Patents by Inventor Yutaka Okazaki

Yutaka Okazaki 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: 20120276694
    Abstract: A semiconductor device using an oxide semiconductor is provided with stable electric characteristics to improve the reliability. In a manufacturing process of a transistor including an oxide semiconductor film, an oxide semiconductor film containing a crystal having a c-axis which is substantially perpendicular to a top surface thereof (also called a first crystalline oxide semiconductor film) is formed; oxygen is added to the oxide semiconductor film to amorphize at least part of the oxide semiconductor film, so that an amorphous oxide semiconductor film containing an excess of oxygen is formed; an aluminum oxide film is formed over the amorphous oxide semiconductor film; and heat treatment is performed thereon to crystallize at least part of the amorphous oxide semiconductor film, so that an oxide semiconductor film containing a crystal having a c-axis which is substantially perpendicular to a top surface thereof (also called a second crystalline oxide semiconductor film) is formed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2012
    Publication date: November 1, 2012
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Junichi KOEZUKA, Naoto YAMADE, Yuhei SATO, Yutaka OKAZAKI, Shunpei YAMAZAKI
  • Publication number: 20120214259
    Abstract: Experience shows that, in a material containing oxygen as a main component, an excess or deficiency of trace amounts of oxygen with respect to a stoichiometric composition, or the like affects properties of the material. An oxygen diffusion evaluation method of an oxide film stacked body includes the steps of: measuring a quantitative value of one of oxygen isotopes of a substrate including a first oxide film and a second oxide film which has an existence proportion of an oxygen isotope different from an existence proportion of an oxygen isotope in the first oxide film in a depth direction, by secondary ion mass spectrometry; and evaluating the one of the oxygen isotopes diffused from the first oxide film to the second oxide film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2011
    Publication date: August 23, 2012
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yutaka Okazaki, Keitaro Imai, Atsuo Isobe, Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20120049189
    Abstract: It is an object to manufacture a semiconductor device in which a transistor including an oxide semiconductor has normally-off characteristics, small fluctuation in electric characteristics, and high reliability. First, first heat treatment is performed on a substrate, a base insulating layer is formed over the substrate, an oxide semiconductor layer is formed over the base insulating layer, and the step of performing the first heat treatment to the step of forming the oxide semiconductor layer are performed without exposure to the air. Next, after the oxide semiconductor layer is formed, second heat treatment is performed. An insulating layer from which oxygen is released by heating is used as the base insulating layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2011
    Publication date: March 1, 2012
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Toshinari SASAKI, Hitomi SATO, Kosei NODA, Yuta ENDO, Mizuho IKARASHI, Keitaro IMAI, Atsuo ISOBE, Yutaka OKAZAKI
  • Publication number: 20120032236
    Abstract: An object is to realize high performance and low power consumption in a semiconductor device having an SOI structure. In addition, another object is to provide a semiconductor device having a high performance semiconductor element which is more highly integrated. A semiconductor device is such that a plurality of n-channel field-effect transistors and p-channel field-effect transistors are stacked with an interlayer insulating layer interposed therebetween over a substrate having an insulating surface. By controlling a distortion caused to a semiconductor layer due to an insulating film having a stress, a plane orientation of the semiconductor layer, and a crystal axis in a channel length direction, difference in mobility between the n-channel field-effect transistor and the p-channel field-effect transistor can be reduced, whereby current driving capabilities and response speeds of the n-channel field-effect transistor and the p-channel field-effect can be comparable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2011
    Publication date: February 9, 2012
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shunpei YAMAZAKI, Atsuo ISOBE, Hiromichi GODO, Yutaka OKAZAKI
  • Publication number: 20110278573
    Abstract: A separation layer is formed over a substrate, an insulating film 107 is formed over the separation layer, a bottom gate insulating film 103 is formed over the insulating film 107, an amorphous semiconductor film is formed over the bottom gate insulating film 103, the amorphous semiconductor film is crystallized to form a crystalline semiconductor film over the bottom gate insulating film 103, a top gate insulating film 105 is formed over the crystalline semiconductor film, top gate electrodes 106a and 106b are formed over the top gate insulating film 105, the separation layer is separated from the insulating film 107, the insulating film 107 is processed to expose the bottom gate insulating film 103, and bottom gate electrodes 115a and 115b in contact with exposed the gate insulating film 103 are formed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2011
