Patents by Inventor Yoichiro Numasawa
Yoichiro Numasawa 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: 9437768Abstract: A photoelectric conversion device with low resistance loss and high conversion efficiency is provided. The photoelectric conversion device includes a first silicon semiconductor layer and a second silicon semiconductor layer between a pair of electrodes. The first silicon semiconductor layer is provided over one surface of a crystalline silicon substrate having one conductivity type and has a conductivity type opposite to that of the crystalline silicon substrate, and the second silicon semiconductor layer is provided on the other surface of the crystalline silicon substrate and has a conductivity type which is the same as that of the crystalline silicon substrate. Further, the first silicon semiconductor layer and the second silicon semiconductor layer each have a carrier concentration varying in the film thickness direction.Type: GrantFiled: September 14, 2012Date of Patent: September 6, 2016Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.Inventors: Yoichiro Numasawa, Yasushi Maeda, Yoshikazu Hiura, Shunpei Yamazaki
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Publication number: 20120100309Abstract: A plasma treatment apparatus includes a treatment chamber covered with a chamber wall, where an upper electrode faces a lower electrode; and a line chamber separated from the treatment chamber by the upper electrode and an insulator, covered with the chamber wall, and connected to a first gas diffusion chamber between a dispersion plate and a shower plate. The first gas diffusion chamber is connected to a second gas diffusion chamber between the dispersion plate and the upper electrode. The second gas diffusion chamber is connected to a first gas pipe in the upper electrode. The upper electrode and the chamber wall are provided on the same axis. The dispersion plate includes a center portion with no gas hole and a peripheral portion with plural gas holes. The center portion faces a gas introduction port of the first gas pipe, connected to an electrode plane of the upper electrode.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 14, 2011Publication date: April 26, 2012Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.Inventors: Hidekazu MIYAIRI, Yoichiro NUMASAWA, Takayuki INOUE, Kojiro TAKAHASHI, Mitsuhiro ICHIJO
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Patent number: 8002947Abstract: A plasma treatment apparatus has a reaction vessel (11) provided with a top electrode (13) and a bottom electrode (14), and the first electrode is supplied with a VHF band high frequency power from a VHF band high frequency power source (32), while the bottom electrode on which a substrate (12) is loaded and is moved by a vertical movement mechanism. The plasma treatment system has a controller (36) which, at the time of a cleaning process after forming a film on the substrate (12), controls a vertical movement mechanism to move the bottom electrode to narrow the gap between the top electrode and bottom electrode and form a narrow space and starts cleaning by a predetermined high density plasma in that narrow space. In the cleaning process, step cleaning is performed. Due to this, the efficiency of utilization of the cleaning gas is increased, the amount of exhaust gas is cut, and the cleaning speed is raised. Further, the amount of the process gas used is cut and the process cost is reduced.Type: GrantFiled: November 3, 2008Date of Patent: August 23, 2011Assignees: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., Renesas Electronics Corporation, Ulvac, Inc., Hitachi Kokusai Electric, Inc., Tokyo Electron Limited, Kanto Denka Kogyo Co., Ltd., Canon Anelva Corproation, Panasonic CorporationInventors: Yoichiro Numasawa, Yoshimi Watabe
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Patent number: 7666763Abstract: This invention provides a substrate structure capable of controlling the threshold voltage of a MOS transistor independently of the substrate concentration and easily suppressing a short channel effect caused by reducing the channel length. A first nanosilicon film formed from nanosilicon grains having the same grain size is formed on a silicon oxide film on the surface of a silicon substrate. A silicon nitride film is formed on the first nanosilicon film. Then, a second nanosilicon film having an average grain size different from that of the first nanosilicon film is formed. A semiconductor circuit device is formed on a thus manufactured nanosilicon semiconductor substrate.Type: GrantFiled: May 28, 2008Date of Patent: February 23, 2010Assignee: Canon Anelva CorporationInventors: Yukinobu Murao, Akira Kumagai, Yoichiro Numasawa
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Publication number: 20090260974Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for manufacturing halogen gas using a plasma chemical reaction, with the features of having simplicity, practicality, and maintaining safety in handling source materials and of being able to manufacture halogen gas in the same facility where halogen gas is used, and also provides a halogen gas circulatory and recovery system capable of circulating and using halogen gas efficiently. After the gas expressed in the chemical formula AiXj (A represents metallic element or semiconductor element, X represents halogen element, and i and j represent integers) is introduced into a reaction container in vacuum, plasmas are generated in the reaction container to produce a plasma chemical reaction. Fine particles produced by the plasma chemical reaction and containing an element other than halogen element as the major constituent are removed from the reaction container so as to generate halogen gas in the reaction container.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 18, 2009Publication date: October 22, 2009Inventors: Yoichiro Numasawa, Tsutomu Tsukada
