Patents by Inventor Chad POLLARD
Chad POLLARD 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).
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Patent number: 12472604Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing assembly includes a chemical mechanical polishing system, a fluid source, and a fluid delivery conduit to carry a fluid from the fluid source into the chemical mechanical polishing system. The polishing system has a platen to support a polishing pad, a carrier head to support a substrate and bring the substrate into contact with the polishing pad, and a motor to cause relative motion between platen and the carrier head. The fluid delivery conduit includes a conductive wire extending through an interior of the conduit to flow electrostatic discharge to a ground, and a wire extraction fitting covering and sealing a location where the conductive wire passes through a wall of the fluid delivery conduit.Type: GrantFiled: October 26, 2022Date of Patent: November 18, 2025Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Chad Pollard, Shou-Sung Chang, Haosheng Wu
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Patent number: 12459078Abstract: A polishing system includes a platen to hold a polishing pad, a carrier head to hold a substrate against the polishing pad, a conditioner including a conditioner head to hold a conditioner disk against the polishing pad, a motor to move the conditioner head laterally movable relative to the platen, a conditioning disk cleaning station positioned adjacent the platen to clean the conditioning disk, and a controller configured to cause the motor to, during polishing of the substrate, move the conditioner head back and forth between a first position with the conditioner head over the polishing pad and a second position with the conditioner head in the conditioner disk cleaning station.Type: GrantFiled: October 17, 2022Date of Patent: November 4, 2025Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Haosheng Wu, Shou-Sung Chang, Jianshe Tang, Jeonghoon Oh, Chad Pollard, Chih Chung Chou, Ningzhuo Cui, Hui Chen
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Publication number: 20250326086Abstract: A polishing system includes a platen to hold a polishing pad, a carrier head to hold a substrate against the polishing pad, a conditioner including a conditioner head to hold a conditioner disk against the polishing pad, a motor to move the conditioner head laterally movable relative to the platen, a conditioning disk cleaning station positioned adjacent the platen to clean the conditioning disk, and a controller configured to cause the motor to, during polishing of the substrate, move the conditioner head back and forth between a first position with the conditioner head over the polishing pad and a second position with the conditioner head in the conditioner disk cleaning station.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 1, 2025Publication date: October 23, 2025Inventors: Haosheng Wu, Shou-Sung Chang, Jianshe Tang, Jeonghoon Oh, Chad Pollard, Chih Chung Chou, Ningzhuo Cui, Hui Chen
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Publication number: 20250319570Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provided herein include systems and methods for reducing substrate transfer and air time in chemical mechanical polishing systems. The system includes one or more polishing stations disposed within a polishing module, a contact cleaning unit disposed adjacent to the one or more polishing stations, and a controller. The controller is configured to transfer the substrate to a first polishing station of the one or more polishing stations, transfer the substrate to the contact cleaning unit from the first polishing station, and clean the substrate using a contact cleaning method. A method includes placing a substrate on a first non-contact cleaning unit cleaning the substrate using a first non-contact cleaning method, transferring the substrate to a first polishing station, transferring the substrate to a contact cleaning unit from the first polishing station, and cleaning the substrate using a contact cleaning method.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 11, 2024Publication date: October 16, 2025Inventors: Haosheng WU, Shou-Sung CHANG, Sameer A. DESHPANDE, Asheesh JAIN, Justin H. WONG, Sidney P. HUEY, Derek R. WITTY, Jianshe TANG, Chih Hung CHEN, Jeonghoon OH, Chad POLLARD, Hui CHEN
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Patent number: 12392427Abstract: A polishing assembly includes a chemical mechanical polishing system, a fluid source, and a fluid delivery conduit to carry a fluid from the fluid source into the chemical mechanical polishing system. The chemical mechanical polishing system including a platen to support a polishing pad, a carrier head to support a substrate and bring the substrate into contact with the polishing pad, and a motor to cause relative motion between platen and the carrier head. The fluid delivery conduit includes electrically insulative tubing, a conductive wrapper wrapped around an outer diameter of the tubing from a first end of the tubing to a second end of the tubing, and a conductive wire attached to the conductive wrapper first end. The conductive wrapper is configured to conduct an electrostatic discharge, and the conductive wire is configured to conduct the electrostatic discharge from the conductive wrapper to a grounding source.Type: GrantFiled: February 24, 2022Date of Patent: August 19, 2025Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Chad Pollard, Hari Soundararajan, Paul D. Butterfield, Shou-Sung Chang, Haosheng Wu, Calvin Lee, Balasubramaniam Coimbatore Jaganathan
