Patents by Inventor Takeshi Ashihara

Takeshi Ashihara 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).

  • Polishing apparatus and polishing method
    Patent number: 8078306
    Abstract: An apparatus polishes an object material such as a film on a substrate. This apparatus includes a polishing table for holding a polishing pad having a polishing surface, a motor configured to drive the polishing table, a holding mechanism configured to hold a substrate having an object material to be polished and to press the substrate against the polishing surface, a dresser configured to dress the polishing surface, and a monitoring unit configured to monitor a removal amount of the object material. The monitoring unit is operable to calculate the removal amount of the object material using a model equation containing a variable representing an integrated value of a torque current of the motor when polishing the object material and a variable representing a cumulative operating time of the dresser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignees: Ebara Corporation, Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hidetaka Nakao, Eisaku Hayashi, Kunio Oishi, Isao Hayakawa, Yoshiaki Miyake, Yoshikuni Tateyama, Takeshi Ashihara
  • Polishing apparatus and polishing method
    Publication number: 20090111358
    Abstract: The present invention provides a apparatus for polishing an object material such as a film on a substrate. This apparatus includes a polishing table for holding a polishing pad having a polishing surface, a motor configured to drive the polishing table, a holding mechanism configured to hold a substrate having an object material to be polished and to press the substrate against the polishing surface, a dresser configured to dress the polishing surface, and a monitoring unit configured to monitor a removal amount of the object material. The monitoring unit is operable to calculate the removal amount of the object material using a model equation containing a variable representing an integrated value of a torque current of the motor when polishing the object material and a variable representing a cumulative operating time of the dresser.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2008
    Publication date: April 30, 2009
    Inventors: Hidetaka Nakao, Eisaku Hayashi, Kunio Oishi, Isao Hayakawa, Yoshiaki Miyake, Yoshikuni Tateyama, Takeshi Ashihara