Patents Assigned to HITACHI HIGH-TECH SCIENCE CORPORATION
  • Patent number: 11538656
    Abstract: A sample holder (19) includes a base portion (41), a sample carrying portion (42), a rotation guide portion (43), a cooling stage (46), a connection member (47), a first support portion, and a fixing guide portion (48). The base portion (41) is configured to be fixed to a stage (12), which is configured to be driven to rotate by a stage driving mechanism (13). The rotation guide portion (43) is configured to guide synchronous rotation of the base portion (41) and the sample carrying portion (42). The cooling stage (46) is configured to cool a sample (S). The connection member (47) is configured to be connected to the cooling stage (46). The first support portion is configured to support the base portion (41), which is configured to be driven to rotate by the stage (12).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH TECH SCIENCE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Iwahori
  • Patent number: 11486828
    Abstract: A fluorescence photometer includes a photometer unit and an optical fiber unit. The photometer unit includes a light source, an excitation-side spectroscope for separating light emitted from the light source to generate excitation light, and a fluorescence-side spectroscope for separating fluorescent light emitted from a sample irradiated with the excitation light to generate monochromatic light. The optical fiber unit guides the excitation light to the sample placed outside the photometer unit and guides the fluorescent light emitted from the sample to the photometer unit and includes an image fiber for capturing an image of the sample, an excitation-side fiber arranged around the image fiber and for guiding the excitation light to the sample, and a fluorescence-side fiber arranged around the image fiber and to guide the fluorescent light emitted from the sample to the photometer unit. The excitation-side fiber and the fluorescence-side fiber are arranged to surround the image fiber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECH SCIENCE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jun Horigome, Kai Maruyama, Koji Kurita, Hideyuki Sakamoto, Rino Nakajima, Naoki Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11482398
    Abstract: The focused ion beam apparatus includes: an electron beam column; a focused ion beam column; a sample stage; a coordinate acquisition unit configured to acquire, when a plurality of irradiation positions to which the focused ion beam is to be applied are designated on a sample, plane coordinates of each of the irradiation positions; a movement amount calculation unit configured to calculate, based on the plane coordinates, a movement amount by which the sample stage is to be moved to a eucentric height so that the eucentric height matches an intersection position at which the electron beam and the focused ion beam match each other at each of the irradiation positions; and a sample stage movement control unit configured to move, based on the movement amount, the sample stage to the eucentric height at each of the irradiation positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECH SCIENCE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Haruyuki Ishii, Atsushi Uemoto, Tatsuya Asahata
  • Patent number: 11476078
    Abstract: Provided is a charged particle beam apparatus including a focused ion beam column, a sample holder, a stage supporting the sample holder, a securing member rotating unit, a stage driving unit, and a control device. The sample holder includes a securing member fixing a sample. The securing member rotating unit rotates the securing member around a first rotational axis and a second rotational axis. The stage driving unit translates the stage in three dimensions and rotates the stage around a third rotational axis. The control device acquires a correction value for correcting a change in a position of a center of rotation for rotation around at least one among a first rotational axis, a second rotational axis, and a third rotational axis. The control device translates the stage according to the correction value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECH SCIENCE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masahiro Kiyohara, Atsushi Uemoto
  • Patent number: 11460425
    Abstract: Provided is a thermal analyzer, with which a sample can be observed even under a state in which a heat sink is cooled to a room temperature or lower. The thermal analyzer includes: the heat sink, in which a measurement sample container and a reference sample container are placed; a heat sink cover configured to cover the heat sink; a heat sink window provided in the heat sink; a heat sink cover window provided in the heat sink cover; an imaging device configured to image the sample in the heat sink through the heat sink window and the heat sink cover window; a purge gas introduction portion, through which a purge gas is introduced into the heat sink; and a discharge port, through which the purge gas is allowed to flow from one of the heat sink window and the heat sink to a space inside the heat sink cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECH SCIENCE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kengo Kobayashi, Shinya Nishimura, Hirohito Fujiwara
  • Patent number: 11460417
    Abstract: A method of inspecting a membrane-electrode assembly includes obtaining an X-ray transmission image by applying X-rays to the membrane-electrode assembly, and determining whether a foreign matter having a size equal to or larger than a predetermined value is included in the membrane-electrode assembly, according to a brightness reduction amount in each pixel of the X-ray transmission image obtained, while referring to a correlative relationship between the size of the foreign matter measured in a planar direction of the membrane-electrode assembly, and the brightness reduction amount in the X-ray transmission image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, HITACHI HIGH-TECH SCIENCE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinya Takeshita, Toshiyuki Takahara, Masaki Tatsumi
  • Publication number: 20220291152
    Abstract: An inspection method of a membrane electrode assembly includes a first process of acquiring an X-ray transmission image of the membrane electrode assembly, a second process of identifying a luminance-reduced region having a luminance lower than a luminance of a surrounding region in the X-ray transmission image acquired in the first process, a third process of correcting the luminance of the luminance-reduced region identified in the second process, in accordance with a planar size of the luminance-reduced region, based on a correlation between a planar size of a foreign matter in the membrane electrode assembly and change in luminance due to diffraction of X-rays, and a fourth process of finding a thickness of the foreign matter in the membrane electrode assembly based on the luminance corrected in the third process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2022
