Patents by Inventor Kousa Hirota
Kousa Hirota 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: 10020233Abstract: In a plasma processing method and apparatus for processing a film to be processed contained in a film structure preliminarily formed on an upper surface of a wafer mounted in a processing chamber, by using plasma, a residual film thickness at an arbitrary time is calculated using a result of comparing detective differential waveform pattern data with actual differential waveform pattern data. The detective differential waveform pattern data is produced by using two basic differential waveform pattern data which respectively use, as parameters, residual thicknesses of the films to be processed in film structures having underlying films with different thicknesses and the wavelengths of the interference light. The detective waveform pattern data being preliminarily prepared prior to processing of the wafer. Determination is made as to whether or not an object of the processing has been reached by using the residual film thickness.Type: GrantFiled: August 30, 2013Date of Patent: July 10, 2018Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATIONInventors: Shigeru Nakamoto, Tatehito Usui, Satomi Inoue, Kousa Hirota, Kousuke Fukuchi
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Patent number: 9190336Abstract: There is provided a plasma processing apparatus which compares a plurality of patterns detected using an interference light intensity pattern using a wavelength from at least one preset film of the plurality of film layers as a parameter and an intensity pattern using a wavelength of light from the other film as a parameter and an light intensity pattern from inside the processing chamber which is detected during processing of the film to be processed; and compares a film thickness corresponding to one of the plurality of patterns having a minimum difference obtained by the comparison and a target film thickness; and determines that the thickness of the film to be processed reaches the target film thickness.Type: GrantFiled: February 19, 2014Date of Patent: November 17, 2015Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Kousuke Fukuchi, Shigeru Nakamoto, Tatehito Usui, Satomi Inoue, Kousa Hirota
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Publication number: 20150041060Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes a plasma forming part, a putting stage on which a wafer is put, a bias power supply which supplies high-frequency power to the putting stage and a detection part which detects amounts of positive and negative currents flowing between the bias power supply and the putting stage and a ratio of the positive and negative current amounts, and the plasma processing apparatus adjusts formation of the plasma or the plasma processing condition of the wafer in accordance with the ratio.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 18, 2014Publication date: February 12, 2015Inventors: Kousa Hirota, Tatehito Usui, Satomi Inoue, Shigeru Nakamoto
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Publication number: 20150024521Abstract: There is provided a plasma processing apparatus which compares a plurality of patterns detected using an interference light intensity pattern using a wavelength from at least one preset film of the plurality of film layers as a parameter and an intensity pattern using a wavelength of light from the other film as a parameter and an light intensity pattern from inside the processing chamber which is detected during processing of the film to be processed; and compares a film thickness corresponding to one of the plurality of patterns having a minimum difference obtained by the comparison and a target film thickness; and determines that the thickness of the film to be processed reaches the target film thickness.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 19, 2014Publication date: January 22, 2015Inventors: Kousuke Fukuchi, Shigeru Nakamoto, Tatehito Usui, Satomi Inoue, Kousa Hirota
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Publication number: 20140295583Abstract: In a plasma processing method and apparatus for processing a film to be processed contained in a film structure preliminarily formed on an upper surface of a wafer mounted in a processing chamber, by using plasma, a residual film thickness at an arbitrary time is calculated using a result of comparing detective differential waveform pattern data with actual differential waveform pattern data. The detective differential waveform pattern data is produced by using two basic differential waveform pattern data which respectively use, as parameters, residual thicknesses of the films to be processed in film structures having underlying films with different thicknesses and the wavelengths of the interference light. The detective waveform pattern data being preliminarily prepared prior to processing of the wafer. Determination is made as to whether or not an object of the processing has been reached by using the residual film thickness.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 30, 2013Publication date: October 2, 2014Applicant: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATIONInventors: Shigeru NAKAMOTO, Tatehito USUI, Satomi INOUE, Kousa HIROTA, Kousuke FUKUCHI
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Patent number: 8500912Abstract: Provided is a plasma processing method capable of removing a Ti-series deposit from the surface of a processing chamber of a plasma processing apparatus without production of a foreign matter such as a boron oxide. The plasma processing method includes carbon-series deposition discharge which succeeds product etching during which a sample containing a Ti material is processed, and during which a carbon-series film is deposited on a Ti reaction by-product deposited on the surface of the processing chamber, and chlorine-series discharge which succeeds the carbon-series deposition discharge and during which the carbon-series film and Ti that are deposited on the surface of the processing chamber are removed.Type: GrantFiled: January 19, 2011Date of Patent: August 6, 2013Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventor: Kousa Hirota
