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:
Apr. 16, 2002
Filed:
Dec. 18, 1998
Kaichiu Wong, Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Gregory M. McMahon, St. Paul, MN (US);
Cypress Semiconductor Corp., San Jose, CA (US);
Abstract
Water vapor plasma etching of metal surfaces facilitates removal of organic residues over metal surfaces. By plasma etching metal surfaces covered with an organic material, such as photoresist, in an atmosphere in which the water vapor to O ratio exceeds 5:3 (such as about 5:1, for example), superior organic material removal results are observed, particularly over relatively wide metal surfaces. The duration of the water vapor plasma etch also may be increased, relative to conventional organic material-removing processes. The effectiveness of the high vapor etch according to the present invention allows the elimination of a subsequent dry organic material stripping step, reducing processing time and cost while increasing yields.