The present invention relates to methods, systems and mediums for controlling processes for manufacturing micro-electronic devices based on, in part, one or more measurements made on one or more critical dimensions such as gate lengths of devices. In particular, the measured critical dimensions can be used in determining parameter values in, for example, feed-forward and/or feed-back controlling mechanisms to reduce variations on the critical dimensions.
These undesirable variations are unacceptable due to ever increasing demands on fabricated micro-electronic devices associated with ultra large scale integration that require increased transistor and circuit speed, density and improved reliability. In particular, these demands require formation of device features with high precision and uniformity, which in turn necessitates careful process monitoring and detailed inspection of the devices while they are still being processed in the form of semiconductor wafers. Indeed, the conventional process module 101 is incapable of processing devices with such high precision and uniformity because it cannot reduce the undesirable variations. This results in a device yield rate that is less than optimal.
Embodiments of the present invention advantageously overcome the above described shortcomings of conventional processing modules. In particular, embodiments of the present invention provide systems, methods and mediums for controlling processes for fabricating micro-electronic devices using critical dimension measurements. For instance, at least some embodiments of the present invention include a method of processing a number of wafers for manufacturing semiconductor devices. The method comprises the steps of measuring at least one dimension (e.g., gate length) of at least one of the devices being fabricated on at least one of the wafers and determining control parameter values (also referred to as process conditions) based on the at least one measured dimension. (It should be noted a control parameter value and a parameter value are used interchangeably in describing embodiments of the present invention.) The method may also include the step of controlling at least one semiconductor manufacturing tool to process the at least one of the wafers based on the parameter values (e.g., in a feed-forward/feed-back manner). The at least one processing tool can include at least one implanter tool.
The detailed description of the present application showing various distinctive features may be best understood when the detailed description is read in reference to the appended drawings in which:
a and 10b are flowcharts illustrating example steps performed by the third example embodiment of the present invention;
To alleviate the shortcomings of the conventional technology, in at least some embodiments of the present invention, the undesirable variations mentioned above can be compensated for by first measuring a critical dimension of a device being processed. A critical dimension (CD) is a dimension of a particular location of a device (e.g., a gate length). Variations in the CD may cause undesirable performance variations on the device. If such variations in a CD are detected, a subsequent processing tool(s) may be adjusted such that the undesirable variation is alleviated. This is done by generating one or more parameter values based upon the amount of the variation. The parameter values are then used by the processing tool(s) to make the appropriate adjustment.
Examples of performance variations are depicted in
As noted above, the conventional processing modules and their process tools are incapable of correcting undesirable variations because, in part, they are not configured to measure CDs and/or use the CD measurements generating/adjusting parameter values.
At least some embodiments of the present invention are shown in
Referring to
Now referring both to
The set of process tools in
Embodiments of the present invention can be configured to include any type of implanter tools and annealing tools that can be controlled by using, in part, parameters and specific values thereof. For example, embodiments of the present invention can include any implant and annealing tools such as single wafer and batch tools that include: low energy, high current, medium current, high energy implanters, batch furnace, single RTP annealers, beamline and/or plasma based doping tools.
In the example embodiment shown in
As noted above regarding
In order to provide the context in which the parameter values may be determined, an example of CD measurements is illustrated. In this example, the critical dimension is measured by the metrology tool 303. The measured CD can be different from a target CD (thus, possibly indicating the existence of an undesirable variation). For instance, as graphically shown in
Before explaining how the parameter values are obtained and used, the step of creating parameter values as contemplated by at least some embodiments of the present invention is first described. In at least one example embodiment, the module controller 305 includes a technique for determining parameter values based on measured CD values. The parameter values can then be stored in an active channel control lookup table (LUT). The parameter values for the LUT are created, for example, by using a computer implemented simulation package (e.g., T CAD, manufactured by Integrated System Engineering, ISE, of Switzerland). In particular, the simulation package can be configured to generate (e.g., calculate) values of parameters for a particular CD measurement. In other words, in this example embodiment, the simulation package is configured to generate values of parameters (e.g., SDE, halo and RTP process conditions) for a particular gate length measurement in order to compensate for any CD variations (e.g., an over or under etching). In this way, an array of values of SDE, halo and RTP conditions are created for a series of gate lengths at a predetermined interval (e.g., every 0.1 nm, 1 nm or multiple nms of gate lengths). The array of parameter values along with their corresponding measured CD values is then collected into the LUT, which is then used to lookup a corresponding set of parameter values for any measured gate length. An example of the LUT is shown below in Table 1.
In the above table, “E (keV),” “Dose,” “tilt/twist,” “peak temperature” and “up/cooldown rate” are example parameters and the entries of the table are example parameter values.
In at least some embodiments of the present invention, the LUT created using the simulation package is refined based on empirical data collected by performing experiments. In such an example embodiment, a set of test wafers is fabricated to form devices having different average gate lengths. The test wafers are then put through the processes by the implanter tools 1 and 2 and annealing tool (e.g., the tools illustrated in
In at least some embodiments of the present invention, a number of LUTs can be created, each of which may relate to device types and/or technology nodes. Device types can be microprocessors, memory chips, programmable ROMs, etc. A technology node can be a 100 nm node, a 130 nm node, a 180 nm node, etc. In at least some embodiments of the present invention, a LUT can also be created using only experimental data without using a computer simulation package.
