Patents by Inventor Akira Owatari
Akira Owatari 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).
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Publication number: 20080138508Abstract: A substrate processing method is useful for forming, by electroless plating, a protective film, such as a magnetic film, which covers exposed surfaces of embedded interconnects composed of an interconnect material, such as copper or silver, embedded in fine interconnect recesses provided in a surface of a substrate. The substrate processing method includes bringing a surface of a substrate into contact with a processing solution whose temperature is adjusted to not more than 15° C., thereby activating the surface, and bringing the activated surface of the substrate into contact with a plating solution, thereby forming a metal film on the surface.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 6, 2006Publication date: June 12, 2008Inventors: Daisuke Takagi, Xinming Wang, Akira Owatari, Masanori Ishizaka, Akira Fukunaga
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Publication number: 20080067679Abstract: A semiconductor device has interconnects protected with an alloy film having a minimum thickness necessary for producing the effect of preventing diffusion of oxygen, copper, etc., formed more uniformly over an entire surface of a substrate with less dependency to the interconnect pattern of the substrate. The semiconductor device includes, embedded interconnects, formed by filling an interconnect material into interconnect recesses formed in an electric insulator on a substrate, and an alloy film, containing 1 to 9 atomic % of tungsten or molybdenum and 3 to 12 atomic % of phosphorus or boron, formed by electroless plating on at least part of the embedded interconnects.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 22, 2005Publication date: March 20, 2008Inventors: Daisuke Takagi, Xinming Wang, Akira Owatari, Akira Fukunaga, Akihiko Tashiro
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Publication number: 20080000776Abstract: A substrate processing method can securely form a metal film by electroless plating on an exposed surface of a base metal, such as interconnects, with increased throughput and without the formation of voids in the base metal. The substrate processing method includes: cleaning a surface of a substrate having a base metal formed in the surface with a cleaning solution comprising an aqueous solution of a carboxyl group-containing organic acid or its salt and a surfactant as an additive; bringing the surface of the substrate after the cleaning into contact with a processing solution comprising a mixture of the cleaning solution and a solution containing a catalyst metal ion, thereby applying the catalyst to the surface of the substrate; and forming a metal film by electroless plating on the catalyst-applied surface of the substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 29, 2007Publication date: January 3, 2008Inventors: Xinming Wang, Daisuke Takagi, Akihiko Tashiro, Yukio Fukunaga, Akira Fukunaga, Akira Owatari, Yukiko Nishioka
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Patent number: 7285492Abstract: A substrate processing method can securely form a metal film by electroless plating on an exposed surface of a base metal, such as interconnects, with increased throughput and without the formation of voids in the base metal. The substrate processing method includes: cleaning a surface of a substrate having a base metal formed in the surface with a cleaning solution comprising an aqueous solution of a carboxyl group-containing organic acid or its salt and a surfactant as an additive; bringing the surface of the substrate after the cleaning into contact with a processing solution comprising a mixture of the cleaning solution and a solution containing a catalyst metal ion, thereby applying the catalyst to the surface of the substrate; and forming a metal film by electroless plating on the catalyst-applied surface of the substrate.Type: GrantFiled: January 24, 2005Date of Patent: October 23, 2007Assignee: Ebara CorporationInventors: Xinming Wang, Daisuke Takagi, Akihiko Tashiro, Yukio Fukunaga, Akira Fukunaga, Akira Owatari, Yukiko Nishioka, Tsuyoshi Sahoda
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Publication number: 20070224811Abstract: A substrate processing method can completely remove a corrosion inhibitor and/or a metal complex from a surface of a substrate prior to catalyst application processing and/or electroless plating, and can form a protective film having a uniform thickness on the surface of interconnects. The substrate processing method includes preparing a substrate having metal interconnects formed in an electric insulator, carrying out pre-processing of the substrate by bringing a cleaning member into contact with the front surface or both surfaces of the substrate in a wet state and moving them relative to each other while supplying a pre-processing liquid to the front surface or both surfaces of the substrate, and then forming a protective film selectively on surfaces of the metal interconnects by bringing the front surface of the substrate into contact with an electroless plating solution.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 15, 2007Publication date: September 27, 2007Inventors: Xinming Wang, Akira Owatari, Haruko Ono, Tomoatsu Ishibashi, Daisuke Takagi
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Publication number: 20070092658Abstract: An electroless plating apparatus can form a protective film on exposed surfaces of embedded interconnects stably with good selectivity for thereby protecting the interconnects. The electroless plating apparatus includes a magnetic removal portion for magnetically removing small magnetic suspended solids in an electroless plating solution which have not been removed by a filter.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 25, 2006Publication date: April 26, 2007Inventors: Akira Owatari, Yasuhiko Saijo, Junichiro Tsujino
