Patents Assigned to Horiba Stec, Co., Ltd.
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Patent number: 11953924Abstract: In order to prevent unnatural behavior of a calculated flow rate, provided is a fluid control device in which a fluid control valve and upstream and downstream pressure sensors are provided on a flow path. The device includes a calculation unit configured to calculate a flow rate based on measured pressures; and an output unit configured to output the calculated flow rate, and exhibit a zero output function of outputting a zero value regardless of the calculated flow rate when the valve is in a closed state. The device is further configured to switch between execution and stop of the zero output function, and when the valve is in an open state and a difference between the measured pressures of the pressure sensors is larger than a threshold, stop the zero output function and cause the flow rate output unit to output the calculated flow rate.Type: GrantFiled: June 23, 2022Date of Patent: April 9, 2024Assignee: HORIBA STEC, Co., Ltd.Inventors: Sota Matsumoto, Kentaro Nagai, Yosuke Hisamori, Kazuhiro Matsuura
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Publication number: 20240094176Abstract: The present invention brings an actual concentration of a process gas closer to an ideal concentration, and a gas analysis device that is used in a fluid control system that controls a process gas obtained by vaporizing a liquid material or a solid material, the gas analysis device including: a first concentration calculation unit that calculates a concentration of the process gas; a second concentration calculation unit that calculates a concentration of a by-product gas at least generated in a side reaction that is a reaction different from a main reaction for generating the process gas; a comparison unit that compares a first actual concentration that is the concentration of the process gas calculated by the first concentration calculation unit with a first ideal concentration, and compares a second actual concentration that is the concentration of the by-product gas calculated by the second concentration calculation unit with a second ideal concentration.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 18, 2023Publication date: March 21, 2024Applicant: HORIBA STEC, Co., Ltd.Inventors: Motonobu TAKAHASHI, Masakazu MINAMI, Yuhei SAKAGUCHI
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Publication number: 20240060881Abstract: A gas analyzing device that irradiates a gas with a laser beam and detects the laser beam having penetrated the gas to analyze a component to be measured contained in the gas is configured so as to reduce a moment in a gravity direction generated about a fulcrum of an attachment location or the like is reduced to suppress optical deviation as much as possible. The gas analyzing device includes a gas cell attached to a piping through which the gas flows and into which the gas is introduced, and an elongated optical cell connected to the gas cell from a predetermined connection direction. The optical cell accommodates an optical system supported by a surface plate in a state of being disposed on an optical path of the laser beam. The optical cell stands up with respect to the connection direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 21, 2021Publication date: February 22, 2024Applicant: HORIBA STEC, Co., Ltd.Inventors: Takeshi AKAMATSU, Masato NAKAYAMA
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Patent number: 11906984Abstract: Provided is a concentration control system that has only a small time delay, obtains accurate estimated values, and also enables partial pressure control having improved responsiveness and accuracy. The system includes a flow rate control device provided on a supply flow path that supplies gas to a chamber, and controls a flow rate of a gas in the supply flow path to match a set flow rate, a partial pressure measurement device for a gas inside the chamber, an observer having a model which estimates a state of the gas inside the chamber, where a flow rate of the gas flowing into the chamber and measured partial pressures are input into the model, and an estimated partial pressure of the gas within the chamber is output, and a controller that, based on a set partial pressure and on the estimated partial pressure, sets the set flow rate.Type: GrantFiled: November 11, 2021Date of Patent: February 20, 2024Assignee: HORIBA STEC, Co., Ltd.Inventors: Kotaro Takijiri, Ojiro Takamune
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Patent number: 11899475Abstract: In order to achieve an enlargement of a seating surface, and to additionally achieve an improvement in productivity while forming this seating surface using a resin layer, without having to sacrifice any of the drive range of the valve body, there is provided a fluid control valve that is formed such that drive force from an actuator is transmitted to a valve body via a plunger, and that controls a flow of a fluid by causing a seating surface of the valve body to move towards or away from a valve seat surface of a valve seat, wherein the valve body is a separate body from the plunger, and the seating surface is formed by a resin layer.Type: GrantFiled: September 10, 2021Date of Patent: February 13, 2024Assignee: HORIBA STEC, Co., Ltd.Inventor: Kazuya Imai
