Patents Assigned to Applied Materials
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Publication number: 20190323127Abstract: Systems and methods may be used to produce coated components. Exemplary chamber components may include an aluminum plate defining a plurality of apertures. The plate may include a nickel coating on a textured aluminum plate to provide for adhesion. Implementing the present technology, the nickel coating may be firmly affixed with or without first applying an intermediate adhesion layer. Deleterious components from the intermediate adhesion layer (if present) may not contaminate substrates as readily as a consequence of the texturing of the aluminum plate. The contamination from the intermediate adhesion layer is undesirable and may electrically compromise semiconductor devices during processing.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 19, 2018Publication date: October 24, 2019Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Laksheswar Kalita, Soonam Park, Dmitry Lubomirsky
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Patent number: 10453725Abstract: A dual-blade robot having overlapping frog-leg linkages is disclosed. The robot includes first and second arms, coplanar with each other and each rotatably coupled to a first blade, in a frog-leg configuration, and third and fourth arms, coplanar with each other and each rotatably coupled to a second blade, in a frog-leg configuration, where the third and fourth arms are vertically offset from the first and second arms. The third and fourth arms are configured to overlap at least a portion of the first and second arms when the first and second blades are in a retracted position. Methods of operating the robot and electronic device processing systems including the robot are provided, as are numerous other aspects.Type: GrantFiled: September 19, 2017Date of Patent: October 22, 2019Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventor: Paul Z. Wirth
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Patent number: 10453655Abstract: A plasma reactor for processing a workpiece has a microwave source with a digitally synthesized rotation frequency using direct digital up-conversion and a user interface for controlling the rotation frequency.Type: GrantFiled: December 7, 2018Date of Patent: October 22, 2019Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Satoru Kobayashi, Hideo Sugai, Soonam Park, Kartik Ramaswamy, Dmitry Lubomirsky
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Patent number: 10449486Abstract: A plasma abatement process for abating effluent containing compounds from a processing chamber is described. A plasma abatement process takes gaseous foreline effluent from a processing chamber, such as a deposition chamber, and reacts the effluent within a plasma chamber placed in the foreline path. The plasma dissociates the compounds within the effluent, converting the effluent into more benign compounds. Abating reagents may assist in the abating of the compounds. The abatement process may be a volatizing or a condensing abatement process. Representative volatilizing abating reagents include, for example, CH4, H2O, H2, NF3, SF6, F2, HCl, HF, Cl2, and HBr. Representative condensing abating reagents include, for example, H2, H2O, O2, N2, O3, CO, CO2, NH3, N2O, CH4, and combinations thereof.Type: GrantFiled: April 13, 2017Date of Patent: October 22, 2019Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Michael S. Cox, Monique McIntosh, Colin John Dickinson, Paul E. Fisher, Yutaka Tanaka, Zheng Yuan
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Patent number: 10453656Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a plasma chamber design that allows extremely symmetrical electrical, thermal, and gas flow conductance through the chamber. By providing such symmetry, plasma formed within the chamber naturally has improved uniformity across the surface of a substrate disposed in a processing region of the chamber. Further, other chamber additions, such as providing the ability to manipulate the gap between upper and lower electrodes as well as between a gas inlet and a substrate being processed, allows better control of plasma processing and uniformity as compared to conventional systems.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 2016Date of Patent: October 22, 2019Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: James D. Carducci, Hamid Tavassoli, Ajit Balakrishna, Zhigang Chen, Andrew Nguyen, Douglas A. Buchberger, Jr., Kartik Ramaswamy, Shahid Rauf, Kenneth S. Collins
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Patent number: 10453726Abstract: An electronic device manufacturing system includes a factory interface that has a load port. The load port may include a panel having an opening therein and a carrier door opener that seals the opening when the door is closed. The carrier door opener may have a groove along an outer portion of the door. The groove may have a cross-sectional shape of a triangular prism frustum. A hollow O-ring may be seated in the groove and is configured to engage the panel when the carrier door opener is closed against the panel. Methods of assembling a factory interface for an electronic device manufacturing system are also provided, as are other aspects.Type: GrantFiled: November 10, 2016Date of Patent: October 22, 2019Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: David T. Blahnik, Paul B. Reuter, Luke W. Bonecutter, Douglas B. Baumgarten
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Patent number: 10453684Abstract: Methods for patterning a film stack are provided. In one embodiment, a method for patterning a film stack disposed on a substrate includes performing a first etching process to etch a film stack disposed on a substrate, wherein the film stack includes a patterned photoresist layer disposed on an upper layer on a lower layer disposed on the substrate, wherein the patterned photoresist layer comprises openings defined between features and the features have a first pitch, wherein the first etching process removes between about 40 percent and about 95 percent of the lower layer exposed by the patterned photoresist layer from the film stack, performing a second etching process on the film stack, and upon completion of the second etching process, transferring the features into the upper or lower layer in the film stack having a second pitch, wherein the second pitch is shorter than the first pitch.Type: GrantFiled: May 9, 2018Date of Patent: October 22, 2019Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Ying Zhang, Lin Zhou
