Pinning Patents (Class 361/234)
  • Patent number: 12040209
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an electrostatic chuck heater and a manufacturing method therefor and, more particularly, to an electrostatic chuck heater comprising: a ground electrode; and an electrostatic chuck electrode spaced a predetermined distance apart from the outside of the ground electrode, wherein the heater can reduce the phenomenon of rising of a wafer edge and thus can significantly reduce the temperature deviation according to positions on a heating surface of an object, such as a wafer, so as to increase the temperature uniformity of the heating surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2024
    Assignee: MICO CERAMICS LTD.
    Inventors: Chul Ho Jung, Jin Young Choi
  • Patent number: 12033875
    Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein include an apparatus for measuring chucking force and methods of using such apparatuses. In an embodiment, the apparatus for measuring a chucking force comprises a substrate having a chucking surface, where the chucking surface is the surface that is supported by a chuck. In an embodiment, the apparatus further comprises a plurality of sensors over the chucking surface, where the plurality of sensors are thin film sensors with a thickness that is less than a thickness of the substrate. In an embodiment, the apparatus further comprises a wireless communication module electrically coupled to each of the plurality of sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventor: Ramesh Gopalan
  • Patent number: 12033886
    Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes a mounting stage including a mounting surface, on which an object to be processed is mounted, a back surface provided on a side opposite to the mounting surface, a plate-like member, in which a first hole penetrating through the mounting surface and the back surface is formed, and a base having a supporting surface for supporting the plate-like member and having a second hole communicating with the first hole; and an embedment member disposed inside the first and second holes, the first embedment member being disposed inside the first hole, the second embedment member being disposed inside the second hole, wherein the first embedment member and the second embedment member are not mutually fixed, and the first embedment member has a portion having a wider width than a width of an upper end portion on a lower side than the upper end portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2024
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Yasuharu Sasaki, Ryo Chiba, Akira Nagayama
  • Patent number: 12020967
    Abstract: A substrate lifting apparatus LM according to this invention is built into a stage ST having, on an upper surface, an electrostatic chuck EC for attracting a to-be-processed substrate W hands over the to-be-processed substrate to and from the stage has: lifting pins which are moveable upward and downward between a hidden position in which the lifting pins lie hidden into the stage, and a protruded position protruding upward from the upper surface of the stage; and a driving means for moving the lifting pins upward and downward. The driving means is arranged to be able to stop the upward movement of the lifting pins in an intermediate position in the course of moving the lifting pins upward from the hidden position to the protruded position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2024
    Assignee: ULVAC TECHNO, LTD.
    Inventors: Katsunori Fujii, Masanori Ito
  • Patent number: 12009230
    Abstract: A bonding device has two chucks, two gas pressure regulators and a control unit. The chucks each have a holding surface with pressure ports fluidically connected to the respective gas pressure regulator. The control unit is electrically and/or wirelessly connected to the gas pressure regulators and configured to control gas pressure regulators independently from each other. Support elements movably mounted within the pressure ports, are provided to measure the amount of substrate deflection and adjust the respective gas pressures and also to apply additional mechanical pressure to the substrates. The two chucks may be mounted on corresponding support structures so as to be thermally isolated therefrom. The temperature of the two chucks may be equalised by moving the chucks into contact. A chuck tempering device may be used for equalising the temperature of the two chucks. The bonding device is used for bonding two substrates by bonding wave propagation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2024
    Assignee: SUSS MICROTEC LITHOGRAPHY GMBH
    Inventor: George Gregory
  • Patent number: 11984305
    Abstract: A substrate pedestal includes a thermally conductive substrate support including a mesh, a thermally conductive shaft including a plurality of conductive rods therein, each conductive rod having a first end and a second end, and a sensor. The first end of each conductive rod is electrically coupled to the mesh, and the sensor is disposed between the first and second ends of each conductive rod and configured to detect current flow through each conductive rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Viren Kalsekar, Vinay K. Prabhakar, Venkata Sharat Chandra Parimi
  • Patent number: 11984296
    Abstract: A substrate support for supporting a substrate in a substrate processing system includes a baseplate and a ceramic layer arranged above the baseplate. An outer perimeter of the ceramic layer is surrounded by an edge ring. An outer radius of the ceramic layer is greater than an inner radius of the edge ring such that an outer edge of the ceramic layer extends below the edge ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2024
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Fangli Hao, Yuehong Fu, Zhigang Chen
  • Patent number: 11973443
    Abstract: Disclosed embodiments include electroadhesion devices for securing smartphones and other consumer devices to target surfaces. In various embodiments, the electroadhesion device may include a digital switch for adjusting the output voltage generated by a voltage converter. The digital switch may enable safe operation of the electroadhesion device by ensuring the output voltage generated by the voltage converter is compatible with the target surface. To determine a compatible output voltage, the electroadhesion device may include one or more sensors that may measure one or more characteristics of the target surface including conductivity, porosity, hardness, smoothness, and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Selfie Snapper, Inc.
