Patents by Inventor Satoru Takasawa

Satoru Takasawa 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).

  • Publication number: 20230207295
    Abstract: A cathode unit includes first and second magnet units that are driven to rotate around an axis on a side opposed to a sputtering surface of a target. The first magnet unit is configured to cause a first leakage magnetic field to act on a space in front of the sputtering surface including a target center inward. The second magnet unit is configured to cause a second leakage magnetic field to act locally in the space in front of the sputtered surface located between the target center and the outer edge of the target and to enable self-holding discharge under low pressure of plasma confined by the second leakage magnetic field.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2022
    Publication date: June 29, 2023
    Applicant: ULVAC, INC.
    Inventors: Toshiya Aoyagi, Makoto Arai, Satoru Takasawa
  • Publication number: 20210230718
    Abstract: There is provided a Cu alloy target including a Cap film alloy. In a case where the number of atoms of the Cap film alloy is 100 at %, when the Cap film alloy contains Cu of more than 50 at % and Al of 0.5 at % or more, the Cap film alloy contains an additive metal containing at least one metal material selected from the group consisting of Mg of 0.5 at % or more, Si of 0.5 at % or more, and Ni of 3 at % or more, or contains Ca of 0.5 at % or more as the additive metal. Adhesion between a Cap film and a Si oxide thin film formed on the Cap film by a CVD method is strong, and removal does not occur.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2020
    Publication date: July 29, 2021
    Applicant: ULVAC, INC.
    Inventor: Satoru TAKASAWA
  • Publication number: 20210215986
    Abstract: There is provided a Cu alloy target on a surface of a substrate made at least one of glass and resin produced by an adhering film alloy containing Cu and additive metals, the adhering film formed by sputtering. The additive metals include two or more of metals selected from the group consisting of Mg of 0.5 at % or more and 6 at % or less, Al of 1 at % or more and 15 at % or less, and Si of 0.5 at % or more and 10 at % or less. The adhering film has strong adhesive force that resists removal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2020
    Publication date: July 15, 2021
    Applicant: ULVAC, INC.
    Inventors: Satoru TAKASAWA, Yasuo NAKADAI
  • Publication number: 20200058683
    Abstract: A wiring film capable of being patterned by a single etching process and has strong adhesion force to a resin substrate, and a semiconductor element and a display device that uses the wiring film, are disclosed. Since a base film that is in contact with a resin substrate is a copper thin film containing, at a predetermined ratio, aluminum as a main additive metal and silicon, titanium or nickel as a secondary additive metal, and has strong adhesion force to resins, wiring films (a gate electrode layer) do not separate from the resin substrate. Also, since the base film and a low resistance film contain a large amount of copper, the base film and the low resistance film may be etched together by means of an etchant or an etching gas by which copper is etched, therefore, the wiring films are able to be patterned by a single etching process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2019
    Publication date: February 20, 2020
    Applicant: ULVAC, INC.
    Inventors: Satoru TAKASAWA, Yasuo NAKADAI, Junichi NITTA, Satoru ISHIBASHI
  • Patent number: 9363900
    Abstract: A mounting device in which a conductive film that is not separated is formed on a resin substrate. Alloy thin films, which contain more than 50% by atom of Cu, 5% by atom or more and 30% by atom or less of Ni, and 3% by atom or more and 10% by atom or less of Al, are formed on a base consisting of a resin so as to be brought into contact with a surface of the base by sputtering. Conductive films consisting of copper are formed on surfaces of the alloy thin films so as to obtain a wiring film having a two-layer structure and a metal plug filled in a connection hole. The alloy thin films have high adhesion to a resin; and hence, the wiring film and the metal plug are not separated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: ULVAC, INC.
