Patents by Inventor Seiji Nagahara

Seiji Nagahara 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: 10396262
    Abstract: A substrate for a light emitting device includes: a plurality of wiring patterns, each including: a first conductive pattern including: a light emitting element mounting region defined by a first, second, third, and fourth sides in a plan view, and a contact region; and a second conductive pattern surrounding a portion of the first side where the contact region is not present, an entirety of the second side, and a portion of or an entirety of the third side, wherein a first end portion of the second conductive pattern at the third side is positioned nearer to the fourth side than a second end portion of the second conductive pattern at the first side is to the fourth side. The third side of a second wiring pattern faces the first side of a first wiring pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: NICHIA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Seiji Nagahara, Kazuma Kozuru
  • Patent number: 10274843
    Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes: a stage on which a substrate is placed; a plurality of light irradiation units configured to emit light independently of each other, so as to form a strip-like irradiation area; a rotation mechanism configured to rotate the substrate relative to the irradiation area; a stage moving mechanism configured to move the stage relative to the irradiation area in a back and forth direction; and a control unit configured to make the exposure apparatus perform a first step that rotates the substrate relative to the irradiation area having a first illuminance distribution such that the whole surface of the substrate is exposed, and a second step that moves the substrate in the back and forth direction relative to the irradiation area having a second illuminance distribution while rotation of the substrate is being stopped, such that the whole surface of the substrate is exposed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Seiji Nagahara, Masaru Tomono, Nobutaka Fukunaga, Gousuke Shiraishi, Yukie Minekawa
  • Publication number: 20190094698
    Abstract: A patterning method is provided in which a light-sensitive layer is formed, and a target resolution is defined for a pattern to be formed in a target layer. Based on a reference dose and reference LWR that results from a single patterning exposure at an EUV wavelength, the target resolution and reference dose, the light-sensitive layer is subjected to at least two radiation exposures including an EUV patterning exposure at a dose selected to be less than the reference dose and within 15 mJ/cm2-200 mJ/cm2, and a flood exposure at a wavelength of 200 nm-420 nm and a dose of 0.5 J/cm2-20 J/cm2. The light-sensitive layer is then developed to form a mask pattern, which is used to etch the pattern into the target layer with the target resolution and a LWR less than or approximately equal to the reference LWR and ?5 nm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2018
    Publication date: March 28, 2019
    Inventors: Michael A. Carcasi, Mark H. Somervell, Seiji Nagahara
  • Patent number: 10215362
    Abstract: A light source apparatus includes two or more light sources placed in one direction, and an array lens having two or more lenses, which corresponds to each of the light sources. In order to condense a light emitted from each of the lenses into one position, in a first lens in each of the lenses, an optical axis of the light source which corresponds to the first lens is shifted from an optical axis of said first lens in said one direction. The first lens is formed such that a length from the optical axis to one end of said first lens in the one direction is longer than a length from the optical axis to another end of the first lens in a direction which is opposite to the one direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: NICHIA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Seiji Nagahara, Eiichiro Okahisa
  • Patent number: 10133163
    Abstract: A light source unit, includes: a semiconductor laser device that emits laser light; a wheel substrate that has a light entering surface and a light exiting surface, and includes one or more phosphor-containing regions each contains one or more kinds of phosphor converts the laser light into light having a wavelength different from a wavelength of the laser light; a motor that faces the light entering surface of the wheel substrate, wherein the motor has a rotational shaft that supports a center of the wheel substrate, and is configured to rotate the wheel substrate; and a condensing optical system that faces the light exiting surface of the wheel substrate, and condenses light that has exited from the light exiting surface of the wheel substrate, the condensing optical system comprising a lens having an optical axis that substantially coincides with a reference axis of the light that has exited from the light exiting surface of the wheel substrate, wherein the lens is sized to cover the center of the wheel su
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: NICHIA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Seiji Nagahara
  • Patent number: 10101669
