Differential Fluid Etching Apparatus Patents (Class 156/345.1)
  • Patent number: 12213386
    Abstract: A magnetoresistance memory device includes a first conductor, a first insulator covering a side surface of the first conductor, a second conductor on the first conductor that are substantially made of a non-magnetic non-nitrogen material. The device includes a variable resistance material, a third conductor, a first ferromagnetic layer, an insulating layer, and a second ferromagnetic layer. The third conductor, a fourth conductor on the second ferromagnetic layer, and a second insulator covering side surfaces of the first and second ferromagnetic layers and insulating layer are substantially made of a non-nitrogen material. A third insulator is on the second insulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2025
    Assignee: Kioxia Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuya Sawada, Toshihiko Nagase, Kenichi Yoshino, Kazuhiro Tomioka, Naoki Akiyama, Takuya Shimano, Hisanori Aikawa, Taichi Igarashi
  • Patent number: 12191117
    Abstract: An extraction assembly may include an extraction plate for placement along a side of a plasma chamber, and having an extraction aperture, elongated along a first direction, and having an aperture height, extending along a second direction, perpendicular to the first direction. The extraction plate defines an inner surface along the extraction aperture, lying in a first plane. A beam blocker is disposed over the extraction aperture, and has an outer surface, disposed in a second plane, different than the first plane. As such, the beam blocker overlaps with the extraction plate along a first edge of the extraction aperture by a first overlap distance, and overlaps with the extraction plate along a second edge of the extraction aperture by a second overlap distance, so as to define a first extraction slit, along the first edge, and a second extraction slit along the second edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2025
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Costel Biloiu, Jay R. Wallace, Solomon Belangedi Basame, Kevin R. Anglin, Tyler Rockwell
  • Patent number: 12125680
    Abstract: An ion extraction assembly for an ion source is provided. The ion extraction assembly may include a plurality of electrodes, wherein the plurality of electrodes comprises: a plasma-facing electrode, arranged for coupling to a plasma chamber; and a substrate-facing electrode, disposed outside of the plasma-facing electrode. The at least one electrode of the plurality of electrodes may include a grid structure, defining a plurality of holes, wherein the at least one electrode has a non-uniform thickness, wherein a first grid thickness in a middle region of the at least one electrode is different than a second grid thickness, in an outer region of the at least one electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Alexandre Likhanskii, Alan V. Hayes, Dmitry Lubomirsky
  • Patent number: 12027346
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a chamber including a processing room for processing of a substrate using an introduced gas and an exhaust room for exhausting the gas in the processing room, a shield member provided near a side wall of the chamber to separate the processing room and the exhaust room and including a hole allowing the processing room and the exhaust room to communicate with each other, the shield member being driven in a vertical direction, and a hollow relay member connected to a pipe connected to an instrument outside the chamber and configured to be driven in a horizontal direction. When the shield member reaches an upper position, the relay member is driven inwardly of the chamber to be connected to the shield member at its inward end to allow the processing room and the pipe to communicate with each other through the hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2024
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Nobutaka Sasaki, Shin Matsuura
  • Patent number: 12027427
    Abstract: Preheat processes for a millisecond anneal system are provided. In one example implementation, a preheat process can include receiving a substrate on a wafer support plate in a processing chamber of a millisecond anneal system; obtaining one or more temperature measurements of the wafer support plate using a temperature sensor; and applying a preheat recipe to heat the wafer support plate based at least in part on the temperature of the wafer support plate. In one example implementation, a preheat process can include obtaining one or more temperature measurements from a temperature sensor having a field of view of a wafer support plate in a millisecond anneal system; and applying a pulsed preheat recipe to heat the wafer support plate in the millisecond anneal system based at least in part on the one or more temperature measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2024
    Assignees: Mattson Technology, Inc., Beijing E-Town Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Markus Lieberer, Christian Pfahler, Markus Hagedorn, Michael vanAbbema, Alexandr Cosceev
  • Patent number: 11996307
