Patents Assigned to Applied Materials, Inc.
  • Publication number: 20240105499
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present technology relate to semiconductor processing methods that include providing a structured semiconductor substrate including a trench having a bottom surface and top surfaces. The methods further include depositing a portion of a silicon-containing material on the bottom surface of the trench for at least one deposition cycle, where each deposition cycle includes: depositing the portion of the silicon-containing material on the bottom surface and top surfaces of the trench, depositing a carbon-containing mask layer on the silicon-containing material on the bottom surface of the trench, where the carbon-containing mask layer is not formed on the top surfaces of the trench, removing the portion of the silicon-containing material from the top surfaces of the trench, and removing the carbon-containing mask layer from the silicon-containing material on the bottom surface of the trench, where the as-deposited silicon-containing material remains on the bottom surface of the trench.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2022
    Publication date: March 28, 2024
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Zeqing Shen, Susmit Singha Roy, Abhijit Basu Mallick, Xinke Wang, Xiang Ji, Praket Prakash Jha
  • Patent number: 11942330
    Abstract: Exemplary methods of etching gallium oxide from a semiconductor substrate may include flowing a first reagent in a substrate processing region housing the semiconductor substrate. The first reagent may include HX. X may be at least one of fluorine, chlorine, and bromine. The semiconductor substrate may include an exposed region of gallium oxide. Fluorinating the exposed region of gallium oxide may form a gallium halide and H2O. The methods may include flowing a second reagent in the substrate processing region. The second reagent may be at least one of trimethylgallium, tin acetylacetonate, tetramethylsilane, and trimethyltin chloride. The second reagent may promote a ligand exchange where a methyl group may be transferred to the gallium halide to form a volatile Me2GaY or Me3Ga. Y may be at least one of fluorine, chlorine, and bromine from the second reagent. The methods may include recessing a surface of the gallium oxide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Feng Q. Liu, Lisa J. Enman, Lakmal C. Kalutarage, Mark J. Saly
  • Patent number: 11942345
    Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein include a method of centering a substrate in a chamber. In an embodiment, the method comprises inserting the substrate into the chamber with a robot arm, obtaining a delta time value for a second pyrometer relative to a first pyrometer, where the delta time value is a duration of time between when the first pyrometer is covered by the substrate and when the second pyrometer is covered by the substrate, calculating a time offset value of the delta time value relative to an ideal delta time value, where the ideal delta time value is the delta time value when the substrate is perfectly centered in a first direction perpendicular to the motion of the substrate, and comparing the time offset value to a graph or a lookup table that correlates the time offset value to a distance offset value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventor: Wolfgang Aderhold
  • Patent number: 11939666
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate include cleaning and self-assembly monolayer (SAM) formation for subsequent reverse selective atomic layer deposition. An apparatus may include a process chamber with a processing volume and a substrate support including a pedestal, a remote plasma source fluidly coupled to the process chamber and configured to produce radicals or ionized gas mixture with radicals that flow into the processing volume to remove residue or oxides from a surface of the substrate, a first gas delivery system with a first ampoule configured to provide at least one first chemical into the processing volume to produce a SAM on the surface of the substrate, a heating system located in the pedestal and configured to heat a substrate by flowing gas on a backside of the substrate, and a vacuum system fluidly coupled to the process chamber and configured to control heating of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Xiangjin Xie, Carmen Leal Cervantes, Feng Chen, Lu Chen, Wenjing Xu, Aravind Kamath, Cheng-Hsiung Matthew Tsai, Tae Hong Ha, Alexander Jansen, Xianmin Tang
  • Patent number: 11939668
    Abstract: A method of forming a tungsten-containing layer over a substrate includes a) positioning a substrate on a substrate support in a process volume of a process chamber; b) providing a precursor gas to the process volume of the process chamber for a first duration; and c) providing a tungsten-containing gas to the process volume of the process chamber by opening a pulsing valve on a tungsten-containing gas delivery line for a second duration occurring after the first duration to form a tungsten-containing layer on the substrate. The tungsten-containing gas delivery line includes a first section connected to an inlet of the pulsing valve and a second section connected to an outlet of the pulsing valve, the first section connects the inlet of the pulsing valve to a reservoir of tungsten-containing gas, the second section connects the outlet of the pulsing valve to an inlet of the process chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Zubin Huang, Mohammed Jaheer Sherfudeen, David Matthew Santi, Jallepally Ravi, Peiqi Wang, Kai Wu
  • Patent number: 11942319
