Patents by Inventor Bruce Edmund Freeman

Bruce Edmund Freeman 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).

  • Publication number: 20230317437
    Abstract: A processing chamber such as a plasma etch chamber can perform deposition and etch operations, where byproducts of the deposition and etch operations can build up in a vacuum pump system fluidly coupled to the processing chamber. A vacuum pump system may have multiple roughing pumps so that etch gases can be diverted a roughing pump and deposition precursors can be diverted to another roughing pump. A divert line may route unused deposition precursors through a separate roughing pump. Deposition byproducts can be prevented from forming by incorporating one or more gas ejectors or venturi pumps at an outlet of a primary pump in a vacuum pump system. Cleaning operations, such as waferless automated cleaning operations, using certain clean chemistries may remove deposition byproducts before or after etch operations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2023
    Publication date: October 5, 2023
    Inventors: John Stephen DREWERY, Tom A. KAMP, Haoquan YAN, John Edward DAUGHERTY, Ali Sucipto TAN, Ming-Kuei TSENG, Bruce Edmund FREEMAN
  • Patent number: 11031215
    Abstract: A processing chamber such as a plasma etch chamber can perform deposition and etch operations, where byproducts of the deposition and etch operations can build up in a vacuum pump system fluidly coupled to the processing chamber. A vacuum pump system may have multiple roughing pumps so that etch gases can be diverted a roughing pump and deposition precursors can be diverted to another roughing pump. A divert line may route unused deposition precursors through a separate roughing pump. Deposition byproducts can be prevented from forming by incorporating one or more gas ejectors or venturi pumps at an outlet of a primary pump in a vacuum pump system. Cleaning operations, such as waferless automated cleaning operations, using certain clean chemistries may remove deposition byproducts before or after etch operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: John Stephen Drewery, Tom A. Kamp, Haoquan Yan, John Edward Daugherty, Ali Sucipto Tan, Ming-Kuei Tseng, Bruce Edmund Freeman
  • Publication number: 20200105509
    Abstract: A processing chamber such as a plasma etch chamber can perform deposition and etch operations, where byproducts of the deposition and etch operations can build up in a vacuum pump system fluidly coupled to the processing chamber. A vacuum pump system may have multiple roughing pumps so that etch gases can be diverted a roughing pump and deposition precursors can be diverted to another roughing pump. A divert line may route unused deposition precursors through a separate roughing pump. Deposition byproducts can be prevented from forming by incorporating one or more gas ejectors or venturi pumps at an outlet of a primary pump in a vacuum pump system. Cleaning operations, such as waferless automated cleaning operations, using certain clean chemistries may remove deposition byproducts before or after etch operations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2019
    Publication date: April 2, 2020
    Inventors: John Stephen Drewery, Tom A. Kamp, Haoquan Yan, John Edward Daugherty, Ali Sucipto Tan, Ming-Kuei Tseng, Bruce Edmund Freeman