Patent 7678713 was granted and assigned to Texas Instruments on March, 2010 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The present invention provides a process for improving the hardness and/or modulus of elasticity of a dielectric layer and a method for manufacturing an integrated circuit. The process for improving the hardness and/or modulus of elasticity of a dielectric layer, among other steps, includes providing a dielectric layer having a hardness and a modulus of elasticity, and subjecting the dielectric layer to an energy beam, thereby causing the hardness or modulus of elasticity to increase in value.