Patents by Inventor Kiyohito Yamamoto

Kiyohito Yamamoto 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: 11880132
    Abstract: An imprint apparatus for performing an imprint process of forming a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using a mold includes a mold holding unit that holds the mold, a stage that holds the substrate, a measurement unit that measures marks on the mold or the stage, a driving unit that brings the mold and the substrate into contact, a curing unit that cures the imprint material, and a control unit that controls various steps of the imprint process. The control unit obtains information about a difference between first and second position shift amounts obtained by measuring marks on the mold and substrate before and after performing a first imprint process, respectively. The control unit also controls the imprint apparatus to perform a second imprint process, following the first imprint process, based on the obtained information about the difference from performing the first imprint process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tadao Nakamura, Takamitsu Komaki, Kiyohito Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20220342299
    Abstract: An imprint apparatus for performing an imprint process of forming a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using a mold is disclosed. The imprint apparatus includes an adjustment unit configured to adjust a shape of the mold and a control unit configured to control the imprint process. The control unit obtains information indicating a tendency concerning a change of the shape of the mold corresponding to a use count of the mold used for the imprint process and controls the adjustment unit to correct the shape of the mold in accordance with the obtained information and a present use count of the mold. The control unit also controls the imprint apparatus to perform the imprint process after the shape of the mold has been corrected by the adjustment unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2022
    Publication date: October 27, 2022
    Inventors: Tadao Nakamura, Takamitsu Komaki, Kiyohito Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 11422461
    Abstract: An imprint apparatus for performing an imprint process of forming a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using a mold is disclosed. The imprint apparatus includes an adjustment unit configured to adjust a shape of the mold and a control unit configured to control the imprint process. The control unit obtains information indicating a tendency concerning a change of the shape of the mold corresponding to a use count of the mold used for the imprint process and controls the adjustment unit to correct the shape of the mold in accordance with the obtained information and a present use count of the mold. The control unit also controls the imprint apparatus to perform the imprint process after the shape of the mold has been corrected by the adjustment unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tadao Nakamura, Takamitsu Komaki, Kiyohito Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20220260905
    Abstract: An imprinting method for forming a pattern on a substrate with use of a mold, includes performing a running-in process in which the mold is brought into contact with a composition on a first substrate held by a holding unit, the composition on the first substrate is exposed, and the mold is released. After the running-in process, the method includes performing an imprinting process in which the mold is brought into contact with a composition on a second substrate, the composition on the second substrate is exposed, the mold is released, and the pattern is formed on the composition on the second substrate. A base material of the first substrate is higher in heat conductivity than a base material of the second substrate. The second substrate is used as an imprint mold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2022
    Publication date: August 18, 2022
    Inventors: Tsutomu Hashimoto, Kiyohito Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 11366385
    Abstract: An imprint mold includes a mesa portion projecting from a base material. The mesa portion includes a contact surface configured for contact with a curable composition made of an organic material, and a surface of a side wall at which the contact surface projects from the base material. A liquid repellent surface is formed on at least the surface of the side wall, the liquid repellent surface having a contact angle with respect to the curable composition being higher than a contact angle of the contact surface. The liquid repellent surface includes at least one type of compound selected from the group consisting of an oxide of an inorganic element, a fluoride of an inorganic element, and a nitride of an inorganic element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiki Ito, Masayuki Nakajima, Kiyohito Yamamoto, Yuichiro Oguchi, Naoki Kiyohara
  • Patent number: 11235495
    Abstract: A replica manufacturing apparatus performs imprint processing of forming a pattern of an imprint material on a replica substrate using a master mold, processes the replica substrate with the formed pattern to manufacture a replica mold, and transfers data of a condition concerning the imprint processing to a management apparatus. An imprint apparatus acquires the data from the management apparatus, and performs the imprint processing of forming a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using the replica mold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kiyohito Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 11199770
