Patents Examined by Richard Z. Zhang
  • Patent number: 11037805
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a wafer cleaning apparatus and a cleaning method. The wafer cleaning apparatus includes a tank and a wafer holder. The tank includes a bottom wall, a lateral wall, and a partition wall. The lateral wall is connected to the bottom wall. The partition wall is movably mounted on the lateral wall and divides a cleaning space defined by the bottom wall and the lateral wall into a first compartment and a second compartment. A passage communicating with the first compartment and the second compartment is formed when the partition wall is moved away from the bottom wall and immersed in a cleaning fluid received in the cleaning space. The wafer holder is adapted to be immersed in the cleaning fluid and to move between the first compartment and the second compartment. The present disclosure further provides a method of cleaning the wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: NANYA TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shyue-Ru Doong, Feng-Ju Tsai
  • Patent number: 11020776
    Abstract: A substrate cleaning method includes a processing liquid supplying step which supplies a processing liquid that contains a solute and a volatile solvent to an upper surface of a substrate, a film forming step in which the solvent is at least partially volatilized from the processing liquid and solidified or hardened to form a particle holding layer on the upper surface of the substrate, and a removal step in which a peeling liquid is supplied to the upper surface of the substrate to peel and remove the particle holding layer. A solute composition in the solute is insoluble in the peeling liquid before being heated to a temperature equal/higher than a quality-changing temperature to become soluble in the peeling liquid. During film forming, the processing liquid is heated to a temperature below the quality-changing temperature, to form the particle holding layer, without changing the quality of the solute composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Inventor: Yukifumi Yoshida
  • Patent number: 11017996
    Abstract: A foreign particle removal system for removing a particle from a surface of a fragile object has a tool gripper which grips a particle removal tool. A force sensing device determines a cleaning position of the particle removal tool relative to the surface whereat a threshold force is exerted on the surface, the threshold force being a force that is exerted by the particle removal tool on the surface that would pick up the foreign particle but would not damage the object. The particle removal tool is conveyed over a location of the foreign particle and is moved towards the surface to the cleaning position whereat the threshold force is exerted on the surface. The particle removal tool is then lifted away from the surface together with the foreign particle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: ASM TECHNOLOGY SINGAPORE PTE LTD
    Inventors: Gang Shu, Chin Tiong Ong, Keng Yew Song, Qing Le Tan
  • Patent number: 10993598
    Abstract: A robot cleaner includes a rolling cleaning module including a rolling member configured to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise when viewed from a left side while in contact with a floor, a sensor unit, and a controller configured to detect a change in position of the robot cleaner and a change in load current of a motor connected to the rolling member based on data detected by the sensor unit. When there is a change in position and a change in load current, a specific area of a floor is determined to be a contaminated area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Jeongseop Park, Jaewon Jang, Donghoon Kim
  • Patent number: 10998185
    Abstract: Disclosed are a method for cleaning a substrate, an apparatus for cleaning a substrate, and a method for fabricating a semiconductor device using the same. The method may include cleaning a substrate in a wet process, providing a supercritical fluid onto the substrate to remove moisture from the substrate, and cleaning the substrate in a dry process to remove defect particles from a substrate, which are produced by the supercritical fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Beomjin Yoo, Minhyoung Kim, Wonhyuk Jang, Hoseop Choi, Jeongmin Bang, KyuHee Han
  • Patent number: 10950466
    Abstract: A filler solution is supplied to an upper surface of a substrate, forming a coating that is a film of the filler solution. Clearance in the structure on the upper surface of the substrate is filled with the filler solution. Then, a stripping solution is applied to a peripheral region of the upper surface of the substrate, to strip off a portion of the coating formed on the peripheral region. Also, a gas is injected toward a boundary portion between the peripheral region and an inner region of the upper surface of the substrate, to accelerate solidification of an outer edge portion of the coating formed on the inner region, to suppress the spread of the coating from the inner region to the peripheral region. A substrate holder/rotator, fluid supplies, and a gas injection part are provided to carry out the above process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Inventor: Hitoshi Nakai
  • Patent number: 10943129
    Abstract: A system includes a camera having a field of view, a cleaning apparatus positioned to clean the camera, and a computer communicatively coupled to the camera and the cleaning apparatus. The computer is programmed to detect an obstruction on the camera based on sensing a trajectory of an external light source relative to the field of view in data from the camera, and upon detecting the obstruction, activate the cleaning apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: David Michael Herman, Ashwin Arunmozhi, Venkatesh Krishnan
  • Patent number: 10890427
    Abstract: A method for inspecting a nozzle includes producing a jet from the nozzle, moving the nozzle to cause the jet to approach a stylus of a touch probe, generating a contact signal under a force acting on the stylus, and determining that the jet is appropriate in response to a contact signal received first after the jet has an axis at a distance from the stylus that is equal to or less than a first normal distance calculated from a normal jet shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: SUGINO MACHINE LIMITED
