Patents by Inventor Keiichi Kimura
Keiichi Kimura 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).
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Publication number: 20140254114Abstract: Provided are a flexible circuit board with excellent bendability and durability against hard conditions particularly in a repeated bend portion having a small curvature radius, and a method of producing the same. The flexible circuit board includes a resin layer and a wiring formed of a metal foil and is used with a bend portion provided at at least one position of the wiring. The metal foil is made of a metal having a cubic crystal structure, and a cross section of the wiring cut in a thickness direction from a ridge line in the bend portion forms a principal orientation on any one of planes within a range of (20 1 0) to (1 20 0) in a rotation direction from (100) to (110) with [001] set as a zone axis. The wiring is formed so that the metal foil is made of a metal having a cubic crystal structure, and that the ridge line in the bend portion has an angle in a range of 2.9° to 87.1° relative to one of fundamental crystal axes <100> in a surface of the metal foil.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 20, 2014Publication date: September 11, 2014Applicant: NIPPON STEEL & SUMIKIN CHEMICAL CO., LTD.Inventors: Koichi HATTORI, Keiichi KIMURA, Naoya KUWASAKI
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Patent number: 8755055Abstract: The present invention is to generate a pulsed laser beam having a width greater than the gap between a rotating tool and a workpiece opposed thereto, and then irradiate the gap with the generated laser beam while the optical axis thereof is tilted relative to a workpiece plane. The pulsed laser beam has one lased-pulse period per one revolution or an integer number of revolutions of the rotating tool and is directed in the same angle range relative to the rotating tool within the ON durations of the lased pulse. The light which has irradiated the gap and has not been interrupted but diffracted by the gap is detected on a light-receiving sensor to measure the length of the gap.Type: GrantFiled: June 23, 2011Date of Patent: June 17, 2014Assignee: Kyushu Institute of TechnologyInventors: Panart Khajornrungruang, Keiichi Kimura
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Publication number: 20140109962Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide an interconnector for solar cells, which reduces the stress acting on a solar cell and suppresses warping and cracking of the solar cell. An interconnector for solar cells of the present invention is characterized by comprising an electrically conductive wire part and a surface layer that is formed on at least one wide surface of the electrically conductive wire part. The interconnector for solar cells is also characterized in that the surface layer has a function of reducing the stress that is caused by the difference between the thermal expansion coefficient of the electrically conductive part and the thermal expansion coefficient of a solar cell, said stress being generated when the interconnector is joined to the solar cell.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 25, 2012Publication date: April 24, 2014Applicant: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATIONInventors: Takayuki Kobayashi, Keiichi Kimura, Masamoto Tanaka, Eiji Hashino
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Patent number: 8647160Abstract: A terminal box (1) includes a connection terminal (3) that can interconnect a terminal (4) of a bus bar and a core wire (221) of an output cable (22) and that is in a box main body (11). One end of the connection terminal (3) has an insertion connecting portion (32) into which the terminal (4) of the bus bar can be inserted, and the other end has a cable press-fitting portion (39) to which the core wire (221) of the output cable (22) that is to be connected to a terminal main body (31) is press-fitted. The insertion connecting portion (32) includes an elastic contact piece (35) provided with an elastic repulsive force, and the terminal (4) of the bus bar can be forcibly introduced thereinto.Type: GrantFiled: May 20, 2010Date of Patent: February 11, 2014Assignee: Yukita Electric Wire Co., Ltd.Inventors: Masayuki Umemoto, Keiichi Kimura
