Patents by Inventor Hitoshi Kato

Hitoshi Kato 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: 20180237912
    Abstract: A film deposition method is provided for filling a recessed pattern formed in a surface of a substrate with a film. In the method, an adsorption blocking group is formed by adsorbing chlorine gas activated by plasma on a top surface of the substrate and an upper portion of the recessed pattern. A source gas that contains one of silicon and a metal, and chlorine, is adsorbed on a lower portion of the recessed pattern where the adsorption blocking group is not formed, by supplying the source gas to the surface of the substrate including the recessed pattern. A molecular layer of a nitride film produced by a reaction of the source gas and a nitriding gas is deposited on the lower portion of the trench by supplying the nitriding gas to the surface of the substrate including the recessed pattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2018
    Publication date: August 23, 2018
    Inventors: Yutaka TAKAHASHI, Masahiro MURATA, Hitoshi KATO
  • Patent number: 10026606
    Abstract: A method for depositing a silicon nitride film is provided. A nitrided adsorption site is formed in a recess formed in a surface of a substrate by supplying an ammonia-containing gas to the substrate for nitriding the surface of the substrate including the recess. A non-adsorption site is formed in a predetermined upper area of the recess by adsorbing a chlorine-containing gas on the nitride adsorption site in the predetermined upper area by physical adsorption. The predetermined upper area ranges from an upper end of the recess to a predetermined depth of the recess. A silicon-containing gas is adsorbed on the nitride adsorption site other than the predetermined upper area so as to deposit a silicon nitride film by a chemical reaction between the adsorbed ammonia-containing gas and the adsorbed silicon-containing gas. The nitride adsorption site includes a bottom surface of the recess.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Hitoshi Kato, Yutaka Takahashi, Masahiro Murata
  • Publication number: 20180195173
    Abstract: There is provided a substrate processing apparatus for performing film formation by supplying a processing gas to a substrate, including: a rotary table provided in a processing container; a mounting stand provided to mount the substrate and configured to be revolved by rotating the rotary table; a processing gas supply part configured to supply a processing gas to a region through which the mounting stand passes by the rotation of the rotary table; a rotation shaft rotatably provided in a portion rotating together with the rotary table and configured to support the mounting stand; a driven gear provided on the rotation shaft; a driving gear provided along an entire circumference of a revolution trajectory of the driven gear to face the revolution trajectory of the driven gear and configured to constitute a magnetic gear mechanism with the driven gear; and a rotating mechanism configured to rotate the driving gear.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2018
    Publication date: July 12, 2018
    Inventors: Hitoshi KATO, Yukio OHIZUMI, Manabu HONMA, Takeshi KOBAYASHI
  • Patent number: 9932674
    Abstract: A film deposition apparatus includes a vacuum chamber into which first and second gases are sequentially supplied for a plural times, a rotation table including a first surface having a receiving area and rotating the receiving area inside the vacuum chamber, a first part supplying the first gas to a first region, a second part supplying the second gas to a second region separated from the first region in a peripheral direction of the rotation table via a separation region, a plasma gas part supplying a plasma generation gas into a plasma region inside the vacuum chamber, an antenna facing the first surface of the rotation table and generating plasma from the plasma generation gas inside a plasma space by inductive coupling, and a faraday shield being grounded and provided between the antenna and the plasma space and including slits aligned in a direction perpendicularly intersecting the antenna.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Hitoshi Kato, Katsuyuki Hishiya, Hiroyuki Kikuchi, Shigehiro Ushikubo, Shigenori Ozaki
  • Publication number: 20180080123
    Abstract: A film deposition method includes steps of: placing a substrate in a substrate receiving area of a susceptor provided in a vacuum chamber; evacuating the vacuum chamber; alternately supplying plural kinds of reaction gases to the substrate in the substrate receiving area from corresponding reaction gas supplying parts thereby to form a thin film on the substrate; supplying plasma including a chemical component that reacts with second reaction gas adsorbed on the substrate from a plasma generation part to the substrate when the thin film is being formed, thereby to alter the thin film on the substrate; and changing plasma intensity of the plasma supplied to the substrate, at a predetermined point of time to a different plasma intensity of the plasma that is generated and supplied to the substrate by the plasma generation part before the predetermined point of time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2017
    Publication date: March 22, 2018
    Inventors: Shigenori OZAKI, Hitoshi KATO, Takeshi KUMAGAI
  • Publication number: 20180073146
    Abstract: There is provided an antenna device which includes: a plurality of antenna members installed to extend along a predetermined circling shape having a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction, the antenna members including end portions connected to each other so as to form a pair in which connection portions in the longitudinal direction face each other in the lateral direction; deformable conductive connection members configured to connect the end portions of the plurality of antenna members adjacent to each other; and at least two vertical movement mechanisms individually installed in at least two of the plurality of antenna members and configured to change a bending angle of the antenna members using the connection members as fulcrums by vertically moving the at least two of the plurality of antenna members.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2017
    Publication date: March 15, 2018
    Inventors: Hitoshi KATO, Takeshi KOBAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20180051374
