Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Oliver A. Zitzmann
  • Patent number: 6749808
    Abstract: A sterilizable container (20) is described which includes a flexible bag (23), the flexible bag (23) having a hole in a flat portion thereof and a hollow connector port (22) fixed thereto, the connector port (22) including a collar portion (22A) and a flange portion (24) defining an internal bore (26) of the connector port (22), the inside surface of the flexible bag (23) being sealed to an outside surface of the flange portion (24) and the collar portion (22A) extending through the hole in the flexible bag (23). Also disclosed is an adapter (10) having an internal bore (12), the connector port (22) and the adapter (10) being sealably connectable by a clamping and sealing device (11, 13) so that the internal bores (12, 16) of the connector port (22) and the adapter (10) are in open communication. Preferably, the adapter (10) has a removable door (16) sealed to the end of the adapter (10) remote from the sealable connection to the connector port (22).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2004
    Assignee: Advanced Technology Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Marc Huynen, Stéphane Huynen, Steven Vanhamel
  • Patent number: 6540814
    Abstract: An ion implantation process system, including an ion implanter apparatus for carrying out an ion implantation process. A supply of source gas for the ion implantation process is arranged to flow to the ion implanter apparatus, which discharges an effluent gas stream including ionization products of the source gas during the ion implantation process. The system includes an effluent abatement apparatus for removing hazardous effluent species from the effluent gas stream. The source gas may be furnished from a low pressure gas source in which the source gas is sorptively retained in a vessel on a sorbent medium having affinity for the source gas, and desorbed for dispensing to the process system. A novel scrubbing composition may be employed for effluent treatment, and the scrubbing composition breakthrough of scrubbable component may be monitored with a device such as a quartz microbalance monitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2003
    Assignee: Advanced Technology Materials, Inc
    Inventors: Michael W. Hayes, Mark R. Holst, Jose I. Arno, Glenn M. Tom
  • Patent number: 6511641
    Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for treating pollutants in a gaseous stream. The apparatus comprises tubular inlets for mixing a gas stream with other oxidative and inert gases for mixture within a reaction chamber. The reaction chamber is heated by heating elements and has orifices through which cool or heated air enters into the central reaction chamber. A process is also provided whereby additional gases are added to the gaseous stream preferably within the temperature range of 650 C-950 C which minimizes or alleviates the production of NOx.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2003
    Assignee: Advanced Technology Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy L. Herman, Jack Ellis, Floris Y. Tsang, Daniel O. Clark, Belynda G. Flippo, David Inori, Keith Kaarup, Mark Morgenlaender, Aaron Mao
  • Patent number: 6510081
    Abstract: By reducing the size of the blocks or pages that are contained in a FLASH EEPROM array that must be erased in a write or erase operation, the size of register needed is reduced, making it easier for the processor to handle smaller blocks of information, reducing the size and complexity of the microprocessor, and increasing the endurance of the FLASH EEPROM allowing it to be used in place of the state of the art EEPROM. Replacing mask ROM by flash EEPROM allows full testing of the code storage area as well as allowing customers to use that space for testing in their manufacturing procedures. The code used for testing can then be cleared and reprogrammed with the final code storage before final shipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2003
    Assignee: Advanced Technology Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Trevor Blyth, David Sowards, Philip C. Barnett
  • Patent number: 6491884
    Abstract: An effluent abatement system for abating hydride species in a hydride-containing effluent, arranged for carrying out the steps of: (1) contacting the hydride-containing effluent with a dry scrubber material comprising a metal oxide that is reactive with the hydride species to remove the hydride species from the effluent, until the capacity of the dry scrubber material for hydride species is at least partially exhausted; and (2) contacting the at least partially exhausted capacity dry scrubber material with an oxidant to at least partially regain the capacity of the dry scrubber material for the hydride species. The system of the invention has particular utility in the treatment of effluent from III-V compound semiconductor manufacturing operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2002
    Assignee: Advanced Technology Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Rebecca Faller, Mark Holst
  • Patent number: 6492310
    Abstract: The present invention comprises formulations for stripping wafer residues which originate from a halogen based plasma metal etching followed by oxygen plasma ashing. The formulations contain the following general components (percentages are by weight): Boric Acid  2-17% Organic amine or mixture of amines 35-70% Water 20-45% Glycol solvent (optional)  0-5% Chelating agent (optional)  0-17% The preferred amines are: Monoethanolamine (MEA) Triethanolamine (TEA).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2002
    Assignee: Advanced Technology Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: William A. Wojtczak, George Guan, Long Nguyen
  • Patent number: 6488767
