Patents Assigned to ULVAC, Inc.
  • Patent number: 10994938
    Abstract: The present invention provides a technique to enable sufficient space saving in a transit-type vacuum processing device. The vacuum processing device 1 of the present invention has: a vacuum chamber 2 where a single vacuum ambience is formed; first and second processing regions 4 and 5 that are provided in the vacuum chamber 2 and have a processing source that performs processing on a planar process surface of a substrate 10; and a conveyance drive member 33 that forms a conveyance path for conveying the substrate 10 so as to pass through the first and second processing regions 4 and 5.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: ULVAC, INC.
    Inventor: Hirotoshi Nakao
  • Patent number: 10991591
    Abstract: The reactive ion etching apparatus of this invention has a stage provided with an electrostatic chuck having a pair of electrodes. At the time of etching a to-be-processed substrate, by applying DC voltage to the pair of electrodes, the to-be-processed substrate is electrostatically absorbed to the electrostatic chuck. In this reactive ion etching apparatus, a radio-frequency power source connected to the stage, through a first output line, applies bias potential to the to-be-processed substrate. The radio-frequency power source is also arranged to be connected through a second output line to the pair of electrodes so as to apply radio-frequency potential in a manner to be superposed on the DC voltage. The first capacitor and the second capacitor are respectively interposed in the first output line and the second output line. A capacitance ratio of the first capacitor to the second capacitor is set to a range of 2.5 to 25.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: ULVAC, INC.
    Inventors: Ryuichiro Kamimura, Yamato Osada
  • Patent number: 10982663
    Abstract: A vacuum pump includes a pump main body and a sound muffling device. The pump main body includes a housing including an intake port and an exhaust port, and a rotor that is rotatably arranged inside the housing and transports gas from the intake port to the exhaust port. The sound muffling device includes a casing, a first passage portion, and a second passage portion. The casing includes an opening end portion that is airtightly connected to an outer wall surface of the housing, a bottom wall portion that faces the opening end portion, and a peripheral wall portion, the casing defining an expansion chamber by the outer wall surface of the housing and respective inner wall surfaces of the bottom wall portion and the peripheral wall portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: ULVAC, INC.
    Inventors: Toshio Suzuki, Tomonari Tanaka, Kenji Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 10975465
    Abstract: A method of forming an internal stress control film on one surface of an object to be processed by a sputtering method, includes selecting a pressure of a process gas at the time of forming the internal stress control film from a pressure region higher than a threshold value of 5 (Pa) so that stress of the object to be processed when a bias is applied to the object to be processed becomes larger stress on a tensile side and the internal stress control film has higher density, as compared with stress in a case in which a bias is not applied thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: ULVAC, INC.
    Inventors: Katsuaki Nakano, Daisuke Hiramatsu, Yukinobu Numata
  • Publication number: 20210079514
    Abstract: [SUMMARY] A sputtering method includes disposing a carbon target (Tg) and a film-forming object (Wf) inside a vacuum chamber (1); evacuating the vacuum chamber to a predetermined pressure by a vacuum pump (Vp); subsequently introducing a sputtering gas into the vacuum chamber; charging the target with electric power to form a plasma atmosphere such that the target gets sputtered by the ions of the sputtering gas in the plasma, whereby carbon particles splashed from the target are caused to be adhered to, and deposited on, a surface of the film-forming object, thereby forming a carbon film. The target is cooled by heat exchanging with a first refrigerant at least during the time when the target receives radiant heat from the plasma; wherein the temperature of the first refrigerant is controlled to keep the temperature of the first refrigerant below 263K.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2018
    Publication date: March 18, 2021
    Applicant: ULVAC, INC.