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Patent number: 7589002Abstract: An oxygen- or nitrogen-terminated silicon nanocrystalline structure is formed on a silicon substrate by forming a silicon film of fine silicon crystals and amorphous silicon on a substrate, and oxidizing or nitriding the formed silicon film with ions and radicals formed from an oxidizing gas or a nitriding gas. The oxidizing or nitriding step comprises substeps of disposing the substrate provided with the silicon film in an oxidizing or nitriding gas atmosphere within a plasma treatment chamber, and then plasma-oxiziding or plasma-nitriding the substrate provided with the silicon film by applying a high frequency electric field to the oxidizing or nitriding gas atmosphere. The method allows the particle diameter of the oxygen- or nitrogen-terminated silicon nanocrystals to be regulated to an accuracy of 1 to 2 nm, the density thereof per unit area to be increased, and the silicon nanocrystalline structure to be produced easily and inexpensively.Type: GrantFiled: May 19, 2008Date of Patent: September 15, 2009Assignee: Anelva CorporationInventors: Yoichiro Numasawa, Yukinobu Murao
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Patent number: 7530359Abstract: A plasma treatment apparatus has a reaction vessel (11) provided with a top electrode (13) and a bottom electrode (14), and the first electrode is supplied with a VHF band high frequency power from a VHF band high frequency power source (32), while the bottom electrode on which a substrate (12) is loaded and is moved by a vertical movement mechanism. The plasma treatment system has a controller (36) which, at the time of a cleaning process after forming a film on the substrate (12), controls a vertical movement mechanism to move the bottom electrode to narrow the gap between the top electrode and bottom electrode and form a narrow space and starts cleaning by a predetermined high density plasma in that narrow space. In the cleaning process, step cleaning is performed. Due to this, the efficiency of utilization of the cleaning gas is increased, the amount of exhaust gas is cut, and the cleaning speed is raised. Further, the amount of the process gas used is cut and the process cost is reduced.Type: GrantFiled: May 16, 2002Date of Patent: May 12, 2009Assignees: Canon Anelva Corporation, Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., Renesas Technology Corporation, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Ulvac, Inc., Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc., Tokyo Electron Limited, Kanto Denka Kogyo Co., Ltd.Inventors: Yoichiro Numasawa, Yoshimi Watabe
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Publication number: 20090095217Abstract: A plasma treatment apparatus has a reaction vessel (11) provided with a top electrode (13) and a bottom electrode (14), and the first electrode is supplied with a VHF band high frequency power from a VHF band high frequency power source (32), while the bottom electrode on which a substrate (12) is loaded and is moved by a vertical movement mechanism. The plasma treatment system has a controller (36) which, at the time of a cleaning process after forming a film on the substrate (12), controls a vertical movement mechanism to move the bottom electrode to narrow the gap between the top electrode and bottom electrode and form a narrow space and starts cleaning by a predetermined high density plasma in that narrow space. In the cleaning process, step cleaning is performed. Due to this, the efficiency of utilization of the cleaning gas is increased, the amount of exhaust gas is cut, and the cleaning speed is raised. Further, the amount of the process gas used is cut and the process cost is reduced.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 3, 2008Publication date: April 16, 2009Applicant: Canon Anelva CorporationInventors: Yoichiro Numasawa, Yoshimi Watabe
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Publication number: 20080296579Abstract: This invention provides a substrate structure capable of controlling the threshold voltage of a MOS transistor independently of the substrate concentration and easily suppressing a short channel effect caused by reducing the channel length. A first nanosilicon film formed from nanosilicon grains having the same grain size is formed on a silicon oxide film on the surface of a silicon substrate. A silicon nitride film is formed on the first nanosilicon film. Then, a second nanosilicon film having an average grain size different from that of the first nanosilicon film is formed. A semiconductor circuit device is formed on a thus manufactured nanosilicon semiconductor substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 28, 2008Publication date: December 4, 2008Applicant: CANON ANELVA CORPORATIONInventors: YUKINOBU MURAO, AKIRA KUMAGAI, YOICHIRO NUMASAWA
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Publication number: 20080230781Abstract: A substrate is set at a predetermined temperature in a plasma treatment chamber, then the inside of the plasma treatment chamber is regulated at a reduced pressure containing at least a silicon hydride gas and a hydrogen gas, a high-frequency electric field is applied to form a silicon film of nanometer scale thickness composed of fine silicon crystals and amorphous silicon on the substrate. Thereafter, application of the high-frequency electric field is terminated, then the inside of the plasma treatment chamber is replaced by an oxidizing or nitriding gas, and a high-frequency electric field is applied again for plasma oxidizing treatment or plasma nitriding treatment of the silicon film formed on the substrate. Thereby, a silicon nanocrystalline structure can be formed on a silicon substrate by using a process of producing silicon integrated circuits with achieving high luminous efficiency, and terminating reliably with oxygen or nitrogen on the surface thereof.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 19, 2008Publication date: September 25, 2008Inventors: Yoichiro Numasawa, Yukinobu Murao
