Patents by Inventor Gaku YAMASAKI
Gaku YAMASAKI 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: 11598017Abstract: There is provided a method of plating comprising: a process of bringing a sealing portion of a seal provided to prevent a contact of a substrate holder that holds a substrate from coming into contact with a plating solution, into contact with pure water; and a process of detecting a leak of the seal, based on presence or absence of a short circuit of a leak detection electrode placed inside of the substrate holder after the sealing portion is brought into contact with the pure water and before the substrate is brought into contact with a chemical solution.Type: GrantFiled: January 28, 2021Date of Patent: March 7, 2023Assignee: EBARA CORPORATIONInventors: Shoichiro Ogata, Gaku Yamasaki
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Patent number: 11434580Abstract: To provide a plating apparatus that prevents or reduces a diversion of an electric field. According to one embodiment, a plating apparatus for performing a plating process on a substrate held onto a substrate holder is provided. The plating apparatus includes a plating tank configured to receive the substrate holder holding the substrate, a block member that extends to an inside of the plating tank from a wall surface of the inside of the plating tank, and is movable inside the plating tank, and a moving mechanism configured to move the block member toward the substrate holder disposed inside the plating tank.Type: GrantFiled: February 20, 2020Date of Patent: September 6, 2022Assignee: EBARA CORPORATIONInventors: Tomonori Hirao, Gaku Yamasaki, Takahiro Abe, Toshio Yokoyama
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Patent number: 11332838Abstract: A plating apparatus including a plating bath, a substrate holder to be arranged in the plating bath and adapted to hold a substrate, an anode for generating an electric field between the substrate and the anode, and at least one electric field shielding body for shielding the substrate holder and a part or the whole of the electric field, wherein the electric field shielding body has an opening portion for allowing the electric field between the substrate and the anode to pass therethrough, and is configured so as to be capable of adjusting an opening size in a first direction of the opening portion and an opening size in a second direction of the opening portion independently of each other.Type: GrantFiled: September 12, 2018Date of Patent: May 17, 2022Assignee: EBARA CORPORATIONInventors: Gaku Yamasaki, Tomonori Hirao, Toshio Yokoyama
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Patent number: 11332843Abstract: An anode assembly allowing the anode to be easily pulled up from a plating tank is disclosed. The anode assembly includes: an anode structure; and an anode holder. The anode structure includes: an anode; and a feeding member. The anode holder includes: an anode support frame having a space in which the anode structure is arranged; a conductive bar; and a feeding electrode attached to an end of the conductive bar. One end of the feeding member is fixed to the anode, and the other end of the feeding member is detachably fixed to the conductive bar. The anode support frame has a positioning guide portion into which a lower end of the anode structure is inserted. The anode assembly is configured to allow the anode structure to be separated from the anode holder and pulled up from the plating tank when the feeding member is detached from the conductive bar.Type: GrantFiled: October 9, 2020Date of Patent: May 17, 2022Assignee: EBARA CORPORATIONInventor: Gaku Yamasaki
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Publication number: 20210246567Abstract: There is provided a method of plating comprising: a process of bringing a sealing portion of a seal provided to prevent a contact of a substrate holder that holds a substrate from coming into contact with a plating solution, into contact with pure water; and a process of detecting a leak of the seal, based on presence or absence of a short circuit of a leak detection electrode placed inside of the substrate holder after the sealing portion is brought into contact with the pure water and before the substrate is brought into contact with a chemical solution.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 28, 2021Publication date: August 12, 2021Inventors: Shoichiro Ogata, Gaku Yamasaki
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Publication number: 20210130977Abstract: An anode assembly allowing the anode to be easily pulled up from a plating tank is disclosed. The anode assembly includes: an anode structure; and an anode holder. The anode structure includes: an anode; and a feeding member. The anode holder includes: an anode support frame having a space in which the anode structure is arranged; a conductive bar; and a feeding electrode attached to an end of the conductive bar. One end of the feeding member is fixed to the anode, and the other end of the feeding member is detachably fixed to the conductive bar. The anode support frame has a positioning guide portion into which a lower end of the anode structure is inserted. The anode assembly is configured to allow the anode structure to be separated from the anode holder and pulled up from the plating tank when the feeding member is detached from the conductive bar.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 9, 2020Publication date: May 6, 2021Inventor: Gaku Yamasaki
