Patents by Inventor Krishna Nittala
Krishna Nittala 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).
-
Patent number: 11961739Abstract: Embodiments of the present technology include semiconductor processing methods to make boron-and-silicon-containing layers that have a changing atomic ratio of boron-to-silicon. The methods may include flowing a silicon-containing precursor into a substrate processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber, and also flowing a boron-containing precursor and molecular hydrogen (H2) into the substrate processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The boron-containing precursor and the H2 may be flowed at a boron-to-hydrogen flow rate ratio. The flow rate of the boron-containing precursor and the H2 may be increased while the boron-to-hydrogen flow rate ratio remains constant during the flow rate increase. The boron-and-silicon-containing layer may be deposited on a substrate, and may be characterized by a continuously increasing ratio of boron-to-silicon from a first surface in contact with the substrate to a second surface of the boron-and-silicon-containing layer furthest from the substrate.Type: GrantFiled: October 5, 2020Date of Patent: April 16, 2024Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Yi Yang, Krishna Nittala, Rui Cheng, Karthik Janakiraman, Diwakar Kedlaya, Zubin Huang, Aykut Aydin
-
Patent number: 11939674Abstract: Exemplary deposition methods may include delivering a silicon-containing precursor and a boron-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include providing a hydrogen-containing precursor with the silicon-containing precursor and the boron-containing precursor. A flow rate ratio of the hydrogen-containing precursor to either of the silicon-containing precursor or the boron-containing precursor is greater than or about 1:1. The methods may include forming a plasma of all precursors within the processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include depositing a silicon-and-boron material on a substrate disposed within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber.Type: GrantFiled: March 2, 2023Date of Patent: March 26, 2024Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Yi Yang, Krishna Nittala, Karthik Janakiraman, Aykut Aydin, Diwakar Kedlaya
-
Publication number: 20230407235Abstract: A system and method for mechanical processing of cells includes using a frame (102) forming an inlet channel (104), an outlet channel (106), and a processing chamber (108) fluidly connected between the inlet and outlet channels, wherein the processing chamber includes an anvil surface (112) formed on the frame. A hammer (110) mounted on the frame has a processing surface disposed in opposed relation to the anvil surface. The hammer is configured to move relative to the anvil surface. An actuator connected to the frame and operably associated with the hammer operates to move the hammer relative to the anvil surface and in close proximity to the anvil surface, wherein the hammer operates between a retracted position in which the processing surface is at a distance from the anvil surface, and an extended position in which the processing surface abuts the anvil surface.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 9, 2021Publication date: December 21, 2023Applicants: The University of Chicago, UChicago Argonne, LLCInventors: Anindita BASU, Abhiteja KONDA, Pavani Vamsi Krishna NITTALA, Supratik GUHA
-
Patent number: 11827514Abstract: Deposition methods may prevent or reduce crystallization of silicon in a deposited amorphous silicon film that may occur after annealing at high temperatures. The crystallization of silicon may be prevented by doping the silicon with an element. The element may be boron, carbon, or phosphorous. Doping above a certain concentration for the element prevents substantial crystallization at high temperatures and for durations at or greater than 30 minutes. Methods and devices are described.Type: GrantFiled: October 27, 2020Date of Patent: November 28, 2023Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Aykut Aydin, Krishna Nittala, Karthik Janakiraman, Yi Yang, Gautam K. Hemani
-
Publication number: 20230343586Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to methods for cleaning a chamber comprising introducing a gas to a processing volume of the chamber, providing a first radiofrequency (RF) power having a first frequency of about 40 MHz or greater to a lid of the chamber, providing a second RF power having a second frequency to an electrode disposed in a substrate support within the processing volume, and removing at least a portion of a film disposed on a surface of a chamber component of the chamber. The second frequency is about 10 MHz to about 20 MHz.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 27, 2023Publication date: October 26, 2023Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Anup Kumar SINGH, Rick KUSTRA, Vinayak Vishwanath HASSAN, Bhaskar KUMAR, Krishna NITTALA, Pramit MANNA, Kaushik ALAYAVALLI, Ganesh BALASUBRAMANIAN
