Patents by Inventor SWAMINATHAN T. SRINIVASAN

SWAMINATHAN T. SRINIVASAN 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: 20230170231
    Abstract: Exemplary substrate processing systems may include a factory interface and a load lock coupled with the factory interface. The systems may include a transfer chamber coupled with the load lock. The transfer chamber may include a robot configured to retrieve substrates from the load lock. The systems may include a chamber system positioned adjacent and coupled with the transfer chamber. The chamber system may include a transfer region laterally accessible to the robot. The transfer region may include a plurality of substrate supports disposed about the transfer region. Each substrate support of the plurality of substrate supports may be vertically translatable. The transfer region may also include a transfer apparatus rotatable about a central axis and configured to engage substrates and transfer substrates among the plurality of substrate supports. The chamber system may also include a plurality of processing regions vertically offset and axially aligned with an associated substrate support.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2023
    Publication date: June 1, 2023
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Jason M. Schaller, Steve Hongkham, Charles T. Carlson, Tuan A. Nguyen, Swaminathan T. Srinivasan, Khokan Chandra Paul
  • Patent number: 11574826
    Abstract: Exemplary substrate processing systems may include a factory interface and a load lock coupled with the factory interface. The systems may include a transfer chamber coupled with the load lock. The transfer chamber may include a robot configured to retrieve substrates from the load lock. The systems may include a chamber system positioned adjacent and coupled with the transfer chamber. The chamber system may include a transfer region laterally accessible to the robot. The transfer region may include a plurality of substrate supports disposed about the transfer region. Each substrate support of the plurality of substrate supports may be vertically translatable. The transfer region may also include a transfer apparatus rotatable about a central axis and configured to engage substrates and transfer substrates among the plurality of substrate supports. The chamber system may also include a plurality of processing regions vertically offset and axially aligned with an associated substrate support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Jason M. Schaller, Steve Hongkham, Charles T. Carlson, Tuan A. Nguyen, Swaminathan T. Srinivasan, Khokan Chandra Paul
  • Publication number: 20220364229
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein include processes and apparatuses relate to epitaxial deposition. A method for epitaxially depositing a material is provided and includes positioning a substrate on a substrate support surface of a susceptor within a process volume of a chamber body, where the process volume contains upper and lower chamber regions. The method includes flowing a process gas containing one or more chemical precursors from an upper gas inlet on a first side of the chamber body, across the substrate, and to an upper gas outlet on a second side of the chamber body, flowing a purge gas from a lower gas inlet on the first side of the chamber body, across the lower surface of the susceptor, and to a lower gas outlet on the second side of the chamber body, and maintaining a pressure of the lower chamber region greater than a pressure of the upper chamber region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2021
    Publication date: November 17, 2022
    Inventors: Tetsuya ISHIKAWA, Swaminathan T. SRINIVASAN, Matthias BAUER, Manjunath SUBBANNA, Ala MORADIAN, Kartik Bhupendra SHAH, Errol Antonio C SANCHEZ, Michael R. RICE, Peter REIMER, Marc SHULL
  • Publication number: 20220364231
    Abstract: The present disclosure generally relates to gas inject apparatus for a process chamber for processing of semiconductor substrates. The gas inject apparatus include one or more gas injectors which are configured to be coupled to the process chamber. Each of the gas injectors are configured to receive a process gas and distribute the process gas across one or more gas outlets. The gas injectors include a plurality of pathways, a fin array, and a baffle array. The gas injectors are individually heated. A gas mixture assembly is also utilized to control the concentration of process gases flown into a process volume from each of the gas injectors. The gas mixture assembly enables the concentration as well as the flow rate of the process gases to be controlled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2021
    Publication date: November 17, 2022
    Inventors: Tetsuya ISHIKAWA, Swaminathan T. SRINIVASAN, Matthias BAUER, Ala MORADIAN, Manjunath SUBBANNA, Kartik Bhupendra SHAH, Errol Antonio C. SANCHEZ, Sohrab ZOKAEI, Michael R. RICE, Peter REIMER
  • Publication number: 20220364261
    Abstract: The present disclosure generally relates to a process chamber for processing of semiconductor substrates. The process chamber includes an upper lamp assembly, a lower lamp assembly, a substrate support, an upper window disposed between the substrate support and the upper lamp assembly, a lower window disposed between the lower lamp assembly and the substrate support, an inject ring, and a base ring. Each of the upper lamp assembly and the lower lamp assembly include vertically oriented lamp apertures for the placement of heating lamps therein. The inject ring includes gas injectors disposed therethrough and the base ring includes a substrate transfer passage, a lower chamber exhaust passage, and one or more upper chamber exhaust passages. The gas injectors are disposed over the substrate transfer passage and across from the lower chamber exhaust passage and the one or more upper chamber exhaust passages.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2021
