Patents by Inventor Tom K. Cho

Tom K. Cho 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).

  • Publication number: 20030213562
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to the design of a plasma CVD chamber which provides more uniform conditions for forming thin CVD films on a substrate. Embodiments of the invention improve temperature control of the upper chamber and improve particle performance by reducing or minimizing the temperature fluctuations on the dome between the deposition and non-deposition cycles. This allows higher source power plasma to be generated and facilitates gapfill for extremely small geometries. The dome design improves the uniformity of the plasma distribution over the substrate to be processed. In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for processing semiconductor substrates comprises a chamber defining a plasma processing region therein. The chamber includes a bottom, a side wall, and a dome disposed on top of the side wall. The dome has a dome top and having a side portion defining a chamber diameter. A top RF coil is disposed above the dome top.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2002
    Publication date: November 20, 2003
    Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Sudhir Gondhalekar, Tom K. Cho, Rolf Guenther, Shigeru Takehiro, Masayoshi Nohira, Tetsuya Ishikawa, Ndanka O. Mukuti
  • Publication number: 20030213434
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to an upper chamber design of a plasma CVD chamber which provides more uniform conditions for forming thin CVD films on a substrate. Embodiments of the invention improve temperature control of the upper chamber and improve particle performance by reducing or minimizing the temperature fluctuations on the dome between the deposition and non-deposition cycles. In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for processing semiconductor substrates comprises a chamber defining a plasma processing region therein. The chamber includes a bottom, a side wall, and a dome disposed on top of the side wall. The dome has a substantially flat dome top. A top RF coil is disposed above the dome top, and has an outer loop which is larger in size than the substrates to be processed in the chamber. A cold plate is disposed above the top RF coil, and is larger in size than the substrates to be processed in the chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2002
    Publication date: November 20, 2003
    Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Sudhir Gondhalekar, Tom K. Cho, Rolf Guenther, Steve H. Kim, Mehrdad Moshfegh, Shigeru Takehiro, Thomas Kring, Tetsuya Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 6450117
    Abstract: A substrate processing chamber 30 comprising a first gas distributor 65 adapted to provide a process gas into the chamber 30 to process the substrate 25, a second gas distributor 215 adapted to provide a cleaning gas into the chamber 30 to clean the chamber, and an exhaust 90 to exhaust the process gas or cleaning gas from the chamber 30.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2002
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Laxman Murugesh, Padmanaban Krishnaraj, Michael Cox, Canfeng Lai, Narendra Dubey, Tom K. Cho, Sudhir Ram Gondhalekar, Lily L. Pang