Patents by Inventor Koji Ashida
Koji Ashida 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).
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Patent number: 12325930Abstract: A manufacturing device of SiC semiconductor substrates includes a SiC container (3) in which Si vapor and C vapor are generated in the internal space during the heat treatment, and a high-temperature vacuum furnace (11) capable of heating the SiC container in Si atmosphere. The device can further be configured such that the SiC container is housed in Si atmosphere and an underlying substrate (40) is housed in the SiC container, and the high-temperature vacuum furnace is capable of heating with a temperature gradient.Type: GrantFiled: May 2, 2022Date of Patent: June 10, 2025Assignees: KWANSEI GAKUIN EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION, TOYOTA TSUSHO CORPORATIONInventors: Tadaaki Kaneko, Yasunori Kutsuma, Koji Ashida, Ryo Hashimoto
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Patent number: 12320030Abstract: Disclosed is a method for using a SiC container (3) in which Si vapor and C vapor are generated in the internal space during the heat treatment. The SiC container may be heated in Si atmosphere to grow an epitaxial layer of single crystalline SiC on the underlying substrate housed in the internal space. The SiC container may be heated in a TaC container of a material including TaC supplemented with a source of Si to grow an epitaxial layer of single crystalline SiC on the underlying substrate housed in the internal space.Type: GrantFiled: October 17, 2023Date of Patent: June 3, 2025Assignees: KWANSEI GAKUIN EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION, TOYOTA TSUSHO CORPORATIONInventors: Tadaaki Kaneko, Yasunori Kutsuma, Koji Ashida, Ryo Hashimoto
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Patent number: 12237377Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a SiC semiconductor substrate having a growth layer with a controlled step height, a manufacturing method thereof, and a manufacturing device thereof. The method includes: a growth process that grows a SiC substrate 10 in a SiC—Si equilibrium vapor pressure environment. In this way, when the SiC substrate 10 is grown in the SiC—Si equilibrium vapor pressure environment, it is possible to provide a SiC semiconductor substrate in which the step height of the growth layer is controlled.Type: GrantFiled: November 5, 2019Date of Patent: February 25, 2025Assignees: KWANSEI GAKUIN EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION, TOYOTA TSUSHO CORPORATIONInventors: Tadaaki Kaneko, Koji Ashida, Tomoya Ihara, Daichi Dojima
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Patent number: 12131960Abstract: To provide a new temperature distribution evaluation method, a temperature distribution evaluation device, and a soaking range evaluation method, as the temperature distribution evaluation method which evaluates a temperature distribution of a heating area 40A provided in a heating device 40, the present invention is a temperature distribution evaluation method which, in the heating area 40A, heats a semiconductor substrate 10 and a transmitting and receiving body 20 for transporting a raw material to and from the semiconductor substrate 10, and evaluates a temperature distribution of the heating area 40A on the basis of a substrate thickness variation amount A of the semiconductor substrate 10. Accordingly, temperature distribution evaluation can be implemented for a high temperature area at 1600-2200° C. or the like at which it is hard to evaluate the temperature distribution due to the limit of a thermocouple material.Type: GrantFiled: April 24, 2020Date of Patent: October 29, 2024Assignees: KWANSEI GAKUIN EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION, TOYOTA TSUSHO CORPORATIONInventors: Tadaaki Kaneko, Daichi Dojima, Koji Ashida, Tomoya Ihara
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Patent number: 12020928Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a SiC semiconductor substrate capable of reducing a density of basal plane dislocations (BPD) in a growth layer, a manufacturing method thereof, and a manufacturing device thereof. The method includes: a strained layer removal process S10 that removes a strained layer introduced on a surface of a SiC substrate; and an epitaxial growth process S20 that conducts growth under a condition that a terrace width W of the SiC substrate is increased. When a SiC semiconductor substrate is manufactured in such processes, the basal plane dislocations BPD in the growth layer can be reduced, and a yield of a SiC semiconductor device can be improved.Type: GrantFiled: November 5, 2019Date of Patent: June 25, 2024Assignees: KWANSEI GAKUIN EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION, TOYOTA TSUSHO CORPORATIONInventors: Tadaaki Kaneko, Koji Ashida, Tomoya Ihara, Daichi Dojima
