Patents by Inventor Steven A. Scheer

Steven A. Scheer 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: 20130288487
    Abstract: Provided is a method and system for controlling a spike anneal process on a substrate, comprising selecting one or more objectives, one or more absorbance layers, a technique of modifying absorption of the selected one or more absorbance layers, one or more wavelengths used in a heating device. A substrate modified with the selected technique of modifying absorption is provided. The spike anneal process is performed on the substrate using the selected heating device and selected spike anneal process variables. One or more of the spike anneal process variables, the selected technique of the modifying absorption, the selected one or more wavelengths, and/or the selected heating device are adjusted in order to meet the one or more objectives of the spike anneal process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2012
    Publication date: October 31, 2013
    Applicant: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: STEVEN A. SCHEER, MICHAEL CARCASI
  • Patent number: 7816069
    Abstract: An antireflective coating that contains at least two polymer components and comprises chromophore moieties and transparent moieties is provided. The antireflective coating is useful for providing a single-layer composite graded antireflective coating formed beneath a photoresist layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Colin J. Brodsky, Sean D. Burns, Dario L. Goldfarb, Michael Lercel, David R. Medeiros, Dirk Pfeiffer, Daniel P. Sanders, Steven A. Scheer, Libor Vyklicky
  • Patent number: 7632631
    Abstract: A method is provided for forming a stable thin film on a substrate. The method includes depositing a co-polymer composition having a first component and a second component onto a substrate to form a stable film having a first thickness. The first component has first dielectric properties not enabling the first component by itself to produce the stable film having the first thickness. However, the second component has second dielectric properties which impart stability to the film at the first thickness. In a preferred embodiment, the second component includes a leaving group, and the method further includes first thermal processing the film to cause a solvent but not the leaving group to be removed from the film, after which second thermal processing is performed to at least substantially remove the leaving group from the film. As a result, the film is reduced to a second thickness smaller than the first thickness, and the film remains stable during both the first and the second thermal processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Steven A. Scheer, Colin J. Brodsky
  • Patent number: 7588879
    Abstract: An antireflective coating that contains at least two polymer components and comprises chromophore moieties and transparent moieties is provided. The antireflective coating is useful for providing a single-layer composite graded antireflective coating formed beneath a photoresist layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Colin J. Brodsky, Sean D. Burns, Dario L. Goldfarb, Michael Lercel, David R. Medeiros, Dirk Pfeiffer, Daniel P. Sanders, Steven A. Scheer, Libor Vyklicky
  • Patent number: 7541065
    Abstract: A method is provided for forming a film stack in which a first film including a first polymer is formed on a substrate. A second film, which can include a second polymer other than the first polymer, is formed to have an inner surface disposed on the first film. The second film can have a thickness at which a free energy of the second film would be negative if the second film were disposed directly on the substrate. Desirably, the resulting second film is substantially free of dewetting defects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Colin J. Brodsky, Wai-Kin Li, Steven A. Scheer
  • Patent number: 7473461
    Abstract: A film stack is provided in which a first film including a first polymer directly contacts a surface of a substrate at which a given material is exposed. A second film, which can include a second polymer other than the first polymer, is formed to have an inner surface contacting the first film. The second film can have a thickness at which a free energy of the second film would be negative if the second film were disposed directly on the substrate. Desirably, the resulting second film is substantially free of dewetting defects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Colin J. Brodsky, Wai-Kin Li, Steven A. Scheer
  • Publication number: 20080213707
    Abstract: An antireflective coating that contains at least two polymer components and comprises chromophore moieties and transparent moieties is provided. The antireflective coating is useful for providing a single-layer composite graded antireflective coating formed beneath a photoresist layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2008
    Publication date: September 4, 2008
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Colin J. Brodsky, Sean D. Burns, Dario L. Goldfarb, Michael Lercel, David R. Medeiros, Dirk Pfeiffer, Daniel P. Sanders, Steven A. Scheer, Libor Vyklicky
  • Publication number: 20080008955
    Abstract: An antireflective coating that contains at least two polymer components and comprises chromophore moieties and transparent moieties is provided. The antireflective coating is useful for providing a single-layer composite graded antireflective coating formed beneath a photoresist layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2006
    Publication date: January 10, 2008
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Colin J. Brodsky, Sean D. Burns, Dario L. Goldfarb, Michael Lercel, David R. Medeiros, Dirk Pfeiffer, Daniel P. Sanders, Steven A. Scheer, Libor Vyklicky
  • Patent number: 7267863
    Abstract: A film stack and method of forming a film stack are provided in which a first film is disposed on a substrate and a second film has an inner surface disposed on the first film. The second film has a thickness smaller than a reference thickness at which the second film would begin to dewet from the substrate if the second film were disposed directly on the substrate. However, the second film is substantially free of dewetting defects because it is disposed overlying the first film which has a first Hamaker constant having a negative value with respect to the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Colin J. Brodsky, Wai-Kin Li, Steven A. Scheer
  • Publication number: 20070178404
    Abstract: A method of forming a relief image on a substrate including: applying over a substrate a layer of an antireflective coating; and vacuum processing the antireflective coating. This method reduces the number of pinhole defects present in the antireflective coating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2006
    Publication date: August 2, 2007
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Colin J. Brodsky, Mary Jane Brodsky, Wai-Kin Li, Steven A. Scheer
  • Patent number: 7132316
    Abstract: A method of forming a thin film is provided in which a film having a first thickness is deposited over a substrate, wherein the first thickness is greater than a thickness at which the initially deposited film begins to dewet from the substrate. The initially deposited film is then stabilized to form a stabilized film. Thereafter, the stabilized film is then thinned to a second thickness, such that the resulting film now has a smaller thickness than the thickness at which the initially deposited film would begin to dewet from the substrate. However, as a result of the prior stabilization, the reduced thickness film remains free of dewetting defects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Wai-Kin Li, Colin J. Brodsky, Steven A. Scheer