Patents by Inventor Hamid Tavassoli
Hamid Tavassoli 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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Publication number: 20160314937Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a plasma chamber design that allows extremely symmetrical electrical, thermal, and gas flow conductance through the chamber. By providing such symmetry, plasma formed within the chamber naturally has improved uniformity across the surface of a substrate disposed in a processing region of the chamber. Further, other chamber additions, such as providing the ability to manipulate the gap between upper and lower electrodes as well as between a gas inlet and a substrate being processed, allows better control of plasma processing and uniformity as compared to conventional systems.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 30, 2016Publication date: October 27, 2016Inventors: James D. CARDUCCI, Hamid TAVASSOLI, Ajit BALAKRISHNA, Zhigang CHEN, Andrew NGUYEN, Douglas A. BUCHBERGER, JR., Kartik RAMASWAMY, Shahid RAUF, Kenneth S. COLLINS
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Publication number: 20160314942Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a plasma chamber design that allows extremely symmetrical electrical, thermal, and gas flow conductance through the chamber. By providing such symmetry, plasma formed within the chamber naturally has improved uniformity across the surface of a substrate disposed in a processing region of the chamber. Further, other chamber additions, such as providing the ability to manipulate the gap between upper and lower electrodes as well as between a gas inlet and a substrate being processed, allows better control of plasma processing and uniformity as compared to conventional systems.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 30, 2016Publication date: October 27, 2016Inventors: James D. CARDUCCI, Hamid TAVASSOLI, Ajit BALAKRISHNA, Zhigang CHEN, Andrew NGUYEN, Douglas A. BUCHBERGER, JR., Kartik RAMASWAMY, Shahid RAUF, Kenneth S. COLLINS
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Publication number: 20160314936Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a plasma chamber design that allows extremely symmetrical electrical, thermal, and gas flow conductance through the chamber. By providing such symmetry, plasma formed within the chamber naturally has improved uniformity across the surface of a substrate disposed in a processing region of the chamber. Further, other chamber additions, such as providing the ability to manipulate the gap between upper and lower electrodes as well as between a gas inlet and a substrate being processed, allows better control of plasma processing and uniformity as compared to conventional systems.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 30, 2016Publication date: October 27, 2016Inventors: James D. CARDUCCI, Hamid TAVASSOLI, Ajit BALAKRISHNA, Zhigang CHEN, Andrew NGUYEN, Douglas A. BUCHBERGER, JR., Kartik RAMASWAMY, Shahid RAUF, Kenneth S. COLLINS
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Publication number: 20160314940Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a plasma chamber design that allows extremely symmetrical electrical, thermal, and gas flow conductance through the chamber. By providing such symmetry, plasma formed within the chamber naturally has improved uniformity across the surface of a substrate disposed in a processing region of the chamber. Further, other chamber additions, such as providing the ability to manipulate the gap between upper and lower electrodes as well as between a gas inlet and a substrate being processed, allows better control of plasma processing and uniformity as compared to conventional systems.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 30, 2016Publication date: October 27, 2016Inventors: James D. CARDUCCI, Hamid TAVASSOLI, Ajit BALAKRISHNA, Zhigang CHEN, Andrew NGUYEN, Douglas A. BUCHBERGER, JR., Kartik RAMASWAMY, Shahid RAUF, Kenneth S. COLLINS
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Publication number: 20160169593Abstract: Apparatus for controlling the thermal uniformity of a substrate are provided. The thermal uniformity of the substrate may be controlled to be more uniform or the thermal uniformity of the substrate may be controlled to be non-uniform in a desired pattern. In some embodiments, an apparatus for controlling the thermal uniformity of a substrate includes: a substrate support having a support surface to support a substrate thereon; and a flow path disposed within the substrate support to flow a heat transfer fluid beneath the support surface, wherein the flow path comprises a first portion and a second portion, each portion having a substantially equivalent axial length, wherein the first portion is spaced about 2 mm to about 10 mm from the second portion, and wherein the first portion provides a flow of heat transfer fluid in a direction opposite a flow of heat transfer fluid of the second portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 22, 2016Publication date: June 16, 2016Inventors: KALLOL BERA, XIAOPING ZHOU, DOUGLAS A. BUCHBERGER, JR., ANDREW NGUYEN, HAMID TAVASSOLI, SURAJIT KUMAR, SHAHID RAUF
