Patents by Inventor Naohiko YOSHIHARA
Naohiko YOSHIHARA 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).
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Publication number: 20230307258Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a first tank, a path including a first path, a first heater, a hydrogen peroxide supply path, and a controller. The first path allows sulfuric acid to be supplied therethrough from the first tank to a nozzle. The first heater heats a heating region of the first path. The controller controls ejecting sulfuric acid heated by the first heater and a hydrogen peroxide solution from the nozzle onto a substrate, the sulfuric acid and the hydrogen peroxide solution on the substrate having been mixed, and then ejecting sulfuric acid having a temperature lower than a temperature of the sulfuric acid heated by the first heater and the hydrogen peroxide solution from the nozzle onto the substrate, the sulfuric acid and the hydrogen peroxide solution on the substrate having been mixed.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 20, 2023Publication date: September 28, 2023Inventors: Katsuei HIGASHI, Toru ENDO, Yusuke TAKEMATSU, Keisuke TAKAGI, Naohiko YOSHIHARA
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Patent number: 11676834Abstract: In substrate processing, by supplying a first processing liquid onto an upper surface 91 of a substrate 9 held in a horizontal state, a liquid film 81 of the first processing liquid which entirely covers the upper surface 91 is formed. Further, by heating the substrate 9, a vapor layer 82 of the first processing liquid is formed between the upper surface 91 and the liquid film 81 of the first processing liquid on the upper surface 91. Then, by supplying a second processing liquid onto the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9, the liquid film 81 of the first processing liquid is removed from the upper surface 91. It is thereby possible to appropriately remove extraneous matters 89 from the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9, which are taken in the liquid film 81 of the first processing liquid as the vapor layer 82 is formed.Type: GrantFiled: December 27, 2019Date of Patent: June 13, 2023Inventors: Manabu Okutani, Tsutomu Osuka, Katsuei Higashi, Hiroshi Abe, Naohiko Yoshihara
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Patent number: 11465167Abstract: A substrate treatment apparatus includes: a substrate holding unit; a rotator for rotating the substrate holding unit; a first liquid nozzle for supplying a rinsing liquid; a second liquid nozzle for supplying a low surface tension liquid; a heater; a lifting mechanism for relatively moving up and down the heater between a contact position allowing the heater to be brought into contact with the lower surface of the substrate and a separation position allowing the heater to be separated from the substrate; a gas nozzle provided in an upper surface of the heater to suck the substrate; a suction pump for sucking an atmosphere above the heater through the gas nozzle; a gas supply source for supplying an inert gas toward above the heater through the gas nozzle; and a controller for selectively performing suction of the atmosphere or supply of the inert gas, through the gas nozzle.Type: GrantFiled: September 8, 2020Date of Patent: October 11, 2022Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.Inventors: Hiroshi Abe, Manabu Okutani, Takashi Ota, Naohiko Yoshihara
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Patent number: 11152204Abstract: A substrate processing method includes an intermediate processing step of processing the pattern forming surface by the intermediate processing liquid after a chemical liquid processing step, a filler discharging step of discharging a filler after the intermediate processing step, a filler spreading step of spreading the filler, a solidified film forming step of solidifying the filler, a lower position disposing step of making a blocking member be disposed at a lower position prior to start of the chemical liquid processing step, and a blocking member elevating step of starting elevation of the blocking member toward an upper position in a state where the pattern forming surface is covered with the intermediate processing liquid. The chemical liquid is discharged from a central nozzle. Spreading of the filler is started in a state where the blocking member is positioned at the upper position.Type: GrantFiled: May 29, 2020Date of Patent: October 19, 2021Inventors: Hitoshi Nakai, Tsutomu Osuka, Naohiko Yoshihara, Yasunori Kanematsu, Manabu Okutani, Kenji Amahisa, Masayuki Hayashi
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Patent number: 11139180Abstract: In parallel with a substrate heating step, a liquid surface sensor is used to monitor the raising of an IPA liquid film. An organic solvent removing step is started in response to the raising of the IPA liquid film over the upper surface of the substrate. At the end of the organic solvent removing step, a visual sensor is used to determine whether or not IPA droplets remain on the upper surface of the substrate.Type: GrantFiled: October 3, 2019Date of Patent: October 5, 2021Inventors: Naohiko Yoshihara, Kenji Kobayashi, Manabu Okutani
