Patents by Inventor Norio Kimura

Norio Kimura 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).

  • Polishing apparatus and method
    Publication number: 20040166783
    Abstract: A polishing apparatus and method has a function of polishing a surface of a film formed on a substrate to a flat mirror finish and a function of polishing unnecessary metal film such as copper film deposited on an outer peripheral portion of the substrate to remove such unnecessary metal film. The polishing apparatus comprises a surface polishing mechanism comprising a polishing table having a polishing surface and a top ring for holding the substrate and pressing the substrate against the polishing surface of the polishing table to thereby polish a surface of the substrate, and an outer periphery polishing mechanism for polishing an outer peripheral portion of the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2004
    Publication date: August 26, 2004
    Inventors: Norio Kimura, Mitsuhiko Shirakashi, Katsuya Okumura, You Ishii, Junji Kunisawa, Hiroyuki Yano
  • Electroless plating apparatus and method
    Publication number: 20040161529
    Abstract: An plating apparatus which can easily form a plated film having more uniform thickness on a surface, to be plate, of a material to be plated. The plating apparatus includes a holding portion having a heating portion for holding a material to be plated in such a state that a surface to be plated faces downward, and a plating bath for introducing an electroless plating liquid having a predetermined temperature into a plating chamber, and holding the electroless plating liquid while allowing the electroless plating liquid to overflow an overflow dam. The material which is by the holding portion, is brought into contact with the plating liquid in the plating bath to plate the material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2004
    Publication date: August 19, 2004
    Inventors: Akihisa Hongo, Koji Mishima, Hiroaki Inoue, Norio Kimura, Tsutomu Karimata
  • Polishing apparatus
    Patent number: 6764381
    Abstract: A polishing apparatus is used for polishing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer, and has a sensor capable of continuously detecting the thickness of an electrically conductive layer. The polishing apparatus includes a polishing table having a polishing surface, and a top ring for holding and pressing the substrate against the polishing surface to polish the surface of the substrate. A sensor such as an eddy-current sensor is disposed below the polishing surface of the polishing table for measuring the thickness of a conductive layer formed on the surface of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2004
    Assignee: Ebara Corporation
    Inventors: Norio Kimura, Hideji Isobe, Kazuo Shimizu, Hiroyuki Osawa
  • Substrate processing apparatus and substrate plating apparatus
    Publication number: 20040134789
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus fills a metal such as copper or the like in fine interconnection patterns or trenches defined in a semiconductor substrate. The substrate processing apparatus has a loading/unloading unit for placing a substrate cassette to allow a substrate to be loaded and unloaded, a substrate treating unit for treating a substrate, and a transfer robot for transferring a substrate between the loading/unloading unit and the substrate treating unit. The loading/unloading unit, the substrate treating unit, and the transfer robot are installed in a single facility. The loading/unloading unit has a rotary table which is horizontally rotatable for positioning the substrate cassette in a position to detect the substrate cassette placed in the loading/unloading unit and to remove the substrate from the substrate cassette with the transfer robot.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2003
    Publication date: July 15, 2004
    Inventors: Koji Mishima, Junji Kunisawa, Natsuki Makino, Norio Kimura, Hiroaki Inoue, Kenji Nakamura, Moriji Matsumoto, Takahiro Nanjo, Mitsuko Odagaki
  • Cleaning method and polishing apparatus employing such cleaning method
    Patent number: 6752692
    Abstract: A method is suitable for cleaning substrates, after polishing, that require a high degree of cleanliness, such as semiconductor wafers, glass substrates, or liquid crystal displays. The method includes polishing a substrate using an abrasive liquid containing abrasive particles, and cleaning a polished surface of the substrate by supplying a cleaning liquid having substantially the same pH as the abrasive liquid or similar pH to the abrasive liquid so that a pH of the abrasive liquid attached to the polished surface of the substrate is not rapidly changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2004
    Assignee: Ebara Corporation
    Inventors: Yutaka Wada, Hirokuni Hiyama, Norio Kimura
  • Polishing method and apparatus
    Publication number: 20040087258
