PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 16128962
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-09
Publication Date: 2019-01
Patent Classification: ["438", "700000"]

Abstract:
Processing methods comprising selectively orthogonally growing a first material through a mask to provide an expanded first material are described. The mask can be removed leaving the expanded first material extending orthogonally from the surface of the first material. Further processing can create a self-aligned via.

Claim (Index 14):
A processing method comprising:\n providing a substrate with a substrate surface comprising a first surface of a first material and a second surface of a second material different from the first material, the first material comprising a metal selected from the group consisting of Co, Mo, W, Ta, Ti, Ru, Rh, Cu, Fe, Mn, V, Nb, Hf, Zr, Y, Al, Sn, Cr, La and combinations thereof, and the second material comprising a dielectric; forming a mask on the substrate, the mask having an opening exposing at least a portion of the first surface and the second surface; oxidizing the first material to expand the first material straight up from the first surface through the opening in the mask to extend above a top surface of the mask to form an expanded first material, oxidizing the first material comprises exposing the first material to an oxidizing agent comprising one or more of O 2 , O 3 , N 2 O, H 2 O, H 2 O 2 , CO, CO 2 , N 2 /Ar, N 2 /He or N 2 /Ar/He; removing the mask from the substrate to leave the first material extending orthogonally from the substrate surface; depositing a third material comprising a dielectric on the substrate surface, the third material surrounding the orthogonally grown first material extending from the substrate surface; etching the first material extending from the substrate surface through the third material by exposing the first material to a metal halide to leave an opening through the third material; depositing a gapfill metal on the third material, the gapfill metal filling the opening of the third material and forming electrical contact with the first material below the third material; and removing the gapfill metal from the surface of the third material, leaving the gapfill metal in the openings of the third material.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 5.0
- Percentile: 97.0
- Lexical Diversity: 1.48485
- Patent Class: 438.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['15718148', '15805753', '15801949', '16006402', '15951726']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.8618321587141474
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.5211487295516232
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.827763815797895
- Mean Citation Score: 210.554086
- Max Citation Score: 317.0892
- Similarity Product: 228.6823273545027

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