Patents by Inventor Shigeru Kasai

Shigeru Kasai 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: 20090026855
    Abstract: A motor may include a rotor having a rotation shaft, a stator, a first radial bearing and a second radial bearing which rotatably support the rotation shaft. The motor may further include a second plate which is fixed to the end face of the stator and is formed with a second bearing insertion opening into which the second radial bearing is inserted. The second bearing insertion opening is formed with a bearing abutting part which abuts with an outer peripheral face of the second radial bearing to restrict movement in a radial direction of the second radial bearing, and a cut-out part which is radially recessed from an inner circumferential edge of the bearing abutting part for reducing an abutting area of the second radial bearing with the second bearing insertion opening.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2008
    Publication date: January 29, 2009
    Applicant: NIDEC SANKYO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shigeru Kasai
  • Publication number: 20080309239
    Abstract: A microwave generation device includes: a magnetron having a cathode containing a filament and an anode containing a hollow resonator arranged to oppose to each other; a filament current measuring unit; and an application voltage measuring unit for measuring voltage applied to the filament. Based on the current and the voltage obtained by the current measuring unit and the voltage measuring unit, a resistance value calculation unit obtains a resistance value of the filament. A temperature calculation unit calculates the filament temperature from the resistance value and the resistance-temperature dependent characteristic. A filament power source is controlled by a power control unit so that the filament temperature is within a predetermined temperature range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2008
    Publication date: December 18, 2008
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Shigeru Kasai, Yuki Osada
  • Publication number: 20080280048
    Abstract: This invention relates to a thermal processing method including: a placing step of placing an object to be processed onto a stage arranged in a processing container that can be vacuumed; and a heating step of heating the object to be processed to a predetermined temperature. The object to be processed is heated under a state in which a temperature distribution is maintained in such a manner that a temperature at a central portion of the object to be processed is high while a temperature at a peripheral portion of the object to be processed is low, during at least a part of the heating step.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Publication date: November 13, 2008
    Inventors: Shigeru Kasai, Hiroyuki Miyashita
  • Patent number: 7445690
    Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes a chamber for containing a substrate to be processed, a gas supply unit for supplying a processing gas into the chamber, and a microwave introducing unit for introducing plasma generating microwaves into the chamber. The microwave introducing unit includes a microwave oscillator for outputting a plurality if microwaves having specified outputs, and an antenna section having a plurality of antennas to which the microwaves outputted from the microwave oscillator are respectively transmitted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Shigeru Kasai, Yuki Osada, Takashi Ogino
  • Patent number: 7430985
    Abstract: Plasma processing equipment capable of increasing the heat resistance of a wave guide by using a high dielectric material, comprising a processing container 44 formed to allow vacuuming, a loading table 46 installed in the processing container for placing a processed body W thereon, a microwave transmission plate 72 installed in an opening part at the ceiling of the processing container, a flat antenna member 76 for feeding microwave into the processing container through the microwave transmission plate, a shield cover body 80 earthed so as to cover the upper part of the flat antenna member, and a waveguide 90 for feeding the microwave from a microwave generating source to the flat antenna member, characterized in that the waveguide is formed of a high dielectric waveguide 94 using the high dielectric material, whereby the heat resistance of the waveguide can be increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2008
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventor: Shigeru Kasai
  • Publication number: 20080230180
    Abstract: Processing equipment for an object to be processed is provided with a process container, the internal of which can be evacuated, a gas introducing means for introducing a prescribed gas into the process container, a supporting table provided in the process container, a ring-shaped supporting part provided on the supporting table for supporting the object to be processed, a plurality of thermoelectric conversion elements provided on an upper plane of the supporting table on an inner side of the supporting part, an element storing space evacuating means for evacuating inside the element storing space formed by a lower plane of the object to be treated, which is supported by the supporting part, an upper plane of the supporting table and the supporting part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2005
    Publication date: September 25, 2008
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Masatake Yoneda, Shigeru Kasai, Masahiro Shimizu
  • Publication number: 20080226272
    Abstract: A heating apparatus for heating a target object W is provided with a plurality of heating light sources, including LED elements for applying heating light having a wavelength within a range from 360 to 520 nm to the object. Thus, a temperature of only the shallow surface of the object, such as a semiconductor wafer, is increased/reduced at a high speed in uniform temperature distribution, irrespective of the film type.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2008
    Publication date: September 18, 2008
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Shigeru Kasai, Tomohiro Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20080187299
