Patents by Inventor Tsunenaga Nakashima
Tsunenaga Nakashima 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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Publication number: 20150096682Abstract: In a chemical liquid container replacement device D2 configured to replace a chemical liquid container 50, multiple chemical liquid containers 50 respectively connected to base end sides of chemical liquid supply paths configured to supply chemical liquids, and a nozzle attachment/detachment device 61 is configured to attach/detach the base end side of the chemical liquid supply path with respect to the chemical liquid container 50 of a container arrangement section 60. A loading/unloading port 62 loads a new chemical liquid container 50 for performing a liquid process on a substrate W and unloads a completely used chemical liquid container 50. A container transfer device 7 unloads the completely used chemical liquid container 50 from the container arrangement section 60 toward the loading/unloading port 62 and loads the new chemical liquid containers 50 from the loading/unloading port 62 toward the container arrangement section 60.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 7, 2014Publication date: April 9, 2015Inventor: Tsunenaga Nakashima
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Patent number: 8511331Abstract: A process liquid feed mechanism includes a fixed cylinder with a thread around a peripheral surface, a movable cylinder provided coaxially with the fixed cylinder, a process liquid feed tube and an operating rotator. The movable cylinder is screw-engaged to the fixed cylinder. The process liquid feed tube is fixed in an axial position relative to the movable cylinder and passes through the lid and a cylinder including the fixed cylinder and the movable cylinder to be axially movable relative to the cylinder. The operating rotator includes an annular portion provided coaxially with the movable cylinder. An engaging portion and an engaged portion, which are provided in the movable cylinder and the annular portion respectively, rotate the movable cylinder through engagement therebetween with rotation of the operating rotator and release the engagement as a torque on the movable cylinder increases.Type: GrantFiled: April 26, 2011Date of Patent: August 20, 2013Assignee: Tokyo Electron LimitedInventors: Tsunenaga Nakashima, Shunsuke Shiraishi, Toshihide Takeo
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Patent number: 8469285Abstract: The present disclosure provides a chemical liquid supply nozzle capable of suppressing the drying process of chemical liquid with a low cost. The chemical liquid supply nozzle is provided with a cutoff valve and a suction unit that sucks chemical liquid to a suction flow path at a nozzle main body connected to a front end of flow path member. Accordingly, the chemical liquid remaining at the downstream side of the cutoff valve after the chemical liquid is discharged, is sucked toward the upstream side of the cutoff valve and removed, to thereby suppress the drying and solidifying process of the chemical liquid at the chemical liquid flow path. Also, there is no need to block the chemical liquid flow path by sucking thinner at the downstream side of chemical liquid flow path, and the number of dummy dispense may be reduced, thereby reducing an overall operation cost of the process.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2010Date of Patent: June 25, 2013Assignee: Tokyo Electron LimitedInventors: Tsunenaga Nakashima, Shinichi Hayashi, Akihiro Fujimoto, Takahiro Ookubo
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Patent number: 8354141Abstract: A liquid treatment apparatus treating a surface of a substrate held generally horizontally on a stage in a housing by supplying a treating liquid to said surface from a supply nozzle. The liquid treatment apparatus includes a cup body provided so as to surround the substrate held in the substrate holding part laterally, the cup body being mounted detachably to a base inside the housing from an upward direction thereof; a cup body holding part holding the cup body detachably; and an elevating mechanism moving the cup body holding part up and down between a first position at which the cup body is mounted upon the base body and a second position located above the first position.Type: GrantFiled: May 24, 2011Date of Patent: January 15, 2013Assignee: Tokyo Electron LimitedInventors: Tsunenaga Nakashima, Gouichi Iwao, Naofumi Kishita, Nobuhiro Ogata
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Patent number: 8236378Abstract: A wet processing system detects a globule of a process solution in a drippy or dripping state from the tip of any one of process solution pouring nozzles being moved to a pouring position for pouring the process solution onto a substrate by obtaining image data on the process solution pouring nozzle, and takes proper measures to prevent the process solution from dripping. A wet processing system 1 pours a process solution, such as a resist solution, through one of process solution pouring nozzles 10 onto a surface of a substrate, such as a wafer W, held substantially horizontally by a substrate holding device 41 surrounded by a cup 5 to process the surface by a wet process. A nozzle carrying mechanism 10a carries the process solution pouring nozzles 10 between a home position on a nozzle bath 14 and a pouring position above the substrate held by the substrate holding device 41. An optical image of the tips of the process solution pouring nozzles 10 is obtained by an image pickup means, such as a camera 17.Type: GrantFiled: May 4, 2010Date of Patent: August 7, 2012Assignee: Tokyo Electron LimitedInventors: Tsunenaga Nakashima, Michio Kinoshita, Kousuke Nakamichi
