Patents by Inventor Sasson Somekh
Sasson Somekh 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: 6343973Abstract: A carrier head for a chemical mechanical polishing system includes a substrate sensing mechanism. The carrier head includes a base and a flexible member connected to the base to define a chamber. A lower surface of the flexible member provides a substrate receiving surface. The substrate sensing mechanism includes a sensor to measure a pressure in the chamber and generate an output signal representative thereof, and a processor configured to indicate whether the substrate is attached to the substrate receiving surface in response to the output signal.Type: GrantFiled: June 16, 2000Date of Patent: February 5, 2002Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventor: Sasson Somekh
-
Patent number: 6291334Abstract: The present invention provides a carbon based etch stop, such as a diamond like amorphous carbon, having a low dielectric constant and a method of forming a dual damascene structure. The low k etch stop is preferably deposited between two dielectric layers and patterned to define the underlying interlevel contacts/vias. The second or upper dielectric layer is formed over the etch stop and patterned to define the intralevel interconnects. The entire dual damascene structure is then etched in a single selective etch process which first etches the patterned interconnects, then etches the contact/vias past the patterned etch stop. The etch stop has a low dielectric constant relative to a conventional SiN etch stop, which minimizes the capacitive coupling between adjacent interconnect lines. The dual damascene structure is then filled with a suitable conductive material such as aluminum or copper and planarized using chemical mechanical polishing.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 1997Date of Patent: September 18, 2001Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventor: Sasson Somekh
-
Patent number: 6258170Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus and process for the vaporization of liquid precursors and deposition of a film on a suitable substrate. Particularly contemplated is an apparatus and process for the deposition of a metal-oxide film, such as a barium, strontium, titanium oxide (BST) film, on a silicon wafer to make integrated circuit capacitors useful in high capacity dynamic memory modules.Type: GrantFiled: September 11, 1997Date of Patent: July 10, 2001Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Sasson Somekh, Jun Zhao, Charles Dornfest, Talex Sajoto, Leonid Selyutin, Vincent Ku, Chris Wang, Frank Chang, Po Tang
-
Patent number: 6244935Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing apparatus has a rotatable platen, a generally linear polishing sheet having an exposed portion extending over a top surface of the platen for polishing the substrate, and a drive mechanism to incrementally advance the polishing sheet in a linear direction across a top surface of the platen. The polishing sheet is releasably secured to the platen to rotate with the platen, and it has a width greater than a diameter of the substrate.Type: GrantFiled: February 4, 1999Date of Patent: June 12, 2001Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Manoocher Birang, Lawrence M. Rosenberg, Sasson Somekh, John M White
-
Publication number: 20010001756Abstract: In chemical mechanical polishing, a substrate is planarized with one or more fixed-abrasive polishing pads. Then the substrate is polished with a standard polishing pad to remove scratch defects created by the fixed-abrasive polishing pads.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 4, 2000Publication date: May 24, 2001Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc. a Delaware CorporationInventor: Sasson Somekh
-
Patent number: 6179709Abstract: A substrate polishing scheme (apparatus and method) is described according to which a polishing surface of a polishing sheet is driven in a generally linear direction by a drive mechanism, a surface of a substrate is held against the polishing surface of the polishing sheet by a polishing head, and the substrate is probed through the polishing sheet by a monitoring system.Type: GrantFiled: February 4, 1999Date of Patent: January 30, 2001Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Fred C. Redeker, Manoocher Birang, Shijian Li, Sasson Somekh
-
Patent number: 6165271Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus and process for the vaporization of liquid precursors and deposition of a film on a suitable substrate. Particularly contemplated is an apparatus and process for the deposition of a metal-oxide film, such as a barium, strontium, titanium oxide (BST) film, on a silicon wafer to make integrated circuit capacitors useful in high capacity dynamic memory modules.Type: GrantFiled: March 31, 1998Date of Patent: December 26, 2000Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Jun Zhao, Sasson Somekh, Talex Sajoto, Charles Dornfest, Leonid Selyutin
-
Patent number: 6126517Abstract: An apparatus and associated methods for polishing semiconductor wafers and other workpieces that includes a polishing surfaces, such as pads mounted on respective platens, located at multiple polishing stations. Multiple wafer heads, preferably at least one greater in number than the number of polishing stations, can be loaded with individual wafers. The wafer heads are suspended from a rotatable support, which provides circumferential positioning of the heads relative to the polishing surfaces, and the wafer heads move linearly with respect to the polishing surface, for example oscillate radially within the rotatable support. A load/unload station may be located at a position symmetric with the polishing surfaces. The rotatable support can simultaneously position one of the heads over the load/unload station while the remaining heads are located over polishing stations for wafer polishing so that loading and unloading of wafers can be performed concurrently with wafer polishing.Type: GrantFiled: March 13, 1998Date of Patent: October 3, 2000Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Robert D. Tolles, Norm Shendon, Sasson Somekh, Ilya Perlov, Eugene Gantvarg, Harry Q. Lee
