Patents by Inventor Koji Egashira

Koji Egashira 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).

  • Publication number: 20180240684
    Abstract: A gas discharge hole 74 (205) configured to discharge a gas is provided at a position outside an edge of a substrate W held by a substrate holding unit 89 (204) within a processing chamber 81 (201). The gas discharged from the gas discharge hole 74 (205) forms a flow of the gas flowing in a direction along a first surface (front surface) of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit. A gas of a sublimation substance which is sublimated and a foreign substance included in the gas are flown along the flow of the gas to be removed from a vicinity of the substrate. The gas serves as a heat transfer medium for heat transfer from a heating unit 88 (203) to the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2016
    Publication date: August 23, 2018
    Inventors: Koji Egashira, Masami Yamashita, Yoshiyuki Honda, Yuki Yoshida, Yosuke Kawabuchi
  • Patent number: 9452452
    Abstract: A liquid processing apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a substrate holding unit configured to be rotated and hold a substrate from a bottom side thereof with substrate being spaced apart horizontally, a rotation driving unit configured to rotate the substrate holding unit, and an air supply unit provided above the substrate and configured to supply air toward the substrate held by the substrate holding unit. The liquid processing apparatus also includes an air supply path including a suction port that inhales the air supplied from the air supply unit and supplies the air inhaled from the suction port to a space formed between the substrate holding unit and a bottom surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2016
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventor: Koji Egashira
  • Patent number: 9305818
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus, which utilizes a first transfer apparatus and a second transfer apparatus which are configured to transfer a transfer container containing a plurality of substrates, along a first transfer path and a second transfer path whose lateral positions differ from each other, respectively, including a first load port where the transfer container is loaded and unloaded by the first transfer apparatus, and a second load port that is arranged stepwise with respect to the first load port, with the transfer container being loaded to and unloaded from the second load port by the second transfer apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Yuji Kamikawa, Takafumi Tsuchiya, Koji Egashira
  • Patent number: 9272310
    Abstract: A liquid processing apparatus includes a substrate holding unit and an elevating member provided to ascend/descend with respect to the substrate holding unit. The substrate holding unit includes a holding base, and a first engagement member and a second engagement member which are provided to be movable in the holding base, and moved between an engaging position where the member is engaged with the peripheral edge of the substrate and a releasing position where the member releases the substrate. When the first contact unit connected to the first engagement member is in contact with a first portion to be contacted, the first engagement member is located at the engaging position. When the second contact unit connected to the second engagement member is in contact with a second portion to be contacted at a lower position than the first portion, the second engagement member is located at the engaging position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventor: Koji Egashira
  • Publication number: 20140356106
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus, which utilizes a first transfer apparatus and a second transfer apparatus which are configured to transfer a transfer container containing a plurality of substrates, along a first transfer path and a second transfer path whose lateral positions differ from each other, respectively, including a first load port where the transfer container is loaded and unloaded by the first transfer apparatus, and a second load port that is arranged stepwise with respect to the first load port, with the transfer container being loaded to and unloaded from the second load port by the second transfer apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 15, 2014
    Publication date: December 4, 2014
    Inventors: Yuji KAMIKAWA, Takafumi TSUCHIYA, Koji EGASHIRA
  • Patent number: 8851819
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus, which utilizes a first transfer apparatus and a second transfer apparatus which are configured to transfer a transfer container containing a plurality of substrates, along a first transfer path and a second transfer path whose lateral positions differ from each other, respectively, including a first load port where the transfer container is loaded and unloaded by the first transfer apparatus, and a second load port that is arranged stepwise with respect to the first load port, with the transfer container being loaded to and unloaded from the second load port by the second transfer apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Yuji Kamikawa, Takafumi Tsuchiya, Koji Egashira
  • Patent number: 8567417
    Abstract: An ultrasonic cleaning apparatus including: a cleaning tank for storing a cleaning liquid; an object-to-be-processed holder for insertion into the cleaning tank, the holder holding an object to be processed and immersing the object into the cleaning liquid; a vibrator disposed on a bottom part of the cleaning tank; and an ultrasonic oscillator configured to make the vibrator ultrasonically vibrate. In the cleaning tank, a lateral holding member configured to hold the object is disposed. The holder is configured to be laterally moved by a driving apparatus. The control device is configured to control the driving apparatus such that the holder is laterally moved after the object has been held by the lateral holding member, and the control device is configured to control the ultrasonic oscillator such that the vibrator is made to ultrasonically vibrate so that the ultrasonic vibration from the vibrator is propagated to the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Yuji Kamikawa, Hiroaki Inadomi, Hideyuki Yamamoto, Hiroshi Komiya, Koji Egashira