    Abstract: A heat treatment apparatus for performing prescribed heat treatment to a subject (W) to be treated is provided with a processing chamber in which air can be exhausted; a mounting table arranged in the processing chamber, for placing on an upper plane the subject to be treated; a plurality of thermoelectric conversion elements arranged on an upper part of the mounting table; a light transmitting window for covering a ceiling portion of the processing chamber airtight; and a gas introduction unit for introducing a required gas into the processing chamber. A heating unit which includes a plurality of heating light sources including a semiconductor light emitting element for emitting heating light to the subject to be treated, is provided above the light transmitting window. Thus, heating efficiency is improved and temperature can be increased and reduced at a higher speed for the subject to be treated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2008
    Publication date: August 7, 2008
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Masahiro Shimizu, Shigeru Kasai, Masatake Yoneda
  • Publication number: 20080163818
    Abstract: A substrate heating apparatus of the present invention, which heats a substrate mounted on a mount table 104 having heating means 108, in a processing vessel 102, includes a supporting part 202 made from a first material to support the mount table, a sealing part 204 made from a second material different from the first material in heat conductivity to seal the supporting part and the processing vessel and a joint part 206 for joining the supporting part and the sealing part in an airtight manner. With the constitution, by selecting the first material and the second material of different heat conductivities properly, it is possible to reduce a heat gradient between the top of the mount table and the bottom of the mount table. As a result, it is possible to shorten a supporting structure for the mount table, in length.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2007
    Publication date: July 10, 2008
    Inventors: Tetsuya Saito, Shigeru Kasai
  • Patent number: 7372350
    Abstract: An electromagnetic relay is provided which is small in size and is capable of controlling two circuits of an ordinarily-open contact, which has a large current-carrying capacity and high interrupting capability, and which is excellent in resistance against shock and vibration. Movable contactors are held, through bow-shaped movable contactor springs, to two -shaped holding frames each being electrically separated and being mechanically connected via a card made of a highly heat-resistant resin in a card block. Thick-plate shaped movable contacts, which are attached to the movable contactors in a fixed manner, are electrically connected or disconnected to fixed contacts in a base block, in synchronization with operations of an armature of an electro-magnet block. In order to improve a current-carrying capability and interrupting capability, there are provided two pieces of ordinarily-open contacts which are connected in series to each other, and between which an interval is doubled, in each of two circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2008
    Assignees: NEC Tokin Corporation, NEC Tokin Iwate, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshifumi Chida, Kei Chiba, Tatsumi Ide, Shigeru Kasai
  • Patent number: 7355379
    Abstract: A plasma generating method generates plasma in a treating chamber by controlling a high-frequency generating unit to generate a high-frequency signal and by feeding the high-frequency signal to the treating chamber through an impedance matching device. The plasma generating method includes controlling the impedance matching device, when the plasma is generated in the treating chamber, so as to satisfy a preset matching condition, and then controlling the high-frequency generating unit to generate and feed the high-frequency signal of the power generating the plasma, to the treating chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2008
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Toshiaki Kitamura, Koichi Rokuyama, Shigeru Kasai, Takashi Ogino, Yuki Osada
  • Publication number: 20070175396
    Abstract: A film-forming apparatus of the invention is a film-forming apparatus that includes: a processing container that defines a chamber, a pedestal arranged in the chamber, on which a substrate to be processed can be placed, a showerhead provided opposite to the pedestal, which has a large number of gas-discharging holes, a gas-supplying mechanism that supplies a process gas into the chamber through the showerhead, and a showerhead-temperature controlling unit that controls a temperature of the showerhead.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2007
    Publication date: August 2, 2007
    Inventors: Shigeru Kasai, Takashi Kakegawa
  • Publication number: 20070163713
    Abstract: A processing system that can supply a material gas produced inside a material reservoir tank into a processing apparatus while generating almost no pressure loss is provided. In a processing system comprising: a processing apparatus including a gas injection means 42 for injecting a specific material gas into a processing vessel 26 in order to provide specific processing to an object to be processed W, said material gas being produced from a metallic compound material M with low vapor pressure; and a gas supply system 24 for supplying said specific material gas to said gas injection means, said gas injection means is a shower head portion and said gas supply system provides: a gas passage 56 extending upwardly from said showerhead portion; a material reservoir tank 58 attached to the upper-end portion of said gas passage for containing said metallic compound material therein; and an open/close valve 60 for opening/closing said gas passage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2003
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Inventors: Shigeru Kasai, Sumi Tanaka, Tetsuya Saito, Norihiko Yamamoto, Kenichi Yanagitani
  • Patent number: 7226524
    Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes an evacuatable processing vessel; a workpiece mount base for mounting thereon an object to be processed; a microwave transmitting plate provided in an opening of a ceiling of the processing vessel; a planar antenna member for supplying a microwave into the processing vessel via the microwave transmitting plate; a shield lid grounded to cover a top of the planar antenna member; a waveguide for guiding the microwave to the planar antenna member; a member elevating mechanism for relatively varying a vertical distance between the planar antenna member and the shield lid; a tuning rod insertable into the waveguide; a tuning rod driving mechanism for moving the tuning rod to adjust an insert amount thereof; and a matching control section for controlling an elevation amount of the planar antenna member and the insert amount of the tuning rod to obtain a matching adjustment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2007
