Generated By Microwave (i.e., 1mm To 1m) Patents (Class 427/575)
  • Patent number: 7160585
    Abstract: A process makes at least one nanotube between two electrically conducting elements located on a substrate, using, inside a deposition chamber, a microwave power, a magnetic field, and at least one electronic cyclotron resonance zone faciliting ionization and/or dissociation of a gas containing carbon injected into the deposition chamber at a low pressure inside the deposition chamber, causing ionization and/or dissociation of this gas in each electronic cyclotron resonance zone. The ions and electrons produced are located along the field lines of the magnetic field set up in the deposition chamber. The process also includes a screening operation of the various species produced in each electronic cyclotron resonance zone to enable exclusive access of CxHy°non condensable free radicals produced to access a deposition zone adjacent to at least one part of the substrate including the two electrically conducting elements to make the nanotube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2007
    Assignee: Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique
    Inventors: Marc Delaunay, Anne Senillou, Marie-Noelle Semeria
  • Patent number: 7125588
    Abstract: A method of forming an insulating ceramic film or a metallic film by a plasma CVD process in which a high density plasma is generated in the presence of a magnetic field wherein the electric power for generating the plasma has a pulsed waveform. The electric power typically is supplied by microwave, and the pulsed wave may be a complex wave having a two-step peak, or may be a complex wave obtained by complexing a pulsed wave with a stationary continuous wave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2006
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akiharu Miyanaga, Tohru Inoue, Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 7105208
    Abstract: The invention includes methods and processes in which microwave radiation is utilized to activate at least one component within a reaction chamber during deposition of a material over a substrate within the reaction chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2006
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Craig M. Carpenter, Ross S. Dando, Philip H. Campbell
  • Patent number: 7097782
    Abstract: In certain implementations, methods and apparatus include an antenna assembly having at least two overlapping and movable surface microwave plasma antennas. The antennas have respective pluralities of microwave transmissive openings formed therethrough. At least some of the openings of the respective antennas overlap with at least some of the openings of another antenna, and form an effective plurality of microwave transmissive openings through the antenna assembly. Microwave energy is passed through the effective plurality of openings of the antenna assembly and to a flowing gas effective to form a surface microwave plasma onto a substrate received within the processing chamber. At least one of the antennas is moved relative to another of the antennas to change at least one of size and shape of the effective plurality of openings through the antenna assembly effective to modify microwave energy passed through the antenna assembly to the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Guy T. Blalock, Trung Tri Doan
  • Patent number: 6929830
    Abstract: A method for treating a non-planar surface of an object by employing a plasma treatment apparatus in which a microwave dielectric has a non-planar surface corresponding to the surface of the object. A method for forming an optical part is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2005
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Goushu Tei, Nobuyoshi Tanaka, Tadahiro Ohmi, Masaki Hirayama
  • Patent number: 6928839
    Abstract: A device and method is disclosed for manufacturing optical fiber preforms utilizing microwave plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition. Precursor gas is introduced to the face of a vertically mounted dielectric rod, and a plasma is struck by means of simultaneous excitation of an E01 type wave and an H type wave with rotating linear polarization. The silica rod is positioned so that its face is at the bottom of the tube. Precursor gas is delivered from a position below the face of the silica rod, and microwave energy, which travels through the rod to the rod face, is delivered from a source positioned above the rod. With this configuration, a uniformly dense plasma localized on the face of the rod can simultaneously deposit both a pure or doped core and a doped cladding. It is also useful for creating waveguides, preform cores for use as substrates in creating optical fiber preforms, capillaries and ceramic rods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2005
    Assignee: CeramOptec Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Leonid M. Blinov
  • Patent number: 6916512
    Abstract: The method for coating plural surfaces on multiple sides of a substrate, especially a lens, includes launching microwave outputs into a microwave reactor at respective microwave launch sites; selecting respective microwave outputs to be greater than or equal to thresholds at which corresponding plasmas having a reduced permeability to microwave radiation arise in the microwave reactor; setting distances between the plural surfaces and microwave launch sites greater than microwave penetrations depths in the plasmas; placing respective dielectric tuning elements in microwave fields formed from the microwave outputs at the launch sites; and adapting the shapes of the dielectric tuning elements to the plural surfaces to be coated, so that plasma inhomogeneities are corrected and coatings with a uniformity of ±1% are formed on the plural surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2005
