Patents Examined by Keath Chen
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Patent number: 9905402Abstract: An optimized plasma processing chamber configured to provide a current path is provided. The optimized plasma processing chamber includes at least an upper electrode, a powered lower electrode, a heating plate, a cooling plate, a plasma chamber lid, and clamp ring. Both the heating plate and the cooling plate are disposed above the upper electrode whereas the heating plate is configured to heat the upper electrode while the cooling plate is configured to cool the upper electrode. The clamp ring is configured to secure the upper electrode to a plasma chamber lid and to provide a current path from the upper electrode to the plasma chamber lid. A pocket may be formed between the clamp ring and the upper electrode to hold at least the heater plate, wherein the pocket is configured to allow longitudinal and lateral tolerances for thermal expansion of the heater plate from repetitive thermal cycling.Type: GrantFiled: July 24, 2015Date of Patent: February 27, 2018Assignee: Lam Research CorporationInventors: Arnold Kholodenko, Anwar Husain
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Patent number: 9865437Abstract: Apparatus for plasma processing of semiconductor substrates. Aspects of the apparatus include an upper shield with a gas diffuser arranged at a center of the upper shield. The gas diffuser and upper shield admit a process gas to a processing chamber in a laminar manner. A profile of the upper shield promotes radial expansion of the process gas and radial travel of materials etched from a surface of the substrates. Curvatures of the upper shield direct the etched materials to a lower shield with reduced depositing of etched materials on the upper shield. The lower shield also includes curved surfaces that direct the etched materials toward slots that enable the etched materials to exit from the process chamber with reduced depositing on the lower shield.Type: GrantFiled: December 30, 2014Date of Patent: January 9, 2018Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Bonnie T. Chia, Cheng-Hsiung Tsai
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Patent number: 9863043Abstract: Embodiments described herein generally relate to apparatus for processing substrates. The apparatus generally include a process chamber including a lamp housing containing lamps positioned adjacent to an optically transparent window. Lamps within the lamp housing provide radiant energy to a substrate positioned on the substrate support. Temperature control of the optically transparent window is facilitated using cooling channels within the lamp housing. The lamp housing is thermally coupled to the optically transparent window using compliant conductors. The compliant conductors maintain a uniform conduction length irrespective of machining tolerances of the optically transparent window and the lamp housing. The uniform conduction length promotes accurate temperature control. Because the length of the compliant conductors is uniform irrespective of machining tolerances of chamber components, the conduction length is the same for different process chambers.Type: GrantFiled: May 4, 2015Date of Patent: January 9, 2018Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.Inventors: Joseph M. Ranish, Paul Brillhart
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Patent number: 9842746Abstract: Provided are a purge gas spraying plate and a fume removing apparatus, and more particularly, a purge gas spraying plate capable of spraying a purge gas, which sprays the purge gas along a curvature of a wafer and efficiently removes fumes remaining on the wafer because a concave portion is formed at one side thereof and a spraying hole and a support member configured to support the wafer are formed in the concave portion, and a fume removing apparatus having the same.Type: GrantFiled: May 29, 2015Date of Patent: December 12, 2017Inventor: Bum Je Woo
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Patent number: 9816174Abstract: The present invention is a vacuum evaporation heating assembly for heating a carrier, in which an evaporation material is filled, in a vacuum evaporation process, the vacuum evaporation heating assembly comprising: a carrier container in which the carrier is installed; and an electrode connector which extends in both directions of the carrier container to be connected to an electrode. At least one of the carrier container and the electrode connector is a plate-shaped member. The vacuum evaporation heating assembly can securely hold the carrier, in which the evaporation material is filled, and can vaporize the evaporation material in a specialized direction, thereby uniformly and efficiently evaporating the evaporation material with a small number of carriers.Type: GrantFiled: July 23, 2013Date of Patent: November 14, 2017Assignee: CEKO Co., Ltd.Inventors: Hyun Joong Kim, Hong Chul Kim, Kyung Il Jun, Joung Rae Kim, Young Jun Hwang
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Patent number: 9783881Abstract: A linear evaporation apparatus includes a thermal insulation chamber, and crucibles, evaporation material heaters and a mixing chamber installed in the thermal insulation chamber. The mixing chamber includes a flow limiting and adjusting layer, a flow channel adjusting member, a mixed layer and a linear evaporation layer. The flow limiting and adjusting layer is a rectangular sheet with flow limit holes corresponsive to the crucibles respectively; the flow channel adjusting member is an interconnected structure having at least one flow inlet corresponsive to some of the flow limit holes and at least one flow outlet, and the mixed layer is a substantially I-shaped sheet structure, and the linear evaporation layer is a rectangular sheet having a linear source evaporation opening tapered from both ends to the middle, so as to improve the uniformity of the thin film and the utilization of the evaporation materials.Type: GrantFiled: May 19, 2015Date of Patent: October 10, 2017Assignee: NATIONAL CHUNG-SHAN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYInventors: Shih-Chang Liang, Wei-Chieh Huang, Chao-Nan Wei, Cuo-Yo Ni, Hui-Yun Bor
