Patents Assigned to Applied Material
  • Patent number: 10994389
    Abstract: A method of polishing a layer on the substrate at a polishing station includes the actions of monitoring the layer during polishing at the polishing station with an in-situ monitoring system to generate a plurality of measured signals for a plurality of different locations on the layer; generating, for each location of the plurality of different locations, an estimated measure of thickness of the location, the generating including processing the plurality of measured signals through a neural network; and at least one of detecting a polishing endpoint or modifying a polishing parameter based on each estimated measure of thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Kun Xu, Hassan G. Iravani, Denis Ivanov, Boguslaw A. Swedek, Shih-Haur Shen, Harry Q. Lee, Benjamin Cherian
  • Patent number: 10995419
    Abstract: Embodiment disclosed herein include a liner assembly, comprising an injector plate liner, a gas injector liner coupled to the injector plate liner, an upper process gas liner coupled to the gas injector liner, a lower process gas liner coupled to the upper process gas liner, and an injector plate positioned between the injector plate liner and the upper process gas liner, wherein a cooling fluid channel is formed in the injector plate adjacent to the gas injector liner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian H. Burrows, Ala Moradian, Kartik Shah, Shu-Kwan Lau
  • Patent number: 10994991
    Abstract: Methods are provided for manufacturing well-controlled, solid-state nanopores and arrays of well-controlled, solid-state nanopores by a cyclic process including atomic layer deposition (ALD), or chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and etching. One or more features are formed in a thin film deposited on a topside of a substrate. A dielectric material is deposited over the substrate having the one or more features in the thin film. An etching process is then used to etch a portion of the dielectric material deposited over the substrate having the one or more features in the thin film. The dielectric material deposition and etching processes are optionally repeated to reduce the size of the features until a well-controlled nanopore is formed through the thin film on the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph R. Johnson, Kenichi Ohno
  • Patent number: 10998200
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods for performing an annealing process on a metal containing layer in TFT display applications, semiconductor or memory applications. In one example, a method of forming a metal containing layer on a substrate includes supplying an oxygen containing gas mixture on a substrate in a processing chamber, the substrate comprising a metal containing layer disposed on an optically transparent substrate, maintaining the oxygen containing gas mixture in the processing chamber at a process pressure between about 2 bar and about 50 bar, and thermally annealing the metal containing layer in the presence of the oxygen containing gas mixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Kaushal K. Singh, Mei-Yee Shek, Srinivas D. Nemani, Ellie Y. Yieh
  • Publication number: 20210123136
    Abstract: The use of a cyclic 1,4-diene reducing agent with a metal precursor and a reactant to form metal-containing films are described. Methods of forming the metal-containing film comprises exposing a substrate surface to a metal precursor, a reducing agent and a reactant either simultaneously, partially simultaneously or separately and sequentially to form the metal-containing film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2020
    Publication date: April 29, 2021
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Lakmal C. Kalutarage, Liqi Wu, Pratham Jain, Jeffrey W. Anthis, Mark Saly, Mei Chang, David Thompson
  • Publication number: 20210125820
    Abstract: Methods of depositing a film using a plasma enhanced process are described. The method comprises providing continuous power from a power source connected to a microwave plasma source in a process chamber and a dummy load, the continuous power split into pulses having a first time and a second time defining a duty cycle of a pulse. The continuous power is directed to the microwave plasma source during the first time, and the continuous power is directed to the dummy load during the second time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2020
    Publication date: April 29, 2021
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Farhad Moghadam, Hari Ponnekanti, Dmitry A. Dzilno
  • Publication number: 20210124256
    Abstract: Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask blanks, methods for their manufacture and production systems therefor are disclosed. The EUV mask blanks comprise a an absorber layer on the capping layer, the absorber layer made from an alloy of at least two absorber materials.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 24, 2020
    Publication date: April 29, 2021
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventor: Vibhu Jindal
  • Publication number: 20210124252
    Abstract: Methods for the manufacture of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask blanks and production systems therefor are disclosed. A method for forming an EUV mask blank comprises forming a bilayer on a portion of a multi-cathode PVD chamber interior and then forming a multilayer stack of Si/Mo on a substrate in the multi-cathode PVD chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2020
    Publication date: April 29, 2021
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Wen Xiao, Sanjay Bhat, Shiyu Liu, Binni Varghese, Vibhu Jindal, Azeddine Zerrade
  • Publication number: 20210124253
    Abstract: Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask blanks, methods for their manufacture, and production systems therefor are disclosed. A method for forming an EUV mask blank comprises placing a substrate in a multi-cathode physical vapor deposition chamber, depositing a multilayer stack, removing the substrate from the chamber and passivating the PVD chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2020
    Publication date: April 29, 2021
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Herng Yau Yoong, Wen Xiao, Vibhu Jindal, Shuwei Liu, Sanjay Bhat, Azeddine Zerrade
  • Patent number: 10991547
    Abstract: A carrier proximity mask and methods of assembling and using the carrier proximity mask may include providing a first carrier body, second carrier body, and set of one or more clamps. The first carrier body may have one or more openings formed as proximity masks to form structures on a first side of a substrate. The first and second carrier bodies may have one or more contact areas to align with one or more contact areas on a first and second sides of the substrate. The set of one or more clamps may clamp the substrate between the first carrier body and the second carrier body at contact areas to suspend work areas of the substrate between the first and second carrier bodies. The openings to define edges to convolve beams to form structures on the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Morgan Evans, Charles T. Carlson, Rutger Meyer Timmerman Thijssen, Ross Bandy, Ryan Magee
  • Patent number: 10991546
    Abstract: A monitoring circuit that includes a pickup loop to monitor a voltage applied to a cavity of a linear accelerator is disclosed. The monitoring circuit is electrically isolated from the linear accelerator and is also electrically isolated from the controller that receives input from the circuit and controls the linear accelerator. In certain embodiments, the monitoring circuit also includes an energy harvester so as to capture energy without any physical connection to the controller. This may be achieved using light energy or electromagnetic energy, for example. In certain embodiments, the monitoring circuit includes an analog-to-digital converter to convert the signals received from the pickup loop to digital values. In other embodiments, the monitoring circuit passes analog voltages to the controller. The outputs from the monitoring circuit may include the amplitude and phase of the voltage being applied to the respective cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventor: Keith E. Kowal
  • Patent number: 10988843
    Abstract: A system for determining when a cleaning process has completed is disclosed. This system relies on an increase in the amount of gas in the processing chamber that occurs when the cleaning is complete. This increase in the amount of gas may be detected in several ways. In one embodiment, a downstream pendulum valve is used to maintain the pressure within the processing chamber at a predetermined value. An increase in the size of the opening in the pendulum valve is indicative of the amount of gas in the system. In another embodiment, a sensor may be used to monitor the pressure within the processing chamber, while the incoming and outgoing flow rates are held constant. An increase in the pressure is indicative of an increase in the amount of gas in the processing chamber. This increase in the amount of gas is used to terminate the cleaning process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Il-Woong Koo, Cuiyang Wang, Peter G. Ryan, Jr., Jun Seok Lee
  • Patent number: 10991552
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention generally provide a cooling mechanism utilized in a plasma reactor that may provide efficient temperature control during a plasma process. In one embodiment, a cooling mechanism disposed in a plasma processing apparatus includes a coil antenna enclosure formed in a processing chamber, a coil antenna assembly disposed in the coil antenna enclosure, a plurality of air circulating elements disposed in the coil antenna enclosure adjacent to the coil antenna assembly, and a baffle plate disposed in the coil antenna enclosure below and adjacent to the coil antenna assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Aniruddha Pal, Victor Calderon, Martin Jeffrey Salinas, Valentin N. Todorow
  • Publication number: 20210119021
    Abstract: Electronic devices and methods of forming electronic devices with gate-all-around non-I/O devices and finlike structures for I/O devices are described. A plurality of dummy gates is etched to expose a fin comprising alternating layers of a first material and a second material. The second material layers are removed to create openings and the first material layers remaining are epitaxially grown to form a finlike structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2020
    Publication date: April 22, 2021
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin Colombeau, Matthias Bauer, Naved Ahmed Siddiqui, Phillip Stout
  • Publication number: 20210116896
    Abstract: A method of detecting and classifying anomalies during semiconductor processing includes executing a wafer recipe a semiconductor processing system to process a semiconductor wafer; monitoring sensor outputs from a sensors that monitor conditions associated with the semiconductor processing system; providing the sensor outputs to models trained to identify when the conditions associated with the semiconductor processing system indicate a fault in the semiconductor wafer; receiving an indication of a fault from at least one of the models; and generating a fault output in response to receiving the indication of the fault.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2019
    Publication date: April 22, 2021
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Shahab Arabshahi, Michael Nichols
  • Publication number: 20210119002
    Abstract: Semiconductor structures may include a substrate. The structures may include a gate structure overlying the substrate and formed in a first direction across the substrate. The structures may include a fin overlying the substrate and formed in a second direction across the substrate. The second direction may be orthogonal to the first direction, and the fin may intersect the gate structure. The structures may include a source/drain material formed about the fin. The structures may include a through-contact material extending vertically above the source/drain material. The structures may include a metal material extending vertically above the through-contact material. An interface between the metal material and the through-contact material may be characterized by a non-planar profile.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2019
    Publication date: April 22, 2021
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Sushant Mittal, Ashish Pal, El Mehdi Bazizi, Angada Sachid
  • Publication number: 20210118691
    Abstract: Methods of etching film stacks to form gaps of uniform width are described. A film stack is etched through a hardmask. A conformal liner is deposited in the gap. The bottom of the liner is removed. The film stack is selectively etched relative to the liner. The liner is removed. The method may be repeated to a predetermined depth.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2020
    Publication date: April 22, 2021
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Shishi Jiang, Pramit Manna, Bo Qi, Abhijit Basu Mallick, Rui Cheng, Tomohiko Kitajima, Harry S. Whitesell, Huiyuan Wang
  • Publication number: 20210119005
    Abstract: Horizontal gate-all-around devices and methods of manufacturing same are described. The hGAA devices comprise a doped semiconductor material between source regions and drain regions of the device. The method includes doping semiconductor material layers between source regions and drain regions of an electronic device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2020
    Publication date: April 22, 2021
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin Colombeau, Hans-Joachim Gossmann
  • Publication number: 20210118681
    Abstract: A method may include providing a substrate in a plasma chamber, the substrate comprising a monocrystalline semiconductor, having an upper surface. The method may include initiating a plasma in the plasma chamber, the plasma comprising an amorphizing ion species, and applying a pulse routine to the substrate, the pulse routine comprising a plurality of extraction voltage pulses, wherein a plurality of ion pulses are directed to the substrate, and wherein an ion dose per pulse is greater than a threshold for low dose amorphization.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2019
    Publication date: April 22, 2021
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: SUPAKIT CHARNVANICHBORIKARN, CHRISTOPHER R. HATEM
  • Patent number: 10984990
    Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus is provided including a radio frequency power source; a direct current power source; a chamber enclosing a process volume; and a substrate support assembly disposed in the process volume. The substrate support assembly includes a substrate support having a substrate supporting surface; an electrode disposed in the substrate support; and an interconnect assembly coupling the radio frequency power source and the direct current power source with the electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Ramesh Bokka, Jason M. Schaller, Jay D. Pinson, II, Luke Bonecutter