Patents Assigned to Lam Research AG
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Patent number: 9597703Abstract: A slit nozzle for dispensing liquid onto a surface of a wafer, comprises a nozzle body having a discharge opening whose length is from 10-100 mm and whose width is from 0.5-5 mm. The nozzle body has a dispensing chamber positioned upstream of the discharge opening and extending to the discharge opening, and a liquid distribution chamber positioned upstream of the dispensing chamber. The dispensing chamber and the liquid distribution chamber are in fluid communication with one another and are separated by a reduction section of the nozzle body whose cross-sectional area is at least 20% less than a cross-sectional area of each of the discharge opening and the liquid distribution chamber.Type: GrantFiled: February 18, 2015Date of Patent: March 21, 2017Assignee: LAM RESEARCH AGInventors: Stefan Detterbeck, Thomas Passegger, Bhaskar Bandarapu, Richard Findenig
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Patent number: 9597701Abstract: An apparatus for processing wafer-shaped articles comprises a closed process chamber providing a gas-tight enclosure. A rotary chuck is located within the closed process chamber, and is adapted to hold a wafer shaped article thereon. A lid is secured to an upper part of the closed process chamber. The lid comprises an annular chamber, gas inlets communicating with the annular chamber and opening on a surface of the lid facing outwardly of the closed process chamber, and gas outlets communicating with the annular chamber and opening on a surface of the lid facing inwardly of the closed process chamber.Type: GrantFiled: December 31, 2013Date of Patent: March 21, 2017Assignee: LAM RESEARCH AGInventors: Rainer Obweger, Andreas Gleissner, Philipp Engesser
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Patent number: 9589818Abstract: An apparatus for treating a wafer-shaped article includes a rotary chuck configured to hold a wafer-shaped article of a predetermined diameter such that a surface of the wafer-shaped article facing the rotary chuck is spaced from an upper surface of the rotary chuck. A ring is mounted on the rotary chuck, and includes a first upper surface overlapping an outer peripheral edge of a wafer-shaped article when positioned on the rotary chuck and a second upper surface positioned radially inwardly of the first surface. The second upper surface is elevated relative to the first upper surface, to define an annular gap between the second upper surface and a wafer-shaped article when positioned on the spin chuck that is smaller than a distance between the first upper surface and a wafer-shaped article when positioned on the rotary chuck.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2012Date of Patent: March 7, 2017Assignee: Lam Research AGInventors: Koichi Tasaka, Masaichiro Ken Matsushita
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Patent number: 9548223Abstract: A device and method for processing wafer-shaped articles comprises a process chamber and a rotary chuck located within the process chamber. The rotary chuck is adapted to be driven without physical contact through a magnetic bearing. The rotary chuck comprises a series of gripping pins adapted to hold a wafer shaped article in a position depending downwardly from the rotary chuck. The rotary chuck further comprises a plate that rotates together with the rotary chuck. The plate is positioned above an area occupied by the wafer-shaped article, and shields upper surfaces of the process chamber from liquids flung off of a wafer-shaped article during use of the rotary chuck.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 2011Date of Patent: January 17, 2017Assignee: LAM RESEARCH AGInventors: Dieter Frank, Robert Rogatschnig, Andreas Gleissner
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Patent number: 9548221Abstract: The wet treatment of wafer-shaped articles is improved by utilizing a droplet generator designed to produce a spray of monodisperse droplets. The droplet generator is mounted above a spin chuck, and is moved across a major surface of the wafer-shaped article in a linear or arcuate path. The droplet generator includes a transducer acoustically coupled to its body such that sonic energy reaches a region of the body surrounding the discharge orifices. Each orifice has a width w of at least 1 ?m and at most 200 ?m and a height h such that a ratio of h to w is not greater than 1.Type: GrantFiled: March 5, 2014Date of Patent: January 17, 2017Assignee: LAM RESEARCH AGInventors: Frank Holsteyns, Alexander Lippert
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Patent number: 9536770Abstract: An apparatus for processing wafer-shaped articles includes a rotary chuck adapted to hold a wafer shaped article thereon. The rotary chuck includes a peripheral series of pins configured to contact an edge region of a wafer-shaped article. Each of the pins projects upwardly from the rotary chuck, and each of the pins is individually secured to the rotary chuck by a respective connecting mechanism. Any selected one of the pins can be removed from the rotary chuck by disconnecting its corresponding connecting mechanism without removing any structure of the rotary chuck that surrounds any others of the pins.Type: GrantFiled: January 14, 2014Date of Patent: January 3, 2017Assignee: LAM RESEARCH AGInventors: Michael Brugger, Karl-Heinz Hohenwarter, Dieter Spitaler, Gerald Anton
