Patents Assigned to Kokusai Electric
  • Publication number: 20240141484
    Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes: a process vessel in which a substrate is processed; a lid capable of closing an opening provided at a lower portion of the process vessel; an elevator capable of elevating and lowering the lid; a heat insulator provided between the lid and the substrate and comprising a case of a cylindrical shape with a closed upper end; and a cooling gas supplier configured to purge an inside of the heat insulator by supplying a purge gas through a discharge port in the case while the opening is closed by the lid, and to cool the heat insulator by supplying a cooling gas through the discharge port while the opening is not closed by the lid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2023
    Publication date: May 2, 2024
    Applicant: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuaki KOMAE, Hiroki OKAMIYA, Koichi HONDA
  • Publication number: 20240145233
    Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes: (a) forming a non-flowable film on a surface of a substrate on which a recess is provided and an oxygen-containing film is exposed by supplying a first material to the substrate at a first temperature; and (b) forming a flowable film on the non-flowable film by supplying a second material to the substrate at a second temperature lower than the first temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2024
    Publication date: May 2, 2024
    Applicant: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Daigo YAMAGUCHI, Masaru KADOSHIMA
  • Publication number: 20240141490
    Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes (a) a process chamber configured to accommodate a plurality of substrates arranged vertically, provided with a product region and a dummy region and including a main exhauster on a lateral side thereof, (b) a first injector extending vertically within the process chamber on an opposite side from the main exhauster, and configured to supply a first precursor toward the substrates accommodated in the product region and the dummy region, (c) at least one selected from the group of a second injector and a third injector, wherein the second injector supplies an assist gas for diluting the first precursor toward substrates and the third injector supplies an inert gas toward the substrates accommodated in the product region and the substrates accommodated in the dummy region; and (d) a fourth injector configured to supply an inert gas only to the dummy region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2023
    Publication date: May 2, 2024
    Applicant: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Mika Urushihara, Atsushi Hirano, Takafumi Sasaki
  • Publication number: 20240145287
    Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes: at least one process chamber configured to be capable of processing a substrate; one or more supports configured to be capable of supporting the substrate; a transporter configured to be capable of transporting the one or more supports; a transfer chamber configured to be capable of transferring the substrate; a transport chamber that is adjacent to the transfer chamber and the at least one process chamber and is configured to be capable of moving the transporter; and a delivery chamber that is disposed in the transport chamber and is configured to be capable of delivering the one or more supports.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 8, 2024
    Publication date: May 2, 2024
    Applicant: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Yuji Takebayashi, Toshiro Koshimaki
  • Publication number: 20240142409
    Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes abnormality detecting by picking up a sound generated from a transfer configured to operate in a vacuum and transport a substrate in a vacuum transfer chamber and compare the sound information with a preset threshold value to detect an abnormality of the transfer. The transfer includes a gas-filled container arranged in the vacuum transfer chamber and filled with a gas and a microphone installed inside the gas-filled container.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2023
    Publication date: May 2, 2024
    Applicant: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Teruo YOSHINO, Naofumi OHASHI, Toshiro KOSHIMAKI
  • Patent number: 11972934
    Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes: performing a set a plurality of times, the set including: (a) loading at least one substrate into a process container; (b) performing a process of forming a nitride film on the at least one substrate by supplying a film-forming gas to the at least one substrate supported by a support in the process container; (c) unloading the processed at least one substrate from an interior of the process container; and (d) supplying an oxidizing gas into the process container from which the processed at least one substrate has been unloaded so as to oxidize one part of the nitride film formed inside the process container in (b) into an oxide film and maintain another part of the nitride film, which is different from the one part of the nitride film, as it is without oxidizing the another part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomoki Imamura, Takaaki Noda, Kazuyuki Okuda, Masato Terasaki
  • Patent number: 11970771
    Abstract: A vaporization system includes a vaporization chamber having a first portion and a second portion. A first fluid supply part is connected to the first portion of the vaporization chamber, and configured to supply a mixed fluid in which a first carrier gas and a liquid precursor are mixed, toward the second portion. A second fluid supply part is configured to supply a second carrier gas toward the mixed fluid at the second portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsushi Morikawa, Masakazu Shimada, Takeshi Kasai, Kenichi Suzaki, Hirohisa Yamazaki, Yoshimasa Nagatomi
  • Publication number: 20240136200
    Abstract: There is provide a technique that includes: etching a base on a surface of a substrate by performing a cycle, the cycle including: (a) forming a layer on a surface of the base by exposing the base to a modifying agent; and (b) causing a reaction between a halogen-containing radical and the base by exposing the layer to a halogen-containing gas such that the layer reacts with the halogen-containing gas to generate the halogen-containing radical.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2023
    Publication date: April 25, 2024
    Applicant: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Motomu Degai, Kimihiko Nakatani, Takashi Nakagawa, Takayuki Waseda, Yoshitomo Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 11967499
    Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes (a) forming a first film having a first thickness on an underlayer by supplying a first process gas not including oxidizing gas to a substrate, wherein the first film contains silicon, carbon, and nitrogen and does not contain oxygen, and the underlayer is exposed on a surface of the substrate and is at least one selected from the group of a conductive metal-element-containing film and a nitride film; and (b) forming a second film having a second thickness larger than the first thickness on the first film by supplying a second process gas including oxidizing gas to the substrate, wherein the second film contains silicon, oxygen, and nitrogen, and wherein in (b), oxygen atoms derived from the oxidizing gas and diffuse from a surface of the first film toward the underlayer are absorbed by the first film and the first film is modified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshitomo Hashimoto, Tatsuru Matsuoka
  • Patent number: 11967750
    Abstract: A low-cost, small-size Wilkinson-type combiner that suppresses the risk of damaging an isolation resistor due to combination loss is provided. The combiner comprises first and second input terminals to which RF signals are input; an output terminal; a wiring line that combines the RF signals input to the first and second input terminals, and outputs the combined signal to the output terminal; an isolation unit provided between the first and second input terminals and formed by a first isolation resistor, a transformer, and a second isolation resistor connected in series; a detection circuit connected to a secondary coil of the transformer and configured to detect a current flowing in the secondary coil; and a determination circuit that outputs a control signal to block input of RF signals to the first and second input terminals if the current flowing in the isolation unit and detected by the detection circuit is higher than or equal to a prescribed value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: HITACHI KOKUSAI ELECTRIC INC.
    Inventors: Sunao Egashira, Kenji Nasu, Yuichiro Suenaga, Naoya Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 11967512
    Abstract: Described herein is a technique capable of reducing a thermal damage to a furnace opening structure when processing a substrate at a high temperature. According to one aspect thereof, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: a reaction tube provided with a furnace opening; heaters provided respectively in a plurality of zones arranged along a tube axis direction; temperature sensors respectively corresponding to the zones; a temperature controller configured to control electric power based on temperature data obtained by the temperature sensors, wherein the temperature controller is configured to, when the substrates are subject to a heat treatment process by the heaters, control the electric power supplied to the heaters such that temperatures of upper heaters about as high as the substrates reach predetermined temperatures, and that a temperature gradient is formed in lower zones lower than the substrates such that a temperature decreases toward the furnace opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Makoto Sambu, Nobuaki Takehashi
  • Patent number: 11967500
    Abstract: There is provided a process of forming a film containing a metal element, an additional element different from the metal element and at least one of nitrogen and carbon on a substrate by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times, the cycle including non-simultaneously performing: (a) supplying a first precursor gas containing the metal element and a second precursor gas containing the additional element to the substrate so that supply periods of the first precursor gas and the second precursor gas at least partially overlap with each other; and (b) supplying a reaction gas containing the at least one of nitrogen and carbon to the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Arito Ogawa, Atsuro Seino
  • Patent number: 11965240
    Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes: removing a deposit that adheres to an interior of a process chamber by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times, the cycle including performing sequentially: (a) supplying a cleaning gas to the interior of the process chamber until an internal pressure of the process chamber rises to a first pressure range; (b) exhausting the interior of the process chamber and supplying the cleaning gas to the interior of the process chamber in parallel to maintain the internal pressure of the process chamber within the first pressure range; and (c) exhausting the interior of the process chamber until the internal pressure of the process chamber reaches a second pressure that is below the first pressure range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Keigo Nishida
  • Patent number: 11967490
    Abstract: There is provided a substrate processing apparatus that includes a process chamber in which at least one substrate is processed; a gas supplier configured to supply a gas; and a buffer structure. The buffer structure includes at least two plasma generation regions in which gas is converted into plasma by a pair of electrodes connected to a high-frequency power supply and an electrode to be grounded, a first gas supply port that supplies a gas generated in a first plasma generation region among the at least two plasma generation regions, and a second gas supply port that supplies a gas generated in a second plasma generation region among the at least two plasma generation regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akihiro Sato, Tsuyoshi Takeda, Yukitomo Hirochi
  • Patent number: 11967174
    Abstract: The cloud server holds the main database for storing all the registration data that is handled in the present system, and the edge server that is arranged close to the sensor holds a sub-database for storing part of the registration data. The sub-database in the edge server stores only the registration data having a high probability of being verified in the edge server. In the case where the edge server verifies the detection data that has been acquired by the sensor with the registration data within the sub-database and determines that the registration data that matches the detection data does not exist within the sub-database, the configuration allows the detection data to be transmitted to the cloud server and requests the detection data to be verified with the registration data within the main database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc.
