Patents Examined by Thomas T Pham
  • Patent number: 10658196
    Abstract: A chemical-mechanical polishing slurry composition, comprising a polishing agent, an amine-based polishing activator, and a roughness adjusting agent, wherein the amine-based polishing activator is a tertiary or quaternary amine, and the roughness adjusting agent is a disaccharide. According to the slurry composition, the roughness of tungsten and silicon oxide films can be modified and the number of particles present on the wafer surface after polishing can be reduces so that defects of the wafer can be prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Inventors: Hyeong Ju Lee, Seok Joo Kim, Kyung Il Park
  • Patent number: 10644239
    Abstract: The method for producing an OLED micro-display on a silicon wafer uses a collimating shadow mask formed on a silicon substrate. The mask is fabricated by depositing a material layer on the front side and on the back side of the substrate and etching a portion of the layer on the back side of the substrate to a reduced thickness of at least 20 microns. At least one opening is created in the etched portion of the substrate. The substrate beneath the opening is removed to create the mask. The mask is situated at a location spaced from the surface of the silicon wafer and exposed to a linear evaporation source. Organic layers are then deposited on the silicon wafer in a location aligned with the mask opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: eMagin Corporation
    Inventors: Amalkumar Ghosh, Fridrich Vazan
  • Patent number: 10629427
    Abstract: Methods for processing a substrate, such as bevel etch processing, are provided. In one embodiment, a method includes placing a substrate on a cover plate inside of a processing chamber, where the substrate has a center and a bevel edge and contains a dielectric layer thereon, the processing chamber contains a mask disposed above the substrate and an edge ring disposed under the substrate, the edge ring has an annular body, and the cover plate is disposed on a support assembly. The method further includes heating the substrate with a heater attached to the support assembly, raising the edge ring to contact the mask, flowing a process gas containing an etchant along an outer surface of the mask and to the bevel edge, where the process gas is ignited to produce a plasma, and exposing an upper surface of the substrate at the bevel edge to the process gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Zonghui Su, Vinay Prabhakar, Abdul Aziz Khaja, Jeongmin Lee
  • Patent number: 10626498
    Abstract: There is provided a method of processing a target object to be processed including a porous film and a mask. The method include supplying a first gas into a processing chamber of a plasma processing apparatus in which the target object including the porous film is accommodated, and generating a plasma of a second gas in the processing chamber to remove the mask. The first gas is a processing gas having a saturated vapor pressure of less than or equal to 133.3 Pa at a temperature of a stage on which the target object is mounted in the processing chamber, or includes the processing gas. In the step of supplying the first gas, no plasma is generated, and a partial pressure of the processing gas supplied into the processing chamber is greater than or equal to 20% of the saturated vapor pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Shigeru Tahara, Eiichi Nishimura
  • Patent number: 10595967
    Abstract: A process for providing a topography to the surface of a dental implant, the surface being made of a ceramic material having yttria-stabilized zirconia, the process including: providing a macroscopic roughness to the surface of the dental implant by a mechanical process and/or injection molding technique; and etching at least a part of the roughened surface, wherein etching is carried out using an etching solution having hydrofluoric acid at a temperature of 70° C. at least, such that discrete grains or agglomerates of grains are removed from the yttria-stabilized zirconia, thereby forming recesses and cavities in the roughened surface is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: STRAUMANN HOLDING AG
    Inventors: Frank Homann, Philippe Habersetzer
  • Patent number: 10591817
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for producing a composition for forming a coating film for a lithography used in manufacture of a semiconductor device by using a producing apparatus provided with a metal adsorbent and a filter, comprising the steps of: (1) introducing a solvent used in the composition into the producing apparatus, (2) circulating the solvent in the producing apparatus to adsorb a metal impurity by the metal adsorbent, (3) adding a raw material of the composition into the circulated solvent and homogenizing them to prepare the composition, and (4) circulating the prepared composition in the producing apparatus to remove a microscopic foreign matter by the filter. This method enables to produce a composition for forming a coating film for a lithography with its metal impurities, which cause an etching defect, extremely reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: SHIN-ETSU CHEMICAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tsutomu Ogihara, Motoaki Iwabuchi
  • Patent number: 10593559