    Abstract: An imprint apparatus includes a processing unit that forms a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate by using a mold, a chamber that accommodates this processing unit and includes a first gate to which a first containment unit that contains the substrate before being processed by the processing unit is connected and a second gate to which a second containment unit that contains the substrate after being processed by the processing unit is connected, and a control unit that prohibits opening of the first gate until a predetermined time elapses since the substrate on which the pattern is formed by the processing unit is contained in the second containment unit and the second gate is closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kiyohito Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 11036149
    Abstract: An imprint apparatus forms a pattern on a substrate by curing an imprint material on the substrate while the imprint material is in contact with a mold. The imprint apparatus includes a substrate chuck having a substrate holding region for holding the substrate, a peripheral member arranged to surround the side surface of the substrate held by the substrate chuck, and a control unit configured to control a cleaning process for cleaning at least a partial region of the peripheral member by using a cleaning member including a charging unit. The cleaning process includes an operation for attracting a particle in the partial region to the charging unit by moving the cleaning member relative to the peripheral member while the charging unit faces at least the partial region of the peripheral member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoichi Matsuoka, Kiyohito Yamamoto, Hisanobu Azuma, Shigeru Terashima, Toshihiro Maeda, Masami Yonekawa, Keiji Emoto, Kazuki Nakagawa
  • Publication number: 20200341370
    Abstract: An imprint mold includes a mesa portion projecting from a base material. The mesa portion includes a contact surface configured for contact with a curable composition made of an organic material, and a surface of a side wall at which the contact surface projects from the base material. A liquid repellent surface is formed on at least the surface of the side wall, the liquid repellent surface having a contact angle with respect to the curable composition being higher than a contact angle of the contact surface. The liquid repellent surface includes at least one type of compound selected from the group consisting of an oxide of an inorganic element, a fluoride of an inorganic element, and a nitride of an inorganic element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2020
    Publication date: October 29, 2020
    Inventors: Toshiki Ito, Masayuki Nakajima, Kiyohito Yamamoto, Yuichiro Oguchi, Naoki Kiyohara
  • Publication number: 20200331190
    Abstract: The present invention provides an imprint apparatus for performing an imprint process of forming a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using a mold, including an adjustment unit configured to adjust a shape of the mold, and a control unit configured to control the imprint process, wherein the control unit obtains information indicating a tendency concerning a change of the shape of the mold corresponding to a use count of the mold used for the imprint process, and performs the imprint process while correcting the shape of the mold by the adjustment unit in accordance with the use count of the mold based on the information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2020
    Publication date: October 22, 2020
    Inventors: Tadao Nakamura, Takamitsu Komaki, Kiyohito Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 10672673
    Abstract: There is provided a method of performing an analysis of a defect in a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate that has undergone an imprint process of transferring a pattern of a mold onto the substrate. The method includes obtaining a defect distribution of the pattern on the substrate, obtaining map information indicating an arrangement of the imprint material on the substrate, and determining a type of a defect based on a relationship between a position of the defect in the defect distribution and a position of a gap in the imprint material generated in a process of spreading the imprint material by the imprint process, wherein the position of the gap is predicted based on the map information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Norikazu Baba, Kiyohito Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20190283281
    Abstract: A replica manufacturing apparatus performs imprint processing of forming a pattern of an imprint material on a replica substrate using a master mold, processes the replica substrate with the formed pattern to manufacture a replica mold, and transfers data of a condition concerning the imprint processing to a management apparatus. An imprint apparatus acquires the data from the management apparatus, and performs the imprint processing of forming a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate using the replica mold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2019
    Publication date: September 19, 2019
    Inventor: Kiyohito Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20190265588
    Abstract: An imprinting method for forming a pattern on a substrate with use of a mold, includes performing a running-in process in which the mold is brought into contact with a composition on a first substrate held by a holding unit, the composition on the first substrate is exposed, and the mold is released. After the running-in process, the method includes performing an imprinting process in which the mold is brought into contact with a composition on a second substrate, the composition on the second substrate is exposed, the mold is released, and the pattern is formed on the composition on the second substrate. A base material of the first substrate is higher in heat conductivity than a base material of the second substrate. The second substrate is used as an imprint mold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2019
    Publication date: August 29, 2019
    Inventors: Tsutomu Hashimoto, Kiyohito Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20190155149
