Patents by Inventor Steven M. Zuniga

Steven M. Zuniga 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).

  • Stepped retaining ring
    Patent number: 7789736
    Abstract: A two part retaining ring is described. An rigid upper portion has an annular recess along its inner diameter. An annular wearable lower portion has an inner diameter, an annular extension defined by the inner diameter and a vertical wall that is perpendicular to a surface of the second portion and opposite to the inner diameter. The annular extension fits into the annular recess of the annular first portion. A bonding material is on the vertical wall of the annular second portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Shaun Van Der Veen, Steven M. Zuniga
  • Carrier Ring for Carrier Head
    Publication number: 20100151777
    Abstract: A carrier head that has a base assembly, a retaining ring assembly, a carrier ring, and a flexible membrane is described. A carrier ring has an annular upper portion and an annular lower portion having a lower surface with a smaller inner diameter than the upper surface of the annular upper portion, wherein the carrier ring circumferentially surrounds a retaining ring and has a lower surface to contact a polishing pad.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2010
    Publication date: June 17, 2010
    Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Steven M. Zuniga, Andrew J. Nagengast, Jeonghoon Oh
  • CARRIER HEAD WITH RETAINING RING AND CARRIER RING
    Publication number: 20100136892
    Abstract: A carrier head that has a housing, a base assembly, a retaining ring, a carrier ring, and a flexible membrane is described. The base assembly is vertically movable relative to the housing. The retaining ring is connected to and vertically movable relative to the base assembly and has a lower surface configured to contact a polishing pad and an inner surface configured to circumferentially surround the edge of a substrate to retain the substrate. The carrier ring is connected to and vertically fixed relative to the base assembly, circumferentially surrounds the retaining ring to prevent lateral motion of the retaining ring, and has a bottom surface configured to contact a polishing pad.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2010
    Publication date: June 3, 2010
    Inventors: Steven M. Zuniga, Andrew J. Nagengast, Jeonghoon Oh
  • Flexible membrane for carrier head
    Patent number: 7727055
    Abstract: A carrier head that has a base assembly, a retaining ring assembly, a carrier ring, and a flexible membrane is described. The flexible membrane has a main portion and an outer annular portion, wherein a junction between the main portion and the outer annular portion comprises a peripheral edge hinge and an annular recess above the hinge along the outer wall of the outer annular portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven M. Zuniga, Andrew J. Nagengast, Jeonghoon Oh
  • PAD CONDITIONER AUTO DISK CHANGE
    Publication number: 20100099342
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for replacing a polishing pad conditioning disk is a chemical mechanical polishing system is provided. The apparatus comprises a disk load/unload station for unloading used conditioning disks from a pad conditioning assembly and loading unused conditioning disks onto the pad conditioning assembly, on or more disk storage stations for storing both used and unused conditioning disks, and a central robot having a range of motion sufficient for transferring both used an unused conditioning disks between the disk load/unload station and the one or more disk storage stations. Embodiments described herein reduce the length of system interruption by eliminating the need to safety lock out the system for the replacement of polishing pad conditioning disks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2008
    Publication date: April 22, 2010
    Inventors: Hung Chih Chen, Steven M. Zuniga, Donald J.K. Olgado
  • Carrier ring for carrier head
    Patent number: 7699688
    Abstract: A carrier head that has a base assembly, a retaining ring assembly, a carrier ring, and a flexible membrane is described. A carrier ring has an annular upper portion and an annular lower portion having a lower surface with a smaller inner diameter than the upper surface of the annular upper portion, wherein the carrier ring circumferentially surrounds a retaining ring and has a lower surface to contact a polishing pad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven M. Zuniga, Andrew J. Nagengast, Jeonghoon Oh
  • Carrier head with retaining ring and carrier ring
    Patent number: 7654888
