Patents by Inventor Koukichi Hiroshiro

Koukichi Hiroshiro 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: 20110290280
    Abstract: Disclosed is a substrate processing apparatus for cleaning and drying a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer. This substrate processing apparatus includes a liquid processing unit for processing a substrate by immersing the substrate in stored purified water, a drying unit arranged above the liquid processing unit and configured to dry the substrate, a substrate transfer apparatus for transferring the substrate between the liquid processing unit and drying unit, a fluid supply mechanism for supplying a fluid mixture containing vapor or mist of purified water and vapor or mist of a volatile organic solvent to the drying unit, and a controller for controlling the supply of the fluid mixture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2011
    Publication date: December 1, 2011
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Koukichi HIROSHIRO, Yuji Kamikawa, Takayuki Toshima, Naoki Shindo
  • Patent number: 8015984
    Abstract: Disclosed is a substrate processing apparatus for cleaning and drying a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer. This substrate processing apparatus includes a liquid processing unit for processing a substrate by immersing the substrate in stored purified water, a drying unit arranged above the liquid processing unit and configured to dry the substrate, a substrate transfer apparatus for transferring the substrate between the liquid processing unit and drying unit, a fluid supply mechanism for supplying a fluid mixture containing vapor or mist of purified water and vapor or mist of a volatile organic solvent to the drying unit, and a controller for controlling the supply of the fluid mixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Koukichi Hiroshiro, Yuji Kamikawa, Takayuki Toshima, Naoki Shindo
  • Patent number: 7998306
    Abstract: The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus for processing substrates by immersing the substrates in a processing liquid. This substrate processing apparatus includes a processing tank having a pair of side walls arranged to be opposed to each other; and a pair of processing-liquid supply mechanisms provided respectively corresponding to the pair of side walls. The pair of processing-liquid supply mechanisms are respectively configured for supplying the processing liquid toward a central portion of the processing tank in the width direction connecting the pair of side walls, thereby to create a rising flow of the processing liquid in a central area in the width direction of the processing tank. Each inner wall face of the pair of side walls includes a main body, a projecting portion located above the main body, and a discharge guide portion located uppermost and providing a discharge port configured for allowing the processing liquid to overflow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Koukichi Hiroshiro, Hideyuki Yamamoto, Kazuhiro Takeshita, Takayuki Toshima
  • Publication number: 20110117291
    Abstract: In a template treatment of forming a film of a release agent on a treatment surface of a template, the treatment surface of the template is first cleaned. Thereafter, in a coating unit, the release agent is applied to the treatment surface of the template. The release agent on the template is then dried. Then, alcohol is applied to the release agent on the template to make the release agent adhere to the treatment surface of the template and to remove an unreacted portion of the release agent. Thereafter, the alcohol on the template is dried and removed. In this manner, a film of the release agent is formed in a predetermined film thickness on the treatment surface of the template.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2010
    Publication date: May 19, 2011
    Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Koukichi HIROSHIRO, Takanori Nishi, Takahiro Kitano, Shoichi Terada
  • Publication number: 20110099838
    Abstract: A fluid heater 20 includes a duct pipe 26 through which a fluid to be heated flows, and a heating part 23 configured to heat the duct pipe 26. One or more fillers 30 is provided inside the duct pipe 26. A substrate processing apparatus 60 includes: a supply source 92 configured to supply a liquid of a volatile organic solvent; the aforementioned fluid heater 20 configured to heat the liquid of the organic solvent supplied by the supply source 92 so as to generate a steam of the organic solvent; and a chamber 65 configured to accommodate a substrate W and to dry the substrate W accommodated therein, to which the steam of the organic solvent generated by the fluid heater 20 is supplied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2009
    Publication date: May 5, 2011
    Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Koukichi Hiroshiro, Takayuki Toshima
  • Publication number: 20100206337
    Abstract: There is provided a substrate processing method with the use of plural kinds of liquids, capable of, after a process to a substrate by using a process liquid, rapidly and more reliably substituting the process liquid remaining on the substrate with a liquid to be subsequently used. The substrate processing method comprises: processing a substrate W by a process liquid; and supplying a substitute liquid onto the substrate and substituting the process liquid remaining on the substrate with the substitute liquid. The substitute liquid used in the substituting step has a surface tension that is smaller than a surface tension of the water, and a density that is equal to a density of the process liquid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2008
