Patents by Inventor Hirobumi Muto

Hirobumi Muto 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: 11133153
    Abstract: An ion milling device of the present invention is provided with a tilt stage (8) which is disposed in a vacuum chamber (15) and has a tilt axis parallel to a first axis orthogonal to an ion beam, a drive mechanism (9, 51) which has a rotation axis and a tilt axis parallel to a second axis orthogonal to the first axis and rotates or tilts a sample (3), and a switching unit which enables switching between a state in which the ion beam is applied while the sample is rotated or swung while the tilt stage is tilted, and a state in which the ion beams is applied while the tilt stage is brought into an untilted state and the sample is swung. Consequently, the ion milling device capable of performing cross-section processing and flat processing of the sample in the same vacuum chamber is implemented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECH CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toru Iwaya, Hirobumi Muto, Hisayuki Takasu, Atsushi Kamino, Asako Kaneko
  • Patent number: 10515777
    Abstract: This ion milling device is provided with a vacuum chamber (105), an exhaust device (101) for evacuating the interior of the vacuum chamber, a sample stage (103) for supporting a sample (102) to be irradiated inside the vacuum chamber, a heater (107) for heating the interior of the vacuum chamber, a gas source (106) for introducing into the vacuum chamber a gas serving as a heating medium, and a controller (110) for controlling the gas source, the controller controlling the gas source so that the vacuum chamber internal pressure is in a predetermined state during heating by the heater. This enables the control in a short time of the temperature for suppressing condensation, or the like, occurring at atmospheric release after cooling and ion milling a sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2019
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Kamino, Hisayuki Takasu, Hirobumi Muto
  • Publication number: 20180301318
    Abstract: An ion milling device of the present invention is provided with a tilt stage (8) which is disposed in a vacuum chamber (15) and has a tilt axis parallel to a first axis orthogonal to an ion beam, a drive mechanism (9, 51) which has a rotation axis and a tilt axis parallel to a second axis orthogonal to the first axis and rotates or tilts a sample (3), and a switching unit which enables switching between a state in which the ion beam is applied while the sample is rotated or swung while the tilt stage is tilted, and a state in which the ion beams is applied while the tilt stage is brought into an untilted state and the sample is swung. Consequently, the ion milling device capable of performing cross-section processing and flat processing of the sample in the same vacuum chamber is implemented.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2018
    Publication date: October 18, 2018
    Applicant: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toru IWAYA, Hirobumi MUTO, Hisayuki TAKASU, Atsushi KAMINO, Asako KANEKO
  • Patent number: 10008365
    Abstract: An ion milling device of the present invention is provided with a tilt stage (8) which is disposed in a vacuum chamber (15) and has a tilt axis parallel to a first axis orthogonal to an ion beam, a drive mechanism (9, 51) which has a rotation axis and a tilt axis parallel to a second axis orthogonal to the first axis and rotates or tilts a sample (3), and a switching unit which enables switching between a state in which the ion beam is applied while the sample is rotated or swung while the tilt stage is tilted, and a state in which the ion beams is applied while the tilt stage is brought into an untilted state and the sample is swung. Consequently, the ion milling device capable of performing cross-section processing and flat processing of the sample in the same vacuum chamber is implemented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toru Iwaya, Hirobumi Muto, Hisayuki Takasu, Atsushi Kamino, Asako Kaneko
  • Patent number: 9499900
    Abstract: The present invention advantageously provides an ion milling device that can set a high-precision processing area with a simple structure. The ion milling device includes a sample holder that holds a sample and a mask partially restricting irradiation of the sample with an ion beam. The sample holder includes a first contact surface that contacts an end surface of the sample located on a passing orbit side of the ion beam, and a second contact surface that contacts an end surface of the mask so that the mask is located at a position spaced apart from the ion beam more than the first contact surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Kamino, Hisayuki Takasu, Hirobumi Muto, Toru Iwaya
  • Publication number: 20160163508
    Abstract: An ion milling device of the present invention is provided with a tilt stage (8) which is disposed in a vacuum chamber (15) and has a tilt axis parallel to a first axis orthogonal to an ion beam, a drive mechanism (9, 51) which has a rotation axis and a tilt axis parallel to a second axis orthogonal to the first axis and rotates or tilts a sample (3), and a switching unit which enables switching between a state in which the ion beam is applied while the sample is rotated or swung while the tilt stage is tilted, and a state in which the ion beams is applied while the tilt stage is brought into an untilted state and the sample is swung. Consequently, the ion milling device capable of performing cross-section processing and flat processing of the sample in the same vacuum chamber is implemented.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2016