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Publication number: 20060243204Abstract: The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus useful for plating a substrate or processing a substrate by dipping a substrate in a processing liquid. A substrate processing apparatus of the present invention includes: a loading/unloading area for carrying in and out a substrate; a cleaning area for cleaning the substrate; and a plating area for plating the substrate. The loading/unloading area is provided with a substrate transfer robot having a plurality of hands of dry-use design, a loading port mounted with a cassette for housing substrates, and a reversing machine of dry-use design for reversing the substrate from face up to face down.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 19, 2006Publication date: November 2, 2006Inventors: Seiji Katsuoka, Masahiko Sekimoto, Toshio Yokoyama, Teruyuki Watanabe, Takahiro Ogawa, Kenichi Kobayashi, Mitsuru Miyazaki, Yasuyuki Motoshima, Akira Owatari, Naoki Dai
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Publication number: 20060243205Abstract: The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus useful for plating a substrate or processing a substrate by dipping a substrate in a processing liquid. A substrate processing apparatus of the present invention includes: a loading/unloading area for carrying in and out a substrate; a cleaning area for cleaning the substrate; and a plating area for plating the substrate. The loading/unloading area is provided with a substrate transfer robot having a plurality of hands of dry-use design, a loading port mounted with a cassette for housing substrates, and a reversing machine of dry-use design for reversing the substrate from face up to face down.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 20, 2006Publication date: November 2, 2006Inventors: Seiji Katsuoka, Masahiko Sekimoto, Toshio Yokoyama, Teruyuki Watanabe, Takahiro Ogawa, Kenichi Kobayashi, Mitsuru Miyazaki, Yasuyuki Motoshima, Akira Owatari, Naoki Daj
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Publication number: 20060236929Abstract: The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus useful for plating a substrate or processing a substrate by dipping a substrate in a processing liquid. A substrate processing apparatus of the present invention includes: a loading/unloading area for carrying in and out a substrate; a cleaning area for cleaning the substrate; and a plating area for plating the substrate. The loading/unloading area is provided with a substrate transfer robot having a plurality of hands of dry-use design, a loading port mounted with a cassette for housing substrates, and a reversing machine of dry-use design for reversing the substrate from face up to face down.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 20, 2006Publication date: October 26, 2006Inventors: Seiji Katsuoka, Masahiko Sekimoto, Toshio Yokoyama, Teruyuki Watanabe, Takahiro Ogawa, Kenichi Kobayashi, Mitsuru Miyazaki, Yasuyuki Motoshima, Akira Owatari, Naoki Dai
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Patent number: 7087117Abstract: The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus useful for plating a substrate or processing a substrate by dipping a substrate in a processing liquid. A substrate processing apparatus of the present invention includes: a loading/unloading area for carrying in and out a substrate; a cleaning area for cleaning the substrate; and a plating area for plating the substrate. The loading/unloading area is provided with a substrate transfer robot having a plurality of hands of dry-use design, a loading port mounted with a cassette for housing substrates, and a reversing machine of dry-use design for reversing the substrate from face up to face down.Type: GrantFiled: November 14, 2003Date of Patent: August 8, 2006Assignee: Ebara CorporationInventors: Seiji Katsuoka, Masahiko Sekimoto, Toshio Yokoyama, Teruyuki Watanabe, Takahiro Ogawa, Kenichi Kobayashi, Mitsuru Miyazaki, Yasuyuki Motoshima, Akira Owatari, Naoki Dai
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Publication number: 20060057839Abstract: A metal film-forming method of the present invention can form a metal film having different film qualities in the thickness direction, in a continuous manner using a single processing solution. The metal film-forming method including: providing a substrate having embedded interconnects formed in interconnect recesses provided in a surface of the substrate; and forming a metal film, having different film qualities in the thickness direction, on surfaces of the interconnects in a continuous manner by changing the flow state of a processing solution relative to the surface of the substrate while keeping the surface of the substrate in contact with the processing solution.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 7, 2005Publication date: March 16, 2006Inventors: Xinming Wang, Daisuke Takagi, Akihiko Tashiro, Yukio Fukunaga, Akira Fukunaga, Akira Owatari
