Patents by Inventor Tomohiko Niizeki

Tomohiko Niizeki 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: 20240112919
    Abstract: A method of processing a substrate that includes: flowing dioxygen (O2) and a hydrogen-containing gas into a plasma processing chamber that is configured to hold the substrate, the substrate including an organic layer and a patterned etch mask, the hydrogen-containing gas including dihydrogen (H2), a hydrocarbon, or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2); generating an oxygen-rich plasma while flowing the gases; maintaining a temperature of the substrate in the plasma processing chamber between ?150° C. and ?50° C.; and while maintaining the temperature, exposing the substrate to the oxygen-rich plasma to form a recess in the organic layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2022
    Publication date: April 4, 2024
    Inventors: Du Zhang, Maju Tomura, Koki Mukaiyama, Tomohiko Niizeki, Yoshihide Kihara, Mingmei Wang
  • Patent number: 11922307
    Abstract: With respect to an inference method performed by at least one processor, the method includes inputting, by the at least one processor, into a learned model, non-processed object image data of a second object and data related to a second process for the second object, and inferring, by the at least one processor using the learned model, processed object image data of the second object on which the second process has been performed. The learned model has been trained so that an output obtained in response to non-processed object image data of a first object and data related to a first process for the first object being input approaches processed object image data of the first object on which the first process has been performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignees: Preferred Networks, Inc., Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Kosuke Nakago, Daisuke Motoki, Masaki Watanabe, Tomoki Komatsu, Hironori Moki, Masanobu Honda, Takahiko Kato, Tomohiko Niizeki
  • Publication number: 20230386800
    Abstract: A substrate processing method includes: providing a substrate processing apparatus including a chamber, a substrate support that supports a substrate in the chamber, an upper electrode facing a center of the substrate, and a plurality of electromagnets arranged radially around the center of the upper electrode; selecting a polarity modification pattern to be used for the plurality of electromagnets during an etching; and generating plasma from a processing gas supplied into the chamber, and etching the substrate based on the polarity modification pattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2023
    Publication date: November 30, 2023
    Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Tomohiko NIIZEKI, Maju TOMURA, Yoshihide KIHARA
  • Publication number: 20230245898
    Abstract: Provided is a plasma processing method performed with a plasma processing apparatus including a chamber. The method includes: (a) providing a substrate in the chamber, the substrate having an organic film and a mask on the organic film, the mask including a silicon-containing film and a carbon-containing film on the silicon-containing film; and (b) forming a plasma from a processing gas in the chamber, the processing gas including an oxygen-containing gas and a gas containing Si or W and a halogen. (b) includes: (b1) forming a protective film on at least the carbon-containing film of the mask; and (b2) etching the organic film through the mask having the protective film formed thereon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2023
    Publication date: August 3, 2023
    Inventors: Tomohiko NIIZEKI, Maju TOMURA, Yoshihide KIHARA
  • Publication number: 20230215707
    Abstract: An etching apparatus includes: a chamber; a substrate support disposed in the chamber; one or more heaters disposed in the substrate support; a gas supply; a plasma generator; a controller configured to perform an etching process comprising a plurality of cycles; and a heater controller. Each cycle includes: controlling the gas supply to supply a precursor into the chamber, thereby forming a precursor layer on a substrate supported by the substrate support, the substrate including a film and a mask; and controlling the gas supply and the plasma generator to supply a process gas into the chamber and generate a plasma from the process gas in the chamber, thereby etching the film through the mask.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2023
    Publication date: July 6, 2023
    Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Tomohiko NIIZEKI, Takayuki KATSUNUMA, Yoshihide KIHARA, Maju TOMURA
  • Patent number: 11637003
    Abstract: A method for etching a film includes: supplying a precursor gas to the substrate, thereby forming a precursor layer on a substrate; and etching the film with a chemical species from plasma formed from a processing gas so as to increase a depth of the opening, and form a protective region from the precursor layer with the chemical species or another chemical species from the plasma. A plurality of cycles each including the supplying the precursor gas and the etching the film is executed. A temperature of the substrate during execution of the etching the film included in at least one cycle of the plurality of cycles and a temperature of the substrate during execution of the etching the film included in at least one other cycle of the plurality of cycles are set to be different from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Tomohiko Niizeki, Takayuki Katsunuma, Yoshihide Kihara, Maju Tomura
