Patents Assigned to Lam Research Corporation
  • Patent number: 12283463
    Abstract: Systems and methods for multi-level pulsing are described. The systems and methods include generating four or more states. During each of the four or more states, a radio frequency (RF) generator generates an RF signal. The RF signal has four or more power levels, and each of the four or more power levels corresponds to the four or more states. The multi-level pulsing facilitates a finer control in processing a substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2025
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Ying Wu, Maolin Long, John Drewery, Vikram Singh
  • Patent number: 12283462
    Abstract: An apparatus for forming a plasma may include one or more coupling ports to accept a radiofrequency (RF) current. The apparatus may additionally include one or more coupling structures which may include one or more conductive loops to permit the RF current to conduct from at least a first portion of the one or more coupling ports to at least a second port of the one or more coupling ports. The one or more conductive loops may each be configured to exhibit a first value of inductance in the absence of the plasma and to exhibit a second value of inductance in the presence of the plasma. The one or more coupling structures may each include a reactive element, in which each reactive element is coupled to a corresponding one of the one or more conductive loops so as to form a corresponding number of coupling structures. Each RF coupling structure may have a resonant frequency that increases in response to the presence of the plasma.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2025
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Hema Swaroop Mopidevi, Lee Chen, Thomas W. Anderson, Shaun Tyler Smith, Neil M. P. Benjamin
  • Patent number: 12283451
    Abstract: A method includes: receiving a first signal from a first sensor at a first filter and preventing passage of a first portion of the first signal via the first filter. The first portion of the first signal is at a first RF. A second portion of the first signal is indicative of a first temperature of a first electrode in a plasma chamber. The method further includes: outputting a second signal from the first filter; receiving the second signal at a second filter; and preventing passage of a portion of the second signal via the second filter. The portion of the second signal is at a second RF. The second RF is less than the first RF. The first filter and the second filter are implemented on a printed circuit board. The method further includes adjusting a temperature of the first electrode based on an output of the second filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2025
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Vince Burkhart, Christopher Ramsayer, Mohan Thilagaraj
  • Patent number: 12283461
    Abstract: Systems and methods for increasing peak ion energy with a low angular spread of ions are described. In one of the systems, multiple radio frequency (RF) generators that are coupled to an upper electrode associated with a plasma chamber are operated in two different states, such as two different frequency levels, for pulsing of the RF generators. The pulsing of the RF generators facilitates a transfer of ion energy during one of the states to another one of the states for increasing ion energy during the other state to further increase a rate of processing a substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2024
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2025
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Juline Shoeb, Ying Wu, Alex Paterson
  • Patent number: 12280091
    Abstract: Apparatuses and methods are provided. Some methods may include providing a substrate to a processing chamber, the substrate having a first material adjacent to and covering a surface of a second material, modifying a layer of the first material by flowing a first process gas onto the substrate and thereby creating a modified layer of the first material, removing the modified layer of the first material by flowing a second process gas onto the substrate, and converting, when the surface of the second material is uncovered via removal of the modified layer, the surface to a converted layer of the second material by flowing a third process gas onto the substrate, in which the first and second process gases are less reactive with the converted layer than with the first material and the second material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2025
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Andreas Fischer, Thorsten Bernd Lill
  • Patent number: 12281402
    Abstract: A cell to process a substrate includes at least one chamber wall, a membrane frame, and a membrane. The at least one chamber wall is arranged to form a cavity below a holder of the substrate. The membrane frame is disposed on the at least one chamber wall and across the cavity. The membrane is supported by the membrane frame and separating a first electrolyte from a second electrolyte. The membrane includes a surface extending from a center of the cavity radially outward at an angle relative to a reference plane, and wherein the angle is greater than or equal to 0° and less than or equal to 3°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2025
