Patents Examined by Richard Z. Zhang
  • Patent number: 11961745
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes an apparatus for processing one or more objects. The apparatus includes a carrier configured to hold the one or more objects, a tank filled with a processing agent and configured to receive the carrier, and a spinning portion configured to contact the one or more objects and to spin the one or more objects to disturb a flow field of the processing agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chung-Yu Lin, Shih-Chi Kuo, Chun-Chieh Mo
  • Patent number: 11957291
    Abstract: A system (10) for loading at least one conveyor warewasher (1, 1?) with washware includes a feed conveyor belt (11) for delivering washware to at least one loading region of the conveyor warewasher (1, 1?) and a detection system (15), in particular an optical one, configured to detect at least one of the following parameters of the washware on the feed conveyor belt (11) when delivering the washware (9a, 9b, 9c) to the loading region: (i) a type of the washware, (ii) a degree of soiling of the washware, and/or (iii) an order of the washware and/or an alignment of the washware relative to the feed conveyor belt (11). The detection system (15) has an assigned evaluation device, which is configured to control the delivery of the washware to the at least one loading region as a function of at least one of the detected parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC.
    Inventors: Martin Schrempp, Harald Disch, Adrian Boldt
  • Patent number: 11935766
    Abstract: A liquid processing apparatus includes a heating member, a substrate holder, a processing liquid supply and a coil. The heating member is disposed adjacent to a portion of a substrate and has an insulating member. The substrate holder is configured to hold the substrate. The processing liquid supply is configured to supply a processing liquid onto the substrate held by the substrate holder. The coil is configured to heat the heating member inductively to heat the portion of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventor: Masaru Amai
  • Patent number: 11930982
    Abstract: The invention relates to a dishwasher (110) for use in a means of transport (114) The dishwasher comprises a) at least one cleaning chamber (122) for receiving an item (112) to be cleaned, b) at least one application device (130) for applying the item (112) to be cleaned in the cleaning chamber (122) with at least one cleaning fluid (126): c) at least one washing tank (128) for receiving the at least one cleaning fluid (126), wherein the dishwasher (110) is designed to control a fill level of the washing tank (128) with the cleaning fluid (126) to a variably adjustable target level; d) at least one receiving device (186) for receiving at least one item of spatial information relating to the dishwasher (110); and e) at least one controller (166), wherein the controller (166) is programmed to determine the target level according to the spatial information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: MEIKO Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Hans-Josef Rauber
  • Patent number: 11929264
    Abstract: A substrate cleaning and drying system includes a cleaning station, a drying station positioned adjacent the cleaning station, a cleaner robot to transfer a substrate from the cleaning station to the drying station, an aligner stage adjacent to the drying station, a robot arm rotatable between a substantially vertical first position for receiving the substrate from the drying station and a substantially horizontal second position for releasing the substrate onto the aligner stage, and a factory interface robot to transfer a substrate from the aligner stage into a factory interface module while in a horizontal orientation. The aligner stage includes a rotatable support to hold the substrate in a substantially horizontal orientation and to rotate the substrate to a desired orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventor: Justin Ho Kuen Wong
  • Patent number: 11926905
    Abstract: A method of removing a ceramic coating from a ceramic coated metallic article without damaging the metallic bond coating, the metallic article having a first and second portions, each of the portions comprising a metallic bond coating and a ceramic coating on the metallic bond coating, the ceramic coating on the second portion being less porous than the ceramic coating on the first portion. The method comprises the steps of a) immersing the ceramic coated metallic article in a caustic solution; b) maintaining the ceramic coated metallic article in the caustic solution at atmospheric pressure for a predetermined time period and at a predetermined temperature; c) removing the ceramic coated metallic article from the caustic solution; d) rinsing the ceramic coated metallic article in water at ambient temperature; e) water jet blasting the first portion of the metallic article to remove the ceramic coating; and f) water jet blasting the second portion of the metallic article to remove the ceramic coating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Inventor: Mehrzad Delfan-Azari
  • Patent number: 11920257
