Did You Know...
...that while attempting to develop a super strong glue, 3M employee Spencer Silver accidentally developed a glue that was so weak it would barely hold two pieces of paper together? However, his colleague Art Fry needed the glue. Fry sang with his church choir and marked the pages of his hymnal with small scraps of paper that often fell out. He used Silver's glue to hold the papers in place. Today we call this invention Post-it Notes.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8083890 | Gas modulation to control edge exclusion in a bevel edge etching plasma chamber The various embodiments provide apparatus and methods of removal of unwanted deposits near the bevel edge of substrates to improve process yield. The embodiments provide apparatus and methods with center and edge gas feeds as additional process knobs for selecting a... | 12/27/2011 |
| 8007631 | System and method for imprint lithography to facilitate dual damascene integration with two imprint acts A system and method are provided to facilitate dual damascene interconnect integration with two imprint acts. The method provides for creation of a pair of translucent imprint molds containing the dual damascene pattern to be imprinted. The first imprint mold of the... | 08/30/2011 |
| 7943005 | Method and apparatus for photomask plasma etching A method and apparatus for etching photomasks is provided herein. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a process chamber having a support pedestal adapted for receiving a photomask. An ion-neutral shield is disposed above the pedestal and a deflector plate ass... | 05/17/2011 |
| 7938931 | Edge electrodes with variable power The embodiments provide structures and mechanisms for removal of etch byproducts, dielectric films and metal films on and near the substrate bevel edge, and chamber interior to avoid the accumulation of polymer byproduct and deposited films and to improve process yi... | 05/10/2011 |
| 7909961 | Method and apparatus for photomask plasma etching A method and apparatus for etching photomasks are provided herein. The apparatus includes a process chamber with a shield above a substrate support. The shield comprises a plate with apertures, and the plate has two zones with at least one characteristic, such as ma... | 03/22/2011 |
| 7909960 | Apparatus and methods to remove films on bevel edge and backside of wafer Improved mechanisms of removal of etch byproducts, dielectric films and metal films near the substrate bevel edge, and etch byproducts on substrate backside and chamber interior is provided to avoid the accumulation of polymer byproduct and deposited films and to im... | 03/22/2011 |
| 7897008 | Apparatus and method for regional plasma control An apparatus for controlling a plasma etching process includes plasma control structure that can vary a size of a plasma flow passage, vary a speed of plasma flowing through the plasma flow passage, vary plasma concentration flowing through the plasma flow passage, ... | 03/01/2011 |
| 7767054 | Plasma processing apparatus A plasma processing apparatus includes a vacuum processing chamber, supplying means for introducing a processing gas into the vacuum processing chamber, a mounting electrode in the vacuum processing chamber for mounting a specimen on the mounting electrode, and a pu... | 08/03/2010 |
| 7718031 | Mask frame and method of fixing mask on the mask frame A mask frame on which a mask, having a pattern area and a mask edge defining the pattern area, is fixed comprises: a through opening corresponding to the pattern area; and a base corresponding to the mask edge. The base is provided with discharging holes formed ther... | 05/18/2010 |
| 7713377 | Apparatus and method for plasma treating a substrate Apparatus is provided for plasma treating a substrate. This has a chamber (2) and a plasma generator (4) which forms a plasma from one or more gases flowing within the chamber so as to produce one or more species for interacting with a substrate (8 | 05/11/2010 |
| 7645356 | Method of processing wafers with resonant heating A method of etching a wafer using resonant infrared energy and a filter to control non-uniformities during plasma etch processing. The filter includes a predetermined array or stacked arrangement of variable transmission regions that mirror the spatial etch distorti... | 01/12/2010 |
| 7635418 | Plasma processing apparatus and methods for removing extraneous material from selected areas on a substrate Apparatus and methods for shielding a feature projecting from a first area on a substrate to a plasma while simultaneously removing extraneous material from a different area on the substrate with the plasma. The apparatus includes at least one concavity positioned a... | 12/22/2009 |
| 7618515 | Focus ring, plasma etching apparatus and plasma etching method In a plasma etching apparatus for performing a plasma etching on a surface of a substrate mounted on a susceptor in a processing vessel, a focus ring is installed to surround the substrate and has a first region at an inner side on a surface thereof, in which an ave... | 11/17/2009 |
