Patents by Inventor Akiko Kiyotomi

Akiko Kiyotomi has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20230386873
    Abstract: A warpage amount estimation apparatus for estimating a warpage amount of a substrate, includes: an acquirer configured to acquire a captured image of one surface of an estimation target substrate; a calculator configured to calculate a rate of change in pixel value relating to a substrate radial direction in the captured image of the one surface of the estimation target substrate; and an estimator configured to estimate a warpage amount of the estimation target substrate based on a correlation obtained in advance between a rate of change in pixel value relating to the substrate radial direction in a captured image of the one surface of a substrate and a warpage amount of the substrate, and on a calculation result by the calculator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2021
    Publication date: November 30, 2023
    Inventor: Akiko KIYOTOMI
  • Patent number: 11823922
    Abstract: A substrate inspection apparatus includes: a storage configured to store inspection image data obtained from a captured image of a periphery of a substrate on which a film is formed, and an inspection recipe; an edge detector configured to detect a target edge as an edge of an inspection target film on the basis of the inspection image data stored in the storage by using the inspection recipe stored in the storage; a periphery calculator configured to calculate a position of a theoretical periphery of the substrate; and a width calculator configured to calculate a width between the theoretical periphery of the substrate and the target edge on the basis of position data of the theoretical periphery of the substrate obtained by the periphery calculator and position data of the target edge obtained by the edge detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Akiko Kiyotomi, Masato Hosaka, Tadashi Nishiyama, Kazuya Hisano
  • Publication number: 20230333531
    Abstract: This method includes: a step of imaging, by an imaging apparatus in a substrate treatment system, a reference substrate which is a reference for condition setting and acquiring a captured image of the reference substrate; a step of imaging, by the imaging apparatus, a treated substrate on which the predetermined treatment has been performed under a current treatment condition and acquiring a captured image of the treated substrate; a step of calculating a deviation amount in color information between the captured image of the treated substrate and the captured image of the reference substrate; a step of calculating a correction amount of the treatment condition based on a correlation model acquired in advance and on the deviation amount in the color information; and a step of setting the treatment condition based on the correction amount, wherein steps other than the step of acquiring a captured image of the reference substrate are performed for each of the treatment apparatuses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2023
    Publication date: October 19, 2023
    Inventors: Takuya MORI, Tadashi NISHIYAMA, Akiko KIYOTOMI, Hiroshi TOMITA
  • Patent number: 11726438
    Abstract: This method includes a step of imaging, by an imaging apparatus in a substrate treatment system, a reference substrate which is a reference for condition setting and acquiring a captured image of the reference substrate; and a step of imaging, by the imaging apparatus, a treated substrate on which the predetermined treatment has been performed under a current treatment condition and acquiring a captured image of the treated substrate. A deviation amount in color information between the captured image of the treated substrate and the captured image of the reference substrate is calculated. A correction amount of the treatment condition is calculated based on a correlation model acquired in advance and on the deviation amount in the color information. Also included is a step of setting the treatment condition based on the correction amount and performing the treatment on a target substrate based on the set treatment condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Takuya Mori, Tadashi Nishiyama, Akiko Kiyotomi, Hiroshi Tomita
  • Publication number: 20230197480
    Abstract: A substrate inspection apparatus includes: a storage configured to store inspection image data obtained from a captured image of a periphery of a substrate on which a film is formed, and an inspection recipe; an edge detector configured to detect a target edge as an edge of an inspection target film on the basis of the inspection image data stored in the storage by using the inspection recipe stored in the storage; a periphery calculator configured to calculate a position of a theoretical periphery of the substrate; and a width calculator configured to calculate a width between the theoretical periphery of the substrate and the target edge on the basis of position data of the theoretical periphery of the substrate obtained by the periphery calculator and position data of the target edge obtained by the edge detector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2023
    Publication date: June 22, 2023
    Inventors: Akiko KIYOTOMI, Masato HOSAKA, Tadashi NISHIYAMA, Kazuya HISANO
  • Patent number: 11676844
    Abstract: A coating film forming apparatus includes a carry-in/out section in which a substrate is carried in and carried out; a periphery coating module configured to form a ring-shaped coating film by supplying a coating liquid along a periphery of the substrate based on a processing parameter for controlling a coating state by the coating film; an imaging module configured to image the substrate on which the ring-shaped coating film is formed; a transfer mechanism configured to transfer the substrate; and a controller configured to output a control signal to perform a process of forming the ring-shaped coating film on the substrate based on the processing parameter having different values and imaging the substrate by the imaging module, and configured to determine, based on an imaging result of the substrate, a value of the processing parameter for forming the ring-shaped coating film on the substrate in the periphery coating module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Akiko Kiyotomi, Masatoshi Kawakita
  • Patent number: 11669955
