Patents Assigned to Applied Materials
  • Patent number: 11030557
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and non-transitory computer readable medium for predicting arrival time of components based on historical receipt data. A method includes receiving historical receipt data corresponding to features. The method further includes performing feature analysis to generate additional features for the historical receipt data. The method further includes selecting a first set of features including at least one of the additional features. The method further includes predicting, based on the first set of features, an arrival time for one or more components of a manufacturing facility. The method further includes causing, based on the predicted arrival time, modification of a schedule in a file associated with the one or more components of the manufacturing facility.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventor: Kriteshwar Kaur Kohli
  • Patent number: 11031233
    Abstract: A layer stack over a substrate is etched using a photoresist pattern deposited on the layer stack as a first mask. The photoresist pattern is in-situ cured using plasma. At least a portion of the photoresist pattern can be modified by curing. In one embodiment, silicon by-products are formed on the photoresist pattern from the plasma. In another embodiment, a carbon from the plasma is embedded into the photoresist pattern. In yet another embodiment, the plasma produces an ultraviolet light to cure the photoresist pattern. The cured photoresist pattern is slimmed. The layer stack is etched using the slimmed photoresist pattern as a second mask.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Kyeong Tae Lee, Sang Wook Kim, Daehee Weon, Sang-jun Choi, Sreekar Bhaviripudi, Jahyong Kuh
  • Patent number: 11028477
    Abstract: Methods for depositing film comprising exposing a substrate surface to an organic-based poisoning agent to preferentially inhibit film growth at the top of a feature relative to the bottom of the feature and depositing a film. The substrate can be exposed to the poisoning agent any number of times to promote bottom-up growth of the film in the feature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Saly, Keiichi Tanaka, Eswaranand Venkatasubramanian, Mandyam Sriram, Bhaskar Jyoti Bhuyan, Pramit Manna, David Thompson, Andrew Short
  • Patent number: 11029297
    Abstract: Methods and systems for determining concentrations of gases within a process chamber are provided. In one or more embodiments, a method includes introducing a first gas into a first cavity of a gas monitoring module, where the first cavity is thermally coupled to a second cavity of the gas monitoring module, and where the first cavity contains a first inlet and the first gas is introduced via the first inlet. The method includes introducing a gas mixture containing the first gas and a second gas into a second cavity, where the second cavity contains a second inlet and the gas mixture is introduced via the second inlet. The method also includes determining a first speed of sound inside the first cavity, determining a second speed of sound inside the second cavity, and determining a concentration of the second gas in the second cavity based on the first and second speeds of sound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventor: Zhiyuan Ye
  • Patent number: 11032464
    Abstract: A depth measuring apparatus includes a camera assembly, a position sensor, and a controller. The camera assembly is configured to capture a plurality of images of a target at a plurality of distances from the target. The position sensor is configured to capture, for each of the plurality of images, corresponding position data associated with a relative distance between the camera assembly and the target. The controller is configured to, for each of a plurality of regions within the plurality of images: determine corresponding gradient values within the plurality of images; determine a corresponding maximum gradient value from the corresponding gradient values; and determine a depth measurement for the region based on the corresponding maximum gradient and the corresponding position data captured for an image from the plurality of images that includes the corresponding maximum gradient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Ozkan Celik, Patricia A. Schulze, Gregory J. Freeman, Paul Z. Wirth, Tommaso Vercesi
  • Patent number: 11032945
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a heat shield assembly for a processing chamber. The processing chamber includes a body having sidewalls, a bottom and a lid that define an interior volume. The heat shield assembly is disposed in the interior volume, and includes a heat shield and a preheat member. The preheat member includes an inner circumference, and is positioned below the heat shield. A susceptor is disposed in the interior volume and configured to support a substrate, and is positioned within the inner circumference of the preheat member. An opening is positioned between the susceptor and the preheat member. A first section of the opening is proximate to a gas inlet, and is covered by the heat shield. A second section of the annular opening is proximate a gas outlet, and is not covered by the heat shield member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Shinichi Oki, Yoshinobu Mori
