Patents by Inventor Jeremiah T. Pender
Jeremiah T. Pender 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: 11302519Abstract: Methods of patterning low-k dielectric films are described. In an example, a method of patterning a low-k dielectric film involves forming and patterning a mask layer above a low-k dielectric layer, the low-k dielectric layer disposed above a substrate. The method also involves modifying exposed portions of the low-k dielectric layer with a nitrogen-free plasma process. The method also involves removing, with a remote plasma process, the modified portions of the low-k dielectric layer selective to the mask layer and unmodified portions of the low-k dielectric layer.Type: GrantFiled: September 9, 2015Date of Patent: April 12, 2022Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Srinivas D. Nemani, Jeremiah T. Pender, Qingjun Zhou, Dmitry Lubomirsky, Sergey G. Belostotskiy
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Patent number: 9543163Abstract: Methods for etching a material layer disposed on the substrate using a combination of a main etching step and a cyclical etching process are provided. The method includes performing a main etching process in a processing chamber to an oxide layer, forming a feature with a first predetermined depth in the oxide layer, performing a treatment process on the substrate by supplying a treatment gas mixture into the processing chamber to treat the etched feature in the oxide layer, performing a chemical etching process on the substrate by supplying a chemical etching gas mixture into the processing chamber, wherein the chemical etching gas includes at least an ammonium gas and a nitrogen trifluoride, wherein the chemical etching process further etches the feature to a second predetermined depth, and performing a transition process on the etched substrate by supplying a transition gas mixture into the processing chamber.Type: GrantFiled: October 21, 2013Date of Patent: January 10, 2017Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.Inventors: Mang-Mang Ling, Jungmin Ko, Sean S. Kang, Jeremiah T. Pender, Srinivas D. Nemani, Bradley Howard
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Patent number: 9514953Abstract: Implementations described herein generally relate to semiconductor manufacturing and more particularly to methods for etching a low-k dielectric barrier layer disposed on a substrate using a non-carbon based approach. In one implementation, a method for etching a barrier low-k layer is provided. The method comprises (a) exposing a surface of the low-k barrier layer to a treatment gas mixture to modify at least a portion of the low-k barrier layer and (b) chemically etching the modified portion of the low-k barrier layer by exposing the modified portion to a chemical etching gas mixture, wherein the chemical etching gas mixture includes at least an ammonium gas and a nitrogen trifluoride gas or at least a hydrogen gas and a nitrogen trifluoride gas.Type: GrantFiled: November 14, 2014Date of Patent: December 6, 2016Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.Inventors: Chia-Ling Kao, Sean Kang, Jeremiah T. Pender, Srinivas D. Nemani, He Ren, Mehul Naik
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Publication number: 20150380215Abstract: Methods of patterning low-k dielectric films are described. In an example, a method of patterning a low-k dielectric film involves forming and patterning a mask layer above a low-k dielectric layer, the low-k dielectric layer disposed above a substrate. The method also involves modifying exposed portions of the low-k dielectric layer with a nitrogen-free plasma process. The method also involves removing, with a remote plasma process, the modified portions of the low-k dielectric layer selective to the mask layer and unmodified portions of the low-k dielectric layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 9, 2015Publication date: December 31, 2015Inventors: Srinivas D. Nemani, Jeremiah T. Pender, Qingjun Zhou, Dmitry Lubomirsky, Sergey G. Belostotskiy
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Patent number: 9165783Abstract: Methods of patterning low-k dielectric films are described. In an example, a method of patterning a low-k dielectric film involves forming and patterning a mask layer above a low-k dielectric layer, the low-k dielectric layer disposed above a substrate. The method also involves modifying exposed portions of the low-k dielectric layer with a nitrogen-free plasma process. The method also involves removing, with a remote plasma process, the modified portions of the low-k dielectric layer selective to the mask layer and unmodified portions of the low-k dielectric layer.Type: GrantFiled: October 22, 2013Date of Patent: October 20, 2015Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Srinivas D. Nemani, Jeremiah T. Pender, Qingjun Zhou, Dmitry Lubomirsky, Sergey G. Belostotskiy
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Patent number: 9093389Abstract: Methods of patterning silicon nitride dielectric films are described. For example, a method of isotropically etching a dielectric film involves partially modifying exposed regions of a silicon nitride layer with an oxygen-based plasma process to provide a modified portion and an unmodified portion of the silicon nitride layer. The method also involves removing, selective to the unmodified portion, the modified portion of the silicon nitride layer with a second plasma process.Type: GrantFiled: January 13, 2014Date of Patent: July 28, 2015Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Srinivas D. Nemani, Jeremiah T. Pender, Qingjun Zhou, Dmitry Lubomirsky, Sergey G. Belostotskiy
