The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.

The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.

Date of Patent:
Sep. 11, 2018

Filed:

Apr. 18, 2014
Applicant:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (US);

Inventors:

Jonathan Phillip Singer, Cambridge, MA (US);

Pao Tai Lin, Brighton, MA (US);

Edwin Lorimer Thomas, Houston, TX (US);

Assignee:
Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
G03F 7/20 (2006.01); H01L 21/308 (2006.01); G03F 1/68 (2012.01);
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
H01L 21/308 (2013.01); G03F 1/68 (2013.01); G03F 7/70383 (2013.01);
Abstract

A method for lithographic patterning of thin films. A thin film is deposited on a substrate and the film is exposed to optical energy from a focused laser to induce a thermal gradient in the film by optical absorption. The film is softened through a melting or glass transition process and the thermal gradient induces a directional dewetting down the thermal gradient. The invention permits developer free positive tone lithography by thermal direct write and also metrology of the thin film by the morphology of the resultant features.


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