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Publication number: 20140004780Abstract: A method of manufacturing a polishing pad mold for a polishing pad including a micro pattern ? having micro protrusions arranged therein includes steps of manufacturing a mother mold where a mother mold including a substrate, on one side of which a micro pattern ? having an inverted protrusion-depression shape with respect to the micro pattern ? is formed, is manufactured, manufacturing a positive daughter mold where a positive daughter mold having a micro pattern ? formed on a surface is manufactured by the mold, and manufacturing a negative daughter mold where a negative daughter mold having a micro pattern ? formed on a surface is manufactured by the mold, and an assembly step where the mold is configured by arranging and fixing the molds on a basis with the surfaces having the micro pattern ? faced up. Thereby, highly precise and efficient planarization is provided.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 19, 2013Publication date: January 2, 2014Inventors: Yasunori Tashiro, Masato Takata, Toshiaki Atari, Masaaki Matsuo, Takahiro Ito, Keisuke Suzuki, Keiichi Kimura, Panart Khajornrungruang
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Patent number: 8610291Abstract: The present invention provides a semiconductor-device copper-alloy bonding wire which has an inexpensive material cost, ensures a superior ball joining shape, wire joining characteristic, and the like, and a good loop formation characteristic, and a superior mass productivity. The semiconductor-device copper-alloy bonding wire contains at least one of Mg and P in total of 10 to 700 mass ppm, and oxygen within a range from 6 to 30 mass ppm.Type: GrantFiled: August 31, 2007Date of Patent: December 17, 2013Assignees: Nippon Steel & Sumikin Materials Co., Ltd., Nippon Micrometal CorporationInventors: Tomohiro Uno, Keiichi Kimura, Takashi Yamada
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Publication number: 20130128285Abstract: The present invention is to generate a pulsed laser beam having a width greater than the gap between a rotating tool and a workpiece opposed thereto, and then irradiate the gap with the generated laser beam while the optical axis thereof is tilted relative to a workpiece plane. The pulsed laser beam has one lased-pulse period per one revolution or an integer number of revolutions of the rotating tool and is directed in the same angle range relative to the rotating tool within the ON durations of the lased pulse. The light which has irradiated the gap and has not been interrupted but diffracted by the gap is detected on a light-receiving sensor to measure the length of the gap.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 23, 2011Publication date: May 23, 2013Inventors: Panart Khajornrungruang, Keiichi Kimura
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Publication number: 20130090007Abstract: A box body (11) includes a plurality of terminal plates (14) arranged in the box body (11), and a cable introduction portion (13) disposed on a side surface of the box body (11) to introduce a connection cable (20). A water blocking sleeve (30) is disposed around the connection cable (20) to secure the connection cable (20) to the cable introduction portion (13). The water blocking sleeve (30) is disposed between the cable introduction portion (13) and the connection cable (20). The water blocking sleeve (30) includes an inner sleeve (31) in close contact with the connection cable (20), and an outer sleeve (32) disposed on an outer side of the inner sleeve (31) and being in close contact with the cable introduction portion (13). The inner sleeve (31) and the outer sleeve (32) are integral with one another.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 20, 2010Publication date: April 11, 2013Inventors: Masayuki Umemoto, Keiichi Kimura
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Patent number: 8415797Abstract: A gold wire for semiconductor element connection having high strength and bondability. The connection has a limited amount of at least one element selected from calcium and rare earth elements, and a limited amount of at least one element selected from a group consisting of titanium, vanadium, chromium, hafnium, niobium, tungsten, and zirconium. The incorporation of a suitable amount of palladium or beryllium is preferred. The incorporation of calcium and rare earth element can improve the strength and young's modulus of a gold wire, and the incorporation of titanium and the like can reduce a deterioration in the roundness of press-bonded shape of press-bonded balls in the first bonding caused by the incorporation of calcium and rare earth elements. The bonding wire can simultaneously realize mechanical properties and bondability capable of meeting a demand for a size reduction in semiconductor and a reduction in electrode pad pitch.Type: GrantFiled: March 23, 2007Date of Patent: April 9, 2013Assignees: Nippon Steel & Sumikin Materials Co., Ltd., Nippon Micrometal CorporationInventors: Keiichi Kimura, Tomohiro Uno, Takashi Yamada, Kagehito Nishibayashi