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Publication number: 20250223645Abstract: Disclosed herein is a blood based two-part diagnostic tool designed to diagnose pre-symptomatic neurodegenerative disease. Part one consists of an assay designed to amplify and sequence pre-specified regions of cell free DNA. Part two consists of a python-derived pipeline that analyzes methylation signatures to identify neuronal-derived DNA and provide a diagnosis of pre-symptomatic neurodegenerative disease.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 14, 2023Publication date: July 10, 2025Inventors: Chad POLLARD, Timothy JENKINS
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Publication number: 20250187140Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure include a conditioning disk cleaning assembly, including a cleaning tank, a cleaning fluid resource, and a pad conditioning assembly. The cleaning tank includes at least one tank wall, forming an interior volume configured to hold a cleaning fluid and at least one transducer disposed on the tank wall opposite of the interior volume and electrically coupled to a generator, wherein the transducer is configured to generate a series of pressure waves in the cleaning fluid. The cleaning fluid resource configured to supply the cleaning fluid to the interior volume. The pad conditioning assembly comprising a pad conditioner disk and one or more actuators, wherein the one or more actuators are configured to position the pad conditioner disk in a first position within the cleaning tank and a second position that is over a polishing surface of a polishing pad.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 12, 2023Publication date: June 12, 2025Inventors: Ningzhuo CUI, Haosheng WU, Jianshe TANG, Shou-Sung CHANG, Chad POLLARD
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Patent number: 12290897Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing assembly includes a chemical mechanical polishing system, a fluid source, and a fluid delivery conduit to carry a fluid from the fluid source into the chemical mechanical polishing system. The polishing system has a platen to support a polishing pad, a carrier head to support a substrate and bring the substrate into contact with the polishing pad, and a motor to cause relative motion between platen and the carrier head. The fluid delivery conduit includes a conductive wire extending through an interior of the conduit to flow electrostatic discharge to a ground, and a wire extraction fitting covering and sealing a location where the conductive wire passes through a wall of the fluid delivery conduit.Type: GrantFiled: October 26, 2022Date of Patent: May 6, 2025Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Chad Pollard, Shou-Sung Chang, Haosheng Wu
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Publication number: 20250043351Abstract: Disclosed herein is a blood based two-part diagnostic tool designed to diagnose pre-symptomatic neurodegenerative disease. Part one consists of an assay designed to amplify and sequence pre-specified regions of cell free DNA. Part two consists of a python-derived pipeline that analyzes methylation signatures to identify neuronal-derived DNA and provide a diagnosis of pre-symptomatic neurodegenerative disease.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 2, 2024Publication date: February 6, 2025Inventors: Chad POLLARD, Timothy JENKINS
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Publication number: 20240408650Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing system includes a first polishing station including a first platen to support a first polishing pad, a transfer station to receive a substrate from a robot, a carrier head movable on a predetermined path from the polishing station to the transfer station, a gas flow regulator having an input for a carrier gas, a liquid flow regulator having an input for a cleaning liquid, and a fluid jet cleaner at a position along the predetermined path. The fluid jet cleaner includes an atomizer nozzle including an input port coupled to the gas flow regulator, an injection port coupled to the liquid flow regulator, and an output port positioned to spray the cleaning liquid entrained in the carrier gas onto the substrate held by the carrier head when the carrier head is located above the fluid jet cleaner.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 6, 2023Publication date: December 12, 2024Inventors: Haosheng Wu, Shou-Sung Chang, Hui Chen, Chih Chung Chou, Sih-Ling Yeh, Emily Drauss, Elton Zhong, Chad Pollard, Songling Shin, Jianshe Tang, Jeonghoon Oh
