Centrifugal Force Utilized Patents (Class 427/240)
  • Patent number: 11823921
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a suctioning unit for suctioning a processing liquid existing inside a processing liquid pipe that communicates with a discharge port, and a controller. In the suctioning step, the controller executes a suctioning step of suctioning the processing liquid existing inside the processing liquid pipe by the suctioning unit. The controller selectively executes a first suctioning step of retracting a leading end surface of the processing liquid and disposing the leading end surface of the processing liquid after suctioning in a preliminarily set standby position inside the processing liquid pipe, and a second suctioning step of retracting the leading end surface of the processing liquid further back than the standby position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Inventors: Michinori Iwao, Shuichi Yasuda, Kazuhiro Fujita, Noriyuki Kikumoto, Takahiro Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 11804387
    Abstract: A substrate processing device includes a holding member for holding a substrate, and an opposed member having a body portion and an extended portion extending from at least a part of a peripheral edge part of the body portion. A protrusion is provided on one part of a tip side part of the extended portion and a side surface part of the holding member, and the other part is provided with a restricting structure disposed opposite to the protrusion and restricting relative motion of the protrusion. The relative motion between the holding member and the opposed member is restricted, and the substrate processing device further includes a rotating mechanism, and a nozzle for discharging a processing solution and the protrusion and the restricting structure are disposed below an upper surface of the holding member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Daichi Yoshitomi, Kazuki Inoue, Masaki Iwami, Hiroaki Ishii
  • Patent number: 11601281
    Abstract: User profiles of applications installed in a user environment, which may be compromised by malware, are managed to protect against such malware gaining access to sensitive data that may be contained in the user profiles. The method includes the steps of detecting, by a management agent of a user environment, a launch of an application within the user environment, verifying, by a filter driver, an identity of the application against a stored profile of the application, and responsive to determining that the identity of the application matches the stored profile of the application, importing, by the management agent, an encrypted user profile from a remote storage to local storage, decrypting, by the filter driver, the encrypted user profile, and providing the decrypted user profile to the application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: VMWARE, INC.
    Inventor: Sisimon Soman
  • Patent number: 11592741
    Abstract: An imprinting method includes dispensing a first liquid on a first region of a substrate. The first liquid is a photocurable resist precursor. A second liquid is dispensed on a second region of the substrate. The second region is adjacent to and surrounding the first region. The second liquid is non-photocurable as dispensed. The first region is then irradiated with light while a patterned template is being pressed against the first liquid. The light cures the first liquid and forms a resist pattern corresponding to the patterned template. The patterned template and the substrate are then separated from each other. The second liquid is then selectively removed from the substrate while leaving the resist pattern on the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: Kioxia Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Higuchi, Hirokazu Kato, Kasumi Okabe
  • Patent number: 11517933
    Abstract: A coating assembly for coating a plurality of substrates. The coating assembly includes a chamber. At least one target is disposed in the chamber and includes a coating material. At least one power supply is connected to the target. At least one support fixture is disposed in the chamber. The at least one support fixture includes a base having a plurality of recesses formed in an upper surface of the base. A first mounting component has a plurality of slots. The first mounting component is positioned on the upper surface of the base wherein at least some of the plurality of recesses are in registry with corresponding ones of the plurality of slots to define a plurality of cavities, each of the plurality of cavities configured to hold at least one of the plurality of substrates to be coated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: OERLIKON SURFACE SOLUTIONS AG, PFÄFFIKON
    Inventor: Phillip J. LaForce
  • Patent number: 11446697
    Abstract: A method for imparting an optical element with at least one light influencing property in a gradient pattern. The method includes (a) providing an optical substrate having first and second surfaces; (b) depositing a first composition over the first surface of the optical substrate so as to provide a first treated surface region and an untreated surface region, the first composition including a material which provides a light influencing property; (c) depositing a second composition over the optical substrate of (b) to provide a second treated surface region over the untreated surface region and over a portion of the first treated surface region to form a first overlap region; and (d) spinning the optical substrate of (c) thereby providing the optical element having a light influencing property in a gradient pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: Transitions Optical, Ltd.
