Patents by Inventor Atsushi Yamagami
Atsushi Yamagami 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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Patent number: 6558507Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus has a substrate holder, arranged in a vessel which can be reduced in pressure, for placing a substrate to be processed there on, a process gas fed into the reaction vessel, and a cathode electrode for supplying a high-frequency wave power from a high-frequency wave power source to an interior of the reaction vessel through a matching circuit, and is characterized in that at least a part of the reaction vessel is constituted by a dielectric member, and the cathode electrode is arranged outside the reaction vessel, so that a plasma distribution in the reaction vessel is made uniform and a uniform plasma process for a substrate to be processed is made possible. The plasma process includes CVD, sputtering, etching or ashing.Type: GrantFiled: September 18, 2000Date of Patent: May 6, 2003Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Koji Teranishi, Atsushi Yamagami, Satoshi Takaki
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Patent number: 6435130Abstract: A plasma CVD apparatus comprising a substantially enclosed reaction chamber containing substrate holding means and a cathode electrode arranged therein, wherein a high frequency power from a high frequency power source is supplied to said cathode electrode to generate plasma between said substrate holding means having a subtrate positioned thereon and said cathode electrode whereby plasma-processing said substrate, characterized in that said cathode electrode comprises a plurality of conductor members situated on substantially the same axis which are capacitively coupled by a dielectric member. A plasma-processing method using said cathode electrode.Type: GrantFiled: August 22, 1997Date of Patent: August 20, 2002Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Satoshi Takaki, Yoshio Segi, Atsushi Yamagami, Hiroyuki Katagiri, Hitoshi Murayama, Yasuyoshi Takai
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Patent number: 6291029Abstract: To improve the processing rate and uniformity in a plasma processing for a substrate having a relatively large area, a plasma processing apparatus includes a reaction vessel which has a portion made of a dielectric member, which accommodates a film formation substrate, and which can be evacuated, an evacuating means and a gas supply means for supplying a predetermined gas into the reaction vessel, a cathode electrode arranged in a position outside the reaction vessel where the cathode electrode opposes the film formation substrate accommodated in the reaction vessel via the dielectric member, and a high frequency power supply means (a matching circuit and a high frequency power supply) for supplying high frequency power of 30 MHz to 300 MHz to the cathode electrode. The high frequency power of 30 MHz to 300 MHz is supplied to the cathode electrode to generate a plasma between the dielectric member and the film formation substrate.Type: GrantFiled: August 5, 1999Date of Patent: September 18, 2001Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Satoshi Takaki, Atsushi Yamagami, Nobuyuki Okamura
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Patent number: 6152071Abstract: A high frequency introducing means is provided which comprises a high frequency electrode having a shape of a bar or plate for generating plasma by high frequency power, and an adjustment mechanism for adjusting an absolute value of reactance between an end of the electrode opposite to a high frequency power introducing point of the electrode and a grounded portion. A plasma treatment apparatus and a plasma treatment method are also provided employing the above high frequency introducing means. A deposition film of high quality is formed stably and efficiently in an extremely uniform thickness and an extremely uniform quality at a high speed on a base member of a large area by adjusting the absolute value of the reactance.Type: GrantFiled: December 10, 1997Date of Patent: November 28, 2000Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kazuyoshi Akiyama, Atsushi Yamagami, Satoshi Takaki, Koji Teranishi
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Patent number: 6145469Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus has a substrate holder, arranged in a reaction vessel which can be reduced in pressure, for placing a substrate to be processed thereon, means for feeding a process gas into the reaction vessel, and a cathode electrode for supplying a high-frequency wave power from a high-frequency wave power source to an interior of the reaction vessel through a matching circuit, and is characterized in that at least a part of the reaction vessel is constituted by a dielectric member, and the cathode electrode is arranged outside the reaction vessel, so that a plasma distribution in the reaction vessel is made uniform, and a uniform plasma process for a substrate to be processed is made possible. The plasma process includes CVD, sputtering, etching or ashing.Type: GrantFiled: May 9, 1997Date of Patent: November 14, 2000Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Koji Teranishi, Atsushi Yamagami, Satoshi Takaki