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Publication number: 20070262307Abstract: A substrate is set at a predetermined temperature in a plasma treatment chamber, then the inside of the plasma treatment chamber is regulated at a reduced pressure containing at least a silicon hydride gas and a hydrogen gas, a high-frequency electric field is applied to form a silicon film of nanometer scale thickness composed of fine silicon crystals and amorphous silicon on the substrate. Thereafter, application of the high-frequency electric field is terminated, then the inside of the plasma treatment chamber is replaced by an oxidizing or nitriding gas, and a high-frequency electric field is applied again for plasma oxidizing treatment or plasma nitriding treatment of the silicon film formed on the substrate. Thereby, a silicon nanocrystalline structure can be formed on a silicon substrate by using a process of producing silicon integrated circuits with achieving high luminous efficiency, and terminating reliably with oxygen or nitrogen on the surface thereof.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 16, 2007Publication date: November 15, 2007Inventors: Yoichiro Numasawa, Yukinobu Murao
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Publication number: 20070086939Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for manufacturing halogen gas using a plasma chemical reaction, with the features of having simplicity, practicality, and maintaining safety in handling source materials and of being able to manufacture halogen gas in the same facility where halogen gas is used, and also provides a halogen gas circulatory and recovery system capable of circulating and using halogen gas efficiently. After the gas expressed in the chemical formula AiXj (A represents metallic element or semiconductor element, X represents halogen element, and i and j represent integers) is introduced into a reaction container in vacuum, plasmas are generated in the reaction container to produce a plasma chemical reaction. Fine particles produced by the plasma chemical reaction and containing an element other than halogen element as the major constituent are removed from the reaction container so as to generate halogen gas in the reaction container.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 15, 2006Publication date: April 19, 2007Inventors: Yoichiro Numasawa, Tsutomu Tsukada
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Publication number: 20060276055Abstract: A substrate is set at a predetermined temperature in a plasma treatment chamber, then the inside of the plasma treatment chamber is regulated at a reduced pressure containing at least a silicon hydride gas and a hydrogen gas, a high-frequency electric field is applied to form a silicon film of nanometer scale thickness composed of fine silicon crystals and amorphous silicon on the substrate. Thereafter, application of the high-frequency electric field is terminated, then the inside of the plasma treatment chamber is replaced by an oxidizing or nitriding gas, and a high-frequency electric field is applied again for plasma oxidizing treatment or plasma nitriding treatment of the silicon film formed on the substrate. Thereby, a silicon nanocrystalline structure can be formed on a silicon substrate by using a process of producing silicon integrated circuits with achieving high luminous efficiency, and terminating reliably with oxygen or nitrogen on the surface thereof.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 22, 2003Publication date: December 7, 2006Inventors: Yoichiro Numasawa, Yukinobu Murao
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Patent number: 7091138Abstract: A forming method and a forming apparatus of nanocrystalline silicon structure makes it possible to prepare a nanocrystalline silicon structure at a low temperature to have densely packed silicon crystal grains which are stably terminated and to effectively control the grain size in nanometer scale. A forming method and a forming apparatus of nanocrystalline silicon structure with oxide or nitride termination, carry out a first step of treating a surface of a substrate with hydrogen radical; a second step of depositing silicon crystals having a grain size of 10 nm or less by the thermal reaction of a silicon-containing gas; and a third step of terminating the surface of the silicon crystal with oxygen or nitrogen by using one of oxygen gas, oxygen radical and nitrogen radical.Type: GrantFiled: August 27, 2004Date of Patent: August 15, 2006Assignees: Anelva CorporationInventors: Yoichiro Numasawa, Nobuyoshi Koshida
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Publication number: 20050048796Abstract: A forming method and a forming apparatus of nanocrystalline silicon structure makes it possible to prepare a nanocrystalline silicon structure at a low temperature to have densely packed silicon crystal grains which are stably terminated and to effectively control the grain size in nanometer scale. A forming method and a forming apparatus of nanocrystalline silicon structure with oxide or nitride termination, carry out a first step of treating a surface of a substrate with hydrogen radical; a second step of depositing silicon crystals having a grain size of 10 nm or less by the thermal reaction of a silicon-containing gas; and a third step of terminating the surface of the silicon crystal with oxygen or nitrogen by using one of oxygen gas, oxygen radical and nitrogen radical.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 27, 2004Publication date: March 3, 2005Applicant: ANELVA CorporationInventors: Yoichiro Numasawa, Nobuyoshi Koshida
