Patents by Inventor Futoshi Utsuno

Futoshi Utsuno 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: 8623511
    Abstract: Disclosed is a sputtering target that can suppress the occurrence of anomalous discharge in the formation of an oxide semiconductor film by sputtering method and can continuously and stably form a film. Also disclosed is an oxide for a sputtering target that has a rare earth oxide C-type crystal structure and has a surface free from white spots (a poor appearance such as concaves and convexes formed on the surface of the sputtering target). Further disclosed is an oxide sintered compact that has a bixbyite structure and contains indium oxide, gallium oxide, and zinc oxide. The composition amounts (atomic %) of indium (In), gallium (Ga), and zinc (Zn) fall within a composition range satisfying the following formula: In/(In+Ga+Zn)<0.75.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirokazu Kawashima, Koki Yano, Futoshi Utsuno, Kazuyoshi Inoue
  • Publication number: 20140001040
    Abstract: A sputtering target containing oxides of indium (In), gallium (Ga) and zinc (Zn), which includes a compound shown by ZnGa2O4 and a compound shown by InGaZnO4.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2013
    Publication date: January 2, 2014
    Applicant: IDEMITSU KOSAN CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi INOUE, Koki YANO, Futoshi UTSUNO
  • Publication number: 20130285053
    Abstract: Disclosed is a sputtering target that can suppress the occurrence of anomalous discharge in the formation of an oxide semiconductor film by sputtering method and can continuously and stably form a film. Also disclosed is an oxide for a sputtering target that has a rare earth oxide C-type crystal structure and has a surface free from white spots (a poor appearance such as concaves and convexes formed on the surface of the sputtering target). Further disclosed is an oxide sintered compact that has a bixbyite structure and contains indium oxide, gallium oxide, and zinc oxide. The composition amounts (atomic %) of indium (In), gallium (Ga), and zinc (Zn) fall within a composition range satisfying the following formula: In/(In+Ga+Zn)<0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2013
    Publication date: October 31, 2013
    Inventors: Hirokazu KAWASHIMA, Koki YANO, Futoshi UTSUNO, Kazuyoshi INOUE
  • Patent number: 8445903
    Abstract: A thin film transistor including a gate electrode, a gate-insulating film, an oxide semiconductor film in contact with the gate-insulating film, and source and drain electrodes which connect to the oxide semiconductor film and are separated with a channel part therebetween, wherein the oxide semiconductor film comprises a crystalline indium oxide which includes hydrogen element, and the content of the hydrogen element contained in the oxide semiconductor film is 0.1 at % to 5 at % relative to all elements which form the oxide semiconductor film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Inoue, Koki Yano, Shigekazu Tomai, Masashi Kasami, Hirokazu Kawashima, Futoshi Utsuno
  • Publication number: 20110260157
    Abstract: A semiconductor device, a thin film transistor, and a method for producing the same capable of decreasing the management cost, and capable of decreasing the production steps to reduce the production cost are proposed. A method for producing a thin film transistor 2 provided with a semiconductor which is composed of a prescribed material and serves as an active layer 41 and a conductor which is composed of a material having the same composition as that of the prescribed material and serves as at least one of a source electrode 51, a drain electrode 53 and a pixel electrode 55, which includes the steps of simultaneously forming into a film an object to be processed and a conductor (a source electrode 51, a source wire 52, a drain electrode 53, a drain wire 54 and a pixel electrode 55) which are composed of the amorphous prescribed material, followed by simultaneous shaping, and crystallizing the object to be processed which has been shaped to allow it to be the active layer 41.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2008
    Publication date: October 27, 2011
    Inventors: Koki Yano, Kazuyoshi Inoue, Futoshi Utsuno, Masashi Kasami, Katsunori Honda
  • Publication number: 20110243835
    Abstract: A sintered body includes an indium oxide crystal, and an oxide solid-dissolved in the indium oxide crystal, the oxide being oxide of one or more metals selected from the group consisting of aluminum and scandium, the sintered body having an atomic ratio “(total of the one or more metals)/(total of the one or more metals and indium)×100)” of 0.001% or more and less than 45%.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2009
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Applicant: IDEMITSU KOSAN CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Inoue, Futoshi Utsuno, Hirokazu Kawashima, Koki Yano, Shigekazu Tomai, Masashi Kasami, Kota Terai
  • Publication number: 20110198586
    Abstract: A thin film transistor including a gate electrode, a gate-insulating film, an oxide semiconductor film in contact with the gate-insulating film, and source and drain electrodes which connect to the oxide semiconductor film and are separated with a channel part therebetween, wherein the oxide semiconductor film comprises a crystalline indium oxide which includes hydrogen element, and the content of the hydrogen element contained in the oxide semiconductor film is 0.1 at % to 5 at % relative to all elements which form the oxide semiconductor film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2009
