Patents by Inventor Satoru Kawakami

Satoru Kawakami 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: 7030938
    Abstract: A tuner and receiver apparatus that can output first transport stream data and second transport stream data having excellent bit error rate characteristics for two systems even when a first tuner portion and a second tuner portion are provided on one board. A first tuner portion is provided on one surface of a board, and a second tuner portion is provided on the other side of the board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Satoru Kawakami
  • Publication number: 20050122428
    Abstract: The present invention provides a receiver that includes a plurality of tuners for receiving broadcasts such as satellite broadcast. A tuner circuit (1) includes an input terminal (11) for inputting a broadcast wave in which a video signal and/or an audio signal are modulated in a predetermined format, and a mount layer (13) on which a main circuit (12) for selecting, from the broadcast wave, a video signal and/or an audio signal included in a predetermined frequency band is mounted. In the tuner circuit (1), a first ground layer (15) is disposed, through a first dielectric layer (14), on the surface opposite to that on which the main circuit (12) of the mount layer (13) is arranged, and a second ground layer (17) is disposed through a second dielectric layer, thereby suppressing mutual interference between tuners.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2003
    Publication date: June 9, 2005
    Inventors: Satoru Kawakami, Tadashi Imai
  • Publication number: 20040255863
    Abstract: The upper electrode (15a) and the lower electrode (15b) are installed in the chamber (2) in parallel. Between these electrodes, the upper electrode (15a) is electrically grounded. The lower electrode (15b) is connected to the first RF power generator (13) via the low-pass filter (14) and to the second RF power generator (22) via the high-pass filter (23). Wafer W is held against the upper part of the lower electrode (15b) by the high-temperature electrostatic chuck ESC. By being distributed the first and the second RF electric power from the RF power generators (13) and (22), respectively, plasma is produced near the lower electrode (15b), and the wafer W is processed by the plasma. By these procedures, plasma process apparatus with high efficiency in plasma processing and simple structure can be offered.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2004
    Publication date: December 23, 2004
    Inventors: Tsutomu Higashiura, Takashi Akahori, Satoru Kawakami, Nobuhiro Iwama
  • Publication number: 20040168633
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus 1 has: sensors 21 and 22 provided in an etching chamber 14 and configured to detect a relative position between the etching chamber 14 and a wafer transfer mechanism 23; a control section 38 configured to correct positional displacement; a motor controller 39; a motor 28; and a motor 30. Since the positional displacement of a wafer W can be corrected, the wafer transfer mechanism 23 is capable of carrying the wafer W into the etching chamber 14 without causing any positional displacement, so that the wafer W can be placed on a susceptor 19 at a proper position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2004
    Publication date: September 2, 2004
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Toshihisa Nozawa, Satoru Kawakami
  • Publication number: 20040168769
    Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus, comprising: at least, a processing chamber for plasma-processing an object to be processed; gas supply means for supplying a gas into the processing chamber; and high-frequency supplying means for forming the gas into a plasma state. The gas supply means has at least one gas introduction pipe, and the tip of the gas introduction pipe is placed in a position in the processing chamber, which is capable of preferred control of the gas dissociation. There are provided a plasma processing apparatus and a plasma processing method which can improve the uniformity in the gas which has been supplied into the processing chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2004
    Publication date: September 2, 2004
    Inventors: Takaaki Matsuoka, Satoru Kawakami, Katsuhiko Iwabuchi
  • Patent number: 6558508
    Abstract: In a vacuum processing apparatus for a semiconductor wafer, two intermediate dielectric plates 4A and 4B are provided on an upper surface of a cooling portion 31 provided with a coolant passageway 32, with an o-ring 35 therebetween, and a dielectric plate 5 is provided on the top thereof. Electrodes 41 and 51 are embedded in surface portions of each of these dielectric plates 4A, 4B, and 5, and heaters 42 and 52 are embedded in interior portions thereof. The intermediate dielectric plates 4A and 4B are linked together by electrostatic force, as are the intermediate dielectric plate 4B and the dielectric plate 5. Thus any gaps in a vacuum environment that are formed between adjacent components in these linkage regions are either eliminated or reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2003
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventor: Satoru Kawakami
  • Patent number: 6501082
    Abstract: A controlled plasma deposition system and method are provided including a vacuum vessel. An electron adding mass spectrometer is connected to a vacuum vessel for carrying out a gas treatment for a semi-conductor wafer. In the mass spectrometer, a gas in the vacuum vessel is incorporated, and electrons are added to the particles in the gas. Then the value of negative ions obtained by ionizing the particles, for example specific radicals, is measured. Once measured, the information is forwarded to a controller that may optimize the plasma deposition method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2002
    Assignees: Tokyo Electron Limited, Nagoya University
    Inventors: Toshio Goto, Masaru Hori, Masafumi Ito, Nobuo Ishii, Satoru Kawakami
  • Patent number: 6470824