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Publication number: 20240044042Abstract: Disclosed is a method for using a SiC container (3) in which Si vapor and C vapor are generated in the internal space during the heat treatment. The SiC container may be heated in Si atmosphere to grow an epitaxial layer of single crystalline SiC on the underlying substrate housed in the internal space. The SiC container may be heated in a TaC container of a material including TaC supplemented with a source of Si to grow an epitaxial layer of single crystalline SiC on the underlying substrate housed in the internal space.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 17, 2023Publication date: February 8, 2024Applicants: KWANSEI GAKUIN EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION, TOYOTA TSUSHO CORPORATIONInventors: Tadaaki Kaneko, Yasunori Kutsuma, Koji Ashida, Ryo Hashimoto
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Publication number: 20220259760Abstract: A manufacturing device of SiC semiconductor substrates includes a SiC container (3) in which Si vapor and C vapor are generated in the internal space during the heat treatment, and a high-temperature vacuum furnace (11) capable of heating the SiC container in Si atmosphere. The device can further be configured such that the SiC container is housed in Si atmosphere and an underlying substrate (40) is housed in the SiC container, and the high-temperature vacuum furnace is capable of heating with a temperature gradient.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 2, 2022Publication date: August 18, 2022Applicants: KWANSEI GAKUIN EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION, TOYOTA TSUSHO CORPORATIONInventors: Tadaaki Kaneko, Yasunori Kutsuma, Koji Ashida, Ryo Hashimoto
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Publication number: 20220259759Abstract: Disclosed is a SiC container (3) in which Si vapor and C vapor are generated in the internal space during the heat treatment. The SiC container may be heated in Si atmosphere to grow an epitaxial layer of single crystalline SiC on the underlying substrate housed in the internal space. The SiC container may be heated in a TaC container of a material including TaC supplemented with a source of Si to grow an epitaxial layer of single crystalline SiC on the underlying substrate housed in the internal space.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 2, 2022Publication date: August 18, 2022Applicants: KWANSEI GAKUIN EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION, TOYOTA TSUSHO CORPORATIONInventors: Tadaaki Kaneko, Yasunori Kutsuma, Koji Ashida, Ryo Hashimoto
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Publication number: 20220216116Abstract: To provide a new temperature distribution evaluation method, a temperature distribution evaluation device, and a soaking range evaluation method, as the temperature distribution evaluation method which evaluates a temperature distribution of a heating area 40A provided in a heating device 40, the present invention is a temperature distribution evaluation method which, in the heating area 40A, heats a semiconductor substrate 10 and a transmitting and receiving body 20 for transporting a raw material to and from the semiconductor substrate 10, and evaluates a temperature distribution of the heating area 40A on the basis of a substrate thickness variation amount A of the semiconductor substrate 10. Accordingly, temperature distribution evaluation can be implemented for a high temperature area at 1600-2200° C. or the like at which it is hard to evaluate the temperature distribution due to the limit of a thermocouple material.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 24, 2020Publication date: July 7, 2022Inventors: Tadaaki KANEKO, Daichi DOJIMA, Koji ASHIDA, Tomoya IHARA
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Patent number: 11359307Abstract: In a state in which a SiC container (3) of a material including polycrystalline SiC is housed in a TaC container (2) of a material including TaC and in which an underlying substrate (40) is housed in the SiC container (3), the TaC container (2) is heated in an environment where a temperature gradient occurs in such a manner that inside of the TaC container (2) is at a Si vapor pressure. Consequently, C atoms sublimated by etching of the inner surface of the SiC container (3) are bonded to Si atoms in an atmosphere so that an epitaxial layer (41) of single crystalline 3C-SiC thereby grows on the underlying substrate (40).Type: GrantFiled: April 27, 2017Date of Patent: June 14, 2022Assignees: KWANSEI GAKUIN EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION, TOYOTA TSUSHO CORPORATIONInventors: Tadaaki Kaneko, Yasunori Kutsuma, Koji Ashida, Ryo Hashimoto
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Publication number: 20210398807Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a SiC semiconductor substrate capable of reducing a density of basal plane dislocations (BPD) in a growth layer, a manufacturing method thereof, and a manufacturing device thereof. The method includes: a strained layer removal process S10 that removes a strained layer introduced on a surface of a SiC substrate; and an epitaxial growth process S20 that conducts growth under a condition that a terrace width W of the SiC substrate is increased. When a SiC semiconductor substrate is manufactured in such processes, the basal plane dislocations BPD in the growth layer can be reduced, and a yield of a SiC semiconductor device can be improved.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 5, 2019Publication date: December 23, 2021Inventors: Tadaaki KANEKO, Koji ASHIDA, Tomoya IHARA, Daichi DOJIMA
