Patents by Inventor Koichiro Tanaka

Koichiro Tanaka 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: 8445359
    Abstract: To provide a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device using an SOI substrate, by which mobility can be improved. A plurality of semiconductor films formed using a plurality of bond substrates (semiconductor substrates) are bonded to one base substrate (support substrate). At least one of the plurality of bond substrates has a crystal plane orientation different from that of the other bond substrates. Accordingly, at least one of the plurality of semiconductor films formed over one base substrate has a crystal plane orientation different from that of the other semiconductor films. The crystal plane orientation of the semiconductor film is determined in accordance with the polarity of a semiconductor element formed using the semiconductor film. For example, an n-channel element in which electrons are majority carriers is formed using a semiconductor film having a face {100}, and a p-channel element in which holes are majority carriers is formed using a semiconductor film having a face {110}.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Koichiro Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8435811
    Abstract: An evaporation donor substrate which enables only a desired evaporation material to be evaporated at the time of deposition by an evaporation method, and capable of reduction in manufacturing cost by increase in use efficiency of the evaporation material and deposition with high uniformity. An evaporation donor substrate capable of controlling laser light so that a desired position of an evaporation donor substrate is irradiated with the laser light in accordance with the wavelength of the emitted laser light at the time of evaporation. Specifically, an evaporation donor substrate in which a region which reflects laser light and a region which absorbs laser light at the time of irradiation with laser light having a wavelength of greater than or equal to 400 nm and less than or equal to 600 nm at the time of evaporation are formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kohei Yokoyama, Takahiro Ibe, Takuya Tsurume, Koichiro Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8426324
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a memory element is proposed. A laser beam emitted from a laser oscillator is entered into a deflector, and a laser beam which has passed through the deflector is entered into a diffractive optical element to be diverged into a plurality of laser beams. Then, a photoresist formed over an insulating film is irradiated with the laser beam which is made to diverge into the plurality of laser beams, and the photoresist irradiated with the laser beam is developed so as to selectively etch the insulating film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichiro Tanaka, Hirotada Oishi
  • Patent number: 8415174
    Abstract: In a light-emitting element provided with a thick layer of a plurality of EL layers which are partitioned by a charge generation layer between a pair of electrodes, a portion which a conductive foreign substance enters between the pair of electrodes emits stronger light at a voltage lower than a voltage required when a normal portion starts emitting light. In a light-emitting element provided with a plurality of EL layers which are partitioned by a charge generation layer between a pair of electrodes, a voltage may be applied thereto in the forward direction. Then, an abnormal light-emission portion may be detected because the portion emits light at a luminance of 1 (cd/m2) or higher when the applied voltage is lower than a voltage required when a normal portion starts emitting light. The portion may be irradiated with laser light so as to be insulated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Koichiro Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8409905
    Abstract: To improve the use efficiency of materials and provide a technique of fabricating a display device by a simple process. The method includes the steps of providing a mask on a conductive layer, forming an insulating film over the conductive layer provided with the mask, removing the mask to form an insulating layer having an opening; and forming a conductive film in the opening so as to be in contact with the exposed conductive layer, whereby the conductive layer and the conductive film can be electrically connected through the insulating layer. The shape of the opening reflects the shape of the mask. A mask having a columnar shape (e.g., a prism, a cylinder, or a triangular prism), a needle shape, or the like can be used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Koichiro Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8405909
    Abstract: A lens array is formed on one surface of a deposition donor substrate and a light absorption layer is formed on the other surface; a material layer is formed in contact with the light absorption layer; the surface of the deposition donor substrate on which the material layer is formed and a deposition target surface of a deposition target substrate are disposed to face each other; and at least part of the light absorption layer is selectively irradiated with light from the side of the deposition donor substrate, on which the lens array is provided, to heat the material layer in a region overlapped by the region irradiated with the light in the light absorption layer, thereby performing deposition to the deposition target surface of the deposition target substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratories Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Koichiro Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8398725
    Abstract: When annealing of a semiconductor film is conducted using a plurality of lasers, each of the distances between laser irradiation regions is different. When a lithography step is conducted in accordance with a marker which is formed over a substrate in advance after the step, light-exposure is not correctly conducted to a portion crystallized by laser. By using a laser irradiation region obtained on a laser irradiation step as a marker, light-exposure is conducted by making a light-exposure position of a stepper coincide with a large grain size region in the laser irradiation region. A large grain size region and a poorly crystalline region are detected by utilizing a thing that scattering intensity of light is different between the large grain size region and the poorly crystalline region, thereby determining a light-exposure position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichiro Tanaka, Yoshiaki Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8395084