In at least some embodiments of the present invention, instead of a LUT, one or more equations are derived to determine the parameter values for measured CDs. In yet other embodiments of the present invention, a graphical representation may be used in determining the parameter values for measured CDs. It should be noted that the present invention can use a LUT, one or more equations, one or more graphical representations, or other mechanisms for determining parameter values.
Now turning to describe the module controller 305 and tool monitor 313 in more detail,
While the process tools are being operated and/or controlled by the module controller 305, at least some embodiments of the present invention contemplate that the tool monitor 313 is configured to monitor activities of each process tool (step 509). The module controller 305 can also be configured to adjust parameter values and setups of the process tools based on the results of the monitoring step 509 by the tool monitor (step 511). Examples of setups of the process tools can be one or any combination of a beam-current, a vacuum pressure, tool pressure, tool temperature, etc.
In the above-described example embodiments, the feed-forward control mechanism of the module controller 305 uses three parameter values (i.e., SDE, halo and RTP conditions) to operate/control three process tools. As noted above, the SDE parameter is used to control the implanter tool 1, the halo parameter is used to control implanter 2, and the RTP parameter is used in controlling the annealing tool. In at least some embodiments of the present invention, not all parameter values may be required. In particular, In at least one example embodiment, only the SDE parameter may be determined by using the LUT and only implanter tool 1 is controlled by the feed-forward control mechanism. In such an embodiment, other tools (i.e., the implanter tool 2 and the annealing tool), if they are present at all, would not be controlled using feed-forward parameter values, but would be controlled by, for example, the conventional control mechanism as described above in connection with
Referring to the above-described example embodiments of
In the step of receiving a wafer (step 601), the wafer may be received from a batch of wafers, which are being fabricated to form a number of micro-electronic devices thereon.
In the step of measuring a critical dimension (CD) (step 603), a CD of a device, which can relate to a part of one or more micro-electronic devices, is measured. In at least some embodiments of the present invention, the CD can be the gate length of a selected device. In at least some other embodiments of the present invention, the CD can be an average of the gate lengths measured from many devices or test structures on the received wafer. The test structure can be a number of polysilicon lines fabricated on the wafers. The dimension of the test structure may be similar to those of devices fabricated on the wafers.
The measured CD is then received by the module controller 305, which performs the step of determining appropriate parameter values (step 605). As noted above in connection with
The module controller 305 then performs the step of operating/controlling the process tools (e.g., implanted tools 1 and 2 and/or the annealing tool) to process the received wafer using the determined parameter values. In other word, implant and anneal processes are performed based on the parameter values (step 607) such that undesirable variances may be compensated for. The processed wafer is then transported to a next process module (if any) to undergo further fabrication processes.
The results of such processing are graphically illustrated in
The post process metrology tool 717 is configured to receive a wafer that has been processed by, for example, the processing tools 707, 709, 711 and to make a Measurement After the Process (MAP), a post process measurement, on the processed wafer. In at least some embodiments of the present invention, the MAP is made on, for example, junction depth of a test structure being fabricated on the processed wafer. The MAPs can be made on one or more test structures on the processed wafer. In embodiments that the MAP is performed on more than one test structure, the average of the MAPs can be used in a feedback process which is described in detail below.
When the MAP is within the target range, the processed wafer is considered to be correctly processed within an acceptable level of variation. The processed wafer is then transported to a next process module for subsequence processes, if any (step 813).
When the MAP is outside of the target range, for processing subsequent wafers, settings of the implanter and anneal tools are checked (step 829) by the module/tool monitor 713. Examples of the settings of the tools may include one or any combination of ion energy, ion dose, ion beam current, anneal temperature and/or anneal ramp up rate. An example value may be 500 eV for the ion energy setting. The module controller 705 determines whether or not the settings are correctly set (step 831). If not, the module controller 705 either adjusts the settings (step 833) or notifies an operator to adjust the settings. After settings have been adjusted or the module controller determines that the settings were set correctly, a new wafer is received and processed (step 835).
With respect to the wafer that has been processed and its MAP has been determined as outside of the target range and outside of the correctable range, the processed wafer is considered as not usable and discarded (step 817). It should be noted that steps 829 and 815 can be performed in parallel.
When the wafer that has been processed and its MAP has been determined as outside of the target range but within the correctable range, settings of implanting and anneal tools are checked (step 819) by the module/tool monitor 713. The module controller 705 determines whether or not the settings are correctly set (step 821). If not, the module controller 705 either adjusts the settings (step 823) or notifies an operator to adjust the settings. After the settings have been adjusted or the module controller determines that the settings were set correctly, the difference between a target MAP and the measured MAP may be used in determining corrections to the processing conditions for the processed wafer (step 825). Subsequently, the implant process(es) are performed again on the processed wafer (step 827) using the correction parameter values. (For example, a anneal process(es) can also be re-performed.) In other words, the processed wafer which was incorrectly processed is reprocessed by the process module 601 using the correction parameter values. The correction parameter values can be determined using a LUT that has been created using similar steps as those used in creating the LUT for parameter values as described above in connection with Table 1.
