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Greeley, ID

J. Neil Greeley, Boise, ID US

Patent application numberDescriptionPublished
20090042401COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS FOR SUBSTANTIALLY EQUALIZING RATES AT WHICH MATERIAL IS REMOVED OVER AN AREA OF A STRUCTURE OR FILM THAT INCLUDES RECESSES OR CREVICES - Methods for preventing isotropic removal of materials at corners formed by seams, keyholes, and other anomalies in films or other structures include use of etch blockers to cover or coat such corners. This covering or coating prevents exposure of the corners to isotropic etch solutions and cleaning solutions and, thus, higher material removal rates at the corners than at smoother areas of the structure or film from which material is removed. Solutions, including wet etchants and cleaning solutions, that include at least one type of etch blocker are also disclosed, as are systems for preventing higher rates of material removal at corners formed by seams, crevices, or recesses in a film or other structure. Semiconductor device structures in which etch blockers are located so as to prevent isotropic etchants from removing material from corners of seams, crevices, or recesses in a surface of a film or other structure at undesirably high rates are also disclosed.02-12-2009
20090275205METHODS OF REMOVING SILICON OXIDE AND GASEOUS MIXTURES FOR ACHIEVING SAME - A method of removing at least a portion of a silicon oxide material is disclosed. The silicon oxide is removed by exposing a semiconductor structure comprising a substrate and the silicon oxide to an ammonium fluoride chemical treatment and a subsequent plasma treatment, both of which may be effected in the same vacuum chamber of a processing apparatus. The ammonium fluoride chemical treatment converts the silicon oxide to a solid reaction product in a self-limiting reaction, the solid reaction product then being volatilized by the plasma treatment. The plasma treatment includes a plasma having an ion bombardment energy of less than or equal to approximately 20 eV. An ammonium fluoride chemical treatment including an alkylated ammonia derivative and hydrogen fluoride is also disclosed.11-05-2009
20100102415METHODS FOR SELECTIVE PERMEATION OF SELF-ASSEMBLED BLOCK COPOLYMERS WITH METAL OXIDES, METHODS FOR FORMING METAL OXIDE STRUCTURES, AND SEMICONDUCTOR STRUCTURES INCLUDING SAME - Methods of forming metal oxide structure and methods of forming metal oxide patterns on a substrate using a block copolymer system formulated for self-assembly are disclosed. The metal oxide structures and patterns may be used, for example, as a mask for sublithographic patterning during various stages of semiconductor device fabrication. A block copolymer at least within a trench in the substrate and including at least one soluble block and at least one insoluble block may be annealed to form a self-assembled pattern including a plurality of repeating units of the soluble block laterally aligned with the trench and positioned within a matrix of the insoluble block. The self-assembled pattern may be exposed to a metal oxide precursor which impregnates the soluble block. The metal oxide precursor may be oxidized to form a metal oxide. The self-assembled pattern may be removed to form a pattern of metal oxide lines on the substrate surface.04-29-2010

Joseph N. Greeley, Boise, ID US

Patent application numberDescriptionPublished
20100043824MICROELECTRONIC SUBSTRATE CLEANING SYSTEMS WITH POLYELECTROLYTE AND ASSOCIATED METHODS - Several embodiments of cleaning systems using polyelectrolyte and various associated methods for cleaning microelectronic substrates are disclosed herein. One embodiment is directed to a system that has a substrate support for holding the microelectronic substrate, a dispenser positioned above the substrate support and facing a surface of the microelectronic substrate, a reservoir in fluid communication with the dispenser via a conduit, and a washing solution contained in the reservoir. The washing solution includes a polyelectrolyte.02-25-2010
20100295148METHODS OF UNIFORMLY REMOVING SILICON OXIDE AND AN INTERMEDIATE SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE - A method of substantially uniformly removing silicon oxide is disclosed. The silicon oxide to be removed includes at least one cavity therein or more than one density or strain therein. The silicon oxide having at least one cavity or more than one density or strain is exposed to a gaseous mixture of NH11-25-2010

Patent applications by Joseph N. Greeley, Boise, ID US

Joseph Neil Greeley, Boise, ID US

Patent application numberDescriptionPublished
20090017627Methods of Modifying Oxide Spacers - Methods for reducing line roughness of spacers and other features utilizing a non-plasma and non-wet etch fluoride processing technology are provided. Embodiments of the methods can be used for spacer or line reduction and/or smoothing the surfaces along the edges of such features through the reaction and subsequent removal of material.01-15-2009