    Assignee: Schott Glas
    Inventors: Burkhard Danielzik, Markus Kuhr, Wolfgang Moehl
  • Patent number: 6905737
    Abstract: A method for providing activated species for a cyclical deposition process is provided. In one aspect, the method includes delivering a gas to be activated into a plasma generator, activating the gas to create a volume of reactive species, delivering a fraction of the reactive species into a processing region to react within a substrate therein, and maintaining at least a portion of the the gas remaining in the plasma generator in an activated state after delivering the fraction of the gas into the process region. The plasma generator may include a high density plasma (HDP) generator, a microwave generator, a radio-frequency (RF) generator, an inductive-coupled plasma (ICP) generator, a capacitively coupled generator, or combinations thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2005
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Donald J. Verplancken, Ashok K. Sinha
  • Patent number: 6900138
    Abstract: The present invention includes a method for preventing distortion in semiconductor fabrication. The method comprises providing a substrate comprising a film comprising silicon nitride. The substrate is treated in a vacuum of about 3.0-6.5 Torr in an atmosphere comprising oxygen plasma wherein the oxygen plasma flow rate is at least about 300 sccm oxygen. A resist is applied to the treated substrate and the resist is patterned over the treated substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2005
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Zhiping Yin, Mark Fischer
  • Patent number: 6875480
    Abstract: The present invention is to provide a method of enhancement of electrical conductivity for conductive polymer by use of field effect control, wherein on the substrate, whose surface was treated with a field, was coated by a containing monomer or oligomer solution of conductive polymer, through a field mechanism a monomer or oligomer of conductive polymer can demonstrate the sequential order molecular structure layer on the substrate, on this molecular structure layer was coated by an available amount of oxidant to proceed the polymerization, it was subjected to a field during polymerization to form 3-dimensional order stacking structure in order to increase the functional characteristic and electrical conductivity for conductive polymer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2005
    Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
    Inventors: Tsung-Hsiung Wang, Jing-Pin Pan
  • Patent number: 6855379
    Abstract: A method for surface treatment of at least one electrically conducting substrate or a substrate that has been coated so as to be conducting (1) by means of a gas placed in the region of an electric discharge (2). The discharge region is restricted by at least two essentially opposite sides of the substrate surface to be treated (7). This process is especially suitable for treating band-shaped and continuously supplied substrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2005
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Zur Förderung der Angewandten Forschung E.V.
    Inventors: Thomas Jung, Claus-Peter Klages
  • Patent number: 6851939
    Abstract: A system for chemical vapor deposition at ambient temperature using electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) comprising: an ECR system; a sputtering system for providing the ECR system with metal ion; an organic material supply system for providing organic material of gas or liquid phase; and a DC bias system for inducing the metal ion and the radical ion on a substrate is provided, and a method for fabricating metal composite film comprising: a step of providing a process chamber with the gas as plasma form using the ECR; a step of providing the chamber with the metal ion and the organic material; a step of generating organic material ion and radical ion by reacting the metal ion and the organic material with the plasma; and a step of chemically compounding the organic material ion and the radical ion after inducing them on a surface of a specimen is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2005
    Assignee: Korea Institute of Science and Technology
    Inventors: Joong-Kee Lee, Dal-Keun Park, Byung-Won Cho, Joo-Man Woo, Bup-Ju Jeon
  • Patent number: 6849307
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an optical fiber and related devices using an apparatus having an elongated microwave guide coupled to a resonant cavity formed of an outer cylindrical wall and inner cylindrical wall having a slit with a width W and configured to deliver microwave energy having a vacuum wavelength ? to a resonant cavity thereof to satisfy the relationship: W??/10 where a substrate tube is located within the resonant cavity and plasma chemical vapor deposition deposits layers of doped silica thereon followed by thermal collapsing the substrate and drawing an optical fiber therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2005
    Assignee: Plasma Optical Fibre B.V.