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Patent number: 10453727Abstract: An electronic device manufacturing system includes a factory interface that has a load port. The load port may include a panel having a back surface. The back surface may have a groove extending along an outer portion of the panel. The groove may include a neck region and a flared base region. The neck region may have a rectangular cross section that extends to a flared base region. A bulb seal or a rectangularly-shaped seal may be seated in the groove and may be configured to seal an interface between the load port and the factory interface. Methods of assembling a factory interface for an electronic device manufacturing system are also provided, as are other aspects.Type: GrantFiled: November 10, 2016Date of Patent: October 22, 2019Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventor: Luke W. Bonecutter
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Patent number: 10453678Abstract: Methods and apparatus for forming a conformal SiOC film on a surface are described. A SiCN film is formed on a substrate surface and exposed to a steam annealing process to decrease the nitrogen content, increase the oxygen content and leave the carbon content about the same. The annealed film has one or more of the wet etch rate or dielectric constant of the film.Type: GrantFiled: April 12, 2018Date of Patent: October 22, 2019Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Ning Li, Zhelin Sun, Mihaela Balseanu, Li-Qun Xia, Bhaskar Jyoti Bhuyan, Mark Saly
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Patent number: 10453721Abstract: Methods and gas flow control assemblies configured to deliver gas to process chamber zones in desired flow ratios. In some embodiments, assemblies include one or more MFCs and a back pressure controller (BPC). Assemblies includes a controller, a process gas supply, a distribution manifold, a pressure sensor coupled to the distribution manifold and configured to sense back pressure of the distribution manifold, a process chamber, a one or more mass flow controllers connected between the distribution manifold and process chamber to control gas flow there between, and a back pressure controller provided in fluid parallel relationship to the one or more mass flow controllers, wherein precise flow ratio control is achieved. Alternate embodiments include an upstream pressure controller configured to control flow of carrier gas to control back pressure. Further methods and assemblies for controlling zonal gas flow ratios are described, as are other aspects.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2016Date of Patent: October 22, 2019Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Kevin Brashear, Ashley M. Okada, Dennis L. Demars, Zhiyuan Ye, Jaidev Rajaram, Marcel E. Josephson
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Publication number: 20190318911Abstract: An apparatus for distributing plasma products includes first and second electrodes that each include planar surfaces. The first electrode forms first apertures from a first planar surface to a second planar surface; the second electrode forms second apertures from the third planar surface to the fourth planar surface. The electrodes couple through one or more adjustable couplers such that the third planar surface is disposed adjacent to the second planar surface with a gap therebetween, the gap having a gap distance. Each of the adjustable couplers has a range of adjustment. The first and second apertures are arranged such that for at least one position within the ranges of adjustment, none of the first apertures aligns with any of the second apertures to form an open straight-line path extending through both the first and second electrodes, and the gap distance is between 0.005 inch and 0.050 inch.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 17, 2018Publication date: October 17, 2019Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Tien Fak Tan, Saravjeet Singh, Dmitry Lubomirsky, Tae Wan Kim, Kenneth D. Schatz, Tae Seung Cho, Lok Kee Loh
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Patent number: 10443126Abstract: Disclosed herein is a rare-earth oxide coating on a surface of an article with one or more interruption layers to control crystal growth and methods of its formation. The coating may be deposited by atomic layer deposition and/or by chemical vapor deposition. The rare-earth oxides in the coatings disclosed herein may have an atomic crystalline phase that is different from the atomic crystalline phase or the amorphous phase of the one or more interruption layers.Type: GrantFiled: April 6, 2018Date of Patent: October 15, 2019Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Xiaowei Wu, Jennifer Y. Sun, Michael R. Rice
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Patent number: 10443125Abstract: An article comprises a body having a coating. The coating comprises a Y—O—F coating or other yttrium-based oxy-fluoride coating generated either by performing a fluorination process on a yttrium-based oxide coating or an oxidation process on a yttrium-based fluorine coating.Type: GrantFiled: April 27, 2018Date of Patent: October 15, 2019Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Xiaowei Wu, David Fenwick, Guodong Zhan, Jennifer Y. Sun, Michael R. Rice
