Patents by Inventor Toru Kitada
Toru Kitada 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).
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Patent number: 12729426Abstract: There is a method for forming a film including an alloy film containing multiple types of elements on a surface of a substrate using a film forming target made of the alloy film, comprising: (a) arranging the film forming target and a distribution improvement target; and (b) forming the film on the substrate by simultaneously or alternately sputtering the film forming target and the distribution improvement target, wherein the distribution improvement target is made of a distribution improvement film containing a non-uniform element among the multiple types of elements, and in step (b), a larger amount of the non-uniform element sputtered from the distribution improvement target is supplied to a portion where the distribution amount of the non-uniform element is small compared to a portion where the distribution amount of the non-uniform element is large when the film is formed on the substrate by the film forming target.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2022Date of Patent: September 8, 2026Assignee: Tokyo Electron LimitedInventors: Shota Ishibashi, Toru Kitada
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Publication number: 20260262467Abstract: A film forming apparatus for forming a laminated structure on a substrate to form a magnetic tunnel junction element is disclosed. The film forming apparatus comprises: a plurality of processing chambers where a magnetic layer and an insulating layer are formed on the substrate; a heat treatment chamber where a magnetic field is applied to the substrate to perform heat treatment; a vacuum transfer chamber that connects the processing chambers and the heat treatment chamber; and a controller.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 23, 2026Publication date: September 3, 2026Inventors: Keisuke SATO, Toru KITADA, Atsushi GOMI, Kanto NAKAMURA
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Publication number: 20260117362Abstract: A substrate processing method includes preparing a substrate having a silicon-containing film, and forming a hard mask on the silicon-containing film by sputtering. The hard mask is an amorphous film containing tungsten, silicon, and nitrogen.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 23, 2025Publication date: April 30, 2026Inventors: Takuya SEINO, Toru KITADA, Shota ISHIBASHI, Sho KUMAKURA
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Patent number: 12488970Abstract: There is a film forming apparatus comprising: a first holder holding a first target formed of a first material; a second holder holding a second target formed of a second material different from the first material; and a mounting table holding a substrate, the mounting table rotatable with a central axis of the mounting table as a rotation axis, wherein a distance from the central axis of the mounting table to a center of a sputter surface of the first target is different from a distance from the central axis of the mounting table to a center of a sputter surface of the second target.Type: GrantFiled: July 11, 2023Date of Patent: December 2, 2025Assignee: Tokyo Electron LimitedInventors: Yasuhiko Kojima, Shota Ishibashi, Toru Kitada
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Patent number: 12486565Abstract: A sputtering apparatus includes: a processing container; a first target provided inside the processing container and formed of a first material; a second target provided inside the processing container and formed of a second material different from the first material; a stage provided inside the processing container to place a substrate thereon: a shielding plate arranged between the first target and the second target; and a controller, wherein the controller is configured to perform a process of reducing a film stress of a film formed on the shielding plate.Type: GrantFiled: December 7, 2022Date of Patent: December 2, 2025Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITEDInventors: Shota Ishibashi, Toru Kitada
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Patent number: 12387922Abstract: A film forming apparatus for forming a film by magnetron sputtering includes a substrate support supporting the substrate, a holder holding a target for emitting sputtered particles, a magnet unit having a magnet, first and second movement mechanisms configured to periodically move the substrate support and the magnet unit, respectively, and a controller. The controller is configured to control the first movement mechanism and the second movement mechanism so that a phase in a periodic movement of the substrate support remains the same at a start of film formation and at an end of film formation, a phase in a periodic movement of the magnet unit remains the same at a start of film formation and at an end of film formation, and the phase in the periodic movement of the substrate support and the phase in the periodic movement of the magnet unit do not match during film formation.Type: GrantFiled: June 17, 2022Date of Patent: August 12, 2025Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITEDInventors: Kenichi Imakita, Hiroaki Chihaya, Toru Kitada, Atsushi Gomi
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Publication number: 20250174465Abstract: A hard mask used for etching a processing target includes an oxide containing one or more of gallium, indium, and zinc. The hard mask that includes the oxide containing one or more of gallium, indium, and zinc is formed on a substrate having the processing target, and is etched into a desired pattern, and the processing target is etched using the hard mask as a mask.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 15, 2023Publication date: May 29, 2025Inventors: Xiaolong LI, Hiroki MAEHARA, Shota ISHIBASHI, Toru KITADA
