PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 16036993
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-07
Publication Date: 2019-01
Patent Classification: ["438", "016000"]

Abstract:
Methods disclosed herein include scanning a focus spot formed by a laser beam over either a metal layer or IC structures that include a metal and a non-metal. The focus spot is scanned over a scan path that includes scan path segments that partially overlap. The focus spot has an irradiance and a dwell time selected to locally melt the metal layer or locally melt the metal of the IC structures without melting the non-metal. This results in rapid melting and recrystallization of the metal, which decreases the resistivity of the metal and results in improved performance of the IC chips being fabricated. Also disclosed is an example laser melt system for carrying out methods disclosed herein is also disclosed.

Claim (Index 21):
A system for processing a semiconductor wafer that supports either a metal layer or integrated circuit structures having at least one metal feature, the system comprising:\n a continuous or quasi-continuous laser source configured to generate a laser beam that is P-polarized relative to the metal layer or the integrated circuit structures; an acousto-optical modulator that receives the laser beam and forms therefrom first and second laser beams, with the second laser beam being directed to a beam dump; and an F-\u03b8 scanning system configured to receive the first laser beam and form therefrom a focused laser beam that forms a focus spot FS that is scanned over either the metal layer or the IC structures to locally melt the metal layer or the at least one metal feature of the IC structures.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 18.0
- Percentile: 95.0
- Lexical Diversity: 1.8806
- Patent Class: 438.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['11048705', '11048704', '11980872', '11481562', '11051958']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.8516180313261317
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.4752849245431645
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.813984720647835
- Mean Citation Score: 184.436068
- Max Citation Score: 205.41591
- Similarity Product: 165.77275371737838

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

Dataset: test