    Inventors: Anil Kumar, David Park, Brian Smyth
  • Patent number: 11443939
    Abstract: A spin-on glass (SOG) depositing system includes a suck back (SB) valve arranged to receive SOG. The SOG depositing system further includes a SOG dispenser having a nozzle, the SOG dispenser coupled with the SB valve for receiving SOG. The SOG depositing system further includes a detector positioned to detect SOG outside the nozzle. The SOG depositing system further includes an SB valve controller coupled with the detector for receiving one or more signals from the detector and coupled with the SB valve for controlling operation of the SB valve, wherein the SB valve controller is configured to pause sensing by the detector based on the sensed amount of SOG outside the nozzle being outside at least one operating parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Yung-Tsun Liu
  • Patent number: 11289347
    Abstract: A cleaning module for cleaning a wafer comprises a wafer gripping device configured to support a wafer in a vertical orientation and comprises a catch cup and a gripper assembly. The catch cup comprises a wall that has an annular inner surface that defines a processing region and has an angled portion that is symmetric about a central axis of the wafer gripping device. The gripper assembly comprises a first plate assembly, a second plate assembly, a plurality of gripping pin, and a plurality of loading pin. The gripping pins are configured to grip a wafer during a cleaning process and the loading pins are configured to grip the wafer during a loading and unloading process. The cleaning module further comprises a sweep arm coupled to a nozzle mechanism configured to deliver liquids to the front and back side of the wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Jagan Rangarajan, Adrian Blank, Edward Golubovsky, Balasubramaniam Coimbatore Jaganathan, Steven M. Zuniga, Ekaterina Mikhaylichenko, Michael A. Anderson, Jonathan P. Domin
  • Patent number: 11247229
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method for coating a substrate with a lacquer. First, the lacquer is uniformly applied to the substrate. Then, the solvent proportion of the lacquer applied to the substrate is reduced, and the coated substrate is exposed to a solvent atmosphere. In some embodiments, the lacquer is heated. The invention also relates to a device for planarising a lacquer layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: SUSS MICROTEC LITHOGRAPHY GMBH
    Inventors: Katrin Fischer, Florian Palitschka, Johannes Platen, Kento Kaneko
  • Patent number: 11181323
    Abstract: An example heat-dissipating device with enhanced interfacial properties generally includes a first heat spreader configured to be thermally coupled to a region configured to generate heat, a second heat spreader, an interposer thermally coupled to at least one of the first heat spreader or the second heat spreader, at least one interfacial layer including a graphene material disposed on at least one surface of the interposer, and a phase change material disposed between the at least one interfacial layer and at least one of the first heat spreader or the second heat spreader and thermally coupled to at least one of the first heat spreader or the second heat spreader.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Sean Charles Andrews, Jorge Luis Rosales, Victor Adrian Chiriac
  • Patent number: 11158524
    Abstract: A cleaning module for cleaning a wafer comprises a wafer gripping device configured to support a wafer in a vertical orientation and comprises a catch cup and a gripper assembly. The catch cup comprises a wall that has an annular inner surface that defines a processing region and has an angled portion that is symmetric about a central axis of the wafer gripping device. The gripper assembly comprises a first plate assembly, a second plate assembly, a plurality of gripping pin, and a plurality of loading pin. The gripping pins are configured to grip a wafer during a cleaning process and the loading pins are configured to grip the wafer during a loading and unloading process. The cleaning module further comprises a sweep arm coupled to a nozzle mechanism configured to deliver liquids to the front and back side of the wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Jagan Rangarajan, Adrian Blank, Edward Golubovsky, Balasubramaniam Coimbatore Jaganathan, Steven M. Zuniga, Ekaterina Mikhaylichenko, Michael A. Anderson, Jonathan P. Domin
  • Patent number: 11079679
    Abstract: A method includes forming a liquid puddle of a mixed solution of the diluting liquid and the processing liquid; rotating the substrate at a first rotation speed which allows the mixed solution located at a region facing an inner side than an edge of the liquid contact surface to stay between the liquid contact surface and the surface of the substrate and allows the mixed solution located at a region facing an outer side than the edge of the liquid contact surface to be diffused toward an edge of the substrate; rotating the substrate at a second rotation speed smaller than the first rotation speed after the substrate is rotated at the first rotation speed; and moving the nozzle toward the edge of the substrate while discharging the processing liquid from the discharge hole in a state that the substrate is rotated at the second rotation speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Yusaku Hashimoto, Takeshi Shimoaoki, Masahiro Fukuda, Kouichirou Tanaka
  • Patent number: 11065639
