Patents by Inventor Zhiyuan Ye

Zhiyuan Ye 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: 12196617
    Abstract: An apparatus for controlling temperature profile of a substrate within an epitaxial chamber includes a bottom center pyrometer and a bottom outer pyrometer to respectively measure temperatures at a center location and an outer location of a first surface of a susceptor of an epitaxy chamber, a top center pyrometer and a top outer pyrometer to respectively measure temperatures at a center location and an outer location of a substrate disposed on a second surface of the susceptor opposite the first surface, a first controller to receive signals, from the bottom center pyrometer and the bottom outer pyrometer, and output a feedback signal to a first heating lamp module that heats the first surface based on the measured temperatures of the first surface, and a second controller to receive signals, from the top center pyrometer, the top outer pyrometer, the bottom center pyrometer, and the bottom outer pyrometer, and output a feedback signal to a second heating lamp module that heats the substrate based on the mea
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Zuoming Zhu, Shu-Kwan Lau, Enle Choo, Ala Moradian, Flora Fong-Song Chang, Maxim D. Shaposhnikov, Bindusagar Marath Sankarathodi, Zhepeng Cong, Zhiyuan Ye, Vilen K. Nestorov, Surendra Singh Srivastava, Saurabh Chopra, Patricia M. Liu, Errol Antonio C. Sanchez, Jenny C. Lin, Schubert S. Chu
  • Patent number: 12188148
    Abstract: An apparatus as disclosed herein relates to a chamber body design for use within a thermal deposition chamber, such as an epitaxial deposition chamber. The chamber body is a segmented chamber body design and includes an inject ring and a base plate. The base plate includes a substrate transfer passage and one or more exhaust passages disposed therethrough. The inject ring includes a plurality of gas inject passages disposed therethrough. The inject ring is disposed on top of the base plate and attached to the base plate. The one or more exhaust passages and the gas inject passages are disposed opposite one another. One or more seal grooves are formed in both the base plate and the inject ring to enable the inject ring and the base plate to seal to one another as well as other components within the process chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2025
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Shu-Kwan Lau, Zhiyuan Ye, Richard O. Collins, Brian Hayes Burrows
  • Patent number: 12183606
    Abstract: A master controller identifies a flow ratio setpoint for at least one of a process gas or a carrier gas flow to a process chamber through a set of mass flow controllers. The master controller determines a flow setpoint for the at least one of the process gas or the carrier gas through the set of mass flow controllers based on the identified flow ratio setpoint. The master controller controls the at least one of the process gas flow or the carrier gas flow through each of the set of mass flow controllers according to the determined flow setpoint for each of the set of mass flow controllers and based on a back pressure reading provided by a back pressure sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2024
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin Brashear, Ashley M. Okada, Dennis L. Demars, Zhiyuan Ye, Jaidev Rajaram, Marcel E. Josephson
  • Patent number: 12163229
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to apparatus and methods for semiconductor processing, more particularly, to a thermal process chamber. The thermal process chamber includes a substrate support, a first plurality of heating elements disposed over or below the substrate support, and a spot heating module disposed over the substrate support. The spot heating module is utilized to provide local heating of cold regions on a substrate disposed on the substrate support during processing. Localized heating of the substrate improves temperature profile, which in turn improves deposition uniformity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Shu-Kwan Lau, Koji Nakanishi, Toshiyuki Nakagawa, Zuoming Zhu, Zhiyuan Ye, Joseph M. Ranish, Nyi Oo Myo, Errol Antonio C. Sanchez, Schubert S. Chu
  • Patent number: 12165934
    Abstract: A method for processing a substrate within a processing chamber comprises receiving a first radiation signal corresponding to a film on a target element disposed within the processing chamber, analyzing the first radiation signal, and controlling the processing of the substrate based on the analyzed first radiation signal. The processing chamber includes a substrate support configured to support the substrate within a processing volume and a controller coupled to a first sensing device configured to receive the first radiation signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Zuoming Zhu, Shu-Kwan Lau, Ala Moradian, Enle Choo, Flora Fong-Song Chang, Vilen K Nestorov, Zhiyuan Ye, Bindusagar Marath Sankarathodi, Maxim D. Shaposhnikov, Surendra Singh Srivastava, Zhepeng Cong, Patricia M. Liu, Errol C. Sanchez, Jenny C. Lin, Schubert S. Chu, Balakrishnam R. Jampana
  • Publication number: 20240339342
    Abstract: An apparatus for heating a substrate within a thermal processing chamber is disclosed. The apparatus includes a chamber body, a gas inlet, a gas outlet, an upper window, a lower window, a substrate support, and an upper heating device. The upper heating device is a laser heating device and includes one or more laser assemblies. The laser assemblies include light sources, a cooling plate, optical fibers, and irradiation windows.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2024
