Patents by Inventor Michinobu Mizumura

Michinobu Mizumura 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: 11953447
    Abstract: A defective part recognition device includes a microscope for obtaining a magnified image of a unit area for recognizing a defective part on the surface of a multi-layer film substrate; a spectral camera having an imaging surface where the magnified image is formed; and an information processing part for processing the spectrum information from the spectral camera. The information processing part includes a machine learning part for a clustering process on the spectrum information for each pixel, and a defect recognition part for recognizing a defective part from the result of the machine learning part. The machine learning part sets a cluster in the unit area and generates a histogram with a frequency, the number of pixels clustered into the cluster. The defect recognition part compares the frequency distribution of the generated histogram with that of a histogram free of defects and recognizes a defective part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: V TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Michinobu Mizumura
  • Patent number: 11935259
    Abstract: In a measurement of a microscope image, a measurement can be conducted with high accuracy when measuring a measuring object including a step having a depth larger than a depth of focus or comparing patterns at different positions along the optical axis of a microscope. A microscope image measuring device includes: a microscope for obtaining a magnified image of a surface of a measuring object by irradiating the surface with white incident light; a spectral camera for obtaining a spectral image of the magnified image; and an image processing part for extracting the spectral image at each wavelength and performs an image measuring process. The microscope forms an image of a different focal position at each wavelength on the imaging surface of the spectral camera, and the image processing part extracts a spectral image with a wavelength where a measuring point has the highest contrast, and performs edge detection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: V TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Michinobu Mizumura
  • Publication number: 20230395353
    Abstract: A process apparatus includes a differential pumping device and a focused ion beam column. The differential pumping device includes a head which has a plurality of annular grooves formed in a surface thereof which faces a substrate to be processed. The annular grooves surround the center of the head. An orifice is formed inside an innermost one of the annular grooves and defines a processing space serving to achieve processing of a process surface of the substrate. A vacuum pump is connected to at least one of the annular grooves to suck gas from the one of the annular grooves with the surface of the head facing the processing surface of the substrate to create a high-level vacuum in the processing space. The focused ion beam column is equipped with a cylindrical chamber leading to the orifice in communication with the processing space. The chamber has disposed therein a focused ion beam optical system which works to emit a focused ion beam through the orifice.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2021
    Publication date: December 7, 2023
    Applicant: V TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Michinobu MIZUMURA, Toshinari ARAI, Takanori MATSUMOTO, Takuro TAKESHITA
  • Publication number: 20230335369
    Abstract: A focused energy beam apparatus includes a substrate support and a focused energy beam column equipped with a differential pumping device movable to a location facing an area of a process target surface of the substrate. The support supports a periphery of the substrate with a horizontal orientation. A positive pressure chamber is disposed below the substrate and exerts a positive pressure on the process target area to cancel deflection of the substrate arising from its own weight. A local depressurizing mechanism is arranged in the positive pressure chamber, out of contact with the substrate, and exerts a negative pressure on a lower surface of the substrate to cancel a suction force created by the differential pumping device. The local depressurizing mechanism is movable relative to the substrate following movement of the differential pumping device while facing the differential pumping device through the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2021
    Publication date: October 19, 2023
    Applicant: V TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Michinobu MIZUMURA, Toshinari ARAI, Takanori MATSUMOTO, Takuro TAKESHITA
  • Publication number: 20230326714
    Abstract: A metal pattern inspection method which applies a pulsed voltage to a metallic pattern, sets a cycle of the pulsed voltage to be shorter than a scanning cycle in which a focused ion beam is swept, indicating only a region of a secondary charged particle image corresponding to a portion of the metallic pattern which is isolated by a wire breakage and to which the pulsed voltage is applied in the form of a first pattern created as a function of surface electrical potentials changing in level with time, detecting, as a disconnection, a boundary between the first pattern and a second pattern created as a function of surface electrical potentials not changing in level with time, and determining whether there is a breaking of or a short circuit in the metallic pattern based on the presence or absence of the disconnection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2021
    Publication date: October 12, 2023
    Applicant: V TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Michinobu MIZUMURA
  • Publication number: 20230307205
    Abstract: A focused ion beam system has a differentially-pumped vacuum unit and a focused ion beam column, comprising: a vacuum pad, of a porous material, with a suction surface exposed in a way that surrounds the outer edge of a substrate to be processed; a substrate support on which the substrate and vacuum pad are placed, and a vacuum pump for vacuum evacuation using the vacuum pad. The system provides an arrangement in which, while a head of the differentially-pumped vacuum unit partially falls out of the outer edge of the substrate, the suction surface allows an input of air evacuated from a region between the suction surface and the head, and the processing area on a substrate is expanded by allowing the processing with an ion beam to be performed even in the vicinity of the peripheral substrate surface without requiring a large vacuum chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2021
