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US4378383A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Method of making conductive paths through a lamina in a semiconductor device

Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1981-10-19
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Granted: 1983-03-29
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Expires: 2001-10-19
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Abstract

Abstract On the layer 12 a mask 3 corresponding to the desired pattern of holes 15 is provided with via openings 14 having overhanging walls. The layer 12 is selectively etched with a method where the etching attack takes place vertically to the layer surface, and wherein the mask 3 is thinned simultaneously, so that holes 15 are obtained having a cross-section increasing toward the mask 3. If subsequently material 16 for filling the holes 15 is applied in a blanket deposition these holes are completely filled when the material 16 has the same thickness as the layer 12 although the openings over the holes are decreasing with increasing thickness of the material 16. The layer 12 consists preferably of an insulation material, the mask 3 of positive photoresist, and the material 16 of a metal.

Inventors

  • 👤 Holger Moritz

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-31 08:49
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10P; H10P76/00; H10P76/40; H10P76/408; H10P76/20; H10P76/202; H10P76/4085; H10W; H10W20/00; H10W20/01; H10W20/031; H10W20/056; H10W20/058; H05; H05K; H05K3/00; H05K3/10; H05K3/14; H05K3/143; H05K3/40; H05K3/4038; H05K3/4076; H05K3/46; H05K3/4644; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S438/00; Y10S438/942; Y10S438/948; Y10S438/951

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim 175 words
A method of making and filling holes in a lamina disposed on a substrate comprising forming on said lamina a mask having a plurality of openings through which said lamina is exposed, each of said openings having overhanging walls such that the area of each opening adjacent to the lamina is greater than the area adjacent to the free surface of the mask, subjecting said mask and said lamina to an etching process having a preferred direction of etching perpendicular to the plane of the mask with the etchant being chosen to etch both the mask and the lamina, to thereby etch holes in said lamina and reduce the thickness of the mask, subjecting said mask and the openings therein to the deposition of a filler material having a thickness substantially equal to the thickness of said lamina wherein the disposition has a preferential deposition perpendicular to the face of the mask, and removing said mask with its overlying layer of filler material to thus fully expose said lamina with its pattern of filled holes.
Claim 2
Independent Claim 175 words
A method of making and filling holes in a lamina disposed on a substrate comprising forming on said lamina a mask having a plurality of openings through which said lamina is exposed, each of said openings having overhanging walls such that the area of each opening adjacent to the lamina is greater than the area adjacent to the free surface of the mask, subjecting said mask and said lamina to an etching process having a preferred direction of etching perpendicular to the plane of the mask with the etchant being chosen to etch both the mask and the lamina, to thereby etch holes in said lamina and reduce the thickness of the mask, subjecting said mask and the openings therein to the deposition of a filler material having a thickness substantially equal to the thickness of said lamina wherein the disposition has a preferential deposition perpendicular to the face of the mask, and removing said mask with its overlying layer of filler material to thus fully expose said lamina with its pattern of filled holes.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 35 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said lamina is formed from an insulating material and said filler material comprises a conductive material to thereby provide a conductive path through said lamina to the substrate beneath.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 24 words
The method of claim 2 wherein said insulating material is selected from a group containing SiO 2 , Si 3 N 4 and polyimide.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 18 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the etching process is a reactive ion etching in a glow discharge.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 25 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the etching process is a reactive ion etching in a glow discharge and the etchant is CF 4 .
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 32 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said mask is comprised of a positive photoresist containing as a cross-linking agent a compound of the general formula ##STR2## with R representing an alkyl group.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 37 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the initial thickness of the mask is so chosen that at the completion of etching the reduced thickness of the mask is at least equal to the thickness of the lamina.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 46 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said substrate comprises a semiconductor complex with integrated circuitry to which conductive connections are to be made and said lamina comprises an insulating material is selected from a group consisting of SiO 2 , Si 3 N 4 and polyimide.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US3767490A Cited
US4108717A Cited
US4076575A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1986-03-28 1986-09-27 1987-03-29 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1990-03-28 1990-09-27 1991-03-29 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1994-03-28 1994-09-27 1995-03-29 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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