Patents Assigned to Sen Corporation
  • Patent number: 9646837
    Abstract: An ion implantation method includes transporting ions to a wafer as an ion beam, causing the wafer to undergo wafer mechanical slow scanning and also causing the ion beam to undergo beam fast scanning or causing the wafer to undergo wafer mechanical fast scanning in a direction perpendicular to a wafer slow scanning direction, irradiating the wafer with the ion beam by using the wafer slow scanning in the wafer slow scanning direction and the beam fast scanning of the ion beam or the wafer fast scanning of the wafer in the direction perpendicular to the wafer slow scanning direction, measuring a two-dimensional beam shape of the ion beam before ion implantation into the wafer, and defining an implantation and irradiation region of the ion beam by using the measured two-dimensional beam shape to thereby regulate the implantation and irradiation region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: SEN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shiro Ninomiya, Yasuharu Okamoto, Masaki Ishikawa, Takeshi Kurose, Akihiro Ochi
  • Patent number: 9601314
    Abstract: An ion implantation method in which an ion beam is scanned in a beam scanning direction and a wafer is mechanically scanned in a direction perpendicular to the beam scanning direction, includes setting a wafer rotation angle with respect to the ion beam so as to be varied, wherein a set angle of the wafer rotation angle is changed in a stepwise manner so as to implant ions into the wafer at each set angle, and wherein a wafer scanning region length is set to be varied, and, at the same time, a beam scanning speed of the ion beam is changed, in ion implantation at each set angle in a plurality of ion implantation operations during one rotation of the wafer, such that the ions are implanted into the wafer and dose amount non-uniformity in a wafer surface in other semiconductor manufacturing processes is corrected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: SEN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shiro Ninomiya, Tetsuya Kudo
  • Patent number: 9312163
    Abstract: An electrostatic chuck protection method includes providing an exposed chuck surface with a protective surface for preventing adherence of foreign materials including a substance exhibiting volatility in a vacuum environment, and removing the protective surface in order to perform a process of forming a substrate electrostatically held on the chuck surface with a surface layer including a substance having volatility in a vacuum chamber. The protective surface may be provided when a low vacuum pumping mode of operation is performed in a vacuum environment surrounding the chuck surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignees: SUMITOMO HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD., SEN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaru Tanaka, Masashi Kuriyama, Hiroki Murooka
  • Patent number: 9305784
    Abstract: On a plane of a semiconductor wafer, two types of in-plane regions comprising full-width non-ion-implantation regions and partial ion implantation regions, which are alternately arranged one or more times in a direction orthogonal to a scanning direction of an ion beam are created. During the creation of the partial ion implantation regions, reciprocating scanning using the ion beam can be repeated until the target dose can be satisfied while performing or stopping ion beam radiation onto the semiconductor wafer in a state in which the semiconductor wafer can be fixed. During the creation of the full-width non-ion-implantation regions, the semiconductor wafer can be moved without performing the ion beam radiation onto the semiconductor wafer. Then, by repeating fixing and movement of the semiconductor wafer plural times, ion implantation regions and non-ion-implantation regions are created in desired regions of the semiconductor wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: Sen Corporation
    Inventors: Shiro Ninomiya, Yasuharu Okamoto, Toshio Yumiyama, Akihiro Ochi
  • Patent number: 9165772
    Abstract: An ion implantation method includes reciprocally scanning an ion beam, mechanically scanning a wafer in a direction perpendicular to the ion beam scanning direction, implanting ions into the wafer, and generating an ion implantation amount distribution in a wafer surface of an isotropic concentric circle shape for correcting non-uniformity in the wafer surface in other semiconductor manufacturing processes, by controlling a beam scanning speed in the ion beam scanning direction and a wafer scanning speed in the mechanical scanning direction at the same time and independently using the respective control functions defining speed correction amounts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: SEN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shiro Ninomiya, Tetsuya Kudo, Akihiro Ochi
  • Patent number: 9153405
    Abstract: An ion source device has a configuration in which a cathode is provided in an arc chamber having a space for plasma formation, and a repeller is disposed to face a thermal electron discharge face of the cathode by interposing the space for plasma formation therebetween. An external magnetic field that is induced by a source magnetic field unit is applied to the space for plasma formation in a direction parallel to an axis that connects the cathode and the repeller. An opening is provided in a place corresponding to a portion in the repeller with the highest density of plasma that is formed in the space for plasma formation, and an ion beam is extracted from the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: SEN CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masateru Sato
  • Patent number: 9153406
    Abstract: An ion generator includes: an arc chamber; a repeller that includes a repeller plate provided within the arc chamber and a repeller extension portion inserted through a through hole communicating the inside and the outside of the arc chamber; and a supporting structure that is provided outside the arc chamber and that supports the repeller so that a gap is ensured between the repeller extension portion and an inner wall of the through hole. The supporting structure includes a cover member that forms, outside the arc chamber, a small chamber communicating with the gap, and an insulation member that electrically insulates the arc chamber and the repeller from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: SEN CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masateru Sato
