Patents by Inventor Yuko Otani

Yuko Otani 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: 20240280520
    Abstract: The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a technology which enables, in a step for analyzing a defect of an element, identification of the position of the defect even in a case where the defect is thin or there is an influence of contamination. An inspection apparatus according to the present disclosure irradiates a first region including a defect of a sample with a low-energy first electron beam and then generates a second electron beam image obtained by irradiating a second region including the first region with a high-energy second electron beam, and identifies the position of the first region in the second electron beam image, thereby identifying the position of the defect.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2021
    Publication date: August 22, 2024
    Inventors: Takashi HIROI, Yuko OTANI, Yuya ISOMAE, Muneyuki FUKUDA, Masakazu KANEZAWA
  • Publication number: 20240231064
    Abstract: Provided is a highly reliable optical filtering device used as a spatial filter for an optical inspection apparatus and configured to prevent a shutter from sticking to a wall surface of a shutter opening. The optical filtering device includes the shutter openable and closeable by voltage control and a substrate having the shutter opening serving as a movable range of the shutter, in which the substrate includes a sticking prevention part configured to prevent the shutter from sticking to the wall surface of the shutter opening when the shutter is opened.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2021
    Publication date: July 11, 2024
    Inventors: Yasuhiro YOSHIMURA, Masatoshi KANAMARU, Takanori AONO, Hitoyuki TOMOTSUNE, Yuko OTANI, Nobuhiko KANZAKI
  • Patent number: 11982631
    Abstract: A defect detection device including an illumination optical system, an image capturing optical system configured to capture an image of scattered light generated by the illumination optical system irradiating the wafer, and an image processing unit configured to process a picture of the image of the scattered light to extract a defect on the wafer. The image capturing optical system includes an objective lens, a filter unit configured to shield a part of light transmitted through the objective lens, and an imaging lens configured to form an image of light transmitted through the filter unit. The filter unit includes a first microlens array configured to condense parallel light transmitted through the objective lens, a shutter array including a light transmission unit at a focus position of the first microlens array, and a second microlens array disposed opposite to the first microlens array with respect to the shutter array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2024
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECH CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuko Otani, Kazuo Aoki, Shunichi Matsumoto, Yuta Urano
  • Publication number: 20240134175
    Abstract: Provided is a highly reliable optical filtering device used as a spatial filter for an optical inspection apparatus and configured to prevent a shutter from sticking to a wall surface of a shutter opening. The optical filtering device includes the shutter openable and closeable by voltage control and a substrate having the shutter opening serving as a movable range of the shutter, in which the substrate includes a sticking prevention part configured to prevent the shutter from sticking to the wall surface of the shutter opening when the shutter is opened.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2021
    Publication date: April 25, 2024
    Inventors: Yasuhiro YOSHIMURA, Masatoshi KANAMARU, Takanori AONO, Hitoyuki TOMOTSUNE, Yuko OTANI, Nobuhiko KANZAKI
  • Patent number: 11802841
    Abstract: The invention is to provide a defect detection device capable of using a compact optical system to detect a plurality of types of defects with high sensitivity and high speed. The defect detection device includes an irradiation system that irradiates light onto an object to be inspected; an optical system that forms scattered light produced by a light irradiation into an image; a microlens array disposed at an image plane of the optical system; an imaging element that is disposed at a position offset from the imaging plane of the optical system and that images light that passes through the microlens array; a mask image storage unit that stores a plurality of mask images generated for each type of defect or each defect direction; and a calculation unit that carries out mask processing on an image obtained from the imaging element using the plurality of mask images and carries out defect detection processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECH CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuji Takagi, Yuko Otani
  • Publication number: 20220308331
    Abstract: Regarding a microscope system, a technique capable of suitably achieving a focusing on a surface of a sample is provided. The microscope system includes an irradiation optical system (laser light source 101 or the like) that irradiates a surface of a sample 3 on a stage 104 with light from an oblique direction, an observation optical system (camera 112 or the like) that forms an image of scattered light from the surface of the sample 3, a focus mechanism (piezo stage 106 or the like) that changes a height position of focus with respect to the surface of the sample 3, and a computer system 100 that acquires an image from the observation optical system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2022
    Publication date: September 29, 2022
    Inventors: Nobuhiko KANZAKI, Yuko OTANI
  • Publication number: 20220155240