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Patent number: 10964526Abstract: A substrate processing method includes forming a liquid film of a processing liquid covering an entire upper surface of a horizontally-held substrate; heating the substrate to make the processing liquid of the substrate evaporate to form a gas phase layer between the upper surface of the substrate and the processing liquid and maintain the liquid film on the gas phase layer; blowing a gas at a first flow rate onto the liquid film on the substrate to partially remove the processing liquid to open a hole in the liquid film; heating the substrate to spread the hole to an outer periphery of the substrate and move the liquid film on the gas phase layer to remove the processing liquid, constituting the liquid film, off the substrate; and blowing a gas at a second flow rate greater than the first flow rate onto a region of the upper surface of the substrate within the hole after the hole opening step to spread the hole to the outer periphery of the substrate and move the liquid film on the gas phase layer to removeType: GrantFiled: February 12, 2019Date of Patent: March 30, 2021Inventors: Manabu Okutani, Kenji Kobayashi, Naohiko Yoshihara
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Patent number: 10921057Abstract: A substrate drying method includes a sublimation-agent-liquid-film placing step of placing a liquid film of a liquid sublimation agent on the front surface of the substrate, a high vapor-pressure liquid supply step of supplying a high vapor-pressure liquid that has vapor pressure higher than the sublimation agent and that does not include water to a rear surface that is a surface on a side opposite to the front surface in the substrate, a vaporizing/cooling step of, after the liquid film of the sublimation agent is placed on the front surface of the substrate, stopping supplying the high vapor-pressure liquid, and, as a result, losing vaporization heat in response to vaporization of the high vapor-pressure liquid, and, as a result, cooling the sublimation agent, and, as a result, solidifying the liquid film of the sublimation agent and a sublimating step of sublimating a sublimation-agent film.Type: GrantFiled: July 25, 2018Date of Patent: February 16, 2021Inventors: Manabu Okutani, Noriyuki Kikumoto, Naohiko Yoshihara, Hiroshi Abe
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Publication number: 20200398302Abstract: A substrate treatment apparatus includes: a substrate holding unit; a rotator for rotating the substrate holding unit; a first liquid nozzle for supplying a rinsing liquid; a second liquid nozzle for supplying a low surface tension liquid; a heater; a lifting mechanism for relatively moving up and down the heater between a contact position allowing the heater to be brought into contact with the lower surface of the substrate and a separation position allowing the heater to be separated from the substrate; a gas nozzle provided in an upper surface of the heater to suck the substrate; a suction pump for sucking an atmosphere above the heater through the gas nozzle; a gas supply source for supplying an inert gas toward above the heater through the gas nozzle; and a controller for selectively performing suction of the atmosphere or supply of the inert gas, through the gas nozzle.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 8, 2020Publication date: December 24, 2020Inventors: Hiroshi ABE, Manabu OKUTANI, Takashi OTA, Naohiko YOSHIHARA
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Publication number: 20200381246Abstract: A substrate processing method includes an intermediate processing step of processing the pattern forming surface by the intermediate processing liquid after a chemical liquid processing step, a filler discharging step of discharging a filler after the intermediate processing step, a filler spreading step of spreading the filler, a solidified film forming step of solidifying the filler, a lower position disposing step of making a blocking member be disposed at a lower position prior to start of the chemical liquid processing step, and a blocking member elevating step of starting elevation of the blocking member toward an upper position in a state where the pattern forming surface is covered with the intermediate processing liquid. The chemical liquid is discharged from a central nozzle. Spreading of the filler is started in a state where the blocking member is positioned at the upper position.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 29, 2020Publication date: December 3, 2020Inventors: Hitoshi NAKAI, Tsutomu OSUKA, Naohiko YOSHIHARA, Yasunori KANEMATSU, Manabu OKUTANI, Kenji AMAHISA, Masayuki HAYASHI
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Patent number: 10825713Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate heating unit arranged to heat the underside of a substrate while supporting the substrate thereon and an attitude changing unit arranged to cause the substrate heating unit to undergo an attitude change between a horizontal attitude and a tilted attitude. In an organic solvent removing step to be performed following a substrate heating step of heating the substrate, the substrate heating unit undergoes an attitude change to the tilted attitude so that the upper surface of the substrate becomes tilted with respect to the horizontal surface.Type: GrantFiled: July 6, 2017Date of Patent: November 3, 2020Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.Inventors: Naohiko Yoshihara, Kenji Kobayashi, Manabu Okutani
