Patents Examined by Kenneth A Bratland, Jr.
  • Patent number: 10727129
    Abstract: A substrate manufacturing method includes: a first step of disposing a condenser for condensing a laser beam in a non-contact manner on a surface 20r of a magnesium oxide single crystal substrate 20 to be irradiated; and a second step of irradiating a laser beam to a surface of the magnesium oxide single crystal substrate 20 and condensing the laser beam into an inner portion of the single crystal member under designated irradiation conditions using the condenser, and at a same time, two-dimensionally moving the condenser and the magnesium oxide single crystal substrate 20 relatively to each other, and sequentially forming processing marks to sequentially allow planar peeling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignees: SHIN-ETSU POLYMER CO., LTD., NATIONAL UNIVERSITY CORPORATION SAITAMA UNIVERSITY, SHIN-ETSU CHEMICAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Junichi Ikeno, Yohei Yamada, Hideki Suzuki, Hitoshi Noguchi
  • Patent number: 10704160
    Abstract: Apparatuses and methods are provided for manufacturing diamond electronic devices. The apparatus includes a base comprising a water-block and a cover that at least partially covers the water-block. The apparatus includes a sample stage disposed on the base. The apparatus further includes a sample holder disposed on the sample stage and configured to accept a diamond substrate. The apparatus includes controlled thermal interfaces between water-block, sample stage, sample holder and diamond substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: ARIZONA BOARD OF REGENTS ON BEHALF OF ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Franz A. Koeck, Robert J. Nemanich
  • Patent number: 10683585
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for melting and solidification of a scintillating material in micromechanical structures, including controlling the melting and solidification of the scintillating material by individually controlled heat sources, a top heater and a bottom heater, placed above and below a process chamber, housing a sample with the micromechanical structures and the scintillating material. The heaters are controlled to set a vertical temperature gradient over the sample to control the melting and solidification of the scintillating material. During melting, the top heater is ramped up and stabilized at a temperature where no melting occurs and the bottom heater is ramped up and stabilized at a temperature where melting occurs during a period of time while the scintillating material melts and flows into the micromechanical structures. During solidification, the temperature of the bottom heater decreases to enable solidification to take place starting from the bottom of the micromechanical structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: VIVAMOS LIMITED
    Inventors: Anna Sahlholm, Olof Svenonius
  • Patent number: 10679875
    Abstract: A sealing mechanism functioning as a separator between two spaces having different pressures includes: a housing; a shaft inserted into the housing; an annular sealing member sealing a gap by contacting a radial outer surface of the shaft or a radial outer surface of a rotary portion fixed to the shaft; and a lubricant groove storing a lubricant to be supplied between the annular sealing member and the radial outer surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: NSK LTD.
    Inventors: Hideya Higuchi, Tsuyoshi Nakamura, Hideki Kon
  • Patent number: 10665491
    Abstract: A processing apparatus has a pedestal which includes an electrostatic chuck and a cooling table. A plurality of heat transfer spaces are provided between the electrostatic chuck and the cooling table. The plurality of heat transfer spaces are coaxially provided with respect to the center axis of the electrostatic chuck and are separated from each other. The processing apparatus further includes a piping system. The piping system is configured to selectively connect each of the plurality of heat transfer spaces to a chiller unit, a source of a heat transfer gas, and an exhaust device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventor: Shingo Koiwa
  • Patent number: 10658159
    Abstract: Plasma reactor vessel comprising a vacuum chamber; a first electrode in the vacuum chamber; a second electrode in the vacuum chamber, opposed to the first electrode and spaced from the first electrode; a power source electrically connected to one of the first or second electrodes; a substrate carrier having an electrically conductive material, the substrate carrier being configured to be in electrical contact with the second electrode and to hold a substrate at such that at least the majority of upper and lower surfaces of the substrate are untouched by any part of the plasma reactor and can be exposed to the plasma. The reactor vessel further includes a third electrode between the substrate carrier and the second electrode, wherein the third electrode is electrically insulated from the second electrode. And the third electrode and the substrate carrier are arranged such that when the substrate carrier holds a substrate, a first clearance gap is between the substrate and the third electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: INDEOTEC SA
    Inventors: Omid Reza Shojaei, Jacques Schmitt, Fabrice Jeanneret
  • Patent number: 10633762
    Abstract: A method of producing silicon carbide is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of providing a sublimation furnace comprising a furnace shell, at least one heating element positioned outside the furnace shell, and a hot zone positioned inside the furnace shell surrounded by insulation. The hot zone comprises a crucible with a silicon carbide precursor positioned in the lower region and a silicon carbide seed positioned in the upper region. The hot zone is heated to sublimate the silicon carbide precursor, forming silicon carbide on the bottom surface of the silicon carbide seed. Also disclosed is the sublimation furnace to produce the silicon carbide as well as the resulting silicon carbide material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: GTAT Corporation.