    Abstract: A polishing apparatus is used for chemical mechanical polishing a copper (Cu) layer formed on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer and then cleaning the polished substrate. The polishing apparatus has a polishing section having a turntable with a polishing surface and a top ring for holding a substrate and pressing the substrate against the polishing surface to polish a surface having a semiconductor device thereon, and a cleaning section for cleaning the substrate which has been polished. The cleaning section has an electrolyzed water supply device for supplying electrolyzed water to the substrate to clean the polished surface of the substrate while supplying electrolyzed water to the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2003
    Publication date: May 6, 2004
    Inventors: Norio Kimura, Mitsuhiko Shirakashi, Katsuhiko Tokushige, Masao Asami, Naoto Miyashita, Masako Kodera, Yoshitaka Matsui, Soichi Nadahara, Hiroshi Tomita
  • Polishing apparatus
    Patent number: 6729946
    Abstract: A polishing apparatus comprises a carrier having a pressing surface to be engaged with a platy workpiece to press it against a polishing surface, whereby the workpiece is polished by being subjected to a relative sliding motion relative to the polishing surface while being pressed thereagainst. The pressing surface includes a suction opening provided along an outer peripheral portion of the pressing surface for applying a vacuum to hold the workpiece on the pressing surface during polishing of the workpiece. The carrier further comprises a pressure applying opening provided inside of the suction opening for applying a pressure to press the workpiece against the polishing surface during polishing of the workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2004
    Assignee: Ebara Corporation
    Inventor: Norio Kimura
  • Polishing apparatus and method
    Patent number: 6722964
    Abstract: A polishing apparatus and method has a function of polishing a surface of a film formed on a substrate to a flat mirror finish and a function of polishing unnecessary metal film such as copper film deposited on an outer peripheral portion of the substrate to remove such unnecessary metal film. The polishing apparatus comprises a surface polishing mechanism comprising a polishing table having a polishing surface and a top ring for holding the substrate and pressing the substrate against the polishing surface of the polishing table to thereby polish a surface of the substrate, and an outer periphery polishing mechanism for polishing an outer peripheral portion of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2004
    Assignees: Ebara Corporation, Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Norio Kimura, Mitsuhiko Shirakashi, Katsuya Okumura, You Ishii, Junji Kunisawa, Hiroyuki Yano
  • Plating apparatus
    Publication number: 20040069646
    Abstract: A plating method and apparatus for a substrate fills a metal, e.g., copper, into a fine interconnection pattern formed in a semiconductor substrate. The apparatus has a substrate holding portion 36 horizontally holding and rotating a substrate with its surface to be plated facing upward. A seal material 90 contacts a peripheral edge portion of the surface, sealing the in a watertight manner. A cathode electrode 88 passes an electric current upon contact with the substrate. A cathode portion 38 rotates integrally with the substrate holding portion 36. An electrode arm portion 30 is above the cathode portion 38 and movable horizontally and vertically and has an anode 98 face-down. Plating liquid is poured into a space between the surface to be plated and the anode 98 brought close to the surface to be plated. Thus, plating treatment and treatments incidental thereto can be performed by a single unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2003
    Publication date: April 15, 2004
    Inventors: Junji Kunisawa, Mitsuko Odagaki, Natsuki Makino, Koji Mishima, Kenji Nakamura, Hiroaki Inoue, Norio Kimura, Tetsuo Matsuda, Hisashi Kaneko, Nobuo Hayasaka, Katsuya Okumura, Manabu Tsujimura, Toshiyuki Morita
  • Polishing apparatus
    Publication number: 20040072512
    Abstract: A polishing apparatus has a turntable with a polishing cloth attached thereto and a top ring for holding and pressing a workpiece to be polished against the polishing cloth under a certain pressure. The polishing apparatus also has a first dressing unit having a contact-type dresser for dressing the polishing cloth by bringing the contact-type dresser in contact with the polishing cloth, and a second dressing unit having a noncontact-type dresser for dressing the polishing cloth with a fluid jet applied therefrom to the polishing cloth. The contact-type dresser comprises a diamond dresser or an SiC dresser.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2003
    Publication date: April 15, 2004
    Inventors: Norio Kimura, You Ishii, Yoshikuni Tateyama
