Patents by Inventor Kenneth S. Collins

Kenneth S. Collins 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).

  • Methods for processing substrates in process systems having shared resources
    Patent number: 8721798
    Abstract: Methods for processing substrates in twin chamber processing systems having first and second process chambers and shared processing resources are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method may include providing a substrate to the first process chamber of the twin chamber processing system, wherein the first process chamber has a first processing volume that is independent from a second processing volume of the second process chamber; providing one or more processing resources from the shared processing resources to only the first processing volume of the first process chamber; and performing a process on the substrate in the first process chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: James P. Cruse, Dermot Cantwell, Ming Xu, Charles Hardy, Benjamin Schwarz, Kenneth S. Collins, Andrew Nguyen, Zhifeng Sui, Evans Lee
  • DIFFERENTIAL COUNTER ELECTRODE TUNING IN A PLASMA REACTOR WITH AN RF-DRIVEN CEILING ELECTRODE
    Publication number: 20140069584
    Abstract: A plasma reactor includes an RF-driven ceiling electrode overlying a process zone and two (or more) counter electrodes underlying the process zone and facing different portions of the process zones, two (or more) variable reactances connected between respective ones of the counter electrodes and ground, and a controller governing the variable reactances to control distribution of a plasma parameter such as plasma ion density or ion energy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2013
    Publication date: March 13, 2014
    Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Yang Yang, Kartik Ramaswamy, Kenneth S. Collins, Steven Lane, Douglas A. Buchberger, JR., Lawrence Wong, Nipun Misra
  • Symmetric VHF plasma power coupler with active uniformity steering
    Patent number: 8652297
    Abstract: A coaxial VHF power coupler includes conductive element inside a hollow cylindrical outer conductor of the power coupler and surrounding an axial section of a hollow cylindrical inner conductor of the power coupler. Respective plural motor drives contacting the hollow cylindrical outer conductor are connected to respective locations of the movable conductive element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth S. Collins, Zhigang Chen, Kartik Ramaswamy, James D. Carducci, Shahid Rauf, Andrew Nguyen
  • DIFFERENTIAL COUNTER ELECTRODE TUNING IN A PLASMA REACTOR WITH AN RF-DRIVEN WORKPIECE SUPPORT ELECTRODE
    Publication number: 20140034239
    Abstract: A plasma reactor includes an RF-driven wafer support electrode underlying a process zone and two (or more) counter electrodes overlying the process zone and facing different portions of the process zones, two (or more) variable reactances connected between respective ones of the counter electrodes and ground, and a controller governing the variable reactances to control distribution of a plasma parameter such as plasma ion density or ion energy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2013
    Publication date: February 6, 2014
    Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Yang Yang, Kartik Ramaswamy, Kenneth S. Collins, Steven Lane, Douglas A. Buchberger, JR., Lawrence Wong, Nipun Misra
  • METHOD OF DIFFERENTIAL COUNTER ELECTRODE TUNING IN AN RF PLASMA REACTOR
    Publication number: 20140034612
    Abstract: A method of controlling distribution of a plasma parameter in a plasma reactor having an RF-driven electrode and two (or more) counter electrodes opposite the RF driven electrode and facing different portions of the process zones. The method includes providing two (or more) variable reactances connected between respective ones of the counter electrodes and ground, and governing the variable reactances to change distribution of a plasma parameter such as plasma ion density or ion energy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2013
    Publication date: February 6, 2014
    Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Yang Yang, Kartik Ramaswamy, Kenneth S. Collins, Steven Lane, Douglas A. Buchberger, JR., Lawrence Wong, Nipun Misra
  • PLASMA REACTOR WITH ELECTRON BEAM PLASMA SOURCE HAVING A UNIFORM MAGNETIC FIELD
    Publication number: 20140035458
    Abstract: Electron beam-confining electromagnets of an electron beam generator are aligned with an electron beam axis, each of the electromagnets being folded to define a main section and a pair of angled wing sections disposed at respective angles relative to said main section, and a conductor wound around the edge.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2013
    Publication date: February 6, 2014
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Ming-Feng Wu, Ajit Balakrishna, Leonid Dorf, Shahid Rauf, Kenneth S. Collins, Nipun Misra
  • SYMMETRICAL INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA SOURCE WITH SIDE RF FEEDS AND RF DISTRIBUTION PLATES
    Publication number: 20140021861
