Patents by Inventor Yoshimi Watabe
Yoshimi Watabe 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: 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: 7913752Abstract: A cooling system for a vacuum processing apparatus is provided with an internal heat conduction path for transfer of heat entering the subject body through the vacuum processing apparatus, a heat radiation path for radiation of the heat to an outside of the vacuum processing apparatus and a heat conduction path for regulation of quantity of heat transfer between the internal heat conduction path and the heat radiation path. Preferably, a heat pipe is applied to the internal heat conduction path.Type: GrantFiled: January 20, 2004Date of Patent: March 29, 2011Assignee: Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.Inventors: Masashi Ueda, Yoshimi Watabe, Shusaku Yamasaki, Kazuo Miyoshi, Hiroyuki Otsuka
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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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Patent number: 7312418Abstract: In a semiconductor thin film forming system for modifying a predetermined region of a semiconductor thin film by exposing the semiconductor thin film to a projected light patterned through a pattern formed on a photo mask, the system includes a mechanism (opt20?) for uniformizing the light for exposure in a predetermined area on the photo mask. This system can provide a crystallized silicon film having a trap state density less than 1012 cm?2 and can provide a silicon-insulating film interface exhibiting a low interface state density.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 2004Date of Patent: December 25, 2007Assignees: NEC Corporation, Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Anelva CorporationInventors: Hiroshi Tanabe, Tomoyuki Akashi, Yoshimi Watabe
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Publication number: 20070166945Abstract: In a semiconductor thin film forming system for modifying a predetermined region of a semiconductor thin film by exposing the semiconductor thin film to a projected light patterned through a pattern formed on a photo mask, the system includes a mechanism (opt20?) for uniformizing the light for exposure in a predetermined area on the photo mask. This system can provide a crystallized silicon film having a trap state density less than 1012 cm?2 and can provide a silicon-insulating film interface exhibiting a low interface state density.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 23, 2007Publication date: July 19, 2007Inventors: Hiroshi TANABE, Tomoyuki Akashi, Yoshimi Watabe
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Publication number: 20050109743Abstract: In a semiconductor thin film forming system for modifying a predetermined region of a semiconductor thin film by exposing the semiconductor thin film to a projected light patterned through a pattern formed on a photo mask, the system includes a mechanism (opt20?) for uniformizing the light for exposure in a predetermined area on the photo mask. This system can provide a crystallized silicon film having a trap state density less than 1012 cm?2 and can provide a silicon-insulating film interface exhibiting a low interface state density.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 23, 2004Publication date: May 26, 2005Inventors: Hiroshi Tanabe, Tomoyuki Akashi, Yoshimi Watabe
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Publication number: 20050067934Abstract: The object of this invention is to realize the new configuration of antenna and the electric power feeding method which substantially suppress the generation of standing wave and consequently to provide a discharge apparatus to generate plasma having an excellent uniformity, a plasma processing method for large-area substrate, and a solar cell manufactured with a high productivity.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 26, 2003Publication date: March 31, 2005Applicant: Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.Inventors: Masashi Ueda, Tomoko Takagi, Norikazu Ito, Yoshimi Watabe
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Patent number: 6861614Abstract: In a semiconductor thin film forming system for modifying a predetermined region of a semiconductor thin film by exposing the semiconductor thin film to a projected light patterned through a pattern formed on a photo mask, the system includes a mechanism (opt20?) for uniformizing the light for exposure in a predetermined area on the photo mask. This system can provide a crystallized silicon film having a trap state density less than 1012 cm?2 and can provide a silicon-insulating film interface exhibiting a low interface state density.Type: GrantFiled: July 7, 2000Date of Patent: March 1, 2005Assignees: NEC Corporation, Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd., Anelva CorporationInventors: Hiroshi Tanabe, Tomoyuki Akashi, Yoshimi Watabe
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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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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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Patent number: 6503816Abstract: A thin film forming method and apparatus forms a thin film having an excellent thickness uniformity over a substrate, particularly a large-area substrate. The thin film forming method and apparatus includes a film forming chamber in which an inductive coupling electrode having a feeding portion and a grounding portion at its two ends is arranged, a high-frequency power source for feeding a high-frequency power to the feeding portion, and a waveform generator for amplitude-modulating the high-frequency power outputted from the high-frequency power source. The amplitude-modulated high-frequency power is fed to the inductive coupling electrode to generate a plasma so that a thin film may be formed on a substrate arranged to face the inductive coupling electrode.Type: GrantFiled: April 12, 2001Date of Patent: January 7, 2003Assignees: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Anelva CorporationInventors: Norikazu Ito, Yoshimi Watabe, Akihisa Matsuda, Michio Kondo
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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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Publication number: 20010031542Abstract: The present invention is to provide a thin film forming method and apparatus which make it possible to form a thin film having an excellent thickness uniformity over a large-sized substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 12, 2001Publication date: October 18, 2001Inventors: Norikazu Ito, Yoshimi Watabe, Akihisa Matsuda, Michio Kondo
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Patent number: 6189485Abstract: A substrate is disposed in a reactor kept to be a vacuum state, a material gas is supplied into a space in front of the substrate, high-frequency electric power is supplied to the material gas to generate plasma based on electric discharge excitation in the front space of the substrate, and an amorphous silicon thin film is deposited on the substrate by chemical vapour deposition. Further, an electrode section comprising tubular electrodes supplying the material gas through a plurality of gas discharge openings, and tubular electrode sucking and evacuating gases to the outside through a plurality of gas suction openings. Thereby, a higher silane gas and the like generated during the film deposition can be removed from a reactive region immediately, and a thin film is deposited on the substrate surface with the same condition of the film deposition at any spot of the substrate surface. Consequently, the amorphous silicon thin film with film quality may be deposited on the large-area substrate.Type: GrantFiled: June 22, 1999Date of Patent: February 20, 2001Assignees: Anelva Corporation, Takeo Sato, Japan as represented by the Director General of Agency of Industrial Science and Technology, Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha, Kaneka CorporationInventors: Akihisa Matsuda, Yoshimi Watabe, Hideo Yamagishi, Masataka Kondo, Takashi Hayakawa
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Patent number: 5437895Abstract: A process for forming a thin film of amorphous silicon of a uniform thickness on a relatively large glass plate. The process comprising forming a thin film of amorphous silicon on an insulating substrate by a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition process while intermittently generating a high frequency discharge. The duration of each discharge is set shorter than the time period necessary for the DC bias voltage, which is generated on the high frequency-applying electrode side, to attain a saturated value.Type: GrantFiled: July 19, 1994Date of Patent: August 1, 1995Assignee: Anelva CorporationInventors: Akira Kodama, Yoshimi Watabe, Massashi Ueda