Patents by Inventor Itsuki Kobata

Itsuki Kobata 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: 20190118338
    Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention provides a buff process module. The buff process module includes: a buff table on which a processing target object is mounted; a buff head that holds a buff pad for applying a predetermined process to the processing target object; a buff arm that supports and swings the buff head; a dresser for dressing the buff pad; and a cleaning mechanism that is disposed between the buff table and the dresser and is for cleaning the buff pad.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2018
    Publication date: April 25, 2019
    Inventors: Kuniaki YAMAGUCHI, Itsuki KOBATA, Toshio MIZUNO, Mitsuru MIYAZAKI, Naoki TOYOMURA, Takuya INOUE
  • Patent number: 10201888
    Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention provides a buff process module. The buff process module includes: a buff table on which a processing target object is mounted; a buff head that holds a buff pad for applying a predetermined process to the processing target object; a buff arm that supports and swings the buff head; a dresser for dressing the buff pad; and a cleaning mechanism that is disposed between the buff table and the dresser and is for cleaning the buff pad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kuniaki Yamaguchi, Itsuki Kobata, Toshio Mizuno, Mitsuru Miyazaki, Naoki Toyomura, Takuya Inoue
  • Patent number: 10183374
    Abstract: A buffing module for buffing a substrate is provided. The buffing module comprises a buff table for supporting the substrate, the buff table being rotatable; and a buff head to which a buff pad is attached, being rotatable and movable in a direction of approaching the buff table and a direction of moving away from the buff table. The buff pad includes a first part and a second part arranged so as to surround the first part on an outer side of the first part, the first part and the second part have different characteristics from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kuniaki Yamaguchi, Toshio Mizuno, Itsuki Kobata
  • Patent number: 10131030
    Abstract: A buffing apparatus for buffing a substrate is provided. The apparatus includes: a buff table for holding the substrate, the buff table being rotatable; a buff head to which a buff pad for buffing the substrate is attachable, the buff head being rotatable and movable in a direction approaching the buff table and a direction away from the buff table, and an internal supply line for supplying process liquid for the buffing to the substrate being formed inside the buff head; and an external nozzle provided separately through the internal supply line in order to supply the process liquid to the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kuniaki Yamaguchi, Itsuki Kobata, Toshio Mizuno
  • Publication number: 20180286717
    Abstract: Provided is a substrate processing apparatus for making a catalyst and a substrate close to each other or be in contact with each other in the presence of processing liquid to etch a processing target area of the substrate, the substrate processing apparatus including a substrate holder for holding a substrate, and a catalyst holder for holding a catalyst, wherein the catalyst holder comprises a base plate having high rigidity, a piezoelectric element arranged to be adjacent to the base plate, a catalyst holding base having high rigidity arranged to be adjacent to the piezoelectric element, and a catalyst held by the catalyst holding base, and wherein the substrate processing apparatus further comprises a control device for controlling a driving voltage to be applied to the piezoelectric element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2018
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Inventors: Katsuhide WATANABE, Itsuki KOBATA
  • Publication number: 20180236630
    Abstract: A polisher for locally polishing a substrate is provided. The polisher includes a polishing member having a processing surface that comes into contact with the substrate and is smaller than the substrate, a pressing mechanism for pressing the polishing member against the substrate, a first drive mechanism for imparting motion to the polishing member in a first motion direction parallel to a surface of the substrate, a second drive mechanism for imparting motion to the polishing member in a second motion direction perpendicular to the first motion direction and having a component parallel to the surface of the substrate, and a controller for controlling the action of the polisher.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2018
    Publication date: August 23, 2018
    Applicant: Ebara Corporation
    Inventors: Hozumi YASUDA, Itsuki KOBATA, Nobuyuki TAKAHASHI, Suguru SAKUGAWA, Nobuyuki TAKADA
  • Publication number: 20180229346
    Abstract: A polishing apparatus for polishing a substrate is provided. The polishing apparatus includes: a polishing table holding a polishing pad; a top ring configured to press the substrate against the polishing pad; first and second optical heads each configured to apply the light to the substrate and to receive reflected light from the substrate; spectroscopes each configured to measure at each wavelength an intensity of the reflected light received; and a processor configured to produce a spectrum indicating a relationship between intensity and wavelength of the reflected light. The first optical head is arranged so as to face a center of the substrate, and the second optical head is arranged so as to face a peripheral portion of the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2018
    Publication date: August 16, 2018
    Inventors: Itsuki KOBATA, Yoichi KOBAYASHI, Katsutoshi ONO, Masaki KINOSHITA, Toshifumi KIMBA
