Patents by Inventor Derek R. Witty

Derek R. Witty 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: 20240139900
    Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing apparatus has a platen to support a polishing pad, a carrier head comprising a rigid housing and configured to hold a surface of a substrate against the polishing pad, a motor to generate relative motion between the platen and the carrier head so as to polish the substrate, an in-situ carrier head monitoring system including a sensor positioned to interact with the housing and to detect vibrational motion of the housing and generate signals based on the detected vibrational motion, and a controller. The controller is configured to generate a value for a carrier head status parameter based on received signals from the in-situ carrier head monitoring system, and change a polishing parameter or generate an alert based on the carrier head status parameter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2023
    Publication date: May 2, 2024
    Inventors: Jeonghoon Oh, Jianshe Tang, Steven M. Zuniga, Brian J. Brown, Andrew J. Nagengast, Derek R. Witty, Rushabhkumar Desai, Shih-Haur Shen, Haosheng Wu, Yufei Hu
  • Patent number: 10236182
    Abstract: A method of forming a nitrogen-doped amorphous carbon layer on a substrate in a processing chamber is provided. The method generally includes depositing a predetermined thickness of a sacrificial dielectric layer over a substrate, forming patterned features on the substrate by removing portions of the sacrificial dielectric layer to expose an upper surface of the substrate, depositing conformally a predetermined thickness of a nitrogen-doped amorphous carbon layer on the patterned features and the exposed upper surface of the substrate, selectively removing the nitrogen-doped amorphous carbon layer from an upper surface of the patterned features and the upper surface of the substrate using an anisotropic etching process to provide the patterned features filled within sidewall spacers formed from the nitrogen-doped amorphous carbon layer, and removing the patterned features from the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Sungjin Kim, Deenesh Padhi, Sung Hyun Hong, Bok Hoen Kim, Derek R. Witty
  • Patent number: 10074534
    Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure relate to deposition of a conformal carbon-based material. In one embodiment, the method comprises depositing a sacrificial dielectric layer over a substrate, forming patterned features on the substrate by removing portions of the sacrificial dielectric layer to expose an upper surface of the substrate, introducing a hydrocarbon source, a plasma-initiating gas, and a dilution gas into the processing chamber, generating a plasma in the processing chamber at a deposition temperature of about 80° C. to about 550° C. to deposit a conformal amorphous carbon layer on the patterned features and the exposed upper surface of the substrate, selectively removing the amorphous carbon layer from an upper surface of the patterned features and the upper surface of the substrate using an anisotropic etching process to provide the patterned features filled within sidewall spacers, and removing the patterned features formed from the sacrificial dielectric layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Swayambhu P. Behera, Shahid Shaikh, Pramit Manna, Mandar B. Pandit, Tersem Summan, Patrick Reilly, Deenesh Padhi, Bok Hoen Kim, Heung Lak Park, Derek R. Witty
  • Patent number: 9984868
    Abstract: Provided are methods of for deposition of SiN films via PEALD processes. Certain methods pertain to exposing a substrate surface to a silicon precursor to provide a silicon precursor at the substrate surface; purging excess silicon precursor; exposing the substrate surface to an ionized reducing agent; and purging excess ionized reducing agent to provide a film comprising SiN, wherein the substrate has a temperature of 23° C. to about 550° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Victor Nguyen, Woong Jae Lee, Mihaela Balseanu, Li-Qun Xia, Derek R. Witty
  • Patent number: 9721784
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate to deposition of a conformal carbon-based material. In one embodiment, the method comprises depositing a sacrificial dielectric layer with a predetermined thickness over a substrate, forming patterned features on the substrate by removing portions of the sacrificial dielectric layer to expose an upper surface of the substrate, introducing a hydrocarbon source, a plasma-initiating gas, and a dilution gas into the processing chamber, wherein a volumetric flow rate of hydrocarbon source:plasma-initiating gas:dilution gas is in a ratio of 1:0.5:20, generating a plasma at a deposition temperature of about 300 C to about 500 C to deposit a conformal amorphous carbon layer on the patterned features and the exposed upper surface of the substrate, selectively removing the amorphous carbon layer from an upper surface of the patterned features and the upper surface of the substrate, and removing the patterned features.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Swayambhu P. Behera, Shahid Shaikh, Pramit Manna, Mandar B. Pandit, Tersem Summan, Patrick Reilly, Deenesh Padhi, Bok Hoen Kim, Heung Lak Park, Derek R. Witty
