Patents by Inventor Gregory M. Fritz

Gregory M. Fritz 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: 9991214
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide integrated circuits and methods for activating reactions in integrated circuits. In one embodiment, an integrated circuit is provided having reactive material capable of being activated by electrical discharge, without requiring a battery or similar external power source, to produce an exothermic reaction that erases and/or destroys one or more semiconductor devices on the integrated circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Cyril Cabral, Jr., Gregory M. Fritz, Conal E. Murray, Kenneth P. Rodbell
  • Patent number: 9970102
    Abstract: A reactive material stack with tunable ignition temperatures is provided by inserting a barrier layer between layers of reactive materials. The barrier layer prevents the interdiffusion of the reactive materials, thus a reaction between reactive materials only occurs at an elevated ignition temperature when a certain energy threshold is reached.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Cyril Cabral, Jr., Gregory M. Fritz, Kenneth P. Rodbell
  • Publication number: 20180061782
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide integrated circuits and methods for activating reactions in integrated circuits. In one embodiment, an integrated circuit is provided having reactive material capable of being activated by electrical discharge, without requiring a battery or similar external power source, to produce an exothermic reaction that erases and/or destroys one or more semiconductor devices on the integrated circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2017
    Publication date: March 1, 2018
    Inventors: Cyril Cabral, JR., Gregory M. Fritz, Conal E. Murray, Kenneth P. Rodbell
  • Patent number: 9799552
    Abstract: A semiconductor device and a method of fabricating a contact to interface with an interconnect in a semiconductor device are described. The device includes a dielectric layer formed on a semiconductor layer, and a contact fabricated in a via formed within the dielectric layer. An interconnect formed above the contact interfaces with an exposed surface of the contact opposite a surface closest to the semiconductor layer. The contact includes a contact material in a first portion of the contact and an interface metal in a second portion of the contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Stephen M. Gates, Gregory M. Fritz, Eric A. Joseph, Terry A. Spooner
  • Patent number: 9786550
    Abstract: A semiconductor device and a method of fabricating a contact to interface with an interconnect in a semiconductor device are described. The device includes a dielectric layer formed on a semiconductor layer, and a contact fabricated in a via formed within the dielectric layer. An interconnect formed above the contact interfaces with an exposed surface of the contact opposite a surface closest to the semiconductor layer. The contact includes a contact material in a first portion of the contact and an interface metal in a second portion of the contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Stephen M. Gates, Gregory M. Fritz, Eric A. Joseph, Terry A. Spooner
  • Patent number: 9738560
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a glass substrate to control the fragmentation characteristics by etching and filling trenches in the glass substrate is disclosed. An etching pattern may be determined. The etching pattern may outline where trenches will be etched into a surface of the glass substrate. The etching pattern may be configured so that the glass substrate, when fractured, has a smaller fragmentation size than chemically strengthened glass that has not been etched. A mask may be created in accordance with the etching pattern, and the mask may be applied to a surface of the glass substrate. The surface of the glass substrate may then be etched to create trenches. A filler material may be deposited into the trenches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Cyril Cabral, Jr., Fuad E. Doany, Gregory M. Fritz, Michael S. Gordon, Qiang Huang, Eric P. Lewandowski, Xiao Hu Liu, Kenneth P. Rodbell, Thomas M. Shaw
  • Publication number: 20170226633
    Abstract: A reactive material stack with tunable ignition temperatures is provided by inserting a barrier layer between layers of reactive materials. The barrier layer prevents the interdiffusion of the reactive materials, thus a reaction between reactive materials only occurs at an elevated ignition temperature when a certain energy threshold is reached.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2016
    Publication date: August 10, 2017
    Inventors: Cyril Cabral, JR., Gregory M. Fritz, Kenneth P. Rodbell
  • Publication number: 20170179023
    Abstract: In one example, a method for fabricating an integrated circuit includes patterning a layer of a first conductive metal, via a subtractive etch process, to form a plurality of lines for connecting semiconductor devices on the integrated circuit. A large feature area is formed outside of the plurality of conductive lines via a metal fill process using a second conductive metal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2017
    Publication date: June 22, 2017
    Inventors: Robert L. Bruce, Gregory M. Fritz, Eric A. Joseph, Hiroyuki Miyazoe
  • Publication number: 20170154815
    Abstract: In one example, a method for fabricating an integrated circuit includes patterning a layer of a first conductive metal, via a subtractive etch process, to form a plurality of lines for connecting semiconductor devices on the integrated circuit. A large feature area is formed outside of the plurality of conductive lines via a metal fill process using a second conductive metal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2017
    Publication date: June 1, 2017
    Inventors: Robert L. Bruce, Gregory M. Fritz, Eric A. Joseph, Hiroyuki Miyazoe
  • Patent number: 9653395
    Abstract: In one example, a method for fabricating an integrated circuit includes patterning a layer of a first conductive metal, via a subtractive etch process, to form a plurality of lines for connecting semiconductor devices on the integrated circuit. A large feature area is formed outside of the plurality of conductive lines via a metal fill process using a second conductive metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Robert L. Bruce, Gregory M. Fritz, Eric A. Joseph, Hiroyuki Miyazoe
  • Patent number: 9646881
    Abstract: In one example, a method for fabricating an integrated circuit includes patterning a layer of a first conductive metal, via a subtractive etch process, to form a plurality of lines for connecting semiconductor devices on the integrated circuit. A large feature area is formed outside of the plurality of conductive lines via a metal fill process using a second conductive metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Robert L. Bruce, Gregory M. Fritz, Eric A. Joseph, Hiroyuki Miyazoe
  • Publication number: 20170119960
