Patents by Inventor Akihiro Hosokawa
Akihiro Hosokawa has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
-
Publication number: 20230407545Abstract: A washing machine includes a damper to reduce a vibration. The damper includes a damper frame and a rod respectively supported by the tub and the housing. The rod may move relative to the damper frame in an axial direction by being inserted into a support portion of the damper frame. A rotation movement member is movable in the axial direction by rotating with respect to the damper frame. A friction member is disposed between the support portion and the rotation movement member and applies a friction force to the rod. A switching unit switches, by rotating the rotation movement member, the damper between a first state in which the friction member is movable together with the damper frame with respect to the rod and a second state in which the friction member is movable together with the rod with respect to the damper frame.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 12, 2023Publication date: December 21, 2023Inventors: Akihiro HOSOKAWA, Kazushi MORI, Yuichi SUZUKI, Takahiro NAKASHIMA, Yoshiyuki NISHIOKA, Hogyo HOSHIYAMA, Doyeon KIM, Yongsoo KYONG
-
Patent number: 10294559Abstract: A sputter target assembly particularly useful for a large panel plasma sputter reactor having a target assembly sealed both to the main processing chamber and a vacuum pumped chamber housing a moving magnetron. The target assembly to which target tiles are bonded includes an integral plate with parallel cooling holes drilled parallel to the principal faces. The ends of the holes may be sealed and vertically extending slots arranged in two staggered groups on each side and machined down to respective pairs of cooling holes on opposite sides of the backing plate in pairs. Four manifolds tubes are sealed to the four groups of slots and provide counter-flowing coolant paths.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2012Date of Patent: May 21, 2019Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Yoshiaki Tanase, Makoto Inagawa, Akihiro Hosokawa
-
Patent number: 9222165Abstract: The present invention generally comprises a top shield for shielding a shadow frame within a PVD chamber. The top shield may remain in a stationary position and at least partially shield the shadow frame to reduce the amount of material that may deposit on the shadow frame during processing. The top shield may be cooled to reduce the amount of fluxuation in temperature of the top shield and shadow frame during processing and/or during down time.Type: GrantFiled: January 18, 2012Date of Patent: December 29, 2015Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.Inventors: Akihiro Hosokawa, Bradley O. Stimson, Hienminh Huu Le, Makoto Inagawa
-
Patent number: 8961756Abstract: A magnetron assembly including one or more magnetrons each forming a closed plasma loop on the sputtering face of the target. The target may include multiple strip targets on which respective strip magnetrons roll and are partially supported on a common support plate through a spring mechanism. The strip magnetron may be a two-level folded magnetron in which each magnetron forms a folded plasma loop extending between lateral sides of the strip target and its ends meet in the middle of the target. The magnets forming the magnetron may be arranged in a pattern having generally uniform straight portions joined by curved portion in which extra magnet positions are available near the corners to steer the plasma track. Multiple magnetrons, possibly flexible, may be resiliently supported on a scanned support plate and individually partially supported by rollers on the back of one or more targets.Type: GrantFiled: July 20, 2007Date of Patent: February 24, 2015Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Makoto Inagawa, Hien Minh Huu Le, Akihiro Hosokawa, Bradley O. Stimson, John M. White
-
Patent number: 8875547Abstract: Provided is an ozone generator (47) including two sheets of ozone generating electrodes (156, 157). These two ozone generating electrodes (156, 157) are arranged in a treating passage (152) in series along an air flowing direction. Thus, the air to come in from an air inlet port flows at first along the ozone generating electrode (156) of the first sheet, and receives, while flowing, the creeping discharge of the first ozone generating electrode (156) thereby to generate the ozone. The air thus having generated the ozone further flows in the treating passage (152) to the ozone generating electrode (157) of the second sheet, and receives, while flowing, the creeping discharge of the second ozone generating electrode (157) thereby to generate the additional ozone. The highly dense ozone can be used to clean the washing water.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 2006Date of Patent: November 4, 2014Assignees: Haier Group Corporation, Qingdao Haier Washing Machine Co., Ltd.Inventors: Masami Suzuki, Akihiro Hosokawa
