Patents by Inventor Hidetatsu ISOKAWA

Hidetatsu ISOKAWA 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).

  • Patent number: 11541502
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a polishing section and a transport section. The polishing section has a first polishing unit, a second polishing unit, and a transport mechanism. The first polishing unit has a first polishing apparatus and a second polishing apparatus. The second polishing unit has a third polishing apparatus and a fourth polishing apparatus. Each of the first to fourth polishing apparatuses has a polishing table to which a polishing pad is mounted, a top ring, and auxiliary units that perform a process on the polishing pad during polishing. Around the polishing table, a pair of auxiliary unit mounting units for mounting the respective auxiliary units in a left-right switchable manner with respect to a straight line connecting a swing center of the top ring and a center of rotation of the polishing table is provided at respective positions symmetrical with respect to the straight line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kuniaki Yamaguchi, Hiroshi Shimomoto, Soichi Isobe, Koji Maeda, Kenji Shinkai, Hidetatsu Isokawa, Dai Yoshinari, Masayuki Tamura, Haiyang Xu, Shun Ehara, Kentaro Asano
  • Patent number: 11380561
    Abstract: A cleaning device is described. In one embodiment, the cleaning device includes a cleaning member; a moving portion, a measurement portion, and a controller. The controller performs a reset operation in which the cleaning member is pressed against the reference member before cleaning, a cleaning member is moved in a direction away from the reference member after the measured value of the measurement portion reaches a predetermined reset load, when the measurement values of the measurement portion for each unit movement amount of the cleaning member become equal to each other at least twice consecutively, a position of the cleaning member at the time is set as a reference position of the cleaning member at the time of cleaning, and the measurement value of the measurement portion at the time is set as a pressing reference value at the time of cleaning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hidetatsu Isokawa, Mitsuhiko Inaba, Haiyang Xu
  • Publication number: 20220139741
    Abstract: Provided is a method, device, and program for determining a timing of removing a substrate from a cassette in substrate processing device, and substrate processing device. In the method, a tentative removal time point of each substrate is calculated by adding a transfer time to a tentative removal time point of the one previous substrate, wherein the transfer time is required from the start of an action of removing a substrate from the cassette to the end of an action of delivering the substrate to an exchanger.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2021
    Publication date: May 5, 2022
    Applicant: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventor: HIDETATSU ISOKAWA
  • Publication number: 20210394332
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a polishing section and a transport section. The polishing section has a first polishing unit, a second polishing unit, and a transport mechanism. The first polishing unit has a first polishing apparatus and a second polishing apparatus. The second polishing unit has a third polishing apparatus and a fourth polishing apparatus. Each of the first to fourth polishing apparatuses has a polishing table to which a polishing pad is mounted, a top ring, and auxiliary units that perform a process on the polishing pad during polishing. Around the polishing table, a pair of auxiliary unit mounting units for mounting the respective auxiliary units in a left-right switchable manner with respect to a straight line connecting a swing center of the top ring and a center of rotation of the polishing table is provided at respective positions symmetrical with respect to the straight line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2020
    Publication date: December 23, 2021
    Inventors: Kuniaki YAMAGUCHI, Hiroshi SHIMOMOTO, Soichi ISOBE, Koji MAEDA, Kenji SHINKAI, Hidetatsu ISOKAWA, Dai YOSHINARI, Masayuki TAMURA, Haiyang XU, Shun EHARA, Kentaro ASANO
  • Patent number: 11173523
    Abstract: A mechanism that conveys a substrate is cleaned in a cleaning unit. A substrate processing apparatus that includes a substrate polishing device and a substrate cleaning unit is disclosed. The substrate cleaning unit includes a cleaning module and a cleaning unit conveyance mechanism. The cleaning unit conveyance mechanism includes a hand and a hand open/close mechanism. The substrate processing apparatus further includes a hand cleaning unit. The hand cleaning unit includes a hand cleaning tank and a cleaning liquid injection mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hidetatsu Isokawa, Koji Maeda, Xu Haiyang, Shun Ehara
  • Publication number: 20210175099