    Abstract: A horizontal pre-clean module includes a chamber including a basin and a lid which collectively define a processing area, a rotatable vacuum table disposed in the processing area, a pad conditioning station, a pad carrier positioning arm having a first end and a second end distal from the first end, a pad carrier assembly coupled to the first end of the pad carrier positioning arm, and an actuator coupled to the second end of the pad carrier positioning arm and configured to swing the pad carrier assembly between a first position over the rotatable vacuum table and a second position over the pad conditioning station. The pad carrier assembly includes a gimbal base and a pad carrier coupled to the gimbal base, the gimbal base and the pad carrier are configured to support a buffing pad by a mechanical clamping mechanism and a suction clamping mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Edward Golubovsky, Jagan Rangarajan, Ekaterina Mikhaylichenko
  • Patent number: 11939674
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Yi Yang, Krishna Nittala, Karthik Janakiraman, Aykut Aydin, Diwakar Kedlaya
  • Patent number: 11940682
    Abstract: Embodiments described and discussed herein generally relate to flexible or foldable display devices, and more specifically to flexible cover lens assemblies. In one or more embodiments, a flexible cover lens assembly contains a glass layer, an adhesion promotion layer on the glass layer, an anti-reflectance layer disposed on the adhesion promotion layer, a dry hardcoat layer having a nano-indentation hardness in a range from about 1 GPa to about 5 GPa and disposed on the anti-reflectance layer, and an anti-fingerprint coating layer disposed on the dry hardcoat layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Manivannan Thothadri, Harvey You, Helinda Nominanda, Neil Morrison, Daniel Paul Forster, Arvinder Chadha
  • Patent number: 11940724
    Abstract: Provided herein are apparatus, systems and methods for processing reticle blanks. A reticle processing system includes a support assembly having a plate coupled to a frame, and a carrier base assembly supported on the support assembly. The carrier base assembly comprises a wall extending from a top surface of the carrier base and defining a containment region for a reticle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Sanjay Bhat, Vibhu Jindal
  • Patent number: 11942456
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a multi-color display includes dispensing a photo-curable fluid over a display having an array of light emitting diodes (micro-LEDs) disposed below a cover layer. The cover has an outer surface with a plurality of recesses, and the photo-curable fluid fills the recesses. The photo-curable fluid includes a color conversion agent. A plurality of LEDs in the array are activated to illuminate and cure the photo-curable fluid to form a color conversion layer in the recesses over the activated LEDs. This layer will convert light from these LEDs to light of a first color. An uncured remainder of the photo-curable fluid is removed. Then the process is repeated with a different photo-curable fluid having a different color conversion agent and a different plurality of LEDs. This forms a second color conversion layer in different plurality of recesses to convert light from these LEDs to light of a second color.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Daihua Zhang, Yingdong Luo, Mingwei Zhu, Hou T. Ng, Sivapackia Ganapathiappan, Nag B. Patibandla
  • Patent number: 11942381
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide apparatus and method for reducing non uniformity during thermal processing. One embodiment provides an apparatus for processing a substrate comprising a chamber body defining a processing volume, a substrate support disposed in the processing volume, wherein the substrate support is configured to rotate the substrate, a sensor assembly configured to measure temperature of the substrate at a plurality of locations, and one or more pulse heating elements configured to provide pulsed energy towards the processing volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Wolfgang R. Aderhold, Aaron Muir Hunter, Joseph M. Ranish
  • Patent number: 11940819
    Abstract: Embodiments of fast gas exchange (FGE) manifolds are provided herein. In some embodiments, a FGE manifold includes: a manifold housing having a plurality of inlets and a plurality of outlets for flowing a plurality of process gases therethrough, wherein the plurality of outlets correspond with a plurality of zones in the process chamber; a plurality of hybrid valves disposed in the manifold housing and fluidly coupled to the plurality of inlets; a plurality of mass flow controllers disposed in the manifold housing downstream of the plurality of hybrid valves; a plurality of mixing lines extending downstream from the plurality of mass flow controllers to a plurality of outlet lines; and a plurality of outlet valves disposed in line with corresponding ones of the plurality of outlet lines, wherein a flow path is defined between each inlet of the plurality of inlets and each outlet of the plurality of outlets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Abhishek Chowdhury, Ravikumar Patil, Arun Chakravarthy Chakravarthy, Jon Christian Farr, Saravanan Chandrabalu, Prabhuraj Kuberan
  • Patent number: 11942361
    Abstract: Disclosed are approaches for forming semiconductor device cavities using directional dielectric deposition. One method may include providing a plurality of semiconductor structures and a plurality of trenches of a semiconductor device, and forming a dielectric atop the plurality of semiconductor structures by delivering a dielectric material at a non-zero angle of inclination relative to a normal extending perpendicular from a top surface of the plurality of semiconductor structures. The dielectric may be further formed by delivering the dielectric material at a second non-zero angle of inclination relative to the normal extending perpendicular from the top surface of the plurality of semiconductor structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Armin Saeedi Vahdat, Tristan Y. Ma, Johannes M. van Meer, John Hautala, Naushad K. Variam