    Publication date: September 28, 2023
    Applicant: V TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Michinobu MIZUMURA
  • Publication number: 20230178335
    Abstract: A differential pumping apparatus for creating a high vacuum inside a processing space includes a displacement drive unit configured to move a substrate to be processed or a head, to adjust parallelism and distance between a surface to be processed and a surface of the head. Gap measurement devices are placed at three or more locations along the periphery of the surface of the head to provide distance information. A gap control unit is configured to control the displacement drive unit in response to the distance information between the surface to be processed and the surface adapted to face the surface to be processed, so that the surface to be processed and the surface adapted to face the surface to be processed are parallel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2021
    Publication date: June 8, 2023
    Applicant: V TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Michinobu MIZUMURA, Toshinari ARAI, Takanori MATSUMOTO, Takuro TAKESHITA
  • Publication number: 20230049349
    Abstract: The present invention enables highly accurate analysis when visualizing analysis results in spectral imaging. An surface analysis method includes: acquiring spectral image data regarding a sample surface with use of a spectral camera; extracting n wavelengths dispersed in a specific wavelength range in the acquired spectral image data, and converting spectrums of the wavelengths in the spectral image data into n-dimensional spatial vectors for each pixel; normalizing the spatial vectors of the pixels; clustering the normalized spatial vectors into a specific number of classifications; and identifying and displaying pixels clustered into the classifications, for each of the classifications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2020
    Publication date: February 16, 2023
    Applicant: V TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Michinobu Mizumura
  • Publication number: 20220291136
    Abstract: A defective part recognition device includes a microscope for obtaining a magnified image of a unit area for recognizing a defective part on the surface of a multi-layer film substrate; a spectral camera having an imaging surface where the magnified image is formed; and an information processing part for processing the spectrum information from the spectral camera. The information processing part includes a machine learning part for a clustering process on the spectrum information for each pixel, and a defect recognition part for recognizing a defective part from the result of the machine learning part. The machine learning part sets a cluster in the unit area and generates a histogram with a frequency, the number of pixels clustered into the cluster. The defect recognition part compares the frequency distribution of the generated histogram with that of a histogram free of defects and recognizes a defective part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2020
    Publication date: September 15, 2022
    Applicant: V TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Michinobu Mizumura
  • Publication number: 20220281029
    Abstract: Even in the case where an underlayer differs or a film thickness varies, high-quality repair is allowed to be performed. When a laser repair method performs repair work by setting a laser irradiation area for a defect part of a multi-layer film substrate and irradiating the defect part with a laser beam under a set laser working condition, the laser repair method includes: identifying a peripheral region of a laser beam irradiation position; dividing the identified peripheral region into a plurality of divided regions for each common reflected light information; inferring a layer structure at the laser beam irradiation position from analogy based on an arrangement pattern of the divided regions positioned around the laser beam irradiation position; and setting the laser working condition of the laser beam to be emitted based on the layer structure inferred from analogy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2020
    Publication date: September 8, 2022
    Applicant: V TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Michinobu Mizumura
  • Publication number: 20220284614
    Abstract: In a measurement of a microscope image, a measurement can be conducted with high accuracy when measuring a measuring object including a step having a depth larger than a depth of focus or comparing patterns at different positions along the optical axis of a microscope. A microscope image measuring device includes: a microscope for obtaining a magnified image of a surface of a measuring object by irradiating the surface with white incident light; a spectral camera for obtaining a spectral image of the magnified image; and an image processing part for extracting the spectral image at each wavelength and performs an image measuring process. The microscope forms an image of a different focal position at each wavelength on the imaging surface of the spectral camera, and the image processing part extracts a spectral image with a wavelength where a measuring point has the highest contrast, and performs edge detection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2020
    Publication date: September 8, 2022
    Applicant: V TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Michinobu Mizumura
  • Publication number: 20220238396
    Abstract: A laser repair method includes a repair process of performing repair work by setting a laser radiation range for a defect part in a multi-layer film substrate and irradiating the defect part with a laser beam under set laser working conditions. In the repair process, spectrum data of the defect part is acquired, and the laser working conditions of the laser beam, with which the defect part is to be irradiated, are set using a neural network after learning on the basis of the spectrum data, and the neural network has undergone machine learning using, as learning data, measurement data including multi-layer film structure data, spectrum data of each multi-layer film structure, and laser working experimental data of each multi-layer film structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2020
    Publication date: July 28, 2022
    Applicant: V TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Michinobu Mizumura
  • Publication number: 20220184729