  • Publication number: 20180211849
    Abstract: The invention performs optimum processing even when process requirements vary in the middle of a substrate processing process. A method is provided whereby a substrate is processed by causing the substrate and a catalyst to contact each other in the presence of a processing liquid. Such a method includes a step of processing the substrate under a predetermined processing condition for processing the substrate at a high speed and a step of changing the processing condition so as to process the substrate at a low speed during processing of the same substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2016
    Publication date: July 26, 2018
    Inventors: Itsuki KOBATA, Keita YAGI, Yoichi SHIOKAWA
  • Publication number: 20180169831
    Abstract: A polishing method of polishing a substrate while preventing coarse particles from being discharged onto a polishing pad is disclosed. In this polishing method, a substrate is brought into sliding contact with a polishing pad while a polishing liquid, which has passed through a filter, is supplied onto the polishing pad. The polishing method includes: passing the polishing liquid through the filter while increasing a physical quantity of the polishing liquid until the physical quantity reaches a predetermined set value, the physical quantity being one of flow rate and pressure of the polishing liquid; and polishing the substrate W on the polishing pad while supplying the polishing liquid that has passed through the filter onto the polishing pad.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2018
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Inventors: Hiromitsu WATANABE, Kuniaki YAMAGUCHI, Itsuki KOBATA, Yutaka WADA
  • Patent number: 9969048
    Abstract: A polishing apparatus for polishing a substrate is provided. The polishing apparatus includes: a polishing table holding a polishing pad; a top ring configured to press the substrate against the polishing pad; first and second optical heads each configured to apply the light to the substrate and to receive reflected light from the substrate; spectroscopes each configured to measure at each wavelength an intensity of the reflected light received; and a processor configured to produce a spectrum indicating a relationship between intensity and wavelength of the reflected light. The first optical head is arranged so as to face a center of the substrate, and the second optical head is arranged so as to face a peripheral portion of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: Ebara Corporation
    Inventors: Itsuki Kobata, Yoichi Kobayashi, Katsutoshi Ono, Masaki Kinoshita, Toshifumi Kimba
  • Publication number: 20180001438
    Abstract: According to one aspect, a substrate processing apparatus is provided. The substrate processing apparatus includes a table provided with a substrate holding surface for holding a substrate, a pad for processing the substrate held on the table, a head for holding the pad, an actuator for moving the head in a direction perpendicular to the substrate holding surface of the table, and a mechanical stopper device for stopping a movement of the head in the direction perpendicular to the substrate holding surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2017
    Publication date: January 4, 2018
    Inventors: Suguru SAKUGAWA, Toru MARUYAMA, Nobuyuki TAKAHASHI, Zhongxin WEN, Yoichi SHIOKAWA, Keita YAGI, Itsuki KOBATA, Tomohiko TAKEUCHI
  • Publication number: 20170352573
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a high-flatness substrate holding table. According to a first aspect, a substrate processing apparatus is provided, and such a substrate processing apparatus includes a table for holding a substrate, a resin film attached to a top surface of the table and a heater provided inside the table, and the top surface of the table is formed of ceramics, the top surface of the table includes an opening connectable to a vacuum source, the resin film is formed of polyimide, and a through hole is formed at a position corresponding to the opening of the table when attached to the top surface of the table.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2017
    Publication date: December 7, 2017
    Inventors: Zhongxin WEN, Toru MARUYAMA, Nobuyuki TAKAHASHI, Suguru SAKUGAWA, Yoichi SHIOKAWA, Keita YAGI, Itsuki KOBATA, Tomohiko TAKEUCHI
  • Publication number: 20170259395
    Abstract: One object is to provide a polishing machine and a polishing method capable of improving a processing accuracy on the surface of an object. A method of polishing an object is provided. Such a method comprises: a first step of polishing an object by moving the object and a first polishing pad having a smaller dimension than that of the object relative to each other while the first polishing pad is made to contact the object, a second step of polishing the object, after the first step of polishing, by moving the object and a second polishing pad having a larger dimension than that of the object relative to each other while the second polishing pad is made to contact the object, and a step of detecting the state of the surface of the object before the first step of polishing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2017
    Publication date: September 14, 2017
    Applicant: Ebara Corporation
    Inventors: Itsuki KOBATA, Katsuhide WATANABE, Hozumi YASUDA, Yuji YAGI, Nobuyuki TAKAHASHI, Koichi TAKEDA
  • Publication number: 20170252895
    Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention provides a buff process module. The buff process module includes: a buff table on which a processing target object is mounted; a buff head that holds a buff pad for applying a predetermined process to the processing target object; a buff arm that supports and swings the buff head; a dresser for dressing the buff pad; and a cleaning mechanism that is disposed between the buff table and the dresser and is for cleaning the buff pad.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2017