Neil Greeley, Boise, ID US

Patent application numberDescriptionPublished
20100003782Methods Of Forming A Non-Volatile Resistive Oxide Memory Cell And Methods Of Forming A Non-Volatile Resistive Oxide Memory Array - A method of forming a non-volatile resistive oxide memory cell includes forming a first conductive electrode of the memory cell as part of a substrate. Metal oxide-comprising material is formed over the first conductive electrode. Etch stop material is deposited over the metal oxide-comprising material. Conductive material is deposited over the etch stop material. A second conductive electrode of the memory cell which comprises the conductive material received is formed over the etch stop material. Such includes etching through the conductive material to stop relative to the etch stop material and forming the non-volatile resistive oxide memory cell to comprise the first and second conductive electrodes having both the metal oxide-comprising material and the etch stop material therebetween. Other implementations are contemplated.01-07-2010
20100099232Methods Of Forming Capacitors, And Methods Of Utilizing Silicon Dioxide-Containing Masking Structures - Some embodiments include methods of forming capacitors. Storage nodes are formed within a material. The storage nodes have sidewalls along the material. Some of the material is removed to expose portions of the sidewalls. The exposed portions of the sidewalls are coated with a substance that isn't wetted by water. Additional material is removed to expose uncoated regions of the sidewalls. The substance is removed, and then capacitor dielectric material is formed along the sidewalls of the storage nodes. Capacitor electrode material is then formed over the capacitor dielectric material. Some embodiments include methods of utilizing a silicon dioxide-containing masking structure in which the silicon dioxide of the masking structure is coated with a substance that isn't wetted by water.04-22-2010
20100276656Devices Comprising Carbon Nanotubes, And Methods Of Forming Devices Comprising Carbon Nanotubes - Some embodiments include devices that contain bundles of CNTs. An undulating topography extends over the CNTs and within spaces between the CNTs. A global maximum lateral width is defined as the greatest lateral width of any of the spaces. A material is directly over the CNTs, with the material being a plurality of particles that have minimum cross-sectional equatorial widths exceeding the global maximum lateral width. Some embodiments include methods in which a plurality of crossed carbon nanotubes are formed over a semiconductor substrate. The CNTs form an undulating upper topography extending across the CNTs and within spaces between the CNTs. A global maximum lateral width is defined as the greatest lateral width of any of the spaces. A material is deposited over the CNTs, with the material being deposited as particles that have minimum cross-sectional equatorial widths exceeding the global maximum lateral width.11-04-2010
20100301462METHOD AND APPARATUS PROVIDING AIR-GAP INSULATION BETWEEN ADJACENT CONDUCTORS USING NANOPARTICLES - A semiconductor device and a method of forming it are disclosed in which at least two adjacent conductors have an air-gap insulator between them which is covered by nanoparticles of insulating material being a size which prevent the nanoparticles from substantially entering into the air-gap.12-02-2010
20110111597Methods of Utilizing Silicon Dioxide-Containing Masking Structures - Some embodiments include methods of forming capacitors. Storage nodes are formed within a material. The storage nodes have sidewalls along the material. Some of the material is removed to expose portions of the sidewalls. The exposed portions of the sidewalls are coated with a substance that isn't wetted by water. Additional material is removed to expose uncoated regions of the sidewalls. The substance is removed, and then capacitor dielectric material is formed along the sidewalls of the storage nodes. Capacitor electrode material is then formed over the capacitor dielectric material. Some embodiments include methods of utilizing a silicon dioxide-containing masking structure in which the silicon dioxide of the masking structure is coated with a substance that isn't wetted by water.05-12-2011
20110143543Method of Forming Capacitors, and Methods of Utilizing Silicon Dioxide-Containing Masking Structures - Some embodiments include methods of forming capacitors. Storage nodes are formed within a material. The storage nodes have sidewalls along the material. Some of the material is removed to expose portions of the sidewalls. The exposed portions of the sidewalls are coated with a substance that isn't wetted by water. Additional material is removed to expose uncoated regions of the sidewalls. The substance is removed, and then capacitor dielectric material is formed along the sidewalls of the storage nodes. Capacitor electrode material is then formed over the capacitor dielectric material. Some embodiments include methods of utilizing a silicon dioxide-containing masking structure in which the silicon dioxide of the masking structure is coated with a substance that isn't wetted by water.06-16-2011
20110165728METHODS OF SELF-ALIGNED GROWTH OF CHALCOGENIDE MEMORY ACCESS DEVICE - Self-aligning fabrication methods for forming memory access devices comprising a doped chalcogenide material. The methods may be used for forming three-dimensionally stacked cross point memory arrays. The method includes forming an insulating material over a first conductive electrode, patterning the insulating material to form vias that expose portions of the first conductive electrode, forming a memory access device within the vias of the insulating material and forming a memory element over the memory access device, wherein data stored in the memory element is accessible via the memory access device. The memory access device is formed of a doped chalcogenide material and formed using a self-aligned fabrication method.07-07-2011

Neil Joseph Greeley, Boise, ID US

Patent application numberDescriptionPublished
20100170531Methods of Removing Particles From Over Semiconductor Substrates - Some embodiments include methods of removing particles from over surfaces of semiconductor substrates. Liquid may be flowed across the surfaces and the particles. While the liquid is flowing, electrophoresis and/or electroosmosis may be utilized to enhance transport of the particles from the surfaces and into the liquid. In some embodiments, temperature, pH and/or ionic strength within the liquid may be altered to assist in the removal of the particles from over the surfaces of the substrates.07-08-2010