    Abstract: A method for coating a top of a substrate with a coating solution includes supplying, before a solution film of the coating solution formed on the substrate dries, a solvent for the coating solution to a peripheral portion on the solution film of the coating solution on the substrate while rotating the substrate at a predetermined rotation speed to form a mixed layer of the coating solution and the solvent at the peripheral portion. The method includes, then, controlling a film thickness of the coating solution after drying by rotating the substrate at a rotation speed higher than the predetermined rotation speed to push the mixed layer to an outer peripheral side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Shogo Inaba, Kosuke Yoshihara, Shinichi Hatakeyama
  • Patent number: 11053434
    Abstract: The invention is directed to methods for making an EC material comprising providing a substrate, applying at least one metal linker to the substrate, applying at least one metal-coordinated organic complex to form a layer, washing the layer, drying the layer, and repeating the applying steps to obtain a multiple layer EC material. The invention is further directed to EC materials made by the methods of this invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: YEDA RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CO. LTD.
    Inventors: Milko E. Van Der Boom, Michal Lahav, Neta Elool Dov
  • Patent number: 11048075
    Abstract: The disclosed optical lens assemblies may include a structural support element, a deformable element coupled to the structural support element, and a deformable medium positioned between the deformable element and the structural support element. The deformable element may include a base element that, when deformed, alters an optical property of the optical lens assembly. The deformable element may have a non-uniform stiffness. Related methods of fabricating an optical lens assembly are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Andrew John Ouderkirk, Katherine Marie Smyth
  • Patent number: 11036138
    Abstract: There is provided a substrate processing apparatus which includes: a rotation holding part configured to hold a substrate and rotate the substrate at a predetermined rotation speed around a rotation axis which extends in a direction perpendicular to a front surface of the substrate; a processing liquid supply part provided with a processing liquid nozzle located in proximity of the front surface and configured to supply a processing liquid onto the front surface from the processing liquid nozzle; a solvent supply part provided with at least one discharge nozzle located in proximity of the front surface and configured to supply an organic solvent onto the front surface from the at least one discharge nozzle; and a controller configured to execute a first process and a second process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventor: Teppei Takahashi
  • Patent number: 11036139
    Abstract: In a method of forming a sacrificial film, a liquid film 26 of a sacrificial polymer solution 25 which covers the front surface of a substrate W in which patterns P are formed is heated from the side of the substrate, the solution in contact with the front surface of the substrate is evaporated and thus the liquid film is dried in a state where the liquid film is held on at least tip end portions other than base portions of the patterns, with the result that a sacrificial film is formed. In a substrate processing method and a substrate processing apparatus, the front surface of the substrate is processed while the collapse of the patterns is suppressed or prevented by utilization of the formed sacrificial film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Inventor: Masayuki Otsuji
  • Patent number: 11005049
    Abstract: The present invention relates to metal complexes, to compositions and formulations comprising these complexes, and to devices comprising the complexes or compositions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: Merck Patent GmbH
    Inventors: Heinrich Becker, Frank Voges
  • Patent number: 11003149
    Abstract: Electronic device processing systems including environmental control of the factory interface, a carrier purge chamber, and one or more substrate carriers are described. One electronic device processing system has a factory interface having a factory interface chamber, one or more substrate carriers coupled to the factory interface, and an environmental control system coupled to the factory interface, the carrier purge chamber, and the one or more substrate carriers and operational to control an environment at least within the factory interface chamber, carrier purge chamber, and the one or more substrate carriers. Methods for processing substrates are described, as are numerous other aspects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael R. Rice, Dean C. Hruzek
  • Patent number: 10995172
    Abstract: A self-assembled film-forming composition for orthogonally inducing, with respect to a substrate, a microphase separation structure in a layer including a block copolymer, in the whole surface of a coating film, even at high heating temperatures at which arrangement failure of the microphase separation of the block copolymer occurs. The self-assembled film-forming composition includes a block copolymer, and at least two solvents having different boiling points as a solvent. The block copolymer is obtained by bonding: a non-silicon-containing polymer having, as a structural unit, styrene, a derivative thereof, or a structure derived from a lactide; and a silicon-containing polymer having, as a structural unit, styrene substituted with silicon-containing groups. The solvent includes: a low boiling point solvent (A) having a boiling point of 160° C. or lower; and a high boiling point solvent (B) having a boiling point of 170° C. or higher.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: NISSAN CHEMICAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryuta Mizuochi, Yasunobu Someya, Hiroyuki Wakayama, Rikimaru Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 10998203
