Patents by Inventor Yasuhiko Kojima

Yasuhiko Kojima 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: 20120211890
    Abstract: A metal thin film forming method includes depositing a Ti film on an insulating film formed on a substrate and depositing a Co film on the Ti film. The film forming method further includes modifying a laminated film of the Ti film and the Co film on the insulating film to a metal thin film containing Co3Ti alloy by heating the laminated film in an inert gas atmosphere or a reduction gas atmosphere.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2012
    Publication date: August 23, 2012
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Shuji AZUMO, Yasuhiko KOJIMA
  • Publication number: 20120171365
    Abstract: The film forming apparatus includes a chamber 1; a heater 5 for heating a wafer W within the chamber 1; a film forming source vessel 31, provided outside the chamber 1, for accommodating cobalt carbonyl as a film forming source; a line 43 for transporting gaseous cobalt carbonyl from the film forming source vessel 31 to the chamber 1; an exhaust device 23 for depressurizing and exhausting an inside of the chamber 1; a cobalt carbonyl supply unit 38 for supplying the gaseous cobalt carbonyl from the film forming source vessel 31 to the chamber 1 via the line 43; a temperature controller 60 for controlling temperatures of the film forming source vessel 31 and the line 43 to be below a decomposition starting temperature of the cobalt carbonyl; and a CO gas supply unit 37 for supplying a CO gas into the film forming source vessel 31.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2010
    Publication date: July 5, 2012
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Shuji Azumo, Yasuhiko Kojima
  • Patent number: 8211500
    Abstract: A Cu film is deposited on a substrate by ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) process, in which: a Cu-carboxyl acid complex or a derivative thereof having a high vapor pressure and wettability to a base is used in a gasified state; H2 is used as a reductive gas; and a step of adsorbing a source material gas to a substrate and a step of forming a Cu film by reducing the adsorbed gas with a reductive gas are repeated alternately. With this method, a conformal Cu film having excellent quality can be formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Kojima, Naoki Yoshii
  • Publication number: 20120164328
    Abstract: A substrate is transferred to a processing container, and a film formation raw material containing cobalt amidinate and a reducing agent containing a carbonic acid in a vapor phase are introduced into the processing container, thereby a Co film is formed on the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2010
    Publication date: June 28, 2012
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Kojima, Shuji Azumo
  • Patent number: 8207061
    Abstract: Provided is a semiconductor device which has excellent adhesiveness to a copper film and a base film thereof and has a small resistance between wirings. The semiconductor device includes a porous insulating layer (SIOC film 11) which absorbed water from the atmosphere, and a substrate (wafer W) having a trench 100 formed on such insulating film is placed in a processing chamber. The substrate is coated with a first base film (Ti film 13) made of a valve metal. The surface of the first film brought into contact with the insulating film is oxidized by the water discharged from the insulating layer, and a passivation film 13a is formed. The surface of the first base film is coated with a second base film made of nitride or carbide of the valve metal, and a copper film 15 is formed on the surface of the second base film by CVD by using a copper organic compound as a material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Kojima, Taro Ikeda
  • Patent number: 8197729
    Abstract: A granulator, having a granulation unit having a bottom floor with a perforated plate as its bottom part; an upper air-supplying pipe for supplying a fluidizing air to the bottom floor of the granulation unit; a lower air-supplying pipe; air-spouting pipes, each of which is branched from the lower air-supplying pipe, and has an opening in the bottom floor of the perforated plate, for jetting the air into the granulation unit; and spray nozzles for spraying a granulation raw material liquid, which each are provided in the center of an air outlet of the air-spouting pipe, or a granulator, having: the bottom floor; the air-supplying pipe; and spray nozzles for spraying a granulation raw material liquid each of which are provided in an opening in the bottom floor of the perforated plate, and use a high-pressure atomizing air as an auxiliary gas, wherein, in each granulator, the spray nozzles are provided in a triangular arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Toyo Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Kojima, Takahiro Yanagawa
  • Publication number: 20120064248
    Abstract: In a method for forming a Cu film, a substrate is loaded in a processing chamber and a gaseous film-forming source material including monovalent amidinate copper and a gaseous reducing agent including a carboxylic acid are introduced into the processing chamber. Then, a Cu film is deposited on the substrate by reacting the film-forming source material and the reducing agent together on the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2011