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Patent number: 8389860Abstract: A bonding wire for semiconductor devices includes a core member formed of an electrically-conductive metal, and a skin layer mainly composed of a face-centered cubic metal different from the core member and formed thereon. An orientation ratio of <100> orientations in crystalline orientations <hkl> in a wire lengthwise direction at a crystal face of a surface of the skin layer is greater than or equal to 50%, and the <100> orientations have an angular difference relative to the wire lengthwise direction. The angular difference is within 15 degrees.Type: GrantFiled: December 3, 2008Date of Patent: March 5, 2013Inventors: Tomohiro Uno, Keiichi Kimura, Takashi Yamada
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Publication number: 20130008692Abstract: Provided are a metal tape material improved in characteristics to be low in Young's modulus, low in yield stress and high in break elongation and a metal tape material for semiconductor packaging, such as a current-collection interconnector, comprising the same.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 17, 2011Publication date: January 10, 2013Inventors: Keiichi Kimura, Masamoto Tanaka, Wataru Ohashi
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Patent number: 8299356Abstract: A semiconductor-device bonding wire includes a core member formed of an electrically-conductive metal, and a skin layer mainly composed of a face-centered cubic metal different from the core member and formed thereon. An orientation ratio of <111> orientations in crystalline orientations <hkl> in a wire lengthwise direction at a crystal face of a surface of the skin layer is greater than or equal to 50%, and the <111> orientations have an angular difference relative to the wire lengthwise direction, the angular difference being within 15 degrees.Type: GrantFiled: December 2, 2008Date of Patent: October 30, 2012Assignees: Nippon Steel Materials Co., Ltd., Nippon Micrometal CorporationInventors: Tomohiro Uno, Keiichi Kimura, Takashi Yamada
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Patent number: 8247911Abstract: Provided is a bonding structure of a bonding wire and a method for forming the same which can solve problems of conventional technologies in practical application of a multilayer copper wire, improve the formability and bonding characteristic of a ball portion, improve the bonding strength of wedge connection, and have a superior industrial productivity. A bonding wire mainly composed of copper, and a concentrated layer where the concentration of a conductive metal other than copper is high is formed at a ball bonded portion. The concentrated layer is formed in the vicinity of the ball bonded portion or at the interface thereof. An area where the concentration of the conductive metal is 0.05 to 20 mol % has a thickness greater than or equal to 0.1 ?m, and it is preferable that the concentration of the conductive metal in the concentrated layer should be five times as much as the average concentration of the conductive metal at the ball bonded portion other than the concentrated layer.Type: GrantFiled: January 15, 2008Date of Patent: August 21, 2012Assignees: Nippon Steel Materials Co., Ltd., Nippon Micrometal CorporationInventors: Tomohiro Uno, Shinichi Terashima, Keiichi Kimura, Takashi Yamada, Akihito Nishibayashi
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Publication number: 20120104613Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a copper-based bonding wire whose material cost is low, having excellent ball bondability, reliability in a heat cycle test or reflow test, and storage life, enabling an application to thinning of a wire used for fine pitch connection. The bonding wire includes a core material having copper as a main component and an outer layer which is provided on the core material and contains a metal M and copper, in which the metal M differs from the core material in one or both of components and composition. The outer layer is 0.021 to 0.12 ?m in thickness.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 12, 2012Publication date: May 3, 2012Applicants: NIPPON MICROMETAL CORPORATION, NIPPON STEEL MATERIALS CO., LTD.Inventors: Tomohiro Uno, Keiichi Kimura, Shinichi Terashima, Takashi Yamada, Akihito Nishibayashi
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Publication number: 20120100731Abstract: A terminal box (1) includes a connection terminal (3) that can interconnect a terminal (4) of a bus bar and a core wire (221) of an output cable (22) and that is in a box main body (11). One end of the connection terminal (3) has an insertion connecting portion (32) into which the terminal (4) of the bus bar can be inserted, and the other end has a cable press-fitting portion (39) to which the core wire (221) of the output cable (22) that is to be connected to a terminal main body (31) is press-fitted. The insertion connecting portion (32) includes an elastic contact piece (35) provided with an elastic repulsive force, and the terminal (4) of the bus bar can be forcibly introduced thereinto.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 20, 2010Publication date: April 26, 2012Inventors: Masayuki Umemoto, Keiichi Kimura