    Publication date: November 17, 2011
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yutaka OKAZAKI
  • Patent number: 8044464
    Abstract: An object is to realize high performance and low power consumption in a semiconductor device having an SOI structure. In addition, another object is to provide a semiconductor device having a high performance semiconductor element which is more highly integrated. A semiconductor device is such that a plurality of n-channel field-effect transistors and p-channel field-effect transistors are stacked with an interlayer insulating layer interposed therebetween over a substrate having an insulating surface. By controlling a distortion caused to a semiconductor layer due to an insulating film having a stress, a plane orientation of the semiconductor layer, and a crystal axis in a channel length direction, difference in mobility between the n-channel field-effect transistor and the p-channel field-effect transistor can be reduced, whereby current driving capabilities and response speeds of the n-channel field-effect transistor and the p-channel field-effect can be comparable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Atsuo Isobe, Hiromichi Godo, Yutaka Okazaki
  • Patent number: 8012812
    Abstract: A separation layer is formed over a substrate, an insulating film 107 is formed over the separation layer, a bottom gate insulating film 103 is formed over the insulating film 107, an amorphous semiconductor film is formed over the bottom gate insulating film 103, the amorphous semiconductor film is crystallized to form a crystalline semiconductor film over the bottom gate insulating film 103, a top gate insulating film 105 is formed over the crystalline semiconductor film, top gate electrodes 106a and 106b are formed over the top gate insulating film 105, the separation layer is separated from the insulating film 107, the insulating film 107 is processed to expose the bottom gate insulating film 103, and bottom gate electrodes 115a and 115b in contact with exposed the gate insulating film 103 are formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yutaka Okazaki
  • Patent number: 7982250
    Abstract: A semiconductor device is demonstrated in which a plurality of field-effect transistors is stacked with an interlayer insulating layer interposed therebetween over a substrate having an insulating surface. Each of the plurality of filed-effect transistors has a semiconductor layer which is prepared by a process including separation of the semiconductor layer from a semiconductor substrate followed by bonding thereof over the substrate. Each of the plurality of field-effect transistors is covered with an insulating film which provides distortion of the semiconductor layer. Furthermore, the crystal axis of the semiconductor layer, which is parallel to the crystal plane thereof, is set to a channel length direction of the semiconductor layer, which enables production of the semiconductor device with high performance and low power consumption having an SOI structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Atsuo Isobe, Hiromichi Godo, Yutaka Okazaki
  • Patent number: 7798551
    Abstract: A vehicle-mountable sun visor includes: a shaft of which one end is mounted on a vehicle body; a support, which is mounted on the shaft; a sun visor body in which two resin core members are coupled with each other by a hinged portion and the two resin core members are folded with the hinged portion being a fold so as to involve the other end of the shaft and the support; a first slide guide, which is provided in proximity to the hinged portion, for guiding sliding of the support; and a second slide guide, which is provided on an internal face of one of the two resin core members, for guiding sliding of the support. The support is slidably held in a space surrounded by the folded two resin core members, the first slide guide, and the second slide guide. The support turns around the shaft, and the sun visor body thereby turns. The support slides along the two resin core members, the first slide guide, and the second slide guide, and the sun visor body thereby slides relative to the shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: Kasai Kogyo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yutaka Okazaki, Yoshiaki Kazama, Akira Kanashiki
  • Publication number: 20100147220
    Abstract: To provide an evaporation container and a vapor deposition apparatus in which vapor deposition can be performed stably with use of an evaporation container formed of an inexpensive material being easily processed without clogging the material. The side surface of a lid for the evaporation container is provided with an accordion-shaped structure. The lid of the evaporation container is made larger than an opening of an evaporation source such that the lid is directly contacted to a heating portion. According to the structure, the periphery of the opening for the lid is not easily cooled downs and therefore the variation in temperature between the body and the lid of the container is hardly generated. Consequently, an evaporated material hardly clog at the opening, vapor deposition can be stably performed for a long time, thereby increasing productivity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2010
