Patents by Inventor Naoya Hirakawa
Naoya Hirakawa 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: 7534467Abstract: The invention includes a hermetic container provided with a substrate mount; a vacuum exhauster connected to the hermetic container; a current member; and a current member raising and lowering mechanism. When the current member is raised and lowered as a function of the pressure inside the hermetic container, a liquid flow of the coating solution on the substrate is controlled, thereby controlling the uniformity of the film thickness of the coating solution.Type: GrantFiled: September 2, 2004Date of Patent: May 19, 2009Assignee: Tokyo Electron LimitedInventors: Takahiro Kitano, Manabu Hama, Shinichi Sugimoto, Naoya Hirakawa
-
Patent number: 7179504Abstract: The present invention relates to a processing method for processing a substrate, and comprises a step of coating a coating solution on a surface of the substrate while relatively moving a coating solution discharge nozzle and the substrate and discharging the coating solution from the nozzle onto the substrate. Thereafter, the substrate is exposed to a solvent atmosphere of the coating solution or the pressure is temporarily applied thereto in a container. Thereafter, the pressure inside the container in which the substrate is housed is reduced to dry the coating solution on the substrate. According to the present invention, it is possible to narrow the so-called edge cutting width, which is at a periphery part of the substrate and is not commercialized, and to maintain an in-plane uniformity of the coating film.Type: GrantFiled: October 15, 2004Date of Patent: February 20, 2007Assignee: Tokyo Electron limitedInventors: Takahiro Kitano, Shinichi Sugimoto, Shinji Kobayashi, Naoya Hirakawa, Akira Fukutomi, Nobukazu Ishizaka
-
Publication number: 20050100679Abstract: The present invention relates to a processing method for processing a substrate, and comprises a step of coating a coating solution on a surface of the substrate while relatively moving a coating solution discharge nozzle and the substrate and discharging the coating solution from the nozzle onto the substrate. Thereafter, the substrate is exposed to a solvent atmosphere of the coating solution or the pressure is temporarily applied thereto in a container. Thereafter, the pressure inside the container in which the substrate is housed is reduced to dry the coating solution on the substrate. According to the present invention, it is possible to narrow the so-called edge cutting width, which is at a periphery part of the substrate and is not commercialized, and to maintain an in-plane uniformity of the coating film.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 15, 2004Publication date: May 12, 2005Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITEDInventors: Takahiro Kitano, Shinichi Sugimoto, Shinji Kobayashi, Naoya Hirakawa, Akira Fukutomi, Nobukazu Ishizaka
-
Publication number: 20050087129Abstract: The invention includes a hermetic container provided with a substrate mount; a vacuum exhauster connected to the hermetic container; a current member; and a current member raising and lowering mechanism. When the current member is raised and lowered as a function of the pressure inside the hermetic container, a liquid flow of the coating solution on the substrate is controlled, thereby controlling the uniformity of the film thickness of the coating solution.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 2, 2004Publication date: April 28, 2005Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITEDInventors: Takahiro Kitano, Manabu Hama, Shinichi Sugimoto, Naoya Hirakawa
-
Patent number: 6824616Abstract: The present invention relates to a processing method for processing a substrate, and comprises a step of coating a coating solution on a surface of the substrate while relatively moving a coating solution discharge nozzle and the substrate and discharging the coating solution from the nozzle onto the substrate. Thereafter, the substrate is exposed to a solvent atmosphere of the coating solution or the pressure is temporarily applied thereto in a container. Thereafter, the pressure inside the container in which the substrate is housed is reduced to dry the coating solution on the substrate. According to the present invention, it is possible to narrow the so-called edge cutting width, which is at a periphery part of the substrate and is not commercialized, and to maintain an in-plane uniformity of the coating film.Type: GrantFiled: April 15, 2002Date of Patent: November 30, 2004Assignee: Tokyo Electron LimitedInventors: Takahiro Kitano, Shinichi Sugimoto, Shinji Kobayashi, Naoya Hirakawa, Akira Fukutomi, Nobukazu Ishizaka
-
