Patents by Inventor Frank Loren Pasquale
Frank Loren Pasquale 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: 11959172Abstract: A gas delivery system includes a 2-port valve including a first valve located between a first port and a second port. A 4-port valve includes a first node connected to a first port and a second port. A bypass path is located between the third port and the fourth port. A second node is located along the bypass path. A second valve is located between the first node and the second node. A manifold block defines gas flow channels configured to connect the first port of the 4-port valve to a first inlet, configured to connect the second port of the 4-port valve to the first port of the 2-port valve, the third port of the 4-port valve to a second inlet, the second port of the 2-port valve to a first outlet, and the fourth port of the 4-port valve to a second outlet.Type: GrantFiled: May 12, 2023Date of Patent: April 16, 2024Assignee: LAM RESEARCH CORPORATIONInventors: Ramesh Chandrasekharan, Antonio Xavier, Frank Loren Pasquale, Ryan Blaquiere, Jennifer Leigh Petraglia, Meenakshi Mamunuru
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Patent number: 11959175Abstract: Methods and apparatus for use of a fill on demand ampoule are disclosed. The fill on demand ampoule may refill an ampoule with precursor concurrent with the performance of other deposition processes. The fill on demand may keep the level of precursor within the ampoule at a relatively constant level. The level may be calculated to result in an optimum head volume. The fill on demand may also keep the precursor at a temperature near that of an optimum precursor temperature. The fill on demand may occur during parts of the deposition process where the agitation of the precursor due to the filling of the ampoule with the precursor minimally effects the substrate deposition. Substrate throughput may be increased through the use of fill on demand.Type: GrantFiled: June 22, 2021Date of Patent: April 16, 2024Assignee: Lam Research CorporationInventors: Tuan Nguyen, Eashwar Ranganathan, Shankar Swaminathan, Adrien LaVoie, Chloe Baldasseroni, Ramesh Chandrasekharan, Frank Loren Pasquale, Jennifer Leigh Petraglia
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Publication number: 20230279548Abstract: A gas delivery system includes a 2-port valve including a first valve located between a first port and a second port. A 4-port valve includes a first node connected to a first port and a second port. A bypass path is located between the third port and the fourth port. A second node is located along the bypass path. A second valve is located between the first node and the second node. A manifold block defines gas flow channels configured to connect the first port of the 4-port valve to a first inlet, configured to connect the second port of the 4-port valve to the first port of the 2-port valve, the third port of the 4-port valve to a second inlet, the second port of the 2-port valve to a first outlet, and the fourth port of the 4-port valve to a second outlet.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 12, 2023Publication date: September 7, 2023Inventors: Ramesh CHANDRASEKHARAN, Antonio Xavier, Frank Loren Pasquale, Ryan Blaquiere, Jennifer Leigh Petraglia, Meenakshi Mamunuru
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Publication number: 20230245896Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for depositing dielectric films into features on semiconductor substrates are described herein. Methods involve depositing dielectric films by using controlled thermal chemical vapor deposition, with periodic passivation operations and densification to modulate film properties.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 21, 2021Publication date: August 3, 2023Inventors: Awnish Gupta, Bart J. Van Schravendijk, Frank Loren Pasquale, Adrien LaVoie, Jason Alexander Varnell, Praneeth Ramasagaram, Joseph R. Abel, Jennifer Leigh Petraglia, Dustin Zachary Austin
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Publication number: 20230220544Abstract: Various embodiments herein relate to methods and apparatus for depositing silicon oxide using thermal ALD or thermal CVD. In one aspect of the disclosed embodiments, a method for depositing silicon oxide is provided, the method including: (a) receiving the substrate in a reaction chamber; (b) introducing a first flow of a first reactant into the reaction chamber and exposing the substrate to the first reactant, where the first reactant includes a silicon-containing reactant; (c) introducing a second flow of a second reactant into the reaction chamber to cause a reaction between the first reactant and the second reactant, (i) where the second reactant includes hydrogen (H2) and an oxygen-containing reactant, (ii) where the reaction deposits silicon oxide on the substrate, and (iii) where the reaction is initiated when a pressure in the reaction chamber is greater than 10 Torr and equal to or less than about 40 Torr.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 1, 2021Publication date: July 13, 2023Inventors: Awnish Gupta, Ian John Curtin, Douglas Walter Agnew, Frank Loren Pasquale, Eli Jeon, Adrien LaVoie