    Publication date: August 19, 2010
    Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Koukichi Hiroshiro, Takayuki Toshima
  • Publication number: 20090139656
    Abstract: The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus for processing substrates by immersing the substrates in a processing liquid. This substrate processing apparatus includes a processing tank having a pair of side walls arranged to be opposed to each other; and a pair of processing-liquid supply mechanisms provided respectively corresponding to the pair of side walls. The pair of processing-liquid supply mechanisms are respectively configured for supplying the processing liquid toward a central portion of the processing tank in the width direction connecting the pair of side walls, thereby to create a rising flow of the processing liquid in a central area in the width direction of the processing tank. Each inner wall face of the pair of side walls includes a main body, a projecting portion located above the main body, and a discharge guide portion located uppermost and providing a discharge port configured for allowing the processing liquid to overflow.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2008
    Publication date: June 4, 2009
    Inventors: Koukichi Hiroshiro, Hideyuki Yamamoto, Kazuhiro Takeshita, Takayuki Toshima
  • Publication number: 20090101186
    Abstract: Disclosed is a substrate processing apparatus for cleaning and drying a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer. This substrate processing apparatus includes a liquid processing unit for processing a substrate by immersing the substrate in stored purified water, a drying unit arranged above the liquid processing unit and configured to dry the substrate, a substrate transfer apparatus for transferring the substrate between the liquid processing unit and drying unit, a fluid supply mechanism for supplying a fluid mixture containing vapor or mist of purified water and vapor or mist of a volatile organic solvent to the drying unit, and a controller for controlling the supply of the fluid mixture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2006
    Publication date: April 23, 2009
    Inventors: Koukichi Hiroshiro, Yuji Kamikawa, Takayuki Toshima, Naoki Shindo
  • Publication number: 20080178910
    Abstract: A substrate cleaning apparatus (1) of the present invention is the substrate cleaning apparatus (1) for cleaning a substrate (wafer 7) with the use of a cleaning agent (e.g., Caro's acid) that is generated by reacting plural kinds of chemical liquids (e.g., sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide solution). The substrate cleaning apparatus (1) comprises: a mixing unit (31) for mixing plural kinds of chemical liquids, a supplying unit (32) for supplying the chemical liquids that have been mixed by the mixing unit, onto a surface of a substrate to be cleaned; and a heating unit (14) for heating the chemical liquids that have been supplied onto the surface of the substrate by the supplying unit, on the surface of the substrate. In particular, the mixing unit (31) includes a reaction restraining mechanism (33) for restraining a reaction of the mixed chemical liquids, and the reaction restraining mechanism (33) is on a cooling mechanism for cooling the mixed chemical liquids.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2008
    Publication date: July 31, 2008
    Inventors: Koukichi Hiroshiro, Takayuki Toshima
  • Publication number: 20080031083
    Abstract: The present invention provides a chemical-liquid mixing method and a chemical-liquid mixing apparatus capable of sufficiently generating a peroxomonosulfuric acid that is effective in removing a resist from a substrate, when a sulfuric acid and a hydrogen peroxide solution are mixed with each other. At first, an inner tank 10 is filled up with a sulfuric acid and the sulfuric acid overflowing from the inner tank 10 is allowed to flow into an outer tank 12. Then, a hydrogen peroxide solution is supplied into the inner tank 10 and the hydrogen peroxide solution is allowed to flow into the outer tank 12 whereby the two kinds of liquids of the hydrogen peroxide solution and the sulfuric acid are stored in the outer tank 12. Simultaneously when the hydrogen peroxide solution flows into the outer tank 12, a return pump 16 is activated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2007
    Publication date: February 7, 2008
    Inventors: Hiroshi Tanaka, Koukichi Hiroshiro, Fumihiro Kamimura
  • Publication number: 20070267040
    Abstract: A substrate cleaning method can uniformly removing particles from substrates at a high removing efficiency. The substrate cleaning method includes the steps of immersing substrates W in a cleaning liquid in a cleaning tank 12, and generating ultrasonic waves in the cleaning liquid contained in the cleaning tank. A region in the cleaning tank toward which the cleaning liquid is supplied is varied with respect to a vertical level in the step of generating ultrasonic waves in the cleaning liquid while the cleaning liquid is being supplied into the cleaning tank.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2007
    Publication date: November 22, 2007
    Inventors: Tsukasa Watanabe, Naoki Shindo, Koukichi Hiroshiro, Yuji Kamikawa