Patents by Inventor Jeffrey M. Leathersich

Jeffrey M. Leathersich 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: 20240088860
    Abstract: A method of forming a piezoelectric thin film can include depositing a material on a first surface of a Si substrate to provide a stress neutral template layer. A piezoelectric thin film including a Group III element and nitrogen can be sputtered onto the stress neutral template layer and a second surface of the Si substrate that is opposite the first surface can be processed to remove that Si substrate and the stress neutral template layer to provide a remaining portion of the piezoelectric thin film. A piezoelectric resonator can be formed on the remaining portion of the piezoelectric thin film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2023
    Publication date: March 14, 2024
    Inventors: Craig Moe, Jeffrey M. Leathersich
  • Patent number: 11856858
    Abstract: A method of forming a piezoelectric film can include providing a wafer in a CVD reaction chamber and forming an aluminum nitride material on the wafer, the aluminum nitride material doped with a first element E1 selected from group IIA or from group IIB and doped with a second element E2 selected from group IVB to provide the aluminum nitride material comprising a crystallinity of less than about 1.5 degree at Full Width Half Maximum (FWHM) to about 10 arcseconds at FWHM measured using X-ray diffraction (XRD).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: Akoustis, Inc.
    Inventors: Craig Moe, Jeffrey M. Leathersich, Arthur E. Geiss
  • Patent number: 11832521
    Abstract: A method of forming a piezoelectric thin film can include depositing a material on a first surface of a Si substrate to provide a stress neutral template layer. A piezoelectric thin film including a Group III element and nitrogen can be sputtered onto the stress neutral template layer and a second surface of the Si substrate that is opposite the first surface can be processed to remove that Si substrate and the stress neutral template layer to provide a remaining portion of the piezoelectric thin film. A piezoelectric resonator can be formed on the remaining portion of the piezoelectric thin film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: Akoustis, Inc.
    Inventors: Craig Moe, Jeffrey M. Leathersich
  • Publication number: 20230246618
    Abstract: MOCVD systems can be used to form single crystal piezoelectric ScxAl1?xN layers having a concentration of Sc in a range between about 4% and about 18% at temperatures in a range, for example, between about 800 degrees Centigrade and about 950 degrees Centigrade. The single crystal piezoelectric ScxAl1?xN layers can have a crystalline structure characterized by an XRD ?-rocking curve FWHM value in a range between about less than 1.0 degrees to about 0.001 degrees as measured about the omega angle as of the ScxAl1?xN (0002) film reflection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2021
    Publication date: August 3, 2023
    Inventors: Craig Moe, Jeffrey M. Leathersich
  • Publication number: 20230235459
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor, an injector column that provides a metal organic precursor vapor into the CVD reactor, a heater in thermal communication with the injector column, and a control circuit configured to control the heater and thereby maintain the metal organic precursor vapor in the injector column above a saturation temperature. The control circuit may be configured to control the heater to maintain a temperature of the metal organic precursor vapor in the injector column in a temperature range from about 85 degrees Centigrade to about 200 degrees Centigrade. A temperature of the metal organic precursor vapor entering the injector column may be in a range from about 160 degrees Centigrade to about 200 degrees Centigrade and a pressure of the metal organic precursor vapor entering the injector column may be in a range from about 50 mbar to about 1000 mbar.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2022
    Publication date: July 27, 2023
    Inventors: Craig Moe, Jeffrey M. Leathersich
  • Publication number: 20230212781
    Abstract: An apparatus for forming semiconductor films can include a horizontal flow reactor including an upper portion and a lower portion that are moveably coupled to one another so as to separate from one another in an open position and so as to mate together in a closed position to form a reactor chamber. A central injector column can penetrate through the upper portion of the horizontal flow reactor into the reactor chamber, the central injector column configured to allow metalorganic precursors into the reactor chamber in the closed position. A heated metalorganic precursor line can be coupled to the central injector column and configured to heat a low vapor pressure metalorganic precursor vapor contained in the heated metalorganic precursor line upstream of the central injector column to a temperature range between about 70° C. and 200° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2023
    Publication date: July 6, 2023
    Inventors: Craig Moe, Jeffrey M. Leathersich
  • Patent number: 11618968
    Abstract: An apparatus for forming semiconductor films can include a horizontal flow reactor including an upper portion and a lower portion that are moveably coupled to one another so as to separate from one another in an open position and so as to mate together in a closed position to form a reactor chamber. A central injector column can penetrate through the upper portion of the horizontal flow reactor into the reactor chamber, the central injector column configured to allow metalorganic precursors into the reactor chamber in the closed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: Akoustis, Inc.