    Abstract: A carrier head that has a housing, a base assembly, a retaining ring, a carrier ring, and a flexible membrane is described. The base assembly is vertically movable relative to the housing. The retaining ring is connected to and vertically movable relative to the base assembly and has a lower surface configured to contact a polishing pad and an inner surface configured to circumferentially surround the edge of a substrate to retain the substrate. The carrier ring is connected to and vertically fixed relative to the base assembly, circumferentially surrounds the retaining ring to prevent lateral motion of the retaining ring, and has a bottom surface configured to contact a polishing pad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven M. Zuniga, Andrew J. Nagengast, Jeonghoon Oh
  • Polishing apparatus with grooved subpad
    Patent number: 7601050
    Abstract: A polishing apparatus is described. The polishing apparatus includes a rotatable platen, a drive mechanism to incrementally advance a polishing sheet having a polishing surface in a linear direction across the platen, a subpad on the platen to support the polishing sheet, the subpad having a groove formed therein, and a vacuum source connected to the groove of the subpad and configured to apply a vacuum sufficient to pull portions of the polishing sheet into the groove of the subpad to induce a groove in the polishing surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2009
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven M. Zuniga, Peter McReynolds, Erik S. Rondum, Benjamin A. Bonner, Henry H. Au, Gregory E. Menk, Gopalakrishna B. Prabhu, Anand N. Iyer, Garlen C. Leung
  • Pad conditioning device with flexible media mount
    Patent number: 7597608
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for conditioning is provided. In one embodiment, a conditioning disk includes a plurality of conditioning elements each having an abrasive working surface, and a flexible foundation having the conditioning elements coupled thereto. The flexible foundation has physical properties that retain the working surfaces in a substantially coplanar orientation with respect to the pad surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2009
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Shou-Sung Chang, Steven M. Zuniga
  • MULTILAYER RETAINING RING FOR CHEMICAL MECHANICAL POLISHING
    Publication number: 20090221223
    Abstract: A carrier head for a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus includes a retaining ring having a flexible lower portion and a rigid upper portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2009
    Publication date: September 3, 2009
    Inventors: Steven M. Zuniga, Thomas H. Osterheld
  • Retaining ring, flexible membrane for applying load to a retaining ring, and retaining ring assembly
    Patent number: 7575504
    Abstract: A carrier head that has a base assembly, a retaining ring assembly, a carrier ring, and a flexible membrane is described. A retaining ring assembly has a flexible membrane shaped to provide an annular chamber and an annular retaining ring, wherein annular concentric projections of the flexible membrane are sized to fit into annular concentric recesses of the annular retaining ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2009
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven M. Zuniga, Andrew J. Nagengast, Jeonghoon Oh
  • Methods for a multilayer retaining ring
    Patent number: 7534364
    Abstract: A substrate is maintained beneath a substrate mounting surface with a retaining ring that includes a generally annular lower portion having a bottom surface for contacting the polishing surface during polishing, and a generally annular upper portion having a bottom surface joined to the lower portion and a top surface fixed to and abutting the base. The lower portion is made of a plastic and the upper lower portion is made of a metal which is more rigid than the plastic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2009
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven M. Zuniga, Thomas H. Osterheld
  • Fast substrate loading on polishing head without membrane inflation step
    Patent number: 7527271
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for improving and speeding up substrate loading process. One embodiment provides a method for vacuum chucking a substrate. The method comprises venting a center chamber of a flexible membrane configured for mounting the substrate, moving the substrate such that a backside of the substrate is in full contact with the flexible membrane, and vacuuming the center chamber to vacuum chuck the backside of the substrate to the flexible membrane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2009
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeonghoon Oh, Andrew Nagengast, Steven M. Zuniga, Hung Chih Chen
  • Carrier head with a multilayer retaining ring for chemical mechanical polishing
    Patent number: 7520955
    Abstract: A carrier head for a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus includes a retaining ring having a flexible lower portion and a rigid upper portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven M. Zuniga, Thomas H. Osterheld
