Patents Examined by Bret P Chen
-
Patent number: 11390947Abstract: A method of forming a fluorinated metal film is provided. The method includes positioning an object in an atomic layer deposition (ALD) chamber having a processing region, depositing a metal-oxide containing layer on an object using an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, depositing a metal-fluorine layer on the metal-oxide containing layer using an activated fluorination process, and repeating the depositing the metal-oxide containing layer and the depositing the metal-oxide containing layer until a fluorinated metal film with a predetermined film thickness is formed. The activated fluorination process includes introducing a first flow of a fluorine precursor (FP) to the processing region. The FP includes at least one organofluorine reagent or at least one fluorinated gas.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2020Date of Patent: July 19, 2022Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Nitin Deepak, Suresh Chand Seth, Prerna Sonthalia Goradia, Geetika Bajaj, Darshan Thakare, Jennifer Y. Sun, Gayatri Natu
-
Patent number: 11393729Abstract: An apparatus for supporting a wafer during a plasma processing operation includes a pedestal configured to have bottom surface and a top surface and a column configured to support the pedestal at a central region of the bottom surface of the pedestal. An electrical insulating layer is disposed over the top surface of the pedestal. An electrically conductive layer is disposed over the top surface of the electrical insulating layer. At least three electrically conductive support structures are distributed on the electrically conductive layer. The at least three support structures are configured to interface with a bottom surface of a wafer to physically support the wafer and electrically connect to the wafer. An electrical connection extends from the electrically conductive layer to connect with a positive terminal of a direct current power supply at a location outside of the pedestal.Type: GrantFiled: November 27, 2019Date of Patent: July 19, 2022Assignee: Lam Research CorporationInventors: Yukinori Sakiyama, Edward Augustyniak, Douglas Keil
-
Patent number: 11390946Abstract: Methods of forming a transition metal containing film on a substrate by a cyclical deposition process are disclosed. The methods may include: contacting the substrate with a first vapor phase reactant comprising a transition metal halide compound comprising a bidentate nitrogen containing adduct ligand; and contacting the substrate with a second vapor phase reactant comprising a reducing agent precursor. The deposition methods may also include forming a transition metal containing film with an electrical resistivity of less than 50 ??-cm at a film thickness of less than 50 nanometers.Type: GrantFiled: January 7, 2020Date of Patent: July 19, 2022Assignee: ASM IP Holding B.V.Inventors: Timo Hatanpää, Katja Väyrynen, Mikko Ritala, Markku Leskelä
-
Patent number: 11377733Abstract: A method of depositing tungsten over a substrate includes disposing the substrate into a vacuum enclosure of a tungsten deposition apparatus, performing a first tungsten deposition process that deposits a first tungsten layer over a physically exposed surface of the substrate by flowing a fluorine-containing tungsten precursor gas into the vacuum enclosure, performing an in-situ oxidation process by exposing the first tungsten layer to an oxidation agent gas while the substrate remains within the vacuum enclosure without breaking vacuum and forming a tungsten oxyfluoride gas which is pumped out of the vacuum enclosure, and performing a second tungsten deposition process that deposits a second tungsten layer on the first tungsten layer by flowing the fluorine-containing tungsten precursor gas into the vacuum enclosure in a second tungsten deposition process after the in-situ oxidation process.Type: GrantFiled: August 7, 2020Date of Patent: July 5, 2022Assignee: SANDISK TECHNOLOGIES LLCInventors: Fei Zhou, Raghuveer S. Makala, Rahul Sharangpani, Yusuke Mukae, Naoki Takeguchi
-
Patent number: 11377735Abstract: A device for depositing at least one radical chalcogenide thin film on an element to be treated including an intake area and a diffusion area receiving the element to be treated, the intake area and the diffusion area extending along a longitudinal axis, a radical hydrogen source connected to the intake area, pumping means, means for injecting a reagent reacting with the radical hydrogen to form H2S, and means for supplying a precursor to the diffusion area. The injection means inject the reagent into a central area of the intake area in the longitudinal direction within the radical hydrogen flow. The pumping means are controlled so as to operate during the reagent injection, and generate a flow of H2S along the element to be treated in order to activate said element so as to absorb the precursor.Type: GrantFiled: October 31, 2017Date of Patent: July 5, 2022Assignee: COMMISSARIAT A L'ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVESInventor: Remy Gassilloud
