Patents by Inventor Charles Steven Rhoades

Charles Steven Rhoades has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Dry cleaning of semiconductor processing chambers using non-metallic, carbon-comprising material
    Patent number: 5753137
    Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, the plasma dry cleaning rate of semiconductor process chamber walls can be improved by placing a non-gaseous dry cleaning enhancement material in the position which was occupied by the workpiece during semiconductor processing. The non-gaseous dry cleaning enhancement material is either capable of generating dry cleaning reactive species and/or of reducing the consumption of the dry cleaning reactive species generated from the plasma gas feed to the process chamber.When process chamber non-volatile contaminant deposits are removed from plasma process chamber surfaces during plasma dry cleaning by placing a non-gaseous source of reactive-species-generating material within the plasma process chamber, the non-gaseous source of reactive-species-generating material need not be loacted upon or adjacent the workpiece support platform: however, this location provides excellent cleaning results in typical process chamber designs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 19, 1998
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Yan Ye, Charles Steven Rhoades, Gerald Z. Yin
  • Dry cleaning of semiconductor processing chambers
    Patent number: 5685916
    Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, the plasma dry cleaning rate of semiconductor process chamber walls can be improved by placing a non-gaseous dry cleaning enhancement material in the position which was occupied by the workpiece during semiconductor processing. The non-gaseous dry cleaning enhancement material is either capable of generating dry cleaning reactive species and/or of reducing the consumption of the dry cleaning reactive species generated from the plasma gas feed to the process chamber. When process chamber non-volatile contaminant deposits are removed from plasma process chamber surfaces during plasma dry cleaning by placing a non-gaseous source of reactive-species-generating material within the plasma process chamber, the non-gaseous source of reactive-species-generating material need not be loacted upon or adjacent the workpiece support platform: however, this location provides excellent cleaning results in typical process chamber designs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 11, 1997
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Yan Ye, Charles Steven Rhoades, Gerald Z. Yin
  • Plasma dry cleaning of semiconductor processing chambers
    Patent number: 5676759
    Abstract: The plasma dry cleaning rate of semiconductor process chamber walls can be improved by placing a non-gaseous dry cleaning enhancement material in the position which was occupied by the workpiece during semiconductor processing. The non-gaseous dry cleaning enhancement material is either capable generating dry cleaning reactive species and/or of reducing the consumption of the dry cleaning reactive species generated from the plasma gas feed to the process chamber.When process chamber non-volatile contaminant deposits are removed from plasma process chamber surfaces during plasma dry cleaning by placing a non-gaseous source of reactive-species-generating material within the plasma process chamber, the non-gaseous source of reactive-species-generating material need not be located upon or adjacent the workpiece support platform: however, this location provides excellent cleaning results in typical process chamber designs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 14, 1997
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Yan Ye, Charles Steven Rhoades, Gerald Z. Yin