Patents by Inventor Vijay D. Parkhe

Vijay D. Parkhe 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).

  • Electrostatic chuck having thermally isolated zones with minimal crosstalk
    Patent number: 9991148
    Abstract: A substrate support assembly includes a ceramic puck and a thermally conductive base having an upper surface that is bonded to a lower surface of the ceramic puck. The thermally conductive base includes a plurality of thermal zones and a plurality of thermal isolators that extend from the upper surface of the thermally conductive base towards a lower surface of the thermally conductive base, wherein each of the plurality of thermal isolators provides approximate thermal isolation between two of the plurality of thermal zones at the upper surface of the thermally conductive base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Vijay D. Parkhe, Konstantin Makhratchev, Jason Della Rosa, Hamid Noorbakhsh, Brad L. Mays, Douglas A. Buchberger, Jr.
  • Electrostatic chuck design for high temperature RF applications
    Patent number: 9984911
    Abstract: An electrostatic chuck includes a puck having a support surface to support a substrate when disposed thereon and an opposing second surface, wherein one or more chucking electrodes are embedded in the puck, a body having a support surface coupled to the second surface of the puck to support the puck, a DC voltage sensing circuit disposed on support surface of the puck, and an inductor disposed in the body and proximate the support surface of the body, wherein the inductor is electrically coupled to DC voltage sensing circuit, and wherein the inductor is configured to filter high frequency current flow in order to accurately measure DC potential on the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Ryan Hanson, Manjunatha Koppa, Vijay D. Parkhe, John C. Forster, Keith A. Miller
  • Temperature control apparatus including groove-routed optical fiber heating, substrate temperature control systems, electronic device processing systems, and processing methods
    Patent number: 9986598
    Abstract: Substrate temperature control apparatus including groove-routed optical fibers. Substrate temperature control apparatus includes upper and lower members including grooves in one or both, and a plurality of optical fibers routed in the grooves. In one embodiment, the optical fibers are adapted to provide light-based pixelated heating. In another embodiment, embedded optical temperature sensors are adapted to provide temperature measurement. Substrate temperature control systems, electronic device processing systems, and methods including groove-routed optical fiber temperature control and measurement are described, as are numerous other aspects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew Busche, Wendell Boyd, Jr., Dmitry A. Dzilno, Vijay D. Parkhe, Michael R. Rice, Leon Volfovski
  • Vacuum process chamber component and methods of making
    Patent number: 9969022
    Abstract: A vacuum process chamber component comprising two separate pieces with an o-ring between the pieces and solder bonded together is described. The component may be an electrostatic chuck comprising a ceramic electrostatic puck and a metal baseplate with at least one o-ring therebetween and joined by a solder bond is described. Methods of making and using vacuum process chamber component are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventor: Vijay D. Parkhe
  • PROTECTIVE COVER FOR ELECTROSTATIC CHUCK
    Publication number: 20180108562
    Abstract: In embodiments, manufacturing a protective cover for an electrostatic chuck comprises coating a top surface and side walls of a conductive wafer with a plasma resistant ceramic, masking an inner region of a bottom surface of the conductive wafer, coating inner region of the bottom surface with the plasma resistant ceramic, and grinding the inner region of the bottom surface to a flatness of less than approximately 300 microns. In embodiments, a protective cover is manufactured by a process comprising applying a mask to an outer perimeter of a bottom surface of a plasma resistant ceramic wafer, coating the bottom surface of the plasma resistant ceramic wafer with an electrically conductive layer, and removing the mask, wherein an inner region of the bottom surface of the plasma resistant ceramic wafer is coated with the conductive layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2017
    Publication date: April 19, 2018
    Inventor: Vijay D. Parkhe
  • PROTECTIVE COVER FOR ELECTROSTATIC CHUCK
    Publication number: 20180102275
    Abstract: A protective cover for an electrostatic chuck may include a conductive wafer and a plasma resistant ceramic layer on at least one surface of the conductive wafer. The plasma resistant ceramic layer covers a top surface of the conductive wafer, side walls of the conductive wafer and an outer perimeter of a bottom surface of the conductive wafer. Alternatively, a protective cover for an electrostatic chuck may include a plasma resistant bulk sintered ceramic wafer and a conductive layer on a portion of a bottom surface of the plasma resistant bulk sintered ceramic wafer, wherein a perimeter of the bottom surface is not covered. The protective layer may be used to protect an electrostatic chuck during a plasma cleaning process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2017
    Publication date: April 12, 2018
    Inventor: Vijay D. Parkhe
