Patents by Inventor Eric Christopher Stevens

Eric Christopher Stevens 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: 20240068092
    Abstract: Methods for depositing a molybdenum nitride film on a surface of a substrate are disclosed. The methods may include: providing a substrate into a reaction chamber; and depositing a molybdenum nitride film directly on the surface of the substrate by performing one or more unit deposition cycles of cyclical deposition process, wherein a unit deposition cycle may include, contacting the substrate with a first vapor phase reactant comprising a molybdenum halide precursor, and contacting the substrate with a second vapor phase reactant comprising a nitrogen precursor. Semiconductor device structures including a molybdenum nitride film are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2023
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Inventors: Eric Christopher Stevens, Bhushan Zope, Shankar Swaminathan, Charles Dezelah, Qi Xie, Giuseppe Alessio Verni
  • Patent number: 11898242
    Abstract: Methods for forming a polycrystalline molybdenum film over a surface of a substrate are disclosed. The methods may include: providing a substrate into a reaction chamber; depositing a nucleation film directly on an exposed surface of the substrate, wherein the nucleation film comprises one of a metal oxide nucleation film or a metal nitride nucleation film; and depositing a polycrystalline molybdenum film directly on the nucleation film; wherein the polycrystalline molybdenum film comprises a plurality of molybdenum crystallites having an average crystallite size of less than 80 ?. Structures including a polycrystalline molybdenum film disposed over a surface of a substrate with an intermediate nucleation film are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Inventors: Bhushan Zope, Eric Christopher Stevens, Shankar Swaminathan, Roghayyeh Lotfi, Mustafa Muhammad, Eric Shero
  • Patent number: 11827978
    Abstract: Methods for depositing a molybdenum nitride film on a surface of a substrate are disclosed. The methods may include: providing a substrate into a reaction chamber; and depositing a molybdenum nitride film directly on the surface of the substrate by performing one or more unit deposition cycles of cyclical deposition process, wherein a unit deposition cycle may include, contacting the substrate with a first vapor phase reactant comprising a molybdenum halide precursor, and contacting the substrate with a second vapor phase reactant comprising a nitrogen precursor. Semiconductor device structures including a molybdenum nitride film are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: ASM IP Holding B.V.
    Inventors: Eric Christopher Stevens, Bhushan Zope, Shankar Swaminathan, Charles Dezelah, Qi Xie, Giuseppe Alessio Verni
  • Publication number: 20230279539
    Abstract: Methods and systems for forming molybdenum layers on a surface of a substrate and structures and devices formed using the methods are disclosed. Exemplary methods include forming an underlayer prior to forming the molybdenum layer. The underlayer can be used to manipulate stress in the molybdenum layer and/or reduce a nucleation temperature and/or deposition temperature of a step of forming the molybdenum layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2023
    Publication date: September 7, 2023
    Inventors: Paul Ma, Roghayyeh Lotfi, Jaebeom Lee, Eric Christopher Stevens, Amit Mishra
  • Patent number: 11674220
    Abstract: Methods for forming molybdenum layers on a surface of a substrate and structures and devices formed using the methods are disclosed. Exemplary methods include forming an underlayer prior to forming the molybdenum layer. The underlayer can be used to manipulate stress in the molybdenum layer and/or reduce a nucleation temperature and/or deposition temperature of a step of forming the molybdenum layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: ASM IP Holding B.V.
    Inventors: Paul Ma, Roghayyeh Lotfi, Jaebeom Lee, Eric Christopher Stevens, Amit Mishra
  • Publication number: 20230160057
    Abstract: Molybdenum (Mo) metal-on-metal (MoM) deposition methods for providing true bottom-up fill in vias and/or other gap features in device structures. These device structures contain metal at the bottom surface and have dielectric sidewalls. The deposition process provides molybdenum growth only, in some cases, on the metal film/layer to provide a selective process that can be called a metal-on-metal (MoM) process. The Mo MoM deposition process described herein are not limited to thin films (e.g., films less than 50 ?) and can be used to deposit thicker films (e.g., greater than 50 ? in some cases and greater than 200 ? in other useful cases) on metal surfaces while no, or substantially no, deposition is found on dielectric surfaces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2022
    Publication date: May 25, 2023
    Inventors: Jiyeon Kim, YoungChol Byun, Petri Raisanen, Dong Li, Eric James Shero, Yasiel Cabrera, Arul Vigneswar Ravichandran, Eric Christopher Stevens, Paul Ma
  • Publication number: 20220186364
    Abstract: Methods for depositing a molybdenum nitride film on a surface of a substrate are disclosed. The methods may include: providing a substrate into a reaction chamber; and depositing a molybdenum nitride film directly on the surface of the substrate by performing one or more unit deposition cycles of cyclical deposition process, wherein a unit deposition cycle may include, contacting the substrate with a first vapor phase reactant comprising a molybdenum halide precursor, and contacting the substrate with a second vapor phase reactant comprising a nitrogen precursor. Semiconductor device structures including a molybdenum nitride film are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2022
    Publication date: June 16, 2022
    Inventors: Eric Christopher Stevens, Bhushan Zope, Shankar Swaminathan, Charles Dezelah, Qi Xie, Giuseppe Alessio Verni
  • Patent number: 11286558
    Abstract: Methods for depositing a molybdenum nitride film on a surface of a substrate are disclosed. The methods may include: providing a substrate into a reaction chamber; and depositing a molybdenum nitride film directly on the surface of the substrate by performing one or more unit deposition cycles of cyclical deposition process, wherein a unit deposition cycle may include, contacting the substrate with a first vapor phase reactant comprising a molybdenum halide precursor, and contacting the substrate with a second vapor phase reactant comprising a nitrogen precursor. Semiconductor device structures including a molybdenum nitride film are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: ASM IP Holding B.V.