-
Patent number: 6110011Abstract: A fabrication tool integrates one or more electrodeposition stations with a CMP apparatus. The tool may transport substrates from the electroplating stations to the CMP apparatus without an intervening cleaning step. In addition, the thickness of an electrodeposited layer may be measured at a metrology station prior to polishing utilizing an instrument which physically contacts the surface of the substrate, and the measured thickness may be used to adjust the polishing parameters. Furthermore, the fabrication tool may have a single interface in which a dry and clean wafer is returned to the interface.Type: GrantFiled: November 10, 1997Date of Patent: August 29, 2000Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Sasson Somekh, Debabrata Ghosh, Bret W. Adams
-
Patent number: 6093082Abstract: A carrier head for a chemical mechanical polishing system includes a substrate sensing mechanism. The carrier head includes a base and a flexible member connected to the base to define a chamber. A lower surface of the flexible member provides a substrate receiving surface. The substrate sensing mechanism includes a sensor to measure a pressure in the chamber and generate an output signal representative thereof, and a processor configured to indicate whether the substrate is attached to the substrate receiving surface in response to the output signal.Type: GrantFiled: May 18, 1999Date of Patent: July 25, 2000Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventor: Sasson Somekh
-
Patent number: 6080046Abstract: A wafer storage and wafer transfer system adjunct to a multi-station chemical mechanical polishing system. Multiple wafers are brought to the system stored in a cassette. A claw member attached to an overhead arm picks up the cassette and deposits it in a water-filled tub next to the polishing system, thereby submerging the wafers in the water with a generally vertical orientation. A blade member attached to the same arm has a recess formed in its surface connected to a vacuum generator powered by positive fluid pressure to thereby selectively apply a vacuum to the recess to vacuum chuck a wafer. The blade member vacuum chucks a wafer under the water, picks it out of the water, and deposits it on a pedestal in polishing system. One of several wafer heads on a rotating carousel picks up the wafer from the pedestal and carries it to one or more of the polishing stations for polishing. After completion of polishing, the wafer head redeposits the wafer on the pedestal.Type: GrantFiled: April 10, 1998Date of Patent: June 27, 2000Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Norm Shendon, Ilya Perlov, Eugene Gantvarg, Harry Q. Lee, Robert D. Tolles, Sasson Somekh
-
Patent number: 6023405Abstract: An electrostatic chuck (20) for holding a substrate (45) is described. One version of the chuck (20) suitable for mounting on a base (25), comprises (i) an electrostatic member (33) having an electrode (50) therein, and (ii) an electrical lead (60) extending through the base (25) to electrically engage the electrode (50) of the electrostatic member (33). When the chuck (20) is used to hold a substrate (45) in a process chamber (80) containing erosive process gas, the substrate (45) covers and substantially protects the electrical lead (60) from erosion by the erosive process gas. In a preferred version of the chuck (20), an electrical connector (55) forming an integral extension of the electrode (50), electrically connects the electrode (50) to a voltage supply terminal (70) used to operate the chuck (20).Type: GrantFiled: February 17, 1998Date of Patent: February 8, 2000Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Shamouil Shamouilian, Manoocher Birang, John F. Cameron, Chandra Deshpandey, Alfred Goldspeil, Ron Northrup, Semyon Shertinsky, Sasson Somekh
-
Patent number: 5957751Abstract: A carrier head for a chemical mechanical polishing system includes a substrate sensing mechanism. The carrier head includes a base and a flexible member connected to the base to define a chamber. A lower surface of the flexible member provides a substrate receiving surface. The substrate sensing mechanism includes a sensor to measure a pressure in the chamber and generate an output signal representative thereof, and a processor configured to indicate whether the substrate is attached to the substrate receiving surface in response to the output signal.Type: GrantFiled: May 23, 1997Date of Patent: September 28, 1999Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Boris Govzman, Steven M. Zuniga, Hung Chen, Sasson Somekh
-
Patent number: 5897426Abstract: In chemical mechanical polishing, a substrate is planarized with one or more fixed-abrasive polishing pads. Then the substrate is polished with a standard polishing pad to remove scratch defects created by the fixed-abrasive polishing pads.Type: GrantFiled: April 24, 1998Date of Patent: April 27, 1999Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventor: Sasson Somekh
-
