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.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 24, 2019
Filed:
Aug. 30, 2017
Lam Research Corporation, Fremont, CA (US);
Jeffrey Marks, Saratoga, CA (US);
George Andrew Antonelli, Portland, OR (US);
Richard A. Gottscho, Pleasanton, CA (US);
Dennis M. Hausmann, Lake Oswego, OR (US);
Adrien LaVoie, Newberg, OR (US);
Thomas Joseph Knisley, Beaverton, OR (US);
Sirish K. Reddy, Portland, OR (US);
Bhadri N. Varadarajan, Beaverton, OR (US);
Artur Kolics, Dublin, CA (US);
LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION, Fremont, CA (US);
Abstract
Vacuum-integrated photoresist-less methods and apparatuses for forming metal hardmasks can provide sub-30 nm patterning resolution. A metal-containing (e.g., metal salt or organometallic compound) film that is sensitive to a patterning agent is deposited on a semiconductor substrate. The metal-containing film is then patterned directly (i.e., without the use of a photoresist) by exposure to the patterning agent in a vacuum ambient to form the metal mask. For example, the metal-containing film is photosensitive and the patterning is conducted using sub-30 nm wavelength optical lithography, such as EUV lithography.