Patents by Inventor Kenji Nakahira

Kenji Nakahira 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).

  • Patent number: 10889526
    Abstract: An environmental resistant coating member includes a SiC long fiber-reinforced ceramics substrate and an environmental barrier coating layer provided on the whole surface of the SiC long fiber-reinforced ceramics substrate. The environmental barrier coating layer includes a SiAlON bonding layer laminated on the SiC long fiber-reinforced ceramics substrate, a mullite layer laminated on the SiAlON bonding layer, a reaction inhibition layer laminated on the mullite layer, and a gradient layer formed on the reaction inhibition layer that gradually changes from a rare-earth disilicate to a rare-earth monosilicate. The reaction inhibition layer includes at least one of an alumina layer, a garnet layer, and a rare-earth (mono)silicate layer. When the reaction inhibition layer includes two or more of these layers, the layers are formed in the order of the alumina layer, the garnet layer, and the rare-earth (mono)silicate layer from a mullite layer side toward a gradient layer side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignees: Japan Fine Ceramics Center, IHI Cornoration
    Inventors: Norio Yamaguchi, Taishi Yokoi, Kenji Nakahira, Hiroshi Nomura, Satoshi Kitaoka, Takeshi Nakamura, Tsuyoshi Takemoto
  • Publication number: 20190092702
    Abstract: An environmental resistant coating member includes a SiC long fiber-reinforced ceramics substrate and an environmental barrier coating layer provided on the whole surface of the SiC long fiber-reinforced ceramics substrate. The environmental barrier coating layer includes a SiAlON bonding layer laminated on the SiC long fiber-reinforced ceramics substrate, a mullite layer laminated on the SiAlON bonding layer, a reaction inhibition layer laminated on the mullite layer, and a gradient layer formed on the reaction inhibition layer that gradually changes from a rare-earth disilicate to a rare-earth monosilicate. The reaction inhibition layer includes at least one of an alumina layer, a garnet layer, and a rare-earth (mono)silicate layer. When the reaction inhibition layer includes two or more of these layers, the layers are formed in the order of the alumina layer, the garnet layer, and the rare-earth (mono)silicate layer from a mullite layer side toward a gradient layer side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2017
    Publication date: March 28, 2019
    Applicants: Japan Fine Ceramics Center, IHI Corporation
    Inventors: Norio YAMAGUCHI, Taishi YOKOI, Kenji NAKAHIRA, Hiroshi NOMURA, Satoshi KITAOKA, Takeshi NAKAMURA, Tsuyoshi TAKEMOTO
  • Patent number: 9859093
    Abstract: A scanning charged particle microscope apparatus includes image quality improvement unit which performs an image quality improvement process on image data which is obtained by detecting particles generated from a sample, the image quality improvement unit divides a region in which the image data is acquired into two or more regions on the basis of a distance from a region in which the image data within a visual field of a charged particle optical unit is not acquired, determines an image quality improvement processing method and a processing parameter for image quality improvement for the image data in each of the separate regions according to the separate regions; and performs an image quality improvement process on the image data in each of the separate regions by using the determined processing method and processing parameter corresponding to the separate region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Kenji Nakahira, Maki Tanaka
  • Patent number: 9824853
    Abstract: In order to enable high-speed imaging of a wide-field image, the imaging method using the electron microscope comprises: irradiating and scanning a wide-field region of the sample with a low-dose amount of electron beam, and acquiring a wide-field image of the sample; setting, from this wide-field image, a narrow-field region; irradiating and scanning this narrow-field region with a high-dose amount of the electron beam, and acquiring a narrow-field image of the sample; determining the noise-removal parameters for the acquired wide-field image and narrow-field image; performing image quality improvement processing on the wide-field image and the narrow-field image; performing drift correction on the narrow-field image undergone the image quality improvement processing; and combining the narrow-field image undergone this drift correction and the wide-field image in such a manner that the visibility of each is at the same level throughout the entirety of the combined image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mitsutoshi Kobayashi, Kenji Nakahira, Maki Tanaka
  • Patent number: 9741530
    Abstract: A charged-particle-beam device is provided with a data processing unit that removes, from a detector signal, the effect that scattering of a primary charged-particle beam before the primary charged-particle beam reaches a specimen has on the spot shape of the primary charged-particle beam. For example, when using an electron microscope to observe a specimen in a non-vacuum atmosphere, the effect that scattering of a primary charged-particle beam due to a barrier film or a gas present in a non-vacuum space has on the spot shape of the primary charged-particle beam is removed from a signal acquired by a detector. This makes it easy to obtain high-quality images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Yusuke Ominami, Kenji Nakahira, Maki Tanaka, Shinsuke Kawanishi
  • Publication number: 20170169992
    Abstract: In order to enable high-speed imaging of a wide-field image, the imaging method using the electron microscope comprises: irradiating and scanning a wide-field region of the sample with a low-dose amount of electron beam, and acquiring a wide-field image of the sample; setting, from this wide-field image, a narrow-field region; irradiating and scanning this narrow-field region with a high-dose amount of the electron beam, and acquiring a narrow-field image of the sample; determining the noise-removal parameters for the acquired wide-field image and narrow-field image; performing image quality improvement processing on the wide-field image and the narrow-field image; performing drift correction on the narrow-field image undergone the image quality improvement processing; and combining the narrow-field image undergone this drift correction and the wide-field image in such a manner that the visibility of each is at the same level throughout the entirety of the combined image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2015
