Patents by Inventor Tom Bold

Tom Bold 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).

  • System and method for providing a buried thin film resistor having end caps defined by a dielectric mask
    Patent number: 7808048
    Abstract: A buried thin film resistor having end caps defined by a dielectric mask is disclosed. A thin film resistor is formed on an integrated circuit substrate. A resistor protect layer is formed over the thin film resistor. A layer of dielectric material is formed over the resistor protect layer. The dielectric material is masked and dry etched to leave a first portion of dielectric material over a first end of the thin film resistor and a second portion of dielectric material over a second end of the thin film resistor. The resistor protect layer is then wet etched using the first and second portions of the dielectric material as a hard mask. Then a second dielectric layer is deposited and vias are etched down to the underlying portions of the resistor protect layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2010
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Rodney Hill, Victor Torres, William Max Coppock, Richard W. Foote, Jr., Terry L. Lines, Tom Bold
  • System and method for providing a buried thin film resistor having end caps defined by a dielectric mask
    Patent number: 7332403
    Abstract: A buried thin film resistor having end caps defined by a dielectric mask is disclosed. A thin film resistor is formed on an integrated circuit substrate. A resistor protect layer is formed over the thin film resistor. A layer of dielectric material is formed over the resistor protect layer. The dielectric material is masked and dry etched to leave a first portion of dielectric material over a first end of the thin film resistor and a second portion of dielectric material over a second end of the thin film resistor. The resistor protect layer is then wet etched using the first and second portions of the dielectric material as a hard mask. Then a second dielectric layer is deposited and vias are etched down to the underlying portions of the resistor protect layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2008
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Rodney Hill, Victor Torres, William Max Coppock, Richard W. Foote, Jr., Terry L. Lines, Tom Bold
  • System and method for using plasma to adjust the resistance of thin film resistors
    Patent number: 7230517
    Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for using plasma to adjust the resistance of a thin film resistor. In one advantageous embodiment of the invention, the resistance of a thin film resistor is increased to cause the thin film resistor to have a desired higher value of resistance. The thin film resistor is formed having an initial value of resistance that is less than the desired value of resistance. Then the thin film resistor is placed in an oxidizing atmosphere. A surface of the thin film resistor is then oxidized to increase the initial value of resistance to the desired value of resistance. The amount of the increase in resistance may be selected by selecting the temperature of the oxidizing atmosphere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2007
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Richard Wendell Foote, Jr., Tom Bold, Rodney Hill, Abhay Ramrao Deshmukh