Patents by Inventor Yuji Akatsuka

Yuji Akatsuka 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: 11837490
    Abstract: An electrostatic chuck heater according to the present invention includes an alumina substrate having a wafer placement surface on its upper surface; an electrostatic electrode, a resistance heating element provided for each zone, and a multilayer jumper wire for supplying power to the resistance heating element, which are buried in the alumina substrate in this order from the wafer placement surface side; a heating element coupling via for vertically coupling the resistance heating element to the jumper wire; and a power supply via extending outward for supplying power to the jumper wire. At least the heating element coupling via and the power supply via contain ruthenium metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: NGL INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Kenichiro Aikawa, Yuji Akatsuka, Hiroshi Takebayashi, Takahiro Ando
  • Patent number: 11715652
    Abstract: A member for a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes a ceramic plate having an upper surface serving as a wafer mounting surface and incorporating an electrode, a ceramic dense plug disposed adjacent to a lower surface side of the ceramic plate and ceramic-bonded to the ceramic plate by a ring-shaped joint portion, a metal cooling plate joined to the lower surface of the ceramic plate in a portion other than the ring-shaped joint portion, and a gas flow channel. The gas flow channel includes a gas discharge hole that passes completely through the ceramic plate in the thickness direction of the ceramic plate and an internal gas flow channel that passes from the upper surface to the lower surface of the dense plug while winding through the dense plug. The gas flow channel passes inside of an inner periphery of the joint portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Masaki Ishikawa, Yuji Akatsuka
  • Publication number: 20220256655
    Abstract: A ceramic heater includes an inner-peripheral-side resistance heating element embedded in an inner-peripheral-side region of a ceramic base, an outer-peripheral-side resistance heating element embedded in an outer-peripheral-side region of the ceramic base, outer-peripheral-side power supply terminals supplying electric power to the outer-peripheral-side resistance heating element, and jumpers made of metal meshes and connecting the outer-peripheral-side resistance heating element and the outer-peripheral-side power supply terminals. The jumpers are embedded on a jumper embedded plane different from a plane where the inner-peripheral-side resistance heating element is disposed and from a plane where the outer-peripheral-side resistance heating element is disposed. The jumpers are formed of mesh electrodes that are obtained by dividing a metal mesh disk on the jumper embedded plane into multiple parts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2021
    Publication date: August 11, 2022
    Applicant: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Masaki ISHIKAWA, Yuji AKATSUKA
  • Publication number: 20220254662
    Abstract: A wafer support table includes a ceramic base having a wafer placement surface, and a plurality of heaters embedded in the ceramic base. The ceramic base has a first heater formation surface, a second heater formation surface, and a third heater formation surface in a stated order from the wafer placement surface toward a surface opposite from the wafer placement surface. A first heater is provided on the first heater formation surface so as to be located at a center of the ceramic base. A second heater is provided on the second heater formation surface so as to be located around a periphery of the first heater. A third heater is provided on the third heater formation surface so as to overlap the second heater and is provided in each of a plurality of zones divided from the third heater formation surface by a radial line segment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2022
    Publication date: August 11, 2022
    Applicant: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Ryohei MATSUSHITA, Yuji AKATSUKA
  • Patent number: 11398401
    Abstract: A wafer mounting table includes a first electrode and a second electrode buried inside of a ceramic substrate having a wafer mounting surface so as to be parallel to the wafer mounting surface with the first electrode closer to the wafer mounting surface than the second electrode. The wafer mounting table includes a conductive section that electrically conducts the first electrode and the second electrode. The conductive section is such that a plurality of circular members comprised of plate-shaped metal meshes parallel to the wafer mounting surface are stacked between the first electrode and the second electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuji Akatsuka, Masaki Ishikawa, Kazuhiro Nobori, Akiyoshi Hattori, Keiichi Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20220230905
