Patents by Inventor Shintaro Aoyama

Shintaro Aoyama 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: 7378358
    Abstract: A substrate-processing apparatus (100, 40) comprises a radical-forming unit (26) for forming the nitrogen radicals and oxygen radicals through a high-frequency plasma, a processing vessel (21) in which a substrate (W) to be processed is held, and a gas-supplying unit (30) which is connected to the radical-forming unit. The gas-supplying unit (30) controls the mixture ratio between a first raw material gas containing the nitrogen and a second raw material gas containing oxygen, and supplies a mixture gas of a desired mixture ratio to the radical-forming unit. By supplying the nitrogen radicals and oxygen radicals mixed at the controlled mixture ratio to the surface of the substrate, an insulating film having a desired nitrogen concentration is formed on the surface of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2008
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Masanobu Igeta, Shintaro Aoyama, Hiroshi Shinriki
  • Publication number: 20070190802
    Abstract: A radical source is movably provided in a processing vessel holding a substrate, and the location or driving energy of the radical source is set such that the film formed on the substrate has a uniform thickness. Further, a radical source is provided at a first side of the substrate and a radical flow is formed such that the radical flow flows from the first side of the substrate surface to the other side. By optimizing the condition of the radical flow, the film formed on the substrate has a uniform thickness.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2007
    Publication date: August 16, 2007
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: SHINTARO AOYAMA, Hiroshi Shinriki, Masanobu Igeta
  • Publication number: 20070141257
    Abstract: An HTB gas and a disilane gas are introduced into a process chamber (1), and a hafnium silicate film is formed on a silicon substrate (W) by CVD. The film is formed while controlling the substrate temperature by a heater (5) embedded in a susceptor (2) supporting the substrate. The substrate temperature during film formation is controlled not less than the temperature at which HTB is decomposed into hafnium hydroxide and isobutylene and less than the autolysis temperature of the disilane gas, preferably not less than 350° C. and not more than 450° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2005
    Publication date: June 21, 2007
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Takahashi, Shintaro Aoyama
  • Patent number: 7129185
    Abstract: A substrate processing method includes the steps of removing carbon from a surface of a silicon substrate by irradiating an ultraviolet light on the surface in an essentially ultraviolet nonreactive gas atmosphere and forming an oxide film or an oxynitride film on the surface of the silicon substrate by irradiating an ultraviolet light thereon in an essentially ultraviolet reactive gas atmosphere. Further, a computer readable storage medium stores therein a program for controlling the substrate processing method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2006
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Shintaro Aoyama, Masanobu Igeta, Hiroshi Shinriki
  • Patent number: 7125799
    Abstract: A substrate processing method includes the step of removing carbon from a silicon substrate surface and planarizing the silicon substrate surface from which carbon has been removed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2006
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Shintaro Aoyama, Masanobu Igeta, Hiroshi Shinriki, Tsuyoshi Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20060234515
    Abstract: A film forming method for forming an oxide film on a surface of a substrate to be processed in a processing vessel at a predetermined processing temperature, wherein the method includes a temperature elevating step of elevating a temperature of said substrate to a predetermined processing temperature, the step of elevating the temperature including a step of holding the substrate in an atmosphere containing oxygen before the substrate reaches a temperature of 450° C. The film forming method further comprises, after the step of elevating the temperature, a film forming step of forming a radical oxide film by irradiating the substrate surface with energy capable of exciting an oxygen gas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2006
    Publication date: October 19, 2006
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Shintaro Aoyama, Masanobu Igeta, Kazuyoshi Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20060207724
    Abstract: A dry cleaning process for removing native oxide at improved efficiency is disclosed. The dry cleaning process minimizes the amount of fluorine atoms absorbed on the surface of a processed substrate. Fluorine radicals are provided to the substrate together with hydrogen radicals. The substrate is processed by the reaction of the fluorine radicals and the hydrogen radicals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2006
    Publication date: September 21, 2006
    Inventors: Hiroshi Shinriki, Shintaro Aoyama
  • Publication number: 20060205188
    Abstract: A method to solve such a problem that plasma will not ignite in restarting operation of a processing container that has not been operated with the inside kept drawn to vacuum. Gas containing oxygen is passed in a processing container 21, and ultraviolet light is irradiated to the gas while gas inside the processing container 21 is being discharged. After that, a remote plasma source 26 is driven to ignite plasma.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2006
    Publication date: September 14, 2006
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Masanobu Igeta, Kazuyoshi Yamazaki, Shintaro Aoyama, Hiroshi Shinriki
  • Patent number: 7105101
    Abstract: A dry cleaning process for removing native oxide at improved efficiency is disclosed. The dry cleaning process minimizes the amount of fluorine atoms absorbed on the surface of a processed substrate. Fluorine radicals are provided to the substrate together with hydrogen radicals. The substrate is processed by the reaction of the fluorine radicals and the hydrogen radicals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2006
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Hiroshi Shinriki, Shintaro Aoyama
  • Publication number: 20060174833
    Abstract: It is intended to efficiently nitride an extremely thin oxide film or oxynitride film of 0.4 nm or less thickness while minimizing a film increase. In particular, oxygen radicals are generated through oxygen radical generating unit so as to oxidize a silicon substrate with the generated oxygen radicals, thereby forming an oxide film on the silicon substrate, and further nitrogen radicals are generated through nitrogen radical generating unit so as to nitride the surface of the oxide film, thereby forming an oxynitride film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2003