| 7517430 | Method and apparatus for the controlled formation of cavitation bubbles The present invention discloses a method and apparatus for the directed formation of a re-entrant micro-jet formed upon the collapse of a cavitation bubble formed proximate to a work surface placed in a fluid. A mask containing an orifice, placed between the work su... | 04/14/2009 |
| 7438765 | Adjustable shielding plate for adjusting an etching area of a semiconductor wafer and related apparatus and methods An apparatus for adjusting an etching area of a semiconductor wafer includes an adjustable shielding plate. The adjustable shielding plate includes a plurality of shielding members. Each of the plurality of shielding members are movable between a first position conf... | 10/21/2008 |
| 7416634 | Method and apparatus for processing nanoscopic structures The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for growing nanostructures in a controlled way, wherein the controlling comprises controlling the electron emitting tips used for the nanoscopic structure growth. Further, the present invention describes an int... | 08/26/2008 |
| 7384876 | Method and apparatus for determining consumable lifetime A plasma processing device comprising a gas injection system is described, wherein the gas injection system comprises a gas injection assembly body, a consumable gas inject plate coupled to the gas injection assembly body, and a pressure sensor coupled to a gas inje... | 06/10/2008 |
| 7354500 | Mask and apparatus using it to prepare sample by ion milling A mask for use with a sample preparation apparatus that prepares an ion-milled sample adapted to be observed by an electron microscope is offered. It is possible to prepare the sample having a desired cross section by the use of the mask. The mask, which defines the... | 04/08/2008 |
| 7345288 | Sample holder and ion-beam processing system A sample holder and ion-beam processing system are offered which permit a good sample adapted for observation (such as TEM (transmission electron microscopy) observation). The sample holder has a sample placement portion having a sample adhering surface. The holder ... | 03/18/2008 |
| 7338699 | Island projection-modified part, method for producing the same, and apparatus comprising the same In film-forming devices and plasma-processing devices, filmy matter adheres to the surfaces of the inner parts and it peels to cause dust and particles in the devices. In the devices, the dust and particles contaminate the objects for film formation thereon or the o... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7323080 | Apparatus for treating substrate The present is directed to an apparatus for etching the top edge and bottom of a wafer. The apparatus includes a substrate support part for supporting a wafer and a movable protect part for preventing fluid for an etch from flowing into a non-etch portion of the waf... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7291360 | Chemical vapor deposition plasma process using plural ion shower grids A chemical vapor deposition process is carried out in a reactor chamber having a set of plural parallel ion shower grids that divide the chamber into an upper ion generation region and a lower process region, each of the ion shower grids having plural orifices in mu... | 11/06/2007 |
| 7267741 | Silicon carbide components of semiconductor substrate processing apparatuses treated to remove free-carbon Silicon carbide components of a plasma processing apparatus, methods of making the components, and methods of using the components during processing of semiconductor substrates to provide for reduced particle contamination of the substrates are provided. The silicon... | 09/11/2007 |
| 7268084 | Method for treating a substrate A method of treating a substrate includes disposing the substrate in a processing chamber having a first chamber portion configured to define a plasma space and a second chamber portion configured to define a process space, introducing a first gas to the plasma spac... | 09/11/2007 |
| 7264853 | Attaching a pellicle frame to a reticle A pellicle membrane is mounted between an outer frame and an inner frame. At least one of the frames is attached to the reticle without using conventional adhesives. The pellicle and reticle may be used in a lithography system. The pellicle allows radiation to pass ... | 09/04/2007 |