    Abstract: A laser beam having homogeneous intensity distribution is delivered without causing interference stripes of a laser to appear on an irradiation surface. A laser beam emitted from a laser oscillator passes through a diffractive optical element so that the intensity distribution thereof is homogenized. The beam emitted from the diffractive optical element then passes through a slit so that low-intensity end portions in a major-axis direction of the beam are blocked. Subsequently, the beam passes through a projecting lens and a condensing lens, so that an image of the slit is projected onto the irradiation surface. The projecting lens is provided so that the slit and the irradiation surface are conjugated. Thus, the irradiation surface can be irradiated with the laser having homogeneous intensity while preventing the diffraction by the slit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Koichiro Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8395712
    Abstract: A television (10) includes: a WiHD-RX (11) which receives signals transmitted from a camcorder (20) and a BD system (30); an orientation detection unit (102) which detects information indicating a relative position between a WiHD-TX (21) and a WiHD-RXTX (31); a communication status obtainment unit (104a) which obtains communication status information indicating whether or not it is possible to transmit a video signal or an audio signal from one of the camcorder (20) and the BD system (30) to the other; and a change information generation unit (104b) which generates, based on a detection result of by the orientation detection unit (102), and outputs change information when the communication status information indicates that the transmission is not possible. The change information indicates a direction for moving a communication range of the video signal or the audio signal from the WiHD-TX (21) closer to the WiHD-RXTX (31).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuya Sato, Koichiro Tanaka, Keiichiro Obayashi, Makoto Funabiki
  • Patent number: 8383689
    Abstract: The present skin cosmetics comprising cocoon-shaped polymer fine particles having an average particle size of 1 to 8 ?m and cosmetic vehicles show an effect of making fine wrinkles on the skin unnoticeable, letting the skin appear smoother and fairer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Aica Kogyo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichiro Tanaka, Shunsaku Tanaka, Sadao Negayama, Naomi Ishii
  • Patent number: 8383193
    Abstract: There is a problem in a method for forming an EL layer by heating with light and transferring an organic material in that the organic material is not uniformly transferred. The present invention relates to a film formation method including the steps of forming a metal film over a first surface of an elastic substrate; forming an organic material layer onto a second surface of the elastic substrate which is opposite to the first surface; placing the second surface of the elastic substrate and a substrate on which a film is to be formed, with a space between the second surface of the elastic substrate and the substrate on which a film is to be formed; heating locally and rapidly the metal film from a first surface side of the elastic substrate to deform the elastic substrate by expansion of the metal film; and transferring the organic material layer from the elastic substrate onto the substrate on which a film is to be formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Koichiro Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8372762
    Abstract: In a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, a manufacturing technique and a manufacturing apparatus of a semiconductor device which simplify a lithography step using a photoresist is provided, so that the manufacturing cost is reduced, and the throughput is improved. An irradiated object, in which a light absorbing layer and an insulating layer are stacked over a substrate, is irradiated with a multi-mode laser beam and a single-mode laser beam so that both the laser beams overlap with each other, and an opening is formed by ablation in part of the irradiated object the irradiation of which is performed so that both the laser beams overlap with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirotada Oishi, Koichiro Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20130020932
    Abstract: One object is to provide a lighting device having a large irradiation range at low cost. One object is to provide a lighting device with improved light extraction efficiency at low cost. The lighting device includes a light-transmitting base, a first light-transmitting electrode formed over almost the whole area of a surface of the light-transmitting base, an EL layer over the first light-transmitting electrode, and a second electrode over the EL layer. The light-transmitting base has a cylindrical shape, a conical shape, a prismatic shape, or a pyramidal shape whose bottom surface is the surface of the light-transmitting base.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2012
    Publication date: January 24, 2013
    Inventors: Koichiro Tanaka, Takatsugu Omata
  • Patent number: 8349705
    Abstract: To provide a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device in which the space between semiconductor films transferred at plural locations is narrowed. A first bonding substrate having first projections is attached to a base substrate. Then, the first bonding substrate is separated at the first projections so that first semiconductor films are formed over the base substrate. Next, a second bonding substrate having second projections is attached to the base substrate so that the second projections are placed in regions different from regions where the first semiconductor films are formed. Subsequently, the second bonding substrate is separated at the second projections so that second semiconductor films are formed over the base substrate. In the second bonding substrate, the width of each second projection in a direction (a depth direction) perpendicular to the second bonding substrate is larger than the film thickness of each first semiconductor film formed first.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihisa Shimomura, Tatsuya Mizoi, Hidekazu Miyairi, Koichiro Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8349714
