Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Ronald P. Kananen
  • Patent number: 6551530
    Abstract: In a hybrid lens forming method for transferring an aspherical composite layer made of an ultraviolet-curing resin, which is curable by irradiation with ultraviolet rays, onto one surface of a convex lens by using a forming die, the forming die is made of a material which transmits ultraviolet rays, and the aspherical composite layer is transferred onto the convex lens by applying ultraviolet rays from the side of the forming die and curing the ultraviolet-curing resin with ultraviolet rays transmitted through the forming die.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2003
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Koizumi, Kazuhiro Tanaka, Eiji Ohshima
  • Patent number: 6546941
    Abstract: A wafer cleaning device is provided with a roll brush extending in an axial direction and having an end portion supported so that the roll brush can be rolled around its axis freely for performing cleaning by touching a rolled contact surface of the roll brush to a cleaned surface of a wafer. The end portion of the roll brush is supported so that the roll brush can be displaced by a dial adjusting screw to enable the axis to be tilted to the cleaned surface of the wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Jun Nishihara
  • Patent number: 6549608
    Abstract: To provide a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and a semiconductor device manufacturing method able to form a sufficiently precise pattern by ablation. A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprising a light source emitting light of a first wavelength on the surface of a wafer and a mask through which at least a part of the light of the first wavelength passes and removing a material of the part of the wafer exposed by the light of the first wavelength by vaporization, wherein the light source comprises an electron beam generating means for generating an electron beam and a light emitting means for emitting light of a second wavelength longer than the first wavelength and wherein the light of the first wavelength is inverse Compton scattered light obtained by collision of electrons in the electron beam with photons in the light of the second wavelength causing the energy of the electrons to be given to the photons and a semiconductor device manufacturing method using the apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takayoshi Mamine, Nobuyuki Matsuzawa, Noriyuki Kishii
  • Patent number: 6550051
    Abstract: To reduce the time for verification in lithographic data and reduce the turn-around-time in preparation of lithographic data, a first lithographic input data and a second lithographic input data are compared in their data formats to extract data of the first lithographic input data excluding data common to the second lithographic input data as a first difference data, or to extract data of the second lithographic input data excluding data common to the first lithographic input data as a second difference data. If the first difference data and the second difference data contain data, they are compared graphically to extract different data as a third difference data. If the third difference data contains data, the first lithographic input data and the second lithographic input data are acknowledged to have a difference therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Ryuji Takenouchi
  • Patent number: 6548214
    Abstract: A method of lithography capable of optimizing its process condition more simply and precisely based on a limited number of experiments is provided. A line edge roughness of a resist pattern is obtained as a characteristic value for evaluation. The resist pattern is formed in an orthogonal experiment based on an orthogonal table that includes significant factors, which define a process condition of its lithography. Reference level (benchmark) values are set for each factor in the orthogonal experiment, from which an appropriate reference level value which minimizes the edge roughness is selected as a process condition for proceeding with the lithography.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Noritsugu Yoshizawa, Masaki Yoshizawa, Shigeru Moriya
  • Patent number: 6549403
    Abstract: If the circuitry for processing television and other data signals conventionally contained in a set-top terminal is incorporated directly into a television set, heat from a removable point-of-deployment module inserted into the television set to connect with that circuitry can be primarily dissipated by providing a guide of a thermally conductive material that is in contact with both the module and the electromagnetic interference shield of the television set. This applies in either a cathode ray tube television set or a flat panel display television set. In a flat panel television set, the interference shield takes the form of a shield bracket, which is also used to support the flat panel display. In either case, heat generated by the module is conducted to the shield or shield bracket and then released by convection. Alternatively, the module can, in either case, be installed in direct physical contact with the shield or shield bracket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignee: General Instrument Corporation
    Inventors: Shlomo Ovadia, Steven Kimball
  • Patent number: 6549348
    Abstract: An optical scanning device is provided, which is compact-sized and lightweight, and, which consumes less power. A movable member of the device is supported on a fixed member via a swing axis provided on the fixed member. On an upper surface and along an axial line of swing of the movable member, there are disposed a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit. When an AC current flows through a coil provided in the movable member, electromagnetic force acting on the coil when traversing a magnetic circuit comprising a yoke and a permanent magnet both provided on the fixed member urges the movable portion to swing around its swing axis at a predetermined cycle. A laser bean L from the light emitting unit scans a bar code and a reflected light L′ from the bar cord is received by the light receiving unit thereby reading information of the bar code.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hidekuni Aizawa, Yoshimasa Goda
