Patents by Inventor Nozomi Hirai

Nozomi Hirai 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: 7883631
    Abstract: A plasma etching method includes the step of performing a plasma etching on a silicon-containing dielectric layer formed on a substrate to be processed by using a plasma, while using an organic layer as a mask. In addition, the plasma is generated from a processing gas at least including a first fluorocarbon gas which is an unsaturated gas; a second fluorocarbon gas which is an aliphatic saturated gas expressed by CmF2m+2 (m=5, 6); and an oxygen gas. Further, a computer-readable storage medium for storing therein a computer executable control program is provided where the control program, when executed, controls a plasma etching apparatus to perform the above plasma etching method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2011
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Akinori Kitamura, Masanobu Honda, Nozomi Hirai
  • Patent number: 7655572
    Abstract: Photoresist film is used as a mask, plasma etching of a SiO2 film is selectively performed to a photoresist film, and a hole is formed. An etching gas comprising unsaturated fluorocarbon gas containing oxygen expressed with CxFyO (y/x is 1-1.5 at an integer in x, as for 4 or 5, and y) is used for the plasma etching. C4F4O gas and C4F6O gas are used for the unsaturated fluorocarbon gas containing oxygen, for example.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignees: Tokyo Electron Limited, Zeon Corporation
    Inventors: Akinori Kitamura, Masanobu Honda, Nozomi Hirai, Masahiro Nakamura, Tatsuya Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 7405162
    Abstract: An etching method forms an opening with a substantially vertical profile extending to a stopper layer by performing an etching with a plasma of an etching gas acting on an object to be processed loaded in an evacuable processing vessel, wherein the object has a mask layer of a predetermined pattern, a silicon layer to be etched formed below the mask layer and the stopper layer formed below the silicon layer. The etching method includes a first etching process for forming an opening with a tapered wall surface in the silicon layer by using a first etching gas including a fluorine-containing gas and O2 but not HBr; and a second etching process for etching the opening by using a second etching gas including a fluorine-containing gas, O2 and HBr.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2008
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Koji Maruyama, Yusuke Hirayama, Nozomi Hirai, Takanori Mimura
  • Publication number: 20070212887
    Abstract: A plasma etching method includes the step of performing a plasma etching on a silicon-containing dielectric layer formed on a substrate to be processed by using a plasma, while using an organic layer as a mask. In addition, the plasma is generated from a processing gas at least including a first fluorocarbon gas which is an unsaturated gas; a second fluorocarbon gas which is an aliphatic saturated gas expressed by CmF2m+2 (m=5, 6); and an oxygen gas. Further, a computer-readable storage medium for storing therein a computer executable control program is provided where the control program, when executed, controls a plasma etching apparatus to perform the above plasma etching method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2007
    Publication date: September 13, 2007
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Akinori Kitamura, Masanobu Honda, Nozomi Hirai
  • Publication number: 20070197040
    Abstract: A plasma etching method includes the step of performing a plasma etching on a silicon-containing dielectric layer formed on a substrate to be processed by using a plasma, while using an organic layer as a mask. The plasma is generated from a processing gas at least including a C6F6 gas, a rare gas and an oxygen gas, and a flow rate ratio of the oxygen gas to the C6F6 gas (an oxygen gas flow rate/a C6F6 gas flow rate) is set to be about 2.8 to 3.3.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2007
    Publication date: August 23, 2007
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Akinori Kitamura, Masanobu Honda, Nozomi Hirai, Kumiko Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20070090093
    Abstract: Photoresist film is used as a mask, plasma etching of a SiO2 film is selectively performed to a photoresist film, and a hole is formed. An etching gas comprising unsaturated fluorocarbon gas containing oxygen expressed with CxFyO (y/x is 1-1.5 at an integer in x, as for 4 or 5, and y) is used for the plasma etching. C4F4O gas and C4F6O gas are used for the unsaturated fluorocarbon gas containing oxygen, for example.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2006
    Publication date: April 26, 2007
    Applicants: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED, ZEON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akinori Kitamura, Masanobu Honda, Nozomi Hirai, Masahiro Nakamura, Tatsuya Sugimoto
  • Publication number: 20060063385
    Abstract: An etching method forms an opening with a substantially vertical profile extending to a stopper layer by performing an etching with a plasma of an etching gas acting on an object to be processed loaded in an evacuable processing vessel, wherein the object has a mask layer of a predetermined pattern, a silicon layer to be etched formed below the mask layer and the stopper layer formed below the silicon layer. The etching method includes a first etching process for forming an opening with a tapered wall surface in the silicon layer by using a first etching gas including a fluorine-containing gas and O2 but not HBr; and a second etching process for etching the opening by using a second etching gas including a fluorine-containing gas, O2 and HBr.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2005
    Publication date: March 23, 2006
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Koji Maruyama, Yusuke Hirayama, Nozomi Hirai, Takanori Mimura
  • Patent number: D674327
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nozomi Hirai, Saburo Hazumi
  • Patent number: D784214
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tsuneo Kanasugi, Koichi Suga, Satoshi Kimura, Nozomi Hirai
  • Patent number: D830234
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nozomi Hirai, Masayuki Yamaji
  • Patent number: D869016
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Nozomi Hirai, Masayuki Yamaji
  • Patent number: D869699
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Nozomi Hirai, Masayuki Yamaji
  • Patent number: D935956
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Inventors: Nozomi Hirai, Masayuki Yamaji
  • Patent number: D951501
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Nozomi Hirai, Masayuki Yamaji
  • Patent number: D1021712
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Nozomi Hirai, Yuki Isogai, Kazuhiro Sato, Takuya Ishibashi, Kenji Kido