    Publication date: November 17, 2022
    Inventors: Tetsuya ISHIKAWA, Swaminathan T. SRINIVASAN, Kartik Bhupendra SHAH, Ala MORADIAN, Manjunath SUBBANNA, Matthias BAUER, Peter REIMER, Michael R. RICE
  • Publication number: 20220367216
    Abstract: The present disclosure generally relates to an epitaxial chamber for processing of semiconductor substrates. In one example, the epitaxial chamber has a chamber body assembly. The chamber body assembly includes a lower window and an upper window, wherein chamber body assembly, the lower window and the upper window enclose an internal volume. A susceptor assembly is disposed in the internal volume. The epitaxial chamber also has a plurality of temperature control elements. The plurality of temperature control elements include one or more of an upper lamp module, a lower lamp module, an upper heater, a lower heater, or a heated gas passage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2021
    Publication date: November 17, 2022
    Inventors: Tetsuya ISHIKAWA, Swaminathan T. SRINIVASAN, Matthias BAUER, Ala MORADIAN, Manjunath SUBBANNA, Kartik Bhupendra SHAH, Kostiantyn ACHKASOV, Errol Antonio C. SANCHEZ, Michael R. RICE, Marc SHULL, Ji-Dih HU
  • Publication number: 20220028710
    Abstract: Exemplary substrate processing systems may include a chamber body defining a transfer region. The systems may include a first lid plate seated on the chamber body along a first surface of the first lid plate. The first lid plate may define a plurality of apertures through the first lid plate. The systems may include a plurality of lid stacks equal to a number of apertures of the plurality of apertures defined through the first lid plate. The systems may include a plurality of isolators. An isolator of the plurality of isolators may be positioned between each lid stack of the plurality of lid stacks and a corresponding aperture of the plurality of apertures defined through the first lid plate. The systems may include a plurality of dielectric plates. A dielectric plate of the plurality of dielectric plates may be seated on each isolator of the plurality of isolators.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2020
    Publication date: January 27, 2022
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Anantha K. Subramani, Yang Guo, Seyyed Abdolreza Fazeli, Nitin Pathak, Badri N. Ramamurthi, Kallol Bera, Xiaopu Li, Philip A. Kraus, Swaminathan T. Srinivasan
  • Patent number: 10910238
    Abstract: Implementations of the disclosure generally relate to a semiconductor processing chamber and, more specifically, a heated support pedestal for a semiconductor processing chamber. In one implementation, a pedestal assembly is disclosed and includes a substrate support comprising a dielectric material and having a support surface for receiving a substrate, a resistive heater encapsulated within the substrate support, a hollow shaft coupled to a support member of the substrate support at a first end of the shaft, and a thermally conductive material disposed at an interface between the support member and the first end of the shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Kaushik Alayavalli, Ajit Balakrishna, Sanjeev Baluja, Amit Kumar Bansal, Matthew James Busche, Juan Carlos Rocha-Alvarez, Swaminathan T. Srinivasan, Tejas Ulavi, Jianhua Zhou
  • Publication number: 20210013055
    Abstract: Exemplary substrate processing systems may include a factory interface and a load lock coupled with the factory interface. The systems may include a transfer chamber coupled with the load lock. The transfer chamber may include a robot configured to retrieve substrates from the load lock. The systems may include a chamber system positioned adjacent and coupled with the transfer chamber. The chamber system may include a transfer region laterally accessible to the robot. The transfer region may include a plurality of substrate supports disposed about the transfer region. Each substrate support of the plurality of substrate supports may be vertically translatable. The transfer region may also include a transfer apparatus rotatable about a central axis and configured to engage substrates and transfer substrates among the plurality of substrate supports. The chamber system may also include a plurality of processing regions vertically offset and axially aligned with an associated substrate support.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2020
    Publication date: January 14, 2021
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Jason M. Schaller, Steve Hongkham, Charles T. Carlson, Tuan A. Nguyen, Swaminathan T. Srinivasan, Khokan Chandra Paul
  • Publication number: 20200115795
    Abstract: A method for cleaning one or more interior surfaces of a processing chamber includes removing a processed substrate from the processing chamber, and introducing a first cleaning chemistry into the processing chamber to generate a first internal pressure of greater than 1.1 atm within the processing chamber and remove deposited contaminants from the one or more interior surfaces of the processing chamber. The method further comprises removing the cleaning chemistry from the processing chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2019
