PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 16029261
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-07
Publication Date: 2020-01
Patent Classification: ["438", "430000"]

Abstract:
A semiconductor wafer having a main surface is provided. A first etch resistant mask is provided on the main surface. A first reactive ion etching step that forms a first group of trenches using the first etch resistant mask is performed. Each of the trenches in the first group is covered with a second etch resistant mask after performing the first reactive ion etching step. A second reactive ion etching step that forms a second group of trenches using one or both of the first etch resistant mask and the second etch resistant mask is performed. The trenches in the second group are laterally offset from the trenches in the first group. The first and second reactive ion etching processes are performed such that a depth of the trenches of the first group is substantially equal to a depth of the trenches in the second group.

Claim (Index 1):
A method of forming a semiconductor device, the method comprising:\n providing a semiconductor wafer comprising a main surface; providing a first etch resistant mask on the semiconductor wafer that partially covers the main surface and includes a first set of openings; performing a first reactive ion etching step that forms a first group of trenches by removing semiconductor material through the first set of openings; covering each of the trenches in the first group with a second etch resistant mask after performing the first reactive ion etching step; providing a second set of openings in one or both of: the first etch resistant mask, and the second etch resistant mask, the second set of openings; performing a second reactive ion etching step that forms a second group of trenches by removing semiconductor material through the second set of openings, the trenches in the second group being laterally offset from the trenches in the first group, wherein the first and second reactive ion etching processes are performed such that a depth of the trenches of the first group is substantially equal to a depth of the trenches in the second group wherein the first reactive ion etching processes is initiated with portions of the main surface being exposed by the first set of openings, and wherein the second reactive ion etching processes is initiated with portions of the main surface being exposed by the second set of openings.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 9.0
- Percentile: 95.0
- Lexical Diversity: 3.12245
- Patent Class: 438.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['10419588', '12539930', '11507647', '14050335', '14403550']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.8736361539097388
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.5159224400387279
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.8378647825226377
- Mean Citation Score: 292.005328
- Max Citation Score: 327.47623
- Similarity Product: 278.4910076178765

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

Dataset: test