    Inventors: Yoshinori Fujii, Shinya Nakamura, Mitsunori Noro, Kazuyoshi Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 10950751
    Abstract: Provided is a deep ultraviolet LED with a design wavelength ?, including a reflecting electrode layer, an ultra-thin metal layer, and a p-type contact layer that are arranged in this order from a side opposite to a substrate; and a hemispherical lens bonded to a rear surface of the substrate on a side of the p-type contact layer, the hemispherical lens being transparent to light with the wavelength ?. The refractive index of the hemispherical lens is greater than or equal to the average value of the refractive index of the substrate and the refractive index of air and is less than or equal to the refractive index of the substrate. The hemispherical lens has a radius that is greater than or equal to the radius of an inscribed circle of the substrate and is about equal to the radius of a circumscribed circle of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignees: Marubun Corporation, Toshiba Kikai Kabushiki Kaisha, RIKEN, ULVAC, INC., Tokyo Ohka Kogyo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukio Kashima, Eriko Matsuura, Mitsunori Kokubo, Takaharu Tashiro, Hideki Hirayama, Ryuichiro Kamimura, Yamato Osada, Toshiro Morita
  • Publication number: 20210062921
    Abstract: A gate valve has a communication block with a communication passage and a valve unit having a valve plate movable between a partitioning position and an open position. A lower end part of the valve plate comes into pressurized contact with a surface of a band-shaped base material transferred through the communication passage between a first chamber and a second chamber. Due to a force of this pressurized contact, a back surface of the base material is seated on a seating surface provided in the communication passage. A groove is formed in the lower end of the valve plate, and a roller-shaped sealing member with a central shaft is inserted into the groove. Opening parts are formed in both axial side-wall surfaces of the groove such that the end parts of the central shaft of the sealing member are inserted into the opening parts and pivotally supported with a clearance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2020
    Publication date: March 4, 2021
    Applicant: ULVAC, INC.
    Inventor: Shuuji Saitou
  • Patent number: 10934616
    Abstract: A cathode device includes a rotation plate to which a magnetic circuit is fixed, a rotation mechanism including a rotation shaft that rotates the rotation plate when receiving power from a motor, and a linear motion parallel link mechanism. The parallel link mechanism includes an end effector, six links each having a distal end and a proximal end, and three linear motion mechanisms. The end effector rotationally supports the rotation shaft, the distal ends of the links are connected to the end effector, the links radially extend from the end effector, and the linear motion mechanisms move the proximal ends of adjacent two of the links in one direction when receiving power from respective linear actuators. A controller controls a change in position of the rotation shaft performed by a cooperative operation of the linear actuators, and controls rotation of the rotation shaft operated by the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: ULVAC, Inc.
    Inventors: Yukihito Tashiro, Katsuaki Nakano
  • Patent number: 10910192
    Abstract: An ion source includes a vacuum chamber having a cooling mechanism, an ion generation container for reacting an ionized gas with an ion material so as to generate ions, an extraction electrode for extracting ions generated in the ion generation container and generating an ion beam, and a shielding member provided inside and in the vicinity of an inner wall of the vacuum chamber, and having a main body made of a conductive metal for blocking deposition of an insulating material on the inner wall (10d) of the vacuum chamber. The main body of the shielding member has a plurality of protruding support portions that is in contact with the inner wall of the vacuum chamber for supporting the main body in a manner such that the main body is fitted at a distance from the inner wall of the vacuum chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: ULVAC, INC.
    Inventors: Akio Higashi, Naruyasu Sasaki, Toshihiro Terasawa
  • Patent number: 10895258
    Abstract: A vacuum pump according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a pump housing and a cooling pipe. The pump housing is constituted by cast iron. The cooling pipe includes an outer circumferential surface and an inner circumferential surface and is constituted by stainless steel. The cooling pipe passes through the pump housing and the outer circumferential surface which is in close contact with the pump housing, is constituted by a sensitized layer. This vacuum pump is formed such that the pump housing constituted by cast iron is casted around the cooling pipe constituted by stainless steel. The sensitized layer is provided on the outer circumferential surface of the cooling pipe, the sensitized layer is in contact with the pump housing, and the pump housing is efficiently cooled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: ULVAC, INC.
