Patent ID: 7368045

Claim:
A method for processing at least one dielectric comprising the steps of: (i) providing at least one dielectric on a conducting and/or semiconducting substrate wherein said at least one dielectric is at least partially immersed in an electrolyte solution or melt, said electrolyte solution or melt comprising at least one active ingredient for electrodeposition; (ii) providing at least one auxiliary electrode at least partially immersed in the electrolyte solution or melt; and (iii) applying a current or voltage between the substrate and auxiliary electrode, wherein the voltage applied is less than about 10 volts and provides for sufficient current to pass through the dielectric to said auxiliary electrode to enable electrodeposition at the dielectric as a result of the current passed through the dielectric; wherein the dielectric layer comprises at least one layer selected from the group consisting of SiO 2 , silicon oxynitride (SiON), GeO 2 , GeON, Al 2 O 3 , HfO 2 , Ta 2 O 5 , La 2 O 5 , ZrO 2 , and Y 2 O 3 , and alloys, mixtures, and multilayers of the same with the inclusion of nitrogen, silicon, and carbon.