Patents Represented by Attorney Janah & Associates
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Patent number: 7297247Abstract: A method of fabricating a sputtering target for sputter depositing material onto a substrate in a sputtering chamber is described. In one embodiment of the method, a preform having a surface is formed and a layer of sputtering material is electroplated onto the surface of the preform to form the target. The method can be applied to form a sputtering target having a non-planar surface.Type: GrantFiled: May 6, 2003Date of Patent: November 20, 2007Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Anantha K. Subramani, Anthony Vesci, Scott Dickerson
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Patent number: 7294224Abstract: A magnet assembly for a plasma process chamber has a hollow collar comprising a cross-section that is absent seams. The hollow collar has an open end face and a cap is provided to seal the open end face of the collar. A plurality of magnets are in the hollow collar, the magnets being insertable through the open end face. The collar is capable of being snap fitted onto the chamber wall. The magnet assembly can also comprise one or more of the collars such that the collars, when installed, form a substantially continuous ring about a chamber wall.Type: GrantFiled: December 1, 2003Date of Patent: November 13, 2007Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Anthony Vesci, Vince Kirchhoff, James Woodward, Kevin Hughes, Mark van der Pyl, Tetsuya Ishikawa, Evans Lee
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Patent number: 7264679Abstract: In a method of cleaning a surface of a substrate processing chamber component to remove process deposits, the component surface is cooled to a temperature below about ?40° C. to fracture the process deposits on the surface. The surface can be cooled by immersing the surface in a low temperature fluid, such as liquid nitrogen. In another version, the component surface is heated to fracture and delaminate the deposits, and optionally, subsequently rapidly cooled to form more fractures. The component surface cleaning can also be performed by bead blasting followed by a chemical cleaning step.Type: GrantFiled: February 11, 2004Date of Patent: September 4, 2007Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Marc O'Donnell Schweitzer, Jennifer Watia Tiller, Brian West, Karl Brueckner
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Patent number: 7247582Abstract: A method of depositing tensile or compressively stressed silicon nitride on a substrate is described. Silicon nitride having a tensile stress with an absolute value of at least about 1200 MPa can be deposited from process gas comprising silicon-containing gas and nitrogen-containing gas, maintained in an electric field having a strength of from about 25 V/mil to about 300 V/mil. The electric field is formed by applying a voltage at a power level of less than about 60 Watts across electrodes that are spaced apart by a separation distance that is at least about 600 mils. Alternatively, silicon nitride having a compressive stress with an absolute value of at least about 2000 MPa can be formed in an electric field having a strength of from about 400 V/mil to about 800 V/mil.Type: GrantFiled: May 23, 2005Date of Patent: July 24, 2007Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Lewis Stern, John Albright
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Patent number: 7221553Abstract: A support for a substrate processing chamber has upper and lower walls that are joined by a peripheral sidewall to define a reservoir. A fluid inlet supplies a heat transfer fluid to the reservoir. In one version, a plurality of protrusions extends into the reservoir to perturb the flow of the heat transfer fluid through the reservoir. In another version, the reservoir is an elongated channel having one or more of (i) serpentine convolutions, (ii) integral fins extending into the channel, (iii) a roughened internal surface, or (iv) a changing cross-section. A fluid outlet discharges the heat transfer fluid from the reservoir.Type: GrantFiled: April 22, 2003Date of Patent: May 22, 2007Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Andrew Nguyen, Wing Lau Cheng, Hiroji Hanawa, Semyon L. Kats, Kartik Ramaswamy, Yan Ye, Kwok Manus Wong, Daniel J. Hoffman, Tetsuya Ishikawa, Brian C. Lue
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Patent number: 7209055Abstract: An electrostatic deflector for a particle beam apparatus comprises opposing deflector plates that face one another across a particle beam gap and are electrostatically chargeable. Each deflector plate comprises its own voltage driver, which has a DAC and amplifier. Digital electronics receives an input digital code that expresses the complementary voltages to be applied to opposing deflector plates. When the input digital code is determined to provide a non-linear output response voltage from a DAC, the digital electronics provides an output digital code with a different digital code that provides a linear response from the DAC while providing the same differential voltage between the first and second deflector plates.Type: GrantFiled: October 3, 2005Date of Patent: April 24, 2007Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Scott C. Stovall, Richard L. Lozes
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Patent number: 7182677Abstract: A polishing pad for a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus has a body with a polishing surface having a radius, a central region, and a peripheral region. The polishing surface has a plurality of main radial-line channels extending radially outwardly from the central region to the peripheral region, each main radial-line channel having an angled outer segment at the peripheral region that is directed at an angle relative to a radius of the polishing surface. The polishing surface also has a plurality of primary tributary radial-line channels that are each connected by an angled transition segment to a main radial-line channel, the tributary radial-line channels being spaced apart from the main radial-line channels. The polishing pad provides an improved distribution and flow of polishing slurry during a polishing process.Type: GrantFiled: January 14, 2005Date of Patent: February 27, 2007Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Timothy James Donohue, Venkata R. Balagani, Romain Beau de Lomenie