    Inventors: Satoru Takasawa, Shuhei Ichikawa, Isao Sugiura, Satoru Ishibashi, Junichi Nitta
  • Publication number: 20150230343
    Abstract: A mounting device in which a conductive film that is not separated is formed on a resin substrate. Alloy thin films, which contain more than 50% by atom of Cu, 5% by atom or more and 30% by atom or less of Ni, and 3% by atom or more and 10% by atom or less of Al, are formed on a base consisting of a resin so as to be brought into contact with a surface of the base by sputtering. Conductive films consisting of copper are formed on surfaces of the alloy thin films so as to obtain a wiring film having a two-layer structure and a metal plug filled in a connection hole. The alloy thin films have high adhesion to a resin; and hence, the wiring film and the metal plug are not separated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2015
    Publication date: August 13, 2015
    Applicant: ULVAC, INC.
    Inventors: Satoru TAKASAWA, Shuhei ICHIKAWA, Isao SUGIURA, Satoru ISHIBASHI, Junichi NITTA
  • Patent number: 8679306
    Abstract: A sputtering apparatus with high usage efficiency of a target is provided. A sputtering apparatus of the present invention includes first and second ring magnets, first and second magnet members arranged inside a ring of the first and second ring magnets, wherein in the first and second ring magnets and the first and second magnet members, magnetic poles with the same magnetism are faced toward the rear surface of a first and a second targets. Thus, in the rear surface of the first and second targets, the magnetic poles with the same polarity are adjacently arranged, and the absolute value of the strength of horizontal magnetic field components formed in the surfaces of the first and second targets becomes small and the strength distribution becomes narrow, and the strength of vertical magnetic field components becomes uniform; and consequently, a non-erosion portion is not produced in the first and second targets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Ulvac, Inc.
    Inventors: Satoru Takasawa, Sadayuki Ukishima, Noriaki Tani, Satoru Ishibashi
  • Patent number: 8585872
    Abstract: A sputtering apparatus for ensuring high target utilization efficiency is provided. The sputtering apparatus 1 of the present invention comprises a moving means 28a, 28b so that first and second magnet members 23a, 23b can be moved by the moving means 28a, 28b in planes parallel to the surfaces of first and second targets 21a, 21b. When the first and second magnet members 23a, 23b move, magnetic field lines as well as deeply eroded regions on the surfaces of the first and second targets 21a, 21b also move, whereby large areas on the surfaces of the first and second targets 21a, 21b are sputtered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: ULVAC, Inc.
    Inventors: Satoru Takasawa, Sadayuki Ukishima, Noriaki Tani, Satoru Ishibashi
  • Patent number: 8470651
    Abstract: Provided is a metallic wiring film which is not peeled away even when exposed to a hydrogen plasma. A metallic wiring film is constituted by an adhesion layer containing copper, Ca, and oxygen and a low-resistance metal layer (a layer of a copper alloy or pure copper) having a lower resistance than the adhesion layer. When the adhesion layer is composed of a copper alloy, which contains Ca and oxygen, and a source electrode film and a drain electrode film adhering to an ohmic contact layer are constituted by the adhesion layer, even if the adhesion layer is exposed to the hydrogen plasma, a Cu-containing oxide formed at an interface between the adhesion layer and the ohmic contact layer is not reduced, so that no peeling occurs between the adhesion layer and a silicon layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignees: Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, Ulvac, Inc.
    Inventors: Satoru Takasawa, Satoru Ishibashi, Tadashi Masuda
  • Patent number: 8400594
    Abstract: Provided is an electrode layer and a wiring layer, which are free from peeling from a glass substrate. A wiring layer and a gate electrode layer are constituted by an adhering film which is a thin film made of Cu—Mg—Al formed on a surface of a glass substrate, and a copper film formed on the adhering film. When the adhering film includes Mg in a range of at least 0.5 atom % and at most 5 atom %, and aluminum in a range of at least 5 atom % and at most 15 atom %, assuming that the total number of atoms of copper, magnesium and aluminum is taken as 100 atom %, adhesion of the adhering film to the glass substrate becomes high, and the copper thin film is not peeled from the glass substrate. The wiring layer is electrically connected to a pixel electrode of a liquid crystal display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Ulvac, Inc.