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Publication number: 20150140827Abstract: Implementations described herein generally relate to semiconductor manufacturing and more particularly to methods for etching a low-k dielectric barrier layer disposed on a substrate using a non-carbon based approach. In one implementation, a method for etching a barrier low-k layer is provided. The method comprises (a) exposing a surface of the low-k barrier layer to a treatment gas mixture to modify at least a portion of the low-k barrier layer and (b) chemically etching the modified portion of the low-k barrier layer by exposing the modified portion to a chemical etching gas mixture, wherein the chemical etching gas mixture includes at least an ammonium gas and a nitrogen trifluoride gas or at least a hydrogen gas and a nitrogen trifluoride gas.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 14, 2014Publication date: May 21, 2015Inventors: Chia-Ling KAO, Sean KANG, Jeremiah T. PENDER, Srinivas D. NEMANI, He REN, Mehul NAIK
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Publication number: 20150056814Abstract: Methods for etching a material layer disposed on the substrate using a combination of a main etching step and a cyclical etching process are provided. The method includes performing a main etching process in a processing chamber to an oxide layer, forming a feature with a first predetermined depth in the oxide layer, performing a treatment process on the substrate by supplying a treatment gas mixture into the processing chamber to treat the etched feature in the oxide layer, performing a chemical etching process on the substrate by supplying a chemical etching gas mixture into the processing chamber, wherein the chemical etching gas includes at least an ammonium gas and a nitrogen trifluoride, wherein the chemical etching process further etches the feature to a second predetermined depth, and performing a transition process on the etched substrate by supplying a transition gas mixture into the processing chamber.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 21, 2013Publication date: February 26, 2015Inventors: Mang-Mang LING, Jungmin KO, Sean S. KANG, Jeremiah T. PENDER, Srinivas D. NEMANI, Bradley HOWARD
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Patent number: 8932959Abstract: Etching of a thin film stack including a lower thin film layer containing an advanced memory material is carried out in an inductively coupled plasma reactor having a dielectric RF window without exposing the lower thin film layer, and then the etch process is completed in a toroidal source plasma reactor.Type: GrantFiled: March 6, 2013Date of Patent: January 13, 2015Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Srinivas D. Nemani, Mang-mang Ling, Jeremiah T. Pender, Kartik Ramaswamy, Andrew Nguyen, Sergey G. Belostotskiy, Sumit Agarwal
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Publication number: 20140342569Abstract: A method of selectively dry etching exposed substrate material on patterned heterogeneous structures is described. The method includes a plasma process prior to a remote plasma etch. The plasma process may use a biased plasma to treat an untreated substrate portion in a preferred direction to form a treated substrate portion. Subsequently, a remote plasma is formed using a fluorine-containing precursor to etch the treated substrate portion using the plasma effluents. By implementing biased plasma processes, the normally isotropic etch may be transformed into a directional (anisotropic) etch despite the remote nature of the plasma excitation during the etch process.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 19, 2013Publication date: November 20, 2014Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Lina Zhu, Sean S. Kang, Srinivas D. Nemani, Sergey G. Belostotskiy, Jeremiah T. Pender
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Publication number: 20140308758Abstract: Methods of forming material junctions for magnetic memory devices are described. The methods involve providing a material stack including a bottom magnetic tunneling junction layer, a tunneling barrier layer, and a top magnetic tunneling junction layer (from bottom to top) on a substrate. The top magnetic tunneling junction layer is patterned to form a top magnetic tunneling junction and then a dielectric spacer layer may be formed over the top magnetic tunneling junction. The dielectric spacer is etched to leave a vertical dielectric spacer to maintain electrical separation between the top magnetic tunneling junction and the bottom magnetic tunneling junction during and following subsequent etching/processing. In an alternative embodiment the spacer layer is lithographically defined.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 2, 2013Publication date: October 16, 2014Inventors: Srinivas D. Nemani, Sumit Agarwal, Jeremiah T. Pender, Jonathan Germain, Khoi Doan, Bradley Howard
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Patent number: 8802572Abstract: Methods of patterning low-k dielectric films are described. In an example, a method of patterning a low-k dielectric film involves forming and patterning a mask layer above a low-k dielectric layer. The low-k dielectric layer is disposed above a substrate. The method also involves modifying exposed portions of the low-k dielectric layer with a plasma process. The method also involves, in the same operation, removing, with a remote plasma process, the modified portions of the low-k dielectric layer selective to the mask layer and unmodified portions of the low-k dielectric layer.Type: GrantFiled: June 20, 2013Date of Patent: August 12, 2014Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Srinivas D. Nemani, Jeremiah T. Pender, Qingjun Zhou, Dmitry Lubomirsky, Sergey G. Belostotskiy
