Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Joseph Bach
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Patent number: 8099330Abstract: A rider signal is transmitted over programming signal. The rider signal is stored in a rider buffer and includes merchandise ordering data. When a user wishes to order the merchandise, the system establish a channel of communication with an ordering center and places an order according to the data in the rider buffer. The system is particularly useful for implementation in car audio systems and personal computers.Type: GrantFiled: June 4, 1999Date of Patent: January 17, 2012Inventor: Joseph Bach
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Patent number: 8084683Abstract: Solar cells fabricated without gasification of metallurgical-grade silicon. The substrates are prepared by: melting metallurgical grade silicon in a furnace; solidifying the melted metallurgical grade silicon into an ingot; slicing the ingot to obtain a plurality of wafers; polishing and cleaning each wafer; depositing aluminum layer on backside of each wafer; depositing a layer of hydrogenated silicon nitride on front surface of each wafer; annealing the wafers at elevated temperature; removing the hydrogenated silicon nitride; and, removing the aluminum layer. The front surface may be textured prior to forming the solar cell. The solar cell structure comprises a metallurgical grade doped silicon substrate and a thin-film structure formed over the substrate to form a p-i-n junction with the substrate. The substrate may be doped p-type, and the thin film structure may be an intrinsic amorphous layer formed over the substrate and an n-type amorphous layer formed over the intrinsic layer.Type: GrantFiled: May 14, 2011Date of Patent: December 27, 2011Inventor: Ashok Sinha
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Patent number: 7970264Abstract: Water dispensers are disclosed which include a Sabbath function. When activating the Sabbath function, water refill of the hot water reservoir tank is prevented and the heating of the water in the hot reservoir tank is modified to provide a constant heating at a less than boiling temperature.Type: GrantFiled: January 11, 2010Date of Patent: June 28, 2011Inventors: Ilan Grossbach, Joseph Bach
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Patent number: 7960644Abstract: Methods for fabricating solar cells without the need to perform gasification of metallurgical-grade silicon are disclosed. Consequently, the costs and health and environmental hazards involved in fabricating the solar or silicon grade silicon are being avoided. A solar cell structure comprises a metallurgical grade doped silicon substrate and a thin-film structure formed over the substrate to form a p-i-n junction with the substrate. The substrate may be doped p-type, and the thin film structure may be an intrinsic amorphous layer formed over the substrate and an n-type amorphous layer formed over the intrinsic layer.Type: GrantFiled: November 7, 2008Date of Patent: June 14, 2011Assignee: Sunpreme, Ltd.Inventor: Ashok Sinha
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Patent number: 7956283Abstract: Methods for fabricating solar cells without the need to perform gasification of metallurgical-grade silicon are disclosed. Consequently, the costs and health and environmental hazards involved in fabricating the solar or silicon grade silicon are being avoided. A solar cell structure comprises a metallurgical grade doped silicon substrate and a thin-film structure formed over the substrate to form a p-i-n junction with the substrate. The substrate may be doped p-type, and the thin film structure may be an intrinsic amorphous layer formed over the substrate and an n-type amorphous layer formed over the intrinsic layer.Type: GrantFiled: November 7, 2008Date of Patent: June 7, 2011Assignee: Sunpreme, Ltd.Inventor: Ashok Sinha
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Patent number: 7951640Abstract: Solar cells fabricated without gasification of metallurgical-grade silicon. The substrates are prepared by: melting metallurgical grade silicon in a furnace; solidifying the melted metallurgical grade silicon into an ingot; slicing the ingot to obtain a plurality of wafers; polishing and cleaning each wafer; depositing aluminum layer on backside of each wafer; depositing a layer of hydrogenated silicon nitride on front surface of each wafer; annealing the wafers at elevated temperature; removing the hydrogenated silicon nitride; and, removing the aluminum layer. The front surface may be textured prior to forming the solar cell. The solar cell structure comprises a metallurgical grade doped silicon substrate and a thin-film structure formed over the substrate to form a p-i-n junction with the substrate. The substrate may be doped p-type, and the thin film structure may be an intrinsic amorphous layer formed over the substrate and an n-type amorphous layer formed over the intrinsic layer.Type: GrantFiled: December 2, 2009Date of Patent: May 31, 2011Assignee: Sunpreme, Ltd.Inventor: Ashok Sinha
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Patent number: 7672576Abstract: Water dispensers are disclosed which include a Sabbath function. When activating the Sabbath function, water refill of the hot water reservoir tank is prevented and the heating of the water in the hot reservoir tank is modified to provide a constant heating at a less than boiling temperature.Type: GrantFiled: May 8, 2007Date of Patent: March 2, 2010Inventors: Ilan Grossbach, Joseph Bach