  • OPTICAL HEATING OF LIGHT ABSORBING OBJECTS IN SUBSTRATE SUPPORT
    Publication number: 20180061684
    Abstract: A substrate support assembly includes a ceramic plate and a cooling base coupled to the ceramic plate. A light absorbing object is disposed in the ceramic plate and a light transmission media is disposed in the cooling base. The light carrying medium is to direct light onto the light absorbing object to heat the light absorbing object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2017
    Publication date: March 1, 2018
    Inventor: Vijay D. Parkhe
  • DIRECT OPTICAL HEATING OF SUBSTRATES THROUGH OPTICAL GUIDE
    Publication number: 20180061683
    Abstract: A substrate support assembly includes a ceramic plate, a cooling plate coupled to the ceramic plate, and an optical guide coupled to the cooling plate. The ceramic plate comprises a top surface, a bottom surface and a first channel, wherein the top surface is to support a substrate. The cooling plate comprises a second channel. The optical guide is to direct light onto the substrate. At least a portion of the optical guide is disposed in the first channel in the ceramic plate and the second channel in the cooling plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2017
    Publication date: March 1, 2018
    Inventor: Vijay D. Parkhe
  • APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MEASUREMENT OF THE THERMAL PERFORMANCE OF AN ELECTROSTATIC WAFER CHUCK
    Publication number: 20180047607
    Abstract: An apparatus and method are described for measuring the thermal performance of a wafer chuck, such as an electrostatic chuck. In one example, the apparatus ha a chamber, a base to support a wafer chuck in the chamber, a heater to heat the chuck, a window through the exterior of the chamber, and an infrared imaging system to measure the temperature of the chuck while the chuck is heated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2017
    Publication date: February 15, 2018
    Inventors: Matthew J. Busche, Vijay D. Parkhe, Michael R. Rice
  • Protective cover for electrostatic chuck
    Patent number: 9887121
    Abstract: A protective cover for an electrostatic chuck may include a conductive wafer and a plasma resistant ceramic layer on at least one surface of the conductive wafer. The plasma resistant ceramic layer covers a top surface of the conductive wafer, side walls of the conductive wafer and an outer perimeter of a bottom surface of the conductive wafer. Alternatively, a protective cover for an electrostatic chuck may include a plasma resistant bulk sintered ceramic wafer and a conductive layer on a portion of a bottom surface of the plasma resistant bulk sintered ceramic wafer, wherein a perimeter of the bottom surface is not covered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventor: Vijay D. Parkhe
  • Control systems employing deflection sensors to control clamping forces applied by electrostatic chucks, and related methods
    Patent number: 9875923
    Abstract: A control system that includes deflection sensors which can control clamping forces applied by electrostatic chucks, and related methods are disclosed. By using a sensor to determine a deflection of a workpiece supported by an electrostatic chuck, a control system may use the deflection measured to control a clamping force applied to the workpiece by the electrostatic chuck. The control system applies a clamping voltage to the electrostatic chuck so that the clamping force reaches and maintains a target clamping force. In this manner, the clamping force may secure the workpiece to the electrostatic chuck to enable manufacturing operations to be performed while preventing workpiece damage resulting from unnecessary higher values of the clamping force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Wendell Boyd, Jr., Vijay D. Parkhe, Matthew James Busche, Konstantin Makhratchev, Masanori Ono, Senh Thach
  • SUBSTRATE CARRIER
    Publication number: 20180012790
    Abstract: Embodiments of substrate carriers and method of making the same are provided herein. In some embodiments, a substrate carrier includes a substantially planar body; and a plurality of holding elements arranged on a surface of the substantially planar body, wherein the plurality of holding elements are configured to hold a plurality of substrates on the surface of the substantially planar body, and wherein the plurality of holding elements includes at least three holding elements disposed around a corresponding position of each of the plurality of substrates.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2017
    Publication date: January 11, 2018
    Inventor: VIJAY D. PARKHE
  • Rotatable heated electrostatic chuck
    Patent number: 9853579
    Abstract: An electrostatic chuck includes a dielectric disk having a support surface to support a substrate and an opposing second surface, wherein at least one chucking electrode is disposed within the dielectric disk; a radio frequency (RF) bias plate disposed below the dielectric disk; a plurality of lamps disposed below the RF bias plate to heat the dielectric disk; a metallic plate disposed below the lamps to absorb heat generated by the lamps; a shaft coupled to the second surface of the dielectric disk at a first end of the shaft to support the dielectric disk in a spaced apart relation to the RF bias plate and extending away from the dielectric disk and through the RF bias plate and the metallic plate; and a rotation assembly coupled to the shaft to rotate the shaft and the dielectric disk with respect to the RF bias plate, lamps, and metallic plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Anantha K. Subramani, Ashish Goel, Wei W. Wang, Bharath Swaminathan, Vijay D. Parkhe, Xiaoxiong Yuan