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Patent number: 11661654Abstract: A gas delivery system includes a 2-port valve including a first valve located between a first port and a second port. A 4-port valve includes a first node connected to a first port and a second port. A bypass path is located between the third port and the fourth port. A second node is located along the bypass path. A second valve is located between the first node and the second node. A manifold block defines gas flow channels configured to connect the first port of the 4-port valve to a first inlet, configured to connect the second port of the 4-port valve to the first port of the 2-port valve, the third port of the 4-port valve to a second inlet, the second port of the 2-port valve to a first outlet, and the fourth port of the 4-port valve to a second outlet.Type: GrantFiled: April 18, 2018Date of Patent: May 30, 2023Assignee: LAM RESEARCH CORPORATIONInventors: Ramesh Chandrasekharan, Antonio Xavier, Frank Loren Pasquale, Ryan Blaquiere, Jennifer Leigh Petraglia, Meenakshi Mamunuru
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Publication number: 20230002887Abstract: Methods for filling gaps with dielectric material involve deposition using an atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique to fill a gap followed by deposition of a cap layer on the filled gap by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique. The ALD deposition may be a plasma-enhanced ALD (PEALD) or thermal ALD (tALD) deposition. The CVD deposition may be plasma-enhanced CVD (PECVD) or thermal CVD (tCVD) deposition. In some embodiments, the CVD deposition is performed in the same chamber as the ALD deposition without intervening process operations. This in-situ deposition of the cap layer results in a high throughput process with high uniformity. After the process, the wafer is ready for chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP) in some embodiments.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 1, 2020Publication date: January 5, 2023Inventors: Jeremy David FIELDS, Ian John CURTIN, Joseph R. ABEL, Frank Loren PASQUALE, Douglas Walter AGNEW
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Publication number: 20220375721Abstract: Radio frequency power conveyed to individual process stations of a multi-station integrated circuit fabrication chamber may be adjusted so as to bring the rates at which fabrication processes occur, and/or fabrication process results, into alignment with one another. Such adjustment in radio frequency power, which may be accomplished via adjusting one or more reactive elements of a RF distribution network, may give rise to an imbalance in power delivered to each individual process station.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 23, 2020Publication date: November 24, 2022Inventors: Jeremy David Fields, Awnish Gupta, Chun-Hao Chen, Yaswanth Rangineni, Frank Loren Pasquale
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Publication number: 20220351940Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for depositing thin films using plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) with ramping radio-frequency (RF) power are provided herein. Embodiments involve increasing the RF power setting of PEALD cycles after formation of initial screening layers at low RF power settings.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 5, 2020Publication date: November 3, 2022Inventors: Jeremy David Fields, Frank Loren Pasquale
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Publication number: 20220181128Abstract: Systems and methods for cleaning a processing chamber include supplying a pre-activated cleaning gas through a collar surrounding a showerhead stem into the processing chamber to clean the processing chamber. In other embodiments, a cleaning gas is supplied to the collar, and RF power is supplied to the showerhead or to a pedestal to generate plasma in the processing chamber to clean the processing chamber. In still other embodiments, an inert gas is supplied to the collar, a pre-activated cleaning gas is supplied to the showerhead stem, and RF power is supplied to the showerhead or to the pedestal to generate plasma in the processing chamber to clean the processing chamber.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 6, 2020Publication date: June 9, 2022Inventors: Adrien LAVOIE, Pulkit AGARWAL, Frank Loren PASQUALE, Purushottam KUMAR
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Publication number: 20220136104Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for depositing material onto substrates in a multi-station deposition apparatus having a first station and a second station are provided. One method may include providing a first substrate onto a first pedestal of the first station, providing a second substrate onto a second pedestal of the second station, and for a first part of a deposition process, simultaneously generating a first plasma at the first station while the first pedestal is separated by a first distance from a first showerhead of the first station, thereby depositing a first layer of material onto the first substrate, and a second plasma at the second station while the second pedestal is separated by a second distance from a second showerhead of the second station, thereby depositing a second layer of material onto the second substrate, in which the first distance is different than the second distance.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 6, 2020Publication date: May 5, 2022Inventors: Frank Loren Pasquale, Jennifer Leigh Petraglia, Dinesh Baskar, Adrien LaVoie