The reprocessed wafer can then be transported to a next process module, if any, for further processing. Alternatively, the post-process metrology tool can make another MAP and perform the above-described steps again starting from step 809.
In operation (and referring also to
In an alternative embodiment, a correctable range can be defined to determine if the dosage can be corrected. If the measured dosage is within correctable range, then the wafer can be sent back to the implanter tool 1907; however, if the dosage is outside of the correctable range, then the wafer is discarded. Similar processes take place at the metrology tool 913.
It should be noted that similar modifications can be made to the example embodiment of
a–b illustrate other steps that can be performed by at least some embodiments of the present invention. Each of the steps (steps starting from step 1017) is similar to the steps described above in connection with the example embodiment of
In the above-described example embodiments, various components and steps have been illustrated and described. Relating to those example embodiments,
The first column of a table 1101 lists the parameters relating to gate length affected by variations in a critical dimension. The second column shows percent deviation of values of those parameters when the photoresist is under etched 10 nm. When uncompensated parameter values are used, Tau deviates 16% and Ioff deviates 28% and IDSAT deviates 7.45%. When a parameter of the implant is compensated, e.g., 120% of a baseline SDE dosage is applied. The deviation of Tau is reduced to 0.13%. However, Ioff is increased to 48% and IDSAT is reduced to 5.5% and VT is at 1.92%. This effect can be further improved by applying 120% of SDE dose and additional 10% of halo tilt from their respective baseline conditions. When the compensated parameter values are used, the deviation in Tau is reduced to 1.92%, Ioff is reduced to 9%, IDSAT is reduced to 3.5% and VT is reduced to 1%. It should be understood that the parameter and parameter values, results, etc. are all by way of example, and that one, some or all can depend on a variety of factors (e.g., device design and geometry).
Graphical illustrations of improvements in at least some embodiments of the present invention are provided in
In at least some embodiments of the present invention, for the lowest deviation in leakage current: 1) no halo tilt and approximately 60% increase in SDE dosage (point 1203); and 2) 10% halo tilt and approximately 110% increase in SDE dosage (point 1205).
For the lowest deviation in Tau: 1) no halo tilt and approximately 120% increase in SDE dosage (point 1205); and 2) 10% halo tilt and approximately 140% increase in SDE dosage (point 1207).
Based on the above observations, 10% halo tilt and approximately 120% increase in SDE dosage may yield the lowest deviations in Tau and leakage current. For example, the percent deviation is minimal when the SDE dosage is increased by about 120% and the halo tilt was increased by 10%. It should be noted that similar compensations can also be achieved by adjusting other conditions (for example, energy, tilt angle of source drain extension, energy and angle of halo implants, etc.)
An example embodiment of the computer on which any of the module controller embodiments of various other aspects of the present invention may operate is described below in connection with
A display interface 1372 interfaces display 1348 and permits information from the bus 1356 to be displayed on display 1348. Display 1348 may be used in displaying various graphs. Communications with external devices, such as the other components of the system described above, occur utilizing, for example, communication port 1374. Optical fibers and/or electrical cables and/or conductors and/or optical communication (e.g., infrared, and the like) and/or wireless communication (e.g., radio frequency (RF), and the like) can be used as the transport medium between the external devices and communication port 1374. Peripheral interface 1354 interfaces the keyboard 1350 and mouse 1352, permitting input data to be transmitted to bus 1356. In addition to these components, the module controller 1313 also optionally includes an infrared transmitter and/or infrared receiver. Infrared transmitters are optionally utilized when the computer system is used in conjunction with one or more of the processing components/stations/modules that transmit/receive data via infrared signal transmission. Instead of utilizing an infrared transmitter or infrared receiver, the computer system may also optionally use a low power radio transmitter 1380 and/or a low power radio receiver 1382. The low power radio transmitter transmits the signal for reception by components of the production process, and receives signals from the components via the low power radio receiver. The low power radio transmitter and/or receiver are standard devices in industry.
Although the module controller in
In general, it should be emphasized that the various components of embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in hardware, software or a combination thereof. In such embodiments, the various components and steps would be implemented in hardware and/or software to perform the functions of embodiments of the present invention. Any presently available or future developed computer software language and/or hardware components can be employed in such embodiments of the present invention. For example, at least some of the functionality mentioned above could be implemented using Visual Basic, C, C++, or any assembly language appropriate in view of the processor(s) being used. It could also be written in an interpretive environment such as Java and transported to multiple destinations to various users.