Patent number: 6808566Abstract: The invention includes a hermetic container provided with a substrate mount; a vacuum exhauster connected to the hermetic container; a current member; and a current member raising and lowering mechanism. When the current member is raised and lowered as a function of the pressure inside the hermetic container, a liquid flow of the coating solution on the substrate is controlled, thereby controlling the uniformity of the film thickness of the coating solution.Type: GrantFiled: August 14, 2002Date of Patent: October 26, 2004Assignee: Tokyo Electron LimitedInventors: Takahiro Kitano, Manabu Hama, Shinichi Sugimoto, Naoya Hirakawa
-
Patent number: 6773510Abstract: The present invention relates to a processing unit for processing a substrate, which comprises a chamber for housing the substrate and forming a hermetically closeable processing room, and an exhauster for exhausting an atmosphere in the processing room from an upper portion of the chamber to reduce a pressure in the processing room. The processing unit of the present invention includes a current plate for controlling an atmospheric current formed in the processing room when the pressure is reduced, and the chamber has a mounting table for mounting the substrate thereon, an almost cylindrical lid body with its lower face open for covering the substrate on the mounting plate from above and forming the processing room integrally with the mounting table, and a supporting member for supporting the current plate so that the current plate is parallel to the mounting plate.Type: GrantFiled: April 16, 2002Date of Patent: August 10, 2004Assignee: Tokyo Electron LimitedInventors: Takahiro Kitano, Shinichi Sugimoto, Shinji Kobayashi, Naoya Hirakawa, Akira Fukutomi, Nobukazu Ishizaka
-
Publication number: 20030054668Abstract: The present invention includes a hermetic container provided therein with a mount for mounting thereon a substrate coated with a coating solution made by mixing a component of a coating film and a solvent; a vacuum exhauster connected to the hermetic container through an exhaust passage for reducing a pressure in the hermetic container to vaporize the solvent from the coating solution on the substrate; a current member provided to face a front face of the substrate mounted on the mount; and a current member raising and lowering mechanism for raising and lowering the current member. When the current member is raised and lowered to change in height position while the pressure inside the hermetic container is reduced to vaporize the solvent from the coating solution on the substrate, a liquid flow of the coating solution on the substrate is controlled, thereby controlling the film thickness of a film of the coating solution.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 14, 2002Publication date: March 20, 2003Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITEDInventors: Takahiro Kitano, Manabu Hama, Shinichi Sugimoto, Naoya Hirakawa
-
Publication number: 20020150691Abstract: The present invention relates to a processing method for processing a substrate, and comprises a step of coating a coating solution on a surface of the substrate while relatively moving a coating solution discharge nozzle and the substrate and discharging the coating solution from the nozzle onto the substrate. Thereafter, the substrate is exposed to a solvent atmosphere of the coating solution or the pressure is temporarily applied thereto in a container. Thereafter, the pressure inside the container in which the substrate is housed is reduced to dry the coating solution on the substrate. According to the present invention, it is possible to narrow the so-called edge cutting width, which is at a periphery part of the substrate and is not commercialized, and to maintain an in-plane uniformity of the coating film.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 15, 2002Publication date: October 17, 2002Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITEDInventors: Takahiro Kitano, Shinichi Sugimoto, Shinji Kobayashi, Naoya Hirakawa, Akira Fukutomi, Nobukazu Ishizaka
-
Publication number: 20020148566Abstract: The present invention relates to a processing unit for processing a substrate, which comprises a chamber for housing the substrate and forming a hermetically closeable processing room, and an exhauster for exhausting an atmosphere in the processing room from an upper portion of the chamber to reduce a pressure in the processing room. The processing unit of the present invention includes a current plate for controlling an atmospheric current formed in the processing room when the pressure is reduced, and the chamber has a mounting table for mounting the substrate thereon, an almost cylindrical lid body with its lower face open for covering the substrate on the mounting plate from above and forming the processing room integrally with the mounting table, and a supporting member for supporting the current plate so that the current plate is parallel to the mounting plate.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 16, 2002Publication date: October 17, 2002Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITEDInventors: Takahiro Kitano, Shinichi Sugimoto, Shinji Kobayashi, Naoya Hirakawa, Akira Fukutomi, Nobukazu Ishizaka