Patents by Inventor Melissa M. Hewson

Melissa M. Hewson 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).

  • Nickel silicide—silicon nitride adhesion through surface passivation
    Patent number: 6831008
    Abstract: A process for forming nickel silicide and silicon nitride structure in a semiconductor integrated circuit device is described. Good adhesion between the nickel silicide and the silicon nitride is accomplished by passivating the nickel suicide surface with nitrogen. The passivation may be performed by treating the nickel silicide surface with plasma activated nitrogen species. An alternative passivation method is to cover the nickel silicide with a film of metal nitride and heat the substrate to about 500° C. Another alternative method is to sputter deposit silicon nitride on top of nickel silicide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2004
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Jiong-Ping Lu, Glenn J. Tessmer, Melissa M. Hewson, Donald S. Miles, Ralf B. Willecke, Andrew J. McKerrow, Brian K. Kirkpatrick, Clinton L. Montgomery
  • Nickel silicide - silicon nitride adhesion through surface passivation
    Publication number: 20040061184
    Abstract: A process for forming nickel silicide and silicon nitride structure in a semiconductor integrated circuit device is described. Good adhesion between the nickel silicide and the silicon nitride is accomplished by passivating the nickel suicide surface with nitrogen. The passivation may be performed by treating the nickel silicide surface with plasma activated nitrogen species. An alternative passivation method is to cover the nickel silicide with a film of metal nitride and heat the substrate to about 500° C. Another alternative method is to sputter deposit silicon nitride on top of nickel silicide.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2002
    Publication date: April 1, 2004
    Inventors: Jiong-Ping Lu, Glenn J. Tessmer, Melissa M. Hewson, Donald S. Miles, Ralf B. Willecke, Andrew J. McKerrow, Brian K. Kirkpatrick, Clinton L. Montgomery
  • Optimized metal fuse process
    Patent number: 6687973
    Abstract: A metal fuse process that uses a thinner (e.g., 6000 Å) oxide (108) over the top interconnect (102). The oxide (108) is removed over the probe pads (106) for testing but is not removed over the fuses (104). Because the oxide (108) is thin at the upper corners of the fuse (104), the oxide (108) cracks over the fuse (104) during a laser pulse (114). A wet etch is then used to dissolve the exposed fuses (104).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Melissa M. Hewson, Ricky A. Jackson, Abha Singh, Toan Tran, Howard L. Tigelaar
  • Optimized metal fuse process
    Publication number: 20020062549
    Abstract: A metal fuse process that uses a thinner (e.g., 6000 Å) oxide (108) over the top interconnect (102). The oxide (108) is removed over the probe pads (106) for testing but is not removed over the fuses (104). Because the oxide (108) is thin at the upper corners of the fuse (104), the oxide (108) cracks over the fuse (104) during a laser pulse (114). A wet etch is then used to dissolve the exposed fuses (104).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2001
    Publication date: May 30, 2002
    Inventors: Melissa M. Hewson, Ricky A. Jackson, Abha Singh, Toan Tran, Howard L. Tigelaar