Patents by Inventor Eiji Okuno

Eiji Okuno has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8157496
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a cassette placing table; a first transfer mechanism having a first substrate holding hand capable of advancing/retreating and using this first substrate holding hand to transfer a substrate with respect to the cassette; a substrate processing unit for executing a predetermined process on a substrate; a second transfer mechanism having a second substrate holding hand capable of advancing/retreating and pivotable at a vertical axis, and using the second substrate holding hand to transfer a substrate with respect to the first transfer mechanism and the substrate processing unit; a moving mechanism for moving the first transfer mechanism in an arrangement direction of the cassettes; and a control unit for controlling transfer of a substrate between the first transfer mechanism and the second transfer mechanism in a position where the first transfer mechanism is opposed to a cassette.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Eiji Okuno, Takashi Hara
  • Patent number: 7513263
    Abstract: A substrate holding device according to the present invention comprises: a motor; a rotating shaft rotated by the driving force of the motor; a spin base coupled to the rotating shaft and rotated integrally with the rotating shaft; a cover member surrounding the motor and having its one end arranged in the vicinity of the spin base; a rotating ring fixed to a surface, opposite to the cover member, of the spin base; a fixed ring arranged opposite to the rotating ring along the axis of the rotating shaft; a spring provided at the one end of the cover member for elastically urging the fixed ring toward the rotating ring; and clean gas supply mechanism for supplying clean gas to a space between the rotating ring and the fixed ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2009
    Assignee: Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Eiji Okuno
  • Publication number: 20090053020
    Abstract: An indexer robot includes first and second substrate holding mechanisms, first and second lifting/lowering mechanisms, a rotation mechanism and a moving mechanism. The first and second substrate holding mechanisms have arms and hands and provided on the first and second lifting/lowering mechanisms, respectively. The first and second lifting/lowering mechanisms can lift the first and second substrate holding mechanisms independently from each other. The first and second lifting/lowering mechanisms are provided on the rotation mechanism. The rotation mechanism is provided on the moving mechanism.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2008
    Publication date: February 26, 2009
    Inventor: Eiji Okuno
  • Patent number: 7407363
    Abstract: A substrate transport apparatus includes a first substrate transport robot, a second substrate transport robot and a substrate transfer mechanism. The first substrate transport robot includes an upper hand and a lower hand vertically arranged. The second substrate transport robot includes an upper hand and a lower hand vertically arranged. The substrate transfer mechanism includes an upper hand and a lower hand vertically arranged and a hand driving mechanism adapted to perform hand opening and closing operations to vertically move the upper and lower hands.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2008
    Assignee: Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Eiji Okuno
  • Patent number: 7354481
    Abstract: A substrate holding and rotating apparatus includes: a spin base connected to a rotary shaft and rotatable therearound; holding members attached to the spin base and displaceable between holding positions at which the holding members come in contact with the peripheral edge of the substrate such that the holding members are capable of holding the substrate, and retreat positions at which the holding members are retreated from the holding positions; a holding members drive mechanism for driving the holding members between the holding positions and the retreat positions; and a rotation regulating mechanism arranged to be brought, in association with the operation of the holding-member drive mechanism, into a rotation allowing state where the spin base is allowed to be rotated and into a rotation regulating state where the rotation of the spin base is regulated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2008
    Assignee: Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Eiji Okuno, Takeshi Yoshida
  • Publication number: 20070081881
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a cassette placing table; a first transfer mechanism having a first substrate holding hand capable of advancing/retreating and using this first substrate holding hand to transfer a substrate with respect to the cassette; a substrate processing unit for executing a predetermined process on a substrate; a second transfer mechanism having a second substrate holding hand capable of advancing/retreating and pivotable at a vertical axis, and using the second substrate holding hand to transfer a substrate with respect to the first transfer mechanism and the substrate processing unit; a moving mechanism for moving the first transfer mechanism in an arrangement direction of the cassettes; and a control unit for controlling transfer of a substrate between the first transfer mechanism and the second transfer mechanism in a position where the first transfer mechanism is opposed to a cassette.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2006
    Publication date: April 12, 2007
    Inventors: Eiji Okuno, Takashi Hara
  • Publication number: 20060245853
    Abstract: A substrate transport apparatus includes a first substrate transport robot, a second substrate transport robot and a substrate transfer mechanism. The first substrate transport robot includes an upper hand and a lower hand vertically arranged. The second substrate transport robot includes an upper hand and a lower hand vertically arranged. The substrate transfer mechanism includes an upper hand and a lower hand vertically arranged and a hand driving mechanism adapted to perform hand opening and closing operations to vertically move the upper and lower hands.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2006
    Publication date: November 2, 2006
    Inventor: Eiji Okuno
  • Publication number: 20060081274
    Abstract: A substrate holding device according to the present invention comprises: a motor; a rotating shaft rotated by the driving force of the motor; a spin base coupled to the rotating shaft and rotated integrally with the rotating shaft; a cover member surrounding the motor and having its one end arranged in the vicinity of the spin base; a rotating ring fixed to a surface, opposite to the cover member, of the spin base; a fixed ring arranged opposite to the rotating ring along the axis of the rotating shaft; a spring provided at the one end of the cover member for elastically urging the fixed ring toward the rotating ring; and clean gas supply mechanism for supplying clean gas to a space between the rotating ring and the fixed ring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2005
    Publication date: April 20, 2006
    Inventor: Eiji Okuno
  • Publication number: 20060054082
    Abstract: A substrate holding and rotating apparatus includes: a spin base connected to a rotary shaft and rotatable therearound; holding members attached to the spin base and displaceable between holding positions at which the holding members come in contact with the peripheral edge of the substrate such that the holding members are capable of holding the substrate, and retreat positions at which the holding members are retreated from the holding positions; a holding members drive mechanism for driving the holding members between the holding positions and the retreat positions; and a rotation regulating mechanism arranged to be brought, in association with the operation of the holding-member drive mechanism, into a rotation allowing state where the spin base is allowed to be rotated and into a rotation regulating state where the rotation of the spin base is regulated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2005
    Publication date: March 16, 2006
    Inventors: Eiji Okuno, Takeshi Yoshida