Patents by Inventor Hitoshi Murata

Hitoshi Murata 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: 12504332
    Abstract: According to one aspect of the technique, there is provided a substrate temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of a substrate, wherein the substrate temperature sensor is provided in a protective pipe provided to be accommodated in a recess formed at a portion of a substrate retainer on which the substrate is mounted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2024
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2025
    Assignee: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Tokunobu Akao, Hitoshi Murata, Akinori Tanaka, Masaaki Ueno
  • Publication number: 20250239472
    Abstract: According to one aspect of the technique, there is provided a configuration including: a furnace body covering a reaction chamber; a heating element divided into zones and provided in the furnace body; first temperature sensors provided for the zones such that its temperature measuring point is arranged near the heating element; second temperature sensors provided such that its temperature measuring point is provided close to a temperature measuring point of a first temperature sensor; and temperature meters provided at the zones to hold the temperature measuring points of the first and the second temperature sensors to be close to each other in a protection pipe. Each temperature meter penetrates an outer periphery of the furnace body perpendicular to a central axis of the reaction chamber such that a front end of the protection pipe is located outside the reaction tube and on a tube axis thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2025
    Publication date: July 24, 2025
    Inventors: Shinobu SUGIURA, Masaaki UENO, Tetsuya KOSUGI, Hitoshi MURATA, Masashi SUGISHITA, Tomoyuki YAMADA
  • Publication number: 20250226244
    Abstract: It is possible to improve a temperature increase speed in a low temperature range. There is provided a technique that includes: (a) adjusting a temperature of a substrate arranged in a reaction tube to a predetermined process temperature by controlling a heating of an inside of the reaction tube and a cooling of the inside the reaction tube, wherein (a) includes: (a-1) increasing a temperature of a heater wire provided outside the reaction tube to become higher than the process temperature by supplying a constant amount of an electric power to the heater wire; and (a-2) supplying a cooling gas toward the reaction tube.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2025
    Publication date: July 10, 2025
    Applicant: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Kento NAKANISHI, Hitoshi MURATA, Masaaki UENO, Hideto YAMAGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20250179642
    Abstract: According to the technique of the present disclosure, there is provided a heater comprising a heat generating element divided into at least a central portion and an outer peripheral portion. The heat generating element is configured to be capable of adjusting a heating amount of each of the central portion and the outer peripheral portion. End portions of the outer peripheral portion are not adjacent to outermost turnaround portions of the heat generating element. Further, turnaround portions of the heat generating element are not adjacent to the end portions in a direction outward from a center of the heat generating element in the outer peripheral portion of the heat generating element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2025
    Publication date: June 5, 2025
    Applicant: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuya KOSUGI, Hitoshi MURATA, Shuhei SAIDO
  • Patent number: 12293930
    Abstract: According to one aspect of the technique, there is provided a configuration including: a furnace body covering a reaction chamber; a heating element divided into zones and provided in the furnace body; first temperature sensors provided for the zones such that its temperature measuring point is arranged near the heating element; second temperature sensors provided such that its temperature measuring point is provided close to a temperature measuring point of a first temperature sensor; and temperature meters provided at the zones to hold the temperature measuring points of the first and the second temperature sensors to be close to each other in a protection pipe. Each temperature meter penetrates an outer periphery of the furnace body perpendicular to a central axis of the reaction chamber such that a front end of the protection pipe is located outside the reaction tube and on a tube axis thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2025
    Assignee: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Shinobu Sugiura, Masaaki Ueno, Tetsuya Kosugi, Hitoshi Murata, Masashi Sugishita, Tomoyuki Yamada
  • Patent number: 12241159
    Abstract: According to the technique of the present disclosure, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: a reaction tube accommodating therein a plurality of substrates vertically arranged; and a first heater configured to heat an inside of the reaction tube from an upper portion of the reaction tube, wherein a heat generating amount of the first heater in a region corresponding to a low temperature portion of an upper substrate among the plurality of the substrates accommodated in the reaction tube is greater than a heat generating amount of the first heater in a region corresponding to a high temperature portion of the upper substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2025
    Assignee: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuya Kosugi, Hitoshi Murata, Shuhei Saido
  • Publication number: 20250004489
    Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes: a temperature measurer disposed in a processing space formed between substrates supported by supports of a substrate support; a detector in which the temperature measurer is provided; and a column extending in a vertical direction so as to support the detector in a horizontal direction, wherein a lower end of the detector is arranged at a same height position as a lower end of each of the supports or at a higher position than the lower end of each of the supports, and wherein a surface of the column near the processing space is arranged farther from the processing space than a surface of a support column near the processing space, the support column being configured to support each of the supports in the horizontal direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2024
    Publication date: January 2, 2025
    Applicant: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Takayuki NAKADA, Hitoshi MURATA, Kento NAKANISHI
  • Publication number: 20240234187
    Abstract: Provided is a technique including a plurality of supports configured to support a substrate; at least one upright including a first space inside; and a temperature sensor provided in the first space, the temperature sensor including a temperature detector configured to measure a temperature of the substrate, in which at least one support of the plurality of supports includes a second space inside in communication with the first space to allow the temperature detector to be installed in the second space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2024
    Publication date: July 11, 2024
    Applicant: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Hitoshi MURATA, Takayuki Nakada, Masaaki Ueno
  • Publication number: 20240151591
    Abstract: According to one aspect of the technique, there is provided a substrate temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of a substrate, wherein the substrate temperature sensor is provided in a protective pipe provided to be accommodated in a recess formed at a portion of a substrate retainer on which the substrate is mounted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2024
    Publication date: May 9, 2024
    Inventors: Tokunobu AKAO, Hitoshi MURATA, Akinori TANAKA, Masaaki UENO
  • Patent number: 11906367
    Abstract: According to one aspect of the technique, there is provided a substrate temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of a substrate, wherein the substrate temperature sensor is provided in a protective pipe passing through a notch provided at least in a bottom plate of a substrate retainer inserted into a process chamber in a state where the substrate is mounted on the substrate retainer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Tokunobu Akao, Hitoshi Murata, Akinori Tanaka, Masaaki Ueno
  • Patent number: 11359285
    Abstract: Described herein is a technique capable of reducing the time necessary for stabilizing the inner temperature of the processing furnace. A substrate processing apparatus may include: a wafer retainer configured to support a plurality of wafers; a upright cylindrical process vessel; a seal cap configured to cover an opening at a lower end of the process vessel; a first heater configured to heat an inside of the process vessel from a lateral side thereof; an insulating unit disposed between the seal cap and the wafer retainer; and a second heater facing at least one of the plurality of wafers and configured to heat the at least one of the plurality of wafers, the second heater including: a pillar penetrating centers of the seal cap and the insulating unit; an annular member connected to and concentric with the pillar; a pair of connecting parts connecting end portions of the annular member to the pillar; and an heating element disposed inside the annular member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Hitoshi Murata, Takashi Yahata, Yuichi Wada, Takatomo Yamaguchi, Shuhei Saido
  • Publication number: 20220122858
    Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes a reaction container in which an object to be processed, containing a semiconductor, is arranged; a heater configured to emit heat; and a radiation control body arranged between the reaction container and the heater, wherein the radiation control body is configured to radiate a radiant wave of a wavelength transmittable through the reaction container by selecting a wavelength of a radiation heat from the heater such that the radiant wave reaches the object to be processed in the reaction container.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2021
    Publication date: April 21, 2022
    Applicant: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hitoshi MURATA, Yasuo KUNII, Masaaki UENO
  • Publication number: 20220122859
    Abstract: There is provided a technique that includes a quartz container in which an object to be processed, which contains a semiconductor, is arranged; a heater configured to emit heat; and a radiation control body arranged between the quartz container and the heater, wherein the radiation control body is configured to radiate a radiant wave of a wavelength transmittable through the quartz container by heating from the heater such that the radiant wave reaches the object to be processed in the quartz container.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2021
    Publication date: April 21, 2022
    Applicants: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION, OSAKA GAS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hitoshi MURATA, Yasuo KUNII, Masaaki UENO, Masahiro SUEMITSU
  • Publication number: 20210407865
    Abstract: According to one aspect of the technique, there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, including: (a) heating a heat insulating plate in a substrate retainer to a processing temperature by an electromagnetic wave, and measuring a temperature change of the heat insulating plate by a non-contact type thermometer until the processing temperature; (b) heating a test object provided with a chip that does not transmit a detection light of the thermometer and accommodated in the substrate retainer to the processing temperature, and measuring a temperature change of the chip by the thermometer until the processing temperature; (c) acquiring a correlation between the temperature change of the heat insulating plate and that of the chip based on measurement results; and (d) controlling a heater to heat the substrate based on the correlation and the temperature of the heat insulating plate measured by the thermometer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2021
