Patents
US 9017568 B2: Process for increasing the hydrophilicity of silicon surfaces following HF treatment
- Granted
- 2015-04-28
- Filed
- 2014-01-21 application 14159560
- Type
- Utility · 20 claims
- Elsewhere
- Google Patents ↗ · USPTO patent document ↗ · USPTO Patent Center record ↗
Abstract
A method for performing an oxide removal process is described. The method includes providing a substrate having an oxide layer, and preparing a patterned mask layer on the oxide layer, wherein the patterned mask layer has a pattern exposing at least a portion of the oxide layer. An HF treatment of the substrate is performed to transfer the pattern at least partially through the oxide layer, wherein the HF treatment exposes a silicon surface. Following the performing of the HF treatment, a surface property of the silicon surface is modified, wherein the modifying includes administering at least one oxidizing agent to contact the silicon surface to cause chemical oxidation of the silicon surface. And, following the modifying of the surface property, at least a portion of the patterned mask layer or a residual portion of the patterned mask layer is removed.
Source: PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 (ipg150428.xml).
Assignees
| Assignee | Type | Place | Also on furp.org | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEL FSI, INC. 34 patents | US company or organization | Chaska, MN | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
Inventors
| Inventor | Place | Patents | Person page | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steven L. Nelson | Minnetonka, MN | 3 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
CPC categories
| Subclass | Category | First group | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| H01L | Semiconductor devices not covered by class h10 | H01L21/02164 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
| H10P | Generic processes or apparatus for the manufacture or treatment of devices covered by class h10 | H10P50/00 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
| H10F | Inorganic semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation | H10F71/00 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
Cooperative Patent Classification, as currently assigned (one row per subclass).
Assignments and security interests
| Recorded | What | From | To | Reel/frame | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-07-30 | Correction Conversion | TEL FSI, INC. signed 2019-12-31 | TEL MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING OF AMERICA, INC. CHASKA, MN | 53366/139 | PASDL, file of 2026-10-15 |
| 2014-01-21 | Assignment Assignment of assignor's interest | NELSON, STEVEN L. signed 2014-01-20 | TEL FSI, INC. CHASKA, MN | 32007/392 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
Documents recorded with the USPTO Assignment Recordation Branch that list this patent. A security interest is a lender’s claim on the patent as collateral; a release ends it.
USPTO bulk data: PatentsView granted patents, disambiguated (PVGPATDIS) for patents, assignees, inventors, places and CPC categories; the USPTO Patent Assignment Dataset (ECORSEXC) for assignments and security interests. Patents filed in the last 20 years. No claims or full text. Links to other records are by name (and state): EXACT means the identical full name and state; FUZZY means a looser name match, with the confidence shown.