Patents by Inventor Akio Machida

Akio Machida 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: 20100051830
    Abstract: A semiconductor processing apparatus includes: a stage on which a substrate having a semiconductor film to be processed is to be mounted; a supply section that supplies a plurality of energy beams onto the semiconductor film mounted on the stage in such a way that irradiation points of the energy beams are aligned at given intervals; and a control section that moves the plurality of energy beams and the substrate relative to each other in a direction not in parallel to alignment of the irradiation points of the plurality of energy beams supplied by the supply section, and scans the semiconductor film with the irradiation points of the plurality of energy beams in parallel to thereby control a heat treatment on the semiconductor film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2009
    Publication date: March 4, 2010
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akio Machida, Toshio Fujino, Tadahiro Kono, Katsuji Takagi, Shinsuke Haga
  • Patent number: 7651928
    Abstract: A method for crystallizing a semiconductor thin film is provided. The method includes continuously irradiating an energy beam on a semiconductor thin film while scanning at a given speed. The energy beam is scanned in parallel lines while keeping pitches of not larger than an irradiation radius of the energy beam to grow band-shaped crystal grains in a direction different from a scanning direction of the energy beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Toshio Fujino, Akio Machida, Tadahiro Kono
  • Patent number: 7598160
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing thin film semiconductor device is provided. The semiconductor thin film includes a semiconductor thin film and a gate electrode and has an active region turned into a polycrystalline region through irradiation with an energy beam. The gate electrode is provided to traverse the active region. In a channel part that is the active region overlapping with the gate electrode, a crystalline state is changed cyclically in a channel length direction, and areas each having a substantially same crystalline state traverse the channel part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2009
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Akio Machida, Toshio Fujino, Tadahiro Kono
  • Publication number: 20090146535
    Abstract: A piezoelectric transformer includes: a piezoelectric transducer on whose outer surface an electrode is formed; a case housing the piezoelectric transducer; a terminal disposed to face the electrode; an elastic member in contact with both the electrode and the terminal in the case and having conductivity to bring the electrode and the terminal into mutual continuity; and a folder formed in the case and fixedly holding the elastic member to press-fit the elastic member between the electrode and the terminal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2008
    Publication date: June 11, 2009
    Applicant: TAMURA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akio MACHIDA, Ryo Nakagawa, Yasuhide Matsuo
  • Patent number: 7541615
    Abstract: A display including a driving substrate is provided. Arrayed on the driving substrate is a plurality of pixel electrodes and thin film transistors for driving the pixel electrodes. Each thin film transistor includes a semiconductor thin film having an active region made to be polycrystalline by irradiation with an energy beam, and a gate electrode provided so as to cross the active region. In a channel part of the active region overlapping with the gate electrode, the crystal state is varied periodically along the channel length direction, and substantially the same crystal state crosses the channel part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Toshio Fujino, Akio Machida, Tadahiro Kono
  • Patent number: 7538014
    Abstract: Disclosed are a method of producing a crystalline semiconductor material capable of improving the crystallinity and a method of fabricating a semiconductor device using the crystalline semiconductor material. An amorphous film is uniformly irradiated with a pulse laser beam (energy beam) emitted from an XeCl excimer laser by 150 times so as to heat the amorphous film at such a temperature as to partially melt crystal grains having the {100} orientations with respect to the vertical direction of a substrate and melt amorphous film or crystal grains having face orientations other than the {100} orientations. Silicon crystals having the {100} orientations newly occur between a silicon oxide film and liquid-phase silicon and are bonded to each other at random, to newly form crystal grains having the {100} orientations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2009
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Dharam Pal Gosain, Akio Machida, Kazushi Nakano, Toshio Fujino, Junichi Sato
  • Patent number: 7521712
    Abstract: A thin film semiconductor device is provided that includes a semiconductor thin film and a gate electrode. The semiconductor thin film has an active region turned into a polycrystalline region through irradiation with an energy beam. The gate electrode is provided to traverse the active region. In a channel part that is the active region overlapping with the gate electrode, a crystalline state is changed cyclically in a channel length direction, and areas each having a substantially same crystalline state traverse the channel part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Akio Machida, Toshio Fujino, Tadahiro Kono
  • Patent number: 7435668
    Abstract: A solution containing impurity ions is applied onto the surface of a silicon film to form a solution layer, followed by drying into a compound layer containing the impurities. Heat treatment is performed by irradiation with an energy beam so as to diffuse the impurity atoms in the compound layer toward the silicon film into a source region and a drain region. Subsequently, the compound layer is removed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2008
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Akio Machida, Takahiro Kamei, Yoshiyuki Kawana
  • Publication number: 20080241981
    Abstract: A thin film semiconductor device is provided that includes a semiconductor thin film and a gate electrode. The semiconductor thin film has an active region turned into a polycrystalline region through irradiation with an energy beam. The gate electrode is provided to traverse the active region. In a channel part that is the active region overlapping with the gate electrode, a crystalline state is changed cyclically in a channel length direction, and areas each having a substantially same crystalline state traverse the channel part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2008
    Publication date: October 2, 2008
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akio Machida, Toshio Fujino, Tadahiro Kono
  • Publication number: 20080237711
    Abstract: A manufacturing method of a thin-film semiconductor apparatus and a thin-film semiconductor apparatus, in which a semiconductor thin film is spot-irradiated with an energy beam in the presence of n-type or p-type impurity to form a shallow diffusion layer in which the impurity is diffused only in a surface layer of the semiconductor thin film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2007
    Publication date: October 2, 2008
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akio Machida, Toshio Fujino, Tadahiro Kono