-
Patent number: 11371138Abstract: Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processes which use a ruthenium precursor of formula R1R2Ru(0), wherein R1 is an aryl group-containing ligand, and R2 is a diene group-containing ligand and a reducing gas a described. The CVD can include oxygen after an initial deposition period using the ruthenium precursor and reducing gas. The method can provide selective Ru deposition on conductive materials while minimizing deposition on non-conductive or less conductive materials. Further, the subsequent use of oxygen can significantly improve deposition rate while minimizing or eliminating oxidative damage of the substrate material. The method can be used to form Ru-containing layers on integrated circuits and other microelectronic devices.Type: GrantFiled: November 4, 2019Date of Patent: June 28, 2022Assignee: ENTEGRIS, INC.Inventors: Philip S. H. Chen, Bryan C. Hendrix, Thomas H. Baum
-
Patent number: 11365479Abstract: Forming a protective coating ex situ in an atomic layer deposition process to coat one or more chamber components subsequently installed in a reaction chamber provides a number of benefits over more conventional coating methods such as in situ deposition of an undercoat. In certain cases the protective coating may have a particular composition such as aluminum oxide, aluminum fluoride, aluminum nitride, yttrium oxide, and/or yttrium fluoride. The protective coating may help reduce contamination on wafers processed using the coated chamber component. Further, the protective coating may act to stabilize the processing conditions within the reaction chamber, thereby achieving very stable/uniform processing results over the course of processing many batches of wafers, and minimizing radical loss. Also described are a number of techniques that may be used to restore the protective coating after the coated chamber component is used to process semiconductor wafers.Type: GrantFiled: July 22, 2020Date of Patent: June 21, 2022Assignee: Lam Research CorporationInventors: Damodar Shanbhag, Guangbi Yuan, Thadeous Bamford, Curtis Warren Bailey, Tony Kaushal, Krishna Birru, William Schlosser, Bo Gong, Huatan Qiu, Fengyuan Lai, Leonard Wai Fung Kho, Anand Chandrashekar, Andrew H. Breninger, Chen-Hua Hsu, Geoffrey Hohn, Gang Liu, Rohit Khare
-
Patent number: 11348794Abstract: A film forming method includes: repeatedly performing a source gas adsorption process including supplying a source gas containing a metal element to form a nitride film on a substrate in a chamber and purging a residual gas, and a nitriding process including supplying a nitriding gas onto the substrate and purging a residual gas; and supplying a hydrazine-based compound gas as a part or all of the nitriding gas.Type: GrantFiled: June 6, 2019Date of Patent: May 31, 2022Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITEDInventors: Hideo Nakamura, Yosuke Serizawa, Yoshikazu Ideno, Hiroaki Ashizawa, Takaya Shimizu, Seishi Murakami
-
Patent number: 11339478Abstract: A susceptor device for a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor including metal organic CVD (MOCVD) used in the semiconductor industry. The susceptor device particularly is used with induction heating and includes a horizontal plate adapted for holding one or more wafers and a vertical rod around which the induction heating coils are disposed. A screw system and an insulator can further be used. This design helps prevent undesired levitation and allows for the gas injectors of the reactors to be placed closer to the wafer for deposition during high-temperature deposition processes at susceptor surface temperatures of about 1500° C. or higher.Type: GrantFiled: September 18, 2017Date of Patent: May 24, 2022Assignees: KING ABDULLAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, KING FAHD UNIVERSITY OF PETROLEUM AND MINERALSInventors: Xiaohang Li, Kuang-Hui Li, Hamad S. Alotaibi
-
Patent number: 11339475Abstract: An apparatus and a method for depositing a film layer that may have minimum contribution to overlay error after a sequence of deposition and lithographic exposure processes are provided. In one example, a method includes positioning a substrate on a substrate support in a process chamber, and flowing a deposition gas mixture comprising a silicon containing gas and a reacting gas to the process chamber through a showerhead having a convex surface facing the substrate support or a concave surface facing the substrate support in accordance with a stress profile of the substrate. A plasma is formed in the presence of the deposition gas mixture in the process chamber by applying an RF power to multiple coupling points of the showerhead that are symmetrically arranged about a center point of the showerhead. A deposition process is then performed on the substrate.Type: GrantFiled: November 8, 2019Date of Patent: May 24, 2022Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Xinhai Han, Deenesh Padhi, Daemian Raj Benjamin Raj, Kristopher Enslow, Wenjiao Wang, Masaki Ogata, Sai Susmita Addepalli, Nikhil Sudhindrarao Jorapur, Gregory Eugene Chichkanoff, Shailendra Srivastava, Jonghoon Baek, Zakaria Ibrahimi, Juan Carlos Rocha-Alvarez, Tza-Jing Gung
