Patents by Inventor Naoki Yasui

Naoki Yasui 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).

  • Publication number: 20150144594
    Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes a processing chamber which plasma-processes a sample, a first high-frequency power supply which supplies first high-frequency power for plasma generation to the processing chamber, a second high-frequency power supply which supplies second high-frequency power to a sample stage on which the sample is placed and a pulse generation device which generate first pulses for time-modulating the first high-frequency power and second pulses for time-modulating the second high-frequency power. The pulse generation device includes a control device which controls the first and second pulses so that frequency of the first pulses is higher than frequency of the second pulses and the on-period of the second pulse is contained in the on-period of the first pulse.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2015
    Publication date: May 28, 2015
    Inventors: Shunsuke Kanazawa, Naoki Yasui, Michikazu Morimoto, Yasuo Ohgoshi
  • Patent number: 8992724
    Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes a processing chamber which plasma-processes a sample, a first high-frequency power supply which supplies first high-frequency power for plasma generation to the processing chamber, a second high-frequency power supply which supplies second high-frequency power to a sample stage on which the sample is placed and a pulse generation device which generate first pulses for time-modulating the first high-frequency power and second pulses for time-modulating the second high-frequency power. The pulse generation device includes a control device which controls the first and second pulses so that frequency of the first pulses is higher than frequency of the second pulses and the on-period of the second pulse is contained in the on-period of the first pulse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Shunsuke Kanazawa, Naoki Yasui, Michikazu Morimoto, Yasuo Ohgoshi
  • Publication number: 20140363977
    Abstract: In a plasma processing apparatus including a first radio-frequency power supply which supplies first radio-frequency power for generating plasma in a vacuum chamber, a second radio-frequency power supply which supplies second radio-frequency power to a sample stage on which a sample is mounted, and a matching box for the second radio-frequency power supply, the matching box samples information for performing matching during a sampling effective period which is from a point of time after elapse of a prescribed time from a beginning of on-state of the time-modulated second radio-frequency power until an end of the on-state and maintains a matching state attained during the sampling effective period from after the end of the on-state until a next sampling effective period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2014
    Publication date: December 11, 2014
    Applicant: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Michikazu Morimoto, Naoki Yasui, Yasuo Ohgoshi
  • Publication number: 20140220489
    Abstract: Long-period roughness in patterned resist is reduced in a manufacturing process of a sample such as a semiconductor device. A method for processing a sample to be processed, with patterned resist, in a sample processing apparatus includes: disposing the sample to be processed, with the patterned resist on the stage in the processing chamber; supplying silicon tetrachloride (SiCl4) or hydrobromide (HBr) into the processing chamber as processing gas; holding the pressure of the processing chamber in the range of 1 Pa to 10 KPa; exciting the processing gas by irradiating the vacuum ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 200 nm or less to the processing gas; reacting an element contained in the excited processing gas with the pattern resist of the sample, and curing the resist.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2013
    Publication date: August 7, 2014
    Applicant: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yutaka KOZUMA, Hiroaki OIZUMI, Naoki YASUI, Seiichi WATANABE
  • Publication number: 20140148016
    Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes a processing chamber which plasma-processes a sample, a first high-frequency power supply which supplies first high-frequency power for plasma generation to the processing chamber, a second high-frequency power supply which supplies second high-frequency power to a sample stage on which the sample is placed and a pulse generation device which generate first pulses for time-modulating the first high-frequency power and second pulses for time-modulating the second high-frequency power. The pulse generation device includes a control device which controls the first and second pulses so that frequency of the first pulses is higher than frequency of the second pulses and the on-period of the second pulse is contained in the on-period of the first pulse.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2013
    Publication date: May 29, 2014
    Applicant: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shunsuke Kanazawa, Naoki Yasui, Michikazu Morimoto, Yasuo Ohgoshi
  • Publication number: 20140011365
    Abstract: To improve processing uniformity by improving a working characteristic in an edge exclusion region. Provided is a plasma processing apparatus for processing a sample by generating plasma in a vacuum vessel to which a processing gas is supplied and that is exhausted to a predetermined pressure and by applying a radio frequency bias to a sample placed in the vacuum vessel, wherein a conductive radio frequency ring to which a radio frequency bias power is applied is arranged in a stepped part formed outside a convex part of the sample stage on which the wafer is mounted, and a dielectric cover ring is provided in the stepped part, covering the radio frequency ring, the cover ring substantially blocks penetration of the radio frequency power to the plasma from the radio frequency ring, and the radio frequency ring top surface is set higher than a wafer top surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2012
    Publication date: January 9, 2014
    Inventors: Naoki YASUI, Norihiko IKEDA, Tooru ARAMAKI, Yasuhiro NISHIMORI
  • Patent number: 8497213