  • Patent number: 9570303
    Abstract: A method of forming a nitrogen-doped amorphous carbon layer on a substrate in a processing chamber is provided. The method generally includes depositing a predetermined thickness of a sacrificial dielectric layer over a substrate, forming patterned features on the substrate by removing portions of the sacrificial dielectric layer to expose an upper surface of the substrate, depositing conformally a predetermined thickness of a nitrogen-doped amorphous carbon layer on the patterned features and the exposed upper surface of the substrate, selectively removing the nitrogen-doped amorphous carbon layer from an upper surface of the patterned features and the upper surface of the substrate using an anisotropic etching process to provide the patterned features filled within sidewall spacers formed from the nitrogen-doped amorphous carbon layer, and removing the patterned features from the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Sungjin Kim, Deenesh Padhi, Sung Hyun Hong, Bok Hoen Kim, Derek R. Witty
  • Patent number: 9337072
    Abstract: The present invention generally provides methods and apparatus for monitoring and maintaining flatness of a substrate in a plasma reactor. Certain embodiments of the present invention provide a method for processing a substrate comprising positioning the substrate on an electrostatic chuck, applying an RF power between the an electrode in the electrostatic chuck and a counter electrode positioned parallel to the electrostatic chuck, applying a DC bias to the electrode in the electrostatic chuck to clamp the substrate on the electrostatic chuck, and measuring an imaginary impedance of the electrostatic chuck.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Ganesh Balasubramanian, Amit Bansal, Eller Y. Juco, Mohamad Ayoub, Hyung-Joon Kim, Karthik Janakiraman, Sudha Rathi, Deenesh Padhi, Martin Jay Seamons, Visweswaren Sivaramakrishnan, Bok Hoen Kim, Amir Al-Bayati, Derek R. Witty, Hichem M'Saad, Anton Baryshnikov, Chiu Chan, Shuang Liu
  • Publication number: 20140349490
    Abstract: A method of forming a nitrogen-doped amorphous carbon layer on a substrate in a processing chamber is provided. The method generally includes depositing a predetermined thickness of a sacrificial dielectric layer over a substrate, forming patterned features on the substrate by removing portions of the sacrificial dielectric layer to expose an upper surface of the substrate, depositing conformally a predetermined thickness of a nitrogen-doped amorphous carbon layer on the patterned features and the exposed upper surface of the substrate, selectively removing the nitrogen-doped amorphous carbon layer from an upper surface of the patterned features and the upper surface of the substrate using an anisotropic etching process to provide the patterned features filled within sidewall spacers formed from the nitrogen-doped amorphous carbon layer, and removing the patterned features from the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2013
    Publication date: November 27, 2014
    Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Sungjin Kim, Deenesh Padhi, Sung Hyun Hong, Bok Hoen Kim, Derek R. Witty
  • Publication number: 20140273529
    Abstract: Provided are methods of for deposition of SiN films via PEALD processes. Certain methods pertain to exposing a substrate surface to a silicon precursor to provide a silicon precursor at the substrate surface; purging excess silicon precursor; exposing the substrate surface to an ionized reducing agent; and purging excess ionized reducing agent to provide a film comprising SiN, wherein the substrate has a temperature of 23° C. to about 550° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Inventors: Victor Nguyen, Woong Jae Lee, Mihaela Balseanu, Li-Qun Xia, Derek R. Witty
  • Patent number: 8758638
