Patents Examined by Matthew Song
  • Patent number: 10066313
    Abstract: After melting raw materials, a distance between a raw material melt surface and a heat-shielding member disposed so as to face to the melt surface is adjusted based on temporal changes in chamber inside conditions, such as the heater temperature at the time of completion of the seed crystal equilibration operation carried out after completion of the raw material melting procedure and/or lag time required for completion of the seed crystal equilibration operation following completion of the raw material melting procedure. As a result, single crystals can be produced efficiently and in high yield, and further, by controlling the crystal interior temperature gradient by modifying the distance between the melt surface and the heat-shielding member, it becomes possible to control the ratio V/G (V:pulling speed, G:crystal interior temperature gradient) to thereby produce single crystals free of crystal defects such as COPs and/or dislocation clusters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: SUMCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ken Hamada, Hiroaki Taguchi, Kazuyuki Egashira
  • Patent number: 10053795
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for preparing epitaxial ?-quartz layers on a solid substrate, to the material obtained according to this process, and to the various uses thereof, especially in the electronics field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignees: CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE, CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS (CSIC)
    Inventors: Cedric Boissiere, Adrien Carretero-Genevrier, Marti Gich, David Grosso, Clement Sanchez
  • Patent number: 10056246
    Abstract: A semiconductor wafer which is disk-shaped as a whole, and which has a substantially flat face, a back substantially flat in at least a main portion thereof and substantially parallel to the face, and a side surface. The side surface is convex as a whole in a longitudinal sectional view. A means to be detected, which is composed of a local flat surface, is disposed in the side surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: DISCO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kazuma Sekiya
  • Patent number: 10030317
    Abstract: An apparatus may include a crucible configured to contain the melt, the melt having an exposed surface separated from a floor of the crucible by a first distance, a housing comprising a material that is non-contaminating to the melt, the housing comprising a plurality of sidewalls and a top that are configured to contact the melt, and a plurality of heating elements isolated from the melt and disposed along a transverse direction perpendicular to a pulling direction of the crystalline sheet, the plurality of heating elements being individually powered, wherein the plurality of heating elements are disposed at a second set of distances from the exposed surface of the melt that are less than the first distance, and wherein the plurality of heating elements are configured to vary a heat flux profile along the transverse direction when power is supplied individually to the plurality of heating elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter L. Kellerman, Frederick M. Carlson, David Morrell, Brian Mackintosh, Nandish Desai
  • Patent number: 10030318
    Abstract: A composite substrate includes a polycrystalline ceramic substrate, a silicon substrate directly bonded to the polycrystalline ceramic substrate, a seed crystal film formed on the silicon substrate by vapor phase process and made of a nitride of a group 13 element, and a gallium nitride crystal layer grown on the seed crystal film by flux method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Kuraoka, Yasunori Iwasaki, Takashi Yoshino
  • Patent number: 10026610
    Abstract: Provided is a method of manufacturing a silicon carbide semiconductor device with a long carrier lifetime without carrying out an additional step after a SiC single crystal substrate is fabricated using a chemical vapor deposition method. The silicon carbide semiconductor device manufacturing method includes (a) growing a silicon carbide single crystal film at a first temperature on a silicon carbide semiconductor substrate using chemical vapor deposition; (b) cooling the silicon carbide semiconductor substrate from the first temperature to a second temperature, which is lower than the first temperature, in an atmosphere of a carbon-containing gas after growing the silicon carbide crystal film; and (c) subsequently cooling the silicon carbide semiconductor substrate to a third temperature, which is lower than the second temperature, in a hydrogen gas atmosphere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Kawada, Yoshiyuki Yonezawa
  • Patent number: 10017877
    Abstract: A silicon carbide growth method for growing a silicon carbide crystal on a substrate in a hot wall reaction chamber heated to a temperature between 1600° C. and 2000° C. Process gases enter the reaction chamber utilizing at least a primary gas flow, a secondary gas flow, and a shower gas flow. The shower gas flow is fed substantially perpendicularly to the primary and secondary gas flows and is directed towards the substrate. The primary and secondary gas flows are oriented substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate. A silicon precursor gas is entered by the primary gas flow. A hydrocarbon precursor gas is entered in at least one of the primary gas flow, the secondary gas flow, or the shower gas flow. Hydrogen is entered primarily in the secondary flow and the shower head flow. A CVD reactor chamber for use in processing the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: EPILUVAC AB