    Publication date: October 10, 2024
    Inventors: Shu-Kwan Danny LAU, Adel George TANNOUS, Patrick C. GENIS, Zhiyuan YE
  • Publication number: 20240318351
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for a process chamber for thermal processing is described herein. The process chamber is a dual process chamber and shares a chamber body. The chamber body includes a first and a second set of gas inject passages. The chamber body may also include a first and a second set of exhaust ports. The process chamber may have a shared gas panel and/or a shared exhaust conduit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2024
    Publication date: September 26, 2024
    Inventors: Zhiyuan YE, Shu-Kwan LAU, Brian BURROWS, Lori D. WASHINGTON, Herman DINIZ, Martin A. HILKENE, Richard O. COLLINS, Nyi Oo MYO, Manish HEMKAR, Schubert S. CHU
  • Patent number: 12068155
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein relate to a method of epitaxial deposition of p-channel metal oxide semiconductor (MMOS) source/drain regions within horizontal gate all around (hGAA) device structures. Combinations of precursors are described herein, which grow of the source/drain regions on predominantly <100> surfaces with reduced or negligible growth on <110> surfaces. Therefore, growth of the source/drain regions is predominantly located on the top surface of a substrate instead of the alternating layers of the hGAA structure. The precursor combinations include a silicon containing precursor, a germanium containing precursor, and a boron containing precursor. At least one of the precursors further includes chlorine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Chen-Ying Wu, Zhiyuan Ye, Xuebin Li, Sathya Chary, Yi-Chiau Huang, Saurabh Chopra
  • Patent number: 12037701
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for a process chamber for thermal processing is described herein. The process chamber is a dual process chamber and shares a chamber body. The chamber body includes a first and a second set of gas inject passages. The chamber body may also include a first and a second set of exhaust ports. The process chamber may have a shared gas panel and/or a shared exhaust conduit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Zhiyuan Ye, Shu-Kwan Danny Lau, Brian H. Burrows, Lori Washington, Herman Diniz, Martin A. Hilkene, Richard O. Collins, Nyi O. Myo, Manish Hemkar, Schubert S. Chu
  • Patent number: 12033874
    Abstract: An apparatus for heating a substrate within a thermal processing chamber is disclosed. The apparatus includes a chamber body, a gas inlet, a gas outlet, an upper window, a lower window, a substrate support, and an upper heating device. The upper heating device is a laser heating device and includes one or more laser assemblies. The laser assemblies include light sources, a cooling plate, optical fibers, and irradiation windows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Shu-Kwan Danny Lau, Adel George Tannous, Patrick C. Genis, Zhiyuan Ye
  • Patent number: 12015042
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a semiconductor device includes forming an interconnect structure over a front side of a sensor substrate, thinning the sensor substrate from a back side of the sensor substrate, etching trenches into the sensor substrate, pre-cleaning an exposed surface of the sensor substrate, epitaxially growing a charge layer directly on the pre-cleaned exposed surface of the sensor substrate, and forming isolation structures within the etched trenches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Papo Chen, Schubert Chu, Errol Antonio C Sanchez, John Timothy Boland, Zhiyuan Ye, Lori Washington, Xianzhi Tao, Yi-Chiau Huang, Chen-Ying Wu
  • Publication number: 20240145275
    Abstract: A master controller identifies a flow ratio setpoint for at least one of a process gas or a carrier gas flow to a process chamber through a set of mass flow controllers. The master controller determines a flow setpoint for the at least one of the process gas or the carrier gas through the set of mass flow controllers based on the identified flow ratio setpoint. The master controller controls the at least one of the process gas flow or the carrier gas flow through each of the set of mass flow controllers according to the determined flow setpoint for each of the set of mass flow controllers and based on a back pressure reading provided by a back pressure sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2024
    Publication date: May 2, 2024
    Inventors: Kevin Brashear, Ashley M. Okada, Dennis L. Demars, Zhiyuan Ye, Jaidev Rajaram, Marcel E. Josephson
  • Publication number: 20240112945
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a susceptor for thermal processing is provided. The susceptor includes an outer rim surrounding and coupled to an inner dish, the outer rim having an inner edge and an outer edge. The susceptor further includes one or more structures for reducing a contacting surface area between a substrate and the susceptor when the substrate is supported by the susceptor. At least one of the one or more structures is coupled to the inner dish proximate the inner edge of the outer rim.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2023
    Publication date: April 4, 2024
    Inventors: Anhthu NGO, Zuoming ZHU, Balasubramanian RAMACHANDRAN, Paul BRILLHART, Edric TONG, Anzhong CHANG, Kin Pong LO, Kartik SHAH, Schubert S. CHU, Zhepeng CONG, James Francis MACK, Nyi O. MYO, Kevin Joseph BAUTISTA, Xuebin LI, Yi-Chiau HUANG, Zhiyuan YE
  • Patent number: 11923221
