Patents by Inventor Akira Watabe

Akira Watabe 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).

  • Patent number: 9099281
    Abstract: Disclosed is a charged particle radiation apparatus capable of capturing a change in a sample due to gaseous atmosphere, light irradiation, heating or the like without exposing the sample to atmosphere. The present invention relates to a sample holder provided with a sample stage that is rotatable around a rotation axis perpendicular to an electron beam irradiation direction, the sample holder being capable of forming an airtight chamber around the sample stage. A sample is allowed to chemically react in any atmosphere, and three-dimensional analysis on the reaction is enabled. A sample liable to change in atmosphere can be three-dimensionally analyzed without exposing the sample to the atmosphere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Toshie Yaguchi, Yasuhira Nagakubo, Junzo Azuma, Akira Watabe
  • Patent number: 8878144
    Abstract: The electron beam apparatus sample holding means has a diaphragm which is placed on upper and lower sides of a sample to form a cell for separating a gas atmosphere and a vacuum atmosphere of a sample chamber and sealing an ambient atmosphere of the sample; a gas supply means for supplying gas to an inside of the cell; and exhaust means for exhausting gas. The exhaust means includes a gas exhaust pipe provided in the inside of the cell and an openable/closable exhaust hole provided in a sidewall of the sample holding means so as to pass through the cell. The diaphragm is an amorphous film made of light elements which can transmit an electron beam, such as carbon films, oxide films, and nitride films.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Toshie Yaguchi, Yasuhira Nagakubo, Akira Watabe
  • Patent number: 8835847
    Abstract: A sample holding apparatus for electron microscope includes: a sample holding assembly including an assembly of three components of an upper diaphragm holding part, a sample holding plate and a lower diaphragm holding part; and a holding part that holds the sample holding assembly replaceably. The sample holding assembly includes a cell defined between a diaphragm of the upper diaphragm holding part and a diaphragm of the lower diaphragm holding part, and a flow channel connected to the cell, in which a sample mounted at a protrusion of the sample holding plate is placed. The diaphragm of the upper diaphragm holding part, the sample and the diaphragm of the lower diaphragm holding part are disposed along an optical axis of an electron beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Toshie Yaguchi, Akira Watabe, Yusuke Ominami
  • Publication number: 20140042318
    Abstract: A sample holding apparatus for electron microscope includes: a sample holding assembly including an assembly of three components of an upper diaphragm holding part, a sample holding plate and a lower diaphragm holding part; and a holding part that holds the sample holding assembly replaceably. The sample holding assembly includes a cell defined between a diaphragm of the upper diaphragm holding part and a diaphragm of the lower diaphragm holding part, and a flow channel connected to the cell, in which a sample mounted at a protrusion of the sample holding plate is placed. The diaphragm of the upper diaphragm holding part, the sample and the diaphragm of the lower diaphragm holding part are disposed along an optical axis of an electron beam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2012
    Publication date: February 13, 2014
    Applicant: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshie Yaguchi, Akira Watabe, Yusuke Ominami
  • Patent number: 8604429
    Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide an electron beam device and a sample holding device for the electron beam device that can observe the reaction between a sample and a gas at high resolution while a gas atmosphere is maintained even by using thin diaphragms. To solve one of the problems described above, in an electron beam device having the function of separately exhausting an electron beam irradiation portion of an optical column, a sample chamber and an observation chamber, a gas supply means for supplying a gas to a sample and an exhaust means for exhausting a gas are provided to sample holding means, diaphragms are disposed above and below the sample to separate the gas atmosphere and vacuum of the sample chamber and to constitute a cell sealing the atmosphere around the sample, and a mechanism for spraying a gas is provided to the outside of the diaphragms. The gas sprayed outside the diaphragms has low electron beam scattering performance such as hydrogen, oxygen or nitrogen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Toshie Yaguchi, Yasuhira Nagakubo, Takeo Kamino, Akira Watabe
  • Publication number: 20120305769
    Abstract: The electron beam apparatus sample holding means has a diaphragm which is placed on upper and lower sides of a sample to form a cell for separating a gas atmosphere and a vacuum atmosphere of a sample chamber and sealing an ambient atmosphere of the sample; a gas supply means for supplying gas to an inside of the cell; and exhaust means for exhausting gas. The exhaust means includes a gas exhaust pipe provided in the inside of the cell and an openable/closable exhaust hole provided in a sidewall of the sample holding means so as to pass through the cell. The diaphragm is an amorphous film made of light elements which can transmit an electron beam, such as carbon films, oxide films, and nitride films.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2010
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Applicant: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshie Yaguchi, Yasuhira Nagakubo, Akira Watabe
  • Publication number: 20120212583
    Abstract: Disclosed is a charged particle radiation apparatus capable of capturing a change in a sample due to gaseous atmosphere, light irradiation, heating or the like without exposing the sample to atmosphere. The present invention relates to a sample holder provided with a sample stage that is rotatable around a rotation axis perpendicular to an electron beam irradiation direction, the sample holder being capable of forming an airtight chamber around the sample stage. A sample is allowed to chemically react in any atmosphere, and three-dimensional analysis on the reaction is enabled. A sample liable to change in atmosphere can be three-dimensionally analyzed without exposing the sample to the atmosphere.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2010
    Publication date: August 23, 2012
    Applicant: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Toshie Yaguchi, Yasuhira Nagakubo, Junzo Azuma, Akira Watabe
  • Publication number: 20110303845
    Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide an electron beam device and a sample holding device for the electron beam device that can observe the reaction between a sample and a gas at high resolution while a gas atmosphere is maintained even by using thin diaphragms. To solve one of the problems described above, in an electron beam device having the function of separately exhausting an electron beam irradiation portion of an optical column, a sample chamber and an observation chamber, a gas supply means for supplying a gas to a sample and an exhaust means for exhausting a gas are provided to sample holding means, diaphragms are disposed above and below the sample to separate the gas atmosphere and vacuum of the sample chamber and to constitute a cell sealing the atmosphere around the sample, and a mechanism for spraying a gas is provided to the outside of the diaphragms. The gas sprayed outside the diaphragms has low electron beam scattering performance such as hydrogen, oxygen or nitrogen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2010
    Publication date: December 15, 2011
    Inventors: Toshie Yaguchi, Yasuhira Nagakubo, Takeo Kamino, Akira Watabe
  • Patent number: 4677959
    Abstract: Air intake side secondary air supply system for an internal combustion engine includes first and second secondary air supply passages leading to an intake manifold in which an open/close valve and an air control valve are respectively provided for a proportional control and an integral control of secondary air. In order to improve a driveability of the engine during a transition period from a feedback control mode to an open loop control mode, pressure control device for controlling a supply of first and second control pressures respectively for opening and closing the air control valve is constructed to rapidly supply the second control pressure when a state of engine operation in which the feedback control mode is to be stopped is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 1986
    Date of Patent: July 7, 1987
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Norio Suzuki, Akira Watabe, Kazunari Yamashita
  • Patent number: 4660533
    Abstract: Air intake side secondary air supply system for an internal combustion engine includes first and second secondary air supply passages leading to an intake manifold in which an open/close valve and an air control valve are respectively provided for a proportional control and an integral control of secondary air. In order to improve a driveability of the engine when no load is applied to the engine when the engine temperature is low, the air control valve is supplied with a pressure for rapidly closing the second air intake side secondary air supply passage so as to stop at least the integral control of the feedback control of air/fuel ratio immediately when a no-load condition is detected during a cold operation of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 1986
    Date of Patent: April 28, 1987
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akira Watabe, Norio Tomobe, Hideo Kobayashi