    Inventors: Kenji Hashimoto, Hideaki Inoue, Koji Shibayama, Toshio Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20200402759
    Abstract: An ion source includes a vacuum chamber having a cooling mechanism, an ion generation container for reacting an ionized gas with an ion material so as to generate ions, an extraction electrode for extracting ions generated in the ion generation container and generating an ion beam, and a shielding member provided inside and in the vicinity of an inner wall of the vacuum chamber, and having a main body made of a conductive metal for blocking deposition of an insulating material on the inner wall (10d) of the vacuum chamber. The main body of the shielding member has a plurality of protruding support portions that is in contact with the inner wall of the vacuum chamber for supporting the main body in a manner such that the main body is fitted at a distance from the inner wall of the vacuum chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2018
    Publication date: December 24, 2020
    Applicant: ULVAC, INC.
    Inventors: Akio HIGASHI, Naruyasu SASAKI, Toshihiro TERASAWA
  • Patent number: 10844474
    Abstract: There is provided a cathode unit for a sputtering apparatus, having a construction in which a target can be replaced without opening a vacuum chamber to the atmosphere. The cathode unit having targets and being adapted to be mounted on a vacuum chamber has: a supporting frame mounted on an external wall of the vacuum chamber; an annular moveable base supported by the supporting frame in a manner to be movable toward or away from the vacuum chamber; a rotary shaft body rotatably supported by the movable base in a manner to be elongated through an inner space of the movable base in parallel with a sputtering surface of the target; provided an axial direction of the rotary shaft body is defined to be an X-axis direction, and a forward or backward direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction of the movable base is defined to be a Z-axis direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: ULVAC, INC.
    Inventors: Shinya Nakamura, Yukihito Tashiro
  • Patent number: 10837447
    Abstract: [Object] To efficiently supply lubricant oil to a bearing member with a simple mechanism. [Solving Means] A vacuum pump includes a first housing, a second housing, a rotor shaft, a lubricant oil-stirring plate, and a bearing member. The second housing is attached to the first housing and forms a space that stores lubricant oil together with the first housing. The rotor shaft passes through the first housing. The lubricant oil-stirring plate is housed in the space and is attached to the rotor shaft. The bearing member is fixed to the first housing and rotatably supports the rotor shaft. The first housing includes a supply port that enables lubricant oil to be supplied to the bearing member. The second housing includes an inner-wall upper portion which the lubricant oil stirred by the lubricant oil-stirring plate hits against. The inner-wall upper portion of the second housing includes a recess portion that enables the lubricant oil to move above the supply port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: ULVAC, INC.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Kimura, Shinnosuke Tokuhira, Hideaki Inoue, Kenji Machiya
  • Patent number: 10808316
    Abstract: A method of forming a phase change material is provided in which the crystalline state resistance of the material can be controlled through controlling the flow ratio of NH3/Ar. The method may include providing a flow modulated chemical vapor deposition apparatus. The method may further include flowing gas precursors into the flow modulated chemical vapor deposition apparatus to provide the base material components of the phase change material. The method further includes flowing a co-reactant precursor and an inert gas into the flow modulated chemical vapor deposition, wherein adjusting ratio of the co-reactant precursor to the inert gas adjusts the crystalline state resistance of the phase change material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignees: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION, ULVAC, INC.
    Inventors: Fabio Carta, Takeshi Masuda, Gloria W. Y. Fraczak, Robert Bruce, Norma Edith Sosa, Matthew J. BrightSky
  • Patent number: 10767987
    Abstract: A sensor head has: a sensor head main body which has disposed therein the stepping motor; a holder which has disposed on an upper surface thereof a plurality of crystal oscillators and which is driven for rotation by the stepping motor; and a mask body which is mounted on the sensor head main body so as to cover an upper surface of the holder and which has opened therein a film-forming window faced by one of the crystal oscillators. The sensor head also has: a first electrode fixed to that portion of the sensor head main body which is located right under the film-forming window; and second electrodes which are in electrical conduction with each of the crystal oscillators and which are disposed to protrude under a lower surface of the holder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: ULVAC, INC.