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Patent number: 7161162Abstract: An electron beam pattern generator comprises a laser beam generator to generate a laser beam. A photocathode receives the laser beam and generates one or more electron beams. The photocathode comprises cesium halide material, such as for example, cesium bromide or iodide. The cesium halide material may have a decreased workfunction that allows efficient operation at a wavelength of the laser beam of at least about 200 nm. Electron optics are provided to focus the electron beams onto a substrate that is supported on a substrate support.Type: GrantFiled: October 10, 2002Date of Patent: January 9, 2007Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Juan Ramon Maldonado, Steven T. Coyle
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Patent number: 7147359Abstract: A lamp assembly for a substrate processing chamber is described. The lamp assembly comprises a tubular body having first and second ends, a lamp element at least partially seated in the first end having a filament and first electrical connectors, transmission wires attached to the first electrical connectors, and a rigid plug flexibly positioned relative to the second end of the tubular body having second electrical connectors attached to the transmission wires. The flexibly positioned rigid plug is generally capable of a range movement in directions both perpendicular and parallel to a longitudinal axis of the tubular body. In one version, the rigid plug comprises first and second plug elements.Type: GrantFiled: June 25, 2004Date of Patent: December 12, 2006Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Joseph M. Ranish, Abhijit Desai, Apollo Havelind
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Patent number: 7135426Abstract: A substrate processing chamber component demonstrates reduced erosion in an energized gas. The component has a ceramic structure composed of aluminum oxide with a surface exposed to the energized gas in the chamber. The erosion of the surface by the energized gas is substantially reduced by erosion resistant properties of the ceramic structure, which arise from a ratio of the total area of the grains GSA to the total area of the grain boundary regions GBSA in the ceramic structure of from about 0.25 to about 2.5. Also, at least about 80% of the grains in the ceramic structure have a grain size in the range of from about 1 micron to about 20 microns. The ceramic structure also has a purity of at least about 99.8% by weight to further reduce erosion of the surface.Type: GrantFiled: May 25, 2004Date of Patent: November 14, 2006Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Laxman Murugesh, Stan Detmar, Ho Fang
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Patent number: 7066795Abstract: A polishing pad conditioner comprises a base and a pad conditioning face on the base. The conditioning face comprises central and peripheral regions. Abrasive spokes having a substantially constant width of abrasive particles, extend from the central to the peripheral region. The spokes are symmetric and radially spaced apart from one another, and may have a variety of shapes. The conditioning face can also have a cutout inlet channel to receive polishing slurry when the conditioning face is rubbed against a polishing pad, a conduit to receive the polishing slurry from the cutout inlet channel, and an outlet on the peripheral edge of the base to discharge the received polishing slurry.Type: GrantFiled: October 12, 2004Date of Patent: June 27, 2006Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Venkata R. Balagani, George Lazari, Kenny King-Tai Ngan
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Patent number: 7056620Abstract: A battery comprises a substrate having a cathode with a lower surface contacting the substrate and an opposing upper surface. A cathode current collector comprises conducting lines that contact the upper surface of the cathode. An electrolyte at least partially extends through the cathode current collector and contacts the cathode. An anode contacts the electrolyte, and optionally, an anode current collector contacts the anode. Also, because the cathode is formed on the substrate before the cathode current collector, the cathode current collector advantageously does not have to be fabricated out of a metal that is capable of withstanding further processing of the cathode, such as annealing of the cathode.Type: GrantFiled: March 22, 2001Date of Patent: June 6, 2006Assignee: Front Edge Technology, Inc.Inventors: Victor Krasnov, Kai-Wei Nieh
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Patent number: 7049606Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is an electron beam treatment apparatus that includes: (a) a chamber; (b) a cathode having a surface of relatively large area that is exposed to an inside of the chamber; (c) an anode having holes therein that is disposed inside the chamber and spaced apart from the cathode by a working distance; (d) a wafer holder disposed inside the chamber facing the anode; (e) a source of negative voltage whole output is applied to the cathode to provide a cathode voltage; (f) a source of voltage whose output is applied to the anode; (g) a gas inlet adapted to admit gas into the chamber at an introduction rate; and (h) a pump adapted to exhaust gas from the chamber at an exhaust rate, the introduction rate and the exhaust rate providing a gas pressure in the chamber; wherein values of cathode voltage, gas pressure, and the working distance are such that there is no arcing between the cathode and anode and the working distance is greater than an electron mean free path.Type: GrantFiled: October 30, 2003Date of Patent: May 23, 2006Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Alexandros T. Demos, Hari K. Ponnekanti, Jun Zhao, Helen R. Armer
