Patents Examined by P. Hassanzadeh
  • Patent number: 6453842
    Abstract: A plasma chamber defining an evacuated interior environment for processing a substrate includes a substrate support, an apertured gas distribution plate in spaced facing relationship to the substrate support, and adapted to flow process gases into the chamber interior environment adjacent the substrate support, the gas distribution plate and substrate support defining a substrate processing region therebetween, a hollow reentrant conduit having respective ends opening into the substrate processing region on opposite sides of the gas distribution plate, with the interior of said conduit sharing the interior environment. The conduit is adapted to accept irradiation of processing gases within the conduit to sustain a plasma in a path extending around the conduit interior and across the substrate processing region within the chamber interior environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2002
    Assignee: Applied Materials Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroji Hanawa, Yan Ye, Kenneth S Collins, Kartik Ramaswamy, Andrew Nguyen, Tsutomu Tanaka
  • Patent number: 6447613
    Abstract: It is the object of the invention to provide a substrate dechucking device and a substrate dechucking method for safely dechucking from a substrate holder a substrate which is being held in the substrate holder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hideo Haraguchi, Izuru Matsuda
  • Patent number: 6447636
    Abstract: The invention provides a system and a method for dynamic RF inductive and capacitive coupling control to improve plasma substrate processing, as well as for achieving contamination and defect reduction. A plasma reactor includes a substrate support disposed in a chamber. An RF coil is disposed adjacent the chamber for inductively coupling RF energy into the chamber. An electrode is disposed adjacent the chamber and has a voltage for capacitively coupling energy into the chamber. The electrode is spaced from the substrate support and the RF coil. An electrode adjusting member is coupled with the electrode for dynamically adjusting the voltage in the electrode to vary the capacitive coupling for improved plasma ignition and plasma stability. A Faraday shield may be placed between the RF coil and the plasma process region in the chamber to suppress capacitive coupling of the RF coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Xue-Yu Qian, Zhi-Wen Sun, Maocheng Li, John Holland, Arthur H. Sato, Valentin N. Todorov, Patrick L. Leahey, Robert E. Ryan
  • Patent number: 6447634
    Abstract: A process and apparatus for locally removing any material, such as a refractory metal, in particular tungsten, from any desired area of a wafer, such as an alignment mark area of a silicon wafer in process during the formation of integrated circuits thereon. The process comprising the steps of aligning said area of said wafer, such as an alignment mark on the wafer, to an etchant dispensing apparatus, placing the surface of the wafer adjacent at least a portion of an annular portion of the etchant dispensing apparatus, dispensing at least one etchant onto said area of said wafer, such as an alignment mark, and removing the at least one etching from the wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Russell C. Zahorik, Guy F. Hudson, Hugh F. Stroupe, Todd A. Dobson, Brian F. Gordon
  • Patent number: 6446573
    Abstract: A plasma process device capable of forming homogeneous plasma and coping with a large size substrate less costly can be obtained. The plasma process device includes a processing chamber, microwave guiding means, a shower plate and a reaction gas supply passage. The microwave guiding means guides a microwave into the processing chamber. The shower plate has a gas inlet hole to supply to the processing chamber a reaction gas attaining a plasma state by the microwave, and a lower surface facing the processing chamber and an upper surface positioned on the opposite side of the lower surface. The reaction gas supply passage is positioned on the upper surface of the shower plate and supplies the reaction gas to the gas inlet hole. A wall surface of the reaction gas supply passage includes an upper surface of the shower plate and a conductor wall surface opposing the upper surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Assignees: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masaki Hirayama, Tadahiro Ohmi, Tatsushi Yamamoto, Takamitsu Tadera
  • Patent number: 6447853
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods for producing semiconductor devices are disclosed. A processing chamber includes an interior component having a stepped region including a plurality of raised sections and recessed sections divided by steps. With this apparatus, it is possible to prevent a film of deposited material formed on the stepped region from peeling, thereby decreasing the number of particles in the chamber and increasing the operation rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2002
    Assignee: Kawasaki Microelectronics, Inc.
