Patents by Inventor Hideharu Itatani

Hideharu Itatani 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).

  • Publication number: 20230360930
    Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes adjusting a pressure of each of a plurality of process chambers, by adjusting an opening degree of a pressure-adjusting valve included in a common gas exhaust pipe, which is connected to a plurality of process chamber exhaust pipes and is disposed to merge respective process chamber exhaust pipes on a downstream side of the plurality of process chamber exhaust pipes, to a predetermined opening degree and by exhausting an atmosphere of each of the process chambers from the plurality of process chamber exhaust pipes and the common gas exhaust pipe while supplying an inert gas to the plurality of process chambers; processing a substrate in each of the process chambers; and detecting a fluctuation of pressures in the process chamber exhaust pipes by measuring, by one or more pressure detectors, the pressures of the process chamber exhaust pipes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2023
    Publication date: November 9, 2023
    Applicant: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Hideharu ITATANI, Toshiyuki Kikuchi, Naofumi Ohashi
  • Patent number: 11728183
    Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes adjusting a pressure of each of a plurality of process chambers, by adjusting an opening degree of a pressure-adjusting valve included in a common gas exhaust pipe, which is connected to a plurality of process chamber exhaust pipes and is disposed to merge respective process chamber exhaust pipes on a downstream side of the plurality of process chamber exhaust pipes, to a predetermined opening degree and by exhausting an atmosphere of each of the process chambers from the plurality of process chamber exhaust pipes and the common gas exhaust pipe while supplying an inert gas to the plurality of process chambers; processing a substrate in each of the process chambers; and detecting a fluctuation of pressures in the process chamber exhaust pipes by measuring, by one or more pressure detectors, the pressures of the process chamber exhaust pipes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hideharu Itatani, Toshiyuki Kikuchi, Naofumi Ohashi
  • Publication number: 20230085140
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes: a process chamber performing film-forming processing to a substrate; a substrate support that is provided in the process chamber and includes a plurality of mounting surfaces on which the substrate is mounted; and a detector that is disposed outside or inside the process chamber and detects a state of a film-forming material adhering to at least one of the plurality of mounting surfaces in a non-contact manner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2022
    Publication date: March 16, 2023
    Applicant: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Hideharu ITATANI, Naofumi OHASHI, Toshiro KOSHIMAKI, Shun MATSUI
  • Publication number: 20230008718
    Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes adjusting a pressure of each of a plurality of process chambers, by adjusting an opening degree of a pressure-adjusting valve included in a common gas exhaust pipe, which is connected to a plurality of process chamber exhaust pipes and is disposed to merge respective process chamber exhaust pipes on a downstream side of the plurality of process chamber exhaust pipes, to a predetermined opening degree and by exhausting an atmosphere of each of the process chambers from the plurality of process chamber exhaust pipes and the common gas exhaust pipe while supplying an inert gas to the plurality of process chambers; processing a substrate in each of the process chambers; and detecting a fluctuation of pressures in the process chamber exhaust pipes by measuring, by one or more pressure detectors, the pressures of the process chamber exhaust pipes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2022
    Publication date: January 12, 2023
    Applicant: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hideharu ITATANI, Toshiyuki KIKUCHI, Naofumi OHASHI
  • Publication number: 20220298642
    Abstract: Described herein is a substrate processing technique of preventing particle generation while lowering an inner pressure of a nozzle and improving a film thickness uniformity. According to one aspect thereof, a substrate processing apparatus includes a boat for supporting substrates; an inner tube surrounding the boat and provided with an exhaust hole through which a gas is exhausted along a direction orthogonal to an arrangement direction of the substrates; a mixing structure for generating a mixed gas for processing the substrates; and a nozzle installed apart from an inner lateral surface of the inner tube and through which the mixed gas supplied from the mixing structure is discharged into the inner tube via discharge holes arranged at the nozzle along the arrangement direction of the substrates. A discharge direction of each of the discharge holes is not toward the boat but toward the inner lateral surface of the inner tube.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2022
    Publication date: September 22, 2022
    Inventors: Taketoshi SATO, Hideharu ITATANI, Makoto SAMBU
  • Patent number: 11322370
    Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes adjusting a pressure of each of a plurality of process chambers, by adjusting an opening degree of a pressure-adjusting valve included in a common gas exhaust pipe, which is connected to a plurality of process chamber exhaust pipes and is disposed to merge respective process chamber exhaust pipes on a downstream side of the plurality of process chamber exhaust pipes, to a predetermined opening degree and by exhausting an atmosphere of each of the process chambers from the plurality of process chamber exhaust pipes and the common gas exhaust pipe while supplying an inert gas to the plurality of process chambers; processing a substrate in each of the process chambers; and detecting a fluctuation of pressures in the process chamber exhaust pipes by measuring, by one or more pressure detectors, the pressures of the process chamber exhaust pipes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hideharu Itatani, Toshiyuki Kikuchi, Naofumi Ohashi
  • Publication number: 20210189557
    Abstract: Described herein is a technique capable of suppressing a deposition of reaction by-products in an exhaust pipe. According to one aspect of the technique, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: a process chamber where a substrate is processed; a process chamber gas supply system configured to supply a process gas, a purge gas or a cleaning gas into the process chamber; an exhaust pipe configured to perform gas exhaust from the process chamber; an exhaust pipe gas supply system connected to a predetermined deposition risky portion in the exhaust pipe and configured to supply a cleaning contribution gas to the deposition risky portion; and a controller configured to control gas supply through each of the process chamber gas supply system and the exhaust pipe gas supply system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2020
