Patents by Inventor Masayuki OTSUJI
Masayuki OTSUJI 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).
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Patent number: 11094524Abstract: A substrate processing method includes a substrate holding step of horizontally holding a substrate, a liquid film forming step of supplying a processing liquid onto the upper surface of the substrate to form a liquid film of the processing liquid covering the upper surface of the substrate, a liquid film-removed region-forming step of partially eliminating the processing liquid from the liquid film of the processing liquid to form a liquid film-removed region in the liquid film of the processing liquid, a liquid film-removed region enlarging step of enlarging the liquid film-removed region toward the outer periphery of the substrate, and a hydrogen fluoride atmosphere-holding step of keeping the ambient atmosphere at the boundary between the liquid film-removed region and the liquid film of the processing liquid as an atmosphere of hydrogen fluoride-containing vapor, in parallel with the liquid film-removed region enlarging step.Type: GrantFiled: September 8, 2017Date of Patent: August 17, 2021Inventor: Masayuki Otsuji
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Patent number: 11036139Abstract: In a method of forming a sacrificial film, a liquid film 26 of a sacrificial polymer solution 25 which covers the front surface of a substrate W in which patterns P are formed is heated from the side of the substrate, the solution in contact with the front surface of the substrate is evaporated and thus the liquid film is dried in a state where the liquid film is held on at least tip end portions other than base portions of the patterns, with the result that a sacrificial film is formed. In a substrate processing method and a substrate processing apparatus, the front surface of the substrate is processed while the collapse of the patterns is suppressed or prevented by utilization of the formed sacrificial film.Type: GrantFiled: August 22, 2017Date of Patent: June 15, 2021Inventor: Masayuki Otsuji
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Patent number: 10935825Abstract: A substrate processing method includes a first discharge step of discharging, from the first discharge port which faces a predetermined first region including the rotating center of the upper surface, a low surface tension liquid containing gas containing steam of a low surface tension liquid having a larger specific gravity than air and lower surface tension than the processing liquid and not discharging the low surface tension liquid containing gas from the second discharge port which faces a predetermined second region surrounding the outside of the first region on the upper surface of the substrate, and a second discharge step of discharging the low surface tension liquid containing gas from the second discharge port after the first discharge step and not discharging the low surface tension liquid containing gas from the first discharge port.Type: GrantFiled: January 18, 2017Date of Patent: March 2, 2021Inventor: Masayuki Otsuji
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Patent number: 10900127Abstract: In a substrate processing method, a liquid film 30 of a processing liquid is formed on an upper surface of a substrate W, a gas which comprising vapor of a low surface tension liquid is sprayed to the liquid film 30 to form a liquid film-removed region 31. The liquid film-removed region 31 is expanded. A coolant 29 is supplied to a lower surface of the substrate W, while the liquid film 30 is cooled to a temperature lower than the boiling point of the low surface tension liquid, a heated gas is sprayed to selectively remove the coolant 29, and a range 33 in which the coolant 29 is removed is heated by a heated gas, by which the liquid film-removed region 31 on the upper surface of the substrate W is selectively heated to a temperature not less than the boiling point of the low surface tension liquid, and also a range which heats the liquid film-removed region 31 is expanded in synchronization with expansion of the liquid film-removed region 31.Type: GrantFiled: December 14, 2017Date of Patent: January 26, 2021Inventor: Masayuki Otsuji
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Patent number: 10886133Abstract: A substrate processing method includes a substrate holding step of holding a substrate in which a pattern is defined on one major surface, a charge supply step of supplying a charge of one polarity to the substrate, a first voltage application step of applying, in parallel with the charge supply step, a voltage of the other polarity to a first electrode arranged on the other major surface of the substrate through a dielectric member, a second voltage application step of applying, after the first voltage application step, a voltage of the one polarity to the first electrode while keeping a state where a ground connection of the substrate is released and a drying step of removing, in parallel with the second voltage application step, a liquid from the one major surface of the substrate so as to dry the substrate.Type: GrantFiled: September 1, 2017Date of Patent: January 5, 2021Inventors: Daisuke Shimizu, Masayuki Otsuji, Shota Iwahata