  • Patent number: 6549374
    Abstract: With the floating-type magnetic head, a load beam, working as an arm, and a flexure, working as a holder, are separately constructed. The flexure is attached to the base of the load beam by spot welding. An embossed (spherical concaved) portion is formed onto the middle of the displacement portion and is in contact with the base. Because the flexure is stiffer and stronger than a conventional cantilever spring-type flexure, it is possible. to prevent the displacement portion from being plastic-deformed even when there is a shock to the magnetic head when it is on standby. Further, the slider uses the embossed portion as a pivot, making the floating more stable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Naoto Ikeda, Kenji Enomoto
  • Patent number: 6545588
    Abstract: A pager allows the input and transmission of a virtual unlimited range of messages. The pager comprises a character display control knob which controls the sequential display of alphabetic and numeric characters on a display. By rotating the knob, the displayed character advances or retreats through the appropriate alphabetic or numeric sequence. When the character is displayed that the pager user wishes to include in a message to be transmitted, the pager user presses a selection key. The process is repeated until the message is completed. The pager may then transmit the message to a paging system by radio transmission to a base station or by emitting a series of sounds in which the message is encoded. In the case of emitted sounds, the sounds are conveyed along an open phone line to the paging system where they are decoded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2003
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics, Inc.
    Inventors: James E. Wicks, Eduardo Sciammarella
  • Patent number: 6545435
    Abstract: A capacitor for outputting a reference signal is formed by using a part of an envelope. A reference signal according to an anode voltage is output from the capacitor for outputting a reference signal. An unnecessary signal component included in an index-detection signal which is output via the capacitor for outputting an index signal is eliminated on the basis of the reference signal. With the configuration, only the required index-information signal is extracted from the index detection signal with high accuracy at a high SN ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2003
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Shoichi Muraguchi, Hiromu Hosokawa, Takahiro Inoue
  • Patent number: 6545546
    Abstract: The invention provides a PLL circuit wherein, even if the duty ratio of an input signal varies, the convergence time required for frequency detection of a frequency detection circuit is short and wrong operation of the frequency detection circuit with a control signal is less likely to occur. A clock generator produces, based on an oscillation frequency clock of a VCO, a first clock signal of the same phase, a second clock signal having a phase delayed by 90 degrees from that of the first clock signal, and a third clock signal having a phase delayed by 45 degrees from that of the first clock signal. A phase detection circuit performs phase control based on the phase difference between the third clock signal and an input signal, and a frequency detection circuit fetches the first and second clock signals in synchronism with the input signal and performs frequency control based on the fetched signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2003
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Toru Takeshita, Takashi Nishimura
  • Patent number: 6541345
    Abstract: Disclosed is a semiconductor device including a SOI substrate having a SOI layer, in which a structure made from a semiconductor device is buried; a thick oxide film formed on the structure by selectively oxidizing the structure using as a mask an oxidation preventive film formed both on the SOI layer and on a region in which a contact reaching the structure is to be formed; an interlayer dielectric film formed on the structure, the SOI layer and the thick oxide film; and a plurality of connection holes formed in the interlayer dielectric film and including at least a connection hole positioned on the region in which the contact is to be formed. With this semiconductor device, a contact reaching a back gate electrode can be formed without increasing an aspect ratio of the contact even when a thick oxide film is grown on the back gate electrode in the filed area by selectively oxidizing the back gate electrode in the field area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2003
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi Komatsu
  • Patent number: 6541922
    Abstract: An alternating current driven type plasma display device having (a) a first panel comprising a first substrate; a first electrode group constituted of a plurality of first electrodes formed on the first substrate and a protective layer formed on the first electrode group and on the first substrate and (b) a second panel comprising a second substrate fluorescence layers formed on or above the second substrate; and separation walls which extend in the direction making a predetermined angle with the extending direction of the first electrodes and each of which is formed between one fluorescence layer and another neighboring fluorescence layer, wherein discharge is caused between each pair of the first electrodes facing each other, and a recess is formed in the first substrate between each pair of the facing first electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2003
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Shinichiro Shirozu
  • Patent number: 6541326
