Patents Examined by Keath T Chen
  • Patent number: 12378665
    Abstract: A coating and a method to form the coating is proposed for a semiconductor film pre-clean and etch apparatus. The coating may be employed in environments where it is difficult to use a traditional coating or coating method. The coatings provide advantages including: an ability to effectively deliver hydrogen radicals and fluorine radicals to a wafer surface in one apparatus or individually in two apparatuses; a coverage of high aspect ratio features on critical components; an operability in high temperatures exceeding 150° C.; and a protection of a part with high aspect ratio features underneath the coating, thereby preventing metal and particles on a processed wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2025
    Assignee: ASM IP Holding B.V.
    Inventors: Peipei Gao, Xing Lin, Alexandros Demos, Chuang Wei, Wentao Wang, Mingyang Ma, Prajwal Nagaraj
  • Patent number: 12354855
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to flow guides, process kits, and related methods for processing chambers to facilitate deposition process adjustability. In one implementation, a flow guide applicable for use in semiconductor manufacturing, includes a plate having a first face and a second face opposing the first face. The flow guide includes a first fin set extending from the second face, and a second fin set extending from the second face. The second fin set is spaced from the first fin set to define a flow path between the first fin set and the second fin set. The flow path has a serpentine pattern between the first fin set and the second fin set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2025
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Zhepeng Cong, Ala Moradian, Tao Sheng, Nimrod Smith, Ashur J. Atanos, Vinh N. Tran
  • Patent number: 12343716
    Abstract: A device and method for producing a thin-film catalyst are provided. The device includes a vacuum chamber, a plurality of evaporators, a plurality of gas guide pipes, an ion generator, and a control unit. The plurality of evaporators are configured to evaporate at least one film material. The plurality of gas guide pipes are configured to introduce a reactive gas. The ion generator is configured to ionize the reactive gas and the evaporated film material. The control unit is configured to control the vacuum chamber to be vacuumed, control at least two evaporators of the plurality of evaporators to be simultaneously started, control the plurality of gas guide pipes to introduce the reactive gas, and control an ion source current of the ion generator to be adjusted, such that the evaporated film material reacts with the reactive gas to form a catalytic film layer on a surface of a substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2025
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2025
    Assignee: SUZHOU TAONE SINCERE NANOMATERIAL TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ruoqi Qian, Jingji Qian
  • Patent number: 12341030
    Abstract: The present invention provides a support unit, including: a support plate on which a substrate is placed, and which includes an electrostatic electrode providing electrostatic force to the substrate; a heater provided inside the support plate and configured to heat the substrate; an insulating plate provided under the support plate as an insulating substance; and a bimetal member disposed inside the support plate and configured to compensate for bending of the support plate due to heat, in which the bimetal member includes: a pin provided to be in contactable with a bottom surface of the substrate that is placed on the support plate; a first member configured to support the pin; and a second member provided to surround the first member, and the pin is provided to move up or move down according to a difference in the amount of thermal deformation between the first member and the second member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2025
    Assignee: SEMES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kyung Man Kim, Jeong Woo Han, Ji-hwan Lee, Wan Jae Park, Yoon Jong Ju, Seong Hak Bae
  • Patent number: 12286704
    Abstract: A thermal evaporation sources are described. These thermal evaporation sources include a crucible configured to contain a volume of evaporant and a vapor space above the evaporant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2025
    Assignee: JLN Solar, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert W. Birkmire, Gregory M. Hanket
  • Patent number: 12258659
    Abstract: A cover arrangement comprised of at least two pieces for covering a crucible within an electron beam source assembly. The cover includes a cover body and a cover insert to be separate from and carried by the cover body, when the cover body is raised and lowered. This arrangement also allows the cover insert to be lowered until it comes to rest on top of the crucible. Upon contact between the cover insert and the crucible, the cover insert can partially decouple from the cover body, allowing the cover body to travel down slightly further, allowing it to come into contact with the water-cooled body that surrounds the crucible, while insuring that the crucible insert is in good contact with the crucible. Closing this gap helps stop material that is evaporating from the active crucible pocket from migrating to inactive pockets, located under the cover, during the evaporation process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2025
    Assignee: FERROTEC (USA) CORPORATION
    Inventor: Cris Kroneberger
  • Patent number: 12252774
    Abstract: Implementations of the disclosed subject matter provide a print bar for organic vapor jet (OVJP) deposition is provided that includes a plurality of n print head segments, where each of the plurality of print head segments may have an OVJP print head. The print bar may include a plurality of distance sensors, where each of the plurality of distance sensors may be configured to measure a distance between a substrate disposed below the print bar and a portion of at least one of the print head segments. The print bar may include a plurality of not more than n+1 actuators configured to adjust at least one of a position and an orientation of one or more of the plurality of print head segments based upon one or more distances between the substrate and the print bar measured by one or more of the plurality of distance sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2025