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Publication number: 20210395885Abstract: Processing methods and apparatus for increasing a reaction chamber batch size. Such a method of processing deposition substrates (e.g., wafers), involves conducting a deposition on a first portion of a batch of deposition wafers in a reaction chamber, conducting an interval conditioning reaction chamber purge to remove defects generated by the wafer processing from the reaction chamber; and following the interval conditioning mid-batch reaction chamber purge, conducting the deposition on another portion of the batch of wafers in the reaction chamber. The interval conditioning reaction chamber purge is conducted prior to exceeding a baseline for acceptable defect (e.g., particle) generation in the chamber and is performed while no wafers are positioned in the reaction chamber.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 27, 2019Publication date: December 23, 2021Applicant: Lam Research CorporationInventors: Chun-Hao Chen, Jeremy David Fields, Frank Loren Pasquale
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Publication number: 20210324521Abstract: Methods and apparatus for use of a fill on demand ampoule are disclosed. The fill on demand ampoule may refill an ampoule with precursor concurrent with the performance of other deposition processes. The fill on demand may keep the level of precursor within the ampoule at a relatively constant level. The level may be calculated to result in an optimum head volume. The fill on demand may also keep the precursor at a temperature near that of an optimum precursor temperature. The fill on demand may occur during parts of the deposition process where the agitation of the precursor due to the filling of the ampoule with the precursor minimally effects the substrate deposition. Substrate throughput may be increased through the use of fill on demand.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 22, 2021Publication date: October 21, 2021Inventors: Tuan Nguyen, Eashwar Ranganathan, Shankar Swaminathan, Adrien LaVoie, Chloe Baldasseroni, Ramesh Chandrasekharan, Frank Loren Pasquale, Jennifer Leigh Petraglia
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Patent number: 11078570Abstract: A method for adjusting a position of a showerhead in a processing chamber includes arranging a substrate that includes a plurality of mandrels on a substrate support in the processing chamber and adjusting a position of the showerhead relative to the substrate support. Adjusting the position of the showerhead includes adjusting the showerhead to a tilted position based on data indicating a correlation between the position of the showerhead and azimuthal non-uniformities associated with etching the substrate. The method further includes, with the showerhead in the tilted position as adjusted based on the data, performing a trim step to etch the plurality of mandrels.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2018Date of Patent: August 3, 2021Assignee: Lam Research CorporationInventors: Pulkit Agarwal, Adrien Lavoie, Frank Loren Pasquale, Ravi Kumar
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Publication number: 20200002815Abstract: A method for adjusting a position of a showerhead in a processing chamber includes arranging a substrate that includes a plurality of mandrels on a substrate support in the processing chamber and adjusting a position of the showerhead relative to the substrate support. Adjusting the position of the showerhead includes adjusting the showerhead to a tilted position based on data indicating a correlation between the position of the showerhead and azimuthal non-uniformities associated with etching the substrate. The method further includes, with the showerhead in the tilted position as adjusted based on the data, performing a trim step to etch the plurality of mandrels.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 29, 2018Publication date: January 2, 2020Inventors: Pulkit AGARWAL, Adrien LAVOIE, Frank Loren PASQUALE, Ravi KUMAR
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Publication number: 20190323125Abstract: A gas delivery system includes a 2-port valve including a first valve located between a first port and a second port. A 4-port valve includes a first node connected to a first port and a second port. A bypass path is located between the third port and the fourth port. A second node is located along the bypass path. A second valve is located between the first node and the second node. A manifold block defines gas flow channels configured to connect the first port of the 4-port valve to a first inlet, configured to connect the second port of the 4-port valve to the first port of the 2-port valve, the third port of the 4-port valve to a second inlet, the second port of the 2-port valve to a first outlet, and the fourth port of the 4-port valve to a second outlet.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 18, 2018Publication date: October 24, 2019Inventors: Ramesh Chandrasekharan, Antonio Xavier, Frank Loren Pasquale, Ryan Blaquiere, Jennifer Leigh Petraglia, Meenakshi Mamunuru