    Abstract: The present invention enables a layer to be worked to be properly subjected to a correcting process without being affected by the variations in the material of the underlayer or in the film thickness of the layer. A laser repair method for irradiating a defect portion of a multilayer film structure formed on a substrate, and performing a correcting process is provided. The method includes: acquiring an image of a region including the defect portion; and setting a scan range of the laser beam on the image so as to include the defect portion. At the time of scan of the inside of the scan range with the laser beam, at a scanning position at which color information of the image is recognized as that of the defect portion, an output of the laser beam is controlled to be ON or High.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2020
    Publication date: June 16, 2022
    Applicant: V TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Michinobu Mizumura
  • Publication number: 20220088718
    Abstract: With providing a workpiece that has a seed-crystal zone for microcrystalline silicon at a location proximate to the periphery of and aligned with one of transformation-scheduled regions, each of which is set to coextend with that portion of amorphous silicon which extends over one of gate fins, in a lateral straight line perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the gate fins, a lateral crystal forming process carries out selective crystal growth by moving a continuous wave laser beam along the lateral straight line with the seed-crystal zone as a starting point to irradiate the amorphous silicon to grow crystalline silicon within the transformation-scheduled region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2020
    Publication date: March 24, 2022
    Applicant: V TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Michinobu MIZUMURA
  • Publication number: 20220005692
    Abstract: A first laser irradiation, in which an amorphous silicon film is irradiated with a first laser beam for transformation of the amorphous silicon film to a microcrystalline silicon film, and a second laser irradiation, in which a second laser beam moves along a unidirectional direction with the microcrystalline silicon film as a starting point for lateral crystal growth of growing crystals constituting a crystallized silicon film, are carried out to form a microcrystalline silicon film and a crystallized silicon film alternately along the unidirectional direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2020
    Publication date: January 6, 2022
    Applicant: V TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jun GOTOH, YingBao YANG, Michinobu MIZUMURA, Yoshihiro SHIOAKU
  • Publication number: 20210387283
    Abstract: To provide a laser annealing apparatus which is high efficiency of irradiation energy and capable of achieving uniformity in density of irradiation energy in a region irradiated with a laser beam. SOLVING MEANS Scheduled treatment regions of a treatment film are each defined in the form of a strip extending in a scanning direction. Irradiation surface areas of line beams are oriented to be inclined relative to the scanning direction within respective scheduled treatment regions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2019
    Publication date: December 16, 2021
    Applicant: V TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Michinobu MIZUMURA
  • Publication number: 20210310862
    Abstract: A laser energy measuring device with which laser light radiated onto a substrate can be evaluated accurately. The laser energy measuring device includes: inside or outside an illuminating optical system, a first beam splitter which reflects laser light by any one of P-polarized reflection and S-polarized reflection; a second beam splitter which performs the other of P-polarized reflection and S-polarized reflection with respect to first reflected light reflected by the first beam splitter; a first measuring unit which measures energy of second reflected light reflected by the second beam splitter; and a second measuring unit which measures energy of transmitted light that has been transmitted through the second beam splitter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2019
    Publication date: October 7, 2021
    Inventor: Michinobu Mizumura
  • Patent number: 10971361
    Abstract: A laser annealing method is for irradiating an amorphous silicon film formed on a substrate 6 with laser beams and crystalizing the amorphous silicon film, wherein a plurality of first and second TFT formation portions 23, 24 on the substrate 6 are irradiated with laser beams at differing irradiation doses so as to crystalize the amorphous silicon film in the first TFT formation portions 23 into a polysilicon film having a crystalline state and crystalize the amorphous silicon film in the second TFT formation portions 24 into a polysilicon film having another crystalline state that is different from that of the polysilicon film in the first TFT formation portions 23.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: V TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Michinobu Mizumura
  • Patent number: 10950437
    Abstract: A laser annealing method is for irradiating an amorphous silicon film formed on a substrate 6 with laser beams and crystalizing the amorphous silicon film, wherein a plurality of first and second TFT formation portions 23, 24 on the substrate 6 are irradiated with laser beams at differing irradiation doses so as to crystalize the amorphous silicon film in the first TFT formation portions 23 into a polysilicon film having a crystalline state and crystalize the amorphous silicon film in the second TFT formation portions 24 into a polysilicon film having another crystalline state that is different from that of the polysilicon film in the first TFT formation portions 23.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: V TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Michinobu Mizumura
  • Publication number: 20210066138
    Abstract: A set of film thickness calculation values of constituent films of a lamination structure is calculated at a set of non-treating regions unexposed to laser light, the non-treating regions residing close to a set of treating regions to be annealed, and a set of crystallization levels of the set of treating regions is calculated by a fitting between a second spectral spectrum measurement values of the set of treating regions and a second spectral spectrum calculation values computed from the set of film thickness calculation values, for use to adjust a set of laser energies of laser light to be irradiated on a TFT substrate to be laser annealed at the next time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2018
    Publication date: March 4, 2021
    Applicant: V TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Michinobu MIZUMURA, Makoto HATANAKA, Masami TAKIMOTO, Kaori SAITO