    Inventors: Roman V. Drachev, Parthasarathy Santhanaraghavan, Andriy M. Andrukhiv, David S. Lyttle
  • Patent number: 10629460
    Abstract: A circulating cooling/heating device configured to cool and heat a circulating fluid supplied to a chamber in plasma-etching equipment includes: a heat exchanger configured to perform heat exchange between the circulating fluid and a cooling water; a heater configured to heat the circulating fluid; a pump configured to circulate the circulating fluid between the circulating cooling/heating device and the chamber; a cooling water circulation block through which the cooling water passes; and a pressure sensor serving as a pressure detecting unit configured to detect a pressure of the cooled or heated circulating fluid, the pressure sensor being attached to the cooling water circulation block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: KELK LTD.
    Inventor: Kazuya Shiga
  • Patent number: 10593545
    Abstract: A substrate processing method in which processes with respect to substrates are performed comprises: stacking the substrates on a substrate holder disposed in a staking space formed within a lower chamber through a passage formed in a side of the lower chamber, exhausting the stacking space through an auxiliary exhaust port connected to the stacking space, moving the substrate holder into an external reaction tube closing an opened upper side of the lower chamber to provide a process space in which the processes are performed, and supplying a reaction gas into the process space using a supply nozzle connected to the process space and exhausting the process space using an exhaust nozzle connected to the process space and an exhaust port connected to the exhaust nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: EUGENE TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Il-Kwang Yang, Sung-Tae Je, Byoung-Gyu Song, Yong-Ki Kim, Kyong-Hun Kim, Yang-Sik Shin
  • Patent number: 10533264
    Abstract: A 2D material such as graphene is produced on a forming sheet disposed on a carrier and exposed to a donor gas within a furnace. A first furnace surface is disposed immediately adjacent to and spaced apart from the forming sheet to define a volume. A purge gas is used to purge the volume of undesirable molecules, such as oxygen, and then a donor gas is introduced into the volume to supply an element or molecule necessary for the formation of a 2D material. Multiple carriers and forming sheets are moved in a train into the furnace during the presence of the donor gas, and each forming sheet is heated to a temperature sufficient to form 2D material on the sheet. The furnace is constructed of a nonreactive material, such as quartz, and the first furnace surface is provided by a quartz plate. Gas passageways and gas ports are formed in the quartz plate with the ports extending through the first furnace surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: General Graphene Corp.
    Inventors: James Vig Sherrill, Gregory Erickson
  • Patent number: 10508363
    Abstract: A vapor phase growth apparatus according to an embodiment includes a reaction chamber, a ring-shaped holder provided in the reaction chamber, the ring-shaped holder configured to hold a substrate, the ring-shaped holder including an outer portion, and an inner portion on which a ring-shaped protrusion is provided and surrounded by the outer portion, the ring-shaped protrusion being separated from the outer portion, an upper surface of the outer portion being higher than an upper surface of the ring-shaped protrusion, and a heater provided below the ring-shaped holder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: NuFlare Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Takumi Yamada, Takashi Haraguchi
  • Patent number: 10501865
    Abstract: A first object of the present invention is to provide a method for efficiently growing a nitride single crystal even under low pressure conditions. The present invention relates to a method for producing a nitride single crystal, comprising growing a nitride crystal on the surface of a seed crystal having a hexagonal crystal structure by setting a pressure in a reaction vessel having the seed crystal, a nitrogen-containing solvent, a mineralizer containing a fluorine atom, and a raw material placed therein to 5 to 200 MPa and performing control so that the nitrogen-containing solvent is in at least either a supercritical state or a subcritical state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignees: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, Tohoku University, The Japan Steel Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tohru Ishiguro, Quanxi Bao, Chiaki Yokoyama, Daisuke Tomida, Shigefusa Chichibu, Rinzo Kayano, Mutsuo Ueda, Makoto Saito, Yuji Kagamitani
  • Patent number: 10487418
    Abstract: Crystal pulling systems for growing monocrystalline ingots from a melt of semiconductor or solar-grade material are described. The crystal pulling systems include seed chuck assemblies designed to reduce formation of deposits on components of the crystal pulling systems by reducing and inhibiting the formation of gas flow recirculation cells within the crystal pulling systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: GlobalWafers Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Parthiv Daggolu, Benjamin Michael Meyer, William L. Luter, Soubir Basak, Sumeet S. Bhagavat, Nan Zhang, Gaurab Samanta
  • Patent number: 10487417
