Patents by Inventor Michael D. Willwerth

Michael D. Willwerth 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).

  • Method of processing a workpiece in a plasma reactor with independent wafer edge process gas injection
    Publication number: 20090057269
    Abstract: The disclosure concerns a method of processing a workpiece or in a plasma reactor chamber, using independent gas injection at the wafer edge.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2007
    Publication date: March 5, 2009
    Inventors: Dan Katz, David Palagashvili, Michael D. Willwerth, Valentin N. Todorow, Alexander M. Paterson
  • METHODS FOR HIGH TEMPERATURE ETCHING A HIGH-K MATERIAL GATE STRUCTURE
    Publication number: 20090004870
    Abstract: Methods for etching high-k material at high temperatures are provided. In one embodiment, a method etching high-k material on a substrate may include providing a substrate having a high-k material layer disposed thereon into an etch chamber, forming a plasma from an etching gas mixture including at least a halogen containing gas into the etch chamber, maintaining a temperature of an interior surface of the etch chamber in excess of about 100 degree Celsius while etching the high-k material layer in the presence of the plasma, and maintaining a substrate temperature between about 100 degree Celsius and about 250 degrees Celsius while etching the high-k material layer in the presence of the plasma.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2008
    Publication date: January 1, 2009
    Inventors: Wei Liu, Eiichi Matsusue, Meihua Shen, Shashank Deshmukh, Anh-Kiet Quang Phan, David Palagashvili, Michael D. Willwerth, Jong I. Shin, Barrett Finch, Yohei Kawase
  • Method and apparatus for performing limited area spectral analysis
    Patent number: 7330244
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for obtaining in-situ data of a substrate in a semiconductor substrate processing chamber is provided. The apparatus includes an optics assembly for acquiring data regarding a substrate and an actuator assembly adapted to laterally move the optics assembly in two dimensions relative to the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2008
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew F. Davis, Lei Lian, Yasuhiro Uo, Michael D. Willwerth, Andrei Ivanovich Netchitaliouk
  • HIGH AC CURRENT HIGH RF POWER AC-RF DECOUPLING FILTER FOR PLASMA REACTOR HEATED ELECTROSTATIC CHUCK
    Publication number: 20070284344
    Abstract: An RF blocking filter isolates a two-phase AC power supply from at least 2 kV p-p of power of an HF frequency that is reactively coupled to a resistive heating element, while conducting several kW of 60 Hz AC power from the two-phase AC power supply to the resistive heating element without overheating, the two-phase AC power supply having a pair of terminals and the resistive heating element having a pair of terminals. The filter includes a pair of cylindrical non-conductive envelopes each having an interior diameter between about one and two inches and respective pluralities of fused iron powder toroids of magnetic permeability on the order of about 10 stacked coaxially within respective ones of the pair of cylindrical envelopes, the exterior diameter of the toroids being about the same as the interior diameter of each of the envelopes. A pair of wire conductors of diameter between 3 mm and 3.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2007
    Publication date: December 13, 2007
    Inventors: Valentin N. Todorov, Michael D. Willwerth, Alexander Paterson, Brian K. Hatcher, James E. Sammons, John P. Holland
  • Method and apparatus for performing limited area spectral analysis
    Patent number: 7158221
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for obtaining in-situ data of a substrate in a semiconductor substrate processing chamber is provided. The apparatus includes an optics assembly for acquiring data regarding a substrate and an actuator assembly adapted to laterally move the optics assembly in two dimensions relative to the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2007
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew F. Davis, Lei Lian, Yasuhiro Uo, Michael D. Willwerth, Andrei Ivanovich Netchitaliouk