Patents by Inventor Robert B. Hixson

Robert B. Hixson 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).

  • Patent number: 6780294
    Abstract: Disclosed is a shielding assembly for use within a substrate deposition processing chamber. The shielding assembly permits sputtering and evaporation processes to take place without the target material depositing upon the internal non-disposable surfaces of the chamber. The shielding assembly is of an improved construction which permits it to be uncoupled from an adapter plate without the need for removing the adapter plate from the deposition chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2004
    Assignee: Set, Tosoh
    Inventors: Robert B. Hixson, Gary William Groshong, David Bruce Jordan, Jose Luis Gonzalez
  • Patent number: 6736946
    Abstract: Physical vapor deposition (PVD) system comprises a chamber, an upper shield and a lower shield mounted within the chamber, a cover ring having one or more tabs extending radially inwardly therefrom. The PAD system further includes a shutter disk having one or more notched areas formed in the periphery thereof to receive non-contacting the one or more tabs of the cover ring. The cover ring has two or more recesses formed in an upper side thereof with a guide pin extending from the center of the recesses. The lower shield has two or more cups with a hole therein to be engaged with the guide pin of the cover ring to keep the lower shield from rotating with respect to the cover ring. The cups of the lower shield are inserted into the recesses of the cover ring. These improvements enable a standard shutter arm assembly and a shutter disk to be utilized in a two-tab block-out scheme.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2004
    Assignee: Integrated Device Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert B. Hixson, Jason L. Monfort, Gary W. Groshong, Jose Luis Gonzalez
  • Patent number: 6627543
    Abstract: Disclosed are methods and systems for forming salicide, in which a semiconductor substrate is provided with at least one exposed silicon surface. The semiconductor substrate is placed into a sputtering chamber. A silicide-forming metal layer, formed of a metal such as Co, Ni, is sputter-deposited over the exposed silicon surface. A process temperature is controlled below room temperature during the sputter deposition and preferably between approximately 0° C. to 10° C. The silicide-forming metal layer formed on the exposed silicon surface is first annealed to convert the silicide-forming metal layer into a salicide layer. Also, the system of the present invention is comprised of a sputter chamber including a mount for mounting a semiconductor substrate and a cooling mechanism coupled with the mount for cooling the semiconductor substrate. The cooling mechanism includes a controller to maintain a process temperature below room temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2003
    Assignee: Integrated Device Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Wanqing Cao, Guo-Qiang Patrick Lo, Shih-Ked Lee, Robert B. Hixson, Eric S. Lee
  • Publication number: 20020166762
    Abstract: Physical vapor deposition (PVD) system comprises a chamber, an upper shield and a lower shield mounted within the chamber, a cover ring having one or more tabs extending radially inwardly therefrom. The PVD system further includes a shutter disk having one or more notched areas formed in the periphery thereof to receive non-contactingly the one or more tabs of the cover ring. The cover ring has two or more recesses formed in an upper side thereof with a guide pin extending from the center of the recesses. The lower shield has two or more cups with a hole therein to be engaged with the guide pin of the cover ring to keep the lower shield from rotating with respect to the cover ring. The cups of the lower shield are inserted into the recesses of the cover ring. These improvements enable a standard shutter arm assembly and a shutter disk to be utilized in a two-tab block-out scheme.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2002
    Publication date: November 14, 2002
    Inventors: Robert B. Hixson, Jason L. Monfort, Gary W. Groshong, Jose Luis Gonzalez
  • Patent number: 6440879
    Abstract: Physical vapor deposition (PVD) system comprises a chamber, an upper shield and a lower shield mounted within the chamber, a cover ring having one or more tabs extending radially inwardly therefrom. The PVD system further includes a shutter disk having one or more notched areas formed in the periphery thereof to receive non-contactingly the one or more tabs of the cover ring. The cover ring has two or more recesses formed in an upper side thereof with a guide pin extending from the center of the recesses. The lower shield has two or more cups with a hole therein to be engaged with the guide pin of the cover ring to keep the lower shield from rotating with respect to the cover ring. The cups of the lower shield are inserted into the recesses of the cover ring. These improvements enable a standard shutter arm assembly and a shutter disk to be utilized in a two-tab block-out scheme.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2002
    Assignee: Integrated Device Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert B. Hixson, Jason L. Monfort, Gary W. Groshong, Jose Luis Gonzalez
  • Publication number: 20020088771
    Abstract: Physical vapor deposition (PVD) system comprises a chamber, an upper shield and a lower shield mounted within the chamber, a cover ring having one or more tabs extending radially inwardly therefrom. The PVD system further includes a shutter disk having one or more notched areas formed in the periphery thereof to receive non-contactingly the one or more tabs of the cover ring. The cover ring has two or more recesses formed in an upper side thereof with a guide pin extending from the center of the recesses. The lower shield has two or more cups with a hole therein to be engaged with the guide pin of the cover ring to keep the lower shield from rotating with respect to the cover ring. The cups of the lower shield are inserted into the recesses of the cover ring. These improvements enable a standard shutter arm assembly and a shutter disk to be utilized in a two-tab block-out scheme.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2001
    Publication date: July 11, 2002
    Inventors: Robert B. Hixson, Jason L. Monfort, Gary W. Groshong, Jose Luis Gonzalez