Patents by Inventor Dirk Marteen Knotter

Dirk Marteen Knotter 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).

  • Etching with improved control of critical feature dimensions at the bottom of thick layers
    Patent number: 8282845
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for etching a feature in an etch layer that has a thickness of more than 2 micrometers from an initial contact face for the etchant to an opposite bottom face of the etch layer, at a lateral feature position in the etch layer and with a critical lateral extension at the bottom face. The method includes fabricating, at the lateral feature position on the substrate layer, a mask feature from a mask-layer material, the mask feature having the critical lateral extension. The etch layer is deposited to a thickness of more than 2 micrometers, on the mask feature and on the substrate layer, from an etch-layer material, which is selectively etchable relative to the mask-layer material. Then, the feature is etched in the etch layer at the first lateral position with a lateral extension larger than the critical lateral extension, using an etchant that selectively removes the etch layer-material relative to the mask-layer material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: EPCOS AG
    Inventors: Dirk Marteen Knotter, Arnoldus Den Dekker, Ronald Koster, Robertus T. F. Van Schaijk
  • Etching with Improved Control of Critical Feature Dimensions at the Bottom of Thick Layers
    Publication number: 20090298293
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for etching a feature in an etch layer that has a thickness of more than 2 micrometers from an initial contact face for the etchant to an opposite bottom face of the etch layer, at a lateral feature position in the etch layer and with a critical lateral extension at the bottom face. The method includes fabricating, at the lateral feature position on the substrate layer, a mask feature from a mask-layer material, the mask feature having the critical lateral extension. The etch layer is deposited to a thickness of more than 2 micrometers, on the mask feature and on the substrate layer, from an etch-layer material, which is selectively etchable relative to the mask-layer material. Then, the feature is etched in the etch layer at the first lateral position with a lateral extension larger than the critical lateral extension, using an etchant that selectively removes the etch layer-material relative to the mask-layer material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2009
    Publication date: December 3, 2009
    Inventors: Dirk Marteen Knotter, Arnoldus Den Dekker, Ronald Koster, Robertus T. F. Van Schaijk