    Abstract: A substrate processing system includes a factory interface having a controlled environment and a transfer chamber. The transfer chamber includes four first facets and three second facets, where each of the three second facets has a width that is narrower than that of each of the four first facets. A first processing chamber is attached to one of the four first facets. A first auxiliary chamber is attached to a first of the three second facets, where the first auxiliary chamber is smaller than the first processing chamber. A load lock is attached to a second of the three second facets and to the factory interface. A robot is attached to a bottom of the transfer chamber, the robot adapted to transfer substrates to and from the first processing chamber, the first auxiliary chamber, and the load lock.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Nir Merry, Schubert S. Chu, Sushant S. Koshti, Michael C. Kuchar, Nyi Oo Myo, Songjae Lee
  • Patent number: 11935729
    Abstract: The disclosed substrate support includes a first region, a second region, a first electrode, and a second electrode. The first region is configured to hold a substrate placed thereon. The second region is provided to surround the first region and configured to hold an edge ring placed thereon. The first electrode is provided in the first region to receive a first electrical bias. The second electrode is provided in at least the second region to receive a second electrical bias. The second electrode extends below the first electrode to face the first electrode within the first region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Hajime Tamura, Yasuharu Sasaki, Shin Yamaguchi, Tsuguto Sugawara, Katsuyuki Koizumi
  • Patent number: 11891685
    Abstract: The vacuum processing apparatus for performing predetermined vacuum processing on a processing surface of a to-be-processed substrate is made up of: a vacuum chamber having disposed therein a to-be-processed substrate and having formed, on an upper wall of the vacuum chamber, a mounting opening facing the processing surface where a direction in which the processing surface looks is defined as an upper side; a processing unit for performing therein vacuum processing; and a communication pipe having a predetermined length and being interposed between the vacuum chamber and the processing unit such that predetermined processing is performed, through the communication pipe, on the to-be-processed substrate inside the vacuum chamber. The processing unit has an engaging means to which is coupled a swing arm for swinging about a rotary shaft extending perpendicularly to a vertical direction for selectively engaging the vacuum chamber and the communication pipe or the processing unit and the communication pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: ULVAC, INC.
    Inventors: Yukihito Tashiro, Shigeru Sugiyama
  • Patent number: 11869749
    Abstract: The substrate processing apparatus includes a process chamber providing a space for processing a substrate, a chuck member provided in the process chamber and supporting the substrate, a ring member provided to surround the chuck member, an edge electrode disposed in the ring member to be electrically insulated from the chuck member, an edge impedance controller electrically connected to the edge electrode and controlling an electric potential of the edge electrode, and a coupling compensator connected between the chuck member and the edge electrode and provided to cancel or adjust coupling between the chuck member and the edge electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: SEMES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shant Arakelyan, Ja Myung Gu, Jong Hwan An
  • Patent number: 11830751
    Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes a base, an electrostatic chuck provided on the base, and a dielectric layer. A bias power, whose magnitude is changed during plasma processing on a target substrate, is applied to the base. The electrostatic chuck has a central portion on which the target substrate is mounted and an outer peripheral portion on which a focus ring is mounted to surround the target substrate. The dielectric layer is provided between the outer peripheral portion of the electrostatic and the base or the focus ring and has an electrostatic capacitance that reduces a difference between an electrostatic capacitance of the central portion of the electrostatic chuck and an electrostatic capacitance of the outer peripheral portion of the electrostatic chuck.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Shoichiro Matsuyama, Daiki Satoh, Yasuharu Sasaki, Takashi Nishijima, Jinyoung Park
  • Patent number: 11784078
    Abstract: A wafer placement apparatus includes a ceramic plate having a top surface including a wafer placement surface, the ceramic plate allowing at least one of an electrostatic electrode and a heater electrode to be embedded therein; and a cooling plate disposed on an undersurface of the ceramic plate opposite to the wafer placement surface to cool the ceramic plate, wherein the cooling plate includes a coolant channel, and the coolant channel has a multi-layer structure at least partially including two or more layers stacked vertically, the two or more layers being spaced different distances apart from the wafer placement surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventor: Joyo Ito
