Patents Assigned to Kokusai Electric
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Publication number: 20240194476Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes: (a) nitriding an inner surface of a recessed structure formed on a substrate to modify at least a portion of the inner surface into a nitride layer; and (b) oxidizing the inner surface including the nitride layer to modify the inner surface into an oxide layer. (a) includes setting a thickness distribution of the nitride layer in the inner surface such that, in (b), a thickness distribution of the oxide layer in the inner surface becomes a desired distribution.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 21, 2024Publication date: June 13, 2024Applicant: Kokusai Electric CorporationInventors: Yasutoshi TSUBOTA, Katsunori FUNAKI, Tatsushi UEDA, Yuichiro TAKESHIMA, Keita ICHIMURA, Hiroto IGAWA, Yuki YAMAKADO, Hiroki KISHIMOTO
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Patent number: 12009201Abstract: There is provided a technique, including: (a) forming NH termination on a surface of a substrate by supplying a first reactant containing N and H to the substrate; (b) forming a first SiN layer having SiCl termination formed on its surface by supplying SiCl4 as a precursor to the substrate to react the NH termination formed on the surface of the substrate with the SiCl4; (c) forming a second SiN layer having NH termination formed on its surface by supplying a second reactant containing N and H to the substrate to react the SiCl termination formed on the surface of the first SiN layer with the second reactant; and (d) forming a SiN film on the substrate by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times under a condition where the SiCl4 is not gas-phase decomposed after performing (a), the cycle including non-simultaneously performing (b) and (c).Type: GrantFiled: March 24, 2023Date of Patent: June 11, 2024Assignee: Kokusai Electric CorporationInventors: Katsuyoshi Harada, Tatsuru Matsuoka, Yoshitomo Hashimoto
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Publication number: 20240186146Abstract: There is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, including forming a metal nitride film substantially not containing a silicon atom on a substrate by sequentially repeating: (a) supplying a metal-containing gas and a reducing gas, which contains silicon and hydrogen and does not contain a halogen, to the substrate in a process chamber by setting an internal pressure of the process chamber to a value which falls within a range of 130 Pa to less than 3,990 Pa during at least the supply of the reducing gas, wherein (a) includes a timing of simultaneously supplying the metal-containing gas and the reducing gas; (b) removing the metal-containing gas and the reducing gas that remain in the process chamber; (c) supplying a nitrogen-containing gas to the substrate; and (d) removing the nitrogen-containing gas remaining in the process chamber.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 12, 2024Publication date: June 6, 2024Applicant: Kokusai Electric CorporationInventors: Arito OGAWA, Atsuro SEINO
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Publication number: 20240186137Abstract: A substrate processing technique including: (a) modifying a first base surface of a substrate by supplying a first modifier and a second modifier to the substrate having a surface on which the first base and a second base are exposed, wherein the first modifier contains one or more atoms to which at least one first functional group and at least one second functional group are directly bonded, wherein the second modifier contains an atom to which at least one first functional group and at least one second functional group are directly bonded, and wherein the number of the at least one first functional group contained in one molecule of the second modifier is smaller than the number of the at least one first functional group contained in one molecule of the first modifier; and (b) forming a film on a second base surface by supplying film-forming gas to the substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 12, 2024Publication date: June 6, 2024Applicant: Kokusai Electric CorporationInventors: Shoma Miyata, Kimihiko Nakatani, Takayuki Waseda, Takashi Nakagawa, Motomu Degai
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Patent number: 12000045Abstract: Described herein is a technique capable of improving characteristics of a film. According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a technique that includes: (a) performing (a-1) supplying in parallel a metal-containing gas and a reducing gas that contains silicon and hydrogen and is free of halogen to a substrate in a process chamber, and (a-2) exhausting an inner atmosphere of the process chamber; (b) repeatedly performing (a) a first number of times; (c) supplying a nitrogen-containing gas to the substrate in the process chamber and exhausting the inner atmosphere of the process chamber after performing (b); and (d) repeatedly performing (a) a second number of times.Type: GrantFiled: September 3, 2021Date of Patent: June 4, 2024Assignee: Kokusai Electric CorporationInventors: Takuya Joda, Yukinao Kaga, Yoshimasa Nagatomi
