Texas Instruments Corporation

Raytheon Company

Raytheon Ti System, Inc.

Thomas C Penn

Donald F Weirauch

Dipankar Chandra

Anthony B Wood

William G Manns

Vernon R Porter

Don J Weeks

Jerry D Merryman

S Charles Baber

Samuel R Shortes

This is an integral IR detector system with at least two epitaxial HgCdTe sensors on integrated silicon or GaAs circuitry and also a method of fabricating such system. The system can comprise: a) integrated silicon or GaAs circuitry 110; b) an epitaxial lattice-match layer (e.g. ZnSe 114) on a top surface of the circuit; c) an epitaxial insulating layer (e.g. CdTe 102) on the lattice-match layer; and d) at least two epitaxial HgCdTe sensors 101,121 on the insulating layer, with the HgCdTe sensors being electrically connected to the circuitry. Preferably, the circuitry is silicon. Preferably, an IR transparent, spacer layer (e.g. CdTe 120 or CdZnTe) is on the HgCdTe sensors and an HgCdTe filter 122 is on the spacer layer. Preferably, at least one of the HgCdTe sensors and the HgCdTe filter is laterally continuously graded.

Integrated infrared detection system

Methods are described for the depositing of a plurality of films, preferably mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe), whose compositions vary in a controlled manner to provide unique infrared spectral absorption and detection properties. HgCdTe films 64 and 70 are deposited on opposite sides of electrically insulating, IR transmissive film 42. Initially these HgCdTe films may be of uniform composition laterally from 62 to 66 and 68 to 72. However the interdiffusion and segregation coefficients of Hg and Cd are different and vary differently with respect to temperature. By placing film 70 in contact with heater 9, a controlled lateral gradient in composition of the film may be effected because 44 is hotter than 45 and will produce higher Cd concentration at 68 than 72. Similarly 62 will be higher in Cd than 66, however, the gradient will be much less because 64 is cooler than 70. Through the use of a heater 60, the lateral compositional gradient of 64 may be varied with respect to film 70. The close tracking of the IR properties of 70 and 64 can provide useful and novel integrated IR devices such as multiple band spectrometers.

Method of fabricating a laterally continuously graded mercury cadmium

A multiple film integrated infrared (IR) detector assembly 85 consists of detector films 86, 88, 90 having different IR spectral sensitivities which are deposited on a breadboard IR transmissive but electrically insulating substrate 42. Substrate 42 is deposited on an IR filter layer comprising an HgCdTe film 70. By various techniques described, filter film 70 has a varying composition from edge 68 to 72. This compositional gradient of film 70 results in varying IR spectral absorption as shown by IR transmission graphs 10, 12, 14. Film 70 acts as a graded IR filter in concert with the response of the detector films 86, 88, 90. By the proper choice of the compositional gradients in these films, and as a result the IR spectral response, an integrated IR spectrometer may be fabricated whereby each detector 86, 87, 90 detects only specific narrow bands of IR wavelengths.

Mercury cadmium telluride infrared filters and detectors and methods of

A laser pattern inspection and/or writing system which writes or inspects a pattern on a target on a stage, by raster scanning the target pixels. Inspection can also be done by substage illumination with non-laser light. A database, organized into frames and strips, represents an ideal pattern as one or more polygons. Each polygon's data description is contained within a single data frame. The database is transformed into a turnpoint polygon representation, then a left and right vector representation, then an addressed pixel representation, then a bit-mapped representation of the entire target. Most of the transformations are carried out in parallel pipelines. Guardbands around polygon sides are used for error filtering during inspection. Guardbands are polygons, and frames containing only guardband information are sent down dedicated pipelines. Error filtering also is done at the time of pixel comparisons of ideal with real patterns, and subsequently during defect area consolidation. Defect areas are viewed as color overlays of ideal and actual target areas, from data generated during real time. Defect areas can be de-zoomed to allow larger target areas to be viewed. An autofocus keeps the scanning laser beam in focus on the target. The inspection system is used to find fiducial marks to orient the target prior to raster scanning. IC bars are provided with alignment marks for locating each IC bar. Interferometers or glass scale encoders allow the stage position to be known.

