Patents by Inventor Norman L. Tam
Norman L. Tam 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).
-
Publication number: 20240087889Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems and methods for processing channel structures of substrates that include positioning the substrate in a first processing chamber having a first processing volume. The substrate includes a channel structure with high aspect ratio features having aspect ratios greater than about 20:1. The method includes forming a silicon-containing layer over the channel structure to a hydrogen-or-deuterium plasma in the first processing volume at a flow rate of about 10 sccm to about 5000 sccm. The substrate is maintained at a temperature of about 100° C. to about 1100° C. during the exposing, the exposing forming a nucleated substrate. Subsequent to the exposing a thermal anneal operation is performed on the substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 17, 2023Publication date: March 14, 2024Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Xinming ZHANG, Abhilash J. MAYUR, Shashank SHARMA, Norman L. TAM, Matthew SPULLER
-
Publication number: 20240055265Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming a semiconductor device are provided. The method includes thermally treating a substrate having one or more silicon nanosheets formed thereon. Thermally treating the substrate includes positioning the substrate in a processing volume of a first processing chamber, the substrate having one or more silicon nanosheets formed thereon. Thermally treating the substrate further includes heating the substrate to a first temperature of more than about 250 degrees Celsius, generating hydrogen radicals using a remote plasma source fluidly coupled with the processing volume, and maintaining the substrate at the first temperature while concurrently exposing the one or more silicon nanosheets to the generated hydrogen radicals. The generated hydrogen radicals remove residual germanium from the one or more silicon nanosheets.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 11, 2022Publication date: February 15, 2024Inventors: Pradeep SAMPATH KUMAR, Norman L. TAM, Shashank SHARMA, Zhiming JIANG, Jingmin LENG, Victor CALDERON, Mahesh RAMAKRISHNA
-
Patent number: 11901195Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure relate to methods, systems, and apparatus for conducting a radical treatment operation on a substrate prior to conducting an annealing operation on the substrate. In one implementation, a method of processing semiconductor substrates includes pre-heating a substrate, and exposing the substrate to species radicals. The exposing of the substrate to the species radicals includes a treatment temperature that is less than 300 degrees Celsius, a treatment pressure that is less than 1.0 Torr, and a treatment time that is within a range of 8.0 minutes to 12.0 minutes. The method includes annealing the substrate after the exposing of the substrate to the species radicals. The annealing includes exposing the substrate to molecules, an anneal temperature that is 300 degrees Celsius or greater, an anneal pressure that is within a range of 500 Torr to 550 Torr, and an anneal time that is less than 4.0 minutes.Type: GrantFiled: January 5, 2022Date of Patent: February 13, 2024Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Pradeep Sampath Kumar, Norman L. Tam, Dongming Iu, Shashank Sharma, Eric R. Rieske, Michael P. Kamp
-
Patent number: 11859277Abstract: Methods of depositing a metal film are discussed. A metal film is formed on the bottom of feature having a metal bottom and dielectric sidewalls. Formation of the metal film comprises exposure to a metal precursor and an alkyl halide catalyst while the substrate is maintained at a deposition temperature. The metal precursor has a decomposition temperature above the deposition temperature. The alkyl halide comprises carbon and halogen, and the halogen comprises bromine or iodine.Type: GrantFiled: May 21, 2021Date of Patent: January 2, 2024Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Xi Cen, Kai Wu, Seshadri Ganguli, Xinming Zhang, Norman L. Tam, Abhilash Mayur
-
Patent number: 11823901Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems and methods for processing channel structures of substrates that include positioning the substrate in a first processing chamber having a first processing volume. The substrate includes a channel structure with high aspect ratio features having aspect ratios greater than about 20:1. The method includes forming a silicon-containing layer over the channel structure to a hydrogen-or-deuterium plasma in the first processing volume at a flow rate of about 10 sccm to about 5000 sccm. The substrate is maintained at a temperature of about 100° C. to about 1100° C. during the exposing, the exposing forming a nucleated substrate. Subsequent to the exposing a thermal anneal operation is performed on the substrate.Type: GrantFiled: February 12, 2021Date of Patent: November 21, 2023Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS INC.Inventors: Xinming Zhang, Abhilash J. Mayur, Shashank Sharma, Norman L. Tam, Matthew Spuller