    Inventor: Denis Koci
  • Patent number: 11948825
    Abstract: A wafer placement table includes: an electrostatic chuck that is a ceramic sintered body in which an electrode for electrostatic adsorption is embedded; a cooling member which is bonded to a surface on an opposite side of a wafer placement surface of the electrostatic chuck, and cools the electrostatic chuck; a hole for power supply terminal, the hole penetrating the cooling member in a thickness direction; and a power supply terminal which is bonded to the electrode for electrostatic adsorption from the surface on the opposite side of the wafer placement surface of the electrostatic chuck, and is inserted in the hole for power supply terminal. The outer peripheral surface of a portion of the power supply terminal is covered with an insulating thin film that is formed by coating of an insulating material, the portion being inserted in the hole for power supply terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Kenichiro Aikawa, Hiroshi Takebayashi, Tatsuya Kuno
  • Patent number: 11942350
    Abstract: An electrostatic chuck includes a base having a surface on which an object is to be placed, and a through hole extending through the base, wherein a porous material containing angular ceramic particles is disposed in the through hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: SHINKO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masakuni Miyazawa, Mizuki Watanabe, Tomohiro Inoue
  • Patent number: 11936308
    Abstract: Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide an apparatus for grasping an object. The apparatus includes a substrate comprising a plurality of electrode pixels; and a controller configured to energize each electrode pixel of the plurality of electrode pixels individually, wherein the apparatus is configured to grasp an object electrostatically using the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: David M. Bain, Brittany P. Chambers
  • Patent number: 11929266
    Abstract: A wafer support device includes a support base having a wafer-facing surface, the support base comprising a heater, and an electrostatic chuck supported by the support base, the electrostatic chuck having an attraction surface configured to attract a wafer for wafer processing. During the wafer processing, the wafer-facing surface and the attraction surface are positioned at respective different positions in a direction perpendicular to the wafer-facing surface so that the attraction surface is separated from the wafer-facing surface by a distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: NISSIN ION EQUIPMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Takashi Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 11923229
    Abstract: A plasma processing method includes supplying a voltage to an electrode provided in an electrostatic chuck, thereby adsorbing a substrate onto an upper surface of the electrostatic chuck; after the voltage supplied to the electrode of the electrostatic chuck is stabilized, cutting off the supply of the voltage to the electrode, thereby bringing the electrode into a floating state; and after the voltage supplied to the electrode of the electrostatic chuck is stabilized, performing a predetermined processing with plasma on a surface of the substrate adsorbed onto the electrostatic chuck.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventor: Yusuke Aoki
  • Patent number: 11923171
    Abstract: A disclose substrate support of a plasma processing apparatus has an electrostatic chuck that holds an edge ring. The electrostatic chuck includes a first electrode and a second electrode. In an execution period of a first plasma processing on a substrate, first potentials which are ones out of potentials same as each other and potentials different from each other are set to the first and second electrodes, respectively. In an execution period of a second plasma processing on the substrate, second potentials which are others out of the potentials same as each other and the potentials different from each other are set to the first and second electrodes, respectively. The respective potentials of the first electrode and the second electrode are switched from the first potentials to the second potentials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Junichi Sasaki, Yasuharu Sasaki, Hidetoshi Hanaoka, Tomohiko Akiyama
  • Patent number: 11908666
    Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes a plasma processing chamber; a base disposed in the plasma processing chamber; an electrostatic chuck, disposed on the base, having a substrate support portion and an edge ring support portion on which an edge ring is disposed so as to surround a substrate; a first clamping electrode disposed in the substrate support portion; a first bias electrode disposed below the first clamping electrode in the substrate support portion; a second clamping electrode disposed in the edge ring support portion; a second bias electrode disposed below the second clamping electrode in the edge ring support portion; a first power source electrically connected to the first bias electrode; and a second power source electrically connected to the second bias electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Yasuharu Sasaki, Tsuguto Sugawara, Shin Yamaguchi, Hajime Tamura