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Patent number: 10443129Abstract: An epitaxial growth device comprises a reaction chamber defined by a substrate setting portion, a ceiling board and a sidewall portion, a heating member and reactant gas-introduction member. The ceiling board is fixed to a ring-like support portion having a through-hole as viewed from above. A diameter of the through-hole becomes reduced gradually toward a substrate-side. The ceiling board is fixed to an end portion of the substrate-side of the through-hole.Type: GrantFiled: February 7, 2013Date of Patent: October 15, 2019Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Yoshinobu Mori, Akira Okabe
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Patent number: 10446420Abstract: An epitaxial deposition chamber having an upper cone for controlling air flow above a dome in the chamber, such as a high growth rate epitaxy chamber, is described herein. The upper cone has first and second components separated by two or more gaps in the chamber, each component having a partial cylindrical region having a first concave inner surface, a first convex outer surface, and a fixed radius of curvature of the first concave inner surface, and a partial conical region extending from the partial cylindrical region, the partial conical region having a second concave inner surface, a second convex outer surface, and a varying radius of curvature of the second concave inner surface, wherein the second concave inner surface extends from the partial cylindrical region to a second radius of curvature less than the fixed radius of curvature.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2017Date of Patent: October 15, 2019Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Shinichi Oki, Yoshinobu Mori, Yuji Aoki
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Patent number: 10446428Abstract: An electronic device manufacturing system may include a factory interface having a controlled environment. The electronic device manufacturing system may also include a load port coupled to the factory interface. The load port may be configured to receive a substrate carrier thereon and may include purge apparatus and a controller. The controller may be configured to operate the load port such that any air located around and between a substrate carrier door and the load port is at least partially or entirely purged, thus reducing or preventing contamination of the controlled environment upon the opening of the substrate carrier door by the load port. Methods of operating a factory interface load port are also provided, as are other aspects.Type: GrantFiled: March 14, 2017Date of Patent: October 15, 2019Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventor: Paul B. Reuter
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Publication number: 20190311883Abstract: Exemplary semiconductor processing systems may include a processing chamber, and may include a remote plasma unit coupled with the processing chamber. Exemplary systems may also include an adapter coupled with the remote plasma unit. The adapter may include a first end and a second end opposite the first end. The adapter may define a central channel through the adapter. The adapter may define an exit from a second channel at the second end, and the adapter may define an exit from a third channel at the second end. The central channel, the second channel, and the third channel may each be fluidly isolated from one another within the adapter.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 21, 2019Publication date: October 10, 2019Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Mehmet Tugrul Samir, Dongqing Yang, Dmitry Lubomirsky, Peter Hillman, Soonam Park, Martin Yue Choy, Lala Zhu
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Publication number: 20190311900Abstract: Methods may be performed to limit footing, pitch walking, and other alignment issues. The methods may include forming a treatment gas plasma within a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may further include directing effluents of the treatment gas plasma towards a semiconductor substrate within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber, and anisotropically modifying a surface of a first material on the semiconductor substrate with the effluents of the treatment gas plasma. The methods may also include passivating a surface of a second material on the semiconductor substrate with the effluents of the treatment gas plasma. The methods may further include forming a remote fluorine-containing plasma to produce fluorine-containing plasma effluents, and flowing the fluorine-containing plasma effluents to the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 10, 2018Publication date: October 10, 2019Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Mandar B. Pandit, Mang-Mang Ling, Tom Choi, Nitin K. Ingle
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Publication number: 20190311909Abstract: Systems and methods of etching a semiconductor substrate may include flowing an oxygen-containing precursor into a substrate processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The substrate processing region may house the semiconductor substrate, and the semiconductor substrate may include an exposed metal-containing material. The methods may include flowing ammonia into the substrate processing region at a temperature above about 200° C. The methods may further include removing an amount of the metal-containing material.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 5, 2019Publication date: October 10, 2019Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Geetika Bajaj, Robert Jan Visser, Nitin Ingle, Zihui Li, Prerna Sonthalia Goradia
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Patent number: 10438849Abstract: An integrated circuit is fabricated by chemical vapor deposition or atomic layer deposition of a metal film to metal film.Type: GrantFiled: April 25, 2016Date of Patent: October 8, 2019Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: He Ren, Jie Zhou, Guannan Chen, Michael W. Stowell, Bencherki Mebarki, Mehul Naik, Srinivas D. Nemani, Nikolaos Bekiaris, Zhiyuan Wu