    Abstract: The present invention is a method for manufacturing an FZ silicon single crystal for a solar cell, including the steps of: pulling a CZ silicon single crystal doped with gallium by a Czochralski method; and float-zone processing a raw material rod, with the raw material rod being the CZ silicon single crystal, at 1.6 atmospheric pressure or more to manufacture the FZ silicon single crystal. As a result, it is possible to provide a method for manufacturing an FZ silicon single crystal for a solar cell that can decrease the amount of gallium dopant evaporated during the float-zone processing, thereby preventing the silicon single crystal from increasing the resistance while decreasing oxygen, which is inevitably introduced into a CZ crystal, and preventing formation of a B-O pair, which causes a problem to the characteristics of a solar cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: SHIN-ETSU CHEMICAL CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Otsuka
  • Patent number: 10480076
    Abstract: A plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) apparatus including a chamber; an upper electrode in the chamber; a spray unit in the upper electrode to spray a gas introduced from outside the chamber toward a substrate inside the chamber; a susceptor on which the substrate is mountable; a plurality of mask supports in a mask frame at an edge of the susceptor, the mask supports being formed of a conductive material that provides elastic force by supporting a mask to maintain and control a level of the mask; and a power supply unit to supply power to the upper electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jai Hyuk Choi, Won Woong Park, Sung Hun Key, Min Soo Kim, Byeong Chun Lee, Suk Won Jung, Hyun Woo Joo, Myung Soo Huh
  • Patent number: 10480095
    Abstract: A system and methods are provided for low temperature, rapid baking to remove impurities from a semiconductor surface prior to in-situ deposition. The system is configured with an upper bank of heat elements perpendicular to the gas flow path, such that when the substrate is heated, the temperature across the substrate can be maintained relatively uniform via zoned heating. Advantageously, a short, low temperature process is suitable for advanced, high density circuits with shallow junctions. Furthermore, throughput is greatly improved by the low temperature bake.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: ASM America, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael W. Halpin, Paul T. Jacobson
  • Patent number: 10460924
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a novel process for producing a surface-treated gallium arsenide substrate as well as novel provided gallium arsenide substrates as such as well as the use thereof. The improvement of the process according to the invention is based on a particular final surface treatment with an oxidation treatment of at least one surface of the gallium arsenide substrate in dry condition by means of UV radiation and/or ozone gas, a contacting of the at least one surface of the gallium arsenide substrate with at least one liquid medium and a Marangoni drying of the gallium arsenide substrate. The gallium arsenide substrates provided according to the invention exhibit a so far not obtained surface quality, in particular a homogeneity of surface properties, which is detectable by means of optical surface analyzers, specifically by means of ellipsometric lateral substrate mapping for the optical contact-free quantitative characterization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: FREIBERGER COMPOUND MATERIALS GMBH
    Inventors: Wolfram Fliegel, Christoph Klement, Christa Willnauer, Max Scheffer-Czygan, André Kleinwechter, Stefan Eichler, Berndt Weinert, Michael Mäder
  • Patent number: 10443148
    Abstract: A method of growing a doped monocrystalline ingot using a crystal growing system is provided. The crystal growing system includes a growth chamber, a dopant feeding device, and a feed tube. The method includes preparing a melt of semiconductor or solar-grade material in a crucible disposed within the growth chamber, introducing a solid dopant into the feed tube with the dopant feeding device, melting the solid dopant within the feed tube to a form a liquid dopant, introducing the liquid dopant into the melt below a surface of the melt, and growing a monocrystalline ingot from the melt by contacting the melt with a seed crystal and pulling the seed crystal away from the melt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: GlobalWafers Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Stephan Haringer, Marco D'Angella, Mauro Diodà
  • Patent number: 10446753
    Abstract: A vapor deposition apparatus in which a deposition process is performed by moving a substrate, the vapor deposition apparatus including a supply unit that injects at least one raw material gas towards the substrate, and a blocking gas flow generation unit that is disposed corresponding to the supply unit and generates a gas-flow that blocks a flow of the raw material gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jin-Kwang Kim, Seung-Yong Song, Myung-Soo Huh, Suk-Won Jung, Choel-Min Jang, Jae-Hyun Kim, Sung-Chul Kim
  • Patent number: 10435812
    Abstract: Methods are provided for generating a crystalline material. The methods comprise depositing a textured thin film in a growth seed area, wherein the textured thin film has a preferential crystallographic axis; providing a growth channel extending from the growth seed area, the growth channel permitting guided lateral growth; and growing a crystalline material in the growth channel along a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the preferential crystallographic axis of the textured thin film. A preferred crystalline material is gallium nitride, and preferred textured thin films are aluminum nitride and titanium nitride.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: Yale University
    Inventor: Jung Han