  • GAS DISTRIBUTION PLATE ASSEMBLY FOR HIGH POWER PLASMA ETCH PROCESSES
    Publication number: 20170365443
    Abstract: A gas distribution plate assembly for a processing chamber is provided that in one embodiment includes a body made of a metallic material, a base plate comprising a silicon infiltrated metal matrix composite coupled to the body, and a perforated faceplate comprising a silicon disk coupled to the base plate by a bond layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2017
    Publication date: December 21, 2017
    Inventors: James D. CARDUCCI, Kenneth S. COLLINS, Kartik RAMASWAMY, Michael R. RICE, Richard Charles FOVELL, Vijay D. PARKHE
  • HIGH POWER ELECTROSTATIC CHUCK DESIGN WITH RADIO FREQUENCY COUPLING
    Publication number: 20170352567
    Abstract: An electrostatic chuck is described that has radio frequency coupling suitable for use in high power plasma environments. In some examples, the chuck includes a base plate, a top plate, a first electrode in the top plate proximate the top surface of the top plate to electrostatically grip a workpiece, and a second electrode in the top plate spaced apart from the first electrode, the first and second electrodes being coupled to a power supply to electrostatically charge the first electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2016
    Publication date: December 7, 2017
    Inventors: Jaeyong Cho, Vijay D. Parkhe, Haitao Wang, Kartik Ramaswamy, Chunlei Zhang
  • HIGH POWER ELECTROSTATIC CHUCK WITH APERTURE-REDUCING PLUG IN A GAS HOLE
    Publication number: 20170352568
    Abstract: An electrostatic chuck is described to carry a workpiece for processing such as high power plasma processing. In embodiments, the chuck includes a top plate to carry the workpiece, the top plate having an electrode to grip the workpiece, a cooling plate under the top plate to cool the top plate, a gas hole through the cooling plate and the top plate to feed a gas to the workpiece through the top plate, and an aperture-reducing plug in the cooling plate gas hole to conduct gas flow through the hole.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2016
    Publication date: December 7, 2017
    Inventors: Jaeyong Cho, Haitao Wang, Vijay D. Parkhe, Kartik Ramaswamy, Chunlei Zhang
  • WORKPIECE CARRIER WITH GAS PRESSURE IN INNER CAVITIES
    Publication number: 20170352565
    Abstract: A workpiece carrier suitable for high power processes is described. It may include a top plate to support a workpiece, a lift pin to lift a workpiece from a top plate, a lift pin hole through the top plate to contain the lift pin, and a connector to the lift pin hole to connect to a source of gas under pressure to deliver a cooling gas, for example helium, to the back side of the workpiece.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2016
    Publication date: December 7, 2017
    Inventors: Chunlei Zhang, Haitao Wang, Kartik Ramaswamy, Vijay D. Parkhe, Jaeyong Cho
  • WORKPIECE CARRIER FOR HIGH POWER WITH ENHANCED EDGE SEALING
    Publication number: 20170352566
    Abstract: A workpiece carrier suitable for high power processes is described. It may include a puck to carry the workpiece, a plate bonded to the puck by an adhesive, a mounting ring surrounding the puck and the cooling plate, and a gasket between the mounting ring and the plate, the gasket configured to protect the adhesive.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2016
    Publication date: December 7, 2017
    Inventors: Kartik Ramaswamy, Chunlei Zhang, Haitao Wang, Vijay D. Parkhe, Jaeyong Cho
  • SUBSTRATE SUPPORT ASSEMBLY
    Publication number: 20170345691
    Abstract: An electrostatic chuck comprises a ceramic body having a first surface and a second surface that is on an opposite side of the ceramic body to the first surface, the ceramic body comprising a through-hole between the first surface and the second surface. The electrostatic chuck further comprises a thermally conductive base that supports the ceramic body and comprises a second hole that lines up with the through-hole, wherein the second hole is to fluidly couple to a source of heat transfer gas. The electrostatic chuck further comprises a bonding layer between the ceramic body and the thermally conductive base, the bonding layer comprising a space between an opening of the through-hole on the second surface and the gas introduction path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2017
    Publication date: November 30, 2017
    Inventors: Vijay D. Parkhe, Kadthala Ramaya Narendrnath
  • Apparatus and method for measurement of the thermal performance of an electrostatic wafer chuck
    Patent number: 9831111
    Abstract: An apparatus and method are described for measuring the thermal performance of a wafer chuck, such as an electrostatic chuck. In one example, the apparatus ha a chamber, a base to support a wafer chuck in the chamber, a heater to heat the chuck, a window through the exterior of the chamber, and an infrared imaging system to measure the temperature of the chuck while the chuck is heated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew J. Busche, Vijay D. Parkhe, Michael R. Rice