Patents by Inventor Du Zhang

Du Zhang 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: 20240135102
    Abstract: A method of this disclosure may include performing a named entity recognition on text information related to requirements for a wireframe by a first artificial intelligence (AI) model, so as to extract entities and relations of the entities from the text information. The method may further comprise inputting the extracted entities and relations to a second AI model to generate the wireframe, wherein the second AI model is trained so that a difference between resultant relations of the entities of the generated wireframe and the extracted relations of the entities from the first AI model is decreased.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2022
    Publication date: April 25, 2024
    Inventors: Zhaoqi Wu, Yi Fang Chen, Zhi Wang, Yi Qun Zhang, Yan Du, Li Na Yuan
  • Publication number: 20240128089
    Abstract: Embodiments of improved processes and methods that provide selective etching of silicon nitride are disclosed herein. More specifically, a cyclic, two-step dry etch process is provided to selectively etch silicon nitride layers formed on a substrate, while protecting oxide layers formed on the same substrate. The cyclic, two-step dry etch process sequentially exposes the substrate to: (1) a hydrogen plasma to modify exposed surfaces of the silicon nitride layer and the oxide layer to form a modified silicon nitride surface layer and a modified oxide surface layer, and (2) a halogen plasma to selectively etch silicon nitride by removing the modified silicon nitride surface layer without removing the modified oxide surface layer. The oxide layer is protected from etching during the removal step (i.e., step 2) by creating a crystallized water layer on the oxide layer during the surface modification step (i.e., step 1).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2022
    Publication date: April 18, 2024
    Inventors: Yu-Hao Tsai, Mingmei Wang, Du Zhang
  • Publication number: 20240112919
    Abstract: A method of processing a substrate that includes: flowing dioxygen (O2) and a hydrogen-containing gas into a plasma processing chamber that is configured to hold the substrate, the substrate including an organic layer and a patterned etch mask, the hydrogen-containing gas including dihydrogen (H2), a hydrocarbon, or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2); generating an oxygen-rich plasma while flowing the gases; maintaining a temperature of the substrate in the plasma processing chamber between ?150° C. and ?50° C.; and while maintaining the temperature, exposing the substrate to the oxygen-rich plasma to form a recess in the organic layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2022
    Publication date: April 4, 2024
    Inventors: Du Zhang, Maju Tomura, Koki Mukaiyama, Tomohiko Niizeki, Yoshihide Kihara, Mingmei Wang
  • Publication number: 20240112888
    Abstract: A method of processing a substrate that includes: flowing an etch gas, O2, and an adsorbate precursor into a plasma processing chamber that is configured to hold the substrate including a silicon-containing dielectric layer and a patterned mask layer, the etch gas including hydrogen and fluorine; generating a plasma in the plasma processing chamber while flowing the etch gas, O2, and the adsorbate precursor, the adsorbate precursor being oxidized to form an adsorbate; and patterning, with the plasma, the silicon-containing dielectric layer on the substrate, where the adsorbate forms a sidewall passivation layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2022
    Publication date: April 4, 2024
    Inventors: Du Zhang, Yu-Hao Tsai, Masahiko Yokoi, Mingmei Wang, Yoshihide Kihara
  • Publication number: 20240112887
    Abstract: A method of processing a substrate that includes: flowing dioxygen (O2) and an adsorbate precursor into a plasma processing chamber that is configured to hold the substrate including an organic layer and a patterned etch mask; sustaining an oxygen-rich plasma while flowing the O2 and the adsorbate precursor, oxygen species from the O2 and the adsorbate precursor reacting under the oxygen-rich plasma to form an adsorbate; and exposing the substrate to the oxygen-rich plasma to form a recess in the organic layer, where the adsorbate forms a sidewall passivation layer in the recess.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2022
    Publication date: April 4, 2024
    Inventors: Du Zhang, Yu-Hao Tsai, Masahiko Yokoi, Yoshihide Kihara, Mingmei Wang
  • Publication number: 20240091561
    Abstract: A radiation therapy system is disclosed. The radiation therapy system includes a gantry, a first radiation source, and a second radiation source. The gantry is configured to have a cavity extending in a direction along a rotation axis, and the cavity is configured to house a target object. The first radiation source is mounted on the gantry, and configured to emit a treatment beam to a treatment area of the target object. The second radiation source is mounted on the gantry, and configured to emit an imaging beam to an imaging area of the target object. The treatment area partially overlaps the imaging area. A rotation plane of the first radiation source and a rotation plane of the second radiation source are distributed in a direction along the rotation axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2023
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Inventors: CAN LIAO, BO CAI, LING-QING MEI, ZHI-DU ZHANG, CHENG NI, WEI ZHANG
  • Publication number: 20230374670
    Abstract: A method of processing a substrate that includes: loading the substrate in a plasma processing chamber, the substrate having a surface including an oxide, the oxide including an alkaline earth metal; flowing a process gas including CCl4 into the plasma processing chamber; in the plasma processing chamber, forming a fluorine-free plasma from the process gas by applying a source power to a source electrode of the plasma processing chamber; and exposing the substrate to the fluorine-free plasma to etch the oxide of the surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2022
