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. 09, 2003
Filed:
Sep. 21, 2000
Raffi N. Elmadjian, Arcadia, CA (US);
Northrop Grumman Corporation, Redondo Beach, CA (US);
Abstract
A plasma photoresist hardening technique is provided to improve the etch resistance of a photoresist mask . The technique involves the formation of a thin passivation layer on the photoresist mask which substantially slows down the etching rate of the photoresist material . Advantageously, this technique allows preservation of critical dimension features such as via hole openings and transmission lines. The technique hardens the surface of the photoresist film by both chemically and physically bonding halogenated hydrocarbons with cross linked photoresist polymer. This results in a passivation layer which is highly resistant to harsh plasma etch environments.