    Inventors: Antonius Henricus Elisabeth Breuls, Mattheus Jacobus Nicolaas Van Stralen, Andries Heero Van Bergen
  • Patent number: 6841201
    Abstract: An apparatus and method that generates plasma using a microwave radiation supply. The plasma is used to treat a surface of a workpiece at approximately atmospheric pressure. Plasma excites a working gas to create an excited gaseous species without degradation from undue heat caused by the plasma. The gaseous species exit an outlet of the apparatus to treat the surface of a workpiece when the outlet is juxtaposed with the workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2005
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Vesselin Nikolov Shanov, Saswati Datta, Seved Farhad Miralai, John Andrew McDaniel
  • Patent number: 6841202
    Abstract: The invention concerns a device and a method for coating and/or surface modification of objects in a vacuum using a plasma, where there is the possibility of coating or modifying variform objects on all sides without a large expense for plant or process engineering being necessary. In accordance with the invention, a box structure (1) of an electrically conductive material that forms a vacuum chamber or can be inserted into a vacuum chamber is used. Objects (2) can be introduced into the box structure to at least one closable opening (8) at a distance from the inner wall. In addition, there are at least one opening (3) for supply and at least one opening (4) for removal of the operating gas as well as one opening (6,6?) for introduction of energy for generation of a glow discharge and the box structure (1) has a potential that is electrically negative with respect to the plasma generated by the glow discharge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2005
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Forderung
    Inventor: Thomas Jung
  • Patent number: 6812146
    Abstract: A process for depositing titanium nitride films containing less than 5% carbon impurities and less than 10% oxygen impurities by weight via chemical vapor deposition is disclosed. Sheet resistance of the deposited films is generally within a range of about 1 to 10 ohms per square. The deposition process takes place in a deposition chamber that has been evacuated to less than atmospheric pressure and utilizes the organo-metallic compound tertiary-butyltris-dimethylamido-titanium and a nitrogen source as precursors. The deposition temperature, which is dependent on the nitrogen source, is within a range of 350° C. to 700° C. The low end of the temperature range utilizes nitrogen-containing gases such as diatomic nitrogen, ammonia, hydrazine, amides and amines which have been converted to a plasma. The higher end of the temperature range relies on thermal decomposition of the nitrogen source for the production of reaction-sustaining radicals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2004
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Salman Akram
  • Patent number: 6808748
    Abstract: A method of depositing a silicon oxide layer over a substrate having a trench formed between adjacent raised surfaces. In one embodiment the silicon oxide layer is formed in a multistep process that includes depositing a first portion of layer over the substrate and within the trench by forming a high density plasma process that has simultaneous deposition and sputtering components from a first process gas comprising a silicon source, an oxygen source and helium and/or molecular hydrogen with high D/S ratio, for example, 10-20 and, thereafter, depositing a second portion of the silicon oxide layer over the substrate and within the trench by forming a high density plasma process that has simultaneous deposition and sputtering components from a second process gas comprising a silicon source, an oxygen source and molecular hydrogen with a lower D/S ratio of, for example, 3-10.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2004
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Bikram Kapoor, M. Ziaul Karim, Anchuan Wang
  • Patent number: 6787200
    Abstract: Process and device for depositing, by electron cyclotron resonance plasma, a web of carbon nanofibres or nanotubes, on a substrate without a catalyst, by injection of a microwave power into a deposition chamber including a magnetic structure with a highly unbalanced magnetic mirror and at least one electron cyclotron resonance zone within the interior of the deposition chamber itself and opposite the substrate. Under a pressure of less than 10−4 mbar, ionization and/or dissociation of a gas containing carbon is induced in the magnetic mirror in the center of the deposition chamber, thus producing species that deposit on the substrate, which is heated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2004
    Assignee: Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique
    Inventors: Marc Delaunay, Marie-Noëlle Semeria
  • Patent number: 6770332
