Patents by Inventor Toru Kiuchi
Toru Kiuchi 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: 6864955Abstract: The stage apparatus has a movable stage structure body which holds a substrate plate to be processed and is movable on a base structure body. This stage apparatus comprises a receipt edge orifice disposed at least at a portion of a fluid path which is disposed at said stage structure body; and a feed edge orifice being detachably engageable with said receipt edge orifice at a predetermined position on a base structure body and providing or discharging a predetermined fluid to the receipt edge orifice during said engagement of said feed edge orifice with said receipt edge orifice.Type: GrantFiled: February 11, 2003Date of Patent: March 8, 2005Assignee: Nikon CorporationInventors: Kenji Nishi, Toru Kiuchi
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Publication number: 20040114121Abstract: A reflective member is fixedly or movably provided near the pupil plane of a projection optical system with which a projection exposure apparatus is equipped. A collimated measuring beam with an exposure wavelength is incident from the object plane side or image plane side of the projection optical system, and the intensity of the beam reflected by the reflective member is detected photoelectrically to measure a value corresponding to the attenuation factor (transmissivity or reflectivity) of the projection optical system or the variation with time of the attenuation factor (transmissivity or reflectivity) of the projection optical system.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 24, 2003Publication date: June 17, 2004Applicant: Nikon CorporationInventors: Kenji Nishi, Toru Kiuchi
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Publication number: 20030164934Abstract: The stage apparatus has a movable stage structure body which holds a substrate plate to be processed and is movable on a base structure body. This stage apparatus comprises a receipt edge orifice disposed at least at a portion of a fluid path which is disposed at said stage structure body; and a feed edge orifice being detachably engageable with said receipt edge orifice at a predetermined position on a base structure body and providing or discharging a predetermined fluid to the receipt edge orifice during said engagement of said feed edge orifice with said receipt edge orifice.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 11, 2003Publication date: September 4, 2003Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Kenji Nishi, Toru Kiuchi
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Patent number: 6590633Abstract: The stage apparatus can improve static and dynamic features by reducing the number of electrical wiring or tubes for air pressure disposed in a movable main stage member of a movable stage apparatus. The movable stage apparatus has a base structure body and a movable stage structure body. When the movable stage structure body is transferred on the base structure body to a position in which to exchange wafers, a receiving terminal part disposed on the movable stage structure body comes into contact with a feed terminal part disposed on the base structure body and a battery loaded on the movable stage structure body is charged with electric current supplied from the feed terminal part. When the stage structure body is apart from the position in which to exchange wafers, adsorption of the wafer loaded on the stage structure body is sustained electrically by utilizing the electricity of the battery.Type: GrantFiled: March 25, 1998Date of Patent: July 8, 2003Assignee: Nikon CorporationInventors: Kenji Nishi, Toru Kiuchi
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Publication number: 20020171815Abstract: The invention includes a process which provides a projection system which projects an image of a predetermined pattern formed on a reticle to a photosensitive substrate; a setting process which sets a correction member which corrects residual aberration in the projection system at a predetermined position between a reticle setting position where the reticle is arranged and a substrate setting position where the photosensitive substrate is set; and a process which corrects degradation of optical characteristics of the projection system caused by setting the correction member at the predetermined position. Furthermore, the correction process includes a first adjusting process which adjusts at least one of the reticle setting position and the substrate setting position.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 7, 2002Publication date: November 21, 2002Applicant: Nikon CorporationInventors: Tomoyuki Matsuyama, Toru Kiuchi, Hiroshi Chiba, Kazuyuki Kato
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Patent number: 6414743Abstract: An exposure method for irradiating a mask with an illumination light through an illumination optical system and exposing photosensitive substrate to the illumination light through a projection optical system including the steps of supplying gas having less absorption of the illumination light to a light path of the illumination light, at least a portion of the illumination optical system and the projection optical system; and changing an exposing condition for the photosensitive substrate in accordance with a variation in transmittance or in reflectance of at least one of the illumination optical system and the projection optical system, resulting from irradiation of the illumination light and attenuation of the illumination light in the light path.Type: GrantFiled: October 18, 1999Date of Patent: July 2, 2002Assignee: Nikon CorporationInventors: Kenji Nishi, Toru Kiuchi