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Publication number: 20240177991Abstract: It is possible to suppress a metal contamination of a substrate due to a corrosion of a piping. There is provided a technique that includes: (a) vaporizing a source material stored in a tank by introducing an inert gas through a primary piping of the tank, and supplying a vaporized gas generated by vaporizing the source material into a process chamber through a secondary piping of the tank; and (b) supplying an oxygen-containing gas to the secondary piping through which the vaporized gas has passed via a bypass line connecting the primary piping and the secondary piping such that the oxygen-containing gas is supplied without passing through the tank.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 9, 2024Publication date: May 30, 2024Applicant: Kokusai Electric CorporationInventors: Yukinori ABURATANI, Yoshitomo HASHIMOTO, Kimihiko NAKATANI
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Publication number: 20240178008Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes: (a) supplying a first process gas to a process vessel; (b) supplying a second process gas different from the first process gas to the process vessel; (c) supplying a third process gas different from each of the first process gas and the second process gas to the process vessel; (d) performing a first cycle X times, the first cycle including performing (a) and (b); (e) performing a second cycle Y times, the second cycle including performing (d) and (c); and (f) changing X in a next execution of the second cycle according to the number of previous executions of the second cycle in (e).Type: ApplicationFiled: February 1, 2024Publication date: May 30, 2024Applicant: Kokusai Electric CorporationInventor: Arito OGAWA
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Patent number: 11996311Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes: at least one process chamber in which at least one substrate is processed; a mounting stage configured to be capable of mounting the at least one substrate on the mounting stage; a transport chamber including a conveyor configured to be capable of holding the mounting stage at least two places in a vertical direction and transporting the mounting stage; and a controller configured to be capable of performing a transport control of the conveyor in the transport chamber.Type: GrantFiled: September 29, 2022Date of Patent: May 28, 2024Assignee: Kokusai Electric CorporationInventors: Hiroshi Ashihara, Yuji Takebayashi
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Patent number: 11996337Abstract: According to one aspect of the technique, there is provided a technique, including: a process chamber in which a substrate is processed; a memory that stores recipe information describing a procedure that executes the processing of the substrate, process data accumulated during the processing of a plurality of substrates, variation quality data calculated from the process data, and comparison data to be compared with the variation quality data; a monitor configured to monitor the process data; an analyzer configured to compare the variation quality data with the comparison data to obtain a reproduction index indicating a reproducibility of the comparison data, and calculate a correction value of setting information included in the recipe information when the reproduction index is smaller than a predetermined value; and a controller configured to be capable of correcting the setting information included in the recipe information with the correction value.Type: GrantFiled: June 9, 2022Date of Patent: May 28, 2024Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATIONInventors: Kazuyoshi Yamamoto, Hidemoto Hayashihara, Kayoko Yashiki, Kazuhide Asai
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Publication number: 20240170280Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes: (a) forming an inhibitor layer on a surface of a first material of a concave portion provided on a surface of a substrate, by supplying a precursor to the substrate to adsorb at least a portion of a molecular structure of molecules constituting the precursor on the surface of the first material of the concave portion, the concave portion being composed of the first material containing a first element and a second material containing a second element different from the first element; (b) growing a film on a surface of the second material of the concave portion by supplying a film-forming material to the substrate having the inhibitor layer formed on the surface of the first material; and (c) forming a hydroxyl group termination on the surface of the first material before performing (a).Type: ApplicationFiled: January 25, 2024Publication date: May 23, 2024Applicant: Kokusai Electric CorporationInventors: Yoshitomo HASHIMOTO, Kimihiko NAKATANI, Takayuki WASEDA