  • Patent number: 11029206
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein relate to apparatus for measuring and characterizing performance of augmented and virtual reality waveguide structures utilizing glass substrates. The waveguide performance measuring systems generally include a light source configured to direct light towards an incoupling grating area on waveguide and one or more light detectors configured to collect light from an outcoupling grating area on a second side of the waveguide. The light source and one or more light detectors are disposed on one or more adjustable stages positioned about the waveguide. In certain embodiments, the one or more adjustable stages are configured to move in a linear fashion or revolve and/or rotate around the waveguide in an orbital motion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Jinxin Fu, Rutger Meyer Timmerman Thijssen, Ludovic Godet
  • Patent number: 11028478
    Abstract: Provided are methods for the deposition of films comprising SiCN. Certain methods involve exposing a substrate surface to a silicon precursor, wherein the silicon precursor is halogenated with Cl, Br or I, and the silicon precursor comprises a halogenated silane, a halogenated carbosilane, an halogenated aminosilane or a halogenated carbo-sillyl amine. Then, the substrate surface can be exposed to a nitrogen-containing plasma or a nitrogen precursor and densification plasma.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Victor Nguyen, Ning Li, Mihaela Balseanu, Li-Qun Xia, Mark Saly, David Thompson
  • Patent number: 11031262
    Abstract: Implementations disclosed herein describe a bevel etch apparatus within a loadlock bevel etch chamber and methods of using the same. The bevel etch apparatus has a mask assembly within the loadlock bevel etch chamber. During an etch process, the mask assembly delivers a gas flow to control bevel etch without the use of a shadow frame. As such, the edge exclusion at the bevel edge can be reduced, thus increasing product yield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Saptarshi Basu, Jeongmin Lee, Paul Connors, Dale R. Du Bois, Prashant Kumar Kulshreshtha, Karthik Thimmavajjula Narasimha, Brett Berens, Kalyanjit Ghosh, Jianhua Zhou, Ganesh Balasubramanian, Kwangduk Douglas Lee, Juan Carlos Rocha-Alvarez, Hiroyuki Ogiso, Liliya Krivulina, Rick Gilbert, Mohsin Waqar, Venkatanarayana Shankaramurthy, Hari K. Ponnekanti
  • Patent number: 11031241
    Abstract: Methods for forming films during semiconductor device fabrication by soaking a substrate in dopant are discussed herein. The dopant soak is performed in a process chamber using at least one dopant precursor for a predetermined period of time to form a dopant layer on the substrate. The process chamber is subsequently purged of the at least one dopant precursor. At least one film precursor is introduced into the process chamber after the process chamber is purged. A film is epitaxially formed on the substrate to have at least one of a target resistivity, dopant concentration, and/or thickness. Post-processing operations can include annealing or patterning the semiconductor film, or depositing additional layers thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Yi-Chiau Huang, Errol Antonio C Sanchez
  • Publication number: 20210166973
    Abstract: Electronic devices and methods to form electronic devices having a self-aligned via are described. An adhesion enhancement layer is utilized to promote adhesion between the conductive material and the sidewalls of the at least one via opening. The self-aligned vias decrease via resistance and reduce the potential to short to the wrong metal line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2021
    Publication date: June 3, 2021
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Suketu Arun Parikh, Mihaela A. Balseanu
  • Publication number: 20210164091
    Abstract: A method for forming a film of an oxide of In, Ga, and Zn, having a spinel crystalline phase comprises providing a substrate in a chamber; providing a sputtering target in said chamber, the target comprising an oxide of In, Ga, and Zn, wherein: In, Ga, and Zn represent together at least 95 at % of the elements other than oxygen, In represents from 0.6 to 44 at % of In, Ga, and Zn, Ga represents from 22 to 66 at % of In, Ga, and Zn, and Zn represents from 20 to 46 at % of In, Ga, and Zn; and forming a film on the substrate, the substrate being at a temperature of from 125° C. to 250° C., by sputtering the target with a sputtering gas comprising O2, the sputtering being performed at a sputtering power of at least 200 W.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2020
    Publication date: June 3, 2021
    Applicants: IMEC VZW, Applied Materials Inc.
