Brewer Science, Inc.

3m Innovative Properties Company

Qin Lin

Yubao Wang

Vandana Krishnamurthy

Daniel M Sullivan

Joshua M Fishman

Caitlin E Meree

Sean Simmons

Tony D Flaim

Rajdeep S Kalgutkar

David T Amos

Jeffrey P Kalish

Duy K Lehuu

Li Yao

Nicholas K Lee

Duane Douglas Fansler

Jimmie Rae Baran, Jr

Marc Dudley Radcliffe

Rama Puligadda

Douglas J Guerrero

Ronald W Gerdes

James E Lamb, Iii

Carla S Thomas

Ying Lin

Noah O Shanti

James P Claypool

Carlton Ashley Washburn

Hao Xu

Fabian Stolzenburg

Audrey S Forticaux

Nickolas L Brakensiek

Brian A Smith

Claudia Scott

Jimmie R Baran

Compositions are provided including an uncrosslinked thermoplastic nitrogen-containing matrix material and composite particles distributed in the matrix material. The composite particles each include a chemical blowing agent particle encapsulated within a shell including an uncrosslinked thermoplastic material. The uncrosslinked thermoplastic material exhibits at least a certain minimum complex viscosity at a decomposition temperature of the chemical blowing agent particle. Also described are foam compositions and articles including the foam compositions, such as a sheet or multilayer construction. Composite particles are further provided. Methods of making the foam compositions are additionally described herein. Also, polishing pads, polishing systems, and methods of polishing a substrate are provided.

Compositions and foam compositions containing composite particles, articles, composite particles, and methods

Compositions are provided including an uncrosslinked thermoplastic nitrogen-containing matrix material and composite particles distributed in the matrix material. The composite particles each include a chemical blowing agent particle encapsulated within a shell including an uncrosslinked thermoplastic material. The uncrosslinked thermoplastic material exhibits at least a certain minimum complex viscosity at a decomposition temperature of the chemical blowing agent particle. Also described are foam compositions and particles including the foam compositions, such as a sheet or multilayer construction. Composite particles are further provided. Methods of making the foam compositions are additionally described herein. Also, polishing pads, polishing systems, and methods of polishing a substrate are provided.

Reaction mixtures, foams prepared from the reaction mixtures, articles containing the foams, and methods of making the foams are provided. The polymeric material in the foam is formed from a polymerizable composition that includes a di(meth)acrylate oligomer and a monomer having a single ethylenically unsaturated group. The foams are highly filled (e.g., at least 60 volume percent of the foam is the filler) and can be thermally conductive. Although the foams contain a large amount of filler, the foams can be compressed at least 40 volume percent with an applied pressure of 50 pounds per square inch (345 kiloPascals).

Foams and methods of making

Articles and methods of making and using the articles are provided. The articles include inorganic agglomerates having an average dimension in a range from about 50 microns to about 2 mm. The porous agglomerates each include a network of carbon or silica, and metal oxide particles embedded in the network. Some agglomerates are capable of lowering a resonant frequency of an acoustic device when the resonant frequency is in a range from about 50 Hz to about 1500 Hz.

Acoustically active articles

The invention described herein is directed towards spin-on carbon materials comprising polyamic acid compositions and a crosslinker in a solvent system. The materials are useful in trilayer photolithography processes. Films made with the inventive compositions are not soluble in solvents commonly used in lithographic materials, such as, but not limited to PGME, PGMEA, and cyclohexanone. However, the films can be dissolved in developers commonly used in photolithography. In one embodiment, the films can be heated at high temperatures to improve the thermal stability for high temperature processing. Regardless of the embodiment, the material can be applied to a flat/planar or patterned surface. Advantageously, the material exhibits a wiggling resistance during pattern transfer to silicon substrate using fluorocarbon etch.

Spin-on carbon compositions for lithographic processing

Methods of forming microelectronic structure are provided. The methods comprise the formation of T-shaped structures using a controlled undercutting process, and the deposition of a selectively etchable composition into the undercut areas of the T-shaped structures. The T-shaped structures are subsequently removed to yield extremely small undercut-formed features that conform to the width and optionally the height of the undercut areas of the T-shaped structures. These methods can be combined with other conventional patterning methods to create structures having extremely small feature sizes regardless of the wavelength of light used for patterning.

Processes to pattern small features for advanced patterning needs

Novel double- and triple-patterning methods are provided. The methods involve applying a shrinkable composition to a patterned template structure (e.g., a structure having lines) and heating the composition. The shrinkable composition is selected to possess properties that will cause it to shrink during heating, thus forming a conformal layer over the patterned template structure. The layer is then etched to leave behind pre-spacer structures, which comprise the features from the pattern with remnants of the shrinkable composition adjacent the feature sidewalls. The features are removed, leaving behind a doubled pattern. In an alternative embodiment, an extra etch step can be carried out prior to formation of the features on the template structure, thus allowing the pattern to be tripled rather than doubled.

Spin-on spacer materials for double- and triple-patterning lithography

A novel reversal lithography process without etch back is described. The reversal material comprises nanoparticles that are selectively deposited into the gaps between features without overcoating the tops of the features. As a result, a patterned imaging layer can be removed using solvent, blanket exposure followed by developer washing, or dry etching directly, without an etch-back process, and the original bright field lithography pattern can be reversed into dark field features, and transferred into subsequent layers using the nanoparticle reversal material as an etch mask.

Reversal lithography approach by selective deposition of nanoparticles

Radiation-sensitive sol-gel compositions are provided, along with methods of forming microelectronic structures and the structures thus formed. The compositions comprise a sol-gel compound and a base generator dispersed or dissolved in a solvent system. The sol-gel compound comprises recurring monomeric units comprising silicon with crosslinkable moieties bonded to the silicon. Upon exposure to radiation, the base generator generates a strong base, which crosslinks the sol-gel compound in the compositions to yield a crosslinked layer that is insoluble in developers or solvents. The unexposed portions of the layer can be removed to yield a patterned sol-gel layer. The invention can be used to form patterns from sol-gel materials comprising features having feature sizes of less than about 1 &#x3bc;m.

Method of making radiation-sensitive sol-gel materials

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Rolla, MO, United States of America

Qin Lin