Patents by Inventor Gary D. Tipton

Gary D. Tipton 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).

  • Near substrate reactant homogenization apparatus
    Patent number: 6210594
    Abstract: A near substrate reactant homogenization apparatus reduces the excess reactive species in a region at or near the edge of a substrate surface to provide a uniform reactant concentration over the substrate, thereby improving etch rate uniformity over the substrate. The near substrate reactant homogenization apparatus has a substantially planar surface that is parallel to said substrate surface and that extends beyond the substrate edge, at or below the substrate surface. In a first preferred embodiment of the invention, the temperature of the gas absorber area is changed to promote recombination or condensation of excess reactive species at the substrate edge, where the excess species are removed. In another, equally preferred embodiment of the invention, the gas absorber area is formed of a porous material having a large surface area. Excess reactive species enter the porous structure and are subsequently recombined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2001
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Zabra H. Amini, Robert B. Campbell, Robert L. Jarecki, Jr., Gary D. Tipton
  • Near Substrate reactant Homogenization apparatus
    Patent number: 5938943
    Abstract: A near substrate reactant homogenization apparatus reduces the excess reactive species in a region at or near the edge of a substrate surface to provide a uniform reactant concentration over the substrate, thereby improving etch rate uniformity over the substrate. The near substrate reactant homogenization apparatus has a substantially planar surface that is parallel to said substrate surface and that extends beyond the substrate edge, at or below the substrate surface. In a first preferred embodiment of the invention, the temperature of the gas absorber area is changed to promote recombination or condensation of excess reactive species at the substrate edge, where the excess species are removed. In another, equally preferred embodiment of the invention, the gas absorber area is formed of a porous material having a large surface area. Excess reactive species enter the porous structure and are subsequently recombined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 17, 1999
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Zahra H. Amini, Robert B. Campbell, Robert L. Jarecki, Jr., Gary D. Tipton
  • Diffracted light from latent images in photoresist for exposure control
    Patent number: 5674652
    Abstract: In microelectronics manufacturing, an arrangement for monitoring and control of exposure of an undeveloped photosensitive layer on a structure susceptible to variations in optical properties in order to attain the desired critical dimension for the pattern to be developed in the photosensitive layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 7, 1997
    Assignee: University of New Mexico
    Inventors: Kenneth P. Bishop, Steven R. J. Brueck, Susan M. Gaspar, Kirt C. Hickman, John R. McNeil, S. Sohail H. Naqvi, Brian R. Stallard, Gary D. Tipton