    Publication date: April 16, 2020
    Inventors: Pramit Manna, Swaminathan T. Srinivasan, Timothy J. Franklin
  • Patent number: 10373823
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a method includes depositing a silicon matrix on a substrate; exposing the silicon matrix to a first wavelength or wavelength range of ultraviolet radiation in an ultraviolet processing chamber; exposing the silicon matrix to a second wavelength or wavelength range of ultraviolet radiation in an ultraviolet processing chamber, wherein the second wavelength or wavelength range includes a wavelength lower than any wavelength in the first wavelength or wavelength range; exposing the silicon matrix to a third wavelength or wavelength range of ultraviolet radiation in an ultraviolet processing chamber, wherein the third wavelength or wavelength range includes a wavelength lower than any wavelength in the first wavelength or wavelength range and second wavelength or wavelength range; and a repeat exposure of any wavelength range. In some embodiments, a healing operation comprising a deposition operation, a reactive cure, a thermal cure, or a combination thereof may be performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Swaminathan T. Srinivasan, Atashi Basu, Pramit Manna, Khokan C. Paul, Diwakar N. Kedlaya
  • Publication number: 20180350595
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a method includes depositing a silicon matrix on a substrate; exposing the silicon matrix to a first wavelength or wavelength range of ultraviolet radiation in an ultraviolet processing chamber; exposing the silicon matrix to a second wavelength or wavelength range of ultraviolet radiation in an ultraviolet processing chamber, wherein the second wavelength or wavelength range includes a wavelength lower than any wavelength in the first wavelength or wavelength range; exposing the silicon matrix to a third wavelength or wavelength range of ultraviolet radiation in an ultraviolet processing chamber, wherein the third wavelength or wavelength range includes a wavelength lower than any wavelength in the first wavelength or wavelength range and second wavelength or wavelength range; and a repeat exposure of any wavelength range. In some embodiments, a healing operation comprising a deposition operation, a reactive cure, a thermal cure, or a combination thereof may be performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2018
    Publication date: December 6, 2018
    Inventors: Swaminathan T. SRINIVASAN, Atashi BASU, Pramit MANNA, Khokan C. PAUL, Diwakar N. KEDLAYA
  • Patent number: 10128197
    Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to methods and apparatus for processing of the bottom surface of a substrate to counteract thermal stresses thereon. Correcting strains are applied to the bottom surface of the substrate which compensate for undesirable strains and distortions on the top surface of the substrate. Specifically designed films may be formed on the back side of the substrate by any combination of deposition, implant, thermal treatment, and etching to create strains that compensate for unwanted distortions of the substrate. Localized strains may be introduced by locally altering the hydrogen content of a silicon nitride film or a carbon film. Structures may be formed by printing, lithography, or self-assembly techniques. Treatment of the layers of film is determined by the stress map desired and includes annealing, implanting, melting, or other thermal treatments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Joseph M. Ranish, Aaron Muir Hunter, Swaminathan T. Srinivasan
  • Patent number: 10077508
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing a semiconductor substrate is described. The apparatus is a process chamber having an optically transparent upper dome and lower dome. Vacuum is maintained in the process chamber during processing. The upper dome is thermally controlled by flowing a thermal control fluid along the upper dome outside the processing region. Thermal lamps are positioned proximate the lower dome, and thermal sensors are disposed among the lamps. The lamps are powered in zones, and a controller adjusts power to the lamp zones based on data received from the thermal sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Joseph M. Ranish, Paul Brillhart, Jose Antonio Marin, Satheesh Kuppurao, Balasubramanian Ramachandran, Swaminathan T. Srinivasan, Mehmet Tugrul Samir
  • Patent number: 10026613
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to reducing dislocation density in a heteroepitaxial growth film and devices including heteroepitaxial films with reduced dislocation density. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, sidewalls of high aspect ratio trenches may be tilted or angled to allow defects in crystalline material formed in the high aspect ratio trenches to be terminated in the tilted sidewalls, including defects propagating along the length of the high aspect ratio trenches. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be used to reduce defects in heteroepitaxial growth on silicon (Si) for microelectronic applications, such as high mobility channels using Group III-V elements in field effect transistors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Swaminathan T. Srinivasan, Fareen Adeni Khaja, Errol Antonio C. Sanchez, Patrick M. Martin