    Publication date: August 18, 2011
    Applicant: IDEMITSU KOSAN CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Inoue, Koki Yano, Shigekazu Tomai, Masashi Kasami, Hirokazu Kawashima, Futoshi Utsuno
  • Publication number: 20110180763
    Abstract: An oxide sintered body includes indium oxide and gallium solid-solved therein, the oxide sintered body having an atomic ratio “Ga/(Ga+In)” of 0.001 to 0.12, containing indium and gallium in an amount of 80 atom % or more based on total metal atoms, and having an In2O3 bixbyite structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2009
    Publication date: July 28, 2011
    Applicant: Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Futoshi Utsuno, Kazuyoshi Inoue, Hirokazu Kawashima, Masashi Kasami, Koki Yano, Kota Terai
  • Publication number: 20110168994
    Abstract: Disclosed is a sputtering target that can suppress the occurrence of anomalous discharge in the formation of an oxide semiconductor film by sputtering method and can continuously and stably form a film. Also disclosed is an oxide for a sputtering target that has a rare earth oxide C-type crystal structure and has a surface free from white spots (a poor appearance such as concaves and convexes formed on the surface of the sputtering target). Further disclosed is an oxide sintered compact that has a bixbyite structure and contains indium oxide, gallium oxide, and zinc oxide. The composition amounts (atomic %) of indium (In), gallium (Ga), and zinc (Zn) fall within a composition range satisfying the following formula: In/(In+Ga+Zn)<0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2009
    Publication date: July 14, 2011
    Inventors: Hirokazu Kawashima, Koki Yano, Futoshi Utsuno, Kazuyoshi Inoue
  • Publication number: 20110050733
    Abstract: To provide a method for producing a thin film transistor improved in stability, uniformity, reproducibility, heat resistance, durability or the like, a thin film transistor, a thin film transistor substrate, an image display apparatus, an image display apparatus and a semiconductor device. In the semiconductor device, a crystalline oxide is used as an N-type transistor and the electron carrier concentration of the crystalline oxide is less than 2×1017/cm3. Furthermore, the crystalline oxide is a polycrystalline oxide containing In and one or more positive divalent elements selected from Zn, Mg, Cu, Ni, Co and Ca, and the atomic ratio In [In] and the positive divalent element [X][X]/([X]+[In]) is 0.0001 to 0.13.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2008
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: IDEMITSU KOSAN CO., LTD
    Inventors: Koki Yano, Kazuyoshi Inoue, Futoshi Utsuno, Masashi Kasami
  • Publication number: 20110006297
    Abstract: A patterned crystalline semiconductor thin film which is obtained by a method including: forming an amorphous thin film comprising indium oxide as a main component, crystallizing part of the amorphous thin film to allow the part to be semiconductive, and removing an amorphous part of the partially crystallized thin film by etching.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2008
    Publication date: January 13, 2011
    Applicant: IDEMITSU KOSAN CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Inoue, Koki Yano, Futoshi Utsuno, Masashi Kasami, Shigekazu Tomai, Hirokazu Kawashima
  • Publication number: 20100127256
    Abstract: An amorphous oxide thin film containing amorphous oxide is exposed to an oxygen plasma generated by exciting an oxygen-containing gas in high frequency. The oxygen plasma is preferably generated under the condition that applied frequency is 1 kHz or more and 300 MHz or less and pressure is 5 Pa or more. The amorphous oxide thin film is preferably exposed by a sputtering method, ion-plating method, vacuum deposition method, sol-gel method or fine particle application method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2008
    Publication date: May 27, 2010
    Applicant: IDEMITSU KOSAN CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Inoue, Futoshi Utsuno, Katsunori Honda
  • Publication number: 20100108502
    Abstract: A sputtering target containing oxides of indium (In), gallium (Ga) and zinc (Zn), which includes a compound shown by ZnGa2O4 and a compound shown by InGaZnO4.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2007
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Applicant: IDEMITSU KOSAN CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Inoue, Koki Yano, Futoshi Utsuno
  • Publication number: 20100065835
    Abstract: To provide a thin film transistor having an indium oxide-based semiconductor film which allows only a thin metal film on the semiconductor film to be selectively etched. A thin film transistor having a crystalline indium oxide semiconductor film which is composed mainly of indium oxide and contains a positive trivalent metal oxide.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2008
    Publication date: March 18, 2010
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Inoue, Koki Yano, Shigekazu Tomai, Futoshi Utsuno, Masashi Kasami, Kenji Goto, Hirokazu Kawashima