Patents by Inventor Toru Iwaya

Toru Iwaya 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: 20180286633
    Abstract: To provide an ion milling system that can suppress an orbital shift of an observation electron beam emitted from an electron microscope column, the ion milling system includes: a Penning discharge type ion gun 100 that includes a permanent magnet 114 and that generates ions for processing a sample; and a scanning electron microscope for observing the sample, in which a magnetic shield 172 for reducing a leakage magnetic field from the permanent magnet 114 to the electron microscope column is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2015
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Applicant: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kengo ASAI, Toru IWAYA, Hisayuki TAKASU, Hiroyasu SHICHI
  • Publication number: 20180277335
    Abstract: The present invention relates to adjustment of a mask position by driving an R-axis of an electron microscope in order to adjust the mask position with high accuracy while performing observation by the electron microscope without providing a heat generation source inside the electron microscope. The R-axis originally exists in a sample chamber of the electron microscope, which enables control with high accuracy. The R-axis driving of a sample stage can be substituted by raster rotation, therefore, the mask position can be adjusted with high accuracy while performing observation by the electron microscope according to the present invention.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2015
    Publication date: September 27, 2018
    Inventors: Toru IWAYA, Hisayuki TAKASU, Sakae KOUBORI, Atsushi KAMINO, Kento HORINOUCHI
  • Patent number: 10008365
    Abstract: An ion milling device of the present invention is provided with a tilt stage (8) which is disposed in a vacuum chamber (15) and has a tilt axis parallel to a first axis orthogonal to an ion beam, a drive mechanism (9, 51) which has a rotation axis and a tilt axis parallel to a second axis orthogonal to the first axis and rotates or tilts a sample (3), and a switching unit which enables switching between a state in which the ion beam is applied while the sample is rotated or swung while the tilt stage is tilted, and a state in which the ion beams is applied while the tilt stage is brought into an untilted state and the sample is swung. Consequently, the ion milling device capable of performing cross-section processing and flat processing of the sample in the same vacuum chamber is implemented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toru Iwaya, Hirobumi Muto, Hisayuki Takasu, Atsushi Kamino, Asako Kaneko
  • Patent number: 9761412
    Abstract: Provided is a technology for suppressing a heat rise in a sample, the heat rise being generated due to ion beam irradiation at a low acceleration voltage. A blocking plate, which is different from a mask, is disposed in front of a sample. The blocking plate has an opening that overlaps a processing surface, and ion beams pass only through the opening of the blocking plate, and in the areas excluding the opening, the ion beams are blocked by the blocking plate, and the sample is not irradiated thereby. Furthermore, the heat rise in the sample is further suppressed by cooling the blocking plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Kento Horinouchi, Atsushi Kamino, Toru Iwaya, Hisayuki Takasu
  • Publication number: 20170221677
    Abstract: To provide an ion gun of a penning discharge type capable of narrowing a beam with a low ion beam current at a low acceleration voltage, an ion milling device including the same, and an ion milling method. An ion milling device that controls half width of a beam profile of an ion beam with which a sample is irradiated from an ion gun to be in a range of 200 ?m to 350 ?m. The device includes: the ion gun that ionizes a gas supplied from the outside, and emits an ion beam; a gas-flow-rate varying unit that varies a flow rate of the gas supplied to the ion gun; and a current measurement unit that measures a current value of the ion beam emitted from the ion gun. The gas-flow-rate varying unit sets a gas flow rate to be higher than a gas flow rate at which the ion beam current has a maximum value based on the current value measured by the current measurement unit and the flow rate of the gas determined by the gas-flow-rate varying unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2015
    Publication date: August 3, 2017
    Inventors: Kengo ASAI, Hiroyasu SHICHI, Hisayuki TAKASU, Toru IWAYA
  • Publication number: 20170221671
    Abstract: To provide an ion gun of a penning discharge type capable of achieving a milling rate which is remarkably higher than that in the related art, an ion milling device including the same, and an ion milling method. An ion generation unit includes a cathode that emits electrons, an anode that is provided within the ion generation unit and has an inner diameter of 5.2 mm or less, and magnetic-field generation means using a permanent magnet of which a maximum energy product ranges from 110 kJ/m3 to 191 kJ/m3.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2015
    Publication date: August 3, 2017
    Inventors: Kengo ASAI, Hiroyasu SHICHI, Hisayuki TAKASU, Toru IWAYA
  • Publication number: 20170047198
    Abstract: Provided is a technology for suppressing a heat rise in a sample, the heat rise being generated due to ion beam irradiation at a low acceleration voltage. A blocking plate, which is different from a mask, is disposed in front of a sample. The blocking plate has an opening that overlaps a processing surface, and ion beams pass only through the opening of the blocking plate, and in the areas excluding the opening, the ion beams are blocked by the blocking plate, and the sample is not irradiated thereby. Furthermore, the heat rise in the sample is further suppressed by cooling the blocking plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2014
    Publication date: February 16, 2017