    Abstract: A defect detection device including an illumination optical system, an image capturing optical system configured to capture an image of scattered light generated by the illumination optical system irradiating the wafer, and an image processing unit configured to process a picture of the image of the scattered light to extract a defect on the wafer. The image capturing optical system includes an objective lens, a filter unit configured to shield a part of light transmitted through the objective lens, and an imaging lens configured to form an image of light transmitted through the filter unit. The filter unit includes a first microlens array configured to condense parallel light transmitted through the objective lens, a shutter array including a light transmission unit at a focus position of the first microlens array, and a second microlens array disposed opposite to the first microlens array with respect to the shutter array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2019
    Publication date: May 19, 2022
    Inventors: Yuko Otani, Kazuo Aoki, Shunichi Matsumoto, Yuta Urano
  • Publication number: 20210109035
    Abstract: The invention is to provide a defect detection device capable of using a compact optical system to detect a plurality of types of defects with high sensitivity and high speed. The defect detection device includes an irradiation system that irradiates light onto an object to be inspected; an optical system that forms scattered light produced by a light irradiation into an image; a microlens array disposed at an image plane of the optical system; an imaging element that is disposed at a position offset from the imaging plane of the optical system and that images light that passes through the microlens array; a mask image storage unit that stores a plurality of mask images generated for each type of defect or each defect direction; and a calculation unit that carries out mask processing on an image obtained from the imaging element using the plurality of mask images and carries out defect detection processing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2018
    Publication date: April 15, 2021
    Inventors: Yuji Takagi, Yuko Otani
  • Patent number: 10770260
    Abstract: A defect observation device detects a defect with high accuracy regardless of a defect size. One imaging configuration for observing an observation target on a sample is selected from an optical microscope, an optical microscope, and an electron microscope, and an imaging condition of the selected imaging configuration is controlled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuko Otani, Yohei Minekawa, Takashi Nobuhara, Nobuhiko Kanzaki, Takehiro Hirai, Miyuki Fukuda, Yuya Isomae, Kaori Yaeshima, Yuji Takagi
  • Patent number: 10642164
    Abstract: Provided is a defect detection device including an illumination unit including a condenser lens and a plurality of light beam synthesis units, and a detection unit detecting scattered light generated on a sample by the illumination unit. The condenser lens condenses a plurality of light beams, emitted onto the sample and having substantially the same wavelength and substantially the same polarization, on the sample. The plurality of light beam synthesis units bring the plurality of light beams close to each other and make the light beams have light paths parallel to the optical axis of the condenser lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuko Otani, Kazuo Aoki, Toshifumi Honda, Nobuhiko Kanzaki
  • Patent number: 10593062
    Abstract: A defect observation apparatus includes a storage unit configured to store defect information about defects detected by an external inspection apparatus; a first imaging unit configured to capture an image of a defect using a first imaging condition and a second imaging condition; a control unit configured to correct positional information on the defect using the image captured with the first imaging unit; and a second imaging unit configured to capture an image of the defect based on the corrected positional information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuko Otani, Kazuo Aoki, Yohei Minekawa
  • Patent number: 10436576
    Abstract: To review minute defects that were buried in roughness scattered light with an observation device provided with a dark-field microscope, a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and a control unit, the present invention configures the dark-field microscope by installing a filter for blocking a portion of the scattered light, an imaging lens for focusing the scattered light that has passed through the filter, and a detector for dividing the image of the scattered light focused by the imaging lens into the polarization directions converted by a wavelength plate and detecting the resulting images, and the control has a calculation unit for determining the position of a defect candidate detected by another inspection device using the plurality of images separated into polarization directions and detected by the detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yohei Minekawa, Yuko Otani, Yuji Takagi
  • Patent number: 10401300
    Abstract: A defect observation method for observing a defect on a sample detected by another inspection device with a scanning electron microscope including the steps of: optically detecting the defect using the position information for the defect: illuminating the sample including the defect with an illumination intensity pattern having periodic intensity variation in two dimensions by irradiating a plurality of illumination light beams onto the surface of the sample while phase modulating the light beams in a single direction and successively moving the light beams in small movements in a direction different from the single direction, imaging the surface of the sample that is illuminated by the illumination intensity pattern having periodic intensity variation in two dimensions and includes the defect detected by the other inspection device, and detecting the defect detected by the other inspection device from the image obtained through the imaging of the surface of the sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Yuko Otani, Yuta Urano, Toshifumi Honda
