Patents by Inventor George D. Kamian
George D. Kamian 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: 8926803Abstract: It is an object of this disclosure to provide high productivity, low cost-of-ownership manufacturing equipment for the high volume production of photovoltaic (PV) solar cell device architecture. It is a further object of this disclosure to reduce material processing steps and material cost compared to existing technologies by using gas-phase source silicon. The present disclosure teaches the fabrication of a sacrificial substrate base layer that is compatible with a gas-phase substrate growth process. Porous silicon is used as the sacrificial layer in the present disclosure. Further, the present disclosure provides equipment to produce a sacrificial porous silicon PV cell-substrate base layer.Type: GrantFiled: January 15, 2010Date of Patent: January 6, 2015Assignee: Solexel, Inc.Inventors: Doug Crafts, Mehrdad Moslehi, Subramanian Tamilmani, Joe Kramer, George D. Kamian, Somnath Nag
-
Publication number: 20140230861Abstract: A purge ring for providing a gas to a wafer processing chamber includes an inlet ring wall defining a ring hole space. An outer perimeter of the inlet ring wall is elliptical. An outer perimeter of the ring hole space is circular. The inlet ring wall is a continuous structure surrounding the ring hole space. An inlet baffle formed within the inlet ring wall surrounds at least 180 degrees of the outer perimeter of the ring hole space. An inlet plenum arranged in a first end of the inlet ring wall provides the gas to the ring hole space through the inlet baffle. An exhaust channel is formed within the inlet ring wall in a second end of the inlet ring wall. An exhaust outlet hole arranged in the second end of the inlet ring wall exhausts the gas out of the ring hole space via the exhaust channel.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 24, 2014Publication date: August 21, 2014Applicant: Novellus Systems, Inc.Inventors: Eugene SMARGIASSI, Stephen Yu-Hong LAU, George D. KAMIAN, Ming XI
-
Patent number: 8734663Abstract: A method for removing species from a substrate includes arranging a purge ring in a chamber proximate to a pedestal. The purge ring includes an inlet portion and an exhaust portion. The inlet portion defines an inlet plenum and an inlet baffle. The inlet baffle includes a continuous slit that is substantially continuous around a peripheral arc not less than about 270°. The exhaust portion includes an exhaust channel that is located substantially opposite the inlet baffle. The method further includes supplying ozone to the inlet plenum; at least partially defining a ring hole space having a periphery using the inlet portion and the exhaust portion; conveying gas from the inlet plenum into the ring hole space using the inlet baffle; conveying gas and other matter out of a purge space using the exhaust portion; and inhibiting deposition of material evolved from the substrate during curing using the purge ring.Type: GrantFiled: July 17, 2013Date of Patent: May 27, 2014Assignee: Novellus Systems, Inc.Inventors: Eugene Smargiassi, Stephen Yu-Hong Lau, George D. Kamian, Ming Xi
-
Publication number: 20130298940Abstract: A method for removing species from a substrate includes arranging a purge ring in a chamber proximate to a pedestal. The purge ring includes an inlet portion and an exhaust portion. The inlet portion defines an inlet plenum and an inlet baffle. The inlet baffle includes a continuous slit that is substantially continuous around a peripheral arc not less than about 270°. The exhaust portion includes an exhaust channel that is located substantially opposite the inlet baffle. The method further includes supplying ozone to the inlet plenum; at least partially defining a ring hole space having a periphery using the inlet portion and the exhaust portion; conveying gas from the inlet plenum into the ring hole space using the inlet baffle; conveying gas and other matter out of a purge space using the exhaust portion; and inhibiting deposition of material evolved from the substrate during curing using the purge ring.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 17, 2013Publication date: November 14, 2013Inventors: Eugene Smargiassi, Stephen Yu-Hong Lau, George D. Kamian, Ming Xi
-
Publication number: 20130284087Abstract: Porogen accumulation in a UV-cure chamber is reduced by removing outgassed porogen through a heated outlet while purge gas is flowed across a window through which a wafer is exposed to UV light. A purge ring having specific major and minor exhaust to inlet area ratios may be partially made of flame polished quartz to improve flow dynamics. The reduction in porogen accumulation allows more wafers to be processed between chamber cleans, thus improving throughput and cost.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 25, 2013Publication date: October 31, 2013Inventors: Lisa Gytri, Jeff Gordon, James Lee, Carmen Balderrama, Joseph Brett Harris, Eugene Smargiassi, Stephen Yu-Hong Lau, George D. Kamian, Ming Xi
-
