Patents by Inventor Kenya Tomioka
Kenya Tomioka 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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Patent number: 7241372Abstract: A plating apparatus and a plating liquid removing method removes a plating liquid remaining on a substrate-contacting portion, or portions in its vicinity, of a substrate holding member. The plating apparatus comprises a head having a rotatable housing provided with a substrate holding member for holding a substrate, a plating process container, disposed below the head, for holding a plating liquid therein, and a plating liquid removing mechanism for removing plating liquid remaining on the substrate-contacting portion, or the portions in its vicinity, at an inner circumferential edge of the substrate holding member.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2003Date of Patent: July 10, 2007Assignee: Ebara CorporationInventors: Satoshi Sendai, Kenya Tomioka, Katsumi Tsuda
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Patent number: 7166204Abstract: A plating apparatus and method which smoothly perform contact of a plating liquid with a surface of the substrate and which can prevent air bubbles from remaining on the surface to be plated. The plating apparatus includes a plating bath containing a plating liquid in which an anode is immersed, a head portion for holding a substrate detachably and bringing a lower surface, to be plated, of the substrate into contact with an overflow surface of the plating liquid held in the plating bath, a drive mechanism for rotating the head portion, and a tilt mechanism for tilting the head portion so that the substrate held by the head portion is inclined relative to a horizontal plane.Type: GrantFiled: January 23, 2002Date of Patent: January 23, 2007Assignee: Ebara CorporationInventors: Satoshi Sendai, Kenya Tomioka, Katsumi Tsuda, Masayuki Kumekawa, Koji Mishima
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Publication number: 20060185976Abstract: A plating apparatus continuously plates a surface of a substrate with metal and performs its supplementary process in one housing unit. The plating apparatus comprises a cassette stage for placing a substrate cassette thereon, a pre-treatment unit for pre-treating a surface of a substrate, and a plating unit for plating a surface of the substrate pre-treated in the pre-treatment unit. The plating apparatus further comprises a first substrate stage disposed between the cassette stage and the pre-treatment unit, a cleaning and drying unit disposed between the cassette stage and the first substrate stage, a first transfer device, and a second transfer device. The first transfer device transfers a substrate between the substrate cassette, the cleaning and drying unit, and the first substrate stage. The second transfer device transfers a substrate between the first substrate stage, the pre-treatment unit, and the plating unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 24, 2006Publication date: August 24, 2006Inventors: Satoshi Sendai, Kenya Tomioka, Katsumi Tsuda, Naomitsu Ozawa
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Publication number: 20040129575Abstract: A plating apparatus and a plating liquid removing method removes a plating liquid remaining on a substrate-contacting portion, or portions in its vicinity, of a substrate holding member. The plating apparatus comprises a head having a rotatable housing provided with a substrate holding member for holding a substrate, a plating process container, disposed below the head, for holding a plating liquid therein, and a plating liquid removing mechanism for removing plating liquid remaining on the substrate-contacting portion, or the portions in its vicinity, at an inner circumferential edge of the substrate holding member.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 22, 2003Publication date: July 8, 2004Inventors: Satoshi Sendai, Kenya Tomioka, Katsumi Tsuda
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Publication number: 20040089555Abstract: A plating apparatus continuously plates a surface of a substrate with metal and performs its supplementary process in one housing unit. The plating apparatus comprises a cassette stage for placing a substrate cassette thereon, a pre-treatment unit for pre-treating a surface of a substrate, and a plating unit for plating a surface of the substrate pre-treated in the pre-treatment unit. The plating apparatus further comprises a first substrate stage disposed between the cassette stage and the pre-treatment unit, a cleaning and drying unit disposed between the cassette stage and the first substrate stage, a first transfer device, and a second transfer device. The first transfer device transfers a substrate between the substrate cassette, the cleaning and drying unit, and the first substrate stage. The second transfer device transfers a substrate between the first substrate stage, the pre-treatment unit, and the plating unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 16, 2003Publication date: May 13, 2004Inventors: Satoshi Sendai, Kenya Tomioka, Katsumi Tsuda, Naomitsu Ozawa
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Patent number: 6689216Abstract: A plating apparatus and a plating liquid removing method removes a plating liquid remaining on a substrate-contacting portion, or portions in its vicinity, of a substrate holding member. The plating apparatus comprises a head having a rotatable housing provided with a substrate holding member for holding a substrate, a plating process container, disposed below the head, for holding a plating liquid therein, and a plating liquid removing mechanism for removing plating liquid remaining on the substrate-contacting portion, or the portions in its vicinity, at an inner circumferential edge of the substrate holding member.Type: GrantFiled: August 7, 2001Date of Patent: February 10, 2004Assignee: Ebara CorporationInventors: Satoshi Sendai, Kenya Tomioka, Katsumi Tsuda
