Patent US6054181A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6054181A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method of substrate processing to form a film on multiple target objects
Assignee: Tokyo Electron Ltd
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Filing: 1996-08-05
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Granted: 2000-04-25
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Expires: 2016-08-05
Abstract
Abstract A method of subjecting a plurality of wafers to coating and beating treatments where a first boat is placed on a stage arranged in an interface section. The first boat is capable of containing the wafers stacked at intervals in a vertical direction. The stage is capable of moving in a horizontal direction, and has a plurality of positions for respectively placing a plurality of boats. The wafers are conveyed from a supply section to a coating section, and are subjected to a coating treatment one by one. The wafers, which have undergone the coating treatment, are conveyed to the interface section. The wafers, which have undergone the coating treatment, are loaded into the first boat placed on the stage, in the interface section. The first boat containing the wafers, which have undergone the coating treatment, is located at a transfer position by moving the stage. The first boat, located at a transfer position by moving the stage. The first boat, located at the transfer position, is conveyed from the stage into a heating section, and the wafers, which have undergone the coating treatment, are subjected to a heating treatment simultaneously and all together.
Inventors
- 👤 Mitsuhiro Nanbu
- 👤 Naruaki Iida
- 👤 Hideaki Gotou
- 👤 Masanori Tateyama
- 👤 Yuji Yoshimoto
- 👤 Tomoko Ishimoto
- 👤 Hidetami Yaegashi
- 👤 Yasunori Kawakami
- 👤 Takahide Fukuda
- 👤 Akihiro Fujimoto
- 👤 Takashi Takekuma
- 👤 Hiroyuki Matsukawa
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 09:39
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10P; H10P50/00; H10P72/00; H10P72/06; H10P72/0606; H10P72/0608; H10P72/04; H10P72/0451; H10P72/0452; H10P72/0456; H10P72/30; H10P72/34; H10P72/3402; H10P72/3411; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S134/00; Y10S134/902; Y10S414/00; Y10S414/135; Y10S414/136; Y10S414/137; Y10S414/141
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
130 words
A method of coating and heat treating a plurality of substrates, comprising the steps of: placing the substrates one by one into a coating section; coating the substrates one by one by applying spin-on-glass; transferring the substrates from the coating section to an interface section; supplying dehumidified air to the substrates while the substrates are in the interface section, said interface section including an air supply port and a dehumidified air inlet port, the air supply port and the dehumidified air inlet port being separated from one another by a partition; successively loading the substrates into a first boat in the interface section; transferring said first boat from the interface section to a heat treating section; and heat treating the substrates in the first boat in the heat treating section.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
130 words
A method of coating and heat treating a plurality of substrates, comprising the steps of: placing the substrates one by one into a coating section; coating the substrates one by one by applying spin-on-glass; transferring the substrates from the coating section to an interface section; supplying dehumidified air to the substrates while the substrates are in the interface section, said interface section including an air supply port and a dehumidified air inlet port, the air supply port and the dehumidified air inlet port being separated from one another by a partition; successively loading the substrates into a first boat in the interface section; transferring said first boat from the interface section to a heat treating section; and heat treating the substrates in the first boat in the heat treating section.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of: loading dummy objects, of substantially similar size as said substrates, into said first boat above and below said substrates.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of: cooling said substrates to a predetermined temperature before said coating step.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of: baking the substrates after said coating step and before transferring the substrates from the coating section to the interface section.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of coating comprises the step of: applying a process liquid to said substrates to form an insulating film on said substrates.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of coating comprises the step of: applying to said substrates one of an organic and inorganic process liquid.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of: placing said first boat on fixing pins located at predetermined positions on a movable stage, said fixing pins being configured to fix the first boat to said stage.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of: detecting the position of each of the substrates loaded into the first boat prior to the step of heat treating; and repositioning substrates that are inaccurately positioned in the first boat.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of: simultaneously and successively loading substrates into a second boat while heat treating the substrates in the first boat.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
201 words
A method of coating and heat treating substrates, comprising the steps of: placing the substrates one by one into a coating section; coating the transferred substrates one by one by applying spin-on-glass; transferring the substrates from the coating section into an interface section; supplying dehumidified air to the substrates while the substrates are in the interface section, said interface section including an air supply port and a dehumidified air inlet port, the air supply port and the dehumidified air inlet port being separated from one another by a partition; successively loading the substrates into a first boat in the interface section; successively unloading the substrates from the first boat; transferring the substrates from the interface section back to the coating section; coating the substrates a second time one by one by applying spin-on-glass; transferring the substrates that have undergone the second coating from the coating section to the interface section; successively loading the substrates subjected to said second coating into the first boat on the stage, in the dehumidified air; transferring said first boat from the interface section to a heat treating section; and applying a batch heat treatment to the substrates in the first boat in said heat treating section.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
201 words
A method of coating and heat treating substrates, comprising the steps of: placing the substrates one by one into a coating section; coating the transferred substrates one by one by applying spin-on-glass; transferring the substrates from the coating section into an interface section; supplying dehumidified air to the substrates while the substrates are in the interface section, said interface section including an air supply port and a dehumidified air inlet port, the air supply port and the dehumidified air inlet port being separated from one another by a partition; successively loading the substrates into a first boat in the interface section; successively unloading the substrates from the first boat; transferring the substrates from the interface section back to the coating section; coating the substrates a second time one by one by applying spin-on-glass; transferring the substrates that have undergone the second coating from the coating section to the interface section; successively loading the substrates subjected to said second coating into the first boat on the stage, in the dehumidified air; transferring said first boat from the interface section to a heat treating section; and applying a batch heat treatment to the substrates in the first boat in said heat treating section.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of: loading dummy objects, of substantially similar size as said substrates, into said first boat above and below said substrates.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of: cooling said substrates to a predetermined temperature before said first coating step.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of: baking said substrates after said first coating step and before said second coating step.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method according to claim 11, wherein the first step of coating comprises the step of: applying to said substrates a process liquid to form an insulating film on said substrates.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method according to claim 11, wherein the first step of coating comprises the step of: applying to said substrates one of an organic and inorganic process liquid.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of: placing said first boat on fixing pins configured to fix said first boats to a movable stage.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of: detecting the position of each of the substrates loaded into the first boat prior to the step of heat treating; and repositioning substrates that are inaccurately positioned in the first boat.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of: simultaneously and successively loading substrates into a second boat while heat treating the substrates in the first boat.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2003-04-25 | 2003-10-25 | 2004-04-25 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-04-25 | 2007-10-25 | 2008-04-25 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-04-25 | 2011-10-25 | 2012-04-25 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |