Patents by Inventor Shigeru Yokoi

Shigeru Yokoi 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: 20110000874
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for stripping a photoresist comprising: (I) providing a photoresist pattern on a substrate where the substrate has at least a copper (Cu) wiring and a low-dielectric layer thereon, and selectively etching the low-dielectric layer by using the photoresist pattern as a mask; (II) contacting the substrate after the step (I), with ozone water and/or aqueous hydrogen peroxide; and (III) contacting the substrate after the step (II), with a photoresist stripping solution that contains at least a quaternary ammonium hydroxide.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2010
    Publication date: January 6, 2011
    Inventors: Shigeru Yokoi, Kazumasa Wakiya, Takayuki Haraguchi
  • Publication number: 20100304312
    Abstract: It is disclosed a cleaning liquid for stripping and dissolving a photoresist pattern having a film thickness of 10-150 ?m, which contains (a) 0.5-15 mass % of a quaternary ammonium hydroxide, such as tetrapropylammonium hydroxide and tetrabutylammonium hydroxide, (b) 65-97 mass % of a water-soluble organic solvent, such as dimethylsulfoxide or a mixed solvent thereof with N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, sulforane, etc., and (c) 0.5-30 mass % of water, and a method for treating a substrate therewith.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2010
    Publication date: December 2, 2010
    Inventors: Shigeru Yokoi, Kazumasa Wakiya, Koji Saito
  • Publication number: 20100248477
    Abstract: It is disclosed a cleaning liquid used in a process for forming a dual damascene structure comprising steps of etching a low dielectric layer (low-k layer) accumulated on a substrate having thereon a metallic layer to form a first etched-space; charging a sacrifice layer in the first etched-space; partially etching the low dielectric layer and the sacrifice layer to form a second etched-space connected to the first etched-space; and removing the sacrifice layer remaining in the first etched-space with the cleaning liquid, wherein the cleaning liquid comprises (a) 1-25 mass % of a quaternary ammonium hydroxide, such as TMAH and choline (b) 30-70 mass % of a water soluble organic solvent, and (c) 20-60 mass % of water.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2010
    Publication date: September 30, 2010
    Inventors: Shigeru Yokoi, Kazumasa Wakiya
  • Publication number: 20100190112
    Abstract: A photoresist stripping solution comprising (a) a specified quaternary ammonium hydroxide, such as tetrabutylammonium hydroxide, tetrapropylammonium hydroxide, methyltributylammonium hydroxide or methyltripropylammonium hydroxide, (b) a water-soluble amine, (c) water, (d) a corrosion inhibitor and (e) a water-soluble organic solvent, the compounding ratio of component (a) to component (b) being in the range of from 1:3 to 1:10 by mass, as well as a method of stripping photoresists using the solution. The stripping solution of the invention assures effective protection of Al, Cu and other wiring metal conductors against corroding as well as efficient stripping of the photoresist film, post-ashing residues such as modified photoresist film and metal depositions. It also assures efficient stripping of Si-based residues and effective protection of the substrate (particularly the reverse side of a Si substrate) from corroding.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2010
    Publication date: July 29, 2010
    Inventors: Kazumasa Wakiya, Shigeru Yokoi
  • Publication number: 20100112495
    Abstract: A photoresist stripping solution comprising (a) a carboxyl group-containing acidic compound, (b) at least one basic compound (for example, monoethanolamine, tetraalkylammonium) selected from among alkanolamines and specific quaternary ammonium hydroxides, (c) a sulfur-containing corrosion inhibitor and (d) water, and having a pH value of 3.5-5.5; and a method of stripping photoresists using the same are disclosed. The present invention provides a photoresist stripping solution which is excellent in the effect of protecting metal wirings (in particular, Cu wirings) from corrosion, never damages interlevel films, such as low dielectric layers or organic SOG layers, and shows excellent strippability of photoresist films and post-ashing residues.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2009
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Inventors: Shigeru Yokoi, Kazumasa Wakiya
  • Publication number: 20100086879
    Abstract: Disclosed are: a material for forming a protective film to be laminated on a photoresist film, which can prevent the contamination of an exposing device with an outgas generated from the photoresist film, which has little influence on the environment, which has a high water repellent property, which sparingly causes mixing with the photoresist film, and which can form a high-resolution photoresist pattern; a method for forming a photoresist pattern; and a solution for washing/removing a protective film. Specifically disclosed are: a material for forming a protective film, which comprises (a) a non-polar polymer and (b) a non-polar solvent; a method for forming a photoresist pattern by using the material; and a solution for washing/removing a protective film, which is intended to be used in the method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2007
    Publication date: April 8, 2010
    Inventors: Toshikazu Takayama, Keita Ishiduka, Hideo Hada, Shigeru Yokoi
  • Publication number: 20100051582
    Abstract: It is disclosed a cleaning liquid used in a process for forming a dual damascene structure comprising steps of etching a low dielectric layer (low-k layer) accumulated on a substrate having thereon a metallic layer to form a first etched-space; charging a sacrifice layer in the first etched-space; partially etching the low dielectric layer and the sacrifice layer to form a second etched-space connected to the first etched-space; and removing the sacrifice layer remaining in the first etched-space with the cleaning liquid, wherein the cleaning liquid comprises (a) 1-25 mass % of a quaternary ammonium hydroxide, such as TMAH and choline, (b) 30-70 mass % of a water soluble organic solvent, and (c) 20-60 mass % of water.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2009
    Publication date: March 4, 2010
    Inventors: Shigeru Yokoi, Kazumasa Wakiya
  • Publication number: 20100056411
    Abstract: Disclosed are a treating liquid for photoresist removal, containing (a) an oxidizing agent (e.g., aqueous hydrogen peroxide), (b) at least one selected from alkylene carbonates and their derivatives (e.g., propylene carbonate), and (c) water; and a method for treating with the treating liquid a substrate having a photoresist film deteriorated after dry-etching treatment thereof or a substrate optionally subjected to plasma-ashing treatment after the dry-etching treatment, and then treating it with a photoresist-stripping liquid for stripping off the photoresist.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2009
    Publication date: March 4, 2010
    Inventors: Takayuki Haraguchi, Kazumasa Wakiya, Shigeru Yokoi
  • Publication number: 20100022426
    Abstract: Disclosed is a photoresist stripping solution consisting essentially of (a) a quaternary ammonium hydroxide (e.g., tetramethylammonium hydroxide), (b) at least one water-soluble organic solvent selected from glycols and glycol ethers (e.g., propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether), and (c) a non-amine water-soluble organic solvent (e.g., dimethyl sulfoxide, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone). The photoresist stripping solution of the invention has an excellent photoresist strippability, not causing damage of swelling/coloration to acrylic transparent films used in production of liquid-crystal panels and not causing damage to electrode materials. In particular, it has an excellent photoresist strippability to remove even a thick-film negative photoresist (photosensitive dry film) used in production of semiconductor chip packages (especially, wafer-level chip size packages, W-CSP), not causing damage to copper.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2009
    Publication date: January 28, 2010
    Inventors: Shigeru Yokoi, Atsushi Yamanouchi
  • Publication number: 20090291565
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for stripping a photoresist comprising: (I) providing a photoresist pattern on a substrate where the substrate has at least a copper (Cu) wiring and a low-dielectric layer thereon, and selectively etching the low-dielectric layer by using the photoresist pattern as a mask; (II) contacting the substrate after the step (I), with ozone water and/or aqueous hydrogen peroxide; and (III) contacting the substrate after the step (II), with a photoresist stripping solution that contains at least a quaternary ammonium hydroxide.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2009
    Publication date: November 26, 2009
    Inventors: Shigeru Yokoi, Kazumasa Wakiya, Takayuki Haraguchi
  • Publication number: 20090191478
    Abstract: A novel method of forming a resist pattern in which thickness loss from the resist pattern is reduced, and a negative resist composition that can be used in this method of forming a resist pattern. The method of forming a resist pattern includes: forming a first resist film by applying a first resist composition to a support, forming a first resist pattern by selectively exposing the first resist film through a first mask pattern and then developing the first resist film, forming a second resist film by applying a negative resist composition containing an ether-based organic solvent (S?) having no hydroxyl groups onto the support having the first resist pattern formed thereon, and forming a resist pattern by selectively exposing the second resist film through a second mask pattern and then developing the second resist film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2007
    Publication date: July 30, 2009
    Applicant: Tokyo Ohka Kogyo co., Ltd
    Inventors: Ken Tanaka, Sho Abe, Shigeru Yokoi
  • Publication number: 20090176677
    Abstract: Disclosed are a treating liquid for photoresist removal, containing (a) an oxidizing agent (e.g., aqueous hydrogen peroxide), (b) at least one selected from alkylene carbonates and their derivatives (e.g., propylene carbonate), and (c) water; and a method for treating with the treating liquid a substrate having a photoresist film deteriorated after dry-etching treatment thereof or a substrate optionally subjected to plasma-ashing treatment after the dry-etching treatment, and then treating it with a photoresist-stripping liquid for stripping off the photoresist.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2009
    Publication date: July 9, 2009
    Inventors: Takayuki Haraguchi, Kazumasa Wakiya, Shigeru Yokoi
  • Publication number: 20090156005
    Abstract: It is disclosed a cleaning liquid used in a process for forming a dual damascene structure comprising steps of etching a low dielectric layer (low-k layer) accumulated on a substrate having thereon a metallic layer to form a first etched-space; charging a sacrifice layer in the first etched-space; partially etching the low dielectric layer and the sacrifice layer to form a second etched-space connected to the first etched-space; and removing the sacrifice layer remaining in the first etched-space with the cleaning liquid, wherein the cleaning liquid comprises (a) 1-25 mass % of a quaternary ammonium hydroxide, such as TMAH and choline, (b) 30-70 mass % of a water soluble organic solvent, and (c) 20-60 mass % of water.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2009
    Publication date: June 18, 2009
    Inventors: Shigeru Yokoi, Kazumasa Wakiya
  • Publication number: 20080280452
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for stripping a photoresist comprising: (I) providing a photoresist pattern on a substrate where the substrate has at least a copper (Cu) wiring and a low-dielectric layer thereon, and selectively etching the low-dielectric layer by using the photoresist pattern as a mask; (II) contacting the substrate after the step (I), with ozone water and/or aqueous hydrogen peroxide; and (III) contacting the substrate after the step (II), with a photoresist stripping solution that contains at least a quaternary ammonium hydroxide.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2008
    Publication date: November 13, 2008
    Inventors: Shigeru Yokoi, Kazumasa Wakiya, Takayuki Haraguchi
  • Patent number: 7442675
    Abstract: A cleaning composition comprises at least quaternary ammonium hydroxide, a water-soluble organic solvent, water, an anticorrosive, and potassium hydroxide of 1 mass percent or less of a total amount of the solution. This cleaning composition can singly and effectively remove a photoresist film, a buried material, a metallic residue from the surface of a semiconductor substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2008
    Assignees: Tokyo Ohka Kogyo Co., Ltd., Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Shigeru Yokoi, Kazumasa Wakiya, Takayuki Haraguchi, Makarem A. Hussein, Lana I. Jong, Shan Christopher Clark
  • Publication number: 20080242575
    Abstract: Disclosed are a treating liquid for photoresist removal, containing (a) an oxidizing agent (e.g., aqueous hydrogen peroxide), (b) at least one selected from alkylene carbonates and their derivatives (e.g., propylene carbonate), and (c) water; and a method for treating with the treating liquid a substrate having a photoresist film deteriorated after dry-etching treatment thereof or a substrate optionally subjected to plasma-ashing treatment after the dry-etching treatment, and then treating it with a photoresist-stripping liquid for stripping off the photoresist.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2008
    Publication date: October 2, 2008
    Inventors: Takayuki Haraguchi, Kazumasa Wakiya, Shigeru Yokoi
  • Publication number: 20080241758
    Abstract: A photoresist stripping solution comprising (a) a carboxyl group-containing acidic compound, (b) at least one basic compound (for example, monoethanolamine, tetraalkylammonium) selected from among alkanolamines and specific quaternary ammonium hydroxides, (c) a sulfur-containing corrosion inhibitor and (d) water, and having a pH value of 3.5-5.5; and a method of stripping photoresists using the same are disclosed. The present invention provides a photoresist stripping solution which is excellent in the effect of protecting metal wirings (in particular, Cu wirings) from corrosion, never damages interlevel films, such as low dielectric layers or organic SOG layers, and shows excellent strippability of photoresist films and post-ashing residues.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2008
    Publication date: October 2, 2008
    Inventors: Shigeru Yokoi, Kazumasa Wakiya
  • Publication number: 20080099452
    Abstract: A machining head includes a machining head element having an inner-head channel for passing laser light and assist gas, the nozzle having an inner-nozzle channel connecting to the inner-head channel and a nozzle orifice, pins protruding radially inward from a curved inner surface of the nozzle, a pin-locking part formed on the outside of the machining head element, the pin-locking part having pin-fitting openings, a head alignment part formed on a nozzle-side end surface of the machining head element, a nozzle alignment part formed on the nozzle at a location where the nozzle is aligned with the machining head element, and an O-ring fitted between the head alignment part and the nozzle to create a clearance between the head alignment part and the nozzle alignment part for mutual alignment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2007
    Publication date: May 1, 2008
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Akiyama, Masahiko Hasegawa, Kazunobu Katase, Shigeru Yokoi
  • Publication number: 20080011714
    Abstract: A photoresist stripping solution which comprises (a) a salt of hydrofluoric acid with a base free from metal ions, (b) a water-soluble organic solvent, (c) a mercapto group containing corrosion inhibitor, and (d) water, and a method of stripping photoresists with the use of the same are disclosed. In case of using ammonium fluoride as component (a), the photoresist stripping solution may further contain (e) a salt of hydrofluoric acid with a quaternary ammonium hydroxide, such as tetramethylammonium hydroxide, tetrapropylammonium hydroxide, etc., and/or an alkanolamine. The photoresist stripping solution of the present invention has an excellent effect of protecting both Al— and Cu-based metal wiring conductors from corrosion, of efficiently stripping photoresist films and post-ashing residues, and is free from the precipitation of the corrosion inhibitor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2007
    Publication date: January 17, 2008
    Inventors: Shigeru Yokoi, Kazumasa Wakiya
  • Publication number: 20070298619
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for stripping a photoresist comprising: (I) providing a photoresist pattern on a substrate where the substrate has at least a copper (Cu) wiring and a low-dielectric layer thereon, and selectively etching the low-dielectric layer by using the photoresist pattern as a mask; (II) contacting the substrate after the step (I), with ozone water and/or aqueous hydrogen peroxide; and (III) contacting the substrate after the step (II), with a photoresist stripping solution that contains at least a quaternary ammonium hydroxide.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2007
    Publication date: December 27, 2007
    Inventors: Shigeru Yokoi, Kazumasa Wakiya, Takayuki Haraguchi