-
Patent number: 8783390Abstract: A vehicle drive apparatus independently controls drive forces for a front-right drive wheel, a front-left drive wheel, a rear-right drive wheel, and a rear-left drive wheel using a front-right electric motor, a front-left electric motor, a rear-right electric motor, and a rear-left electric motor, respectively. The drive forces for the drive wheels of a vehicle incorporating the vehicle drive apparatus are determined based on the target moments in the yaw and roll directions of the vehicle, the total drive for the drive wheels, and the drive reaction forces at the drive wheels. Thus, the performance desired by the driver can be achieved, and the drivability therefore improves accordingly.Type: GrantFiled: June 21, 2007Date of Patent: July 22, 2014Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Yoshinori Maeda, Akihiro Hosokawa, Yousuke Suzuki, Michitaka Tsuchida, Kazuya Okumura, Tadahiro Oshiumi, Kensuke Yoshizue, Koji Sugiyama
-
Patent number: 8714663Abstract: A target braking-driving force Fvn and a target yaw moment Mvn of the entire vehicle are calculated, and when the target braking-driving force Fvn and the target yaw moment Mvn cannot be achieved by the braking-driving forces of the front wheels, a target braking-driving force Fvft and a target yaw moment Mvft of the front wheels are adjusted such that the magnitudes of the braking-driving force and yaw moment of the vehicle produced by the braking-driving forces of the front wheels become the maximum at a ratio between Fvn and Mvn. A target braking-driving force Fvrt and a target yaw moment Mvrt of the rear wheels are calculated on the basis of Fvn, Mvn, Fvft, and Mvft, and similar adjustment is performed for them when necessarily.Type: GrantFiled: December 15, 2006Date of Patent: May 6, 2014Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Yoshinori Maeda, Yasuhiro Oshiumi, Michitaka Tsuchida, Kazuya Okumura, Kensuke Yoshizue, Akihiro Hosokawa, Koji Sugiyama
-
Patent number: 8574411Abstract: A sputtering apparatus for processing large area substrates is provided. By introducing gas across the entire target surface, a uniform composition film may be formed on the substrate. When the gas is introduced merely at the perimeter, the gas distribution is not uniform. By providing a gas introduction tube across the processing area, the reactive gas will uniformly distribute to the whole target. Also, providing the gas tube with multiple inner tubes provides a quick, effective gas dispersion capability.Type: GrantFiled: October 10, 2011Date of Patent: November 5, 2013Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: John M. White, Yan Ye, Akihiro Hosokawa
-
Patent number: 8500975Abstract: A rectangular magnetron placed at the back of a rectangular sputtering target for coating a rectangular panel and having magnets of opposed polarities arranged to form a gap therebetween corresponding to a plasma track adjacent the target which extends in a closed serpentine or spiral loop. The spiral may have a large number of wraps and the closed loop may be folded before wrapping. The magnetron has a size only somewhat less than that of the target and is scanned in the two perpendicular directions of the target with a scan length of, for example, about 100 mm for a 2 m target corresponding to at least the separation of the gap between parallel portions of the loop. A central ferromagnetic shim beneath some magnets in the loop may compensate for vertical droop. The magnetron may be scanned in two alternating double-Z patterns rotated 90° between them.Type: GrantFiled: July 11, 2006Date of Patent: August 6, 2013Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Hien Minh Huu Le, Akihiro Hosokawa, Avi Tepman
-
Publication number: 20130056037Abstract: A processing unit includes third discharge nozzles. Each of the third discharge nozzles discharges a processing liquid toward a lower tapered surface of a groove of a V-shaped cross-sectional configuration formed in a side wall of an inner bath. This forms relatively low-speed liquid flows within the inner bath. The processing unit further includes plate-like members. The plate-like members block upward ones of the liquid flows discharged from the third discharge nozzles and impinging upon the lower tapered surfaces of the inner bath. This achieves the efficient replacement of the processing liquid without disturbing upward flows of the processing liquid within the inner bath. Thus, the processing liquid stored in the processing bath is efficiently replaced with another processing liquid without disturbing the upward flows of the processing liquid within the processing bath.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 24, 2012Publication date: March 7, 2013Inventors: Kozo TERASHIMA, Akihiro HOSOKAWA, Keiji MAGARA