    Abstract: A high quality wafer comprising AlxGayInzN, wherein 0<y≦1 and x+y+z=1, characterized by a root mean square surface roughness of less than 1 nm in a 10×10 &mgr;m2 area at its Ga-side. Such wafer is chemically mechanically polished (CMP) at its Ga-side, using a CMP slurry comprising abrasive particles, such as silica or alumina, and an acid or a base. The process of fabricating such high quality AlxGayInzN wafer may include steps of lapping, mechanical polishing, and reducing internal stress of said wafer by thermal annealing or chemical etching for further enhancement of its surface quality. The CMP process is usefully employed to highlight crystal defects on the Ga-side of the AlxGayInzN wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2002
    Assignee: Advanced Technology Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Xueping Xu, Robert P. Vaudo
  • Patent number: 6474076
    Abstract: A fluid storage and dispensing system including a fluid storage and dispensing vessel enclosing an interior volume for holding a fluid. The vessel includes a fluid discharge port for discharging fluid from the vessel. A pressure regulating element in the interior volume of the fluid storage and dispensing vessel is arranged to flow fluid therethrough to the fluid discharge port at a set pressure for dispensing thereof. A controller external of the fluid storage and dispensing vessel is arranged to transmit a control input into the vessel to cause the pressure regulating element to change the set pressure of the fluid flowed from the pressure regulating element to the fluid discharge port. By such arrangement, the respective storage and dispensing operations can have differing regulator set point pressures, as for example a subatmospheric pressure set point for storage and a superatmospheric pressure set point for dispensing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2002
    Assignee: Advanced Technology Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Luping Wang, Glenn M. Tom, James A. Dietz, Steven M. Lurcott, Steven J. Hultquist
  • Patent number: 6471750
    Abstract: A gas containment assembly including a containment enclosure defining an enclosed interior volume, with an exhaust inlet and an exhaust outlet for flow of exhaust gas into the enclosed interior volume through the exhaust inlet and flow from the containment enclosure through the exhaust outlet. A gas supply vessel and/or gas flow circuitry is provided in the interior volume of the containment enclosure. A back-migration scrubber unit overlies and is sealed to the exhaust inlet so that back-flow migration of gas from the gas supply vessel and/or gas flow circuitry in the interior volume of the containment enclosure is sorptively taken up by sorbent material in the scrubber unit and prevented from passing into an ambient environment in which said gas containment assembly is deployed. This arrangement permits significant reduction in the flow rate of exhaust gas through the gas containment enclosure without compromising the safety of the gas containment assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2002
    Assignee: Advanced Technology Materials, Inc.
    Inventor: W. Karl Olander
  • Patent number: 6466488
    Abstract: A logic level detection circuit that includes a sense amplifier and a consumption equilibration circuit that is topologically distinct from the sense amplifier and that reduces and/or substantially eliminates data dependent electrical consumption by having a data dependent electrical consumption that compensates the data dependent electrical consumption of the sense amplifier. The sense amplifier may be implemented as a current-sensing sense amplifier, and the consumption equilibration circuit may be implemented as a selectively enabled current source that is responsive to a signal generated by the current-sensing sense amplifier. The consumption equilibration circuit may be implemented with a small number of transistors and in a small chip area compared to the number of transistors and chip area used for implementing the sense amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2002
    Assignee: Advanced Technology Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: David Sowards, Trevor Blyth
  • Patent number: 6457494
    Abstract: A chemical delivery system which utilizes multiple techniques to achieve a suitable chemical purge of the chemical delivery system is provided. A purge sequence serves to purge the manifold and canister connection lines of the chemical delivery system prior to removal of an empty chemical supply canister or after a new canister is installed. More particularly, a purge technique which may utilizes a variety of combinations of a medium level vacuum source, a hard vacuum source, and/or a liquid flush system is disclosed. By utilizing a plurality of purge techniques, chemicals such as TaEth, TDEAT, BST, etc. which pose purging difficulties may be efficiently purged from the chemical delivery system. The chemical delivery system may also be provided with an efficient and conveniently located heater system for heating the chemical delivery system cabinet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2002
    Assignee: Advanced Technology Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: John N. Gregg, Craig M. Noah, Robert M. Jackson
  • Patent number: 6447604
    Abstract: A III-V nitride homoepitaxial microelectronic device structure comprising a III-V nitride homoepitaxial epi layer on a III-V nitride material substrate, e.g., of freestanding character. Various processing techniques are described, including a method of forming a III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer on a corresponding III-V nitride material substrate, by depositing the III-V nitride homoepitaxial layer by a VPE process using Group III source material and nitrogen source material under process conditions including V/III ratio in a range of from about 1 to about 105, nitrogen source material partial pressure in a range of from about 1 to about 103 torr, growth temperature in a range of from about 500 to about 1250 degrees Celsius, and growth rate in a range of from about 0.1 to about 500 microns per hour. The III-V nitride homoepitaxial microelectronic device structures are usefully employed in device applications such as UV LEDs, high electron mobility transistors, and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Assignee: Advanced Technology Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey S. Flynn, George R. Brandes, Robert P. Vaudo, David M. Keogh, Xueping Xu, Barbara E. Landini