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Patent number: 6905542Abstract: A waveguide structure and method of fabricating the same, the method comprising forming a first graded layer on a substrate, wherein the first graded layer comprises a first and a second optical material, and a lattice constant adjusting material, wherein the concentration of the second optical material increases with the height of the first graded layer and the concentration of the lattice constant adjusting material varies in proportion to the second optical material; and forming a second graded layer, the second graded layer comprising the first and second optical materials, and a lattice constant adjusting material, wherein the concentration of the second optical material decreases with the height of the second graded layer and the concentration of the lattice constant adjusting material varies in proportion to the second optical material.Type: GrantFiled: December 11, 2001Date of Patent: June 14, 2005Inventors: Arkadii V. Samoilov, Dean E. Berlin
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Patent number: 6905800Abstract: A substrate processing method comprises providing a substrate 105 comprising etch resistant material 210 in a process zone 155, such as an energized gas zone in a process chamber 110. The etch resistant material 210 may comprise a resist material 230 over mask material 240. The process may further comprise removing the etch resistant material 210, such as the resist material 230, in the process zone 155 before etching underlying layers.Type: GrantFiled: November 21, 2000Date of Patent: June 14, 2005Inventors: Stephen Yuen, Mohit Jain, Thorsten B. Lill
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Patent number: 6836131Abstract: A combination cooling plate and micro-spray cooling system beneficial for use in testers of electrically stimulated integrated circuit chips is disclosed. The system includes a transparent heat spreader and micro-spray heads disposed about the heat spreader. The spray heads spray cooling liquid onto a periphery of said heat spreader so as to remove heat from the chip. Alternatively, and micro-spray heads are provided inside the cooling plate holder so as to spray cooling liquid inside the interior of the holder so that the holder is cooled. The holder is in physical contact with the heat spreader, so that as the holder is cooled by the spray, heat is removed from the heat spreader, and thereby from the chip.Type: GrantFiled: March 4, 2003Date of Patent: December 28, 2004Assignee: Credence Systems Corp.Inventors: Tahir Cader, Nathan Stoddard, Donald Tilton, Nader Pakdaman, Steven Kasapi
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Patent number: 6835275Abstract: A process chamber 35 capable of processing a substrate 30 and monitoring a process conducted on the substrate 30, comprises a support 45, a gas inlet, a gas energizer, an exhaust 85, and a wall 38 having a recess 145 that is sized to reduce the deposition of process residues therein. A process monitoring system 35 may be used to monitoring a process that may be conducted on a substrate 30 in the process chamber 25 through the recess 145 in the wall 38.Type: GrantFiled: September 21, 2000Date of Patent: December 28, 2004Inventors: Michael N. Grimbergen, Xue-Yu Qian
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Patent number: 6833079Abstract: The present disclosure pertains to our discovery of a method of etching a shaped cavity in a substrate, where the shaped cavity has a width that is at least as great as its depth. We have discovered that by varying the process chamber pressure during etching of the shaped cavity, we can control lateral etching of the shaped cavity, while allowing the removal of etch process byproducts from the shaped cavity during continued etching. The method of the invention can be used to etch shaped cavities having round or horizontal elliptical shapes. The method of the invention is particularly useful in the etching of buried cavities, where removal of etch byproducts from the cavity can be difficult.Type: GrantFiled: February 17, 2000Date of Patent: December 21, 2004Assignee: Applied Materials Inc.Inventor: Sara Giordani
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Patent number: 6831742Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus 27 comprises a chamber 35 capable of processing a substrate 20, a radiation source 58 to provide a radiation, a radiation polarizer 59 adapted to polarize the radiation to one or more polarization angles that are selected in relation to an orientation 33 of a feature 25 being processed on the substrate 20, a radiation detector 54 to detect radiation reflected from the substrate 20 during processing and generate a signal, and a controller 100 to process the signal.Type: GrantFiled: October 23, 2000Date of Patent: December 14, 2004Assignee: Applied Materials, IncInventors: Zhifeng Sui, Hongqing Shan, Nils Johansson, Hamid Noorbakhsh, Yu Guan
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Patent number: 6827869Abstract: The present disclosure pertains to our discovery of a particularly efficient method for etching a multi-part cavity in a substrate. The method provides for first etching a shaped opening, depositing a protective layer over at least a portion of the inner surface of the shaped opening, and then etching a shaped cavity directly beneath and in continuous communication with the shaped opening. The protective layer protects the etch profile of the shaped opening during etching of the shaped cavity, so that the shaped opening and the shaped cavity can be etched to have different shapes, if desired. In particular embodiments of the method of the invention, lateral etch barrier layers and/or implanted etch stops are also used to direct the etching process. The method of the invention can be applied to any application where it is necessary or desirable to provide a shaped opening and an underlying shaped cavity having varying shapes.Type: GrantFiled: July 11, 2002Date of Patent: December 7, 2004Inventors: Dragan Podlesnik, Thorsten Lill, Jeff Chinn, Shaoher X. Pan, Anisul Khan, Maocheng Li, Yiqiong Wang