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Patent number: 10760852Abstract: A substrate drying method for drying a front surface of a substrate having a pattern includes a sublimation-agent-liquid-film placing step of placing a liquid film of a liquid sublimation-agent on the front surface of the substrate, a high vapor-pressure liquid placing step of placing a liquid film of a high vapor-pressure liquid that has vapor pressure higher than the sublimation agent and that does not include water on the liquid film of the sublimation-agent placed on the front surface of the substrate, a vaporizing/cooling step of losing vaporization heat in response to vaporization of the high vapor-pressure liquid, and, cooling the sublimation-agent, and, as a result, solidifying the liquid film of the sublimation-agent, and, forming a sublimation-agent film on the front surface of the substrate, and a sublimating step of sublimating the sublimation-agent film.Type: GrantFiled: July 27, 2018Date of Patent: September 1, 2020Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.Inventors: Manabu Okutani, Noriyuki Kikumoto, Naohiko Yoshihara, Hiroshi Abe
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Publication number: 20200243350Abstract: In substrate processing, by supplying a first processing liquid onto an upper surface 91 of a substrate 9 held in a horizontal state, a liquid film 81 of the first processing liquid which entirely covers the upper surface 91 is formed. Further, by heating the substrate 9, a vapor layer 82 of the first processing liquid is formed between the upper surface 91 and the liquid film 81 of the first processing liquid on the upper surface 91. Then, by supplying a second processing liquid onto the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9, the liquid film 81 of the first processing liquid is removed from the upper surface 91. It is thereby possible to appropriately remove extraneous matters 89 from the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9, which are taken in the liquid film 81 of the first processing liquid as the vapor layer 82 is formed.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 27, 2019Publication date: July 30, 2020Inventors: Manabu OKUTANI, Tsutomu OSUKA, Katsuei HIGASHI, Hiroshi ABE, Naohiko YOSHIHARA
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Patent number: 10695792Abstract: A processing liquid is supplied to an upper surface of a horizontally-held substrate to form a liquid film of the processing liquid that covers an entirety of the substrate upper surface. The substrate is heated to evaporate the processing liquid in contact with the upper surface of the substrate to form a gas phase layer between the upper surface of the substrate and the liquid film of the processing liquid. After the gas phase layer has been formed, a gas is blown onto the liquid film above the substrate to open a hole in the liquid film. The gas is blown onto a region inside the hole in the liquid film to move the liquid film on the gas phase layer. A direction of a gas stream at a substrate outer peripheral portion is changed to remove the liquid film at the substrate outer peripheral portion.Type: GrantFiled: March 28, 2017Date of Patent: June 30, 2020Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.Inventors: Manabu Okutani, Takashi Ota, Hiroshi Abe, Naohiko Yoshihara
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Publication number: 20200035514Abstract: In parallel with a substrate heating step, a liquid surface sensor is used to monitor the raising of an IPA liquid film. An organic solvent removing step is started in response to the raising of the IPA liquid film over the upper surface of the substrate. At the end of the organic solvent removing step, a visual sensor is used to determine whether or not IPA droplets remain on the upper surface of the substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 3, 2019Publication date: January 30, 2020Inventors: Naohiko YOSHIHARA, Kenji KOBAYASHI, Manabu OKUTANI
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Patent number: 10527348Abstract: A substrate processing method includes a substrate holding step of horizontally holding a substrate, a substrate rotating step of rotating the substrate held horizontally around a rotational axis along a vertical direction, a liquid-film forming step of forming a liquid film of a first organic solvent that is used to process an upper surface of the substrate on the upper surface of the substrate by supplying the first organic solvent to the upper surface of the substrate held horizontally, a vapor supplying step of supplying a vapor of a second organic solvent to a space between a facing surface of a heater unit that has the facing surface facing a lower surface of the substrate held horizontally and the lower surface of the substrate, a substrate heating step of heating the substrate being in a rotational state by means of the vapor of the second organic solvent in parallel with the substrate rotating step and the liquid-film forming step, and a substrate drying step of, after the substrate heating step, excType: GrantFiled: September 7, 2017Date of Patent: January 7, 2020Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.Inventors: Naohiko Yoshihara, Manabu Okutani, Takashi Ota, Hiroshi Abe