    Abstract: An etching process in a capacitor process for DRAM is described. A substrate is provided, which has thereon a silicon layer and metal electrodes in the silicon layer. The silicon layer is removed using a liquid etchant composition. The liquid etchant composition contains tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH), an additive including hydroxylamine or a metal corrosion inhibitor, and water as a solvent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: NANYA TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Michael Tristan Andreas
  • Patent number: 10586714
    Abstract: A thin film transistor substrate includes a gate electrode arranged on a substrate, a gate insulation layer arranged on the gate electrode, an active pattern arranged on the gate insulation layer, a source electrode overlapping a first end portion of the active pattern, and a drain electrode overlapping a second and opposite end portion of the active pattern. A fluorocarbon-like material is arranged on one or more of surfaces of at least one of the active pattern, the source electrode and the drain electrode, and on a photoresist pattern used in the formation process of the thin film substrate. The fluorocarbon-like material on the photoresist pattern serves to maintain a shape and size of the photoresist pattern during subsequent patterning processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hyun-Min Cho, Dong-Il Kim
  • Patent number: 10584073
    Abstract: Contemplated compositions and methods for treating in service concrete includes the step of contacting a portion of the in service concrete with an composition, wherein the composition comprises a base and at least one of an acid and a salt of an acid in an amount effective to convert insoluble calcium salts into soluble calcium gluconates that can be washed away with water or other liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: Protocol Environmental Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Sergio Vitomir
  • Patent number: 10577445
    Abstract: Embodiments relate to a polishing composition is an aqueous composition containing at least colloidal silica, wet-process silica particles, and a water-soluble polymer compound. The water-soluble polymer compound is a copolymer containing a monomer having a carboxylic acid group, a monomer having an amide group, and a monomer having a sulfonic acid group as essential monomers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: YAMAGUCHI SEIKEN KOGYO CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Toru Iwata
  • Patent number: 10563300
    Abstract: A method is employed to separate a carbon structure, which is disposed on a seed structure, from the seed structure. In the method, a carbon structure is deposited on the seed structure in a process chamber of a CVD reactor. The substrate comprising the seed structure (2) and the carbon structure (1) is heated to a process temperature. At least one etching gas is injected into the process chamber, the etching gas having the chemical formula AOmXn, AOmXnYp or AmXn, wherein A is selected from a group of elements that includes S, C and N, wherein O is oxygen, wherein X and Y are different halogens, and wherein m, n and p are natural numbers greater than zero. Through a chemical reaction with the etching gas, the seed structure is converted into a gaseous reaction product. A carrier gas flow is used to remove the gaseous reaction product from the process chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: AIXTRON SE
    Inventors: Kenneth B. K. Teo, Alexandre Jouvray, Jai Matharu, Simon Thomas
  • Patent number: 10563319
    Abstract: A process for making at least one porous area (ZP) of a microelectronic structure in at least one part of an conducting active layer (6), the active layer (6) forming a front face of a stack, the stack comprising a back face (2) of conducting material and an insulating layer (4) interposed between the active layer (6) and the back face (2), said process comprising the steps of: a) making at least one contact pad (14) between the back face (2) and the active layer (6) through the insulation layer (2), b) placing the stack into an electrochemical bath, c) applying an electrical current between the back face (2) and the active layer (6) through the contact pad (14) causing porosification of an area (ZP) of the active layer (6) in the vicinity of the contact pad (14), d) forming the microelectronic structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: COMISSARIAT A L'ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES
    Inventors: Eric Ollier, Frederic-Xavier Gaillard, Carine Marcoux
  • Patent number: 10541184
    Abstract: Embodiments may include a method of etching. The method may also include flowing a gas mixture through a plasma discharge to form plasma effluents. The method may further include flowing the plasma effluents through a plurality of apertures to a layer on a substrate. The layer may have a first thickness. In addition, the method may include etching the layer with the plasma effluents. The method may also include measuring the intensity of emission from a reaction of plasma effluents with the layer. The method may further include summing the intensity of the emission while the plasma effluents are being flowed to the layer to obtain an integrated intensity. The method may then include comparing the integrated intensity to a reference value corresponding to a target etch thickness. The method may include extinguishing the plasma discharge when the integrated intensity is equal to or greater than the reference value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Soonwook Jung, Soonam Park, Dmitry Lubomirsky
  • Patent number: 10541147