The many features and advantages of embodiments of the present invention are apparent from the detailed specification, and thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. In addition, it should be understood that aspects of the various embodiments and alternative embodiments mentioned therein can overlap and be combined, forming additional embodiments that are also contemplated herein. Further, since numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
3205485 | Noltingk | Sep 1965 | A |
3229198 | Libby | Jan 1966 | A |
3767900 | Chao et al. | Oct 1973 | A |
3920965 | Sohrwardy | Nov 1975 | A |
4000458 | Miller et al. | Dec 1976 | A |
4207520 | Flora et al. | Jun 1980 | A |
4209744 | Gerasimov et al. | Jun 1980 | A |
4302721 | Urbanek et al. | Nov 1981 | A |
4368510 | Anderson | Jan 1983 | A |
4447731 | Kuni et al. | May 1984 | A |
4609870 | Lale et al. | Sep 1986 | A |
4616308 | Morshedi et al. | Oct 1986 | A |
4663703 | Axelby et al. | May 1987 | A |
4698766 | Entwistle et al. | Oct 1987 | A |
4750141 | Judell et al. | Jun 1988 | A |
4755753 | Chern | Jul 1988 | A |
4757259 | Charpentier | Jul 1988 | A |
4767496 | Hieber | Aug 1988 | A |
4796194 | Atherton | Jan 1989 | A |
4901218 | Cornwell | Feb 1990 | A |
4911103 | Davis et al. | Mar 1990 | A |
4938600 | Into | Jul 1990 | A |
4957605 | Hurwitt et al. | Sep 1990 | A |
4967381 | Lane et al. | Oct 1990 | A |
5089970 | Lee et al. | Feb 1992 | A |
5108570 | Wang | Apr 1992 | A |
5109430 | Nishihara et al. | Apr 1992 | A |
5171393 | Moffat | Dec 1992 | A |
5208765 | Turnbull | May 1993 | A |
5220517 | Sierk et al. | Jun 1993 | A |
5226118 | Baker et al. | Jul 1993 | A |
5231585 | Kobayashi et al. | Jul 1993 | A |
5236868 | Nulman | Aug 1993 | A |
5240552 | Yu et al. | Aug 1993 | A |
5260868 | Gupta et al. | Nov 1993 | A |
5270222 | Moslehi | Dec 1993 | A |
5283141 | Yoon et al. | Feb 1994 | A |
5295242 | Mashruwala et al. | Mar 1994 | A |
5309221 | Fischer et al. | May 1994 | A |
5329463 | Sierk et al. | Jul 1994 | A |
5338630 | Yoon et al. | Aug 1994 | A |
5347446 | Iino et al. | Sep 1994 | A |
5367624 | Cooper | Nov 1994 | A |
5369544 | Mastrangelo | Nov 1994 | A |
5375064 | Bollinger | Dec 1994 | A |
5398336 | Tantry et al. | Mar 1995 | A |
5402367 | Sullivan et al. | Mar 1995 | A |
5408405 | Mozumder et al. | Apr 1995 | A |
5410473 | Kaneko et al. | Apr 1995 | A |
5420796 | Weling et al. | May 1995 | A |
5427878 | Corliss | Jun 1995 | A |
5444837 | Bomans et al. | Aug 1995 | A |
5452521 | Niewmierzycki | Sep 1995 | A |
5469361 | Moyne | Nov 1995 | A |
5485082 | Wisspeintner et al. | Jan 1996 | A |
5490097 | Swenson et al. | Feb 1996 | A |
5495417 | Fuduka et al. | Feb 1996 | A |
5497316 | Sierk et al. | Mar 1996 | A |
5497381 | O'Donoghue et al. | Mar 1996 | A |
5503707 | Maung et al. | Apr 1996 | A |
5508947 | Sierk et al. | Apr 1996 | A |
5511005 | Abbe et al. | Apr 1996 | A |
5519605 | Cawlfield | May 1996 | A |
5525808 | Irie et al. | Jun 1996 | A |
5526293 | Mozumder et al. | Jun 1996 | A |
5534289 | Bilder et al. | Jul 1996 | A |
5541510 | Danielson | Jul 1996 | A |
5546312 | Mozumder et al. | Aug 1996 | A |
5553195 | Meijer | Sep 1996 | A |
5586039 | Hirsch et al. | Dec 1996 | A |
5599423 | Parker et al. | Feb 1997 | A |
5602492 | Cresswell et al. | Feb 1997 | A |
5603707 | Trombetta et al. | Feb 1997 | A |
5617023 | Skalski | Apr 1997 | A |
5627083 | Tounai | May 1997 | A |
5629216 | Wijaranakula et al. | May 1997 | A |
5642296 | Saxena | Jun 1997 | A |
5646870 | Krivokapic et al. | Jul 1997 | A |
5649169 | Berezin et al. | Jul 1997 | A |