    Inventors: Craig Moe, Jeffrey M. Leathersich
  • Publication number: 20220416756
    Abstract: A method of forming a resonator structure can be provided by forming one or more template layers on a substrate, (a) epitaxially forming an AlScN layer on the template layer to a first thickness, (b) epitaxially forming an AlGaN interlayer on the AlScN layer to a second thickness that is substantially less than the first thickness, and repeating operations (a) and (b) until a total thickness of all AlScN layers and AlGaN interlayers provides a target thickness for a single crystal AlScN/AlGaN superlattice resonator structure on the template layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2021
    Publication date: December 29, 2022
    Inventors: Craig Moe, Jeffrey M. Leathersich, Jeffrey B. Shealy
  • Publication number: 20220352455
    Abstract: A method of forming an Al1-xScxN film can include heating a substrate, in a reactor chamber, to a temperature range, providing a precursor comprising Sc to the reactor chamber, providing a dopant comprising Mg, C, and/or Fe to the reactor chamber, and forming an epitaxial Al1-xScxN film on the substrate in the temperature range, the epitaxial Al1-xScxN film including the dopant in a concentration in a range between about 1×1017/cm3 and about 2×1020/cm3 on the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2022
    Publication date: November 3, 2022
    Inventors: Craig Moe, Jeffrey M. Leathersich
  • Publication number: 20220182034
    Abstract: A piezoelectric resonator can include a substrate and a piezoelectric aluminum nitride layer on the substrate, where the piezoelectric aluminum nitride layer is doped with a dopant selected from the group consisting of Si, Mg, Ge, C, Sc and/or Fe at a respective level sufficient to induce a stress in the piezoelectric aluminum nitride layer in a range between about 150 MPa compressive stress and about 300 MPa tensile stress.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2021
    Publication date: June 9, 2022
    Inventors: Craig Moe, Jeffrey M. Leathersich, Dae Ho Kim, Zhiqiang Bi, Mary Winters
  • Publication number: 20210280634
    Abstract: A method of forming a film can include heating a CVD reactor chamber containing a substrate to a temperature range between about 750 degrees Centigrade and about 950 degrees Centigrade, providing a first precursor comprising Al to the CVD reactor chamber in the temperature range, providing a second precursor comprising Sc to the CVD reactor chamber in the temperature range, providing a third precursor comprising nitrogen to the CVD reactor chamber in the temperature range, and forming the film comprising ScAlN on the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2021
    Publication date: September 9, 2021
    Inventors: Craig Moe, Jeffrey M. Leathersich
  • Publication number: 20210246570
    Abstract: An apparatus for forming semiconductor films can include a horizontal flow reactor including an upper portion and a lower portion that are moveably coupled to one another so as to separate from one another in an open position and so as to mate together in a closed position to form a reactor chamber. A central injector column can penetrate through the upper portion of the horizontal flow reactor into the reactor chamber, the central injector column configured to allow metalorganic precursors into the reactor chamber in the closed position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2020
    Publication date: August 12, 2021
    Inventors: Craig Moe, Jeffrey M. Leathersich
  • Publication number: 20200259070
    Abstract: A method of forming a piezoelectric thin film can include depositing a material on a first surface of a Si substrate to provide a stress neutral template layer. A piezoelectric thin film including a Group III element and nitrogen can be sputtered onto the stress neutral template layer and a second surface of the Si substrate that is opposite the first surface can be processed to remove that Si substrate and the stress neutral template layer to provide a remaining portion of the piezoelectric thin film. A piezoelectric resonator can be formed on the remaining portion of the piezoelectric thin film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2020
    Publication date: August 13, 2020
    Inventors: Craig Moe, Jeffrey M. Leathersich
  • Publication number: 20200111949
    Abstract: A method of forming a piezoelectric film can include providing a wafer in a CVD reaction chamber and forming an aluminum nitride material on the wafer, the aluminum nitride material doped with a first element E1 selected from group IIA or from group IIB and doped with a second element E2 selected from group IVB to provide the aluminum nitride material comprising a crystallinity of less than about 1.5 degree at Full Width Half Maximum (FWHM) to about 10 arcseconds at FWHM measured using X-ray diffraction (XRD).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2019
    Publication date: April 9, 2020
    Inventors: Craig Moe, Jeffrey M. Leathersich, Arthur E. Geiss