Patents by Inventor Alexander Kontos

Alexander Kontos has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10004133
    Abstract: An apparatus to treat a substrate. The apparatus may include a reactive gas source having a reactive gas outlet disposed in a process chamber, the reactive gas outlet to direct a first reactive gas to the substrate; a plasma chamber coupled to the process chamber and including an extraction plate having an extraction aperture extending along a first direction, disposed within the process chamber and movable along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction between a first position facing the reactive gas source and a second position facing the extraction aperture; and a gas flow restrictor disposed between the reactive gas outlet and the extraction aperture, the gas flow restrictor defining a differential pumping channel between at least the plasma chamber and substrate stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc.
    Inventors: Shurong Liang, Costel Biloiu, Glen F. R. Gilchrist, Vikram Singh, Christopher Campbell, Richard Hertel, Alexander Kontos, Piero Sferlazzo, Tsung-Liang Chen
  • Publication number: 20170311430
    Abstract: An apparatus to treat a substrate. The apparatus may include a reactive gas source having a reactive gas outlet disposed in a process chamber, the reactive gas outlet to direct a first reactive gas to the substrate; a plasma chamber coupled to the process chamber and including an extraction plate having an extraction aperture extending along a first direction, disposed within the process chamber and movable along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction between a first position facing the reactive gas source and a second position facing the extraction aperture; and a gas flow restrictor disposed between the reactive gas outlet and the extraction aperture, the gas flow restrictor defining a differential pumping channel between at least the plasma chamber and substrate stage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2017
    Publication date: October 26, 2017
    Inventors: Shurong Liang, Costel Biloiu, Glen F.R. Gilchrist, Vikram Singh, Christopher Campbell, Richard Hertel, Alexander Kontos, Piero Sferlazzo, Tsung-Liang Chen
  • Patent number: 9706634
    Abstract: An apparatus to treat a substrate. The apparatus may include a reactive gas source having a reactive gas outlet disposed in a process chamber, the reactive gas outlet to direct a first reactive gas to the substrate; a plasma chamber coupled to the process chamber and including an extraction plate having an extraction aperture extending along a first direction, disposed within the process chamber and movable along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction between a first position facing the reactive gas source and a second position facing the extraction aperture; and a gas flow restrictor disposed between the reactive gas outlet and the extraction aperture, the gas flow restrictor defining a differential pumping channel between at least the plasma chamber and substrate stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc
    Inventors: Shurong Liang, Costel Biloiu, Glen F. R. Gilchrist, Vikram Singh, Christopher Campbell, Richard Hertel, Alexander Kontos, Piero Sferlazzo, Tsung-Liang Chen
  • Patent number: 9660185
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming a magnetic layer having a pattern of magnetic properties on a substrate is described. The method includes using a metal nitride hardmask layer to pattern the magnetic layer by plasma exposure. The metal nitride layer is patterned using a nanoimprint patterning process with a silicon oxide pattern negative material. The pattern is developed in the metal nitride using a halogen and oxygen containing remote plasma, and is removed after plasma exposure using a caustic wet strip process. All processing is done at low temperatures to avoid thermal damage to magnetic materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Roman Gouk, Steven Verhaverbeke, Alexander Kontos, Adolph Miller Allen, Kevin Moraes
  • Publication number: 20170042010
    Abstract: An apparatus to treat a substrate. The apparatus may include a reactive gas source having a reactive gas outlet disposed in a process chamber, the reactive gas outlet to direct a first reactive gas to the substrate; a plasma chamber coupled to the process chamber and including an extraction plate having an extraction aperture extending along a first direction, disposed within the process chamber and movable along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction between a first position facing the reactive gas source and a second position facing the extraction aperture; and a gas flow restrictor disposed between the reactive gas outlet and the extraction aperture, the gas flow restrictor defining a differential pumping channel between at least the plasma chamber and substrate stage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2015
    Publication date: February 9, 2017
    Inventors: Shurong Liang, Costel Biloiu, Glen F.R. Gilchrist, Vikram Singh, Christopher Campbell, Richard Hertel, Alexander Kontos, Piero Sferlazzo, Tsung-Liang Chen
  • Publication number: 20160260896
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming a magnetic layer having a pattern of magnetic properties on a substrate is described. The method includes using a metal nitride hardmask layer to pattern the magnetic layer by plasma exposure. The metal nitride layer is patterned using a nanoimprint patterning process with a silicon oxide pattern negative material. The pattern is developed in the metal nitride using a halogen and oxygen containing remote plasma, and is removed after plasma exposure using a caustic wet strip process. All processing is done at low temperatures to avoid thermal damage to magnetic materials.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2016
