Patents by Inventor Francis Michael Houlihan

Francis Michael Houlihan 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: 6296984
    Abstract: A process for device fabrication and resist materials that are used in the process are disclosed. The resist material contains acid labile groups either pendant to the polymer or to a dissolution inhibitor that is combined with the polymer. The acid labile groups significantly decrease the solubility of the polymer in a solution of aqueous base. The resist material also contains a photoacid generator and a radical scavenger. The radical scavenger reduces the amount of aromatic compounds outgassed from the resist during the lithographic process. A film of the resist material is formed on a substrate and exposed to delineating radiation. The radiation induces a chemical change in the resist material rendering the exposed resist material substantially more soluble in aqueous base solution than the unexposed portion of the resist material. The image introduced into the resist material is developed using conventional techniques, and the resulting pattern is then transferred into the underlying substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2001
    Assignees: Agere Systems Guardian Corp., Arch Specialty Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventors: Allen H. Gabor, Francis Michael Houlihan, Omkaram Nalamasu
  • Patent number: 6204304
    Abstract: The specification describes optical fiber coating materials and methods for making optical fiber gratings wherein the material of the optical fiber coatings comprises vinyl ether functionalized monomers, together with oligomeric or polymeric thickeners and a cationic photoinitiator. These coating materials are highly transparent to UV radiation used to write optical gratings in the optical fibers but still absorb sufficiently at other wavelengths to be cured effectively using UV radiation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2001
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Francis Michael Houlihan, Mark Anthony Paczkowski, Debra Ann Simoff, Ulrike Varlemann, Nanze Patrick Wang
  • Patent number: 6159665
    Abstract: Photoacid generators advantageous for use in applications such as photoacid generators used in chemically amplified resists are disclosed. These compounds are based on an ortho nitro benzyl configuration employing an .alpha. substituent having high bulk, steric characteristics, and electron withdrawing ability. The enhanced efficacy is particularly found in compounds both having a suitable .alpha. substituent and a second ortho substituent with large electron withdrawing and steric effects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2000
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Evelyn Chin, Francis Michael Houlihan, Omkaram Nalamasu
  • Patent number: 6111133
    Abstract: Substituted styrenes are synthesized by a simple, low temperature technique. A protected phenol styrene is reacted with an acid anhydride, dicarbonate, a halogen substituted alkyl, or an acid chloride in the presence of base to form a carbonyl substituted styrene. Unexpected yield decrease due to distillation is avoided because the product is sufficiently pure to be used without such distillation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2000
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventor: Francis Michael Houlihan
  • Patent number: 6045977
    Abstract: A method for making a device in which a conductive polyaniline layer (polyaniline salt layer) is formed on a substrate and patterned into a desired configuration, is disclosed. The polyaniline salt containing layer is formed by applying a polyaniline salt solution which combines a mixture of polyaniline and an additive, dissolved in a solvent on the substrate. Thereafter, the polyaniline salt containing layer is patterned by delineating in such layer at least one region having a conductivity less than about 10.sup.-6 S/cm. The at least one region in the polyaniline salt containing layer having a conductivity less than about 10.sup.-6 S/cm is optionally formed by combining a photobase generator (PBG) with the polyaniline salt solution. An adhesive is optionally mixed with the polyaniline salt solution for forming an polyaniline salt/adhesive polymer layer which is patterned into the desired configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2000
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Edwin Arthur Chandross, Francis Michael Houlihan, Afshin Partovi, Xina Shu-Wen Quan, Ganesh Venugopal
  • Patent number: 5998099
    Abstract: A process for device fabrication and resist materials that are used in the process are disclosed. The resist material contains a substituted amine-containing component and a polymer. The substituted-amine containing component is either a photoacid generator, or an amine additive to the resist material that also contains a photoacid generator. The resist material contains acid labile groups either pendant to the polymer or to a dissolution inhibitor that is combined with the polymer. The acid labile groups significantly decrease the solubility of the polymer in a solution of aqueous base. A film of the resist material is formed on a substrate and exposed to delineating radiation. The radiation induces a chemical change in the resist material rendering the exposed resist material substantially more soluble in aqueous base solution than the unexposed portion of the resist material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1999
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Francis Michael Houlihan, Omkaram Nalamasu, Thomas Ingolf Wallow
  • Patent number: 5958654
    Abstract: A process for device fabrication is disclosed. In the process, an energy sensitive material is formed on a substrate. The energy sensitive resist material contains a polymer or a polymer blend in combination with an energy-sensitive material such as a photoacid generator. At least three substituents are distributed on the polymer blend. The first of these substituents is a hydroxyl (OH) group. The second of these substituents is an acid-sensitive or acid labile group which is cleaved in the presence of acid and replaced by an OH group. The third of these substituents forms hydrogen bonds with the first group. The ratio of the number of OH substituents relative to the number of substituents that hydrogen bond to the OH substituents (mole percent) is about 40:1 to at least about 1:1. The relative amounts of the first and third substituents is selected to provide a resist material with a glass transition temperature of at least about 60.degree..
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 28, 1999
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Mary Ellen Galvin-Donoghue, Francis Michael Houlihan, Janet Mihoko Kometani, Omkaram Nalamasu, Thomas Xavier Neenan
  • Patent number: 5879857
    Abstract: A process for device fabrication and resist materials that are used in the process are disclosed. The resist material contains a polymer in combination with a dissolution inhibitor and a photoacid generator (PAG). The dissolution inhibitor is the condensation reaction product of a saturated polycyclic hydrocarbon compound with at least one hydroxy (OH) substituent and a difunctional saturated linear, branched, or cyclic hydrocarbon compound wherein the functional groups are either carboxylic acid or carboxylic acid chloride groups. The condensation product has at least two polycylic moieties. The polymer optionally has acid labile groups pendant thereto which significantly decrease the solubility of the polymer in a solution of aqueous base. A film of the resist material is formed on a substrate and exposed to delineating radiation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 9, 1999
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Edwin Arthur Chandross, Francis Michael Houlihan, Omkaram Nalamasu, Elsa Reichmanis, Thomas Ingolf Wallow
  • Patent number: 5843624
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a process for device fabrication and resist materials that are used in the process. The resist material contains a polymer that is the polymerization product of a monomer that contains alicyclic moieties and at least one other monomer. The polymer is formed by free radical polymerization, and the resulting polymer either has alicyclic moieties incorporated into the polymer backbone or pendant to the polymer backbone via saturated hydrocarbon linkages. Other monomers are selected for polymerization with the alicyclic moiety-containing monomer on the basis of the ability of the monomer to copolymerize by free radical polymerization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1998
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Francis Michael Houlihan, Omkaram Nalamasu, Elsa Reichmanis, Thomas Ingolf Wallow
  • Patent number: 5830619
    Abstract: Photoacid generators advantageous for use in applications such as photoacid generators used in chemically amplified resists are disclosed. These compounds are based on an ortho nitro benzyl configuration employing an .alpha. substituent having high bulk, steric characteristics, and electron withdrawing ability. The enhanced efficacy is particularly found in compounds both having a suitable .alpha. substituent and a second ortho substituent with large electron withdrawing and steric effects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1998
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Evelyn Chin, Francis Michael Houlihan, Omkaram Nalamasu
  • Patent number: 5725996
    Abstract: A novel resist composition is disclosed. The resist composition is used in a lithographic process for device fabrication. The resist composition contains a polymer with phosphorus ester moieties. These moieties make the resist composition suitable for use in a variety of lithographic processes for fabricating integrated circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 10, 1998
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Francis Michael Houlihan, Howard Edan Katz, Marcia Lea Schilling