    Assignee: Universal Display Corporation
    Inventors: William E. Quinn, Gregory McGraw
  • Patent number: 12249484
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for controlling plasma in a process chamber leverage an RF termination filter which provides an RF path to ground. In some embodiments, an apparatus may include a DC filter configured to be electrically connected between a DC power supply and electrodes embedded in an electrostatic chuck where the DC filter is configured to block DC current from the DC power supply from flowing through the DC filter and an RF termination filter configured to be electrically connected between the DC filter and an RF ground of the process chamber where the RF termination filter is configured to adjust an impedance of the electrodes relative to the RF ground.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2025
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Jian Janson Chen, Yi Yang, Chong Ma, Yuan Xue
  • Patent number: 12217944
    Abstract: A substrate support includes an edge ring, a heater element arranged within the edge ring, a ceramic layer, at least one heating element arranged within the ceramic layer, and a cable configured to provide power from a power source to the heater element and the at least one heating element. The cable includes a first plurality of wires connected to the heater element, a second plurality of wires connected to the at least one heating element, a filter module, and an isolation device connected only to the first plurality of wires between the filter module and the heater element. The first and second pluralities of wires are twisted together within the filter module. The isolation device is configured to compensate for a resonance frequency generated during operation of the heater element and the at least one heating element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION
    Inventors: Seyed Jafar Jafarian-Tehrani, Kenneth Walter Finnegan, Sean O'Brien, Benson Q. Tong
  • Patent number: 12188125
    Abstract: A showerhead includes a shower plate, a base member in which a gas flow passage is provided, the base member fixing the shower plate, a plurality of gas supply members disposed in a gas diffusion space and connected to the gas flow passage, the gas diffusion space being formed between the shower plate and the base member, and a flow adjusting plate disposed in the gas diffusion space, the flow adjusting plate being disposed on an outer periphery on an outer side from the plurality of gas supply members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2025
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Takanobu Hotta, Takuya Kawaguchi, Hideaki Yamasaki, Toshio Takagi, Takashi Kakegawa
  • Patent number: 12148598
    Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes: a plasma processing chamber; a first conductive member disposed in the plasma processing chamber and having a first surface; a second conductive member having a second surface facing the first surface of the first conductive member; a third member disposed on at least one selected from the group of the first conductive member and the second conductive member and having a shape that varies according to a temperature change of the third member; and a control mechanism configured to change a temperature of the third member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2024
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Lifu Li, Takaki Kobune
  • Patent number: 12084754
    Abstract: A mask plate and an evaporation system. The mask plate includes at least one mask strip. Folding structures are connected to two opposite sides of the at least one mask strip. At least one group of effective evaporation area and transition area located around the effective evaporation areas are arranged on the at least one mask strip. Each folding structure includes a foldable part and a support part connected to each other. The foldable part is connected to the support part and the mask strip. The foldable part and at least part of the support part are sequentially stacked on one side of the two opposite sides of the mask strip, and the foldable part covers at least part of the transition area close to the folding structure of the mask strip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2024
    Assignee: KunShan Go-Visionox Opto-Electronics Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Bing Han, Weili Li, Mingxing Liu
  • Patent number: 12065726
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a mask assembly and a manufacturing method thereof. The mask assembly includes: a frame; a mask provided with a mask area and connection areas positioned on opposite sides of the mask area; and a plurality of first connection parts in each connection area, wherein the plurality of first connection parts in each connection area are arranged in M rows and N columns, each row includes a plurality of first connection parts, each column includes at least one first connection part, and in the same connection area, the first connection parts of any two adjacent rows are arranged in a staggered manner, where each of M and N is an integer larger than 1, and the mask is fixed to the frame via the plurality of first connection parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2024
    Assignees: CHENGDU BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Leifang Xiao, Guoqiang Ma, Peng Xu, Jiancheng Zhao
  • Patent number: 12040198
    Abstract: A cylindrical inner wall used in a substrate processing apparatus and surrounding a stage on which a substrate is placed, with a gap between the inner wall and an outer periphery of the stage. The inner wall includes a plurality of slits formed in a lower end of the inner wall, and a plurality of grooves formed in the inner surface of the inner wall to extend from an upper end to the lower end of the inner wall so as to communicate with the slits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2024
