Patents by Inventor Matthew A. Rigsby

Matthew A. Rigsby 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).

  • Publication number: 20230357630
    Abstract: The present disclosure features photon upconversion systems, including a sensitizer and an emitter, wherein the sensitizer absorbs an energy from an incident radiation, and the emitter accepts the energy from the sensitizer via triplet-triplet energy transfer, and emits at a lower wavelength than the incident radiation via a triplet-triplet annihilation process. The present disclosure also features devices including the photon upconversion systems.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2021
    Publication date: November 9, 2023
    Applicant: University of Washington
    Inventors: Cody Schlenker, Kathryn Corp, Sarah Pritash, Matthew Rigsby
  • Publication number: 20230144437
    Abstract: An apparatus and method of adjusting a plating solution are described. Suppressor is added to the plating solution until a comparison to reference data of an RDE potential taken at a first time during a constant current experiment indicates a threshold suppressor concentration is present. The amount of suppressor added to reach the threshold suppressor concentration is used to determine suppressor concentration of the solution. Another amount of suppressor is added to a new plating solution so that the new plating solution has a specific suppressor concentration. The RDE potential or slope of RDE potential change of the new plating concentration with the specific suppressor concentration taken at a second time during another constant current experiment is compared with the reference data to determine the leveler concentration. The suppressor and leveler concentrations of the original plating solution are adjusted before a semiconductor substrate is plated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Publication date: May 11, 2023
    Inventors: Matthew A. Rigsby, Tighe A. Spurlin, Jonathan D. Reid
  • Publication number: 20220102209
    Abstract: Tungsten-containing metal films may be deposited in recessed features of semiconductor substrates by electrodeposition. The tungsten-containing metal film is electrodeposited under conditions so that the tunsten-containing metal film is free or substantially free of oxide. Conditions are optimized during electrodeposition for pH, tungsten concentration, and current density, among other parameters. The tungsten-containing metal film may include cobalt tungsten alloy, cobalt nickel tungsten alloy, or nickel tungsten alloy, where a tungsten content in the tungsten-containing metal film is between about 1-20 atomic %.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Publication date: March 31, 2022
    Inventors: Tighe A. Spurlin, Edward C. Opocensky, Zhange Feng, Matthew A. Rigsby, Jonathan David Reid
  • Patent number: 11078591
    Abstract: Embodiments herein relate to methods, apparatus, and systems for electroplating metal into recessed features using a superconformal fill mechanism that provides relatively faster plating within a feature and relatively slower plating in the field region. Moreover, within the feature, plating occurs faster toward the bottom of the feature compared to the top of the feature. The result is that the feature is filled with metal from the bottom upwards, resulting in a high quality fill without the formation of seams or voids, defects that are likely where a conformal fill mechanism is used. The superconformal fill mechanism relies on the presence of a sacrificial oxidant molecule that is used to develop a differential current efficiency within the feature compared to the field region. Various plating conditions are balanced against one another to ensure that the feature fills from the bottom upwards. No organic plating additives are necessary, though plating additives can be used to improve the process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION
    Inventors: Lee J. Brogan, Natalia V. Doubina, Matthew A. Rigsby, Jonathan David Reid
  • Publication number: 20190271094
    Abstract: Embodiments herein relate to methods, apparatus, and systems for electroplating metal into recessed features using a superconformal fill mechanism that provides relatively faster plating within a feature and relatively slower plating in the field region. Moreover, within the feature, plating occurs faster toward the bottom of the feature compared to the top of the feature. The result is that the feature is filled with metal from the bottom upwards, resulting in a high quality fill without the formation of seams or voids, defects that are likely where a conformal fill mechanism is used. The superconformal fill mechanism relies on the presence of a sacrificial oxidant molecule that is used to develop a differential current efficiency within the feature compared to the field region. Various plating conditions are balanced against one another to ensure that the feature fills from the bottom upwards. No organic plating additives are necessary, though plating additives can be used to improve the process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2019
    Publication date: September 5, 2019
    Inventors: Lee J. Brogan, Natalia V. Doubina, Matthew A. Rigsby, Jonathan David Reid
  • Patent number: 10329683