  • Patent number: 9023720
    Abstract: After formation of a silicon Fin part on a silicon substrate, a thin film including an impurity atom which becomes a donor or an acceptor is formed so that a thickness of the thin film formed on the surface of an upper flat portion of the silicon Fin part becomes large relative to a thickness of the thin film formed to the surface of side wall portions of the silicon Fin part. A first diagonal ion implantation from a diagonal upper direction to the thin film is performed and subsequently a second diagonal ion implantation is performed from an opposite diagonal upper direction to the thin film. Recoiling of the impurity atom from the inside of the thin film to the inside of the side wall portions and to the inside of the upper flat portion is realized by performing the first and second diagonal ion implantations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Sen Corporation
    Inventors: Genshu Fuse, Michiro Sugitani
  • Patent number: 8987690
    Abstract: A high-energy ion implanter includes a beam generation unit that includes an ion source and a mass analyzer, a high-energy multi-stage linear acceleration unit, a high-energy beam deflection unit that changes the direction of a high-energy ion beam toward a wafer, and a beam transportation unit that transports the deflected high-energy ion beam to the wafer. The beam transportation unit includes a beam shaper, a high-energy beam scanner, a high-energy beam collimator, and a high-energy final energy filter. Further, the high-energy beam collimator is an electric field type beam collimator that collimates a scan beam while performing the acceleration and the deceleration of a high-energy beam by an electric field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: SEN Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuaki Kabasawa, Kazuhiro Watanabe, Haruka Sasaki, Kouji Kato, Hitoshi Ando
  • Patent number: 8980654
    Abstract: The ion implantation method includes setting an ion beam scanning speed and a mechanical scanning speed of an object during ion implantation using hybrid scan in advance and implanting ions based on the set ion beam scanning speed and the set mechanical scanning speed of the object. In the setting in advance, each of the ion beam scanning speeds is set based on each of ion beam scanning amplitudes changing severally according to a surface outline of an object which is irradiated with the ions so that an ion beam scanning frequency is maintained constant for any of ion beam scanning amplitudes, and the mechanical scanning speed of the object corresponding to the ion beam scanning speed is set so that an ion implantation dose per unit area to be implanted into the surface of the object is maintained constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: SEN Corporation
    Inventors: Shiro Ninomiya, Akihiro Ochi
  • Publication number: 20150064888
    Abstract: An ion implantation apparatus includes a beam parallelizing unit and a third power supply unit. The beam parallelizing unit includes an acceleration lens, and a deceleration lens disposed adjacent to the acceleration lens in an ion beam transportation direction. The third power supply unit operates the beam parallelizing unit under one of a plurality of energy settings. The plurality of energy settings includes a first energy setting suitable for transport of a low energy ion, and a second energy setting suitable for transport of a high energy ion beam. The third power supply unit is configured to generate a potential difference in at least the acceleration lens under the second energy setting, and generate a potential difference in at least the deceleration lens under the first energy setting. A curvature of the deceleration lens is smaller than a curvature of the acceleration lens.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2014
    Publication date: March 5, 2015
    Applicant: SEN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takanori Yagita, Mitsuaki Kabasawa, Haruka Sasaki
  • Publication number: 20150064887
    Abstract: An ion implantation apparatus includes an implantation processing chamber, a high voltage unit, and a high-voltage power supply system. In the implantation processing chamber ions are implanted into a workpiece. The high voltage unit includes an ion source unit for generating the ions, and a beam transport unit provided between the ion source unit and the implantation processing chamber. The high-voltage power supply system applies a potential to the high voltage unit under any one of a plurality of energy settings. The high-voltage power supply system includes a plurality of current paths formed such that a beam current flowing into the workpiece is returned to the ion source unit, and each of the plurality of energy settings is associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of current paths.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2014
    Publication date: March 5, 2015
    Applicant: SEN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhisa Manabe, Takanori Yagita
  • Patent number: 8952340
    Abstract: A high-frequency acceleration type ion acceleration and transportation apparatus is a beamline after an ion beam is accelerated by a high-frequency acceleration system having an energy spread with respect to set beam energy and includes an energy analysis deflection electromagnet and a horizontal beam focusing element. In the ion acceleration and transportation apparatus, a double slit that is configured by an energy spread confining slit and an energy analysis slit is additionally disposed at a position at which energy dispersion and a beam size are to be appropriate. The position is determined based on a condition of the energy analysis deflection electromagnet and the horizontal beam focusing element, and the double slit performs energy separation and energy definition and decreases the energy spread of the ion beam by performing adjustment for a smaller energy spread while suppressing a decrease in the amount of a beam current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2015
    Assignee: SEN Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuaki Kabasawa, Tatsuo Nishihara, Kazuhiro Watanabe, Yuuji Takahashi, Tatsuya Yamada
  • Publication number: 20140352615