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Shigeru Kasai, Nobuhiko Yamamoto, Hikaru Adachi, Yuki Osada
  • Patent number: 7176634
    Abstract: A plasma generating method generates plasma in a treating chamber by controlling a high-frequency generating unit to generate a high-frequency signal and by feeding the high-frequency signal to the treating chamber through an impedance matching device. The plasma generating method includes controlling the impedance matching device, when the plasma is generated in the treating chamber, so as to satisfy a preset matching condition, and then controlling the high-frequency generating unit to generate and feed the high-frequency signal of the power generating the plasma, to the treating chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2007
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Toshiaki Kitamura, Koichi Rokuyama, Shigeru Kasai, Takashi Ogino, Yuki Osada
  • Publication number: 20060160359
    Abstract: A vacuum processing apparatus is constituted of the following portions: a processing container with the bottom, capable of drawing vacuum; a placement platform installed in the container; a heating portion for heating a substrate on the platform; a processing gas-feeding portion for feeding a processing gas into the container; a partitioning portion surrounding a space between the platform and the bottom of the container and partitioning off the space from a processing space in the container; a purge gas-feeding portion for feeding a purge gas into the space surrounded by the partitioning portion; a purge gas-discharging portion for discharging the purge gas from the space surrounded by the partitioning portion; a control portion for controlling the purge gas-feeding portion and/or the purge gas-discharging portion so as to regulate the pressure in the space surrounded by the partitioning portion; and a temperature-detecting portion penetrating the bottom of the container, inserted in the space surrounded by
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2004
    Publication date: July 20, 2006
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Shigeru Kasai, Susumu Katoh, Tomohito Komatsu, Tetsuya Saito, Sumi Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20060144519
    Abstract: A plasma generating method generates plasma in a treating chamber by controlling a high-frequency generating unit to generate a high-frequency signal and by feeding the high-frequency signal to the treating chamber through an impedance matching device. The plasma generating method includes controlling the impedance matching device, when the plasma is generated in the treating chamber, so as to satisfy a preset matching condition, and then controlling the high-frequency generating unit to generate and feed the high-frequency signal of the power generating the plasma, to the treating chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2006
    Publication date: July 6, 2006
    Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Toshiaki Kitamura, Koichi Rokuyama, Shigeru Kasai, Takashi Ogino, Yuki Osada
  • Publication number: 20060137613
    Abstract: A compact plasma generating apparatus providing high efficiency of plasma excitation is presented. A plasma generating apparatus (100) comprises a microwave generating apparatus (10) for generating microwaves, a coaxial waveguide (20) having a coaxial structure comprising an inner tube (20a) and an outer tube (20b), a monopole antenna (21) being attached to one end of said inner tube (20a), for directing the microwaves generated by said microwave generating apparatus (10) to the monopole antenna (21), a resonator (22) composed of dielectric material for holding the monopole antenna (21), and a chamber (23) in which a specific process gas is fed for plasma excitation. The chamber (23) has an open surface and the resonator (22) is placed on this open surface, and the process gas is excited by the microwaves radiated from the monopole antenna (21) through the resonator (22) into the interior of the chamber (23) to generate plasma.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2004
    Publication date: June 29, 2006
    Inventor: Shigeru Kasai
  • Publication number: 20060086319
    Abstract: A processing gas supply mechanism installed on a processing chamber of a film forming apparatus for supplying a processing gas containing a metal organic compound onto a substrate to be processed includes a processing gas inlet opening for introducing the processing gas, a diffusion space for diffusing the processing gas introduced from the processing gas inlet opening, a processing gas supply mechanism main body for forming the processing gas diffusion space, and one or more processing gas supply holes for supplying the processing gas from the diffusion space to a processing space on the substrate in the processing chamber. Further, the processing gas supply holes are shaped to have a Peclet number of 0.5 to 2.5 when the processing gas passes therethrough.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2005
    Publication date: April 27, 2006
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Shigeru Kasai, Norihiko Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 6977359
    Abstract: A vacuum-processing method carries out, in a vacuum-processing vessel (4), a process wherein a condition of an interior of the vacuum processing vessel (4) changes as the number of processed objects (W) increases, such as a film-forming process for forming a thin film on a semiconductor wafer (W) by using a process gas in the vacuum processing vessel (4). The vacuum-processing method controls a controlled parameter directly affecting an effect of the process, such as film thickness, so that the controlled parameter is maintained at a target value (rt). The vacuum-processing method determines a model function obeying a change of the condition of the interior of the processing vessel (4), and calculates the target value (rt) of the controlled parameter every time one or a plurality of objects (W) are processed on the basis of a set value (Dt) of a set parameter representing the effect of the process, and the model function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2005
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventor: Shigeru Kasai