Patents by Inventor Masahiro Numakura

Masahiro Numakura 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: 20230290660
    Abstract: A container for consumables includes multiple holding portions, a partition plate and a fixer. The multiple holding portions are configured to respectively accommodate the consumables, each of which is loaded into and unloaded from one direction. The partition plate includes a first portion formed to be disposed between a light emitting part and a light receiving part of a detector, and the partition plate is accommodated in one of the multiple holding portions. The fixer is configured to fix the container so that the consumables are arranged on a transfer path to be loaded into and unloaded from the multiple holding portions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2023
    Publication date: September 14, 2023
    Inventors: Toshiaki TOYOMAKI, Seiichi KAISE, Masahiro NUMAKURA, Yuki TAKEYAMA
  • Patent number: 11735448
    Abstract: A container for consumables includes multiple holding portions, a partition plate and a fixer. The multiple holding portions are configured to respectively accommodate the consumables, each of which is loaded into and unloaded from one direction. The partition plate includes a first portion formed to be disposed between a light emitting part and a light receiving part of a detector, and the partition plate is accommodated in one of the multiple holding portions. The fixer is configured to fix the container so that the consumables are arranged on a transfer path to be loaded into and unloaded from the multiple holding portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Toshiaki Toyomaki, Seiichi Kaise, Masahiro Numakura, Yuki Takeyama
  • Publication number: 20200286752
    Abstract: A container for consumables includes multiple holding portions, a partition plate and a fixer. The multiple holding portions are configured to respectively accommodate the consumables, each of which is loaded into and unloaded from one direction. The partition plate includes a first portion formed to be disposed between a light emitting part and a light receiving part of a detector, and the partition plate is accommodated in one of the multiple holding portions. The fixer is configured to fix the container so that the consumables are arranged on a transfer path to be loaded into and unloaded from the multiple holding portions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2020
    Publication date: September 10, 2020
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Toshiaki TOYOMAKI, Seiichi KAISE, Masahiro NUMAKURA, Yuki TAKEYAMA
  • Publication number: 20200194296
    Abstract: A system of processing a substrate includes an atmospheric-pressure transfer chamber, at least one vacuum processing chamber, at least two load-lock modules, a vacuum transfer chamber, a plurality of load ports, and a first transfer mechanism and a second transfer mechanism. The load ports are attached to the atmospheric-pressure transfer chamber and detachable containers are mounted on the load ports, respectively. A controller controls the first transfer mechanism and the second transfer mechanism to concurrently transfer a used consumable from the containers to the vacuum processing chamber through the atmospheric-pressure transfer chamber and one of the load-lock modules and to transfer a used consumable from the vacuum processing chamber through the vacuum transfer chamber and another one of the load-lock modules.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2019
    Publication date: June 18, 2020
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Masahiro NUMAKURA, Toshiaki TOYOMAKI, Seiichi KAISE, Yuki TAKEYAMA
  • Patent number: 9824861
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes at least one process module configured to process first substrates. A position detector is configured to detect first positions of the first substrates. A control unit is configured to control the position detector so as to measure a second position of a second substrate selected from the first substrates to be processed in a same process module depending on a measurement interval set for the same process module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Masahiro Numakura, Yoshikazu Ishikawa, Toshihiko Hamada, Junya Sato, Toshiyuki Kobayashi, Shouichi Otake
  • Publication number: 20160190024
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes at least one process module configured to process first substrates. A position detector is configured to detect first positions of the first substrates. A control unit is configured to control the position detector so as to measure a second position of a second substrate selected from the first substrates to be processed in a same process module depending on a measurement interval set for the same process module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2015
    Publication date: June 30, 2016
    Inventors: Masahiro NUMAKURA, Yoshikazu ISHIKAWA, Toshihiko HAMADA, Junya SATO, Toshiyuki KOBAYASHI, Shouichi OTAKE
  • Patent number: 9305814
    Abstract: A method of inspecting a substrate processing apparatus, which is capable of preventing product substrates from being supplied to a substrate processing chamber to be inspected, and inspecting the substrate processing chamber in desired timing. Product wafers W (product substrates) are inhibited from being conveyed into a processing unit to be inspected (substrate processing chamber) according to a selection of a menu option “QC MODE” by an operator, or in response to instruction from a host computer. A QC wafer is permitted to be conveyed from a carrier connected to an associated load port 24 into the processing unit to be inspected, in response to a notification the fact that a wafer stored in the carrier connected to the associated load port 24 is the QC wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventor: Masahiro Numakura
  • Patent number: 8731698
    Abstract: A substrate receiving method in a substrate processing system includes: a processing process of transferring a plurality of unprocessed substrates accommodated in a first substrate storage container to a substrate processing chamber in sequence and performing a plasma process on the unprocessed substrates in the substrate processing chamber; a retreating process of retreating the plasma-processed substrates temporarily to a second substrate storage container by transferring the plasma-processed substrates to the second substrate storage container in sequence; a determining process of determining whether or not the last unprocessed substrate is unloaded from the first substrate storage container; and a re-accommodating process of transferring and re-accommodating the plurality of the processed substrates accommodated in the second substrate storage container into the first substrate storage container in sequence when a substrate decided as the last unprocessed substrate is unloaded in the determining process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Shinobu Onodera, Masahiro Numakura