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Publication number: 20200411309Abstract: To dry a substrate formed with a pattern on a front surface satisfactorily and with excellent drying performance, a substrate processing method comprises: a liquid film formation step of forming a liquid film of a processing liquid, in which cyclohexanone oxime is dissolved in a solvent, on a front surface of a substrate formed with a pattern by supplying the processing liquid to the front surface of the substrate; a solidified film formation step of forming a solidified film of the cyclohexanone oxime by solidifying the liquid film of the processing liquid; and a sublimation step of removing the solidified film from the front surface of the substrate by sublimating the solidified film.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 11, 2020Publication date: December 31, 2020Inventors: Masayuki OTSUJI, Hiroaki TAKAHASHI, Masahiko KATO, Yu YAMAGUCHI, Yuta SASAKI
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Publication number: 20200381269Abstract: A substrate processing method includes a sublimable-substance-containing liquid film forming step of supplying a sublimable-substance-containing liquid to a surface of a substrate on which a pattern is formed, so that a liquid film of the sublimable-substance-containing liquid covering the surface of the substrate is formed on the surface of the substrate, a transition state film forming step of evaporating the solvent from the liquid film to form solids of the sublimable substance, so that a transition state film, that is in a pre-crystal transition state before the solids of the sublimable substance crystallize, is formed on the surface of the substrate, and a transition state film removing step of sublimating the solids of the sublimable substance on the surface of the substrate while maintaining the solids of the sublimable substance in the pre-crystal transition state, so that the transition state film from the surface of the substrate is removed.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 28, 2020Publication date: December 3, 2020Inventors: Naozumi FUJIWARA, Masayuki OTSUJI, Masahiko KATO, Yu YAMAGUCHI
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Patent number: 10854477Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate holding unit that holds a substrate horizontally while rotating the substrate around a vertical rotational axis running through its center portion, an opposed member having an opposed surface that is opposed to an upper surface of the substrate, and a processing liquid discharge unit that includes a center portion discharge port on the opposed surface, that opens being opposed to the upper surface center portion of the substrate, and a peripheral portion discharge port on the opposed surface, that opens being opposed to the upper surface peripheral portion of the substrate, that discharges a processing liquid from the center portion discharge port to supply the processing liquid between the substrate and the opposed surface, and discharges the processing liquid from the peripheral portion discharge port to replenish the processing liquid between the substrate and the opposed surface.Type: GrantFiled: May 25, 2017Date of Patent: December 1, 2020Inventor: Masayuki Otsuji
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Publication number: 20200343110Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate holding unit that holds a substrate horizontally while rotating the substrate around a vertical rotational axis running through its center portion, an opposed member having an opposed surface that is opposed to an upper surface of the substrate, and a processing liquid discharge unit that includes a center portion discharge port on the opposed surface, that opens being opposed to the upper surface center portion of the substrate, and a peripheral portion discharge port on the opposed surface, that opens being opposed to the upper surface peripheral portion of the substrate, that discharges a processing liquid from the center portion discharge port to supply the processing liquid between the substrate and the opposed surface, and discharges the processing liquid from the peripheral portion discharge port to replenish the processing liquid between the substrate and the opposed surface.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 15, 2020Publication date: October 29, 2020Inventor: Masayuki OTSUJI
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Patent number: 10816141Abstract: A chemical solution feeder feeds a chemical solution to a predetermined feed target, and includes: a feed flow path that is connected at its one end to a supply source of a chemical solution at room temperature and at its other end to a feed target, to guide the chemical solution to the feed target from the supply source; a first filter that removes particles in a chemical solution at room temperature injected from the supply source into the feed flow path; a heating unit that heats the chemical solution having passed through the first filter; and a second filter that removes particles in the chemical solution at high temperature heated by the heating unit, flowing through the feed flow path toward the feed target, wherein the first filter is a hydrophilic filter and the second filter is a hydrophobic filter.Type: GrantFiled: June 28, 2018Date of Patent: October 27, 2020Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.Inventors: Ayumi Higuchi, Eri Fujita, Shota Iwahata, Masayuki Otsuji, Yoshiyuki Fujitani