    Abstract: A wafer placement table includes a first ceramic substrate having a wafer placement surface on an upper surface; a second ceramic substrate disposed on a lower surface side of the first ceramic substrate; a metal bonding layer that bonds a lower surface of the first ceramic substrate and an upper surface of the second ceramic substrate; a connection member including an upper base and a lower base, the connection member being embedded in the second ceramic substrate with the upper base in contact with the metal bonding layer; and a power supply terminal electrically connected to the lower base of the connection member, wherein the connection member has a portion in which an area of cross section when the connection member is cut by a plane parallel to the upper base increases from a side of the upper base to a side of the lower base.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2021
    Publication date: July 21, 2022
    Applicant: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Masaki ISHIKAWA, Yuji AKATSUKA
  • Publication number: 20220216086
    Abstract: A member for semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, includes: a ceramic plate having a wafer placement surface; a plug receiving hole formed in a surface of the ceramic plate opposite to the wafer placement surface; a gas outlet port extending through a bottom wall of the plug receiving hole; a plug received in the plug receiving hole; and a gas flow path disposed inside the plug to be continuous with the gas outlet port, wherein a stepped portion is disposed on a side surface of the plug or an inner surface of the plug receiving hole, the plug receiving hole and the plug are in contact with each other in an area deeper than the stepped portion, a gap is formed between the plug receiving hole and the plug in an area shallower than the stepped portion, and a plug support member made of an adhesive material is formed in the gap.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2021
    Publication date: July 7, 2022
    Applicant: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Masaki ISHIKAWA, Yuji AKATSUKA, Kenji YONEMOTO
  • Publication number: 20210225683
    Abstract: An electrostatic chuck heater according to the present invention includes an alumina substrate having a wafer placement surface on its upper surface; an electrostatic electrode, a resistance heating element provided for each zone, and a multilayer jumper wire for supplying power to the resistance heating element, which are buried in the alumina substrate in this order from the wafer placement surface side; a heating element coupling via for vertically coupling the resistance heating element to the jumper wire; and a power supply via extending outward for supplying power to the jumper wire. At least the heating element coupling via and the power supply via contain ruthenium metal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2021
    Publication date: July 22, 2021
    Applicant: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Kenichiro AIKAWA, Yuji AKATSUKA, Hiroshi TAKEBAYASHI, Takahiro ANDO
  • Publication number: 20210225669
    Abstract: The ceramic heater of the present invention includes: an alumina substrate having a wafer placement surface; resistance heating elements disposed in respective zones; multistage jumpers that supply electric power to the resistance heating elements, the resistance heating elements and the jumpers being embedded in the alumina substrate in this order from a wafer placement surface side; heating element connecting vias that vertically connect the resistance heating elements to the jumpers; and power supply vias exposed to the outside in order to supply electric power to the jumpers. The specific resistance of the heating element connecting vias is smaller than that of the resistance heating elements, and the absolute value of the difference between CTE of the heating element connecting vias and CTE of the alumina substrate is smaller than the absolute value of the difference between CTE of the resistance heating elements and CTE of the alumina substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2021
    Publication date: July 22, 2021
    Applicant: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Kenichiro AIKAWA, Yuji AKATSUKA, Hiroshi TAKEBAYASHI, Takahiro ANDO
  • Publication number: 20200227291
    Abstract: A member for a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes a ceramic plate having an upper surface serving as a wafer mounting surface and incorporating an electrode, a ceramic dense plug disposed adjacent to a lower surface side of the ceramic plate and ceramic-bonded to the ceramic plate by a ring-shaped joint portion, a metal cooling plate joined to the lower surface of the ceramic plate in a portion other than the ring-shaped joint portion, and a gas flow channel. The gas flow channel includes a gas discharge hole that passes completely through the ceramic plate in the thickness direction of the ceramic plate and an internal gas flow channel that passes from the upper surface to the lower surface of the dense plug while winding through the dense plug. The gas flow channel passes inside of an inner periphery of the joint portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2019
    Publication date: July 16, 2020
    Applicant: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Masaki ISHIKAWA, Yuji AKATSUKA
  • Publication number: 20200219755
