Patents by Inventor Whitson G. Waldo

Whitson G. Waldo 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).

  • Patent number: 11379776
    Abstract: A system for validating data includes a digital touch point associated with an organization having an element and a quality assurance (QA) module for monitoring the digital touch point. The system includes a quality control (QC) algorithm associated with the QA module, which is executed against the new element to determine if one or more discrepancies exist between current data for the new element and expected data for the new element. The system includes a tangible error report that captures one or more discrepancies between the current data and the expected data for the new element. The QA module has the ability to modify the request to call to eliminate the one or more discrepancies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: Innovian Corporation
    Inventors: Whitson G. Waldo, IV, Bill Bruno, Adam McArdell, Kevin Wysocki
  • Publication number: 20210224704
    Abstract: A system for validating data includes a digital touch point associated with an organization having an element and a quality assurance (QA) module for monitoring the digital touch point. The system includes a quality control (QC) algorithm associated with the QA module, which is executed against the new element to determine if one or more discrepancies exist between current data for the new element and expected data for the new element. The system includes a tangible error report that captures one or more discrepancies between the current data and the expected data for the new element. The QA module has the ability to modify the request to call to eliminate the one or more discrepancies.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2021
    Publication date: July 22, 2021
    Applicant: Innovian Corporation
    Inventors: Whitson G. Waldo, IV, Bill Bruno, Adam McArdell, Kevin Wysocki
  • Patent number: 5666063
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for laser ablating residue off of probe tips. In one embodiment, the probe tips of the probe needles (16) contact the test pads of an integrated circuit on a wafer (18). The probe tips build up a residue over time. This residue is due to the probe tips coming into contact with integrated circuit wafer layers such as layers (114), (120), (122), (124), and (126). This residue can be vaporized from the surface of the probe needles via exposure to a laser light. The probe needles (16) are exposed to a laser light created by a laser source (28) and ported to the probe tips by a fiber optic cable (26).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 9, 1997
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: David A. Abercrombie, Whitson G. Waldo
  • Patent number: 5552247
    Abstract: A method of patterning an X-ray master mask (21) is described by using reduction projection. An X-ray mask (21) is provided with a photoactive material coating a plating base layer (24). The X-ray mask (21) is positioned under the reduction projection tool. The photoactive material on the X-ray mask (21) is exposed from a pattern (13) in the reduction projection tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 3, 1996
    Assignee: Motorola
    Inventors: Whitson G. Waldo, III, Matthew A. Thompson
  • Patent number: 5548625
    Abstract: A method for performing multiple field parallel processing in x-ray lithography uses a coupled mirror assembly (30) and a coupled mask assembly (22) to define and print multiple fields (54 & 54') in one step. The coupled mirror assembly (30) has multiple mirrored surfaces (34). The coupled mask assembly (22) has as many masks (44) as there are mirrored surfaces (34). The number of masks in the mask assembly define the number image fields that can be printed in parallel during a single exposure step. Thus, the overall cycle time for lithographically exposing an entire semiconductor wafer surface is inversely proportional to the number of parallel image fields.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 20, 1996
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventor: Whitson G. Waldo, III
  • Patent number: 5485498
    Abstract: An x-ray interface (40) provides increased x-ray collection efficiency for use in x-ray photolithography. The interface (40) comprises a housing (44) having a plurality of mirrored funnels (46) for collecting the x-rays. The mirrored funnels (46) are shaped to partially collimate and focus the x-rays. The interface (40) collects a greater percentage of the available x-rays from an x-ray source, and the interface (40) also permits a greater number of beamlines to be coupled to the x-ray source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 16, 1996
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: Whitson G. Waldo, III, Eric Brodsky, Franco Cerrina
  • Patent number: 5469263
    Abstract: A method for alignment in photolithographic processes includes providing a target (31) comprising features having a characteristic spatial period (P). An optical image of the target is captured, and components (33) of the image lacking the characteristic spatial period (P) are filtered out. The filtered image is integrated in the direction of the characteristic period (P) thereby creating an alignment signal (40). The alignment signal (40) is a symmetric signal which correlates to the symmetric target (31). A linear centroid (41) of the alignment signal is located, and corresponds to the precise linear center of the target (31). Consequently, the linear location of an object (10) upon which the target (31) is printed, can be accurately located. The process is performed in two perpendicular dimensions (x,y) so that the object (10) can be precisely located and positioned in two dimensions (x,y).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 21, 1995
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: Whitson G. Waldo, III, Gong Chen, Franco Cerrina
  • Patent number: 5355306
    Abstract: An alignment signal is analyzed asymmetrically using any means of artificial intelligence or similar logic to apply empirical or theoretical offsets to signal position calculations based on the unique signal shapes of the different signals collected. A database of signal shapes and correlated offsets is used to improve subsequent alignment steps. For example, a case-based reasoning method can be used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 11, 1994
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventor: Whitson G. Waldo, III
  • Patent number: 4977048
    Abstract: A method of actinic aligning semiconductor wafers which are coated with a contrast enhancement material is provided, wherein an alignment target formed on a semiconductor substrate which is coated with photoresist and contrast enhancement material is exposed to actinic wavelength light, while protecting active device areas from exposure. The contrast enhancement material over the alignment target is thus bleached so that the underlying alignment target becomes visible to actinic wavelength light. A pattern comprising an alignment pattern and an active device pattern is projected onto the wafer. The now visible alignment target is aligned to the projected alignment pattern with sub-exposure energy actinic light using conventional techniques and an actinic alignment tool, and the active device pattern subsequently exposed at an exposure energy of the actinic wavelength once the alignment is completed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 1989
    Date of Patent: December 11, 1990
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventor: Whitson G. Waldo, III
  • Patent number: 4891094
    Abstract: The contrast of a photoresist layer used in a lithographic process for a given light source is optimized by determining the nonlinear relationship of the photoresist contrast with regard to the thickness thereof and then placing over a substrate a thickness of photoresist corresponding to a desired value of contrast indicated by the nonlinear relationship of contrast with photoresist thickness. The nonlinear contrast with regard to photoresist thickness function is a damped, sinusoidal like function with the difference between maxima and minima contrast values decreasing as the photoresist thickness increases and with higher absolute maxima values for contrast as photoresist thickness decreases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 1989
    Date of Patent: January 2, 1990
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventor: Whitson G. Waldo, III
  • Patent number: 4768883
    Abstract: In a semiconductor wafer stepper system, a reticle having an alignment mark positioned adjacent the center thereof and utilized to align each wafer in the stepper system, as well as to adjust the stepper software of the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 1986
    Date of Patent: September 6, 1988
    Assignee: Motorola Inc.
    Inventors: Whitson G. Waldo, Lawrence M. Genduso