Patents Examined by Karla A. Moore
  • Patent number: 11145534
    Abstract: Disclosed are a support unit and a substrate treating apparatus comprising the same. The inventive concept provides a support unit that may prove temperature uniformity between facing areas on a substrate the other areas of the substrate and may solve a problem of not easily separating a substrate by a negative pressure in a pin hole when the substrate is separated from the support unit, and a substrate treating apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: SEMES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Seung Pyo Lee, Hyung Joon Kim
  • Patent number: 11145495
    Abstract: A vacuum treatment chamber includes a vacuum recipient and therein a screen. Within the screen there is provided a stationary substrate support. Within the side wall of the vacuum recipient, there is provided a substrate handling opening and in the screen, a substrate handling cut-out. A drivingly, moveable screen-shutter frees or covers the substrate handling cut-out in the screen. Thereby, horizontal loading and un-loading (L/UL) of a substrate to the stationary substrate support is possible, although establishing an overall closed screen, once a substrate is treated in the vacuum treatment chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: EVATEC AG
    Inventors: Frantisek Balon, Jurgen Weichart
  • Patent number: 11133203
    Abstract: Temperature uniformity in a mounting surface of a mounting table is improved. A plasma processing apparatus includes the mounting table having thereon the mounting surface on which a work-piece serving as a plasma processing target is mounted; a coolant path formed within the mounting table along the mounting surface of the mounting table; and an inlet path connected to the coolant path from a backside of the mounting surface of the mounting table and configured to introduce a coolant into the coolant path. The inlet path is extended from the backside of the mounting surface of the mounting table such that an extension direction of the inlet path is inclined at an angle greater than 90° with respect to a flow direction of the coolant flowing through the coolant path, and then, connected to the coolant path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Satoshi Suzuki, Akira Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 11124875
    Abstract: An atomic layer deposition apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a gas supply module for simultaneously providing atomic layer deposition gases including a source gas, a purge gas and a reaction gas on different regions of deposition target substrate, and a stage disposed on a side of the gas supply module and configured to move the deposition target substrate in a linear direction. At least 2 layers of the atomic layer are deposited on the deposition target substrate as moving the deposition target substrate in the linear direction along the stage at 1-cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: INDUSTRY-UNIVERSITY COOPERATION FOUNDATION HANYANG UNIVERSITY
    Inventor: Hyeongtag Jeon
  • Patent number: 11124873
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus including a transfer chamber; upper gas supply mechanism that supplies a gas into an upper region of the transfer chamber through a first gas supply port; and lower gas supply mechanism that supplies the gas into a lower region of the transfer chamber through a second gas supply port. The upper gas supply mechanism includes a first buffer chamber disposed at a back surface of the first gas supply port; a pair of upper ducts disposed at both sides of the first buffer chamber; and a first ventilation unit disposed at lower ends of the pair of upper ducts. The lower gas supply mechanism includes a second buffer chamber disposed at a back surface of the second gas supply port; a lower duct disposed at lower surface of the second buffer chamber; and a second ventilation unit disposed at a lower end of the lower duct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Takayuki Nakada, Tomoshi Taniyama, Kenji Shirako
  • Patent number: 11127610
    Abstract: A process module including a chamber body having a lower chamber and an upper chamber is provided. The lower chamber is configured to mate with the upper chamber along a diagonal interface. An electrode assembly having a substrate support is provided. The electrode assembly is coupled to the upper chamber. A hinge connect couples a first side of the lower chamber to a first side of the upper chamber. The upper chamber is configured to split and open along the diagonal interface and rotate about the hinge connect. The electrode assembly is configured to rotate with the upper chamber in a direction that is away from the lower chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventor: Jerrel Kent Antolik
  • Patent number: 11121010
    Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes an insertion member having a first surface facing a vacuum space, a second surface facing a non-vacuum space, and an insertion hole penetrating through the first and second surfaces. A pin is inserted into the insertion hole and moved vertically. A movable member is provided in a recess formed on a wall surface of the insertion hole facing the pin. The movable member has an opening into which the pin is inserted and is movable along a surface of the recess. A first sealing member is provided between the movable member and the pin. A second sealing member is provided between the movable body and the surface of the recess and allows, when a pressing force of the pin that locally compresses the first sealing member acts on the first sealing member, the movable member to move in a direction to release the pressing force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventor: Takehiro Ueda
  • Patent number: 11121017
    Abstract: A substrate loading device having a frame, a cassette support, and a user interface. The frame is connected to a substrate processing apparatus. The frame has a transport opening through which substrates are transported between the device and processing apparatus. The cassette support is connected to the frame for holding at least one substrate holding cassette. The user interface is arranged for inputting information, and is mounted to the frame so that the user interface is integral with the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: BROOKS AUTOMATION, INC.