    Abstract: A digital biomedical device includes a substrate forming a cavity, a seal formed around the cavity, a lid coupled to the substrate by the seal, a reactive metal structure comprising a plurality of metal layers, wherein the reactive metal structure is a component of at least one of the substrate and the lid, a metal trace configured to initiate a self-propagating reaction between the plurality of metal layers of the reactive metal structure and release contents of the cavity, and a power supply configured to apply an electric current to the metal trace
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2015
    Publication date: May 4, 2017
    Inventors: BING DANG, GREGORY M. FRITZ, ERIC P. LEWANDOWSKI, JOANA S.B.T. MARIA, BUCKNELL C. WEBB, STEVEN L. WRIGHT
  • Publication number: 20170117235
    Abstract: A destroy on-demand electrical device includes a substrate layer formed using a soluble material (e.g., a Germanium oxide), a semi-conductor layer formed from a material that can become soluble upon further processing (e.g., Germanium) and conductive elements, formed from a metallic material such as Copper. The device is coupled with one or more disintegration sources that contain disintegration agents (e.g., Hydrogen Peroxide) that can promote disintegration of the device. The device can be destroyed in response to actuation of the disintegration sources, for example by actuation of a source that produces Hydrogen Peroxide for use in oxidizing the semi-conductor layer. Water can be used to dissolve dissolvable substrate layers. The semi-conductor layer can be destroyed by first processing this layer to form a dissolvable material and dissolving the processed layer with water. The remaining Copper components disintegrate once their underlying layer have been dissolved and/or by use of a salt.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2016
    Publication date: April 27, 2017
    Applicant: The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Borenstein, Gregory M. Fritz, Jonathan R. Coppeta, Brett C. Isenberg
  • Patent number: 9586857
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a glass substrate to control the fragmentation characteristics by etching and filling trenches in the glass substrate is disclosed. An etching pattern may be determined. The etching pattern may outline where trenches will be etched into a surface of the glass substrate. The etching pattern may be configured so that the glass substrate, when fractured, has a smaller fragmentation size than chemically strengthened glass that has not been etched. A mask may be created in accordance with the etching pattern, and the mask may be applied to a surface of the glass substrate. The surface of the glass substrate may then be etched to create trenches. A filler material may be deposited into the trenches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Cyril Cabral, Jr., Fuad E. Doany, Gregory M. Fritz, Michael S. Gordon, Qiang Huang, Eric P. Lewandowski, Xiao Hu Liu, Kenneth P. Rodbell, Thomas M. Shaw
  • Publication number: 20170040213
    Abstract: In one example, a method for fabricating an integrated circuit includes patterning a layer of a first conductive metal, via a subtractive etch process, to form a plurality of lines for connecting semiconductor devices on the integrated circuit. A large feature area is formed outside of the plurality of conductive lines via a metal fill process using a second conductive metal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2016
    Publication date: February 9, 2017
    Inventors: Robert L. Bruce, Gregory M. Fritz, Eric A. Joseph, Hiroyuki Miyazoe
  • Publication number: 20170040258
    Abstract: In one example, a method for fabricating an integrated circuit includes patterning a layer of a first conductive metal, via a subtractive etch process, to form a plurality of lines for connecting semiconductor devices on the integrated circuit. A large feature area is formed outside of the plurality of conductive lines via a metal fill process using a second conductive metal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2016
    Publication date: February 9, 2017
    Inventors: Robert L. Bruce, Gregory M. Fritz, Eric A. Joseph, Hiroyuki Miyazoe
  • Publication number: 20170040257
    Abstract: In one example, a method for fabricating an integrated circuit includes patterning a layer of a first conductive metal, via a subtractive etch process, to form a plurality of lines for connecting semiconductor devices on the integrated circuit. A large feature area is formed outside of the plurality of conductive lines via a metal fill process using a second conductive metal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2015
    Publication date: February 9, 2017
    Inventors: Robert L. Bruce, Gregory M. Fritz, Eric A. Joseph, Hiroyuki Miyazoe
  • Publication number: 20160379869
    Abstract: A semiconductor device and a method of fabricating a contact to interface with an interconnect in a semiconductor device are described. The device includes a dielectric layer formed on a semiconductor layer, and a contact fabricated in a via formed within the dielectric layer. An interconnect formed above the contact interfaces with an exposed surface of the contact opposite a surface closest to the semiconductor layer. The contact includes a contact material in a first portion of the contact and an interface metal in a second portion of the contact.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2015
    Publication date: December 29, 2016
    Inventors: Stephen M. Gates, Gregory M. Fritz, Eric A. Joseph, Terry A. Spooner
  • Publication number: 20160379880
    Abstract: A semiconductor device and a method of fabricating a contact to interface with an interconnect in a semiconductor device are described. The device includes a dielectric layer formed on a semiconductor layer, and a contact fabricated in a via formed within the dielectric layer. An interconnect formed above the contact interfaces with an exposed surface of the contact opposite a surface closest to the semiconductor layer. The contact includes a contact material in a first portion of the contact and an interface metal in a second portion of the contact.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2015
    Publication date: December 29, 2016
    Inventors: Stephen M. Gates, Gregory M. Fritz, Eric A. Joseph, Terry A. Spooner
  • Publication number: 20160300802
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide integrated circuits and methods for activating reactions in integrated circuits. In one embodiment, an integrated circuit is provided having reactive material capable of being activated by electrical discharge, without requiring a battery or similar external power source, to produce an exothermic reaction that erases and/or destroys one or more semiconductor devices on the integrated circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2016
    Publication date: October 13, 2016
    Inventors: Cyril Cabral, JR., Gregory M. Fritz, Conal E. Murray, Kenneth P. Rodbell