    Abstract: Defects of substrates are inspected when executing a job in which a treatment recipe for substrates and the substrates being treatment objects are designated to perform predetermined treatments on the substrates. An imaging step successively images substrates. A first determination step decomposes, in order from the substrate as head of the job, a planar distribution of pixel values in a substrate image captured at the imaging step into pixel value distribution components using a Zernike polynomial, calculates Zernike coefficients of the pixel value distribution components corresponding to defects to be detected, and determines presence or absence of a defect based on the calculated Zernike coefficients. A second determination step determines, from predetermined timing after one or more substrates is determined to have no defect at the first determination step, presence or absence of a defect based on the substrate image determined to have no defect at the first determination step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Shin Inoue, Kazuya Hisano, Akiko Kiyotomi, Tadashi Nishiyama
  • Patent number: 11609502
    Abstract: A substrate inspection apparatus includes: a storage configured to store inspection image data obtained from a captured image of a periphery of a substrate on which a plurality of films is formed, and an inspection recipe; and an edge detector configured to detect a target edge as an edge of an inspection target film among the films on the basis of the inspection image data stored in the storage by using the inspection recipe stored in the storage. Each of edges of the films extends along the periphery of the substrate. The inspection recipe is configured by combining parameters each of which has one option specified among a plurality of options.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Akiko Kiyotomi, Masato Hosaka, Tadashi Nishiyama, Kazuya Hisano
  • Patent number: 11467496
    Abstract: An apparatus includes: a coating module for applying a coating liquid to each wafer and discharging a removing liquid from a nozzle toward a beveled portion of the wafer under rotation; an imaging module; and a controller for controlling: the imaging module to image outer end and rear surfaces of the wafer; obtaining a height dimension of an outer edge of a coating film with respect to an inner edge of the beveled portion based on the imaging result; determining whether or not the obtained dimension is an allowable value; if the result is negative, resetting the number of revolutions of the wafer based on the obtained dimension and a first reference data; controlling the coating module to again perform the application and removal operations; performing the determination process; and if the result is positive, storing the reset number of revolutions in a storage part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventor: Akiko Kiyotomi
  • Patent number: 11378388
    Abstract: A substrate inspection method includes a first process of taking, while rotating a holding table where a reference substrate is held, an image of an end surface of the reference substrate; a second process of obtaining shape data on the end surface of the reference substrate by processing the image; a third process of taking, while rotating the holding table where a target substrate is held, an image of an end surface of the target substrate; a fourth process of obtaining shape data on the end surface of the target substrate by processing the image; and a fifth process of calculating a warpage amount of the target substrate by obtaining a difference between the shape data obtained in the second process and in the fourth process under a condition that a rotational position of the holding table in the first process coincides with that in the third process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Kazuya Hisano, Akiko Kiyotomi, Yasuaki Noda, Keisuke Hamamoto, Tadashi Nishiyama
  • Patent number: 11268912
    Abstract: A substrate inspection method includes: acquiring a feature amount of each of divided areas in an inspection target peripheral edge image, the inspection target peripheral edge image being an image of a peripheral portion of a target substrate as an inspection target, the divided areas being obtained by dividing a predetermined area in the image of the peripheral portion of the target substrate into a plurality of areas; and performing a predetermined determination concerning inspection of the peripheral portion of the target substrate based on an acquisition result in the acquiring the feature amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Kazuya Hisano, Akiko Kiyotomi
  • Publication number: 20210166365
    Abstract: A method for inspecting defects of substrates when executing a job in which a treatment recipe for the substrates and the substrates being treatment objects are designated to perform predetermined treatments on the substrates, includes: an imaging step of successively imaging the substrates; a first determination step of decomposing, in order from the substrate being a head of the job, a planar distribution of pixel values in a substrate image captured at the imaging step into a plurality of pixel value distribution components using a Zernike polynomial, calculating Zernike coefficients of the pixel value distribution components corresponding to defects to be detected, and determining presence or absence of a defect of the substrate based on the calculated Zernike coefficients; and a second determination step of determining, from predetermined timing after at least one substrate is determined to have no defect at the first determination step, presence or absence of a defect of the substrate being a determinat
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2019
    Publication date: June 3, 2021
    Inventors: Shin INOUE, Kazuya HISANO, Akiko KIYOTOMI, Tadashi NISHIYAMA
  • Publication number: 20210103219
    Abstract: An apparatus includes: a coating module for applying a coating liquid to each wafer and discharging a removing liquid from a nozzle toward a beveled portion of the wafer under rotation; an imaging module; and a controller for controlling: the imaging module to image outer end and rear surfaces of the wafer; obtaining a height dimension of an outer edge of a coating film with respect to an inner edge of the beveled portion based on the imaging result; determining whether or not the obtained dimension is an allowable value; if the result is negative, resetting the number of revolutions of the wafer based on the obtained dimension and a first reference data; controlling the coating module to again perform the application and removal operations; performing the determination process; and if the result is positive, storing the reset number of revolutions in a storage part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2020
    Publication date: April 8, 2021
    Inventor: Akiko KIYOTOMI
  • Patent number: 10901318
