Patents by Inventor Shuji Iwanaga

Shuji Iwanaga 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: 11636585
    Abstract: An apparatus for classifying a defect generated in a substrate, includes: a first storage part for storing a first image data for defect classification determination, which includes a defect region in which the defect is generated and a surrounding region of the defect region; a first estimation part for estimating a first type of defect by using a deep learning system, based on the first image data; a second storage part for storing a second image data for defect classification estimation, which is obtained by expressing the defect region and the surrounding region by a binarized data; a second estimation part for estimating a second type of defect by using a rule-based system, based on an attribute of the defect region extracted from the second image data; and a comprehensive determination part for comprehensively determining a type of defect based on the first and second types of defects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventor: Shuji Iwanaga
  • Publication number: 20220237770
    Abstract: A substrate inspection apparatus for inspecting a substrate, includes: an acquisition part configured to acquire an estimated image of an inspection target substrate after a process by a substrate processing apparatus, based on an image estimation model created by a machine learning by using a captured image before the process by the substrate processing apparatus and a captured image after the process by the substrate processing apparatus for each of a plurality of substrates, and a captured image of the inspection target substrate before the process by the substrate processing apparatus; and a determination part configured to determine the presence or absence of a defect in the inspection target substrate, based on a captured image of the inspection target substrate and the estimated image of the inspection target substrate after the process by the substrate processing apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Publication date: July 28, 2022
    Inventors: Shuji IWANAGA, Tadashi NISHIYAMA
  • Publication number: 20220101517
    Abstract: An apparatus for classifying a defect generated in a substrate, includes: a first storage part for storing a first image data for defect classification determination, which includes a defect region in which the defect is generated and a surrounding region of the defect region; a first estimation part for estimating a first type of defect by using a deep learning system, based on the first image data; a second storage part for storing a second image data for defect classification estimation, which is obtained by expressing the defect region and the surrounding region by a binarized data; a second estimation part for estimating a second type of defect by using a rule-based system, based on an attribute of the defect region extracted from the second image data; and a comprehensive determination part for comprehensively determining a type of defect based on the first and second types of defects.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2021
    Publication date: March 31, 2022
    Inventor: Shuji IWANAGA
  • Patent number: 11227381
    Abstract: An apparatus for classifying a defect generated in a substrate, includes: a first storage part for storing a first image data for defect classification determination, which includes a defect region in which the defect is generated and a surrounding region of the defect region; a first estimation part for estimating a first type of defect by using a deep learning system, based on the first image data; a second storage part for storing a second image data for defect classification estimation, which is obtained by expressing the defect region and the surrounding region by a binarized data; a second estimation part for estimating a second type of defect by using a rule-based system, based on an attribute of the defect region extracted from the second image data; and a comprehensive determination part for comprehensively determining a type of defect based on the first and second types of defects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventor: Shuji Iwanaga
  • Publication number: 20200402225
    Abstract: An apparatus for classifying a defect generated in a substrate, includes: a first storage part for storing a first image data for defect classification determination, which includes a defect region in which the defect is generated and a surrounding region of the defect region; a first estimation part for estimating a first type of defect by using a deep learning system, based on the first image data; a second storage part for storing a second image data for defect classification estimation; which is obtained by expressing the defect region and the surrounding region by a binarized data; a second estimation part for estimating a second type of defect by using a rule-based system, based on an attribute of the defect region extracted from the second image data; and a comprehensive determination part for comprehensively determining a type of defect based on the first and second types of defects.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2020
    Publication date: December 24, 2020
    Inventor: Shuji IWANAGA
  • Patent number: 10818004
    Abstract: An apparatus for classifying a defect generated in a substrate, includes: a first storage part for storing a first image data for defect classification determination, which includes a defect region in which the defect is generated and a surrounding region of the defect region; a first estimation part for estimating a first type of defect by using a deep learning system, based on the first image data; a second storage part for storing a second image data for defect classification estimation, which is obtained by expressing the defect region and the surrounding region by a binarized data; a second estimation part for estimating a second type of defect by using a rule-based system, based on an attribute of the defect region extracted from the second image data; and a comprehensive determination part for comprehensively determining a type of defect based on the first and second types of defects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventor: Shuji Iwanaga
  • Publication number: 20190220972