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Patent number: 6660139Abstract: A plating apparatus continuously plates a surface of a substrate with metal and performs its supplementary process in one housing unit. The plating apparatus comprises a cassette stage for placing a substrate cassette thereon, a pre-treatment unit for pre-treating a surface of a substrate, and a plating unit for plating a surface of the substrate pre-treated in the pre-treatment unit. The plating apparatus further comprises a first substrate stage disposed between the cassette stage and the pre-treatment unit, a cleaning and drying unit disposed between the cassette stage and the first substrate stage, a first transfer device, and a second transfer device. The first transfer device transfers a substrate between the substrate cassette, the cleaning and drying unit, and the first substrate stage. The second transfer device transfers a substrate between the first substrate stage, the pre-treatment unit, and the plating unit.Type: GrantFiled: November 7, 2000Date of Patent: December 9, 2003Assignee: Ebara CorporationInventors: Satoshi Sendai, Kenya Tomioka, Katsumi Tsuda, Naomitsu Ozawa
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Patent number: 6558518Abstract: A substrate such as a semiconductor wafer is plated to fill a metal such as copper (Cu) or the like in interconnection grooves defined in the substrate. An apparatus for plating such a substrate has a plating chamber for holding a plating solution, the plating chamber housing an anode that is immersible in the plating solution held by the plating chamber. A plating solution ejector pipe produces an upward jet of plating solution from a plating solution supplied to the plating chamber from an external source, and a substrate holder removably holds a substrate and positions the substrate such that a surface to be plated of the substrate is held in contact with the jet of plating solution. The plating chamber has a plating solution outlet defined in a bottom thereof for discharging a portion of the supplied plating solution via through-holes defined in the anode and/or around the anode out of the plating chamber.Type: GrantFiled: July 7, 2000Date of Patent: May 6, 2003Assignee: Ebara CorporationInventors: Satoshi Sendai, Akihisa Hongo, Kenya Tomioka, Katsumi Tsuda, Masayuki Kumekawa, Naoaki Ogure, Kenichi Sasabe
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Publication number: 20030057098Abstract: The present invention relates to a plating apparatus and method which smoothly perform contact of a plating liquid with a surface of the substrate and which can prevent air bubbles from remaining on the surface to be plated. The plating apparatus comprises a plating bath containing a plating liquid in which an anode is immersed, a head portion for holding a substrate detachably and bringing a lower surface, to be plated, of the substrate into contact with an overflow surface of the plating liquid held in the plating bath, a drive mechanism for rotating the head portion, and a tilt mechanism for tilting the head portion so that the substrate held by the head portion is inclined relative to a horizontal plane.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 23, 2002Publication date: March 27, 2003Inventors: Satoshi Sendai, Kenya Tomioka, Katsumi Tsuda, Masayuki Kumekawa, Koji Mishima
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Patent number: 6500317Abstract: The present invention provides a conductivity sensing device capable of detecting the conductivity (contact state) of the plurality of feeder contacts contacting the conductive area of the substrate, and a plating apparatus capable of forming a plating film of uniform thickness by supplying a uniform plating current through a plurality of feeder contacts.Type: GrantFiled: June 16, 2000Date of Patent: December 31, 2002Assignee: Ebara CorporationInventors: Junichiro Yoshioka, Satoshi Sendai, Atsushi Chono, Mitsuo Tada, Akihisa Hongo, Yoshitaka Mukaiyama, Kenya Tomioka, Akira Ogata, Kenichi Suzuki, Naomitsu Ozawa
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Patent number: 6365020Abstract: The present invention is to provide a wafer plating jig for a plating apparatus having a simple construction and capable of sealing conducting pins from the plating solution completely. The wafer plating jig for gripping a wafer, comprises a main jig body (11) having a plurality of gripping mechanisms (13) and a plurality of conducting pins disposed thereon. A seal packing (20) is provided to surround each of the conducting pins. When the wafer is gripped by the gripping mechanisms (13), each end of the conducting pins individually contacts conductive film formed on the wafer and being sealed by the seal packing (20).Type: GrantFiled: July 11, 2000Date of Patent: April 2, 2002Assignee: Ebara CorporationInventors: Junichiro Yoshioka, Kenya Tomioka, Satoshi Sendai, Atsushi Chono, Naomitsu Ozawa
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Publication number: 20020017465Abstract: A plating apparatus and a plating liquid removing method removes a plating liquid remaining on the substrate-contacting portion or its vicinity of a substrate holding member. The plating apparatus comprising a head having a rotatable housing provided with a substrate holding member for holding a substrate, a plating process container, disposed below said head, for holding a plating liquid therein, and a plating liquid removing mechanism for removing a plating liquid remaining on a substrate-contacting portion or its vicinity at an inner circumferential edge of said substrate holding member.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 7, 2001Publication date: February 14, 2002Inventors: Satoshi Sendai, Kenya Tomioka, Katsumi Tsuda