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Patent number: 9765428Abstract: A deposition apparatus includes a sheet, an edge portion of which is integrally combined with a sheet frame, an electrostatic chuck attached to a bottom surface of the sheet, the electrostatic chuck adhering a substrate by a force of static electricity, a metal mask located below the electrostatic chuck, an edge portion of the metal mask being combined with a mask frame, the metal mask having a predetermined patterned opening, and the substrate being mounted to the upper surface of the metal mask, a transfer member coupled to a side surface of the sheet frame, the transfer member flattening the sheet by pulling the sheet to side directions, and a magnetic plate located above the sheet, the magnetic plate closely attaching the substrate to the electrostatic chuck by pulling the metal mask using a magnetic force.Type: GrantFiled: June 23, 2015Date of Patent: September 19, 2017Assignee: SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO., LTD.Inventor: Jeong Won Han
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Patent number: 9732412Abstract: A gas lance unit configured for a reactive deposition process with a plurality of spaced apart crucibles, wherein spaces are provided between the crucibles, is described. The gas lance unit includes a gas guiding tube having one or more outlets for providing a gas for the reactive deposition process, and a condensate guiding element for guiding a condensate, particularly an aluminum condensate, to one or more positions above the spaces.Type: GrantFiled: April 29, 2011Date of Patent: August 15, 2017Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Gerd Hoffmann, Alexander Wolff
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Patent number: 9732421Abstract: There is provided a substrate processing apparatus. The substrate processing apparatus includes a processing space configured to process a substrate placed on a substrate receiving surface on a substrate support, a gas supply system configured to supply gases into the processing space from the opposite side of the substrate receiving surface, an exhaust buffer chamber including a communication hole communicating with the processing space at least at a side portion of the processing space and a gas flow blocking wall extending in a blocking direction of the gases flowing through the communication hole, and a first heating element configured to heat the exhaust buffer chamber.Type: GrantFiled: March 27, 2015Date of Patent: August 15, 2017Assignee: HITACHI KOKUSAI ELECTRIC INC.Inventor: Tsukasa Kamakura
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Patent number: 9726430Abstract: A thermal evaporation sources are described. These thermal evaporation sources include a crucible configured to contain a volume of evaporant and a vapor space above the evaporant.Type: GrantFiled: February 18, 2015Date of Patent: August 8, 2017Assignee: JLN SOLAR, INC.Inventors: Robert W. Birkmire, Gregory M. Hanket
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Patent number: 9721802Abstract: An apparatus configured to remove metal etch byproducts from the surface of substrates and from the interior of a substrate processing chamber. A plasma is used in combination with a solid state light source, such as an LED, to desorb metal etch byproducts. The desorbed byproducts may then be removed from the chamber.Type: GrantFiled: May 29, 2014Date of Patent: August 1, 2017Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.Inventors: Subhash Deshmukh, Joseph Johnson
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Patent number: 9697993Abstract: This disclosure relates to a plasma processing system for controlling plasma density across a substrate and maintaining a tight ion energy distribution within the plasma. In one embodiment, this may include using a dual plasma chamber system including a non-ambipolar plasma chamber and a DC plasma chamber adjacent to the non-ambipolar system. The DC plasma chamber provide power to generate the plasma by rotating the incoming power between four inputs from a VHF power source. In one instance, the power to each of the four inputs are at least 90 degrees out of phase from each other.Type: GrantFiled: November 6, 2014Date of Patent: July 4, 2017Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITEDInventors: Lee Chen, Zhiying Chen
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Patent number: 9683286Abstract: A method and process for the production of bulk polysilicon by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) where conventional silicon “slim rods” commonly used in Siemens-type reactors are replaced with shaped silicon filaments of similar electrical properties but larger surface areas, such as silicon tubes, ribbons, and other shaped cross sections. Silicon containing gases, such as chlorosilane or silane, are decomposed and form a silicon deposit on the hot surfaces of the filaments The larger starting surface areas of these filaments ensures a higher production rate without changing the reactor size, and without increasing the number and length of the filaments. Existing reactors need only the adaptation or replacement of filament supports to use the new filaments. The filaments are grown from silicon melt by Edge-defined, Film-fed Growth (EFG) method. This also enables the doping of the filaments and simplification of power supplies for new reactors.Type: GrantFiled: April 28, 2006Date of Patent: June 20, 2017Assignee: GTAT CorporationInventors: Yuepeng Wan, Santhana Raghavan Parthasarathy, Carl Chartier, Adrian Servini, Chandra P. Khattak