    Publication date: September 15, 2022
    Applicants: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, c/o HITACHI HIGH-TECH SCIENCE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinya TAKESHITA, Toshiyuki TAKAHARA
  • Patent number: 11422041
    Abstract: The thermal analysis apparatus configured to measure thermal behavior accompanying a temperature change of a sample in a heating furnace, includes: the heating furnace having an opening, through which the sample is observable; a thermal behavior measurement unit for measuring the thermal behavior; an imaging unit for capturing image data of the sample in the heating furnace through the opening; a storage unit for storing the thermal behavior and the image data with respect to a temperature; a control unit; and an image processing unit for generating predetermined color information based on the image data, the control unit being configured to instruct the image processing unit to generate the predetermined color information with respect to a plurality of temperatures, and cause a predetermined display unit to display a plurality of pieces of the predetermined color information and the thermal behavior in superimposition with respect to the plurality of temperatures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECH SCIENCE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Susumu Ito, Eita Shimoda
  • Patent number: 11424100
    Abstract: The charged particle beam irradiation apparatus includes: a focused ion beam column; an electron beam column; an electron detector; an image forming unit configured to form an observation image based on a signal output from the electron detector; and a control unit configured to repeatedly perform exposure control in which the focused ion beam column is controlled to expose a cross section of a multilayered sample toward a stacking direction with the focused ion beam, the control unit being configured to perform, every time exposure of an observation target layer at a cross section of the multilayered sample is detected in a process of repeatedly performing the exposure control, observation control in which the electron beam column is controlled to radiate the electron beam, and the image forming unit is controlled to form an observation image of the cross section of the multilayered sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECH SCIENCE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takuma Aso, Xin Man, Makoto Sato, Tatsuya Asahata
  • Patent number: 11422118
    Abstract: A chromatographic data system processing apparatus includes a liquid feeder, a sample injector, a column that separates samples, a detector, a controller that processes a detected result of the detector, and a data processor that examines and sets operations of the liquid feeder, the column and the detector, and a measurement condition. The data processor generates a three-dimensional graph having three axes related to a pressure, a time, and a number of theoretical plates based on data or variables indicating a relationship between the number of theoretical plates and a flow rate, and data or variables indicating a relationship between the pressure and the flow rate. The chromatographic data system processing apparatus can easily obtain a separation condition for obtaining performance from a three-dimensional graph including a pressure drop, a hold-up time and a number of theoretical plates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Tech Science Corporation
    Inventors: Masahito Ito, Katsutoshi Shimizu
  • Patent number: 11391755
    Abstract: Provided are a scanning probe microscope and a setting method thereof that contribute to a reduction in the time taken for measuring. The scanning probe microscope includes: a movement driving unit capable of moving a cantilever and a sample relatively in at least a z direction; and a control device operating an approach operation of making the cantilever and the sample approach to each other at a predetermined speed by controlling the movement driving unit, and stopping the approach operation when it is determined that the probe and the sample are in contact with each other, wherein the predetermined speed is set such that when the control for stopping the approach operation is performed, force applied to the sample due to contact between the probe and the sample does not exceed a preset first force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECH SCIENCE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masatsugu Shigeno, Hiroyoshi Yamamoto, Yoshiteru Shikakura, Kunihito Higa
  • Patent number: 11366013
    Abstract: A method of obtaining a quantum efficiency distribution in a predetermined sample surface, including: irradiating a reference material with excitation light belonging to a first wavelength range; obtaining the reference material's image, which includes a first channel for the first wavelength range and a second channel for a second wavelength range, the first and the second channel's irradiation luminance value in each pixel; irradiating the predetermined sample surface with the excitation light; obtaining the first and the second channel's measurement luminance value in each pixel of the image of the predetermined surface; calculating an absorption luminance value from a difference between the first channel's irradiation luminance value and measurement luminance value; calculating a fluorescence luminance value from difference between the second channel's irradiation luminance value and measurement luminance value; calculating quantum efficiency of each pixel based on the values; and obtaining quantum effici
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECH SCIENCE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jun Horigome, Hiroki Okawa, Takahiro Tamashima, Imari Sato, Yinqiang Zheng
  • Patent number: 11361936
    Abstract: To accomplish fast automated micro-sampling, provided is a charged particle beam apparatus, which is configured to automatically fabricate a sample piece from a sample, the charged particle beam apparatus including: a charged particle beam irradiation optical system configured to radiate a charged particle beam; a sample stage configured to move the sample that is placed on the sample stage; a sample piece transportation unit configured to hold and convey the sample piece separated and extracted from the sample; a holder fixing base configured to hold a sample piece holder to which the sample piece is transported; and a computer configured to perform position control with respect to a second target, based on a machine learning model in which first information including a first image of a first target is learned, and on second information including a second image, which is obtained by irradiation with the charged particle beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECH SCIENCE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ayana Muraki, Atsushi Uemoto, Tatsuya Asahata
  • Patent number: 11340176