    Abstract: In a case where a CF film is used as an interlayer dielectric file for a semiconductor device, when a wiring of tungsten is formed, the CF film is heated to a temperature of, e g., about 400 to 450° C. At this time, F containing gases are emitted from the CF film, so that there are various disadvantages due to the corrosion of the wiring and the decrease of film thickness. In order to prevent this, it is required to enhance thermostability. A compound gas of C and F, e.g., C4F8 gas, a hydrocarbon gas, e.g., C2H4 gas, and CO gas are used as thin film deposition gases. These gases are activated to deposit a CF film on a semiconductor wafer 10 at a process temperature of 400° C. using active species thereof. Since the number of diamond-like bonds are greater than the number of graphite-like bonds by the addition of CO gas, the bonds are strengthened and difficult to be cut even at a high temperature, so that thermostability is enhanced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2004
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Risa Nakase, Takeshi Aoki, Akira Suzuki, Yoshihiro Kato
  • Publication number: 20040131795
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method to control the magnetic alloy-encapsulated carbon-base nanostructures apply an appropriate amount of magnetic field during magnetic alloy-encapsulated nanostructure deposition and post treatment for improved magnetic anisotropy by electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapor deposition (ECR-CVD), the catalyst and additive on surface of substrate use DC bias and heating treatment and then etching the substrate during plasma pretreatment. The present invention is to provide control of the size and shape of the nanostructures, capability to be effectively manipulated the magnetic anisotropy and coercive force of the encapsulated magnetic nanoparticles, capability to store the magnetic signals with nano-resolution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2003
    Publication date: July 8, 2004
    Applicant: National Chiao Tung University
    Inventors: Cheng-Tzu Kuo, Chao-Hsun Lin, An-Ya Lo, Po-Yuan Lo
  • Patent number: 6756311
    Abstract: A method for producing semiconductor devices and a production apparatus having a superior ability to control the process are disclosed. In an embodiment according to this invention, a surface of a semiconductor substrate is processed using a process gas excited by two electromagnetic waves with their powers change separately and periodically, keeping a predetermined timing relationship with each other. In addition, a bias with a voltage that also changes periodically, keeping a predetermined relationship with change of the electromagnetic waves, can be applied to the substrate. Further, the process is controlled by monitoring an optical emission from the process gas synchronously with the periodic change of the electromagnetic wave or the bias.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2004
    Assignee: Kawasaki Microelectronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Koji Suzuki
  • Patent number: 6730369
    Abstract: The vacuum processing chambers 31 of the plasma processing units 3A and 3B are connected to the transfer chamber 2 and the wafer W in the positioned state is transferred from the transfer chamber 2 to the mounting stages 4 in the vacuum processing chambers 31. The volume and length of the wave guide 5 are the same between the plasma processing units 3A and 3B. The location relationship of the wave guide 5 to the transfer directions M1 and M2 of the transfer arm 61 is the same between the plasma processing units 3A and 3B. As a result, the location relationship of the wave guide 5 to the wafer W mounted on the mounting stage 4 in a predetermined direction is the same between the plasma processing units 3A and 3B.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2004
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventor: Hideaki Amano
  • Patent number: 6715441
    Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for performing Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition (PCVD), whereby one or more layers of silica can be deposited on an elongated vitreous substrate. The apparatus includes an elongated microwave guide which emerges into a resonant cavity which is substantially cylindrically symmetric about a cylindrical axis, along which axis the substrate can be positioned. Aspects of the apparatus include the cavity being substantially annular in form, with an inner cylindrical wall and an outer cylindrical wall and the inner cylindrical wall having a slit which extends in a full circle around the cylindrical axis: Additional aspects include the guide having a longitudinal axis which is substantially perpendicular to the cylindrical axis and which does not intercept the slit. The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing an optical fiber, a preform rod and a jacket tube as well as to the thus obtained optical fiber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2004
    Assignee: Plasma Optical Fibre B.V.