  • Patent number: 11610798
    Abstract: An electrostatic chuck assembly includes a ceramic body having a wafer placement surface that is a circular surface, and an F/R placement surface that is formed around the wafer placement surface and is positioned at a lower level than the wafer placement surface, a wafer attraction electrode embedded inside the ceramic body and positioned in a facing relation to the wafer placement surface, an F/R attraction electrode embedded inside the ceramic body and positioned in a facing relation to the F/R placement surface, a concave-convex region formed in the F/R placement surface to hold gas, a focus ring placed on the F/R placement surface, and a pair of elastic annular sealing members arranged between the F/R placement surface and the focus ring on the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side of the F/R placement surface, and surrounding the concave-convex region in a sandwiching relation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Kuno, Ikuhisa Morioka, Kenichiro Aikawa
  • Patent number: 11339600
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a door hinge system (10) for a pivoting door (30) of a domestic appliance (20), in particular for a pivoting oven door (30) of a cooking oven (20). The door hinge system (10) comprises a stationary hinge part (12) in arranged or arrangeable at or in a chassis of the domestic appliance (20). The door hinge system (10) comprises a pivoting hinge part (14) connected or connectable to the door (30). The door hinge system (10) comprises a driving device (16, 18, 22, 24) for driving the pivoting hinge part (14). The driving device includes at least one motor (16) coupleable to and decoupleable from the pivoting hinge part (14). The driving device (16, 18, 22, 24) is automatically controllable. The pivoting hinge part (14) is manually pivotable, if the motor (16) is decoupled from the pivoting hinge part (14).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: Electrolux Appliances Aktiebolag
    Inventors: Benjamin Himmelein, Mario Weber, David Joao Machado Martins
  • Patent number: 11326253
    Abstract: A multi-component coating composition for a surface of a semiconductor process chamber component comprising at least one first film layer of a yttrium oxide or a yttrium fluoride coated onto the surface of the semiconductor process chamber component using an atomic layer deposition process and at least one second film layer of an additional oxide or an additional fluoride coated onto the surface of the semiconductor process chamber component using an atomic layer deposition process, wherein the multi-component coating composition is selected from the group consisting of YOxFy, YAlxOy, YZrxOy and YZrxAlyOz.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: David Fenwick, Jennifer Y. Sun
  • Patent number: 11315768
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a loading apparatus and a physical vapor deposition (PVD) apparatus. The loading apparatus includes a pedestal configured to support a workpiece; and a first support member placed on the pedestal and configured to push up a cover ring when the pedestal is at an operation position to prevent an overlapping portion of a cover ring and the workpiece from contacting each other. In the loading apparatus and the PVD apparatus, the first support member supports the cover ring, such that the cover ring does not contact the workpiece, thereby reducing stress forces on the workpiece by external components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: BEIJING NAURA MICROELECTRONICS EQUIPMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Xuewei Wu, Tong Wang, Boyu Dong, Jun Zhang, Bingliang Guo, Jun Wang, Henan Zhang, Baogang Xu, Huaichao Ma, Shaohui Liu, Kangning Zhao, Yujie Geng, Qingxuan Wang, Yaxin Cui
  • Patent number: 11281108
    Abstract: An exposure device has a cylindrical peripheral wall member. The peripheral wall member forms a processing space in which a substrate is storable and has an upper opening and a lower opening. Further, a light emitter is provided in an upper portion of the peripheral wall member to close the upper opening. A lower lid member that is provided to be movable in an up-and-down direction and configured to be capable of closing and opening the lower opening is provided below the peripheral wall member. The atmosphere in the processing space is replaced with an inert gas with the substrate stored in the processing space and the lower opening closed by the lower lid member. In this state, vacuum ultraviolet rays are emitted to the substrate from the light emitter, and the substrate is exposed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Inventors: You Arisawa, Masaya Asai, Masahiko Harumoto, Yuji Tanaka, Chisayo Mori, Tomohiro Motono, Shuji Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 11279656
