Patents by Inventor Xiaolin C. Chen

Xiaolin C. Chen 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: 12087595
    Abstract: Exemplary methods of etching may include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor and a secondary gas into a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The secondary gas may be or include oxygen or nitrogen. A flow rate ratio of the fluorine-containing precursor to the secondary gas may be greater than or about 1:1. The methods may include contacting a substrate with the fluorine-containing precursor and the secondary gas. The substrate may include an exposed metal. The substrate may define a high aspect-ratio structure. The methods may include etching the exposed metal within the high aspect-ratio structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Baiwei Wang, Rohan Puligoru Reddy, Xiaolin C. Chen, Zhenjiang Cui, Anchuan Wang
  • Publication number: 20240258116
    Abstract: Exemplary semiconductor processing methods may include flowing an etchant precursor into a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate may be housed within the processing region. The substrate may define an exposed region of a titanium-containing material. The methods may include contacting the substrate with the etchant precursor. The methods may include removing at least a portion of the titanium-containing material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2023
    Publication date: August 1, 2024
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Baiwei Wang, Wanxing Xu, Lisa J. Enman, Aaron Dangerfield, Rohan Puligoru Reddy, Xiaolin C. Chen, Mikhail Korolik, Bhaskar Jyoti Bhuyan, Zhenjiang Cui, Anchuan Wang
  • Patent number: 11984325
    Abstract: Exemplary etching methods may include flowing an oxygen-containing precursor into a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include contacting a substrate housed in the processing region with the oxygen-containing precursor. The substrate may include an exposed region of a transition metal nitride and an exposed region of a metal. The contacting may form an oxidized portion of the transition metal nitride and an oxidized portion of the metal. The methods may include forming a plasma of a fluorine-containing precursor and a hydrogen-containing precursor to produce fluorine-containing plasma effluents. The methods may include removing the oxidized portion of the transition metal nitride to expose a non-oxidized portion of the transition metal nitride. The methods may include forming a plasma of a chlorine-containing precursor to produce chlorine-containing plasma effluents. The methods may include removing the non-oxidized portion of the transition metal nitride.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Baiwei Wang, Xiaolin C. Chen, Rohan Puligoru Reddy, Oliver Jan, Zhenjiang Cui, Anchuan Wang
  • Publication number: 20230386830
    Abstract: Exemplary semiconductor processing methods may include providing an oxygen-containing precursor to a semiconductor processing chamber, where a substrate may be positioned. The substrate may include a trench formed between two columns and molybdenum-containing metal regions in a plurality of recesses formed in at least one of the columns. At least two of the molybdenum-containing metal regions may be connected by a molybdenum-containing first liner formed on at least a portion of a sidewall of the trench. The methods may include forming a plasma of the oxygen-containing precursor. The methods may include contacting the molybdenum-containing first liner with plasma effluents of the oxygen-containing precursor, thereby forming an oxidized portion of molybdenum. The methods may include providing a halide precursor. The methods may include contacting oxidized portion of the molybdenum with plasma effluents of the halide precursor, thereby removing the oxidized portion of molybdenum from the sidewall of the trench.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2022
    Publication date: November 30, 2023
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Xiaolin C. Chen, Baiwei Wang, Rohan Puligoru Reddy, Wanxing Xu, Zhenjiang Cui, Anchuan Wang
  • Patent number: 11798813
    Abstract: Exemplary etching methods may include flowing an oxygen-containing precursor into a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include contacting a substrate housed in the processing region with the oxygen-containing precursor. The substrate may include an exposed region of ruthenium, and the contacting may produce ruthenium tetroxide. The methods may include vaporizing the ruthenium tetroxide from a surface of the exposed region of ruthenium. An amount of oxidized ruthenium may remain. The methods may include contacting the oxidized ruthenium with a hydrogen-containing precursor. The methods may include removing the oxidized ruthenium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Baiwei Wang, Xiaolin C. Chen, Rohan Puligoru Reddy, Oliver Jan, Zhenjiang Cui, Anchuan Wang
  • Publication number: 20230290647
    Abstract: Exemplary methods of etching may include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor and a secondary gas into a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The secondary gas may be or include oxygen or nitrogen. A flow rate ratio of the fluorine-containing precursor to the secondary gas may be greater than or about 1:1. The methods may include contacting a substrate with the fluorine-containing precursor and the secondary gas. The substrate may include an exposed metal. The substrate may define a high aspect-ratio structure. The methods may include etching the exposed metal within the high aspect-ratio structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2022
    Publication date: September 14, 2023
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Baiwei Wang, Rohan Puligoru Reddy, Xiaolin C. Chen, Zhenjiang Cui, Anchuan Wang
