Abstract: An ink refill container includes a container main body including an ink storage chamber, an ink outlet-forming portion provided on an end portion of the container main body forming an ink outlet that allows the ink to flow out from the ink storage chamber, and a valve provided in the ink outlet-forming portion configured to openably seal the ink outlet, in which the ink outlet-forming portion includes a positioning portion on an outer side of the ink outlet-forming portion. in which the positioning portion is closer to the container main body than the valve is to the container main body in a central axis direction of the ink outlet, and in which the positioning portion partially abuts against an ink tank when the valve is opened for refilling the ink to the ink tank, to thereby position the valve relative to the ink tank.

Abstract: An ion implanter including a beam generation device that generates an ion beam, based on an implantation recipe, a plurality of measurement devices that measure beam currents of the ion beam, and a control device. The control device acquires a data set including the beam currents and an implantation parameter in the implantation recipe, and evaluates measurement validity of the beam currents of the ion beam by using the model. The implantation parameter may be one of ion species, beam energy, a beam current, a beam size, a wafer tilt angle, a wafer twist angle and an average dose. The model may be built based on a plurality of past data sets acquired during a plurality of implantation process based on the implantation recipe.

Abstract: The ion implantation method includes (a) moving a wafer adjusted to have a first implantation angle with respect to an ion beam from a beam irradiation range toward a beam non-irradiation range; (b) starting a change of the wafer from the first implantation angle to a second implantation angle while the wafer is moved within the beam non-irradiation range after the wafer having the first implantation angle is moved from the beam irradiation range; (c-1) reversing a movement direction of the wafer at an end of the beam non-irradiation range and moving the wafer toward the beam irradiation range; and (c-2) completing the change of the wafer from the first implantation angle to the second implantation angle while the wafer is moved within the beam non-irradiation range before the wafer is returned to the beam irradiation range.

Abstract: Provided is an ion implanter or the like capable of shortening a replacement time of workpieces. An ion implantation method includes (a) deflecting an ion beam by at least one of an electric field and a magnetic field in an irradiation-disabled direction in which a wafer is incapable of being irradiated with the ion beam after a first wafer is irradiated with the ion beam directed in an irradiation-enabled direction in which the wafer is capable of being irradiated with the ion beam; (b) moving the first wafer from an ion implantation position, subsequently to the step (a); (e) disposing a second wafer different from the first wafer at the ion implantation position, subsequently to the step (b); and (f) returning the ion beam from the irradiation-disabled direction to the irradiation-enabled direction, subsequently to the step (e).

Abstract: An ion implanter includes a beam generation device that generates an ion beam with which a workpiece is irradiated, a control device that sets a plurality of operation parameters for controlling an operation of the beam generation device, a measurement device that measures at least one of beam characteristics of the ion beam, a storage device that accumulates data sets in each of which a set of set values of the plurality of operation parameters and a measurement value of the at least one of the beam characteristics of the ion beam are associated with each other, and an analysis device that generates a function for estimating the at least one of the beam characteristics from a set value of at least one of specific parameters included in the plurality of operation parameters, based on a plurality of the data sets accumulated in the storage device.

Abstract: An ion implanter including a beam generation device that generates an ion beam, based on an implantation recipe, a plurality of measurement devices that measure beam currents of the ion beam, and a control device. The control device acquires a data set including the beam currents and an implantation parameter in the implantation recipe, and evaluates measurement validity of the beam currents of the ion beam by using the model. The implantation parameter may be one of ion species, beam energy, a beam current, a beam size, a wafer tilt angle, a wafer twist angle and an average dose. The model may be built based on a plurality of past data sets acquired during a plurality of implantation process based on the implantation recipe.

Abstract: There is provided an ion implanter including a beam generation device that generates an ion beam, based on an implantation recipe, a plurality of measurement devices that measure at least one physical quantity of the ion beam, and a control device that acquires a data set including a plurality of measurement values measured by the plurality of measurement devices, and evaluates measurement validity of the at least one physical quantity of the ion beam by using a model representing a correlation between the plurality of measurement values.