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Publication number: 20240274436Abstract: Provided are a film forming method in which oxygen defects are suppressed, and a substrate processing method. Provided is a film forming method having a step for cooling a substrate to a very-low-temperature state of 200 K or less, and a step for forming an oxide semiconductor film on the cooled substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 2, 2022Publication date: August 15, 2024Inventors: Shota ISHIBASHI, Toru KITADA, Keiichi NAGASAKA
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Patent number: 12018928Abstract: There is provided a film thickness measurement method which measures a film thickness of a specific film to be measured in a multilayer film in situ in a film formation system that forms the multilayer film on a substrate, the method comprising: regarding a plurality of films located under the film to be measured as one underlayer film, measuring a film thickness of the underlayer film, and deriving an optical constant of the underlayer film by spectroscopic interferometry; and after the film to be measured is formed, deriving a film thickness of the film to be measured by spectroscopic interferometry using the film thickness and the optical constant of the underlayer film.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2022Date of Patent: June 25, 2024Assignee: Tokyo Electron LimitedInventors: Kazunaga Ono, Kanto Nakamura, Toru Kitada, Atsushi Gomi
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Patent number: 11894222Abstract: A film forming apparatus for forming a film on a substrate by using a magnetron sputtering method. The film forming apparatus includes: a substrate holder configured to hold a substrate; a target holder configured to hold a target made of a ferromagnetic material to face the substrate holder; a magnet provided on a surface of the target holder opposite to the substrate holder, and configured to leak a magnetic field to a front surface of the target held by the target holder that is a surface close to the substrate holder; and a magnetic field strength measurement device configured to measure a strength of the magnetic field.Type: GrantFiled: June 22, 2021Date of Patent: February 6, 2024Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITEDInventors: Atsushi Takeuchi, Toru Kitada, Kanto Nakamura, Atsushi Gomi
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Publication number: 20240021423Abstract: There is a film forming apparatus comprising: a first holder holding a first target formed of a first material; a second holder holding a second target formed of a second material different from the first material; and a mounting table holding a substrate, the mounting table rotatable with a central axis of the mounting table as a rotation axis, wherein a distance from the central axis of the mounting table to a center of a sputter surface of the first target is different from a distance from the central axis of the mounting table to a center of a sputter surface of the second target.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 11, 2023Publication date: January 18, 2024Inventors: Yasuhiko KOJIMA, Shota ISHIBASHI, Toru KITADA
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Publication number: 20230175112Abstract: There is a method for forming a film including an alloy film containing multiple types of elements on a surface of a substrate using a film forming target made of the alloy film, comprising: (a) arranging the film forming target and a distribution improvement target; and (b) forming the film on the substrate by simultaneously or alternately sputtering the film forming target and the distribution improvement target, wherein the distribution improvement target is made of a distribution improvement film containing a non-uniform element among the multiple types of elements, and in step (b), a larger amount of the non-uniform element sputtered from the distribution improvement target is supplied to a portion where the distribution amount of the non-uniform element is small compared to a portion where the distribution amount of the non-uniform element is large when the film is formed on the substrate by the film forming target.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 6, 2022Publication date: June 8, 2023Inventors: Shota ISHIBASHI, Toru KITADA
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Publication number: 20230175114Abstract: A sputtering apparatus includes: a processing container; a first target provided inside the processing container and formed of a first material; a second target provided inside the processing container and formed of a second material different from the first material; a stage provided inside the processing container to place a substrate thereon; a shielding plate arranged between the first target and the second target; and a controller, wherein the controller is configured to perform a process of reducing a film stress of a film formed on the shielding plate.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 7, 2022Publication date: June 8, 2023Inventors: Shota ISHIBASHI, Toru KITADA
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Publication number: 20230011226Abstract: There is provided a film thickness measurement method which measures a film thickness of a specific film to be measured in a multilayer film in situ in a film formation system that forms the multilayer film on a substrate, the method comprising: regarding a plurality of films located under the film to be measured as one underlayer film, measuring a film thickness of the underlayer film, and deriving an optical constant of the underlayer film by spectroscopic interferometry; and after the film to be measured is formed, deriving a film thickness of the film to be measured by spectroscopic interferometry using the film thickness and the optical constant of the underlayer film.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 29, 2022Publication date: January 12, 2023Inventors: Kazunaga ONO, Kanto NAKAMURA, Toru KITADA, Atsushi GOMI