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Publication number: 20010043321Abstract: A reflective member is fixedly or movably provided near the pupil plane of a projection optical system with which a projection exposure apparatus is equipped. A collimated measuring beam with an exposure wavelength is incident from the object plane side or image plane side of the projection optical system, and the intensity of the beam reflected by the reflective member is detected photoelectrically to measure a value corresponding to the attenuation factor (transmissivity or reflectivity) of the projection optical system or the variation with time of the attenuation factor (transmissivity or reflectivity) of the projection optical system.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 20, 2001Publication date: November 22, 2001Applicant: Nikon CorporationInventors: Kenji Nishi, Toru Kiuchi
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Patent number: 6040096Abstract: In order to reduce mask pattern transfer error caused by expansion of the mask substrate during transferring the circuit pattern onto the photosensitive substrate, a mask substrate is loosely supported on a plurality of mounts on the mask stage so that the mask substrate can freely expand in response to changes in its temperature. A measuring instrument (such as a temperature sensor or an interferometer) is used to measure a value representing the expansion amount of the mask substrate. Alignment and positioning of the mask substrate and the photosensitive substrate is adjusted in response to the expansion amount of the reticle, based on the measured value.Type: GrantFiled: December 31, 1998Date of Patent: March 21, 2000Assignee: Nikon CorporationInventors: Yukio Kakizaki, Toru Kiuchi, Kesayoshi Amano, Toshikazu Umatate
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Patent number: 5894056Abstract: In order to reduce mask pattern transfer error caused by expansion of the mask substrate during transferring the circuit pattern onto the photosensitive substrate, a mask substrate is loosely supported on a plurality of mounts on the mask stage so that the mask substrate can freely expand in response to changes in its temperature. A measuring instrument (such as a temperature sensor or an interferometer) is used to measure a value representing the expansion amount of the mask substrate. Alignment and positioning of the mask substrate and the photosensitive substrate is adjusted in response to the expansion amount of the reticle, based on the measured value.Type: GrantFiled: October 21, 1996Date of Patent: April 13, 1999Assignee: Nikon CorporationInventors: Yukio Kakizaki, Toru Kiuchi, Kesayoshi Amano, Toshikazu Umatate
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Patent number: 5392024Abstract: A collision detection system utilizing a set of primary sensors and a secondary sensor. When a sufficient collision load is applied to the sensors, the sensors output a signal. The primary sensors are constructed to be more sensitive than the secondary sensor. Based on the outputs of the primary and secondary sensors, a control unit detects the collision. Upon detecting the collision, the control unit outputs a collision detection signal which activates a protection device, such as an air bag.Type: GrantFiled: June 12, 1992Date of Patent: February 21, 1995Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Toru Kiuchi, Kenji Ogata, Masakazu Chiba, Makoto Shiota
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Patent number: 5338062Abstract: A side collision sensor system for a side airbag apparatus for inflating an airbag between a side door or inner side wall and a passenger of a vehicle, when a transverse collision is detected, to protect the passenger against a secondary collision. The side collision sensor system comprises: a side collision sensor arranged on the side of a vehicle body for outputting a collision detection signal, if it is compressed by a force of a predetermined or higher strength; and an acceleration sensor attached to an arbitrary portion of the vehicle body for outputting a collision detection signal if an acceleration applied sideways to the vehicle body has a predetermined or higher level. The side airbag is inflated if at least one of the side collision sensor and the acceleration sensor outputs its collision detection signal.Type: GrantFiled: September 10, 1992Date of Patent: August 16, 1994Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Nippondenso Co., Ltd., Nippon Soken, Inc.Inventors: Toru Kiuchi, Kenji Ogata, Masakazu Chiba, Toshiaki Matsuhashi, Masahiro Taguchi, Motonori Tominaga
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Patent number: 5289231Abstract: This specification discloses a method of and an apparatus for manufacturing a disc medium which utilize the projection exposure technique of a stopper for lithography, rotate a circular photosensitive substrate which provides the disc medium at the same speed as a circular reticle having a pattern of information tracks while rotating the reticle, and irradiate the reticle with illuminating light of a slit-like shape or a sectoral shape extending in the diametrical direction of the circular reticle to thereby effect rotation scan exposure.Type: GrantFiled: December 18, 1992Date of Patent: February 22, 1994Assignee: Nikon CorporationInventors: Nobutaka Magome, Hiromitsu Iwata, Junichi Morino, Toru Kiuchi