Patents Assigned to Ebara Corporation
  • Patent number: 11686009
    Abstract: To partially or locally control a plating film thickness on a polygonal substrate. There is provided a regulation plate for adjusting a current between an anode and the polygonal substrate. This regulation plate includes a main body that has an edge forming a polygonal opening through which the current passes and an attachable/detachable shielding member to shield at least a part of the polygonal opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoki Shimomura, Mizuki Nagai
  • Patent number: 11686647
    Abstract: A leak check method includes: performing a first inspection of measuring a pressure in an internal space formed by a seal of the substrate holder, while evacuating the internal space, and detecting that the pressure reaches a first pressure threshold value within a predetermined first inspection time; performing a second inspection of closing the internal space that has been evacuated, measuring the pressure in the closed internal space, and detecting that the pressure in the closed internal space does not exceed a second pressure threshold value within a predetermined second inspection time; and performing a third inspection of measuring a pressure difference between the pressure in the closed internal space and a vacuum pressure in a master container, and detecting that an amount of increase in the pressure difference within a predetermined third inspection time is kept equal to or below a pressure difference threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Suzuki, Jumpei Fujikata
  • Publication number: 20230182262
    Abstract: A substrate cleaning device and a substrate polishing device are provided. The substrate cleaning device is provided in a substrate polishing device, which includes a polishing table having a polishing surface for polishing a substrate and a top ring holding the substrate with a membrane while surrounding an outer peripheral part of the substrate with a retainer ring, and cleaning the surface after polishing. The top ring is freely movable between a substrate polishing position above the table and a substrate handover position at a side of the table. The substrate cleaning device is provided corresponding to a cleaning position between the polishing and handover positions, and includes a first spray unit including cleaning nozzles for spraying cleaning liquid on the substrate, membrane, and retainer ring at the cleaning position; and a second spray unit including a substrate rinse nozzle spraying rinse liquid onto the substrate at the cleaning position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2022
    Publication date: June 15, 2023
    Applicant: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: ERINA BABA, KOICHI FUKAYA, KENICHI TAKEBUCHI, KENICHIRO SAITO
  • Patent number: 11676837
    Abstract: One object of this application is to provide an advanced substrate holder including a clamper. A substrate holder holds a substrate by interposing the substrate between frames. The substrate holder includes a front frame, a rear frame, and one or a plurality of clampers. Each of the clampers includes a hook portion including a hook base and a hook main body, and a plate including at least one claw. At least one of the clampers includes the plate including a first claw for a lock and a second claw for a semi-lock.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Matsutaro Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 11676827
    Abstract: High-performance substrate cleaning apparatus, substrate cleaning method, substrate processing apparatus, and substrate drying apparatus are provided. A substrate cleaning apparatus, including: a substrate holding and rotating mechanism that holds and rotates a substrate; a first cleaning mechanism that brings a cleaning tool into contact with the substrate to clean the substrate, cleans the substrate using two-fluid jet, or cleans the substrate using ozone water; and a second cleaning mechanism that cleans the substrate using an ultrasonic cleaning liquid is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tomoatsu Ishibashi
  • Patent number: 11673224
    Abstract: Disclosed is a light transmitting member for a polishing pad. The light transmitting member has a cylindrical or truncated conical shape, and a screw thread is formed on a side portion thereof. A polishing pad includes such a light transmitting member and a substrate polishing apparatus includes such a polishing pad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaki Kinoshita, Sachiko Takeda, Chikako Koyama
  • Patent number: 11673222
    Abstract: A polishing head system capable of precisely controlling a pressing force of a retainer member, such as a retainer ring, against a polishing pad. The polishing head system includes: a polishing head including an actuator configured to apply a pressing force to the workpiece, a retainer member arranged outside the actuator, and piezoelectric elements coupled to the retainer member; and a drive-voltage application device configured to apply voltages independently to the piezoelectric elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Katsuhide Watanabe, Itsuki Kobata