5653894 | Ibbotson et al. | Aug 1997 | A |
5654903 | Reitman et al. | Aug 1997 | A |
5655951 | Meikle et al. | Aug 1997 | A |
5657254 | Sierk et al. | Aug 1997 | A |
5661669 | Mozumder et al. | Aug 1997 | A |
5663797 | Sandhu | Sep 1997 | A |
5664987 | Renteln | Sep 1997 | A |
5665199 | Sahota et al. | Sep 1997 | A |
5665214 | Iturralde | Sep 1997 | A |
5666297 | Britt et al. | Sep 1997 | A |
5667424 | Pan | Sep 1997 | A |
5674787 | Zhao et al. | Oct 1997 | A |
5694325 | Fukuda et al. | Dec 1997 | A |
5695810 | Dubin et al. | Dec 1997 | A |
5698989 | Nulman | Dec 1997 | A |
5719495 | Moslehi | Feb 1998 | A |
5719796 | Chen | Feb 1998 | A |
5735055 | Hochbein et al. | Apr 1998 | A |
5740429 | Wang et al. | Apr 1998 | A |
5751582 | Saxena et al. | May 1998 | A |
5754297 | Nulman | May 1998 | A |
5761064 | La et al. | Jun 1998 | A |
5761065 | Kittler et al. | Jun 1998 | A |
5764543 | Kennedy | Jun 1998 | A |
5777901 | Berezin et al. | Jul 1998 | A |
5787021 | Samaha | Jul 1998 | A |
5787269 | Hyodo | Jul 1998 | A |
5798529 | Wagner | Aug 1998 | A |
5808303 | Schlagheck et al. | Sep 1998 | A |
5812407 | Sato et al. | Sep 1998 | A |
5823854 | Chen | Oct 1998 | A |
5824599 | Schacham-Diamand et al. | Oct 1998 | A |
5825356 | Habib et al. | Oct 1998 | A |
5825913 | Rostami et al. | Oct 1998 | A |
5828778 | Hagi et al. | Oct 1998 | A |
5831851 | Eastburn et al. | Nov 1998 | A |
5832224 | Fehskens et al. | Nov 1998 | A |
5838595 | Sullivan et al. | Nov 1998 | A |
5838951 | Song | Nov 1998 | A |
5844554 | Geller et al. | Dec 1998 | A |
5857258 | Penzes et al. | Jan 1999 | A |
5859777 | Yokoyama et al. | Jan 1999 | A |
5859964 | Wang et al. | Jan 1999 | A |
5859975 | Brewer et al. | Jan 1999 | A |
5862054 | Li | Jan 1999 | A |
5863807 | Jang et al. | Jan 1999 | A |
5867389 | Hamada et al. | Feb 1999 | A |
5870306 | Harada | Feb 1999 | A |
5871805 | Lemelson | Feb 1999 | A |
5883437 | Maruyama et al. | Mar 1999 | A |
5889991 | Consolatti et al. | Mar 1999 | A |
5901313 | Wolf et al. | May 1999 | A |
5903455 | Sharpe, Jr. et al. | May 1999 | A |
5910011 | Cruse | Jun 1999 | A |
5910846 | Sandhu | Jun 1999 | A |
5912678 | Saxena et al. | Jun 1999 | A |
5913102 | Yang | Jun 1999 | A |
5916016 | Bothra | Jun 1999 | A |
5923553 | Yi | Jul 1999 | A |
5926690 | Toprac et al. | Jul 1999 | A |
5930138 | Lin et al. | Jul 1999 | A |
5940300 | Ozaki | Aug 1999 | A |
5943237 | Van Boxem | Aug 1999 | A |
5943550 | Fulford, Jr. et al. | Aug 1999 | A |
5944940 | Toshima | Aug 1999 | A |
5948203 | Wang | Sep 1999 | A |
5960185 | Nguyen | Sep 1999 | A |
5960214 | Sharpe, Jr. et al. | Sep 1999 | A |
5961369 | Bartels et al. | Oct 1999 | A |
5963329 | Conrad et al. | Oct 1999 | A |
5963881 | Kahn et al. | Oct 1999 | A |
5978751 | Pence et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
5980766 | Flamm et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
5982920 | Tobin, Jr. et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
6001699 | Nguyen et al. | Dec 1999 | A |
6002989 | Shiba et al. | Dec 1999 | A |
6004706 | Ausschnitt et al. | Dec 1999 | A |
6007675 | Toshima | Dec 1999 | A |
6008094 | Krivokapic et al. | Dec 1999 | A |
6012048 | Gustin et al. | Jan 2000 | A |
6017771 | Yang et al. | Jan 2000 | A |
6027842 | Ausschnitt et al. | Feb 2000 | A |
6033814 | Burdorf et al. | Mar 2000 | A |
6036349 | Gombar | Mar 2000 | A |
6037664 | Zhao et al. | Mar 2000 | A |
6041263 | Boston et al. | Mar 2000 | A |
6041270 | Steffan et al. | Mar 2000 | A |
6049220 | Borden et al. | Apr 2000 | A |