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Publication number: 20240170276Abstract: There is included providing a substrate in a process chamber; and forming a film on the substrate in the process chamber by supplying an inert gas from a first supplier, supplying a first processing gas from a second supplier, and supplying an inert gas from a third supplier to the substrate, the third supplier being installed at an opposite side of the first supplier with respect to a straight line that passes through the second supplier and a center of the substrate and is interposed between the first supplier and the third supplier, to the substrate, wherein in the act of forming the film, a substrate in-plane film thickness distribution of the film is adjusted by controlling a balance between a flow rate of the inert gas supplied from the first supplier and a flow rate of the inert gas supplied from the third supplier.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 1, 2024Publication date: May 23, 2024Applicant: Kokusai Electric CorporationInventor: Takeo HANASHIMA
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Publication number: 20240170310Abstract: To enable improvement in uniformity of film thickness between a plurality of substrates as compared with that of the related art in a case where the plurality of substrates is loaded in a boat and subjected to batch processing, a substrate processing apparatus is configured to include a process container capable of accommodating a substrate holder that holds substrates, a gas supplier that supplies a gas to the process container, an exhauster that exhausts an atmosphere in the process container, a transporter that transports the substrates, and a controller configured to be capable of controlling the transporter to dispersedly load the substrates from a central portion of a first region in a case where a number X of the substrates is smaller than a maximum loading number Y of the substrate holder, and the substrate holder includes, at the central portion, the first region where the dispersion loading is performed.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 2, 2024Publication date: May 23, 2024Applicant: Kokusai Electric CorporationInventors: Tomoki MATSUNAGA, Masahito Kitamura, Hiroyuki Kitamoto, Takafumi Nitta
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Patent number: 11986847Abstract: Described herein is a technique capable of properly attaching a nozzle to a reaction tube. According to one aspect thereof, there is provided a nozzle installation jig including: a lower plate configured to make contact with a process vessel in a vicinity of a lower end opening of the process vessel in which a nozzle is provided; a frame fixed to the lower plate and extending upward with respect to the lower plate; an upper plate fixed to the frame and provided with a sensor configured to detect a position of the nozzle in the process vessel; and a notification device configured to transmit a notification to an operator according to a detection result of the sensor.Type: GrantFiled: March 17, 2023Date of Patent: May 21, 2024Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATIONInventors: Yoshitaka Abe, Nobuhito Shima, Hiromi Okada, Shinya Morita, Mamoru Ohishi
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Patent number: 11990347Abstract: Described herein is a technique capable of forming a film whose characteristics are uniform by discharging a residual component from a plurality of grooves before supplying a process gas. According to one aspect thereof, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: (a) loading a substrate on which a plurality of grooves are provided into a process chamber, wherein a residue is adhered to the plurality of the grooves; (b) desorbing the residue from the plurality of the grooves by heating the substrate; and (c) discharging the residue from the plurality of the grooves to a process space of the process chamber after (b) is performed by heating a surface of the substrate to a temperature higher than a temperature of the substrate in (b).Type: GrantFiled: January 5, 2021Date of Patent: May 21, 2024Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATIONInventors: Takashi Yahata, Toshiyuki Kikuchi
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Patent number: 11990359Abstract: According to one aspect of the technique, there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, including: (a) heating a substrate retainer in a reaction chamber, wherein the substrate retainer is provided with a plurality of slots capable of accommodating a plurality of substrates in a multistage manner; (b) repeatedly performing a set including: (b-1) moving the substrate retainer so as to locate one or more of the slots outside the reaction chamber; and (b-2) charging one or more of the substrates into the one or more of the slots; and (c) moving the substrate retainer such that the plurality of substrates charged in the plurality of slots are accommodated in the reaction chamber.Type: GrantFiled: September 15, 2021Date of Patent: May 21, 2024Assignee: Kokusai Electric CorporationInventors: Takatomo Yamaguchi, Hidenari Yoshida, Kenji Ono