-
Patent number: 11319332Abstract: A process including bringing a solid substrate in contact with a compound of general formula (I), (II), (III), or (IV) in the gaseous state where A is NR2 or OR with R being an alkyl group, an alkenyl group, an aryl group, or a silyl group, E is NR or O, n is 0, 1 or 2, m is 0, 1 or 2, and R? is hydrogen, an alkyl group, an alkenyl group, an aryl group, or a silyl group.Type: GrantFiled: September 17, 2018Date of Patent: May 3, 2022Assignees: BASF SE, Wayne State UniversityInventors: David Dominique Schweinfurth, Lukas Mayr, Sinja Verena Klenk, Sabine Weiguny, Charles Hartger Winter, Kyle Blakeney, Nilanka Weerathunga Sirikkathuge, Tharindu Malawara Arachchige Nimanthaka Karunaratne
-
Patent number: 11313038Abstract: A method of fabricating semi-polar gallium nitride includes providing a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate. The SOI substrate includes a substrate, a silicon oxide layer and a silicon substrate. The silicon substrate has (1,0,0) facets. The silicon oxide layer is disposed between the substrate and the silicon substrate. Later, a vapor etching process is performed to etch the (1,0,0) facets to form (1,1,1) facets. The vapor etching process is performed by disposing a nebulizer under the SOI substrate. The top surface of the silicon substrate faces the nebulizer. Later, the nebulizer turns etchant into mist to etch the (1,0,0) facets by the mist to form (1,1,1) facets. Finally, an epitaxial process is performed to grow a semi-polar gallium nitride layer on the (1,1,1) facets.Type: GrantFiled: April 19, 2021Date of Patent: April 26, 2022Assignee: Wafer Works CorporationInventors: Wen-Chung Li, Ping-Hai Chiao
-
Patent number: 11316169Abstract: Described herein are methods of forming an electrocatalyst structure on an electrode, comprising depositing a first layer on the electrode using atomic layer deposition (ALD), wherein the first layer comprises a plurality of discrete nanoparticles of a first electrocatalyst, and depositing one or more of a second layer on the first layer and the electrode using ALD, wherein the one or more second layer comprises a second electrocatalyst, wherein the first layer and the one or more second layers, collectively, form a multi-layer electrocatalyst structure on the electrode. Also described are electrodes having a multi-layer electrocatalyst structure. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.Type: GrantFiled: June 12, 2019Date of Patent: April 26, 2022Assignee: West Virginia UniversityInventors: Xueyan Song, Yun Chen, Kirk Gerdes
-
Patent number: 11315770Abstract: An exhaust device including an exhaust mechanism and an exhaust unit is provided. The exhaust mechanism includes a first blade unit and a second blade unit provided in an exhaust space of a processing vessel including a processing space of a vacuum atmosphere for applying a process to a workpiece. The first blade unit and the second blade unit are arranged coaxially with a periphery of the workpiece, and at least one of the first blade unit and the second blade unit is rotatable. The exhaust unit is provided at a downstream side of the exhaust mechanism and communicates with the exhaust space. The exhaust unit is configured to exhaust gas in the processing vessel.Type: GrantFiled: November 30, 2018Date of Patent: April 26, 2022Assignee: Tokyo Electron LimitedInventors: Kazuya Nagaseki, Kazuki Moyama, Toshiya Matsuda, Naokazu Furuya, Tatsuro Ohshita
-
Patent number: 11307357Abstract: Techniques for overcoating slanted structures and devices obtained using the techniques are disclosed. In some embodiments, a method of forming an overcoat layer on a surface-relief structure on a substrate includes receiving the substrate with the surface-relief structure. The surface-relief structure includes a plurality of ridges slanted with respect to the substrate, and a plurality of grooves each between two adjacent ridges. The method further includes depositing, in each cycle of a plurality of cycles, a uniform layer of an overcoat material on surfaces of the plurality of ridges and bottoms of the plurality of grooves. The deposited layers of the overcoat material and the plurality of ridges collectively form a light-coupling structure on the substrate. A surface of the overcoat layer is planar.Type: GrantFiled: October 22, 2019Date of Patent: April 19, 2022Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLCInventor: Nihar Ranjan Mohanty
-
