Patents by Inventor John M. Heitxinger

John M. Heitxinger 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: 6065481
    Abstract: Apparatus and method for direct delivery of enabling chemical gas from a liquid source and of HF gas in a hydrogen fluoride/enabling chemical based cleaning or etching process, such as a silicon dioxide film etching process. The liquid enabling chemical is temperature controlled to generate a vapor pressure which is sufficient to operate a mass flow controller at a desired processing pressure without a carrier gas. Prior to entering the process chamber, the enabling chemical gas is pre-mixed with HF and optionally, a carrier gas, all of which are supplied at flow rates independent of each other. By controlling the vapor pressure of the solvent in this way, solvent/HF/carrier mixtures which are not physically possible with carrier gas systems are attainable allowing access to a larger process space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2000
    Assignee: FSI International, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert T. Fayfield, John M. Heitxinger