstract: A vacuum transfer module includes: a housing kept in a vacuum atmosphere and to which a load-lock module and a processing module for performing a vacuum process on a workpiece are connected; a transfer mechanism including a rotation body for rotating around a rotary shaft inside the housing, which transfers the workpiece between the load-lock module and the processing module through the interior of the housing; a gas supply port opened inside the housing to supply an inert gas for purging the housing; and an exhaust port opened inside the housing and through which the housing is exhausted to form the vacuum atmosphere when the inert gas is supplied, and formed such that an angle between a first straight line connecting the exhaust port and the rotary shaft, and a second straight line connecting the gas supply port and the rotary shaft ranges from 100 to 260 degrees.

公开(公告)号：US20240391115A1

公开(公告)日：2024-11-28

申请号：US18792259

申请日：2024-08-01

Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED

Inventor： Seiji ISHIBASHI ,  Hayato ITOMI ,  Hiroyuki TAKAHASHI

IPC: B25J15/06 ,  B25J9/16 ,  B25J11/00 ,  B25J21/00

Abstract: A vacuum transfer device, which is arranged between a process chamber and a load lock chamber and transfers a substrate between the process chamber and the load lock chamber, includes a container, a transfer device, an exhaust device, a dew-point meter, and a control device. The container is connected to each of the process chamber and the load lock chamber via a gate valve. The transfer device is provided inside the container and transfers the substrate between the process chamber and the load lock chamber. The exhaust device exhausts a gas in the container. The dew-point meter measures a dew-point temperature of the gas in the container. The control device determines whether a process is ready to be executed, based on the dew-point temperature measured by the dew-point meter, and when the process is ready to be executed, notifies that fact to a user of the vacuum transfer device.

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.