Laser pattern/inspector with a linearly ramped chirp deflector

Heat activated method for developing and improving the definition of a patterned heat-photoresist layer as applied to a substrate surface of different material, such as a semiconductor slice, in the fabrication of an electronic structure or photomask, through the use of a reactive species of oxygen including monatomic oxygen or ozone in an oxygen-containing gas. A layer of photoresist material upon being selectively exposed to an energy source, such as ultraviolet radiation, X-ray, or E-beam radiation acquires a predetermined patterned definition therein because of chemical changes in the photoresist material which is photosensitive. After such selective exposure, the photoresist layer is characterized by a differential reactivity which is heightened by a chemical or a physical change occurring in either one of the exposed or unexposed portions of the layer of photoresist material enabling the selective removal thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the photoresist material is of a character undergoing a reduction in thickness in areas unexposed to the energy source which may be accentuated by a further heat treatment to produce regions of reduced thickness in the photoresist layer corresponding to the desired pattern. The regions of photoresist material of reduced thickness are then selectively removed from the layer of photoresist material by the differential reaction of the gaseous reactive oxygen species therewith to develop the pattern in the layer of photoresist material as defined by its selective exposure to the energy source.

Heat activated dry development of photoresist by means of active oxygen

Pattern comparator with substage illumination and polygonal data

Laser scanner using focusing acousto-optic device

An apparatus having a two wire system for providing both power and data communication between a master controller and at least one subcontroller. The master controller can also be connected through the conductors to submaster controllers which in turn have subcontrollers connected thereto. The master controller is capable of addressing each of the submaster controllers and subcontrollers individually. A three voltage level system can be utilized to provide both power and addressing through the two conductors. Data transmitted by the subcontrollers can be analog and/or digital. A data entry device and an information display device can be connected to the master controller in the same manner as other subcontrollers.

Apparatus and method for providing power from master controller to

Method and apparatus for removing a photoresist layer from a substrate surface of different material, such as a semiconductor slice, in the fabrication of an electronic structure, involving exposure of the photoresist layer to an ozone-containing gaseous atmosphere in a reaction zone of a reactor. The ozone is present as an active reagent in the gaseous atmosphere to which the layer of photoresist material is exposed in an amount sufficient to react with all of the photoresist material in the layer thereof, with the photoresist material being removed from the underlying substrate surface in response to its exposure to the ozone. The photoresist material being treated by the ozone for stripping thereof may be either a negative or positive photoresist. Gaseous reaction products resulting from treatment of the substrate and removal of the photoresist layer therefrom are directed through an ozone reduction chamber prior to the discharge of the exhaust gases created by the reaction of the ozone with the photoresist material, wherein any excess ozone contained in the exhaust gases is reduced to molecular oxygen.

Method for removing photoresist layer from substrate by ozone treatment

Method and apparatus for removing a resist layer from a substrate surface of different material, such as a semiconductor slice, in the fabrication of an electronic structure, involving exposure of the resist layer to a flame from a combustible gas. The resist layer is employed as a mask in patterning the substrate surface via selective etching, diffusion, or other procedures and is removed from the substrate when it has served its purpose. The resist material may include not only light-sensitive resists more commonly termed 'photoresists', but also electron beam-sensitive resists, and resists applied by stencil techniques. The resist layer is exposed to the flame for a period of time sufficient to decompose the resist material, the length of the exposure being a function of several factors, including the type of resist, the thickness of the layer, and the manufacturing processes to which the slice was subjected prior to the resist removal step. No vacuum or other special ambient atmospheric condition is required for this resist removal process, but the slice may be positioned on a belt or other mobile platform and the means for producing the flame may also be adjustable in order to effectively vary the parameters of exposure time and temperature, depending on the aforementioned factors.

Method for removing resist layer from substrate with combustible gas

The specification discloses a multiplexing system for an image detection array having laterally staggered first and second rows of image detectors which generate electrical signals representative of sensed images. First and second charge coupled device shift registers are connected to receive the electrical signals through channel inlets spaced along the lengths of the registers. Circuitry is operable during a first clock period for parallel loading electrical signals from the first row of detectors into a first set of alternate ones of the channel inlets of the first shift register. Circuitry is operable during a second clock period for parallel loading electrical signals from the second row of detectors into a second set of alternate ones of the channel inlets of the first shift register for storage between electrical signals from the first row of detectors. Circuitry is also operable during the second clock period for parallel loading electrical signals from the first row of detectors into a first set of alternate ones of the channel inlets of the second shift register. Circuitry is operable during a third clock period for parallel loading electrical signals from the second row of detectors into a second set of alternate ones of the channel inlets of the second shift register. Shift circuitry is provided to selectively serially clock the stored electrical signals from the output of the first and second registers to provide a composite display representative of the sensed images.

Growing community of inventors

Richardson, TX, United States of America

Thomas C Penn