    Abstract: A film-forming apparatus includes: a rotary table installed inside a vacuum vessel, and including a substrate mounting region, on which the substrate is mounted, formed at one surface side of the rotary table; a heating part for heating the substrate mounted on the rotary table; a first process region in which the source gas is supplied toward the substrate mounting region to perform a first process; a second process region defined apart from the first process region in a circumferential direction of the rotary table via a separation portion, and in which the reactant gas is supplied to perform a second process; and a main nozzle, a central-side auxiliary nozzle and a peripheral-side auxiliary nozzle installed in the first process region to extend in a direction intersecting with a movement path of the rotary table and along a rotational direction of the rotary table.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2017
    Publication date: February 22, 2018
    Inventors: Hitoshi KATO, Masahiro MURATA
  • Publication number: 20180037990
    Abstract: An apparatus for forming a thin film on a substrate in a processing container under vacuum atmosphere by alternately supplying a first gas and a second gas, which are process gases, onto the substrate, including: n first processing regions spaced from each other along circumferential direction of the processing container and used to process the substrate by supplying the first gas; n second processing regions formed between the n first processing regions along the circumferential direction and used to process the substrate by supplying the second gas; an isolation part isolating the n first processing regions and the n second processing regions; mounting parts disposed to be revolved along the circumferential direction and used to mount substrates; and a control part intermittently revolving mounting parts so that the substrates are alternately located in the n first processing regions and the n second processing regions while a revolution is stopped.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2017
    Publication date: February 8, 2018
    Inventor: Hitoshi KATO
  • Publication number: 20180019114
    Abstract: A method for depositing a silicon nitride film is provided. A nitrided adsorption site is formed in a recess formed in a surface of a substrate by supplying an ammonia-containing gas to the substrate for nitriding the surface of the substrate including the recess. A non-adsorption site is formed in a predetermined upper area of the recess by adsorbing a chlorine-containing gas on the nitride adsorption site in the predetermined upper area by physical adsorption. The predetermined upper area ranges from an upper end of the recess to a predetermined depth of the recess. A silicon-containing gas is adsorbed on the nitride adsorption site other than the predetermined upper area so as to deposit a silicon nitride film by a chemical reaction between the adsorbed ammonia-containing gas and the adsorbed silicon-containing gas. The nitride adsorption site includes a bottom surface of the recess.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2017
    Publication date: January 18, 2018
    Inventors: Hitoshi KATO, Yutaka TAKAHASHI, Masahiro MURATA
  • Patent number: 9865454
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a vacuum chamber including a top plate, a rotary table rotatably disposed in the vacuum chamber, a first process gas supply part that supplies a first process gas to be adsorbed on a surface of a substrate placed on the rotary table, a plasma processing gas supply part that is disposed apart from the first process gas supply part in a circumferential direction of the rotary table and supplies a second process gas to the surface of the substrate, a separation gas supply part that supplies a separation gas for separating the first process gas and the second process gas, a plasma generator that converts the second process gas into plasma, and an elevating mechanism that moves at least one of the plasma generator and the rotary table upward and downward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Hitoshi Kato, Hiroyuki Kikuchi, Masato Yonezawa, Jun Sato, Shigehiro Miura
  • Patent number: 9817357
    Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus that can suppress a reduction in a quality of a finish of a fold part of a stack of center-folded sheets without losing an ease of center-folding. The sheet processing apparatus comprises a creasing unit for forming a folding stripe on a sheet so as to facilitate folding the sheet, and an acquisition unit for acquiring information related to a thickness of the sheet. One or more sheets to be provided with folding stripes are determined, from among a plurality of sheets to be folded, according to the information related to the thickness of the sheets, and each of the determined one or more sheets are provided with a folding stripe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hitoshi Kato, Yasuo Fukatsu
  • Publication number: 20170287677
    Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes a processing chamber, a rotation table installed in the processing chamber and configured to load a substrate on an upper surface of the rotation table along a circumferential direction of the rotation table, and a plasma generator including an antenna located above an upper surface of the processing chamber and installed to be able to move in a radial direction of the rotation table, wherein the plasma generator is configured to locally apply plasma to the rotation table in the radial direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2017
    Publication date: October 5, 2017
    Inventor: Hitoshi KATO
  • Patent number: 9777369
    Abstract: A method of depositing a thin film on a substrate inside a vacuum chamber includes a first process that deposits a first film on the substrate, the first process including a process of supplying an active species that is obtained by changing a gas to plasma and is related to a quality of the thin film to the substrate; and a second process that deposits a second film that is the same type as that of the first film on the first film, the second process including a process of supplying the active species to the substrate so that a supply quantity of the active species per a unit film thickness is greater than a first supply quantity of the active species per the unit film thickness in the first process by adjusting a controlled parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Hitoshi Kato, Masahiro Murata, Kentaro Oshimo, Shigehiro Miura
  • Publication number: 20170268104