    Inventors: Hendrik F.W. Dekkers, Jose Ignacio del Agua Borniquel
  • Publication number: 20210164093
    Abstract: Methods for monitoring process chambers using a controllable plasma oxidation process followed by a controlled reduction process and metrology are described. In some embodiments, the metrology comprises measuring the reflectivity of the metal oxide film formed by the controllable plasma oxidation process and the reduced metal film or surface modified film formed by reducing the metal oxide film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2020
    Publication date: June 3, 2021
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Xiangjin Xie, Carmen Leal Cervantes
  • Publication number: 20210166921
    Abstract: An example semiconductor processing system may include a chamber body having sidewalls and a base. The processing system may also include a substrate support extending through the base of the chamber body. The substrate support may include a support platen configured to support a semiconductor substrate, and a shaft coupled with the support platen. The processing system may further include a plate coupled with the shaft of the substrate support. The plate may have an emissivity greater than 0.5. In some embodiments, the plate may include a radiation shied disposed proximate the support platen. In some embodiments, the plate may include a pumping plate disposed proximate the base of the chamber body. In some embodiments, the emissivity of the plate may range between about 0.5 and about 0.95.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2019
    Publication date: June 3, 2021
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Elizabeth Neville, Satish Radhakrishnan, Kartik Shah, Vinay Prabhakar, Venkata Sharat Chandra Parimi, Sungwon Ha
  • Publication number: 20210166923
    Abstract: Plasma source assemblies comprising an RF hot electrode having a body and at least one return electrode spaced from the RF hot electrode to provide a gap in which a plasma can be formed. An RF feed is connected to the RF hot electrode at a distance from the inner peripheral end of the RF hot electrode that is less than or equal to about 25% of the length of the RF hot electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2021
    Publication date: June 3, 2021
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Kallol Bera, Anantha K. Subramani, John C. Forster, Philip A. Kraus, Farzad Houshmand, Hanhong Chen
  • Publication number: 20210167021
    Abstract: A graphene barrier layer is disclosed. Some embodiments relate to a graphene barrier layer capable of preventing diffusion from a fill layer into a substrate surface and/or vice versa. Some embodiments relate to a graphene barrier layer that prevents diffusion of fluorine from a tungsten layer into the underlying substrate. Additional embodiments relate to electronic devices which contain a graphene barrier layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2021
    Publication date: June 3, 2021
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Yong Wu, Srinivas Gandikota, Abhijit Basu Mallick, Srinivas D. Nemani
  • Publication number: 20210166942
    Abstract: Exemplary methods of semiconductor processing may include depositing a material on a substrate seated on a substrate support housed in a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The processing region may be at least partially defined by the substrate support and a faceplate. The substrate support may be at a first position within the processing region relative to the faceplate. The methods may include translating the substrate support to a second position relative to the faceplate. The methods may include forming a plasma of an etchant precursor within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include etching an edge region of the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2019
    Publication date: June 3, 2021
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Jun Ma, Amit Bansal, Tuan A. Nguyen
  • Patent number: 11024486
    Abstract: An exemplary system may include a chamber configured to contain a semiconductor substrate in a processing region of the chamber. The system may include a first remote plasma unit fluidly coupled with a first access of the chamber and configured to deliver a first precursor into the chamber through the first access. The system may still further include a second remote plasma unit fluidly coupled with a second access of the chamber and configured to deliver a second precursor into the chamber through the second access. The first and second access may be fluidly coupled with a mixing region of the chamber that is separate from and fluidly coupled with the processing region of the chamber. The mixing region may be configured to allow the first and second precursors to interact with each other externally from the processing region of the chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Dmitry Lubomirsky, Xinglong Chen, Shankar Venkataraman
  • Patent number: 11022968
    Abstract: Described herein are methods, apparatuses, and systems for reducing equipment repair time. Disclosed methods include collecting data including test substrate data or other metrology data and fault detection data for maintenance recovery of at least one manufacturing tool in a manufacturing facility. Disclosed methods include determining a relationship between tool parameter settings for the at least one manufacturing tool and at least some collected data including the test substrate data. The disclosure includes utilizing virtual metrology predictive algorithms and at least some collected data to obtain a metrology prediction and applying multivariate run-to-run (R2R) control modeling to obtain a tool parameter adjustment for at least one target parameter for the at least one manufacturing tool. The disclosure further includes applying the R2R control modeling to obtain tool parameter adjustments for at least one manufacturing tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Jimmy Iskandar, Jianping Zou, Parris C. M. Hawkins, James Moyne
  • Patent number: 11021795
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to apparatus and methods for semiconductor processing, more particularly, to a thermal process chamber. The thermal process chamber includes a substrate support, a first plurality of heating elements disposed over or below the substrate support, and a spot heating module disposed over the substrate support. The spot heating module is utilized to provide local heating of cold regions on a substrate disposed on the substrate support during processing. Localized heating of the substrate improves temperature profile, which in turn improves deposition uniformity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Shu-Kwan Lau, Koji Nakanishi, Toshiyuki Nakagawa, Zuoming Zhu, Zhiyuan Ye, Joseph M. Ranish, Nyi O. Myo, Errol Antonio C. Sanchez, Schubert S. Chu