    Abstract: An apparatus for classifying a defect generated in a substrate, includes: a first storage part for storing a first image data for defect classification determination, which includes a defect region in which the defect is generated and a surrounding region of the defect region; a first estimation part for estimating a first type of defect by using a deep learning system, based on the first image data; a second storage part for storing a second image data for defect classification estimation, which is obtained by expressing the defect region and the surrounding region by a binarized data; a second estimation part for estimating a second type of defect by using a rule-based system, based on an attribute of the defect region extracted from the second image data; and a comprehensive determination part for comprehensively determining a type of defect based on the first and second types of defects.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2019
    Publication date: July 18, 2019
    Inventor: Shuji IWANAGA
  • Patent number: 9355442
    Abstract: Film thickness measured values obtained by measurement in advance at a plurality of points on a measurement preparation substrate and coordinates corresponding to the film thickness measured values are acquired. A pixel value at each coordinates is extracted from a preparation imaged image obtained by imaging the measurement preparation substrate in advance by an imaging device. Correlation data between the pixel value extracted at each coordinates and the film thickness measured value at each coordinates is generated. A substrate being a film thickness measurement object is imaged by the imaging device to acquire an imaged image, and a film thickness of a film formed on the substrate being the film thickness measurement object is calculated on the basis of a pixel value of the imaged image and the correlation data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Shuji Iwanaga, Tadashi Nishiyama, Kanzou Katou
  • Patent number: 9342880
    Abstract: A potential trouble can be in advance suppressed by analyzing a defect of a wafer. A defect analyzing apparatus of analyzing a defect of a substrate includes an imaging unit configured to image target substrates; a defect feature value extracting unit configured to extract a defect feature value in a surface of the substrate based on the substrate image; a defect feature value accumulating unit configured to calculate an accumulated defect feature value with respect to the substrates to create an accumulation data AH; a defect determination unit configured to determine whether the accumulated defect feature value exceeds a preset critical value; and an output display unit configured to output a determination result from the defect determination unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Shuji Iwanaga, Tadashi Nishiyama, Hiroshi Tomita, Izumi Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 9229337
    Abstract: A method of setting an exposure apparatus to expose exposure sectors defined on a resist film formed on a surface of a substrate with proper values of an exposure amount and a focus value for forming a pattern having a predetermined dimension includes exposing and developing an exposure sector defined on a reference substrate by a first exposure apparatus having a first state, and imaging the same. The method exposes and develops exposure sectors defined on an inspection substrate by a second exposure apparatus having a second state where at least one of the exposure amount and the focus value is unknown, and forms and images a pattern on the inspection substrate. The method determines the proper values for the exposure amount and the focus value for the second state based on luminance of the exposure sector of reference data and luminances of the exposure sectors of inspection data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Shinobu Miyazaki, Hiroshi Tomita, Shuji Iwanaga
  • Publication number: 20150324970
    Abstract: Film thickness measured values obtained by measurement in advance at a plurality of points on a measurement preparation substrate and coordinates corresponding to the film thickness measured values are acquired. A pixel value at each coordinates is extracted from a preparation imaged image obtained by imaging the measurement preparation substrate in advance by an imaging device. Correlation data between the pixel value extracted at each coordinates and the film thickness measured value at each coordinates is generated. A substrate being a film thickness measurement object is imaged by the imaging device to acquire an imaged image, and a film thickness of a film formed on the substrate being the film thickness measurement object is calculated on the basis of a pixel value of the imaged image and the correlation data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2015
    Publication date: November 12, 2015
    Inventors: Shuji IWANAGA, Tadashi NISHIYAMA, Kanzou KATOU
  • Patent number: 9146479
    Abstract: In the present invention, a planar distribution of pixel values in a picked-up substrate image is decomposed into a plurality of pixel value distribution components through use of a Zernike polynomial for each of substrate images; Zernike coefficients of the pixel value distribution components decomposed through use of the Zernike polynomial are calculated; a median value and values deviated from the median value by a predetermined value or more are extracted for every Zernike coefficients having a same couple of degrees from the calculated Zernike coefficients; substrate images having the extracted values are specified; and a substrate image being a defect inspection reference is created by combining the specified substrate images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Izumi Hasegawa, Hiroshi Tomita, Shuji Iwanaga, Tadashi Nishiyama
  • Patent number: 9097681
    Abstract: According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an apparatus of inspecting an overlapped substrate obtained by bonding substrates together is provided. The apparatus includes a first holding unit configured to hold and rotate the overlapped substrate, and a displacement gauge configured to measure displacements of peripheral sides of a first substrate and a second substrate constituting the overlapped substrate while rotating the overlapped substrate held by the first holding unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Shinji Koga, Akinori Miyahara, Hiroshi Tomita, Shuji Iwanaga, Takeshi Tamura