    Abstract: A master controller determines a first flow setpoint for a process flow gas and/or a carrier gas flow through a first mass flow controller. The master controller obtains a back pressure setpoint of a distribution manifold and determines a second flow setpoint for the process gas flow and/or the carrier gas flow through a second mass flow controller or a back pressure controller based on the determined first flow setpoint and the obtained back pressure setpoint. The master controller controls the process gas flow and/or the carrier gas flow through the first mass flow controller to the first flow setpoint and the second mass flow controller and/or the back pressure controller to the second flow setpoint. The master controller controls the back pressure of the distribution manifold to the back pressure set point in view of a back pressure reading from a back pressure sensor of the distribution manifold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin Brashear, Ashley M. Okada, Dennis L. Demars, Zhiyuan Ye, Jaidev Rajaram, Marcel E. Josephson
  • Publication number: 20240044004
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to apparatus and methods for semiconductor processing, more particularly, to a thermal process chamber. The thermal process chamber includes a substrate support, a first plurality of heating elements disposed over or below the substrate support, and a spot heating module disposed over the substrate support. The spot heating module is utilized to provide local heating of cold regions on a substrate disposed on the substrate support during processing. Localized heating of the substrate improves temperature profile, which in turn improves deposition uniformity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2023
    Publication date: February 8, 2024
    Inventors: Shu-Kwan LAU, Koji NAKANISHI, Toshiyuki NAKAGAWA, Zuoming ZHU, Zhiyuan YE, Joseph M. RANISH, Nyi Oo MYO, Errol Antonio C. SANCHEZ, Schubert S. CHU
  • Publication number: 20240026522
    Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein generally provide improved control of gas flow in processing chambers. In at least one embodiment, a liner for a processing chamber includes an annular body having a sidewall and a vent formed in the annular body for exhausting gas from inside to outside the annular body. The vent comprises one or more vent holes disposed through the sidewall. The liner further includes an opening in the annular body for substrate loading and unloading.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2023
    Publication date: January 25, 2024
    Inventors: Zhepeng CONG, Schubert CHU, Nyi Oo MYO, Kartik Bhupendra SHAH, Zhiyuan YE, Richard O. COLLINS
  • Patent number: 11848226
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a susceptor for thermal processing is provided. The susceptor includes an outer rim surrounding and coupled to an inner dish, the outer rim having an inner edge and an outer edge. The susceptor further includes one or more structures for reducing a contacting surface area between a substrate and the susceptor when the substrate is supported by the susceptor. At least one of the one or more structures is coupled to the inner dish proximate the inner edge of the outer rim.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Anhthu Ngo, Zuoming Zhu, Balasubramanian Ramachandran, Paul Brillhart, Edric Tong, Anzhong Chang, Kin Pong Lo, Kartik Shah, Schubert S. Chu, Zhepeng Cong, James Francis Mack, Nyi O. Myo, Kevin Joseph Bautista, Xuebin Li, Yi-Chiau Huang, Zhiyuan Ye
  • Patent number: 11842907
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to apparatus and methods for semiconductor processing, more particularly, to a thermal process chamber. In one or more embodiments, a process chamber comprises a first window, a second window, a substrate support disposed between the first window and the second window, and a motorized rotatable radiant spot heating source disposed over the first window and configured to provide radiant energy through the first window.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Shu-Kwan Danny Lau, Toshiyuki Nakagawa, Zhiyuan Ye
  • Patent number: 11821088
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to apparatus and methods for semiconductor processing, more particularly, to a thermal process chamber. The thermal process chamber includes a substrate support, a first plurality of heating elements disposed over or below the substrate support, and a spot heating module disposed over the substrate support. The spot heating module is utilized to provide local heating of cold regions on a substrate disposed on the substrate support during processing. Localized heating of the substrate improves temperature profile, which in turn improves deposition uniformity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Shu-Kwan Lau, Koji Nakanishi, Toshiyuki Nakagawa, Zuoming Zhu, Zhiyuan Ye, Joseph M. Ranish, Nyi O. Myo, Errol Antonio C. Sanchez, Schubert S. Chu
  • Publication number: 20230369077
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to apparatus and methods for semiconductor processing, more particularly, to a thermal process chamber. In one or more embodiments, a process chamber comprises a first window, a second window, a substrate support disposed between the first window and the second window, and a motorized rotatable radiant spot heating source disposed over the first window and configured to provide radiant energy through the first window.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2023
    Publication date: November 16, 2023
    Inventors: Shu-Kwan Danny LAU, Toshiyuki NAKAGAWA, Zhiyuan YE