Patents by Inventor Jürgen Weichart
Jürgen Weichart 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: 20220396864Abstract: A method for establishing a desired distribution of partial gas pressure along a surface of a substrate when vacuum treating such substrate includes feeding a gas towards the substrate through openings distributed all along the entire periphery of the substrate. The gas is fed or removed at a gas line which communicates exclusively with a set of the openings.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 15, 2020Publication date: December 15, 2022Inventor: Jürgen Weichart
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Patent number: 11380530Abstract: A method and apparatus for sputter depositing an insulation layer onto a surface of a cavity formed in a substrate and having a high aspect ratio. A target formed from a material to be included in the insulation layer and the substrate are provided in a substantially enclosed chamber defined by a housing. A plasma is ignited within the substantially enclosed chamber and a magnetic field is provided adjacent to a surface of the target to contain the plasma adjacent to the surface of the target. A voltage is rapidly increased to repeatedly establish high-power electric pulses between a cathode and an anode. An average power of the electric pulses is at least 0.1 kW, and can be much greater. An operational parameter of the sputter deposition is controlled to promote sputter depositing of the insulation layer in a transition mode between a metallic mode and a reactive mode.Type: GrantFiled: August 24, 2020Date of Patent: July 5, 2022Assignee: EVATEC AGInventors: Juergen Weichart, Stanislav Kadlec, Mohamed Elghazzali
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Publication number: 20210348274Abstract: Within a vacuum recipient plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) is performed in that precursor gas is inlet from a precursor gas inlet and a monomolecular layer is deposited on a substrate by adsorption. Subsequently a reactive gas is inlet through a reactive gas inlet and the monomolecular layer on the substrate is reacted, enhanced by UHF plasma which is generated to be distributed along a geometric locus which surrounds a substrate carrier and thus the substrate on this carrier.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 23, 2019Publication date: November 11, 2021Inventors: Jörg PATSCHEIDER, Hartmut ROHRMANN, Jürgen WEICHART, Florian BRITT
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Publication number: 20210319984Abstract: A plasma etching device including a vacuum chamber for at least one plate shaped substrate with side walls looping around a central axis. The chamber including a substrate handling opening, at least one inlet for a reductive gas and an inert gas and a pedestal formed as a substrate support in a central lower area of an etching compartment of the chamber. The pedestal mounted in the chamber in an electrically isolated manner and connected to a first pole of a first voltage source, thereby forming a first electrode. The pedestal encompassing first heating and cooling means. A second electrode is electrically connected to ground and surrounds the first electrode. A third electrode is electrically connected to ground and includes at least one upper shield and a screen-shield both being thermally and electrically connected to each other, whereby the screen-shield loops around the etching compartment. At least one of the upper shield and the screen shield includes at least one further heating and/or cooling means.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 13, 2019Publication date: October 14, 2021Inventors: Jürgen Weichart, Ben Curtis, Frantisek Balon
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Patent number: 11143416Abstract: An electrical radiation heater arrangement for a vacuum enclosure includes at least two sets of linear heating sources, arranged in a corresponding number of concentric heating zones. The heating sources are arranged directly on the vacuum side of the vacuum enclosure and electrically connected to current rails arranged on the vacuum side with each of the current rails being connected to one electrical feedthrough from vacuum to ambient. Preferably, the heating sources are arranged in a polygon approaching a circle, essentially radially or a combination of both.Type: GrantFiled: July 29, 2014Date of Patent: October 12, 2021Assignee: EVATEC AGInventors: Juergen Weichart, Rolf Bazlen
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Publication number: 20200388474Abstract: A method and apparatus for sputter depositing an insulation layer onto a surface of a cavity formed in a substrate and having a high aspect ratio. A target formed from a material to be included in the insulation layer and the substrate are provided in a substantially enclosed chamber defined by a housing. A plasma is ignited within the substantially enclosed chamber and a magnetic field is provided adjacent to a surface of the target to contain the plasma adjacent to the surface of the target. A voltage is rapidly increased to repeatedly establish high-power electric pulses between a cathode and an anode. An average power of the electric pulses is at least 0.1 kW, and can be much greater. An operational parameter of the sputter deposition is controlled to promote sputter depositing of the insulation layer in a transition mode between a metallic mode and a reactive mode.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 24, 2020Publication date: December 10, 2020Inventors: Juergen Weichart, Stanislav Kadlec, Mohamed Elghazzali
