Hewlett-packard Company

International Business Machines Corporation

Other

Texas Instruments Corporation

Xerox Corporation

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.v.

Varian Associates, Inc.

Actel Corporation, Inc.

James Bernard Kruger

Howard Gordon Zolla

Patrick Rush Webb

Barclay J Tullis

Theodore Warren Houston

Robert Arthur Sprague

Richard N Ellson

Babur B Hadimioglu

Joy Roy

Hong Xu

Clinton David Snyder

S Jeffrey Rosner

Henry M Darley

Shih-Oh Chen

John M Lennon

Leuh Fang

Benjamin L Wang

Iton Wang

Elaine K Poon

Armand P Neukermans

J Leon Shohet

Paul Rissman

Benjamin Lu Chen Wang

Graham J Siddall

Clint D Snyder

Garrett A Garrettson

Steven G Eaton

Yen Yeouchung

Yen Yeuochung

A bi-layer anti-reflective coating for use in photolithographic applications, and specifically, for use in ultraviolet photolithographic processes. The bi-layered anti-reflective coating is used to minimize pattern distortion due to reflections from neighboring features in the construction of microcircuits. The bi-layer anti-reflection coating features a first layer, an absorption layer, disposed on a second layer, a dielectric layer, which is then disposed between a substrate and a photoresist layer. The dielectric/absorption layer comprises one combination selected from Ta/AlO, Ta/SiO, Ta/TiO, Ta/TaO, Ta/CrO, Ta/SiN, Ti/AlO, Ti/SiO, Ti/TiO, Ti/TaO, Ti/CrO, Ti/SiN, Cr/AlO, Cr/SiO, Cr/TiO, Cr/TaO, Cr/CrO, Cr/SiN, Al/AlO, Al/TiO, Al/TaO, Al/CrO, Al/SiN, Ni/AlO, Ni/SiO, Ni/TiO, Ni/TaO, Ni/CrO, Ni/SiN, Ir/AlO, Ir/SiO, Ir/TiO, Ir/TaO, Ir/CrO, and Ir/SiN. At least the absorption and dielectric layers can be formed using vacuum deposition. A unique character of the bi-layer anti-reflective coatings is that it allows a thinner anti-reflection layer that has a wider process latitude.

Structure for photolithographic applications using a multi-layer anti-reflection coating

An article is formed as a substrate having a projection extending outwardly therefrom. The article may be a magnetic recording head and the projection a write pole. The projection has a width in a thinnest dimension measured parallel to a substrate surface of no more than about 0.3 micrometers and a height measured perpendicular to the substrate of not less than about 5 times the width. The article is fabricated by forming an overlying structure on the substrate with an edge thereon, depositing a replication layer lying on the edge, depositing a filler onto the edge and the substrate, so that the filler, the replication layer, and the overlying structure in combination comprise a continuous layer on the substrate, selectively removing at least a portion of the replication layer from a free surface of the continuous layer inwardly toward the substrate, to form a defined cavity, and depositing a projection material into the defined cavity to form the projection.

Method of fabricating a narrow projection such as a write pole extending from a substrate

An isotropic deposition method for trench narrowing of thin film magnetic write head features to be created by reactive ion etching. According to the method, a photolithographically defined photoresist trench is formed over a hardmask and underlying polymer layer as part of tri-layer resist process. Instead of performing the usual hardmask and polymer etching steps using the photoresist mask pattern, a spacer layer is deposited isotropically or directionally at an angle to cover the vertical side walls of the trench. The spacer layer is etchable by the hardmask etch process but resistant to the polymer etch process. When the hardmask etch process is performed, the spacer layer material applied to the trench side walls remains intact, thereby defining a narrowed trench that is extended by the subsequent base layer etch process.

Isotropic deposition for trench narrowing of features to be created by reactive ion etch processing

A method of making a magnetic head assembly wherein the magnetic head assembly has a write head with a pole tip includes the steps of forming a shaping layer on an underlying layer wherein the shaping layer has a side surface and a top surface, ion beam sputter depositing a ferromagnetic material layer on the underlying layer and on the side and top surfaces of the shaping layer and removing first and second portions of the ferromagnetic material layer from the underlying layer and the top surface of the shaping layer, respectively, leaving a remaining portion of the ferromagnetic material layer on the side surface of the shaping layer which is the aforementioned pole tip.

Method of making a narrow pole tip by ion beam deposition

An apparatus for ink-jet printing on a recording medium is provided which includes the steps of jetting aqueous ink drops on paper in the form of an image. The aqueous ink used is a slow-drying (high-surface tension) ink which does not penetrate the paper/paper fibers for a relatively long time. Prior to penetration of the paper/paper fibers, the water in the droplet is quickly evaporated from the ink while still resident on the paper surface. The evaporation process is substantially completed prior to an additional liquid ink being jetted onto the same or adjoining location of the recording medium. The evaporation is rapid enough to prevent the resident ink from substantially migrating/wicking to any adjacent location or into the recording medium. Further the drying energy is transferred to the resident ink spots from the same direction as the printheads ensuring less energy requirement.