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Frederick Dean Wilmot, Robert Rash, Nirmal Shankar Sigamani, Gabriel Graham
  • Patent number: 12278112
    Abstract: A method for performing an etch process on a substrate includes applying a bias signal and a source signal to an electrode of a plasma processing system. The bias signal and the source signal are pulsed RF signals that together define a repeated pulsed RF cycle, wherein each pulsed RF cycle sequentially includes a first state, a second state, a third state, and a fourth state. The power level of the bias signal in the first state is greater than in the third state, which is greater than in the second state, which is greater than in the fourth state. The power level of the source signal in the first state is greater than in the third state, which is greater than in the second state, which is greater than in the fourth state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2025
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Aniruddha Joi, Nikhil Dole, Merrett Wong, Eric Hudson, Jay Sheth
  • Patent number: 12278125
    Abstract: Methods for making thin-films on semiconductor substrates, which may be patterned using EUV, include: depositing the organometallic polymer-like material onto the surface of the semiconductor substrate, exposing the surface to EUV to form a pattern, and developing the pattern for later transfer to underlying layers. The depositing operations may be performed by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), and ALD with a CVD component, such as a discontinuous, ALD-like process in which metal precursors and counter-reactants are separated in either time or space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2025
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Jengyi Yu, Samantha S. H. Tan, Mohammed Haroon Alvi, Richard Wise, Yang Pan, Richard Alan Gottscho, Adrien Lavoie, Sivananda Krishnan Kanakasabapathy, Timothy William Weidman, Qinghuang Lin, Jerome S. Hubacek
  • Publication number: 20250118592
    Abstract: Semiconductor processing tools with wafer back-side processing capabilities are disclosed. Such tools may be configured to only contact wafers being processed through edge contact, as opposed to underside/planar contact. Such tools may also include wafer-centering features that may allow such wafers to be precisely centered with regard to a particular wafer processing station thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2023
    Publication date: April 10, 2025
    Applicant: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Nick Ray Linebarger, Jr., Richard M. Blank, Daniel Boatright, Fayaz A. Shaikh, Eric Thomas Dixon, Michael John Janicki, Adriana Vintila, Xin Yin, Conor Charles Arcuri
  • Patent number: 12270103
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for depositing thin films using plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) with ramping radio-frequency (RF) power are provided herein. Embodiments involve increasing the RF power setting of PEALD cycles after formation of initial screening layers at low RF power settings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Jeremy David Fields, Frank Loren Pasquale
  • Patent number: 12270748
    Abstract: An apparatus for measuring contamination on a critical surface of a part is provided. A vessel for mounting the part is provided. An inert gas source is in fluid connection with the vessel and adapted to provide an inert gas to the vessel. At least one diffuser receives the inert gas from the vessel, wherein the critical surface of the part is exposed to the inert gas when the part is mounted in the vessel. At least one analyzer is adapted to receive inert gas from the at least one diffuser and measures contaminants in the inert gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Amir A. Yasseri, Girish M. Hundi, John Michael Kerns, Duane Outka, John Daugherty, Cliff La Croix
  • Patent number: 12272570
    Abstract: Several designs of a gas distribution device for a substrate processing system are provided. The gas distribution device includes a dual plenum showerhead. Additionally, designs for a light blocking structure used with the showerheads are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2024
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION
    Inventors: Dengliang Yang, Haoquan Fang, David Cheung, Gnanamani Amburose, Eunsuk Ko, Wei Yi Luo, Dan Zhang
  • Patent number: 12272583
    Abstract: A system comprises an equipment front end module (EFEM), a vacuum transfer module (VTM), a plurality off quad station process modules (QSMs). The EFEM is configured to receive a plurality of wafers. The EFEM comprises an EFEM transfer robot. The vacuum transfer module (VTM) is configured to receive the plurality of wafers from the EFEM. The VTM comprises a VTM transfer robot. The plurality of quad station process modules (QSMs) is coupled to the VTM. The VTM transfer robot is configured Oto transfer wafers between the VTM and the plurality of QSMs. The EFEM transfer robot is configured to transfer wafers between the EFEM and the VTM.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher W. Burkhart, Richard H. Gould, Candi Kristoffersen, Michael Nordin, Richard M. Blank, Hironobu Yasuumi
