Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Tadao Uehara

Kenji Nishihara

Tohru Haruki

Masanori Miyata

Shohji Hayashi

Kenichi Hasegawa

Tetsuya Okada

Setsuo Soga

Koichi Sogawa

Akinori Suzuki

Fumihiro Fuchino

Yuuichi Kohno

Shouji Tochishita

Hidetsugu Miyake

Kiyotaka Ishibushi

Taro Usami

Shisyo Chin

Hiroaki Teratani

Mikinori Oguni

Akira Washino

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device is disclosed that includes a semiconductor wafer having a main surface including a device chip area, a peripheral area encompassing the device chip area, and a blank area situated between the device chip area and the peripheral area. The method includes the steps of coating the entire main surface of the semiconductor wafer with a positive photosensitive resist, defining an additional exposure area in the blank area, conducting a first exposure process on the peripheral area and the additional exposure area, conducting a second exposure process on the device chip area, removing resist remaining on predetermined areas of the device chip area, the peripheral area and the blank area after conducting the first and second exposure processes for forming a resist pattern, and dry-etching the main surface of the semiconductor wafer by using the resist pattern as a mask.

Method of manufacturing semiconductor device

A chemical mechanical polishing method including a step of forming a plurality of interlayer insulating films so as to coat a plurality of projecting patterns, at least one of the plurality of projecting patterns being formed on each of a plurality of substrates, whereby the plurality of projection patterns have different area ratios R with respect to the corresponding substrates, and performing a flattening process on the interlayer insulating films before linear approximation; a step of obtaining a linear approximation formula R=aT+b expressing a relationship between the area ratio R and a polishing time T, where R, R, R, . . . , Rx represent the area ratio R of each of the projecting patterns with respect to the corresponding substrates, and T, T, T, . . . , Tx represent the polishing time T required for achieving a target film thickness when performing the flattening process by polishing each of the interlayer insulating films coating the projecting patterns; and a step of calculating, with the use of a formula T=(R&#x2212;b)/a, the polishing time T for the interlayer insulating films coating the projecting patterns having the area ratio R.

Chemical mechanical polishing method and chemical mechanical polishing device

A disclosed semiconductor wafer includes plural semiconductor chip areas each having a color pattern capable of tracing the positional information of the semiconductor chip with respect to the semiconductor wafer. Each of the plural semiconductor chip areas arranged in a matrix manner on the semiconductor wafer includes an underlying insulation film; a wiring pattern and a frame-shaped wiring dummy pattern formed on the underlying insulation film; and plural insulation films formed on the upper side of the underlying insulation film, the wiring pattern, and the wiring dummy pattern. At least one SOG film is included in the plural insulation films, in which a color pattern in accordance with a distance from the center of the semiconductor wafer based on the SOG film is formed on a surface of the insulator film within the wiring dummy pattern in top view.

Semiconductor wafer, semiconductor chip cut from the semiconductor wafer, and method of manufacturing semiconductor wafer

A fixing device for an image forming apparatus includes a heat roller, a fixing roller, an endless belt passed over the heat roller and fixing roller and driven to turn, a press roller pressed against the fixing roller with the intermediary of the endless belt. A recording medium is passed between the belt and the press roller. The fixing device additionally includes at least one contact member contacting the belt. Part of the at least one contact member is formed of at least one of heat-resistant felt or heat-resistant resin. The contact member contacts the surface of part of the belt contacting the heat roller.

Image forming apparatus including endless belt with reduced heat loss

An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a heat roller, a fixing roller, a press roller pressed against the fixing roller, and endless belt passed over the heat roller and fixing roller, and a tension roller applying tension to the endless belt. The heat roller, fixing roller, endless belt and tension roller are constructed into a unit member, which is removably mounted to the apparatus body.

Image forming apparatus having a removable roller unit

A fixing device having an endless fixing belt configured to convey a sheet-like medium on which a toner image is to be fixed, heating and fixing rollers having the fixing belt wound thereon, and a pressing roller disposed opposite to the fixing roller having fixing belt wound thereon to form a nip portion between the fixing belt and pressing roller. The fixing device also including first to third heaters provided in the heating, pressure and fixing rollers respectively, and first to third voltage applying devices configured to apply voltages to the first to third heaters respectively. The nip portion is configured to perform the fixing only by pressure contact between said fixing and pressing rollers via said fixing belt.

Image forming apparatus and method having an improved heating mechanism in fixing device

Growing community of inventors

Hyogo, Japan

Tadao Uehara