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Publication number: 20110265896Abstract: A process liquid feed mechanism includes a fixed cylinder with a thread around a peripheral surface, a movable cylinder provided coaxially with the fixed cylinder, a process liquid feed tube and an operating rotator. The movable cylinder is screw-engaged to the fixed cylinder. The process liquid feed tube is fixed in an axial position relative to the movable cylinder and passes through the lid and a cylinder including the fixed cylinder and the movable cylinder to be axially movable relative to the cylinder. The operating rotator includes an annular portion provided coaxially with the movable cylinder. An engaging portion and an engaged portion, which are provided in the movable cylinder and the annular portion respectively, rotate the movable cylinder through engagement therebetween with rotation of the operating rotator and release the engagement as a torque on the movable cylinder increases.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 26, 2011Publication date: November 3, 2011Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITEDInventors: Tsunenaga NAKASHIMA, Shunsuke SHIRAISHI, Toshihide TAKEO
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Publication number: 20110220216Abstract: A liquid treatment apparatus treating a surface of a substrate held generally horizontally on a stage in a housing by supplying a treating liquid to said surface from a supply nozzle. The liquid treatment apparatus includes a cup body provided so as to surround the substrate held in the substrate holding part laterally, the cup body being mounted detachably to a base inside the housing from an upward direction thereof; a cup body holding part holding the cup body detachably; and an elevating mechanism moving the cup body holding part up and down between a first position at which the cup body is mounted upon the base body and a second position located above the first position.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 24, 2011Publication date: September 15, 2011Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITEDInventors: Tsunenaga NAKASHIMA, Gouichi Iwao, Naofumi Kishita, Nobuhiro Ogata
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Patent number: 7984690Abstract: A liquid treatment apparatus treating a surface of a substrate held generally horizontally on a stage in a housing by supplying a treating liquid to said surface from a supply nozzle. The liquid treatment apparatus includes a cup body provided so as to surround the substrate held in the substrate holding part laterally, the cup body being mounted detachably to a base inside the housing from an upward direction thereof; a cup body holding part holding the cup body detachably; and an elevating mechanism moving the cup body holding part up and down between a first position at which the cup body is mounted upon the base body and a second position located above the first position.Type: GrantFiled: October 10, 2007Date of Patent: July 26, 2011Assignee: Tokyo Electron LimitedInventors: Tsunenaga Nakashima, Gouichi Iwao, Naofumi Kishita, Nobuhiro Ogata
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Publication number: 20110159701Abstract: The present disclosure provides a chemical liquid supply nozzle capable of suppressing the drying process of chemical liquid with a low cost. The chemical liquid supply nozzle is provided with a cutoff valve and a suction unit that sucks chemical liquid to a suction flow path at a nozzle main body connected to a front end of flow path member. Accordingly, the chemical liquid remaining at the downstream side of the cutoff valve after the chemical liquid is discharged, is sucked toward the upstream side of the cutoff valve and removed, to thereby suppress the drying and solidifying process of the chemical liquid at the chemical liquid flow path. Also, there is no need to block the chemical liquid flow path by sucking thinner at the downstream side of chemical liquid flow path, and the number of dummy dispense may be reduced, thereby reducing an overall operation cost of the process.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 20, 2010Publication date: June 30, 2011Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITEDInventors: Tsunenaga NAKASHIMA, Shinichi HAYASHI, Akihiro FUJIMOTO, Takahiro OOKUBO
