Patents by Inventor Kouki Okawauchi

Kouki Okawauchi 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: 6953939
    Abstract: A testing apparatus using a scanning electron microscope for enabling tests and measurements on any part of a test subject in a nondestructive way without being limited by a size of the test subject, which is, a testing apparatus 1 using a scanning electron microscope for performing tests and measurements on any part of a test subject in a nondestructive way by using a scanning electron microscope 6a, comprising a local vacuum formation portion 9 for forming a local vacuum region by blocking around a part to be tested of the test subject from the outside air, wherein the local vacuum formation portion comprises an exhaust portion for exhausting to form a partial vacuum region, a float means 14 for floating the whole local vacuum formation portion above the test subject by emitting a compressed gas to an outer circumference portion of the local vacuum formation portion and a length measuring means 16 for measuring a distance between the test subject and the local vacuum formation portion for controlling floati
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2005
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuo Abe, Kouki Okawauchi, Tadashi Hattori, Hironori Fujita, Minoru Takeda, Yuichi Aki, Naoki Date, Setsuo Norioka, Toshiaki Miyokawa, Seiichi Nakagawa
  • Publication number: 20040144928
    Abstract: A testing apparatus using a scanning electron microscope for enabling tests and measurements on any part of a test subject in a nondestructive way without being limited by a size of the test subject, which is, a testing apparatus 1 using a scanning electron microscope for performing tests and measurements on any part of a test subject in a nondestructive way by using a scanning electron microscope 6a, comprising a local vacuum formation portion 9 for forming a local vacuum region by blocking around a part to be tested of the test subject from the outside air, wherein the local vacuum formation portion comprises an exhaust portion for exhausting to form a partial vacuum region, a float means 14 for floating the whole local vacuum formation portion above the test subject by emitting a compressed gas to an outer circumference portion of the local vacuum formation portion and a length measuring means 16 for measuring a distance between the test subject and the local vacuum formation portion for controlling floati
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2004
    Publication date: July 29, 2004
    Inventors: Tetsuo Abe, Kouki Okawauchi, Tadashi Hattori, Hironori Fujita, Minoru Takeda, Yuichi Ak, Naoki Date, Setsuo Norioka, Toshiaki Miyokawa, Seiichi Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 6524871
    Abstract: A defect inspection apparatus enabling more reliable and quicker detection of a defect present in the surface of a stacked film formed on a wafer and enabling reliable and quicker detection of a minute defect even if there is unevenness in the surface of the wafer, including a light source, a light frequency shifter unit for converting light from the light source to a plurality of beams of inspection light and a beam of reference light having close frequencies, an object lens upon which the beams of inspection light are incident and focusing the beams of light on the wafer to form a plurality of different focal points corresponding to the beams of inspection light, a laser scanning unit for making the beams of inspection light scan the wafer, a light detection unit and cofocal pinhole plate 13 for detecting an intensity of a superposed light of the beams of reflected light and the beam of reference light at a cofocal point, and an analyzing unit serving as a contrast waveform generating means for generating a
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2003
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Kouki Okawauchi
  • Publication number: 20020105636
    Abstract: A defect inspection apparatus enabling more reliable and quicker detection of a defect present in the surface of a stacked film formed on a wafer and enabling reliable and quicker detection of a minute defect even if there is unevenness in the surface of the wafer, including a light source, a light frequency shifter unit for converting light from the light source to a plurality of beams of inspection light and a beam of reference light having close frequencies, an object lens upon which the beams of inspection light are incident and focusing the beams of light on the wafer to form a plurality of different focal points corresponding to the beams of inspection light, a laser scanning unit for making the beams of inspection light scan the wafer, a light detection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 8, 2002
    Publication date: August 8, 2002
    Inventor: Kouki Okawauchi
  • Publication number: 20020067490
    Abstract: Disclosed is an overlapping precision measuring apparatus for constituting the inventive pattern inspection apparatus, which is capable of accurately inspecting overlapped condition of aluminum wiring pattern and resist pattern formed on a semiconductor wafer even in presence of a stepped gap. The inventive pattern inspecting apparatus comprises the following: an optical frequency shifter for splitting a laser beam emitted from a laser-beam emitting source into a plurality of frequencies; an optical means such as an object lens for condensing laser beams comprising plural frequencies split via the optical frequency shifter towards a specific pattern subject to inspection; an optical detector for receiving reflected laser beams comprising plural frequencies irradiated onto a pattern subject to inspection via an optical means; and an analyzer for analyzing actual position of the pattern subject to inspection based on the reflected laser beams received by the optical detector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2001
    Publication date: June 6, 2002
    Inventor: Kouki Okawauchi
  • Patent number: 6337488
    Abstract: A defect inspection apparatus enabling more reliable and quicker detection of a defect present in the surface of a stacked film formed on a wafer and enabling reliable and quicker detection of a minute defect even if there is unevenness in the surface of the wafer, including a light source, a light frequency shifter unit for converting light from the light source to a plurality of beams of inspection light and a beam of reference light having close frequencies, an object lens upon which the beams of inspection light are incident and focusing the beams of light on the wafer to form a plurality of different focal points corresponding to the beams of inspection light, a laser scanning unit for making the beams of inspection light scan the wafer, a light detection unit and cofocal pinhole plate 13 for detecting an intensity of a superposed light of the beams of reflected light and the beam of reference light at a cofocal point, and an analyzing unit serving as a contrast waveform generating means for generating a
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2002
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Kouki Okawauchi