    Inventors: Daniel A. Hall, Glenn L. Sindledecker, Matthew W. Coady, Marcello Trolio, Michael Spinazola
  • Patent number: 11107990
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a mask sheet. The mask sheet includes a plurality of mask units. Each mask unit includes an evaporation effective area and a plurality of welding areas that are distributed around the evaporation effective area according to a preset rule. The distribution of the welding areas around the evaporation effective areas of the mask units at the edge of the mask sheet is consistent with the distribution of the welding areas around the evaporation effective areas of the mask units located in the inner region of the mask sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignees: Ordos Yuansheng Optoelectronics Co., Ltd., BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Zhiming Lin, Chunchieh Huang, Jian Zhang, Bili Baiyin, Zhiyuan Hao, Xiaolin Xin, De Zhang, Xu Liu, Xinjian Zhang
  • Patent number: 11101328
    Abstract: Provided is a vapor deposition apparatus including: a plasma generator configured to change at least a portion of a first raw material gas into a radical form; a corresponding surface corresponding to the plasma generator; a reaction space between the plasma generator and the corresponding surface; and an insulating member separated from, and surrounding the plasma generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Suk-Won Jung, Myung-Soo Huh, Choel-Min Jang
  • Patent number: 11094569
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment includes a cassette placing section, a processing unit, a transfer area, and an image capturing unit. On the cassette placing section, a cassette accommodating a plurality of substrates is placed. The processing unit washes or etches a peripheral portion of each substrate taken out from the cassette. The transfer area is interposed between the cassette placing section and the processing unit, and the substrate is transferred therein. The image capturing unit is disposed in the transfer area to capture an image of the substrate processed by the processing unit. The image includes both of (i) a peripheral portion of an upper surface or a lower surface of the substrate and (ii) an end face of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventor: Yoshitomo Sato
  • Patent number: 11066740
    Abstract: A system includes a computational system to receive a design of an integrated computational element (ICE) including specification of substrate and layers. Additionally, the system includes a deposition source to provide a deposition plume having a plume spatial profile, and a support having a cylindrical surface. The cylindrical surface of the support is spaced apart from the deposition source and has a shape that corresponds to the plume spatial profile in a particular cross-section orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the cylindrical surface of the support, such that, when the substrate support, with the supported instances of the substrate distributed over the cylindrical surface of the substrate support, is translated relative to the deposition plume along the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical surface of the substrate support, thicknesses of instances of each of the deposited layers are substantially uniform across the plurality of instances of the ICE.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
    Inventors: David L. Perkins, Robert Paul Freese, Christopher Michael Jones, Richard Neal Gardner
  • Patent number: 11069533
    Abstract: A chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) system including a capacitive deionization module (CDM) for removing ions from a solution and a method for using the same are disclosed. In an embodiment, an apparatus includes a planarization unit for planarizing a wafer; a cleaning unit for cleaning the wafer; a wafer transportation unit for transporting the wafer between the planarization unit and the cleaning unit; and a capacitive deionization module for removing ions from a solution used in at least one of the planarization unit or the cleaning unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Te-Chien Hou, Yu-Ting Yen, Cheng-Yu Kuo, Chih Hung Chen, William Weilun Hong, Kei-Wei Chen
  • Patent number: 11065734
    Abstract: The present invention improves versatility of a film thickness measuring device. The trigger sensor 220 includes a proximity sensor 222 and a dog 224, and outputs a trigger signal indicating that a polishing table 110 makes one revolution. The eddy current sensor 210 measures a film thickness of a subject to be polished 102 at a timing based on the trigger signal output from the trigger sensor 220. The dog 224 is disposed in an opposite region 250 located at the opposite side of a rotation axis CW of the top ring 116 with respect to a rotation axis CT of the polishing table 110. Further, the eddy current sensor 210 and the proximity sensor 222 are disposed at the polishing table 110 so as to be located in the opposite region 250 when the trigger signal is output from the trigger sensor 220.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Shinozaki
  • Patent number: 11060203
    Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein describe a liner assembly including a plurality of individually separated gas passages. The liner assembly provides control of flow parameters, such as velocity, density, direction and spatial location, across a substrate being processed. The processing gas across the substrate being processed may be specially tailored for individual processes with a liner assembly according to the present embodiments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Shu-Kwan Lau, Mehmet Tugrul Samir, Aaron Miller
  • Patent number: 11062918
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a first processing module including a first processing module, a second processing module, a first utility system adjacent to a back surface of the first processing module, and a second utility system adjacent to a back surface of the second processing module, a first exhaust box of the first utility system and a second exhaust box of the second utility system being disposed to face each other across a maintenance area located behind a part of the back surface of the first processing module that is close to the second processing module and behind a part of the back surface of the second processing module that is close to the first processing module, and a first supply box of the first utility system and a second supply box of the second utility system being disposed to face each other across the maintenance area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: KOKUSAI ELECTRIC CORPOTATION
    Inventors: Daigi Kamimura, Tomoshi Taniyama, Takashi Nogami
  • Patent number: 11062931
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides one embodiment of a semiconductor processing apparatus. The semiconductor processing apparatus includes a load lock designed to receive a wafer carrier; an inner wafer carrier buffer configured to hold the wafer carrier received from the load lock and to perform a nitrogen purge to the wafer carrier; and a processing module designed to perform a semiconductor process to wafers from the wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Jason Shen, Wen-Yu Huang, Li-Jen Ko, Hsiang Yin Shen
  • Patent number: 11056379
    Abstract: A clamp assembly is for clamping an outer peripheral portion of a substrate to a support in a plasma processing chamber. An RF bias power is applied to the support during the plasma processing of the substrate. The clamp assembly includes an outer clamp member, and an inner clamp member which is received by the outer clamp member, the inner clamp member defining an aperture which exposes the substrate to the plasma processing. The outer clamp member has an inner portion terminating in an inner edge, wherein the inner portion is spaced apart from the inner clamp member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Inventors: Anthony Barker, Huma Ashraf, Brian Kiernan
  • Patent number: 11043400
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to methods and apparatuses for adjusting an edge ring position, and for removing or replacing one or more components of a process kit of a process chamber. The process kit includes one or more of an edge ring, a support ring, a sliding ring, and other consumable or degradable components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Andreas Schmid, Denis M. Koosau
  • Patent number: 11037811
    Abstract: An electrostatic chuck includes, a chuck function portion including a plurality of chuck regions on which an attractable object is placed respectively, and a concave surface portion provided in an outer region of the chuck regions, and electrodes arranged in an inner part of the chuck function portion corresponding to the chuck regions and an inner part of the chuck function portion corresponding to the concave surface portion, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: SHINKO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Norio Shiraiwa