    Abstract: A substrate processing device includes a holding member for holding a substrate, and an opposed member having a body portion and an extended portion extending from at least a part of a peripheral edge part of the body portion. A protrusion is provided on one part of a tip side part of the extended portion and a side surface part of the holding member, and the other part is provided with a restricting structure disposed opposite to the protrusion and restricting relative motion of the protrusion. The relative motion between the holding member and the opposed member is restricted, and the substrate processing device further includes a rotating mechanism, and a nozzle for discharging a processing solution and the protrusion and the restricting structure are disposed below an upper surface of the holding member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Daichi Yoshitomi, Kazuki Inoue, Masaki Iwami, Hiroaki Ishii
  • Patent number: 10964539
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an imprinting method comprises forming a carbon film on a substrate. The carbon film being oxygen in an amount of less than or equal to 15% by weight. A transfer material is dispensed over the carbon film. A patterned template is brought into contact with the transfer material. The transfer material is cured with light passing through the patterned template. The patterned template is then detached from the cured transfer material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kei Kobayashi, Hirokazu Kato, Takayuki Nakamura
  • Patent number: 10964557
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method. The substrate processing apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may include: a processing liquid supply tube; a nozzle unit which is supplied with a processing liquid from the processing liquid supply tube and discharges the processing liquid to the substrate; and a light source unit which is provided to irradiate the processing liquid discharged from the nozzle unit with ultraviolet rays. According to the present disclosure, the processing liquid, which is electrified while passing the processing liquid supply tube, is irradiated with ultraviolet rays, such that electricity is eliminated from the electrified processing liquid, and as a result, it is possible to minimize a problem that the substrate is contaminated by peripheral particles or arcing occurs on the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: SEMES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Do Yeon Kim, Jin Kyu Kim, Yoon Jong Ju, Min Sung Han, Joon Ho Won, Yong Tak Hyun
  • Patent number: 10950466
    Abstract: A filler solution is supplied to an upper surface of a substrate, forming a coating that is a film of the filler solution. Clearance in the structure on the upper surface of the substrate is filled with the filler solution. Then, a stripping solution is applied to a peripheral region of the upper surface of the substrate, to strip off a portion of the coating formed on the peripheral region. Also, a gas is injected toward a boundary portion between the peripheral region and an inner region of the upper surface of the substrate, to accelerate solidification of an outer edge portion of the coating formed on the inner region, to suppress the spread of the coating from the inner region to the peripheral region. A substrate holder/rotator, fluid supplies, and a gas injection part are provided to carry out the above process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Inventor: Hitoshi Nakai
  • Patent number: 10926288
    Abstract: A coating sequence includes supplying a resist liquid onto a wafer under a condition that a liquid puddle of the resist liquid is formed at a central portion thereof; supplying, while rotating the wafer at a first rotation speed where the liquid puddle stays at an inner side than an edge of the wafer, a diluting liquid and moving a supply position of the diluting liquid from an outside of the liquid puddle to an edge portion thereof; moving, after the moving of the supply position from the outside to the edge portion, the supply position from the edge portion to the outside while continuously rotating the wafer at the first rotation speed; and rotating, after the moving of the supply position from the edge portion to the outside, the wafer at a rotation speed higher than the first rotation speed to diffuse the resist liquid toward the edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventor: Teppei Takahashi
  • Patent number: 10867872
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure is provided. The method includes the following operations. A first semiconductor substrate is provided on a spin chuck. A first humidity factor near the first semiconductor substrate is obtained. A resist material is dispensed on the first semiconductor substrate. The spin chuck is rotated at a first speed. The first speed is determined based on the first humidity factor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY LTD.