    Abstract: A plasma reactor has an overhead multiple coil inductive plasma source with symmetric and radial RF feeds and cylindrical RF shielding around the symmetric and radial RF feeds. The radial RF feeds are symmetrically fed to the plasma source.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2013
    Publication date: January 23, 2014
    Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: James D. Carducci, Kenneth S. Collins, Richard Fovell, Jason A. Kenney, Kartik Ramaswamy, Shahid Rauf
  • SYMMETRICAL INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA SOURCE WITH SYMMETRICAL FLOW CHAMBER
    Publication number: 20140020835
    Abstract: A plasma reactor has an overhead multiple coil inductive plasma source with symmetric RF feeds and a symmetrical chamber exhaust with plural struts through the exhaust region providing access to a confined workplace support. A grid may be included for masking spatial effects of the struts from the processing region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2012
    Publication date: January 23, 2014
    Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Andrew Nguyen, Kenneth S. Collins, Kartik Ramaswamy, Shahid Rauf, James D. Carducci, Douglas A. Buchberger, JR., Ankur Agrawal, Jason A. Kenney, Leonid Dorf, Ajit Balakrishna, Richard Fovell
  • INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA SOURCE WITH MULTIPLE DIELECTRIC WINDOWS AND WINDOW-SUPPORTING STRUCTURE
    Publication number: 20140020837
    Abstract: A plasma reactor enclosure has a metallic portion and a dielectric portion of plural dielectric windows supported on the metallic portion, each of the dielectric windows extending around an axis of symmetry. Plural concentric coil antennas are disposed on an external side of the enclosure, respective ones of the coil antennas facing respective ones of the dielectric windows.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2012
    Publication date: January 23, 2014
    Inventors: ANDREW NGUYEN, KENNETH S. COLLINS, KARTIK RAMASWAMY, SHAHID RAUF, JAMES D. CARDUCCI, DOUGLAS A. BUCHBERGER, JR., ANKUR AGARWAL, JASON A. KENNEY, LEONID DORF, AJIT BALAKRISHNA, RICHARD FOVELL
  • SYMMETRICAL INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA SOURCE WITH COAXIAL RF FEED AND COAXIAL SHIELDING
    Publication number: 20140020838
    Abstract: A plasma reactor has an overhead multiple coil inductive plasma source with symmetric RF feeds and symmetrical RF shielding around the symmetric RF feeds.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2013
    Publication date: January 23, 2014
    Inventors: Jason A. Kenney, James D. Carducci, Kenneth S. Collins, Richard Fovell, Kartik Ramaswamy, Shahid Rauf
  • INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA SOURCE WITH SYMMETRICAL RF FEED
    Publication number: 20140020839
    Abstract: A plasma reactor has an overhead multiple coil inductive plasma source with RF feeds arranged in equilateral symmetry.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2013
    Publication date: January 23, 2014
    Inventors: Jason A. Kenney, James D. Carducci, Kenneth S. Collins, Richard Fovell, Kartik Ramaswamy, Shahid Rauf
  • INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA SOURCE WITH PLURAL TOP COILS OVER A CEILING AND AN INDEPENDENT SIDE COIL
    Publication number: 20140020836
    Abstract: A plasma reactor for processing a workplace includes a reactor chamber having a ceiling and a sidewali and a workplace support facing the ceiling and defining a processing region, and a pair of concentric independently excited RF coil antennas overlying the ceiling and a side RF coil concentric with the side wall and facing the side wall below the ceiling, and being excited independently.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2012
    Publication date: January 23, 2014
    Inventors: ANDREW NGUYEN, KENNETH S. COLLINS, KARTIK RAMASWAMY, SHAHID RAUF, JAMES D. CARDUCCI, DOUGLAS A. BUCHBERGER, JR., ANKUR AGARWAL, JASON A. KENNEY, LEONID DORF, AJIT BALAKRISHNA, RICHARD FOVELL
  • Semiconductor processing apparatus comprising a coating formed from a solid solution of yttrium oxide and zirconium oxide
    Patent number: 8623527
    Abstract: A ceramic coated article useful in semiconductor processing, which is resistant to erosion by halogen-containing plasmas. The ceramic coated article includes an aluminum substrate coated with a solid solution coating formed from a combination of yttrium oxide and zirconium oxide. The ceramic coating is formed from yttrium oxide at a molar concentration ranging from about 90 mole % to about 70 mole %, and zirconium oxide at a molar concentration ranging from about 10 mole % to about 30 mole %. In a second embodiment, the ceramic article includes ceramic which is formed from zirconium oxide at a molar concentration ranging from about 96 mole % to about 94 mole %, and yttrium oxide at a molar concentration ranging from about 4 mole % to about 6 mole %.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Jennifer Y. Sun, Ren-Guan Duan, Jie Yuan, Li Xu, Kenneth S. Collins
  • Apparatus for VHF impedance match tuning
    Patent number: 8578879