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Publication number: 20050245080Abstract: A substrate processing method can securely form a metal film by electroless plating on an exposed surface of a base metal, such as interconnects, with increased throughput and without the formation of voids in the base metal. The substrate processing method includes: cleaning a surface of a substrate having a base metal formed in the surface with a cleaning solution comprising an aqueous solution of a carboxyl group-containing organic acid or its salt and a surfactant as an additive; bringing the surface of the substrate after the cleaning into contact with a processing solution comprising a mixture of the cleaning solution and a solution containing a catalyst metal ion, thereby applying the catalyst to the surface of the substrate; and forming a metal film by electroless plating on the catalyst-applied surface of the substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 24, 2005Publication date: November 3, 2005Inventors: Xinming Wang, Daisuke Takagi, Akihiko Tashiro, Yukio Fukunaga, Akira Fukunaga, Akira Owatari, Yukiko Nishioka, Tsuyoshi Sahoda
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Publication number: 20050208774Abstract: A substrate wet-processing method can carry out uniform chemical processing of the surface of a substrate while easily preventing a gas from remaining on the surface of the substrate and preventing difference in the concentration and the temperature of a chemical solution between the end portion and the central portion of the substrate. The substrate wet-processing method includes: providing an acidic solution whose concentration is previously adjusted within a predetermined concentration range; continuously spraying the acidic solution having the adjusted concentration toward a substrate at a predetermined pressure to bring it into contact with a surface of the substrate; and then forming a film of an insulating material, a metal or an alloy on the exposed surface of a metal formed in the surface of the substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 6, 2005Publication date: September 22, 2005Inventors: Akira Fukunaga, Akira Owatari, Masahiko Sekimoto, Xinming Wang
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Publication number: 20050072358Abstract: The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus useful for plating a substrate or processing a substrate by dipping a substrate in a processing liquid. A substrate processing apparatus of the present invention includes: a loading/unloading area for carrying in and out a substrate; a cleaning area for cleaning the substrate; and a plating area for plating the substrate, wherein the loading/unloading area is provided with a substrate transfer robot having a plurality of hands of dry-use design, a loading port mounted with a cassette for housing substrates, and a reversing machine of dry-use design for reversing the substrate from face up to face down.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 14, 2003Publication date: April 7, 2005Inventors: Seiji Katsuoka, Masahiko Sekimoto, Toshio Yokoyama, Teruyuki Watanabe, Takahiro Ogawa, Kenichi Kobayashi, Mitsuru Miyazaki, Yasuyuki Motoshima, Akira Owatari, Naoki Dai
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Publication number: 20050022909Abstract: There is provided a substrate processing method which is capable of lowering the initial cost and the running cost of an apparatus, does not require a wide installation space, does not degrade electrical characteristics such as an interconnect resistance and a leakage current, and is capable of efficiently forming a high-quality alloy film on the surface of a metal region. The substrate processing method including; preparing a substrate having a metal region on a surface thereof, performing a pre-plating treatment by bringing a pretreatment liquid into contact with the surface of the substrate to modify the entire surface thereof, removing the pretreatment liquid remaining on the surface of the substrate in a rinsing treatment, performing an electroless plating process on the surface of the substrate to selectively form an alloy film on the surface of the metal region, and post-cleaning the substrate after the electroless plating process and drying the substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 19, 2004Publication date: February 3, 2005Inventors: Xinming Wang, Daisuke Takagi, Akihiko Tashiro, Akira Fukunaga, Akira Owatari
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Patent number: 6824613Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus can efficiently form, e.g. by electroless plating, an interconnects-protective layer on the surface of a substrate at a low initial cost for the apparatus and a low running cost without the need for a wide installation space. The substrate processing apparatus includes a loading/unloading and cleaning area accommodating a first transfer robot which has a hand adapted for handling a dry substrate and a hand adapted for handling a wet substrate, a loading port which loads a substrate cassette that houses a substrate, and a cleaning unit for cleaning a substrate. A plating treatment area accommodates a second transfer robot which has a back surface-attracting type of hand provided with a reversing mechanism, a pretreatment unit for carrying out pretreatment of a substrate before plating, and a plating treatment unit for carrying out plating treatment of the substrate.Type: GrantFiled: May 30, 2002Date of Patent: November 30, 2004Assignee: Ebara CorporationInventors: Naoki Dai, Masaya Seki, Akihiro Yazawa, Toshio Yokoyama, Akira Owatari
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Publication number: 20030221612Abstract: There is provided a substrate processing apparatus which can efficiently form, e.g. by electroless plating, an interconnects-protective layer on the surface of a substrate at a low initial cost for apparatus and a low running cost without the need for a wide installation space.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 30, 2002Publication date: December 4, 2003Inventors: Naoki Dai, Masaya Seki, Akihiro Yazawa, Toshio Yokoyama, Akira Owatari