Patents by Inventor Tetsu TSUNAMOTO

Tetsu TSUNAMOTO 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: 11658012
    Abstract: A control method includes: (a) connecting a power supply to an electrode of an electrostatic chuck inside a chamber and applying a voltage from the power supply to the electrode; (b) after (a), switching a connection between the electrode and the power supply to a non-connection state; (c) after (b), supplying a gas into the chamber to generate plasma; and (d) measuring a potential of the electrode during (c).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Arakane, Tetsu Tsunamoto, Masanori Sato, Yoshinori Osaki
  • Patent number: 11462431
    Abstract: A discharging method of removing electric charge from a substrate is provided. In the discharging method, gas is supplied into a processing chamber while the substrate is placed on an electrostatic chuck provided in the processing chamber, and direct-current (DC) voltage is applied to an attracting electrode of the electrostatic chuck, until discharge occurs in the processing chamber. After the discharge occurs, the DC voltage is adjusted to a magnitude in which an amount of charge on the substrate becomes zero or becomes in a neighborhood of zero, and the substrate is removed from the electrostatic chuck.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Arakane, Tetsu Tsunamoto, Yoshinori Osaki, Masanori Sato
  • Patent number: 11456199
    Abstract: In a measurement method, a terminal is brought into contact with an electrode in an electrostatic chuck in contact with a substrate that is grounded. Further, the terminal, the electrostatic chuck and the substrate are fixed, and a current value and a voltage value are measured using an ammeter and a voltmeter, respectively, that are connected to the terminal. In addition, whether or not the terminal and the electrode are electrically connected is determined from a slope of the current value and/or a peak current value based on the measured current value and the voltage value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Ryusei Kashimura, Masanori Sato, Tetsu Tsunamoto
  • Publication number: 20210183625
    Abstract: A control method includes: (a) connecting a power supply to an electrode of an electrostatic chuck inside a chamber and applying a voltage from the power supply to the electrode; (b) after (a), switching a connection between the electrode and the power supply to a non-connection state; (c) after (b), supplying a gas into the chamber to generate plasma; and (d) measuring a potential of the electrode during (c).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2020
    Publication date: June 17, 2021
    Inventors: Toshiyuki ARAKANE, Tetsu TSUNAMOTO, Masanori SATO, Yoshinori OSAKI
  • Publication number: 20200343124
    Abstract: A discharging method of removing electric charge from a substrate is provided. In the discharging method, gas is supplied into a processing chamber while the substrate is placed on an electrostatic chuck provided in the processing chamber, and direct-current (DC) voltage is applied to an attracting electrode of the electrostatic chuck, until discharge occurs in the processing chamber. After the discharge occurs, the DC voltage is adjusted to a magnitude in which an amount of charge on the substrate becomes zero or becomes in a neighborhood of zero, and the substrate is removed from the electrostatic chuck.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2020
    Publication date: October 29, 2020
    Inventors: Toshiyuki ARAKANE, Tetsu TSUNAMOTO, Yoshinori OSAKI, Masanori SATO
  • Patent number: 10720313
    Abstract: A measuring device includes a switch that switches a connection of an electrode to which a direct current voltage is applied, wherein the electrode is within an electrostatic chuck disposed in a plasma processing device; a component provided with electrostatic capacitance, wherein the component is connected to the switch; and a measuring unit that measures a value corresponding to an electric charge amount accumulated in the component provided with the electrostatic capacitance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Masanori Sato, Ryusei Kashimura, Tetsu Tsunamoto, Yoshinori Osaki, Toshiyuki Arakane
  • Publication number: 20200211886
    Abstract: In a measurement method, a terminal is brought into contact with an electrode in an electrostatic chuck in contact with a substrate that is grounded. Further, the terminal, the electrostatic chuck and the substrate are fixed, and a current value and a voltage value are measured using an ammeter and a voltmeter, respectively, that are connected to the terminal. In addition, whether or not the terminal and the electrode are electrically connected is determined from a slope of the current value and/or a peak current value based on the measured current value and the voltage value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2019
    Publication date: July 2, 2020
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Ryusei KASHIMURA, Masanori SATO, Tetsu TSUNAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20190066982
    Abstract: A measuring device includes a switch that switches a connection of an electrode to which a direct current voltage is applied, wherein the electrode is within an electrostatic chuck disposed in a plasma processing device; a component provided with electrostatic capacitance, wherein the component is connected to the switch; and a measuring unit that measures a value corresponding to an electric charge amount accumulated in the component provided with the electrostatic capacitance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2018
    Publication date: February 28, 2019
    Inventors: Masanori SATO, Ryusei KASHIMURA, Tetsu TSUNAMOTO, Yoshinori OSAKI, Toshiyuki ARAKANE
  • Publication number: 20130056154
    Abstract: An abnormality detecting unit includes a monitoring unit for monitoring an operation from a wafer deviation starting point to a transfer gate valve opening point after performing a plasma process on the wafer and specifying the operation as a wafer deviation operation; an acquisition unit for acquiring a high frequency signal of at least one of a progressive wave and a reflection wave outputted from a directional coupler between a high frequency power supply for applying a high frequency power into a processing chamber and a matching unit or between a lower electrode as a mounting table for mounting thereon the wafer and the matching unit during the wafer deviation operation; an analysis unit for analyzing a waveform pattern of the high frequency signal; and an abnormality determination unit for determining whether there is an abnormal electric discharge based on an analysis result of the waveform pattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2012
    Publication date: March 7, 2013
    Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Michiko NAKAYA, Haruki OMINE, Tetsu TSUNAMOTO, Hiroshi NAGAIKE