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Patent number: 10784124Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate holding unit that holds a substrate horizontally while rotating the substrate around a vertical rotational axis running through its center portion, an opposed member having an opposed surface that is opposed to an upper surface of the substrate, and a processing liquid discharge unit that includes a center portion discharge port on the opposed surface, that opens being opposed to the upper surface center portion of the substrate, and a peripheral portion discharge port on the opposed surface, that opens being opposed to the upper surface peripheral portion of the substrate, that discharges a processing liquid from the center portion discharge port to supply the processing liquid between the substrate and the opposed surface, and discharges the processing liquid from the peripheral portion discharge port to replenish the processing liquid between the substrate and the opposed surface.Type: GrantFiled: May 25, 2017Date of Patent: September 22, 2020Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.Inventor: Masayuki Otsuji
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Publication number: 20200152447Abstract: An upper surface of a substrate is supplied with a pre-drying processing liquid which is a solution of a sublimable substance and a solvent. Thereafter, the solvent is evaporated from the pre-drying processing liquid on the substrate and a solid of the sublimable substance is precipitated in the pre-drying processing liquid on the substrate. Thereafter, at least a portion of the solid of the sublimable substance is dissolved in the pre-drying processing liquid on the substrate. Thereafter, the solvent is evaporated from the pre-drying processing liquid in which the solid of the sublimable substance has been dissolved and the solid of the sublimable substance is precipitated onto the substrate. Thereafter, the solid of the sublimable substance is sublimated and removed from the upper surface of the substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 5, 2019Publication date: May 14, 2020Inventors: Yuta SASAKI, Hiroaki TAKAHASHI, Masayuki OTSUJI
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Patent number: 10615026Abstract: A substrate processing method includes a liquid film forming step of forming a liquid film of an organic solvent with which a whole area of an upper surface of a substrate is covered in order to replace a processing liquid existing on the upper surface with an organic solvent liquid, a thin film holding step of thinning the liquid film of the organic solvent by rotating the substrate at a first high rotational speed while keeping surroundings of the whole area of the upper surface in an atmosphere of an organic solvent vapor and holding a resulting thin film of the organic solvent on the upper surface, and a thin-film removing step of removing the thin film from the upper surface after the thin film holding step, and the thin-film removing step includes a high-speed rotation step of rotating the substrate at a second high rotational speed.Type: GrantFiled: June 1, 2016Date of Patent: April 7, 2020Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.Inventors: Shota Iwahata, Masayuki Otsuji
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Patent number: 10549322Abstract: A second liquid film of the second processing liquid covers an upper surface of the first liquid film of the first processing liquid, on the upper surface of the substrate. In the substrate processing apparatus, extraneous matters on the upper surface of the substrate are removed from the upper surface of the substrate and moved toward the inside of the second liquid film by the first processing liquid which is vaporized between the second liquid film and the substrate by performing heating of the first liquid film at a temperature not lower than the boiling point of the first processing liquid and lower than the boiling point of the second processing liquid. It is thereby possible to suitably remove the extraneous matters from the substrate while suppressing any damage on the upper surface of the substrate.Type: GrantFiled: March 16, 2016Date of Patent: February 4, 2020Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.Inventor: Masayuki Otsuji
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Publication number: 20200001333Abstract: The present substrate processing method includes a pre-drying processing liquid supplying step of supplying, to a front surface of a substrate, a pre-drying processing liquid, having a freezing point lower than a freezing point of the solidified body forming substance, a solidified body forming step of solidifying a portion of the pre-drying processing liquid on the front surface of the substrate to form the solidified body, containing the solidified body forming substance, inside the pre-drying processing liquid, a liquid removing step of removing the pre-drying processing liquid on the front surface of the substrate while letting the solidified body remain on the front surface of the substrate, and a solid removing step of removing the solidified body, remaining on the front surface of the substrate, from the front surface of the substrate by making the solidified body change to a gas.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 28, 2019Publication date: January 2, 2020Inventors: Masayuki OTSUJI, Hiroaki TAKAHASHI, Masahiko KATO, Naozumi FUJIWARA, Yu YAMAGUCHI, Yuta SASAKI
