Patents by Inventor Masashi Tsuchiyama

Masashi Tsuchiyama 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: 11971661
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a first unit block including a first substrate transfer region, a first and a second processing modules provided to face a first and a second sides of the first substrate transfer region in a left-right direction, and a first and a second transfer mechanisms provided at the first and the second sides and configured to deliver a substrate to the first and the second processing modules; a second unit block, stacked on the first unit block, including a second substrate transfer region and a third transfer mechanism; a substrate carry-in/out block provided at a first side of a stack of the unit blocks and configured to deliver the substrate to the first and the third transfer mechanisms; a relay block provided at a second side of the stack and configured to deliver the substrate to the second and the third transfer mechanisms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Yoji Sakata, Masashi Tsuchiyama, Tsuyoshi Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20240079256
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes; a carrier block; a first processing block including first lower and upper processing blocks to deliver a substrate to and from the carrier block; a second processing block including second lower and upper processing blocks provided adjacent to the first lower and upper processing blocks; a relay block including a lifting and transferring mechanism that delivers the substrate between the second lower and upper processing blocks; a controller that controls an operation of each main transfer mechanism such that one of upper and lower processing blocks forms an outward path through which the substrate is transferred from the carrier block to the relay block and the other forms a return path through which the substrate is transferred from the relay block to the carrier block; and a bypass transfer mechanism provided for each of the first and second processing blocks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2023
    Publication date: March 7, 2024
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi WATANABE, Masashi TSUCHIYAMA, Suguru ENOKIDA, Taro YAMAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20240036482
    Abstract: A substrate treatment system includes: a wet system having a wet treatment apparatus which performs in a wet mode one of substrate treatments from a formation treatment of a resist film to a developing treatment of the resist film after exposure, and coupled to an exposure apparatus; a dry system having a dry treatment apparatus which performs in a dry mode a same kind of substrate treatment by the wet treatment apparatus; and a relay transfer system which transfers the substrate between the wet system and the dry system, wherein: when viewed from a coupling direction, the wet system is arranged such that the exposure apparatus projects from one side in a depth direction perpendicular to the coupling direction in top view; and the dry system is arranged to be adjacent to the one side of the wet system in the depth direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2023
    Publication date: February 1, 2024
    Inventors: Masashi TSUCHIYAMA, Taro YAMAMOTO
  • Patent number: 11869789
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a carrier block, a first processing block including first lower and upper processing blocks to deliver a substrate to and from the carrier block, a second processing block including second lower and upper processing blocks provided adjacent to the first lower and upper processing blocks, a relay block including a lifting and transferring mechanism that delivers the substrate between the second lower and upper processing blocks, a controller that controls an operation of each main transfer mechanism such that one of upper and lower processing blocks forms an outward path through which the substrate is transferred from the carrier block to the relay block and the other forms a return path through which the substrate is transferred from the relay block to the carrier block, and a bypass transfer mechanism provided for each of the first and second processing blocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Watanabe, Masashi Tsuchiyama, Suguru Enokida, Taro Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 11664254
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a carrier block on which a carrier configured to store a substrate is placed, first processing block including a plurality of first processing modules, and a first transport mechanism shared by the plurality of first processing modules to transport the substrate, second processing block overlapping the first processing block, including a plurality of second processing modules, and a second transport mechanism shared by the plurality of second processing modules to transport the substrate, and configured to transport the substrate to the carrier block. The substrate processing apparatus includes a lifting and transferring mechanism including a shaft extending in a horizontal direction and a support part configured to face and support the substrate, and a rotation mechanism configured to rotate the support part around the shaft such that an orientation of the support part is changed between a first orientation and the second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Watanabe, Masashi Tsuchiyama, Suguru Enokida, Taro Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20230106927
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes: a carrier block including carrier placement parts and configured to load/unload a substrate into/from a carrier; a processing block provided on one side of the carrier block to process the substrate; first and second carrier placement parts of the carrier placement parts and provided side by side in a front-rear direction in a plan view; substrate placement parts provided to be arranged step by step vertically on one side of a substrate transfer region formed between the first and second carrier placement parts; a first substrate transfer mechanism provided in the substrate transfer region to deliver the substrate between the carrier of the first carrier placement part and a first substrate placement part of the substrate placement parts; and a second substrate transfer mechanism for moving upward and downward so as to deliver the substrate between first and second substrate placement parts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2022