  • Patent number: 8571703
    Abstract: A processing system includes process modules, load lock modules, an equipment controller, and a machine controller. The equipment controller controls transfer and processing of wafers in the processing system. A transfer destination determining portion determines the transfer destination of each wafer such that each wafer is sequentially transferred to a normally operating process module. When an abnormality occurs in a process module, an evacuation portion temporarily evacuates to a cassette stage the wafer determined to be transferred to the abnormal process module and that has not yet been transferred to the abnormal process module. When an error of the abnormal process module is dealt with, a transfer destination change portion changes the transfer destination of a wafer scheduled to be first transferred from the cassette case, to the transfer inhibition-released process module. When the error of the transfer-inhibited processing chamber is released, the transfer route is optimized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Masahiro Numakura, Keiji Osada
  • Patent number: 8452455
    Abstract: In a control device of a plasma processing system, a communication unit is configured to receive processing information related to a carrier of a next processing lot. A determination unit is configured to determine whether the processing information received by the communication unit has pre-treatment information related to one of the plasma processing devices. When it is determined that the processing information has the pre-treatment information by the determination unit, a generation unit is configured to generate an object for declaring execution of the pre-treatment for the carrier of a next processing lot if a desired condition of transferring of the carrier is satisfied. In addition, if the object is generated by the generation unit, a process executing control unit is configured to start the pre-treatment for the target object in the carrier of a next processing lot without any notification that the carrier reaches a destination plasma processing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Hiroaki Mochizuki, Masahiro Numakura
  • Patent number: 8382910
    Abstract: A cleaning method for a substrate processing system capable of appropriately cleaning a housing chamber. In the substrate processing system, the number of execution times of product processing is accumulated, if the product processing to be executed next corresponds to first product processing for a subsequent lot, a time interval between preceding and subsequent lots is not longer than a predetermined time period, and a type of the last product processing performed for the preceding lot is the same as that of the first product processing to be performed for the subsequent lot. When the accumulated number of execution times is not less than a predetermined number of times, a cleaning treatment is executed, which corresponds to a chamber indicated in a system recipe set for a lot including a wafer on which the product processing is performed immediately before execution of the cleaning treatment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Masahiro Numakura, Hiroaki Mochizuki, Kiyohito Iijima
  • Patent number: 8145339
    Abstract: As an interrupt start button is depressed while control, under which product wafers Wp and dummy wafers Wd are transferred in an order defined in a normal transfer pattern, is repeatedly executed, a decision is made based upon wafer transfer history as to whether or not the most recent transfer pattern cycle has ended. If the cycle is determined to have ended, the operation immediately proceeds to the subsequent cycle to transfer interrupt wafers Wf and Wd in an order defined in the interrupt transfer pattern achieved by replacing Wp in the normal transfer pattern with Wf, whereas if the cycle is determined to be incomplete, the wafer transfer based upon the normal transfer pattern is carried on until the cycle ends and then the operation proceeds to the next cycle to transfer Wf and Wd in the order defined in the interrupt transfer pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Kiyohito Iijima, Hiroaki Mochizuki, Masahiro Numakura
  • Patent number: 8055378
    Abstract: A processing system includes process modules, load lock modules, an equipment controller, and a machine controller. The equipment controller controls transfer and processing of wafers in the processing system. A transfer destination determining portion determines the transfer destination of each wafer such that each wafer is sequentially transferred to a normally operating process module. When an abnormality occurs in a process module, an evacuation portion temporarily evacuates to a cassette stage the wafer determined is to be transferred to the abnormal process module and that has not yet been transferred to the abnormal process module. When a new transfer destination of the evacuated wafer is determined, if a process that is performed immediately before processing the evacuated wafer in the processing module as the new transfer destination satisfies a predetermined condition, a transfer inhibition portion inhibits the transfer of the evacuated wafer to the new transfer destination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventor: Masahiro Numakura
  • Publication number: 20100268364
    Abstract: A substrate receiving method in a substrate processing system includes: a processing process of transferring a plurality of unprocessed substrates accommodated in a first substrate storage container to a substrate processing chamber in sequence and performing a plasma process on the unprocessed substrates in the substrate processing chamber; a retreating process of retreating the plasma-processed substrates temporarily to a second substrate storage container by transferring the plasma-processed substrates to the second substrate storage container in sequence; a determining process of determining whether or not the last unprocessed substrate is unloaded from the first substrate storage container; and a re-accommodating process of transferring and re-accommodating the plurality of the processed substrates accommodated in the second substrate storage container into the first substrate storage container in sequence when a substrate decided as the last unprocessed substrate is unloaded in the determining process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2010
