Patents Examined by David Cathey, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8999182
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head includes a step of preparing a first substrate having an energy generating element at a front surface side thereof; a step of forming a wall member, which is to become a wall for a liquid flow passage, at the front surface side of the first substrate; a step of forming a mask having an opening on the wall member and forming a second substrate, which is composed of silicon and is to become an orifice plate, on the mask; and a step of forming a liquid supply port in the first substrate and a liquid discharge port in the second substrate by supplying an etchant from a back surface side of the first substrate, the back surface being a surface opposite the front surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Abo, Keiji Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 8999184
    Abstract: A method for forming via holes in an etch layer disposed below a patterned organic mask with a plurality of patterned via holes is provided. The patterned organic mask is treated by flowing a treatment gas comprising H2. A plasma is formed from the treatment gas. The patterned via holes are rounded to form patterned rounded via holes by exposing the patterned via holes to the plasma. The flow of the treatment gas is stopped. The plurality of patterned rounded via holes are transferred into the etch layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Ming-Shu Kuo, Siyi Li, Yifeng Zhou, Ratndeep Srivastava, Tae Won Kim, Gowri Kamarthy
  • Patent number: 8992787
    Abstract: Anode foils suitable for use in electrolytic capacitors, including those having multiple anode configurations, have improved strength, reduced brittleness, and increased capacitance compared to conventional anode foils for electrolytic capacitors. Exemplary methods of manufacturing an anode foil suitable for use in an electrolytic capacitor include disposing a resist material in a predetermined pattern on an exposed surface of an anode foil substrate such that a first portion of the exposed surface of the anode foil substrate is covered by the resist material, and a second portion of the exposed surface remains uncovered; polymerizing the resist material; exposing at least the second portion of the exposed surface to one or more etchants so as to form a plurality of tunnels; stripping the polymerized resist material; and widening at least a portion of the plurality of tunnels. The resist material may be deposited, for example, by ink-jet printing, stamping or screen printing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Pacesetter, Inc.
    Inventors: David R. Bowen, Ralph Jason Hemphill, Xiaofei Jiang, Corina Geiculescu, Tearl Stocker
  • Patent number: 8986554
    Abstract: A method of forming patterns includes forming a photoresist film on a substrate. The photoresist film is exposed with a first dose of light to form a first area and a second area in the photoresist film. A first hole and a second hole are formed by removing the first area and the second area with a first developer. The photoresist film is re-exposed with a second dose of the light to form a third area in the photoresist film between the first hole and the second hole. A third hole is formed between the first hole and the second hole by removing the third area with a second developer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Eun-sung Kim, Kyoung-seon Kim, Jae-woo Nam, Chul-ho Shin, Shi-young Yi
  • Patent number: 8986561
    Abstract: Disclosed is a substrate processing method of etching a substrate including a target layer, and a mask layer and an intermediate layer that are stacked on the target layer, to form a pattern on the target layer via the intermediate layer and the mask layer. The intermediate layer is etched under a processing pressure of 100 mTorr (1.33×10 Pa) to 150 mTorr (2.0×10 Pa) by using as a processing gas a mixture gas of CF4, CHF3, and C4F8, and the mask layer is etched by using a COS-containing gas as a processing gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Sungtae Lee, Masahiro Ogasawara, Masahiro Ito
  • Patent number: 8980122
    Abstract: The invention relates to a contact release capsule comprising a particle, a chemical payload, and a polymer coating, wherein the particle is impregnated with the chemical payload, and the chemical payload is held inside the particle by the polymer coating until the contact release capsule contacts a surface and a shearing force removes the polymer coating allowing the chemical payload to release outside the particle. The contact release capsule is useful in chemical mechanical planarization slurries. Particularly, the contact release capsule may comprise a glycine impregnated silica nanoparticle coated with a polymer, wherein the contact release capsule is dispersed in an aqueous solution and used in the copper chemical mechanical planarization process. Use of the contact release capsule in a slurry for copper chemical mechanical planarization may significantly improve planarization efficiency, decrease unwanted etching and corrosion, and improve dispersion stability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: General Engineering & Research, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Robin Ihnfeldt
  • Patent number: 8932479
