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:
Jan. 18, 2005
Filed:
Apr. 21, 2003
Mehran Naser-ghodsi, Hamilton, MA (US);
Mehran Naser-Ghodsi, Hamilton, MA (US);
KLA-Tencor Technologies Corporation, Milpitas, CA (US);
Abstract
Techniques for detecting endpoints during semiconductor dry-etching processes are described. The dry-etching process of the present invention involves using a combination of a reactive material and a charged particle beam, such as an electron beam. In another embodiment, a photon beam is used to facilitate the etching process. The endpoint detection techniques involve monitoring the emission levels of secondary electrons and backscatter electrons together with the current within the sample. Depending upon the weight given to each of these parameters, an endpoint is identified when the values of these parameters change more than a certain percentage, relative to an initial value for these values.