Patents by Inventor Stephen Ward Downey

Stephen Ward Downey 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).

  • Carbon hard mask for aluminum interconnect fabrication
    Publication number: 20040180551
    Abstract: A carbon hard mask (62) for patterning an aluminum layer (58) in a microelectronics device (50). The carbon hard mask will release carbon during a reactive ion etch process, thereby eliminating the need to use CHF3 as a passivation gas. Portions of the carbon hard mask remaining after the RIE process are removed during the subsequent strip passivation process without the need for a separate mask removal step.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2003
    Publication date: September 16, 2004
    Inventors: Peter John Biles, Stephen Ward Downey, Thomas Craig Esry
  • Method for avoiding notching in a semiconductor interconnect during a metal etching step
    Patent number: 6559062
    Abstract: A process (100) for forming a metal interconnect (102) in a semiconductor device (82) using a photoresist layer (20) having a thickness (T) of no more than 0.66 microns without forming a notch in the side (30) of the interconnect. A reactive ion etching process (118) used to remove portions of a metal layer (16) to form the interconnect includes a burst etch step (108) wherein a first high flow rate (48) of passivation gas is delivered, followed by a main metal etch step (110) wherein the flow rate of passivation gas is reduced to a second lower value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2003
    Assignee: Agere Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen Ward Downey, Allen Yen, Thomas Michael Wolf, Paul B. Murphey
  • Reduction of sodium contamination in a semiconductor device
    Publication number: 20020121501
    Abstract: A plasma etcher for processing a semiconductor wafer and avoid sodium contamination is provided. The etcher includes a chamber having first and second adjoining regions. The etcher further includes a radio frequency source for generating plasma in the first region from delivered gas. A separator is positioned between the first and second regions for transmitting nonionized gas into the second region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2001
    Publication date: September 5, 2002
    Inventors: Scott F. Choquette, Brian David Crevasse, Charles J. Wood, David Allen Knorr, Stephen Ward Downey
  • Deep sub-micron metal etch with in-situ hard mask etch
    Patent number: 6194323
    Abstract: The invention includes a process for the production of semiconductor devices comprising the steps of depositing a metal layer on a semiconductor substrate, depositing a hardmask layer on said metal layer, depositing a photoresist on said hardmask layer, patterning said photoresist, thereby exposing and patterning portions of said hardmask layer, etching said exposed portions of said hardmask layer with a hardmask etchant, thereby exposing and patterning portions of said metal layer, removing, or not, said photoresist, and etching said exposed portions of said metal layer with a metal etchant and semiconductor devices made by said process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2001
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen Ward Downey, Allen Yen