    Inventors: Antonius Henricus Elisabeth Breuls, Mattheus Jacobus Nicolaas Van Stralen, Andries Heero Van Bergen
  • Publication number: 20040045636
    Abstract: A surface treatment method in which a surface of a part (7) is contacted with at least one activated species. The activated species is obtained by activating a gaseous medium containing at least two of the following elements: carbon, nitrogen, boron and oxygen. Preferably, the activated species is a neutral excited CN species. The activated species brings at least one interstitial element to the metal part (7) surface which is borne and maintained at a temperature enabling the interstitial element to be diffused into a surface layer of the metal part (7).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2003
    Publication date: March 11, 2004
    Inventors: Laurent Poirier, Jean-Paul Lebrun, Bernard Delmas
  • Publication number: 20040037972
    Abstract: An electron-emitting device contains a vertical emitter electrode patterned into multiple laterally separated sections situated between the electron-emissive elements, on one hand, and a substrate, on the other hand. The electron-emissive elements comprising carbon nanotubes are grown at a temperature range of 200° C. to 600° C. compatible with the thermal stress of the underlying substrate. The electron-emissive elements are grown on a granulized catalyst layer that provides a large surface area for growing the electron-emissive elements at such low temperature ranges.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2002
    Publication date: February 26, 2004
    Inventors: Kang Simon, Bae Craig, Kim Jung Jae
  • Publication number: 20040028837
    Abstract: An apparatus for processing a workpiece with a plasma includes a plasma chamber having an interior processing space, a plasma generating assembly, a gas supply system communicated to the chamber and operable to supply one or more gasses to the processing space, and a vacuum system communicated to the chamber and operable to remove gas from the chamber. A magnet assembly having a plurality of magnets and being constructed and arranged to hold the plurality of magnets in a predetermined configuration is rotatably mounted within the chamber so that the plurality of magnets are positioned to impose a magnetic field on a plasma within the processing space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2003
    Publication date: February 12, 2004
    Applicant: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventor: Steven T. Fink
  • Publication number: 20040011291
    Abstract: Electron cyclotron resonance plasma deposition process and device for single-wall carbon nanotubes on a catalyst-free substrate, by injection of microwave power into a deposition chamber comprising a magnetic confinement structure with a magnetic mirror, and at least one electron cyclotron resonance area inside or at the border of said deposition chamber and facing said substrate, whereby dissociation and/or ionization of a gas containing carbon is caused, at a pressure of less than 10−3 mbars, in said magnetic mirror at the center of the deposition chamber, producing species that will be deposited on said heated substrate; process in which the substrate surface includes raised and/or lowered reliefs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2003
    Publication date: January 22, 2004
    Inventors: Marc Delaunay, Cyril Vannuffel
  • Patent number: 6677001
    Abstract: A new chemical vapor reaction system is described. Instead of ECR where electrons can move as independent particles without interaction, a mixed cyclotron resonance is a main exciting principal for chemical vapor reaction. In the new proposed resonance, the resonating space is comparatively large so that a material having a high melting point such as diamond can be deposited in the form of a thin film by this inovative method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2004
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Inujima, Naoki Hirose, Mamoru Tashiro, Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 6673722
    Abstract: An improved chemical vapor deposition or etching is shown in which cyclotron resonance and photo or plasma CVD cooperate to deposit a layer with high performance at a high deposition speed. The high deposition speed is attributed to the cyclotron resonance while the high performance is attributed to the CVDs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2004
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20030232150
    Abstract: To enable CVD coating with long coating times in an economical manner, the invention provides a CVD coating device, which comprises a conveyor, at least one coating station for coating workpieces, at least one evacuator and a device that generates a plasma in at least one subregion of the coating station, in which device at least two workpieces can be received in the at least one coating station.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2003
    Publication date: December 18, 2003
    Inventors: Gregor Arnold, Stephen Behle, Andreas Luttringhaus-Henkel, Matthias Bicker
  • Patent number: 6660342
    Abstract: A method of forming a film by a plasma CVD process in which a high density plasma is generated in the presence of a magnetic field wherein the electric power for generating the plasma has a pulsed waveform. The electric power typically is supplied by microwave, and the pulsed wave may be a complex wave having a two-step peak, or may be a complex wave obtained by complexing a pulsed wave with a stationary continuous wave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2003
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akiharu Miyanaga, Tohru Inoue, Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 6652923
    Abstract: An electron-emitting source includes a substrate and a coating film. The substrate is made of a material containing a metal serving as a growth nucleus for nanotube fibers as a main component, and has a plurality of through holes. The coating film is constituted by nanotube fibers formed on a surface of the substrate and wall surfaces of the through holes. A method of manufacturing an electron-emitting source is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2003
    Assignees: ISE Electronics Corporation, Nihon Shinku Gijutsu Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Sashiro Uemura, Takeshi Nagasako, Junko Yotani, Hirohiko Murakami
  • Patent number: 6645575
    Abstract: A method is provided for making a blow molded multi-layer container having an upper wall portion, including an opening; an intermediate sidewall portion positioned beneath the upper wall portion; and a base portion positioned beneath the intermediate sidewall portion. The container includes (i) a molded inner layer formed from a plastic material, the inner layer having a vertical length and a carbon-treated inner surface; and (ii) a molded outer layer formed from recycled plastic that is substantially coextensive with the inner layer. The recycled outer layer comprises at least 40% by weight of the overall weight of the container, but can comprise more than 90% by weight. In a preferred embodiment, the thickness of the inner and/or outer layers is controllably adjusted along their respective vertical lengths. If functionally desirable, the inner layer and/or outer layer may also include additional barrier materials and/or oxygen scavenging/reacting materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2003
    Assignee: Plastipak Packaging, Inc.