    Publication date: October 21, 2010
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Shinobu Onodera, Masahiro Numakura
  • Patent number: 7738987
    Abstract: Depending on the degree of microfabrication requested for each wafer lot, transfer of wafers is controlled. A substrate processing apparatus includes a plurality of PMs 400 and an LLM 500 and is controlled by an EC 200. The EC 200 includes a selection unit 255 and a transfer control unit 260. The unit 255 selects the PM to which the next wafer is to be transferred, and selects, for each lot, whether the wafers are transferred to the same PM in one-lot units or in one-substrate units depending on the degree of the microfabrication requested for each lot. When the wafer transfer in lot units is selected, the unit 260 sequentially transfers the wafers included in the lot to the selected PM. Otherwise the unit 260 sequentially OR transfers the wafers included in the lot from the selected PM to a different PM one by one.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventor: Masahiro Numakura
  • Publication number: 20100089423
    Abstract: A cleaning method is provided to clean processing chambers of a substrate processing apparatus for transferring substrates included in each of lots to the processing chambers on a lot basis and processing the substrates in the processing chambers simultaneously. The cleaning method includes checking whether a lot is switched to another lot to which different cleaning conditions are applied prior to the processing in the processing chambers, performing a cleaning process on the processing chambers under cleaning conditions of a previous lot by transferring cleaning substrates into the processing chambers when it is determined that a lot is switched to another lot to which different cleaning conditions are applied, and omitting the cleaning process of the processing chambers when it is determined that a lot is switched to another lot to which the same cleaning conditions are applied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2009
    Publication date: April 15, 2010
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Kiyohito IIJIMA, Masahiro Numakura, Hiroaki Mochizuki
  • Publication number: 20100004785
    Abstract: In a control device of a plasma processing system, a communication unit is configured to receive processing information related to a carrier of a next processing lot. A determination unit is configured to determine whether the processing information received by the communication unit has pre-treatment information related to one of the plasma processing devices. When it is determined that the processing information has the pre-treatment information by the determination unit, a generation unit is configured to generate an object for declaring execution of the pre-treatment for the carrier of a next processing lot if a desired condition of transferring of the carrier is satisfied. In addition, if the object is generated by the generation unit, a process executing control unit is configured to start the pre-treatment for the target object in the carrier of a next processing lot without any notification that the carrier reaches a destination plasma processing device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2009
    Publication date: January 7, 2010
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Hiroaki MOCHIZUKI, Masahiro NUMAKURA
  • Patent number: 7640072
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus, according to which inspection of various devices in the substrate processing apparatus can be carried out with improved reliability, while reducing the burden on a user. A processing chamber processes semiconductor wafers therein. A transfer chamber transfers the semiconductor wafers. A FOUP (front opening unified pod) houses a plurality of dummy wafers for inspection of the processing chamber or the transfer chamber. A CPU causes an HDD (hard disk drive) to store a housing state relating to the arrangement of the dummy wafers in the FOUP before replacement of dummy wafers in the FOUP and that after the replacement as dummy wafer setup information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2009
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Noriaki Shimizu, Masahiro Numakura
  • Publication number: 20090269171
    Abstract: As an interrupt start button is depressed while control, under which product wafers Wp and dummy wafers Wd are transferred in an order defined in a normal transfer pattern, is repeatedly executed, a decision is made based upon wafer transfer history as to whether or not the most recent transfer pattern cycle has ended. If the cycle is determined to have ended, the operation immediately proceeds to the subsequent cycle to transfer interrupt wafers Wf and Wd in an order defined in the interrupt transfer pattern achieved by replacing Wp in the normal transfer pattern with Wf, whereas if the cycle is determined to be incomplete, the wafer transfer based upon the normal transfer pattern is carried on until the cycle ends and then the operation proceeds to the next cycle to transfer Wf and Wd in the order defined in the interrupt transfer pattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2009
    Publication date: October 29, 2009
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Kiyohito IIJIMA, Hiroaki Mochizuki, Masahiro Numakura
  • Publication number: 20090229635
    Abstract: A cleaning method for a substrate processing system capable of appropriately cleaning a housing chamber. In the substrate processing system, the number of execution times of product processing is accumulated, if the product processing to be executed next corresponds to first product processing for a subsequent lot, a time interval between preceding and subsequent lots is not longer than a predetermined time period, and a type of the last product processing performed for the preceding lot is the same as that of the first product processing to be performed for the subsequent lot. When the accumulated number of execution times is not less than a predetermined number of times, a cleaning treatment is executed, which corresponds to a chamber indicated in a system recipe set for a lot including a wafer on which the product processing is performed immediately before execution of the cleaning treatment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2009
    Publication date: September 17, 2009
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Masahiro NUMAKURA, Hiroaki Mochizuki, Kiyohito Iijima