Patents by Inventor Tadao Okimoto

Tadao Okimoto 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: 9617634
    Abstract: In a sputter device (1), power of a DC power source (20) is sequentially distributed and supplied in a time division pulse state to a plurality of sputter evaporation sources (4). A power source (10) provided to each of the sputter evaporation sources (4) supplies continuous power to each of the sputter evaporation sources (4). The sputter device (1) having the configuration requires no DC pulse power source to be provided to each of the sputter evaporation sources (4), which reduces the device cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd
    Inventors: Tadao Okimoto, Hiroshi Tamagaki
  • Patent number: 9562290
    Abstract: A plasma CVD apparatus capable of preventing unnecessary deposition on a supplying portion of a source gas so as to suppress generation of flakes, and thereby depositing a CVD coating excellent in quality is provided. This plasma CVD apparatus includes a vacuum chamber, a vacuum pump system for vacuuming an interior of the vacuum chamber, a deposition roller around which a substrate is wound, the deposition roller being provided in the vacuum chamber, a gas supplying portion for supplying the source gas to the interior of the vacuum chamber, and a plasma power supply for forming a plasma generating region in the vicinity of a surface of the deposition roller and thereby depositing a coating on the substrate. The gas supplying portion is provided in a plasma non-generating region positioned on the opposite side of the plasma generating region with respect to the deposition roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Tamagaki, Tadao Okimoto
  • Patent number: 9133547
    Abstract: The disclosed plasma CVD apparatus (1) is provided with a vacuum chamber (3); a pair of deposition rollers (2, 2) disposed within the vacuum chamber (3) that are connected to both poles of an AC power supply and around which a substrate (W) is wound; a gas-supplying device (5) that supplies process gas containing a source gas to a deposition zone (D) which is a portion of or all of the region that is on one side of a line linking the centers of rotation of the pair of deposition rollers (2, 2); and a magnetic-field-generating device (7) that, by means of the AC power supply being applied to each of the deposition rollers (2, 2), forms a magnetic field that causes the source gas in a predetermined region to become plasma. The magnetic-field-generating device (7) causes the source gas in the region adjacent to the surface of the portion of the pair of deposition rollers (2, 2) located within the deposition zone (D) to become plasma, forming a plasma region (P).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Tamagaki, Tadao Okimoto, Toshiki Segawa
  • Publication number: 20130269610
    Abstract: A plasma CVD apparatus according to the present invention is provided with: a vacuum chamber 4; a pair of deposition rollers 2, 2, each of which is disposed in the vacuum chamber 4, and has a substrate W wound thereon, the substrate on which a coating is deposited; and magnetic field generating sections 8, 15, each of which forms a deposition area where the coating is deposited on the substrate W wound on each deposition roller 2 by generating a magnetic field that generates plasma on the surface of each deposition roller 2. The pair of deposition rollers 2, 2 are composed of a first deposition roller 2, and a second deposition roller 2, which is disposed at an interval from the first deposition roller 2 such that the shaft core of the second deposition roller is parallel to that of the first deposition roller 2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2011
    Publication date: October 17, 2013
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Hiroshi Tamagaki, Tadao Okimoto
  • Publication number: 20130133577
    Abstract: A plasma CVD apparatus capable of preventing unnecessary deposition on a supplying portion of a source gas so as to suppress generation of flakes, and thereby depositing a CVD coating excellent in quality is provided. This plasma CVD apparatus includes a vacuum chamber, a vacuum pump system for vacuuming an interior of the vacuum chamber, a deposition roller around which a substrate is wound, the deposition roller being provided in the vacuum chamber, a gas supplying portion for supplying the source gas to the interior of the vacuum chamber, and a plasma power supply for forming a plasma generating region in the vicinity of a surface of the deposition roller and thereby depositing a coating on the substrate. The gas supplying portion is provided in a plasma non-generating region positioned on the opposite side of the plasma generating region with respect to the deposition roller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2011
    Publication date: May 30, 2013
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Hiroshi Tamagaki, Tadao Okimoto
  • Patent number: 8261693
    Abstract: An arc ion plating apparatus comprises a vacuum chamber, a rotary table for moving a substrate within the vacuum chamber vertically relative to its height direction, an arc evaporation source for bombardment for cleaning the surface of the substrate with metal ions, and an arc evaporation source for deposition group for depositing metal ions on the surface of the substrate. The arc evaporation source for deposition group is composed of a plurality of evaporation sources arranged so as to be opposite to the substrate set on the rotary table, and the arc evaporation source for bombardment is arranged so as to be opposite to the substrate, and formed so that its length in the height direction of the vacuum chamber is equal to the length between the upper and lower ends of the arc evaporation source for deposition group. According to such a structure, over temperature rise or abnormal discharge is hardly caused in the substrate at the time of bombardment, and process controllability is consequently enhanced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Tamagaki, Hirofumi Fujii, Tadao Okimoto, Ryoji Miyamoto
  • Publication number: 20120180720
    Abstract: A CVD apparatus (1) is provided with: a plurality of deposition chamber units (6) which each comprise a deposition roller (2, 2) connected to a plasma power source and a unit chamber for deposition (60) housing the deposition roller (2, 2), and are disposed such that the deposition rollers (2, 2) form a line in a horizontal direction; and a connection chamber unit (7) which comprises a unit chamber for connection (70) coupled to the unit chamber for deposition (60) of the deposition chamber unit (6) and interposed between the adjacent deposition chamber units (6) to connect the deposition chamber units (6). A substrate (W) is transferred while being rolled around the respective deposition rollers (2, 2) of the respective deposition chamber units (6), and the deposition chamber units (6) decompose source gas by plasma generated near the deposition rollers (2, 2) by application of voltage to the deposition rollers (2, 2) to perform deposition processing on the substrate on the deposition rollers (2, 2).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2010
    Publication date: July 19, 2012
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel Ltd.)