    Publication date: June 24, 2021
    Applicant: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hideharu ITATANI, Yoshiro HIROSE
  • Patent number: 10714316
    Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes supplying a first process gas to a process space where a substrate is accommodated, and using an inert gas as a carrier gas of the first process gas; and supplying plasma of a second process gas to the process space where the substrate is accommodated, and using an active auxiliary gas as a carrier gas of the second process gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tsukasa Kamakura, Kazuhiro Morimitsu, Hideharu Itatani, Eisuke Nishitani, Shun Matsui
  • Patent number: 10604839
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus, including: a processing chamber having a first and a second processing regions; a substrate mounting table rotatably installed in the processing chamber on which a substrate is mounted, and a rotation instrument configured to rotate the substrate mounting table such that the substrate passes through the first processing region and the second processing region in this order, at least one of the first and the second processing regions including: a gas supply part including a line-shaped opening portion extending in a radial direction of the substrate mounting table and configured to supply a gas from the opening portion into the region; and a gap holding member protruding from a ceiling of the processing chamber opposing the substrate, around the opening portion, toward the substrate such that a space on the substrate has a predetermined gap to serve as a passage of the supplied gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tetsuaki Inada, Yuichi Wada, Mitsunori Ishisaka, Mitsuhiro Hirano, Sadayoshi Horii, Hideharu Itatani, Satoshi Takano, Motonari Takebayashi
  • Publication number: 20200051838
    Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes: forming a film by heating a substrate held on a substrate mounting table and supplying gas from a shower head to the substrate; performing a first temperature measurement by measuring a first temperature of the shower head and storing a measurement value of the first temperature as reference data; setting processing of a subsequent substrate; performing a second temperature measurement by measuring a second temperature of the shower head before loading the subsequent substrate; calculating a difference between the first temperature and the second temperature; and adjusting a temperature of the shower head to be equal to the first temperature by operating the heater and adjusting a distance between the shower head and the substrate mounting table according to the difference between the first temperature and the second temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2018
    Publication date: February 13, 2020
    Applicant: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hideharu ITATANI, Naofumi OHASHI, Tadashi TAKASAKI
  • Patent number: 10388530
    Abstract: Provided is a technique of adjusting a work function. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes: (a) forming a titanium nitride layer on a substrate by supplying a first source containing titanium and a second source containing nitrogen to the substrate; (b) forming a titanium aluminum carbonitride layer on the substrate by supplying the first source, the second source and a third source containing aluminum and carbon to the substrate; (c) forming a laminated film on the substrate by performing (a) and (b); and (d) adjusting ratios of titanium, nitrogen, aluminum and carbon in the laminated film based on how many times (a) and (b) are performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Arito Ogawa, Kazuhiro Harada, Yukinao Kaga, Hideharu Itatani, Hiroshi Ashihara
  • Publication number: 20190244790
    Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes supplying a first process gas to a process space where a substrate is accommodated, and using an inert gas as a carrier gas of the first process gas; and supplying plasma of a second process gas to the process space where the substrate is accommodated, and using an active auxiliary gas as a carrier gas of the second process gas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2018
    Publication date: August 8, 2019
    Applicant: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tsukasa KAMAKURA, Kazuhiro MORIMITSU, Hideharu ITATANI, Eisuke NISHITANI, Shun MATSUI
  • Patent number: 10340237
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a high quality a semiconductor device, includes loading a substrate comprising a conductive film and an insulating film into a process chamber. The insulating film is formed around the conductive film to expose the conductive film. A process gas, which comprises a component that reacts with a desorbed gas generated from the insulating film is supplied into the process chamber which causes a protective film to be selectively formed on the insulating film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hideharu Itatani, Naofumi Ohashi, Toshiyuki Kikuchi
  • Publication number: 20190157089
    Abstract: Provided is a technique of adjusting a work function. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes: (a) forming a titanium nitride layer on a substrate by supplying a first source containing titanium and a second source containing nitrogen to the substrate; (b) forming a titanium aluminum carbonitride layer on the substrate by supplying the first source, the second source and a third source containing aluminum and carbon to the substrate; (c) forming a laminated film on the substrate by performing (a) and (b); and (d) adjusting ratios of titanium, nitrogen, aluminum and carbon in the laminated film based on how many times (a) and (b) are performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2019
    Publication date: May 23, 2019
    Applicant: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Arito OGAWA, Kazuhiro HARADA, Yukinao KAGA, Hideharu ITATANI, Hiroshi ASHIHARA
  • Publication number: 20190081014
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a high quality a semiconductor device, includes loading a substrate comprising a conductive film and an insulating film into a process chamber. The insulating film is formed around the conductive film to expose the conductive film. A process gas, which comprises a component that reacts with a desorbed gas generated from the insulating film is supplied into the process chamber which causes a protective film to be selectively formed on the insulating film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2018
    Publication date: March 14, 2019
    Applicant: HITACHI KOKUSAI ELECTRIC INC.