-
Publication number: 20230128128Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure relate to methods, systems, and apparatus for conducting a radical treatment operation on a substrate prior to conducting an annealing operation on the substrate. In one implementation, a method of processing semiconductor substrates includes pre-heating a substrate, and exposing the substrate to species radicals. The exposing of the substrate to the species radicals includes a treatment temperature that is less than 300 degrees Celsius, a treatment pressure that is less than 1.0 Torr, and a treatment time that is within a range of 8.0 minutes to 12.0 minutes. The method includes annealing the substrate after the exposing of the substrate to the species radicals. The annealing includes exposing the substrate to molecules, an anneal temperature that is 300 degrees Celsius or greater, an anneal pressure that is within a range of 500 Torr to 550 Torr, and an anneal time that is less than 4.0 minutes.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 5, 2022Publication date: April 27, 2023Inventors: Pradeep SAMPATH KUMAR, Norman L. TAM, Dongming IU, Shashank SHARMA, Eric R. RIESKE, Michael P. KAMP
-
Patent number: 11587789Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems and methods for processing channel structures of substrates that include positioning the substrate in a first processing chamber having a first processing volume being in fluid communication with a plasma source. The substrate can include a channel structure with high aspect ratio features having aspect ratios greater than about 20:1. The method can also include forming an oxide cap layer over a silicon-containing layer of the channel structure and exposing the oxide cap layer to a hydrogen-or-deuterium radical to nucleate the silicon-containing layer of the channel structures of the substrate. Forming the oxide cap layer and exposing the channel structure with the hydrogen radical occurs in the first processing chamber to form a nucleated substrate. The method can also include positioning the nucleated substrate in a second processing chamber with a second processing volume and heating the nucleated substrate in the second processing chamber.Type: GrantFiled: December 16, 2020Date of Patent: February 21, 2023Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Xinming Zhang, Abhilash J. Mayur, Shashank Sharma, Norman L. Tam, Matthew Spuller, Zeqiong Zhao
-
Publication number: 20220372617Abstract: Methods of depositing a metal film are discussed. A metal film is formed on the bottom of feature having a metal bottom and dielectric sidewalls. Formation of the metal film comprises exposure to a metal precursor and an alkyl halide catalyst while the substrate is maintained at a deposition temperature. The metal precursor has a decomposition temperature above the deposition temperature. The alkyl halide comprises carbon and halogen, and the halogen comprises bromine or iodine.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 21, 2021Publication date: November 24, 2022Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Xi Cen, Kai Wu, Seshadri Ganguli, Xinming Zhang, Norman L. Tam, Abhilash Mayur
-
Publication number: 20220251708Abstract: Apparatus, methods, and systems use hydrogen radicals during a thermal annealing of film stacks to reduce or remove contaminants (such as phosphorus) from the film stacks. In one implementation, a method of processing a film stack of a substrate, includes conducting a thermal anneal operation on the film stack while the substrate is directly supported on a pedestal heater. The thermal anneal operation includes reducing one or more of a stress or a bow of the film stack. The method includes conducting a radical treatment operation on the film stack after the thermal anneal operation is conducted. The radical treatment operation includes exposing the film stack to hydrogen radicals, and removing contaminant particles from the film stack.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 24, 2022Publication date: August 11, 2022Inventors: Xinming ZHANG, Zhi LIU, Abhilash J. MAYUR, Norman L. TAM
-
Patent number: 11348769Abstract: Implementations described herein provide for thermal substrate processing apparatus including two thermal process chambers, each defining a process volume, and a substrate support disposed within each process volume. One or more remote plasma sources may be in fluid communication with the process volumes and the remote plasma sources may be configured to deliver a plasma to the process volumes. Various arrangements of remote plasma sources and chambers are described.Type: GrantFiled: September 8, 2020Date of Patent: May 31, 2022Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Lara Hawrylchak, Matthew D. Scotney-Castle, Norman L. Tam, Matthew Spuller, Kong Lung Samuel Chan, Dongming Iu, Stephen Moffatt
