PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 15880448
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-01
Publication Date: 2019-05
Patent Classification: ["257", "751000"]

Abstract:
Generally, the present disclosure provides example embodiments relating to conductive features, such as metal contacts, vias, lines, etc., and methods for forming those conductive features. In an embodiment, a barrier layer is formed along a sidewall. A portion of the barrier layer along the sidewall is etched back. After etching back the portion of the barrier layer, an upper portion of the barrier layer along the sidewall is smoothed. A conductive material is formed along the barrier layer and over the smoothed upper portion of the barrier layer.

Claim (Index 16):
The method of  claim 15 , wherein removing the first upper portion of the barrier layer from the opening comprises:\n forming a masking material in the opening and on the barrier layer, the masking material having a top surface below the top surface of the dielectric layer; and removing the first upper portion of the barrier layer from above the top surface of the masking material while the masking material is in the opening; and removing the masking material, wherein etching the barrier layer includes removing a residue, a byproduct, or a combination thereof resulting from the removing the first upper portion of the barrier layer, removing the masking material, or a combination thereof.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 20.0
- Percentile: 86.0
- Lexical Diversity: 2.19565
- Patent Class: 257.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: none
- Component Type: 0
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['15801154', '14829959', '15802729', '15297850', '14579864']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.9161406530667088
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.4689090785586638
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.8714174956159042
- Mean Citation Score: 143.51318999999995
- Max Citation Score: 147.1743
- Similarity Product: 110.33553025531768

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