  • Patent number: 11881423
    Abstract: Electrostatic chucks (ESCs) for plasma processing chambers, and methods of fabricating ESCs, are described. In an example, a substrate support assembly includes a ceramic bottom plate having heater elements therein. The substrate support assembly also includes a ceramic top plate having an electrode therein. A metal layer is between the ceramic top plate and the ceramic bottom plate. The ceramic top plate is in direct contact with the metal layer, and the metal layer is in direct contact with the ceramic bottom plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventor: Vijay D. Parkhe
  • Patent number: 11866281
    Abstract: Provided is an electrostatic adsorption body capable of exhibiting a high adsorption force, especially with respect to a highly insulative sheet-like object to be adsorbed, such as a cloth, while using an electrical adsorption force. This electrostatic adsorption body, which uses electrostatic force to adsorb an object to be adsorbed, is provided with: a laminate sheet in which a 20-200 ?m-thick insulator, a 1-20 ?m-thick electrode layer, and a 20-200 ?m-thick resin film are sequentially laminated; and a power supply device that applies a voltage to the electrode layer, wherein the resin film at least has a tensile modulus of 1 MPa or more and less than 100 MPa and a volume resistivity of 1Ɨ1010-1013 ? cm, the electrode layer is composed of a bipolar electrode including a positive electrode and a negative electrode, and an object to be adsorbed is adsorbed using the resin film as an adsorption surface due to an electrostatic adsorption force that is generated by applying a voltage to the electrode layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Daiki Kaneko, Yoshiaki Tatsumi, Shinsuke Hirano
  • Patent number: 11837481
    Abstract: This disclosure describes systems, methods, and apparatus for non-invasive wafer chuck monitoring using a low voltage AC signal injected into a high voltage DC chucking voltage provided to a wafer chuck. Monitoring the injected signal can provide insight into the wafer chucking state and remedial actions, such as realignment of the wafer with the wafer chuck, can be carried out. Because of the low voltage nature of the AC signal, wafer chuck monitoring can be performed without influencing chucking performed by the higher voltage DC chucking voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Advanced Energy Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Match, Carlos Alicea
  • Patent number: 11830753
    Abstract: A composite sintered body includes a base material that contains Al2O3 as a main component, and an electrode arranged inside or on a surface of the base material. The electrode contains Ru, ZrO2, and Al2O3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Keita Miyanishi, Kyohei Atsuji, Asumi Nagai, Hirofumi Yamaguchi, Soichiro Aoyagi
  • Patent number: 11798833
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are embodiments of a lift apparatus and systems containing a support and at least one lift apparatus for moving a substrate between the support and a transfer plane, using a servo-control system. Further disclosed herein are methods for servo control of a lift apparatus and lifting a substrate off of a support or lowering the substrate onto the support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul Wirth, Behzad Taheri
  • Patent number: 11794296
    Abstract: Electrostatic chucks and method for forming the same are described herein. The electrostatic chucks include a backside gas passage having a ceramic porous plug secured therein by a ceramic body of the chuck with a ceramic-to-ceramic body. In one example, ceramic porous plug is sintered with the ceramic body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Arvinder Chadha, Tomoaki Kohzu
  • Patent number: 11784080
    Abstract: Implementations described herein provide a substrate support assembly. The substrate support assembly has an electrostatic chuck having a workpiece supporting surface and a bottom surface. The substrate support assembly further includes a plurality of layers which has a thermal interface layer. The plurality of layers are disposed below the electrostatic chuck. A cooling base having a top surface, the top surface is disposed below the plurality of layers. A temperature differential across the thermal interface layer is about 150 degrees Celsius when the workpiece supporting surface of the electrostatic chuck is at a temperature of about 300 degrees Celsius.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventor: Vijay D. Parkhe
  • Patent number: 11784068