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Publication number: 20240342855Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing system includes a platen to support a polishing pad, a carrier head to hold a substrate in contact with the polishing pad, a motor to generate relative motion, a steam generator, and an arm extending over the platen with and at least one opening to deliver steam from the steam generator onto the polishing pad. The steam generator includes a canister, a barrier in the canister dividing the canister into a lower chamber having a water inlet and an upper chamber having a steam outlet, a heating element configured to apply heat to a portion of lower chamber, and a nucleation surface positioned in the lower chamber. The barrier has apertures for steam to pass from the lower chamber to the upper chamber and allows for condensation to pass from the upper chamber to the lower chamber.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 10, 2024Publication date: October 17, 2024Inventors: Chad Pollard, Sih-Ling Yeh, Jonathan P. Domin, Shou-Sung Chang, Haosheng Wu, Jeonghoon Oh, Jianshe Tang
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Patent number: 12106976Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for cleaning a substrate. The method includes rotating a substrate disposed on a substrate support and spraying a front side of the substrate using steam through a front side nozzle assembly. A back side of the substrate is sprayed using steam through a back side dispenser assembly. A heated chemical is dispensed over the front side of the substrate.Type: GrantFiled: June 23, 2023Date of Patent: October 1, 2024Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Jianshe Tang, Wei Lu, Haosheng Wu, Taketo Sekine, Shou-Sung Chang, Hari N. Soundararajan, Chad Pollard
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Publication number: 20240066664Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a pad surface cleaning system to be used with a conditioning module to condition a polishing surface of a polishing pad. The pad surface cleaning system may be used to spray the polishing surface with a high-pressure fluid spray to loosen debris from the polishing surface. The pad surface cleaning system may also be used to remove the loosened debris. Further, the pad surface cleaning system may isolate a conditioning disk from a polishing fluid to protect the conditioning disk from reacting with the polishing fluid.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 1, 2023Publication date: February 29, 2024Inventors: Shou-Sung CHANG, Hui CHEN, Haosheng WU, Jianshe TANG, Sidney P. HUEY, Jeonghoon OH, Chad POLLARD, Chih Chung CHOU, Sameer A. DESHPANDE
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Publication number: 20240042570Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing apparatus has a heating system, a purge gas source, a purge liquid source, and a controller. The heating system includes a source of heated gas, an arm extending over a platen, and a manifold in the arm with an a plurality of openings positioned over the platen and separated from a polishing pad for delivering the heated gas onto the polishing pad. The controller is configured to cause the heated gas to flow from the source of heated gas through the manifold and the plurality of openings to heat the polishing pad during a polishing operation, and to cause the apparatus to perform a purging operation which alternates between flowing purge gas from the purge gas source and flowing purge liquid from the purge liquid source through the manifold and the plurality of openings.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 25, 2023Publication date: February 8, 2024Inventors: Haosheng Wu, Shou-Sung Chang, Jianshe Tang, Jonathan P. Domin, Shuchivrat Datar, Yasuhiro Hori, Sameer Deshpande, Chad Pollard, Sih-Ling Yeh, Priscilla Diep, Ningzhuo Cui, Brian J. Brown, Hui Chen
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Publication number: 20230415297Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing system includes a steam generator with a heating element to apply heat to a vessel to generate steam, an opening to deliver steam onto a polishing pad, a first valve in a fluid line between the opening and the vessel, a sensor to monitor a steam parameter, and a control system. The control system causes the valve to open and close in accordance with a steam delivery schedule in a recipe, receive a measured value for the steam parameter from the sensor, receive a target value for the steam parameter, and perform a proportional integral derivative control algorithm with the target value and measured value as inputs so as to control the first valve and/or a second pressure release valve and/or the heating element such that the measured value reaches the target value substantially just before the valve is opened according to the steam delivery schedule.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 12, 2023Publication date: December 28, 2023Inventors: Hari Soundararajan, Shou-Sung Chang, Calvin Lee, Jonathan P. Domin, Shuchivrat Datar, Dmitry Sklyar, Paul D. Butterfield, Chad Pollard, Haosheng Wu
