Patents by Inventor Tsunehito KOHYAMA

Tsunehito KOHYAMA 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: 20240074022
    Abstract: Provided are a position detection apparatus and a position detection method capable of detecting a position of plasma on a target. The position detection apparatus according to the present disclosure includes: a visible light optical system configured to condense visible light generated together with EUV light from plasma generated by condensing laser light onto a target with a condensing lens; a position detection sensor configured to detect the visible light condensed by the visible light optical system; and a position detection processing unit configured to detect a change in a position of the plasma on the target, from a change in a spot of the visible light detected by the position detection sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2023
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Inventors: Tsunehito KOHYAMA, Keitaro HAYASHIDA, Masayasu NISHIZAWA
  • Publication number: 20220178847
    Abstract: Resolution is improved in a required direction while maintaining contrast in inspection of an anamorphic mask. A method for inspecting a mask with a reduction rate at the time of exposure in a longitudinal direction different from a reduction rate at the time of exposure in a lateral direction according to the present disclosure includes capturing an image of the mask using a photodetector including a rectangular pixel, a ratio of a dimension of the rectangular pixel in the longitudinal direction to a dimension of the rectangular pixel in the lateral direction being equal to an inverse ratio of the reduction rate in the longitudinal direction to the reduction rate in the lateral direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2021
    Publication date: June 9, 2022
    Inventors: Keita SAITO, Haruhiko KUSUNOSE, Tsunehito KOHYAMA
  • Patent number: 11353802
    Abstract: Provided are an optical device capable of effectively preventing contamination and a method for preventing contamination of the same. An optical device according to an embodiment includes a light source that generates light containing EUV (Extreme UltraViolet) light or VUV (Vacuum UltraViolet) light, a chamber in which an object to be irradiated with the light is placed, an optical element placed inside the chamber to guide the light, an introduction unit that introduces hydrogen or helium into the chamber, a power supply that applies a negative voltage to the optical element in the chamber, an ammeter that measures an ion current flowing through the optical element, and a control unit that adjusts the amount of the hydrogen or the helium introduced according to a measurement result of the ammeter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: Lasertec Corporation
    Inventors: Haruhiko Kusunose, Tsunehito Kohyama
  • Publication number: 20210373447
    Abstract: Provided are an optical device capable of effectively preventing contamination and a method for preventing contamination of the same. An optical device according to an embodiment includes a light source that generates light containing EUV (Extreme UltraViolet) light or VUV (Vacuum UltraViolet) light, a chamber in which an object to be irradiated with the light is placed, an optical element placed inside the chamber to guide the light, an introduction unit that introduces hydrogen or helium into the chamber, a power supply that applies a negative voltage to the optical element in the chamber, an ammeter that measures an ion current flowing through the optical element, and a control unit that adjusts the amount of the hydrogen or the helium introduced according to a measurement result of the ammeter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2021
    Publication date: December 2, 2021
    Inventors: Haruhiko KUSUNOSE, Tsunehito KOHYAMA
  • Publication number: 20210247323
    Abstract: An inspection device according to the present disclosure includes a spheroidal mirror configured to reflect illumination light as convergent light, a plane mirror configured to reflect the illumination light incident as the convergent light and cause the reflected illumination light to be incident on an object of inspection as incident light, a projection optical system configured to focus reflected light of the incident light reflected by the object of inspection, and a detector configured to detect reflected light focused by the projection optical system, wherein an angle of incidence of an incident optical axis being an optical axis of the incident light on the object of inspection is greater than 6 [deg], an angle of reflection of a reflected optical axis being an optical axis of the reflected light on the object of inspection is greater than 6 [deg].
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2021
    Publication date: August 12, 2021
    Applicant: Lasertec Corporation
    Inventors: Kiwamu TAKEHISA, Tsunehito KOHYAMA, Hiroki MIYAI, Haruhiko KUSUNOSE
  • Patent number: 10706527
    Abstract: A correction method according to an embodiment includes illuminating an object to be inspected by using critical illumination by illumination light L11 generated by a light source 11, concentrating light from the object to be inspected illuminated by the illumination light L11 and acquiring image data of the object to be inspected by detecting the concentrated light by a first detector 23, concentrating part of the illumination light L11, and acquiring image data of a brightness distribution of the illumination light L11 by detecting the concentrated illumination light L11 by a second detector 33, and correcting the image data of the object to be inspected based on the image data of the brightness distribution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: LASERTEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tsunehito Kohyama, Haruhiko Kusunose, Kiwamu Takehisa, Hiroki Miyai, Itaru Matsugu
  • Patent number: 10539511
    Abstract: A detection method, an inspection method, a detection apparatus, and an inspection apparatus capable of preventing an error in a luminance unevenness correction and thereby accurately inspecting an object to be inspected are provided. A detection method according to the present disclosure includes illuminating an object to be inspected by using illumination light including pulsed light, acquiring image data of the object to be inspected by concentrating light from the object to be inspected illuminated by the illumination light and detecting the concentrated light by an inspection detector, acquiring image data of a luminance distribution of the illumination light, the luminance distribution being detected by illuminating a correction detector by using part of the illumination light, and detecting inspection image data by correcting the image data of the object to be inspected based on the image data of the luminance distribution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: Lasertec Corporation
    Inventors: Masayasu Nishizawa, Tsunehito Kohyama, Hironobu Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20190204235
    Abstract: A detection method, an inspection method, a detection apparatus, and an inspection apparatus capable of preventing an error in a luminance unevenness correction and thereby accurately inspecting an object to be inspected are provided. A detection method according to the present disclosure includes illuminating an object to be inspected by using illumination light including pulsed light, acquiring image data of the object to be inspected by concentrating light from the object to be inspected illuminated by the illumination light and detecting the concentrated light by an inspection detector, acquiring image data of a luminance distribution of the illumination light, the luminance distribution being detected by illuminating a correction detector by using part of the illumination light, and detecting inspection image data by correcting the image data of the object to be inspected based on the image data of the luminance distribution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2018
    Publication date: July 4, 2019
    Inventors: Masayasu NISHIZAWA, Tsunehito KOHYAMA, Hironobu SUZUKI
  • Publication number: 20180276812
    Abstract: A correction method according to an embodiment includes illuminating an object to be inspected by using critical illumination by illumination light L11 generated by a light source 11, concentrating light from the object to be inspected illuminated by the illumination light L11 and acquiring image data of the object to be inspected by detecting the concentrated light by a first detector 23, concentrating part of the illumination light L11, and acquiring image data of a brightness distribution of the illumination light L11 by detecting the concentrated illumination light L11 by a second detector 33, and correcting the image data of the object to be inspected based on the image data of the brightness distribution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2018
    Publication date: September 27, 2018
    Inventors: Tsunehito KOHYAMA, Haruhiko KUSUNOSE, Kiwamu TAKEHISA, Hiroki MIYAI, Itaru MATSUGU