Patent number: 8518210Abstract: An apparatus for purging a space in a processing chamber comprises a source of a purge gas; an inlet portion of a purge ring; an inlet baffle located in the inlet portion and fluidically connected to the source of purge gas; and an exhaust portion of the purge ring. The inlet portion and the exhaust portion define a ring hole space having a 360° periphery. The inlet baffle preferably surrounds not less than 180° of said periphery. The inlet baffle is operable to convey purge gas into the ring hole space. The exhaust portion is operable to convey purge gas and other matter out of the ring hole space. Cleaning of the purge ring and other structures in a processing chamber is conducted by flowing a cleaning gas through the inlet baffle. Some embodiments include a gas inlet plenum and an exhaust channel but not a purge ring.Type: GrantFiled: July 31, 2012Date of Patent: August 27, 2013Assignee: Novellus Systems, Inc.Inventors: Eugene Smargiassi, Stephen Yu-Hong Lau, George D. Kamian, Ming Xi
-
Publication number: 20130171808Abstract: This disclosure presents manufacturing methods and apparatus designs for making TFSSs from both sides of a re-usable semiconductor template, thus effectively increasing the substrate manufacturing throughput and reducing the substrate manufacturing cost. This approach also reduces the amortized starting template cost per manufactured substrate (TFSS) by about a factor of 2 for a given number of template reuse cycles.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 20, 2012Publication date: July 4, 2013Applicant: SOLEXEL, INC.Inventors: Mehrdad M. Moslehi, Karl-Josef Kramer, David Xuan-Qi Wang, Pawan Kapur, Somnath Nag, George D. Kamian, Jay Ashjaee, Takao Yonehara
-
Publication number: 20130160946Abstract: An apparatus for purging a space in a processing chamber comprises a source of a purge gas; an inlet portion of a purge ring; an inlet baffle located in the inlet portion and fluidically connected to the source of purge gas; and an exhaust portion of the purge ring. The inlet portion and the exhaust portion define a ring hole space having a 360° periphery. The inlet baffle preferably surrounds not less than 180° of said periphery. The inlet baffle is operable to convey purge gas into the ring hole space. The exhaust portion is operable to convey purge gas and other matter out of the ring hole space. Cleaning of the purge ring and other structures in a processing chamber is conducted by flowing a cleaning gas through the inlet baffle. Some embodiments include a gas inlet plenum and an exhaust channel but not a purge ring.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 31, 2012Publication date: June 27, 2013Applicant: Novellus Systems, Inc.Inventors: Eugene Smargiassi, Stephen Yu-Hong Lau, George D. Kamian, Ming Xi
-
Patent number: 8282768Abstract: An apparatus for purging a space in a processing chamber comprises a source of a purge gas; an inlet portion of a purge ring; an inlet baffle located in the inlet portion and fluidically connected to the source of purge gas; and an exhaust portion of the purge ring. The inlet portion and the exhaust portion define a ring hole space having a 360° periphery. The inlet baffle preferably surrounds not less than 180° of said periphery. The inlet baffle is operable to convey purge gas into the ring hole space. The exhaust portion is operable to convey purge gas and other matter out of the ring hole space. Cleaning of the purge ring and other structures in a processing chamber is conducted by flowing a cleaning gas through the inlet baffle. Methods and systems using a purge ring are particularly useful for purging and cleaning porogens from a UV curing chamber. Some embodiments include a gas inlet plenum and an exhaust channel but not a purge ring.Type: GrantFiled: September 18, 2009Date of Patent: October 9, 2012Assignee: Novellus Systems, Inc.Inventors: Eugene Smargiassi, Stephen Yu-Hong Lau, George D. Kamian, Ming Xi
-
Patent number: 8241940Abstract: This disclosure presents manufacturing methods and apparatus designs for making TFSSs from both sides of a re-usable semiconductor template, thus effectively increasing the substrate manufacturing throughput and reducing the substrate manufacturing cost. This approach also reduces the amortized starting template cost per manufactured substrate (TFSS) by about a factor of 2 for a given number of template reuse cycles.Type: GrantFiled: February 12, 2011Date of Patent: August 14, 2012Assignee: Solexel, Inc.Inventors: Mehrdad M. Moslehi, Karl-Josef Kramer, David Xuan-Qi Wang, Pawan Kapur, Somnath Nag, George D Kamian, Jay Ashjaee, Takao Yonehara
-
Publication number: 20120192789Abstract: This disclosure enables gas recovery and utilization for use in deposition systems and processes. The system includes a thin-film semiconductor layer deposition system comprising a deposition reactor, precursor gas feeds, and a gas recovery system.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 31, 2011Publication date: August 2, 2012Applicant: SOLEXEL, INC.Inventors: Karl-Josef Kramer, Mehrdad M. Moslehi, Seiichi Yokoi, George D. Kamian, Shashank Sharma, Jay Ashjaee
-
Publication number: 20120145553Abstract: This disclosure enables high-productivity controlled fabrication of uniform porous semiconductor layers (made of single layer or multi-layer porous semiconductors such as porous silicon, comprising single porosity or multi-porosity layers). Some applications include fabrication of MEMS separation and sacrificial layers for die detachment and MEMS device fabrication, membrane formation and shallow trench isolation (STI) porous silicon (using porous silicon formation with an optimal porosity and its subsequent oxidation). Further, this disclosure is applicable to the general fields of photovoltaics, MEMS, including sensors and actuators, stand-alone, or integrated with integrated semiconductor microelectronics, semiconductor microelectronics chips and optoelectronics.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 3, 2011Publication date: June 14, 2012Applicant: SOLEXEL, INC.Inventors: Karl-Josef Kramer, Mehrdad M. Moslehi, Subramanian Tamilmani, George D. Kamian, Jay Ashjaee, Takao Yonehara