    Abstract: Nanopowders containing nanoparticles having a core particle with a thin film coating. The core particles and thin film coatings are, independently, formed from at least one of a rare earth metal-containing oxide, a rare earth metal-containing fluoride, a rare earth metal-containing oxyfluoride or combinations thereof. The thin film coating may be formed using a non-line of sight technique such as atomic layer deposition (ALD). Also disclosed herein are nanoceramic materials formed from the nanopowders and methods of making and using the nanopowders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Guodong Zhan, Xiaowei Wu, Xiao Ming He, Jennifer Y. Sun
  • Patent number: 11205885
    Abstract: A method of producing laser bars or semiconductor lasers includes providing a carrier composite to form a plurality of carriers for the laser bars or for the semiconductor lasers, providing a semiconductor body composite including a common substrate and a common semiconductor layer sequence grown thereon, forming a plurality of separation trenches through the common semiconductor layer sequence such that the semiconductor body composite is divided into a plurality of semiconductor bodies, applying the semiconductor body composite to the carrier composite such that the separation trenches face the carrier composite, thinning or removing the common substrate, and singulating the carrier composite into a plurality of carriers, wherein a plurality of semiconductor bodies are arranged on one of the carriers, and the semiconductor bodies arranged on one common carrier are laterally spaced apart from one another by the separation trenches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: OSRAM OLED GmbH
    Inventors: Roland Heinrich Enzmann, Hubert Halbritter, Markus Bröll
  • Patent number: 11164724
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure generally provide improved methods for processing substrates with improved process stability, increased mean wafers between clean, and/or improved within wafer uniformity. One embodiment provides a method for seasoning one or more chamber components in a process chamber. The method includes placing a dummy substrate in the process chamber, flowing a processing gas mixture to the process chamber to react with the dummy substrate and generate a byproduct on the dummy substrate, and annealing the dummy substrate to sublimate the byproduct while at least one purge conduit of the process chamber is closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Sang Won Kang, Nicholas Celeste, Dmitry Lubomirsky, Peter Hillman, Douglas Brenton Hayden, Dongqing Yang
  • Patent number: 11049747
    Abstract: A SiC Freestanding Film Structure capable of preventing a functional surface of a SiC Freestanding Film Structure from being affected by a film thickness and improving strength by increasing the film thickness, the SiC Freestanding Film Structure is formed by depositing a SiC layer through a vapor deposition type film formation method. The SiC layer is deposited with respect to a first SiC layer serving as a functional surface in the SiC Freestanding Film Structure. Focusing on the functional surface and a non-functional surface positioned on front and back sides of any particular portion, the functional surface has smoothness higher than that of the non-functional surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: ADMAP INC.
    Inventor: Satoshi Kawamoto
  • Patent number: 10984988
    Abstract: Provided are a method of manufacturing a ring-shaped member and the ring-shaped member. A method of manufacturing a ring-shaped member to be placed in a process chamber of a substrate processing apparatus includes arranging one silicon member and another silicon member to cause one abutting surface of the one silicon member and another abutting surface of the other silicon member to abut on each other, heating the one abutting surface and the other abutting surface through optical heating to melt silicon on a surface of the one abutting surface and silicon on a surface of the other abutting surface such that silicon melt is caused to flow into a gap between the one abutting surface and the other abutting surface, and cooling the one abutting surface and the other abutting surface to crystallize the silicon melt forming a silicon adhesion part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: THINKON NEW TECHNOLOGY JAPAN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsushi Ikari, Satoshi Fujii
  • Patent number: 10937697
    Abstract: A method of processing a wafer includes a cutting step of cutting the face side of the wafer with a cutting blade to form grooves therein along projected dicing lines, a first inspecting step of capturing an image of the grooves formed in the cutting step and inspecting a state of a chip in the captured image of the grooves, a protecting member sticking step of sticking a protective member to the face side of the wafer, a grinding step of holding the protective member side of the wafer on a chuck table and grinding a reverse side of the wafer to thin the wafer to a finished thickness, thereby dividing the wafer into device chips, a second inspecting step of capturing an image of the grooves exposed on the reverse side of the wafer and inspecting a state of a chip in the captured image of the grooves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: DISCO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tetsukazu Sugiya
  • Patent number: 10854725