    Publication date: September 8, 2016
    Inventors: Roman GOUK, Steven VERHAVERBEKE, Alexander KONTOS, Adolph Miller ALLEN, Kevin MORAES
  • Patent number: 9343664
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming a magnetic layer having a pattern of magnetic properties on a substrate is described. The method includes using a metal nitride hardmask layer to pattern the magnetic layer by plasma exposure. The metal nitride layer is patterned using a nanoimprint patterning process with a silicon oxide pattern negative material. The pattern is developed in the metal nitride using a halogen and oxygen containing remote plasma, and is removed after plasma exposure using a caustic wet strip process. All processing is done at low temperatures to avoid thermal damage to magnetic materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Roman Gouk, Steven Verhaverbeke, Alexander Kontos, Adolph Miller Allen, Kevin Moraes
  • Publication number: 20150214475
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming a magnetic layer having a pattern of magnetic properties on a substrate is described. The method includes using a metal nitride hardmask layer to pattern the magnetic layer by plasma exposure. The metal nitride layer is patterned using a nanoimprint patterning process with a silicon oxide pattern negative material. The pattern is developed in the metal nitride using a halogen and oxygen containing remote plasma, and is removed after plasma exposure using a caustic wet strip process. All processing is done at low temperatures to avoid thermal damage to magnetic materials.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2015
    Publication date: July 30, 2015
    Inventors: Roman GOUK, Steven VERHAVERBEKE, Alexander KONTOS, Adolph Miller ALLEN, Kevin MORAES
  • Patent number: 8746666
    Abstract: A media carrier, adapted to hold a plurality of pieces of magnetic media, is disclosed. This media carrier can be placed on the workpiece support, or platen, allowing the magnetic media to be processed. In some embodiments, the media carrier is designed such that only one side of the magnetic media is exposed, requiring a robot or other equipment to invert each piece of media in the carrier to process the second side. In other embodiments, the media carrier is designed such that both sides of the magnetic media are exposed. In this scenario, the media carrier is inverted on the platen to allow processing of the second side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Hertel, Julian Blake, Edward Macintosh, Alexander Kontos, Frank Sinclair, Christopher Rowland, Mayur Jagtap, Sankar Ganesh Kolappan
  • Publication number: 20140131308
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming a magnetic layer having a pattern of magnetic properties on a substrate is described. The method includes using a metal nitride hardmask layer to pattern the magnetic layer by plasma exposure. The metal nitride layer is patterned using a nanoimprint patterning process with a silicon oxide pattern negative material. The pattern is developed in the metal nitride using a halogen and oxygen containing remote plasma, and is removed after plasma exposure using a caustic wet strip process. All processing is done at low temperatures to avoid thermal damage to magnetic materials.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Inventors: Roman GOUK, Steven VERHAVERBEKE, Alexander KONTOS, Adolph Miller ALLEN, Kevin MORAES
  • Patent number: 8372735
    Abstract: A method of using helium to create ultra shallow junctions is disclosed. A pre-implantation amorphization using helium has significant advantages. For example, it has been shown that dopants will penetrate the substrate only to the amorphous-crystalline interface, and no further. Therefore, by properly determining the implant energy of helium, it is possible to exactly determine the junction depth. Increased doses of dopant simply reduce the substrate resistance with no effect on junction depth. Furthermore, the lateral straggle of helium is related to the implant energy and the dose rate of the helium PAI, therefore lateral diffusion can also be determined based on the implant energy and dose rate of the helium PAI. Thus, dopant may be precisely implanted beneath a sidewall spacer, or other obstruction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher Hatem, Ludovic Godet, Alexander Kontos
  • Publication number: 20100041218
    Abstract: A method of using helium to create ultra shallow junctions is disclosed. A pre-implantation amorphization using helium has significant advantages. For example, it has been shown that dopants will penetrate the substrate only to the amorphous-crystalline interface, and no further. Therefore, by properly determining the implant energy of helium, it is possible to exactly determine the junction depth. Increased doses of dopant simply reduce the substrate resistance with no effect on junction depth. Furthermore, the lateral straggle of helium is related to the implant energy and the dose rate of the helium PAI, therefore lateral diffusion can also be determined based on the implant energy and dose rate of the helium PAI. Thus, dopant may be precisely implanted beneath a sidewall spacer, or other obstruction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2008
    Publication date: February 18, 2010
    Inventors: Christopher Hatem, Ludovic Godet, Alexander Kontos