  • Electroless plating apparatus and method
    Patent number: 6716330
    Abstract: An plating apparatus which can easily form a plated film having more uniform thickness on a surface, to be plate, of a material to be plated. The plating apparatus includes a holding portion having a heating portion for holding a material to be plated in such a state that a surface to be plated faces downward, and a plating bath for introducing an electroless plating liquid having a predetermined temperature into a plating chamber, and holding the electroless plating liquid while allowing the electroless plating liquid to overflow an overflow dam. The material which is by the holding portion, is brought into contact with the plating liquid in the plating bath to plate the material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2004
    Assignee: Ebara Corporation
    Inventors: Akihisa Hongo, Koji Mishima, Hiroaki Inoue, Norio Kimura, Tsutomu Karimata
  • Polishing apparatus
    Publication number: 20040029489
    Abstract: A polishing apparatus is used for polishing a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer to a flat mirror finish, and allows a polishing pad to be automatically replaced without stopping rotary or circulatory motion of a polishing table. The polishing apparatus comprises a polishing table for making rotary or circulatory motion, a top ring vertically movably disposed above the polishing table for removably holding a workpiece to be polished, a pair of rolls rotatable about their own axes and movable in unison with the polishing table, and a polishing pad which is wound on one of the rolls and supplied over an upper surface of the polishing table toward the other of the rolls.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2003
    Publication date: February 12, 2004
    Inventors: Manabu Tsujimura, Norio Kimura
  • Substrate processing apparatus and substrate plating apparatus
    Patent number: 6689257
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus fills a metal such as copper or the like in fine interconnection patterns or trenches defined in a semiconductor substrate. The substrate processing apparatus has a loading/unloading unit for placing a substrate cassette to allow a substrate to be loaded and unloaded, a substrate treating unit for treating a substrate, and a transfer robot for transferring a substrate between the loading/unloading unit and the substrate treating unit. The loading/unloading unit, the substrate treating unit, and the transfer robot are installed in a single facility. The loading/unloading unit has a rotary table which is horizontally rotatable for positioning the substrate cassette in a position to detect the substrate cassette placed in the loading/unloading unit and to remove the substrate from the substrate cassette with the transfer robot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignee: Ebara Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Mishima, Junji Kunisawa, Natsuki Makino, Norio Kimura, Hiroaki Inoue, Kenji Nakamura, Moriji Matsumoto, Takahiro Nanjo, Mitsuko Odagaki
  • Holding unit, processing apparatus and holding method of substrates
    Publication number: 20040016452
    Abstract: A holding unit holds a substrate to enable a surface of the substrate to be processed. The unit has a vacuum suction member that comes into contact with a peripheral portion of the surface of the substrate and sucks the substrate. A processing apparatus holds the wafer stably and allows an edge, a bevel portion and/or a back surface of the wafer to be processed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2003
    Publication date: January 29, 2004
    Inventors: Junji Kunisawa, Norio Kimura, Kenya Ito, Akira Fukunaga, Yuuki Inoue, Hiroshi Tomita, Soichi Nadahara, Motoyuki Sato
  • Polishing method and apparatus
    Patent number: 6667238
    Abstract: A polishing apparatus is used for chemical mechanical polishing a copper (Cu) layer formed on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer and then cleaning the polished substrate. The polishing apparatus has a polishing section having a turntable with a polishing surface and a top ring for holding a substrate and pressing the substrate against the polishing surface to polish a surface having a semiconductor device thereon, and a cleaning section for cleaning the substrate which has been polished. The cleaning section has an electrolyzed water supply device for supplying electrolyzed water to the substrate to clean the polished surface of the substrate while supplying electrolyzed water to the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2003
    Assignees: Ebara Corporation, Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Norio Kimura, Mitsuhiko Shirakashi, Katsuhiko Tokushige, Masao Asami, Naoto Miyashita, Masako Kodera, Yoshitaka Matsui, Soichi Nadahara, Hiroshi Tomita
  • Apparatus for polishing a substrate
    Publication number: 20030232576