    Publication date: November 23, 2023
    Inventors: Du Zhang, Christophe Vallee, Mingmei Wang
  • Patent number: 11804380
    Abstract: A method of high-throughput dry etching of a film by proton-mediated catalyst formation. The method includes providing a substrate having a film thereon containing silicon-oxygen components, silicon-nitrogen components, or both, introducing an etching gas in the process chamber, plasma-exciting the etching gas, and exposing the film to the plasma-excited etching gas to etch the film. In one example, the etching gas contains at least three different gases that include a fluorine-containing gas, a hydrogen-containing gas, and a nitrogen-containing gas, plasma-exciting the etching gas. In another example, the etching gas contains at least four different gases that include a fluorine-containing gas, a hydrogen-containing gas, an oxygen-containing gas, and a silicon-containing gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Du Zhang, Yu-Hao Tsai, Mingmei Wang
  • Publication number: 20230307242
    Abstract: A method of processing a substrate includes patterning a mask over a dielectric layer and etching openings in the dielectric layer. The dielectric layer is disposed over the substrate. The etching includes flowing an etchant, a polar or H-containing gas, and a phosphorus-halide gas. The method may further include forming contacts by filling the openings with a conductive material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2022
    Publication date: September 28, 2023
    Inventors: Yu-Hao Tsai, Du Zhang, Mingmei Wang, Takatoshi Orui, Motoi Takahashi, Masahiko Yokoi, Koki Tanaka, Yoshihide Kihara
  • Patent number: 11538692
    Abstract: A method for processing a substrate includes performing a cyclic process including a plurality of cycles, where the cyclic process includes: forming, in a plasma processing chamber, a passivation layer over sidewalls of a recess in a carbon-containing layer, by exposing the substrate to a first gas including boron, silicon, or aluminum, the carbon-containing layer being disposed over a substrate, purging the plasma processing chamber with a second gas including a hydrogen-containing gas, an oxygen-containing gas, or molecular nitrogen, and exposing the substrate to a plasma generated from the second gas, where each cycle of the plurality of cycles extends the recess vertically into the carbon-containing layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Yunho Kim, Du Zhang, Shihsheng Chang, Mingmei Wang, Andrew Metz
  • Publication number: 20220375759
    Abstract: A method for processing a substrate includes performing a cyclic process including a plurality of cycles, where the cyclic process includes: forming, in a plasma processing chamber, a passivation layer over sidewalls of a recess in a carbon-containing layer, by exposing the substrate to a first gas including boron, silicon, or aluminum, the carbon-containing layer being disposed over a substrate, purging the plasma processing chamber with a second gas including a hydrogen-containing gas, an oxygen-containing gas, or molecular nitrogen, and exposing the substrate to a plasma generated from the second gas, where each cycle of the plurality of cycles extends the recess vertically into the carbon-containing layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2021
    Publication date: November 24, 2022
    Inventors: Yunho Kim, Du Zhang, Shihsheng Chang, Mingmei Wang, Andrew Metz
  • Publication number: 20220199418
    Abstract: A method for processing a substrate that includes: loading the substrate in a plasma processing chamber; performing a cyclic plasma etch process including a plurality of cycles, where each cycle of the plurality of cycles includes: generating a first plasma from a first gas mixture including a fluorosilane and oxygen; performing a deposition step by exposing the substrate to the first plasma to form a passivation film including silicon and fluorine; generating a second plasma from a second gas mixture including a noble gas; and performing an etch step by exposing the substrate to the second plasma.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2021
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Inventors: Du Zhang, Hojin Kim, Shigeru Tahara, Kaoru Maekawa, Mingmei Wang, Jacques Faguet, Remi Dussart, Thomas Tillocher, Philippe Lefaucheux, Gaëlle Antoun
  • Publication number: 20220199410
    Abstract: A method for etching high-aspect ratio recessed features in an amorphous carbon layer is presented. The method includes providing a substrate containing an amorphous carbon layer and a patterned mask layer, plasma-etching a recessed feature through less than an entire thickness of the amorphous carbon layer using the patterned mask, forming a passivation layer on a sidewall of the etched amorphous carbon layer in the recessed feature by exposing the substrate to a passivation gas in the absence of a plasma, and repeating the plasma-etching and forming the passivation layer at least once to extend the recessed feature in the amorphous carbon layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2021
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Inventors: Du Zhang, Shihsheng Chang, Yunho Kim, Mingmei Wang, Andrew Metz
  • Publication number: 20220157615
    Abstract: A method of high-throughput dry etching of a film by proton-mediated catalyst formation. The method includes providing a substrate having a film thereon containing silicon-oxygen components, silicon-nitrogen components, or both, introducing an etching gas in the process chamber, plasma-exciting the etching gas, and exposing the film to the plasma-excited etching gas to etch the film. In one example, the etching gas contains at least three different gases that include a fluorine-containing gas, a hydrogen-containing gas, and a nitrogen-containing gas, plasma-exciting the etching gas. In another example, the etching gas contains at least four different gases that include a fluorine-containing gas, a hydrogen-containing gas, an oxygen-containing gas, and a silicon-containing gas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2021