  • Patent number: 9039863
    Abstract: Disclosed is a liquid processing apparatus capable of accurately determining a holding state of a substrate without being influenced by, for example, material or surface condition of a substrate. The liquid processing apparatus includes a substrate holding unit that holds a substrate, a camera that photographs a region where a peripheral edge portion of substrate is present when substrate is properly held by the substrate holding unit, and a control unit that determines a holding state of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit based on an image photographed by the camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Shuhei Matsumoto, Shuji Iwanaga, Hiroshi Tomita, Kenji Nakamizo, Satoshi Morita
  • Publication number: 20150125068
    Abstract: A potential trouble can be in advance suppressed by analyzing a defect of a wafer. A defect analyzing apparatus of analyzing a defect of a substrate includes an imaging unit configured to image target substrates; a defect feature value extracting unit configured to extract a defect feature value in a surface of the substrate based on the substrate image; a defect feature value accumulating unit configured to calculate an accumulated defect feature value with respect to the substrates to create an accumulation data AH; a defect determination unit configured to determine whether the accumulated defect feature value exceeds a preset critical value; and an output display unit configured to output a determination result from the defect determination unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2014
    Publication date: May 7, 2015
    Inventors: Shuji Iwanaga, Tadashi Nishiyama, Hiroshi Tomita, Izumi Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 8989477
    Abstract: Provide is a process monitoring device in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus that can readily and reliably monitor the process in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. The process monitoring device includes a storage unit that stores a normal state moving image data indicating a normal state of the process; an image capturing unit that captures an image of a state of the process to be monitored to acquire a moving image data; an abnormality level calculation unit configured to extract a feature amount for each frame of the moving image data and the normal state moving image data, and calculate an abnormality level based on the extracted feature amount; and a display unit that displays the abnormality level calculated by the abnormality level calculation unit in association with a frame position of the moving image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Yasutoshi Umehara, Motoi Okada, Shuji Iwanaga
  • Patent number: 8873849
    Abstract: An image processing method of picking up an image of a substrate and converting pixel values of the picked-up substrate image makes the pixel values of the picked-up substrate image into a histogram, and creates a tone curve T composed of a periodic function of a predetermined amplitude and a predetermined period based on a distribution of the pixel values in the histogram. The pixel values of the picked-up substrate image are converted using the tone curve T to obtain a substrate image with a high contrast.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Shuji Iwanaga, Shinobu Miyazaki
  • Patent number: 8874254
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to perform temperature setting of a heating plate so that a wafer is uniformly heated in an actual heat processing time. The temperature of a wafer is measured during a heat processing period from immediately after a temperature measuring wafer is mounted on the heating plate to the time when the actual heat processing time elapses. Whether the uniformity in temperature within the wafer is allowable or not is determined from the temperature of the wafer in the heat processing period, and if the determination result is negative, a correction value for a temperature setting parameter of the heating plate is calculated using a correction value calculation model from the measurement result, and the temperature setting parameter is changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Shuji Iwanaga, Nobuyuki Sata
  • Publication number: 20140160451
    Abstract: In the present invention, a planar distribution of pixel values in a picked-up substrate image is decomposed into a plurality of pixel value distribution components through use of a Zernike polynomial for each of substrate images; Zernike coefficients of the pixel value distribution components decomposed through use of the Zernike polynomial are calculated; a median value and values deviated from the median value by a predetermined value or more are extracted for every Zernike coefficients having a same couple of degrees from the calculated Zernike coefficients; substrate images having the extracted values are specified; and a substrate image being a defect inspection reference is created by combining the specified substrate images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2013
    Publication date: June 12, 2014
    Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Izumi HASEGAWA, Hiroshi TOMITA, Shuji IWANAGA, Tadashi NISHIYAMA
  • Publication number: 20140152807
    Abstract: A method of inspecting a substrate for a defect on a basis of a substrate image imaged by an imaging apparatus, includes: imaging a substrate being an imaging object under a predetermined imaging condition; extracting a mode of pixel values of the imaged substrate image; calculating a correction value for the imaging condition on a basis of the extracted pixel value and preset imaging condition correction data; then changing the imaging condition on a basis of the correction value, and imaging again the substrate being the imaging object under the changed imaging condition; and inspecting the substrate for a defect on a basis of a substrate image imaged under the changed imaging condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2013
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Shuji IWANAGA, Tadashi NISHIYAMA