    Publication date: June 15, 2017
    Inventors: Mitsutoshi KOBAYASHI, Kenji NAKAHIRA, Maki TANAKA
  • Publication number: 20160343540
    Abstract: A scanning charged particle microscope apparatus includes image quality improvement unit which performs an image quality improvement process on image data which is obtained by detecting particles generated from a sample, the image quality improvement unit divides a region in which the image data is acquired into two or more regions on the basis of a distance from a region in which the image data within a visual field of a charged particle optical unit is not acquired, determines an image quality improvement processing method and a processing parameter for image quality improvement for the image data in each of the separate regions according to the separate regions; and performs an image quality improvement process on the image data in each of the separate regions by using the determined processing method and processing parameter corresponding to the separate region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2014
    Publication date: November 24, 2016
    Inventors: Kenji NAKAHIRA, Maki TANAKA
  • Publication number: 20160336145
    Abstract: A charged-particle-beam device is provided with a data processing unit that removes, from a detector signal, the effect that scattering of a primary charged-particle beam before the primary charged-particle beam reaches a specimen has on the spot shape of the primary charged-particle beam. For example, when using an electron microscope to observe a specimen in a non-vacuum atmosphere, the effect that scattering of a primary charged-particle beam due to a barrier film or a gas present in a non-vacuum space has on the spot shape of the primary charged-particle beam is removed from a signal acquired by a detector. This makes it easy to obtain high-quality images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2014
    Publication date: November 17, 2016
    Applicant: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Yusuke OMINAMI, Kenji NAKAHIRA, Maki TANAKA, Shinsuke KAWANISHI
  • Patent number: 9460889
    Abstract: A specimen image capture method using a charged particle microscope device includes: a first image acquisition step in which the gain of a detector in a charged particle microscope is set to a first gain value, charged particle beam scanning is carried out on a specimen, and a first image is obtained; a second image acquisition step in which the gain of the detector is set to a second gain value, which is different to the first gain value, charged particle beam scanning is carried out on the specimen, and a second image is obtained; and an image combination step in which the first gain value and the second gain value are used and the first image and the second image are combined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Kenji Nakahira, Atsushi Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 9408591
    Abstract: In order to acquire high resolution ultrasound images while maintaining an appropriate frame rate in ultrasound diagnostic devices, the disclosed method generates high resolution ultrasound images by performing image reconstruction on the basis of multiple ultrasound frame images captured along a time series and the magnitudes of positional shifts, or forms high resolution ultrasound images by performing image reconstruction on the basis of multiple ultrasound frame images acquired by controlling the ultrasound probe and varying scan orientation or scan focal length frame by frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2016
    Assignee: HITACHI MEDICAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Go Kotaki, Atsushi Miyamoto, Kenji Nakahira
  • Patent number: 9360434
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an optical inspection apparatus that suppresses an influence of quantum noise and obtains superior defect detection performance even when an amount of light is small and a method thereof. In order to resolve the above problem, the present invention provides an optical inspection apparatus that includes a light source which radiates light to a sample; a light interference device which causes target light transmitted, scattered, or reflected from the sample and reference light to interfere with each other, such that strength of light after the interference becomes lower than strength of the target light; a photon counter which measures a photon number of the light after the interference by the light interference device; and a defect identifier which identifies the presence or absence of a defect, on the basis of a detected photon number obtained by the photon counter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenji Nakahira, Toshifumi Honda
  • Patent number: 9342879
    Abstract: A method for reviewing defect, comprising the steps of: as an image acquisition step, imaging a surface of a sample using arbitrary image acquisition condition selected from a plurality of image acquisition conditions and obtaining a defect image; as a defect position calculation step, proceeding the defect image obtained by the image acquisition step and calculating a defect position on the surface of the sample; as a defect detection accuracy calculation step, obtaining a defect detection accuracy of the defect position calculated by the defect position calculation step; and as a conclusion determination step, determinating whether the defect detection accuracy obtained by the defect detection accuracy calculation step meets a predetermined requirement or not; wherein until it is determined that the defect detection accuracy obtained by the defect detection accuracy calculation step meets a predetermined in the conclusion determination step, the image acquisition condition is selected from the plurality of
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: Hitachi Hich-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Yohei Minekawa, Kenji Nakahira, Minoru Harada, Takehiro Hirai, Ryo Nakagaki
  • Patent number: 9341584
    Abstract: A high-performance image quality improvement process, capable of improving the image quality of low-definition areas (lower layer patterns in a multilayer, bottoms of holes in a hole pattern, etc.), is performed to a captured image. Definition enhancement intensity is calculated using height information included in design data or estimate values of sample height information calculated from the captured image, and the image quality improvement process is performed to the captured image using the definition enhancement intensity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Nakahira, Atsushi Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 9305343
