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. 24, 2012
Filed:
Jun. 15, 2010
Johanes Swenburg, Los Gatos, CA (US);
David Chu, Campbell, CA (US);
Theresa Kramer Guarini, San Jose, CA (US);
Yonah Cho, Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Udayan Ganguly, San Jose, CA (US);
Lucien Date, Ottignies-Louvain-La-Neuve, BE;
Johanes Swenburg, Los Gatos, CA (US);
David Chu, Campbell, CA (US);
Theresa Kramer Guarini, San Jose, CA (US);
Yonah Cho, Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Udayan Ganguly, San Jose, CA (US);
Lucien Date, Ottignies-Louvain-La-Neuve, BE;
Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US);
Abstract
Embodiments described herein generally relate to flash memory devices and methods for manufacturing flash memory devices. In one embodiment, a method for selective removal of nitrogen from the nitrided areas of a substrate is provided. The method comprises positioning a substrate comprising a material layer disposed adjacent to an oxide containing layer in a processing chamber, exposing the substrate to a nitridation process to incorporate nitrogen onto the material layer and the exposed areas of the oxide containing layer, and exposing the nitrided material layer and the nitrided areas of the oxide containing layer to a gas mixture comprising a quantity of a hydrogen containing gas and a quantity of an oxygen containing gas to selectively remove nitrogen from the nitrided areas of the oxide containing layer relative to the nitrided material layer using a radical oxidation process.