    Abstract: A method for selectively etching a first region of silicon oxide with respect to a second region of silicon nitride, includes: preparing a target object including the first region and the second region in a processing chamber of a plasma processing apparatus; and generating a plasma of a processing gas containing a fluorocarbon gas and a rare gas in the processing chamber. In the generating the plasma of the processing gas, a self-bias potential of a lower electrode on which the target object is mounted is greater than or equal to 4V and smaller than or equal to 350V and a flow rate of the rare gas in the processing gas is 250 to 5000 times of a flow rate of the fluorocarbon gas in the processing gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Masahiro Tabata, Takayuki Katsunuma, Masanobu Honda
  • Patent number: 10538090
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a perforated substrate includes forming a through-hole extending through a substrate from a first surface to a second surface opposite the first surface; forming a film on the first surface, a sidewall of the through-hole, and the second surface; forming a resist on the first surface; patterning the resist such that the resist closes an opening of the through-hole in the first surface; etching the film on the first surface using the resist as a mask; before the etching step, forming an inspection member on the second surface such that the inspection member closes an opening of the through-hole in the second surface; and determining whether there is a film patterning defect or a flaw that causes a film patterning defect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Seiichiro Yaginuma, Masataka Nagai, Masaya Uyama
  • Patent number: 10527791
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a substrate, a trench in the substrate, the trench having an inclined sidewall, a reflective layer over the inclined sidewall, a grating structure over the substrate, and a waveguide in the trench. The waveguide is configured to guide optical signals between the grating structure and the reflective layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ying-Hao Kuo, Tien-Yu Huang
  • Patent number: 10529554
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a layer structure in a trench includes: simultaneously forming a dielectric film containing a Si—N bond on an upper surface, and a bottom surface and sidewalls of the trench, wherein a top/bottom portion of the film formed on the upper surface and the bottom surface and a sidewall portion of the film formed on the sidewalls are given different chemical resistance properties by bombardment of a plasma excited by applying voltage between two electrodes between which the substrate is place in parallel to the two electrodes; and substantially removing either one of but not both of the top/bottom portion and the sidewall portion of the film by wet etching which removes the one of the top/bottom portion and the sidewall portion of the film more predominantly than the other according to the different chemical resistance properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: ASM IP Holding B.V.
    Inventors: Dai Ishikawa, Atsuki Fukazawa, Eiichiro Shiba, Shinya Ueda, Taishi Ebisudani, SeungJu Chun, YongMin Yoo, YoonKi Min, SeYong Kim, JongWan Choi
  • Patent number: 10465294
    Abstract: Methods are described herein for etching metal films which are difficult to volatize. The methods include exposing a metal film to a chlorine-containing precursor (e.g. Cl2). Chlorine is then removed from the substrate processing region. A carbon-and-nitrogen-containing precursor (e.g. TMEDA) is delivered to the substrate processing region to form volatile metal complexes which desorb from the surface of the metal film. The methods presented remove metal while very slowly removing the other exposed materials. A thin metal oxide layer may be present on the surface of the metal layer, in which case a local plasma from hydrogen may be used to remove the oxygen or amorphize the near surface region, which has been found to increase the overall etch rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Xikun Wang, Jie Liu, Anchuan Wang, Nitin K. Ingle, Jeffrey W. Anthis, Benjamin Schmiege
  • Patent number: 10468268
    Abstract: There is provided an etching method for etching an object to be processed by using a substrate processing apparatus including a process chamber including a first electrode and a second electrode disposed opposite to the first electrode to receive the object to be processed thereon. The etching method includes a process of removing at least one of a first polymer and a second polymer by etching the object to be processed on which a pattern of the first polymer and the second polymer is formed by phase separation of a block copolymer containing the first polymer and the second polymer at a temperature lower than or equal to 10 degrees C. by using plasma of a process gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventor: Ryoichi Yoshida
  • Patent number: 10410839
    Abstract: In an example embodiment a method of processing a substrate includes forming a plasma in a plasma chamber and using charged grids to form an ion beam and to thereby accelerate ions from the plasma chamber to a processing chamber. An auxiliary heater, which may be a radiant heater, may be used to pre-heat a grid to a saturation state to accelerate heating and concomitant distortion of the grid. A process recipe may pre-compensate for distortion of the grid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yil-Hyung Lee, Yoo-Chul Kong, Jong-Kyu Kim, Seok-Woo Nam, Jong-Soon Park, Kyoung-Sub Shin