    Publication date: June 9, 2016
    Inventors: Toru IWAYA, Hirobumi MUTO, Hisayuki TAKASU, Atsushi KAMINO, Asako KANEKO
  • Publication number: 20160155602
    Abstract: This ion milling device is provided with a vacuum chamber (105), an exhaust device (101) for evacuating the interior of the vacuum chamber, a sample stage (103) for supporting a sample (102) to be irradiated inside the vacuum chamber, a heater (107) for heating the interior of the vacuum chamber, a gas source (106) for introducing into the vacuum chamber a gas serving as a heating medium, and a controller (110) for controlling the gas source, the controller controlling the gas source so that the vacuum chamber internal pressure is in a predetermined state during heating by the heater. This enables the control in a short time of the temperature for suppressing condensation, or the like, occurring at atmospheric release after cooling and ion milling a sample.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2014
    Publication date: June 2, 2016
    Inventors: Atsushi KAMINO, Hisayuki TAKASU, Hirobumi MUTO
  • Publication number: 20150008121
    Abstract: The present invention aims at providing an ion milling device that can set a high-precision processing area with a simple structure. In order to achieve the above object, there is proposed an ion milling device including a sample holder that holds a sample and a mask partially restricting irradiation of the sample with an ion beam, in which the sample holder includes a first contact surface that contacts with an end surface of the sample located on a passing orbit side of the ion beam, and a second contact surface that contacts with an end surface of the mask so that the mask is located at a position spaced apart from the ion beam more than the first contact surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2013
    Publication date: January 8, 2015
    Applicant: Hitachi High- Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Kamino, Hisayuki Takasu, Hirobumi Muto, Toru Iwaya
  • Patent number: 8552407
    Abstract: Disclosed is a shield (8, 10) disposed between an ion source (1) of an ion milling device and a sample (7) so as to be in contact with the sample. The shield is characterized by having a circular shape having an opening at the center, and by being capable of rotating about an axis (11) extending through the opening. Further, a groove is provided in the ion source-side surface of an end portion of the shield, and an inclined surface is provided on an end portion of the shield. Thus, an ion milling device having a shield, wherein the maximum number of machining operations can be increased, and the position of the shield can be accurately adjusted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Asako Kaneko, Hirobumi Muto, Atsushi Kamino
  • Publication number: 20130220806
    Abstract: An ion milling device of the present invention is provided with a tilt stage (8) which is disposed in a vacuum chamber (15) and has a tilt axis parallel to a first axis orthogonal to an ion beam, a drive mechanism (9, 51) which has a rotation axis and a tilt axis parallel to a second axis orthogonal to the first axis and rotates or tilts a sample (3), and a switching unit which enables switching between a state in which the ion beam is applied while the sample is rotated or swung while the tilt stage is tilted, and a state in which the ion beams is applied while the tilt stage is brought into an untilted state and the sample is swung. Consequently, the ion milling device capable of performing cross-section processing and flat processing of the sample in the same vacuum chamber is implemented.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2011
    Publication date: August 29, 2013
    Applicant: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toru Iwaya, Hirobumi Muto, Hisayuki Takasu, Atsushi Kamino, Asako Kaneko
  • Publication number: 20120126146
    Abstract: Disclosed is a shield (8, 10) disposed between an ion source (1) of an ion milling device and a sample (7) so as to be in contact with the sample. The shield is characterized by having a circular shape having an opening at the center, and by being capable of rotating about an axis (11) extending through the opening. Further, a groove is provided in the ion source-side surface of an end portion of the shield, and an inclined surface is provided on an end portion of the shield. Thus, an ion milling device having a shield, wherein the maximum number of machining operations can be increased, and the position of the shield can be accurately adjusted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2010
    Publication date: May 24, 2012
    Applicant: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Asako Kaneko, Hirobumi Muto, Atsushi Kamino
  • Publication number: 20080202920
    Abstract: In an ion milling system and an ion milling method for making unnecessary the effort of resetting a sample in a sample stage mechanism whenever a machining region is changed, the system includes an ion gun that generates an ion beam with which a sample is to be irradiated, a sample chamber within which the sample to be subjected to irradiation processing by the ion beam is put, an exhaust that evacuates air in order to maintain vacuum in the sample chamber, a gas injection mechanism that injects ion-generating gas, and a sample stage mechanism in which the sample is placed and which rotates with the sample set thereon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2008
    Publication date: August 28, 2008
    Inventors: Toru Iwaya, Hirobumi Muto, Sakae Kobori