Patents by Inventor Eric R. Hill

Eric R. Hill 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).

  • Patent number: 11264255
    Abstract: A system for removing an oxide material from a surface of a substrate can include a substrate tray to receive the substrate, and a cooling body to receive the substrate tray. The system may include a first temperature control element configured to control a temperature of the substrate tray and a second temperature control element configured to control a temperature of the cooling body, where the first temperature control element and the second temperature control element can be independently controlled. A method for removing oxide material from a surface of a substrate can include providing the substrate on a substrate tray having heating elements, cooling the substrate by transferring heat from the substrate tray to a cooling body, depositing a halogen-containing material on the cooled substrate while the substrate is on the cooling body, and subsequently sublimating the halogen-containing material by heating the cooled substrate by transferring heat from the substrate tray to the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: ASM IP HOLDING B.V.
    Inventors: John Tolle, Eric R. Hill
  • Publication number: 20190333793
    Abstract: A system for removing an oxide material from a surface of a substrate can include a substrate tray to receive the substrate, and a cooling body to receive the substrate tray. The system may include a first temperature control element configured to control a temperature of the substrate tray and a second temperature control element configured to control a temperature of the cooling body, where the first temperature control element and the second temperature control element can be independently controlled. A method for removing oxide material from a surface of a substrate can include providing the substrate on a substrate tray having heating elements, cooling the substrate by transferring heat from the substrate tray to a cooling body, depositing a halogen-containing material on the cooled substrate while the substrate is on the cooling body, and subsequently sublimating the halogen-containing material by heating the cooled substrate by transferring heat from the substrate tray to the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2019
    Publication date: October 31, 2019
    Inventors: JOHN TOLLE, ERIC R. HILL
  • Patent number: 10373850
    Abstract: A system for removing an oxide material from a surface of a substrate can include a substrate tray to receive the substrate, and a cooling body to receive the substrate tray. The system may include a first temperature control element configured to control a temperature of the substrate tray and a second temperature control element configured to control a temperature of the cooling body, where the first temperature control element and the second temperature control element can be independently controlled. A method for removing oxide material from a surface of a substrate can include providing the substrate on a substrate tray having heating elements, cooling the substrate by transferring heat from the substrate tray to a cooling body, depositing a halogen-containing material on the cooled substrate while the substrate is on the cooling body, and subsequently sublimating the halogen-containing material by heating the cooled substrate by transferring heat from the substrate tray to the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: ASM IP HOLDING B.V.
    Inventors: John Tolle, Eric R. Hill
  • Patent number: 9514927
    Abstract: A method for integrated circuit fabrication can include removing silicon oxide by a pre-clean process. The pre-clean process can include depositing a halogen-containing material on the surface of a substrate in a first reaction chamber, and transferring the substrate having the halogen-containing material to a second reaction chamber. Silicon oxide material can be removed from a surface of the substrate by sublimating the halogen-containing material in the second reaction chamber. A target material, such as a conductive material, may subsequently be deposited on the substrate surface in the second reaction chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: ASM IP HOLDING B.V.
    Inventors: John Tolle, Matthew G. Goodman, Robert Michael Vyne, Eric R. Hill
  • Publication number: 20160265112
    Abstract: A system for removing an oxide material from a surface of a substrate can include a substrate tray to receive the substrate, and a cooling body to receive the substrate tray. The system may include a first temperature control element configured to control a temperature of the substrate tray and a second temperature control element configured to control a temperature of the cooling body, where the first temperature control element and the second temperature control element can be independently controlled. A method for removing oxide material from a surface of a substrate can include providing the substrate on a substrate tray having heating elements, cooling the substrate by transferring heat from the substrate tray to a cooling body, depositing a halogen-containing material on the cooled substrate while the substrate is on the cooling body, and subsequently sublimating the halogen-containing material by heating the cooled substrate by transferring heat from the substrate tray to the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2015
    Publication date: September 15, 2016
    Inventors: JOHN TOLLE, ERIC R. HILL
  • Publication number: 20160254137
    Abstract: A method for integrated circuit fabrication can include removing silicon oxide by a pre-clean process. The pre-clean process can include depositing a halogen-containing material on the surface of a substrate in a first reaction chamber, and transferring the substrate having the halogen-containing material to a second reaction chamber. Silicon oxide material can be removed from a surface of the substrate by sublimating the halogen-containing material in the second reaction chamber. A target material, such as a conductive material, may subsequently be deposited on the substrate surface in the second reaction chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2016
    Publication date: September 1, 2016
    Inventors: John Tolle, Matthew G. Goodman, Robert Michael Vyne, Eric R. Hill
  • Patent number: 9299557
    Abstract: A method for integrated circuit fabrication can include removing silicon oxide by a pre-clean process. The pre-clean process can include depositing a halogen-containing material on the surface of a substrate in a first reaction chamber, and transferring the substrate having the halogen-containing material to a second reaction chamber. Silicon oxide material can be removed from a surface of the substrate by sublimating the halogen-containing material in the second reaction chamber. A target material, such as a conductive material, may subsequently be deposited on the substrate surface in the second reaction chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: ASM IP HOLDING B.V.
