# US 10,373,849 B2 · Substrate processing apparatus

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- Number: US 10,373,849 B2
- Document ID: US10373849B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/681,603
- Filed: 2017-08-21
- Published: 2018-03-01
- Granted: 2019-08-06
- Earliest claimed: 2016-08-24
- Assignees: Tokyo Electron Limited
- Applicants: Tokyo Electron Limited
- Inventors: Junya Minamida; Masaru Oda; Sho Watanabe
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10373849B2

## CPC

- H10P 72/0458: {vertical arrangement}
- H10P 72/0402: {Apparatus for fluid treatment (H10P72/0441, H10P72/0448 take precedence)}
- H10P 72/0404: {for general liquid treatment, e.g. etching followed by cleaning}
- H10P 72/0456: {in-line arrangement}
- H10P 72/0462: {characterised by the construction of the processing chambers, e.g. modular processing chambers}
- H10P 72/3302: {Mechanical parts of transfer devices}
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus includes a plurality of processing units and a gas supply unit. The plurality of processing units are stacked and arranged, and each configured to hold a substrate in a chamber and to process the substrate by a processing liquid, and the gas supply unit is provided for each of the processing units to supply a gas into each of the processing units. The gas supply unit includes an intake unit and an air supply unit. The intake unit takes in and purifies outside air, and the air supply unit configured to supplies a clean air purified by the intake unit into the processing units. In addition, the intake unit is arranged on a lateral side of the chamber, and is arranged on the same side face of the chambers between the stacked and arranged processing units.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A substrate processing apparatus comprising:
a plurality of processing units stacked and arranged with each other, and each configured to hold a substrate in a chamber and to process the substrate by a processing liquid; and
a plurality of gas supply units provided for the plurality of processing units, respectively, to supply a gas into the plurality of processing units, respectively,
wherein each of the plurality of gas supply units includes:
an intake unit including a filter and configured to take in an outside air and purify the outside air into a clean air by the filter; and
an air supply unit arranged above the chamber so as to be opened at the chamber side, connected to the intake unit laterally so as to communicate with the intake unit, and configured to supply the clean air purified by the intake unit into the plurality of processing units,
wherein the intake unit is arranged on a lateral side of the chamber, and is arranged on same side face of each of chambers of the plurality of processing units.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a first exhaust pipe configured to guide exhaust from each of the plurality of processing units,
wherein the first exhaust pipe is arranged on the same side face as the intake unit with respect to the chambers, and vertically extends on the side face of the chambers.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a transfer section provided on a lateral side of the plurality of processing units at a position different from the side face on which the intake unit is arranged, and configured to transfer the substrate to the processing units,
wherein the first exhaust pipe and the intake unit are arranged in order from a side close to the transfer section.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The substrate processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the intake unit includes an outside air intake port opened toward a side opposite to the side where the transfer section is disposed.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The substrate processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the intake unit is arranged such that a space in which the first exhaust pipe is disposed is formed.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

The substrate processing apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a second exhaust pipe configured to exhaust an atmosphere around a processing liquid supply system,
wherein the second exhaust pipe is arranged to pass through a lateral side opposite to the side face on which the intake unit is arranged or a lateral side of the intake unit, with respect to the chamber.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The substrate processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the second exhaust pipe accommodates a pipe configured to supply the processing liquid into the processing units.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The substrate processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the plurality of processing units are configured to be supplied with plural types of processing liquids,
the substrate processing apparatus further comprises a main exhaust pipe including a plurality of individual exhaust pipes each corresponding to at least one of the plural types of processing liquids, and an exhaust switching unit configured to switch an outflow destination of exhaust flowing in the first exhaust pipe to one of the individual exhaust pipes,
the exhaust switching unit is arranged above the stacked processing units, and
an exhaust port of the second exhaust pipe is connected to the exhaust switching unit.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The substrate processing apparatus of claim 8, wherein first exhaust pipes corresponding to processing units of an upper stage and first exhaust pipes corresponding to processing units of a lower stage, respectively, are connected through exhaust switching units, and
the main exhaust pipe is shared by the processing units of the upper stage and the processing units of the lower stage.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The substrate processing apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first exhaust pipes connected to the processing units of the upper stage and the first exhaust pipes connected to the processing units of the lower stage are arranged side by side behind a portion of the processing units.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The substrate processing apparatus of claim 9, wherein the exhaust switching units corresponding to the processing units of the upper stage and the exhaust switching units corresponding to the processing units of the lower stage are arranged in line symmetry about a center line of the first exhaust pipes such that the exhaust switching units face each other.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The substrate processing apparatus of claim 8, wherein while the exhaust flows into one of the individual exhaust pipes of the main exhaust pipe from the processing unit, the outside air flows into the remaining individual exhaust pipes of the main exhaust pipe, thereby suppressing pressure fluctuation of the processing unit due to fluctuation of flow rate.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
a controller configured to control the plurality of gas supply units to change a type of the gas supplied to the plurality of processing units from the clean air to a low dew-point gas having a lower humidity or oxygen concentration than the clean air upon transition from a rinsing processing to a drying processing.