Patents Assigned to Applied Material Inc.
  • Patent number: 12225641
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to bake apparatuses for handling and uniform baking of substrates and methods for the handling and the uniform baking of substrates. The bake apparatuses allow the substrates to be heated to a temperature greater than 50° C. without bowing of about 1 mm to about 2 mm from the edge of the substrates to the center of the substrates. The bake apparatuses heat the substrates uniformly or substantially uniformly to improve substrate quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2025
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Hiram Cervera, Yongan Xu, Ludovic Godet
  • Patent number: 12220678
    Abstract: A reactor for coating particles includes a stationary vacuum chamber to hold a bed of particles to be coated, a chemical delivery system, and a paddle assembly. The paddle assembly includes a rotatable drive shaft and a first plurality of paddles and a second plurality of paddles that extend radially from the drive shaft. The spacing, cross-sections, and oblique angles of the paddles are such that orbiting of the paddles causes the first plurality of paddles and the second plurality of paddles to displace substantially equal volumes in opposite directions in the lower portion of the stationary vacuum chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2025
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Govindraj Desai, Sekar Krishnasamy, Sumedh Acharya, Dakshalkumar Patel, Jonathan Frankel, Quoc Truong, Mario Cambron, Ravindra Patil
  • Patent number: 12224198
    Abstract: Electrostatic chucks (ESCs) for plasma processing chambers, and methods of fabricating ESCs, are described. In an example, a substrate support assembly includes a ceramic top plate having a top surface with a processing region. One or more electrodes is within the ceramic top plate. A plurality of mesas is within the processing region and on the top surface of the ceramic plate or vertically over an edge of one of the one or more electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2024
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2025
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Vijay D. Parkhe, Ashutosh Agarwal
  • Patent number: 12224272
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing micro-LED displays includes depositing a first material over a substrate having a plurality of micro-LEDs such that the plurality of micro-LEDs are covered by the first material and the first material fills gaps laterally separating the micro-LEDs, removing a portion of the first material from the gaps that laterally separate the plurality of micro-LEDs to form trenches that extend to or below light-emitting layers of the micro-LEDs, depositing a second material over the substrate such that the second material covers the first material and extends into the trenches, and removing a portion of the first and second material over the plurality of micro-LEDs to expose top surfaces of the plurality of micro-LEDs and such that isolation walls positioned in the gaps between the plurality of micro-LEDs extend vertically higher than the top surface of the first material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2025
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Lisong Xu, Byung Sung Kwak, Mingwei Zhu, Hou T. Ng, Nag B. Patibandla, Christopher Dennis Bencher
  • Patent number: 12224149
    Abstract: An ion source for generating an ion beam containing aluminum ions is disclosed. The ion source includes a first gas source to introduce an organoaluminium compound into the arc chamber of the ion source. A second gas, different from the first gas, which is a chlorine-containing gas is also introduced to the arc chamber. The chloride co-flow reduces the buildup of decomposition material that occurs within the arc chamber. This buildup may occur at the gas bushing, the extraction aperture or near the repeller. In some embodiments, the second gas is introduced continuously. In other embodiments, the second gas is periodically introduced, based on hours of operation or the measured uniformity of the extracted ion beam. The second gas may be introduced from second gas source or from a vaporizer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2025
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Mateo Navarro Goldaraz, Graham Wright, Ori Noked
  • Patent number: 12224156
    Abstract: Plasma source assemblies, gas distribution assemblies including the plasma source assembly and methods of generating a plasma are described. The plasma source assemblies include a powered electrode with a ground electrode adjacent a first side and a dielectric adjacent a second side. A first microwave generator is electrically coupled to the first end of the powered electrode through a first feed and a second microwave generator is electrically coupled to the second end of the powered electrode through a second feed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2025
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Xiaopu Li, Jozef Kudela, Kallol Bera, Tsutomu Tanaka, Dmitry A. Dzilno
  • Patent number: 12221694
    Abstract: A method for cleaning one or more interior surfaces of a processing chamber includes removing a processed substrate from the processing chamber, and introducing a first cleaning chemistry into the processing chamber to generate a first internal pressure of greater than 1.1 atm within the processing chamber and remove deposited contaminants from the one or more interior surfaces of the processing chamber. The method further comprises removing the cleaning chemistry from the processing chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2025
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Pramit Manna, Swaminathan T. Srinivasan, Timothy J. Franklin
  • Patent number: 12224186
    Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) system include apparatus and methods to clean brushes used to scrub substrates, including brush cleaning using periodic chemical treatment. One or more embodiments include a method of operating the CMP system to rotate a first one or more scrubber brushes while the first one or more scrubber brushes are in contact with a first substrate, performing, concurrent with the rotating during the first time duration, a cleaning operation for a second one or more scrubber brushes, performing, during a second time duration of the cleaning cycle, the cleaning operation for the first one or more scrubber brushes, and rotating, concurrent with the performing the cleaning operation during the second time duration, the second one or more scrubber brushes while the second one or more scrubber brushes are in contact with a second substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2025
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventor: Brian J. Brown
  • Publication number: 20250046601
    Abstract: An etching and deposition system including a process chamber containing a platen for supporting a substrate, an reactive-ion etching (RIE) source adapted to produce an ion beam and to direct the ion beam into the process chamber for etching the substrate, a first plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) source located on a first side of the RIE source, the first PECVD source adapted to produce a first radical beam and to direct the first radical beam into the process chamber for depositing a first material, and a second PECVD source located on a second side of the RIE source opposite the first side, the second PECVD source adapted to produce a second radical beam and to direct the second radical beam into the process chamber for depositing a second material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2023
    Publication date: February 6, 2025
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Morgan EVANS, John HAUTALA, Charith NANAYAKKARA
  • Publication number: 20250048683
    Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide methods of manufacturing electronic devices that meet compressive stress requirements for PMOS transistors and tensile stress requirements for NMOS transistors. Each P-metal stack and P-metal stack: is formed on a top surface of a channel located between a source and a drain on a semiconductor substrate, and comprises nanosheet channel layers and trenches between each nanosheet channel layer, and has at least one side defining a gate trench. Some embodiments include forming a work function layer in the channel and inducing a work function layer strain in the channel. Some embodiments include forming a gate metal fill layer on each of the P-metal stack and the N-metal stack and inducing a gate metal fill layer strain in the channel. The gate metal fill layer covers the at least one side of each of the P-metal stack and the N-metal stack and fills the gate trench.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2024
    Publication date: February 6, 2025
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Srinivas Gandikota, Yogesh Sharma, Tuerxun Ailihumaer, Yixiong Yang
  • Publication number: 20250046600
    Abstract: One or more embodiments of the disclosure are directed to methods of forming structures that are useful for FEOL and BEOL processes. Embodiments of the present disclosure advantageously provide methods of depositing titanium nitride (TiN) in high aspect ratio (AR) structures with small dimensions. Some embodiments advantageously provide seam-free high-quality TiN films to fill high AR trenches with small dimensions. Embodiments of the present disclosure advantageously provide methods of filling 3D structures, such as finFETs, GAAs, and the like, without creating a seam. The methods include selective deposition processes using blocking compounds in order to provide seam-free TiN gapfill in 3D structures, such as GAA devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2023
    Publication date: February 6, 2025
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Muthukumar Kaliappan, Zhebo Chen, Michael Haverty, Yongjing Lin, Shih Chung Chen, Gang Shen, Alexander Jansen, Janardhan Devrajan
  • Publication number: 20250046640
    Abstract: A method and a system for determining a temperature of a substrate using a dielectric spectroscopy system. One or more impedance signals are received, where the impedance signals are generated by the substrate and one or more components of the dielectric spectroscopy system in response to one or more measurement signals. At least one first impedance signal is associated with one or more impedance signals generated by the substrate. At least one second impedance signal is associated with one or more impedance signals generated by one or more components of the dielectric spectroscopy system. A temperature of the substrate is determined based on at least one of: at least one first impedance signal, and/or at least one second impedance signal. Receiving, associating, and determining are performed during at least one of the following: before, during and after performing at least one process on the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2023
    Publication date: February 6, 2025
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventor: Ori NOKED
  • Patent number: 12214468
    Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing system includes a support to hold a polishing pad, a carrier head to hold a substrate against the polishing pad during a polishing process, an in-situ monitoring system configured to generate a signal indicative of an amount of material on the substrate, a temperature control system to control a temperature of the polishing process, and a controller coupled to the in-situ monitoring system and the temperature control system. The controller is configured to cause the temperature control system to vary the temperature of the polishing process in response to the signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Haosheng Wu, Hari Soundararajan, Yen-Chu Yang, Jianshe Tang, Shou-Sung Chang, Shih-Haur Shen, Taketo Sekine