  • Patent number: 6445006
    Abstract: A microelectronic or microelectromechanical device, including a substrate and a carbon microfiber formed thereon, which may be employed as an electrical connector for the device or as a selectively translational component of a microelectromechanical (MEMS) device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2002
    Assignee: Advanced Technology Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: George R. Brandes, Xueping Xu
  • Patent number: 6440202
    Abstract: Copper pyrazolate precursor compositions useful for the formation of copper in semiconductor integrated circuits, e.g., interconnect metallization in semiconductor device structures, as an adhesive seed layer for plating, for the deposition of a thin-film recording head and for circuitization of packaging components. The copper pyrazolate precursor compositions include fluorinated and non-fluorinated pyrazolate copper (I) complexes and their Lewis base adducts. Such precursors are usefully employed for liquid delivery chemical vapor deposition of copper or copper-containing material on a substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2002
    Assignee: Advanced Technology Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Chongying Xu, Thomas H. Baum, Ziyun Wang
  • Patent number: 6440823
    Abstract: A low defect density (Ga,Al,In)N material. The (Ga, Al, In)N material may be of large area, crack-free character, having a defect density as low as 3×106 defects/cm2 or lower. Such (Ga,Al,In)N material is useful as a substrate for epitaxial growth of Group III-V nitride device structures thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2002
    Assignee: Advanced Technology Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert P. Vaudo, Vivek M. Phanse, Michael A. Tischler
  • Patent number: 6435229
    Abstract: A bulk chemical delivery system, comprising: a bulk chemical canister that is connected to at least one manifold box, wherein each manifold box has at least two output lines, wherein each output line connects to a secondary canister. In non-limiting representative example, the bulk chemical canister may have a capacity of 200 liters. Also disclosed are novel manifolds for use in delivering chemicals from canisters and a transportation/containment cart.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2002
    Assignee: Advanced Technology Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Craig M. Noah, John N. Gregg, Robert M. Jackson, Craig Esser
  • Patent number: 6423284
    Abstract: An apparatus and process for abatement of halogen in a halogen-containing effluent gas, such as is produced by a semiconductor manufacturing plant utilizing perfluorocompounds in the operation of the plant. Halogen-containing effluent gas is contacted with water vapor in a thermal oxidation reactor to convert halogen species to reaction products that are readily removed from the effluent gas by subsequent scrubbing. A shrouding gas may be employed to separate the halogen-containing effluent gas from the water vapor at the inlet of the thermal oxidation reactor, to thereby prevent premature reaction that would otherwise produce particulates and reaction products that could clog the inlet of the reactor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2002
    Assignee: Advanced Technology Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Jose L. Arno, Robert M. Vermeulen
  • Patent number: 6423209
    Abstract: A electrochemical sensor for the detection of traces of HF and/or other acid gases in air, comprising a measuring electrode of an electrochemically active metal oxide powder, a reference electrode for fixing the potential of the measuring electrode close to the equilibrium potential of the oxidation/reduction system of MeOn/Mem+, and a counter electrode. The electrodes are in communicative contact with a hygroscopic electrolyte. The measured gas component changes the pH of the electrolyte, and thus the electrochemical equilibrium of the measuring electrode, to produce a measurable electrical current that is proportional to the concentration of the detected acid gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2002
    Assignee: Advanced Technology Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Martin Weber, Christoph Braden, Serguei Tsapakh
  • Patent number: 6421213
    Abstract: A system is disclosed for isolating a bond pad from the rest of the circuitry of a semiconductor chip in a manner that protects the chip from applied signals that are outside the normal operating range and which tamper with the operation of the system. The system includes the use of a controllable switch for routing the signal from the bond pad to the circuit and a detector for detecting a tamper condition on the bond pad. The detection of a tamper condition causes the detector to inform the microcontroller on the chip to, for example, terminate the operation in progress, perform a controlled system shutdown, disable pre-arranged functions, or record the fact that a tamper condition occurred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2002
    Assignee: Advanced Technology Materials, Inc.
    Inventor: Trevor A. Blyth
  • Patent number: 6409781
    Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing slurry and method for using the slurry for polishing copper, barrier material and dielectric material that comprises a first and second slurry. The first slurry has a high removal rate on copper and a low removal rate on barrier material. The second slurry has a high removal rate on barrier material and a low removal rate on copper and dielectric material. The first and second slurries at least comprise silica particles, an oxidizing agent, a corrosion inhibitor, and a cleaning agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2002
    Assignee: Advanced Technology Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: William A. Wojtczak, Thomas H. Baum, Long Nguyen, Cary Regulski