    Abstract: A method and structure for providing a pre-deposition treatment (e.g., of a work-function layer) to accomplish work function tuning. In various embodiments, a gate dielectric layer is formed over a substrate and a work-function metal layer is deposited over the gate dielectric layer. Thereafter, a fluorine-based treatment of the work-function metal layer is performed, where the fluorine-based treatment removes an oxidized layer from a top surface of the work-function metal layer to form a treated work-function metal layer. In some embodiments, after performing the fluorine-based treatment, another metal layer is deposited over the treated work-function metal layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hsin-Yi Lee, Cheng-Yen Tsai, Da-Yuan Lee
  • Patent number: 10840082
    Abstract: A method for cleaning SnO2 residue from a processing chamber is provided as one embodiment. The method embodiment includes introducing hydrocarbon and hydrogen gas at a ratio of 1%-60% into a plasma processing system. The SnO2 residue is etched from surfaces the processing chamber using plasma generated by a plasma source, which produces SnH4 gas. The SnH4 gas reacts with the hydrocarbon gas to produce an organotin compound that is volatilizable. The method further provides for evacuating the processing chamber of the organotin compound. The introduction of the hydrocarbon gas along with the hydrogen gas at the ratio of 1%-60% reduces a rate of SnH4 gas decomposition into Sn powder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Akhil Singhal, Dustin Zachary Austin, Jeongseok Ha, Pei-Chi Liu
  • Patent number: 10808309
    Abstract: A component for use in a plasma processing apparatus, which is to be exposed to a plasma, includes a base material, an alumite layer and a thermally sprayed film. The base material has a plurality of through holes and a rough surface at which one end of each of the through holes is opended. The alumite layer is formed on a surface of the base material having the rough surface by an anodic oxidation process. The thermally sprayed film is formed on the rough surface with the alumite layer therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Koji Mitsuhashi, Satoshi Nishimura
  • Patent number: 10811233
    Abstract: Process chambers having a tunable showerhead and a tunable liner are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a processing chamber includes a showerhead; a chamber liner; a first impedance circuit coupled to the showerhead to tune an impedance of the showerhead; a second impedance circuit coupled to the chamber liner to tune an impedance of the chamber liner; and a controller coupled to the first and second impedance circuits to control relative impedances of the showerhead and the chamber liner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Andrew Nguyen, Xue Yang Chang, Haitao Wang, Kei-Yu Ko, Reza Sadjadi
  • Patent number: 10615006
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a plasma chamber design that allows extremely symmetrical electrical, thermal, and gas flow conductance through the chamber. By providing such symmetry, plasma formed within the chamber naturally has improved uniformity across the surface of a substrate disposed in a processing region of the chamber. Further, other chamber additions, such as providing the ability to manipulate the gap between upper and lower electrodes as well as between a gas inlet and a substrate being processed, allows better control of plasma processing and uniformity as compared to conventional systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: James D. Carducci, Hamid Tavassoli, Ajit Balakrishna, Zhigang Chen, Andrew Nguyen, Douglas A. Buchberger, Jr., Kartik Ramaswamy, Shahid Rauf, Kenneth S. Collins
  • Patent number: 10593554
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for within-wafer profile localized tuning is disclosed. In one aspect, the method includes providing a wafer attached to a rotating vacuum stage front side up, the wafer including a surface film with an incoming film thickness profile, providing a pad attached to a rotating head front side down, the head configured to sweep along a path, computing a film thickness removal amount based upon the incoming film thickness profile, and removing at least a portion of the surface film of the wafer based on the computed film thickness removal amount via a plurality of steps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Inventor: Jun Yang
  • Patent number: 10580617
    Abstract: A plasma etching apparatus includes an etching chamber and at least one processor. The etching chamber is configured to support a target therein. The at least one processor is configured to: determine a process condition for plasma etching the target before execution of a plasma etching process; and control an aspect of the chamber according to the process condition. The process condition includes a unit etching time over which the plasma etching process is to be continuously performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kijong Park, Jun-Youl Yang, Yongsun Ko, Kyunghyun Kim, Taeheon Kim, Jae Jin Shin
  • Patent number: 10546728