    Abstract: A member for semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes an upper plate that has a wafer placement surface, that contains an electrostatic electrode and an upper auxiliary electrode parallel to each other, and that comprises ceramics; an intermediate plate that is joined to a surface of the upper plate opposite the wafer placement surface with a first metal joining layer interposed therebetween; and a lower plate that is joined to a surface of the intermediate plate opposite a surface joined to the upper plate with a second metal joining layer interposed therebetween and that contains a heater electrode and a lower auxiliary electrode parallel to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takebayashi, Joyo Ito
  • Patent number: 11785754
    Abstract: Support blocks for printed circuit boards (PCB's) and printed circuit board assemblies (PCBA's), wherein the support blocks are produced from a 3D printing process. The support block including a bottom surface having a vacuum connection; a top surface having at least one vacuum hole; at least one recessed surface that is offset from the top surface; and at least one vacuum channel extending from the vacuum connection to the at least one vacuum hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: JABIL INC.
    Inventors: Darin Burgess, Randy Crockett, Timothy DeRosett, Charles Santhakumar, Scott Klimczak, Anwar A. Mohammed, Luke Rodgers, Harpuneet Singh, Daniel Torres, Felipe Torres
  • Patent number: 11776835
    Abstract: Exemplary semiconductor processing systems may include a processing chamber and an electrostatic chuck disposed at least partially within the processing chamber. The electrostatic chuck may include at least one electrode and a heater. A semiconductor processing system may include a power supply to provide a signal to the electrode to provide electrostatic force to secure a substrate to the electrostatic chuck. The system may also include a filter communicatively coupled between the power supply and the electrode. The filter is configured to remove or reduce noise introduced into the chucking signal by operating the heater while the electrostatic force on the substrate is maintained. The filter may include active circuitry, passive circuitry, or both, and may include an adjustment circuit to set the gain of the filter so that an output signal level from the filter corresponds to an input signal level for the filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Zheng John Ye, Daemian Raj Benjamin Raj, Rana Howlader, Abhigyan Keshri, Sanjay G. Kamath, Dmitry A. Dzilno, Juan Carlos Rocha-Alvarez, Shailendra Srivastava, Kristopher R. Enslow, Xinhai Han, Deenesh Padhi, Edward P. Hammond
  • Patent number: 11776836
    Abstract: An electrostatic chuck includes a ceramic dielectric substrate; a base plate; and a heater unit which heats the ceramic dielectric substrate. The heater unit includes a first heater element. The first heater element has a plurality of sub-zones. The sub-zones include a first sub-zone. The first sub-zone includes a sub-heater line generating heat by allowing a current to flow, a first sub-power feeding portion feeding a power to the sub-heater line, and a second sub-power feeding portion feeding a power to the sub-heater line. The first sub-zone has a central region located centrally in the first sub-zone and an outer peripheral region located outside the central region when viewed along a Z-direction perpendicular to the first major surface. At least one of the first sub-power feeding portion and the second sub-power feeding portion is provided in the central region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Toto Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihito Ono, Jumpei Uefuji
  • Patent number: 11764038
    Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes a processing chamber that performs a plasma processing using plasma; a placing table provided in the processing chamber and including a substrate placing portion and a focus ring placing portion, the focus ring placing portion surrounding the substrate placing portion; a focus ring disposed on the focus ring placing portion; a first electrode and a second electrode both disposed inside the focus ring placing portion; a DC power source configured to apply a first DC voltage to the first electrode and apply a second DC voltage to the second electrode; and a controller configured to control the DC power source such that respective polarities of the first DC voltage and the second DC voltage are independently and periodically switched.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Shoichiro Matsuyama, Naoki Tamaru, Yasuharu Sasaki
  • Patent number: 11756820
    Abstract: An electrostatic chuck includes a ceramic dielectric substrate; a base plate; and a heater unit which heats the ceramic dielectric substrate. The heater unit includes first and second heater elements. The second heater element has a plurality of main zones separated from each other in a radial direction. The first heater element has a plurality of sub-zones separated from each other. A number of the sub-zones is larger than a number of the main zones. The main zones include a first main zone. The first main zone has a main heater line and a first main power feeding portion. The sub-zones include a first sub-zone overlapping the first main zone. The first sub-zone has a central region and an outer peripheral region. The first main power feeding portion is provided at a position where the first main power feeding portion overlaps the central region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: Toto Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihito Ono, Jumpei Uefuji