    Abstract: A method of evaluating cleanliness of a member having a silicon carbide surface, the method including bringing the silicon carbide surface into contact with a mixed acid of hydrofluoric acid, hydrochloric acid and nitric acid; concentrating the mixed acid brought into contact with the silicon carbide surface by heating; subjecting a sample solution obtained by diluting a concentrated liquid obtained by the concentration to quantitative analysis of metal components by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry; and evaluating cleanliness of the member having a silicon carbide surface on the basis of a quantitative result of metal components obtained by the quantitative analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: SUMCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi Muramatsu, Hirokazu Kato
  • Patent number: 11915965
    Abstract: A wafer processing method of the present invention includes mounting a wafer part on a chuck table, loading the wafer part on the chuck table, spraying, by a spray arm module, a first processing solution onto the wafer part to process the wafer part, spraying, by the spray arm module, a second processing solution onto the wafer part to process the wafer part, drying the wafer part on the chuck table, and unloading the wafer part from the chuck table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: ZEUS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Seung Dae Baek, Sung Yup Kim, Jin Won Kim, Jae Hwan Son
  • Patent number: 11915930
    Abstract: A substrate processing method is provided for removing a resist having a hardened layer from a front surface of a substrate. The substrate processing method includes a hardened-layer removing step and a wet processing step. The hardened-layer removing step includes a heating step of heating the substrate to 150° C. or more and an ozone-gas supplying step of supplying an ozone gas to the front surface of the substrate being heated by the heating step, and the hardened-layer removing step removes the hardened layer by generating an oxygen radical near the front surface of the substrate. The wet processing step removes the resist from the front surface of the substrate by supplying a processing liquid including a sulfuric acid to the front surface of the substrate after the hardened-layer removing step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoko Arima, Masaki Inaba
  • Patent number: 11901197
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes: a processing container to which a supercritical fluid is supplied, the processing container being configured to dry a substrate by replacing a drying liquid collected on the substrate with the supercritical fluid; a discharge line configured to discharge a mixed fluid containing the supercritical fluid and the drying liquid from an interior of the processing container; and a density detector configured to detect a density of the mixed fluid flowing through the discharge line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Masataka Gosho, Reijiro Yamanaka
  • Patent number: 11896181
    Abstract: A dishwasher and method of operating a dishwasher according to a cycle of operation are described herein. The dishwasher includes a tub at least partially defining a treating chamber, a rotatable spray arm comprising a nozzle outlet, and a liquid supply conduit fluidly coupled to the spray arm. A pump can be fluidly coupled to the liquid supply conduit and operated to flow liquid through an aperture in the liquid supply conduit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
    Inventors: Matthias Emanuel Freiherr Von Andrian-Werburg, Veronica Marin Kramer, Miron Wawrzusiak
  • Patent number: 11887868
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a vessel providing a processing space for processing a substrate, a substrate support supporting the substrate loaded in the processing space, and a barrier between a side wall of the vessel and the substrate support and surrounding an edge of the substrate supported by the substrate support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Young-hoo Kim, Sang-jine Park, Yong-jhin Cho, Yeon-jin Gil, Ji-hoon Jeong, Byung-kwon Cho, Yong-sun Ko, Kun-tack Lee
  • Patent number: 11872603
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for cleaning a synthetic surface, in particular to remove metal dirt and/or particles therefrom, said method being characterized by the following steps: a) the synthetic surface is rinsed with deionized water; b) the synthetic surface is rinsed with electrolyzed water; and c) the synthetic surface is rinsed with deionized water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Inventors: Lutz Rebstock, Matthias Fryda, Thorsten Matthée
  • Patent number: 11851798
    Abstract: A washing machine appliance or method for operating the same may include determining a self-clean condition exists at one or more washing machine appliances and identifying a daily availability or coordinated arrangement for one or more self-clean cycles. The method may also include prompting a user to initiate the one or more self-clean cycles. The method may further include receiving a cycle-initiation command and initiating the one or more self-clean cycles at the one or more washing machine appliances within the daily availability window or based on the coordinated arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Jose Efren Rodriguez Munoz, Mary Joy Cardilino Gentry