    Inventor: William A. Slat
  • Publication number: 20030203125
    Abstract: A method for treating a non-planar surface of an object by employing a plasma treatment apparatus in which a microwave dielectric has a non-planar surface corresponding to the surface of the object. A method for forming an optical part is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2003
    Publication date: October 30, 2003
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Goushu Tei, Nobuyoshi Tanaka, Tadahiro Ohmi, Masaki Hirayama
  • Patent number: 6617152
    Abstract: A method, apparatus and product for producing an advantaged cell growth surface. According to the present invention, a stream of plasma is comprised of activated gaseous species generated by a microwave source. This stream is directed at the surface of a polymer substrate in a controlled fashion such that the surface is imparted with attributes for cell adhesion far superior to that of untreated polymer or polymer treated by other known methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2003
    Inventors: Marie D. Bryhan, Paul E. Gagnon, Oliva V. LaChance, Zhong-he Shen, Hongming Wang
  • Patent number: 6610373
    Abstract: In a device for forming magnetic film which deposits magnetic material on a substrate 12, a device is provided which, before the magnetic film is formed in a magnetic film-forming chamber 11, cleans one or both of the film-forming face and reverse face of the substrate 12 in a cleaning processing chamber 13. The cleaning mechanism carries out cleaning by placing a substrate on a horseshoe-shaped insulator substrate-holding part 51 which moves up and down, and emission of gas from the reverse face of the substrate and the like is brought about by generating Ar plasma between the upper periphery of the substrate, the substrate and a lower insulator 61 of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2003
    Assignee: Anelva Corporation
    Inventors: Daisuke Nakajima, Koji Tsunekawa, Naoki Watanabe
  • Patent number: 6607790
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) method of depositing a thin layer of a material, such as silicon dioxide, on the surface of a body, such as a semiconductor substrate. The method includes forming in a deposition chamber a plasma by means of two electrical power sources of different frequencies. A reaction gas is admitted into the deposition chamber and subjected to the plasma. The reaction gas is a mixture of tetraethylorthosilicate and a halogen gas, such as a gas of fluorine, chlorine or bromine. The reaction gas is reacted by the plasma to cause the material of the gas to deposit on the body which is within the chamber. This results in a deposited layer having a smoothly tapered surface even when the surface of the body possesses valleys and mesas, and thus prevents the formation of voids.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2003
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventor: Katsuyuki Musaka
  • Publication number: 20030136518
    Abstract: An apparatus and method that generates plasma using a microwave radiation supply. The plasma is used to treat a surface of a workpiece at approximately atmospheric pressure. Plasma excites a working gas to create an excited gaseous species without degradation from undue heat caused by the plasma. The gaseous species exit an outlet of the apparatus to treat the surface of a workpiece when the outlet is juxtaposed with the workpiece.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2001
    Publication date: July 24, 2003
    Applicant: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: Vesselin Nikolov Shanov, Saswati Datta, Seved Farhad Miralai, John Andrew McDaniel
  • Patent number: 6582778
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method of treatment with a microwave plasma by maintaining a reduced pressure in a plasma-treating chamber for treatment with a plasma in which a substrate that is to be treated with a microwave plasma is contained, introducing a treating gas into the plasma-treating chamber and introducing microwaves into the plasma-treating chamber, wherein a metallic antenna is disposed in the plasma-treating chamber. The plasma is generated within a very short period of time maintaining stability after the microwaves are introduced into the plasma-treating chamber, and the treatment is accomplished maintaining stability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2003