  • Publication number: 20130233361
    Abstract: A liquid processing apparatus includes a substrate holding unit and an elevating member provided to ascend/descend with respect to the substrate holding unit. The substrate holding unit includes a holding base, and a first engagement member and a second engagement member which are provided to be movable in the holding base, and moved between an engaging position where the member is engaged with the peripheral edge of the substrate and a releasing position where the member releases the substrate. When the first contact unit connected to the first engagement member is in contact with a first portion to be contacted, the first engagement member is located at the engaging position. When the second contact unit connected to the second engagement member is in contact with a second portion to be contacted at a lower position than the first portion, the second engagement member is located at the engaging position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2013
    Publication date: September 12, 2013
    Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventor: Koji Egashira
  • Publication number: 20130233360
    Abstract: A liquid processing apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a substrate holding unit configured to be rotated and hold a substrate from a bottom side thereof with substrate being spaced apart horizontally, a rotation driving unit configured to rotate the substrate holding unit, and an air supply unit provided above the substrate and configured to supply air toward the substrate held by the substrate holding unit. The liquid processing apparatus also includes an air supply path including a suction port that inhales the air supplied from the air supply unit and supplies the air inhaled from the suction port to a space formed between the substrate holding unit and a bottom surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2013
    Publication date: September 12, 2013
    Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventor: Koji Egashira
  • Patent number: 8002511
    Abstract: A batch forming apparatus forms a batch of substrates by combining a plurality of substrates that have been taken out from a plurality of carriers each containing therein the substrates in a stacked manner. The batch forming apparatus includes: a substrate transfer mechanism that takes out the substrates from each carrier and transfer the substrates; a substrate relative positional relationship changing mechanism that rearranges one or more substrates out of the substrates transferred by the substrate transfer mechanism one by one relative to other substrates to change positional relationships of the substrates relative to each other; and a batch forming mechanism that forms a batch of substrates out of the substrates that have been transferred thereto by the substrate transfer mechanism, with positional relationships of the substrates having been changed relative to each other by the substrate relative positional relationship changing mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Yuji Kamikawa, Koji Egashira
  • Publication number: 20110079240
    Abstract: An ultrasonic cleaning apparatus including: a cleaning tank for storing a cleaning liquid; an object-to-be-processed holder for insertion into the cleaning tank, the holder holding an object to be processed and immersing the object into the cleaning liquid; a vibrator disposed on a bottom part of the cleaning tank; and an ultrasonic oscillator configured to make the vibrator ultrasonically vibrate. In the cleaning tank, a lateral holding member configured to hold the object is disposed. The holder is configured to be laterally moved by a driving apparatus. The control device is configured to control the driving apparatus such that the holder is laterally moved after the object has been held by the lateral holding member, and the control device is configured to control the ultrasonic oscillator such that the vibrator is made to ultrasonically vibrate so that the ultrasonic vibration from the vibrator is propagated to the object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2010
    Publication date: April 7, 2011
    Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Yuji KAMIKAWA, Hiroaki Inadomi, Hideyuki Yamamoto, Hiroshi Komiya, Koji Egashira
  • Publication number: 20100215461
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus 1, which utilizes a first transfer apparatus 104A and a second transfer apparatus 104B which are configured to transfer a transfer container 10 containing a plurality of substrates, along a first transfer path 102A and a second transfer path 102B whose lateral positions differ from each other, respectively, comprises a first load port 21 where the transfer container 10 is loaded and unloaded by the first transfer apparatus 104A, and a second load port 22 that is arranged stepwise with respect to the first load port 21, the transfer container 10 being loaded to and unloaded from the second load port 22 by the second transfer apparatus 104B.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2010
    Publication date: August 26, 2010
    Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Yuji KAMIKAWA, Takafumi Tsuchiya, Koji Egashira
  • Publication number: 20090010748
    Abstract: A batch forming apparatus forms a batch of substrates by combining a plurality of substrates that have been taken out from a plurality of carriers each containing therein the substrates in a stacked manner. The batch forming apparatus includes: a substrate transfer mechanism that takes out the substrates from each carrier and transfer the substrates; a substrate relative positional relationship changing mechanism that rearranges one or more substrates out of the substrates transferred by the substrate transfer mechanism one by one relative to other substrates to change positional relationships of the substrates relative to each other; and a batch forming mechanism that forms a batch of substrates out of the substrates that have been transferred thereto by the substrate transfer mechanism, with positional relationships of the substrates having been changed relative to each other by the substrate relative positional relationship changing mechanism.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2006