Abstract: An ion implanter includes a beam generation device that generates an ion beam with which a workpiece is irradiated, a control device that sets a plurality of operation parameters for controlling an operation of the beam generation device, a measurement device that measures at least one of beam characteristics of the ion beam, a storage device that accumulates data sets in each of which a set of set values of the plurality of operation parameters and a measurement value of the at least one of the beam characteristics of the ion beam are associated with each other, and an analysis device that generates a function for estimating the at least one of the beam characteristics from a set value of at least one of specific parameters included in the plurality of operation parameters, based on a plurality of the data sets accumulated in the storage device.

Abstract: There is provided an ion implanter including a beam generation device that generates an ion beam, based on an implantation recipe, a plurality of measurement devices that measure at least one physical quantity of the ion beam, and a control device that acquires a data set including a plurality of measurement values measured by the plurality of measurement devices, and evaluates measurement validity of the at least one physical quantity of the ion beam by using a model representing a correlation between the plurality of measurement values.

Abstract: A first conveyance mechanism and a second conveyance mechanism convey a pair of two wafers to an alignment device from a wafer container via a buffer device, and then bring the wafers respectively into a first load lock chamber and a second load lock chamber after alignment. An intermediate conveyance mechanism conveys one of the pair of two wafers between the first load lock chamber and a vacuum processing chamber. The intermediate conveyance mechanism conveys the other of the pair of two wafers between the second load lock chamber and the vacuum processing chamber. The first conveyance mechanism and the second conveyance mechanism take out the pair of two wafers subjected to an implantation process from the first load lock chamber and the second load lock chamber and store the wafers into the wafer container.

Abstract: A linear motion guiding device that is unlikely to cause a damage to a tongue unit of an end cap even when the linear motion guiding device is used under high-speed conditions is provided. An end cap (22) includes, at an end of a side of a raceway of an arc groove (222) that forms an outer peripheral surface of a direction changing passage (42), a tongue unit (25) that scoops up a ball (3) from a raceway (41) and guide the ball to a direction changing passage (42). A distal end surface (251) of the tongue unit includes a plane (251a) perpendicular to a direction along the raceway (41) and a circular-arc surface (251b) that caves into an arc shape from the plane. A curvature radius of a circular-arc surface is smaller than a radius of the ball.

Abstract: A linear motion guiding device that is unlikely to cause a damage to a tongue unit of an end cap even when the linear motion guiding device is used under high-speed conditions is provided. An end cap (22) includes, at an end of a side of a raceway of an arc groove (222) that forms an outer peripheral surface of a direction changing passage (42), a tongue unit (25) that scoops up a ball (3) from a raceway (41) and guide the ball to a direction changing passage (42). A distal end surface (251) of the tongue unit includes a plane (251a) perpendicular to a direction along the raceway (41) and a circular-arc surface (251b) that caves into an arc shape from the plane. A curvature radius of a circular-arc surface is smaller than a radius of the ball.

Abstract: A calculation method and apparatus for calculating a starting point for acceleration/deceleration operation of a vehicle with high accuracy using more input values while at the same time keeping calculation cost and time to a minimum is disclosed herein. An ECU making up a system calculates a start point for acceleration/deceleration operation of a vehicle on the basis of traveling condition information that changes as the vehicle travels and vehicle information that changes only slightly as a result of the travel of the vehicle. As a result, if the driver maintains a throttle operator at a given opening angle or more at a point before the start point, an actuator applies a force in the direction of closing a throttle valve to the throttle operator, thereby notifying the driver that the vehicle is close to the start point.

Abstract: Provided is an ion implantation apparatus including: a vacuum processing chamber in which an ion implantation process for a wafer is performed; one or more load lock chambers that are used for bringing the wafer into the vacuum processing chamber and taking out the wafer from the vacuum processing chamber; an intermediate conveyance chamber that is disposed to be adjacent to both the vacuum processing chamber and the load lock chamber; a load lock chamber-intermediate conveyance chamber communication mechanism including a gate valve capable of sealing a load lock chamber-intermediate conveyance chamber communication port; and an intermediate conveyance chamber-vacuum processing chamber communication mechanism including a movable shielding plate capable of shielding a part or the whole of the intermediate conveyance chamber-vacuum processing chamber communication port.