6054379 | Yau et al. | Apr 2000 | A |
6054710 | Bruggeman | Apr 2000 | A |
6059636 | Inaba et al. | May 2000 | A |
6064759 | Buckley et al. | May 2000 | A |
6072313 | Li et al. | Jun 2000 | A |
6074443 | Venkatesh et al. | Jun 2000 | A |
6077412 | Ting et al. | Jun 2000 | A |
6078845 | Friedman | Jun 2000 | A |
6094688 | Mellen-Garnett et al. | Jul 2000 | A |
6096649 | Jang | Aug 2000 | A |
6097887 | Hardikar et al. | Aug 2000 | A |
6100195 | Chan et al. | Aug 2000 | A |
6108092 | Sandhu | Aug 2000 | A |
6111634 | Pecen et al. | Aug 2000 | A |
6112130 | Fukuda et al. | Aug 2000 | A |
6114238 | Liao | Sep 2000 | A |
6124212 | Fan et al. | Sep 2000 | A |
6127263 | Parikh | Oct 2000 | A |
6128016 | Coelho et al. | Oct 2000 | A |
6136163 | Cheung et al. | Oct 2000 | A |
6141660 | Bach et al. | Oct 2000 | A |
6143081 | Shinriki et al. | Nov 2000 | A |
6143646 | Wetzel | Nov 2000 | A |
6148099 | Lee et al. | Nov 2000 | A |
6148239 | Funk et al. | Nov 2000 | A |
6148246 | Kawazome | Nov 2000 | A |
6150270 | Matsuda et al. | Nov 2000 | A |
6157864 | Schwenke et al. | Dec 2000 | A |
6159075 | Zhang | Dec 2000 | A |
6159644 | Satoh et al. | Dec 2000 | A |
6161054 | Rosenthal et al. | Dec 2000 | A |
6169931 | Runnels | Jan 2001 | B1 |
6172756 | Chalmers et al. | Jan 2001 | B1 |
6173240 | Sepulveda et al. | Jan 2001 | B1 |
6175417 | Do et al. | Jan 2001 | B1 |
6175777 | Kim | Jan 2001 | B1 |
6178239 | Kishinsky et al. | Jan 2001 | B1 |
6178390 | Jun | Jan 2001 | B1 |
6181013 | Liu et al. | Jan 2001 | B1 |
6183345 | Kamono et al. | Feb 2001 | B1 |
6185324 | Ishihara et al. | Feb 2001 | B1 |
6191864 | Sandhu | Feb 2001 | B1 |
6192291 | Kwon | Feb 2001 | B1 |
6197604 | Miller et al. | Mar 2001 | B1 |
6200840 | Chen et al. | Mar 2001 | B1 |
6204165 | Ghoshal | Mar 2001 | B1 |
6210983 | Atchison et al. | Apr 2001 | B1 |
6211094 | Jun et al. | Apr 2001 | B1 |
6212961 | Dvir | Apr 2001 | B1 |
6214734 | Bothra et al. | Apr 2001 | B1 |
6217412 | Campbell et al. | Apr 2001 | B1 |
6219711 | Chari | Apr 2001 | B1 |
6222936 | Phan et al. | Apr 2001 | B1 |
6225639 | Adams et al. | May 2001 | B1 |
6226563 | Lim | May 2001 | B1 |
6226792 | Goiffon et al. | May 2001 | B1 |
6228280 | Li et al. | May 2001 | B1 |
6230069 | Campbell et al. | May 2001 | B1 |
6235440 | Tao et al. | May 2001 | B1 |
6236903 | Kim et al. | May 2001 | B1 |
6237050 | Kim et al. | May 2001 | B1 |
6240330 | Kurtzberg et al. | May 2001 | B1 |
6240331 | Yun | May 2001 | B1 |
6245581 | Bonser et al. | Jun 2001 | B1 |
6246972 | Klimasauskas | Jun 2001 | B1 |
6248602 | Bode et al. | Jun 2001 | B1 |
6249712 | Boiquaye | Jun 2001 | B1 |
6252412 | Talbot et al. | Jun 2001 | B1 |
6253366 | Mutschler, III | Jun 2001 | B1 |
6259160 | Lopatin et al. | Jul 2001 | B1 |
6263255 | Tan et al. | Jul 2001 | B1 |
6271670 | Caffey | Aug 2001 | B1 |
6276989 | Campbell et al. | Aug 2001 | B1 |
6278899 | Piche et al. | Aug 2001 | B1 |
6280289 | Wiswesser et al. | Aug 2001 | B1 |
6281127 | Shue | Aug 2001 | B1 |
6284622 | Campbell et al. | Sep 2001 | B1 |
6287879 | Gonzales et al. | Sep 2001 | B1 |
6290572 | Hofmann | Sep 2001 | B1 |
6292708 | Allen et al. | Sep 2001 | B1 |
6298274 | Inoue | Oct 2001 | B1 |
6298470 | Breiner et al. | Oct 2001 | B1 |
6303395 | Nulman | Oct 2001 | B1 |
6304999 | Toprac et al. | Oct 2001 | B1 |
6307628 | Lu et al. | Oct 2001 | B1 |
6314379 | Hu et al. | Nov 2001 | B1 |
6317643 | Dmochowski | Nov 2001 | B1 |
6319734 | Matsuda | Nov 2001 | B1 |
6320655 | Matsushita et al. | Nov 2001 | B1 |
6324481 | Atchison et al. | Nov 2001 | B1 |
6334807 | Lebel et al. | Jan 2002 | B1 |