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Publication number: 20240158917Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus comprising: a substrate process chamber having a plasma generation space where a processing gas is plasma-excited and a substrate processing space communicating with the plasma generation space; a substrate mounting table installed inside the substrate processing space and for mounting a substrate; an inductive coupling structure provided with a coil installed to be wound around an outer periphery of the plasma generation space; a substrate support table elevating part for raising and lowering the substrate mounting table; a gas supply part for supplying the processing gas to the plasma generation space; and a controller for controlling the substrate support table elevating part, based on a power value of a high-frequency power supplied to the coil, so that the substrate mounted on the substrate mounting table is positioned at a target height according to the power value and spaced apart from a lower end of the coil.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 23, 2024Publication date: May 16, 2024Applicant: Kokusai Electric CorporationInventors: Teruo YOSHINO, Takeshi YASUI, Masaki MUROBAYASHI, Koichiro HARADA, Tadashi TERASAKI, Masanori NAKAYAMA
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Publication number: 20240153758Abstract: There is included forming an oxide film on a substrate by alternately performing: forming the first oxide film containing an atom X by performing a first cycle including non-simultaneously performing forming a first layer including a component in which a first functional group is bonded to the atom X, and forming a second layer containing the atom X and oxygen by oxidizing the first layer; and forming the second oxide film containing the atom X by performing a second cycle including non-simultaneously performing forming a third layer including a component in which the first functional group is bonded to the atom X, and forming a fourth layer containing the atom X and oxygen by oxidizing the third layer, under a processing condition that an oxidizing power is higher than an oxidizing power when oxidizing the first layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 12, 2024Publication date: May 9, 2024Applicant: Kokusai Electric CorporationInventors: Tomiyuki SHIMIZU, Masaya NAGATO, Takashi OZAKI, Yoshitomo HASHIMOTO, Katsuyoshi HARADA
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Publication number: 20240150897Abstract: A heater assembly includes: a first heater sheet including a first electric heater having no self-controllability and a first insulator electrically insulating and surrounding the first electric heater, the first heater sheet being deformable in accordance with a shape of a heating target; and one or more second heater sheets each including one or more second electric heaters having self-controllability and a second insulator electrically insulating and surrounding the one or more second electric heaters, the one or more second heater sheets being deformable in accordance with the shape of the heating target.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 19, 2024Publication date: May 9, 2024Applicant: Kokusai Electric CorporationInventors: Makoto KAWABATA, Tomoyuki Yamada
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Patent number: 11978623Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes: forming an oxide film containing an atom X of a precursor on a substrate by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times. The cycle including non-simultaneously performing: (a) forming a first layer containing a component in which a first group is bonded to the atom X on the substrate by supplying the precursor having a molecular structure in which the first and second groups are bonded to the atom X, to the substrate, the first group containing an alkoxy group, and the second group containing at least one of an amino group, an alkyl group, a halogeno group, a hydroxy group, a hydro group, an aryl group, a vinyl group, and a nitro group; and (b) forming a second layer containing the atom X by supplying an oxidizing agent to the substrate to oxidize the first layer.Type: GrantFiled: November 8, 2022Date of Patent: May 7, 2024Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATIONInventors: Yoshitomo Hashimoto, Katsuyoshi Harada, Kimihiko Nakatani, Yoshiro Hirose, Masaya Nagato, Takashi Ozaki, Tomiyuki Shimizu
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Publication number: 20240141490Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes (a) a process chamber configured to accommodate a plurality of substrates arranged vertically, provided with a product region and a dummy region and including a main exhauster on a lateral side thereof, (b) a first injector extending vertically within the process chamber on an opposite side from the main exhauster, and configured to supply a first precursor toward the substrates accommodated in the product region and the dummy region, (c) at least one selected from the group of a second injector and a third injector, wherein the second injector supplies an assist gas for diluting the first precursor toward substrates and the third injector supplies an inert gas toward the substrates accommodated in the product region and the substrates accommodated in the dummy region; and (d) a fourth injector configured to supply an inert gas only to the dummy region.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 20, 2023Publication date: May 2, 2024Applicant: Kokusai Electric CorporationInventors: Mika Urushihara, Atsushi Hirano, Takafumi Sasaki