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Publication number: 20040149386Abstract: A plasma treatment apparatus has a reaction vessel (11) provided with a top electrode (13) and a bottom electrode (14), and the first electrode is supplied with a VHF band high frequency power from a VHF band high frequency power source (32), while the bottom electrode on which a substrate (12) is loaded and is moved by a vertical movement mechanism. The plasma treatment system has a controller (36) which, at the time of a cleaning process after forming a film on the substrate (12), controls a vertical movement mechanism to move the bottom electrode to narrow the gap between the top electrode and bottom electrode and form a narrow space and starts cleaning by a predetermined high density plasma in that narrow space. In the cleaning process, step cleaning is performed. Due to this, the efficiency of utilization of the cleaning gas is increased, the amount of exhaust gas is cut, and the cleaning speed is raised. Further, the amount of the process gas used is cut and the process cost is reduced.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 12, 2003Publication date: August 5, 2004Inventors: Yoichiro Numasawa, Yoshimi Watabe
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Publication number: 20040035691Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for manufacturing halogen gas using a plasma chemical reaction, with the features of having simplicity, practicality, and maintaining safety in handling source materials and of being able to manufacture halogen gas in the same facility where halogen gas is used, and also provides a halogen gas circulatory and recovery system capable of circulating and using halogen gas efficiently. After the gas expressed in the chemical formula AiXj (A represents metallic element or semiconductor element, X represents halogen element, and i and j represent integers) is introduced into a reaction container in vacuum, plasmas are generated in the reaction container to produce a plasma chemical reaction. Fine particles produced by the plasma chemical reaction and containing an element other than halogen element as the major constituent are removed from the reaction container so as to generate halogen gas in the reaction container.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 19, 2003Publication date: February 26, 2004Inventors: Yoichiro Numasawa, Tsutomu Tsukada
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Patent number: 6664496Abstract: A plasma processing system is comprised of a reaction vessel in which are provided a parallel high frequency electrode and ground electrode. The ground electrode is fixed at a ground potential portion, that is, a flange, by a conductive support column. A connection portion from the ground electrode to the ground potential portion, for example, the portions other than the surface of the ground electrode and the surface of the support column etc. are covered by an insulator serving as a high frequency power propagator while the surface of the insulator is covered completely by a conductive member except at the portion for introducing the high frequency power. In this plasma processing system, it is possible to reliably prevent undesirable discharge from occurring at the rear surface of the ground electrode when processing a substrate mounted on the ground electrode to deposit a film using a high frequency power in the VHF band.Type: GrantFiled: March 28, 2002Date of Patent: December 16, 2003Assignee: Anelva CorporationInventors: Yoshimi Watabe, Shinya Hasegawa, Yoichiro Numasawa, Yukito Nakagawa
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Publication number: 20020144980Abstract: A plasma processing system is comprised of a reaction vessel in which are provided a parallel high frequency electrode and ground electrode. The ground electrode is fixed at a ground potential portion, that is, a flange, by a conductive support column. A connection portion from the ground electrode to the ground potential portion, for example, the portions other than the surface of the ground electrode and the surface of the support column etc. are covered by an insulator serving as a high frequency power propagator while the surface of the insulator is covered completely by a conductive member except at the portion for introducing the high frequency power. In this plasma processing system, it is possible to reliably prevent undesirable discharge from occurring at the rear surface of the ground electrode when processing a substrate mounted on the ground electrode to deposit a film using a high frequency power in the VHF band.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 28, 2002Publication date: October 10, 2002Applicant: ANELVA CORPORATIONInventors: Yoshimi Watabe, Shinya Hasegawa, Yoichiro Numasawa, Yukito Nakagawa
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Patent number: 6083361Abstract: A sputtering device includes a sputter chamber equipped with a vacuum pump system; a metal target provided inside the sputter chamber; a sputtering power source for producing a sputter discharge and sputtering the target to create sputter particles; a substrate holder for holding a substrate in the position where the sputter particles land; and a gas introduction device for introducing into the sputter chamber a reactive gas that reacts with the sputter particles released from the target, and produces a compound that has a lower sticking characteristic to a special region of the substrate than do the sputter particles alone, wherein the compound can be dissociated in another region of the substrate.Type: GrantFiled: January 26, 1998Date of Patent: July 4, 2000Assignee: Anelva CorporationInventors: Masahiko Kobayashi, Yoichiro Numasawa