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Publication number: 20240042404Abstract: A polymerization apparatus for performing anionic polymerization includes: a raw material container that contains a raw material; a reaction container that is connected to the raw material container via a raw material supply pipe and causes anionic polymerization of the raw material supplied; and a switching valve that is provided in the raw material supply pipe and opens and closes the raw material supply pipe, and the raw material supply pipe includes a joint portion sealed by using a metal gasket, and the switching valve is a gas valve.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 24, 2023Publication date: February 8, 2024Applicant: HORIBA STEC, Co., Ltd.Inventors: Kazuhiro HIRAHARA, Ryosuke OGAKI, Takaaki HAMAGUCHI
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Patent number: 11892395Abstract: The present invention reduces thermal stress that is generated in a join portion of a window material in an optical measurement cell, and is an optical measurement cell having translucent windows through which light is transmitted and into an interior of which is introduced a test sample. This optical measurement cell has a planar window material that forms the translucent windows, a join supporting portion that is joined to an outer edge portion of a main surface of the window material and supports the window material, and a low thermal expansion component that is provided on an outer-side circumferential surface of the join supporting portion and whose coefficient of thermal expansion is lower than a coefficient of thermal expansion of the join supporting portion.Type: GrantFiled: September 14, 2021Date of Patent: February 6, 2024Assignee: HORIBA STEC, CO., LTD.Inventors: Toru Shimizu, Takeshi Akamatsu
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Publication number: 20240030013Abstract: The present invention is aimed to perform precise monitoring of the processed amount by which a workpiece is processed, and includes a measurement unit that measures a concentration or a partial pressure of a reaction product generated while the workpiece is being processed, and an operation unit that calculates the processed amount of the workpiece using an output value of the measurement unit. The measurement unit includes: a laser light source that irradiates target gas containing the reaction product with a laser beam; a photodetector that detects a laser beam having passed through the target gas; and a signal processing unit that calculates the concentration or the partial pressure of the reaction product based on a detection signal of the photodetector. The operation unit includes a time integration unit; a relationship data storage unit; and a processed amount calculation unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 14, 2023Publication date: January 25, 2024Applicant: HORIBA STEC, Co., Ltd.Inventors: Miyako HADA, Motonobu TAKAHASHI, Masakazu MINAMI, Yuhei SAKAGUCHI, Toru SHIMIZU, Tetsuo FUJII
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Patent number: 11867308Abstract: In order to provide a piezoelectric actuator and a fluid control valve that can vaporize a liquid material more effectively than a conventional arrangement, the piezoelectric actuator comprises a piezoelectric stack wherein a piezoelectric ceramic layer and an electrode layer are alternately laminated, a DC voltage application circuit that displaces the piezoelectric stack by applying a DC voltage to at least a part or whole of the piezoelectric stack, and a vibration voltage application circuit that vibrates the piezoelectric stack by applying a voltage having a predetermined frequency or above to at least a part or whole of the piezoelectric stack.Type: GrantFiled: November 20, 2019Date of Patent: January 9, 2024Assignee: HORIBA STEC, Co., Ltd.Inventors: Shigeyuki Hayashi, Tadahiro Yasuda
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Publication number: 20240006171Abstract: The present invention is aimed to provide a quadrupole mass spectrometer that is less thermally affected by a transformer, the quadrupole mass spectrometer including: an ionizer unit that ionizes a sample; a quadrupole unit that has two pairs of opposing electrodes that selectively pass ions generated in the ionizer unit; a voltage applying unit that applies a voltage obtained by superimposing a high-frequency voltage V cos ?t over a DC voltage U and to each pair of the two pairs of opposing electrodes; and an ion detecting unit that detects ions having passed through the quadrupole unit, wherein the voltage applying unit includes the transformer that transforms the high-frequency voltage V cos ?t, and the transformer includes a toroidal core, and a primary winding and a secondary winding that are wound around the toroidal core, and the primary winding is formed of a metal conductor having a plate-like shaped.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 13, 2021Publication date: January 4, 2024Applicant: HORIBA STEC, Co., Ltd.Inventor: Hiroshi TAKAKURA
