IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,512,344
Granted Patent B2
US 12,512,344 · App. 18/115,238 · Granted Dec 30, 2025

Apparatus for transferring member to be disposed in substrate processing chamber, substrate processing system, and method for transferring member

Inventor: Wataru Matsumoto (Yamanashi, JP)
Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
H01L21/67201H01L21/67126H01L21/67167H01L21/6719
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,512,344
App. No.
18/115,238
Granted
Dec 30, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

There is an apparatus for transferring a member to be disposed in a substrate processing chamber between a substrate transfer chamber and the substrate processing chamber adjacent to each other, comprising: a valve body that is attached to and detached from an opening through which the substrate transfer chamber and the substrate processing chamber communicate and is configured to close the opening; a member holding part extending from the valve body into the substrate processing chamber when the opening is closed by the valve body, and configured to transfer the member to a preset arrangement position in the substrate processing chamber; and a moving mechanism configured to move the valve body separated from the opening in the substrate transfer chamber.

Claims (18)

1 . An apparatus for transferring a member to be disposed in a substrate processing chamber between a substrate transfer chamber and the substrate processing chamber adjacent to each other, comprising:

a valve body that is attached to and detached from an opening through which the substrate transfer chamber and the substrate processing chamber communicate and is configured to close the opening;

a member holding part extending from the valve body into the substrate processing chamber when the opening is closed by the valve body, and configured to transfer the member to a preset arrangement position in the substrate processing chamber; and

a moving mechanism configured to move the valve body separated from the opening in the substrate transfer chamber,

wherein the moving mechanism includes:

a floor of the substrate transfer chamber that is provided with a first magnet; and

a moving body to which the valve body is attached, provided with a second magnet having a repulsive force against the first magnet, and configured to be movable in the substrate transfer chamber by magnetic levitation using the repulsive force, and

wherein the moving body is configured to be attached to and detached from the valve body, and is separated from the valve body that closes the opening.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the member includes a substrate to be processed in the substrate processing chamber, and

the member holding part is configured to hold the substrate and serves as a substrate holding part configured to transfer the substrate to a position where processing is performed.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the member includes at least one member selected from a member group consisting of a focus ring disposed around the substrate when plasma processing is performed on the substrate, a shield member configured to prevent by-products generated by the processing of the substrate from being adhered to a main body of the substrate processing chamber, a flow rectifying member configured to rectify air flow in the substrate processing chamber, and a shutter that covers non-target surfaces of pre-coating or cleaning in the case of performing the pre-coating or the cleaning in the substrate processing chamber.

4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the valve body moved by the moving mechanism in the substrate transfer chamber is a first valve body, and

the apparatus further comprises a second valve body that blocks the opening during a period in which the first valve body is separated from the opening.

5 . A system for processing a substrate, comprising:

the substrate transfer chamber, the substrate processing chamber, and the device for transferring the member that are described in claim 1 .

6 . A method for transferring a member to be disposed in a substrate processing chamber between a substrate transfer chamber and the substrate processing chamber adjacent to each other, the method using a valve body that is attached to and detached from an opening through which the substrate transfer chamber and the substrate processing chamber communicate and is configured to close the opening, a member holding part that is disposed at the valve body to extend from the valve body into the substrate processing chamber when the opening is closed by the valve body, and a moving mechanism configured to move the valve body in the substrate transfer chamber, the moving mechanism including: a floor of the substrate transfer chamber that is provided with a first magnet; and a moving body to which the valve body is attached, provided with a second magnet having a repulsive force against the first magnet, and configured to be movable in the substrate transfer chamber by magnetic levitation using the repulsive force, and the moving body being configured to be attached to and detached from the valve body, and being separated from the valve body that closes the opening, the method comprising:

closing the opening by the valve body and transferring the member to a preset arrangement position in the substrate processing chamber; and

separating the valve body from the opening and moving the valve body in the substrate transfer chamber.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 1, 2023
From: MATSUMOTO, WATARU
To: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
Reel/Frame 062841/0041 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2022-035438 · Mar 8, 2022 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230290656A1 · Sep 14, 2023
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