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Publication number: 20210399095Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a SiC semiconductor substrate having a growth layer with a controlled step height, a manufacturing method thereof, and a manufacturing device thereof. The method includes: a growth process that grows a SiC substrate 10 in a SiC—Si equilibrium vapor pressure environment. In this way, when the SiC substrate 10 is grown in the SiC—Si equilibrium vapor pressure environment, it is possible to provide a SiC semiconductor substrate in which the step height of the growth layer is controlled.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 5, 2019Publication date: December 23, 2021Inventors: Tadaaki KANEKO, Koji ASHIDA, Tomoya IHARA, Daichi DOJIMA
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Patent number: 10847342Abstract: A reference sample (41) has a step/terrace structure made of monocrystalline SiC and a surface of each terrace has first or second stack orientation. In the reference sample (41), contrast as difference in lightness and darkness between an image of a terrace with a surface directly under which the first stack orientation lies and an image of a terrace with a surface directly under which the second stack orientation lies changes according to an incident electron angle which is an angle that an electron beam emitted from a scanning electron microscope forms with a perpendicular to the terrace surface. Even when a SiC substrate has an off angle (e.g., from 1° to 8°), using an inclined support base (20a) capable of correcting the off angle enables sharp contrast that reflects difference between the first and second stack orientations directly under the surface to be obtained irrespective of the off angle.Type: GrantFiled: May 20, 2020Date of Patent: November 24, 2020Assignee: KWANSEI GAKUIN EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONInventors: Tadaaki Kaneko, Koji Ashida
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Publication number: 20200279716Abstract: A reference sample (41) has a step/terrace structure made of monocrystalline SiC and a surface of each terrace has first or second stack orientation. In the reference sample (41), contrast as difference in lightness and darkness between an image of a terrace with a surface directly under which the first stack orientation lies and an image of a terrace with a surface directly under which the second stack orientation lies changes according to an incident electron angle which is an angle that an electron beam emitted from a scanning electron microscope forms with a perpendicular to the terrace surface. Even when a SiC substrate has an off angle (e.g., from 1° to 8°), using an inclined support base (20a) capable of correcting the off angle enables sharp contrast that reflects difference between the first and second stack orientations directly under the surface to be obtained irrespective of the off angle.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 20, 2020Publication date: September 3, 2020Applicant: KWANSEI GAKUIN EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONInventors: Tadaaki Kaneko, Koji Ashida
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Patent number: 10699873Abstract: A reference sample (41) has a step/terrace structure made of monocrystalline SiC and a surface of each terrace has first or second stack orientation. In the reference sample (41), contrast as difference in lightness and darkness between an image of a terrace with a surface directly under which the first stack orientation lies and an image of a terrace with a surface directly under which the second stack orientation lies changes according to an incident electron angle which is an angle that an electron beam emitted from a scanning electron microscope forms with a perpendicular to the terrace surface. Even when a SiC substrate has an off angle (e.g., from 1° to 8°), using an inclined support base (20a) capable of correcting the off angle enables sharp contrast that reflects difference between the first and second stack orientations directly under the surface to be obtained irrespective of the off angle.Type: GrantFiled: April 27, 2017Date of Patent: June 30, 2020Assignee: KWANSEI GAKUIN EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONInventors: Tadaaki Kaneko, Koji Ashida