    Abstract: A high-energy ion implanter includes a high-energy multi-stage linear acceleration unit that accelerates an ion beam so as to generate a high-energy ion beam, a deflection unit that changes the direction of the high-energy ion beam toward a semiconductor wafer, and a beam transportation unit that transports the deflected high-energy ion beam to the wafer. The beam transportation unit includes a beam shaper, a high-energy beam scanner, a high-energy electric field type beam collimator, and a high-energy electric field type final energy filter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2014
    Publication date: December 4, 2014
    Applicant: SEN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mitsuaki Kabasawa, Kazuhiro Watanabe, Haruka Sasaki, Kouji Inada
  • Publication number: 20140353518
    Abstract: An insulation structure provided among a plurality of electrodes for extraction of an ion beam from a plasma generating section is provided. The insulation structure includes an insulation member including a first part connected to a first electrode and a second part connected to a second electrode and configured to support the first electrode to the second electrode, a first cover surrounding at least a part of the first part to protect the first part from contamination particles, and a second cover surrounding at least a part of the second part to protect the second part from contamination particles. At least one of the first part and the second part is made of a machinable ceramic or a porous ceramic.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2014
    Publication date: December 4, 2014
    Applicant: SEN CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masateru Sato
  • Publication number: 20140353517
    Abstract: A high-energy ion implanter includes a beam generation unit that includes an ion source and a mass analyzer, a high-energy multi-stage linear acceleration unit, a high-energy beam deflection unit that changes the direction of a high-energy ion beam toward a wafer, and a beam transportation unit that transports the deflected high-energy ion beam to the wafer. The beam transportation unit includes a beam shaper, a high-energy beam scanner, a high-energy beam collimator, and a high-energy final energy filter. Further, the high-energy beam collimator is an electric field type beam collimator that collimates a scan beam while performing the acceleration and the deceleration of a high-energy beam by an electric field.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2014
    Publication date: December 4, 2014
    Applicant: SEN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mitsuaki Kabasawa, Kazuhiro Watanabe, Haruka Sasaki, Kouji Kato, Hitoshi Ando
  • Publication number: 20140345522
    Abstract: A high-energy ion implanter includes: a beam generation unit that includes an ion source and a mass spectrometer; a radio frequency multi-stage linear acceleration unit; a deflection unit that includes a magnetic field type energy analysis device for filtering ions by a momentum; a beam transportation line unit; and a substrate processing/supplying unit. In this apparatus, an electric field type final energy filter that deflects a high-energy scan beam in the vertical direction by an electric field is inserted between the electric field type beam collimator and the wafer in addition to the magnetic field type mass spectrometer and the magnetic field type energy analysis device as momentum filters and the radio frequency multi-stage linear acceleration unit as a velocity filter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2014
    Publication date: November 27, 2014
    Applicant: SEN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mitsuaki Kabasawa, Kazuhiro Watanabe, Haruka Sasaki, Kouji Inada, Makoto Sano
  • Publication number: 20140291543
    Abstract: An insulation structure of high voltage electrodes includes an insulator having an exposed surface and a conductor portion, which includes a joint region in contact with the insulator, and a heat-resistant portion provided, along at least part of an edge of the joint region, in such a manner as to be adjacent to the exposed surface of the insulator. The heat-resistant portion is formed of an electrically conductive material whose melting point is higher than that of the conductor portion. The heat-resistant portion may be so provided as to have a gap between the insulator and the exposed surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2014
    Publication date: October 2, 2014
    Applicant: SEN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masateru Sato, Hiroshi Matsushita
  • Publication number: 20140283745
    Abstract: An ion implantation apparatus in which a fluorine compound gas is used as a source gas of an ion source, includes a vacuum chamber into which the source gas is introduced; an introduction passage connected to the vacuum chamber and configured to introduce into the vacuum chamber a cleaning gas containing a component that reacts with the fluorine compound deposited inside the vacuum chamber so as to generate a reactant gas; a delivery device configured to forcibly introduce the cleaning gas into the introduction passage; a first adjustment device configured to adjust an amount of gas flow in the introduction passage; an exhausting passage connected to the vacuum chamber and configured to forcibly exhaust the reactant gas along with the cleaning gas; and a second adjustment device configured to adjust an amount of gas flow in the exhausting passage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2014
    Publication date: September 25, 2014
    Applicant: SEN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takayuki Nagai, Masateru Sato
  • Publication number: 20140235042
    Abstract: An ion implantation method includes reciprocally scanning an ion beam, mechanically scanning a wafer in a direction perpendicular to the ion beam scanning direction, implanting ions into the wafer, and generating an ion implantation amount distribution in a wafer surface of an isotropic concentric circle shape for correcting non-uniformity in the wafer surface in other semiconductor manufacturing processes, by controlling a beam scanning speed in the ion beam scanning direction and a wafer scanning speed in the mechanical scanning direction at the same time and independently using the respective control functions defining speed correction amounts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2014
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Applicant: SEN Corporation
    Inventors: Shiro NINOMIYA, Tetsuya Kudo, Akihiro Ochi