    Abstract: A technique which, in forming a resist pattern on a wafer, can achieve high resolution and high in-plane uniformity of pattern line width. After forming a resist film on a wafer W and subsequently performing pattern exposure by means of a pattern exposure apparatus, the entire pattern exposure area is exposed by using a flood exposure apparatus. During the flood exposure, the exposure amount is adjusted depending on the exposure position on the wafer based on information on the in-plane distribution of the line width of a resist pattern, previously obtained from an inspection apparatus. Methods for adjusting the exposure amount include a method which adjusts the exposure amount while moving a strip-shaped irradiation area corresponding to the diameter of the wafer, a method which involves intermittently moving an irradiation area, corresponding to a shot area in the preceding pattern exposure, to adjust the exposure amount for each chip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Seiji Nagahara, Gousuke Shiraishi, Satoru Shimura, Kousuke Yoshihara, Shinichiro Kawakami, Masaru Tomono, Yuichi Terashita, Hironori Mizoguchi
  • Patent number: 10073349
    Abstract: A pattern-forming method comprises patternwise exposing a predetermined region of a resist material film made from a photosensitive resin composition comprising a chemically amplified resist material to a first radioactive ray that is ionizing radiation or nonionizing radiation having a wavelength of no greater than 400 nm. The resist material film patternwise exposed is floodwise exposed to a second radioactive ray that is nonionizing radiation having a wavelength greater than the wavelength of the nonionizing radiation for the patternwise exposing and greater than 200 nm. The chemically amplified resist material comprises a base component, and a generative component that is capable of generating a radiation-sensitive sensitizer and an acid upon an exposure. The generative component comprises a radiation-sensitive sensitizer generating agent. The radiation-sensitive sensitizer generating agent comprises a compound represented by formula (A).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignees: OSAKA UNIVERSITY, TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED, JSR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hisashi Nakagawa, Takehiko Naruoka, Tomoki Nagai, Seiichi Tagawa, Akihiro Oshima, Seiji Nagahara
  • Patent number: 10073348
    Abstract: A resist-pattern-forming method comprises: patternwise exposing a predetermined region of a resist material film to a first radioactive ray that is ionizing radiation or nonionizing radiation; floodwise exposing the resist material film to a second radioactive ray that is nonionizing radiation; baking the resist material film; and developing the resist material film to form a resist pattern. The resist material film is made from a photosensitive resin composition comprising a chemically amplified resist material. The chemically amplified resist material comprises a base component that is capable of being made soluble or insoluble in a developer solution by an action of an acid and a generative component that is capable of generating a radiation-sensitive sensitizer and an acid upon an exposure. A van der Waals volume of the acid generated from the generative component is no less than 3.0×10?28 m3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignees: OSAKA UNIVERSITY, TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED, JSR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hisashi Nakagawa, Takehiko Naruoka, Tomoki Nagai, Seiichi Tagawa, Akihiro Oshima, Seiji Nagahara
  • Patent number: 10025190
    Abstract: A substrate treatment system for treating a substrate, includes: a treatment station in which a plurality of treatment apparatuses which treat the substrate are provided; an interface station which directly or indirectly delivers the substrate between an exposure apparatus which is provided outside the substrate treatment system and performs exposure of patterns on a resist film on the substrate, and the substrate treatment system; a light irradiation apparatus which performs post-exposure using UV light on the resist film on the substrate after the exposure of patterns is performed; and a post-exposure station which houses the light irradiation apparatus and is adjustable to a reduced pressure or inert gas atmosphere, wherein the post-exposure station is connected to the exposure apparatus directly or indirectly via a space which is adjustable to a reduced pressure or inert gas atmosphere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignees: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED, OSAKA UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Seiji Nagahara, Gousuke Shiraishi, Satoru Shimura, Kousuke Yoshihara, Shinichiro Kawakami, Masaru Tomono, Seiichi Tagawa, Akihiro Oshima
  • Patent number: 10025187
    Abstract: A photosensitization chemical-amplification type resist material according to the present invention is used for a two-stage exposure lithography process, and contains (1) a developable base component and (2) a component generating a photosensitizer and an acid through exposure. Among three components consisting of (a) an acid-photosensitizer generator, (b) a photosensitizer precursor, and (c) a photoacid generator, the above component contains only the component (a), any two components, or all of the components (a) to (c).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignees: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED, OSAKA UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Seiji Nagahara, Seiichi Tagawa, Akihiro Oshima
  • Publication number: 20180173103