  • Patent number: 12217982
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for substrate processing and a cluster tool including a transfer chamber assembly and a plurality of processing assemblies. Processing chamber volumes are sealed from the transfer chamber volume using a support chuck on which a substrate is disposed. A seal ring assembly is coupled to the support chuck. The seal ring assembly includes an inner assembly, an assembly bellows circumscribing the inner assembly, and a bellows disposed between the inner and outer platform. An inner ring is disposed between inner assembly of the seal ring assembly and the bottom surface of the support chuck. An outer ring disposed between the seal ring assembly and the lower sealing surface of the process chamber wall. The support chuck is raised to form an isolation seal between the processing chamber volume and the transfer chamber volume using the bellows, the inner ring, and the outer ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2024
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Kirankumar Neelasandra Savandaiah, Nitin Bharadwaj Satyavolu, Srinivasa Rao Yedla, Bhaskar Prasad, Thomas Brezoczky
  • Patent number: 12216015
    Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein include diagnostic substrates and methods of using the diagnostic substrates to extract plasma parameters. In an embodiment, a diagnostic substrate comprises a substrate and an array of resonators across the substrate. In an embodiment, the array of resonators comprises at least a first resonator with a first structure and a second resonator with a second structure. In an embodiment, the first structure is different than the second structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Chuang-Chia Lin, David Peterson, Philip Allan Kraus, Amir Bayati
  • Patent number: 12217938
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an apparatus for processing a substrate using an inductively coupled plasma source. An inductively coupled plasma source utilizes a power source, a shield member, and a coil coupled to the power source. In certain embodiments, the coils are arranged with a horizontal spiral grouping and a vertical extending helical grouping. The shield member, according to certain embodiments, utilizes a grounding member to function as a Faraday shield. The embodiments herein reduce parasitic losses and instabilities in the plasma created by the inductively coupled plasma in the substrate processing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: James Rogers, John Poulose
  • Patent number: 12214469
    Abstract: Embodiments herein generally relate to chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) systems used in the manufacturing of electronic devices. In one embodiment, a substrate carrier for polishing a surface of a substrate includes a retaining ring configured to surround a substrate during a polishing process. The retaining ring includes a first surface that is configured to contact a surface of a polishing pad during the polishing process, a second surface that is on a side of the retaining ring that is opposite to the first surface, and an array of recesses formed in the second surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Nagengast, Steven M. Zuniga, Jay Gurusamy
  • Patent number: 12217974
    Abstract: Embodiments herein are directed to localized stress modulation by implanting a first side of a substrate to reduce in-plane distortion along a second side of the substrate. In some embodiments, a method may include providing a substrate, the substrate comprising a first main side opposite a second main side, wherein a plurality of features are disposed on the first main side, performing a metrology scan to the first main side to determine an amount of distortion to the substrate due to the formation of the plurality of features, and depositing a stress compensation film along the second main side of the substrate, wherein a stress and a thickness of the stress compensation film is determined based on the amount of distortion to the substrate. The method may further include directing ions to the stress compensation film in an ion implant procedure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Sony Varghese, Pradeep Subrahmanyan, Dennis Rodier, Kyuha Shim
  • Patent number: 12215966
    Abstract: Implementations disclosed describe an inspection device capable of being transferred by a robot blade into a processing chamber of a manufacturing machine, the inspection device comprising an optical sensor to detect light reflected from a target located within the processing chamber, wherein the optical sensor is to output, to a processing device, a signal representative of a state of a region of a surface of the target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Mohsin Waqar, Paul Zachary Wirth, Todd James Brill, Paul Edward Fisher, Ilias Iliopoulos, Charles Gregory Potter, Sr.
  • Patent number: 12216455
    Abstract: A substrate processing system includes a process chamber, one or more robot, a substrate measurement system, and a computing device. The process chamber may process a substrate that will comprise a film and/or feature after the processing. The one or more robot, to move the substrate from the process chamber to a substrate measurement system. The substrate measurement system may measure the film and/or feature on the substrate and generate a profile map of the film and/or feature. The computing device may process data from the profile map using a first trained machine learning model, wherein the first trained machine learning model outputs a first chamber component condition estimation for a first chamber component of the process chamber. The computing device may then determine whether to perform maintenance on the first chamber component of the process chamber based at least in part on the first chamber component condition estimation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Chunlei Zhang, Zhaozhao Zhu, Michael Kutney