    Publication date: January 8, 2009
    Inventors: Yuji Kamikawa, Koji Egashira
  • Patent number: 7412981
    Abstract: A liquid processing apparatus includes containers 26, 27, 26a, 26b surrounding processing chambers 51, 52 for accommodating a plurality of wafers W and nozzles 54, 56 for supplying a processing liquid to the substrates W in order to perform a liquid process. The nozzles 54, 56 are respectively equipped with a plurality of ejecting orifices 53, 55 capable of ejecting the processing liquid in a plane manner, allowing the substrates W to be processed uniformly and effectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2008
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Koji Egashira, Yuji Kamikawa
  • Patent number: 7347214
    Abstract: The present invention provides a rotary shaft sealing mechanism having the seal between the rotary shaft and the seal ring improved, and a liquid processing apparatus including the rotary shaft sealing mechanism. The cleaning processing apparatus 1 comprises a rotor 34 for holding wafers W, an outer chamber 71a and an inner chamber 71b which can house the rotor 34, a spindle 50 for rotating the rotor 34, and an outer cylindrical member 32 disposed around the spindle 50. A first sealing ring 13, etc. of resins are provided in a ring member 12 constituting the outer cylindrical member 32. A clearance between the spindle 50 and the first sealing ring 13 is adjusted by press inserting the spindle 50 into the first sealing ring 13, etc. and rotating the spindle 50 for a prescribed period of time to abrade the fist sealing ring 13, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2008
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Koji Egashira, Yuji Kamikawa, Masaki Taira
  • Patent number: 7314054
    Abstract: A liquid processing apparatus includes containers 26, 27, 26a, 26b surrounding processing chambers 51, 52 for accommodating a plurality of wafers W and nozzles 54, 56 for supplying a processing liquid to the substrates W in order to perform a liquid process. The nozzles 54, 56 are respectively equipped with a plurality of ejecting orifices 53, 55 capable of ejecting the processing liquid in a plane manner, allowing the substrates W to be processed uniformly and effectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2008
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Koji Egashira, Yuji Kamikawa
  • Patent number: 7240680
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a rotor 45 for rotating a plurality of wafers W paralleled each other at appropriate intervals. While rotating the wafers W by the rotor 45, a chemical liquid is supplied to the wafers W for their processing. The rotor 45 has holding members 95, 96, 97, 98, 99 for holding the peripheries of the wafers W in parallel arrangement and a press member 100 for holding the wafers W while applying a pressure on their peripheries. Irrespective of rotation of the rotor 45, the press member 100 always applies a pressure on the peripheries of the wafers W so as to prevent the peripheries from sifting with respect to the holding members 95, 96, 97, 98, 99. With the action of the press member 100, it becomes possible to prevent the peripheries of the wafers W from being worn and also possible to elongate the span of life of the holding members 95, 96, 97, 98, 99 while performing a chemical processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2007
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventor: Koji Egashira
  • Publication number: 20070028950
    Abstract: A liquid processing apparatus includes containers 26, 27, 26a, 26b surrounding processing chambers 51, 52 for accommodating a plurality of wafers W and nozzles 54, 56 for supplying a processing liquid to the substrates W in order to perform a liquid process. The nozzles 54, 56 are respectively equipped with a plurality of ejecting orifices 53, 55 capable of ejecting the processing liquid in a plane manner, allowing the substrates W to be processed uniformly and effectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2006
    Publication date: February 8, 2007
    Inventors: Koji Egashira, Yuji Kamikawa
  • Patent number: 6743297
    Abstract: A rotary substrate processing apparatus includes a rotor 1 having a holding member for holding a plurality of semiconductor wafers W arranged at appropriate intervals and a motor 4 for rotating the rotor 1. The holding member includes open/close holding rods 3 that are moved to open or close the rotor 1 in inserting the wafers W into the rotor 1 sideways and a plurality of constant-position holding rods 2a to 2d for holding the wafers W in cooperation with the open/close holding rods 3. Among the constant-position holding rods 2a to 2d, at least one constant-position holding rod 2a is equipped with a plurality of press members 5 which move toward respective peripheral portions of the wafers W by centrifugal force due to the rotation of the rotor 1. Consequently, it becomes possible to make the wafers W follow the rotation of the rotor 1 ensurely and also possible to reduce slip between the open/close holding rods 3, the constant-position holding rods 2a to 2d and the wafers W.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2004
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Koji Egashira, Sadayuki Fujishima, Yuji Kamikawa
  • Patent number: 6725868
    Abstract: A cleaning processing apparatus, which is one embodiment of a liquid processing apparatus for performing a liquid processing by supplying a predetermined process liquid to a target object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer while rotating the target object, comprises a rotor for holding wafers W, a slidable process section for housing the rotor, and a cleaning liquid spurting nozzle for supplying a predetermined cleaning liquid to the wafers W. A housing for housing the slidable process section is of a hermetic structure so as to be substantially shielded from the outside.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2004
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Yuji Kamikawa, Koji Egashira