  • Patent number: 11631589
    Abstract: Exemplary methods of etching may include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor and a secondary gas into a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The secondary gas may be or include oxygen or nitrogen. A flow rate ratio of the fluorine-containing precursor to the secondary gas may be greater than or about 1:1. The methods may include contacting a substrate with the fluorine-containing precursor and the secondary gas. The substrate may include an exposed metal. The substrate may define a high aspect-ratio structure. The methods may include etching the exposed metal within the high aspect-ratio structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Baiwei Wang, Xiaolin C. Chen, Rohan Puligoru Reddy, Oliver Jan, Zhenjiang Cui, Anchuan Wang
  • Publication number: 20230015080
    Abstract: Exemplary etching methods may include modifying an exposed surface of a layer of metal oxide on a substrate housed in a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber to produce a modified portion of metal oxide. The methods may include contacting the modified portion of metal oxide with a fluorine-containing precursor. The contacting may produce a metal oxy-fluoride material. The methods may include flowing an etchant precursor into the processing region. The methods may include contacting the metal oxy-fluoride material with the etchant precursor. The methods may include removing the metal oxy-fluoride material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2021
    Publication date: January 19, 2023
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Baiwei Wang, Rohan Puligoru Reddy, Xiaolin C. Chen, Zhenjiang Cui, Anchuan Wang
  • Publication number: 20230010978
    Abstract: Exemplary etching methods may include flowing an oxygen-containing precursor into a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include contacting a substrate housed in the processing region with the oxygen-containing precursor. The substrate may include an exposed region of a transition metal nitride and an exposed region of a metal. The contacting may form an oxidized portion of the transition metal nitride and an oxidized portion of the metal. The methods may include forming a plasma of a fluorine-containing precursor and a hydrogen-containing precursor to produce fluorine-containing plasma effluents. The methods may include removing the oxidized portion of the transition metal nitride to expose a non-oxidized portion of the transition metal nitride. The methods may include forming a plasma of a chlorine-containing precursor to produce chlorine-containing plasma effluents. The methods may include removing the non-oxidized portion of the transition metal nitride.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2021
    Publication date: January 12, 2023
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Baiwei Wang, Xiaolin C. Chen, Rohan Puligoru Reddy, Oliver Jan, Zhenjiang Cui, Anchuan Wang
  • Publication number: 20220359214
    Abstract: Exemplary methods of etching may include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor and a secondary gas into a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The secondary gas may be or include oxygen or nitrogen. A flow rate ratio of the fluorine-containing precursor to the secondary gas may be greater than or about 1:1. The methods may include contacting a substrate with the fluorine-containing precursor and the secondary gas. The substrate may include an exposed metal. The substrate may define a high aspect-ratio structure. The methods may include etching the exposed metal within the high aspect-ratio structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2021
    Publication date: November 10, 2022
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Baiwei Wang, Xiaolin C. Chen, Rohan Puligoru Reddy, Oliver Jan, Zhenjiang Cui, Anchuan Wang
  • Publication number: 20220344172
    Abstract: Exemplary etching methods may include flowing an oxygen-containing precursor into a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include contacting a substrate housed in the processing region with the oxygen-containing precursor. The substrate may include an exposed region of ruthenium, and the contacting may produce ruthenium tetroxide. The methods may include vaporizing the ruthenium tetroxide from a surface of the exposed region of ruthenium. An amount of oxidized ruthenium may remain. The methods may include contacting the oxidized ruthenium with a hydrogen-containing precursor. The methods may include removing the oxidized ruthenium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2021
    Publication date: October 27, 2022
    Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Baiwei Wang, Xiaolin C. Chen, Rohan Puligoru Reddy, Oliver Jan, Zhenjiang Cui, Anchuan Wang
  • Patent number: 6908862
    Abstract: A method of depositing a film on a substrate disposed in a substrate processing chamber. The method includes depositing a first portion of the film by forming a high density plasma from a first gaseous mixture flown into the process chamber. The deposition processes is then stopped and part of the deposited first portion of the film is etched by flowing a halogen etchant into the processing chamber. Next, the surface of the etched film is passivated by flowing a passivation gas into the processing chamber, and then a second portion of the film is deposited over the first portion by forming a high density plasma from a second gaseous mixture flown into the process chamber. In one embodiment the passivation gas consists of an oxygen source with our without an inert gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2005
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Dongqing Li, Xiaolin C. Chen, Lin Zhang