IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,727,423
Granted Patent B2
US 12,727,423 · App. 18/366,068 · Granted Sep 1, 2026

Substrate processing apparatus

Inventor: Shuhei Nemoto (Kyoto, JP)
Assignee: SCREEN HOLDINGS CO., LTD.
H10P72/0414B05C11/08B05C11/10B05C13/02H10P72/0462H10P72/7612H10P72/7624H10P72/7626
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,727,423
App. No.
18/366,068
Granted
Sep 1, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

In an substrate processing apparatus according to the present invention, a chamber is configured so as to cover an internal space with a bottom wall, side walls extending from the periphery of the bottom wall, and a ceiling wall covering the upper end of the side walls. A plurality of base support members stand vertically upward from the bottom wall, and the base member is supported by upper end portions of these base support members. A so-called raised floor structure is formed. Then, the substrate processing part is installed on the upper surface of the base member. By adopting such a layout using the raised floor structure, even if leakage of the processing liquid occurs and the processing liquid is pooled on the bottom wall of the chamber, it is possible to reliably prevent the processing liquid from coming into contact with the substrate processing part.

Claims (33)

1 . A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:

a chamber configured to surround an internal space by a bottom wall, a sidewall standing from a periphery of the bottom wall, and a ceiling wall covering an upper end part of the sidewall;

a substrate processing part configured to perform predetermined substrate processing on a substrate by supplying a chemical liquid as a processing liquid onto the substrate while rotating the substrate in a horizontal posture about an axis of rotation extending in a vertical direction;

a plurality of base support members standing vertically upward from the bottom wall;

a base member having rigidity higher than that of the bottom wall supported by upper end parts of the plurality of base support members, the base member having a mounting surface having the substrate processing part mounted thereon, and the base member being supported by the upper end parts of the plurality of base support members spaced from the bottom wall and oriented to have the mounting surface thereof facing away from the bottom wall;

a cup configured to collect liquid droplets of the processing liquid scattered from the substrate; and

an elevating mechanism having an elevation motor attached to an upper surface of the base member, the elevation motor configured to move a part of the cup up and down in a vertical direction by a rotational driving force generated by the elevation motor.

2 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the base member is a metal plate.

3 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein

the substrate processing part has:

a substrate holder attached to the base member with a lower end part thereof spaced from the bottom wall, the substrate holder being rotatable about an axis of rotation extending in a vertical direction while holding the substrate in a substantially horizontal orientation at an upper end part thereof;

a rotating mechanism having a motor and a power transmitter configured to transmit a rotational driving force generated by the motor to the lower end part of the substrate holder so as to rotate the substrate holder about the axis of rotation by the rotational driving force, the motor attached to the base member in a position spaced upward from the bottom wall; and

a nozzle configured to supply the processing liquid onto the substrate rotated about the axis of rotation while being held by an upper end part of the substrate holder.

4 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the bottom wall is formed of a resin material having a chemical resistance to the processing liquid.

5 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a collecting member disposed between the bottom wall and the base member in a vertical direction and configured to collect the processing liquid flowing down toward the bottom wall.

6 . The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cup has a lower cup and an upper cup being engageable with and disengageable from the lower cup, and the elevation motor is configured to vertically move the upper cup between a raised position where the upper cup is separated from the lower cup and a lowered position where the upper cup is coupled to the lower cup.

7 . A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:

a chamber configured to surround an internal space by a bottom wall, a sidewall standing from a periphery of the bottom wall, and a ceiling wall covering an upper end part of the sidewall;

a substrate processing part configured to perform predetermined substrate processing on a substrate by supplying a chemical liquid as a processing liquid onto the substrate while rotating the substrate in a horizontal posture about an axis of rotation extending in a vertical direction;

a plurality of base support members standing vertically upward from the bottom wall;

a base member having rigidity higher than that of the bottom wall supported by upper end parts of the plurality of base support members, the base member having a mounting surface having the substrate processing part mounted thereon, and the base member being supported by the upper end parts of the plurality of base support members spaced from the bottom wall and oriented to have the mounting surface thereof facing away from the bottom wall;

wherein

the base member is a metal plate,

the substrate processing part has:

a substrate holder attached to the base member with a lower end part thereof spaced from the bottom wall, the substrate holder being rotatable about an axis of rotation extending in a vertical direction while holding the substrate in a substantially horizontal orientation at an upper end part thereof;

a rotating mechanism having a motor and a power transmitter configured to transmit a rotational driving force generated by the motor to the lower end part of the substrate holder so as to rotate the substrate holder about the axis of rotation by the rotational driving force, the motor attached to the base member in a position spaced upward from the bottom wall; and

a nozzle configured to supply the processing liquid onto the substrate rotated about the axis of rotation while being held by an upper end part of the substrate holder; and

wherein

the base member has a first holding portion and a second holding portion, the first holding portion holding the motor while being hung from a lower surface of the base member with a rotation shaft of the motor facing toward the bottom wall, the second holding portion holding the substrate holder while being hung from the lower surface of the base member with a lower end part of the substrate holder facing toward the bottom wall, and

the power transmitter has a first pulley attached to a lower end part of the rotation shaft, a second pulley attached to the lower end part of the substrate holder, and an endless belt put over between the first pulley and the second pulley below the base member.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 7, 2023
From: NEMOTO, SHUHEI
To: SCREEN HOLDINGS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 064507/0655 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2022-134815 · Aug 26, 2022 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240066548A1 · Feb 29, 2024
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