    Applicant: Hitachi High- Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Kento HORINOUCHI, Atsushi KAMINO, Toru IWAYA, Hisayuki TAKASU
  • Patent number: 9558912
    Abstract: The present invention aims at providing an ion milling apparatus for emitting an ion beam to a sample to process the sample and capable of controlling the temperature of the sample with high accuracy regardless of deformation or the like of the sample being irradiated with the ion beam, and proposes an ion milling apparatus including at least one of a shield holding member for supporting a shield for shielding the sample from the ion beam while exposing a part of the sample to the ion beam; a shifting mechanism for shifting a surface of the sample stand in contact with the sample following deformation of the sample during irradiation with the ion beam, the shifting mechanism having a temperature control mechanism for controlling temperature of at least one of the shield holding member and the sample stand; and a sample holding member disposed between the shield and the sample, the sample holding member deforming following deformation of the sample during irradiation with the ion beam, for example.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Asako Kaneko, Hisayuki Takasu, Hirobumi Mutou, Toru Iwaya, Mami Konomi
  • Patent number: 9499900
    Abstract: The present invention advantageously provides an ion milling device that can set a high-precision processing area with a simple structure. The ion milling device includes a sample holder that holds a sample and a mask partially restricting irradiation of the sample with an ion beam. The sample holder includes a first contact surface that contacts an end surface of the sample located on a passing orbit side of the ion beam, and a second contact surface that contacts an end surface of the mask so that the mask is located at a position spaced apart from the ion beam more than the first contact surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Kamino, Hisayuki Takasu, Hirobumi Muto, Toru Iwaya
  • Publication number: 20160163508
    Abstract: An ion milling device of the present invention is provided with a tilt stage (8) which is disposed in a vacuum chamber (15) and has a tilt axis parallel to a first axis orthogonal to an ion beam, a drive mechanism (9, 51) which has a rotation axis and a tilt axis parallel to a second axis orthogonal to the first axis and rotates or tilts a sample (3), and a switching unit which enables switching between a state in which the ion beam is applied while the sample is rotated or swung while the tilt stage is tilted, and a state in which the ion beams is applied while the tilt stage is brought into an untilted state and the sample is swung. Consequently, the ion milling device capable of performing cross-section processing and flat processing of the sample in the same vacuum chamber is implemented.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2016
    Publication date: June 9, 2016
    Inventors: Toru IWAYA, Hirobumi MUTO, Hisayuki TAKASU, Atsushi KAMINO, Asako KANEKO
  • Publication number: 20160126057
    Abstract: The present invention aims at providing an ion milling apparatus for emitting an ion beam to a sample to process the sample and capable of controlling the temperature of the sample with high accuracy regardless of deformation or the like of the sample being irradiated with the ion beam, and proposes an ion milling apparatus including at least one of a shield holding member for supporting a shield for shielding the sample from the ion beam while exposing a part of the sample to the ion beam; a shifting mechanism for shifting a surface of the sample stand in contact with the sample following deformation of the sample during irradiation with the ion beam, the shifting mechanism having a temperature control mechanism for controlling temperature of at least one of the shield holding member and the sample stand; and a sample holding member disposed between the shield and the sample, the sample holding member deforming following deformation of the sample during irradiation with the ion beam, for example.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2014
    Publication date: May 5, 2016
    Applicant: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Asako KANEKO, Hisayuki TAKASU, Hirobumi MUTOU, Toru IWAYA, Mami KONOMI
  • Patent number: 8934006
    Abstract: The present invention provides an intuitive and easy-to-operate graphical user interface environment for charged-particle microscopes. By restricting the operation items of charged-particle microscopes to the control button operations on GUI screen, excluding the charged-particle microscope specific technical terms, and unifying the observation conditions in the simple terminology with which the observation object can be intuitively understood, the operation environment which is intuitive and easy to understand for users not caring charged-particle microscopes is realized, and by restricting each of electron optical conditions in conjunction with the change of the observation condition to the fixed values and tabling them, it is possible to omit the operation workload of the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Hajime Chino, Masaru Watahiki, Toru Iwaya
  • Publication number: 20150008121
    Abstract: The present invention aims at providing an ion milling device that can set a high-precision processing area with a simple structure. In order to achieve the above object, there is proposed an ion milling device including a sample holder that holds a sample and a mask partially restricting irradiation of the sample with an ion beam, in which the sample holder includes a first contact surface that contacts with an end surface of the sample located on a passing orbit side of the ion beam, and a second contact surface that contacts with an end surface of the mask so that the mask is located at a position spaced apart from the ion beam more than the first contact surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2013
    Publication date: January 8, 2015
