The University of Texas System

Pen Inc.

Sichuan Yinhe Chemical Co., Ltd.

Ovadia Abed

Sidlgata V Sreenivasan

Shrawan Singhal

Paras Ajay

Lawrence R Dunn

Aseem Sayal

Mark McDermott

Akhila Mallavarapu

Michael Cullinan

Praveen Joseph

Michelle Grigas

Vipul Goyal

James P Novak

Jaydeep Kulkarni

Anshuman Cherala

Yunjun Li

Roger Bonnecaze

Samuel Kim

Lawrence A Dunn

Ofodike A Ezekoye

S V Sreenivasan

Brent Andrew Snyder

Valerie Kaye Ginsberg

Meghali Chopra

Brian Gawlik

Patrick Paul Ferguson

Bailey Yin

Miaomiao Yang

SV Sreenivasan

A method for assembling heterogeneous components. The assembly process includes using a vacuum based pickup mechanism in conjunction with sub-nm precise moiré alignment techniques resulting in highly accurate, parallel assembly of feedstocks.

Heterogeneous integration of components onto compact devices using moiré based metrology and vacuum based pick-and-place

A method for fabricating a three-dimensional (3D) stacked integrated circuit. Pick-and-place strategies are used to stack the source wafers with device layers fabricated using standard two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor fabrication technologies. The source wafers may be stacked in either a sequential or parallel fashion. The stacking may be in a face-to-face, face-to-back, back-to-face or back-to-back fashion. The source wafers that are stacked in a face-to-back, back-to-face or back-to-back fashion may be connected using Through Silicon Vias (TSVs). Alternatively, source wafers that are stacked in a face-to-face fashion may be connected using Inter Layer Vias (ILVs).

Nanoscale-aligned three-dimensional stacked integrated circuit

A method for fabricating patterns. An inverse optimization scheme is implemented to determine process parameters used to obtain a desired film thickness of a liquid resist formulation, where the liquid resist formulation includes a solvent and one or more non-solvent components. A substrate is covered with a substantially continuous film of the liquid resist formulation using one or more of the following techniques: dispensing discrete drops of a diluted monomer on the substrate using an inkjet and allowing the dispensed drops to spontaneously spread and merge, slot die coating and spin-coating. The liquid resist formulation is diluted in the solvent. The solvent is then substantially evaporated from the liquid resist formulation forming a film. A gap between a template and the substrate is then closed. The film is cured to polymerize the film and the substrate is separated from the template leaving the polymerized film on the substrate.

Wafer-scale programmable films for semiconductor planarization and for imprint lithography

A method for fabricating patterns on a flexible substrate in a roll-to-roll configuration. Drops of a monomer diluted in a solvent are dispensed on a substrate, where the drops spontaneously spread and merge with one another to form a liquid resist formulation. The solvent is evaporated (e.g., blanket evaporation) from the liquid resist formulation followed by selective multi-component resist film evaporation resulting in a non-uniform and substantially continuous film on the substrate. The gap between the film on the substrate and a template is closed such that the film fills the features of the template. After cross-linking the film to polymerize the film, the template is separated from the substrate thereby leaving the polymerized film on the substrate.

Roll-to-roll programmable film imprint lithography

A method for assembling heterogeneous components. The assembly process includes using a vacuum based pickup mechanism in conjunction with sub-nm precise more alignment techniques resulting in highly accurate, parallel assembly of feedstocks.

Heterogeneous integration of components onto compact devices using moire based metrology and vacuum based pick-and-place

Systems and methods for precision inkjet printing are disclosed. A method determining an actuation parameter associated with a pressure waveform. Based on the pressure waveform, the method also includes actuating a print head to eject a droplet from a nozzle and acquiring an image of the droplet. The method further includes processing the acquired image to estimate a volume of the droplet and based on the estimated volume of the droplet and a target volume, adjusting the actuation parameter.

Systems and methods for precision inkjet printing

A method for template fabrication of ultra-precise nanoscale shapes. Structures with a smooth shape (e.g., circular cross-section pillars) are formed on a substrate using electron beam lithography. The structures are subject to an atomic layer deposition of a dielectric interleaved with a deposition of a conductive film leading to nanoscale sharp shapes with features that exceed electron beam resolution capability of sub-10 nm resolution. A resist imprint of the nanoscale sharp shapes is performed using J-FIL. The nanoscale sharp shapes are etched into underlying functional films on the substrate forming a nansohaped template with nanoscale sharp shapes that include sharp corners and/or ultra-small gaps. In this manner, sharp shapes can be retained at the nanoscale level. Furthermore, in this manner, imprint based shape control for novel shapes beyond elementary nanoscale structures, such as dots and lines, can occur at the nanoscale level.

Nanoshape patterning techniques that allow high-speed and low-cost fabrication of nanoshape structures

Methods for fabricating and replicating self-aligned multi-tier nanoscale structures for a variety of cross-sectional geometries. These methods can utilize a single lithography step whereby the need for alignment and overlay in the process is completely eliminated thereby enabling near-zero overlay error. Furthermore, techniques are developed to use these methods to fabricate self-aligned nanoscale multi-level/multi-height patterns with various shapes for master templates, replica templates and nanoimprint based pattern replication. Furthermore, the templates can be used to pattern multiple levels in a sacrificial polymer resist and achieve pattern transfer of the levels into a variety of substrates to form completed large area nanoelectronic and nanophotonic devices using only one patterning step.

Fabricating large area multi-tier nanostructures

An inkjet-based process for programmable deposition of thin films of a user-defined profile. Drops of a pre-cursor liquid organic material are dispensed at various locations on a substrate by a multi-jet. A superstrate is held in a roll-to-roll configuration such that a first contact of the drops is made by a front side of the superstrate thereby initiating a liquid front that spreads outward merging with the drops to form a contiguous film captured between the substrate and the superstrate. A non-equilibrium transient state of the superstrate, the contiguous film and the substrate then occurs after a duration of time. The contiguous film is then cured to crosslink it into a polymer. The superstrate is then separated from the polymer thereby leaving a polymer film on the substrate. In such a manner, non-uniform films can be formed without significant material wastage in an inexpensive manner.

Programmable deposition of thin films of a user-defined profile with nanometer scale accuracy

Micron-sized metal particles in an ink or paste composition are deposited onto a substrate and then photosimered. The substrate may comprise a polymeric material. The polymeric substrate may have a coefficient of thermal expansion greater than two times the coefficient of thermal expansion of the photosimered ink or paste composition.

Photosintering of micron-sized copper particles

For solar cell fabrication, the addition of precursors to printable media to assist etching through silicon nitride or silicon oxide layer thus affording contact with the substance underneath the nitride or oxide layer. The etching mechanism may be by molten ceramics formed in situ, fluoride-based etching, as well as a combination of the two.

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Austin, TX, United States of America

Ovadia Abed