    Inventors: Erik Janzén, Olof Kordina
  • Patent number: 10012675
    Abstract: A standard sample (72) that is a nanometer standard prototype, having a standard length that serves as a length reference, includes a SiC layer in which a step-terrace structure is formed. The height of a step, used as the standard length, is equal to the height of a full unit that corresponds to one periodic of a stack of SiC molecules in a stack direction or equal to the height of a half unit that corresponds to one-half periodic of the stack of SiC molecules in the stack direction. In a microscope such as an STM to be measured in a high-temperature vacuum environment, heating in a vacuum furnace enables surface reconstruction with ordered atomic arrangement, while removing a natural oxide film from the surface, so that accuracy of the height of the step is not degraded. Accordingly, a standard sample usable under a high-temperature vacuum is achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignee: KWANSEI GAKUIN EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
    Inventors: Tadaaki Kaneko, Shoji Ushio
  • Patent number: 10000862
    Abstract: Quantum dots and methods of making quantum dots are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Wenhao Liu, Craig Breen
  • Patent number: 9991386
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an epitaxial wafer, including a silicon substrate having a surface sliced from single-crystalline silicon and a silicon epitaxial layer deposited on the surface of the silicon substrate, includes an oxygen concentration controlling heat treatment process in which a heat treatment of the epitaxial layer is performed under a non-oxidizing atmosphere after the epitaxial growth such that an oxygen concentration of the surface of the silicon epitaxial layer is set to 1.0×1017 to 12×1017 atoms/cm3 (ASTM F-121, 1979).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: SUMCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshiaki Ono, Yumi Hoshino
  • Patent number: 9987610
    Abstract: A crystallization substrate of the present invention includes a noble metal vapor-deposited film having an absorbance in a 500 to 1,000 nm wavelength range and formed in all or part of one surface of the substrate. The noble metal vapor-deposited film has an average thickness of 0.1 to 60 nm. The noble metal vapor-deposited film is a continuous film with a pit formed by vapor deposition in part of the film and surrounded by the continuous film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: National University Corporation Gunma University
    Inventor: Tetsuo Okutsu
  • Patent number: 9982365
    Abstract: Provided is a method for producing a SiC single crystal wherein generation of polycrystals can be inhibited even if the temperature of the Si—C solution is changed after seed touching.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Katsunori Danno, Kazuhiko Kusunoki, Kazuhito Kamei
  • Patent number: 9982362
    Abstract: In a rotating disk reactor for growing epitaxial layers on substrate or other CVD reactor system, gas directed toward the substrates at gas inlets at different radial distances from the axis of rotation of the disk has both substantially the same gas flow rate/velocity and substantially the same gas density at each inlet. The gas directed toward portions of the disk remote from the axis may include a higher concentration of a reactant gas than the gas directed toward portions of the disk close to the axis, so that portions of the substrate surfaces at different distances from the axis receive substantially the same amount of reactant gas per unit area, and a combination of carrier gases with different relative molecular weights at different radial distances from the axis of rotation are employed to substantially make equal the gas density in each region of the reactor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: Veeco Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Bojan Mitrovic, Alexander I. Gurary, William E. Quinn, Eric A. Armour
  • Patent number: 9951439
    Abstract: In the present invention, a crucible formed of SiC as a main component is used as a container for a Si—C solution. A metal element M (M is at least one metal element selected from at least one of a first group consisting of La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho and Lu, a second group consisting of Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni and Cu and a third group consisting of Al, Ga, Ge, Sn, Pb and Zn) is added to the Si—C solution and the crucible is heated to elute Si and C, which are derived from a main component SiC of the crucible, from a high-temperature surface region of the crucible in contact with the Si—C solution, into the Si—C solution. In this way, precipitation of a SiC polycrystal on a surface of the crucible in contact with the Si—C solution is suppressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: SHIN-ETSU CHEMICAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naofumi Shinya, Yu Hamaguchi, Norio Yamagata, Takehisa Minowa
  • Patent number: 9945047
