PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 15965154
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-04
Publication Date: 2019-05
Patent Classification: ["385", "014000"]

Abstract:
A method for providing a vertical optical via for a semiconductor substrate is described. The semiconductor substrate has a front surface and a back side. A hard mask having an aperture therein is formed on the front surface. Part of the semiconductor substrate exposed by the aperture is removed to form a via hole. The via hole has a width not exceeding one hundred micrometers and a bottom. Cladding layer(s) and core layer(s) are provided in the via hole. The core layer(s) have at least a second index of refraction greater than that of the core layer(s). A portion of the semiconductor substrate including the back side is removed to expose a bottom portion of the core layer(s) and a bottom surface of the semiconductor substrate. The vertical optical via includes the cladding and core layers. The vertical optical via extends from the front surface to the bottom surface.

Claim (Index 13):
A method for providing a vertical optical via for a semiconductor substrate having a front surface and a back side, the method comprising:\n providing a hard mask on the front surface of the semiconductor substrate, the hard mask having an aperture therein, a first portion of the semiconductor substrate being exposed by the aperture; removing the first portion of the semiconductor substrate to form a via hole in the semiconductor substrate, the via hole having a sidewall, a bottom and a diameter of at least twenty micrometers and not more than one hundred micrometers; providing a cladding layer in the via hole, the step of providing the cladding layer including thermally oxidizing the sidewall, the cladding layer having a first index of refraction; depositing a core layer, a portion of the core layer residing in the via hole, the core layer having a second index of refraction greater than the first index of refraction; performing a planarization; oxidizing the core layer; depositing a first oxide layer on the front surface of the semiconductor substrate; forming at least a first photonic device on first oxide layer and aligned with the at least one core layer; depositing a second oxide layer on the at least one photonic device; removing a second portion of the semiconductor substrate including the back side and the bottom of the via hole to expose a bottom portion of the at least one core layer and a bottom surface of the semiconductor substrate, the vertical optical via including the at least one cladding layer and the at least one core layer, the vertical optical via extending from the front surface of the semiconductor substrate to the bottom surface; depositing a third oxide layer on the bottom surface after the step of removing the second portion of the semiconductor substrate; providing at least a second photonic device on the third oxide layer, the at least the second photonic device being aligned with the at least one core layer; and depositing a third oxide layer on the second photonic device.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 2.0
- Percentile: 91.0
- Lexical Diversity: 2.48571
- Patent Class: 385.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['14510373', '14427748', '10554618', '15216159', '11899234']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.7977322741455334
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.4853664253157114
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.7664956892625513
- Mean Citation Score: 173.477242
- Max Citation Score: 176.85738
- Similarity Product: 117.47136128384832

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 1
- Claim Label 103: 1
- Claim Label 112: 0
- Combined Label: 1
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test