    Abstract: An illuminance distribution response amount as the change amount of the illuminance distribution pattern, associating the position in the irradiation region in the lengthwise direction with the change amount of the illuminance with respect to the change in the drive current, has previously been acquired and stored in a storage unit for each light-emitting block. There is provided an arithmetic processing unit that determines (estimates) a current command value of each of the light-emitting blocks based on a present current command value of each of the light-emitting blocks and the change amount of the illuminance distribution pattern of each light-emitting block in order to bring a present illuminance distribution pattern in the irradiation region in a lengthwise direction close to a target illuminance distribution pattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2017
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Seiji NAGAHARA, Masaru Tomono, Nobutaka Fukunaga, Gousuke Shiraishi
  • Publication number: 20180164696
    Abstract: An optical processing apparatus includes: a housing; a stage; and a light irradiation unit configured to cause a light source unit to emit light so as to form a strip-like irradiation area extending over an area wider than a width of a substrate in a right and left direction. The stage and the light irradiation unit are moved by a moving mechanism relatively to each other in a back and forth direction. Light emitted from the light irradiation unit is deviated by a light-path changing unit from a relative movement area of a substrate. When a substrate is relatively moved below the light irradiation unit without the intension of being subjected to a light irradiation process, a control unit outputs a control signal such that an irradiation area is not formed on a surface of the substrate by the light-path changing unit, while the light source unit emitting light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2017
    Publication date: June 14, 2018
    Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Teruhiko MORIYA, Masaru TOMONO, Ryo SHIMADA, Makoto HAYAKAWA, Seiji NAGAHARA
  • Publication number: 20180151788
    Abstract: A substrate for a light emitting device includes: a plurality of wiring patterns, each including: a first conductive pattern including: a light emitting element mounting region defined by a first, second, third, and fourth sides in a plan view, and a contact region; and a second conductive pattern surrounding a portion of the first side where the contact region is not present, an entirety of the second side, and a portion of or an entirety of the third side, wherein a first end portion of the second conductive pattern at the third side is positioned nearer to the fourth side than a second end portion of the second conductive pattern at the first side is to the fourth side. The third side of a second wiring pattern faces the first side of a first wiring pattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2017
    Publication date: May 31, 2018
    Applicant: NICHIA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Seiji NAGAHARA, Kazuma KOZURU
  • Publication number: 20180143540
    Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes: a stage on which a substrate is placed; a plurality of light irradiation units configured to emit light independently of each other to different positions in a right and left direction on a surface of the substrate, so as to form a strip-like irradiation area extending from one end of the surface of the substrate to the other end of the substrate; a rotation mechanism configured to rotate the substrate placed on the stage relative to the irradiation area; a stage moving mechanism configured to move the stage relative to the irradiation area in a back and forth direction; and a control unit configured to output control signals that make said exposure apparatus perform a first step that rotates the substrate relative to the irradiation area having a first illuminance distribution such that the whole surface of the substrate is exposed, and a second step that moves the substrate in the back and forth direction relative to the irradiation area having a second illuminance distributi
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2017
    Publication date: May 24, 2018
    Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Seiji NAGAHARA, Masaru TOMONO, Nobutaka FUKUNAGA, Gousuke SHIRAISHI, Yukie MINEKAWA
  • Publication number: 20180136567
    Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes a stage on which a substrate is placed, a plurality of light irradiation units configured to emit light independently of each other to different positions in a right and left direction on a surface of the substrate, so as to form a strip-like irradiation area extending from one end of the surface of the substrate to the other end of the substrate, a stage moving mechanism configured to move the stage in a back and forth direction relative to the irradiation area, such that the whole surface of the substrate is exposed, and a light receiving unit configured move in the irradiation area between one end and the other end of the irradiation area in order to detect an illuminance distribution of the irradiation area in a longitudinal direction of the irradiation area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2017
    Publication date: May 17, 2018
    Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Teruhiko MORIYA, Masaru TOMONO, Ryo SHIMADA, Makoto HAYAKAWA, Seiji NAGAHARA
  • Patent number: 9971247
