Patents by Inventor Masanobu Honda

Masanobu Honda 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: 11459655
    Abstract: A plasma processing method executed by a plasma processing apparatus in the present disclosure includes a first step and a second step. In the first step, the plasma processing apparatus forms a first film on the side walls of an opening in the processing target, the first film having different thicknesses along a spacing between pairs of side walls facing each other. In the second step, the plasma processing apparatus forms a second film by performing a film forming cycle once or more times after the first step, the second film having different thicknesses along the spacing between the pairs of side walls facing each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Michiko Nakaya, Toru Hisamatsu, Shinya Ishikawa, Sho Kumakura, Masanobu Honda, Yoshihide Kihara
  • Publication number: 20220262645
    Abstract: A system, apparatus and method enable etching of a layer of a substrate with reduced etching on the surface of a side wall of the layer. The etching method includes forming a protective layer on a surface of the side wall defining a recess in the layer. The protective layer contains phosphorus. The etching method further includes etching the layer in one or more additional cycles so as to increase a depth of the recess after the forming the protective layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2022
    Publication date: August 18, 2022
    Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Shinya ISHIKAWA, Kenta ONO, Maju TOMURA, Masanobu HONDA
  • Publication number: 20220181162
    Abstract: An apparatus which selectively etches a first region with respect to a second region made of a material different from that of the first region. The apparatus is controlled to perform a first step for generating, in a processing container housing a workpiece to be treated, a plasma of a treatment gas from a gas supply including a fluorocarbon gas, an oxygen-containing gas, and an inert gas, and forming a deposit including fluorocarbon on the object to be treated, and a second step for etching the first region with radicals of the fluorocarbon included in the deposit. The apparatus is also controlled to perform the first step and the second step repeatedly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2022
    Publication date: June 9, 2022
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Akihiro TSUJI, Masanobu HONDA, Hikaru WATANABE
  • Patent number: 11355350
    Abstract: A system, apparatus and method enable etching of a layer of a substrate with reduced etching on the surface of a side wall of the layer. The etching method includes forming a protective layer on a surface of the side wall defining a recess in the layer. The protective layer contains phosphorus. The etching method further includes etching the layer in one or more additional cycles so as to increase a depth of the recess after the forming the protective layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Shinya Ishikawa, Kenta Ono, Maju Tomura, Masanobu Honda
  • Patent number: 11328933
    Abstract: A technique enables etching of a film on a substrate with reduced etching on the surface of a side wall. An etching method includes forming a protective layer on a surface of a side wall defining a recess in a substrate. The protective layer contains sulfur atoms. The etching method further includes etching a film on the substrate to increase a depth of the recess after forming the protective layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Shinya Ishikawa, Kenta Ono, Masanobu Honda
  • Publication number: 20220115235
    Abstract: A substrate processing method includes: providing a substrate including a mask; forming a film on the mask; forming a reaction layer on a surface layer of the film; and removing the reaction layer by applying energy to the reaction layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2019
    Publication date: April 14, 2022
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Toru HISAMATSU, Takayuki KATSUNUMA, Shinya ISHIKAWA, Yoshihide KIHARA, Masanobu HONDA
  • Patent number: 11270889
    Abstract: An etching method includes preparing a compound; and etching an etching target in an environment in which the compound is present. The etching of the etching target includes: etching the etching target in an environment in which hydrogen (H) and fluorine (F) are present when the etching target contains silicon nitride (SiN); and etching the etching target in an environment in which nitrogen (N), hydrogen (H) and fluorine (F) are present when the etching target contains silicon (Si). The compound contains an element that forms an anion of an acid stronger than hydrogen fluoride (HF) or contains an element that forms a cation of a base stronger than ammonia (NH3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Maju Tomura, Yoshihide Kihara, Masanobu Honda
  • Patent number: 11264236
    Abstract: A substrate processing method includes: providing a substrate having a pattern formed on a surface layer thereof; setting a temperature of the substrate such that a change in the pattern becomes a predetermined change amount; forming a reaction layer having a thickness corresponding to the temperature set in the setting on the surface layer of the substrate; and applying energy to the substrate formed with the reaction layer thereby removing the reaction layer from the surface layer of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Toru Hisamatsu, Takayuki Katsunuma, Shinya Ishikawa, Yoshihide Kihara, Masanobu Honda
  • Publication number: 20210398818
    Abstract: An etching method includes forming a protective layer containing a tin atom on a surface of a substrate. The substrate has a region to be etched and a mask provided on the region. The etching method further includes etching the region in the substrate using the mask.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2021
    Publication date: December 23, 2021
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Kenta ONO, Shinya Ishikawa, Masanobu Honda
  • Publication number: 20210384039
    Abstract: An etching method includes a step of selectively forming deposit on a top surface of a mask disposed on a film of a substrate, a step of etching the film after the step of forming the deposit, a step of forming a layer of chemical species included in plasma of a processing gas, on the substrate, and a step of supplying ions from plasma of an inert gas to the substrate so that the chemical species react with the film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2021
    Publication date: December 9, 2021
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Takayuki HOSHI, Masanobu HONDA, Masahiro TABATA, Toru HISAMATSU
  • Publication number: 20210327719
