Patents by Inventor Yukiko Kitajima

Yukiko Kitajima 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).

  • Patent number: 9437416
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a supercritical drying method for a semiconductor substrate includes introducing a semiconductor substrate formed with a metal film into a chamber, the surface of the substrate being wet with alcohol, supplying a supercritical fluid of carbon dioxide into the chamber, setting a temperature inside the chamber to a predetermined temperature, to replace the alcohol on the semiconductor substrate with the supercritical fluid, and discharging the supercritical fluid and the alcohol from the chamber while keeping the temperature inside the chamber at the predetermined temperature, to lower a pressure inside the chamber. The predetermined temperature is not lower than 75° C. but lower than a critical temperature of the alcohol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hidekazu Hayashi, Hiroshi Tomita, Yukiko Kitajima, Hisashi Okuchi, Yohei Sato
  • Publication number: 20140174482
    Abstract: In one embodiment, after rinsing a semiconductor substrate having a fine pattern formed thereon with pure water, the pure water staying on the semiconductor substrate is substituted with a water soluble organic solvent, and then, the semiconductor substrate is introduced into a chamber in a state wet with the water soluble organic solvent. Then, the water soluble organic solvent is turned into a supercritical state by increasing a temperature inside of the chamber. Thereafter, the inside of the chamber is reduced in pressure while keeping the inside of the chamber at a temperature enough not to liquefy the pure water (i.e., rinsing pure water mixed into the water soluble organic solvent), and further, the water soluble organic solvent in the supercritical state is changed into a gaseous state, to be discharged from the chamber, so that the semiconductor substrate is dried.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2014
    Publication date: June 26, 2014
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Yohei Sato, Hisashi Okuchi, Hiroshi Tomita, Hidekazu Hayashi, Yukiko Kitajima
  • Patent number: 8709170
    Abstract: In one embodiment, after rinsing a semiconductor substrate having a fine pattern formed thereon with pure water, the pure water staying on the semiconductor substrate is substituted with a water soluble organic solvent, and then, the semiconductor substrate is introduced into a chamber in a state wet with the water soluble organic solvent. Then, the water soluble organic solvent is turned into a supercritical state by increasing a temperature inside of the chamber. Thereafter, the inside of the chamber is reduced in pressure while keeping the inside of the chamber at a temperature enough not to liquefy the pure water (i.e., rinsing pure water mixed into the water soluble organic solvent), and further, the water soluble organic solvent in the supercritical state is changed into a gaseous state, to be discharged from the chamber, so that the semiconductor substrate is dried.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Yohei Sato, Hisashi Okuchi, Hiroshi Tomita, Hidekazu Hayashi, Yukiko Kitajima
  • Patent number: 8372212
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a supercritical drying method comprises cleaning a semiconductor substrate with a chemical solution, rinsing the semiconductor substrate with pure water after the cleaning, changing a liquid covering a surface of the semiconductor substrate from the pure water to alcohol by supplying the alcohol to the surface after the rinsing, guiding the semiconductor substrate having the surface wetted with the alcohol into a chamber, discharging oxygen from the chamber by supplying an inert gas into the chamber, putting the alcohol into a supercritical state by increasing temperature in the chamber to a critical temperature of the alcohol or higher after the discharge of the oxygen, and discharging the alcohol from the chamber by lowering pressure in the chamber and changing the alcohol from the supercritical state to a gaseous state. The chamber contains SUS. An inner wall face of the chamber is subjected to electrolytic polishing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Yohei Sato, Hisashi Okuchi, Hiroshi Tomita, Hidekazu Hayashi, Yukiko Kitajima, Takayuki Toshima, Mitsuaki Iwashita, Kazuyuki Mitsuoka, Gen You, Hiroki Ohno, Takehiko Orii
  • Patent number: 8294282
    Abstract: The present invention provides a semiconductor device which comprises a substrate, a first semiconductor chip on a substrate, a second semiconductor chip on the first semiconductor chip, and an adhesive sheet between the first and second semiconductor chips. The second semiconductor chip has a mirrored back surface, and the adhesive sheet contains a metal impurity ion trapping agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hidekazu Hayashi, Hiroshi Tomita, Junya Sagara, Shinya Takyu, Norihiro Togasaki, Tetsuya Kurosawa, Yukiko Kitajima
  • Publication number: 20120247516
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a supercritical drying method comprises cleaning a semiconductor substrate with a chemical solution, rinsing the semiconductor substrate with pure water after the cleaning, changing a liquid covering a surface of the semiconductor substrate from the pure water to alcohol by supplying the alcohol to the surface after the rinsing, guiding the semiconductor substrate having the surface wetted with the alcohol into a chamber, discharging oxygen from the chamber by supplying an inert gas into the chamber, putting the alcohol into a supercritical state by increasing temperature in the chamber to a critical temperature of the alcohol or higher after the discharge of the oxygen, and discharging the alcohol from the chamber by lowering pressure in the chamber and changing the alcohol from the supercritical state to a gaseous state. The chamber contains SUS. An inner wall face of the chamber is subjected to electrolytic polishing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2012
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Inventors: Yohei SATO, Hisashi OKUCHI, Hiroshi TOMITA, Hidekazu HAYASHI, Yukiko KITAJIMA, Takayuki TOSHIMA, Mitsuaki IWASHITA, Kazuyuki MITSUOKA, Gen YOU, Hiroki OHNO, Takehiko ORII
  • Publication number: 20120240426