    Abstract: An imprint apparatus includes a processing unit that forms a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate by using a mold, a chamber that accommodates this processing unit and includes a first gate to which a first containment unit that contains the substrate before being processed by the processing unit is connected and a second gate to which a second containment unit that contains the substrate after being processed by the processing unit is connected, and a control unit that prohibits opening of the first gate until a predetermined time elapses since the substrate on which the pattern is formed by the processing unit is contained in the second containment unit and the second gate is closed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2019
    Publication date: May 23, 2019
    Inventor: Kiyohito Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20180356741
    Abstract: An imprint apparatus forms a pattern on a substrate by curing an imprint material on the substrate while the imprint material is in contact with a mold. The imprint apparatus includes a substrate chuck having a substrate holding region for holding the substrate, a peripheral member arranged to surround the side surface of the substrate held by the substrate chuck, and a control unit configured to control a cleaning process for cleaning at least a partial region of the peripheral member by using a cleaning member including a charging unit. The cleaning process includes an operation for attracting a particle in the partial region to the charging unit by moving the cleaning member relative to the peripheral member while the charging unit faces at least the partial region of the peripheral member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2018
    Publication date: December 13, 2018
    Inventors: Yoichi Matsuoka, Kiyohito Yamamoto, Hisanobu Azuma, Shigeru Terashima, Toshihiro Maeda, Masami Yonekawa, Keiji Emoto, Kazuki Nakagawa
  • Publication number: 20170263510
    Abstract: There is provided a method of performing an analysis of a defect in a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate that has undergone an imprint process of transferring a pattern of a mold onto the substrate. The method includes obtaining a defect distribution of the pattern on the substrate, obtaining map information indicating an arrangement of the imprint material on the substrate, and determining a type of a defect based on a relationship between a position of the defect in the defect distribution and a position of a gap in the imprint material generated in a process of spreading the imprint material by the imprint process, wherein the position of the gap is predicted based on the map information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2017
    Publication date: September 14, 2017
    Inventors: Norikazu Baba, Kiyohito Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 9386707
    Abstract: With a nozzle being moved in one direction to a substrate unit, conductive ink is discharged out of a slit of the nozzle in a belt-like manner to the substrate unit. The conductive ink is discharged in a belt-like manner to the substrate unit on which a liquid-repellent region having a liquid repellency to the conductive ink and a lyophilic region having a lyophilic property to the conductive ink and having the same form as a desired circuit pattern are formed. Thereby, the conductive ink is applied to the lyophilic region, while the conductive ink is repelled at the remaining liquid-repellent region and flows into the lyophilic region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: TORAY ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takashi Iwade, Shinya Izumida, Kazuyuki Shishino, Kiyohito Yamamoto, Shigeru Tohno
  • Publication number: 20140353016
    Abstract: With a nozzle being moved in one direction to a substrate unit, conductive ink is discharged out of a slit of the nozzle in a belt-like manner to the substrate unit. The conductive ink is discharged in a belt-like manner to the substrate unit on which a liquid-repellent region having a liquid repellency to the conductive ink and a lyophilic region having a lyophilic property to the conductive ink and having the same form as a desired circuit pattern are formed. Thereby, the conductive ink is applied to the lyophilic region, while the conductive ink is repelled at the remaining liquid-repellent region and flows into the lyophilic region. This allows for easier formation of the circuit pattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2012
    Publication date: December 4, 2014
    Applicant: TORAY ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takashi Iwade, Shinya Izumida, Kazuyuki Shishino, Kiyohito Yamamoto, Shigeru Tohno
  • Publication number: 20130038855
    Abstract: The present invention provides a lithography apparatus which transfers a pattern onto a substrate using an original including a pattern region in which the pattern is formed, the apparatus including a stocker configured to store the original, a processing unit configured to perform a transfer process of transferring the pattern onto the substrate, and a conveyance hand configured to convey the original between the stocker and the processing unit, wherein the conveyance hand includes a protective plate configured to protect the pattern region upon being placed to cover the pattern region, and a holding portion configured to hold the original via a portion other than the pattern region of the original upon being placed on the protective plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2012
    Publication date: February 14, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kiyohito YAMAMOTO
  • Patent number: 7834982
    Abstract: A substrate holding apparatus including a first holding member for attracting a first surface of a substrate, a second holding member which contacts a second surface, opposite to the first surface, of the substrate, in which the second holding member attracts the second surface, and a forcing member for forcing the first holding member toward the second holding member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kiyohito Yamamoto