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Patent number: 10937675Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes: a stage configured to place thereon a substrate or at least a portion of a substrate holding member configured to hold the substrate, the substrate having two sides extending in a first direction and two sides extending in a second direction; a transporter configured to transport the substrate to a position facing the stage; first and second sensors, which are fixed relative to the stage and respectively located outside the sides, extending in the second direction, of the substrate at the position facing the stage so as to detect the sides of the substrate, respectively; and third and fourth sensors, which are fixed relative to the stage and respectively located outside the sides, extending in the first direction, of the substrate at the position facing the stage so as to detect the sides of the substrate, respectively.Type: GrantFiled: December 12, 2018Date of Patent: March 2, 2021Assignee: EBARA CORPORATIONInventor: Gaku Yamasaki
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Publication number: 20200277709Abstract: To provide a plating apparatus that prevents or reduces a diversion of an electric field. According to one embodiment, a plating apparatus for performing a plating process on a substrate held onto a substrate holder is provided. The plating apparatus includes a plating tank configured to receive the substrate holder holding the substrate, a block member that extends to an inside of the plating tank from a wall surface of the inside of the plating tank, and is movable inside the plating tank, and a moving mechanism configured to move the block member toward the substrate holder disposed inside the plating tank.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 20, 2020Publication date: September 3, 2020Inventors: Tomonori Hirao, Gaku Yamasaki, Takahiro Abe, Toshio Yokoyama
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Patent number: 10557211Abstract: In assembly of a conventional plating apparatus, a position of a processing tank is adjusted so that the processing tank is disposed at an ideal position. This adjustment takes time and effort to assemble a plating apparatus, and assembly of the plating apparatus requires a high cost. The invention provides a substrate transporting apparatus provided with a substrate holder for holding a substrate, a holder griping mechanism that grips the substrate holder, a substrate transporting section that transports the substrate holder, a rotation mechanism that rotationally moves the holder griping mechanism around a vertical direction as an axis, and a linear motion mechanism that linearly moves the holder griping mechanism in a direction perpendicular to a plane defined by a transporting direction of the substrate holder by the substrate transporting section and a vertical direction.Type: GrantFiled: March 22, 2018Date of Patent: February 11, 2020Assignee: EBARA CORPORATIONInventors: Gaku Yamasaki, Hirotaka Ohashi
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Publication number: 20190189480Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes: a stage configured to place thereon a substrate or at least a portion of a substrate holding member configured to hold the substrate, the substrate having two sides extending in a first direction and two sides extending in a second direction; a transporter configured to transport the substrate to a position facing the stage; first and second sensors, which are fixed relative to the stage and respectively located outside the sides, extending in the second direction, of the substrate at the position facing the stage so as to detect the sides of the substrate, respectively; and third and fourth sensors, which are fixed relative to the stage and respectively located outside the sides, extending in the first direction, of the substrate at the position facing the stage so as to detect the sides of the substrate, respectively.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 12, 2018Publication date: June 20, 2019Inventor: Gaku Yamasaki
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Publication number: 20190093250Abstract: A plating apparatus including a plating bath, a substrate holder to be arranged in the plating bath and adapted to hold a substrate, an anode for generating an electric field between the substrate and the anode, and at least one electric field shielding body for shielding the substrate holder and a part or the whole of the electric field, wherein the electric field shielding body has an opening portion for allowing the electric field between the substrate and the anode to pass therethrough, and is configured so as to be capable of adjusting an opening size in a first direction of the opening portion and an opening size in a second direction of the opening portion independently of each other.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 12, 2018Publication date: March 28, 2019Inventors: Gaku YAMASAKI, Tomonori HIRAO, Toshio YOKOYAMA
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Publication number: 20180282893Abstract: In assembly of a conventional plating apparatus, a position of a processing tank is adjusted so that the processing tank is disposed at an ideal position. This adjustment takes time and effort to assemble a plating apparatus, and assembly of the plating apparatus requires a high cost. The invention provides a substrate transporting apparatus provided with a substrate holder for holding a substrate, a holder griping mechanism that grips the substrate holder, a substrate transporting section that transports the substrate holder, a rotation mechanism that rotationally moves the holder griping mechanism around a vertical direction as an axis, and a linear motion mechanism that linearly moves the holder griping mechanism in a direction perpendicular to a plane defined by a transporting direction of the substrate holder by the substrate transporting section and a vertical direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 22, 2018Publication date: October 4, 2018Inventors: Gaku YAMASAKI, Hirotaka OHASHI