    Abstract: A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device featuring a reducing operating voltage while maintaining a good disturbance characteristic and high speed in a write operation, including a gate insulating film and gate electrode stacked on a channel forming region of a semiconductor provided on the surface of a substrate and planarly dispersed charge storing means such as carrier traps in a nitride film or near the interface with the top insulating film, provided in the gate insulating film, the gate insulating film including an FN tunnel film having a dielectric constant larger than that of a silicon oxide film and exhibiting an FN electroconductivity, whereby the thickness of the gate insulating film, converted to that of a silicon oxide film, can be reduced and the voltage can be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2003
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Ichiro Fujiwara
  • Patent number: 6541913
    Abstract: In a flat display device, display can be carried out with high definition and high density, and furthermore, driving power, that is, consumed power can be reduced. First and second substrates 1 and 2 are provided opposite to each other, the first substrate 1 is provided with a discharge maintaining electrode group 5 having a plurality of discharge maintaining electrodes 3 and 4 arranged thereon, and the second substrate 2 is provided with an address electrode group 9 having a plurality of address electrodes 8 arranged thereon. The discharge display is carried out through negative glow discharge and cathode glow discharge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2003
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Mori, Hidehiro Kawaguchi
  • Patent number: 6538370
    Abstract: A cathode-ray tube electron gun can alleviate unwanted radiation caused when cathodes and a first electron gun constitute an antenna by increasing the number of conduction leads of a first electrode of a cathode-ray tube electron gun from one to a plurality of conduction leads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2003
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yasunobu Amano, Norifumi Kikuchi, Takashi Shirai, Motomu Tadama, Kazuo Sugimoto, Mitsunori Endou
  • Patent number: 6539529
    Abstract: Disclosed are a method and an apparatus for designing an integrated circuit, as well as a storage medium for storing the method, whereby repeaters are laid out automatically without overlapping with existing circuit blocks. A set of layout data is input to let the repeaters fully occupy provisionally regions that are free of circuit blocks and ready to accommodate the repeaters. Another set of layout data is generated based on the input layout data to calculate locations in which to insert the repeaters within wiring patterns that fail to meet wiring delay requirements. From among the provisionally laid-out repeaters, those that are closest to the calculated positions are selected. Data about connections of the selected repeaters are added to a net list to update the latter. Data about the layout of the unselected repeaters are removed from the layout data in effect after the provisional layout.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2003
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Motoji Ebisawa, Arata Yamamoto, Ryouhei Inoue
  • Patent number: 6536136
    Abstract: To provide a substrate transfer apparatus capable of forming a hermetically-closed space integrated between a normal substrate processing apparatus which is not integrated with a substrate transfer unit and a substrate transfer container, the substrate transfer apparatus includes a main body in a box-like shape containing a substrate W, an upper opening (first opening) provided at the main body and connected to a bottom opening (substrate transfer port) of a container while maintaining an air tight state against outside air, a side wall opening (second opening) provided at the main body and connected to a substrate transfer port of the transfer processing apparatus while maintaining the air tight state against outside air, an exhaust pipe connected to the main body, an opening/closing mechanism for opening and closing a bottom lid relative to the bottom opening in a state in which the upper opening and the bottom opening of the container are connected and transfer mechanisms installed in the main body for tra
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2003
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Koichiro Saga
  • Patent number: 6534812
    Abstract: A memory cell with a stored charge on its gate comprising; (A) a channel forming region, (B) a first gate formed on an insulation layer formed on the surface of the channel forming region, the first gate and the channel forming region facing each other through the insulation layer, (C) a second gate capacitively coupled with the first gate, (D) source/drain regions formed in contact with the channel forming region, one source/drain region being spaced from the other, (E) a first non-linear resistance element having two ends, one end being connected to the first gate, and (F) a second non-linear resistance element composed of the first gate, the insulation layer and either the channel-forming region and at least one of the source/drain regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2003
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Mikio Mukai, Yutaka Hayashi
  • Patent number: 6533473
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus with an exposure controlling mechanism being made to define an iris aperture by moving iris blades on surfaces perpendicular to an optical axis, wherein the exposure controlling mechanism includes a first iris blade to which a first ND filter having at least two levels of transmissivity is attached, a second iris blade to which no ND filter is attached, and a third iris blade to which a second ND filter having a single transmissivity is attached, and the first to the third iris blades are made to differ respectively in amounts and phases of their displacements caused by an operation of a driving means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2003
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Toshiaki Edamitsu, Yusuke Nanjo, Keisuke Ikegami, Yuichi Nakano