-
Publication number: 20220108914Abstract: Embodiments herein are directed to methods of forming titanium nitride films suitable for use as a bulk fill material for conductive features in a semiconductor device, such as for capacitor electrodes and/or buried word lines in a dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) device. In one embodiment, a method of forming conductive features in a semiconductor device is provided. The method includes thermally treating a substrate surface comprising at least portions of a titanium nitride layer in the presence of hydrogen radicals. Thermally treating the substrate includes positioning the substrate in a processing volume of a processing chamber, heating the substrate to a treatment temperature of more than about 250° C., generating the hydrogen radicals using a remote plasma source fluidly coupled to the processing volume, and maintaining the substrate at the treatment temperature while concurrently exposing the at least portions of the titanium nitride layer to the generated hydrogen radicals.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 10, 2021Publication date: April 7, 2022Inventors: Xinming ZHANG, Shashank SHARMA, Abhilash J. MAYUR, Norman L. TAM, Matthew SPULLER
-
Publication number: 20210280428Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems and methods for processing channel structures of substrates that include positioning the substrate in a first processing chamber having a first processing volume. The substrate includes a channel structure with high aspect ratio features having aspect ratios greater than about 20:1. The method includes forming a silicon-containing layer over the channel structure to a hydrogen-or-deuterium plasma in the first processing volume at a flow rate of about 10 sccm to about 5000 sccm. The substrate is maintained at a temperature of about 100° C. to about 1100° C. during the exposing, the exposing forming a nucleated substrate. Subsequent to the exposing a thermal anneal operation is performed on the substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 12, 2021Publication date: September 9, 2021Inventors: Xinming ZHANG, Abhilash J. MAYUR, Shashank SHARMA, Norman L. TAM, Matthew SPULLER
-
Publication number: 20210280418Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems and methods for processing channel structures of substrates that include positioning the substrate in a first processing chamber having a first processing volume being in fluid communication with a plasma source. The substrate can include a channel structure with high aspect ratio features having aspect ratios greater than about 20:1. The method can also include forming an oxide cap layer over a silicon-containing layer of the channel structure and exposing the oxide cap layer to a hydrogen-or-deuterium radical to nucleate the silicon-containing layer of the channel structures of the substrate. Forming the oxide cap layer and exposing the channel structure with the hydrogen radical occurs in the first processing chamber to form a nucleated substrate. The method can also include positioning the nucleated substrate in a second processing chamber with a second processing volume and heating the nucleated substrate in the second processing chamber.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 16, 2020Publication date: September 9, 2021Inventors: Xinming ZHANG, Abhilash J. MAYUR, Shashank SHARMA, Norman L. TAM, Matthew SPULLER, Zeqiong ZHAO
-
Patent number: 10948353Abstract: Examples described herein generally relate to apparatus and methods for rapid thermal processing (RTP) of a substrate. In one or more embodiments, a process chamber includes chamber body, a window disposed on a first portion of the chamber body, a chamber bottom, and a shield disposed on a second portion of the chamber body. The shield has a flat surface facing the window to reduce reflected radiant energy to a back side of a substrate disposed in the process chamber during operation. The process chamber further includes an edge support for supporting the substrate and a cooling member disposed on the chamber bottom. The cooling member is disposed in proximity of the edge support to cool the edge support during low temperature operation in order to improve the temperature uniformity of the substrate.Type: GrantFiled: January 14, 2020Date of Patent: March 16, 2021Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Lara Hawrylchak, Samuel C. Howells, Wolfgang R. Aderhold, Leonid M. Tertitski, Michael Liu, Dongming Iu, Norman L. Tam, Ji-Dih Hu
-
Publication number: 20200402780Abstract: Implementations described herein provide for thermal substrate processing apparatus including two thermal process chambers, each defining a process volume, and a substrate support disposed within each process volume. One or more remote plasma sources may be in fluid communication with the process volumes and the remote plasma sources may be configured to deliver a plasma to the process volumes. Various arrangements of remote plasma sources and chambers are described.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 8, 2020Publication date: December 24, 2020Inventors: Lara HAWRYLCHAK, Matthew D. SCOTNEY-CASTLE, Norman L. TAM, Matthew SPULLER, Kong Lung Samuel CHAN, Dongming IU