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Patent number: 6076481Abstract: One or more mismatching portions in which a characteristic impedance of a high frequency transmission cable of a cathode electrode is changed in a traveling direction of an incident wave of the high frequency are provided on the cathode electrode for use in plasma processing, whereby the plasma processing can form a high-quality deposited film having an extremely uniform film thickness and a homogeneous film quality on a substrate at high speed, can effectively form a semiconductor device, can also form the high-quality deposited film having the extremely uniform film thickness and the homogeneous film quality in the axial direction and the circumferential direction of the cylindrical substrate on the surfaces of a plurality of cylindrical substrates at high speed, and can effectively form the semiconductor device.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 1997Date of Patent: June 20, 2000Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Atsushi Yamagami, Satoshi Takaki
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Patent number: 6065425Abstract: In order to effect a plasma process at a high rate, such as formation of a high-quality deposit film having very uniform thickness and quality over a large-area substrate, (1) an oscillation frequency of an RF generator is used in the range of 30 to 600 MHz, (2) a matching circuit and a cathode electrode are connected through a transmission line and RF power is supplied through the transmission line, (3) the cathode electrode is of an electrically conductive structure of a rod shape and at a connection part between the cathode electrode and an inner conductor of the transmission line, an external shape of a cross section of the cathode electrode is the same as an external shape of a cross section of the inner conductor, and (4) at least the connection part between the cathode electrode and the inner conductor of the transmission line is covered by a dielectric member having the same external shape as an external shape of a transmission medium in the cross section of the transmission line.Type: GrantFiled: July 22, 1998Date of Patent: May 23, 2000Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Satoshi Takaki, Atsushi Yamagami
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Patent number: 5970907Abstract: To improve the processing rate and uniformity in a plasma processing for a substrate having a relatively large area, a plasma processing apparatus includes a reaction vessel which has a portion made of a dielectric member, which accommodates a film formation substrate, and which can be evacuated, an evacuating means and a gas supply means for supplying a predetermined gas into the reaction vessel, a cathode electrode arranged in a position outside the reaction vessel where the cathode electrode opposes the film formation substrate accommodated in the reaction vessel via the dielectric member, and a high frequency power supply means (a matching circuit and a high frequency power supply) for supplying high frequency power of 30 MHz to 300 MHz to the cathode electrode. The high frequency power of 30 MHz to 300 MHz is supplied to the cathode electrode to generate a plasma between the dielectric member and the film formation substrate.Type: GrantFiled: January 27, 1997Date of Patent: October 26, 1999Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Satoshi Takai, Atsushi Yamagami, Nobuyuki Okamura
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Patent number: 5846612Abstract: Provided is a process for efficiently forming a high-quality deposited film at a high deposition rate in the quality equivalent to or higher than that of films formed by the RF plasma CVD process. A stock gas is introduced under a reduced pressure into a reaction container provided with a cathode electrode inside and a high-frequency power in the range of 50 to 300 MHz is supplied to the cathode electrode, whereby ions of the stock gas with energy of 40 or more eV are made to hit against a substrate, thereby forming a deposited film thereon.Type: GrantFiled: April 3, 1996Date of Patent: December 8, 1998Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Satoshi Takaki, Atsushi Yamagami, Nobuyuki Okamura
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Patent number: 5728278Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus has a vacuum container which contains a pair of electrodes for causing a discharge for generating a plasma, and a shielding plate for separating a plasma processing region including a space between the electrodes from a region in contact with the inner wall of the vacuum container in such a manner that both the regions communicate with each other. The apparatus includes a means for causing a pressure difference between the plasma processing region and the region in contact with the inner wall of the vacuum container.Type: GrantFiled: November 14, 1994Date of Patent: March 17, 1998Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha/Applied Materials Japan Inc.Inventors: Nobuyuki Okamura, Atsushi Yamagami, Tadahiro Ohmi, Haruhiro Harry Goto, Tadashi Shibata
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Patent number: 5607560Abstract: A diamond crystal forming method with which a diamond crystal is formed on a substrate by a sputtering process uses high-frequency energy in the frequency range of 40 MHz to 250 MHz to form plasma.Type: GrantFiled: October 10, 1995Date of Patent: March 4, 1997Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Keiji Hirabayashi, Atsushi Yamagami