| 7256148 | Method for treating a wafer edge A method for treating an edge portion of a wafer with a plasma or select chemical formulation in order to enhance adhesion characteristics and inhibit delamination of a layer of material from the wafer surface only on the edge portion that is being treated. Alternat... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7244474 | Chemical vapor deposition plasma process using an ion shower grid A chemical vapor deposition process is carried out in a reactor chamber with an ion shower grid that divides the chamber into an upper ion generation region and a lower process region, the ion shower grid having plural orifices oriented in a non-parallel direction r... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7223699 | Plasma etch reactor and method A plasma etch reactor 20 includes a upper electrode 24, a lower electrode 24, a peripheral ring electrode 26 disposed therebetween. The upper electrode 24 is grounded, the peripheral electrode 26 is powered by a high frequen... | 05/29/2007 |
| 7223448 | Methods for providing uniformity in plasma-assisted material processes A method for providing uniformity in plasma-assisted material processes. A shielding plate is implemented within a plasma chamber above a substrate. The dimensions, geometry, and location of the shielding plate are optimized to generate a desired ion flux in a plasm... | 05/29/2007 |
| 7220320 | Systems for producing semiconductors and members therefor The present invention provides members that are provided around a susceptor for mounting a semiconductor in a chamber for a semiconductor production system. Each member has a function of independently generating heat to heat the semiconductor, at least by radiation,... | 05/22/2007 |
| 7207763 | Semiconductor manufacturing system and wafer holder for semiconductor manufacturing system A semiconductor manufacturing system and wafer holder for a semiconductor manufacturing system which prevents a semiconductor wafer from being exposed to a process reaction and which includes a reaction tube for providing a sealed process space and a dual boat and w... | 04/24/2007 |
| 7204912 | Method and apparatus for an improved bellows shield in a plasma processing system The present invention presents an improved bellows shield for a plasma processing system, wherein the design and fabrication of the bellows shield coupled to a substrate holder electrode advantageously provides protection of a bellows with substantially minimal eros... | 04/17/2007 |
| 7203563 | Automatic N2 purge system for 300 mm full automation fab A system for manufacturing semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) devices, including an operating control system, a process intermediate station in communication with the operating control system, and a gas purge device, wherein the gas purge device is included in th... | 04/10/2007 |
| 7196769 | Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method An exposure apparatus for projecting a pattern of an original onto a substrate using exposure light includes a projection optical system to project the pattern onto the substrate; a shielding structure, having an opening through which the exposure light passes, to s... | 03/27/2007 |
| 7182816 | Particulate reduction using temperature-controlled chamber shield Particle flaking is reduced in a semiconductor wafer processing apparatus by installing a chamber shield assembly in the chamber of the apparatus. The shield assembly includes a plurality of nested shields that are supported out of contact with each other and suspen... | 02/27/2007 |
| 7172674 | Device for liquid treatment of wafer-shaped articles A device for liquid treatment of a defined area of a wafer-shaped article, especially of a wafer, in which a mask is kept at a defined short distance to the wafer-shaped article such that liquid can be retained between the mask and the defined area of the wafer-shap... | 02/06/2007 |
| 7159719 | Thermophoretic protection of reticles A thermophoretic source may be contained within the packaging of a reticle during transport or otherwise to protect the reticle from particle contamination. For example, in advanced lithography technologies, very small particles may be thermophoretically attracted a... | 01/09/2007 |
| 7157319 | Method of patterning a thin film transistor that includes simultaneously forming a gate electrode and a pixel electrode A high-precision patterning is conducted with a half-tone resist thickness being prevented from varying due to the presence/absence of a base film. A transmitting portion and two kinds of semi-transmitting portions, providing different quantities of transmitted ligh... | 01/02/2007 |
| 7154666 | Narrow-band spectral filter and the use thereof The invention relates to a narrow-band spectral filter. The aim of the invention is to reduce the radiation exposure of optical elements used in highly ultraviolet light by using an optical filter that is simple in construction and that preselects a wavelength band ... | 12/26/2006 |
| 7138339 | Method of manufacturing semiconductor device including etching a conductive layer by using a gas including SiCland NF A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising forming an insulating layer above a semiconductor layer, forming a conductive layer including at least tantalum and tantalum nitride, and etching the conductive layer with using a gas including SiCl4 | 11/21/2006 |
