# US 12,759,010 B2 · Liquid processing apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,759,010 B2 - Document ID: US12759010B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/346,293 - Filed: 2023-07-03 - Published: 2024-01-11 - Granted: 2026-10-13 - Earliest claimed: 2022-07-05 - Assignees: Tokyo Electron Limited - Applicants: Tokyo Electron Limited - Inventors: Junghyun Kim; Koshi Muta; Daiki Takahashi; Kohei Kawakami; Satoshi Shimmura; Kenta Shibasaki; Shota Ueyama; Tetsushi Miyamoto - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12759010B2 ## CPC - B05C 11/08: Spreading liquid or other fluent material by manipulating the work, e.g. tilting - H10P 72/0448: {Apparatus for applying a liquid, a resin, an ink or the like} - B05C: APPARATUS FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL (spraying apparatus, atomising apparatus, nozzles B05B; plant for applying liquids or other fluent materials to objects by electrostatic spraying B05B5/08) - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 ## Abstract A liquid processing apparatus that applies a coating liquid onto a substrate, includes: a substrate holder that holds and rotates the substrate; a coating liquid supplier that supplies the coating liquid to the substrate; a cup provided to surround the substrate; and a solvent supplier that supplies a solvent for the coating liquid to a coating liquid collector. The cup includes: an outer cup arranged outside the substrate holder; an inner cup arranged on an inner peripheral side of the outer cup below the substrate holder and having a downwardly-extending wall; an exhaust path provided between the outer and inner cups; and the coating liquid collector provided with a plurality of openings through which an exhaust flow passes, the coating liquid collector extending downward below the downwardly-extending wall of the inner cup with a gap between the coating liquid collector and a lower end of the downwardly-extending wall. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A liquid processing apparatus that applies a coating liquid onto a substrate, comprising: a substrate holder configured to hold and rotate the substrate; a coating liquid supplier configured to supply the coating liquid to the substrate held by the substrate holder; a cup provided to surround the substrate held by the substrate holder; and a solvent supplier configured to supply a solvent for the coating liquid to a coating liquid collector, wherein the cup includes: an outer cup arranged outside the substrate holder; an inner cup arranged on an inner peripheral side of the outer cup below the substrate holder and having a downwardly-extending wall; an exhaust path provided between the outer cup and the inner cup; and the coating liquid collector provided with a plurality of openings through which an exhaust flow passes, the coating liquid collector extending downward below the downwardly-extending wall of the inner cup with a gap between the coating liquid collector and a lower end of the downwardly-extending wall. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The liquid processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the coating liquid collector includes a liquid receiver at an upper end portion of the coating liquid collector to receive the solvent dropping from the downwardly-extending wall. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The liquid processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the liquid receiver protrudes outward from an outer peripheral surface of the downwardly-extending wall. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The liquid processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the liquid receiver extends horizontally. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The liquid processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein an upper end of each of the plurality of openings extends horizontally. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The liquid processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of openings has a rectangular shape, and short sides of the rectangular shape are located at upper and lower ends of each of the plurality of openings. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The liquid processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the plurality of openings extend from an upper end portion to a lower end portion of the coating liquid collector, and wherein the plurality of openings are arranged at an interval along a circumferential direction of the coating liquid collector. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) The liquid processing apparatus of claim 4, further comprising: a cylindrical wall portion provided below the inner cup and having an exhaust port communicating with the exhaust path, wherein the coating liquid collector is fixed to the cylindrical wall portion. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The liquid processing apparatus of claim 8, wherein the coating liquid collector is not in contact with the cup except for a fixing portion between the coating liquid collector and the cylindrical wall portion. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The liquid processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein an upper end of each of the plurality of openings extends horizontally. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The liquid processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of openings has a rectangular shape, and short sides of the rectangular shape are located at upper and lower ends of each of the plurality of openings. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The liquid processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a cylindrical wall portion provided below the inner cup and having an exhaust port communicating with the exhaust path, wherein the coating liquid collector is fixed to the cylindrical wall portion.