Patents by Inventor Yasuo Kiyohara

Yasuo Kiyohara 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: 11735439
    Abstract: A processing fluid supplying method includes: supplying a processing fluid of a gaseous state to a circulation line; generating a processing fluid of a liquid state by cooling the processing fluid of the gaseous state in the circulation line; branching the processing fluid of the liquid state from the circulation line to a branch line; and generating a processing fluid of a supercritical state by heating the processing fluid of the liquid state in the circulation line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Yasuo Kiyohara, Hiroaki Inadomi, Satoshi Okamura
  • Publication number: 20230260807
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes: a processing container including an internal space where a supercritical drying process is performed on a substrate having a surface to which a liquid is attached, by using a processing fluid in a supercritical state; a housing including a processing region where the processing container is disposed, and a carry-in/out region where carry-in/out of the substrate is performed; a delivery section that is provided in the carry-in/out region to deliver the substrate to/from a substrate transfer arm entering the carry-in/out region from an outside of the housing; a substrate transfer section that transfers the substrate between the delivery section and the processing container; and a gas supply provided in the carry-in/out region to supply a dry gas to the processing container.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2023
    Publication date: August 17, 2023
    Inventor: Yasuo KIYOHARA
  • Publication number: 20230028053
    Abstract: A processing fluid supplying method includes: supplying a processing fluid of a gaseous state to a circulation line; generating a processing fluid of a liquid state by cooling the processing fluid of the gaseous state in the circulation line; branching the processing fluid of the liquid state from the circulation line to a branch line; and generating a processing fluid of a supercritical state by heating the processing fluid of the liquid state in the circulation line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2022
    Publication date: January 26, 2023
    Inventors: Yasuo KIYOHARA, Hiroaki INADOMI, Satoshi OKAMURA
  • Patent number: 11482427
    Abstract: A substrate processing system includes: a substrate processing apparatus configured to process a substrate with a processing fluid; and a processing fluid supply apparatus configured to supply the processing fluid to the substrate processing apparatus. The processing fluid supply apparatus includes: a circulation line, a gas supply line, a cooler, a pump, a branch line, a heating unit, and a pressure regulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Yasuo Kiyohara, Hiroaki Inadomi, Satoshi Okamura
  • Patent number: 10796897
    Abstract: A supercritical fluid producing apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a gas supply line, a cooler, a pump, a buffer tank, a heating device, and a supercritical fluid supply line. An inlet port into which a processing fluid from the pump flows is formed at a predetermined position on the buffer tank, and an outlet port through which the processing fluid flows out is formed at a different position from the inlet port. The buffer tank includes a buffer tank body that stores the processing fluid from the pump, and a heater that heats the processing fluid sent into the buffer tank body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventor: Yasuo Kiyohara
  • Publication number: 20200098594
    Abstract: A substrate processing system includes: a substrate processing apparatus configured to process a substrate with a processing fluid; and a processing fluid supply apparatus configured to supply the processing fluid to the substrate processing apparatus. The processing fluid supply apparatus includes: a circulation line, a gas supply line, a cooler, a pump, a branch line, a heating unit, and a pressure regulator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2019
    Publication date: March 26, 2020
    Inventors: Yasuo Kiyohara, Hiroaki Inadomi, Satoshi Okamura
  • Patent number: 10593571
    Abstract: Provided is a substrate processing apparatus including a liquid processing unit that performs a liquid processing on a substrate; a drying processing unit that performs a drying processing on the substrate in a wet state; a first conveyance unit that conveys the substrate to the liquid processing unit; a second conveyance unit that conveys the substrate in the wet state from the liquid processing unit to the drying processing unit; and a third conveyance unit that conveys the substrate before the liquid processing in the liquid processing unit and to convey the substrate after the drying processing from the drying processing unit. The first and second conveyance units and the drying processing unit are disposed on a side that faces the third conveyance unit, and the liquid processing unit is disposed on a side that faces the first and second conveyance units and is opposite to the third conveyance unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Hiroaki Inadomi, Tooru Nakamura, Kouji Kimoto, Yasuo Kiyohara, Satoshi Okamura, Satoshi Biwa, Nobuya Yamamoto, Katsuhiro Ookawa, Keiichi Yahata, Tetsuro Nakahara
