Patents by Inventor Jeffrey W. Ritchison

Jeffrey W. Ritchison 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).

  • Patent number: 7897410
    Abstract: Reducing chemical contaminants is increasingly important for maintaining competitive production costs during fabrication of electronic devices. There is currently no production floor capability for mapping chemical contaminants across an electronic device substrate on a routine basis. A scanning surface chemical analyzer for mapping the distributions of a variety of chemicals on substrates is disclosed. The analyzer includes an array of sensors, each of which detects a single chemical or narrow range of chemicals, a scanning mechanism to provide a mapping capability, an electrical signal analyzer to collect and analyze signals from the array of sensors and generate reports of chemical distributions, and an optical desorption mechanism to amplify detection. A preferred embodiment includes an array of miniature quadrupole mass spectrometers in the sensor array. Scanning modes include whole substrate mapping, region sampling, and spot sampling of known defect sites.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Sean M. Collins, Jeffrey W. Ritchison, Richard L. Guldi, Kelly J. Taylor
  • Publication number: 20090153856
    Abstract: Reducing chemical contaminants is increasingly important for maintaining competitive production costs during fabrication of electronic devices. There is currently no production floor capability for mapping chemical contaminants across an electronic device substrate on a routine basis. A scanning surface chemical analyzer for mapping the distributions of a variety of chemicals on substrates is disclosed. The analyzer includes an array of sensors, each of which detects a single chemical or narrow range of chemicals, a scanning mechanism to provide a mapping capability, an electrical signal analyzer to collect and analyze signals from the array of sensors and generate reports of chemical distributions, and an optical desorption mechanism to amplify detection. A preferred embodiment includes an array of miniature quadrupole mass spectrometers in the sensor array. Scanning modes include whole substrate mapping, region sampling, and spot sampling of known defect sites.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2007
    Publication date: June 18, 2009
    Applicant: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Sean M. Collins, Jeffrey W. Ritchison, Richard L. Guldi, Kelly J. Taylor
  • Patent number: 6267122
    Abstract: An ammonium or amide aqueous solution without oxidzers for cleaning semiconductor wafers with exposed TiN (103). Effective particulate (109) removal occurs without the standard use of hydrogen peroxide which would attack the TiN (103). Solution temperatures up to 90° C. plus applied ultrasonic energy enhance the cleaning efficiency. Surfactants may be included.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2001
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Richard L. Guldi, Jeffrey W. Ritchison