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Patent number: 5540781Abstract: A VHF plasma CVD process in which a cathode electrode is electrically divided into a plurality of elements in the axial direction of a cylindrical substrate, and a very-high-frequency energy with a frequency in the range of 60 MHz to 300 MHz is supplied to each of the divided cathode electrode elements by way of a high frequency power supply means for generating a plasma in a reaction chamber thereby forming a deposited film; and a VHF plasma CVD apparatus suitable for carrying out the VHF plasma process.Type: GrantFiled: November 23, 1994Date of Patent: July 30, 1996Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Atsushi Yamagami, Nobuyuki Okamura, Satoshi Takaki
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Patent number: 5534070Abstract: A plasma CVD process comprises conducting film formation in a reaction chamber capable of being substantially vacuumed in which a plurality of cylindrical substrates are spacedly arranged on a concentric circle in said reaction chamber such that a desired discharge space is formed at the central position of the inside of said reaction chamber and a cathode electrode is disposed at the central position of said discharge space, by introducing a film-forming gas into said discharge space and applying a high frequency power from a high frequency power source to said cathode electrode to produce plasma between said plurality of cylindrical substrates and said cathode electrode, whereby forming a deposited film on the surface of each of said plurality of cylindrical substrates, characterized in that an earth shield comprising a non-magnetic material and a soft magnetic material or an insulating material being stacked is disposed at each of the opposite end portions of said cathode electrode, and a very-high-frequenType: GrantFiled: November 30, 1994Date of Patent: July 9, 1996Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Nobuyuki Okamura, Atsushi Yamagami, Satoshi Takaki
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Patent number: 5510011Abstract: In a bias sputtering method comprising generating a plasma of a sputtering gas between a target electrode having a target thereon and a substrate electrode having a substrate for film formation thereon in a vacuum vessel with the use of a high frequency energy from a high frequency power source and sputtering said target with said plasma while applying a direct current voltage from a direct current power source to at least one of said target electrode or said substrate electrode thereby causing the formation of a film on said substrate, the improvement which comprises alternately repeating a deposition step and a non-deposition step, said deposition step comprising sputtering said target with said plasma while irradiating said substrate with ions of said plasma while depositing a film on said substrate, and said non-deposition step comprising irradiating said substrate with ions of said plasma without sputtering said target, thereby forming a high quality functional deposited film on said substrate.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 1994Date of Patent: April 23, 1996Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Nobuyuki Okamura, Atsushi Yamagami
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Patent number: 5316645Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus comprises: a first electrode connectable with a plasma generating power source; a second electrode capable of supporting a substrate to be subjected to a plasma-involving surface treatment; a third electrode enclosing a space between the first and second electrodes, all the electrodes being positioned in an evacuatable chamber; and potential control means for controlling the potential of the third electrode.Type: GrantFiled: February 17, 1993Date of Patent: May 31, 1994Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Applied Materials Japan Inc., Tadahiro OhmiInventors: Atsushi Yamagami, Nobuyuki Okamura, Tadahiro Ohmi, Haruhiro H. Goto, Tadashi Shibata
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Patent number: 5178905Abstract: A process for forming a functional deposited film which comprises: introducing a precursor composed mainly of Group IV elements to be constituents for a deposited film to be formed into a substantially enclosed film-forming space being kept at 0.1 to 50 mTorr into which hydrogen gas plasma is drawn in a sheet-like state and a substrate is positioned parallel to said sheet-like hydrogen gas plasma, and exhausting the gases in the film-forming space in the direction perpendicular to the sheet-like hydrogen gas plasma and the substrate, said precursor being generated in an precursor generation space situated separately from said film-forming space, said sheet-like hydrogen gas plasma being formed such that a distance (L) of 5 to 50 mm is established between the boundary thereof and the surface of the substrate, said precursor being introduced through gas feed means positioned substantially in said distance (L).Type: GrantFiled: May 8, 1992Date of Patent: January 12, 1993Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Masahiro Kanai, Atsushi Yamagami