    Publication date: June 17, 2010
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Junichiro SAKATA, Yasuo NAKAMURA, Yutaka OKAZAKI
  • Publication number: 20100013263
    Abstract: A vehicle-mountable sun visor includes: a shaft of which one end is mounted on a vehicle body; a support, which is mounted on the shaft; a sun visor body in which two resin core members are coupled with each other by a hinged portion and the two resin core members are folded with the hinged portion being a fold so as to involve the other end of the shaft and the support; a first slide guide, which is provided in proximity to the hinged portion, for guiding sliding of the support; and a second slide guide, which is provided on an internal face of one of the two resin core members, for guiding sliding of the support. The support is slidably held in a space surrounded by the folded two resin core members, the first slide guide, and the second slide guide. The support turns around the shaft, and the sun visor body thereby turns. The support slides along the two resin core members, the first slide guide, and the second slide guide, and the sun visor body thereby slides relative to the shaft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2009
    Publication date: January 21, 2010
    Applicant: KASAI KOGYO CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yutaka Okazaki, Yoshiaki Kazama, Akira Kanashiki
  • Publication number: 20100001548
    Abstract: A coming-off preventing contacting piece 6 that extendingly projects in the radial direction of a shaft 3 throughout the entire periphery is formed in an insertion-side part 3a of the shaft 3 that turnably supports a sun visor body 1, and a contacted piece 7 with which the coming-off preventing contacting piece 6 contactingly engages is formed on the sun visor body 1 side to prevent the sun visor body 1 from coming off the shaft 3. Thereby, even if the sun visor body 1 receives a high expandingly deploying force of a curtain airbag, the concentrated load per unit area applied to the coming-off preventing contacting piece 6 is kept low, and therefore the coming-off preventing contacting piece 6 is restrained from being broken.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2008
    Publication date: January 7, 2010
    Inventor: Yutaka Okazaki
  • Publication number: 20090078970
    Abstract: A semiconductor device is demonstrated in which a plurality of field-effect transistors is stacked with an interlayer insulating layer interposed therebetween over a substrate having an insulating surface. Each of the plurality of filed-effect transistors has a semiconductor layer which is prepared by a process including separation of the semiconductor layer from a semiconductor substrate followed by bonding thereof over the substrate. Each of the plurality of field-effect transistors is covered with an insulating film which provides distortion of the semiconductor layer. Furthermore, the crystal axis of the semiconductor layer, which is parallel to the crystal plane thereof, is set to a channel length direction of the semiconductor layer, which enables production of the semiconductor device with high performance and low power consumption having an SOI structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2008
    Publication date: March 26, 2009
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Shunpei YAMAZAKI, Atsuo ISOBE, Hiromichi GODO, Yutaka OKAZAKI
  • Publication number: 20090079000
    Abstract: An object is to realize high performance and low power consumption in a semiconductor device having an SOI structure. In addition, another object is to provide a semiconductor device having a high performance semiconductor element which is more highly integrated. A semiconductor device is such that a plurality of n-channel field-effect transistors and p-channel field-effect transistors are stacked with an interlayer insulating layer interposed therebetween over a substrate having an insulating surface. By controlling a distortion caused to a semiconductor layer due to an insulating film having a stress, a plane orientation of the semiconductor layer, and a crystal axis in a channel length direction, difference in mobility between the n-channel field-effect transistor and the p-channel field-effect transistor can be reduced, whereby current driving capabilities and response speeds of the n-channel field-effect transistor and the p-channel field-effect can be comparable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2008
    Publication date: March 26, 2009
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shunpei YAMAZAKI, Atsuo ISOBE, Hiromichi GODO, Yutaka OKAZAKI
  • Publication number: 20090020761
