Patents by Inventor Tomohisa KIMOTO

Tomohisa KIMOTO 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: 11873556
    Abstract: A raw material supply apparatus includes: a raw material supply path through which a raw material gas is supplied into a processing container; a valve provided in the raw material supply path; a pressure sensor configured to detect an internal pressure of the raw material supply path; a raw material exhaust path connected to the raw material supply path and through which the raw material gas in the raw material supply path is exhausted; an opening degree adjustment mechanism provided in the raw material exhaust path and configured to control the internal pressure of the raw material supply path based on an adjustment of an opening degree of the opening degree adjustment mechanism; and a controller configured to perform the adjustment of the opening degree of the opening degree adjustment mechanism based on a value detected by the pressure sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Tomohisa Kimoto, Noriyuki Watanabe, Kensaku Narushima, Kouichi Sekido, Takuya Kawaguchi
  • Patent number: 11506321
    Abstract: There is provided a pipe heating device, including; a sensor installed in a gas pipe; a heating part having a heat generation portion arranged so as to cover the gas pipe except for a region of the gas pipe where the sensor is installed; and a heat conducting member attached between an outer peripheral surface of the gas pipe and the sensor and formed of a material having a higher thermal conductivity than the gas pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Tomohisa Kimoto, Eiichi Komori
  • Publication number: 20220356581
    Abstract: A gas supply device that supplies a processing gas to a processing container storing a substrate and performs a process includes: a raw material container configured to accommodate a liquid raw material or a solid raw material; a carrier gas supply configured to supply a carrier gas into the raw material container; a gas supply path configured to supply the processing gas, which includes the raw material that has been vaporized and the carrier gas, from the raw material container to the processing container; a flow meter provided in the gas supply path and configured to measure a flow rate of the processing gas; and a constricted flow path provided on a downstream side of the flow meter in the gas supply path and configured to increase an average pressure value between the constricted flow path and the flow meter in the gas supply path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2020
    Publication date: November 10, 2022
    Inventors: Kensaku NARUSHIMA, Takanobu HOTTA, Atsushi MATSUMOTO, Takuya KAWAGUCHI, Tomohisa KIMOTO
  • Patent number: 11306847
    Abstract: A valve device includes: valves configured to control a flow of processing gases supplied to a process vessel; a housing in which first flow paths through which the processing gases flow are formed; a heat diffuser configured to cover the housing and diffuse heat of the housing; a heating part configured to cover the housing covered with the heat diffuser and heat the housing via the heat diffuser; a supply configured to supply a coolant to a second flow path formed between the housing and the heat diffuser; and a controller configure to control the heating part to heat the housing to a first temperature when a predetermined process is performed on a target substrate, and before a start of a cleaning process of the process vessel, control the heating part to stop heating of the housing and control the supply to supply the coolant to the second flow path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Tomohisa Kimoto, Yuichi Furuya, Takashi Kakegawa, Eiichi Komori, Hideaki Fujita, Hiroyuki Mori
  • Patent number: 11193205
    Abstract: A source material container includes a housing, a tray assembly and a plurality of cylindrical members. The housing provides a carrier gas introduction port and an opening through which a gas containing source material vapor is outputted. The tray assembly trays stacked in the housing. The cylindrical members are arranged in a radial direction between the tray assembly and the housing. The outermost cylindrical member provides a slit and each of the other cylindrical members than the outermost cylindrical member provides a plurality of slits. From the introduction port to the gap between the tray assembly and the innermost cylindrical member, the flow path of the carrier gas is branched in a stepwise manner in the height direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Yuichi Furuya, Hiroyuki Mori, Einosuke Tsuda, Eiichi Komori, Tomohisa Kimoto
  • Publication number: 20210324513
    Abstract: A raw material supply apparatus includes: a raw material supply path through which a raw material gas is supplied into a processing container; a valve provided in the raw material supply path; a pressure sensor configured to detect an internal pressure of the raw material supply path; a raw material exhaust path connected to the raw material supply path and through which the raw material gas in the raw material supply path is exhausted; an opening degree adjustment mechanism provided in the raw material exhaust path and configured to control the internal pressure of the raw material supply path based on an adjustment of an opening degree of the opening degree adjustment mechanism; and a controller configured to perform the adjustment of the opening degree of the opening degree adjustment mechanism based on a value detected by the pressure sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2021
    Publication date: October 21, 2021
    Inventors: Tomohisa KIMOTO, Noriyuki WATANABE, Kensaku NARUSHIMA, Kouichi SEKIDO, Takuya KAWAGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20200182390
    Abstract: There is provided a pipe heating device, including; a sensor installed in a gas pipe; a heating part having a heat generation portion arranged so as to cover the gas pipe except for a region of the gas pipe where the sensor is installed; and a heat conducting member attached between an outer peripheral surface of the gas pipe and the sensor and formed of a material having a higher thermal conductivity than the gas pipe.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2019
    Publication date: June 11, 2020
    Inventors: Tomohisa KIMOTO, Eiichi KOMORI
  • Publication number: 20200056724
    Abstract: A valve device includes: valves configured to control a flow of processing gases supplied to a process vessel; a housing in which first flow paths through which the processing gases flow are formed; a heat diffuser configured to cover the housing and diffuse heat of the housing; a heating part configured to cover the housing covered with the heat diffuser and heat the housing via the heat diffuser; a supply configured to supply a coolant to a second flow path formed between the housing and the heat diffuser; and a controller configure to control the heating part to heat the housing to a first temperature when a predetermined process is performed on a target substrate, and before a start of a cleaning process of the process vessel, control the heating part to stop heating of the housing and control the supply to supply the coolant to the second flow path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2019
    Publication date: February 20, 2020
    Inventors: Tomohisa KIMOTO, Yuichi FURUYA, Takashi KAKEGAWA, Eiichi KOMORI, Hideaki FUJITA, Hiroyuki MORI
  • Publication number: 20190180988
    Abstract: A source material container includes a housing, a tray assembly and a plurality of cylindrical members. The housing provides a carrier gas introduction port and an opening through which a gas containing source material vapor is outputted. The tray assembly trays stacked in the housing. The cylindrical members are arranged in a radial direction between the tray assembly and the housing. The outermost cylindrical member provides a slit and each of the other cylindrical members than the outermost cylindrical member provides a plurality of slits. From the introduction port to the gap between the tray assembly and the innermost cylindrical member, the flow path of the carrier gas is branched in a stepwise manner in the height direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2018
    Publication date: June 13, 2019
    Inventors: Yuichi FURUYA, Hiroyuki MORI, Einosuke TSUDA, Eiichi KOMORI, Tomohisa KIMOTO
  • Publication number: 20160148829
    Abstract: A transferring device includes a supporting part configured to support a substrate holder, an elevation member configured to raise and lower a substrate at a substrate holding portion of the substrate holder, and a shielding member configured to be raised and lowered by the elevation member. The shielding member is interposed between the substrate and the elevation member when the elevation member receives the substrate. When the substrate is held on the substrate holding portion, the shielding member shields, at a backside of the substrate, a hole in the substrate holder through which the elevation member is inserted. In a state where the elevation member is raised, the substrate is mounted on the shielding member, or the substrate on shielding member is transferred therefrom.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2014
    Publication date: May 26, 2016
    Inventors: Eisuke MORISAKI, Tomohisa KIMOTO