    Inventors: Katsunori Suzuki, Hidetaka Horiuchi, Yasushi Kikuchi, Jin Yokogawa, Ryouichi Kubo, Koji Wakabayashi
  • Patent number: 6444087
    Abstract: A plasma etching system using a ground electrode made of silicon carbide and a cover made of a dielectric material not containing aluminum, where the cover is laid over the substrate electrode, thereby preventing aluminum from being produced out of these parts and reducing device damage. Namely, a plasma etching system has a substrate electrode mounted in a vacuum process chamber, a ground electrode and a plasma generating source, and uses plasma to provide etching of substrates mounted on said substrate electrode. The plasma etching system is characterized in that the ground electrode is made of carbon or silicon carbide, and the dielectric material containing a Si compound covers the surface portion of the substrate electrode facing inside the substrate installation portion of the vacuum process chamber, except for the substrate installation portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2002
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Nawata, Mamoru Yakushiji, Tomoyuki Tamura
  • Patent number: 6439155
    Abstract: A remote plasma generator, coupling microwave frequency energy to a gas and delivering radicals to a downstream process chamber, includes several features which, in conjunction, enable highly efficient radical generation. In the illustrated embodiments, more efficient delivery of oxygen and fluorine radicals translates to more rapid photoresist etch or ash rates. A single-crystal, one-piece sapphire applicator and transport tube minimizes recombination of radicals in route to the process chamber and includes a bend to avoid direct line of sight from the glow discharge to the downstream process chamber. Microwave transparent cooling fluid within a cooling jacket around the applicator enables high power, high temperature plasma production. Additionally, dynamic impedance matching via a sliding short at the terminus of the microwave cavity reduces power loss through reflected energy. At the same time, a low profile microwave trap produces a more dense plasma to increase radical production.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2002
    Assignee: Matrix Integratea Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Mohammad Kamarehi, Gerald M. Cox
  • Patent number: 6440260
    Abstract: In certain embodiments a plasma is supplied from a plasma chamber 10 into a reaction chamber 18 of a plasma CVD apparatus. An electrode 22 is disposed in the reaction chamber 18. A semiconductor wafer on which a thin film is to be formed is placed on the electrode 22. A radio-frequency wave is generated by a radio-frequency wave generator 28 and supplied to the electrode 22 via a radio-frequency matching network 30, a blocking capacitor 32, and an RF probe 34 so as to control the plasma in the plasma chamber 10. A judgment device 38 is electrically connected to the RF probe 34. The voltage and current are be measured by the RF probe and the judgment device 38 is used to judge the state of the plasma in the plasma chamber 10.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2002
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Denda, Yoshinao Ito
  • Patent number: 6435131
    Abstract: An ion flow forming method and apparatus for attracting ions from a plasma generated in a plasma generation chamber and forming a flow of the ions are disclosed. This ion flow forming apparatus includes the plasma generation chamber having a plasma diffusion outlet port, a processing chamber accommodating a target object, for example, two electrodes arranged between the plasma generation chamber and the target object in the processing chamber, and a potential control unit. This potential control unit controls voltages to be applied to the plasma generation chamber, the two electrodes, and the processing chamber, so that the step of diffusing the plasma generated in the plasma generation chamber in a space between the two electrodes, the ion attraction step of repelling electrons in the diffused plasma toward the plasma generation chamber and attracting the ions in the plasma in an opposite direction, and the ion flow formation step of directing the ions toward the target object are sequentially performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2002
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventor: Koji Koizumi
  • Patent number: 6436230
    Abstract: A process device and a method for processing a substrate. A dipole ring magnet (DRM) is arranged in a manner so that a leakage magnetic field in the neighborhood of the process device and at a position a prescribed distance therefrom is minimized. The dipole ring magnet (DRM) rotates around an outer periphery of a process chamber which has a plasma generation device, a substantially cylindrical shield plate covering an outer periphery of the dipole ring magnet. The shield is rotated coaxially with the dipole ring magnet and in a direction opposite to the rotation of the dipole ring magnet. In this way a magnetic field is generated in a direction that cancels leakage magnetic flux generated outside the dipole ring magnet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2002
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Tomomi Kondo, Hidetoshi Kimura
  • Patent number: 6432259
    Abstract: A plasma reactor embodying the invention includes a wafer support and a chamber enclosure member having an interior surface generally facing the wafer support. At least one miniature gas distribution plate for introducing a process gas into the reactor is supported on the chamber enclosure member and has an outlet surface which is a fraction of the area of the interior surface of said wafer support. A coolant system maintains the chamber enclosure member at a low temperature, and the miniature gas distribution plate is at least partially thermally insulated from the chamber enclosure member so that it is maintained at a higher temperature by plasma heating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2002
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Hamid Noorbakhsh, Michael Welch, Siamak Salimian, Paul Luscher, Hongching Shan, Kaushik Vaidya, Jim Carducci, Evans Lee
  • Patent number: 6431115
    Abstract: Claimed and disclosed is a treatment apparatus for treating a substrate under decompressed atmosphere, comprising: a chamber, an exhausting means for exhausting the chamber, a first electrode provided in the chamber on which the substrate is mounted or held, a second electrode provided in the chamber opposing the first electrode, a liquid supply source containing a liquid material from which a process gas is generated, a housing provided between the liquid supply source and the chamber to be communicated to the liquid supply source and the chamber, a porous heating unit arranged in the housing for generating the process gas by heating the liquid material supplied from the liquid supply source into the housing in order to vaporize the liquid material, a process gas introduction section provided between the housing and the chamber for guiding the process gas from the housing to the chamber and vibrators to vibrate the porous heating unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2002