-
Publication number: 20120085278Abstract: High productivity thin film deposition methods and tools are provided wherein a thin film semiconductor material layer with a thickness in the range of less than 1 micron to 100 microns is deposited on a plurality of wafers in a reactor. The wafers are loaded on a batch susceptor and the batch susceptor is positioned in the reactor such that a tapered gas flow space is created between the susceptor and an interior wall of the reactor. Reactant gas is then directed into the tapered gas space and over each wafer thereby improving deposition uniformity across each wafer and from wafer to wafer.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 9, 2011Publication date: April 12, 2012Applicant: SOLEXEL INC.Inventors: Mehrdad M. Moslehi, Karl-Josef Kramer, Jay Ashjaee, George D. Kamian, David Mordo, Takao Yonehara
-
Publication number: 20110256654Abstract: This disclosure presents manufacturing methods and apparatus designs for making TFSSs from both sides of a re-usable semiconductor template, thus effectively increasing the substrate manufacturing throughput and reducing the substrate manufacturing cost. This approach also reduces the amortized starting template cost per manufactured substrate (TFSS) by about a factor of 2 for a given number of template reuse cycles.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 12, 2011Publication date: October 20, 2011Applicant: SOLEXEL, INC.Inventors: Mehrdad M. Moslehi, Karl-Josef Kramer, David Xuan-Qi Wang, Pawan Kapur, Somnath Nag, George D Kamian, Jay Ashjaee, Takao Yonehara
-
Publication number: 20110120882Abstract: It is an object of this disclosure to provide high productivity, low cost-of-ownership manufacturing equipment for the high volume production of photovoltaic (PV) solar cell device architecture. It is a further object of this disclosure to reduce material processing steps and material cost compared to existing technologies by using gas-phase source silicon. The present disclosure teaches the fabrication of a sacrificial substrate base layer that is compatible with a gas-phase substrate growth process. Porous silicon is used as the sacrificial layer in the present disclosure. Further, the present disclosure provides equipment to produce a sacrificial porous silicon PV cell-substrate base layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 15, 2010Publication date: May 26, 2011Applicant: SOLEXEL, INC.Inventors: Doug Crafts, Mehrdad Moslehi, Subramanian Tamilmani, Joe Kramer, George D. Kamian, Somnath Nag
-
Publication number: 20110030610Abstract: This disclosure enables high-productivity fabrication of semiconductor-based separation layers (made of single layer or multi-layer porous semiconductors such as porous silicon, comprising single porosity or multi-porosity layers), optical reflectors (made of multi-layer/multi-porosity porous semiconductors such as porous silicon), formation of porous semiconductor (such as porous silicon) for anti-reflection coatings, passivation layers, and multi-junction, multi-band-gap solar cells (for instance, by forming a variable band gap porous silicon emitter on a crystalline silicon thin film or wafer-based solar cell). Other applications include fabrication of MEMS separation and sacrificial layers for die detachment and MEMS device fabrication, membrane formation and shallow trench isolation (STI) porous silicon (using porous silicon formation with an optimal porosity and its subsequent oxidation).Type: ApplicationFiled: May 5, 2010Publication date: February 10, 2011Applicant: SOLEXEL, INC.Inventors: George D. Kamian, Somnath Nag, Subbu Tamilmani, Mehrdad M. Moslehi, Karl-Josef Kramer, Takao Yonehara
-
Publication number: 20100267245Abstract: The present disclosure presents a chemical vapor deposition reactor having improved chemical utilization and cost efficiency. The wafer susceptors of the present disclosure may be used in a stackable configuration for processing many wafers simultaneously. The reactors of the present disclosure may be reverse-flow depletion mode reactors, which tends to provide uniform film thickness and a high degree of chemical utilization.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 14, 2010Publication date: October 21, 2010Applicant: SOLEXEL, INC.Inventors: George D. Kamian, Mehrdad M. Moslehi
-
Patent number: 5113789Abstract: A self cleaning flow control orifice mounted in an exhaust line. A toroid having a rounded inner surface is mounted in the exhaust line and forms an orifice. A cleaning device is mounted in a manner to provide close contact between the cleaning device and the rounded surface. The toroid and cleaning device are rotated relative to one another so that the cleaning device rides over the rounded surface to clean the surface. The clean surface thereby insures proper functioning of the exhaust system of an atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition apparatus used to deposit films on substrates and wafers.Type: GrantFiled: April 24, 1990Date of Patent: May 19, 1992Assignee: Watkins Johnson CompanyInventor: George D. Kamian