Patents by Inventor Nobutaka Fukunaga

Nobutaka Fukunaga 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: 20220402087
    Abstract: A substrate processing method of grinding a first substrate in a combined substrate in which the first substrate and a second substrate are bonded to each other includes measuring a total thickness distribution of the combined substrate; measuring a thickness distribution of the first substrate; calculating a thickness distribution of the second substrate by subtracting the thickness distribution of the first substrate from the total thickness distribution of the combined substrate; deciding a relative inclination between a substrate holder configured to hold the combined substrate and a grinder configured to grind the combined substrate, based on the thickness distribution of the second substrate; and grinding the first substrate while holding the combined substrate at the inclination which is decided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2020
    Publication date: December 22, 2022
    Inventors: Nobutaka FUKUNAGA, Tomohiro KANEKO, Takeshi MATSUMOTO
  • Publication number: 20220402094
    Abstract: A substrate processing method includes measuring a first thickness distribution of a first substrate in a first one of multiple combined substrates before being subjected to a finishing grinding; measuring a second thickness distribution of the first substrate in a second one of the multiple combined substrates before being subjected to the finishing grinding; deciding a relative inclination between a substrate holder configured to hold the second one of the multiple combined substrates and a grinder configured to perform the finishing grinding on the corresponding combined substrate, based on first difference data between the first thickness distribution and the second thickness distribution; and performing finishing grinding on the first substrate in the second one of the multiple combined substrates while holding the second one of the multiple combined substrates at the inclination which is decided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2020
    Publication date: December 22, 2022
    Inventors: Nobutaka FUKUNAGA, Takeshi MATSUMOTO, Tomohiro KANEKO
  • Publication number: 20220080551
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a rotary table configured to move each of multiple substrate chucks to, in sequence, a carry-in position where a carry-in of a substrate is performed, a processing position where thinning of the substrate is performed, and a carry-out position where a carry-out of the substrate is performed; a tilt angle adjusting device configured to adjust a tilt angle of the substrate chuck with respect to the rotary table at the processing position; and a tilt angle controller configured to control the tilt angle adjusting device based on a measurement result of a plate thickness measuring device. The plate thickness measuring device measures a plate thickness of the substrate at the carry-out position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2019
    Publication date: March 17, 2022
    Inventors: Nobutaka FUKUNAGA, Masakazu YARIMITSU, Katsuhisa FUJII, Hidejiro RYU
  • Publication number: 20210362290
    Abstract: A processing apparatus includes a holder configured to hold a substrate; a grinding device configured to perform a grinding on a processing surface of the substrate held on the holder; a transfer device configured to transfer the substrate to the holder; and a controller configured to control the holder, the grinding device and the transfer device. The controller controls the holder, the grinding device and the transfer device to perform performing initialization of the holder, initialization of the grinding device and initialization of the transfer device after the processing apparatus is stopped during an operation thereof and the processing apparatus is restarted; detecting the substrate on the holder; deciding whether the grinding on the detected substrate by the grinding device is required; and performing, by the grinding device, the grinding on the processing surface of the substrate on which the grinding is decided to be required.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2019
    Publication date: November 25, 2021
    Inventors: Tomohiro KANEKO, Takeshi MATSUMOTO, Nobutaka FUKUNAGA, Masakazu YARIMITSU, Hidejiro RYU
  • Patent number: 10527948
    Abstract: An illuminance distribution response amount as the change amount of the illuminance distribution pattern, associating the position in the irradiation region in the lengthwise direction with the change amount of the illuminance with respect to the change in the drive current, has previously been acquired and stored in a storage unit for each light-emitting block. There is provided an arithmetic processing unit that determines (estimates) a current command value of each of the light-emitting blocks based on a present current command value of each of the light-emitting blocks and the change amount of the illuminance distribution pattern of each light-emitting block in order to bring a present illuminance distribution pattern in the irradiation region in a lengthwise direction close to a target illuminance distribution pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Seiji Nagahara, Masaru Tomono, Nobutaka Fukunaga, Gousuke Shiraishi
  • Patent number: 10274843
    Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes: a stage on which a substrate is placed; a plurality of light irradiation units configured to emit light independently of each other, so as to form a strip-like irradiation area; a rotation mechanism configured to rotate the substrate relative to the irradiation area; a stage moving mechanism configured to move the stage relative to the irradiation area in a back and forth direction; and a control unit configured to make the exposure apparatus perform a first step that rotates the substrate relative to the irradiation area having a first illuminance distribution such that the whole surface of the substrate is exposed, and a second step that moves the substrate in the back and forth direction relative to the irradiation area having a second illuminance distribution while rotation of the substrate is being stopped, such that the whole surface of the substrate is exposed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Seiji Nagahara, Masaru Tomono, Nobutaka Fukunaga, Gousuke Shiraishi, Yukie Minekawa
  • Publication number: 20180173103
    Abstract: An illuminance distribution response amount as the change amount of the illuminance distribution pattern, associating the position in the irradiation region in the lengthwise direction with the change amount of the illuminance with respect to the change in the drive current, has previously been acquired and stored in a storage unit for each light-emitting block. There is provided an arithmetic processing unit that determines (estimates) a current command value of each of the light-emitting blocks based on a present current command value of each of the light-emitting blocks and the change amount of the illuminance distribution pattern of each light-emitting block in order to bring a present illuminance distribution pattern in the irradiation region in a lengthwise direction close to a target illuminance distribution pattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2017
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Seiji NAGAHARA, Masaru Tomono, Nobutaka Fukunaga, Gousuke Shiraishi
  • Publication number: 20180143540
    Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes: a stage on which a substrate is placed; a plurality of light irradiation units configured to emit light independently of each other to different positions in a right and left direction on a surface of the substrate, so as to form a strip-like irradiation area extending from one end of the surface of the substrate to the other end of the substrate; a rotation mechanism configured to rotate the substrate placed on the stage relative to the irradiation area; a stage moving mechanism configured to move the stage relative to the irradiation area in a back and forth direction; and a control unit configured to output control signals that make said exposure apparatus perform a first step that rotates the substrate relative to the irradiation area having a first illuminance distribution such that the whole surface of the substrate is exposed, and a second step that moves the substrate in the back and forth direction relative to the irradiation area having a second illuminance distributi
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2017
    Publication date: May 24, 2018
    Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Seiji NAGAHARA, Masaru TOMONO, Nobutaka FUKUNAGA, Gousuke SHIRAISHI, Yukie MINEKAWA
  • Patent number: 8774491
    Abstract: Provided is a substrate processing apparatus that includes: a peripheral exposing unit that performs a peripheral exposing process by irradiating light to a peripheral portion of a substrate while rotating the substrate held by a substrate holding unit using a rotation driving unit; a substrate inspecting unit that performs a substrate inspecting process based on a picked up image of the substrate while moving the substrate using a movement driving unit; and a control unit. The control unit controls the predetermined substrate processing to be stopped when the peripheral exposing process is included in the predetermined substrate processing and an error occurs in the peripheral exposing unit, and controls the substrate inspecting process to be skipped when no error occurs in both of the peripheral exposing unit and a transport unit, the substrate inspecting process is included in the predetermined substrate processing and an error occurs in the substrate inspecting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Shinichi Seki, Hiroshi Tomita, Nobutaka Fukunaga, Toshifumi Sohara
  • Publication number: 20120257813
    Abstract: Provided is a substrate processing apparatus that includes: a peripheral exposing unit that performs a peripheral exposing process by irradiating light to a peripheral portion of a substrate while rotating the substrate held by a substrate holding unit using a rotation driving unit; a substrate inspecting unit that performs a substrate inspecting process based on a picked up image of the substrate while moving the substrate using a movement driving unit; and a control unit. The control unit controls the predetermined substrate processing to be stopped when the peripheral exposing process is included in the predetermined substrate processing and an error occurs in the peripheral exposing unit, and controls the substrate inspecting process to be skipped when no error occurs in both of the peripheral exposing unit and a transport unit, the substrate inspecting process is included in the predetermined substrate processing and an error occurs in the substrate inspecting unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2012
    Publication date: October 11, 2012
    Inventors: Shinichi SEKI, Hiroshi Tomita, Nobutaka Fukunaga, Toshifumi Sohara