    Abstract: A method for the removal of copper oxide from a copper and dielectric containing structure of a semiconductor chip is provided. The copper and dielectric containing structure may be planarized by chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) and treated by the method to remove copper oxide and CMP residues. Annealing in a hydrogen (H2) gas and ultraviolet (UV) environment removes copper oxide, and a pulsed ammonia plasma removes CMP residues.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Weifeng Ye, Victor Nguyen, Mei-Yee Shek, Mihaela Balseanu, Li-Qun Xia, Derek R. Witty
  • Patent number: 8679987
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein relate to a method for processing a substrate. In one embodiment, the method includes introducing a gas mixture comprising a hydrocarbon source and a diluent gas into a deposition chamber located within a processing system, generating a plasma from the gas mixture in the deposition chamber at a temperature between about 200° C. and about 700° C. to form a low-hydrogen content amorphous carbon layer on the substrate, transferring the substrate into a curing chamber located within the processing system without breaking vacuum, and exposing the substrate to UV radiation within the curing chamber at a curing temperature above about 200° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick Reilly, Shahid Shaikh, Tersem Summan, Deenesh Padhi, Sanjeev Baluja, Juan Carlos Rocha-Alvarez, Thomas Nowak, Bok Hoen Kim, Derek R. Witty
  • Patent number: 8598020
    Abstract: In a method of depositing a crystalline germanium layer on a substrate, a substrate is placed in the process zone comprising a pair of process electrodes. In a deposition stage, a crystalline germanium layer is deposited on the substrate by introducing a deposition gas comprising a germanium-containing gas into the process zone, and forming a capacitively coupled plasma of the deposition gas by coupling energy to the process electrodes. In a subsequent treatment stage, the deposited crystalline germanium layer is treated by exposing the crystalline germanium layer to an energized treatment gas or by annealing the layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Victor Nguyen, Mihaela Balseanu, Li-Qun Xia, Derek R Witty
  • Patent number: 8586487
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for forming conformal silicon nitride films at low temperatures on a substrate are provided. The methods of forming a silicon nitride layer include performing a deposition cycle including flowing a processing gas mixture into a processing chamber having a substrate therein, wherein the processing gas mixture comprises precursor gas molecules having labile silicon to nitrogen, silicon to carbon, or nitrogen to carbon bonds, activating the precursor gas at a temperature between about 20° C. to about 480° C. by preferentially breaking labile bonds to provide one or more reaction sites along a precursor gas molecule, forming a precursor material layer on the substrate, wherein the activated precursor gas molecules bond with a surface on the substrate at the one or more reaction sites, and performing a plasma treatment process on the precursor material layer to form a conformal silicon nitride layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Victor Nguyen, Mihaela Balseanu, Li-Qun Xia, Derek R. Witty
  • Patent number: 8563090
    Abstract: Methods of depositing boron-containing liner layers on substrates involve the formation of a bilayer including an initiation layer which includes barrier material to inhibit the diffusion of boron from the bilayer into the underlying substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Mihaela Balseanu, Li-Qun Xia, Derek R Witty, Yi Chen
  • Patent number: 8501568
    Abstract: A methods of forming a flash memory device are provided. The flash memory device comprises a silicon dioxide layer on a substrate and a silicon nitride layer that is formed on the silicon dioxide layer. The properties of the silicon nitride layer can be modified by any of: exposing the silicon nitride layer to ultraviolet radiation, exposing the silicon nitride layer to an electron beam, and by plasma treating the silicon nitride layer. A dielectric material is deposited on the silicon nitride layer and a conductive date is formed over the dielectric material. The flash memory device with modified silicon nitride layer provides an increase in charge holding capacity and charge retention time of the unit cell of a non-volatile memory device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Mihaela Balseanu, Vladimir Zubkov, Li-Qun Xia, Atif Noori, Reza Arghavani, Derek R. Witty, Amir Al-Bayati
  • Publication number: 20130189841