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to align the plane orientations of crystal grains of a semiconductor film crystallized by irradiation with a linear laser beam with a width of less than or equal to 5 ?m. By performing irradiation with the linear laser beam condensed by an aspheric cylindrical lens or a gradient index lens to completely melt the semiconductor film and scanning the linear laser beam, the completely melted semiconductor film is made to grow laterally. Because the linear beam is very narrow, the width of the semiconductor which is in a liquid state is also narrow, so the occurrence of turbulent flow in the liquid semiconductor is suppressed. Therefore, growth directions of adjacent crystal grains do not become disordered due to turbulent flow and are unformalized, and thus the plane orientations of the laterally grown crystal grains can be aligned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichiro Tanaka, Tomoaki Moriwaka, Takatsugu Omata, Junpei Momo
  • Patent number: 8344336
    Abstract: There is proposed an apparatus for doping a material to be doped by generating plasma (ions) and accelerating it by a high voltage to form an ion current is proposed, which is particularly suitable for processing a substrate having a large area. The ion current is formed to have a linear sectional configuration, and doping is performed by moving a material to be doped in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of a section of the ion current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Toshiji Hamatani, Koichiro Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8338278
    Abstract: To form a semiconductor film with a thickness of 50 nm or less, which includes a large grain crystal by totally melting the semiconductor film with a laser beam. A projection having a triangular cross section is formed on the surface of a semiconductor film. The shape of the projection is a conical shape or a triangular prismatic shape. A laser beam which has entered a projection of the semiconductor film travels toward a substrate while being greatly refracted and totally reflected at the interface between the projection and the air. Further, since the laser beam enters the semiconductor film from a projection, the laser beam which is incident on the interface between an insulating film and a semiconductor is very likely totally reflected. Thus, when a laser beam enters a semiconductor film from a projection, the time during which the laser beam propagates through the semiconductor film is longer, which can increase the absorptance of the semiconductor film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichiro Tanaka, Takatsugu Omata
  • Patent number: 8330221
    Abstract: It is an object to form single-crystalline semiconductor layers with high mobility over approximately the entire surface of a glass substrate even when the glass substrate is increased in size. A first single-crystalline semiconductor substrate is bonded to a substrate having an insulating surface, the first single-crystalline semiconductor substrate is separated such that a first single-crystalline semiconductor layer is left remaining over the substrate having an insulating surface, a second single-crystalline semiconductor substrate is bonded to the substrate having an insulating surface so as to overlap with at least part of the first single-crystalline semiconductor layer provided over the substrate having an insulating surface, and the second single-crystalline semiconductor substrate is separated such that a second single-crystalline semiconductor layer is left remaining over the substrate having an insulating surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Koichiro Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8326102
    Abstract: The present invention is to provide a beam homogenizer, a laser irradiation apparatus, and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, which can suppress the loss of a laser beam and form a beam spot having homogeneous energy distribution constantly on an irradiation surface without being affected by beam parameters of a laser beam. A deflector is provided at an entrance of an optical waveguide or a light pipe used for homogenizing a laser beam emitted from a laser oscillator. A pair of reflection planes of the deflector is provided so as to have a tilt angle to an optical axis of the laser beam, whereby the entrance of the optical waveguide or the light pipe is expanded. Accordingly, the loss of the laser beam can be suppressed. Moreover, by providing an angle adjusting mechanism to the deflector, a beam spot having homogeneous energy distribution can be formed at an exit of the optical waveguide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichiro Tanaka, Hirotada Oishi
  • Publication number: 20120285200
    Abstract: In a method for manufacturing a glass sealed body, a paste including powdered glass and a binder is discharged from an outlet whose shape is a closed curve to fowl a partition whose shape is a closed curve over a first glass substrate; the partition is heated so that the binder is volatilized and the powdered glass is fused to be a frit glass; and the frit glass and a second glass substrate are heated while disposing in close contact with each other, so that the frit glass and the second glass substrate are welded together to form a closed space by the frit glass, the first glass substrate, and the second glass substrate. A light-emitting element is sealed with the glass sealed body, so that the sealing is hardly broken even when impact or external force is applied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2012
    Publication date: November 15, 2012
    Inventor: Koichiro Tanaka