Patents by Inventor Atsushi Rikukawa

Atsushi Rikukawa 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).

  • Method for purging a substrate container
    Patent number: 9305817
    Abstract: A method for purging a substrate container which accommodates in multiple stages a plurality of substrates to be processed by a substrate processing apparatus, the method includes: mounting the substrate container on a mounting unit; connecting a gas supply port provided in the substrate container and a gas supply line provided in a mounting unit; starting supply of a dry gas into the substrate container from a gas supply line before opening a cover of the substrate container; opening the cover of the substrate container while keeping the supply of the dry gas; closing the cover of the substrate container upon completion of processing of the substrates in the substrate container; and stopping the supply of the dry gas after closing the cover of the substrate container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Seiichi Kaise, Shigeki Amemiya, Shinobu Onodera, Hiroki Fujita, Masaru Nishino, Atsushi Rikukawa