    Abstract: A cleaning device is described. In one embodiment, the cleaning device includes a cleaning member; a moving portion, a measurement portion, and a controller. The controller performs a reset operation in which the cleaning member is pressed against the reference member before cleaning, a cleaning member is moved in a direction away from the reference member after the measured value of the measurement portion reaches a predetermined reset load, when the measurement values of the measurement portion for each unit movement amount of the cleaning member become equal to each other at least twice consecutively, a position of the cleaning member at the time is set as a reference position of the cleaning member at the time of cleaning, and the measurement value of the measurement portion at the time is set as a pressing reference value at the time of cleaning.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2018
    Publication date: June 10, 2021
    Inventors: Hidetatsu Isokawa, Mitsuhiko Inaba, Haiyang Xu
  • Patent number: 10957546
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus is disclosed. In an embodiment, a substrate processing apparatus includes a plurality of polishing units including discharge valves that can discharge water at a predetermined flow rate, a plurality of cleaning units including discharge valves that discharges water at a predetermined flow rate, and a controller that controls opening and closing of the discharge valve of each of the plurality of polishing units and the plurality of cleaning units, and the controller controls opening and closing of the discharge valves of the plurality of polishing units and the plurality of cleaning units based on predetermined priority orders allocated to the plurality of polishing units and the plurality of cleaning units, so that the total discharge flow rate from the plurality of polishing units and the plurality of cleaning units is a predetermined flow rate or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hidetatsu Isokawa
  • Patent number: 10845777
    Abstract: A teaching apparatus is provided with an arm-side position sensor attached to arms, a dummy wafer placed on a stage, a dummy-wafer-side position sensor attached to the dummy wafer, and a signal receiver configured to receive a position signal from the arm-side position sensor to determine a position coordinate of the arm-side position sensor, and receive a position signal from the dummy-wafer-side position sensor to determine a position coordinate of the dummy-wafer-side position sensor. A control part, based on the position coordinate of the dummy-wafer-side position sensor, calculates a position coordinate of the arm-side position sensor when the arms hold the wafer, and moves the arms such that the arm-side position sensor moves to the calculated position coordinate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hidetatsu Isokawa
  • Patent number: 10688622
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus is provided with a polishing part that polishes a substrate, a transporting part that transports a substrate before polishing to the polishing part, and a cleaning part that cleans the polished substrate. The cleaning part has a first cleaning unit and a second cleaning unit that are vertically arranged in two stages. The first cleaning unit and the second cleaning unit each have a plurality of cleaning modules that are arranged in series. The transporting part has a slide stage that is disposed between the first cleaning unit and the second cleaning unit, and transports a substrate before polishing along an arrangement direction of the plurality of cleaning modules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: Ebara Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Aono, Kuniaki Yamaguchi, Hiroshi Shimomoto, Koji Maeda, Tetsuya Yashima, Kenji Shinkai, Koichi Hashimoto, Mitsuhiko Inaba, Hidetatsu Isokawa, Hidetaka Nakao, Soichi Isobe
  • Patent number: 10573509
    Abstract: The cleaning apparatus includes multiple kinds of cleaning modules each configured to perform a cleaning processing of a substrate, a first accommodating section configured to accommodate the multiple kinds of cleaning modules therein, and a fluid supply section configured to supply a fluid to the cleaning modules accommodated in the first accommodating section through a pipe. Each of the multiple kinds of cleaning modules includes a pipe connection portion having a common connection position to be connected with the pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: Ebara Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Maeda, Hiroshi Shimomoto, Kuniaki Yamaguchi, Hiroshi Aono, Tetsuya Yashima, Hidetatsu Isokawa, Kenji Shinkai, Mitsuhiko Inaba, Koichi Hashimoto, Junji Kunisawa, Mitsuru Miyazaki, Fujihiko Toyomasu
  • Publication number: 20190378740
    Abstract: There is provided a teaching apparatus for a substrate transfer system including a substrate transfer device and a substrate receiving device. The substrate transfer device is configured to hold a substrate. The substrate receiving device is configured to receive the substrate from the substrate transfer device. The teaching apparatus includes a teaching substrate configured to be held to the substrate transfer device, a camera mountable to the teaching substrate, and a controller that controls an operation of the substrate transfer device holding the teaching substrate and/or the substrate receiving device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2019
