Patent EP0284218A1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0284218A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Passivation material for electrically conductive elements
Assignee: Microwave Technology Inc
•
Filing: 1988-03-01
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2008-03-01
Abstract
Abstract A protective coating (16) useful as a passivation layer for semiconductor devices incorporates a thin film of an amorphous diamond-like carbon. In one implementation, a thin film of amorphous silicon (18) is deposited over the carbon material. The semiconductive passivation coating eliminates electrical shorts, dissipates charge build-up and protects against chemical contamination.
Inventors
- 👤 Masahiro Omori
- 👤 Edward B. Stoneham
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 23:42
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10W; H10W74/00; H10W74/40; H10W74/481; H10W74/10; H10W74/131; H10W74/137; H10W74/147
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
44 words
An assembly comprising: a support (10) on which a number of electrically conductive elements (14) are formed; and passivation material (16) consisting essentially of at least one of amorphous carbon, diamond-like carbon, and polycrystalline diamond covering portions of the support and the conductive elements.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
44 words
An assembly comprising: a support (10) on which a number of electrically conductive elements (14) are formed; and passivation material (16) consisting essentially of at least one of amorphous carbon, diamond-like carbon, and polycrystalline diamond covering portions of the support and the conductive elements.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the passivation material (16) is formed from a graphite material by sputter deposition.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
36 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the passivation material comprises sputtered carbon and a layer of diamond-like carbon, polycrystalline diamond, or monocrystalline diamond formed by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition over the sputtered carbon.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
24 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the thickness of the passivation material (16) is in the range of 100-2000A.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 having a thin film (18) of silicon covering passivation material (16).
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 5 wherein the thickness of the silicon film (18) is in the range of about 200-300A.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
An assembly as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the support (10) comprises a semiconductive material that acts as a substrate for a semiconductor device.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
25 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 7 having metallization layers (12,14,15) formed above a surface of the substrate (10) to provide electrical connections and circuitry.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
28 words
An assembly as claimed in claim 7 or 8 having an air bridge (22) comprising a metal connection to a metal conductor (14) formed with the semiconductor device.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
44 words
A method of forming a semiconductor device comprising the steps of: depositing a first layer forming an ohmic contact on a semiconductive substrate (10); depositing a second metallization layer forming a gate electrode (15); and depositing a coating (16) of carbon over the layers.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
44 words
A method of forming a semiconductor device comprising the steps of: depositing a first layer forming an ohmic contact on a semiconductive substrate (10); depositing a second metallization layer forming a gate electrode (15); and depositing a coating (16) of carbon over the layers.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method as claimed in claim 10 having the step of depositing an amorphous silicon thin film (18) over the carbon coating (16).
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.