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a plasma chamber design that allows extremely symmetrical electrical, thermal, and gas flow conductance through the chamber. By providing such symmetry, plasma formed within the chamber naturally has improved uniformity across the surface of a substrate disposed in a processing region of the chamber. Further, other chamber additions, such as providing the ability to manipulate the gap between upper and lower electrodes as well as between a gas inlet and a substrate being processed, allows better control of plasma processing and uniformity as compared to conventional systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: James D. Carducci, Hamid Tavassoli, Ajit Balakrishna, Zhigang Chen, Andrew Nguyen, Douglas A. Buchberger, Jr., Kartik Ramaswamy, Shahid Rauf, Kenneth S. Collins
  • Patent number: 10501843
    Abstract: An article comprises a body and at least one protective layer on at least one surface of the body. The at least one protective layer is a thin film having a thickness of less than approximately 20 microns that comprises a ceramic selected from a group consisting of Y3Al5O12, Y4Al2O9, Er2O3, Gd2O3, Er3Al5O12, Gd3Al5O12 and a ceramic compound comprising Y4Al2O9 and a solid-solution of Y2O3—ZrO2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Jennifer Y. Sun, Biraja P. Kanungo, Vahid Firouzdor, Tom Cho
  • Patent number: 10435786
    Abstract: Alignment systems employing actuators provide relative displacement between lid assemblies of process chambers and substrates, and related methods are disclosed. A process chamber includes chamber walls defining a process volume in which a substrate may be placed and the walls support a lid assembly of the process chamber. The lid assembly contains at least one of an energy source and a process gas dispenser. Moreover, an alignment system may include at least one each of a bracket, an interface member, and an actuator. By attaching the bracket to the chamber wall and securing the interface member to the lid assembly, the actuator may communicate with the bracket and the interface member to provide relative displacement between the chamber wall and the lid assembly. In this manner, the lid assembly may be positioned relative to the substrate to improve process uniformity across the substrate within the process chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Danny D. Wang, Jun Tae Choi, Rupankar Choudhury, Zhong Qiang Hua, Juan Carlos Rocha-Alvarez, Jason Michael Lamb
  • Patent number: 10273386
    Abstract: Provided are a thermosetting adhesive sheet and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device capable of reducing semiconductor wafer warping and chipping. The thermosetting adhesive sheet includes a thermosetting adhesive layer containing a resin component and a filler, the resin component containing a (meth)acrylate and a polymerization initiator, the (meth)acrylate containing a solid (meth)acrylate and a trifunctional or higher functional (meth)acrylate, content of the solid (meth)acrylate in the resin component being 55 wt % or more; a total value obtained by multiplying the number of functional groups per unit molecular weight of the (meth)acrylate by content of the (meth)acrylate in the resin component being 2.7E-03 or more, and blending amount of the filler being 80 to 220 pts. mass with respect to 100 pts. mass of the resin component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: DEXERIALS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Daichi Mori, Tomoyuki Ishimatsu
  • Patent number: 10256123
    Abstract: Methods and systems for controlling temperatures in plasma processing chamber with a combination of proportional and pulsed fluid control valves. A heat transfer fluid loop is thermally coupled to a chamber component, such as a chuck. The heat transfer fluid loop includes a supply line and a return line to each of hot and cold fluid reservoirs. In an embodiment, an analog valve (e.g., in the supply line) is controlled between any of a closed state, a partially open state, and a fully open state based on a temperature control loop while a digital valve (e.g., in the return line) is controlled to either a closed state and a fully open state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventor: Chetan Mahadeswaraswamy
  • Patent number: 10222202
    Abstract: An apparatus may include a processor and memory unit, including a control routine having a measurement processor to determine, based upon a first set of scatterometry measurements, a first change in a first dimension of a first set of substrate features along a first direction. The first set of substrate features may be elongated along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The measurement processor may be to determine, based upon a second set of scatterometry measurements, a second change in dimension of a second set of substrate features along the second direction, wherein the second set of substrate features is elongated along the first direction. The apparatus may include a control processor to generate an error signal when a figure of merit based upon the first change and the second change lies outside a target range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: VARIAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATES, INC.