    Applicant: Hitachi High- Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Kamino, Hisayuki Takasu, Hirobumi Muto, Toru Iwaya
  • Patent number: 8921784
    Abstract: There is provided a scanning electron microscope capable of achieving a size reduction of the device while at the same time suppressing the increase in column temperature as well as maintaining performance, e.g., resolution, etc. With respect to a scanning electron microscope for observing a sample by irradiating the sample with an electron beam emitted from an electron source and focused by condenser lenses, and detecting secondary electrons from the sample, the condenser lenses comprise both an electromagnetic coil-type condenser lens and a permanent magnet-type condenser lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Toru Iwaya, Sakae Kobori, Tomohisa Ohtaki, Haruhiko Hatano
  • Publication number: 20130220806
    Abstract: An ion milling device of the present invention is provided with a tilt stage (8) which is disposed in a vacuum chamber (15) and has a tilt axis parallel to a first axis orthogonal to an ion beam, a drive mechanism (9, 51) which has a rotation axis and a tilt axis parallel to a second axis orthogonal to the first axis and rotates or tilts a sample (3), and a switching unit which enables switching between a state in which the ion beam is applied while the sample is rotated or swung while the tilt stage is tilted, and a state in which the ion beams is applied while the tilt stage is brought into an untilted state and the sample is swung. Consequently, the ion milling device capable of performing cross-section processing and flat processing of the sample in the same vacuum chamber is implemented.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2011
    Publication date: August 29, 2013
    Applicant: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toru Iwaya, Hirobumi Muto, Hisayuki Takasu, Atsushi Kamino, Asako Kaneko
  • Publication number: 20120287257
    Abstract: The present invention provides an intuitive and easy-to-operate graphical user interface environment for charged-particle microscopes. By restricting the operation items of charged-particle microscopes to the control button operations on GUI screen, excluding the charged-particle microscope specific technical terms, and unifying the observation conditions in the simple terminology with which the observation object can be intuitively understood, the operation environment which is intuitive and easy to understand for users not caring charged-particle microscopes is realized, and by restricting each of electron optical conditions in conjunction with the change of the observation condition to the fixed values and tabling them, it is possible to omit the operation workload of the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2010
    Publication date: November 15, 2012
    Applicant: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hajime Chino, Masaru Watahiki, Toru Iwaya
  • Publication number: 20120211654
    Abstract: There is provided a scanning electron microscope capable of achieving a size reduction of the device while at the same time suppressing the increase in column temperature as well as maintaining performance, e.g., resolution, etc. With respect to a scanning electron microscope for observing a sample by irradiating the sample with an electron beam emitted from an electron source and focused by condenser lenses, and detecting secondary electrons from the sample, the condenser lenses comprise both an electromagnetic coil-type condenser lens and a permanent magnet-type condenser lens.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2010
    Publication date: August 23, 2012
    Applicant: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toru Iwaya, Sakae Kobori, Tomohisa Ohtaki, Haruhiko Hatano
  • Publication number: 20090057558
    Abstract: An object of the invention is provide a scanning electron microscope including a permanent magnet forming a condenser lens with a variable value of probe current. To achieve the object, the scanning electron microscope including the permanent magnet forming the condenser lens as an embodiment of the invention, includes a mechanism for adjusting a distance between an electron source and an anode electrode. Further, the mechanism for adjusting the distance between the electron source and the anode electrode, includes a removable spacer arranged under a lower portion of the anode electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2008
    Publication date: March 5, 2009
    Inventors: Toru Iwaya, Kenichi Hirane, Tomohisa Ohtaki
  • Publication number: 20080202920
    Abstract: In an ion milling system and an ion milling method for making unnecessary the effort of resetting a sample in a sample stage mechanism whenever a machining region is changed, the system includes an ion gun that generates an ion beam with which a sample is to be irradiated, a sample chamber within which the sample to be subjected to irradiation processing by the ion beam is put, an exhaust that evacuates air in order to maintain vacuum in the sample chamber, a gas injection mechanism that injects ion-generating gas, and a sample stage mechanism in which the sample is placed and which rotates with the sample set thereon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2008
    Publication date: August 28, 2008
    Inventors: Toru Iwaya, Hirobumi Muto, Sakae Kobori
  • Patent number: 7179000
    Abstract: The present invention provides a resist development processor consisting of a development processing chamber for storing a resist substrate having an exposed resist on the substrate and for developing the exposed resist by means of a development solvent consisting of a supercritical fluid; and a supercritical fluid container for storing a supercritical fluid, where the supercritical fluid container is connected to the development processing chamber through a valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi Science Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hisayuki Takasu, Kouichi Miyazawa, Toru Iwaya