    Abstract: The X-ray inspection apparatus includes an X-ray source, a sample moving mechanism, an X-ray detector equipped with a line sensor with pixels detecting X-ray radiation passing through a sample, an image storage unit for storing X-ray radiation intensities, an intensity correction unit for correcting the X-ray radiation intensities stored in the image storage unit, and a defect detector for detecting a defect in the sample. The intensity correction unit sets an intensity of X-rays detected from the inspection initiation region after starting inspection of the sample or an intensity of X-rays preliminarily detected from the sample before starting the inspection as a reference radiation intensity, and corrects an intensity of X-rays detected from the subsequent inspection region based on a correction coefficient obtained from comparison between the intensity of X-rays detected from the subsequent inspection region and the reference radiation intensity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECH SCIENCE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akihiro Takeda
  • Patent number: 11335534
    Abstract: The particle beam irradiation apparatus includes: an irradiation unit configured to radiate a particle beam; a first detection unit configured to detect first particles; a second detection unit configured to detect second particles; an image forming unit configured to form an observation image based on a first signal obtained by the detection of the first particles, which is performed by the first detection unit, and to form an observation image based on a second signal obtained by the detection of the second particles, which is performed by the second detection unit; and a control unit configured to calculate a brightness of a first region in the formed first observation image and perform a brightness adjustment of the first detection unit based on a first target brightness as a first brightness adjustment when the brightness of the first region is different from the first target brightness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECH SCIENCE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takuma Aso, Xin Man, Makoto Sato, Tatsuya Asahata
  • Patent number: 11282672
    Abstract: Disclosed are a charged particle beam apparatus and a sample processing observation method, the method including: a sample piece formation process in which a sample is irradiated with a focused ion beam such that a sample piece is cut out from the sample; a cross-section processing process in which the sample piece support holds the sample piece and a cross section thereof is irradiated with the ion beam to process the cross section; a sample piece approach movement process in which the sample piece support holds the sample piece and the sample piece is moved to a position that is closer to an electron beam column than an intersection point of beam optical axes of the ion beam and an electron beam is; and a SEM image acquisition process in which the cross section is irradiated with the electron beam to acquire the SEM image of the cross section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECH SCIENCE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hidekazu Suzuki, Tatsuya Asahata
  • Patent number: 11276555
    Abstract: The charged particle beam apparatus includes: a charged particle source configured to generate charged particles; a plurality of scanning electrodes configured to generate electric fields for deflecting charged particles that are emitted by applying an acceleration voltage to the charged particle source, and applying an extraction voltage to an extraction electrode configured to extract the charged particles; an electrostatic lens, which is provided between the plurality of scanning electrodes and a sample table, and is configured to focus a charged particle beam deflected by the plurality of scanning electrodes; and a processing unit configured to obtain a measurement condition, and set each of scanning voltages to be applied to the plurality of scanning electrodes based on the obtained measurement condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECH SCIENCE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Sugiyama, Koji Nagahara
  • Patent number: 11257655
    Abstract: The focused ion beam apparatus includes: an ion source configured to generate ions; a first electrostatic lens configured to accelerate and focus the ions to form an ion beam; a beam booster electrode configured to accelerate the ion beam to a higher level; one or a plurality of electrodes, which are placed in the beam booster electrode, and are configured to electrostatically deflect the ion beam; a second electrostatic lens, which is provided between the one or plurality of electrodes and a sample table, and is configured to focus the ion beam applied with a voltage; and a processing unit configured to obtain a measurement condition, and set at least one of voltages to be applied to the one or plurality of electrodes or a voltage to be applied to each of the first electrostatic lens and the second electrostatic lens, based on the obtained measurement condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECH SCIENCE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Sugiyama, Naoko Hirose
  • Patent number: 11239046
    Abstract: To stabilize automated MS, provided is a charged particle beam apparatus, which is configured to automatically fabricate a sample piece from a sample, the charged particle beam apparatus including: a charged particle beam irradiation optical system configured to radiate a charged particle beam; a sample stage configured to move the sample that is placed on the sample stage; a sample piece transportation unit configured to hold and convey the sample piece separated and extracted from the sample; a holder fixing base configured to hold a sample piece holder to which the sample piece is transported; and a computer configured to perform control of a position with respect to a target, based on: a result of second determination about the position, which is executed depending on a result of first determination about the position; and information including an image that is obtained by irradiation with the charged particle beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECH SCIENCE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ayana Muraki, Atsushi Uemoto, Tatsuya Asahata
  • Patent number: 11215591
    Abstract: A chromatographic data system processing apparatus performs data processing based on plot data measured by a chromatograph. The chromatographic data system processing apparatus includes a virtual curve calculation portion which obtains a virtual curve based on the measured plot data, a tentative feature point acquisition portion which obtains a tentative feature point based on the obtained virtual curve, and an actual plot data feature point extraction portion which extracts an actual plot data feature point corresponding to the tentative feature point from the measured plot data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Tech Science Corporation
    Inventors: Masahito Ito, Masato Fukuda