  • Publication number: 20190237296
    Abstract: A defect observation device detects a defect with high accuracy regardless of a defect size. One imaging configuration for observing an observation target on a sample is selected from an optical microscope, an optical microscope, and an electron microscope, and an imaging condition of the selected imaging configuration is controlled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2019
    Publication date: August 1, 2019
    Applicant: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuko OTANI, Yohei MINEKAWA, Takashi NOBUHARA, Nobuhiko KANZAKI, Takehiro HIRAI, Miyuki FUKUDA, Yuya ISOMAE, Kaori YAESHIMA, Yuji TAKAGI
  • Patent number: 10267745
    Abstract: The disclosed device, which, using an electron microscope or the like, minutely observes defects detected by an optical appearance-inspecting device or an optical defect-inspecting device, can reliably insert a defect to be observed into the field of an electron microscope or the like, and can be a device of smaller scale. The electron microscope, which observes defects detected by an optical appearance-inspecting device or an optical defect-inspecting device, has a configuration incorporating an optimal microscope that re-detects defects, and a spatial filter and a distribution polarization element are inserted at the pupil plane when making dark-field observations using this optical microscope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuko Otani, Takehiro Tachizaki, Masahiro Watanabe, Shunichi Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 10228332
    Abstract: A defect inspection method includes irradiating a sample with laser, condensing and detecting scattered light beams, processing signals that detectors have detected and extracting a defect on a sample surface, and outputting information on the extracted defect. Detection of the scattered light beams is performed by condensing the scattered light beams, adjusting polarization directions of the condensed scattered light beams, mutually separating the light beams depending on the polarization direction, and detecting the light beams by a plurality of detectors. Extraction of the defect is performed by processing output signals from the detectors by multiplying each detection signal by a gain, discriminating between a noise and the defect, and detecting the defect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Toshifumi Honda, Yuta Urano, Shunichi Matsumoto, Taketo Ueno, Yuko Otani
  • Publication number: 20180088469
    Abstract: Provided is a defect detection device including an illumination unit including a condenser lens and a plurality of light beam synthesis units, and a detection unit detecting scattered light generated on a sample by the illumination unit. The condenser lens condenses a plurality of light beams, emitted onto the sample and having substantially the same wavelength and substantially the same polarization, on the sample. The plurality of light beam synthesis units bring the plurality of light beams close to each other and make the light beams have light paths parallel to the optical axis of the condenser lens.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Publication date: March 29, 2018
    Inventors: Yuko OTANI, Kazuo AOKI, Toshifumi HONDA, Nobuhiko KANZAKI
  • Patent number: 9856278
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a lysophosphatidylserine derivative or a salt thereof. The present invention provides a lysophosphatidylserine derivative or a salt thereof, or a pharmaceutical composition or a lysophosphatidylserine receptor function modulator comprising said compound or a salt thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO
    Inventors: Tomohiko Ohwada, Sho Nakamura, Sejin Jung, Yuko Otani, Misa Sayama, Junken Aoki
  • Publication number: 20170363547
    Abstract: The disclosed device, which, using an electron microscope or the like, minutely observes defects detected by an optical appearance-inspecting device or an optical defect-inspecting device, can reliably insert a defect to be observed into the field of an electron microscope or the like, and can be a device of smaller scale. The electron microscope, which observes defects detected by an optical appearance-inspecting device or an optical defect-inspecting device, has a configuration incorporating an optimal microscope that re-detects defects, and a spatial filter and a distribution polarization element are inserted at the pupil plane when making dark-field observations using this optical microscope.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2017
    Publication date: December 21, 2017
    Applicant: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuko Otani, Takehiro Tachizaki, Masahiro Watanabe, Shunichi Matsumoto
  • Publication number: 20170328842
    Abstract: Provided are a defect observation method and a defect observation device which detect a defect from an image obtained by imaging the defect on a sample with an optical microscope by using positional information of the defect on the sample detected by a different inspection device to correct the positional information of the defect and observe in detail the defect on the sample with a scanning electron microscope using the corrected positional information. The defect observation method includes detecting the defect from the image to correct the positional information of the defect, switching a spatially-distributed optical element of a detection optical system of the optical microscope according to the defect to be detected, and changing an image acquisition condition for acquiring the image and an image processing condition for detecting the defect from the image according to a type of the switched spatially-distributed optical element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2015
    Publication date: November 16, 2017
    Applicant: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuko Otani, Yuji Takagi, Hideki Nakayama