-
Patent number: 10770272Abstract: Implementations described herein provide for thermal substrate processing apparatus including two thermal process chambers, each defining a process volume, and a substrate support disposed within each process volume. One or more remote plasma sources may be in fluid communication with the process volumes and the remote plasma sources may be configured to deliver a plasma to the process volumes. Various arrangements of remote plasma sources and chambers are described.Type: GrantFiled: April 5, 2017Date of Patent: September 8, 2020Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.Inventors: Lara Hawrylchak, Matthew D. Scotney-Castle, Norman L. Tam, Matthew Spuller, Kong Lung Samuel Chan, Dongming Iu
-
Publication number: 20200149968Abstract: Examples described herein generally relate to apparatus and methods for rapid thermal processing (RTP) of a substrate. In one or more embodiments, a process chamber includes chamber body, a window disposed on a first portion of the chamber body, a chamber bottom, and a shield disposed on a second portion of the chamber body. The shield has a flat surface facing the window to reduce reflected radiant energy to a back side of a substrate disposed in the process chamber during operation. The process chamber further includes an edge support for supporting the substrate and a cooling member disposed on the chamber bottom. The cooling member is disposed in proximity of the edge support to cool the edge support during low temperature operation in order to improve the temperature uniformity of the substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 14, 2020Publication date: May 14, 2020Inventors: Lara HAWRYLCHAK, Samuel C. HOWELLS, Wolfgang R. ADERHOLD, Leonid M. TERTITSKI, Michael LIU, Dongming IU, Norman L. TAM, Ji-Dih HU
-
Patent number: 10571337Abstract: Examples described herein generally relate to apparatus and methods for rapid thermal processing (RTP) of a substrate. In one example, a process chamber includes chamber body, a window disposed on a first portion of the chamber body, a chamber bottom, and a shield disposed on a second portion of the chamber body. The shield has a flat surface facing the window to reduce reflected radiant energy to a back side of a substrate disposed in the process chamber during operation. The process chamber further includes an edge support for supporting the substrate and a cooling member disposed on the chamber bottom. The cooling member is disposed in proximity of the edge support to cool the edge support during low temperature operation in order to improve the temperature uniformity of the substrate.Type: GrantFiled: July 28, 2017Date of Patent: February 25, 2020Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.Inventors: Lara Hawrylchak, Samuel C. Howells, Wolfgang R. Aderhold, Leonid M. Tertitski, Michael Liu, Dongming Iu, Norman L. Tam, Ji-Dih Hu
-
Patent number: 10373859Abstract: A support ring for semiconductor processing is provided. The support ring includes a ring shaped body defined by an inner edge and an outer edge. The inner edge and outer edge are concentric about a central axis. The ring shaped body further includes a first side, a second side, and a raised annular shoulder extending from the first side of the ring shaped body at the inner edge. The support ring also includes a coating on the first side. The coating has an inner region of reduced thickness region abutting the raised annular shoulder.Type: GrantFiled: July 6, 2018Date of Patent: August 6, 2019Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.Inventors: Mehran Behdjat, Norman L. Tam, Aaron Muir Hunter, Joseph M. Ranish, Koji Nakanishi, Toshiyuki Nakagawa
-
Publication number: 20180340832Abstract: Examples described herein generally relate to apparatus and methods for rapid thermal processing (RTP) of a substrate. In one example, a process chamber includes chamber body, a window disposed on a first portion of the chamber body, a chamber bottom, and a shield disposed on a second portion of the chamber body. The shield has a flat surface facing the window to reduce reflected radiant energy to a back side of a substrate disposed in the process chamber during operation. The process chamber further includes an edge support for supporting the substrate and a cooling member disposed on the chamber bottom. The cooling member is disposed in proximity of the edge support to cool the edge support during low temperature operation in order to improve the temperature uniformity of the substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 28, 2017Publication date: November 29, 2018Inventors: Lara HAWRYLCHAK, Samuel C. HOWELLS, Wolfgang R. ADERHOLD, Leonid M. TERTITSKI, Michael LIU, Dongming IU, Norman L. TAM, Ji-Dih HU