    Publication date: April 6, 2023
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi WATANABE, Masashi TSUCHIYAMA, Naruaki IIDA, Suguru ENOKIDA, Kousei IDE
  • Publication number: 20220165596
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a carrier block on which a carrier configured to store a substrate is placed, first processing block including a plurality of first processing modules, and a first transport mechanism shared by the plurality of first processing modules to transport the substrate, second processing block overlapping the first processing block, including a plurality of second processing modules, and a second transport mechanism shared by the plurality of second processing modules to transport the substrate, and configured to transport the substrate to the carrier block. The substrate processing apparatus includes a lifting and transferring mechanism including a shaft extending in a horizontal direction and a support part configured to face and support the substrate, and a rotation mechanism configured to rotate the support part around the shaft such that an orientation of the support part is changed between a first orientation and the second position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2021
    Publication date: May 26, 2022
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi WATANABE, Masashi TSUCHIYAMA, Suguru ENOKIDA, Taro YAMAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20220165597
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes; a carrier block; a first processing block including first lower and upper processing blocks to deliver a substrate to and from the carrier block; a second processing block including second lower and upper processing blocks provided adjacent to the first lower and upper processing blocks; a relay block including a lifting and transferring mechanism that delivers the substrate between the second lower and upper processing blocks; a controller that controls an operation of each main transfer mechanism such that one of upper and lower processing blocks forms an outward path through which the substrate is transferred from the carrier block to the relay block and the other forms a return path through which the substrate is transferred from the relay block to the carrier block; and a bypass transfer mechanism provided for each of the first and second processing blocks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2021
    Publication date: May 26, 2022
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi WATANABE, Masashi TSUCHIYAMA, Suguru ENOKIDA, Taro YAMAMOTO
  • Patent number: 11211278
    Abstract: There is provided a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, including: a storage part provided on an uppermost portion of the substrate processing apparatus and on which a substrate accommodation container for accommodating the substrate is placed; and a first transfer device configured to directly or indirectly deliver the substrate accommodation container between the storage part and a loading/unloading part, wherein the loading/unloading part is configured to place the substrate accommodation container thereon in the substrate processing apparatus and to load and unload the substrate into and from a processing part of the substrate processing apparatus, and the first transfer device is configured to deliver the substrate accommodation container with respect to an overhead hoist transport that moves above the substrate processing apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Akihiro Teramoto, Suguru Enokida, Masashi Tsuchiyama, Keisuke Sasaki
  • Patent number: 11199785
    Abstract: An apparatus includes: a treatment block including treatment modules; and a relay block coupling the treatment block and an exposure apparatus in a width direction, and including a transfer-in/out mechanism for the exposure apparatus. In the treatment block being multilayered in an up-down direction, a transfer mechanism is provided in a transfer region extending in the width direction. In a layer, in the treatment block, at a position accessible from the transfer-in/out mechanism, a deliverer on which the substrate is mounted when the substrate is delivered between the blocks is provided at an end on the relay block side. Pre-exposure storages storing the substrate before the exposure are provided along the width direction in two regions between which the transfer region is interposed in a depth direction. A non-treatment unit is provided at a portion where the pre-exposure storages are not provided in the two regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Watanabe, Masashi Tsuchiyama, Hiroki Sato, Ippei Hamada
  • Publication number: 20210278768
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a first unit block including a first substrate transfer region, a first and a second processing modules provided to face a first and a second sides of the first substrate transfer region in a left-right direction, and a first and a second transfer mechanisms provided at the first and the second sides and configured to deliver a substrate to the first and the second processing modules; a second unit block, stacked on the first unit block, including a second substrate transfer region and a third transfer mechanism; a substrate carry-in/out block provided at a first side of a stack of the unit blocks and configured to deliver the substrate to the first and the third transfer mechanisms; a relay block provided at a second side of the stack and configured to deliver the substrate to the second and the third transfer mechanisms.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2021
    Publication date: September 9, 2021
    Inventors: Yoji Sakata, Masashi Tsuchiyama, Tsuyoshi Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11079691
