Inventor · Pleasanton, CA, US

Michael Welch

38Patents
21h-index
45Co-inventors
81Inventor score

Filing activity: Jun 1, 1994 → Jun 23, 2003

Most-cited inventions

PatentTitleAreaCited byStatus
US6074514A High selectivity etch using an external plasma discharge Electricity 478 Expired
US5843847A Method for etching dielectric layers with high selectivity and low microloading Electricity 270 Expired
US5891350A Adjusting DC bias voltage in plasma chambers Electricity 96 Expired
US6232236A Apparatus and method for controlling plasma uniformity in a semiconductor wafer processing system Electricity 84 Expired
US6113731A Magnetically-enhanced plasma chamber with non-uniform magnetic field Electricity 75 Expired
US5740009A Apparatus for improving wafer and chuck edge protection Electricity 73 Expired
US5814563A Method for etching dielectric using fluorohydrocarbon gas, NH.sub.3 -generating gas, and carbon-oxygen gas Electricity 66 Expired
US5948168A Distributed microwave plasma reactor for semiconductor processing Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies 64 Expired
US6432259B1 Plasma reactor cooled ceiling with an array of thermally isolated plasma heated mini-gas distribution plates Electricity 57 Expired
US6192827A Double slit-valve doors for plasma processing Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies 56 Expired
US6284093A Shield or ring surrounding semiconductor workpiece in plasma chamber Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies 51 Expired
US5702530A Distributed microwave plasma reactor for semiconductor processing Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies 50 Expired
US6716302B2 Dielectric etch chamber with expanded process window Electricity 48 Expired
US6022446A Shallow magnetic fields for generating circulating electrons to enhance plasma processing Electricity 42 Expired
US5780359A Polymer removal from top surfaces and sidewalls of a semiconductor wafer Electricity 40 Expired
US6267549A Dual independent robot blades with minimal offset Electricity 36 Expired
US6797639B2 Dielectric etch chamber with expanded process window Electricity 36 Expired
US5865937A Broad-band adjustable power ratio phase-inverting plasma reactor Electricity 33 Expired
US6015761A Microwave-activated etching of dielectric layers Electricity 32 Expired
US6813534B2 Endpoint detection in substrate fabrication processes Electricity 24 Expired
US5400651A Apparatus for interface measurement in a storage tank Physics 23 Expired
US6689249B2 Shield or ring surrounding semiconductor workpiece in plasma chamber Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies 21 Expired
US6592673B2 Apparatus and method for detecting a presence or position of a substrate Electricity 18 Expired
US6248206A Apparatus for sidewall profile control during an etch process Electricity 17 Expired
US6221782A Adjusting DC bias voltage in plasma chamber Electricity 17 Expired

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Inventor disambiguation is heuristic; counts are objective bibliographic measures.