    Abstract: Embodiments of impedance matching networks are provided herein. In some embodiments, an impedance matching network may include a coaxial resonator having an inner and an outer conductor. A tuning capacitor may be provided for variably controlling a resonance frequency of the coaxial resonator. The tuning capacitor may be formed by a first tuning electrode and a second tuning electrode and an intervening dielectric, wherein the first tuning electrode is formed by a portion of the inner conductor. A load capacitor may be provided for variably coupling energy from the inner conductor to a load. The load capacitor may be formed by the inner conductor, an adjustable load electrode, and an intervening dielectric.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Kartik Ramaswamy, Hiroji Hanawa, Kenneth S. Collins, Lawrence Wong, Samer Banna, Andrew Nguyen
  • TWO-PHASE OPERATION OF PLASMA CHAMBER BY PHASE LOCKED LOOP
    Publication number: 20130284369
    Abstract: Plasma distribution is controlled in a plasma reactor by controlling the phase difference between opposing RF electrodes, in accordance with a desired or user-selected phase difference, by a phase-lock feedback control loop.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2012
    Publication date: October 31, 2013
    Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Satoru Kobayashi, Lawrence Wong, Jonathan Liu, Yang Yang, Kartik Ramaswamy, Shahid Rauf, Shane C. Nevil, Kallol Bera, Kenneth S. Collins
  • INDEPENDENT CONTROL OF RF PHASES OF SEPARATE COILS OF AN INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA REACTOR
    Publication number: 20130284370
    Abstract: Plasma distribution is controlled in a plasma reactor by controlling the phase differences between different RF coil antennas, in accordance with a desired or user-selected phase difference, by a phase-lock feedback control loop.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Publication date: October 31, 2013
    Inventors: Kenneth S. Collins, Satoru Kobayashi, Lawrence Wong, Jonathan Liu, Yang Yang, Kartik Ramaswamy, Shahid Rauf
  • THREE-COIL INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA SOURCE WITH INDIVIDUALLY CONTROLLED COIL CURRENTS FROM A SINGLE RF POWER GENERATOR
    Publication number: 20130278142
    Abstract: An inductively coupled plasma reactor has three concentric coil antennas and a current divider circuit individually controlling currents in each of the three coil antennas by varying two variable impedance elements in the current divider circuit in response to a desired current apportionment among the coil antennas received from a user interface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2013
    Publication date: October 24, 2013
    Inventors: Leonid Dorf, Shahid Rauf, Jonathan Liu, Jason A. Kenney, Andrew Nguyen, Kenneth S. Collins, Kartik Ramaswamy, Steven Lane
  • THREE-COIL INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA SOURCE WITH INDIVIDUALLY CONTROLLED COIL CURRENTS FROM A SINGLE RF POWER GENERATOR
    Publication number: 20130278141
    Abstract: An inductively coupled plasma reactor has three concentric RF coil antennas and a current divider circuit individually controlling currents in each of the three coil antennas by varying only two reactive elements in the current divider circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: October 24, 2013
    Inventors: Leonid Dorf, Shahid Rauf, Jonathan Liu, Jason A. Kenney, Andrew Nguyen, Kenneth S. Collins, Kartik Ramaswamy, Steven Lane
  • PLASMA PROCESSING USING RF RETURN PATH VARIABLE IMPEDANCE CONTROLLER WITH TWO-DIMENSIONAL TUNING SPACE
    Publication number: 20130277333
    Abstract: In a plasma reactor having a driven electrode and a counter electrode, an impedance controller connected between the counter electrode and ground includes both series sand parallel variable impedance elements that facilitate two-dimensional movement of a ground path input impedance in a complex impedance space to control spatial distribution of a plasma process parameter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: October 24, 2013
    Inventors: Nipun Misra, Kartik Ramaswamy, Yang Yang, Douglas A. Buchberger, JR., James D. Carducci, Lawrence Wong, Shane C. Nevil, Shahid Rauf, Kenneth S. Collins
  • Semiconductor processing apparatus comprising a solid solution ceramic formed from yttrium oxide, zirconium oxide, and aluminum oxide
    Publication number: 20130224498
    Abstract: A solid solution-comprising ceramic article useful in semiconductor processing, which is resistant to erosion by halogen-containing plasmas. The solid solution-comprising ceramic article is formed from a combination of yttrium oxide, zirconium oxide, and aluminum oxide. In a first embodiment, the solid solution-comprising ceramic article is a solid, sintered body of the solid solution ceramic material. In a second embodiment, the solid solution-comprising article comprises a substrate underlying a solid solution-comprising coating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2013
    Publication date: August 29, 2013
    Inventors: Jennifer Y. Sun, Ren-Guan Duan, Jie Yuan, Li Xu, Kenneth S. Collins