  • Patent number: 11667008
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus which reliably prevents a cleaning liquid containing foreign particles from falling from a polishing head onto a substrate is disclosed. The substrate processing apparatus includes a rotating and holding mechanism, a polishing head, and a head cleaning device configured to supply the cleaning liquid to the polishing head to clean the polishing head during polishing and/or after polishing of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hokuto Yamanobe
  • Patent number: 11667007
    Abstract: A polishing table holds a polishing pad. A top ring holds a semiconductor wafer. A swing arm holds the top ring. The swing arm swings around a swing center on the swing arm during polishing. An optical sensor is disposed on the polishing table and measures an optical characteristic changeable in accordance with a variation in film thickness of the semiconductor wafer. A fluid supply control apparatus determines a distance from an axis of rotation to the optical sensor when the semiconductor wafer is rotated by the top ring. An end point detection section detects a polishing end point indicating an end of polishing based on the optical characteristic measured by the optical sensor and the determined distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mitsunori Sugiyama, Taro Takahashi, Yoichi Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 11668018
    Abstract: There is provided a contact structure, comprising a substrate contact including a first contact portion that is located on a leading end side of the substrate contact and that comes into contact with a substrate and a second contact portion that is located nearer to a base end side of the substrate contact than the first contact portion; a seal member configured to cover a periphery of the substrate contact and to have a sealing surface that comes into contact with the substrate to seal the substrate contact; a first pressing portion configured to elastically apply a contact pressure on the substrate to the substrate contact; and a second pressing portion configured to come into contact with the seal member and to apply a contact pressure on the substrate to the seal member independently of the first pressing portion, wherein the first contact portion adheres to the seal member, and the second contact portion is fit in the seal member to be displaceable relative to the seal member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Matsutaro Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 11661669
    Abstract: Provided is a technique configured to cause a first actual operation to be started in a short time when the actual operation of a substrate processing component group is performed a plurality of times. A substrate processing system 10 includes a substrate processing apparatus 11 having a substrate processing component group 20 and a controller 40. The substrate processing component group 20 is configured to perform a test operation and an actual operation. The substrate processing component group 20 has a first substrate processing component and a second substrate processing component. When the actual operation is performed a plurality of times, the controller 40 causes the first substrate processing component to perform the test operation and causes the actual operation of the first substrate processing component to be started after completion of the test operation of the first substrate processing component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuma Ideguchi, Shugo Midorikawa, Yosuke Nagasawa, Tensei Sato, Hideki Wakabayashi
  • Patent number: 11664252
    Abstract: A cleaning device includes: a plurality of rollers that hold a peripheral edge part of a substrate; a rotation driving unit that rotates the substrate by rotationally driving the plurality of rollers; a cleaning member that abuts on the substrate and cleans the substrate; a cleaning liquid supply nozzle that supplies a cleaning liquid to the substrate; a microphone that detects a sound generated when a notch of the peripheral edge part of the substrate hits the plurality of rollers; and a rotation speed calculation unit that calculates a rotation speed of the substrate on the basis of the sound detected by the microphone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michiaki Matsuda, Hisajiro Nakano, Fuyuki Ogaki, Yusuke Watanabe, Junji Kunisawa
  • Patent number: 11662397
    Abstract: A target value of magnetic flux density and magnetic flux density actually obtained are made to coincide precisely with each other. An electromagnet control device comprises a current value determining unit for determining, based on a magnetic flux density instruction value, a value of current that is made to flow through a coil. The current value determining unit is constructed to execute a second process for determining, based on a second function, a value of the current, if the magnetic flux density is to be decreased from that in a first magnetization state, and a fourth process for expanding or reducing the second function by use of a first scaling ratio for transforming it to a fourth function, and determining, based on the fourth function obtained after above transformation, a value of the current, if the magnetic flux density is to be decreased from that in a third magnetization state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Haruka Takeuchi, Tomonori Ohashi, Ichiju Sato