    Abstract: A method of polishing substrates enables the size of a polishing table to be reduced. A surface of a substrate to be polished is brought into contact with a polishing surface of a polishing table in such a manner that a portion of the surface of the substrate extends outwardly from an outer periphery of the polishing surface. The substrate is rotated about its center axis while keeping its surface in contact with the polishing surface of the polishing table. The attitude of the substrate carrier is controlled so that the surface of the substrate is kept parallel with the polishing surface of the polishing table during a polishing operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2003
    Publication date: December 18, 2003
    Inventors: Norio Kimura, Yu Ishii, Hirokuni Hiyama, Katsuya Okumura, Hiroyuki Yano
  • Polishing method and apparatus
    Patent number: 6663469
    Abstract: A semiconductor substrate having a Cu layer formed so as to fill wiring grooves formed in the substrate surface and to cover regions of the substrate surface where no wiring groove is formed is brought into sliding contact with a polishing surface on a turntable to carry out polishing until the Cu layer is polished to a predetermined thickness. Then, the semiconductor substrate is brought into sliding contact with a polishing surface on a turntable to carry out polishing until the Cu layer on the substrate surface is removed, except for portions of the Cu layer formed to fill the wiring grooves, and a barrier metal layer is also removed. Thus, the Cu layer on the substrate surface can be removed uniformly, and the Cu wiring portions formed in the wiring grooves can be planarly and uniformly polished without giving rise to problems of over-polishing such as dishing or erosion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2003
    Assignee: Ebara Corporation
    Inventors: Norio Kimura, Tatsuya Kohama
  • Polishing apparatus
    Patent number: 6645053
    Abstract: A polishing apparatus has a turntable with a polishing cloth attached thereto and a top ring for holding and pressing a workpiece to be polished against the polishing cloth under a certain pressure. The polishing apparatus also has a first dressing unit having a contact-type dresser for dressing the polishing cloth by bringing the contact-type dresser in contact with the polishing cloth, and a second dressing unit having a noncontact-type dresser for dressing the polishing cloth with a fluid jet applied therefrom to the polishing cloth. The contact-type dresser comprises a diamond dresser or an SiC dresser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2003
    Assignees: Ebara Corporation, Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Norio Kimura, You Ishii, Yoshikuni Tateyama
  • Plating apparatus
    Patent number: 6632335
    Abstract: A plating method and apparatus for a substrate fills a metal, e.g., copper, into a fine interconnection pattern formed in a semiconductor substrate. The apparatus has a substrate holding portion 36 horizontally holding and rotating a substrate with its surface to be plated facing upward. A seal material 90 contacts a peripheral edge portion of the surface, sealing the portion in a watertight manner. A cathode electrode 88 passes an electric current upon contact with the substrate. A cathode portion 38 rotates integrally with the substrate holding portion 36. An electrode arm portion 30 is above the cathode portion 38 and movable horizontally and vertically and has an anode 98 face-down. Plating liquid is poured into a space between the surface to be plated and the anode 98 brought close to the surface to be plated. Thus, plating treatment and treatments incidental thereto can be performed by a single unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2003
    Assignees: Ebara Corporation, Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Junji Kunisawa, Mitsuko Odagaki, Natsuki Makino, Koji Mishima, Kenji Nakamura, Hiroaki Inoue, Norio Kimura, Tetsuo Matsuda, Hisashi Kaneko, Nobuo Hayasaka, Katsuya Okumura, Manabu Tsujimura, Toshiyuki Morita
  • Polishing apparatus
    Patent number: 6626736
    Abstract: A polishing apparatus is used for polishing a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer to a flat mirror finish, and allows a polishing pad to be automatically replaced without stopping rotary or circulatory motion of a polishing table. The polishing apparatus comprises a polishing table for making rotary or circulatory motion, a top ring vertically movably disposed above the polishing table for removably holding a workpiece to be polished, a pair of rolls rotatable about their own axes and movable in unison with the polishing table, and a polishing pad which is wound on one of the rolls and supplied over an upper surface of the polishing table toward the other of the rolls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2003
    Assignee: Ebara Corporation
    Inventors: Manabu Tsujimura, Norio Kimura