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Patent number: 9267742Abstract: Apparatus for controlling the thermal uniformity of a substrate. In some embodiments, the thermal uniformity of the substrate is controlled to be more uniform. In some embodiments, the thermal uniformity of the substrate is controlled to be non-uniform in a desired pattern. In some embodiments, an apparatus for controlling thermal uniformity of a substrate includes a substrate support having a support surface to support a substrate thereon. A plurality of flow paths having a substantially equivalent fluid conductance are disposed within the substrate support to flow a heat transfer fluid beneath the support surface.Type: GrantFiled: September 20, 2010Date of Patent: February 23, 2016Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.Inventors: Kallol Bera, Xiaoping Zhou, Douglas A. Buchberger, Jr., Andrew Nguyen, Hamid Tavassoli, Surajit Kumar, Shahid Rauf
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Publication number: 20160042961Abstract: A plasma reactor has an electron beam source as a plasma source and a rotation motor coupled to rotate the workpiece support about a rotation axis that is transverse to an emission path of said electron beam source.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 6, 2014Publication date: February 11, 2016Inventors: Leonid Dorf, Hamid Tavassoli, Kenneth S. Collins, Kartik Ramaswamy, James D. Carducci, Shahid D. Rauf, Richard Fovell, Fernando M. Silveira, Mark Markovsky
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Patent number: 9248509Abstract: An electrostatic chuck assembly including a dielectric layer with a top surface to support a workpiece. A cooling channel base disposed below the dielectric layer includes a plurality of inner fluid conduits disposed beneath an inner portion of the top surface, and a plurality of outer fluid conduits disposed beneath an outer portion of the top surface. A chuck assembly includes a thermal break disposed within the cooling channel base between the inner and outer fluid conduits. A chuck assembly includes a fluid distribution plate disposed below the cooling channel base and the base plate to distribute a heat transfer fluid delivered from a common input to each inner or outer fluid conduit. The branches of the inner input manifold may have substantially equal fluid conductance.Type: GrantFiled: July 30, 2014Date of Patent: February 2, 2016Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.Inventors: Hamid Tavassoli, Surajit Kumar, Kallol Bera, Xiaoping Zhou, Shane C. Nevil, Douglas A. Buchberger, Jr.
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Patent number: 9214315Abstract: Methods and systems for controlling temperatures in plasma processing chamber via pulsed application of heating power and pulsed application of cooling power. In an embodiment, temperature control is based at least in part on a feedforward control signal derived from a plasma power input into the processing chamber. In further embodiments, fluid levels in each of a hot and cold reservoir coupled to the temperature controlled component are maintained in part by a passive leveling pipe coupling the two reservoirs. In another embodiment, digital heat transfer fluid flow control valves are opened with pulse widths dependent on a heating/cooling duty cycle value and a proportioning cycle having a duration that has been found to provide good temperature control performance.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2014Date of Patent: December 15, 2015Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Fernando M. Silveira, Hamid Tavassoli, Xiaoping Zhou, Shane C. Nevil, Douglas A. Buchberger, Brad L. Mays, Tina Tsong, Chetan Mahadeswaraswamy, Yashaswini B. Pattar, Duy D. Nguyen, Walter R. Merry
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Publication number: 20150316941Abstract: Methods and systems for controlling temperatures in plasma processing chamber via pulsed application of heating power and pulsed application of cooling power. In an embodiment, temperature control is based at least in part on a feedforward control signal derived from a plasma power input into the processing chamber. In further embodiments, fluid levels in each of a hot and cold reservoir coupled to the temperature controlled component are maintained in part by a passive leveling pipe coupling the two reservoirs. In another embodiment, digital heat transfer fluid flow control valves are opened with pulse widths dependent on a heating/cooling duty cycle value and a proportioning cycle having a duration that has been found to provide good temperature control performance.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 22, 2014Publication date: November 5, 2015Inventors: Fernando M. SILVEIRA, Hamid Tavassoli, Xiaoping Zhou, Shane C. Nevil, Douglas A. Buchberger, Brad L. Mays, Tina Tsong, Chetan Mahadeswaraswamy, Yashaswini B. Pattar, Duy D. Nguyen, Walter R. Merry