  • Patent number: 11942332
    Abstract: A method of removing a metal-containing layer (e.g., tungsten) from a substrate is provided. The method includes generating a first plasma in a process volume of a plasma chamber when a patterned device is disposed on a substrate support in the process volume. The patterned device includes a patterned region and an unpatterned region; a substrate; a tungsten-containing layer formed over the substrate; a supporting layer disposed between the tungsten-containing layer and the substrate. The patterned region includes exposed surfaces of the supporting layer and the unpatterned region does not include any exposed surfaces of the supporting layer. The method further includes depositing a first film over the patterned region of the tungsten-containing layer with the first plasma; and removing portions of the unpatterned region of the tungsten-containing layer with the first plasma without depositing the first film over the unpatterned region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Akhil Mehrotra, Gene S. Lee, Abhijit Patil, Shan Jiang, Zohreh Hesabi
  • Patent number: 11940683
    Abstract: Embodiments described and discussed herein generally relate to flexible or foldable display devices, and more specifically to flexible cover lens assemblies. In one or more embodiments, a flexible cover lens assembly contains a substrate, an anti-fingerprint coating layer, and an adhesion promotion layer disposed between the substrate and the anti-fingerprint coating layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Manivannan Thothadri, Harvey You, Helinda Nominanda, Neil Morrison, Daniel Paul Forster, Arvinder Chadha
  • Patent number: 11939675
    Abstract: In one aspect, an apparatus includes a chamber body, a blocker plate for delivering process gases into a gas mixing volume, and a face plate having holes through which the mixed gas is distributed to a substrate. In another aspect, the face plate may include a first region with a recess relative to a second region. In another aspect, the blocker plate may include a plurality of regions, each region having different hole patterns/geometries and/or flow profiles. In another aspect, the apparatus may include a radiation shield disposed below a bottom of the substrate support. A shaft or stem of the substrate support includes holes at an upper end thereof near the substrate support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Rui Cheng, Karthik Janakiraman, Zubin Huang
  • Patent number: 11942576
    Abstract: A photocurable composition includes a blue photoluminescent material, one or more monomers, and a photoinitiator that initiates polymerization of the one or more monomers in response to absorption of the ultraviolet light. The blue photoluminescent material is selected to absorb ultraviolet light with a maximum wavelength in a range of about 300 nm to about 430 nm and to emit blue light. The blue photoluminescent material also has an emission peak in a range of about 420 nm to about 480 nm. The full width at half maximum of the emission peak is less than 100 nm, and the photoluminescence quantum yield is in a range of 5% to 100%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Yingdong Luo, Lisong Xu, Sivapackia Ganapathiappan, Hou T. Ng, Byung Sung Kwak, Mingwei Zhu, Nag B. Patibandla
  • Patent number: 11942324
    Abstract: A method of promoting adhesion between a dielectric layer of a semiconductor device and a metal fill deposited within a trench in the dielectric layer, including performing an ion implantation process wherein an ion beam formed of an ionized dopant species is directed into the trench at an acute angle relative to a top surface of the dielectric layer to form an implantation layer in a sidewall of the trench, and depositing a metal fill in the trench atop an underlying bottom metal layer, wherein the metal fill adheres to the sidewall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Qintao Zhang, Jun-Feng Lu, Ting Cai, Ma Ning, Weiye He, Jian Kang
  • Publication number: 20240097081
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present technology include pixel structures. The pixel structures include a light emitting diode structure to generate ultraviolet light. The pixel structures further include a photoluminescent region containing a photoluminescent material. The pixel structures additionally include a first bandpass filter positioned between the light emitting diode structure and the photoluminescent region, where the first bandpass filter is operable to transmit greater than 50% of light having a wavelength less than or about 400 nm. The pixel structures yet additionally include a second bandpass filter positioned on an opposite side of the photoluminescent region as the first bandpass filter, where the second bandpass filter is operable to transmit greater than 50% of light having a wavelength greater than 400 nm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2023
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Jiacheng Fan, Zhiyong Li
  • Publication number: 20240098971
    Abstract: A memory cell array includes a plurality of memory levels stacked in a first direction, each of the plurality of memory levels including an active region, a cell transistor having a single gate above the active region in the first direction, and a cell capacitor having a bottom electrode layer that is electrically connected to the active region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2023
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Chang Seok KANG, Sung-Kwan KANG