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Patent number: 9500405Abstract: An apparatus for processing wafer-shaped articles comprises a rotary chuck adapted to hold a wafer shaped article of a predetermined diameter in a predetermined orientation. The chuck includes a heater comprising a plurality of gas nozzles directed toward a surface of a wafer shaped article when held by the chuck. The heater comprises a gas inlet and at least one heating element for heating gas to be discharged through the plurality of gas nozzles. The heater is configured to heat a wafer shaped article principally by convective heat transfer from heated gas discharged through the plurality of gas nozzles.Type: GrantFiled: October 28, 2014Date of Patent: November 22, 2016Assignee: LAM RESEARCH AGInventors: Iztok Hace, Martin Navarre
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Patent number: 9484229Abstract: A device for processing wafer-shaped articles includes a spin chuck for holding and rotating a wafer-shaped article about a rotation axis and at least one dispenser for dispensing liquid onto at least one surface of a wafer-shaped article. A liquid collector surrounds the spin chuck for collecting liquid spun off the substrate during rotation, with at least two collector levels for separately collecting liquids in different collector levels. At least one lifting device moves the spin chuck relative to the liquid collector. At least two exhaust levels are provided for separately collecting gas from an interior of the liquid collector. Each of the exhaust levels includes at least one opening communicating with an ambient exterior of the liquid collector and a door that closes and opens the opening. Each door on one of the exhaust levels can be opened and closed separately from each door on another exhaust level.Type: GrantFiled: November 14, 2011Date of Patent: November 1, 2016Assignee: LAM RESEARCH AGInventors: Otto Lach, Christian Aufegger, Reinhold Schwarzenbacher
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Patent number: 9418883Abstract: A device for holding a wafer-shaped article comprises an annular chuck base body having a plurality of movable contact elements for securing a wafer-shaped article to the annular chuck base body, and a gear mechanism driving the contact elements in unison between a first position and a second position. The annular chuck base body comprises a housing formed from a material that is resistant to attack by strong inorganic acids. The annular chuck base body also comprises a reinforcing ring fitted within the housing and formed from a material whose coefficient of linear thermal expansion is substantially less than that of the housing material.Type: GrantFiled: July 3, 2013Date of Patent: August 16, 2016Assignee: LAM RESEARCH AGInventors: Andreas Gleissner, Thomas Wirnsberger
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Patent number: 9355883Abstract: In an apparatus and method for treating a wafer-shaped article, a spin chuck is provided for holding a wafer-shaped article in a predetermined orientation wherein a lower surface of the wafer-shaped article is spaced a predetermined distance from an upper surface of the spin chuck. A heating assembly comprising at least one infrared heater is mounted above the upper surface of the spin chuck and below a wafer-shaped article when mounted on the spin chuck. The heating assembly is stationary in relation to rotation of the spin chuck.Type: GrantFiled: September 9, 2011Date of Patent: May 31, 2016Assignee: LAM RESEARCH AGInventors: Karl-Heinz Hohenwarter, Lach Otto
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Patent number: 9355836Abstract: In an apparatus and method for treating a wafer-shaped article, a spin chuck is provided for holding and rotating a wafer-shaped article. A first liquid dispenser communicates with a supply of an organic liquid and is positioned so as to dispense the organic liquid onto a surface of a wafer-shaped article. A degasifying unit is positioned upstream of the first liquid dispenser and downstream of the supply. The degasifying unit is configured to reduce a dissolved gas content of the organic liquid to less than 20% of a saturation concentration at a pressure of 1 bar.Type: GrantFiled: December 31, 2013Date of Patent: May 31, 2016Assignee: LAM RESEARCH AGInventors: Dieter Frank, Michael Dalmer
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Publication number: 20160118274Abstract: An apparatus for processing wafer-shaped articles comprises a rotary chuck adapted to hold a wafer shaped article of a predetermined diameter in a predetermined orientation. The chuck includes a heater comprising a plurality of gas nozzles directed toward a surface of a wafer shaped article when held by the chuck. The heater comprises a gas inlet and at least one heating element for heating gas to be discharged through the plurality of gas nozzles. The heater is configured to heat a wafer shaped article principally by convective heat transfer from heated gas discharged through the plurality of gas nozzles.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 28, 2014Publication date: April 28, 2016Applicant: LAM RESEARCH AGInventors: Iztok Joel HACE, Martin NAVARRE