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Patent number: 10784092Abstract: A method and apparatus for sputter depositing an insulation layer onto a surface of a cavity formed in a substrate and having a high aspect ratio is provided. A target formed at least in part from a material to be included in the insulation layer and the substrate are provided in a substantially enclosed chamber defined by a housing. A plasma is ignited within the substantially enclosed chamber and a magnetic field is provided adjacent to a surface of the target to at least partially contain the plasma adjacent to the surface of the target. A voltage is rapidly increased to repeatedly establish high-power electric pulses between a cathode and an anode. An average power of the electric pulses is at least 0.1 kW, and can optionally be much greater. An operational parameter of the sputter deposition is controlled to promote sputter depositing of the insulation layer in a transition mode between a metallic mode and a reactive mode.Type: GrantFiled: December 5, 2008Date of Patent: September 22, 2020Assignee: EVATEC AGInventors: Juergen Weichart, Stanislav Kadlec, Mohamed Elghazzali
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Patent number: 10202682Abstract: So as to control the operation of a sputter target during the lifetime of the target and under HIPIMS operation, part of a magnet arrangement associated to the target is retracted from the target whereas a second part II of the magnet arrangement is, if at all, retracted less from the addressed backside during the lifetime of the target. Thereby, part I is closer to the periphery of target than part II, as both are eccentrically rotated about a rotational axis.Type: GrantFiled: March 31, 2017Date of Patent: February 12, 2019Assignee: EVATEC AGInventors: Sven Uwe Rieschl, Juergen Weichart
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Publication number: 20180261473Abstract: A heater or cooler vacuum chamber for degassing includes an enclosure and within the enclosure a controllably heatable or coolable pocket. Within the pocket is a workpiece holder and a gas feedline discharging the pocket. The inner surface of the pocket surrounds the workpiece in a closely spaced manner. The two halves forming the pocket may be controllably separate so as to allow a gas flow connection which establishes a negligible gas flow restriction to the remainder of the enclosure.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 9, 2015Publication date: September 13, 2018Applicant: EVATEC AGInventors: Jürgen WEICHART, Fabio Antonio RAVELLI
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Patent number: 9719177Abstract: An etching chamber is equipped with an actively-cooled element preferentially adsorbs volatile compounds that are evolved from a polymeric layer of a wafer during etching, which compounds will act as contaminants if re-deposited on the wafer, for example on exposed metal contact portions where they may interfere with subsequent deposition of metal contact layers. In desirable embodiments, a getter sublimation pump is also provided in the etching chamber as a source of getter material. Methods of etching in such a chamber are also disclosed.Type: GrantFiled: October 3, 2011Date of Patent: August 1, 2017Assignee: EVATEC AGInventor: Juergen Weichart
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Publication number: 20170204511Abstract: So as to control the operation of a sputter target during the lifetime of the target and under HIPIMS operation, part of a magnet arrangement associated to the target is retracted from the target whereas a second part II of the magnet arrangement is, if at all, retracted less from the addressed backside during the lifetime of the target. Thereby, part I is closer to the periphery of target than part II, as both are eccentrically rotated about a rotational axis.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 31, 2017Publication date: July 20, 2017Inventors: Sven Uwe Rieschl, Juergen Weichart
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Patent number: 9644261Abstract: A method of depositing a metallization structure (1) comprises depositing a TaN layer (4) by applying a power supply between an anode and a target in a plurality of pulses to reactively sputter Ta from the target onto the substrate (2) to form a TaN seed layer (4). A Ta layer (5) is deposited onto the TaN seed layer (4) by applying the power supply in a plurality of pulses and applying a high-frequency signal to a pedestal supporting the substrate (2) to generate a self-bias field adjacent to the substrate (2).Type: GrantFiled: February 17, 2014Date of Patent: May 9, 2017Assignee: EVATEC ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES AGInventors: Juergen Weichart, Mohamed Elghazzali, Stefan Bammesberger, Dennis Minkoley
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Publication number: 20170117174Abstract: An electrostatic chuck (ESC) exhibits a ceramic body with planar electrodes applied as bottom and top electrodes connected by vias through the ceramic body and a conducting layer on top of said ceramic body. A conducting current path is being arranged around the edge of the ESC acting as an RF shunt connecting the RF chuck body with the back side of a substrate when arranged on said conducting top layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 15, 2015Publication date: April 27, 2017Applicant: EVATEC AGInventors: Juergen WEICHART, Kay VIEHWEGER