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Patent number: 11860018Abstract: A rate-of-change flow measurement device is provided including first pressure sensor, a position control valve with a valve position sensor, a second sensor position and a chamber comprising a part of the flow path of the device, and an isolation valve, arranged in this order along the flow path of the device. The device receives valve position data from the valve position sensor and pressure data from the pressure sensors, and calculates a volume of the chamber at least in part using the valve position data when a calibration of a device-under-test is performed by decreasing a pressure of the chamber or increasing the pressure of the chamber while opening the position control valve to maintain the pressure reading of the first pressure sensor constant to stay at a pressure set point.Type: GrantFiled: July 16, 2021Date of Patent: January 2, 2024Assignee: HORIBA STEC, Co., Ltd.Inventors: Thomas Hoke, Tyson Stephenson, Patrick Lowery
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Publication number: 20230417660Abstract: The present invention is a gas analysis device that measures a concentration or partial pressure of a halide contained in a material gas used in semiconductor manufacturing process or a by-product gas generated in semiconductor manufacturing process with good accuracy, the device being for analyzing a concentration or partial pressure of a halide contained in a material gas used in a semiconductor manufacturing process or a by-product gas generated in a semiconductor manufacturing process, the device including a gas cell into which the material gas or the by-product gas is introduced, a laser light source that irradiates the gas cell with laser light whose wavelength is modulated, a light detector that detects the laser light transmitted through the gas cell, and a signal processing unit that calculates the concentration or partial pressure of the halide by using a light absorption signal obtained from an output signal of the light detector.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 22, 2021Publication date: December 28, 2023Applicants: HORIBA STEC, Co., Ltd., HORIBA, LTD.Inventors: Yuhei SAKAGUCHI, Masakazu MINAMI, Kyoji SHIBUYA, Motonobu TAKAHASHI
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Patent number: 11841720Abstract: Provided is a flow rate controller. The flow rate controller calculates a resistor flow rate that is a flow rate of a fluid flowing through a fluid resistor, on the basis of a first measured pressure measured by a first pressure sensor and a second measured pressure measured by a second pressure sensor; controls a second valve on the basis of a deviation of the resistor flow rate from the set flow rate; outputs a first set pressure that is a target of a pressure upstream of the fluid resistor, on the basis of the set flow rate and a second set pressure which is a target of a pressure downstream of the fluid resistor and to which a constant value is set; and controls the first valve on the basis of a deviation of the first measured pressure from the first set pressure.Type: GrantFiled: November 1, 2022Date of Patent: December 12, 2023Assignee: HORIBA STEC, Co., Ltd.Inventor: Kazuya Tokunaga
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Patent number: 11796460Abstract: In order to provide an absorbance analysis apparatus for DCR gas that can measure a concentration of a DCR gas by separating absorbance of the DCR gas alone even in a mixed gas consisting of the DCR gas and CO gas whose absorption spectrum overlaps each other, the absorbance analysis apparatus for DCR gas comprises a DCR filter 31 that is configured to transmit a light in a first wavenumber domain including an absorbance peak of the DCR gas, a CO filter 32 that is configured to transmit a light in a second wavenumber domain that is different from the first wavenumber domain, and a DCR gas volume calculator 4 that is configured to calculate volume of the DCR gas based on a first absorbance measured by the light transmitted through the DCR filter 31 and a second absorbance measured by the light transmitted through the CO filter 32.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2022Date of Patent: October 24, 2023Assignees: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED, HORIBA STEC, CO., LTD.Inventors: Yuichi Furuya, Masayuki Tanaka, Yuhei Sakaguchi, Masakazu Minami, Toru Shimizu
