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:
Jun. 10, 2003
Filed:
Jun. 25, 2001
Yih-Yuh Doong, Kaohsiung, TW;
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Hsin-Chu, TW;
Abstract
Microanalysis of small areas on insulating substrates can be a problem because of charge and thermal buildup. One solution has been to coat the underside of the area with a layer of thermally and electrically conductive material. This becomes very difficult to do when there is no clear access to the surface in question. The present invention solves this problem by forming two cavities, on opposite sides of the area that is to be microanalyzed, that extend downwards into the substrate at an angle to its surface so that they intersect directly below the microanalysis area. The result is a cavity that is bridged by a beam having a triangular cross-section. Part of said beam is then selectively removed, resulting in a cantilever that extends out over the cavity with the microanalysis area located near its free end. Coating of the cantilever's underside is achieved by using a focused ion beam to first deposit the layer in question on the two lower sloping surfaces of the cavity. Then, as a result of sputtering by the ion beam itself, some of this material is ejected and redeposits on the underside of the beam.