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Patent number: 10685680Abstract: A method includes grouping media items associated with a user into segments based on a timestamp associated with each media item and a total number of media items. The method also includes selecting target media from the media items for each of the segments based on media attributes associated with the media item. The method also includes generating a video that includes the target media for each of the segments by generating a first animation that illustrates a first transition from a first item from the target media to a second item from the target media with movement of the first item from an onscreen location to an offscreen location, wherein the first item is adjacent to the second item in the first animation and determining whether the target media includes one or more additional items. The method also includes adding a song to the video.Type: GrantFiled: March 20, 2019Date of Patent: June 16, 2020Assignee: Google LLCInventors: Shengyang Dai, Timothy Sepkoski St. Clair, Koji Ashida, Jingyu Cui, Jay Steele, Qi Gu, Erik Murphy-Chutorian, Ivan Neulander, Flavio Lerda, Eric Charles Henry, Shinko Yuanhsien Cheng, Aravind Krishnaswamy, David Cohen, Pardis Beikzadeh
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Patent number: 10665465Abstract: Provided is a surface treatment method for a SiC substrate (40), the method being capable of controlling whether to generate a step bunching or the type of step bunching that is generated. In the surface treatment method in which the surface of the SiC substrate (40) is etched by heating the SiC substrate (40) under Si vapor pressure, an etching mode and an etching depth which are determined at least on the basis of an etching rate, are controlled to etch the SiC substrate (40), so that a surface pattern of the SiC substrate (40) after etching treatment is controlled.Type: GrantFiled: November 17, 2015Date of Patent: May 26, 2020Assignees: KWANSEI GAKUIN EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION, TOYO TANSO CO., LTD.Inventors: Tadaaki Kaneko, Koji Ashida, Yasunori Kutsuma, Satoshi Torimi, Masato Shinohara, Youji Teramoto, Norihito Yabuki, Satoru Nogami
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Patent number: 10508361Abstract: In a first step, protrusions (42) are formed on a surface of an SiC substrate (40), and the SiC substrate (40) is etched. In a second step, the protrusions (42) of the SiC substrate (40) are epitaxially grown through MSE process, and an epitaxial layer (43a) containing threading screw dislocation, which has been largely grown in the vertical (c-axis) direction as a result of MSE process, is at least partially removed. In a third step, MSE process is performed again on the SiC substrate (40) after the second step, to cause epitaxial layers (43) containing no threading screw dislocation to be grown in the horizontal (a-axis) direction to be connected at the molecular level, so that one monocrystalline 4H—SiC semiconductor wafer (45) having a large area is generated throughout an Si-face or a C-face of the SiC substrate (40).Type: GrantFiled: November 8, 2016Date of Patent: December 17, 2019Assignee: KWANSEI GAKUIN EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONInventors: Tadaaki Kaneko, Yasunori Kutsuma, Koji Ashida
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Patent number: 10388536Abstract: Provided is a method for controlling the rate of etching of a SiC substrate based on a composition of a storing container. The etching method of the present invention is for etching the SiC substrate by heating the SiC substrate under Si vapor pressure, in a state where the SiC substrate is stored in a crucible. The crucible is formed of a tantalum metal, and has a tantalum carbide layer provided on an internal space side of the tantalum metal, and a tantalum silicide layer provided on the side further toward the internal space side than the tantalum carbide layer. The rate of etching of the SiC substrate is controlled based on difference in a composition of the tantalum silicide layer.Type: GrantFiled: November 17, 2015Date of Patent: August 20, 2019Assignees: TOYO TANSO CO., LTD., KWANSEI GAKUIN EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONInventors: Satoshi Torimi, Masato Shinohara, Youji Teramoto, Norihito Yabuki, Satoru Nogami, Tadaaki Kaneko, Koji Ashida, Yasunori Kutsuma
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Publication number: 20190252001Abstract: A method includes grouping media items associated with a user into segments based on a timestamp associated with each media item and a total number of media items. The method also includes selecting target media from the media items for each of the segments based on media attributes associated with the media item. The method also includes generating a video that includes the target media for each of the segments by generating a first animation that illustrates a first transition from a first item from the target media to a second item from the target media with movement of the first item from an onscreen location to an offscreen location, wherein the first item is adjacent to the second item in the first animation and determining whether the target media includes one or more additional items. The method also includes adding a song to the video.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 20, 2019Publication date: August 15, 2019Applicant: Google LLCInventors: Shengyang DAI, Timothy Sepkoski ST. CLAIR, Koji ASHIDA, Jingyu CUI, Jay STEELE, Qi GU, Erik MURPHY-CHUTORIAN, Ivan NEULANDER, Flavio LERDA, Eric Charles HENRY, Shinko Yuanhsien CHENG, Aravind KRISHNASWAMY, David COHEN, Pardis BEIKZADEH