6336841 | Chang et al. | Jan 2002 | B1 |
6339727 | Ladd | Jan 2002 | B1 |
6340602 | Johnson et al. | Jan 2002 | B1 |
6345288 | Reed et al. | Feb 2002 | B1 |
6345315 | Mishra | Feb 2002 | B1 |
6346426 | Toprac et al. | Feb 2002 | B1 |
6355559 | Havemann et al. | Mar 2002 | B1 |
6360133 | Campbell et al. | Mar 2002 | B1 |
6360184 | Jacquez | Mar 2002 | B1 |
6363294 | Coronel et al. | Mar 2002 | B1 |
6366934 | Cheng et al. | Apr 2002 | B1 |
6368879 | Toprac | Apr 2002 | B1 |
6368883 | Bode et al. | Apr 2002 | B1 |
6368884 | Goodwin et al. | Apr 2002 | B1 |
6368975 | Balasubramhanya et al. | Apr 2002 | B1 |
6379980 | Toprac | Apr 2002 | B1 |
6388253 | Su | May 2002 | B1 |
6389491 | Jacobson et al. | May 2002 | B1 |
6391780 | Shih et al. | May 2002 | B1 |
6395152 | Wang | May 2002 | B1 |
6397114 | Eryurek et al. | May 2002 | B1 |
6400162 | Mallory et al. | Jun 2002 | B1 |
6405096 | Toprac et al. | Jun 2002 | B1 |
6405144 | Toprac et al. | Jun 2002 | B1 |
6413867 | Sarfaty et al. | Jul 2002 | B1 |
6417014 | Lam et al. | Jul 2002 | B1 |
6424417 | Cohen et al. | Jul 2002 | B1 |
6427093 | Toprac | Jul 2002 | B1 |
6432728 | Tai et al. | Aug 2002 | B1 |
6435952 | Boyd et al. | Aug 2002 | B1 |
6438438 | Takagi et al. | Aug 2002 | B1 |
6440295 | Wang | Aug 2002 | B1 |
6442496 | Pasadyn et al. | Aug 2002 | B1 |
6449524 | Miller et al. | Sep 2002 | B1 |
6454417 | Takamoto et al. | Sep 2002 | B1 |
6455415 | Lopatin et al. | Sep 2002 | B1 |
6455437 | Davidow et al. | Sep 2002 | B1 |
6455937 | Cunningham | Sep 2002 | B1 |
6470230 | Toprac et al. | Oct 2002 | B1 |
6479309 | Wright | Nov 2002 | B1 |
6479902 | Lopatin et al. | Nov 2002 | B1 |
6479990 | Mednikov et al. | Nov 2002 | B2 |
6482660 | Conchieri et al. | Nov 2002 | B2 |
6484064 | Campbell | Nov 2002 | B1 |
6486492 | Su | Nov 2002 | B1 |
6492281 | Song et al. | Dec 2002 | B1 |
6495452 | Shih | Dec 2002 | B1 |
6501555 | Ghandchari et al. | Dec 2002 | B1 |
6503839 | Gonzales et al. | Jan 2003 | B2 |
6515368 | Lopatin et al. | Feb 2003 | B1 |
6517413 | Hu et al. | Feb 2003 | B1 |
6517414 | Tobin et al. | Feb 2003 | B1 |
6528409 | Lopatin et al. | Mar 2003 | B1 |
6537912 | Agarwal | Mar 2003 | B1 |
6540591 | Pasadyn et al. | Apr 2003 | B1 |
6560504 | Goodwin et al. | May 2003 | B1 |
6563308 | Nagano et al. | May 2003 | B2 |
6567717 | Krivokapic et al. | May 2003 | B2 |
6580958 | Takano | Jun 2003 | B1 |
6587744 | Stoddard et al. | Jul 2003 | B1 |
6590179 | Tanaka et al. | Jul 2003 | B2 |
6604012 | Cho et al. | Aug 2003 | B1 |
6605549 | Leu et al. | Aug 2003 | B2 |
6606738 | Bell et al. | Aug 2003 | B1 |
6607976 | Chen et al. | Aug 2003 | B2 |
6609946 | Tran | Aug 2003 | B1 |
6616513 | Osterheld | Sep 2003 | B1 |
6618692 | Takahashi et al. | Sep 2003 | B2 |
6624075 | Lopatin et al. | Sep 2003 | B1 |
6625497 | Fairbairn et al. | Sep 2003 | B2 |
6630741 | Lopatin et al. | Oct 2003 | B1 |
6640151 | Somekh et al. | Oct 2003 | B1 |
6660633 | Lopatin et al. | Dec 2003 | B1 |
6708074 | Chi et al. | Mar 2004 | B1 |
6708075 | Sonderman et al. | Mar 2004 | B2 |
6728587 | Goldman et al. | Apr 2004 | B2 |
6762130 | Laaksonen et al. | Jul 2004 | B2 |
20010001755 | Sandhu et al. | May 2001 | A1 |
20010003084 | Finarov | Jun 2001 | A1 |
20010006873 | Moore | Jul 2001 | A1 |
20010030366 | Nakano et al. | Oct 2001 | A1 |
20010039462 | Mendez et al. | Nov 2001 | A1 |
20010040997 | Tsap et al. | Nov 2001 | A1 |
20010042690 | Talieh | Nov 2001 | A1 |
20010044667 | Nakano et al. | Nov 2001 | A1 |
20020032499 | Wilson et al. | Mar 2002 | A1 |
20020058460 | Lee et al. | May 2002 | A1 |