-
Publication number: 20230317463Abstract: Aspects generally relate to methods, systems, and apparatus for processing substrates using one or more amorphous carbon hardmask layers. In one aspect, film stress is altered while facilitating enhanced etch selectivity. In one implementation, a method of processing a substrate includes depositing one or more amorphous carbon hardmask layers onto the substrate, and conducting a rapid thermal anneal operation on the substrate after depositing the one or more amorphous carbon hardmask layers. The rapid thermal anneal operation lasts for an anneal time that is 60 seconds or less. The rapid thermal anneal operation includes heating the substrate to an anneal temperature that is within a range of 600 degrees Celsius to 1,000 degrees Celsius. The method includes etching the substrate after conducting the rapid thermal anneal operation.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 5, 2023Publication date: October 5, 2023Inventors: Krishna NITTALA, Sarah Michelle BOBEK, Kwangduk Douglas LEE, Ratsamee LIMDULPAIBOON, Dimitri KIOUSSIS, Karthik JANAKIRAMAN
-
Publication number: 20230298892Abstract: Exemplary methods of semiconductor processing may include forming a layer of amorphous silicon on a semiconductor substrate. The layer of amorphous silicon may be characterized by a first amount of hydrogen incorporation. The methods may include performing a beamline ion implantation process or plasma doping process on the layer of amorphous silicon. The methods may include removing hydrogen from the layer of amorphous silicon to a second amount of hydrogen incorporation less than the first amount of hydrogen incorporation.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 21, 2021Publication date: September 21, 2023Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Rui Cheng, Rajesh Prasad, Karthik Janakiraman, Gautam K. Hemani, Krishna Nittala, Shan Tang, Qi Gao
-
Patent number: 11721545Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to methods of depositing carbon film layers greater than 3,000 ? in thickness over a substrate and surface of a lid of a chamber using dual frequency, top, sidewall and bottom sources. The method includes introducing a gas to a processing volume of a chamber. A first radiofrequency (RF) power is provided having a first frequency of about 40 MHz or greater to a lid of the chamber. A second RF power is provided having a second frequency to a bias electrode disposed in a substrate support within the processing volume. The second frequency is about 10 MHz to about 40 MHz. An additional third RF power is provided having lower frequency of about 400 kHz to about 2 MHz to the bias electrode.Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 2020Date of Patent: August 8, 2023Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Anup Kumar Singh, Rick Kustra, Vinayak Vishwanath Hassan, Bhaskar Kumar, Krishna Nittala, Pramit Manna, Kaushik Comandoor Alayavalli, Ganesh Balasubramanian
-
Patent number: 11694902Abstract: Aspects generally relate to methods, systems, and apparatus for processing substrates using one or more amorphous carbon hardmask layers. In one aspect, film stress is altered while facilitating enhanced etch selectivity. In one implementation, a method of processing a substrate includes depositing one or more amorphous carbon hardmask layers onto the substrate, and conducting a rapid thermal anneal operation on the substrate after depositing the one or more amorphous carbon hardmask layers. The rapid thermal anneal operation lasts for an anneal time that is 60 seconds or less. The rapid thermal anneal operation includes heating the substrate to an anneal temperature that is within a range of 600 degrees Celsius to 1,000 degrees Celsius. The method includes etching the substrate after conducting the rapid thermal anneal operation.Type: GrantFiled: February 18, 2021Date of Patent: July 4, 2023Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Krishna Nittala, Sarah Michelle Bobek, Kwangduk Douglas Lee, Ratsamee Limdulpaiboon, Dimitri Kioussis, Karthik Janakiraman
-
Publication number: 20230203652Abstract: Exemplary deposition methods may include delivering a silicon-containing precursor and a boron-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include providing a hydrogen-containing precursor with the silicon-containing precursor and the boron-containing precursor. A flow rate ratio of the hydrogen-containing precursor to either of the silicon-containing precursor or the boron-containing precursor is greater than or about 1:1. The methods may include forming a plasma of all precursors within the processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include depositing a silicon-and-boron material on a substrate disposed within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 2, 2023Publication date: June 29, 2023Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Yi Yang, Krishna Nittala, Karthik Janakiraman, Aykut Aydin, Diwakar Kedlaya