    Abstract: In an atmosphere of processing gas, on a wafer W consisting mainly of silicon, through a planar-array antenna RLSA 60 having a plurality of slits, microwaves are irradiated to generate plasma containing oxygen, or nitrogen, or oxygen and nitrogen and to implement therewith on the surface of the wafer W direct oxidizing, nitriding, or oxy-nitriding to deposit an insulator film 2 of a thickness of 1 nm or less in terms of oxide film. A manufacturing method to and apparatus of semiconductors that can successfully regulate film quality of the interface between a silicon substrate and a SiN film and can form SiN film of high quality in a short time can be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2002
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Satoru Kawakami, Shigemi Murakawa, Mitsuhiro Yuasa, Toshiaki Hongoh
  • Patent number: 6452400
    Abstract: A probe (6) is brought into contact with a plasma produced by ionizing Ar gas, a saturation current (Ies2) at which current flowing through the probe is saturated when the potential of the probe is changed in a potential region where the potential of the probe is higher than a ground potential, and a saturation current (Iis2) at which current flowing through the probe is saturated when the potential of the probe is changed in a potential region where the potential of the probe is lower than the ground potential. Similarly, saturation currents (Ies2, Iis2) are measured by bringing the probe (6) into contact with a plasma produced by ionizing a mixed gas containing Ar gas and a process gas, such as C4F8 gas, and changing the potential of the probe (6). The negative ion density of the plasma produced by ionizing C4F8 gas is determined by using saturation current ratios (Iis1/Iis2, Ies1/Ies2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2002
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Yoshinobu Kawai, Yoko Ueda, Nobuo Ishii, Satoru Kawakami
  • Publication number: 20020118309
    Abstract: The present invention provides tuner and receiver apparatus that can output first transport stream data and second transport stream data having excellent bit error rate characteristics for two systems even when a first tuner portion and a second tuner portion are provided on one board. According to the present invention, a first tuner portion is provided on one surface of a board, and a second tuner portion is provided on the other hand of the board.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2001
    Publication date: August 29, 2002
    Inventor: Satoru Kawakami
  • Publication number: 20020111000
    Abstract: In an atmosphere of processing gas, on a wafer W consisting mainly of silicon, through a planar-array antenna RLSA 60 having a plurality of slits, microwaves are irradiated to generate plasma containing oxygen, or nitrogen, or oxygen and nitrogen and to implement therewith on the surface of the wafer W direct oxidizing, nitriding, or oxy-nitriding to deposit an insulator film 2 of a thickness of 1 nm or less in terms of oxide film. A manufacturing method and apparatus of semiconductors that can successfully regulate film quality of the interface between a silicon substrate and a SiN film and can form SiN film of high quality in a short time can be obtained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2002
    Publication date: August 15, 2002
    Inventors: Satoru Kawakami, Shigemi Murakawa, Mitsuhiro Yuasa, Toshiaki Hongoh
  • Patent number: 6432208
    Abstract: In a plasma processing apparatus, a temperature control of a substrate to be processed is improved. A ceramic made support member having a substantially cylindrical shape is provided in a process chamber. An upper end of the support member is airtightly connected to a back surface of a placement table by solid state bonding. A lower end of the support member is airtightly connected to a bottom of the process chamber via a lower cooling jacket and O-rings. A cooling jacket made of a disc-like aluminum block is provided in an atmosphere chamber formed inside the support member. The cooling jacket is mounted to the back surface of the placement table via a heat conductive sheet member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2002
    Assignees: Tokyo ELectron Limited, NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoru Kawakami, Katsuhiko Iwabuchi, Ryo Kuwajima, Ryusuke Ushikoshi, Naohito Yamada, Tetsuya Kawajiri
  • Patent number: 6431114
    Abstract: The present invention aims to decrease reflected waves in a vacuum chamber to suppress standing waves, thereby easily controlling a plasma density so that uniform treatment can be performed. An electromagnetic wave absorber 6 composed of a resistor such as carbon, a dielectric having a large dielectric loss, such as water, or a magnetic material such as ferrite-based ceramic, or a combination of these, is provided on an inner wall surface of a first vacuum chamber 21. Microwaves introduced from a waveguide 25 into the first vacuum chamber 21 via a transmissive window 23 are absorbed to the electromagnetic wave absorber 6 to suppress reflected waves, whereby a plasma density distribution with a nearly planned pattern is easily formed at an ECR point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2002
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Issei Imahashi, Nobuo Ishii, Satoru Kawakami, Yoshinobu Kawai, Yoko Ueda
  • Patent number: 6399520
    Abstract: In an atmosphere of processing gas, on a wafer W consisting mainly of silicon, through a planar-array antenna RLSA 60 having a plurality of slits, microwaves are irradiated to generate plasma containing oxygen, or nitrogen, or oxygen and nitrogen and to implement therewith on the surface of the wafer W direct oxidizing, nitriding, or oxy-nitriding to deposit an insulator film 2 of a thickness of 1 nm or less in terms of oxide film. A manufacturing method and apparatus of semiconductors that can successfully regulate film quality of the interface between a silicon substrate and a SiN film and can form SiN film of high quality in a short time can be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2002
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Satoru Kawakami, Shigemi Murakawa, Mitsuhiro Yuasa, Toshiaki Hongoh
  • Patent number: 6358324