    Inventors: Satoru Takasawa, Masanori Shirai, Satoru Ishibashi
  • Patent number: 8373832
    Abstract: An electrode film, which is not peeled off from an oxide thin film and in which a copper atom does not diffuse into the oxide thin film, is provided. A wiring layer is composed of a high-adhesion barrier film 37, which is a thin film of Cu—Mg—Al and a copper thin film 38; and the high-adhesion barrier film 37 is brought into contact with the oxide thin film. When a total number of atoms of copper, magnesium, and aluminum is set to 100 at %, if the high-adhesion barrier film 37 contains magnesium in a range of between 0.5 at % and 5 at and aluminum in a range of between 5 at % and 15 at %, then wiring layers 50a, 50b, can be obtained, whereby the adhesion and the barrier property are compatible with each other, adherence is strong, and a copper atom does not diffuse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: Ulvac, Inc.
    Inventors: Satoru Takasawa, Masanori Shirai, Satoru Ishibashi
  • Patent number: 8299529
    Abstract: A metallic wiring film, which is not exfoliated even when exposed to plasma of hydrogen, is provided. A metallic wiring film is constituted by an adhesion layer in which Al is added to copper and a metallic low-resistance layer which is disposed on the adhesion layer and made of pure copper. When a copper alloy including Al and oxygen are included in the adhesion layer and a source electrode and a drain electrode are formed from it, copper does not precipitate at an interface between the adhesion layer and the silicon layer even when being exposed to the hydrogen plasma, which prevents the occurrence of exfoliation between the adhesion layer and the silicon layer. If the amount of Al increases, since widths of the adhesion layer and the metallic low-resistance layer largely differ after etching, the maximum addition amount for permitting the etching to be performed is the upper limit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Ulvac, Inc.
    Inventors: Satoru Takasawa, Satoru Ishibashi, Tadashi Masuda
  • Publication number: 20120262659
    Abstract: An electrode film, which is not peeled off from an oxide thin film and in which a copper atom does not diffuse into the oxide thin film, is provided. A wiring layer is composed of a high-adhesion barrier film 37, which is a thin film of Cu—Mg—Al and a copper thin film 38; and the high-adhesion barrier film 37 is brought into contact with the oxide thin film. When a total number of atoms of copper, magnesium, and aluminum is set to 100 at %, if the high-adhesion barrier film 37 contains magnesium in a range of between 0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2010
    Publication date: October 18, 2012
    Inventors: Satoru Takasawa, Masanori Shirai, Satoru Ishibashi
  • Publication number: 20120206685
    Abstract: Disclosed is an electrode film which does not exfoliate from, or diffuse into, an oxide semiconductor or an oxide thin film. An electrode layer comprises a highly adhesive barrier film being a Cu—Mg—Al thin film and a copper thin film; and an oxide semiconductor and an oxide thin film contact with the highly adhesive barrier film. With the highly adhesive barrier film having magnesium in a range of at least 0.5 at % but at most 5 at % and aluminum at least 5 at % but at most 15 at % when the total number of atoms of copper, magnesium, and aluminum is 100 at %, the highly adhesive barrier film has both adhesion and barrier properties. The electrode layer is suitable because a source electrode layer and a drain electrode layer contact the oxide semiconductor layer. A stopper layer having an oxide may be provided on a layer under the electrode layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2012
    Publication date: August 16, 2012
    Applicant: ULVAC, INC.,
    Inventors: Satoru TAKASAWA, Masanori SHIRAI, Satoru ISHIBASHI
  • Publication number: 20120194757
    Abstract: Provided is an electrode layer and a wiring layer, which are free from peeling from a glass substrate. A wiring layer and a gate electrode layer are constituted by an adhering film which is a thin film made of Cu—Mg—Al formed on a surface of a glass substrate, and a copper film formed on the adhering film. When the adhering film includes Mg in a range of at least 0.5 atom % and at most 5 atom %, and aluminum in a range of at least 5 atom % and at most 15 atom %, assuming that the total number of atoms of copper, magnesium and aluminum is taken as 100 atom % , adhesion of the adhering film to the glass substrate becomes high, and the copper thin film is not peeled from the glass substrate. The wiring layer is electrically connected to a pixel electrode of a liquid crystal display device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2012
    Publication date: August 2, 2012
    Applicant: ULVAC, INC.