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a supercritical drying method for a semiconductor substrate includes introducing a semiconductor substrate formed with a metal film into a chamber, the surface of the substrate being wet with alcohol, supplying a supercritical fluid of carbon dioxide into the chamber, setting a temperature inside the chamber to a predetermined temperature, to replace the alcohol on the semiconductor substrate with the supercritical fluid, and discharging the supercritical fluid and the alcohol from the chamber while keeping the temperature inside the chamber at the predetermined temperature, to lower a pressure inside the chamber. The predetermined temperature is not lower than 75° C. but lower than a critical temperature of the alcohol.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2011
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Inventors: Hidekazu HAYASHI, Hiroshi Tomita, Yukiko Kitajima, Hisashi Okuchi, Yohei Sato
  • Publication number: 20120186097
    Abstract: Certain embodiments provide a supercritical drying device, comprising a sealable first vessel; a fluorine adsorbent provided inside the first vessel; a second vessel being provided inside the first vessel and housing a semiconductor substrate; a heater heating the inside of the first vessel; a pipe connected to the first vessel; and a valve provided on the pipe. Free fluorine generated by heating a fluorine containing solvent is adsorbed to the fluorine adsorbent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2011
    Publication date: July 26, 2012
    Inventors: Hidekazu HAYASHI, Hiroshi Tomita, Hisashi Okuchi, Yohei Sato, Yukiko Kitajima
  • Publication number: 20120118332
    Abstract: In one embodiment, after rinsing a semiconductor substrate having a fine pattern formed thereon with pure water, the pure water staying on the semiconductor substrate is substituted with a water soluble organic solvent, and then, the semiconductor substrate is introduced into a chamber in a state wet with the water soluble organic solvent. Then, the water soluble organic solvent is turned into a supercritical state by increasing a temperature inside of the chamber. Thereafter, the inside of the chamber is reduced in pressure while keeping the inside of the chamber at a temperature enough not to liquefy the pure water (i.e., rinsing pure water mixed into the water soluble organic solvent), and further, the water soluble organic solvent in the supercritical state is changed into a gaseous state, to be discharged from the chamber, so that the semiconductor substrate is dried.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2011
    Publication date: May 17, 2012
    Inventors: Yohei SATO, Hisashi Okuchi, Hiroshi Tomita, Hidekazu Hayashi, Yukiko Kitajima
  • Publication number: 20120048304
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, a supercritical drying method includes: introducing a semiconductor substrate of which a surface is wet with a supercritical displacement solvent into a chamber; supplying a first supercritical fluid being based on first carbon dioxide to the chamber; supplying a second supercritical fluid which is based on second carbon dioxide to the chamber, after the supplying of the first supercritical fluid; and lowering an inside pressure of the chamber to gasify the second supercritical fluid and to discharge the gasified second supercritical fluid from the chamber. The first carbon dioxide is generated by recovering and recycling the carbon dioxide discharged from the chamber. The second carbon dioxide contains no supercritical displacement solvent or contains the supercritical displacement solvent in a concentration lower than that in the first carbon dioxide.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2011
    Publication date: March 1, 2012
    Inventors: Yukiko KITAJIMA, Hiroshi TOMITA, Hidekazu HAYASHI, Hisashi OKUCHI, Yohei SATO
  • Publication number: 20110314689
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a semiconductor substrate whose surface is wet with a chemical solution (solvent) and formed with patterns having an aspect ratio of 10 or more is loaded into a chamber. Then, while the chemical solution (solvent) remains on the semiconductor substrate, its temperature is increased to a predetermined temperature in the range of 160° C. or more and less than the critical temperature of the chemical solution (solvent), and the evaporated chemical solution (solvent) is discharged from the chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2010
    Publication date: December 29, 2011
    Inventors: Hisashi OKUCHI, Yohei SATO, Hidekazu HAYASHI, Hiroshi TOMITA, Yukiko KITAJIMA
  • Publication number: 20110289793
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a semiconductor substrate having a surface wetted with a chemical solution is introduced into a chamber, and a supercritical fluid is supplied into the chamber. The temperature in the chamber is adjusted to the critical temperature of the chemical solution or higher, so that the chemical solution is put into a supercritical state. The pressure in the chamber is then lowered, and the chemical solution in the critical state is turned into gaseous matter. The gaseous matter is then discharged from the chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2010
    Publication date: December 1, 2011
    Inventors: Hidekazu HAYASHI, Hiroshi Tomita, Hisashi Okuchi, Yohei Sato, Yukiko Kitajima
  • Publication number: 20110220152
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a substrate having a plurality of adjacent patterns on one surface thereof is cleaned by cleaning liquid. Subsequently, after the cleaning liquid is displaced with pure water, the pure water is displaced with displacement liquid. Under a condition that the displacement liquid among the patterns does not vaporize, the displacement liquid not contributing to prevention of collapse of the patterns is removed. After the displacement liquid is removed, the substrate is held in supercritical fluid and the displacement liquid among the patterns is displaced with the supercritical fluid. After the displacement liquid among the patterns is displaced with the supercritical fluid, the supercritical fluid adhering to the substrate is vaporized.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2010
    Publication date: September 15, 2011
    Inventors: Yukiko KITAJIMA, Hisashi Okuchi, Hiroshi Tomita, Hidekazu Hayashi, Tatsuhiko Koide
  • Publication number: 20110068480
    Abstract: The present invention provides a semiconductor device which comprises a substrate, a first semiconductor chip on a substrate, a second semiconductor chip on the first semiconductor chip, and an adhesive sheet between the first and second semiconductor chips. The second semiconductor chip has a mirrored back surface, and the adhesive sheet contains a metal impurity ion trapping agent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2010
    Publication date: March 24, 2011
    Inventors: Hidekazu Hayashi, Hiroshi Tomita, Junya Sagara, Shinya Takyu, Norihiro Togasaki, Tetsuya Kurosawa, Yukiko Kitajima