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Publication number: 20120252200Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes a processing chamber arranged in a vacuum vessel. A wafer placed on a sample stage in the processing chamber is processed using a plasma formed in the processing chamber. Before etching the film layers provided on the wafer composed of a metal substance and an underlying oxide film or a material having a high dielectric constant, another wafer, provided on surface thereof a film composed of a metal of the same kind as the metal substance, processed and particles of the metal are deposited on an inner wall of said processing chamber.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 15, 2012Publication date: October 4, 2012Applicant: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Masahiro Sumiya, Motohiro Tanaka, Kousa Hirota
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Patent number: 8236701Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes a processing chamber arranged in a vacuum vessel. A wafer placed on a sample stage in the processing chamber is processed using a plasma formed in the processing chamber. Before etching the film layers provided on the wafer composed of a metal substance and an underlying oxide film or a material having a high dielectric constant, another wafer, provided on a surface thereof a film composed of a metal of the same kind as the metal substance, is processed and particles of the metal are deposited on an inner wall of said processing chamber.Type: GrantFiled: February 26, 2009Date of Patent: August 7, 2012Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Masahiro Sumiya, Motohiro Tanaka, Kousa Hirota
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Publication number: 20120085366Abstract: Provided is a plasma processing method capable of removing a Ti-series deposit from the surface of a processing chamber of a plasma processing apparatus without production of a foreign matter such as a boron oxide. The plasma processing method includes carbon-series deposition discharge which succeeds product etching during which a sample containing a Ti material is processed, and during which a carbon-series film is deposited on a Ti reaction by-product deposited on the surface of the processing chamber, and chlorine-series discharge which succeeds the carbon-series deposition discharge and during which the carbon-series film and Ti that are deposited on the surface of the processing chamber are removed.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 19, 2011Publication date: April 12, 2012Inventor: Kousa HIROTA
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Patent number: 8114244Abstract: The invention provides a method for performing mass production processing of etching a sample capable of maintaining a stable processing profile.Type: GrantFiled: March 3, 2009Date of Patent: February 14, 2012Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Kousa Hirota, Yasuhiro Nishimori, Hiroshige Uchida
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Publication number: 20100197137Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes a processing chamber arranged in a vacuum vessel. A wafer placed on a sample stage in the processing chamber is processed using a plasma formed in the processing chamber. Before etching the film layers provided on the wafer composed of a metal substance and an underlying oxide film or a material having a high dielectric constant, another wafer, provided on a surface thereof a film composed of a metal of the same kind as the metal substance, is processed and particles of the metal are deposited on an inner wall of said processing chamber.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 26, 2009Publication date: August 5, 2010Inventors: Masahiro SUMIYA, Motohiro TANAKA, Kousa HIROTA
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Publication number: 20100178415Abstract: The invention provides a method for determining an end point of seasoning of a plasma processing apparatus capable of reducing the time required for seasoning after performing wet cleaning and determining the optimum end point of seasoning with superior repeatability. The present method comprises, after performing wet cleaning (S501) of the plasma processing apparatus, using a processing gas containing SF6 as processing gas and applying an RF bias double that of mass production conditions to perform seasoning (S502), acquiring emission data of SiF and Ar during plasma processing using test conditions using SiF and Ar gases (S503), determining whether the computed value of emission intensities during seasoning is equal to or smaller than the computed value of emission intensities during stable mass production (S504), and determining the endpoint of the seasoning process when the value is determined to be equal or smaller.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 3, 2009Publication date: July 15, 2010Inventors: Yasuhiro NISHIMORI, Hiroshige UCHIDA, Masamichi SAKAGUCHI, Kousa HIROTA
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Publication number: 20100159704Abstract: The invention provides a method for performing mass production processing of etching a sample capable of maintaining a stable processing profile.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 3, 2009Publication date: June 24, 2010Inventors: Kousa HIROTA, Yasuhiro NISHIMORI, Hiroshige UCHIDA
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Publication number: 20070232067Abstract: The invention provides a semiconductor fabrication method comprising a deposition step for depositing a laminated film on a semiconductor substrate having a region in which a mask pattern is formed sparsely and a region in which the mask pattern is formed densely, a lithography step s1 for forming a mask pattern, a cleaning step S11C for removing deposits in the apparatus, a trimming step S3 for trimming the mask pattern, and dry etching steps S4 and S5 for transferring the mask pattern on the laminated film, wherein a seasoning step S11S followed by a deposition step S2 is introduced either before or after the trimming step S3.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 28, 2007Publication date: October 4, 2007Inventors: Kousa Hirota, Masahito Mori, Naoyuki Kofuji, Naoshi Itabashi, Toshio Masuda