    Abstract: A plurality of images is captured, and the plurality of images is integrated and displayed after one or more ROIs included in the captured images are extracted and classified. At integration, an integration method is controlled according to a classification result of the ROI.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Nakahira, Atsushi Miyamoto, Takehiro Hirai
  • Patent number: 9267898
    Abstract: An optical inspection apparatus is provided which suppresses the influence of quantum noise including: light irradiator which irradiates a sample with light; reference light emitter which emits reference light; light interference unit which generates interfering light through interference between transmitted light, scattered light, or reflected light from the sample irradiated with light by the light irradiator, and the reference light emitted by the reference light emitter; light detector which detects the interfering light generated by the light interference unit; defect identifier which identifies the presence or absence of a defect based on a detection signal obtained by the light detector detecting the interfering light; and light convertor which converts at least the state of the transmitted, scattered, or reflected light from the sample, the state of the reference light emitted by the reference light emitter, or the state of the interfering light generated by the light interference unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Kenji Nakahira, Toshifumi Honda, Toshihiko Nakata
  • Patent number: 9245323
    Abstract: A medical diagnostic device is characterized in that an image processing unit (22) includes an image noise removal part (211, 211?) which removes the noise in the generated image of a person to be examined, a signal component enhancement processing part (212, 212?) which generates an enhanced-signal component image by performing signal component enhancement processing of the image from which the noise is removed by the image noise removal part, and an image combining part (213, 213?) which generates a combined image by combining the image of the person to be examined, the image from which the noise is removed by the image noise removal part, and an enhanced-signal component image subjected to signal component enhancement processing by the signal component enhancement processing part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: HITACHI MEDICAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jie Bai, Kenji Nakahira, Atsushi Miyamoto
  • Publication number: 20150272552
    Abstract: In order to acquire high resolution ultrasound images while maintaining an appropriate frame rate in ultrasound diagnostic devices, the disclosed method generates high resolution ultrasound images by performing image reconstruction on the basis of multiple ultrasound frame images captured along a time series and the magnitudes of positional shifts, or forms high resolution ultrasound images by performing image reconstruction on the basis of multiple ultrasound frame images acquired by controlling the ultrasound probe and varying scan orientation or scan focal length frame by frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2015
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Applicant: HITACHI MEDICAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Go Kotaki, Atsushi Miyamoto, Kenji Nakahira
  • Publication number: 20150149475
    Abstract: The present invention provides a data harmonic analysis method and a data analysis device for data analysis in which a plurality of data items to be analyzed are acquired; similarities among a plurality of data sources that generate the data values of the acquired plurality of data items are obtained; a hierarchical graph is generated as a graph structure indicating the acquired plurality of data items, with a plurality of child nodes corresponding to the plurality of data items being located in a lower layer and a parent node that has no data item being located in an upper layer; the connection rate between the parent node and each of the plurality of child nodes is calculated by using the information of the obtained similarities in the generated hierarchical graph; and harmonic analysis is applied, on the basis of the generated hierarchical graph, to the data values in the graph.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 5, 2013
    Publication date: May 28, 2015
    Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Kenji Nakahira, Atsushi Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 9019362
    Abstract: The invention relates to a technique of improving a contrast of a lower-layer pattern in a multi layer by synthesizing detected signals from a plurality of detectors by using an appropriate allocation ratio in accordance with pattern arrangement. In a charged particle beam device capable of improving image quality by using detected images obtained from a plurality of detectors and in a method of improving the image quality, a method of generating one or more output images from detected images corresponding to respective outputs of the detectors that are arranged at different locations is controlled by using information of a pattern direction, an edge strength, or others calculated from a design data or the detected image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Jie Bai, Kenji Nakahira, Atsushi Miyamoto, Chie Shishido, Hideyuki Kazumi
  • Publication number: 20150015893
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an optical inspection apparatus that suppresses an influence of quantum noise and obtains superior defect detection performance even when an amount of light is small and a method thereof. In order to resolve the above problem, the present invention provides an optical inspection apparatus that includes a light source which radiates light to a sample; a light interference device which causes target light transmitted, scattered, or reflected from the sample and reference light to interfere with each other, such that strength of light after the interference becomes lower than strength of the target light; a photon counter which measures a photon number of the light after the interference by the light interference device; and a defect identifier which identifies the presence or absence of a defect, on the basis of a detected photon number obtained by the photon counter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2013
    Publication date: January 15, 2015
    Inventors: Kenji Nakahira, Toshifumi Honda