  • Patent number: 11839908
    Abstract: A method for simultaneously unblocking multiple blocked valve fittings is described. The method includes coupling a tool to unblock multiple valve fittings simultaneously to a valve with multiple valve fitting blocked to fluid flow. The tool includes a pressure vessel holding a cleaning fluid, an input conduit fluidically coupled to the pressure vessel to flow the cleaning fluid from a cleaning fluid source to the pressure vessel and to adjust a pressure of the pressure vessel, and injection conduits to flow the cleaning fluid from the pressure vessel to the valve fittings. The method includes simultaneously flowing the cleaning fluid from the pressure vessel through the injection conduits to the valve fittings. Responsive to flowing the cleaning fluid to the valve fitting, the valve fittings are unblocked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Bader M. Al-Jarallah, Abdullah B. Samman
  • Patent number: 11819890
    Abstract: A nozzle cleaner includes: a cleaning tank which stores a cleaning solution; a first conductive member that is disposed to be immersed into the cleaning solution stored in the cleaning tank when the nozzle is cleaned; an ultrasonic wave generating mechanism which is disposed so that at least a part of a second conductive member is immersed into the cleaning solution stored in the cleaning tank when the nozzle is cleaned and generates an ultrasonic vibration in the cleaning solution stored in the cleaning tank; a first voltage control unit which controls a potential applied to the first conductive member; and a second voltage control unit which controls a potential applied to the second conductive member, wherein the first voltage control unit applies a second potential V2 higher than a first potential V1 applied to the nozzle when the nozzle is cleaned to the first conductive member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECH CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takushi Miyakawa, Gorou Yoshida, Yuto Tanaka, Kohei Nonaka, Takamichi Mori, Tetsuji Kawahara
  • Patent number: 11814725
    Abstract: There is provided a technique of cleaning an interior of a supply part by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times, the cycle including: (a) supplying a first gas, which is one of a cleaning gas and an additive gas that reacts with the cleaning gas, from the supply part toward an interior of a process container in which a substrate has been processed by supplying a processing gas from the supply part to the substrate; and (b) supplying a second gas, which is the other one of the cleaning gas and the additive gas and is different from the first gas, from the supply part toward the interior of the process container in a state in which a part of the first gas remains in the supply part after supply of the first gas is stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koei Kuribayashi, Takeo Hanashima, Hiroyuki Miyagishi, Hiroto Yamagishi
  • Patent number: 11756804
    Abstract: In a chemical mechanical polishing system, a platen shield cleaning assembly is installed on a rotatable platen in a gap between the rotatable platen and a platen shield. The assembly includes a sponge holder attached to the platen and a sponge. The sponge is held by the sponge holder such that an outer surface of the sponge is pressed against an inner surface of the platen shield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Shantanu Rajiv Gadgil, Sumit Subhash Patankar, Nathan Arron Davis, Allen L. D'Ambra
  • Patent number: 11756770
    Abstract: A post-discharge plasma coating device for a wired substrate comprising an inner tubular electrode on an inner tubular wall for receiving the substrate and a precursor moving axially in a working direction; an outer tubular electrode coaxial with, and surrounding, the inner tubular electrode. The inner and outer electrodes are configured to be supplied with an electrical power source for producing a plasma when a plasma gas is supplied between the electrodes and is thereby excited, the plasma excited gas flowing axially in the working direction and reacting with the precursor in a coating area at the end of the inner tubular wall in the direction. The inner tubular wall extends axially towards the coating area at least until, in various instances beyond, the end of the outer electrode, in the working direction and at least one dielectric tubular wall extends axially between the inner tubular electrode and the outer tubular electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST)
    Inventors: Simon Bulou, Patrick Choquet, Thomas Gaulain, Mathieu Gerard
  • Patent number: 11745230
    Abstract: A cleaning apparatus for cleaning of medical machine components of machines such as CPAP machines, nebulizers, PEEP machines, and the like is disclosed herein. The cleaning apparatus comprises a container body. A carousel is configured for placement within the container body. The carousel comprises a support structure. The carousel further comprises a helical ramp attached to the support structure and extending helically from an operative top end of the support structure to an operative bottom end of the support structure along a periphery of the support structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Inventor: Jerome Wilson