    Abstract: The invention provides a method for subjecting laminated thin films disposed below a photoresist mask pattern to plasma processing, wherein the roughness on the side walls of the formed pattern is reduced, and the LER and LWR are reduced. When etching a material to be processed to form a gate electrode including thin films such as a gate insulating film 205, a conducting layer 204, a mask layer 203 and an antireflection film 202 laminated on a semiconductor substrate 206 and a photoresist mask pattern 201 disposed on the antireflection film, prior to etching the mask pattern 201, plasma is generated from nitrogen gas or a mixed gas including nitrogen gas and deposition gas to subject the mask pattern 201 to a plasma curing process so as to reduce the roughness on the surface and side walls of the mask pattern 201, and then the laminated thin films 202, 203 and 204 disposed below the mask pattern 201 are subjected to a plasma etching process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Naoki Yasui, Seiichi Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20120228261
    Abstract: There is provided a VUV light processing apparatus that can apply vacuum ultraviolet light to the entire surface of a wafer in excellent reproducibility and can process the wafer with VUV (vacuum ultraviolet) light in excellent reproducibility. A VUV light processing apparatus includes: a chamber connected with a gas supply apparatus and an evacuation apparatus, the chamber being capable of reducing the pressure inside the chamber; a plasma light source that generates VUV light including a wavelength of 200 nm or less, the plasma light source including a plasma generating unit that generates plasma in the chamber; and a VUV transmission filter provided between a stage on which a sample to be processed is placed and the sample in the chamber, the VUV transmission filter transmitting the VUV light including a wavelength of 200 nm or less and not transmitting electrons, ions, and radicals in plasma, the VUV transmission filter having the outer diameter size larger than that of the sample.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2010
    Publication date: September 13, 2012
    Inventors: Seiichi Watanabe, Yutaka Kozuma, Tooru Aramaki, Naoki Yasui, Norihiko Ikeda, Hiroaki Takikawa
  • Publication number: 20120145323
    Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus for subjecting a substrate to be processed to plasma processing includes a processing chamber, a substrate electrode having an electrostatic chuck mechanism, a plasma generator, a high-frequency bias power supply which applies a high-frequency bias voltage to the substrate electrode, a voltage monitor which monitors the high-frequency bias voltage, a current monitor which monitors a high-frequency bias current, a measurement storage unit which stores a resistance component, an induction component and a capacity component of the electrostatic chuck mechanism, which have been calculated beforehand as fitting parameters of an expression V w = V esc - R esc ? I esc - L esc ? ? I esc ? t - 1 C esc ? ? I esc ? ? t + A , ( A ) that is an approximate curve of a correlation among a voltage of the substrate, a computing unit which estimates the voltage of the substrate according to the expression, and a control unit that generates a
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2012
    Publication date: June 14, 2012
    Inventors: Hitoshi Tamura, Naoki Yasui, Seiichi Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8142674
    Abstract: The invention provides a plasma processing apparatus and a plasma processing method capable of controlling the voltage of the processing substrate with high accuracy, thereby enabling a highly accurate plasma processing. According to the invention, a voltage of the processing substrate is measured using a processing substrate with a voltage probe prepared in advance, and based on a bias voltage supplied to an electrostatic chuck mechanism and a bias current flowing through the electrostatic chuck mechanism, a capacity component which is an impedance representing the electric property of the electrostatic chuck mechanism is computed numerically. Then, based on a predetermined expression, the voltage of the processing substrate is estimated using the bias voltage of the processing substrate to be measured, the bias current flowing through the electrostatic chuck mechanism and the capacity component which is the impedance acquired in advance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Hitoshi Tamura, Naoki Yasui, Seiichi Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8075733
    Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes: a decompression chamber of which the inside is depressed; a gas supply unit that supplies process gas into said chamber; a microwave supply unit that supplies a microwave into the chamber to generate plasma; an object-placing electrode where a processing material, is placed and which holds the processing material in the chamber; and a vacuuming unit that is connected to the chamber to discharge the gas in the chamber, in which the chamber, a part for providing gas into the chamber of the gas supply unit, a part for introducing a microwave into the chamber of the microwave supply unit, the object-placing electrode, and the vacuuming unit are disposed coaxially with the center axis of the chamber, and the part for introducing a microwave includes a microwave rotation generator that rotates a polarization plane of the input microwave and supplies the microwave to the chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Seiichi Watanabe, Naoki Yasui, Susumu Tauchi, Yasuhiro Nishimori
  • Patent number: 7807581
    Abstract: The present invention provides a plasma processing apparatus or a plasma processing method that can etch a multilayer film structure for constituting a gate structure with high accuracy and high efficiency. A plasma processing method of, on processing a sample on a sample stage 112 in a depressurized discharge room 117, etching a multilayer film (including a high-k and a metal gate) at 0.1 Pa or less and with the sample stage 112 temperature-regulated by using a pressure gauge 133 to be used for pressure regulation and connected to the processing room and a main pump for exhaustion 130.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Susumu Tauchi, Akitaka Makino, Seiichi Watanabe, Naoki Yasui
  • Publication number: 20100043976
    Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes: a decompression chamber of which the inside is depressed; a gas supply unit that supplies process gas into said chamber; a microwave supply unit that supplies a microwave into the chamber to generate plasma; an object-placing electrode where a processing material, is placed and which holds the processing material in the chamber; and a vacuuming unit that is connected to the chamber to discharge the gas in the chamber, in which the chamber, a part for providing gas into the chamber of the gas supply unit, a part for introducing a microwave into the chamber of the microwave supply unit, the object-placing electrode, and the vacuuming unit are disposed coaxially with the center axis of the chamber, and the part for introducing a microwave includes a microwave rotation generator that rotates a polarization plane of the input microwave and supplies the microwave to the chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2008