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Patent number: 9316443Abstract: In an apparatus and process for treating wafer-shaped articles, a spin chuck holds a wafer-shaped article in a predetermined orientation relative to an upper surface of the spin chuck. The apparatus includes a heating assembly having a housing that contains at least one infrared heating element. The heating assembly is mounted above an upper surface of the spin chuck and adjacent a wafer-shaped article when mounted on the spin chuck. The housing comprises a gas inlet connected to a gas supply, and at least one outlet for discharging gas from the housing.Type: GrantFiled: August 23, 2012Date of Patent: April 19, 2016Assignee: LAM RESEARCH AGInventors: Karl-Heinz Hohenwarter, Vijay Badam, Christoph Semmelrock
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Patent number: 9305770Abstract: An apparatus for treating a wafer-shaped article, comprises a spin chuck for holding a wafer-shaped article in a predetermined orientation, a liquid dispenser for dispensing a treatment liquid onto a downwardly facing surface of a wafer-shaped article when positioned on the spin chuck, and a gas dispenser for dispensing a gas within a gap defined between the downwardly-facing surface of the wafer-shaped article and an upper surface of the spin chuck.Type: GrantFiled: August 8, 2014Date of Patent: April 5, 2016Assignee: LAM RESEARCH AGInventors: Kei Kinoshita, Keisuke Sato
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Patent number: 9287228Abstract: A method of etching a semiconductor structure, comprises contacting an under bump metallization (UBM) with an etching composition. The UBM includes an underlying layer comprising titanium and an overlying layer comprising a second metal. The etching composition is a liquid comprising at least 0.1 wt % hydrofluoric acid and at least 0.1 wt % phosphoric acid.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2014Date of Patent: March 15, 2016Assignee: LAM RESEARCH AGInventors: Harald Kraus, Hebert Schier
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Apparatus for liquid treatment of wafer shaped articles and heating system for use in such apparatus
Patent number: 9245777Abstract: An apparatus for treating a disc-shaped article comprises a spin chuck and at least three individually controllable infrared heating elements. The infrared heating elements are mounted in a stationary manner with respect to rotation of said spin chuck. At least the transparent plate positioned between the infrared heating elements and the underside of a wafer is mounted for rotation with the spin chuck. Alternatively, the transparent plate is part of a housing that encloses the infrared heating elements and that rotates with the spin chuck as the heating elements are stationary relative thereto.Type: GrantFiled: May 15, 2013Date of Patent: January 26, 2016Assignee: LAM RESEARCH AGInventors: Ante Plazonic, Vijay Kumar Badam, Michael Brugger -
Publication number: 20150380370Abstract: A method of etching a semiconductor structure, comprises contacting an under bump metallization (UBM) with an etching composition. The UBM includes an underlying layer comprising titanium and an overlying layer comprising a second metal. The etching composition is a liquid comprising at least 0.1 wt % hydrofluoric acid and at least 0.1 wt % phosphoric acid.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 26, 2014Publication date: December 31, 2015Applicant: LAM RESEARCH AGInventors: Harald KRAUS, Hebert SCHIER
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Patent number: 9190310Abstract: Improved reduction of static charge in spin chucks is achieved by providing one or more pin assemblies which are formed from chemically inert material and which include an electrically conductive inlay.Type: GrantFiled: April 16, 2010Date of Patent: November 17, 2015Assignee: LAM RESEARCH AGInventors: Michael Brugger, Otto Lach
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Patent number: 9147593Abstract: Apparatus for processing wafer-shaped articles comprises a chuck adapted to hold a wafer-shaped article of a predetermined diameter during a processing operation to be performed on the wafer-shaped article. The chuck comprises a chuck body having an outer surface that faces a wafer-shaped article when positioned on the chuck. The outer surface comprises a first electrically conductive material and the chuck body further comprises a first conductive pathway between the first conductive material and ground.Type: GrantFiled: October 10, 2012Date of Patent: September 29, 2015Assignee: LAM RESEARCH AGInventors: Otto Lach, Stephan Hoffmann
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Patent number: 9146007Abstract: A flow control system in an apparatus for treating a work piece controls a flow rate of treatment liquid dispensed from a liquid dispenser. The system includes a flow meter that measures a flow rate of liquid being supplied to the liquid dispenser, a controller that receives signals indicative of a flow rate measured by the flow meter, and a pressure regulator that regulates pressure of the liquid supply downstream of the flow meter based on control signals from the controller. At least two alternative liquid supply paths are provided downstream of the pressure regulator and upstream of an outlet of the liquid dispenser. Each supply path is equipped with a respective shutoff valve and provides a respectively different pressure drop to the treatment liquid.Type: GrantFiled: November 27, 2012Date of Patent: September 29, 2015Assignee: LAM RESEARCH AGInventors: Michael Schwaiger, Alois Goller, Christopher Miggitsch