    Inventors: John Tolle, Matthew G. Goodman, Robert Michael Vyne, Eric R. Hill
  • Publication number: 20150270122
    Abstract: A method for integrated circuit fabrication can include removing silicon oxide by a pre-clean process. The pre-clean process can include depositing a halogen-containing material on the surface of a substrate in a first reaction chamber, and transferring the substrate having the halogen-containing material to a second reaction chamber. Silicon oxide material can be removed from a surface of the substrate by sublimating the halogen-containing material in the second reaction chamber. A target material, such as a conductive material, may subsequently be deposited on the substrate surface in the second reaction chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2014
    Publication date: September 24, 2015
    Applicant: ASM IP HOLDING B.V.
    Inventors: John Tolle, Matthew G. Goodman, Robert Michael Vyne, Eric R. Hill
  • Patent number: 8927435
    Abstract: A load lock includes a chamber including an upper portion, a lower portion, and a partition between the upper portion and the lower portion, the partition including an opening therethrough. The load lock further includes a first port in communication with the upper portion of the chamber and a second port in communication with the lower portion of the chamber. The load lock includes a rack disposed within the chamber and a workpiece holder mounted on a first surface of the rack, wherein the rack and the workpiece holder are movable by an indexer that is capable of selectively moving wafer slots of the rack into communication with the second port. The indexer can also move the rack into an uppermost position, at which the first surface of the boat and the partition sealingly separate the upper portion and the lower portion to define an upper chamber and a lower chamber. Auxiliary processing, such as wafer pre-cleaning, or metrology can be conducted in the upper portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: ASM America, Inc.
    Inventors: Ravinder K. Aggarwal, Jeroen Stoutjesdijk, Eric R. Hill, Loring G. Davis, John T. DiSanto
  • Publication number: 20130239879
    Abstract: A load lock includes a chamber including an upper portion, a lower portion, and a partition between the upper portion and the lower portion, the partition including an opening therethrough. The load lock further includes a first port in communication with the upper portion of the chamber and a second port in communication with the lower portion of the chamber. The load lock includes a rack disposed within the chamber and a workpiece holder mounted on a first surface of the rack, wherein the rack and the workpiece holder are movable by an indexer that is capable of selectively moving wafer slots of the rack into communication with the second port. The indexer can also move the rack into an uppermost position, at which the first surface of the boat and the partition sealingly separate the upper portion and the lower portion to define an upper chamber and a lower chamber. Auxiliary processing, such as wafer pre-cleaning, or metrology can be conducted in the upper portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: ASM AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Ravinder K. Aggarwal, Jeroen Stoutjesdijk, Eric R. Hill, Loring G. Davis, John T. DiSanto
  • Publication number: 20100162940
    Abstract: A ‘Blue Dot’ stick-on moisture indicator system that includes a stick-on transparent, polypropylene film patch with a sticky, pressure sensitive, hot melt, rubber-resin that applies on one surface, a dimensionally smaller, ‘Blue Dot’ indicator patch and a dimensionally larger, silicon treated, release (peel) liner strip to which a plurality of stick-on film patches with ‘Blue Dot’ indicator patches, are affixed to such that functionally isolates both the moisture sensitive ‘Blue Dot’ (cobalt chloride treated paper) from moisture and the surrounding sticky surface of the stick-on film from debris before the indicator is applied or deployed (adhered) onto a surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2008
    Publication date: July 1, 2010
    Inventors: Stephen A. Hill, Eric R. Hill