  • Patent number: 10067514
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a mixing tank, a first opening/closing valve, a second opening/closing valve, a first flow rate measuring unit, a second flow rate measuring unit, a control unit, and a substrate processing unit. A first liquid and a second liquid are mixed such that the second liquid is mixed in an amount more than that of the first liquid. The first and second opening/closing valves open/close a first flow path and a second flow path, respectively. The first and second flow rate measuring units measure flow rates of the first and second liquids flowing through the first and second flow paths, respectively. The control unit controls opening/closing of the first opening/closing valve and the second opening/closing valve. The substrate processing unit processes a substrate by supplying a mixed liquid of the first and second liquids to the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Yasuo Kiyohara, Ikuo Sunaka, Koji Tanaka, Takami Satoh, Kazuyoshi Mizumoto, Takashi Uno, Hirotaka Maruyama, Hidetomo Uemukai, Tomiyasu Maezono
  • Publication number: 20180158676
    Abstract: A supercritical fluid producing apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a gas supply line, a cooler, a pump, a buffer tank, a heating device, and a supercritical fluid supply line. An inlet port into which a processing fluid from the pump flows is formed at a predetermined position on the buffer tank, and an outlet port through which the processing fluid flows out is formed at a different position from the inlet port. The buffer tank includes a buffer tank body that stores the processing fluid from the pump, and a heater that heats the processing fluid sent into the buffer tank body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2017
    Publication date: June 7, 2018
    Inventor: Yasuo Kiyohara
  • Publication number: 20180096863
    Abstract: Disclosed is a substrate liquid processing method including: a first processing step of discharging a fluid in the processing container until an inside of the processing container reaches a first discharge ultimate pressure at which the processing fluid in the supercritical state is not vaporized, and then supplying the processing fluid into the processing container until the inside of the processing container reaches a first supply ultimate pressure at which vaporization of the processing fluid does not occur; and a second processing step of discharging a fluid in the processing container until the inside of the processing container reaches a second discharge ultimate pressure at which the processing fluid in the supercritical state is not vaporized, and then supplying the processing fluid into the processing container until the inside of the processing container reaches a second supply ultimate pressure at which vaporization of the processing fluid does not occur.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2017
    Publication date: April 5, 2018
    Inventors: Gentaro GOSHI, Hiromi KIYOSE, Yasuo KIYOHARA
  • Publication number: 20170287742
    Abstract: Provided is a substrate processing apparatus including a liquid processing unit that performs a liquid processing on a substrate; a drying processing unit that performs a drying processing on the substrate in a wet state; a first conveyance unit that conveys the substrate to the liquid processing unit; a second conveyance unit that conveys the substrate in the wet state from the liquid processing unit to the drying processing unit; and a third conveyance unit that conveys the substrate before the liquid processing in the liquid processing unit and to convey the substrate after the drying processing from the drying processing unit. The first and second conveyance units and the drying processing unit are disposed on a side that faces the third conveyance unit, and the liquid processing unit is disposed on a side that faces the first and second conveyance units and is opposite to the third conveyance unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2017
    Publication date: October 5, 2017
    Inventors: Hiroaki Inadomi, Tooru Nakamura, Kouji Kimoto, Yasuo Kiyohara, Satoshi Okamura, Satoshi Biwa, Nobuya Yamamoto, Katsuhiro Ookawa, Keiichi Yahata, Tetsuro Nakahara
  • Publication number: 20150146498
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a mixing tank, a first opening/closing valve, a second opening/closing valve, a first flow rate measuring unit, a second flow rate measuring unit, a control unit, and a substrate processing unit. A first liquid and a second liquid are mixed such that the second liquid is mixed in an amount more than that of the first liquid. The first and second opening/closing valves open/close a first flow path and a second flow path, respectively. The first and second flow rate measuring units measure flow rates of the first and second liquids flowing through the first and second flow paths, respectively. The control unit controls opening/closing of the first opening/closing valve and the second opening/closing valve. The substrate processing unit processes a substrate by supplying a mixed liquid of the first and second liquids to the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2014
    Publication date: May 28, 2015
    Inventors: Yasuo Kiyohara, Ikuo Sunaka, Koji Tanaka, Takami Satoh, Kazuyoshi Mizumoto, Takashi Uno, Hirotaka Maruyama, Hidetomo Uemukai, Tomiyasu Maezono