    Abstract: A method for forming an integrated circuit is provided. In one embodiment, the method includes forming a stop layer comprising carbon doped silicon nitride on a gate region on a substrate, the gate region having a poly gate and one or more spacers formed adjacent the poly gate, forming a dielectric layer on the stop layer, and removing a portion of the dielectric layer above the gate region using a CMP process, wherein the stop layer is a strain inducing layer having a CMP removal rate that is less than the CMP removal rate of the dielectric layer and equal to or less than the CMP removal rate of the one or more spacers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2012
    Publication date: July 25, 2013
    Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Mihaela Balseanu, Li-Qun Xia, Derek R. Witty, Thomas H. Osterheld, Christopher Heung-Gyun Lee, William H. McClintock
  • Publication number: 20130189845
    Abstract: A method of forming a nitrogen-doped amorphous carbon layer on a substrate in a processing chamber is provided. The method generally includes depositing a predetermined thickness of a sacrificial dielectric layer over a substrate, forming patterned features on the substrate by removing portions of the sacrificial dielectric layer to expose an upper surface of the substrate, depositing conformally a predetermined thickness of a nitrogen-doped amorphous carbon layer on the patterned features and the exposed upper surface of the substrate, selectively removing the nitrogen-doped amorphous carbon layer from an upper surface of the patterned features and the upper surface of the substrate using an anisotropic etching process to provide the patterned features filled within sidewall spacers formed from the nitrogen-doped amorphous carbon layer, and removing the patterned features from the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2012
    Publication date: July 25, 2013
    Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Sungjin Kim, Deenesh Padhi, Song Hyun Hong, Bok Hoen Kim, Derek R. Witty
  • Publication number: 20130183835
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for forming conformal silicon nitride films at low temperatures on a substrate are provided. The methods of forming a silicon nitride layer include performing a deposition cycle including flowing a processing gas mixture into a processing chamber having a substrate therein, wherein the processing gas mixture comprises precursor gas molecules having labile silicon to nitrogen, silicon to carbon, or nitrogen to carbon bonds, activating the precursor gas at a temperature between about 20° C. to about 480° C. by preferentially breaking labile bonds to provide one or more reaction sites along a precursor gas molecule, forming a precursor material layer on the substrate, wherein the activated precursor gas molecules bond with a surface on the substrate at the one or more reaction sites, and performing a plasma treatment process on the precursor material layer to form a conformal silicon nitride layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2012
    Publication date: July 18, 2013
    Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Victor Nguyen, Mihaela Balseanu, Li-Qun Xia, Derek R. Witty
  • Patent number: 8389376
    Abstract: Methods are provided for forming a structure that includes an air gap. In one embodiment, a method is provided for forming a damascene structure including depositing a porous low dielectric constant layer by a method including reacting an organosilicon compound and a porogen-providing precursor, depositing a porogen-containing material, and removing at least a portion of the porogen-containing material, depositing an organic layer on the porous low dielectric constant layer by reacting the porogen-providing precursor, forming a feature definition in the organic layer and the porous low dielectric constant layer, filing the feature definition with a conductive material therein, depositing a mask layer on the organic layer and the conductive material disposed in the feature definition, forming apertures in the mask layer to expose the organic layer, removing a portion or all of the organic layer through the apertures, and forming an air gap adjacent the conductive material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Alexandros T. Demos, Li-Qun Xia, Bok Hoen Kim, Derek R. Witty, Hichem M'Saad
  • Patent number: 8343881
    Abstract: A silicon dioxide layer is deposited onto a substrate using a process gas comprising BDEAS and an oxygen-containing gas such as ozone. The silicon dioxide layer can be part of an etch-resistant stack that includes a resist layer. In another version, the silicon dioxide layer is deposited into through holes to form an oxide liner for through-silicon vias.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Yong-Won Lee, Vladimir Zubkov, Mei-Yee Shek, Li-Qun Xia, Prahallad Iyengar, Sanjeev Baluja, Scott A Hendrickson, Juan Carlos Rocha-Alvarez, Thomas Nowak, Derek R Witty