Patents by Inventor Hidehiko Kawaguchi

Hidehiko Kawaguchi 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: 20090236316
    Abstract: A wafer processing apparatus 100 is configured so that the number of repeated cycles of supplying pure water for maintaining the etching rate of phosphoric acid 10 to be high for the complete etching of the target film and halting the supply for each lot of wafers during a predetermined period of time, and, when the number of cycles falls outside a preset range of cycle counts, a notice to that effect is provided. Consequently, a lot of wafers having defective etching can be found with good accuracy, as well as defective etching being able to be prevented from occurring in subsequent lots of wafers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2009
    Publication date: September 24, 2009
    Applicant: NEC ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Osamu ITOU, Hidehiko Kawaguchi
  • Patent number: 7064079
    Abstract: A method of removing polymer adhered to a sidewall of an etched metal layer formed on a substrate, includes (a) dissolving the polymer by providing chemicals onto a surface of the substrate, and (b) rinsing the chemicals out of the substrate by providing pure water onto a surface of the substrate, wherein at least a part of the step (a) is carried out in oxidation atmosphere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2006
    Assignee: NEC Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Sonoda, Hidehiko Kawaguchi, Morimitsu Tanaka, Hiroki Ohno
  • Publication number: 20040099289
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for rinsing a cleaned object whereby cleaning chemical liquid adhered to the object is substantially removed therefrom while substantially reducing the amount of pure water used for rinsing. The object with cleaning chemical liquid adhered thereto is immersed in a rinse bath filled with pure water, so that the cleaning chemical liquid may be rinsed off therefrom while pure water is continuously fed to the rinse bath. A neutralizing chemical liquid of alkalinity or acidity opposite that of the cleaning chemical liquid is added to the pure water in the rinse bath by feeding the neutralizing chemical liquid using a feed pump and a pump controller. Thus, the cleaning chemical liquid is neutralized by the neutralizing chemical liquid, to thereby be converted into a salt readily soluble in pure water, which salt is then discharged together with the pure water by overflowing the rinse bath.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2003
    Publication date: May 27, 2004
    Applicants: Kaijo Corporation, NEC Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Hidehiko Kawaguchi, Yuji Shimizu, Shingo Hosohata, Koichi Tamoto
  • Publication number: 20040009669
    Abstract: A method of removing polymer adhered to a sidewall of an etched metal layer formed on a substrate, includes (a) dissolving the polymer by providing chemicals onto a surface of the substrate, and (b) rinsing the chemicals out of the substrate by providing pure water onto a surface of the substrate, wherein at least a part of the step (a) is carried out in oxidation atmosphere.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2003
    Publication date: January 15, 2004
    Applicant: NEC ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Sonoda, Hidehiko Kawaguchi, Morimitsu Tanaka, Hiroki Ohno
  • Patent number: 6612316
    Abstract: A wet processing device of this invention is comprised of a chemical processing tank to store chemicals for processing the surface of the wafer, a wafer conveyor device to carry the wafer in and out of the interior of the chemical processing tank, and a sensor to determine the amount of air bubbles occurring within the chemical when present within the chemical processing tank and issue a first and a second control signal, and a wash tank to store water for washing the wafer carried out from the chemical processing tank by the wafer conveyor. The rising speed of the wafer conveyor device pulled the wafer up from the chemical processing tank is controlled in response to the first control signal, and the wash tank water fill quantity for supplying water to the wash tank is controlled in response to the second control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2003
    Assignee: NEC Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Hidehiko Kawaguchi
  • Publication number: 20030111339
    Abstract: A plating system in which a plating process of a semiconductor substrate held by a wafer holder provided on the top of a plating tank is conducted while jetting the plating liquid upward from the lower side in the plating tank, wherein a plurality of nozzles for removing bubbles adhered on the surface of the semiconductor substrate are provided in the tank so that the plating liquid is jetted from the nozzles to the semiconductor substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2002
    Publication date: June 19, 2003
    Applicant: NEC Electronics
    Inventor: Hidehiko Kawaguchi
  • Publication number: 20010017148
    Abstract: A wet processing device of this invention is comprised of a chemical processing tank to store chemicals for processing the surface of the wafer, a wafer conveyor device to carry the wafer in and out of the interior of the chemical processing tank, and a sensor to determine the amount of air bubbles occurring within the chemical when present within the chemical processing tank and issue a first and a second control signal, and a wash tank to store water for washing the wafer carried out from the chemical processing tank by the wafer conveyor. The rising speed of the wafer conveyor device pulled the wafer up from the chemical processing tank is controlled in response to the first control signal, and the wash tank water fill quantity for supplying water to the wash tank is controlled in response to the second control signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2001
    Publication date: August 30, 2001
    Inventor: Hidehiko Kawaguchi