    Publication date: May 19, 2022
    Inventors: Du Zhang, Yu-Hao Tsai, Mingmei Wang
  • Patent number: 11189499
    Abstract: Methods for the atomic layer etch (ALE) of tungsten or other metal layers are disclosed that use in part sequential oxidation and reduction of tungsten/metal layers to achieve target etch parameters. For one embodiment, a metal layer is first oxidized to form a metal oxide layer and an underlying metal layer. The metal oxide layer is then reduced to form a surface metal layer and an underlying metal oxide layer. The surface metal layer is then removed to leave the underlying metal oxide layer and the underlying metal layer. Further, the oxidizing, reducing, and removing processes can be repeated to achieve a target etch depth. In addition, a target etch rate can also achieved for each process cycle of oxidizing, reducing, and removing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Yu-Hao Tsai, Du Zhang, Mingmei Wang, Aelan Mosden, Matthew Flaugh
  • Patent number: 11158517
    Abstract: A method for selective plasma etching of silicon oxide relative to silicon nitride. The method includes a) providing a substrate containing a silicon oxide film and a silicon nitride film, b) exposing the substrate to a plasma-excited treatment gas containing 1) H2 and 2) HF, F2, or both HF and F2, to form a silicon oxide surface layer with reduced oxygen content on the silicon oxide film and form an ammonium salt layer on the silicon nitride film, c) exposing the substrate to a plasma-excited halogen-containing gas that reacts with and removes the silicon oxide surface layer from the silicon oxide film, and d) repeating steps b) and c) at least once to further selectively etch the silicon oxide film relative to the ammonium salt layer on the silicon nitride film. The ammonium salt layer may be removed when the desired etching has been achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Du Zhang, Yu-Hao Tsai, Mingmei Wang
  • Patent number: 11152217
    Abstract: A method for selective etching of silicon oxide relative to silicon nitride includes exposing a substrate to a first gas that forms a first layer on the silicon oxide film and a second layer on the silicon nitride film, where the first gas contains boron, aluminum, or both boron and aluminum, exposing the substrate to a nitrogen-containing gas that reacts with the first layer to form a first nitride layer on the silicon oxide film and reacts with the second layer to form a second nitride layer on the silicon nitride film, where a thickness of the second nitride layer is greater than a thickness of the first nitride layer. The method further includes exposing the substrate to an etching gas that etches the first nitride layer and silicon oxide film, where the second nitride layer protects the silicon nitride film from etching by the etching gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Yu-Hao Tsai, Du Zhang, Mingmei Wang
  • Publication number: 20210233775
    Abstract: A method of high-throughput dry etching of silicon oxide and silicon nitride materials by in-situ autocatalyst formation. The method includes providing a substrate having a film thereon in a process chamber, the film containing silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or both silicon oxide and silicon nitride, introducing an etching gas containing fluorine and hydrogen, and setting a gas pressure in the process chamber that is between about 1 mTorr and about 300 mTorr, and a substrate temperature that is below about ?30° C. The method further includes plasma-exciting the etching gas, and exposing the film to the plasma-excited etching gas, where the film is continuously etched during the exposing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2021
    Publication date: July 29, 2021
    Inventors: Du Zhang, Manabu Iwata, Yu-Hao Tsai, Takahiro Yokoyama, Yanxiang Shi, Yoshihide Kihara, Wataru Sakamoto, Mingmei Wang
  • Patent number: 11024508
    Abstract: A method for selective plasma etching of silicon oxide relative to silicon nitride is described. The method includes providing a substrate containing a silicon oxide film and a silicon nitride film, and selectively etching the silicon oxide film relative to the silicon nitride film by: a1) exposing the substrate to a plasma-excited passivation gas containing carbon, sulfur, or both carbon and sulfur, where the plasma-excited passivation gas does not contain fluorine or hydrogen, and b1) exposing the substrate to a plasma-excited etching gas containing a fluorine-containing gas. The method can further include, between a1) and b1), an additional step of a2) exposing the substrate to a plasma-excited additional passivation gas containing a fluorocarbon gas, hydrofluorocarbon gas, a hydrochlorocarbon gas, a hydrochlorofluorocarbon gas, or a hydrocarbon gas, or a combination thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Du Zhang, Yu-Hao Tsai, Mingmei Wang
  • Publication number: 20200402808
    Abstract: A method for selective etching of silicon oxide relative to silicon nitride includes exposing a substrate to a first gas that forms a first layer on the silicon oxide film and a second layer on the silicon nitride film, where the first gas contains boron, aluminum, or both boron and aluminum, exposing the substrate to a nitrogen-containing gas that reacts with the first layer to form a first nitride layer on the silicon oxide film and reacts with the second layer to form a second nitride layer on the silicon nitride film, where a thickness of the second nitride layer is greater than a thickness of the first nitride layer. The method further includes exposing the substrate to an etching gas that etches the first nitride layer and silicon oxide film, where the second nitride layer protects the silicon nitride film from etching by the etching gas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2020
    Publication date: December 24, 2020
    Inventors: Yu-Hao Tsai, Du Zhang, Mingmei Wang