    Inventors: Morgan D. Evans, Simon Ruffell, Tristan Y. Ma, Kevin Anglin
  • Patent number: 10217613
    Abstract: A plasma processor, including a first gas supplier to supply first gas to the inside of a vacuum vessel, a stage on which a wafer is placed, an electromagnetic wave supplier to supply electromagnetic waves for generating first plasma, a susceptor provided to an outer peripheral portion of the stage, a second high frequency power source connected to the susceptor, and a second gas supplier to supply second gas to the inside of the susceptor. The inside of the susceptor is provided with a high frequency electrode connected to the second high frequency power source and a first earth electrode disposed opposite to the high frequency electrode. The second high frequency power source supplies high frequency power while the second gas supplier supplies the second gas, thereby generating second plasma inside the susceptor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuo Kawanabe, Takumi Tandou, Tsutomu Tetsuka, Naoki Yasui
  • Patent number: 10214445
    Abstract: Embodiments of an article including a substrate and a patterned coating are provided. In one or more embodiments, when a strain is applied to the article, the article exhibits a failure strain of 0.5% or greater. Patterned coating may include a particulate coating or may include a discontinuous coating. The patterned coating of some embodiments may cover about 20% to about 75% of the surface area of the substrate. Methods for forming such articles are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: CORNING INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Shandon Dee Hart, Guangli Hu, Nicholas James Smith
  • Patent number: 9953825
    Abstract: An apparatus and system for plasma processing a substrate using RF power includes a chamber having walls for housing an electrostatic chuck (ESC) and a top electrode. The top electrode is oriented opposite the ESC to define a processing region. An inner line with a tubular shaped wall is defined within and is spaced apart from the walls of the chamber and is oriented to surround the processing region. The tubular shaped wall extends a height between a top and a bottom. The tubular shaped wall has functional openings for substrate access and facilities access and dummy openings oriented to define symmetry for selected ones of the functional openings. A plurality of straps are connected to the bottom of the tubular shaped wall of the inner liner and are electrically coupled to a ground ring within the chamber to provide an RF power return path during plasma processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: David Carman, Travis Taylor, Devin Ramdutt
  • Patent number: 9941108
    Abstract: Plasma is generated using elemental hydrogen, a weak oxidizing agent, and a fluorine containing gas. An inert gas is introduced to the plasma downstream of the plasma source and upstream of a showerhead that directs gas mixture into the reaction chamber where the mixture reacts with the high-dose implant resist. The process removes both the crust and bulk resist layers at a high strip rate, and leaves the work piece surface substantially residue free with low silicon loss.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: Novellus Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Haruhiro Harry Goto, David Cheung
  • Patent number: 9888727
    Abstract: An exemplary heating assembly includes a substrate, a heating part formed on the substrate, an electrode part connected with the heating part, and a liquid conducting body configured for absorbing tobacco liquid. The liquid conducting body is in tight contact with the substrate. The liquid conducting body is capable of conveying the tobacco liquid to the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: SHENZHEN FIRST UNION TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yonghai Li, Zhongli Xu, Shuyun Hu
  • Patent number: 9741529
    Abstract: A micro-chamber for inspecting sample material can be filled with sample material immersed in a liquid without the need of applying vacuum tubing's to the micro-chamber. The micro-chamber includes an inspection volume for holding the sample material for observation. The inspection volume is defined by a first rigid layer, a second rigid layer spaced from the first rigid layer, and a hermetic seal between the first and the second rigid layers. One of the rigid layers includes thin part can be punctured. The liquid with immersed sample material, when placed upon the thin part, is sucked into the evacuated inspection volume when the thin part is punctured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: FEI Company
    Inventors: Luigi Mele, Pleun Dona, Gerard Nicolaas Anne van Veen
  • Patent number: 9728381
    Abstract: An etching chamber 1 incorporates a focus ring 9 so as to surround a semiconductor wafer W provided on a lower electrode 4. The plasma processor is provided with an electric potential control DC power supply 33 to control the electric potential of this focus ring 9, and so constituted that the lower electrode 4 is supplied with a DC voltage of e.g., ?400 to ?600 V to control the electric potential of the focus ring 9. This constitution prevents surface arcing from developing along the surface of a substrate to be processed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Akihiro Kikuchi, Satoshi Kayamori, Shinya Shima, Yuichiro Sakamoto, Kimihiro Higuchi, Kaoru Oohashi, Takehiro Ueda, Munehiro Shibuya, Tadashi Gondai
  • Patent number: 9564377
    Abstract: A polishing system receives one or more target parameters for a selected peak in a spectrum of light, polishes a substrate, measures a current spectrum of light reflected from the substrate while the substrate is being polished, identifies the selected peak in the current spectrum, measures one or more current parameters of the selected peak in the current spectrum, compares the current parameters of the selected peak to the target parameters, and ceases to polish the substrate when the current parameters and the target parameters have a pre defined relationship.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Dominic J. Benvegnu, Boguslaw A. Swedek, David J. Lischka
  • Patent number: 9556507
