{
  "patent_number": "US 12736874",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "Making Tiny Microchips with Gas-Infused Dry Resist",
  "original_title": "Apparatus and process for EUV dry resist sensitization by gas phase infusion of a sensitizer",
  "summary": "This patent describes a way to make incredibly tiny features on microchips by using a special gas to treat a 'dry resist' material, making it sensitive to extreme ultraviolet light, and then recovering unused materials.",
  "what_it_does": "This technology focuses on creating very small patterns on semiconductor wafers, a crucial step in making microchips. It involves a 'stack' that includes a 'sensitized resist film.' Instead of using liquid chemicals, a 'sensitizer' is delivered in a 'gas form' to infuse the dry resist, making it reactive to 'EUV' light. A key part of the process is recovering any 'unreacted sensitizer precursors' after the deposition step, which can reduce waste and cost. For example, a silicon wafer coated with a dry resist could be placed in a chamber, and a sensitizer gas flowed over it to prepare the resist for patterning with EUV light.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover liquid-based methods for applying sensitizers to resist films.",
    "Does not cover 'wet resist' processes where the resist itself is applied as a liquid solution.",
    "Does not cover lithography techniques that do not use Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) light.",
    "Does not cover methods that do not include a step for recovering unreacted sensitizer precursors.",
    "Does not cover resist films that are not 'dry resists' or are not sensitized by gas phase infusion."
  ],
  "filed": "2021-03-24",
  "granted": "2026-09-15",
  "expires": null,
  "status": "active",
  "holder": null,
  "holder_url": null,
  "inventors": [],
  "times_cited": 0,
  "tags": [
    "semiconductors",
    "materials",
    "manufacturing",
    "consumer_electronics"
  ],
  "abstract": "The present disclosure relates to stacks having a sensitized resist film, as well as methods and apparatuses for applying such sensitized films. In particular embodiments, the sensitizer can be provided in gas form, and unreacted sensitizer precursors can be recovered after a deposition step.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12736874/apparatus-and-process-for-euv-dry-resist-sensitization-by-gas-phase-infusion-of",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12736874/apparatus-and-process-for-euv-dry-resist-sensitization-by-gas-phase-infusion-of/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US12736874",
  "relatedPatents": []
}