Patents by Inventor Michael Dean Caterer

Michael Dean Caterer 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).

  • Self-aligned pattern over a reflective layer
    Patent number: 5935763
    Abstract: An opening in an insulator on a substrate is self-aligned to a reflective region on the substrate. The opening is formed by shining blanket radiation on photoresist on the insulator and developing to open the resist and insulator. The resist region that is above the reflective region absorbs both incident and reflected radiation, a larger total dose of radiation than is absorbed by resist above non-reflective regions. The incident dose is adjusted to provide a below threshold dose everywhere except to those regions of resist that are above highly reflective regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1999
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Dean Caterer, Timothy Harrison Daubenspeck, Thomas George Ference, Edmund Juris Sprogis