Patents by Inventor Stephen Strausser

Stephen Strausser 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: 20130015075
    Abstract: A plating apparatus has an ashing unit (300) configured to perform an ashing process on a resist (502) applied on a surface of a seed layer (500) formed on a substrate (W), and a pre-wetting section (26) configured to provide hydrophilicity to a surface of the substrate after the ashing process. The plating apparatus includes a pre-soaking section (28) configured to bring the surface of the substrate into contact with a treatment solution to clean or activate a surface of the seed layer formed on the substrate. The plating apparatus also includes a plating unit (34) configured to bring the surface of the substrate into a plating solution in a plating tank while the resist is used as a mask so as to form a plated film (504) on the surface of the seed layer formed on the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Publication date: January 17, 2013
    Inventors: Masahiko SEKIMOTO, Yasuhiko Endo, Stephen Strausser, Takashi Takemura, Nobutoshi Saito, Fumio Kuriyama, Junichiro Yoshioka, Kuniaki Horie, Yoshio Minami, Kenji Kamoda
  • Patent number: 8048282
    Abstract: A plating apparatus and method bubbles generated at the plating surfaces easily removed and the uniformity of the thickness of the plated film within the plated surface can be improved. The plating apparatus has a cassette table for loading a cassette in which a substrate having a plating surface is contained. An aligner for aligning the substrate, a rinser-dryer for rinsing and drying the substrate, and a plating unit for plating the substrate are also provided. The plating unit includes a plating vessel containing a plating solution, and a holder holds the substrate to immerse the substrate in the plating solution in the plating vessel. The plating surface is exposed to a nozzle which ejects the plating solution toward the plating surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: Ebara Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiko Sekimoto, Fumio Kuriyama, Yasuhiko Endo, Stephen Strausser
  • Publication number: 20090301395
    Abstract: A plating apparatus has an ashing unit (300) configured to perform an ashing process on a resist (502) applied on a surface of a seed layer (500) formed on a substrate (W), and a pre-wetting section (26) configured to provide hydrophilicity to a surface of the substrate after the ashing process. The plating apparatus includes a pre-soaking section (28) configured to bring the surface of the substrate into contact with a treatment solution to clean or activate a surface of the seed layer formed on the substrate. The plating apparatus also includes a plating unit (34) configured to bring the surface of the substrate into a plating solution in a plating tank while the resist is used as a mask so as to form a plated film (504) on the surface of the seed layer formed on the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2009
    Publication date: December 10, 2009
    Inventors: Masahiko SEKIMOTO, Yasuhiko Endo, Stephen Strausser, Takashi Takemura, Nobutoshi Saito, Fumio Kuriyama, Junichiro Yoshioka, Kuniaki Horie, Yoshio Minami, Kenji Kamoda
  • Publication number: 20090045068
    Abstract: A plating apparatus and method bubbles generated at the plating surfaces easily removed and the uniformity of the thickness of the plated film within the plated surface can be improved. The plating apparatus has a cassette table for loading a cassette in which a substrate having a plating surface is contained. An aligner for aligning the substrate, a rinser-dryer for rinsing and drying the substrate, and a plating unit for plating the substrate are also provided. The plating unit includes a plating vessel containing a plating solution, and a holder holds the substrate to immerse the substrate in the plating solution in the plating vessel. The plating surface is exposed to a nozzle which ejects the plating solution toward the plating surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2008
    Publication date: February 19, 2009
    Inventors: Masahiko Sekimoto, Fumio Kuriyama, Yasuhiko Endo, Stephen Strausser
  • Publication number: 20060141157
    Abstract: A plating apparatus has an ashing unit (300) configured to perform an ashing process on a resist (502) applied on a surface of a seed layer (500) formed on a substrate (W), and a pre-wetting section (26) configured to provide hydrophilicity to a surface of the substrate after the ashing process. The plating apparatus includes a pre-soaking section (28) configured to bring the surface of the substrate into contact with a treatment solution to clean or activate a surface of the seed layer formed on the substrate. The plating apparatus also includes a plating unit (34) configured to bring the surface of the substrate into a plating solution in a plating tank while the resist is used as a mask so as to form a plated film (504) on the surface of the seed layer formed on the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2004
    Publication date: June 29, 2006
    Inventors: Masahiko Sekimoto, Yasuhiko Endo, Stephen Strausser, Takashi Takemura, Nobutoshi Saito, Fumio Kuriyama, Junichiro Yoshioka, Kuniaki Horie, Yoshio Minami
  • Publication number: 20040245112
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a plating apparatus and method in which bubbles generated at the plating surfaces are easily removed and the uniformity of the thickness of the plated film within the plated surface can be improved. The plating apparatus comprises a cassette table for loading a cassette in which a substrate having a plating surface is contained. An aligner for aligning the substrate, a rinser-dryer for rinsing and drying the substrate, and a plating unit for plating the substrate are also provided. The plating unit comprises a plating vessel containing a plating solution, a holder for holding the substrate to immerse the substrate in the plating solution in the plating vessel. The plating surface is exposed to a nozzle which ejects the plating solution toward the plating surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2004
    Publication date: December 9, 2004
    Inventors: Masahiko Sekimoto, Fumio Kuriyama, Yasuhiko Endo, Stephen Strausser