20020070126 | Sato et al. | Jun 2002 | A1 |
20020072003 | Brill et al. | Jun 2002 | A1 |
20020077031 | Johansson et al. | Jun 2002 | A1 |
20020081951 | Boyd et al. | Jun 2002 | A1 |
20020089676 | Pecen et al. | Jul 2002 | A1 |
20020102853 | Li et al. | Aug 2002 | A1 |
20020107599 | Patel et al. | Aug 2002 | A1 |
20020107604 | Riley et al. | Aug 2002 | A1 |
20020113039 | Mok et al. | Aug 2002 | A1 |
20020127950 | Hirose et al. | Sep 2002 | A1 |
20020128805 | Goldman et al. | Sep 2002 | A1 |
20020149359 | Crouzen et al. | Oct 2002 | A1 |
20020155629 | Fairbairn et al. | Oct 2002 | A1 |
20020160628 | Okoroanyanwu et al. | Oct 2002 | A1 |
20020165636 | Hasan | Nov 2002 | A1 |
20020171828 | Cohen et al. | Nov 2002 | A1 |
20020185658 | Inoue et al. | Dec 2002 | A1 |
20020193899 | Shanmugasundram et al. | Dec 2002 | A1 |
20020193902 | Shanmugasundram et al. | Dec 2002 | A1 |
20020197745 | Shanmugasundram et al. | Dec 2002 | A1 |
20020197934 | Paik | Dec 2002 | A1 |
20020199082 | Shanmugasundram et al. | Dec 2002 | A1 |
20030000922 | Subramanian et al. | Jan 2003 | A1 |
20030017256 | Shimane | Jan 2003 | A1 |
20030020909 | Adams et al. | Jan 2003 | A1 |
20030020928 | Ritzdorf et al. | Jan 2003 | A1 |
20030045098 | Verhaverbeke et al. | Mar 2003 | A1 |
20030092281 | Ramachandramurthy et al. | May 2003 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
0 397 924 | Nov 1990 | EP |
0 621 522 | Oct 1994 | EP |
0 727 715 | Aug 1996 | EP |
0 747 795 | Dec 1996 | EP |
0 869 652 | Oct 1998 | EP |
0 881 040 | Dec 1998 | EP |
0 895 145 | Feb 1999 | EP |
0 910 123 | Apr 1999 | EP |
0 932 194 | Jul 1999 | EP |
0 932 195 | Jul 1999 | EP |
1 066 925 | Jan 2001 | EP |
1 067 757 | Jan 2001 | EP |
1 071 128 | Jan 2001 | EP |
1 079 428 | Feb 2001 | EP |
1 083 424 | Mar 2001 | EP |
1 083 470 | Mar 2001 | EP |
1 092 505 | Apr 2001 | EP |
1 182 526 | Feb 2002 | EP |
2 347 885 | Sep 2000 | GB |
2 365 215 | Feb 2002 | GB |
61-66104 | Apr 1986 | JP |
61-171147 | Aug 1986 | JP |
61 290312 | Dec 1986 | JP |
3-202710 | Sep 1991 | JP |
6-184434 | Jul 1994 | JP |
8-23166 | Jan 1996 | JP |
8-50161 | Feb 1996 | JP |
8-304023 | Nov 1996 | JP |
9-246547 | Sep 1997 | JP |
10-34522 | Feb 1998 | JP |
10-173029 | Jun 1998 | JP |
11-126816 | May 1999 | JP |
11-135601 | May 1999 | JP |
2000-183001 | Jun 2000 | JP |
2001-76982 | Mar 2001 | JP |
2001-284299 | Oct 2001 | JP |
2001-305108 | Oct 2001 | JP |
2002-9030 | Jan 2002 | JP |
2002-343754 | Nov 2002 | JP |
434103 | May 2001 | TW |
436383 | May 2001 | TW |
455938 | Sep 2001 | TW |
455976 | Sep 2001 | TW |
WO 9534866 | Dec 1995 | WO |
WO 9805066 | Feb 1998 | WO |
WO 9845090 | Oct 1998 | WO |
WO 9909371 | Feb 1999 | WO |
WO 9925520 | May 1999 | WO |
WO 9959200 | Nov 1999 | WO |
WO 0000874 | Jan 2000 | WO |
WO 0005759 | Feb 2000 | WO |
WO 0035063 | Jun 2000 | WO |
WO 0054325 | Sep 2000 | WO |
WO 0079355 | Dec 2000 | WO |
WO 0109934 | Feb 2001 | WO |
WO 0111679 | Feb 2001 | WO |
WO 0115865 | Mar 2001 | WO |
WO 0118623 | Mar 2001 | WO |
WO 0125865 | Apr 2001 | WO |
WO 0133277 | May 2001 | WO |
WO 0133501 | May 2001 | WO |
WO 0152055 | Jul 2001 | WO |
WO 0152319 | Jul 2001 | WO |
WO 0157823 | Aug 2001 | WO |
WO 01080306 | Oct 2001 | WO |
WO 0184382 | Nov 2001 | WO |
WO 0209170 | Jan 2002 | WO |
WO 0217150 | Feb 2002 | WO |
WO 0231613 | Apr 2002 | WO |
WO 0231613 | Apr 2002 | WO |
WO 0233737 | Apr 2002 | WO |
WO 0237186 | May 2002 | WO |
WO 02074491 | Sep 2002 | WO |
WO 03003447 | Jan 2003 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20030180972 A1 | Sep 2003 | US |