Patent ID: 7648906
Filing Date: 2010-01-19
Classification: H01L,Y02E

Abstract:
1. A method of processing a conductive thin film formed on the surface of an insulating substrate, comprising: bringing a first electrode into contact with said conductive thin film; maintaining a conductive state between a tip of a second electrode with a voltage applied with respect to said first electrode and the surface of said conductive thin film; using the tip of said second electrode to scan said conductive thin film so as to thereby form grooves passing through the thickness of said conductive thin film and exposing the surface of said insulating substrate at their bottoms in said conductive thin film; applying a predetermined voltage between said first electrode contacting part of said conductive thin film and said second electrode with a tip processed to dimensions of the same extent as the width of the pattern grooves to be formed and in that state using the tip of said second electrode to scan said conductive thin film so as to form pattern grooves passing through the thickness of said conductive thin film and exposing the surface of said insulating substrate at their bottoms in said conductive thin film; applying a second voltage much larger than the predetermined voltage between said first electrode and said second electrode thereby improving insulation between adjoining parts of said conductive thin film separated by said pattern grooves and setting a limit current value of a power supply of said second voltage to a much lower value compared with the limit current value of the power supply used for the patterning; and making the limit current value of the power supply used for the patterning differ in accordance with the magnitude of the supplied voltage.