  • Publication number: 20210233778
    Abstract: An etching method includes forming a film on a surface of a substrate having a region to be etched and a mask. The mask is provided on the region and includes an opening that partially exposes the region. The film is made of the same material as that of the region. The etching method further includes etching the region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2021
    Publication date: July 29, 2021
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Maju TOMURA, Tomohiko NIIZEKI, Takayuki KATSUNUMA, Hironari SASAGAWA, Yuta NAKANE, Shinya ISHIKAWA, Kenta ONO, Sho KUMAKURA, Yusuke TAKINO, Masanobu HONDA
  • Publication number: 20210209413
    Abstract: With respect to an inference method performed by at least one processor, the method includes inputting, by the at least one processor, into a learned model, non-processed object image data of a second object and data related to a second process for the second object, and inferring, by the at least one processor using the learned model, processed object image data of the second object on which the second process has been performed. The learned model has been trained so that an output obtained in response to non-processed object image data of a first object and data related to a first process for the first object being input approaches processed object image data of the first object on which the first process has been performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2021
    Publication date: July 8, 2021
    Inventors: Kosuke NAKAGO, Daisuke Motoki, Masaki Watanabe, Tomoki Komatsu, Hironori Moki, Masanobu Honda, Takahiko Kato, Tomohiko Niizeki
  • Publication number: 20210202233
    Abstract: A substrate processing method suppresses a shape abnormality of a pattern formed on a substrate. The substrate processing method executed by a substrate processing apparatus includes step a), step b), and step c). The step a) is a step of providing a substrate including an etching target film and a mask layer formed on the etching target film in which the mask layer has an opening. The step b) is a step of forming a protective film on an upper portion of an opening of the mask. The step c) is a step of etching the mask while suppressing a variation of an opening dimension of the upper portion of the opening by the protective film, and varying a dimension of a lower portion of the opening not covered by the protective film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2020
    Publication date: July 1, 2021
    Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Tomohiko NIIZEKI, Maju TOMURA, Yoshihide KIHARA
  • Publication number: 20210151301
    Abstract: A method for etching a film includes: supplying a precursor gas to the substrate, thereby forming a precursor layer on a substrate; and etching the film with a chemical species from plasma formed from a processing gas so as to increase a depth of the opening, and form a protective region from the precursor layer with the chemical species or another chemical species from the plasma. A plurality of cycles each including the supplying the precursor gas and the etching the film is executed. A temperature of the substrate during execution of the etching the film included in at least one cycle of the plurality of cycles and a temperature of the substrate during execution of the etching the film included in at least one other cycle of the plurality of cycles are set to be different from each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 11, 2020
    Publication date: May 20, 2021
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Tomohiko NIIZEKI, Takayuki KATSUNUMA, Yoshihide KIHARA, Maju TOMURA
  • Publication number: 20200279753
    Abstract: A substrate processing method includes etching a target film formed on a substrate through an opening of a mask formed on the target film with plasma generated from a mixed gas obtained by adding a gas having a carbonyl bond to a halogen-containing gas. The target film contains silicon and the mask is formed of a transition metal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Publication date: September 3, 2020
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Tomohiko NIIZEKI, Yoshihide KIHARA
  • Patent number: 8872291
    Abstract: A ferromagnetic tunnel junction structure comprising a first ferromagnetic layer, a second ferromagnetic layer, and a tunnel barrier layer that is interposed between the first ferromagnetic layer and the second ferromagnetic layer, wherein the tunnel barrier layer includes a crystalline non-magnetic material having constituent elements that are similar to those of an crystalline oxide that has spinel structure as a stable phase structure; the non-magnetic material has a cubic structure having a symmetry of space group Fm-3m or F-43m in which atomic arrangement in the spinel structure is disordered; and an effective lattice constant of the cubic structure is substantially half of the lattice constant of the oxide of the spinel structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: National Institute For Materials Science
    Inventors: Hiroaki Sukegawa, Seiji Mitani, Tomohiko Niizeki, Tadakatsu Ohkubo, Kouichiro Inomata, Kazuhiro Hono, Masafumi Shirai, Yoshio Miura, Kazutaka Abe, Shingo Muramoto