Patent number: 11293101Abstract: A method for fabricating a perovskite film includes the steps of: placing a substrate on a substrate stage in a chamber, the substrate stage configured to rotate around its central axis at a rotation speed; depositing first source materials on the substrate from a first set of evaporation units, each coupled to the side section or the bottom section of the chamber; depositing second source materials on the substrate from a second set of evaporation units coupled to the bottom section, wherein the chamber includes a shield defining two or more zones having respective horizontal cross-sectional areas, which are open and facing the substrate, designated for the two or more evaporation units in the second set. The perovskite film includes multiple unit layers each being formed by one rotation of the substrate stage, and having composition and thickness thereof controlled by adjusting evaporation rates, rotation speed and horizontal cross-sectional areas.Type: GrantFiled: March 19, 2019Date of Patent: April 5, 2022Assignee: OKINAWA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY SCHOOL CORPORATIONInventors: Yabing Qi, Luis Ono, Shenghao Wang
-
Patent number: 11286163Abstract: A method for making a carbon nanotube array includes placing a gas diffusing unit defining an outlet in a chamber including a first inlet and a second inlet. A gas transporting pipe haves a first end and a second end opposite to the first end, the second end is connected to the gas diffusing unit, and the first end passes through the second inlet and extends out of the chamber. A growth substrate defining a through hole covers the outlet. A carbon source gas and a protective gas is supplied to the chamber from the first inlet, to grow a carbon nanotube array including multiple carbon nanotubes. Each carbon nanotube has a bottom end. Then the carbon source gas is stopped supplying, and an oxygen containing gas is supplied to the gas transporting pipe, to oxidize the bottom end.Type: GrantFiled: August 10, 2020Date of Patent: March 29, 2022Assignees: Tsinghua University, HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.Inventors: Liang Liu, Qi Cai, Shou-Shan Fan
-
Patent number: 11286553Abstract: Provided is a method of vacuum deposition to deposit at least two functional coatings to a substrate, including (a) evaporating a first film forming material from a first evaporation source disposed in a vacuum deposition chamber, (b) depositing the evaporated first film forming material on a substrate located above the first evaporation source to form at least a portion of an anti-reflective coating on the substrate, (c) evaporating a second film forming material from a second evaporating source disposed in the vacuum deposition chamber, and (d) depositing the evaporated second film forming materials on the substrate located above the second evaporation source to form a hydrophobic coating on the substrate.Type: GrantFiled: March 11, 2015Date of Patent: March 29, 2022Assignee: Essilor InternationalInventors: Brian McCrady, Alain Mathieu, Cesar Maksoud, Todd Lane Jacobs
-
Patent number: 11268190Abstract: Processes for depositing silicon-containing films (e.g., silicon, amorphous silicon, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon carbide, silicon oxynitride, silicon carbonitride, doped silicon films, and metal-doped silicon nitride films) are performed using halidosilane precursors. Examples of halidosilane precursor compounds described herein, include, but are not limited to, monochlorodisilane (MCDS), monobromodisilane (MBDS), monoiododisilane (MIDS), monochlorotrisilane (MCTS), and monobromotrisilane (MBTS), monoiodotrisilane (MITS). Also described herein are methods for depositing silicon containing films such as, without limitation, silicon, amorphous silicon, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon carbide, silicon oxynitride, silicon carbonitride, doped silicon films, and metal-doped silicon nitride films, at one or more deposition temperatures of about 500° C. or less.Type: GrantFiled: June 14, 2016Date of Patent: March 8, 2022Assignee: Versum Materials US, LLCInventors: Xinjian Lei, Jianheng Li, John Francis Lehmann, Alan Charles Cooper
-
Patent number: 11248293Abstract: An apparatus includes: a vacuum container having a vacuum atmosphere for a film forming process on each substrate; a stage for heating the substrate mounted thereon; a shower head including a facing portion that faces the stage and ejection ports opened in the facing portion, which supplies a film-forming gas to the substrate through the ports so as to form a film on the substrate; a cleaning gas supply part for supplying a cleaning gas into the container to clean the interior of the container in a state where no substrate is accommodated in the container while the film forming process is applied on the each of the plurality of substrates; and a non-porous coating film for covering a base material constituting the shower head at least in the facing portion to form a surface of the shower head when the film-forming gas is supplied to each substrate.Type: GrantFiled: August 30, 2019Date of Patent: February 15, 2022Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITEDInventors: Hirotaka Kuwada, Yu Nunoshige, Yasushi Fujii