-
Publication number: 20120175250Abstract: A sputter target assembly particularly useful for a large panel plasma sputter reactor having a target assembly sealed both to the main processing chamber and a vacuum pumped chamber housing a moving magnetron. The target assembly to which target tiles are bonded includes an integral plate with parallel cooling holes drilled parallel to the principal faces. The ends of the holes may be sealed and vertically extending slots arranged in two staggered groups on each side and machined down to respective pairs of cooling holes on opposite sides of the backing plate in pairs. Four manifolds tubes are sealed to the four groups of slots and provide counter-flowing coolant paths.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 15, 2012Publication date: July 12, 2012Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.Inventors: Yoshiaki Tanase, Makoto Inagawa, Akihiro Hosokawa
-
Patent number: 8206548Abstract: Mutually different plural kinds of processing liquid are sequentially supplied to a gap space in which a substrate is arranged to perform a wet processing to the substrate with respect to each processing liquid. Further, the processing liquid used in the wet processing is sequentially released from the communicating portion upon execution of each wet processing. The liquid retrieval tanks are selectively positioned at a retrieval position corresponding to the kind of processing liquid released from the communicating portion by relatively moving the processing unit and the liquid retrieval unit. The liquid retrieval unit is separated from the processing unit and is arranged below the processing unit. The processing liquid is released from the communicating portion of the processing unit to below the gap space downwards vertically.Type: GrantFiled: February 13, 2008Date of Patent: June 26, 2012Assignee: Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd.Inventors: Itsuki Kajino, Akihiro Hosokawa, Kozo Terashima
-
Patent number: 8182661Abstract: A sputter target assembly particularly useful for a large panel plasma sputter reactor having a target assembly sealed both to the main processing chamber and a vacuum pumped chamber housing a moving magnetron. The target assembly to which target tiles are bonded includes an integral plate with parallel cooling holes drilled parallel to the principal faces. The ends of the holes may be sealed and vertically extending slots arranged in two staggered groups on each side and machined down to respective pairs of cooling holes on opposite sides of the backing plate in pairs. Four manifolds tubes are sealed to the four groups of slots and provide counter-flowing coolant paths.Type: GrantFiled: July 27, 2005Date of Patent: May 22, 2012Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Yoshiaki Tanase, Makoto Inagawa, Akihiro Hosokawa
-
Publication number: 20120111273Abstract: The present invention generally comprises a top shield for shielding a shadow frame within a PVD chamber. The top shield may remain in a stationary position and at least partially shield the shadow frame to reduce the amount of material that may deposit on the shadow frame during processing. The top shield may be cooled to reduce the amount of fluxuation in temperature of the top shield and shadow frame during processing and/or during down time.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 18, 2012Publication date: May 10, 2012Inventors: AKIHIRO HOSOKAWA, Bradley O. Stimson, Hienminh Huu Le, Makoto Inagawa
-
Publication number: 20120024693Abstract: A sputtering apparatus for processing large area substrates is provided. By introducing gas across the entire target surface, a uniform composition film may be formed on the substrate. When the gas is introduced merely at the perimeter, the gas distribution is not uniform. By providing a gas introduction tube across the processing area, the reactive gas will uniformly distribute to the whole target. Also, providing the gas tube with multiple inner tubes provides a quick, effective gas dispersion capability.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 10, 2011Publication date: February 2, 2012Inventors: John M. White, Yan Ye, Akihiro Hosokawa
-