    Abstract: A microwave plasma processing apparatus has a process chamber in which an object to be processed is subjected to plasma processing under a predetermined negative pressure environment. A susceptor holding the object thereon is provided in the process chamber. The susceptor is moved by a susceptor moving member which is moved by a susceptor moving mechanism located outside the process chamber. The susceptor moving member extends from the process chamber via a bellows provided to a bottom of the process chamber. The bellows allows a vertical movement of the susceptor moving member while providing a hermetic seal to the process chamber to maintain the predetermined negative pressure environment in the process chamber. A vacuum pump is provided to the bottom of the process chamber so that an inlet opening of the vacuum pump aligns with the susceptor in the vertical direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2002
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Toshiaki Hongoh, Tetsu Oosawa, Satoru Kawakami, Mitsuhiro Yuasa
  • Patent number: 6284674
    Abstract: Disclosed is a plasma process apparatus which permits generating microwaves and a magnetic field so as to bring about electron cyclotron resonance and, thus, to generate a plasma which is applied to a semiconductor wafer, comprising microwave generating means for generating said microwaves, microwave transmitting means for transmitting the microwaves, a process chamber having said semiconductor wafer arranged therein, the microwaves being introduced into said process chamber through said microwave transmitting means, process gas supply means for supplying a process gas into said process chamber, and magnetic field generating means for generating a magnetic field within the process chamber. The frequency of the microwave falls within a range between a lower limit of a cutoff frequency determined by the inner diameter of the process chamber and an upper limit of a maximum frequency at which a standing wave of the microwave does not occur on the surface of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2001
    Assignees: Tokyo Electron Limited, Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Toraguchi, Satoru Kawakami
  • Patent number: 6161498
    Abstract: Disclosed is a plasma process apparatus which permits generating microwaves and a magnetic field so as to bring about electron cyclotron resonance and, thus, to generate a plasma which is applied to a semiconductor wafer, comprising microwave generating means for generating said microwaves, microwave transmitting means for transmitting the microwaves, a process chamber having said semiconductor wafer arranged therein, the microwaves being introduced into said process chamber through said microwave transmitting means, process gas supply means for supplying a process gas into said process chamber, and magnetic field generating means for generating a magnetic field within the process chamber. The frequency of the microwave falls within a range between a lower limit of a cutoff frequency determined by the inner diameter of the process chamber and an upper limit of a maximum frequency at which a standing wave of the microwave does not occur on the surface of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2000
    Assignees: Tokyo Electron Limited, Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Toraguchi, Satoru Kawakami
  • Patent number: 6066568
    Abstract: An electron density at an ECR point, which is spaced from a substrate to be treated and which faces the substrate, is set to be higher than or equal to 0.46 nc (nc: an upper limit side cut-off density of an X wave) and lower than nc. Thus, a high chevron distribution of electron density is formed in end portions of a magnetic field forming region, and a distribution of electron density having a lower peak value than those in the end portions is formed in a central portion of the magnetic field forming region. In this case, the periphery of a magnetic field crosses the inner wall of a vacuum chamber once between the ECR point and the substrate, and a space of one fourth or more of the wavelength of the X wave is formed between the periphery of the magnetic field and the inner wall of the vacuum chamber as the magnetic field runs downstream. Thus, it is possible to achieve an inplane uniform treatment when carrying out a treatment, such as a thin film deposition or etching, with ECR plasmas for a wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2000
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Yoshinobu Kawai, Yoko Ueda, Nobuo Ishii, Satoru Kawakami, Hideaki Amano
  • Patent number: 5665167
    Abstract: A static chuck and a workpiece push-up pin are disposed on a susceptor which is one of opposed electrodes generating plasma. The push-up pin and the susceptor are electrically connected. A grounding circuit which discharges electric charges remaining on the susceptor is disposed in parallel with an RF power supply circuit which supplies RF power to the susceptor. Thus, electric charges remaining in the power supply circuit can be discharged and an abnormal discharging between the push-up pin and the susceptor can be prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 9, 1997
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoichi Deguchi, Satoru Kawakami, Shiro Koyama, Kenji Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 5665166
    Abstract: Disclosed is a plasma processing apparatus, comprising a first electrode on which an object to be processed is to be disposed, a second electrode arranged to face the first electrode, a high frequency power supply for supplying a high frequency power between the first and second electrodes, a processing gas supplying mechanism for forming a plasma into a region between the first and second electrodes, and a bias potential detecting mechanism for detecting the bias potential of the first electrode. The bias detecting mechanism has a detecting terminal positioned in the vicinity of the object to be processed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 9, 1997
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Youichi Deguchi, Satoru Kawakami, Yoichi Ueda, Mitsuaki Komino