    Inventors: Eric Christopher Stevens, Bhushan Zope, Shankar Swaminathan, Charles Dezelah, Qi Xie, Giuseppe Alessio Verni
  • Publication number: 20220018016
    Abstract: Methods and systems for forming molybdenum layers on a surface of a substrate and structures and devices formed using the methods are disclosed. Exemplary methods include forming an underlayer prior to forming the molybdenum layer. The underlayer can be used to manipulate stress in the molybdenum layer and/or reduce a nucleation temperature and/or deposition temperature of a step of forming the molybdenum layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2021
    Publication date: January 20, 2022
    Inventors: Paul Ma, Roghayyeh Lotfi, Jaebeom Lee, Eric Christopher Stevens, Amit Mishra
  • Publication number: 20220018025
    Abstract: Methods and systems for forming transition metal layers on a surface of a substrate and structures and devices formed using the methods are disclosed. Exemplary methods include forming a transition layer prior to forming the transition metal layer. The transition layer can be used to facilitate subsequent deposition of the transition metal layer on high aspect ratio features, while mitigating bending of the features during deposition of the transition metal layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2021
    Publication date: January 20, 2022
    Inventors: Paul Ma, Roghayyeh Lotfi, Jaebeom Lee, Eric Christopher Stevens, Charith Eranga Nanayakkara
  • Publication number: 20210407809
    Abstract: Vapor deposition processes for forming thin films comprising molybdenum on a substrate are provide. In some embodiments the processes comprise a plurality of deposition cycles in which the substrate is separately contacted with a vapor phase molybdenum precursor comprising a molybdenum halide, a first reactant comprising CO, and a second reactant comprising H2. In some embodiments the thin film comprises MoC, Mo2C, or MoOC. In some embodiments the substrate is additionally contacted with a nitrogen reactant and a thin film comprising molybdenum, carbon and nitrogen is deposited, such as MoCN or MoOCN.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2021
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Inventors: Bhushan Zope, Eric Christopher Stevens, Shankar Swaminathan, Eric James Shero, Robert Brennan Milligan
  • Publication number: 20210057223
    Abstract: Methods for depositing a molybdenum nitride film on a surface of a substrate are disclosed. The methods may include: providing a substrate into a reaction chamber; and depositing a molybdenum nitride film directly on the surface of the substrate by performing one or more unit deposition cycles of cyclical deposition process, wherein a unit deposition cycle may include, contacting the substrate with a first vapor phase reactant comprising a molybdenum halide precursor, and contacting the substrate with a second vapor phase reactant comprising a nitrogen precursor. Semiconductor device structures including a molybdenum nitride film are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2020
    Publication date: February 25, 2021
    Inventors: Eric Christopher Stevens, Bhushan Zope, Shankar Swaminathan, Charles Dezelah, Qi Xie, Giuseppe Alessio Verni
  • Publication number: 20210054500
    Abstract: Methods for forming a polycrystalline molybdenum film over a surface of a substrate are disclosed. The methods may include: providing a substrate into a reaction chamber; depositing a nucleation film directly on an exposed surface of the substrate, wherein the nucleation film comprises one of a metal oxide nucleation film or a metal nitride nucleation film; and depositing a polycrystalline molybdenum film directly on the nucleation film; wherein the polycrystalline molybdenum film comprises a plurality of molybdenum crystallites having an average crystallite size of less than 80 ?. Structures including a polycrystalline molybdenum film disposed over a surface of a substrate with an intermediate nucleation film are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2020
    Publication date: February 25, 2021
    Inventors: Bhushan Zope, Eric Christopher Stevens, Shankar Swaminathan, Roghayyeh Lotfi, Mustafa Muhammad, Eric Shero