    Inventors: Yung-Yao Lee, Wei-Hsiang Tseng
  • Patent number: 10851270
    Abstract: The present invention is generally related to various types of compositions that comprise a polyindane resin. In particular, the polyindane resins may be utilized in various polymer-based and elastomer-based formulations in order to enhance several properties and characteristics of those formulations. More specifically, adhesive formulations are provided that comprise at least one polyindane resin, which may be used to replace or enhance the functionality of existing hydrocarbon resins typically used in adhesive formulations. Compositions comprising at least one thermoplastic elastomer and at least one polyindane resin are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: Eastman Chemical Company
    Inventors: Mark William Ingratta, Soumendra Kumar Basu, Mark Stanley Pavlin, Joseph Alexander Deloach, George Joseph Kutsek, Wei Min Cheng, Terri Roxanne Carvagno, Christopher Lee Lester
  • Patent number: 10854464
    Abstract: A manufacturing process of an elemental chip includes steps of preparing a substrate held on the holding tape, the substrate including first and second sides opposite each other and the second side thereof being held on the holding tape, and the substrate further including a plurality of element regions and a plurality of segmentation regions defining each of the element regions; setting a nozzle to have a length between a lower most edge of the nozzle and the first side of the substrate in a range between 20 mm and 150 mm, spraying a resist solution to form droplets of the resist solution, the resist solution containing a resist constituent and a solvent; forming a resist layer by vaporizing the solvent from the droplets and depositing the resist constituent on the first side of the substrate that is held on the holding tape such that an amount of the solvent remained in the resist layer to be in a range between 5 wt. % and 20 wt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Noriyuki Matsubara
  • Patent number: 10824074
    Abstract: A development liquid is discharged from a development liquid nozzle having one discharge port extending continuously in one direction to the substrate. The development liquid nozzle is fixed such that the development liquid is supplied to a reference straight line on an upper surface of the substrate, and is fixed such that a liquid receiving region that receives the development liquid on the upper surface of the substrate extends in a direction inclined with respect to the reference straight line, the reference straight line passing through a rotational center of the substrate. The development liquid nozzle is moved in a direction of the reference straight line. The liquid receiving region has one end and another end. The other end is located farther away from the rotational center of the substrate than the one end, and is located farther downstream in the rotation direction of the substrate than the one end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masahito Kashiyama
  • Patent number: 10784125
    Abstract: Disclosed is a substrate treating apparatus including a first liquid treatment chamber that performs a liquid treatment to a substrate, a second liquid treatment chamber that is disposed below the first liquid treatment chamber and performs a liquid treatment to a substrate, a first feed channel that supplies gases to the first liquid treatment chamber, and a second feed channel that supplies gases to the second liquid treatment chamber. The first feed channel includes a first vertical member that extends substantially vertically. The second feed channel includes a second vertical member that extends substantially vertically. The first vertical member and the second vertical member both extend to a position lower in level than the second liquid treatment chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yukihiko Inagaki
  • Patent number: 10766717
    Abstract: An apparatus for conveying dishware through a cleaning cycle. The apparatus includes a magnetic grasping element to grasp dishware having a ferromagnetic component. The magnetic grasping element transitions between at least two states to selectively engage and disengage the dishware. A corresponding system and method are also described herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Dishcraft Robotics, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth McAfee Peters, Paul Michael Birkmeyer, Kevin Yuan Ma, Jacob Conor Dooris, Abigail Elizabeth Soong, Kent Michael Anderson
  • Patent number: 10768527
    Abstract: A method includes providing a photoresist solution that includes a first solvent having a first volume and a second solvent having a second volume, where the first solvent is different from the second solvent and where the first volume is less than the second volume; dispersing the photoresist solution over a substrate to form a film, where the dispersing evaporates a portion of the first solvent and a portion of the second solvent such that a remaining portion of the first solvent is greater than a remaining portion of the second solvent; baking the film; after baking the film, exposing the film to form an exposed film; and developing the exposed film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yu-Chung Su, Kuan-Hsin Lo, Yahru Cheng, Ching-Yu Chang, Chin-Hsiang Lin
  • Patent number: 10752805
    Abstract: Provided is a composition for forming a film for semiconductor devices, including: a compound (A) including a Si—O bond and a cationic functional group containing at least one of a primary nitrogen atom or a secondary nitrogen atom; a crosslinking agent (B) which includes three or more —C(?O)OX groups (X is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms) in the molecule, in which from one to six of three or more —C(?O)OX groups are —C(?O)OH groups, and which has a weight average molecular weight of from 200 to 600; and a polar solvent (D).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: MITSUI CHEMICALS, INC.