    Abstract: A method for processing a substrate is provided. According to the method, a process gas is supplied to a surface of a substrate, and then a separation gas is supplied to the surface of the substrate. Moreover, a first plasma processing gas is supplied to the surface of the substrate in a first state in which a distance between the first plasma generation unit and the turntable is set at a first distance, and a second plasma processing gas is supplied to the surface of the substrate in a second state in which a distance between the second plasma generation unit and the turntable is set at a second distance shorter than the first distance. Furthermore, the separation gas is supplied to the surface of the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2017
    Publication date: September 21, 2017
    Inventors: Hitoshi KATO, Jun SATO, Masahiro MURATA, Kentaro OSHIMO, Tomoko SUGANO, Shigehiro MIURA
  • Publication number: 20170253964
    Abstract: A film deposition method includes steps of: adsorbing a silicon-containing gas on a surface of a substrate, by supplying the silicon-containing gas to the surface of the substrate; depositing a silicon nitride film, by supplying a nitriding gas to the surface of the substrate, while being activated by a first plasma, and nitriding the silicon-containing gas adsorbed on the surface of the substrate; and modifying the silicon nitride film deposited on the surface of the substrate, by supplying a treatment gas containing NH3 and N2 at a given ratio to the surface of the substrate, while being activated by a second plasma.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2017
    Publication date: September 7, 2017
    Inventors: Hitoshi KATO, Masahiro MURATA, Jun SATO, Shigehiro MIURA
  • Publication number: 20170218514
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a mounting stand installed to rotate about a rotation shaft extending along a rotary shaft of a rotary table and configured to hold a substrate, and a magnetic gear mechanism including a driven gear configured to rotate the mounting stand about the rotation shaft and a driving gear configured to drive the driven gear. The driven gear is connected to the mounting stand via the rotation shaft and installed to rotate in such a direction as to rotate the mounting stand. The driving gear is disposed in a state in which the driving surface faces the driven surface passing through a predetermined position on a movement orbit of the driven gear moving along with the rotation of the rotary table.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2017
    Publication date: August 3, 2017
    Inventors: Hitoshi KATO, Yukio OHIZUMI, Manabu HONMA, Takeshi KOBAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20170218510
    Abstract: A film deposition method for filling a recessed pattern with a SiN film is provided. NH2 groups are caused to adsorb on a surface of a substrate containing a recessed pattern formed in a top surface of the substrate by supplying a first process gas containing NH3 converted to first plasma to the surface of the substrate containing the recessed pattern. The NH2 groups is partially converted to N groups by supplying a second process gas containing N2 converted to second plasma to the surface of the substrate containing the recessed pattern on which the NH2 groups is adsorbed. A silicon-containing gas is caused to adsorb on the NH2 groups by supplying the silicon-containing gas to the surface of the substrate containing the recessed pattern on which the NH2 groups and the N groups are adsorbed. The above steps are cyclically repeated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2017
    Publication date: August 3, 2017
    Inventors: Hitoshi KATO, Masahiro MURATA, Jun SATO, Shigehiro MIURA
  • Patent number: 9714467
    Abstract: A method for processing a substrate is provided. According to the method, a process gas is supplied to a surface of a substrate, and then a separation gas is supplied to the surface of the substrate. Moreover, a first plasma processing gas is supplied to the surface of the substrate in a first state in which a distance between the first plasma generation unit and the turntable is set at a first distance, and a second plasma processing gas is supplied to the surface of the substrate in a second state in which a distance between the second plasma generation unit and the turntable is set at a second distance shorter than the first distance. Furthermore, the separation gas is supplied to the surface of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Hitoshi Kato, Jun Sato, Masahiro Murata, Kentaro Oshimo, Tomoko Sugano, Shigehiro Miura
  • Patent number: 9711370
    Abstract: A method of processing a substrate is provided. A substrate is placed on a turntable provided in a process chamber. The process chamber includes a process area for supplying an etching gas and a purge area for supplying a purge gas. The process area and the purge area are arranged along a rotational direction of the turntable and divided from each other. The etching gas is supplied into the process area. The purge gas is supplied into the purge area. The turntable rotates to cause the substrate placed on the turntable to pass through the process area and the purge area once per revolution, respectively. A film deposited on a surface of the substrate is etched when the substrate passes the process are. An etching rate of the etching or a surface roughness of the film is controlled by changing a rotational speed of the turntable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Shigehiro Miura, Hitoshi Kato, Jun Sato, Hiroyuki Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 9702043
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a vacuum chamber; a turntable rotatably provided in the vacuum chamber, on which a circular substrate is to be mounted, and provided with a circular concave portion at a front surface having a larger diameter than that of the substrate, and a circular substrate mounting portion provided in the concave portion having a diameter smaller than that of the concave portion and the substrate at a position higher than a bottom portion of the concave portion, the center of the substrate mounting portion being off center with respect to the center of the concave portion toward an outer peripheral portion side of the turntable; a process gas supplying unit which supplies a process gas to the substrate; and a vacuum evacuation mechanism which evacuates the vacuum chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Hitoshi Kato, Katsuyuki Hishiya