    Publication date: March 15, 2012
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Kojima, Kenji Hiwa
  • Publication number: 20120064247
    Abstract: A film-forming source material composed of a Cu complex is supplied to a wafer, which is kept at a relatively high first temperature and has a Ru film as a film-forming base film, and initial nuclei of Cu are formed on the wafer. Then, the film-forming source material composed of the Cu complex is supplied to the wafer kept at a relatively low second temperature, and Cu is deposited on the wafer having the initial nuclei of Cu formed thereon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2011
    Publication date: March 15, 2012
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Kenji Hiwa, Yasuhiko Kojima
  • Patent number: 8133811
    Abstract: A semiconductor device, which suppresses formation of an organic impurity layer and has excellent adhesiveness to a copper film and a metal to be a base, is manufactured. A substrate (wafer W) coated with a barrier metal layer (base film) 13 formed of a metal having a high oxidation tendency, such as titanium, is placed in a processing chamber. At the time of starting to supply water vapor or after that, a material gas containing an organic compound of copper (for instance, Cu(hfac)TMVS) is supplied, and a copper film is formed on the surface of the barrier metal layer 13 whereupon the oxide layer 13a is formed by the water vapor. Then, heat treatment is performed on the wafer W, and the oxide layer 13a is converted into an alloy layer 13b of a metal and copper which constitute the barrier metal layer 13.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: Tokyo Electrcn Limited
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Kojima, Taro Ikeda, Tatsuo Hatano
  • Patent number: 8129271
    Abstract: A film forming method is provided with a substrate placing step wherein a substrate is placed in a process chamber in an airtight status; a first film forming step wherein the process chamber is supplied with water vapor and a material gas including an organic compound of copper, and an adhered layer of copper is formed on the substrate; an exhaust step wherein the water vapor and the material gas in the process chamber are exhausted; and a second film forming step wherein the process chamber is resupplied with only the material gas and a copper film is further formed on the adhered layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Kojima, Taro Ikeda, Tatsuo Hatano
  • Publication number: 20120040085
    Abstract: In a method for forming a Cu film, a wafer (W) is loaded into a chamber 1. Then, Cu(hfac)TMVS as a monovalent Cu ?-diketone complex and a reducing agent for reducing Cu(hfac)TMVS are introduced into the chamber 1 in a vapor state. Thus, a Cu film is formed on the wafer (W) by CVD.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2011
    Publication date: February 16, 2012
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Yasuhiko KOJIMA, Kenji HIWA
  • Publication number: 20120028462
    Abstract: In a method for forming a Cu film, a CVD Cu film is formed on a CVD-Ru film that is formed on a wafer W. In the method, the wafer W having the CVD-Ru film is loaded into a chamber 1, and a film-forming source material in a vapor state is introduced into the chamber 1. The film-forming source material includes Cu(hfac)TMVS that is a Cu complex having a vapor pressure higher than that of Cu(hfac)2 produced as a by-product during the film formation. When the CVD-Cu film is formed, the pressure within the chamber 1 is controlled to a pressure at which the desorption and diffusion of Cu(hfac)2 adsorbed on the surface of the CVD Ru film proceed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2011
    Publication date: February 2, 2012
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Yasuhiko KOJIMA, Kenji Hiwa
  • Patent number: 8075698
    Abstract: A substrate processing unit comprises a processing vessel for receiving a substrate, a cleaning gas supply system for supplying cleaning gas to the processing vessel so as to clean the interior of the processing vessel, an exhauster for exhausting the processing vessel, an operating state detector for detecting the operating state of the exhauster, and an end point detector for detecting the end point of the cleaning on the basis of the detection result from the operating state detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kannan, Tadahiro Ishizaka, Yasuhiko Kojima, Yasuhiro Oshima, Takashi Shigeoka
  • Publication number: 20110174630
    Abstract: A film formation method includes preparing a substrate formed a Co film as a seed layer on a surface of the substrate, applying a negative voltage to the substrate such that a surface potential of Co is lower than an oxidation potential of the Co, and in a state when the negative voltage is applied to the substrate, dipping the Co film in a plating solution mainly containing copper sulfate solution, thereby a Cu film is formed on the Co film of the substrate by electroplating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2010
    Publication date: July 21, 2011
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Kojima, Shuji Azumo
  • Patent number: 7846839