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Patent number: 9624572Abstract: So as to control the operation of a sputter target (9) during lifetime of the target and under HIPIMS operation part (I) of a magnet arrangement associated to the target (9) is retracted from the target (9) whereas a second part II of the magnet arrangement is, if at all, retracted less from the addressed backside (7) during lifetime of the target (9). Thereby, part I is closer to the periphery of target (9) than part II, as both are eccentrically rotated about a rotational axis (A).Type: GrantFiled: February 7, 2014Date of Patent: April 18, 2017Assignee: EVATEC AGInventors: Sven Uwe Rieschl, Juergen Weichart
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Patent number: 9611537Abstract: A target for a physical vapor deposition system includes a top, a bottom, and a base. The base essentially is defined by the surface of the target to be sputtered. A first, inner ring and a second, outer ring extend from the base. Each ring has an inner side and an outer side, wherein sputtering is concentrated on the outer sides by means of a magnet arrangement adjacent to the target.Type: GrantFiled: February 23, 2011Date of Patent: April 4, 2017Assignee: EVATEC AGInventors: Stanislav Kadlec, Jürgen Weichart
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Patent number: 9587306Abstract: For producing a directional layer for instance with constant nominal directionality, such as a low-retentivity layer with a preferred direction of magnetization or a support layer for such a layer by cathode sputtering on a substrate surface (4), the coating process takes place in a manner whereby particles emanating from a target surface (6) impinge predominantly from directions whose projections onto the substrate surface (4) lies within a preferred angular range surrounding the nominal direction. This is achieved for instance by positioning a collimator (8), encompassing plates (9) that extend at a normal angle to the substrate surface (4) parallel to the nominal direction in front of the substrate surface (4), but in lieu of or in addition to such positioning the location or movement of the substrate surface (4) relative to the target surface (6) can also be suitably adjusted or controlled.Type: GrantFiled: January 2, 2008Date of Patent: March 7, 2017Assignee: EVATEC AGInventors: Hartmut Rohrmann, Hanspeter Friedli, Jürgen Weichart, Stanislav Kadlec, Martin Dubs
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Patent number: 9490166Abstract: Apparatus (1, 26) for depositing a layer (37, 38, 39) on a substrate (2) in a process gas comprises a chuck (3) comprising a first surface (4) for supporting the substrate (2), a clamp (4) for securing the substrate (2) to the first surface (14) of the chuck (3), an evacuatable enclosure (5) enclosing the chuck (3) and the clamp (4) and comprising an inlet, through which the processing gas is insertable into the enclosure (5), and control apparatus (19). The control apparatus (19) is adapted to move at least one of the chuck (3) and the clamp (4) relative to, and independently of, one another to adjust a spacing between the chuck (3) and the clamp (4) during a single deposition process while maintaining a flow of the processing gas and a pressure within the enclosure (5) that is less than atmospheric pressure.Type: GrantFiled: December 7, 2011Date of Patent: November 8, 2016Assignee: EVATEC AGInventors: Sven Uwe Rieschl, Mohamed Elghazzali, Jürgen Weichart
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Publication number: 20160169536Abstract: An electrical radiation heater arrangement for a vacuum enclosure includes at least two sets of linear heating sources, arranged in a corresponding number of concentric heating zones. The heating sources are arranged directly on the vacuum side of the vacuum enclosure and electrically connected to current rails arranged on the vacuum side with each of the current rails being connected to one electrical feedthrough from vacuum to ambient. Preferably, the heating sources are arranged in a polygon approaching a circle, essentially radially or a combination of both.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 29, 2014Publication date: June 16, 2016Inventors: Juergen Weichart, Rolf Bazlen
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Patent number: 9355824Abstract: An apparatus for generating sputtering of a target to produce a coating on a substrate is provided. The apparatus comprises a magnetron including a cathode and an anode. A power supply is operably connected to the magnetron and at least one capacitor is operably connected to the power supply. The apparatus also includes an inductance operably connected to the at least one capacitor. A first switch and a second switch are also provided. The first switch operably connects the power supply to the magnetron to charge the magnetron and the first switch is configured to charge the magnetron according to a first pulse. The second switch is operably connected to discharge the magnetron. The second switch is configured to discharge the magnetron according to a second pulse.Type: GrantFiled: December 12, 2007Date of Patent: May 31, 2016Assignee: EVATEC AGInventors: Stanislav Kadlec, Jürgen Weichart
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Publication number: 20150368792Abstract: So as to control the operation of a sputter target (9) during lifetime of the target and under HIPIMS operation part (I) of a magnet arrangement associated to the target (9) is retracted from the target (9) whereas a second part II of the magnet arrangement is, if at all, retracted less from the addressed backside (7) during lifetime of the target (9). Thereby, part I is closer to the periphery of target (9) than part II, as both are eccentrically rotated about a rotational axis (A).Type: ApplicationFiled: February 7, 2014Publication date: December 24, 2015Inventors: Sven Uwe Rieschl, Juergen Weichart