    Inventors: Yousuke Oguma, Akihiro Maeda, Yuki Kaida, Manabu Kotaka, Kou Okamura
  • Patent number: 10770275
    Abstract: In a film forming unit (FU) for a sputtering apparatus according to this invention, a supporting plate is provided with: a target having bonded thereto a backing plate; a magnet unit; and driving device for reciprocating the target along the supporting plate relative to the magnet unit. The backing plate is provided, in a protruded manner, with a supply pipe and a discharge pipe in communication with a coolant passage for the backing plate. A slit hole, which is elongated in the reciprocating direction of the target and through which the supply pipe and the discharge pipe penetrate, is formed in the supporting plate. The supporting plate has on its lower surface a cap body which hermetically encloses those portions of the supply pipe and the discharge pipe, inclusive of the slit hole, which are protruded downward from the slit hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: ULVAC, INC.
    Inventor: Shuuji Saitou
  • Patent number: 10763153
    Abstract: There is provided a holding apparatus which is capable of rotatably holding, while cooling to a cryogenic temperature, a to-be-processed object in a vacuum chamber. A holding apparatus for rotatably holding, while cooling, a to-be-processed object in a vacuum chamber Vc, has a stage on which the to-be-processed object is placed, a rotary drive device for rotatably supporting the stage, and a cooling device for cooling the stage. Provided that a stage surface side on which the to-be-processed object is placed is defined as an upside, the rotary drive device has: a tubular rotary shaft body which is mounted on a wall surface of the vacuum chamber, in a penetrating manner, through a first vacuum seal; a connection member for connecting an upper end part of the rotary shaft body and a lower surface of the stage in a manner to define a space below the stage; and a driving motor for driving to rotate the rotary shaft body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignees: Ulvac, Inc., Ulvac Cryogenics Inc.
    Inventors: Yukihito Tashiro, Junichi Itoh, Hidenori Fukumoto, Kosuke Hidaka, Mitsuki Terashima
  • Publication number: 20200248301
    Abstract: A first voltage is applied to a first positive electrode and a first negative electrode of an attraction plate in a lying posture to attract a dielectric object to be attracted on the attraction plate. The attraction plate is turned to a stand posture while attracting the dielectric object by a gradient force, and a conductive thin film is grown while applying a second voltage to a second positive electrode and a second negative electrode to generate an electrostatic force. Since the object is continuously attracted, the attraction plate will not detach. After having started attraction by electrostatic force, introduction of heat medium gas between the object and the attraction plate allows for temperature control of the object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2020
    Publication date: August 6, 2020
    Applicant: ULVAC, INC.
    Inventors: Ken MAEHIRA, Koh FUWA, Tomoko KITTAKA, Tetsuhiro OHNO, Hirotoshi SAKAUE
  • Patent number: 10720858
    Abstract: Providing a technique for suppressing dust generation at the time of attraction and detachment of an object to be attracted, and for enabling control the attraction force of the attraction device to be uniform. The attraction device of the present invention includes a main body part having attraction electrodes within a dielectric; and an attraction part for attracting a substrate, provided on a surface of the main body part at an attraction-side. The attraction part includes a contact support part that is in contact with, and supports the substrate and a non-contact part that is not in contact with the substrate. In the attraction part, the volume resistivity of the material of the contact support part is greater than the volume resistivity of the material of the non-contact part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: ULVAC, INC.
    Inventors: Ken Maehira, Kou Fuwa
  • Publication number: 20200219729
    Abstract: The reactive ion etching apparatus of this invention has a stage provided with an electrostatic chuck having a pair of electrodes. At the time of etching a to-be-processed substrate, by applying DC voltage to the pair of electrodes, the to-be-processed substrate is electrostatically absorbed to the electrostatic chuck. In this reactive ion etching apparatus, a radio-frequency power source connected to the stage, through a first output line, applies bias potential to the to-be-processed substrate. The radio-frequency power source is also arranged to be connected through a second output line to the pair of electrodes so as to apply radio-frequency potential in a manner to be superposed on the DC voltage. The first capacitor and the second capacitor are respectively interposed in the first output line and the second output line. A capacitance ratio of the first capacitor to the second capacitor is set to a range of 2.5 to 25.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2018
    Publication date: July 9, 2020
    Applicant: ULVAC, INC.
    Inventors: Ryuichiro Kamimura, Yamato Osada