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Yuji Asakawa, Atsushi Tanaka, Hiroyuki Ogawa
  • Patent number: 12040160
    Abstract: A semiconductor-manufacturing apparatus member includes a ceramic plate having an upper surface serving as a wafer placement surface, a plug disposed in an undersurface of the ceramic plate and including a dense body and a gas flow channel that extends through the body in a thickness direction of the body while winding, a gas outlet port that extends through the ceramic plate in a thickness direction of the ceramic plate to be connected to an upper portion of the gas flow channel, and a metal cooling plate joined to the undersurface of the ceramic plate, and including a gas supply channel through which gas is supplied from a lower portion of the gas flow channel. In the plug, at least a portion in length of the gas flow channel is formed from a porous member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2024
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Masaki Ishikawa, Yasuho Aoki
  • Patent number: 12033872
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes: a processing container, a mixing device, a liquid feeding path, and a controller. The processing container processes a substrate by immersing the substrate in a processing liquid. The mixing device mixes a phosphoric acid aqueous solution and an additive, to produce a mixed liquid to be used as a raw material of the processing liquid. The liquid feeding path feeds the mixed liquid from the mixing device to the processing container. The controller controls the substrate processing apparatus. The controller performs a control to feed the mixed liquid from the mixing device to the processing container in which the substrate is immersed, after a phosphoric acid concentration of the mixed liquid is regulated from a first concentration to a second concentration higher than the first concentration. The first concentration is a concentration when the phosphoric acid aqueous solution is supplied to the mixing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2024
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Keita Hirase, Koji Ogura, Hiroshi Yoshida, Takashi Nagai, Jun Nonaka, Takumi Honda
  • Patent number: 12027410
    Abstract: An edge ring arrangement for a processing chamber includes a first ring configured to surround and overlap a radially outer edge of an upper plate of a pedestal arranged in the processing chamber, a second ring arranged below the first moveable ring, wherein a portion of the first ring overlaps the second ring, a first actuator configured to actuate a first pillar to selectively move the first ring to a raised position and a lowered position relative to the pedestal, and a second actuator configured to actuate a second pillar to selectively move the second ring to a raised position and a lowered position relative to the pedestal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2024
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Haoquan Yan, Robert Griffith O'Neill, Raphael Casaes, Jon Mcchesney, Alex Paterson
  • Patent number: 12027380
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes a substrate holder configured to hold a plurality of substrates such that the substrates are arranged in parallel to each other. The apparatus further includes a fluid injector including a plurality of openings that inject fluid to areas in which distances from surfaces of the substrates are within distances between centers of the substrates adjacent to each other, the fluid injector being configured to change injection directions of the fluid injected from the openings in planes that are parallel to the surfaces of the substrates by self-oscillation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2024
    Assignee: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomohiko Sugita, Katsuhiro Sato, Hiroaki Ashidate
  • Patent number: 12009236
    Abstract: The present disclosure generally relates to a method and apparatus for determining a metric related to erosion of a ring assembly used in an etching within a plasma processing chamber. In one example, the apparatus is configured to obtain a metric indicative of erosion on an edge ring disposed on a substrate support assembly in a plasma processing chamber. A sensor obtains the metric for the edge ring. The metric correlates to the quantity of erosion in the edge ring. In another example, the ring sensor may be arranged outside of a periphery of a substrate support assembly. The metric may be acquired by the ring sensor through a plasma screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Yaoling Pan, Patrick John Tae, Michael D. Willwerth, Leonard M. Tedeschi, Daniel Sang Byun, Philip Allan Kraus, Phillip A. Criminale, Changhun Lee, Rajinder Dhindsa, Andreas Schmid, Denis M. Koosau
  • Patent number: 12006568
    Abstract: A vapor deposition device for forming a ceramic coating on a substrate, the device including a coating chamber, loading chambers, substrate support mechanisms, horizontal moving mechanisms, and reversing mechanisms, and configured as follows. The coating chamber and each loading chambers are connected individually to a vacuumizer and are connected to each other at their openings. In the coating chamber, an electron gun is provided that emits an electron beam with which the held ceramic raw material is irradiated. Each of the substrate support mechanisms includes left and right partition walls, a left substrate support plate on the left side of the left partition wall, and a right substrate support plate on the right side of the right partition wall. Each of the substrate support plates has multiple substrate mounting portions for mounting substrates thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2024
    Assignee: THERMALYTICA, INC.
    Inventors: Kazuhide Matsumoto, Hsin-Tsai Wang