  • Patent number: 10020204
    Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to methods and apparatus for processing of the bottom surface of a substrate to counteract thermal stresses thereon. Correcting strains are applied to the bottom surface of the substrate which compensate for undesirable strains and distortions on the top surface of the substrate. Specifically designed films may be formed on the back side of the substrate by any combination of deposition, implant, thermal treatment, and etching to create strains that compensate for unwanted distortions of the substrate. In some embodiments, localized strains may be introduced by locally altering the hydrogen content of a silicon nitride film or a carbon film, among other techniques. Structures may be formed by printing, lithography, or self-assembly techniques. Treatment of the layers of film is determined by the stress map desired and includes annealing, implanting, melting, or other thermal treatments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Joseph M. Ranish, Aaron Muir Hunter, Swaminathan T. Srinivasan
  • Publication number: 20180138031
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to chambers and methods of processing substrates therein. The chambers generally include separate process gas and purge gas regions. The process gas region and purge gas region each have a respective gas inlet and gas outlet. The methods generally include positioning a substrate on a substrate support within the chamber. The plane of the substrate support defines the boundary between a process gas region and purge gas region. Purge gas is introduced into the purge gas region through at least one purge gas inlet, and removed from the purge gas region using at least one purge gas outlet. The process gas is introduced into the process gas region through at least one process gas inlet, and removed from the process gas region through at least one process gas outlet. The process gas is thermally decomposed to deposit a material on the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2018
    Publication date: May 17, 2018
    Inventors: Joseph M. RANISH, Paul BRILLHART, Jose Antonio MARIN, Satheesh KUPPURAO, Balasubramanian RAMACHANDRAN, Swaminathan T. SRINIVASAN, Mehmet Tugrul SAMIR
  • Publication number: 20180082866
    Abstract: Implementations of the disclosure generally relate to a semiconductor processing chamber and, more specifically, a heated support pedestal for a semiconductor processing chamber. In one implementation, a pedestal assembly is disclosed and includes a substrate support comprising a dielectric material and having a support surface for receiving a substrate, a resistive heater encapsulated within the substrate support, a hollow shaft coupled to a support member of the substrate support at a first end of the shaft, and a thermally conductive material disposed at an interface between the support member and the first end of the shaft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2017
    Publication date: March 22, 2018
    Inventors: Kaushik ALAYAVALLI, Ajit BALAKRISHNA, Sanjeev BALUJA, Amit Kumar BANSAL, Matthew James BUSCHE, Juan Carlos ROCHA-ALVAREZ, Swaminathan T. SRINIVASAN, Tejas ULAVI, Jianhua ZHOU
  • Patent number: 9870919
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to chambers and methods of processing substrates therein. The chambers generally include separate process gas and purge gas regions. The process gas region and purge gas region each have a respective gas inlet and gas outlet. The methods generally include positioning a substrate on a substrate support within the chamber. The plane of the substrate support defines the boundary between a process gas region and purge gas region. Purge gas is introduced into the purge gas region through at least one purge gas inlet, and removed from the purge gas region using at least one purge gas outlet. The process gas is introduced into the process gas region through at least one process gas inlet, and removed from the process gas region through at least one process gas outlet. The process gas is thermally decomposed to deposit a material on the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph M. Ranish, Paul Brillhart, Jose Antonio Marin, Satheesh Kuppurao, Balasubramanian Ramachandran, Swaminathan T. Srinivasan, Mehmet Tugrul Samir
  • Patent number: 9856580
    Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure relate to an apparatus for processing a semiconductor substrate. The apparatus includes a process chamber having a substrate support for supporting a substrate, a lower dome and an upper dome opposing the lower dome, a plurality of gas injects disposed within a sidewall of the process chamber. The apparatus includes a gas delivery system coupled to the process chamber via the plurality of gas injects, the gas delivery system includes a gas conduit providing one or more chemical species to the plurality of gas injects via a first fluid line, a dopant source providing one or more dopants to the plurality of gas injects via a second fluid line, and a fast switching valve disposed between the second fluid line and the process chamber, wherein the fast switching valve switches flowing of the one or more dopants between the process chamber and an exhaust.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Errol Antonio C. Sanchez, Swaminathan T. Srinivasan