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Mitsuaki Komino, Yoshio Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 6431114
    Abstract: The present invention aims to decrease reflected waves in a vacuum chamber to suppress standing waves, thereby easily controlling a plasma density so that uniform treatment can be performed. An electromagnetic wave absorber 6 composed of a resistor such as carbon, a dielectric having a large dielectric loss, such as water, or a magnetic material such as ferrite-based ceramic, or a combination of these, is provided on an inner wall surface of a first vacuum chamber 21. Microwaves introduced from a waveguide 25 into the first vacuum chamber 21 via a transmissive window 23 are absorbed to the electromagnetic wave absorber 6 to suppress reflected waves, whereby a plasma density distribution with a nearly planned pattern is easily formed at an ECR point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2002
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Issei Imahashi, Nobuo Ishii, Satoru Kawakami, Yoshinobu Kawai, Yoko Ueda
  • Patent number: 6432208
    Abstract: In a plasma processing apparatus, a temperature control of a substrate to be processed is improved. A ceramic made support member having a substantially cylindrical shape is provided in a process chamber. An upper end of the support member is airtightly connected to a back surface of a placement table by solid state bonding. A lower end of the support member is airtightly connected to a bottom of the process chamber via a lower cooling jacket and O-rings. A cooling jacket made of a disc-like aluminum block is provided in an atmosphere chamber formed inside the support member. The cooling jacket is mounted to the back surface of the placement table via a heat conductive sheet member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2002
    Assignees: Tokyo ELectron Limited, NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoru Kawakami, Katsuhiko Iwabuchi, Ryo Kuwajima, Ryusuke Ushikoshi, Naohito Yamada, Tetsuya Kawajiri
  • Patent number: 6432256
    Abstract: A method for improving the corrosion resistance of ceramic parts in a substrate processing chamber by implanting the parts with rare-earth ions. The implanted ceramic parts are highly resistant to corrosive environments that can be formed in semiconductor manufacturing equipment including those found in high temperature applications and high density plasma applications. In a preferred embodiment of the method of the present invention, the ceramic parts are implanted with rare-earth ions using an implantation technique based on a metal vapor vacuum arc (MEVVA™) ion source. The implanted ions are then reacted with fluorine radicals in a highly corrosive environment to form a layer of rare-earth fluoride material, RE:F3, at the surface of the ceramic component. The sublimation temperature of such a RE:F3 layer is much higher than that of layers such as AlF3 that are formed on standard ceramic chamber components in such environments (e.g., up to 1100° C. as compared to 600° C.).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2002
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventor: Sébastien Raoux
  • Patent number: 6427622
    Abstract: A hot wire chemical vapor deposition method and apparatus for fabricating high quality amorphous, micro-crystalline, and poly-crystalline thin film silicon, or related materials, devices and large area modules is described. A silane gas impinges upon a hot graphite rod assembly whereas the gas is broken up into its individual constituents, these constituents then depositing on an inert substrate member. The distance between the hot graphite rod assembly and the substrate member is adjustable. A shutter is provided to shield the substrate member as the hot graphite rod assembly is heating up. The hot graphite rod assembly contains a plurality of mutually parallel and coplanar rods that are parallel to the plane of the substrate member, and the hot graphite rod assembly and/or the substrate is oscillated in a direction generally normal to the direction in which the rods extend.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2002
    Assignee: MV Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Arun Madan, Scott Morrison, Jianping Xi
  • Patent number: 6423176
    Abstract: In a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus that processing a substrate by applying a voltage to a gas to create a plasma, positively charged particles are trapped or guided at the instant that the cathode voltage is stopped, by an electrode to which is imparted a negative voltage, so as to prevent particles reaching the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2002
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Natsuko Ito, Fumihiko Uesugi, Tsuyoshi Moriya
  • Patent number: 6418874
    Abstract: A toroidal plasma source (28) within a substrate processing chamber (10). The toroidal plasma source forms a poloidal plasma with theta symmetry. The poloidal plasma current is essentially parallel to a surface of the plasma generating structure, thus reducing sputtering erosion of the inner walls. The plasma current is similarly essentially parallel to a process surface (32) of a substrate (34) within the chamber. In a further embodiment, a shaped member (66) between the substrate and the plasma source controls the plasma density in a selected fashion to enhance plasma processing uniformity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2002
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael S. Cox, Canfeng Lai, Robert B. Majewski, David P. Wanamaker, Christopher T. Lane, Peter Loewenhardt, Shamouil Shamouilian, John P. Parks
  • Patent number: 6415736
    Abstract: A gas distribution system for semiconductor processing includes a contoured surface to achieve a desired gas distribution on the backside of a showerhead. The system can include one or more gas supplies opening into a plenum between a baffle plate and a temperature-controlled support member. The baffle plate can have a nonuniform thickness and geometry-controlled openings to achieve a desired gas distribution. In one arrangement the baffle plate is conical in shape with uniform diameter holes extending different distances through the baffle plate to achieve a uniform pressure of gas through outlets in a planar bottom surface of the baffle plate. In another arrangement, the holes have progressively larger diameters in a direction away from the location of the centrally located gas supply outlet. The shape of the baffle plate and/or configuration of the holes can be designed to achieve a desired gas pressure distribution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2002
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Fangli Hao, Rajinder Dhindsa