Patents by Inventor Christopher Constantine

Christopher Constantine 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: 7008877
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method and an apparatus for etching a photolithographic substrate. The photolithographic substrate is placed on a support member in a vacuum chamber. A processing gas for etching a material from the photolithographic substrate is introduced into the vacuum chamber, and a plasma is generated. An RF bias is supplied to the support member in the vacuum chamber through an RF bias frequency generator at or below the ion transit frequency. Exposed material is etched from the photolithographic substrate with improved CD Etch Linearity and CD Etch Bias since the low frequency bias allows the developed charge on the photolithographic substrate, generated by the plasma, to dissipate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2006
    Assignee: Unaxis USA Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Constantine, Jason Plumhoff, Russell Westerman, David J. Johnson
  • Publication number: 20040259367
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method and an apparatus for etching a photolithographic substrate. The photolithographic substrate is placed on a support member in a vacuum chamber. A processing gas for etching a material from the photolithographic substrate is introduced into the vacuum chamber, and a plasma is generated. An RF bias is supplied to the support member in the vacuum chamber through an RF bias frequency generator at or below the ion transit frequency. Exposed material is etched from the photolithographic substrate with improved CD Etch Linearity and CD Etch Bias since the low frequency bias allows the developed charge on the photolithographic substrate, generated by the plasma, to dissipate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2004
    Publication date: December 23, 2004
    Inventors: Christopher Constantine, Jason Plumhoff, Russell Westerman, David J. Johnson
  • Publication number: 20030089680
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus for the etching of a thin film upon a photomask. The etching is carried out in a reactor via an inductively coupled pulsed plasma. Pulsing of the plasma is achieved by regulating the time period (or duty cycle) in which the plasma is generated. It has been found that by decreasing the duty cycle, high etch selectively can be achieved and feature sizes can be faithfully maintained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2002
    Publication date: May 15, 2003
    Inventors: David J. Johnson, Shinzo Onishi, Christopher Constantine
  • Patent number: 6544696
    Abstract: An embedded attenuated phase shift mask (“EAPSM”) includes an etch stop layer that can be plasma etched in a process that is highly selective to the underlying quartz substrate. Selectivity to the underlying quartz maintains a desired 180 degree phase shift uniformly across the active mask area. Conventional plasma etching techniques can be utilized without damage to the underlying quartz substrate. Alternatively, the etch stop layer comprises a transparent material that can remain intact in the mask structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2003
    Assignee: Unaxis USA Inc.
    Inventors: Russell Westerman, Christopher Constantine
  • Patent number: 6444275
    Abstract: A thermal ink jet printhead contains, on a front face, a remote plasma deposited fluoropolymer film. The fluoropolymer film has a high fluorine to carbon ratio. The film also possesses excellent mechanical durability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2002
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel E. Kuhman, Christopher Constantine, Kevin N. Beatty
  • Publication number: 20020068229
    Abstract: An embedded attenuated phase shift mask (“EAPSM”) includes an etch stop layer that can be plasma etched in a process that is highly selective to the underlying quartz substrate. Selectivity to the underlying quartz maintains a desired 180 degree phase shift uniformly across the active mask area. Conventional plasma etching techniques can be utilized without damage to the underlying quartz substrate. Alternatively, the etch stop layer comprises a transparent material that can remain intact in the mask structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2001
    Publication date: June 6, 2002
    Applicant: UNAXIS USA INC.
    Inventors: Russell Westerman, Christopher Constantine
  • Patent number: 6243112
    Abstract: A thermal ink jet printhead contains, on a front face, a remote plasma deposited fluoropolymer film. The fluoropolymer film has a high fluorine to carbon ratio. The film also possesses excellent mechanical durability. The film may be prepared by forming a remote plasma from precursor gases containing fluorocarbons and depositing from the remote plasma onto a front face of a thermal ink jet printhead.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2001
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel E. Kuhman, Christopher Constantine, Kevin N. Beatty
  • Patent number: 5624529
    Abstract: A dry etching method. According to the present invention, a gaseous plasma comprising, at least in part, boron trichloride, methane, and hydrogen may be used for dry etching of a compound semiconductor material containing layers including aluminum, or indium, or both. Material layers of a compound semiconductor alloy such as AlGaInP or the like may be anisotropically etched for forming electronic devices including field-effect transistors and heterojunction bipolar transistors and for forming photonic devices including vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers, edge-emitting lasers, and reflectance modulators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 29, 1997
    Assignee: Sandia Corporation
    Inventors: Randy J. Shul, Christopher Constantine