    Abstract: A separation layer is formed over a substrate, an insulating film 107 is formed over the separation layer, a bottom gate insulating film 103 is formed over the insulating film 107, an amorphous semiconductor film is formed over the bottom gate insulating film 103, the amorphous semiconductor film is crystallized to form a crystalline semiconductor film over the bottom gate insulating film 103, a top gate insulating film 105 is formed over the crystalline semiconductor film, top gate electrodes 106a and 106b are formed over the top gate insulating film 105, the separation layer is separated from the insulating film 107, the insulating film 107 is processed to expose the bottom gate insulating film 103, and bottom gate electrodes 115a and 115b in contact with exposed the gate insulating film 103 are formed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2008
    Publication date: January 22, 2009
    Applicant: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yutaka OKAZAKI
  • Patent number: 7212244
    Abstract: A focal plane shutter apparatus is constructed by a light shielding blade, a fitting pin attached to the blade and an arm which is slidably engaged with the fitting pin to open or close the blade. A surface hardness of the fitting pin is higher than that of the arm. Concretely, the surface hardness of the arm is Hv300 to 600, and the surface hardness of the fitting pin is Hv450 to 1000. The arm and the fitting pin are subjected to chemical polishing treatment. Furthermore, the fitting pin is plated with nickel, chromium, palladium or rhodium. The fitting pin and arm have a substantially equal material hardness, or the material hardness of the fitting pin is higher. As the case may be, the fitting pin or arm may be plated with gold. Such an arrangement can suppress generation and accumulation of abrasion powder in the focal plane shutter apparatus assembled into a digital camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2007
    Assignee: Nidec Copal Corporation
    Inventors: Shuji Ichinose, Takao Ogawa, Yutaka Okazaki
  • Patent number: 7198198
    Abstract: An antenna device (60) is provided that is used in a recorder and/or writer destined for writing and reading data to and from a contactless IC card (1). The antenna device (60) includes a loop coil (61) that radiates a magnetic field, magnetically couples with a loop coil (4) provided in the IC card (1), and sends and receives data to and from the IC card (1). The loop coil (61) is formed asymmetric for the winding sections thereof opposite to each other across the center of the loop coil (61) to be different in interval from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2007
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hiraku Akiho, Yutaka Okazaki, Akihiro Kikuchi, Kazuo Goto, Kazuhiko Urayama
  • Patent number: 7183987
    Abstract: An antenna apparatus (60) is provided which is used in a recorder and/or player to write and read data to and from a contactless IC card (1). The antenna apparatus (60) includes a loop coil (61) to radiate an electromagnetic field for magnetic coupling with a loop coil (4) at the IC card (1) to send and receive data to and from the IC card (1), and a magnetic sheet (62) disposed to face the main side of the loop coil (61), opposite to the main side facing the IC card (1). The magnetic sheet (62) has the specific permeability ?? and product Ms·t of saturation magnetization Ms and thickness t thereof set in accordance with a necessary range of communications with the contactless IC card (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2007
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hiraku Akiho, Yutaka Okazaki, Kazuo Goto, Akihiro Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 7180694
    Abstract: A recording apparatus of a tape-shaped magnetic recording medium includes a transfer unit, a recording head, a signal-processing unit and a control unit. The transfer unit transfers a tape-shaped magnetic recording medium having an anisotropic property oblique with respect to the thickness direction in a forward or reversed direction. The recording head is positioned in such a way that a recording track is formed on the traveling tape-shaped magnetic recording medium, which is transferred by the transfer unit, in a direction parallel to the transfer direction of the tape-shaped magnetic recording medium. Connected to the recording head, the signal-processing unit receives a signal to be recorded onto the tape-shaped magnetic recording medium. The signal-processing unit then carries out signal processing required for an operation to write the signal to be recorded onto the tape-shaped magnetic recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2007
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Kawashima, Yutaka Okazaki, Yoichi Kanemaki
  • Patent number: 7147389
    Abstract: A focal plane shutter has a light shielding shutter blade. A blade dowel is attached to the shutter blade. A blade arm is slidably engaged with the blade dowel to open or close the shutter blade. A surface hardness of the blade dowel is higher than a surface hardness of the blade arm. The surface hardness of the blade arm is Hv300 to 900, and the surface hardness of the blade dowel is Hv450 to 1000. The blade arm and the blade dowel are subjected to chemical polishing treatment. The blade dowel is plated with nickel, chromium, palladium or rhodium. A material of the blade dowel is a free-cutting stainless steel or a carbon tool steel, and a material of the blade arm is a carbon tool steel or a titanium material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2006
    Assignee: Nidec Copal Corporation
    Inventors: Shuji Ichinose, Yutaka Okazaki, Takao Ogawa