    Abstract: An apparatus includes: a treatment block; and a relay block including a first transfer-in/out module for an exposure apparatus. In the treatment block, a treatment module is provided in each layer, and a deliverer is provided at an end on the relay block side in the layer including a pre-exposure treatment module. In the relay block, a second transfer-in/out module for the deliverer and a post-exposure treatment module is provided in a region adjacent, in the width direction, to the deliverer, the first transfer-in/out module is provided in a relay side transfer region extending in a depth direction from a region overlapping with the second transfer-in/out module, the post-exposure treatment module is provided in a region adjacent, in an up-down direction, to the relay side transfer region and adjacent, in the depth direction, to the second transfer-in/out module, and a relay mechanism is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Watanabe, Masashi Tsuchiyama, Hiroki Sato, Ippei Hamada
  • Publication number: 20210103225
    Abstract: An apparatus includes: a treatment block; and a relay block including a first transfer-in/out module for an exposure apparatus. In the treatment block, a treatment module is provided in each layer, and a deliverer is provided at an end on the relay block side in the layer including a pre-exposure treatment module. In the relay block, a second transfer-in/out module for the deliverer and a post-exposure treatment module is provided in a region adjacent, in the width direction, to the deliverer, the first transfer-in/out module is provided in a relay side transfer region extending in a depth direction from a region overlapping with the second transfer-in/out module, the post-exposure treatment module is provided in a region adjacent, in an up-down direction, to the relay side transfer region and adjacent, in the depth direction, to the second transfer-in/out module, and a relay mechanism is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2020
    Publication date: April 8, 2021
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi WATANABE, Masashi TSUCHIYAMA, Hiroki SATO, Ippei HAMADA
  • Publication number: 20210103224
    Abstract: An apparatus includes: a treatment block including treatment modules; and a relay block coupling the treatment block and an exposure apparatus in a width direction, and including a transfer-in/out mechanism for the exposure apparatus; and in the treatment block being multilayered in an up-down direction, a transfer mechanism is provided in a transfer region extending in the width direction, and in a layer, in the treatment block, at a position accessible from the transfer-in/out mechanism, a deliverer on which the substrate is mounted when the substrate is delivered between the blocks is provided at an end on the relay block side, pre-exposure storages storing the substrate before the exposure are provided along the width direction in two regions between which the transfer region is interposed in a depth direction, and a non-treatment unit is provided at a portion where the pre-exposure storages are not provided in the two regions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2020
    Publication date: April 8, 2021
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi WATANABE, Masashi TSUCHIYAMA, Hiroki SATO, Ippei HAMADA
  • Patent number: 10838311
    Abstract: A coating and developing apparatus includes: a processing block having a plurality of substrate transport areas vertically stacked and partitioned from each other; a processing module provided in each of the plurality of substrate transport areas; a transport mechanism configured to transport a substrate between the transport block and the processing module; a temperature adjustment module configured to adjust a temperature of the substrate before the substrate is transported to at least one processing module among the plurality of the processing modules; a temperature sensor configured to detect an atmospheric temperature of at least one substrate transport area; and a temperature controller configured to change the temperature of the substrate in the temperature adjustment module based on the atmospheric temperature detected by the temperature sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Keigo Nakano, Koji Takayanagi, Masashi Tsuchiyama
  • Publication number: 20200126823
    Abstract: There is provided a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate, including: a storage part provided on an uppermost portion of the substrate processing apparatus and on which a substrate accommodation container for accommodating the substrate is placed; and a first transfer device configured to directly or indirectly deliver the substrate accommodation container between the storage part and a loading/unloading part, wherein the loading/unloading part is configured to place the substrate accommodation container thereon in the substrate processing apparatus and to load and unload the substrate into and from a processing part of the substrate processing apparatus, and the first transfer device is configured to deliver the substrate accommodation container with respect to an overhead hoist transport that moves above the substrate processing apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2019
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    Inventors: Akihiro TERAMOTO, Suguru ENOKIDA, Masashi TSUCHIYAMA, Keisuke SASAKI
  • Publication number: 20200110343
    Abstract: A coating and developing apparatus includes: a processing block having a plurality of substrate transport areas vertically stacked and partitioned from each other; a processing module provided in each of the plurality of substrate transport areas; a transport mechanism configured to transport a substrate between the transport block and the processing module; a temperature adjustment module configured to adjust a temperature of the substrate before the substrate is transported to at least one processing module among the plurality of the processing modules; a temperature sensor configured to detect an atmospheric temperature of at least one substrate transport area; and a temperature controller configured to change the temperature of the substrate in the temperature adjustment module based on the atmospheric temperature detected by the temperature sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2019
    Publication date: April 9, 2020
    Inventors: Keigo Nakano, Koji Takayanagi, Masashi Tsuchiyama
  • Patent number: D690330
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Masashi Tsuchiyama, Tsunenaga Nakashima, Shinichi Hayashi