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:
Jul. 07, 2026
Filed:
Apr. 21, 2023
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited, Hsinchu, TW;
Hung-Ju Li, Hsinchu City, TW;
Chien Ta Huang, Taoyuan, TW;
Kuo-Pin Chang, Zhubei City, TW;
Yu-Wei Ting, Taipei City, TW;
Kuo-Ching Huang, Hsinchu City, TW;
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited, Hsinchu, TW;
Abstract
A heater material layer is over a substrate. A reactive sputtering process is performed while the substrate and the heater material layer are placed in a process chamber. Sputtered aluminum atoms and reactive nitrogen-containing molecules react inside the process chamber to form a continuous inhomogeneous aluminum nitride layer on the heater material layer. The continuous inhomogeneous aluminum nitride layer is formed such that a top surface portion of the aluminum nitride layer has a higher atomic concentration of nitrogen than a bottom surface portion of the aluminum nitride layer contacting a top surface of the heater line. The continuous inhomogeneous aluminum nitride layer and the heater material layer are patterned into an inhomogeneous aluminum nitride layer and a heater line. A phase change material (PCM) line is formed over the aluminum nitride layer to provide a radio-frequency switch.