  • Patent number: 12272608
    Abstract: Methods for reducing warpage of bowed semiconductor substrates, including providing a first substrate to a first station in a semiconductor processing chamber, providing a second substrate to a second station in the semiconductor processing chamber, concurrently depositing a first bow compensation layer of material on the backside of the first substrate at the first station and a first bow compensation layer of material on the backside of the second substrate at the second station, and depositing a second bow compensation layer of material on the backside of the first substrate, while the first substrate is at the first station and the second substrate is at the second station, and while not concurrently depositing material on the backside of the second substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Yanhui Huang, Vignesh Chandrasekar
  • Patent number: 12272571
    Abstract: Several designs of a gas distribution device for a substrate processing system are provided. The gas distribution device includes a dual plenum showerhead. Additionally, designs for a light blocking structure used with the showerheads are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2024
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION
    Inventors: Dengliang Yang, Haoquan Fang, David Cheung, Gnanamani Amburose, Eunsuk Ko, Wei Yi Luo, Dan Zhang
  • Patent number: 12274047
    Abstract: A method for reducing bending of word lines in a memory cell includes a) providing a substrate including a plurality of word lines arranged adjacent to one another and above a plurality of transistors; b) depositing a layer of film on the plurality of word lines using a deposition process; c) after depositing the layer of film, measuring word line bending; d) comparing the word line bending to a predetermined range; e) based on the word line bending, adjusting at least one of nucleation delay and grain size of the deposition process; and f) repeating b) to e) one or more times using one or more substrates, respectively, until the word line bending is within the predetermined range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Gorun Butail, Shruti Thombare, Ishtak Karim, Patrick Van Cleemput
  • Patent number: 12272591
    Abstract: In an example, a showerhead pedestal assembly for a substrate processing chamber is provided. The showerhead pedestal assembly includes a faceplate. A platen is disposed within the faceplate and includes a heater element extending through at least one groove in the faceplate. The at least one groove is profiled to accept at least one portion of the heater element. A periphery of the platen is joined to an interior surface of the faceplate by a friction stir welded joint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Nick Ray Linebarger, Jr., Prahalad Narasinghdas Agarwal, Ravikumar Sadashiv Patil, Damodar Rajaram Shanbhag
  • Publication number: 20250112045
    Abstract: Dry development of resists can be useful, for example, to form a patterning mask in the context of high-resolution patterning. Dry development may be advantageously accomplished by a method of processing a semiconductor substrate including providing in a process chamber a photopatterned resist on a substrate layer on a semiconductor substrate, and dry developing the photopatterned resist by removing either an exposed portion or an unexposed portion of the resist by a dry development process comprising exposure to a chemical compound to form a resist mask. The resist may be an EUV-sensitive organo-metal oxide or organo-metal-containing thin film EUV resist.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2024
    Publication date: April 3, 2025
    Applicant: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Boris Volosskiy, Timothy William Weidman, Samantha SiamHwa Tan, Chenghao Wu, Kevin Li Gu
  • Patent number: 12266588
    Abstract: A temperature-controlled pedestal includes a pedestal, a temperature sensor to sense N temperature in N zones, and N temperature control devices arranged in the N zones, respectively. A voltage source selectively supplies power to the N temperature control devices. A controller is configured to cause the voltage source to control a temperature in the N zones by a) determining a hottest one of the N zones based on the N temperatures; b) if the hottest one of the N zones is not already cooling, increasing cooling to the hottest one of the N zones using one of the N temperature control devices; c) decreasing cooling to the N zones when a temperature of the N zones is less than a first temperature setpoint; and d) repeating a) to c) until all of the N zones have a temperate less than or equal to the first temperature setpoint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2025
    Assignee: LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mrinal Kumar, Harisprasad Hegde, Vishwajith Nirebailur, Harish Neelam Reddy
  • Patent number: D1069043
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2025
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Danae Nicole Kay, Thomas Mark Pratt, Matthew Palmer Kwan