International Business Machines Corporation

Other

Cameron James Brooks

Kenneth Christopher Racette

John Ulrich Knickerbocker

Casimer M DeCusatis

Marie Angelopoulos

Lawrence Jacobowitz

Katherina E Babich

Michael Straight Hibbs

Maheswaran Surendra

S Jay Chey

C Richard Guarnieri

Douglas E Benoit

Philip George Emma

Matthew N O'Donnell

James D Hamilton

Michael James Lercel

Phillip G Emma

Christoph Berger

Lynn A Powers

Gerald Vossler

An attenuating embedded phase shift photomask blank that produces a phase shift of the transmitted light is formed with an optically translucent film made of metal, silicon, nitrogen or metal, silicon, nitrogen and oxygen. A wide range of optical transmission (0.001% up to 20% at 193 nm) is obtained by this process. A post deposition process is implemented to obtain the desired properties (stability of optical properties with respect to laser irradiation and acid treatment) for use in industry. A special fabrication process for the sputter target is implemented to lower the defects of the film.

Attenuated embedded phase shift photomask blanks

A ferrule-less optical backplane connector assembly includes a substrate having at least a pair of optical guide receiving structures formed therein, the pair of optical guide receiving structures further being formed at substantially a right angle with respect to one another so as to guide a corresponding first and second optical guide into optical alignment with one another.

Ferrule-less optical fiber apparatus for optical backplane connector systems

An apparatus and method for forming a staircase arrangement for the connection of optical waveguides between a card and backplane. A card having optical waveguides and electrical conductors embedded in the card has an edge ending in a staircase arrangement with optical fiber-ribbons protruding from the edge. A guidance structure is connected to the edge and contains channels to guide and align the optical fiber-ribbons. A backplane having embedded optical waveguides and electrical conductors also has an edge ending in a staircase arrangement with a guidance stricture connected to the edge and tapered openings which receive and guide the optical fiber-ribbons into close proximity with the optical waveguides and forming a staircase arrangement of connected waveguides between a card and backplane.

Optical backplane array connector

A thin transition-metal based scattering layer of a mask blank for use in EPL systems is formed by providing the thin transition-metal scattering layer directly over membrane layers on a lot of substrates, thereby forming a continuous contact between the single transition metal-based scattering layer and the membrane layer. Preferably, the single transition metal-based scattering layer is a single tantalum-silicon composite scattering layer having a stoichiometry of Ta Si. The deposition parameters for depositing the thin transition-metal based scattering layer are adjusted to provide the scattering layer uniformly over all substrates within the lot. A first substrate from the lot of substrates is then selected, an initial stress measurement of the scattering layer is determined and then the substrate is annealed at a first temperature. The stress of the scattering layer over the first annealed substrate is determined, and subsequently the anneal temperature is adjusted based on a comparison between the pre-anneal, initial stress measurement and the post-annealed stress measurement. A second substrate from the lot of substrates is then selected, annealed at the adjusted temperature, stress measurement of the scattering layer of the second substrate is determined, and the anneal temperature may once again be adjusted. The above process is repeated until a targeted stress level of the thin transition-metal based scattering layer of the mask blank has been obtained. The thin scattering layer is adapted to have final film stress controllable to within &plusmn;10% of the targeted stress.

Thin tantalum silicon composite film formation and annealing for use as electron projection scatterer

A method of preparing an x-ray mask comprising providing a substrate, and applying sequentially to a surface of the substrate i) an etch stop layer resistant to etchant for an x-ray absorber, and ii) an x-ray absorber layer. The method then includes removing a portion of the substrate below the layers to create an active region of the substrate above the removed portion of the substrate and an inactive region over remaining portions of the substrate, applying a resist layer above the absorber layer, and exposing a portion of the resist layer using electron beam irradiation and developing the resist layer to form a latent mask image over the active region of the substrate. The method then includes removing the exposed portion of the resist layer to leave a resist layer mask image over the active region of the substrate, and etching the absorber layer to leave an absorber layer mask image over the designated active region of the substrate while simultaneously removing the absorber layer from the inactive region to form, for example, an x-ray mask, on the substrate.

Pattern density tailoring for etching of advanced lithographic masks

Pattern density tailoring for etching of advanced lithographic mask

A stencil or scatterer mask for use with charged particle beam lithography such as projection electron-beam lithography comprises a membrane layer of a material having a Young's modulus of at least about 400 GPa and support struts supporting a surface of the membrane. The struts form and surrounding a plurality of discrete membrane areas of different aspect ratios aligned to design regions of an integrated circuit. The discrete membrane areas have different aspect ratios range from about 1:1 to about 12:1, and the discrete membrane areas have different size surface areas. The membrane is preferably silicon carbide, diamond, diamond-like carbon, amorphous carbon, carbon nitride or boron nitride. When used in scatterer masks, the ratio of discrete membrane area to membrane thickness is at least about 0.18 mm,/nm. When used in stencil masks, the ratio of discrete membrane area to membrane thickness is at least about 1.0 mm,/nm. The stencil mask is made by depositing a diamond membrane film patterned with a hardmask layer on a substrate, depositing an etch stop layer adjacent the diamond film, and forming supporting struts surrounding a plurality of discrete areas of the membrane film. The method then includes depositing a pattern over the membrane film within the discrete membrane film areas, the pattern conforming to one or more desired circuit elements, and etching the membrane film with a reactive ion etch containing oxygen to form openings in the membrane film.

Projection electron-beam lithography masks using advanced materials and membrane size

An opto-acoustic detector includes a fiber laser having a cavity which includes an optical fiber having an active medium portion doped with a gain material so that the detector may be used in high frequency, high density arrays. The cavity is bounded by a frequency selective reflector and a broadband or frequency selective reflector adapted to be acoustically coupled to a medium supporting ultrasound radiation (i.e. acoustic waves). In one embodiment, the frequency selective reflector is a diffraction grating placed external to the optical fiber. In another embodiment, the frequency selective reflector is a narrowband reflector placed directly in the optical fiber. An acoustic signal enhancing feature which increases sensitivity of the detector is provided by utilizing a reflective membrane having a thickness substantially less than the acoustic wavelength, .lambda., as the broadband optical reflector. The membrane is displaced from a free end of the optical fiber in the cavity and a laser beam exiting therefrom is focused on the membrane with a spot size on the order of the optical fiber core diameter. In this way, the sensing area of the detector is essentially the cross-sectional area of the fiber core which is typically comparable to or less than .lambda..sup.2 even at ultrasound operating frequencies greater than 500 MHz. The reduced element size permits closely spaced optical detectors enabling high density arrays for high frequency imaging.

Active fiber-optic opto-acoustic detector

Growing community of inventors

Elmsford, NY, United States of America

Cameron James Brooks