Patent ID: 11955365
Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
Field: Semiconductors (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 0:
1. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising:
a holder configured to hold a substrate horizontally;
a rotator configured to rotate the holder;
a liquid supplier configured to supply a liquid to the substrate that is horizontally held by the holder; and
a controller configured to control the holder, the rotator, and the liquid supplier,
wherein the holder includes:
a turntable configured to be rotated by the rotator,
at least one first clamper configured to be rotated together with the turntable and moved between a clamping position at which the at least one first clamper clamps a peripheral edge of the substrate and a releasing position at which the at least one first clamper releases clamping the substrate,
at least one second clamper configured to be rotated with the turntable and moved between the clamping position and the releasing position independently of the at least one first clamper, and
a driver configured to be rotated together with the turntable and move the at least one first clamper between the clamping position and the releasing position,

wherein the driver includes a cylinder fixed in relation to the turntable,
wherein the cylinder accommodates a slider dividing an internal space of the cylinder into a first chamber and a second chamber, and includes a spring configured to bias the slider outwards in a radial direction of the substrate,
wherein the substrate processing apparatus further comprises a pressure adjustment mechanism configured to adjust an internal pressure of the first chamber of the cylinder, and
wherein the controller controls the at least one first clamper and the at least one second clamper to alternately clamp the peripheral edge of the substrate while the holder is being rotated by the rotator and the liquid is being supplied to the substrate held by the holder by:
controlling the pressure adjustment mechanism to reduce the internal pressure of the first chamber such that the slider moves outwards in the radial direction of the substrate by a restoring force of the spring and the at least one first clamper moves from the releasing position to the clamping position, and
controlling the pressure adjust mechanism to raise the internal pressure of the first chamber such that the slider moves against the restoring force of the spring and the at least one first clamper moves from the clamping position to the releasing position.