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Publication number: 20140199851Abstract: Methods of patterning silicon nitride dielectric films are described. For example, a method of isotropically etching a dielectric film involves partially modifying exposed regions of a silicon nitride layer with an oxygen-based plasma process to provide a modified portion and an unmodified portion of the silicon nitride layer. The method also involves removing, selective to the unmodified portion, the modified portion of the silicon nitride layer with a second plasma process.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 13, 2014Publication date: July 17, 2014Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.Inventors: Srinivas D. Nemani, Jeremiah T. Pender, Qingjun Zhou, Dmitry Lubomirsky, Sergey G. Belostotskiy
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Publication number: 20140170856Abstract: Etching of a thin film stack including a lower thin film layer containing an advanced memory material is carried out in an inductively coupled plasma reactor having a dielectric RF window without exposing the lower thin film layer, and then the etch process is completed in a toroidal source plasma reactor.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 6, 2013Publication date: June 19, 2014Inventors: Srinivas D. Nemani, Mang-mang Ling, Jeremiah T. Pender, Kartik Ramaswamy, Andrew Nguyen, Sergey G. Belostotskiy, Sumit Agarwal
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Patent number: 8748322Abstract: A method of etching silicon oxide from a trench is described which allows more homogeneous etch rates across a varying pattern on a patterned substrate. The method also provides a more rectilinear profile following the etch process. Methods include a sequential exposure of gapfill silicon oxide. The gapfill silicon oxide is exposed to a local plasma treatment prior to a remote-plasma dry etch which may produce salt by-product on the surface. The local plasma treatment has been found to condition the gapfill silicon oxide such that the etch process proceeds at a more even rate within each trench and across multiple trenches. The salt by-product may be removed by raising the temperature in a subsequent sublimation step.Type: GrantFiled: July 16, 2013Date of Patent: June 10, 2014Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Nancy Fung, David T. Or, Qingjun Zhou, Lina Zhu, Jeremiah T. Pender, Srinivas D. Nemani, Sean S. Kang, Sergey G. Belostotskiy, Chinh Dinh
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Publication number: 20140120726Abstract: Methods of patterning low-k dielectric films are described. In an example, a method of patterning a low-k dielectric film involves forming and patterning a mask layer above a low-k dielectric layer, the low-k dielectric layer disposed above a substrate. The method also involves modifying exposed portions of the low-k dielectric layer with a nitrogen-free plasma process. The method also involves removing, with a remote plasma process, the modified portions of the low-k dielectric layer selective to the mask layer and unmodified portions of the low-k dielectric layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 22, 2013Publication date: May 1, 2014Inventors: Srinivas D. Nemani, Jeremiah T. Pender, Qingjun Zhou, Dmitry Lubomirsky, Sergey G. Belostotskiy
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Patent number: 8647990Abstract: Methods of patterning low-k dielectric films are described.Type: GrantFiled: October 16, 2012Date of Patent: February 11, 2014Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Yifeng Zhou, Srinivas D. Nemani, Khoi Doan, Jeremiah T. Pender
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Publication number: 20140017898Abstract: Methods of patterning low-k dielectric films are described. In an example, a method of patterning a low-k dielectric film involves forming and patterning a mask layer above a low-k dielectric layer. The low-k dielectric layer is disposed above a substrate. The method also involves modifying exposed portions of the low-k dielectric layer with a plasma process. The method also involves, in the same operation, removing, with a remote plasma process, the modified portions of the low-k dielectric layer selective to the mask layer and unmodified portions of the low-k dielectric layer.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 20, 2013Publication date: January 16, 2014Inventors: Srinivas D. Nemani, Jeremiah T. Pender, Qingjun Zhou, Dmitry Lubomirsky, Sergey G. Belostotskiy
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Publication number: 20130040464Abstract: Methods of patterning low-k dielectric films are described.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 16, 2012Publication date: February 14, 2013Inventors: Yifeng Zhou, Srinivas D. Nemani, Khoi Doan, Jeremiah T. Pender
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Publication number: 20110253670Abstract: Methods for etching silicon-based antireflective layers are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of etching a silicon-based antireflective layer may include providing to a process chamber a substrate having a multiple-layer resist thereon, the multiple-layer resist comprising a patterned photoresist layer defining features to be etched into the substrate disposed above a silicon-based antireflective coating; and etching the silicon-based antireflective layer through the patterned photoresist layer using a plasma formed from a process gas having a primary reactive agent comprising a chlorine-containing gas. In some embodiments, the chlorine-containing gas is chlorine (Cl2).Type: ApplicationFiled: October 1, 2010Publication date: October 20, 2011Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.Inventors: YIFENG ZHOU, QINGJUN ZHOU, RYAN PATZ, JEREMIAH T. PENDER, MICHAEL D. ARMACOST