    Abstract: Embodiments herein relate to methods, apparatus, and systems for electroplating metal into recessed features using a superconformal fill mechanism that provides relatively faster plating within a feature and relatively slower plating in the field region. Moreover, within the feature, plating occurs faster toward the bottom of the feature compared to the top of the feature. The result is that the feature is filled with metal from the bottom upwards, resulting in a high quality fill without the formation of seams or voids, defects that are likely where a conformal fill mechanism is used. The superconformal fill mechanism relies on the presence of a sacrificial oxidant molecule that is used to develop a differential current efficiency within the feature compared to the field region. Various plating conditions are balanced against one another to ensure that the feature fills from the bottom upwards. No organic plating additives are necessary, though plating additives can be used to improve the process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Lee J. Brogan, Natalia V. Doubina, Matthew A. Rigsby, Jonathan David Reid
  • Publication number: 20180119305
    Abstract: Embodiments herein relate to methods, apparatus, and systems for electroplating metal into recessed features using a superconformal fill mechanism that provides relatively faster plating within a feature and relatively slower plating in the field region. Moreover, within the feature, plating occurs faster toward the bottom of the feature compared to the top of the feature. The result is that the feature is filled with metal from the bottom upwards, resulting in a high quality fill without the formation of seams or voids, defects that are likely where a conformal fill mechanism is used. The superconformal fill mechanism relies on the presence of a sacrificial oxidant molecule that is used to develop a differential current efficiency within the feature compared to the field region. Various plating conditions are balanced against one another to ensure that the feature fills from the bottom upwards. No organic plating additives are necessary, though plating additives can be used to improve the process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2016
    Publication date: May 3, 2018
    Inventors: Lee J. Brogan, Natalia V. Doubina, Matthew A. Rigsby, Jonathan David Reid
  • Patent number: 9777386
    Abstract: Various embodiments herein relate to methods and apparatus for electroplating cobalt on a substrate. In many cases, the cobalt is electroplated into recessed features. The recessed features may include a seed layer such as a cobalt seed layer. Electroplating may occur through a bottom-up mechanism. The bottom-up mechanism may be achieved by using particular additives (e.g., accelerator and suppressor), which may be present in the electrolyte at particular concentrations. Further, leveler, wetting agent, and/or brightening agents may be used to promote high quality plating results. In various embodiments, the substrate is pre-treated to remove oxide (and in some cases carbon impurities) from the seed layer before electroplating takes place. Further, the electrolyte may have a particular conductivity to promote uniform plating results across the face of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Natalia V. Doubina, Matthew A. Rigsby, Jonathan David Reid
  • Publication number: 20160273117
    Abstract: Various embodiments herein relate to methods and apparatus for electroplating cobalt on a substrate. In many cases, the cobalt is electroplated into recessed features. The recessed features may include a seed layer such as a cobalt seed layer. Electroplating may occur through a bottom-up mechanism. The bottom-up mechanism may be achieved by using particular additives (e.g., accelerator and suppressor), which may be present in the electrolyte at particular concentrations. Further, leveler, wetting agent, and/or brightening agents may be used to promote high quality plating results. In various embodiments, the substrate is pre-treated to remove oxide (and in some cases carbon impurities) from the seed layer before electroplating takes place. Further, the electrolyte may have a particular conductivity to promote uniform plating results across the face of the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2015
    Publication date: September 22, 2016
    Inventors: Natalia V. Doubina, Matthew A. Rigsby, Jonathan David Reid
  • Publication number: 20150299886
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for preparing a substrate with a semi-noble metal layer are disclosed. The substrate can be pretreated so that a metal oxide surface on the semi-noble metal layer can be reduced to a modified metal surface integrated with the semi-noble metal layer. The substrate can be pretreated using a remote plasma treatment. A copper seed layer can be formed on the semi-noble metal layer using either an acidic or alkaline bath with a plating solution including either at least two copper complexing agents with varying dentacity or a single hexadentate copper complexing agent that is in excess of the copper source. The copper complexing agents can include a hexadentate ligand and a bidentate ligand. In some embodiments, a bulk layer of copper can be subsequently deposited on the copper seed layer using an acidic bath.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2014
    Publication date: October 22, 2015
    Applicant: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Natalia V. Doubina, Tighe A. Spurlin, Matthew A. Rigsby, Jonathan D. Reid, David Porter