    Abstract: In an embodiment, in the method for processing a workpiece including an etching target layer containing silicon oxide, a mask provided on the etching target layer, and an opening provided in the mask and exposing the etching target layer, according to the embodiment, the etching target layer is etched by removing the etching target layer for each atomic layer through repetitive execution of a sequence of generating plasma of a first processing gas containing nitrogen, forming a mixed layer containing ions included in the plasma on an atomic layer on an exposed surface of the etching target layer, generating plasma of a second processing gas containing fluorine, and removing the mixed layer by radicals included in the plasma. The plasma of the second processing gas contains the radicals that remove the mixed layer containing silicon nitride.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2021
    Publication date: October 21, 2021
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Masahiro TABATA, Toru HISAMATSU, Yoshihide KIHARA, Masanobu HONDA
  • Publication number: 20210313187
    Abstract: A treatment method is provided that includes an embedding step of embedding an organic film in an undercoat film in which a depression is formed; and an etching step of performing etching, after the embedding step, until at least a portion of a top of the undercoat film is exposed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2019
    Publication date: October 7, 2021
    Inventors: Kiyohito ITO, Shinya MORIKITA, Kensuke TANIGUCHI, Michiko NAKAYA, Masanobu HONDA
  • Patent number: 11127598
    Abstract: An etching method includes a step of selectively forming deposit on a top surface of a mask disposed on a film of a substrate, a step of etching the film after the step of forming the deposit, a step of forming a layer of chemical species included in plasma of a processing gas, on the substrate, and a step of supplying ions from plasma of an inert gas to the substrate so that the chemical species react with the film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Takayuki Hoshi, Masanobu Honda, Masahiro Tabata, Toru Hisamatsu
  • Patent number: 11114304
    Abstract: A substrate processing method includes providing a processing target substrate having a pattern, forming a film on the substrate, forming a reaction layer on a surface layer of the substrate by plasma, and removing the reaction layer by applying energy to the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Takayuki Katsunuma, Toru Hisamatsu, Shinya Ishikawa, Yoshihide Kihara, Masanobu Honda, Maju Tomura, Sho Kumakura
  • Patent number: 11101138
    Abstract: Provided is a method of etching a silicon-containing film made of at least one of silicon oxide and silicon nitride. The etching method includes: (i) preparing a workpiece having a silicon-containing film and a mask provided on the silicon-containing film in a chamber body of a plasma processing apparatus, in which an opening is formed in the mask; and (ii) etching the silicon-containing film, in which plasma is produced in the chamber body from processing gas containing fluorine, hydrogen, and iodine in order to etch the silicon-containing film, and a temperature of the workpiece is set to a temperature of 0° C. or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Maju Tomura, Yoshihide Kihara, Masanobu Honda
  • Patent number: 11081360
    Abstract: In an embodiment, in the method for processing a workpiece including an etching target layer containing silicon oxide, a mask provided on the etching target layer, and an opening provided in the mask and exposing the etching target layer, according to the embodiment, the etching target layer is etched by removing the etching target layer for each atomic layer through repetitive execution of a sequence of generating plasma of a first processing gas containing nitrogen, forming a mixed layer containing ions included in the plasma on an atomic layer on an exposed surface of the etching target layer, generating plasma of a second processing gas containing fluorine, and removing the mixed layer by radicals included in the plasma. The plasma of the second processing gas contains the radicals that remove the mixed layer containing silicon nitride.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Masahiro Tabata, Toru Hisamatsu, Yoshihide Kihara, Masanobu Honda
  • Publication number: 20210233778
    Abstract: An etching method includes forming a film on a surface of a substrate having a region to be etched and a mask. The mask is provided on the region and includes an opening that partially exposes the region. The film is made of the same material as that of the region. The etching method further includes etching the region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2021
    Publication date: July 29, 2021
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Maju TOMURA, Tomohiko NIIZEKI, Takayuki KATSUNUMA, Hironari SASAGAWA, Yuta NAKANE, Shinya ISHIKAWA, Kenta ONO, Sho KUMAKURA, Yusuke TAKINO, Masanobu HONDA
  • Publication number: 20210217614
    Abstract: A method of forming a device includes forming a patterned resist layer over a substrate using an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography process. The method includes forming a mandrel in a plasma processing chamber by selectively depositing a mandrel material over the patterned resist layer, the mandrel including the patterned resist layer and the mandrel material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2021
    Publication date: July 15, 2021
    Inventors: Katie Lutker-Lee, Angelique Raley, Masanobu Honda
  • Publication number: 20210209413
    Abstract: With respect to an inference method performed by at least one processor, the method includes inputting, by the at least one processor, into a learned model, non-processed object image data of a second object and data related to a second process for the second object, and inferring, by the at least one processor using the learned model, processed object image data of the second object on which the second process has been performed. The learned model has been trained so that an output obtained in response to non-processed object image data of a first object and data related to a first process for the first object being input approaches processed object image data of the first object on which the first process has been performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2021
    Publication date: July 8, 2021
    Inventors: Kosuke NAKAGO, Daisuke Motoki, Masaki Watanabe, Tomoki Komatsu, Hironori Moki, Masanobu Honda, Takahiko Kato, Tomohiko Niizeki
  • Publication number: 20210202260
    Abstract: A technique enables etching of a film on a substrate with reduced etching on the surface of a side wall. An etching method includes forming a protective layer on a surface of aside wall defining a recess in a substrate. The protective layer contains sulfur atoms. The etching method further includes etching a film on the substrate to increase a depth of the recess after forming the protective layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2020
    Publication date: July 1, 2021
    Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Shinya ISHIKAWA, Kenta ONO, Masanobu HONDA