-
Patent number: 11676813Abstract: Exemplary deposition methods may include delivering a silicon-containing precursor and a boron-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include delivering a dopant-containing precursor with the silicon-containing precursor and the boron-containing precursor. The dopant-containing precursor may include one or more of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, or sulfur. The methods may include forming a plasma of all precursors within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include depositing a silicon-and-boron material on a substrate disposed within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The silicon-and-boron material may include greater than or about 1 at. % of a dopant from the dopant-containing precursor.Type: GrantFiled: September 18, 2020Date of Patent: June 13, 2023Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Aykut Aydin, Rui Cheng, Yi Yang, Krishna Nittala, Karthik Janakiraman, Bo Qi, Abhijit Basu Mallick
-
Publication number: 20230146981Abstract: Exemplary methods of semiconductor processing may include flowing a silicon-containing precursor into a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate may be housed within the processing region, and the substrate may be maintained at a temperature below or about 450° C. The methods may include striking a plasma of the silicon-containing precursor. The methods may include forming a layer of amorphous silicon on a semiconductor substrate. The layer of amorphous silicon as-deposited may be characterized by less than or about 3% hydrogen incorporation.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 5, 2023Publication date: May 11, 2023Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Rui Cheng, Diwakar Kedlaya, Karthik Janakiraman, Gautam K. Hemani, Krishna Nittala, Alicia J. Lustgraaf, Zubin Huang, Brett Spaulding, Shashank Sharma, Kelvin Chan
-
Publication number: 20230118964Abstract: A target concentration profile for a film to be deposited on a surface of a substrate during a deposition process for the substrate at a process chamber of a manufacturing system is identified. Data of the target concentration profile is processed using a model. The model outputs a set of deposition process settings that corresponds to the target concentration profile. One or more operations of the deposition process are performed in accordance with the set of deposition process settings.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 19, 2022Publication date: April 20, 2023Inventors: Anton V. Baryshnikov, Aykut Aydin, Zubin Huang, Rui Cheng, Yi Yang, Diwakar Kedlaya, Venkatanarayana Shankaramurthy, Krishna Nittala, Karthik Janakiraman
-
Patent number: 11618949Abstract: Exemplary deposition methods may include delivering a silicon-containing precursor and a boron-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include providing a hydrogen-containing precursor with the silicon-containing precursor and the boron-containing precursor. A flow rate ratio of the hydrogen-containing precursor to either of the silicon-containing precursor or the boron-containing precursor is greater than or about 2:1. The methods may include forming a plasma of all precursors within the processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include depositing a silicon-and-boron material on a substrate disposed within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber.Type: GrantFiled: November 2, 2020Date of Patent: April 4, 2023Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Yi Yang, Krishna Nittala, Karthik Janakiraman, Aykut Aydin, Diwakar Kedlaya
-
Patent number: 11562902Abstract: Exemplary methods of semiconductor processing may include flowing a silicon-containing precursor into a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate may be housed within the processing region, and the substrate may be maintained at a temperature below or about 450° C. The methods may include striking a plasma of the silicon-containing precursor. The methods may include forming a layer of amorphous silicon on a semiconductor substrate. The layer of amorphous silicon may be characterized by less than or about 3% hydrogen incorporation.Type: GrantFiled: July 19, 2020Date of Patent: January 24, 2023Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Rui Cheng, Diwakar Kedlaya, Karthik Janakiraman, Gautam K. Hemani, Krishna Nittala, Alicia J. Lustgraaf, Zubin Huang, Brett Spaulding, Shashank Sharma, Kelvin Chan
-
