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:
Oct. 20, 2009
Filed:
Aug. 31, 2005
Paul Shirley, Meridian, ID (US);
Gordon Haller, Boise, ID (US);
Paul Shirley, Meridian, ID (US);
Gordon Haller, Boise, ID (US);
Micron Technology, Inc., Boise, ID (US);
Abstract
In general, the system provides for soft baking a semiconductor wafer so that photoresist layers on the wafer are free of surface voids or craters. In particular, the system provides for manufacturing a semiconductor wafer having no photoresist craters at the completion of a two-step post-apply resist bake (soft bake) in the fabrication of an integrated circuit. In the system, the semiconductor wafer is coated with resist and then baked at both a low-bake temperature and a high-bake temperature. It is theorized that the lower temperature bake either hardens the resist layer before trapped air expands through the resist or displaces the trapped air while the resist layer remains fluid and returns to its conformal shape.