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Publication number: 20230005989Abstract: A film forming apparatus for forming a laminated structure on a substrate to form a magnetic tunnel junction element is disclosed. The film forming apparatus comprises: a plurality of processing chambers where a magnetic layer and an insulating layer are formed on the substrate; a heat treatment chamber where a magnetic field is applied to the substrate to perform heat treatment; a vacuum transfer chamber that connects the processing chambers and the heat treatment chamber; and a controller.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 30, 2022Publication date: January 5, 2023Inventors: Keisuke SATO, Toru KITADA, Atsushi GOMI, Kanto NAKAMURA
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Publication number: 20220415634Abstract: A film forming apparatus for forming a film by magnetron sputtering includes a substrate support supporting the substrate, a holder holding a target for emitting sputtered particles, a magnet unit having a magnet, first and second movement mechanisms configured to periodically move the substrate support and the magnet unit, respectively, and a controller. The controller is configured to control the first movement mechanism and the second movement mechanism so that a phase in a periodic movement of the substrate support remains the same at a start of film formation and at an end of film formation, a phase in a periodic movement of the magnet unit remains the same at a start of film formation and at an end of film formation, and the phase in the periodic movement of the substrate support and the phase in the periodic movement of the magnet unit do not match during film formation.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 17, 2022Publication date: December 29, 2022Inventors: Kenichi Imakita, Hiroaki Chihaya, Toru Kitada, Atsushi Gomi
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Publication number: 20220403503Abstract: A film forming apparatus for forming a metal oxide film on a substrate, includes: a substrate support part configured to support the substrate; a heating mechanism configured to heat the substrate supported by the substrate support part; a processing container in which the substrate support part is provided; a holder configured to hold a metal material target inside the processing container and connected to a power source; a gas supply part configured to supply an oxygen gas into the processing container; and a controller, wherein the controller is configured to control the heating mechanism, the power source, and the gas supply part so as to execute alternately and repeatedly: forming a predetermined film on the substrate inside the processing container by reactive sputtering in a metal mode; and forming a target metal oxide film by causing the predetermined film to react with an oxygen gas inside the processing container.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 14, 2022Publication date: December 22, 2022Inventors: Hiroyuki Iwashita, Toru Kitada, Atsushi Shimada
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Publication number: 20220098717Abstract: A film forming apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a processing chamber; a substrate holder for holding a substrate within the processing chamber; a target electrode, disposed above the substrate holder, for holding a metal target and supplying electrical power from a power source to the target; an oxidizing gas introduction mechanism for supplying an oxidizing gas to the substrate; and a gas supply unit for supplying an inert gas to the space where the target is disposed. Constituent metal is discharged from the target in the form of sputter particles, whereby a metal film is deposited on the substrate, and the metal film is oxidized by the oxidizing gas introduced by the oxidizing gas introduction mechanism, thereby forming a metal oxide film. When the oxidizing gas is introduced, the gas supply unit supplies the inert gas to the space where the target is disposed so that the pressure therein is positive with respect to the pressure in a processing space.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 20, 2019Publication date: March 31, 2022Inventors: Kenichi IMAKITA, Kazunaga ONO, Toru KITADA, Keisuke SATO, Atsushi GOMI, Hiroyuki YOKOHARA, Hiroshi SONE
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Publication number: 20210407779Abstract: A film forming apparatus for forming a film on a substrate by using a magnetron sputtering method. The film forming apparatus includes: a substrate holder configured to hold a substrate; a target holder configured to hold a target made of a ferromagnetic material to face the substrate holder; a magnet provided on a surface of the target holder opposite to the substrate holder, and configured to leak a magnetic field to a front surface of the target held by the target holder that is a surface close to the substrate holder; and a magnetic field strength measurement device configured to measure a strength of the magnetic field.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 22, 2021Publication date: December 30, 2021Inventors: Atsushi TAKEUCHI, Toru KITADA, Kanto NAKAMURA, Atsushi GOMI
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Patent number: 10309005Abstract: A deposition device according to one embodiment includes a processing container. A mounting table is installed inside the processing container, and a metal target is installed above the mounting table. Further, a head is configured to inject an oxidizing gas toward the mounting table. This head is configured to move between a first region that is defined between the metal target and a mounting region where a target object is mounted on the mounting table and a second region spaced apart from a space defined between the metal target and the mounting region.Type: GrantFiled: August 28, 2014Date of Patent: June 4, 2019Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITEDInventors: Yasuhiko Kojima, Hiroshi Sone, Atsushi Gomi, Kanto Nakamura, Toru Kitada, Yasunobu Suzuki, Yusuke Suzuki, Koichi Takatsuki, Tatsuo Hirasawa, Keisuke Sato, Chiaki Yasumuro, Atsushi Shimada