    Abstract: A pattern-forming method comprises applying a chemically amplified resist material on an antireflective film formed on a substrate to form a resist material film. The resist material film is patternwise exposed to ionizing radiation or nonionizing radiation having a wavelength of no greater than 400 nm. The resist material film patternwise exposed is floodwise exposed to nonionizing radiation having a wavelength greater than the nonionizing radiation for the patternwise exposing and greater than 200 nm. The resist material film floodwise exposed is baked. The resist material film baked is developed with a developer solution. An extinction coefficient of the antireflective film for the nonionizing radiation employed for the floodwise exposing is no less than 0.1. The chemically amplified resist material comprises a base component and a generative component that is capable of generating a radiation-sensitive sensitizer and an acid upon an exposure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignees: OSAKA UNIVERSITY, TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED, JSR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hisashi Nakagawa, Takehiko Naruoka, Tomoki Nagai, Seiichi Tagawa, Akihiro Oshima, Seiji Nagahara
  • Publication number: 20170242342
    Abstract: Methods and systems for PS-CAR photoresist simulation are described. In an embodiment, a method includes determining by simulation at least one process parameter of a lithography process using a radiation-sensitive material. In such an embodiment, the radiation-sensitive material includes: a first light wavelength activation threshold that controls the generation of acid to a first acid concentration in the radiation-sensitive material and controls generation of photosensitizer molecules in the radiation-sensitive material, and a second light wavelength activation threshold that can excite the photosensitizer molecules in the radiation-sensitive material that results in the acid comprising a second acid concentration that is greater than the first acid concentration, the second light wavelength being different from the first light wavelength. In such an embodiment, the method also includes performing a lithography process using the previously-determined at least one process parameter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2016
    Publication date: August 24, 2017
    Inventors: Michael Carcasi, Benjamen M. Rathsack, Mark H. Somervell, Wallace P. Printz, Seiji Nagahara, Seiichi Tagawa
  • Patent number: 9709882
    Abstract: There is provided a light source apparatus and projector having the light source apparatus, said light source apparatus comprising: a laser module where first semiconductor laser(s) and second semiconductor laser(s) which emits a light of the wavelength different from that of said first semiconductor laser(s) are placed such that the emitting direction of each semiconductor laser is approximately the same and a short axis direction of a far field pattern of each semiconductor laser is approximately the same, and an optical multiplexing component which a light which exits from said laser module enters without being converged, wherein said first semiconductor laser(s) and said second semiconductor laser(s) are placed in linear symmetry in said short axis direction at the exit surface of said laser module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: NICHIA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Seiji Nagahara, Takashi Sasamuro
  • Publication number: 20170192357
    Abstract: The disclosure herein describes methods for Photosensitized Chemically Amplified Resist Chemicals (PS-CAR) to pattern light sensitive films on a semiconductor substrate. In one embodiment, a two-step exposure process may generate higher acid concentration regions within a photoresist layer. The PS-CAR chemicals may include photoacid generators (PAGs) and photosensitizer elements that enhance the decomposition of the PAGs into acid. The first exposure may be a patterned EUV exposure that generates an initial amount of acid and photosensitizer. The second exposure may be a non-EUV flood exposure that excites the photosensitizer which increases the acid generation rate where the photosensitizer is located on the substrate. The distribution of energy during the exposures may be optimized by using certain characteristics (e.g., thickness, index of refraction, doping) of the photoresist layer, an underlying layer, and/or an overlying layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2017
    Publication date: July 6, 2017
    Inventors: Michael A. Carcasi, Joshua S. Hooge, Benjamen M. Rathsack, Seiji Nagahara
  • Patent number: 9618848
    Abstract: The disclosure herein describes methods for Photosensitized Chemically Amplified Resist Chemicals (PS-CAR) to pattern light sensitive films on a semiconductor substrate. In one embodiment, a two-step exposure process may generate higher acid concentration regions within a photoresist layer. The PS-CAR chemicals may include photoacid generators (PAGs) and photosensitizer elements that enhance the decomposition of the PAGs into acid. The first exposure may be a patterned EUV exposure that generates an initial amount of acid and photosensitizer. The second exposure may be a non-EUV flood exposure that excites the photosensitizer which increases the acid generation rate where the photosensitizer is located on the substrate. The distribution of energy during the exposures may be optimized by using certain characteristics (e.g., thickness, index of refraction, doping) of the photoresist layer, an underlying layer, and/or an overlying layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Michael A. Carcasi, Joshua S. Hooge, Benjamen M. Rathsack, Seiji Nagahara