  • Patent number: 11660643
    Abstract: Providing a substrate cleaning device and a substrate cleaning method having high detergency. Provided is a substrate cleaning device including: a substrate rotating mechanism that rotates a substrate; and a first nozzle and a second nozzle that eject an ultrasonic cleaning solution toward a predetermined surface of the substrate that is rotated, wherein the first nozzle and the second nozzle are held in one casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tomoatsu Ishibashi
  • Patent number: 11658058
    Abstract: Provided is a substrate holding apparatus capable of appropriately holding a substrate. The substrate holding apparatus is suggested to hold a substrate including a portion to be plated that is exposed to a plating solution and an edge portion that is an area outside the portion to be plated. The substrate holding apparatus comprises a grasp module to come in contact with the edge portion of the substrate and thereby grasp the substrate, a suction module to attract the portion to be plated of the substrate by suction to hold the portion to be plated, and a protrusion provided at a position corresponding to the portion to be plated in the substrate, and protruding toward the substrate to be held by the substrate holding apparatus more than the suction module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahiro Abe, Takuya Tsushima, Tomonori Hirao
  • Patent number: 11654524
    Abstract: A method of detecting abnormality of a roller which transmits a local load to a retainer ring is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomoko Owada, Osamu Nabeya, Yuta Suzuki, Shingo Togashi
  • Patent number: 11648515
    Abstract: A gas solution manufacturing device 1 includes a gas supply line 2 configured to supply a gas as a raw material of a gas solution, a liquid supply line 3 configured to supply a liquid as a raw material of the gas solution, a gas solution production unit 4 configured to mix the gas and the liquid together to produce the gas solution, a gas-liquid separation unit 5 configured to perform gas-liquid separation of the produced gas solution into a supplied liquid to be supplied to a use point and a discharged gas to be discharged through an exhaust port, and a gas dissolving unit 6 provided in the liquid supply line 4 and configured to dissolve the discharged gas resulting from the gas-liquid separation in the liquid. The gas dissolving unit 6 is configured with a hollow fiber membrane configured with a gas permeable membrane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Suguru Ozawa, Yuji Araki, Yoichi Nakagawa, Toshifumi Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11648638
    Abstract: In a substrate polishing apparatus where a polishing liquid passes through inside a rotary joint, the rotary joint requires maintenance. There is provided a substrate polishing apparatus that includes: a polishing head for holding a substrate; a rotary table that has a surface to which a first opening portion is provided; a polishing liquid discharge mechanism disposed to the rotary table; and a controller configured to control at least the polishing liquid discharge mechanism. The polishing liquid discharge mechanism includes a first cylinder, a first piston, and a driving mechanism that drives the first piston. The first opening portion is communicated with a liquid holding space defined by the first cylinder and the first piston. The controller controls the driving of the first piston by the driving mechanism to increase and decrease a volume of the liquid holding space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: Ebara Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuji Togawa, Kenichi Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 11648643
    Abstract: A method of automatically determining optimum recipe parameters constituting an operation recipe of an optical film-thickness measuring device within a short period of time is disclosed. The method includes storing in a memory a plurality of parameter sets each including a plurality of recipe parameters constituting an operation recipe; performing simulation of change in film thickness with polishing time with use of the plurality of parameter sets and data of reference spectra of reflected light from a polished substrate, the reference spectra being stored in a data server; inputting at least one index value for evaluating a manner of the change in film thickness into an evaluation calculation formula to calculate a plurality of comprehensive evaluation values for the plurality of parameter sets; and selecting an optimum one of the plurality of parameter sets based on the plurality of comprehensive evaluation values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yuki Watanabe
  • Patent number: D989012
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenichi Akazawa, Osamu Nabeya, Shingo Togashi, Satoru Yamaki, Tomoko Owada, Cheng Cheng, Yuichi Kato