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Patent number: 10475670Abstract: In parallel with a substrate heating step, a liquid surface sensor is used to monitor the raising of an IPA liquid film. An organic solvent removing step is started in response to the raising of the IPA liquid film over the upper surface of the substrate. At the end of the organic solvent removing step, a visual sensor is used to determine whether or not IPA droplets remain on the upper surface of the substrate.Type: GrantFiled: June 28, 2018Date of Patent: November 12, 2019Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.Inventors: Naohiko Yoshihara, Kenji Kobayashi, Manabu Okutani
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Publication number: 20190172703Abstract: A substrate processing method includes forming a liquid film of a processing liquid covering an entire upper surface of a horizontally-held substrate; heating the substrate to make the processing liquid of the substrate evaporate to form a gas phase layer between the upper surface of the substrate and the processing liquid and maintain the liquid film on the gas phase layer; blowing a gas at a first flow rate onto the liquid film on the substrate to partially remove the processing liquid to open a hole in the liquid film; heating the substrate to spread the hole to an outer periphery of the substrate and move the liquid film on the gas phase layer to remove the processing liquid, constituting the liquid film, off the substrate; and blowing a gas at a second flow rate greater than the first flow rate onto a region of the upper surface of the substrate within the hole after the hole opening step to spread the hole to the outer periphery of the substrate and move the liquid film on the gas phase layer to removeType: ApplicationFiled: February 12, 2019Publication date: June 6, 2019Inventors: Manabu OKUTANI, Kenji KOBAYASHI, Naohiko YOSHIHARA
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Patent number: 10249487Abstract: A substrate processing method includes a substrate holding step of holding a substrate in a horizontal orientation by means of a substrate holding unit, a liquid film forming step of supplying a processing liquid to an upper surface of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit to form a liquid film, an upper surface covering step of discharging, above the substrate held by the substrate holding unit, an inert gas radially and parallel to the upper surface of the substrate from a center toward a peripheral edge of the substrate to form an inert gas stream flowing parallel to the upper surface of the substrate and covering the upper surface of the substrate, and a liquid film removing step of discharging an inert gas toward the upper surface of the substrate to remove the liquid film, formed by the liquid film forming step, from the upper surface of the substrate.Type: GrantFiled: January 22, 2016Date of Patent: April 2, 2019Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.Inventors: Manabu Okutani, Kenji Kobayashi, Naohiko Yoshihara
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Publication number: 20190063833Abstract: A substrate drying method includes a sublimation-agent-liquid-film placing step of placing a liquid film of a liquid sublimation agent on the front surface of the substrate, a high vapor-pressure liquid supply step of supplying a high vapor-pressure liquid that has vapor pressure higher than the sublimation agent and that does not include water to a rear surface that is a surface on a side opposite to the front surface in the substrate, a vaporizing/cooling step of, after the liquid film of the sublimation agent is placed on the front surface of the substrate, stopping supplying the high vapor-pressure liquid, and, as a result, losing vaporization heat in response to vaporization of the high vapor-pressure liquid, and, as a result, cooling the sublimation agent, and, as a result, solidifying the liquid film of the sublimation agent and a sublimating step of sublimating a sublimation-agent film.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 25, 2018Publication date: February 28, 2019Inventors: Manabu OKUTANI, Noriyuki KIKUMOTO, Naohiko YOSHIHARA, Hiroshi ABE
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Publication number: 20190063834Abstract: A substrate drying method for drying a front surface of a substrate having a pattern includes a sublimation-agent-liquid-film placing step of placing a liquid film of a liquid sublimation-agent on the front surface of the substrate, a high vapor-pressure liquid placing step of placing a liquid film of a high vapor-pressure liquid that has vapor pressure higher than the sublimation agent and that does not include water on the liquid film of the sublimation-agent placed on the front surface of the substrate, a vaporizing/cooling step of losing vaporization heat in response to vaporization of the high vapor-pressure liquid, and, cooling the sublimation-agent, and, as a result, solidifying the liquid film of the sublimation-agent, and, forming a sublimation-agent film on the front surface of the substrate, and a sublimating step of sublimating the sublimation-agent film.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 27, 2018Publication date: February 28, 2019Inventors: Manabu OKUTANI, Noriyuki KIKUMOTO, Naohiko YOSHIHARA, Hiroshi ABE