    Abstract: In the present invention, a crucible formed of SiC as a main component is used as a container for a Si—C solution. The SiC crucible is heated such that, for example, an isothermal line representing a temperature distribution within the crucible draws an inverted convex shape; and Si and C, which are derived from a main component SiC of the crucible, are eluted from a high-temperature surface region of the crucible in contact with the Si—C solution, into the Si—C solution, thereby suppressing precipitation of a SiC polycrystal on a surface of the crucible in contact with the Si—C solution. To the Si—C solution of this state, a SiC seed crystal is moved down from the upper portion of the crucible closer to the Si—C solution and brought into contact with the Si—C solution to grow a SiC single crystal on the SiC seed crystal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: SHIN-ETSU CHEMICAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naofumi Shinya, Yu Hamaguchi, Norio Yamagata, Takehisa Minowa
  • Patent number: 9938636
    Abstract: A single crystal production apparatus wherein the chamber has a top plate part, a bottom plate part and a barrel part, the barrel part is in a hollow cylindrical shape and made of quartz glass and connects the top plate part with the bottom plate part, an openable/closable reflective member is provided on the outer circumference of the barrel part, and the reflective member is divided in the circumferential direction and reflects heat and light radiated from the inside of the chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Nobuhira Abe
  • Patent number: 9938637
    Abstract: Provided are a method for preparing a thin film or a thick film, including: a first step of providing a porous substrate capable of supplying silicon; a second step of applying zeolite seed crystals onto the surface of the porous substrate; a third step of coating the seed crystals-applied porous substrate with an aqueous solution containing a structure-directing agent; and a fourth step of forming and growing a film from the seed crystals by the secondary growth above a temperature at which moisture inside the seed crystals-applied porous substrate prepared in the third step can form steam, and a film prepared by the method. The film manufacturing method of the present invention is a simple manufacturing process, and thus has high reproducibility and high throughput. Since a synthetic gel is not used and a solution is used, the unnecessary consumption of materials, environmental pollution, and waste of a synthetic gel can be prevented while not necessitating drying and washing of a film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: Industry-University Cooperation Foundation Sogang University
    Inventors: Kyung Byung Yoon, Cao Thanh Tung Pham
  • Patent number: 9938633
    Abstract: The crystallization system includes a crucible provided with a bottom and with side walls designed to contain the material to be solidified and a device for creating a main thermal gradient inside the crucible in a perpendicular direction to the bottom of the crucible. An additional inductive heating device is arranged at the level of the side walls of the crucible facing the liquid material and without overlapping with the solid phase. This additional inductive heating device is configured to heat a part of the crystalline material located in the vicinity of the triple contact line between the liquid material, the solidified material and the crucible so that the interface between the liquid material and the solidified material forms a convex meniscus in the vicinity of the triple contact line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: COMMISSARIAT À L'ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES
    Inventors: Jean-Paul Garandet, Anis Jouini, David Pelletier
  • Patent number: 9926642
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to manufacture single crystals of high quality on an industrial production scale by preventing impurities from being mixed in single crystals when the single crystals are produced by the solvothermal method. A pressure vessel body 1, in which a supercritical state is maintained, is made of heat resistant alloy, a portion of the pressure vessel body is open, a corrosion-resistant mechanical lining 5 is provided on an inner face of the pressure vessel and on an entire outer circumferential edge of the opening, and the opening is sealed by an airtight mating face formed out of a corrosion-resistant mechanical lining, which is formed on the outer circumferential edge of the opening, and by an airtight mating face of the corrosion-resistant mechanical lining cover 6 on an inner face of the cover 3 through a corrosion-resistant gasket member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignees: FURUYA METAL CO., LTD., MITSUBISHI CHEMICAL CORPORATION, THE JAPAN STEEL WORKS, LTD.
    Inventors: Yuji Sasagawa, Osamu Wakao, Yoshihiko Yamamura, Shigeharu Akatsuka, Keiichiro Matsushita
  • Patent number: 9926646
    Abstract: A method for growing a ?-Ga2O3-based single crystal, can provide a plate-shaped ?-Ga2O3-based single crystal having high crystal quality. In one embodiment, a method for growing a ?-Ga2O3-based single crystal employing an EFG method is provided, the method including: bringing a plate-shaped seed crystal into contact with a Ga2O3-based melt, wherein the plate-shaped seed crystal includes a ?-Ga2O3-based single crystal having a defect density of not more than 5×105 /cm2 in the whole region; and pulling up the seed crystal to grow a ?-Ga2O3-based single crystal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignees: TAMURA CORPORATION, KOHA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shinya Watanabe, Daiki Wakimoto, Kazuyuki Iizuka, Kimiyoshi Koshi, Takekazu Masui