    Publication date: August 10, 2006
    Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Yamazaki, Shintaro Aoyama, Masanobu Igeta, Hiroshi Shinriki
  • Publication number: 20060009044
    Abstract: A substrate-processing apparatus (100, 40) comprises a radical-forming unit (26) for forming the nitrogen radicals and oxygen radicals through a high-frequency plasma, a processing vessel (21) in which a substrate (W) to be processed is held, and a gas-supplying unit (30) which is connected to the radical-forming unit. The gas-supplying unit (30) controls the mixture ratio between a first raw material gas containing the nitrogen and a second raw material gas containing oxygen, and supplies a mixture gas of a desired mixture ratio to the radical-forming unit. By supplying the nitrogen radicals and oxygen radicals mixed at the controlled mixture ratio to the surface of the substrate, an insulating film having a desired nitrogen concentration is formed on the surface of the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2003
    Publication date: January 12, 2006
    Inventors: Masanobu Igeta, Shintaro Aoyama, Hiroshi Shinriki
  • Patent number: 6949478
    Abstract: A method of forming an oxide film having high insularity capability is performed within an ultra clean environment, using charged particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2005
    Inventors: Tadahiro Ohmi, Takashi Imaoka, Hisayuki Shimada, Nobuhiro Konishi, Mizuho Morita, Takeo Yamashita, Tadashi Shibata, Hidetoshi Wakamatsu, Jinzo Watanabe, Shintaro Aoyama, Masakazu Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20050206018
    Abstract: Vacuum processing equipment capable of preventing particles from sticking to objects to be processed in vacuum vessels. The vacuum equipment comprises a series of vacuum vessels separated by doors, and the pressure in the vessels are reducible respectively. The vessels are so configured that objects to be processed are moveable among them and there is provided light projection means for projecting ultra rays on gases introduced to at least of the vessels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2005
    Publication date: September 22, 2005
    Inventors: Tadahiro Ohmi, Takashi Imaoka, Hisayuki Shimada, Nobuhiro Konishi, Mizuho Morita, Takeo Yamashita, Tadashi Shibata, Hidetoshi Wakamatsu, Jinzo Watanabe, Shintaro Aoyama, Masakazu Nakamura
  • Patent number: 6927112
    Abstract: A method of nitriding an insulation film, includes the steps of forming nitrogen radicals by high-frequency plasma, and causing nitridation in a surface of an insulation film containing therein oxygen, by supplying the nitrogen radicals to the surface of the insulation film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2005
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Masanobu Igeta, Shintaro Aoyama, Hiroshi Shinriki, Tsuyoshi Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20050170541
    Abstract: A method of nitriding an insulation film, includes the steps of forming nitrogen radicals by high-frequency plasma, and causing nitridation in a surface of an insulation film containing therein oxygen, by supplying the nitrogen radicals to the surface of the insulation film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2005
    Publication date: August 4, 2005
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Masanobu Igeta, Shintaro Aoyama, Hiroshi Shinriki, Tsuyoshi Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20050079720
    Abstract: A substrate processing method includes the steps of removing carbon from a surface of a silicon substrate by irradiating an ultraviolet light on the surface in an essentially ultraviolet nonreactive gas atmosphere and forming an oxide film or an oxynitride film on the surface of the silicon substrate by irradiating an ultraviolet light thereon in an essentially ultraviolet reactive gas atmosphere. Further, a computer readable storage medium stores therein a program for controlling the substrate processing method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2004
    Publication date: April 14, 2005
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Shintaro Aoyama, Masanobu Igeta, Hiroshi Shinriki
  • Patent number: 6866890
    Abstract: A method of forming a dielectric film on a Si substrate comprises the steps of adsorbing a gaseous molecular compound of a metal element constituting a dielectric material on a Si substrate, and causing a decomposition of the gaseous molecular compound thus adsorbed by a hydrolysis process or pyrolytic decomposition process or an oxidation process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2005
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Hideki Kiryu, Shintaro Aoyama, Tsuyoshi Takahashi, Hiroshi Shinriki
  • Publication number: 20040251235
    Abstract: A dry cleaning process for removing native oxide at improved efficiency is disclosed. The dry cleaning process minimizes the amount of fluorine atoms absorbed on the surface of a processed substrate. Fluorine radicals are provided to the substrate together with hydrogen radicals. The substrate is processed by the reaction of the fluorine radicals and the hydrogen radicals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2003
    Publication date: December 16, 2004
    Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Hiroshi Shinriki, Shintaro Aoyama
  • Publication number: 20040241991
    Abstract: A substrate processing method includes the step of removing carbon from a silicon substrate surface and planarizing the silicon substrate surface from which carbon has been removed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2004
    Publication date: December 2, 2004
    Inventors: Shintaro Aoyama, Masanobu Igeta, Hiroshi Shinriki, Tsuyoshi Takahashi
  • Patent number: 6794308
    Abstract: A method of reducing by-product deposition inside wafer processing equipment includes providing a chamber having a peripheral inner wall and placing a semiconductor wafer within the chamber. The method also includes placing a ring within the chamber proximate the peripheral inner wall and introducing a plurality of reactant gases into the chamber and reacting the gases. The method also includes introducing a heated gas into the chamber through the ring proximate the peripheral inner wall to increase the temperature of the peripheral inner wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2004
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Ming Jang Hwang, Keizo Hosoda, Shintaro Aoyama, Tadashi Terasaki, Tsuyoshi Tamaru