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Publication number: 20100216259Abstract: A wet processing system detects a globule of a process solution in a drippy or dripping state from the tip of any one of process solution pouring nozzles being moved to a pouring position for pouring the process solution onto a substrate by obtaining image data on the process solution pouring nozzle, and takes proper measures to prevent the process solution from dripping. A wet processing system 1 pours a process solution, such as a resist solution, through one of process solution pouring nozzles 10 onto a surface of a substrate, such as a wafer W, held substantially horizontally by a substrate holding device 41 surrounded by a cup 5 to process the surface by a wet process. A nozzle carrying mechanism 10a carries the process solution pouring nozzles 10 between a home position on a nozzle bath 14 and a pouring position above the substrate held by the substrate holding device 41. An optical image of the tips of the process solution pouring nozzles 10 is obtained by an image pickup means, such as a camera 17.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 4, 2010Publication date: August 26, 2010Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITEDInventors: Tsunenaga Nakashima, Michio Kinoshita, Kousuke Nakamichi
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Patent number: 7752999Abstract: A wet processing system detects a globule of a process solution in a drippy or dripping state from the tip of any one of process solution pouring nozzles being moved to a pouring position for pouring the process solution onto a substrate by obtaining image data on the process solution pouring nozzle, and takes proper measures to prevent the process solution from dripping. A wet processing system 1 pours a process solution, such as a resist solution, through one of process solution pouring nozzles 10 onto a surface of a substrate, such as a wafer W, held substantially horizontally by a substrate holding device 41 surrounded by a cup 5 to process the surface by a wet process. A nozzle carrying mechanism 10a carries the process solution pouring nozzles 10 between a home position on a nozzle bath 14 and a pouring position above the substrate held by the substrate holding device 41. An optical image of the tips of the process solution pouring nozzles 10 is obtained by an image pickup means, such as a camera 17.Type: GrantFiled: October 24, 2007Date of Patent: July 13, 2010Assignee: Tokyo Electron LimitedInventors: Tsunenaga Nakashima, Michio Kinoshita, Kousuke Nakamichi
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Patent number: 7736498Abstract: In the present invention, a plurality of exhaust paths connected to a plurality of cup bodies surrounding substrate holding portions respectively are joined together for common use, and the openings of exhaust rate adjustment sections provided on the exhaust paths are adjusted with reference to data in which combinations of the numbers of rotations of the substrate holding portions are associated with combinations of set exhaust rates of the exhaust paths when solution treatment is performed by rotating the substrate by the substrate holding portion. According to the present invention, the cup body can be exhausted at an intended exhaust rate at all times independently of the state where the substrate in which cup body is subjected to which process.Type: GrantFiled: May 4, 2009Date of Patent: June 15, 2010Assignee: Tokyo Electron LimitedInventors: Nobuaki Matsuoka, Tsunenaga Nakashima, Shinichi Hayashi, Akira Oozono
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Patent number: 7640885Abstract: In a nozzle unit 4 equipped with processing-liquid nozzles 4A to 4J, an air layer 73 and a solvent layer 74 for processing liquid are successively formed outside a processing-liquid layer 71 included in the tip of each nozzle 4A (4B to 4J). Next, the solvent layer 74 in the nozzle 4A is thrown out into a drain part 62 of a standby unit 6 and subsequently, the processing liquid is supplied from the nozzle 4A to the surface of a wafer W, performing a coating process. After completing the coating process, the processing liquid remaining in the nozzle 4A is sucked and continuously, respective tips of the nozzles 4A to 4J are dipped into respective solvents in solvent reservoir 62A to 62J, respectively. From this state, by sucking in the nozzle 4A, there are newly formed, outside the processing layer 71 in the tip of the nozzle 4A, an air layer 73 and a solvent layer 74.Type: GrantFiled: June 21, 2007Date of Patent: January 5, 2010Assignee: Tokyo Electron LimitedInventors: Tsunenaga Nakashima, Kenji Urata, Shinji Okada, Nobuaki Matsuoka
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Publication number: 20090214759Abstract: In the present invention, a plurality of exhaust paths connected to a plurality of cup bodies surrounding substrate holding portions respectively are joined together for common use, and the openings of exhaust rate adjustment sections provided on the exhaust paths are adjusted with reference to data in which combinations of the numbers of rotations of the substrate holding portions are associated with combinations of set exhaust rates of the exhaust paths when solution treatment is performed by rotating the substrate by the substrate holding portion. According to the present invention, the cup body can be exhausted at an intended exhaust rate at all times independently of the state where the substrate in which cup body is subjected to which process.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 4, 2009Publication date: August 27, 2009Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITEDInventors: Nobuaki Matsuoka, Tsunenaga Nakashima, Shinichi Hayashi, Akira Oozono