    Abstract: An apparatus includes: a coating module for applying a coating liquid to each wafer and discharging a removing liquid from a nozzle toward a beveled portion of the wafer under rotation; an imaging module; and a controller for controlling: the imaging module to image outer end and rear surfaces of the wafer; obtaining a height dimension of an outer edge of a coating film with respect to an inner edge of the beveled portion based on the imaging result; determining whether or not the obtained dimension is an allowable value; if the result is negative, resetting the number of revolutions of the wafer based on the obtained dimension and a first reference data; controlling the coating module to again perform the application and removal operations; performing the determination process; and if the result is positive, storing the reset number of revolutions in a storage part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventor: Akiko Kiyotomi
  • Publication number: 20200393803
    Abstract: This method includes: a step of imaging, by an imaging apparatus in a substrate treatment system, a reference substrate which is a reference for condition setting and acquiring a captured image of the reference substrate; a step of imaging, by the imaging apparatus, a treated substrate on which the predetermined treatment has been performed under a current treatment condition and acquiring a captured image of the treated substrate; a step of calculating a deviation amount in color information between the captured image of the treated substrate and the captured image of the reference substrate; a step of calculating a correction amount of the treatment condition based on a correlation model acquired in advance and on the deviation amount in the color information; and a step of setting the treatment condition based on the correction amount, wherein steps other than the step of acquiring a captured image of the reference substrate are performed for each of the treatment apparatuses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2018
    Publication date: December 17, 2020
    Inventors: Takuya MORI, Tadashi NISHIYAMA, Akiko KIYOTOMI, Hiroshi TOMITA
  • Publication number: 20200285156
    Abstract: A substrate inspection apparatus includes: a storage configured to store inspection image data obtained from a captured image of a periphery of a substrate on which a plurality of films is formed, and an inspection recipe; and an edge detector configured to detect a target edge as an edge of an inspection target film among the films on the basis of the inspection image data stored in the storage by using the inspection recipe stored in the storage. Each of edges of the films extends along the periphery of the substrate. The inspection recipe is configured by combining parameters each of which has one option specified among a plurality of options.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Publication date: September 10, 2020
    Inventors: Akiko Kiyotomi, Masato Hosaka, Tadashi Nishiyama, Kazuya Hisano
  • Publication number: 20200257201
    Abstract: An apparatus includes: a coating module for applying a coating liquid to each wafer and discharging a removing liquid from a nozzle toward a beveled portion of the wafer under rotation; an imaging module; and a controller for controlling: the imaging module to image outer end and rear surfaces of the wafer; obtaining a height dimension of an outer edge of a coating film with respect to an inner edge of the beveled portion based on the imaging result; determining whether or not the obtained dimension is an allowable value; if the result is negative, resetting the number of revolutions of the wafer based on the obtained dimension and a first reference data; controlling the coating module to again perform the application and removal operations; performing the determination process; and if the result is positive, storing the reset number of revolutions in a storage part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2020
    Publication date: August 13, 2020
    Inventor: Akiko KIYOTOMI
  • Patent number: 10670966
    Abstract: An apparatus includes: a coating module for applying a coating liquid to each wafer and discharging a removing liquid from a nozzle toward a beveled portion of the wafer under rotation; an imaging module; and a controller for controlling: the imaging module to image outer end and rear surfaces of the wafer; obtaining a height dimension of an outer edge of a coating film with respect to an inner edge of the beveled portion based on the imaging result; determining whether or not the obtained dimension is an allowable value; if the result is negative, resetting the number of revolutions of the wafer based on the obtained dimension and a first reference data; controlling the coating module to again perform the application and removal operations; performing the determination process; and if the result is positive, storing the reset number of revolutions in a storage part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventor: Akiko Kiyotomi
  • Publication number: 20200096321
    Abstract: A substrate inspection method includes a first process of taking, while rotating a holding table where a reference substrate is held, an image of an end surface of the reference substrate; a second process of obtaining shape data on the end surface of the reference substrate by processing the image; a third process of taking, while rotating the holding table where a target substrate is held, an image of an end surface of the target substrate; a fourth process of obtaining shape data on the end surface of the target substrate by processing the image; and a fifth process of calculating a warpage amount of the target substrate by obtaining a difference between the shape data obtained in the second process and in the fourth process under a condition that a rotational position of the holding table in the first process coincides with that in the third process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2019
    Publication date: March 26, 2020
    Inventors: Kazuya Hisano, Akiko Kiyotomi, Yasuaki Noda, Keisuke Hamamoto, Tadashi Nishiyama
  • Publication number: 20200025692
    Abstract: A substrate inspection method includes: acquiring a feature amount of each of divided areas in an inspection target peripheral edge image, the inspection target peripheral edge image being an image of a peripheral portion of a target substrate as an inspection target, the divided areas being obtained by dividing a predetermined area in the image of the peripheral portion of the target substrate into a plurality of areas; and performing a predetermined determination concerning inspection of the peripheral portion of the target substrate based on an acquisition result in the acquiring the feature amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2019
    Publication date: January 23, 2020
    Inventors: Kazuya HISANO, Akiko KIYOTOMI