  • Patent number: 11742224
    Abstract: Provided are a substrate chuck and a substrate bonding system including the substrate chuck. The substrate bonding system includes a lower substrate chuck and an upper substrate chuck disposed on the lower substrate chuck. The lower substrate chuck has a non-flat lower substrate contact surface, and the upper substrate chuck has a flat upper substrate contact surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Inventors: Youngbin Choi, Heebok Kang
  • Patent number: 11742225
    Abstract: An electrostatic puck assembly includes an upper puck plate, a lower puck plate and a backing plate. The upper puck plate comprises AlN or Al2O3 and has a first coefficient of thermal expansion. The lower puck plate comprises a material having a second coefficient of thermal expansion that approximately matches the first coefficient of thermal expansion and is bonded to the upper puck plate by a first metal bond. The backing plate comprises AlN or Al2O3 and is bonded to the lower puck plate by a second metal bond.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventor: Vijay D. Parkhe
  • Patent number: 11735458
    Abstract: A ceramic mixture paste includes oxide ceramic particles, burn-off particles, and a firing aid. The burn-off particles are burned off at a temperature lower than the firing temperature of the oxide ceramic particles. The firing aid melts at a temperature lower than the firing temperature. The ratio of the volume of the burn-off particles to the volume of the oxide ceramic particles is more than 0% and less than or equal to 20%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: SHINKO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tomotake Minemura
  • Patent number: 11728199
    Abstract: A method for applying raised features to a semiconductor substrate chuck, each feature acting to space a substrate from the chuck in use, the method comprising the steps of: i) providing an assembly having a carrier layer, a feature adhered to the carrier layer, and a peel-ply layer adhered to the carrier layer such that the feature is enclosed between the carrier layer and the peel-ply layer, ii) removing the peel-ply layer, and iii) adhering the feature to the chuck.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: ASMPT NEXX, INC.
    Inventors: I-Kuan Lin, Arthur Sommerstein, Khanh Vo, Kevin Barbera
  • Patent number: 11694870
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a stage apparatus comprising: an object table configured to hold a substrate, the object table comprising an electrode configured to be charged by a power source and an electrical connection configured to electrically connect the electrode to the power source, and an electric field shield configured to shield at least a part of the electrical connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Jan-Gerard Cornelis Van Der Toorn, Paulus Martinus Hubertus Vissers
  • Patent number: 11694871
    Abstract: Provided is a charged particle beam device capable of improving the accuracy of measurement and processing. The charged particle beam device includes an electrostatic chuck that adsorbs an inspection object, a voltage generation unit that generates a voltage to be supplied to the electrostatic chuck, and a state determination unit that determines a state of the inspection object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Tech Corporation
    Inventors: Ryo Kadoi, Wen Li, Naoya Ishigaki
  • Patent number: 11682566
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a processing apparatus for processing substrates having different base shapes includes a stage comprising a first portion having a substrate facing surface and an opening extending therethough connected to a source of a cooling fluid, and a second portion located outwardly of the first portion, a substrate support, having a substrate support surface thereon, extending over the second portion, a process fluid outlet overlying the first portion, and a driving unit coupled to one of the stage and the first portion, wherein the driving unit is configured to move at least one of the substrate support surface and the substrate facing surface such that the relative locations of the substrate support surface and the substrate facing surface of the stage are changeable based on the shape of a substrate to be processed in the apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: Kioxia Corporation
    Inventors: Kosuke Takai, Mana Tanabe, Hideaki Sakurai
  • Patent number: 11682575
    Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus for plasma processing a substrate held on a conveying carrier, the carrier including a holding sheet and a frame supporting an outer periphery of the holding sheet. The apparatus includes a controller that controls a plasma generator, an electrostatic adsorption mechanism, and a lifting system, to sequentially execute: an adsorption step allowing the substrate to be adsorbed electrostatically to a stage; an etching step of exposing the substrate adsorbed electrostatically to the stage to an etching plasma; a frame separation step of lifting the support, to separate the frame away from the stage, with at least part of the holding sheet kept in contact with the stage; a holding sheet separation step of separating the holding sheet away from the stage; and a static elimination step of exposing the substrate separated away from the stage to a static elimination plasma.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Atsushi Harikai, Shogo Okita
  • Patent number: 11658012
    Abstract: A control method includes: (a) connecting a power supply to an electrode of an electrostatic chuck inside a chamber and applying a voltage from the power supply to the electrode; (b) after (a), switching a connection between the electrode and the power supply to a non-connection state; (c) after (b), supplying a gas into the chamber to generate plasma; and (d) measuring a potential of the electrode during (c).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Arakane, Tetsu Tsunamoto, Masanori Sato, Yoshinori Osaki
  • Patent number: 11651991
    Abstract: A wafer support structure in a chamber of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is provided. The wafer support structure includes a dielectric block having a bottom surface and a top surface supports a wafer when present. The wafer support structure includes a baseplate for supporting the dielectric block. The wafer support structure includes a first electrode embedded in an upper part of the dielectric block. The first electrode is proximate and below the top surface of the dielectric block. A top surface of the first electrode is substantially parallel to the top surface of the dielectric block. The first electrode is configured for connection to a direct current (DC) power source. The wafer support structure includes a second electrode embedded in the dielectric block. The wafer support structure includes a second electrode disposed below the first electrode and a separation distance is defined between the first electrode and the second electrode within the dielectric block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Alexander Matyushkin, Alexei Marakhtanov, John Patrick Holland, Keith Gaff, Felix Kozakevich
  • Patent number: 11647664
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a display apparatus includes placing a display substrate on a susceptor in a chamber, maintaining the susceptor at a first temperature, dividing the display substrate into a plurality of partial substrates, and maintaining the susceptor at a second temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Daehum Park
  • Patent number: 11640917
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a substrate support assembly having a ground electrode mesh disposed therein along a side surface of the substrate support assembly. The substrate support assembly has a body. The body has an outer top surface, an outer side surface and an outer bottom surface enclosing an interior of the body. The body has a ground electrode mesh disposed in the interior of the body and adjacent the outer side surface, wherein the ground electrode does not extend through to the outer top surface or the outer side surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael R. Rice, Vijay D. Parkhe
  • Patent number: 11637512
    Abstract: Disclosed is an object table for holding an object, comprising: an electrostatic clamp arranged to clamp the object on the object table; a neutralizer arranged to neutralize a residual charge of the electrostatic clamp; a control unit arranged to control the neutralizer, wherein the residual charge is an electrostatic charge present on the electrostatic clamp when no voltage is applied to the electrostatic clamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Jan-Gerard Cornelis Van Der Toorn, Jeroen Gertruda Antonius Huinck, Han Willem Hendrik Severt, Allard Eelco Kooiker, Michaƫl Johannes Christiaan Ronde, Arno Maria Wellink, Shibing Liu, Ying Luo, Yixiang Wang, Chia-Yao Chen, Bohang Zhu, Jurgen Van Soest
  • Patent number: 11631598
    Abstract: A substrate fixing device includes a baseplate, an insulating layer over the baseplate, and an electrostatic chuck on the insulating layer. The insulating layer includes a heating element and a metal layer. The metal layer has a higher thermal conductivity than the insulating layer and is positioned closer to the electrostatic chuck than the heating element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: SHINKO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Iijima, Hiroyuki Asakawa, Keiichi Takemoto, Yoichi Harayama
  • Patent number: 11623253
