Patents by Inventor Minobu Matsunaga

Minobu Matsunaga 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: 5927077
    Abstract: In a substrate thermal processing device, a temperature of a substrate can be precisely controlled within a short time by means of a hot plate oven. The substrate thermal processing device includes a substrate supporting plate for supporting the substrate, an auxiliary heating/cooling section for heating or cooling the substrate and having a Peltier effect element and disposed on a lower surface of the substrate supporting plate, and a main heating section for heating the substrate and disposed below the substrate supporting plate and the auxiliary heating/cooling section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 27, 1999
    Assignee: Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihiro Hisai, Minobu Matsunaga, Hiroshi Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 5865893
    Abstract: Uneconomical use of resist liquid is prevented by reducing resist liquid discharging time. Discharging time calculating means calculates a proper resist liquid discharging time, based on a first and a second rotation angular speeds of a supporting pedestal and a discharged flow quantity discharged from resist liquid discharging nozzle per unit time. When the proper resist liquid discharging time has elapsed from the start of discharging of the resist liquid by means of a pump, discharging of the resist liquid is stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 2, 1999
    Assignee: Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Minobu Matsunaga, Masahiro Mimasaka, Ikuo Mizobata
  • Patent number: 5857474
    Abstract: A substrate washing apparatus includes a cooling system for cooling a substrate to below zero, a wet gas supplying system for supplying a gas containing atomized water to the surface of the substrate cooled by the cooling means to form ice on the surface of said substrate, and an ice removing unit for removing the ice formed on the surface of the substrate. This apparatus removes not only relatively large particles but also fine particles from the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 12, 1999
    Assignee: Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takamasa Sakai, Sadao Hirae, Minobu Matsunaga
  • Patent number: 5638687
    Abstract: In a substrate cooling apparatus for cooling a substrate placed on or adjacent a cooling plate having Peltier elements, the substrate is cooled quickly by controlling the Peltier elements to cool the cooling plate to a second set temperature below a target temperature to which the substrate is to be cooled, and switching control of the Peltier elements at a predetermined time after the substrate is placed on or adjacent the cooling plate, to increase the temperature of the cooling plate to the target temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 17, 1997
    Assignee: Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Mizohata, Minobu Matsunaga
  • Patent number: 5522215
    Abstract: A substrate cooling apparatus is provided with a cooling plate disposed in a treating chamber and Peltier elements for supporting and cooling a substrate. A target temperature setter is operable to set a target temperature to which the substrate is to be cooled and a drive device drives the Peltier elements to cool the cooling plate below the target temperature. When the substrate is found to have reached the target temperature, the substrate is raised to a position free from the thermal influence of the cooling plate, to complete a cooling treatment. Consequently, the substrate is cooled at high speed to achieve a reduced cooling time. Where predetermined process modules are used, processing efficiency is improved with a reduced number of substrate cooling elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 4, 1996
    Assignee: Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Minobu Matsunaga, Masao Tsuji
  • Patent number: 5411076
    Abstract: A treating chamber includes a cooling plate assembly for supporting and cooling a substrate and an auxiliary cooling plate disposed on or adjacent a ceiling of the treating chamber. The auxiliary cooling plate reduces an atmospheric temperature in a space above the substrate supported on the cooling plate assembly to a target temperature to which the substrate is to be cooled by the cooling plate assembly. Consequently, the substrate having undergone a high temperature treatment is cooled quickly to the target temperature, and improved uniformity of temperature distribution is secured over a substrate surface after the cooling step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 2, 1995
    Assignee: Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd. Corp. of Japan
    Inventors: Minobu Matsunaga, Yasuhiro Mizohata