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Patent number: 11789435Abstract: Provided is a flow rate control device capable of diagnosing whether an abnormality has occurred while continuing to supply a predetermined flow rate. The flow rate control device calculates an inflow/outflow rate of a fluid into a volume on the basis of a downstream pressure that is the pressure in the volume; estimates a valve flow rate that is a flow rate of the fluid that flows out of the volume through the downstream valve on the basis of the resistance flow rate and the inflow/outflow flow rate; controls the downstream valve so that the difference between the set flow rate and the valve flow rate decreases; calculates a diagnostic parameter on the basis of the resistance flow rate or the inflow/outflow flow rate in a pressure change state in which the upstream side pressure increases or decreases; and diagnoses an abnormality based on the diagnostic parameter.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 2019Date of Patent: October 17, 2023Assignee: HORIBA STEC, Co., Ltd.Inventors: Kotaro Takijiri, Kentaro Nagai, Tsai Wei Tseng
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Patent number: 11789472Abstract: A gas delivery system is provided comprising an electrical backplane, a system controller operatively coupled to the electrical backplane, and a plurality of mass flow controllers. Each mass flow controller includes respective mass flow control circuitry operatively coupled to the electrical backplane. The system controller and each mass flow control circuitry are physically mounted on the electrical backplane. The gas delivery system further comprises a pump/purge system to help eliminate pressure build up in the system and provide a quick stop to a flow process in the system. Accordingly, a row associated with a flow process may be evaluated so that a mass flow controller may be swapped out as needed.Type: GrantFiled: November 5, 2020Date of Patent: October 17, 2023Assignee: HORIBA STEC, Co., Ltd.Inventors: Edward Cocciadiferro, John Dick, William W. White, Maximilian Gundlach, Patrick Lowery
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Patent number: 11761547Abstract: A valve orifice insert has a stepped-shaped wall including a first tubular section and a second tubular section having a smaller outer dimension than the first tubular section, and a lip structure protruding axially and including a planar valve seat surface. The first tubular section and the second tubular section being are joined by a step structure. At least one circumferential protrusion extends radially outward a predetermined distance from an outer surface of the first tubular section or an outer surface of the second tubular section to form an interference fit with the step-shaped opening when the valve orifice insert is fitted into the step-shaped opening.Type: GrantFiled: April 7, 2022Date of Patent: September 19, 2023Assignee: HORIBA STEC, Co., Ltd.Inventors: John T. Dick, David Daniel Webster
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Patent number: 11709080Abstract: A mass flow controller, including a block body having a flow path and a valve provided at least in part within the flow path. The mass flow controller may further include a valve position sensor, a first temperature sensor, a first pressure sensor located on an upstream side of the flow path from the valve, and a second pressure sensor located on a downstream side of the flow path from the valve. The mass flow controller may further include a processor configured to receive valve position data, first temperature data, first pressure data, and second pressure data. The processor may be further configured to estimate a flow rate of fluid in the flow path at least in part by applying a trained machine learning model to the valve position data, the first temperature data, the first pressure data, and the second pressure data.Type: GrantFiled: November 4, 2020Date of Patent: July 25, 2023Assignee: HORIBA STEC, Co., Ltd.Inventors: Edward Cocciadiferro, Patrick Lowery
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Publication number: 20230228679Abstract: In order to prevent cracking of a window material in manufacturing an optical measurement cell that satisfies various performances required for airtightness, heat resistance, and the like by atomic diffusion bonding, an optical measurement cell into which a sample is introduced includes a light transmission window through which light is transmitted, and includes a window material forming the light transmission window, and a flange member to which the window material is bonded via a metal thin film, and a ratio of a thermal expansion coefficient of the flange member to a thermal expansion coefficient of the window material is 0.5 times or more and 1.5 times or less.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 22, 2022Publication date: July 20, 2023Applicant: HORIBA STEC, Co., Ltd.Inventors: Yoshiaki NAKATA, Masakazu MINAMI, Yuhei SAKAGUCHI, Toru SHIMIZU, Takeshi AKAMATSU
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Publication number: 20230228677Abstract: Provided are a gas cell into which a gas is introduced, a temperature control block configured to control a temperature of the gas cell, and a pressure sensor configured to measure a pressure inside the gas cell. The pressure sensor is built into the temperature control block and/or the gas cell.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 10, 2023Publication date: July 20, 2023Applicant: HORIBA STEC, Co., Ltd.Inventors: Motonobu TAKAHASHI, Sotaro KISHIDA, Akira KUWAHARA, Takeshi AKAMATSU, Yuhei SAKAGUCHI, Masakazu MINAMI