    Inventors: Yasuhisa Kayaba, Hirofumi Tanaka, Koji Inoue
  • Patent number: 10755916
    Abstract: A substrate processing method for processing a surface of a substrate includes: a first solvent supply step (a) of supplying IPA to a surface of a substrate while rotating the substrate to treat the surface; a modification treatment liquid supply step (b) of supplying a silylating solution after the first solvent supply step to form a liquid film; and a step (c) of heating the substrate in the first solvent supply step and the modification treatment liquid supply step. The step (c) is configured such that an amount of heat per unit time to be applied to the substrate in the modification treatment liquid supply step is larger than an amount of heat per unit time applied to the substrate in the first solvent supply step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Abe, Manabu Okutani, Takashi Ota
  • Patent number: 10755951
    Abstract: In a substrate processing apparatus, an outer edge portion of a substrate in a horizontal state is supported from below by an annular substrate supporting part, and a lower surface facing part having a facing surface facing a lower surface of the substrate is provided inside the substrate supporting part. A gas ejection nozzle for ejecting heated gas toward the lower surface is provided in the lower surface facing part, and the substrate is heated by the heated gas when an upper surface of the rotating substrate is processed with a processing liquid ejected from an upper nozzle. Further, a lower nozzle is provided in the lower surface facing part, to thereby perform a processing on the lower surface with a processing liquid. Since the gas ejection nozzle protrudes from the facing surface, a flow of the processing liquid into the gas ejection nozzle can be suppressed during the processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenji Izumoto, Takemitsu Miura, Kenji Kobayashi, Kazuhide Saito, Akihisa Iwasaki
  • Patent number: 10746635
    Abstract: A method for inspecting a process solution is provided. In this method, a process solution is disposed on a surface of a substrate. A liquid of the process solution is removed to form an inspection sample by a spinning method. The surface of the substrate of the inspection sample is inspected by the surface inspection device to identify whether a residue of the process solution is left on the surface of the substrate after removing the liquid of the process solution. Further, an apparatus for inspecting a process solution and a sample preparation apparatus in inspection are also provided herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tzu-Sou Chuang, Chi-Wen Kuo
  • Patent number: 10747146
    Abstract: A developer container is capable of supplying a liquid developer to a portion, of a surface of a cleaning roller, between a cleaning position X and a contact position Y with respect to a rotational direction of the cleaning roller. A free end of a cleaning blade is positioned in a range of 65° or more and less than 95° as a positive angle of the rotational direction of the cleaning roller when a line passing through a center of the cleaning roller and an upper end portion of the cleaning roller with respect to a direction of gravitation is at 0° (reference line G). In this case, the cleaning blade is disposed so that an angle ? between a line F perpendicular to a line E connecting the center of the cleaning roller and the free end of the cleaning blade, and the cleaning blade is in a range of 35° or more and less than 60° .