    Abstract: Provided is a polishing liquid which is used for chemical mechanical polishing of a body to be polished having a layer containing polysilicon or a modified polysilicon, and using which the polishing rate of a layer containing a silicon-based material other than polysilicon is high and polishing of the layer containing polysilicon can be selectively suppressed. The polishing liquid includes components (A), (B), and (C), has a pH of from 1.5 to 7.0, and is capable of selectively polishing a second layer with respect to a first layer: (A) colloidal silica particles having a negative ? potential; (B) phosphoric acid or an organic phosphonic acid compound represented by the following Formula (1) or (2); and (C) an anionic surfactant having at least one group represented by the following Formulae (I) to (IV): R2—C(R3)3-a—(PO3H2)a??Formula (1): R4—N(R5)m—(CH2—PO3H2)n??Formula (2): —PO3X2??Formula (I): —OPO3X2??Formula (II): —COOX??Formula (III): —SO3X??Formula (IV).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Tetsuya Kamimura
  • Patent number: 8932475
    Abstract: A method of patterning a conductor on a substrate includes providing an inked elastomeric stamp inked with self-assembled monolayer-forming molecules and having a relief pattern with raised features. Then the raised features of the inked stamp contact a metal-coated visible light transparent substrate. Then the metal is etched to form an electrically conductive micropattern corresponding to the raised features of the inked stamp on the visible light transparent substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Lijun Zu, Matthew H. Frey
  • Patent number: 8926854
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to roll-to-roll doping method of graphene film, and doped graphene film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Graphene Square, Inc.
    Inventors: Byung Hee Hong, Jonghyun Ahn, Hyeong Keun Kim, Su Kang Bae
  • Patent number: 8926851
    Abstract: A method for making a film of core-shell nanoparticles generally uniformly arranged on a substrate uses atomic layer deposition (ALD) to form the shells. The nanoparticle cores are placed in a solution containing a polymer having an end group for attachment to the cores. The solution is then applied to a substrate and allowed to dry, resulting in the nanoparticle cores being uniformly arranged by the attached polymer chains. ALD is then used to grow the shell material on the cores, using two precursors for the shell material that are non-reactive with the polymer. The polymer chains also form between the cores and the substrate surface, so the ALD forms shell material completely surrounding the cores. The uniformly arranged core-shell nanoparticles can be used as an etch mask to etch the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: HGST Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Jeffrey S. Lille, Ricardo Ruiz, Lei Wan, Gabriel Zeltzer
  • Patent number: 8911643
    Abstract: A polishing liquid which is used for chemical mechanical polishing of a body to be polished in a planarization process for manufacturing of a semiconductor integrated circuit, the body to be polished including at least a first layer containing polysilicon or modified polysilicon and a second layer containing at least one selected from the group consisting of silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon carbide, silicon carbonitride, silicon oxycarbide, and silicon oxynitride, the polishing liquid having a pH of 1.5 to 7.0, including (1) colloidal silica particles, (2) an organic acid, and (3) an anionic surfactant, and being capable of selectively polishing the second layer with respect to the first layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Tetsuya Kamimura
  • Patent number: 8906244
    Abstract: A method for forming a device having nanopillar and cap structures on a substrate in which the substrate is first coated with a first resist having a first exposure dose to electron beam radiation, and that after coating the first resist with a second resist having a second exposure dose less than the first resist. Electron beam lithography is then used sequentially to form the nanopillars and cap structures or, alternatively, a template for the nanopillar and cap structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventors: Robert A Burke, Alan S Edelstein
  • Patent number: 8900469
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for etching a photomask substrate with enhanced process monitoring is provided. In one embodiment, a method of determining an etching endpoint includes performing an etching process on a first tantalum containing layer through a patterned mask layer, directing a radiation source having a first wavelength from about 200 nm and about 800 nm to an area uncovered by the patterned mask layer, collecting an optical signal reflected from the area covered by the patterned mask layer, analyzing a waveform obtained the reflected optical signal reflected from the substrate from a first time point to a second time point, and determining a first endpoint of the etching process when a slope of the waveform is changed about 5 percent from the first time point to the second time point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Grimbergen
  • Patent number: 8883034