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Patent number: 9663853Abstract: A vacuum vapor deposition apparatus includes a vaporization container which has a plurality of equally-diametered release holes arranged linearly and in which the release holes are arranged densely on both end portion sides of the vaporization container. The vaporization container includes therein a current plate having a plurality of equally-diametered passage holes through which vapor of a vaporization material passes. The passage holes are arranged densely on both end portion sides in such a manner that, as conductance per unit length in the arrangement direction of the release holes, conductance by the passage holes is proportional to conductance by the release holes.Type: GrantFiled: June 16, 2010Date of Patent: May 30, 2017Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventor: Yuji Yanagi
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Patent number: 9653267Abstract: A liner for a semiconductor processing chamber and a semiconductor processing chamber are provided. In one embodiment, a liner for a semiconductor processing chamber includes a body having an outwardly extending flange. A plurality of protrusions extend from a bottom surface of the flange. The protrusions have a bottom surface defining a contact area that is asymmetrically distributed around the bottom surface of the flange.Type: GrantFiled: October 1, 2012Date of Patent: May 16, 2017Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: James D. Carducci, Kallol Bera, Nipun Misra, Larry D. Elizaga
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Patent number: 9646807Abstract: In one embodiment, a surface having a sealing groove formed therein. The sealing groove is configured to accept an elastomeric seal. The sealing groove includes a first portion having a full dovetail profile and at least on a second portion having a half dovetail profile.Type: GrantFiled: August 11, 2014Date of Patent: May 9, 2017Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.Inventors: Dmitry Lubomirsky, Qiwei Liang
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Patent number: 9644259Abstract: An apparatus for coating substrates with a coating material is disclosed. The apparatus includes a frame, a crucible arrangement including a first crucible and a second crucible disposed offset from one another in a horizontal plane, where the crucible arrangement is disposed on the frame. At least one first shaft is associated with the first crucible and at least one second shaft is associated with the second crucible, where the at least one first and second shafts are disposed in the frame beneath the first and second crucibles, respectively. A first lifting device is associated with the at least one first shaft and a second lifting device is associated with the at least one second shaft, where the first and second lifting devices are disposed in the frame. The frame is linearly displaceable in the horizontal plane.Type: GrantFiled: April 20, 2011Date of Patent: May 9, 2017Assignee: ALD Vacuum Technologies GmbHInventors: Juergen Hotz, Pavel Seserko, Joerg Wittich, Helmut Eberhardt, Manfred Kirschner, Wolfgang Rieth
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Patent number: 9640369Abstract: A plasma generation process that is more optimized for vapor deposition processes in general, and particularly for directed vapor deposition processing. The features of such an approach enables a robust and reliable coaxial plasma capability in which the plasma jet is coaxial with the vapor plume, rather than the orthogonal configuration creating the previous disadvantages. In this way, the previous deformation of the vapor gas jet by the work gas stream of the hollow cathode pipe can be avoided and the carrier gas consumption needed for shaping the vapor plume can be significantly decreased.Type: GrantFiled: February 24, 2010Date of Patent: May 2, 2017Assignee: University of Virginia Patent FoundationInventors: Haydn N. G. Wadley, Goesta Mattausch, Henry Morgner, Frank-Holm Roegner
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Patent number: 9589771Abstract: Disclosed is a plasma processing apparatus capable of more accurately controlling plasma. The plasma processing apparatus includes a shower head provided within a processing chamber, in which a substrate accommodated therein is processed, to be faced to a mounting table for mounting the substrate and supply gas from a plurality of gas discharging holes provided on a facing surface that faces the mounting table toward a substrate in a shower pattern; a plurality of exhaust holes that passes through a surface located at an opposite side to the facing surface of the shower head; a circular plate-like body that is disposed parallel to the opposite surface in a exhaust space that communicates with the exhaust holes distributed at the opposite surface and made of a conductive material; and a moving unit configured to move the plate-like body to change a distance between the exhaust holes and the plate-like body.Type: GrantFiled: March 2, 2012Date of Patent: March 7, 2017Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITEDInventors: Yuki Hosaka, Naokazu Furuya, Mitsunori Ohata
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Patent number: 9580804Abstract: Embodiments of gas distribution apparatus comprise a diffuser support member coupled to a diffuser and movably disposed through a backing plate. Embodiments of methods of processing a substrate on a substrate receiving surface of a substrate support comprise providing a diffuser in which a diffuser support member supports the diffuser and is movably disposed through the backing plate.Type: GrantFiled: March 29, 2010Date of Patent: February 28, 2017Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.Inventors: John M. White, Robin L. Tiner, Yeh Kurt Chang