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Publication number: 20190390320Abstract: A pre-drying processing liquid containing a sublimable substance that changes to gas without passing through to a liquid and a solvent in which the sublimable substance dissolves is supplied to a front surface of a substrate on which a pattern has been formed. Thereafter, the solvent is evaporated from the pre-drying processing liquid on the front surface of the substrate to thereby form a solidified body containing the sublimable substance on the front surface of the substrate. Thereafter, the solidified body is sublimated and thereby removed from the front surface of the substrate. A value acquired by multiplying a ratio of the thickness of the solidified body to the height of the pattern by 100 is greater than 76 and less than 219.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 19, 2019Publication date: December 26, 2019Inventors: Yuta SASAKI, Masayuki OTSUJI, Naozumi FUJIWARA, Masahiko KATO, Yu YAMAGUCHI, Hiroaki TAKAHASHI
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Publication number: 20190267244Abstract: A substrate processing method includes a substrate holding step of holding a substrate in which a pattern is defined on one major surface, a charge supply step of supplying a charge of one polarity to the substrate, a first voltage application step of applying, in parallel with the charge supply step, a voltage of the other polarity to a first electrode arranged on the other major surface of the substrate through a dielectric member, a second voltage application step of applying, after the first voltage application step, a voltage of the one polarity to the first electrode while keeping a state where a ground connection of the substrate is released and a drying step of removing, in parallel with the second voltage application step, a liquid from the one major surface of the substrate so as to dry the substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 1, 2017Publication date: August 29, 2019Inventors: Daisuke SHIMIZU, Masayuki OTSUJI, Shota IWAHATA
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Publication number: 20190258166Abstract: In a method of forming a sacrificial film, a liquid film 26 of a sacrificial polymer solution 25 which covers the front surface of a substrate Win which patterns Pare formed is heated from the side of the substrate, the solution in contact with the front surface of the substrate is evaporated and thus the liquid film is dried in a state where the liquid film is held on at least tip end portions other than base portions of the patterns, with the result that a sacrificial film is formed. In a substrate processing method and a substrate processing apparatus, the front surface of the substrate is processed while the collapse of the patterns is suppressed or prevented by utilization of the formed sacrificial film.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 22, 2017Publication date: August 22, 2019Inventor: Masayuki OTSUJI
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Publication number: 20190176179Abstract: A substrate processing method includes a first processing liquid supplying step of supplying a first processing liquid to an upper surface of the substrate, a holding layer forming step of solidifying or curing the first processing liquid to form a particle holding layer on the upper surface of the substrate, a holding layer removing step of peeling and removing the particle holding layer from the upper surface of the substrate, a liquid film forming step of forming, after removing the particle holding layer from the substrate, a liquid film of the second processing liquid, a solidifying step of cooling the liquid film to a temperature not more than a melting point of the sublimable substance to make the liquid film solidify on the substrate and form a solid film, and a sublimating step of sublimating and thereby removing the solid film from the substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 29, 2018Publication date: June 13, 2019Inventors: Yukifumi YOSHIDA, Hiroaki TAKAHASHI, Masayuki OTSUJI, Manabu OKUTANI, Chikara MAEDA, Hiroshi ABE, Shuichi YASUDA, Yasunori KANEMATSU
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Publication number: 20190091736Abstract: A substrate processing method includes a processing liquid film forming step of supplying a processing liquid, containing a sublimable substance, to a pattern forming surface of a substrate, to form a processing liquid film on the pattern forming surface, a temperature maintaining step of maintaining a temperature of the processing liquid film, formed on the pattern forming surface, in a temperature range not lower than a melting point of the sublimable substance and lower than a boiling point of the sublimable substance, a film thinning step of thinning the processing liquid film while the temperature of the processing liquid film is in the temperature range, a freezing step of making the processing liquid film, thinned by the film thinning step, freeze on the pattern forming surface after the temperature maintaining step to form a frozen body of the sublimable substance, and a sublimating step of sublimating the frozen body to remove the frozen body from the pattern forming surface.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 20, 2018Publication date: March 28, 2019Inventors: Manabu OKUTANI, Hiroaki TAKAHASHI, Masayuki OTSUJI, Hiroshi ABE, Chikara MAEDA, Hitoshi NAKAI, Yuta SASAKI