    Abstract: The invention provides a polishing composition comprising (a) silica, (b) one or more compounds that increases the removal rate of silicon, (c) one or more tetraalkylammonium salts, and (d) water, wherein the polishing composition has a pH of about 7 to about 11. The invention further provides a method of polishing a substrate with the polishing composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Inventors: Brian Reiss, John Clark, Lamon Jones, Jeffrey Gilliland, Michael White
  • Patent number: 8877073
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and processes for forming imprint lithography templates from a multi-layer substrate are described. The multi-layer substrate may include a block copolymer layer positioned on a substrate layer. The block copolymer layer may include two or more domains. At least one domain may have a different composition sensitivity than another domain such that the domains have different reactions to a specific process. Reaction of the domains to the specific process may provide a pattern in the block copolymer layer. The pattern may be transferred into the substrate layer to form the imprint lithography template.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Nanotechnologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Gerard M. Schmid, Douglas J. Resnick, Sidlgata V. Sreenivasan, Frank Y. Xu
  • Patent number: 8858817
    Abstract: A polishing apparatus and exception handling method thereof is disclosed, the exception handling method of polishing apparatus includes: sending an alarm signal when an alarm is generated because of an exception during polishing; and processing a wafer in the polishing apparatus with organic acid solution according to the received alarm signal. The method and apparatus prevent the metal material from corrosion which causes device failure, when there is an alarm generated because of an exception which stops the apparatus during polishing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Semiconductor Manufacturing International (Beijing) Corporation
    Inventors: Li Jiang, Mingqi Li
  • Patent number: 8858813
    Abstract: A patterning process comprises (a) providing at least one substrate having at least one major surface; (b) providing at least one patterning composition comprising at least one functionalizing molecule that is a perfluoropolyether organosulfur compound; (c) applying the patterning composition to the major surface of the substrate in a manner so as to form at least one functionalized region and at least one unfunctionalized region of the major surface; and (d) etching at least a portion of the unfunctionalized region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Lijun Zu, Matthew H. Frey, Suresh S. Iyer
  • Patent number: 8859428
    Abstract: Methods for removing, reducing or treating the trace metal contaminants and the smaller fine sized cerium oxide particles from cerium oxide particles, cerium oxide slurry or chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) compositions for Shallow Trench Isolation (STI) process are applied. The treated chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) compositions, or the CMP polishing compositions prepared by using the treated cerium oxide particles or the treated cerium oxide slurry are used to polish substrate that contains at lease a surface comprising silicon dioxide film for STI (Shallow trench isolation) processing and applications. The reduced nano-sized particle related defects have been observed due to the reduced trace metal ion contaminants and reduced very smaller fine cerium oxide particles in the Shallow Trench Isolation (STI) CMP polishing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Xiaobo Shi, John Edward Quincy Hughes, Hongjun Zhou, Daniel Hernandez Castillo, II, Jae Ouk Choo, James Allen Schlueter, Jo-Ann Theresa Schwartz, Laura Ledenbach, Steve Charles Winchester, Saifi Usmani, John Anthony Marsella, Martin Kamau Ngigi Mungai
  • Patent number: 8845911
    Abstract: A method is provided for producing a microstructured molded object that is intended for culturing of biological cells. According to this method, a plastically deformable first porous film is prepared, as well as a deformable second film and a deformable sacrificial film. The first, second and sacrificial film are placed in a stack. Next, the sacrificial film is subjected to pressure to press the stack into a mold. The mold has recesses, such that deformed regions in the form of cavities are produced in the sacrificial film, the first film and the second film, and undeformed regions remain. During the pressing of the film stack into the mold, the first film and the second film are joined to each other, so that they form a composite film. At least portions of the deformed regions of the second film are etched so that sections of the second film are chemically dissolved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Technische Universität Ilmenau
    Inventors: Joerg Hampl, Frank Weise, Gregor Schlingloff, Andreas Schober, Uta Fernekorn
  • Patent number: 8841216
    Abstract: A composition and associated method for chemical mechanical planarization of a metal-containing substrate (e.g., a copper substrate) are described herein which afford high and tunable rates of metal removal as well as low within a wafer non-uniformity values and low residue levels remaining after polishing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Xiaobo Shi, Bentley J. Palmer, Rebecca A. Sawayda, Fadi Abdallah Coder, Victoria Perez