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Patent number: 8980044Abstract: A plasma reactor having a reactor chamber and an electrostatic chuck having a surface for holding a workpiece inside the chamber includes inner and outer zone backside gas pressure sources coupled to the electrostatic chuck for applying a thermally conductive gas under respective pressures to respective inner and outer zones of a workpiece-surface interface formed whenever a workpiece is held on the surface, and inner and outer evaporators inside respective inner and outer zones of the electrostatic chuck and a refrigeration loop having respective inner and cuter expansion valves for controlling flow of coolant through the inner and outer evaporators respectively. The reactor further includes inner and outer zone temperature sensors in inner and outer zones of the electrostatic chuck and a thermal model capable of simulating heat transfer through the inner and outer zones, respectively, between the evaporator and the surface based upon measurements from the inner and outer temperature sensors, respectively.Type: GrantFiled: August 12, 2010Date of Patent: March 17, 2015Assignee: BE Aerospace, Inc.Inventors: Paul Lukas Brillhart, Richard Fovell, Hamid Tavassoli, Douglas A. Buchberger, Jr., Douglas H. Burns, Kallol Bera, Daniel J. Hoffman, Kenneth W. Cowans, William W. Cowans, Glenn W. Zubillaga, Isaac Millan
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Patent number: 8916793Abstract: Methods and systems for controlling temperatures in plasma processing chamber via pulsed application of heating power and pulsed application of cooling power. In an embodiment, temperature control is based at least in part on a feedforward control signal derived from a plasma power input into the processing chamber. In further embodiments, fluid levels in each of a hot and cold reservoir coupled to the temperature controlled component are maintained in part by a passive leveling pipe coupling the two reservoirs. In another embodiment, digital heat transfer fluid flow control valves are opened with pulse widths dependent on a heating/cooling duty cycle value and a proportioning cycle having a duration that has been found to provide good temperature control performance.Type: GrantFiled: May 19, 2011Date of Patent: December 23, 2014Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Fernando M. Silveira, Hamid Tavassoli, Xiaoping Zhou, Shane C. Nevil, Douglas A. Buchberger, Brad L. Mays, Tina Tsong, Chetan Mahadeswaraswamy, Yashaswini B. Pattar, Duy D. Nguyen, Walter R. Merry
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Publication number: 20140346743Abstract: An electrostatic chuck assembly including a dielectric layer with a top surface to support a workpiece. A cooling channel base disposed below the dielectric layer includes a plurality of inner fluid conduits disposed beneath an inner portion of the top surface, and a plurality of outer fluid conduits disposed beneath an outer portion of the top surface. A chuck assembly includes a thermal break disposed within the cooling channel base between the inner and outer fluid conduits. A chuck assembly includes a fluid distribution plate disposed below the cooling channel base and the base plate to distribute a heat transfer fluid delivered from a common input to each inner or outer fluid conduit. The branches of the inner input manifold may have substantially equal fluid conductance.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 30, 2014Publication date: November 27, 2014Inventors: Hamid Tavassoli, Surajit Kumar, Kallol Bera, Xiaoping Zhou, Shane C. Nevil, Douglas A. Buchberger, JR.
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Publication number: 20140339980Abstract: In a plasma reactor for processing a workpiece, an electron beam is employed as the plasma source, and a remote radical source is incorporated with the process chamber.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 18, 2014Publication date: November 20, 2014Inventors: Ming-Feng Wu, Leonid Dorf, Shahid Rauf, Ying Zhang, Kenneth S. Collins, Hamid Tavassoli, Kartik Ramaswamy, Steven Lane
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Patent number: 8822876Abstract: An electrostatic chuck assembly including a dielectric layer with a top surface to support a workpiece. A cooling channel base disposed below the dielectric layer includes a plurality of inner fluid conduits disposed beneath an inner portion of the top surface, and a plurality of outer fluid conduits disposed beneath an outer portion of the top surface. A chuck assembly includes a thermal break disposed within the cooling channel base between the inner and outer fluid conduits. A chuck assembly includes a fluid distribution plate disposed below the cooling channel base and the base plate to distribute a heat transfer fluid delivered from a common input to each inner or outer fluid conduit. The branches of the inner input manifold may have substantially equal fluid conductance.Type: GrantFiled: April 6, 2011Date of Patent: September 2, 2014Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Hamid Tavassoli, Surajit Kumar, Kallol Bera, Xiaoping Zhou, Shane C. Nevil, Douglas A. Buchberger, Jr.
