Patents by Inventor Nathan J. Kohler

Nathan J. Kohler 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).

  • Method of dehydroxylating a hydroxylated material and method of making a mesoporous film
    Patent number: 6383466
    Abstract: The present invention is a method of dehydroxylating a silica surface that is hydroxylated having the steps of exposing the silica surface separately to a silicon organic compound and a dehydroxylating gas. Exposure to the silicon organic compound can be in liquid, gas or solution phase, and exposure to a dehydroxylating gas is typically at elevated temperatures. In one embodiment, the improvement of the dehydroxylation procedure is the repetition of the soaking and dehydroxylating gas exposure. In another embodiment, the improvement is the use of an inert gas that is substantially free of hydrogen. In yet another embodiment, the present invention is the combination of the two-step dehydroxylation method with a surfactant templating method of making a mesoporous film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2002
    Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
    Inventors: Karel Domansky, Glen E. Fryxell, Jun Liu, Nathan J. Kohler, Suresh Baskaran
  • Mesoporous silica film from a solution containing a surfactant and methods of making same
    Publication number: 20020034626
    Abstract: The present invention is a mesoporous silica film having a low dielectric constant and method of making having the steps of combining a surfactant in a silica precursor solution, spin-coating a film from this solution mixture, forming a partially hydroxylated mesoporous film, and dehydroxylating the hydroxylated film to obtain the mesoporous film. It is advantageous that the small polyoxyethylene ether surfactants used in spin-coated films as described in the present invention will result in fine pores smaller on average than about 20 nm. The resulting mesoporous film has a dielectric constant less than 3, which is stable in moist air with a specific humidity. The present invention provides a method for superior control of film thickness and thickness uniformity over a coated wafer, and films with low dielectric constant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2001
    Publication date: March 21, 2002
    Inventors: Jun Liu, Karel Domansky, Xiaohong Li, Glen E. Fryxell, Suresh Baskaran, Nathan J. Kohler, Suntharampillai Thevuthasan, Christopher A. Coyle, Jerome C. Birnbaum
  • Mesoporous silica film from a solution containing a surfactant and methods of making same
    Patent number: 6329017
    Abstract: The present invention is a mesoporous silica film having a low dielectric constant and method of making having the steps of combining a surfactant in a silica precursor solution, spin-coating a film from this solution mixture, forming a partially hydroxylated mesoporous film, and dehydroxylating the hydroxylated film to obtain the mesoporous film. It is advantageous that the small polyoxyethylene ether surfactants used in spin-coated films as described in the present invention will result in fine pores smaller on average than about 20 nm. The resulting mesoporous film has a dielectric constant less than 3, which is stable in moist air with a specific humidity. The present invention provides a method for superior control of film thickness and thickness uniformity over a coated wafer, and films with low dielectric constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2001
    Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
    Inventors: Jun Liu, Karel Domansky, Xiaohong Li, Glen E. Fryxell, Suresh Baskaran, Nathan J. Kohler, Suntharampillai Thevuthasan, Christopher A. Coyle, Jerome C. Birnbaum