    Abstract: An adhesion between a Cu diffusion barrier film and a Cu wiring in a semiconductor device is improved and reliability of the semiconductor device is improved. A film forming method for forming a Cu film on a substrate to be processed is provided with a first process of forming an adhesion film on the Cu diffusion barrier film formed on the substrate to be processed, and a second process of forming a Cu film on the adhesion film. The adhesion film includes Pd.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Kojima, Naoki Yoshii
  • Patent number: 7827932
    Abstract: A vaporizer vaporizes a force-fed liquid source material in a depressurized atmosphere to generate a source gas and discharging the source gas together with a carrier gas. The vaporizer includes a liquid reservoir chamber for temporarily storing the force-fed liquid source material; and a vaporization chamber communicating with the liquid reservoir chamber via a valve port. Further, the vaporizer includes a valve body adapted to sit on a valve seat surrounding the valve port of the liquid reservoir chamber; an actuator for driving the valve body; a carrier gas injection hole formed at a side of the valve body facing the valve port; and a discharge port for discharging the source gas from the vaporization chamber. By virtue of a specific arrangement of the carrier gas injection hole, the liquid source material is prevented from remaining unvaporized at a downstream side of the valve port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2010
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Kojima, Tomohisa Hoshino
  • Patent number: 7815874
    Abstract: A reactor including a reactor vessel and heat exchange tubes provided in the reactor vessel. The reactor vessel includes a tubesheet and is configured to receive a reaction fluid. The tubesheet has a first plate member configured to contact the reaction fluid and a second plate member configured to not contact the reaction fluid. Heat exchange tubes are provided in the reactor vessel and fixed to the first plate member. The heat exchange tubes are configured to receive a heat exchange medium. At least a portion of the first plate member configured to contact the reaction fluid is made of a metal that has a high corrosion-resistance against the reaction liquid, and the second plate member is made of a metal that has a low corrosion-resistance against the reaction liquid. The second plate member is detachably fixed to a remainder of the reactor vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Toyo Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Kenji Sakai, Yasuhiko Kojima
  • Patent number: 7763215
    Abstract: A reactor including a reactor vessel and heat exchange tubes provided in the reactor vessel. The reactor vessel includes a tubesheet and is configured to receive a reaction fluid. The tubesheet has a first plate member configured to contact the reaction fluid and a second plate member configured to not contact the reaction fluid. Heat exchange tubes are provided in the reactor vessel and fixed to the first plate member. The heat exchange tubes are configured to receive a heat exchange medium. At least a portion of the first plate member configured to contact the reaction fluid is made of a metal that has a high corrosion-resistance against the reaction liquid, and the second plate member is made of a metal that has a low corrosion-resistance against the reaction liquid. The second plate member is detachably fixed to a remainder of the reactor vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2010
    Assignee: Toyo Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Kenji Sakai, Yasuhiko Kojima
  • Patent number: 7717061
    Abstract: A processing apparatus is disclosed which is capable of switching supplies of a raw material gas and a reducing gas alternately, while continuously forming a plasma of the reducing gas. An excitation device (12) excites a reducing gas supplied thereinto, and the excited reducing gas is supplied into a process chamber (2). A switching mechanism (20) is arranged between the excitation device (12) and the process chamber (2), and a bypass line (22) is connected to the switching mechanism (20). The switching mechanism (20) switches the flow of the excited reducing gas from the excitation device (12) between the process chamber (2) and the bypass line (22).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Tadahiro Ishizaka, Naoki Yoshii, Kohei Kawamura, Yukio Fukuda, Takashi Shigeoka, Yasuhiko Kojima, Yasuhiro Oshima, Junichi Arami, Atsushi Gomi
  • Publication number: 20100099254
    Abstract: A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, when a barrier film and a copper film are formed along a recess in an insulating film by using an alloy layer of copper and addictive metal, e.g., Mn, and copper wiring is embedded therein, reduces Mn in the copper film to suppress an increase in wiring resistance. A vacuum transfer module is connected, through a load lock chamber, to a loader module for transferring a wafer with respect to a carrier. A formic acid treatment module supplying formic acid vapor as an organic acid to the wafer and a module forming a film of Cu, e.g., by CVD are connected to the vacuum transfer module to configure an apparatus manufacturing a semiconductor. The wafer W subjected to alloy layer formation and then, e.g., to annealing is transferred into the apparatus, and treatment with formic acid is performed followed by Cu film formation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2007
    Publication date: April 22, 2010
    Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Masaki Narushima, Yasuhiko Kojima