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Teppei Nagata, Takehiro Kojima, Ryota Fujioka, Shota Takami
  • Patent number: 10705357
    Abstract: A display substrate including a base substrate and an optical functional layer provided on the base substrate. The optical functional layer includes a black matrix providing a plurality of first shading strips and a plurality of second shading strips. The plurality of first shading strips intersect with the plurality of second shading strips so as to divide the display substrate into a plurality of pixel units. A thickness of the first shading strips is different from that of the second shading strips.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignees: BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD., CHONGQING BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Xianfu Feng, Zhijun Xu, Yajun Wang, Zujiang Qin, Qiuhang Peng
  • Patent number: 10698315
    Abstract: Disclosed is a substrate treating method including a solvent supplying step of supplying a solvent to a center part of a substrate while increasing a rotation speed of the substrate. In the solvent supplying step, the solvent is successively supplied to the substrate until the solvent reaches a periphery edge of the substrate. With such a substrate treating method, the solvent is able to cover a substrate surface entirely with effective suppression of particles. In other words, a process of supplying the solvent to the substrate is performable with effectively improved quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chikara Sagae, Masanori Imamura
  • Patent number: 10689297
    Abstract: The present invention relates to new multiferroic materials. More particularly, the present invention relates to new multiferroic single phase ceramic materials as well as to thin films formed from these materials, methods of preparing these materials and their use as multiferroic materials in electronic components and devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: THE UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL
    Inventors: Matthew J. Rosseinsky, Pranab Mandal, Jonathan Alaria, John Claridge, Michael Pitcher
  • Patent number: 10684548
    Abstract: In a developing method, a developing nozzle starts discharge of developer to a position set in advance on a substrate, spinning about the center thereof, away from the center. This causes a flow of the developer at the center having a small centrifugal force immediately after the discharge is started. Accordingly, a dissolution product of a resist can be ejected outside the substrate more efficiently than the case when the discharge of the developer to the center is started. Moreover, this achieves distributed arrival positions of the developer directly discharged from the developing nozzle immediately after the discharge is started. Consequently, thin resist patterns especially at the center of the substrate are eliminated to obtain suppression in treatment variation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuji Tanaka, Tadashi Miyagi, Masahiko Harumoto, Koji Kaneyama
  • Patent number: 10675608
    Abstract: Embodiments describe a method of depositing an MOF, including depositing a metal solution onto a substrate, spinning the substrate sufficient to spread the metal solution, depositing an organic ligand solution onto the substrate and spinning the substrate sufficient to spread the organic ligand solution and form a MOF layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: KING ABDULLAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Mohamed Eddaoudi, Osama Shekhah
  • Patent number: 10665483
    Abstract: An apparatus for treating a substrate includes a chamber including a space in which a substrate is treated, a support member disposed in the chamber and supporting the substrate, and a heating member for heating the substrate. The space is divided into an upper space and a lower space by the support member. The support member includes a support plate receiving the substrate, a base supporting the support plate, exposing a bottom surface of the support plate and including a cut region formed in an edge portion of the base, and an adjustment block held in the cut region and coupled to the base. The cut region fluidly connects the upper space to the lower space. The adjustment block divides the cut region into a plurality of vents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Gi-Nam Park, Bokyung Jung, Leekwon Gil, Jungwoo Seo, Dongseok Baek, Nam Hoon Lee, Jonghyun Lee
  • Patent number: 10656525
    Abstract: A photoresist baking apparatus is provided. The photoresist baking apparatus comprises a baking chamber including an inlet, an outlet and a cover sealed connected thereon. The cover is applied to guide the hot air entering the baking chamber and includes a heating device for maintaining the temperature of the hot air. The heating device is disposed on the cover for heating the hot air flowing to the cover and maintaining the temperature of the hot air to be consistent when the hot air flowing to the outlet, thereby to prevent from the photoresist volatile condensing and dripping due to decreased temperature after the photoresist volatile contacting the cover and affecting the product quality, and to guarantee the temperature homogeneity inside the baking chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: SHENZHEN CHINA STAR OPTOELECTRONICS SEMICONDUCTOR DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Chung-jen Chen, Ming-wen Lin, Yan-ze Li, Chilin Wu, Zhikun Wu
  • Patent number: 10589305
    Abstract: In a coating apparatus, a nozzle moving mechanism selectively grips any one of a plurality of coating solution nozzles, moves the gripped coating solution nozzle and a solvent nozzle together, and moves at least the solvent nozzle to a solvent suction unit. The moved solvent nozzle is caused to dispense a solvent to the solvent suction unit, and the gripped coating solution nozzle is caused to suck the solvent retained in the same solvent suction unit to which the solvent has been dispensed. Thus, since dispensation and suction of the solvent are done in the same solvent suction unit, the quantity of the solvent used can be held down. Further, a supply line for supplying the solvent does not need to be provided for the suction unit. The construction of the suction unit can therefore be made simple, and its cost can be held down.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yasuo Takahashi
  • Patent number: 10563014
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to dielectric film forming composition containing at least one fully imidized polyimide polymer; at least one inorganic filler; at least one metal-containing (meth)acrylate compound; and at least one catalyst. The dielectric film formed by such a composition can have a relatively low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and a relatively high optical transparency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: Fujifilm Electronic Materials U.S.A., Inc.