    Abstract: A wafer mounting table includes a first electrode and a second electrode buried inside of a ceramic substrate having a wafer mounting surface so as to be parallel to the wafer mounting surface with the first electrode closer to the wafer mounting surface than the second electrode. The wafer mounting table includes a conductive section that electrically conducts the first electrode and the second electrode. The conductive section is such that a plurality of circular members comprised of plate-shaped metal meshes parallel to the wafer mounting surface are stacked between the first electrode and the second electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2020
    Publication date: July 9, 2020
    Applicant: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Yuji AKATSUKA, Masaki ISHIKAWA, Kazuhiro NOBORI, Akiyoshi HATTORI, Keiichi NAKAMURA
  • Publication number: 20190189491
    Abstract: A wafer mounting table includes a ceramic plate having a wafer mounting surface and having at least one electrode; a metal plate arranged on a surface of the ceramic plate opposite to the wafer mounting surface; a threaded terminal made of a low thermal expansion coefficient metal and joined to a recess provided in the surface of the ceramic plate opposite to the wafer mounting surface by a bonding layer including ceramic fine particles and a hard solder; and a screw member inserted into a through hole penetrating the metal plate and screwed to the threaded terminal to fasten the ceramic plate and the metal plate together, wherein in a state in which the threaded terminal and the screw member are screwed together, a play is provided in a direction in which the metal plate is displaced relative to the ceramic plate due to the difference in thermal expansion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2019
    Publication date: June 20, 2019
    Applicant: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventor: Yuji AKATSUKA
  • Patent number: 8540819
    Abstract: A ceramic heater for a semiconductor substrate process includes a plate and a shaft. The plate includes a first base and a second base bonded to the first base. Defined on a mounting surface of the first base are: a first region having a surface contacting with a mounted substrate; a purge groove provided in the portion covered with the substrate and surrounds the first region; and a second region having a surface surrounding the purge groove. The first base has: an adsorber configured to adsorb the mounted substrate onto the surface of the first region; and multiple purge holes each penetrating from the bottom surface of the purge groove to the lower surface of the first base. The purge groove is supplied with a purge gas through the multiple purge holes. The surface of the second region is located lower than that of the first region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Kataigi, Yuji Akatsuka
  • Patent number: 8304701
    Abstract: A resistive heating element 30 has a higher molybdenum carbide content in a central portion 35 than in a peripheral portion 34. Since molybdenum carbides have a low temperature coefficient of resistance compared to molybdenum, the amount of heat generated in the central portion 35 of the resistive heating element 30 does not increase as much as in the peripheral portion 34 even when the temperature is increased, and the increase in difference in temperature between the peripheral portion 34 and the central portion 35 can be suppressed. In other words, generation of hot spots near the center can be suppressed and a good uniform heating property in a wide range of operation temperatures can be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuji Akatsuka, Yoshinobu Goto
  • Publication number: 20110062144
    Abstract: A resistive heating element 30 has a higher molybdenum carbide content in a central portion 35 than in a peripheral portion 34. Since molybdenum carbides have a low temperature coefficient of resistance compared to molybdenum, the amount of heat generated in the central portion 35 of the resistive heating element 30 does not increase as much as in the peripheral portion 34 even when the temperature is increased, and the increase in difference in temperature between the peripheral portion 34 and the central portion 35 can be suppressed. In other words, generation of hot spots near the center can be suppressed and a good uniform heating property in a wide range of operation temperatures can be obtained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2010
    Publication date: March 17, 2011
    Applicant: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuji AKATSUKA, Yoshinobu Goto
  • Publication number: 20090235866
    Abstract: A ceramic heater for a semiconductor substrate process includes a plate and a shaft. The plate includes a first base and a second base bonded to the first base. Defined on a mounting surface of the first base are: a first region having a surface contacting with a mounted substrate; a purge groove provided in the portion covered with the substrate and surrounds the first region; and a second region having a surface surrounding the purge groove. The first base has: an adsorber configured to adsorb the mounted substrate onto the surface of the first region; and multiple purge holes each penetrating from the bottom surface of the purge groove to the lower surface of the first base. The purge groove is supplied with a purge gas through the multiple purge holes. The surface of the second region is located lower than that of the first region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2009
    Publication date: September 24, 2009
    Applicant: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Kataigi, Yuji Akatsuka