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Patent number: 8102061Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a copper-based bonding wire whose material cost is low, having excellent ball bondability, reliability in a heat cycle test or reflow test, and storage life, enabling an application to thinning of a wire used for fine pitch connection. The bonding wire includes a core material having copper as a main component and an outer layer which is provided on the core material and contains a metal M and copper, in which the metal M differs from the core material in one or both of components and composition. The outer layer is 0.021 to 0.12 ?m in thickness.Type: GrantFiled: July 24, 2008Date of Patent: January 24, 2012Assignees: Nippon Steel Materials Co., Ltd., Nippon Micrometal CorporationInventors: Tomohiro Uno, Keiichi Kimura, Shinichi Terashima, Takashi Yamada, Akihito Nishibayashi
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Patent number: 8004094Abstract: The present invention provides a semiconductor-device copper-alloy bonding wire which has an inexpensive material cost, ensures a superior ball joining shape, wire joining characteristic, and the like, and a good loop formation characteristic, and a superior mass productivity. The semiconductor-device copper-alloy bonding wire contains at least one of Mg and P in total of 10 to 700 mass ppm, and oxygen within a range from 6 to 30 mass ppm.Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 2010Date of Patent: August 23, 2011Assignees: Nippon Steel Materials Co., Ltd., Nippon Micrometal CorporationInventors: Tomohiro Uno, Keiichi Kimura, Takashi Yamada
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Patent number: 7952028Abstract: A high-performance bonding wire that is suitable for semiconductor mounting technology, such as stacked chip bonding, thinning, and fine pitch mounting, where wire lean (leaning) at an upright position of a ball and spring failure can be suppressed and loop linearity and loop height stability are excellent. This bonding wire for a semiconductor device includes a core material made of a conductive metal, and a skin layer formed on the core material and containing a metal different from the core material as a main component; wherein a relationship between an average size (a) of crystal grains in the skin layer on a wire surface along a wire circumferential direction and an average size (b) of crystal grains in the core material on a normal cross section, the normal cross section being a cross section normal to a wire axis, satisfies an inequality of a/b?0.7.Type: GrantFiled: January 20, 2009Date of Patent: May 31, 2011Assignees: Nippon Steel Materials Co., Ltd., Nippon Micrometal CorporationInventors: Tomohiro Uno, Keiichi Kimura, Takashi Yamada
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Publication number: 20110011618Abstract: The present invention provides a semiconductor-device copper-alloy bonding wire which has an inexpensive material cost, ensures a superior ball joining shape, wire joining characteristic, and the like, and a good loop formation characteristic, and a superior mass productivity. The semiconductor-device copper-alloy bonding wire contains at least one of Mg and P in total of 10 to 700 mass ppm, and oxygen within a range from 6 to 30 mass ppm.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 28, 2010Publication date: January 20, 2011Applicants: NIPPON STEEL MATERIALS CO., LTD., NIPPON MICROMETAL CORPORATIONInventors: Tomohiro UNO, Keiichi Kimura, Takashi Yamada
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Publication number: 20110011619Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a highly-functional bonding wire which can reduce damages at a neck part, has good linearity of loops, stability of loop heights, and stability of bonded shape of a bonding wire, and can cope with semiconductor packaging techniques, such as low looping, thinning, achievement of a fine pitch, and three-dimensional packaging. A semiconductor-device bonding wire comprises a core member formed of an electrically-conductive metal, and a skin layer mainly composed of a face-centered cubic metal different from the core member and formed thereon. The percentage of <100> orientations in crystalline orientations in the lengthwise direction in the surface of the skin layer is greater than or equal to 50%.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 3, 2008Publication date: January 20, 2011Applicants: NIPPON STEEL MATERIALS CO., LTD., NIPPON MICROMETAL CORPORATIONInventors: Tomohiro Uno, Keiichi Kimura, Takashi Yamada