Patent number: 5882165Abstract: An integrated modular multiple chamber vacuum processing system is disclosed. The system includes a load lock, may include an external cassette elevator, and an internal load lock wafer elevator, and also includes stations about the periphery of the load lock for connecting one, two or several vacuum process chambers to the load lock chamber. A robot is mounted within the load lock and utilizes a concentric shaft drive system connected to an end effector via a dual four-bar link mechanism for imparting selected R--.THETA. movement to the blade to load and unload wafers at the external elevator, internal elevator and individual process chambers. The system is uniquely adapted for enabling various types of IC processing including etch, deposition, sputtering and rapid thermal annealing chambers, thereby providing the opportunity for multiple step, sequential processing using different processes.Type: GrantFiled: September 10, 1997Date of Patent: March 16, 1999Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Dan Maydan, Sasson Somekh, David Nin-Kou Wang, David Cheng, Masato Toshima, Isaac Harari, Peter D. Hoppe
-
Patent number: 5855681Abstract: The present invention generally provides a cassette-to-cassette vacuum processing system which concurrently processes multiple wafers and combines the advantages of single wafer process chambers and multiple wafer handling for high quality wafer processing, high wafer throughput and reduced footprint. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the system is preferably a staged vacuum system which generally includes a loadlock chamber for introducing wafers into the system and which also provides wafer cooling following processing, a transfer chamber for housing a wafer handler, and one or more processing chambers each having two or more processing regions which are isolatable from each other and preferably share a common gas supply and a common exhaust pump. The processing regions also preferably include separate gas distribution assemblies and RF power sources to provide a uniform plasma density over a wafer surface in each processing region.Type: GrantFiled: November 18, 1996Date of Patent: January 5, 1999Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Dan Maydan, Sasson Somekh, Ashok Sinha, Kevin Fairbairn, Christopher Lane, Kelly Colborne, Hari K. Ponnekanti, W. N.(Nick) Taylor
-
Patent number: 5849136Abstract: A plasma process apparatus capable of operation significantly above 13.56 MHz can produce reduced self-bias voltage of the powered electrode to enable softer processes that do not damage thin layers that are increasingly becoming common in high speed and high density integrated circuits. A nonconventional match network is used to enable elimination of reflections at these higher frequencies. Automatic control of match network components enables the rf frequency to be adjusted to ignite the plasma and then to operate at a variable frequency selected to minimize process time without significant damage to the integrated circuit.Type: GrantFiled: November 22, 1996Date of Patent: December 15, 1998Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Donald M. Mintz, Hiroji Hanawa, Sasson Somekh, Dan Maydan, Kenneth S. Collins
-
Patent number: 5822171Abstract: An electrostatic chuck (20) for holding a substrate (45) is described. One version of the chuck (20) suitable for mounting on a base (25), comprises (i) an electrostatic member (33) having an electrode (50) therein, and (ii) an electrical lead (60) extending through the base (25) to electrically engage the electrode (50) of the electrostatic member (33). When the chuck (20) is used to hold a substrate (45) in a process chamber (80) containing erosive process gas, the substrate (45) covers and substantially protects the electrical lead (60) from erosion by the erosive process gas. In a preferred version of the chuck (20), an electrical connector (55) forming an integral extension of the electrode (50), electrically connects the electrode (50) to a voltage supply terminal (70) used to operate the chuck (20).Type: GrantFiled: March 24, 1995Date of Patent: October 13, 1998Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Shamouil Shamouilian, Manoocher Birang, John F. Cameron, Chandra Deshpandey, Alfred Goldspiel, Ron Northrup, Semyon Shertinsky, Sasson Somekh
-
Patent number: 5810936Abstract: A apparatus for removing deposits from within a space at least partially delimited by a surface which is subject to attack from a plasma including a surface cover comprising a material which is inert to the plasma.Type: GrantFiled: June 10, 1996Date of Patent: September 22, 1998Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Cissy S. Leung, Lawrence Chung-Lai Lei, Sasson Somekh
-
Patent number: 5804507Abstract: An apparatus for polishing semiconductor wafers and other workpieces that includes a polishing pads mounted on respective platens at multiple polishing stations. Multiple wafer heads, at least one greater in number than the number of polishing stations, can be loaded with individual wafers. The wafer heads are suspended from a carousel, which provides circumferential positioning of the heads relative to the polishing pads, and the wafer heads oscillate radially as supported by the carousel to sweep linearly across the respective pads in radial directions with respect to the rotatable carousel. Each polishing station includes a pad conditioner to recondition the polishing pad so that it retains a high polishing rate. Washing stations may be disposed between polishing stations and between the polishing stations and a transfer and washing station to wash the wafer as the carousel moves. A transfer and washing station is disposed similarly to the polishing pads.Type: GrantFiled: October 27, 1995Date of Patent: September 8, 1998Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Ilya Perlov, Eugene Gantvarg, Harry Q. Lee, Sasson Somekh, Robert D. Tolles