    Inventors: Hideharu ITATANI, Naofumi OHASHI, Toshiyuki KIKUCHI
  • Publication number: 20180247819
    Abstract: Provided is a technique of adjusting a work function. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a film having a predetermined thickness and containing a first metal element, carbon and nitrogen on a substrate by: (a) forming a first layer containing the first metal element and carbon by supplying a metal-containing gas containing the first metal element and a carbon-containing gas to the substrate M times and (b) forming a second layer containing the first metal element, carbon and nitrogen by supplying a nitrogen-containing gas to the substrate having the first layer formed thereon N times to nitride the first layer, wherein M and N are selected in a manner that a work function of the film has a predetermined value (where M and N are natural numbers).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2018
    Publication date: August 30, 2018
    Applicant: HITACHI KOKUSAI ELECTRIC INC.
    Inventors: Arito OGAWA, Kazuhiro HARADA, Yukinao KAGA, Hideharu ITATANI, Hiroshi ASHIHARA
  • Patent number: 9786493
    Abstract: A semiconductor device manufacturing method, including: mounting substrates on a mounting table within a processing chamber along a rotation direction of the table; starting to supply a first-element-containing gas to a first region in the chamber along the rotation direction, while rotating the table and exhausting the processing chamber; starting to supply a second-element-containing gas to a second region in the chamber; starting to generate, by a plasma generating unit in the second region, plasma of the second-element-containing gas in the second region to have a first activity; and forming a thin film containing first and second elements on the substrates by rotating the table to cause the substrates to sequentially pass through the first and second regions in turn so that a first-element-containing layer is formed in the first region and is modified in the second region by generating plasma having a second activity higher than the first activity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: HITACHI KOKUSAI ELECTRIC INC.
    Inventors: Tatsushi Ueda, Junichi Tanabe, Katsuhiko Yamamoto, Yuki Taira, Naofumi Ohashi, Hideharu Itatani
  • Patent number: 9653301
    Abstract: Provided is a semiconductor device including a metal film which can be formed with lower costs but still manage to have a necessary work function and oxidation resistance. The semiconductor device includes an insulating film disposed on a substrate; and a metal film disposed on the insulating film. The metal film includes a stacked structure of: a first metal film disposed on the insulating film to directly contact the insulating film; a second metal film disposed on the first metal film to directly contact the first metal film; and the first metal film disposed on the second metal film to directly contact the second metal film, the second metal film having a work function greater than 4.8 eV and being different from the first metal film in material, wherein an oxidation resistance of the first metal film is greater than that of the second metal film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: HITACHI KOKUSAI ELECTRIC INC.
    Inventors: Sadayoshi Horii, Arito Ogawa, Hideharu Itatani
  • Patent number: 9523150
    Abstract: Provided is a substrate processing apparatus, including: a processing space configured to process a substrate: an exhaust buffer chamber which is provided so as to surround a lateral circumference of the processing space and into which a gas supplied into the processing space is flowed; and a conductance adjustment plate disposed to face a gas flow path between the processing space and the exhaust buffer chamber, wherein the conductance adjustment plate has R-shaped portion or a tapered inclined portion on an inner peripheral side edge facing the gas flow path from the processing space to the exhaust buffer chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: HITACHI KOKUSAI ELECTRIC INC.
    Inventor: Hideharu Itatani
  • Publication number: 20160343573
    Abstract: Provided is a semiconductor device including a metal film which can be formed with lower costs but still manage to have a necessary work function and oxidation resistance. The semiconductor device includes an insulating film disposed on a substrate; and a metal film disposed on the insulating film. The metal film includes a stacked structure of: a first metal film disposed on the insulating film to directly contact the insulating film; a second metal film disposed on the first metal film to directly contact the first metal film; and the first metal film disposed on the second metal film to directly contact the second metal film, the second metal film having a work function greater than 4.8 eV and being different from the first metal film in material, wherein an oxidation resistance of the first metal film is greater than that of the second metal film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2016
    Publication date: November 24, 2016
    Applicant: HITACHI KOKUSAI ELECTRIC INC.
    Inventors: Sadayoshi HORII, Arito OGAWA, Hideharu ITATANI