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Publication number: 20230390895Abstract: A polishing system includes a platen to hold a polishing pad, a carrier head to hold a substrate against the polishing pad, a conditioner including a conditioner head to hold a conditioner disk against the polishing pad, a motor to move the conditioner head laterally movable relative to the platen, a conditioning disk cleaning station positioned adjacent the platen to clean the conditioning disk, and a controller configured to cause the motor to, during polishing of the substrate, move the conditioner head back and forth between a first position with the conditioner head over the polishing pad and a second position with the conditioner head in the conditioner disk cleaning station.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 17, 2022Publication date: December 7, 2023Inventors: Haosheng Wu, Shou-Sung Chang, Jianshe Tang, Jeonghoon Oh, Chad Pollard, Chih Chung Chou, Ningzhuo Cui, Hui Chen
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Patent number: 11833637Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing system includes a steam generator with a heating element to apply heat to a vessel to generate steam, an opening to deliver steam onto a polishing pad, a first valve in a fluid line between the opening and the vessel, a sensor to monitor a steam parameter, and a control system. The control system causes the valve to open and close in accordance with a steam delivery schedule in a recipe, receive a measured value for the steam parameter from the sensor, receive a target value for the steam parameter, and perform a proportional integral derivative control algorithm with the target value and measured value as inputs so as to control the first valve and/or a second pressure release valve and/or the heating element such that the measured value reaches the target value substantially just before the valve is opened according to the steam delivery schedule.Type: GrantFiled: June 28, 2021Date of Patent: December 5, 2023Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Hari Soundararajan, Shou-Sung Chang, Calvin Lee, Jonathan P. Domin, Shuchivrat Datar, Dmitry Sklyar, Paul D. Butterfield, Chad Pollard, Haosheng Wu
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Publication number: 20230387625Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing assembly includes a chemical mechanical polishing system, a fluid source, and a fluid delivery conduit to carry a fluid from the fluid source into the chemical mechanical polishing system. The polishing system has a platen to support a polishing pad, a carrier head to support a substrate and bring the substrate into contact with the polishing pad, and a motor to cause relative motion between platen and the carrier head. The fluid delivery conduit includes a conductive wire extending through an interior of the conduit to flow electrostatic discharge to a ground, and a wire extraction fitting covering and sealing a location where the conductive wire passes through a wall of the fluid delivery conduit.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 26, 2022Publication date: November 30, 2023Inventors: Chad Pollard, Shou-Sung Chang, Haosheng Wu
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Publication number: 20230381922Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing assembly includes a chemical mechanical polishing system, a fluid source, and a fluid delivery conduit to carry a fluid from the fluid source into the chemical mechanical polishing system. The polishing system has a platen to support a polishing pad, a carrier head to support a substrate and bring the substrate into contact with the polishing pad, and a motor to cause relative motion between platen and the carrier head. The fluid delivery conduit includes a conductive wire extending through an interior of the conduit to flow electrostatic discharge to a ground, and a wire extraction fitting covering and sealing a location where the conductive wire passes through a wall of the fluid delivery conduit.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 26, 2022Publication date: November 30, 2023Inventors: Chad Pollard, Shou-Sung Chang, Haosheng Wu
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Patent number: 11801582Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing system includes a steam generator with a heating element to apply heat to a vessel to generate steam, an opening to deliver steam onto a polishing pad, a first valve in a fluid line between the opening and the vessel, a sensor to monitor a steam parameter, and a control system. The control system causes the valve to open and close in accordance with a steam delivery schedule in a recipe, receive a measured value for the steam parameter from the sensor, receive a target value for the steam parameter, and perform a proportional integral derivative control algorithm with the target value and measured value as inputs so as to control the first valve and/or a second pressure release valve and/or the heating element such that the measured value reaches the target value substantially just before the valve is opened according to the steam delivery schedule.Type: GrantFiled: June 28, 2021Date of Patent: October 31, 2023Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Hari Soundararajan, Shou-Sung Chang, Calvin Lee, Jonathan P. Domin, Shuchivrat Datar, Dmitry Sklyar, Paul D. Butterfield, Chad Pollard, Haosheng Wu