    Publication date: December 12, 2019
    Inventors: Hidetatsu Isokawa, Koichi Hashimoto, Mitsuhiko Inaba, Makoto Iida
  • Publication number: 20190355594
    Abstract: A mechanism that conveys a substrate is cleaned in a cleaning unit. A substrate processing apparatus that includes a substrate polishing device and a substrate cleaning unit is disclosed. The substrate cleaning unit includes a cleaning module and a cleaning unit conveyance mechanism. The cleaning unit conveyance mechanism includes a hand and a hand open/close mechanism. The substrate processing apparatus further includes a hand cleaning unit. The hand cleaning unit includes a hand cleaning tank and a cleaning liquid injection mechanism.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2019
    Publication date: November 21, 2019
    Inventors: Hidetatsu ISOKAWA, Koji MAEDA, Xu HAIYANG, Shun EHARA
  • Publication number: 20180315611
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus is disclosed. In an embodiment, a substrate processing apparatus includes a plurality of polishing units including discharge valves that can discharge water at a predetermined flow rate, a plurality of cleaning units including discharge valves that discharges water at a predetermined flow rate, and a controller that controls opening and closing of the discharge valve of each of the plurality of polishing units and the plurality of cleaning units, and the controller controls opening and closing of the discharge valves of the plurality of polishing units and the plurality of cleaning units based on predetermined priority orders allocated to the plurality of polishing units and the plurality of cleaning units, so that the total discharge flow rate from the plurality of polishing units and the plurality of cleaning units is a predetermined flow rate or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2018
    Publication date: November 1, 2018
    Inventor: Hidetatsu ISOKAWA
  • Publication number: 20180001440
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus is provided with a polishing part that polishes a substrate, a transporting part that transports a substrate before polishing to the polishing part, and a cleaning part that cleans the polished substrate. The cleaning part has a first cleaning unit and a second cleaning unit that are vertically arranged in two stages. The first cleaning unit and the second cleaning unit each have a plurality of cleaning modules that are arranged in series. The transporting part has a slide stage that is disposed between the first cleaning unit and the second cleaning unit, and transports a substrate before polishing along an arrangement direction of the plurality of cleaning modules.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2017
    Publication date: January 4, 2018
    Applicant: Ebara Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi AONO, Kuniaki YAMAGUCHI, Hiroshi SHIMOMOTO, Koji MAEDA, Tetsuya YASHIMA, Kenji SHINKAI, Koichi HASHIMOTO, Mitsuhiko INABA, Hidetatsu ISOKAWA, Hidetaka NAKAO, Soichi ISOBE
  • Publication number: 20170372893
    Abstract: The cleaning apparatus includes multiple kinds of cleaning modules each configured to perform a cleaning processing of a substrate, a first accommodating section configured to accommodate the multiple kinds of cleaning modules therein, and a fluid supply section configured to supply a fluid to the cleaning modules accommodated in the first accommodating section through a pipe. Each of the multiple kinds of cleaning modules includes a pipe connection portion having a common connection position to be connected with the pipe.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2017
    Publication date: December 28, 2017
    Inventors: Koji Maeda, Hiroshi Shimomoto, Kuniaki Yamaguchi, Hiroshi Aono, Tetsuya Yashima, Hidetatsu Isokawa, Kenji Shinkai, Mitsuhiko Inaba, Koichi Hashimoto, Junji Kunisawa, Mitsuru Miyazaki, Fujihiko Toyomasu
  • Publication number: 20170285609
    Abstract: A teaching apparatus is provided with an arm-side position sensor attached to arms, a dummy wafer placed on a stage, a dummy-wafer-side position sensor attached to the dummy wafer, and a signal receiver configured to receive a position signal from the arm-side position sensor to determine a position coordinate of the arm-side position sensor, and receive a position signal from the dummy-wafer-side position sensor to determine a position coordinate of the dummy-wafer-side position sensor. A control part, based on the position coordinate of the dummy-wafer-side position sensor, calculates a position coordinate of the arm-side position sensor when the arms hold the wafer, and moves the arms such that the arm-side position sensor moves to the calculated position coordinate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2017
    Publication date: October 5, 2017
    Inventor: Hidetatsu ISOKAWA