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Patent number: 7049612Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is an electron beam treatment apparatus that includes: (a) an array of lamps that output radiation; (b) a support mechanism adapted to support a substrate at a treatment position above the lamps; and (c) a lamp heat shield, disposed above the array, having a radiation absorption portion adapted to absorb radiation from at least a portion of the array, and a radiation reflection portion adapted to reflect radiation from at least a portion of the array towards the substrate when disposed at the treatment position.Type: GrantFiled: March 2, 2004Date of Patent: May 23, 2006Assignee: Applied MaterialsInventors: David H. Quach, Jun Zhao
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Patent number: 7045798Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a method for characterizing an electron beam treatment apparatus that includes: (a) e-beam treating one or more of a predetermined type of wafer or substrate utilizing one or more sets of electron beam treatment para meters; (b) making post-electron beam treatment measurements of intensity of a probe beam reflected from the surface of the one or more wafers in which thermal and/or plasma waves have been induced; and (c) developing data from the post-electron beam treatment measurements that provide insight into performance of the electron beam treatment apparatus.Type: GrantFiled: February 20, 2004Date of Patent: May 16, 2006Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Khaled A. Elsheref, Alexandros T. Demos, Hichem M'saad
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Patent number: 7045020Abstract: Process deposits formed on a component of a process chamber are cleaned. In the cleaning method, gas holes in the component are mechanically pinned to clean the process deposits therein. A ceramic portion of the component is then exposed to an acidic solution, such as a solution of hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid. Mechanical pinning of the gas holes may be repeated after the acid cleaning step. The component is then plasma stabilized in a plasma zone by introducing a non-reactive gas into the plasma zone and forming a plasma of the non-reactive gas in the plasma zone. In one version, the component comprises an electrostatic chuck comprising a ceramic covering an electrode and having the gas holes therein.Type: GrantFiled: May 22, 2003Date of Patent: May 16, 2006Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Ashish Bhatnagar, Charles S. Kunze
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Patent number: 7045014Abstract: A substrate support assembly supports a substrate in a process chamber. The substrate support assembly has a support block having an electrode and an arm to hold the support block in the process chamber, the arm having a channel therethrough. The arm has a first clamp to attach to the support block and a second clamp to attach to the process chamber. A plurality of electrical conductors pass through the channel of the arm, and a ceramic insulator is between the conductors.Type: GrantFiled: April 24, 2003Date of Patent: May 16, 2006Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Christopher Richard Mahon, Abhijit Desai
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Patent number: 7026009Abstract: A component for a substrate processing chamber comprises a structure having a textured coating with surface grains. The component is evaluated by directing a beam of electrons onto the textured coating of the component to cause at least some of the electrons to be backscattered. The backscattered electrons are detected and a signal image is generated. The component is selected when the signal image exhibits surface grains sized from about 0.1 to about 5 micron. In one version, the component is also selected when the grains are substantially flower shaped.Type: GrantFiled: March 27, 2002Date of Patent: April 11, 2006Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Shyh-Nung Lin, Mark D. Menzie, Nimoal Sun
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Patent number: 7015467Abstract: An electron beam apparatus comprises a beam source to generate a radiation beam that is directed onto a photocathode to generate an electron beam. The photocathode comprises an electron-emitting material composed of activated alkali halide, such as for example, cesium bromide or cesium iodide. The activated alkali halide has a lower minimum electron emission energy level than the same material in the un-activated state, and provides efficient photoyields when exposed to radiation having an energy level that is higher than the minimum electron emission energy level. The emitted electrons can be collimated into beams and used to write on, inspect, or irradiate a workpiece.Type: GrantFiled: October 29, 2003Date of Patent: March 21, 2006Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Juan Ramon Maldonado, Steven T. Coyle
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Patent number: 6989227Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a photoresist formulation that includes e-beam cross-linkable substituents, which substituents include one or more of the following functional groups: (a) carbon-carbon double bonds; (b) a strained ring system; (c) a halogenated compound; and (d) one or more organo-silicon moieties.Type: GrantFiled: May 28, 2003Date of Patent: January 24, 2006Assignee: Applied Materials Inc.Inventors: Timothy Weidman, William R. Livesay, Matthew F. Ross