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Inventors: Kenji SHINOZAKI, Tetsuo YAMAMOTO, Yukitomo HIROCHI, Yoshihiko YANAGISAWA, Naoki HARA, Masaaki UENO, Hideto YAMAGUCHI, Hitoshi MURATA, Shuhei SAIDO, Kazuhiro KIMURA
  • Publication number: 20210313205
    Abstract: According to one aspect of the technique, there is provided a configuration including: a furnace body covering a reaction chamber; a heating element divided into zones and provided in the furnace body; first temperature sensors provided for the zones such that its temperature measuring point is arranged near the heating element; second temperature sensors provided such that its temperature measuring point is provided close to a temperature measuring point of a first temperature sensor; and temperature meters provided at the zones to hold the temperature measuring points of the first and the second temperature sensors to be close to each other in a protection pipe. Each temperature meter penetrates an outer periphery of the furnace body perpendicular to a central axis of the reaction chamber such that a front end of the protection pipe is located outside the reaction tube and on a tube axis thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2021
    Publication date: October 7, 2021
    Inventors: Shinobu SUGIURA, Masaaki UENO, Tetsuya KOSUGI, Hitoshi MURATA, Masashi SUGISHITA, Tomoyuki YAMADA
  • Patent number: 11043402
    Abstract: There is provided a cooling unit, comprising: an intake pipe provided for each of a plurality of zones and configured to supply a gas for cooling a reaction tube; a control valve provided in the intake pipe and configured to adjust a flow rate of the gas; a buffer part configured to temporarily store the gas supplied from the intake pipe; and openings provided so as to blow the gas stored in the buffer part toward the reaction tube, wherein the flow rate of the gas introduced into the intake pipe is set according to vertical length ratios of the zones such that the flow rate and a flow velocity of the gas injected from the openings toward the reaction tube are adjusted by opening and closing the control valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tetsuya Kosugi, Hitoshi Murata, Masaaki Ueno
  • Publication number: 20210181033
    Abstract: According to one aspect of the technique, there is provided a substrate temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of a substrate, wherein the substrate temperature sensor is provided in a protective pipe passing through a notch provided at least in a bottom plate of a substrate retainer inserted into a process chamber in a state where the substrate is mounted on the substrate retainer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2021
    Publication date: June 17, 2021
    Inventors: Tokunobu AKAO, Hitoshi MURATA, Akinori TANAKA, Masaaki UENO
  • Publication number: 20200173024
    Abstract: Described herein is a technique capable of reducing the time necessary for stabilizing the inner temperature of the processing furnace. A substrate processing apparatus may include: a wafer retainer configured to support a plurality of wafers; a upright cylindrical process vessel; a seal cap configured to cover an opening at a lower end of the process vessel; a first heater configured to heat an inside of the process vessel from a lateral side thereof; an insulating unit disposed between the seal cap and the wafer retainer; and a second heater facing at least one of the plurality of wafers and configured to heat the at least one of the plurality of wafers, the second heater including: a pillar penetrating centers of the seal cap and the insulating unit; an annular member connected to and concentric with the pillar; a pair of connecting parts connecting end portions of the annular member to the pillar; and an heating element disposed inside the annular member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2020
    Publication date: June 4, 2020
    Inventors: Hitoshi MURATA, Takashi YAHATA, Yuichi WADA, Takatomo YAMAGUCHI, Shuhei SAIDO
  • Patent number: 10597780
    Abstract: Described herein is a technique capable of reducing the time necessary for stabilizing the inner temperature of the processing furnace. A substrate processing apparatus may include: a wafer retainer configured to support a plurality of wafers; an upright cylindrical process vessel; a seal cap configured to cover an opening at a lower end of the process vessel; a first heater configured to heat an inside of the process vessel from a lateral side thereof; an insulating unit disposed between the seal cap and the wafer retainer; and a second heater facing at least one of the plurality of wafers and configured to heat the at least one of the plurality of wafers, the second heater including: a pillar penetrating centers of the seal cap and the insulating unit; an annular member connected to and concentric with the pillar; a pair of connecting parts connecting end portions of the annular member to the pillar; and a heating element disposed inside the annular member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Hitoshi Murata, Takashi Yahata, Yuichi Wada, Takatomo Yamaguchi, Shuhei Saido
  • Publication number: 20190284696
    Abstract: According to the technique of the present disclosure, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: a reaction tube accommodating therein a plurality of substrates vertically arranged; and a first heater configured to heat an inside of the reaction tube from an upper portion of the reaction tube, wherein a heat generating amount of the first heater in a region corresponding to a low temperature portion of an upper substrate among the plurality of the substrates accommodated in the reaction tube is greater than a heat generating amount of the first heater in a region corresponding to a high temperature portion of the upper substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2019
    Publication date: September 19, 2019
    Applicant: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tetsuya KOSUGI, Hitoshi MURATA, Shuhei SAIDO