    Assignee: Toyo Seikan Kaisha, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsunehisa Namiki, Toshihide Ieki, Akira Kobayashi, Koji Yamada, Hideo Kurashima
  • Publication number: 20030066487
    Abstract: To provide a plasma processing system capable of introducing a uniform microwave into a plasma processing chamber irrespective of conditions, and a surface processing method using the same. A plasma processing system in which air in a plasma processing chamber is exhausted by an exhaust unit, a microwave is supplied to the plasma processing chamber through an annular waveguide which is bored to be provided at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction on the same plane facing a surface to be processed of an object to be processed on the plasma processing chamber side to generate plasma within the plasma processing chamber, wherein the annular waveguide is separated into two layers of an input side waveguide and an output side waveguide, and the slots are bored to be provided between these waveguides at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2002
    Publication date: April 10, 2003
    Inventor: Nobumasa Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20030049834
    Abstract: A method, apparatus and product for producing an advantaged cell growth surface. According to the present invention, a stream of plasma is comprised of activated gaseous species generated by a microwave source. This stream is directed at the surface of a polymer substrate in a controlled fashion such that the surface is imparted with attributes for cell adhesion far superior to that of untreated polymer or polymer treated by other known methods.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2001
    Publication date: March 13, 2003
    Inventors: Marie D. Bryhan, Paul E. Gagnon, Oliva V. LaChance, Zhong-he Shen, Hongming Wang
  • Patent number: 6531192
    Abstract: A process for depositing titanium nitride films containing less than 5% carbon impurities and less than 10% oxygen impurities by weight via chemical vapor deposition is disclosed. Sheet resistance of the deposited films is generally within a range of about 1 to 10 ohms per square. The deposition process takes place in a deposition chamber that has been evacuated to less than atmospheric pressure and utilizes the organo-metallic compound tertiary-butyltrisdimethylamido-titanium and a nitrogen source as precursors. The deposition temperature, which is dependent on the nitrogen source, is within a range of 350° C. to 700° C. The low end of the temperature range utilizes nitrogen-containing gases such as diatomic nitrogen, ammonia, hydrazine, amides and amines which have been converted to a plasma. The higher end of the temperature range relies on thermal decomposition of the nitrogen source for the production of reaction-sustaining radicals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2003
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Salman Akram
  • Publication number: 20030021910
    Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus and method is equipped with a vacuum chamber, helmholtz coils, a microwave generator and gas feeding systems. An auxiliary magnet is further provided in order to strengthen the magnetic field in the vacuum chamber to produce centrifugal drifting force which confine the plasma gas about the, center position of the vacuum chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2002
    Publication date: January 30, 2003
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoki Hirose, Takashi Inujima, Toru Takayama
  • Patent number: 6487986
    Abstract: In an apparatus for depositing polycrystalline diamond by plasma technology onto substrates (5) of large area, having a process chamber (1) with airlock (6a), a plurality of microwave plasma sources (9, 9′, . . . ) arranged in a common plane above the substrates (5) and extending transversely across the direction of substrate advancement, and gas inlet and gas outlet tubes (10, 10′, . . . , 11, 11′, . . . , 12, 12′, . . . , 13, 13′, . . . , 13a, . . . ) leading into the process chamber (1) are provided, a plurality of gas inlet and gas outlet tubes distributed over the length of the source are associated with each of the linear sources (9, 9′, . . . ), and the outlet openings of the gas inlet tubes being situated each directly above the linear source (9, 9′, . . . ), and the openings of the gas outlet tubes (13, 13′, . . . ) each in the area between two linear sources (9, 9′, . . .