Patent number: 11532525Abstract: Methods and systems for controlling concentration profiles of deposited films using machine learning are provided. Data associated with a target concentration profile for a film to be deposited on a surface of a substrate during a deposition process for the substrate is provided as input to a trained machine learning model. One or more outputs of the trained machine learning model are obtained. Process recipe data identifying one or more sets of deposition process settings is determined from the one or more outputs. For each set of deposition process setting, an indication of a level of confidence that a respective set of deposition process settings corresponds to the target concentration profile for the film to be deposited on the substrate is also determined.Type: GrantFiled: March 3, 2021Date of Patent: December 20, 2022Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.Inventors: Anton V Baryshnikov, Aykut Aydin, Zubin Huang, Rui Cheng, Yi Yang, Diwakar Kedlaya, Venkatanarayana Shankaramurthy, Krishna Nittala, Karthik Janakiraman
-
Patent number: 11508611Abstract: Implementations disclosed herein generally provide a lift pin that can improve the deposition rate and uniform film thickness above lift pin areas. In one implementation, the lift pin includes a first end coupling to a shaft, the first end having a pin head, and the pin head having a top surface, wherein the top surface is planar and flat, and a second end coupling to the shaft, the second end having a flared portion, wherein the flared portion has an outer surface extended along a direction that is at an angle of about 110° to about 140° with respect to a longitudinal axis of the lift pin.Type: GrantFiled: October 25, 2019Date of Patent: November 22, 2022Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Kalyanjit Ghosh, Mayur G. Kulkarni, Sanjeev Baluja, Praket P. Jha, Krishna Nittala
-
Patent number: 11443919Abstract: Systems and methods of using pulsed RF plasma to form amorphous and microcrystalline films are discussed herein. Methods of forming films can include (a) forming a plasma in a process chamber from a film precursor and (b) pulsing an RF power source to cause a duty cycle on time (TON) of a duty cycle of a pulse generated by the RF power source to be less than about 20% of a total cycle time (TTOT) of the duty cycle to form the film. The methods can further include (c) depositing a first film interlayer on a substrate in the process chamber; (d) subsequent to (c), purging the process chamber; and (e) subsequent to (d), introducing a hydrogen plasma to the process chamber. Further in the method, (b)-(e) are repeated to form a film. The film can have an in-film hydrogen content of less than about 10%.Type: GrantFiled: February 7, 2020Date of Patent: September 13, 2022Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Krishna Nittala, Diwakar N. Kedlaya, Karthik Janakiraman, Yi Yang, Rui Cheng
-
Publication number: 20220285232Abstract: Methods and systems for controlling concentration profiles of deposited films using machine learning are provided. Data associated with a target concentration profile for a film to be deposited on a surface of a substrate during a deposition process for the substrate is provided as input to a trained machine learning model. One or more outputs of the trained machine learning model are obtained. Process recipe data identifying one or more sets of deposition process settings is determined from the one or more outputs. For each set of deposition process setting, an indication of a level of confidence that a respective set of deposition process settings corresponds to the target concentration profile for the film to be deposited on the substrate is also determined.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 3, 2021Publication date: September 8, 2022Inventors: Anton V. Baryshnikov, Aykut Aydin, Zubin Huang, Rui Cheng, Yi Yang, Diwakar Kedlaya, Venkatanarayana Shankaramurthy, Krishna Nittala, Karthik Janakiraman
-
Patent number: 11421324Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to hardmasks and to processes for forming hardmasks by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). In an embodiment, a process for forming a hardmask layer on a substrate is provided. The process includes introducing a substrate to a processing volume of a PECVD chamber, the substrate on a substrate support, the substrate support comprising an electrostatic chuck, and flowing a process gas into the processing volume within the PECVD chamber, the process gas comprising a carbon-containing gas. The process further includes forming, under plasma conditions, an energized process gas from the process gas in the processing volume, electrostatically chucking the substrate to the substrate support, depositing a first carbon-containing layer on the substrate while electrostatically chucking the substrate, and forming the hardmask layer by depositing a second carbon-containing layer on the substrate.Type: GrantFiled: October 21, 2020Date of Patent: August 23, 2022Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Jui-Yuan Hsu, Krishna Nittala, Pramit Manna, Karthik Janakiraman