  • Publication number: 20080054266
    Abstract: A thin film semiconductor device is provided. The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor thin film configured to have an active region turned into a polycrystalline region through irradiation with an energy beam, and a gate electrode configured to be provided to traverse the active region. Successive crystal grain boundaries extend along the gate electrode in a channel part that is the active region overlapping with the gate electrode, and the crystal grain boundaries traverse the channel part and are provided cyclically in a channel length direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2007
    Publication date: March 6, 2008
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akio Machida, Toshio Fujino, Tadahiro Kono
  • Patent number: 7335539
    Abstract: A method for making a thin-film semiconductor device includes an annealing step of irradiating an amorphous semiconductor thin film with a laser beam so as to crystallize the amorphous semiconductor thin film. In the annealing step, the semiconductor thin film is continuously irradiated with the laser beam while shifting the position of the semiconductor thin film irradiated with the laser beam at a predetermined velocity so that excess hydrogen can be removed from the region irradiated with the laser beam without evaporating and expanding hydrogen ions in the semiconductor thin film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2008
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Akio Machida, Hirotaka Akao, Takahiro Kamei, Isamu Nakao
  • Publication number: 20070298550
    Abstract: A method for making a thin-film semiconductor device includes an annealing step of irradiating an amorphous semiconductor thin film with a laser beam so as to crystallize the amorphous semiconductor thin film. In the annealing step, the semiconductor thin film is continuously irradiated with the laser beam while shifting the position of the semiconductor thin film irradiated with the laser beam at a predetermined velocity so that excess hydrogen can be removed from the region irradiated with the laser beam without evaporating and expanding hydrogen ions in the semiconductor thin film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2007
    Publication date: December 27, 2007
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Akio Machida, Hirotaka Akao, Takahiro Kamei, Isamu Nakao
  • Publication number: 20070290209
    Abstract: A display including a driving substrate is provided. Arrayed on the driving substrate is a plurality of pixel electrodes and thin film transistors for driving the pixel electrodes. Each thin film transistor includes a semiconductor thin film having an active region made to be polycrystalline by irradiation with an energy beam, and a gate electrode provided so as to cross the active region. In a channel part of the active region overlapping with the gate electrode, the crystal state is varied periodically along the channel length direction, and substantially the same crystal state crosses the channel part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2007
    Publication date: December 20, 2007
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshio Fujino, Akio Machida, Tadahiro Kono
  • Patent number: 7273774
    Abstract: A method for making a thin-film semiconductor device includes an annealing step of irradiating an amorphous semiconductor thin film with a laser beam so as to crystallize the amorphous semiconductor thin film. In the annealing step, the semiconductor thin film is continuously irradiated with the laser beam while shifting the position of the semiconductor thin film irradiated with the laser beam at a predetermined velocity so that excess hydrogen can be removed from the region irradiated with the laser beam without evaporating and expanding hydrogen ions in the semiconductor thin film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2007
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Akio Machida, Hirotaka Akao, Takahiro Kamei, Isamu Nakao
  • Publication number: 20070212858
    Abstract: A method for crystallizing a semiconductor thin film is provided. The method includes continuously irradiating an energy beam on a semiconductor thin film while scanning at a given speed. The energy beam is scanned in parallel lines while keeping pitches of not larger than an irradiation radius of the energy beam to grow band-shaped crystal grains in a direction different from a scanning direction of the energy beam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2007
    Publication date: September 13, 2007
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshio Fujino, Akio Machida, Tadahiro Kono
  • Publication number: 20070212860
    Abstract: A method for crystallizing a semiconductor thin film is provided. The method includes continuously irradiating an energy beam on a semiconductor thin film while scanning at a given speed, wherein the semiconductor thin film is completely melted and the irradiation conditions of the energy beam are so set that the semiconductor thin film at a central position of the energy beam is finally crystallized in association with the scanning with the energy beam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2007
    Publication date: September 13, 2007
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshio Fujino, Akio Machida, Tadahiro Kono
  • Publication number: 20070212825
    Abstract: A thin film semiconductor device is provided that includes a semiconductor thin film and a gate electrode. The semiconductor thin film has an active region turned into a polycrystalline region through irradiation with an energy beam. The gate electrode is provided to traverse the active region. In a channel part that is the active region overlapping with the gate electrode, a crystalline state is changed cyclically in a channel length direction, and areas each having a substantially same crystalline state traverse the channel part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2007
    Publication date: September 13, 2007
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akio Machida, Toshio Fujino, Tadahiro Kono
  • Patent number: 7199303
    Abstract: An optical energy conversion apparatus 10 includes a first impurity doped semiconductor layer 5, formed on a substrate, and which is of a semiconductor material admixed with a first impurity, an optically active layer 6, formed on the first impurity doped semiconductor layer 5, and which is of a hydrogen-containing amorphous semiconductor material, and a second impurity doped semiconductor layer 7, admixed with a second impurity and formed on the optically active semiconductor layer 6. The second impurity doped semiconductor layer is of a polycrystallized semiconductor material lower in hydrogen concentration than the material of the optically active semiconductor layer 6. The average crystal grain size in the depth-wise direction in an interfacing structure between the optically active semiconductor layer 6 and the second impurity doped semiconductor layer 7 is decreased stepwise in a direction proceeding from the surface of the second impurity doped semiconductor layer towards the substrate 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2007
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Akio Machida, Setsuo Usui, Kazumasa Nomoto
  • Patent number: D605114
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2009
    Assignee: Tamura Corporation
    Inventors: Akio Machida, Ryo Nakagawa, Yasuhide Matsuo