Patents by Inventor Allen J. Leith

Allen J. Leith 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).

  • Patent number: 10861674
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for processing a workpiece with a beam is described. The apparatus includes a vacuum chamber having a beam-line for forming a particle beam and treating a workpiece with the particle beam, and a scanner for translating the workpiece through the particle beam. The apparatus further includes a scanner control circuit coupled to the scanner, and configured to control a scan property of the scanner, and a beam control circuit coupled to at least one beam-line component, and configured to control the beam flux of the particle beam according to a duty cycle for switching between at least two different states during processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: TEL Epion Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew C. Gwinn, Martin D. Tabat, Kenneth Regan, Allen J. Leith, Michael Graf
  • Publication number: 20200066485
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for processing a workpiece with a beam is described. The apparatus includes a vacuum chamber having a beam-line for forming a particle beam and treating a workpiece with the particle beam, and a scanner for translating the workpiece through the particle beam. The apparatus further includes a scanner control circuit coupled to the scanner, and configured to control a scan property of the scanner, and a beam control circuit coupled to at least one beam-line component, and configured to control the beam flux of the particle beam according to a duty cycle for switching between at least two different states during processing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2019
    Publication date: February 27, 2020
    Inventors: Matthew C. Gwinn, Martin D. Tabat, Kenneth Regan, Allen J. Leith, Michael Graf
  • Patent number: 10497540
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for processing a workpiece with a beam is described. The apparatus includes a vacuum chamber having a beam-line for forming a particle beam and treating a workpiece with the particle beam, and a scanner for translating the workpiece through the particle beam. The apparatus further includes a scanner control circuit coupled to the scanner, and configured to control a scan property of the scanner, and a beam control circuit coupled to at least one beam-line component, and configured to control the beam flux of the particle beam according to a duty cycle for switching between at least two different states during processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: TEL Epion Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew C. Gwinn, Martin D. Tabat, Kenneth Regan, Allen J. Leith, Michael Graf
  • Patent number: 10256095
    Abstract: A system and method for performing location specific processing of a workpiece is described. The method includes placing a microelectronic workpiece in a beam processing system, selecting a beam scan size for a beam scan pattern that is smaller than a dimension of the microelectronic workpiece, generating a processing beam, and processing a target region of the microelectronic workpiece by irradiating the processing beam along the beam scan pattern onto the target region within the beam scan size selected for processing the microelectronic workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: TEL Epion Inc.
    Inventors: Soo Doo Chae, Noel Russell, Joshua LaRose, Nicholas Joy, Luis Fernandez, Allen J. Leith, Steven P. Caliendo, Yan Shao, Vincent Lagana-Gizzo
  • Publication number: 20180197715
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for processing a workpiece with a beam is described. The apparatus includes a vacuum chamber having a beam-line for forming a particle beam and treating a workpiece with the particle beam, and a scanner for translating the workpiece through the particle beam. The apparatus further includes a scanner control circuit coupled to the scanner, and configured to control a scan property of the scanner, and a beam control circuit coupled to at least one beam-line component, and configured to control the beam flux of the particle beam according to a duty cycle for switching between at least two different states during processing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2018
    Publication date: July 12, 2018
    Inventors: Matthew C. Gwinn, Martin D. Tabat, Kenneth Regan, Allen J. Leith, Michael Graf
  • Patent number: 9735019
    Abstract: A beam processing system and method of operating are described. In particular, the beam processing system includes a beam source having a nozzle assembly that is configured to introduce a primary gas through the nozzle assembly to a vacuum vessel in order to produce a gaseous beam, such as a gas cluster beam, and optionally, an ionizer positioned downstream from the nozzle assembly, and configured to ionize the gaseous beam to produce an ionized gaseous beam. The beam processing system further includes a process chamber within which a substrate is positioned for treatment by the gaseous beam, and a secondary gas source, wherein the secondary gas source includes a secondary gas supply system that delivers a secondary gas, and a secondary gas controller that operatively controls the flow of the secondary gas injected into the beam processing system downstream of the nozzle assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: TEL Epion Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Graf, Noel Russell, Matthew C. Gwinn, Allen J. Leith
  • Publication number: 20170077001
    Abstract: A system and method for performing location specific processing of a workpiece is described. The method includes placing a microelectronic workpiece in a beam processing system, selecting a beam scan size for a beam scan pattern that is smaller than a dimension of the microelectronic workpiece, generating a processing beam, and processing a target region of the microelectronic workpiece by irradiating the processing beam along the beam scan pattern onto the target region within the beam scan size selected for processing the microelectronic workpiece.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2016
    Publication date: March 16, 2017
    Inventors: Soo Doo Chae, Noel Russell, Joshua LaRose, Nicholas Joy, Luis Fernandez, Allen J. Leith, Steven P. Caliendo, Yan Shao, Vincent Lagana-Gizzo
  • Publication number: 20160071734
    Abstract: A beam processing system and method of operating are described. In particular, the beam processing system includes a beam source having a nozzle assembly that is configured to introduce a primary gas through the nozzle assembly to a vacuum vessel in order to produce a gaseous beam, such as a gas cluster beam, and optionally, an ionizer positioned downstream from the nozzle assembly, and configured to ionize the gaseous beam to produce an ionized gaseous beam. The beam processing system further includes a process chamber within which a substrate is positioned for treatment by the gaseous beam, and a secondary gas source, wherein the secondary gas source includes a secondary gas supply system that delivers a secondary gas, and a secondary gas controller that operatively controls the flow of the secondary gas injected into the beam processing system downstream of the nozzle assembly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2015
    Publication date: March 10, 2016
    Inventors: Michael Graf, Noel Russell, Matthew C. Gwinn, Allen J. Leith
  • Patent number: 7737051
    Abstract: A method for using a silicon germanium (SiGe) surface layer to integrate a high-k dielectric layer into a semiconductor device. The method forms a SiGe surface layer on a substrate and deposits a high-k dielectric layer on the SiGe surface layer. An oxide layer, located between the high-k dielectric layer and an unreacted portion of the SiGe surface layer, is formed during one or both of deposition of the high-k dielectric layer and an annealing process after deposition of the high-k dielectric layer. The method further includes forming an electrode layer on the high-k dielectric layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Anthony Dip, Pradip K. Roy, Sanjeev Kaushal, Allen J. Leith, Seungho Oh, Raymond Joe