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Patent number: 6829056Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus has a chamber having a substrate support, gas distributor, gas energizer, and gas exhaust port. A process monitor is provided to monitor features in a first region of the substrate and generate a corresponding first signal, and to monitor features in a second region of the substrate and generate a second signal. A chamber controller receives and evaluates the first and second signals, and operates the chamber in relation to the signals. For example, the chamber controller can select a process recipe depending upon the signal values. The chamber controller can also set a process parameter at a first level in a first processing sector and at a second level in a second processing sector. The apparatus provides a closed control loop to independently monitor and control processing of features at different regions of the substrate.Type: GrantFiled: August 21, 2003Date of Patent: December 7, 2004Inventors: Michael Barnes, John Holland, Hongqing Shan, Bryan Y. Pu, Mohit Jain, Zhifeng Sui, Michael D. Armacost, Neil E. Hanson, Diana Xiaobing Ma, Ashok K. Sinha, Dan Maydan
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Patent number: 6828811Abstract: A landing system is provided for accurate placing of collection optics in a microscope. In one example, a solid immersion lens (SIL) is used for light collection, and the landing system is operated to place the SIL in contact with an IC. A proximity sensor is used for determining the SIL's position with respect to the IC. The proximity sensor is attached to a z-motion stage. During the placement procedure, the navigation is performed in steps and at each step the compression of the SIL is measured relative to its uncompressed state. When a measured compression exceeds a preset threshold, a SIL landing is recognized. In one example, after a landing is recognized, a further compression is imparted to the SIL in order to place the SIL in a focusing distance to the objective lens.Type: GrantFiled: September 26, 2002Date of Patent: December 7, 2004Assignee: Credence Systems CorporationInventors: John Hanson, Jonathan Frank, Dario Meluzzi, Daniel M. Cotton
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Patent number: 6824813Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus comprises a chamber 28 capable of processing a substrate 20. A radiation source 58 provides radiation that is at least partially reflected from the substrate in the chamber. A radiation detector 62 is provided to detect the reflected radiation and generate a signal. A controller 100 is adapted to receive the signal and determine a property of the substrate 20 in situ during processing, before an onset of during or after processing of a material on the substrate 20.Type: GrantFiled: April 6, 2000Date of Patent: November 30, 2004Assignee: Applied Materials IncInventors: Thorsten B. Lill, Michael N. Grimbergen, Jitske Trevor, Wei-Nan Jiang, Jeffrey Chinn
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Patent number: 6825618Abstract: Apparatus and method for inductively coupling electrical power to a plasma in a semiconductor process chamber. In a first aspect, an array of wedge-shaped induction coils are distributed around a circle. The sides of adjacent coils are parallel, thereby enhancing the radial uniformity of the magnetic field produced by the array. In a second aspect, electrostatic coupling between the induction coils and the plasma is minimized by connecting each induction coil to the power supply so that the turn of wire of the coil which is nearest to the plasma is near electrical ground potential. In one embodiment, the hot end of one coil is connected to the unbalanced output of an RF power supply, and the hot end of the other coil is connected to electrical ground through a capacitor which resonates with the latter coil at the frequency of the RF power supply.Type: GrantFiled: May 20, 2003Date of Patent: November 30, 2004Inventors: Bryan Y. Pu, Hongching Shan, Claes Bjorkman, Kenny Doan, Mike Welch, Richard Raymond Mett
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Patent number: 6821907Abstract: A method and apparatus for etching a magnetic memory cell stack are described. More particularly, HCl is used as a main etchant gas for etching a magnetic memory cell stack. HCl is used in part to reduce corrosion and improve selectivity. Additionally, use of an amorphous carbon or hydrocarbon based polymer resin for a hard mask is described, as well as a post-etch passivation with a water rinse, a water vapor plasma treatment or an ammonia plasma treatment. Moreover, in an embodiment, a diffusion barrier layer dispose most of the magnetic memory cell stack is etched with hydrogen and fluorine containing gas in a separate process chambers.Type: GrantFiled: March 6, 2002Date of Patent: November 23, 2004Inventors: Jeng H. Hwang, Guangxiang Jin, Xiaoyi Chen
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Patent number: 6818096Abstract: A plasma reactor electrode, a method of making it, and a plasma reaction chamber employing the inventive electrode, wherein the electrode is configured to provide superior thermal conductivity characteristics. In the inventive electrode, first and second plates are connected by pins. In one embodiment, the pins, and the first and second plates are made of the same material, such as aluminum. The connection of the pins through the first and second plates provides superior thermal conductivity between the first and second plates. A dielectric cover, which may be made of ceramic or quartz, may be added below the lower plate. To form a showerhead assembly, holes are formed in the lower plate, and also in the dielectric cover, in alignment with a plenum chamber, to provide appropriate inlet for process gas into the chamber.Type: GrantFiled: April 12, 2001Date of Patent: November 16, 2004Inventors: Michael Barnes, David Palagashvili