    Inventors: Toshiki Segawa, Tadao Okimoto, Hiroshi Tamagaki
  • Publication number: 20120174864
    Abstract: The disclosed plasma CVD apparatus (1) is provided with a vacuum chamber (3); a pair of deposition rollers (2, 2) disposed within the vacuum chamber (3) that are connected to both poles of an AC power supply and around which a substrate (W) is wound; a gas-supplying device (5) that supplies process gas containing a source gas to a deposition zone (D) which is a portion of or all of the region that is on one side of a line linking the centers of rotation of the pair of deposition rollers (2, 2); and a magnetic-field-generating device (7) that, by means of the AC power supply being applied to each of the deposition rollers (2, 2), forms a magnetic field that causes the source gas in a predetermined region to become plasma. The magnetic-field-generating device (7) causes the source gas in the region adjacent to the surface of the portion of the pair of deposition rollers (2, 2) located within the deposition zone (D) to become plasma, forming a plasma region (P).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2010
    Publication date: July 12, 2012
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Hiroshi Tamagaki, Tadao Okimoto, Toshiki Segawa
  • Publication number: 20110147206
    Abstract: In a sputter device (1), power of a DC power source (20) is sequentially distributed and supplied in a time division pulse state to a plurality of sputter evaporation sources (4). A power source (10) provided to each of the sputter evaporation sources (4) supplies continuous power to each of the sputter evaporation sources (4). The sputter device (1) having the configuration requires no DC pulse power source to be provided to each of the sputter evaporation sources (4), which reduces the device cost.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2009
    Publication date: June 23, 2011
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Tadao Okimoto, Hiroshi Tamagaki
  • Publication number: 20110067631
    Abstract: An arc ion plating apparatus comprises a vacuum chamber, a rotary table for moving a substrate within the vacuum chamber vertically relative to its height direction, an arc evaporation source for bombardment for cleaning the surface of the substrate with metal ions, and an arc evaporation source for deposition group for depositing metal ions on the surface of the substrate. The arc evaporation source for deposition group is composed of a plurality of evaporation sources arranged so as to be opposite to the substrate set on the rotary table, and the arc evaporation source for bombardment is arranged so as to be opposite to the substrate, and formed so that its length in the height direction of the vacuum chamber is equal to the length between the upper and lower ends of the arc evaporation source for deposition group. According to such a structure, over temperature rise or abnormal discharge is hardly caused in the substrate at the time of bombardment, and process controllability is consequently enhanced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2010
    Publication date: March 24, 2011
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Hiroshi Tamagaki, Hirofumi Fujii, Tadao Okimoto, Ryoji Miyamoto
  • Publication number: 20100320077
    Abstract: A method of forming cubic boron nitride-containing films, wherein, to form a cubic boron nitride-containing film by means of the magnetron sputtering method using a boron carbide-containing target, said film is formed under the following conditions; (a) the power input is pulsed; (b) the input power pulse width is not more than 100 ?s; and (c) the maximum input power density in the erosion area of said target is at least 0.33 kW/cm2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2009
    Publication date: December 23, 2010
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Tadao Okimoto, Kenji Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20070240982
    Abstract: An arc ion plating apparatus comprises a vacuum chamber, a rotary table for moving a substrate within the vacuum chamber vertically relative to its height direction, an arc evaporation source for bombardment for cleaning the surface of the substrate with metal ions, and an arc evaporation source for deposition group for depositing metal ions on the surface of the substrate. The arc evaporation source for deposition group is composed of a plurality of evaporation sources arranged so as to be opposite to the substrate set on the rotary table, and the arc evaporation source for bombardment is arranged so as to be opposite to the substrate, and formed so that its length in the height direction of the vacuum chamber is equal to the length between the upper and lower ends of the arc evaporation source for deposition group. According to such a structure, over temperature rise or abnormal discharge is hardly caused in the substrate at the time of bombardment, and process controllability is consequently enhanced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2006
    Publication date: October 18, 2007
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Hiroshi Tamagaki, Hirofumi Fujii, Tadao Okimoto, Ryoji Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 7156046
    Abstract: A plasma CVD apparatus in which microwave power is supplied into a reaction chamber provided inside an annular waveguide through an antenna provided on the inner peripheral part of the waveguide to produce a plasma inside the reaction chamber and to form a film by a vapor growth synthesizing method. A cooler is disposed between the annular waveguide and the reaction chamber to maintain the low temperature of the annular waveguide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2007
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Hiroshi Tamagaki, Tadao Okimoto, Hideki Yutaka
  • Publication number: 20040045508
    Abstract: A plasma CVD apparatus in which microwave power is supplied into a reaction chamber (2) provided inside an annular waveguide (5) through an antenna (20) provided the inner peripheral part of the waveguide (5) so as to produce a plasma inside the reaction chamber (2) and to form a film by a vapor growth synthesizing method. A cooler (27) is disposed between the annular waveguide (5) and the reaction chamber (2) so as to maintain the low temperature of the annular waveguide (5).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2003
    Publication date: March 11, 2004
    Inventors: Hiroshi Tamagaki, Tadao Okimoto, Hideki Yutaka