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Patent number: 8629370Abstract: A triaxial rod assembly for providing both RF power and DC voltage to a chuck assembly that supports a workpiece in a processing chamber during a manufacturing operation. In embodiments, a rod assembly includes a center conductor to be coupled to a chuck electrode for providing DC voltage to clamp a workpiece. Concentrically surrounding the center conductor is an annular RF transmission line to be coupled to an RF powered base to provide RF power to the chuck assembly. An insulator is disposed between the center conductor and RF transmission line. Concentrically surrounding the RF transmission line is a ground plane conductor coupled to a grounded base of the chuck to provide a reference voltage relative to the DC voltage. An insulator is disposed between the RF transmission line and the ground plane conductor.Type: GrantFiled: April 12, 2011Date of Patent: January 14, 2014Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Hamid Tavassoli, Surajit Kumar, Shane C. Nevil, Douglas A. Buchberger, Jr.
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Patent number: 8608900Abstract: A plasma reactor having a reactor chamber and an electrostatic chuck with a surface for holding a workpiece inside the chamber includes a backside gas pressure source coupled to the electrostatic chuck for applying a thermally conductive gas under a selected pressure into a workpiece-surface interface formed whenever a workpiece is held on the surface and an evaporator inside the electrostatic chuck and a refrigeration loop having an expansion valve for controlling flow of coolant through the evaporator. The reactor further includes a temperature sensor in the electrostatic chuck and a memory storing a schedule of changes in RF power or wafer temperature.Type: GrantFiled: April 21, 2006Date of Patent: December 17, 2013Assignees: B/E Aerospace, Inc., Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Douglas A. Buchberger, Jr., Paul Lukas Brillhart, Richard Fovell, Hamid Tavassoli, Douglas H. Burns, Kallol Bera, Daniel J. Hoffman
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Publication number: 20130284372Abstract: Embodiments include a base for an electrostatic chuck (ESC) assembly for supporting a workpiece during a manufacturing operation in a processing chamber, such as a plasma etch, clean, deposition system, or the like. Inner and outer fluid conduits are disposed in the base to conduct a heat transfer fluid. In embodiments, a counter-flow conduit configuration provides improved temperature uniformity. The conduit segments in each zone are interlaced so that fluid flows are in opposite directions in radially adjacent segments. In embodiments, each separate fluid conduit formed in the base comprises a channel formed in the base with a cap e-beam welded to a recessed lip of the channel to make a sealed conduit. To further improve the thermal uniformity, a compact, tri-fold channel segment is employed in each of the outer fluid loops. In further embodiments, the base includes a multi-contact fitting RF and DC connection, and thermal breaks.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 10, 2013Publication date: October 31, 2013Inventors: Hamid TAVASSOLI, Kallol BERA, Douglas BUCHBERGER, James C. CARDUCCI, Shahid RAUF, Ken COLLINS
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Publication number: 20130276981Abstract: Embodiments of the invention include an apparatus, system, and method for cooling a pedestal for supporting a workpiece during plasma processing. An embodiment of a pedestal includes: a base over which the workpiece is to be disposed, a plurality of nozzles to supply a fluid from a supply plenum to impinge on a surface of the base, and a plurality of return conduits to return the supplied fluid to a return plenum. The fluid to be supplied by the plurality of nozzles can be projected as one or more jets submerged in surrounding fluid or as a spray that emerges from a surrounding fluid within a volume between the plurality of nozzles and the base to impinge on the surface of the base.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 15, 2013Publication date: October 24, 2013Inventors: Fernando Silveira, Richard Fovell, Hamid Tavassoli
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Publication number: 20130087286Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a plasma chamber design that allows extremely symmetrical electrical, thermal, and gas flow conductance through the chamber. By providing such symmetry, plasma formed within the chamber naturally has improved uniformity across the surface of a substrate disposed in a processing region of the chamber. Further, other chamber additions, such as providing the ability to manipulate the gap between upper and lower electrodes as well as between a gas inlet and a substrate being processed, allows better control of plasma processing and uniformity as compared to conventional systems.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 27, 2012Publication date: April 11, 2013Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: James D. Carducci, Hamid Tavassoli, Ajit Balakrishna, Zhigang Chen, Andrew Nguyen, Douglas A. Buchberger, JR., Kartik Ramaswamy, Shahid Rauf, Kenneth S. Collins