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to heated substrate supports having a protective coating thereon. The protective coating is formed from yttrium oxide at a molar concentration ranging from about 50 mole percent to about 75 mole percent; zirconium oxide at a molar concentration ranging from about 10 mole percent to about 30 mole percent; and at least one other component, selected from the group consisting of aluminum oxide, hafnium oxide, scandium oxide, neodymium oxide, niobium oxide, samarium oxide, ytterbium oxide, erbium oxide, cerium oxide, and combinations thereof, at a molar concentration ranging from about 10 mole percent to about 30 mole percent. The alloying of yttrium oxide with a compatible oxide improves wear resistance, flexural strength, and fracture toughness of the protective coating, relative to pure yttrium oxide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Ren-Guan Duan, Juan Carlos Rocha-Alvarez, Jianhua Zhou
  • Patent number: 9541836
    Abstract: In accordance with some embodiments, a method and an apparatus for baking photoresist patterns are provided. The method includes putting a wafer over a heating assembly. A photoresist pattern is formed over a top surface of the wafer. The method further includes curing the wafer from the top surface of the wafer by a curing assembly while heating the wafer from a bottom surface of the wafer by a heating assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Chin-Min Lin, De-Fang Huang, Ching-Hui Tsao
  • Patent number: 9472435
    Abstract: Implementations described herein provide a substrate support assembly which enables both lateral and azimuthal tuning of the heat transfer between an electrostatic chuck and a heating assembly. The substrate support assembly comprises a body having a substrate support surface and a lower surface, one or more main resistive heaters disposed in the body, a plurality of spatially tunable heaters disposed in the body, and a spatially tunable heater controller coupled to the plurality of spatially tunable heaters, the spatially tunable heater controller configured to independently control an output one of the plurality of spatially tunable heaters relative to another of the plurality of spatially tunable heaters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Vijay D. Parkhe, Steven E. Babayan, Konstantin Makhratchev, Zhiqiang Guo, Phillip R. Sommer, Dan A. Marohl
  • Patent number: 9403187
    Abstract: A substrate processing method includes an SPM supplying step of supplying SPM having high temperature to an upper surface of a substrate, a DIW supplying step of supplying, after the SPM supplying step, DIW having room temperature to the upper surface of the substrate to rinse off the liquid remaining on the substrate, a hydrogen peroxide water supplying step of supplying, after the SPM supplying step and before the DIW supplying step, hydrogen peroxide water of a liquid temperature lower than the temperature of the SPM and not less than room temperature, to the upper surface of the substrate in a state where the SPM remains on the substrate, and a temperature decrease suppressing step of supplying, in parallel to the hydrogen peroxide water supplying step, pure water having high temperature to a lower surface of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sei Negoro, Ryo Muramoto, Yasuhiko Nagai, Tsutomu Osuka, Keiji Iwata
  • Patent number: 9401286
    Abstract: Disclosed is a plasma processing device that provides an object to be treated with plasma treatment. A wafer as an object to be treated, which is attached on the upper surface of adhesive sheet held by a holder frame, is mounted on a stage. In a vacuum chamber that covers the stage therein, plasma is generated, by which the wafer mounted on the stage undergoes plasma treatment. The plasma processing device contains a cover member made of dielectric material. During the plasma treatment on the wafer, the holder frame is covered with a cover member placed at a predetermined position above the stage, at the same time, the wafer is exposed from an opening formed in the center of the cover member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2016
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tetsuhiro Iwai
  • Patent number: 9337004
    Abstract: A wafer processing system is provided for use with a driver and a material supply source. The driver is operable to generate a driving signal. The material supply source is operable to provide a material. The wafer processing system includes an upper confinement chamber portion, a lower confinement chamber portion, a confinement ring, and an electro-static chuck. The upper confinement chamber portion has an upper confinement chamber portion inner surface. The lower confinement chamber portion is detachably disposed in contact with the upper confinement chamber portion. The lower confinement chamber portion has a lower confinement chamber portion inner surface. The confinement ring is removably disposed in contact with the upper confinement chamber portion inner surface and the lower confinement chamber portion inner surface. The confinement ring has a confinement ring inner surface. The electro-static chuck has an electro-static chuck upper surface and is arranged to receive the driving signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION
    Inventors: Alexei Marakhtanov, Rajhinder Dhindsa
  • Patent number: 9279758
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods for diagnosing status of a consumable part of a plasma reaction chamber, the consumable part including at least one conductive element embedded therein. The method includes the steps of: coupling the conductive element to a power supply so that a bias potential relative to the ground is applied to the conductive element; exposing the consumable part to plasma erosion until the conductive element draws a current from the plasma upon exposure of the conductive element to the plasma; measuring the current; and evaluating a degree of erosion of the consumable part due to the plasma based on the measured current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2016
    Assignee: LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION
    Inventor: Roger Patrick