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).

  • Patent number: 11598017
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shoichiro Ogata, Gaku Yamasaki
  • Patent number: 11434580
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomonori Hirao, Gaku Yamasaki, Takahiro Abe, Toshio Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 11332838
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Gaku Yamasaki, Tomonori Hirao, Toshio Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 11332843
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Gaku Yamasaki
  • Publication number: 20210246567
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2021
    Publication date: August 12, 2021
    Inventors: Shoichiro Ogata, Gaku Yamasaki
  • Publication number: 20210130977
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2020
    Publication date: May 6, 2021
    Inventor: Gaku Yamasaki
  • Patent number: 10937675
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Gaku Yamasaki
  • Publication number: 20200277709
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2020
    Publication date: September 3, 2020
    Inventors: Tomonori Hirao, Gaku Yamasaki, Takahiro Abe, Toshio Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 10557211
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Gaku Yamasaki, Hirotaka Ohashi
  • Publication number: 20190189480
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2018
    Publication date: June 20, 2019
    Inventor: Gaku Yamasaki
  • Publication number: 20190093250
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2018
    Publication date: March 28, 2019
    Inventors: Gaku YAMASAKI, Tomonori HIRAO, Toshio YOKOYAMA
  • Publication number: 20180282893
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2018
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Inventors: Gaku YAMASAKI, Hirotaka OHASHI