    Inventors: Satoru TAKASAWA, Masanori SHIRAI, Satoru ISHIBASHI
  • Patent number: 8218122
    Abstract: A wiring film having excellent adhesion and barrier property and a low resistance value is formed. An oxygen gas is introduced into a vacuum chamber in which an object to be film formed is disposed; a sputtering target is sputtered in a vacuum ambience containing oxygen; and a first metallic film is formed on a surface of the object to be film formed. The first sputtering target includes copper as a major component and at least one kind of additive elements selected from an additive element group consisting of Mg, Al, Si, Be, Ca, Sr, Ba, Ra, Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb and Dy. Thereafter, a second metallic film is formed on a surface of the first metallic film by sputtering the sputtering target in a state in which the introduction of the oxygen gas into a vacuum ambience is stopped, and then a wiring film is formed by etching the first and second metallic films.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: Ulvac, Inc.
    Inventors: Satoru Takasawa, Masaki Takei, Hirohisa Takahashi, Hiroaki Katagiri, Sadayuki Ukishima, Noriaki Tani, Satoru Ishibashi, Tadashi Masuda
  • Patent number: 8207949
    Abstract: A highly durable touch panel is provided. A touch panel according to the present invention includes a deformable flexible panel, and a transparent electrode film containing In2O3 as a primary component and containing Ti is exposed to a surface of a lower electrode film of a display device. Since such a transparent electrode film has a high abrasion resistance as compared to a conventional one (such as, an ITO thin film), the transparent electrode film is neither clouded nor cracked even if the lower electrode film is repeatedly pressed. Therefore, the touch panel according to the present invention is highly durable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Ulvac, Inc.
    Inventors: Hirohisa Takahashi, Satoru Takasawa, Isao Sugiura, Atsushi Ota, Satoru Ishibashi, Haruhiko Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20120119269
    Abstract: A technique is provided which prevents an increase in the resistivity of a conductive wiring film. A conductive layer containing Ca in a content rate of 0.3 atom % or more is provided on the surfaces of each of conductive wiring films which are to be exposed to a gas containing a Si atom in a chemical structure at a high temperature. When a gate insulating layer or a protection film containing Si is formed on the surface of the conductive layer, the Si atoms do not diffuse into the conductive layer and a resistance value does not increase, even if the conductive layer is exposed to the raw material gas containing Si in a chemical structure . Further, a CuCaO layer can be formed as an adhesive layer for preventing Si diffusion from a glass substrate or a silicon semiconductor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2011
    Publication date: May 17, 2012
    Applicant: ULVAC, INC.
    Inventors: Satoru TAKASAWA, Masanori Shirai, Satoru Ishibashi, Tadashi Masuda, Yasuo Nakadai
  • Patent number: 8154531
    Abstract: A touch panel having high durability is provided. Either one or both of a display device and a flexible panel have island-shaped protective bodies formed on surfaces of electrode layers (upper electrode layer, lower electrode layer), and a transparent conductive film is exposed between the protective bodies. Since the protective bodies protrude highly from the surface of the transparent conductive film, when the flexible panel is pressed and the upper electrode and the lower electrode layer are brought into contact, a load to be applied to the transparent conductive film is reduced by the protective bodies, so that the transparent conductive film is not broken.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: ULVAC, Inc.
    Inventors: Hirohisa Takahashi, Satoru Ishibashi, Noriaki Tani, Sadayuki Ukishima, Satoru Takasawa, Kyuzo Nakamura, Haruhiko Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8147657
    Abstract: A sputtering apparatus according to the present invention is provided with first to fourth targets. The first and the second targets are disposed so that their surfaces face each other. The third and the fourth targets are also disposed so that their surfaces face each other. When a dielectric film is formed, sputtering is alternately performed on the first and the second targets and on the third and the fourth targets. When sputtering is performed on two of the targets having surfaces that face each other, the remaining two targets function as a ground. As a result, abnormal discharges are inhibited.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Ulvac, Inc.
    Inventors: Satoru Takasawa, Sadayuki Ukishima, Noriaki Tani, Satoru Ishibashi