  • Vibration damping during chemical mechanical polishing
    Patent number: 7497767
    Abstract: A carrier head for chemical mechanical polishing is described. The carrier head includes a backing assembly, a housing and a damping material. The backing assembly includes a substrate support surface. The housing is connectable to a drive shaft to rotate with the drive shaft about a rotation axis. In one implementation, the damping material is in a load path between the backing assembly and the housing to reduce transmission of vibrations from the backing assembly to the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2009
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Hung Chih Chen, Shijian Li, John M. White, Ramin Emami, Fred C. Redeker, Steven M. Zuniga, Ramakrishna Cheboli
  • SUBSTRATE RETAINER
    Publication number: 20090047873
    Abstract: A retainer is used with an apparatus for polishing a substrate. The substrate has upper and lower surfaces and a lateral, substantially circular, perimeter. The apparatus has a polishing pad with an upper polishing surface for contacting and polishing the lower face of the substrate. The retainer has an inward facing retaining face for engaging and retaining the substrate against lateral movement during polishing of the substrate. The retaining face engages a substrate perimeter at more than substantially a single discrete circumferential location along the perimeter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2008
    Publication date: February 19, 2009
    Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Steven M. Zuniga, Hung Chih Chen
  • Substrate retainer
    Patent number: 7459057
    Abstract: A retainer is used with an apparatus for polishing a substrate. The substrate has upper and lower surfaces and a lateral, substantially circular, perimeter. The apparatus has a polishing pad with an upper polishing surface for contacting and polishing the lower face of the substrate. The retainer has an inward facing retaining face for engaging and retaining the substrate against lateral movement during polishing of the substrate. The retaining face engages a substrate perimeter at more than substantially a single discrete circumferential location along the perimeter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2008
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven M. Zuniga, Hung Chih Chen
  • RETAINING RING WITH SHAPED SURFACE
    Publication number: 20080196833
    Abstract: A retaining ring can be shaped by machining or lapping the bottom surface of the ring to form a shaped profile in the bottom surface. The bottom surface of the retaining ring can include flat, sloped and curved portions. The lapping can be performed using a machine that dedicated for use in lapping the bottom surface of retaining rings. During the lapping the ring can be permitted to rotate freely about an axis of the ring. The bottom surface of the retaining ring can have curved or flat portions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2008
    Publication date: August 21, 2008
    Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Hung Chih Chen, Steven M. Zuniga, Charles C. Garretson, Douglas R. McAllister, Jian Lin, Stacy Meyer, Sidney P. Huey, Jeonghoon Oh, Trung T. Doan, Jeffrey Schmidt, Martin S. Wohlert, Kerry F. Hughes, James C. Wang, Danny Cam Toan Lu, Romain Beau De Lamenie, Venkata R. Balagani, Aden Martin Allen, Michael Jon Fong
  • Flexible Membrane for Carrier Head
    Publication number: 20080119122
    Abstract: A carrier head that has a base assembly, a retaining ring assembly, a carrier ring, and a flexible membrane is described. The flexible membrane has a main portion and an outer annular portion, wherein a junction between the main portion and the outer annular portion comprises a peripheral edge hinge and an annular recess above the hinge along the outer wall of the outer annular portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2007
    Publication date: May 22, 2008
    Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Steven M. Zuniga, Andrew J. Nagengast, Jeonghoon Oh
  • Retaining Ring, Flexible Membrane for Applying Load to a Retaining Ring, and Retaining Ring Assembly
    Publication number: 20080119118
    Abstract: A carrier head that has a base assembly, a retaining ring assembly, a carrier ring, and a flexible membrane is described. A retaining ring assembly has a flexible membrane shaped to provide an annular chamber and an annular retaining ring, wherein annular concentric projections of the flexible membrane are sized to fit into annular concentric recesses of the annular retaining ring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2007
    Publication date: May 22, 2008
    Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Steven M. Zuniga, Andrew J. Nagengast, Jeonghoon Oh