    Publication date: September 7, 2017
    Inventors: Kuniaki YAMAGUCHI, Itsuki KOBATA, Toshio MIZUNO, Mitsuru MIYAZAKI, Naoki TOYOMURA, Takuya INOUE
  • Patent number: 9700988
    Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention provides a buff process module. The buff process module includes: a buff table on which a processing target object is mounted; a buff head that holds a buff pad for applying a predetermined process to the processing target object; a buff arm that supports and swings the buff head; a dresser for dressing the buff pad; and a cleaning mechanism that is disposed between the buff table and the dresser and is for cleaning the buff pad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: Ebara Corporation
    Inventors: Kuniaki Yamaguchi, Itsuki Kobata, Toshio Mizuno, Mitsuru Miyazaki, Naoki Toyomura, Takuya Inoue
  • Publication number: 20170047237
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to improve a substrate processing apparatus using the CARE method. The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus for polishing a processing target region of a substrate by bringing the substrate and a catalyst into contact with each other in the presence of processing liquid. The substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate holding unit configured to hold the substrate, a catalyst holding unit configured to hold the catalyst, and a driving unit configured to move the substrate holding unit and the catalyst holding unit relative to each other with the processing target region of the substrate and the catalyst kept in contact with each other. The catalyst is smaller than the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2015
    Publication date: February 16, 2017
    Inventors: Itsuki KOBATA, Keita YAGI, Katsuhide WATANABE, Yoichi SHIOKAWA, Toru MARUYAMA, Nobuyuki TAKAHASHI
  • Publication number: 20160325399
    Abstract: A polishing apparatus for polishing a substrate is provided. The polishing apparatus includes: a polishing table holding a polishing pad; a top ring configured to press the substrate against the polishing pad; first and second optical heads each configured to apply the light to the substrate and to receive reflected light from the substrate; spectroscopes each configured to measure at each wavelength an intensity of the reflected light received; and a processor configured to produce a spectrum indicating a relationship between intensity and wavelength of the reflected light. The first optical head is arranged so as to face a center of the substrate, and the second optical head is arranged so as to face a peripheral portion of the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2016
    Publication date: November 10, 2016
    Inventors: Itsuki KOBATA, Yoichi KOBAYASHI, Katsutoshi ONO, Masaki KINOSHITA, Toshifumi KIMBA
  • Patent number: 9401293
    Abstract: A polishing apparatus for polishing a substrate includes a polishing table holding a polishing pad, a top ring configured to press the substrate against the polishing pad, and first and second optical heads each configured to apply the light to the substrate and to receive reflected light from the substrate. The polishing apparatus also includes spectroscopes each configured to measure at each wavelength an intensity of the reflected light received, and a processor configured to produce a spectrum indicating a relationship between intensity and wavelength of the reflected light. The first optical head is arranged so as to face a center of the substrate, and the second optical head is arranged so as to face a peripheral portion of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2016
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Itsuki Kobata, Yoichi Kobayashi, Katsutoshi Ono, Masaki Kinoshita, Toshifumi Kimba
  • Publication number: 20160101498
    Abstract: A buffing apparatus for buffing a substrate is provided. The apparatus includes: a buff table for holding the substrate, the buff table being rotatable; a buff head to which a buff pad for buffing the substrate is attachable, the buff head being rotatable and movable in a direction approaching the buff table and a direction away from the buff table, and an internal supply line for supplying process liquid for the buffing to the substrate being formed inside the buff head; and an external nozzle provided separately through the internal supply line in order to supply the process liquid to the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2015
    Publication date: April 14, 2016
    Inventors: Kuniaki YAMAGUCHI, Itsuki KOBATA, Toshio MIZUNO
  • Publication number: 20160099156
    Abstract: A polishing apparatus is provided. The polishing apparatus includes: a polishing unit configured to polish a substrate by bringing a polishing tool into contact with the substrate and moving the substrate relatively to the polishing tool; a cleaning unit; and a first transfer robot configured to transfer the substrate before polishing to the polishing unit and/or configured to transfer the substrate after polishing from the polishing unit to the cleaning unit. The cleaning unit includes: at least one cleaning module, a buff processing module configured to perform a buff process to the substrate, and a second transfer robot configured to transfer the substrate between the cleaning module and the buff processing module, the second transfer robot being different from the first robot.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2015
    Publication date: April 7, 2016
    Inventors: Kuniaki YAMAGUCHI, Toshio MIZUNO, Itsuki KOBATA, Mitsuru MIYAZAKI, Naoki TOYOMURA, Takuya INOUE