    Inventor: Hiroki Haremaki
  • Patent number: 10875059
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for automated particulate extraction from solid parts is disclosed herein, which comprises a test tank (42) and a liquid cleaning medium (46) for washing a test part (48). The principle advantages offered by this invention include the ability to verify that the test tank (42) has met a required tank clean threshold (102) as specified by a percentage reduction of contaminants (78) through the use of a liquid quality sensor (76) which repeatedly measures the contamination level of a liquid cleaning medium (46) exiting the test tank (42). Type I and Type II sampling error are eliminated by verifying that the liquid cleaning medium (46) passing from the test tank (42) has measured contaminants (78) reaching both a maximum value (98) and then falling below a specified tank clean threshold (102) prior to ending the cleaning cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Inventor: Nathaniel David Bauer
  • Patent number: 10842158
    Abstract: A method for cleaning and/or evaluating a food products mould drum and a combination of such a food products mould drum and a mould drum cleaning and/or evaluating device are disclosed. The mould drum cleaning and/or evaluating device includes one or more pressure housings arranged against the outside of and over one or more mould cavities and form, together with the mould drum, an outside chamber. The outside chamber includes a chamber port connectable to a pressure line of a fluid circuit, and the mould drum includes a passage port connectable to a return line of the fluid circuit. Cleaning/evaluating occurs by allowing a pressurized fluid stream to enter via the chamber port into mould cavities and then via a wall part porous structure through a passage, and exit via the passage port to the return line of the fluid circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: MAREL TOWNSEND FURTHER PROCESSING B.V.
    Inventors: Franciscus Quirinus Fredrik Verouden, Johannes Martinus Meulendijks, Gerardus Theodorus Andreas Bisseling
  • Patent number: 10799083
    Abstract: An information processing method performed with a processor includes determining whether a second dispensing amount of detergent to be dispensed in a washing apparatus in a scheduled first washing event falls below a threshold based on a remaining amount of the detergent in a detergent container of the washing apparatus and a first dispensing amount set for one washing event for washing a washing target, changing a third dispensing amount determined based on the first dispensing amount to be dispensed into the washing apparatus in a second washing event preceding the first washing event to a fourth dispensing amount equaling or exceeding the threshold when the second dispensing amount is determined to fall below the threshold, outputting information representing the fourth dispensing amount, and causing the washing apparatus to dispense the fourth dispensing amount of the detergent in the second washing event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masafumi Okubo, Hiroko Sugimoto, Mariko Nakaso, Tomohiko Kitamura
  • Patent number: 10786587
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for cleaning and treating HVAC systems with a deployed agent preferably includes an aerosol generating device, a plurality of vent sealing devices, an outlet connection conduit and an inlet connection conduit. The HVAC system includes at least one supply duct and at least one return duct. The aerosol generating device includes an inlet and an outlet. The outlet is connected to a return vent of the at least one return duct with the outlet connection conduit. A supply vent of the at least one supply duct may be connected to the inlet with the inlet connection conduit. However, the inlet does not have to be connected to the supply vent if the aerosol generating device is retained in an enclosure. A booster chamber may be used to increase the flow rate of the deployed agent from the aerosol generating device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Inventors: Jonathan J. Ricciardi, Carl L. Ricciardi
  • Patent number: 10760852
    Abstract: A substrate drying method for drying a front surface of a substrate having a pattern includes a sublimation-agent-liquid-film placing step of placing a liquid film of a liquid sublimation-agent on the front surface of the substrate, a high vapor-pressure liquid placing step of placing a liquid film of a high vapor-pressure liquid that has vapor pressure higher than the sublimation agent and that does not include water on the liquid film of the sublimation-agent placed on the front surface of the substrate, a vaporizing/cooling step of losing vaporization heat in response to vaporization of the high vapor-pressure liquid, and, cooling the sublimation-agent, and, as a result, solidifying the liquid film of the sublimation-agent, and, forming a sublimation-agent film on the front surface of the substrate, and a sublimating step of sublimating the sublimation-agent film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Manabu Okutani, Noriyuki Kikumoto, Naohiko Yoshihara, Hiroshi Abe
  • Patent number: 10709231
    Abstract: A rotary scrubber apparatus, the apparatus includes a tube member having a helical slot, an attachment end portion, a holding end portion, and an internal cavity extending therethrough. A biasing element is contained within the internal cavity of the tube member. A following pin extends through the helical slot. The following pin has an external portion that engages a handle, and an internal portion that engages the biasing element. A scrubbing element is coupled with the attachment end of the tube member and rotationally fixed therewith. When the handle is pressed towards the attachment end and the handle is prevented from rotating about the tube member, the tube member rotates to rotate the scrubber element. The apparatus thereby provides rotational movement of the scrubber to be generated from only linear movement of the handle provided by a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Inventor: Lance Richard Macomber