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2002
    Assignees: Unaxis Deutschland Holding GmbH, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Michael Liehr, Lothar Schäfer
  • Patent number: 6475620
    Abstract: A method for the deposition of a coating layer on an optical fiber while it is being drawn. The coating layer is designed to reduce the permeability of the optical fiber to water vapor and therefore to increase its lifetime. The method is characterized in that it consists in carrying out a decomposition of a gas mixture of boron halogenide and hydrogen and/or boron halogenide and ammonia gas by a microwave plasma-assisted addition of energy and in that the operation is conducted in the presence of a carrier gas in order firstly to carry the gas mixture to a reaction medium and secondly to activate the plasma.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2002
    Assignee: France Telecom (SA)
    Inventors: Yves Ruello, Benoit Cadier
  • Patent number: 6468603
    Abstract: This invention is a method of: making a film-forming gas including a compound gas of carbon and fluorine into plasma in a vacuum container 2 including a stage 4 for an object to be processed 10; and applying a bias electric power to the stage 4 in order to draw ions in the plasma toward the object 10 while forming an insulation film consisting of a film of fluorine-added carbon onto the object 10 by the plasma. At first, a first electric power of the bias electric power is applied to the stage 4 and the compound gas of carbon and fluorine is introduced at a first flow rate to form the film of fluorine-added carbon onto the object 10. Then, a second electric power of the bias electric power smaller than the first electric power is applied to the stage 4 and the compound gas of carbon and fluorine is introduced at a second flow rate smaller than the first flow rate to form the film of fluorine-added carbon onto the object 10.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2002
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Shunichi Endo, Tadashi Hirata
  • Patent number: 6458415
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus form a diamond film from a microwave plasma by controlling a manufacturing condition based on a spectroscopic measurement of the plasma light emission to obtain a large area of a high-quality diamond film. In the method of forming a diamond film, a gas mixture of hydrocarbon gas and hydrogen gas is introduced into a reactor, where the gas mixture is excited by microwave energy which is also introduced into the reactor to generate a plasma, and the light emitted from the plasma is spectroscopically measured. Furthermore, a formation condition of the diamond film is controlled such that the spectrum of a carbon molecule (C2) falls within a predetermined range of requirement. A carbon molecule vibration temperature is determined from the spectrum, and the formation pressure, or the gas flow rate is controlled so that the determined vibration temperature falls within a specified range, especially 2000 to 2800 K.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2002
    Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiichi Meguro, Takashi Matsuura, Takahiro Imai
  • Patent number: 6454912
    Abstract: The present invention is related to methods and apparatus for processing weak ferroelectric films on semiconductor substrates, including relatively large substrates, e.g., with 300 millimeter diameter. A ferroelectric film of zinc oxide (ZnO) doped with lithium (Li) and/or magnesium (Mg) is deposited on a substrate in a plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition process such as an electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapor deposition (ECR CVD) process. Zinc is introduced to a chamber through a zinc precursor in a vaporizer. Microwave energy ionizes zinc and oxygen in the chamber to a plasma, which is directed to the substrate with a relatively strong field. Electrically biased control grids control a rate of deposition of the plasma. The control grids also provide Li and/or Mg dopants for the ZnO to create the ferroelectric film. A desired ferroelectric property of the ferroelectric film can be tailored by selecting an appropriate composition of the control grids.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2002
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Kie Y. Ahn, Leonard Forbes
  • Patent number: 6447851
    Abstract: A method of producing diamond or diamond like films in which a negative bias is established on a substrate with an electrically conductive surface in a microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition system. The atmosphere that is subjected to microwave energy includes a source of carbon, nitrogen and hydrogen. The negative bias is maintained on the substrate through both the nucleation and growth phase of the film until the film is continuous. Biases between −100V and −200 are preferred. Carbon sources may be one or more of CH4, C2H2 other hydrocarbons and fullerenes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Assignee: The University of Chicago
    Inventors: Dieter M. Gruen, Alan R. Krauss, Ming Q. Ding, Orlando Auciello
  • Patent number: 6437512
    Abstract: A plasma generator comprises an ICP chamber and a surface wave conducting device. The upper wall of the ICP chamber is a quartz plate, and an electrode inside the lower ICP chamber is coupled with a RF bias supply. The ICP chamber is used to produce a first plasma. The surface wave conducting device is located on the quartz plate. The surface wave conducting device can make a microwave become a standing microwave, then a second plasma excited by the standing microwave is produced in the upper ICP chamber. Then, the first plasma and the second plasma are mixed in the ICP chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2002
    Assignee: Nanya Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Bing-Hung Chen, Tse-Yao Huang