Patents by Inventor Blake W. Erickson

Blake W. Erickson 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: 12009191
    Abstract: A system includes a transparent crystal, at least part of which is embedded within a wall and a liner of a processing chamber. The transparent crystal has a proximal end and a distal end, the distal end having a distal surface exposed to an interior of the processing chamber. A transparent thin film is deposited on the distal surface and has chemical properties substantially matching those of the liner. A light coupling device is to: transmit light, from a light source, through the proximal end of the transparent crystal, and focus, into a spectrometer, light received reflected back from a combination of the distal surface, a surface of the transparent thin film, and a surface of a process film layer deposited on the transparent thin film. The spectrometer is to detect a first spectrum within the focused light that is representative of the process film layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick Tae, Blake W. Erickson, Zhaozhao Zhu, Michael David Willwerth, Barry Paul Craver
  • Publication number: 20230298872
    Abstract: A method includes receiving, by a processing device, first sensor data indicating a state of a wall corresponding to a first processing chamber. The first sensor data includes optical spectral data. The method further includes determining, by the processing device, a first value based on the first sensor data. The first value corresponds to a first amount of a product disposed along a surface of the wall at a first time. The method further includes determining, by the processing device, a first update to a first process operation associated with the first processing chamber based on the first value. The method further includes performing, by the processing device, one or more of (i) preparing a notification indicating the first update for presentation on a graphical user interface (GUI), or (ii) causing performance of the first process operation in accordance with the first update.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2022
    Publication date: September 21, 2023
    Inventors: Jeffrey Yat Shan Au, Joshua Thomas Maher, Varoujan Chakarian, Sidharth Bhatia, Patrick Tae, Zhaozhao Zhu, Blake W. Erickson
  • Publication number: 20230078567
    Abstract: Implementations disclosed describe a system including a light source, an optical sensor, and a processing device. The light source directs, during a first time, a probe light into a processing chamber through a window. The light source ceases, during a second time, directing the probe light into the processing chamber through the window. The optical sensor detects, during the first time, a first intensity of a first light. The first light includes a portion of the probe light reflected from the window and a light transmitted from an environment of the processing chamber through the window. The optical sensor detects, during the second time, a second intensity of a second light. The second light includes the light transmitted from the environment of the processing chamber through the window. The processing device determines, using the first intensity and the second intensity, a transmission coefficient of the window.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2021
    Publication date: March 16, 2023
    Inventors: Patrick Tae, Zhaozhao Zhu, Blake W. Erickson, Chunlei Zhang
  • Publication number: 20220020617
    Abstract: The disclosure describes apparatus and method for detecting an endpoint in plasma-assisted wafer processing in a chamber. A fiber array comprising a plurality of fibers collects optical emission light from the chamber during the plasma-assisted wafer processing. The fiber array is split into two or more groups of fibers, each group carrying a portion of the light to a segment of a photodetector. Each segment of photodetector has a corresponding narrowband optical filter designed for a specific range of wavelengths. A computer processor analyzes detected signals from the plurality of segments of the photodetector, and determines, based on the analysis of the detected signals, an endpoint of the plasma-assisted wafer processing as indicated by the presence or the absence of the one or more chemical species in the chamber. The photodetector can be based on photomultiplier tube (PMT) array or based on photodiodes (e.g., avalanche photodiodes (APDs)).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2020
    Publication date: January 20, 2022
    Inventors: Varoujan Chakarian, Blake W. Erickson
  • Publication number: 20210391157
    Abstract: A system includes a transparent crystal, at least part of which is embedded within a wall and a liner of a processing chamber. The transparent crystal has a proximal end and a distal end, the distal end having a distal surface exposed to an interior of the processing chamber. A transparent thin film is deposited on the distal surface and has chemical properties substantially matching those of the liner. A light coupling device is to: transmit light, from a light source, through the proximal end of the transparent crystal, and focus, into a spectrometer, light received reflected back from a combination of the distal surface, a surface of the transparent thin film, and a surface of a process film layer deposited on the transparent thin film. The spectrometer is to detect a first spectrum within the focused light that is representative of the process film layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2020
    Publication date: December 16, 2021
    Inventors: Patrick Tae, Blake W. Erickson, Zhaozhao Zhu, Michael David Willwerth, Barry Paul Craver