    Publication date: February 25, 2010
    Inventors: Seiichi WATANABE, Naoki YASUI, Susumu TAUCHI, Yasuhiro NISHIMORI
  • Patent number: 7615132
    Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus suitable for high-speed and high-definition etching is provided. By applying to a wafer chucking electrode 9 a voltage waveform in which an absolute value of high frequency voltage increases with time and switching between a positive voltage and a negative voltage occurs, a rectangular high frequency voltage is caused to be generated in the wafer 10, with the result that the duty ratio of the rectangular high frequency voltage decreases and that the high energy ion ratio in the energy distribution of ions incident on the wafer increases. Therefore, high efficiency and high accuracy etching becomes possible, providing the advantage that the material selection ratio is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2009
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Naoki Yasui, Seiichi Watanabe, Masahiro Sumiya, Hitoshi Tamura
  • Publication number: 20090194506
    Abstract: The invention provides a plasma processing apparatus and a plasma processing method capable of controlling the voltage of the processing substrate with high accuracy, thereby enabling a highly accurate plasma processing. According to the invention, a voltage of the processing substrate is measured using a processing substrate with a voltage probe prepared in advance, and based on a bias voltage supplied to an electrostatic chuck mechanism and a bias current flowing through the electrostatic chuck mechanism, a capacity component which is an impedance representing the electric property of the electrostatic chuck mechanism is computed numerically. Then, based on a predetermined expression, the voltage of the processing substrate is estimated using the bias voltage of the processing substrate to be measured, the bias current flowing through the electrostatic chuck mechanism and the capacity component which is the impedance acquired in advance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2009
    Publication date: August 6, 2009
    Inventors: Hitoshi Tamura, Naoki Yasui, Seiichi Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20090165955
    Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus including: a phase controller for controlling a phase difference between biasing power supplied to the antenna biasing electrode and biasing power supplied to the substrate electrode to have a difference of 180°±45°; wherein the biasing power supplied to the antenna biasing electrode and the biasing power supplied to the substrate electrode have a same frequency, which same frequency is lower than a frequency of the RF power for plasma generation. A plurality of filters is included, to perform a variety of filtering.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2009
    Publication date: July 2, 2009
    Inventors: Masahiro SUMIYA, Naoki YASUI, Seiichi WATANABE
  • Publication number: 20080217295
    Abstract: The present invention provides a plasma processing apparatus or a plasma processing method that can etch a multilayer film structure for constituting a gate structure with high accuracy and high efficiency. A plasma processing method of, on processing a sample on a sample stage 112 in a depressurized discharge room 117, etching a multilayer film (including a high-k and a metal gate) at 0.1 Pa or less and with the sample stage 112 temperature-regulated by using a pressure gauge 133 to be used for pressure regulation and connected to the processing room and a main pump for exhaustion 130.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2007
    Publication date: September 11, 2008
    Inventors: SUSUMU TAUCHI, Akitaka Makino, Seiichi Watanabe, Naoki Yasui
  • Publication number: 20080182419
    Abstract: The invention provides a method for subjecting laminated thin films disposed below a photoresist mask pattern to plasma processing, wherein the roughness on the side walls of the formed pattern is reduced, and the LER and LWR are reduced. When etching a material to be processed to form a gate electrode including thin films such as a gate insulating film 205, a conducting layer 204, a mask layer 203 and an antireflection film 202 laminated on a semiconductor substrate 206 and a photoresist mask pattern 201 disposed on the antireflection film, prior to etching the mask pattern 201, plasma is generated from nitrogen gas or a mixed gas including nitrogen gas and deposition gas to subject the mask pattern 201 to a plasma curing process so as to reduce the roughness on the surface and side walls of the mask pattern 201, and then the laminated thin films 202, 203 and 204 disposed below the mask pattern 201 are subjected to a plasma etching process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2008
    Publication date: July 31, 2008
    Inventors: Naoki Yasui, Seiichi Watanabe
  • Patent number: 7373899
    Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus having a processing chamber connected to a vacuum exhauster so that its inside pressure can be reduced by the vacuum exhauster, a gas feed unit for supplying gas into the processing chamber, a substrate electrode provided in the processing chamber and on which a sample can be placed, an RF power supply connected through a matching circuit to the substrate electrode, plasma generating means for generating plasma within the processing chamber and a voltage waveform control circuit provided within the matching circuit or between the substrate electrode and the matching circuit to flatten the voltage waveform from the RF power supply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2008
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Sumiya, Naoki Yasui, Seiichi Watanabe, Hitoshi Tamura
  • Publication number: 20080023139
    Abstract: The invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus and a plasma processing method and particularly relates to a plasma processing apparatus suitable for executing an etching processing of a work by using plasma.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2006
    Publication date: January 31, 2008
    Inventors: Naoki Yasui, Hiroho Kitada