    Inventors: Keigo Hasegawa, Hiroto Sasao
  • Patent number: 11966210
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a device management controller including a parts management control part configured to monitor the state of parts constituting the apparatus, a device state monitoring control part configured to monitor integrity of device data obtained from an operation state of the parts constituting the apparatus, and a data matching control part configured to monitor facility data provided from a factory facility to the apparatus. The device management controller is configured to derive information evaluating the operation state of the apparatus based on a plurality of monitoring result data selected from a group consisting of maintenance timing monitoring result data acquired by the parts management control part, device state monitoring result data acquired by the device state monitoring control part, and utility monitoring result data acquired by the data matching control part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhide Asai, Kazuyoshi Yamamoto, Hidemoto Hayashihara, Takayuki Kawagishi, Kayoko Yashiki, Yukio Miyata, Hiroyuki Iwakura, Masanori Okuno, Kenichi Fujimoto, Ryuichi Kaji
  • Patent number: 11967513
    Abstract: Described herein is a technique capable of reducing an amount of moisture in a low temperature region in a substrate processing apparatus provided with a transfer chamber. According to one aspect of the technique, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: a process chamber provided with a heater; a load lock chamber; a transfer chamber provided between the process chamber and the load lock chamber and including a first region provided adjacent to the process chamber and a second region provided more adjacent to the load lock chamber than the first region and whose temperature is lower than a temperature of the first region; a detector capable of detecting an amount of moisture in the transfer chamber; and an inert gas supplier capable of supplying an inert gas toward the second region in the transfer chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Teruo Yoshino, Naofumi Ohashi, Tadashi Takasaki
  • Patent number: 11967501
    Abstract: Described herein is a technique capable of improving a film uniformity on a surface of a substrate and a film uniformity among a plurality of substrates including the substrate. According to one aspect thereof, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: a substrate retainer including: a product wafer support region, an upper dummy wafer support region and a lower dummy wafer support region; a process chamber in which the substrate retainer is accommodated; a first, a second and a third gas supplier; and an exhaust system. Each of the first gas and the third gas supplier includes a vertically extending nozzle with holes, wherein an upper of an uppermost hole and a lower end of a lowermost hole are arranged corresponding to an uppermost and a lowermost dummy wafer, respectively. The second gas supplier includes a nozzle with holes or a slit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Hiramatsu, Shuhei Saido, Takuro Ushida
  • Patent number: 11967534
    Abstract: A technique capable of coping with change in the environment for each of the substrate placing surfaces is provided. According to one aspect thereof, there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, including: (a) supplying a gas to a process vessel through branch pipes while substrates are placed on substrate placing surfaces arranged in the process vessel, respectively; (b) detecting at least one among: information of a component corresponding to each of the substrate placing surfaces; and an amount of the gas supplied to each of the branch pipes; (c) determining a state level of each of the substrate placing surfaces based on the detected information; and (d) selecting a substrate placing surface among the substrate placing surfaces to which a substrate subsequently loaded into the process vessel is to be transferred next according to the state level of each of the substrate placing surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Tsukasa Kamakura
  • Patent number: D1022904
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yusaku Okajima