Abstract: An ion implantation method in which an ion beam is scanned in a beam scanning direction and a wafer is mechanically scanned in a direction perpendicular to the beam scanning direction, includes setting a wafer rotation angle with respect to the ion beam so as to be varied, wherein a set angle of the wafer rotation angle is changed in a stepwise manner so as to implant ions into the wafer at each set eagle, and wherein a wafer scanning region length is set to be varied, and, at the same time, a beam scanning speed of the ion beam is changed, in ion implantation at each set angle in a plurality of ion implantation operations during one rotation of the wafer, such that the ions are implanted into the wafer and dose amount non-uniformity in a wafer surface in other semiconductor manufacturing processes is corrected.

Abstract: An ion implantation method in which an ion beam is scanned in a beam scanning direction and a wafer is mechanically scanned in a direction perpendicular to the beam scanning direction, includes setting a wafer rotation angle with respect to the ion beam so as to be varied, wherein a set angle of the wafer rotation angle is changed in a stepwise manner so as to implant ions into the wafer at each set angle, and wherein a wafer scanning region length is set to be varied, and, at the same time, a beam scanning speed of the ion beam is changed, in ion implantation at each set angle in a plurality of ion implantation operations during one rotation of the wafer, such that the ions are implanted into the wafer and dose amount non-uniformity in a wafer surface in other semiconductor manufacturing processes is corrected.

Abstract: A first conveyance mechanism and a second conveyance mechanism convey a pair of two wafers to an alignment device from a wafer container via a buffer device, and then bring the wafers respectively into a first load lock chamber and a second load lock chamber after alignment. An intermediate conveyance mechanism conveys one of the pair of two wafers between the first load lock chamber and a vacuum processing chamber. The intermediate conveyance mechanism conveys the other of the pair of two wafers between the second load lock chamber and the vacuum processing chamber. The first conveyance mechanism and the second conveyance mechanism take out the pair of two wafers subjected to an implantation process from the first load lock chamber and the second load lock chamber and store the wafers into the wafer container.

Abstract: A calculation method and apparatus for calculating a starting point for acceleration/deceleration operation of a vehicle with high accuracy using more input values while at the same time keeping calculation cost and time to a minimum is disclosed herein. An ECU making up a system calculates a start point for acceleration/deceleration operation of a vehicle on the basis of traveling condition information that changes as the vehicle travels and vehicle information that changes only slightly as a result of the travel of the vehicle. As a result, if the driver maintains a throttle operator at a given opening angle or more at a point before the start point, an actuator applies a force in the direction of closing a throttle valve to the throttle operator, thereby notifying the driver that the vehicle is close to the start point.

Abstract: Provided is an ion implantation apparatus including: a vacuum processing chamber in which an ion implantation process for a wafer is performed; one or more load lock chambers that are used for bringing the wafer into the vacuum processing chamber and taking out the wafer from the vacuum processing chamber; an intermediate conveyance chamber that is disposed to be adjacent to both the vacuum processing chamber and the load lock chamber; a load lock chamber-intermediate conveyance chamber communication mechanism including a gate valve capable of sealing a load lock chamber-intermediate conveyance chamber communication port; and an intermediate conveyance chamber-vacuum processing chamber communication mechanism including a movable shielding plate capable of shielding a part or the whole of the intermediate conveyance chamber-vacuum processing chamber communication port.

Abstract: An ion implantation method includes reciprocally scanning an ion beam, mechanically scanning a wafer in a direction perpendicular to the ion beam scanning direction, implanting ions into the wafer, and generating an ion implantation amount distribution in a wafer surface of an isotropic concentric circle shape for correcting non-uniformity in the wafer surface in other semiconductor manufacturing processes, by controlling a beam scanning speed in the ion beam scanning direction and a wafer scanning speed in the mechanical scanning direction at the same time and independently using the respective control functions defining speed correction amounts.