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Patent number: 7547614Abstract: In the present invention, a plurality of exhaust paths connected to a plurality of cup bodies surrounding substrate holding portions respectively are joined together for common use, and the openings of exhaust rate adjustment sections provided on the exhaust paths are adjusted with reference to data in which combinations of the numbers of rotations of the substrate holding portions are associated with combinations of set exhaust rates of the exhaust paths when solution treatment is performed by rotating the substrate by the substrate holding portion. According to the present invention, the cup body can be exhausted at an intended exhaust rate at all times independently of the state where the substrate in which cup body is subjected to which process.Type: GrantFiled: May 31, 2005Date of Patent: June 16, 2009Assignee: Tokyo Electron LimitedInventors: Nobuaki Matsuoka, Tsunenaga Nakashima, Shinichi Hayashi, Akira Oozono
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Publication number: 20080289715Abstract: In a complex pipe, a plurality of pipe members containing at least a pipe member for liquid and a pipe member for electricity are fixed in parallel arrangement. One end of the complex pipe is connected to a stationary equipment and the other end is connected to a movable member. The plurality of pipe members are integrally combined by a cover member having flexibility. A liquid supply pipe is inserted with a space in the pipe member for liquid. A fluid for temperature adjustment is supplied to the space between the pipe member for liquid and the liquid supply pipe.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 11, 2007Publication date: November 27, 2008Inventors: Tsunenaga Nakashima, Naofumi Kishita, Shinichi Hayashi
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Publication number: 20080100809Abstract: A wet processing system detects a globule of a process solution in a drippy or dripping state from the tip of any one of process solution pouring nozzles being moved to a pouring position for pouring the process solution onto a substrate by obtaining image data on the process solution pouring nozzle, and takes proper measures to prevent the process solution from dripping. A wet processing system 1 pours a process solution, such as a resist solution, through one of process solution pouring nozzles 10 onto a surface of a substrate, such as a wafer W, held substantially horizontally by a substrate holding device 41 surrounded by a cup 5 to process the surface by a wet process. A nozzle carrying mechanism 10a carries the process solution pouring nozzles 10 between a home position on a nozzle bath 14 and a pouring position above the substrate held by the substrate holding device 41. An optical image of the tips of the process solution pouring nozzles 10 is obtained by an image pickup means, such as a camera 17.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 24, 2007Publication date: May 1, 2008Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITEDInventors: Tsunenaga Nakashima, Michio Kinoshita, Kousuke Nakamichi
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Publication number: 20080092813Abstract: A liquid treatment apparatus treating a surface of a substrate held generally horizontally on a stage in a housing by supplying a treating liquid to said surface from a supply nozzle. The liquid treatment apparatus includes a cup body provided so as to surround the substrate held in the substrate holding part laterally, the cup body being mounted detachably to a base inside the housing from an upward direction thereof; a cup body holding part holding the cup body detachably; and an elevating mechanism moving the cup body holding part up and down between a first position at which the cup body is mounted upon the base body and a second position located above the first position.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 10, 2007Publication date: April 24, 2008Inventors: Tsunenaga Nakashima, Gouichi Iwao, Naofumi Kishita, Nobuhiro Ogata
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Patent number: 7287920Abstract: A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes a transfer mechanism including a moving part for holding a substrate to be processed and moving along a longitudinal transferring passage and a plurality of processing units for performing respective processes on the substrate. The processing units are disposed along the transferring passage and the substrate is transferred between the processing units and the transfer mechanism. An exhaust chamber is provided under the processing units, the exhaust chamber having a gas exhaust opening at the side of the transferring passage, the exhaust chamber. Further, a suction exhaust line is connected to the exhaust chamber, and a guide member is provided inside the exhaust chamber or at a position facing the opening, wherein the guide member extends along the transferring passage.Type: GrantFiled: February 16, 2006Date of Patent: October 30, 2007Assignee: Tokyo Electron LimitedInventors: Shinichi Hayashi, Tsunenaga Nakashima, Suguru Enokida, Masami Akimoto, Nobuaki Matsuoka
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Patent number: D690330Type: GrantFiled: August 24, 2012Date of Patent: September 24, 2013Assignee: Tokyo Electron LimitedInventors: Masashi Tsuchiyama, Tsunenaga Nakashima, Shinichi Hayashi