    Inventors: Sanjay Malik, William A. Reinerth, Binod B. De
  • Patent number: 10529621
    Abstract: Tooling apparatus and methods are provided to fabricate semiconductor devices in which controlled thermal annealing techniques are utilized to modulate microstructures of metallic interconnect structures. For example, an apparatus includes a single platform semiconductor processing chamber having first and second sub-chambers. The first sub-chamber is configured to receive a semiconductor substrate comprising a metallization layer formed on a dielectric layer, wherein a portion of the metallization layer is disposed within an opening etched in the dielectric layer, and to form a stress control layer on the metallization layer. The second sub-chamber comprises a programmable hot plate which is configured to perform a thermal anneal process to modulate a microstructure of the metallization layer while the stress control layer is disposed on the metallization layer, and without an air break between the process modules of forming the stress control layer and performing the thermal anneal process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Roger A. Quon, Michael Rizzolo, Chih-Chao Yang
  • Patent number: 10518199
    Abstract: A treatment solution supply apparatus for supplying a treatment solution to a treatment solution discharge unit that discharges the treatment solution to a treatment body, includes: a temporary storage apparatus that temporarily stores the treatment solution supplied from a treatment solution supply source that stores the treatment solution; a filter that removes a foreign substance in the treatment solution from the temporary storage apparatus; and a pump that sends the treatment solution from which the foreign substance has been removed by the filter to the treatment solution discharge unit, wherein the temporary storage apparatus has a pressure-feeding function of pressure-feeding the treatment solution stored in the temporary storage apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Takashi Sasa, Daisuke Ishimaru, Katsuya Hashimoto, Hideo Shite, Shinya Wakamizu, Kazuhiko Kimura
  • Patent number: 10488753
    Abstract: A nanoimprint lithography method includes contacting a composite polymerizable coating formed from a pretreatment composition and an imprint resist with a nanoimprint lithography template defining recesses. The composite polymerizable coating is polymerized to yield a composite polymeric layer defining a pre-etch plurality of protrusions corresponding to the recesses of the nanoimprint lithography template. The nanoimprint lithography template is separated from the composite polymeric layer. At least one of the pre-etch plurality of protrusions corresponds to a boundary between two of the discrete portions of the imprint resist, and the pre-etch plurality of protrusions have a variation in pre-etch height of ±10% of a pre-etch average height. The pre-etch plurality of protrusions is etched to yield a post-etch plurality of protrusions having a variation in post-etch height of ±10% of a post-etch average height, and the pre-etch average height exceeds the post-etch average height.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Timothy Stachowiak, Weijun Liu, Fen Wan, Gary Doyle, Niyaz Khusnatdinov
  • Patent number: 10483127
    Abstract: A plasma processing system and methods for high precision etching of microelectronic substrates. The system may include a combination of microwave and radio frequency (RF) power sources that may generate plasma conditions to remove monolayer(s). The system may generation a first plasma to form a thin adsorption layer on the surface of the microelectronic substrate. The adsorbed layer may be removed when the system transition to a second plasma. The differences between the first and second plasma may be include the ion energy proximate to the substrate. For example, the first plasma may have an ion energy of less than 20 eV and the second plasma may have an ion energy greater than 20 eV.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Mingmei Wang, Alok Ranjan, Peter L. G. Ventzek