Publication number: 20120000773Abstract: The present invention generally comprises one or more cooled anodes shadowing one or more gas introduction tubes where both the cooled anodes and the gas introduction tubes span a processing space defined between one or more sputtering targets and one or more substrates within a sputtering chamber. The gas introduction tubes may have gas outlets that direct the gas introduced away from the one or more substrates. The gas introduction tubes may introduce reactive gas, such as oxygen, into the sputtering chamber for depositing TCO films by reactive sputtering. During a multiple step sputtering process, the gas flows (i.e., the amount of gas and the type of gas), the spacing between the target and the substrate, and the DC power may be changed to achieve a desired result.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 13, 2011Publication date: January 5, 2012Inventors: Yan Ye, Ankur Kadam, Yanping Li, Allen Ka-Ling Lau, Makoto Inagawa, Bradley O. Stimson, Akihiro Hosokawa
-
Patent number: 7976635Abstract: One embodiment relates to a loadlock having a first support structure therein to support one unprocessed substrate and a second support structure therein to support one processed substrate. The first support structure is located above the second support structure. The loadlock includes an elevator to control the vertical position of the support structures. The loadlock also includes a first aperture to permit insertion of an unprocessed substrate into the loadlock and removal of a processed substrate from the loadlock, as well as a second aperture to permit removal of an unprocessed substrate from the loadlock and insertion of a processed substrate into the loadlock. A cooling plate is also located in the loadlock. The cooling plate includes a surface adapted to support a processed substrate thereon. A heating device may be located in the loadlock above the first support structure.Type: GrantFiled: January 21, 2010Date of Patent: July 12, 2011Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Shinichi Kurita, Wendell T. Blonigan, Akihiro Hosokawa
-
Patent number: 7879210Abstract: A magnetron scanning and support mechanism in which the magnetron is partially supported from an overhead scanning mechanism through multiple springs coupled to different horizontal locations on the magnetron and partially supported from below at multiple locations on the target, on which it slides or rolls. In one embodiment, the yoke plate is continuous and uniform. In another embodiment, the magnetron's magnetic yoke is divided into two flexible yokes, for example, of complementary serpentine shape and each supporting magnets of respective polarity. The yokes separated by a gap sufficiently small that the two yokes are magnetically coupled. Each yoke has its own set of spring supports from above and rolling/sliding supports from below to allow the magnetron shape to conform to that of the target. Alternatively, narrow slots are formed in a unitary yoke.Type: GrantFiled: February 3, 2006Date of Patent: February 1, 2011Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Makoto Inagawa, Akihiro Hosokawa, John M. White
-
Patent number: 7815782Abstract: A physical vapor deposition target assembly is configured to isolate a target-bonding layer from a processing region. In one embodiment, the target assembly comprises a backing plate, a target having a first surface and a second surface, and a bonding layer disposed between the backing plate and the second surface. The first surface of the target is in fluid contact with a processing region and the second surface of the target is oriented toward the backing plate. The target assembly may include multiple targets.Type: GrantFiled: June 23, 2006Date of Patent: October 19, 2010Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Makoto Inagawa, Bradley O. Stimson, Akihiro Hosokawa, Hienminh Huu Le, Jrjyan Jerry Chen
-
Publication number: 20100107672Abstract: One embodiment relates to a loadlock having a first support structure therein to support one unprocessed substrate and a second support structure therein to support one processed substrate. The first support structure is located above the second support structure. The loadlock includes an elevator to control the vertical position of the support structures. The loadlock also includes a first aperture to permit insertion of an unprocessed substrate into the loadlock and removal of a processed substrate from the loadlock, as well as a second aperture to permit removal of an unprocessed substrate from the loadlock and insertion of a processed substrate into the loadlock. A cooling plate is also located in the loadlock. The cooling plate includes a surface adapted to support a processed substrate thereon. A heating device may be located in the loadlock above the first support structure.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 21, 2010Publication date: May 6, 2010Inventors: Shinichi Kurita, Wendell T. Blonigan, Akihiro Hosokawa