Apparatus for achieving high quality aqueous ink-jet printing on plain paper at high print speeds

An apparatus and method for ink-jet printing on a recording medium is provided which includes the steps of jetting aqueous ink drops on paper in the form of an image. The aqueous ink used is a slow-drying (high-surface tension) ink which does not penetrate the paper/paper fibers for a relatively long time. Prior to penetration of the paper/paper fibers, the water in the droplet is quickly evaporated from the ink while still resident on the paper surface. The evaporation process is substantially completed prior to an additional liquid ink being jetted onto the same or adjoining location of the recording medium. The evaporation is rapid enough to prevent the resident ink from substantially migrating/wicking to any adjacent location or into the recording medium. Further the drying energy is transferred to the resident ink spots from the same direction as the printheads ensuring less energy requirement.

Method for achieving high quality aqueous ink-jet printing on plain paper at high print speeds

The antifuse structure of the present invention includes a bottom planarized electrode, an ILD disposed over the bottom electrode, an antifuse cell opening in and through the ILD exposing the bottom electrode, a first barrier metal layer disposed in the antifuse cell opening to protect the antifuse material layer from diffusion from the bottom electrode and to form an effective bottom electrode of reduced area, hence reducing the capacitance of the device, an antifuse material layer disposed in the antifuse cell opening and over the first barrier metal layer, a second barrier metal layer disposed over the antifuse material layer, and a top electrode disposed over the second barrier metal layer.

Method of making a metal to metal antifuse

A barrier metal integrated circuit structure, including relatively thin, highly nitrided layers of TiW (i.e., TiW:N) straddling a central conductor layer, and in turn each being straddled by adjacent layers of relatively thick substantially un-nitrided TiW material, and a method for its fabrication including deposition of layers of TiW and TiW:N, the latter in a N.sub.2 dominated atmosphere and/or under backbias conditions effective for establishing at least a saturated level of nitrogen into the TiW:N, resulting in an effective barrier to migration of conductor materials from the conductor layer.

Integrated circuit barrier structure

A method and apparatus for forming a buried insulator layer, typically a silicon dioxide layer, includes using plasma source ion implantation to uniformly implant ions into exposed regions of a semiconductor wafer. A silicon-on-insulator (SOI) structure is formed by an anneal step before fabricating an integrated circuit into the thin semiconductor layer above the buried insulator layer.

Forming a buried insulator layer using plasma source ion implantation

Metal to metal antifuse

A barrier metal integrated circuit structure, including relatively thin, highly nitrided layers of TiW (i.e., TiW:N) straddling a central conductor layer, and in turn each being straddled by adjacent layers of relatively thick substantially un-nitrided TiW material, and a method for its fabrication including deposition of layers of TiW and TiW:N, the latter in a N.sub.2 dominated atmosphere by backs puttering and/or under backbias conditions effective for establishing at least a saturated level of nitrogen into the TiW:N, resulting in an effective barrier to migration of conductor materials from the conductor layer.

Methods of making integrated circuit barrier structures

A surface analysis scanner system includes calibration targets, which include a target substrate and a film covering the surface of the target substrate which is scanned by the surface scanner. The film is antireflective to the particular scanned light. Particles which contaminate the antireflectance film on the substrate do not scatter sufficient light to be detected by the surface analysis scanner detectors and thus do not interfere with the calibration of the scanner. The calibration targets may include reference features which are etched into the substrate surface or deposited on the antireflectance coated substrate surface which scatter light in a manner similar to particles on a surface. The reference features may also be embedded in a transparent material supported by the antireflectance coated substrate with a second antireflectance film coating the upper surface of the transparent material. A surface analysis scanner system may also include a support structure for supporting an object to be scanned, an aperture structure, and a light trap structure for blocking the scanned light. Each structure includes a substrate having a coating of antireflectance film. A surface analysis scanner system may also include methods, utilizing antireflectance films, for reducing the amount of scanned light scattered by particles on a scanner system surface.

Light trap for blocking reflection and scattering of light

A surface analysis scanner system includes calibration targets, which include a target substrate and a film covering the surface of the target substrate which is scanned by the surface scanner. The film is antireflective to the particular scanned light. Particles which contaminate the antireflectance film on the substrate do not scatter sufficient light to be detected by the surface analysis scanner detectors and thus do not interfere with the calibration of the scanner. The calibration targets may include reference features which are etched into the substrate surface or deposited on the antireflectance coated substrate surface which scatter light in a manner similar to particles on a surface. The reference features may also be imbedded in a transparent material supported by the antireflectance coated substrate with a second antireflectance film coating the upper surface of the transparent material. A surface analysis scanner system may also include a support structure for supporting an object to be scanned, an aperture structure, and a light trap structure for blocking the scanned light. Each structure includes a substrate having a coating of antireflectance film. A surface analysis scanner system may also include methods, utilizing antireflectance films, for reducing the amount of scanned light scattered by particles on a scanner system surface.

Non-reflecting structures for surface scanners

Growing community of inventors

Half Moon Bay, CA, United States of America

James Bernard Kruger