    Abstract: Substrate supports, substrate support assemblies and methods of using an arc generated between a first electrode and a second electrode to clean a support surface. The first electrode comprises a plurality of first branches which are interdigitated with a plurality of branches of the second electrode in a finger-joint like pattern creating a gap between the first electrode and the second electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Tejas Ulavi, Arkaprava Dan, Sanjeev Baluja, Wei V. Tang
  • Patent number: 11626310
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an electrostatic chuck includes a ceramic dielectric substrate, a base plate, and a first porous part. The ceramic dielectric substrate has a first major surface and a second major surface on opposite side from the first major surface. The base plate supports the ceramic dielectric substrate and includes a gas feed channel. The first porous part is provided at a position between the base plate and the first major surface of the ceramic dielectric substrate. The position is opposed to the gas feed channel. The first porous part includes a plurality of sparse portions each including a plurality of pores. The plurality of sparse portions are spaced from each other. Each of the plurality of sparse portions extends in a direction inclined by a prescribed angle with respect to a first direction from the base plate to the ceramic dielectric substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: Toto Ltd.
    Inventors: Jun Shiraishi, Shuichiro Saigan, Tatsuya Mori, Masahiro Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11612972
    Abstract: Described are electrostatic chucks that are useful to support a workpiece during a step of processing the workpiece, the electrostatic chuck including embossments that are made of multiple deposited layers, the layers including diamond-like carbon layers and layers that contain silicon-based materials such as silicon carbide layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: ENTEGRIS, INC.
    Inventors: Yan Liu, Steven Donnell, Jakub Rybczynski, Chun Wang Chan, Caleb Minsky
  • Patent number: 11617288
    Abstract: The feeder management device is a device that manages selection of a tape feeder to be set at each set position defined for each component in a component feeding unit of a component-mounting device. The feeder management device includes a memory unit and a feeder selection management unit. The memory unit stores list information indicating, for each component, whether or not to use a tape feeder of a special type among a plurality of tape feeders different in method of supplying the component storage tape, the tape feeder of the special type supplying the component storage tape easily. The feeder selection management unit refers to the list information stored in the memory unit, and manages selection of the tape feeder for each component, the selection corresponding to each set position in the component feeding unit of the component-mounting device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masaki Higashino, Toshihiro Michizoe
  • Patent number: 11600510
    Abstract: An electrostatic chuck heater includes a ceramic plate, an electrostatic electrode, first and second zone heater electrodes, and first and second zone gas grooves. The ceramic plate includes, on its surface, a wafer placement surface. The electrostatic electrode is embedded in the ceramic plate. The first and second zone heater electrodes are embedded in the ceramic plate, corresponding to respective multiple heater zones into which the wafer placement surface is divided, and allow electric power to be individually supplied to the heater zones. Zone gas grooves are provided corresponding to respective multiple gas supply zones into which the wafer placement surface is divided independently of the heater zones, and allow a gas to be individually supplied to the gas supply zones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventor: Joyo Ito
  • Patent number: 11594428
    Abstract: A wafer chuck assembly includes a puck, a shaft and a base. The puck includes an electrically insulating material that defines a top surface of the puck; a plurality of electrodes are embedded within the electrically insulating material. The puck also includes an inner puck element that forms one or more channels for a heat exchange fluid, the inner puck element being in thermal communication with the electrically insulating material, and an electrically conductive plate disposed proximate to the inner puck element. The shaft includes an electrically conductive shaft housing that is electrically coupled with the plate, and a plurality of connectors, including electrical connectors for the electrodes. The base includes an electrically conductive base housing that is electrically coupled with the shaft housing, and an electrically insulating terminal block disposed within the base housing, the plurality of connectors passing through the terminal block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Toan Q. Tran, Zilu Weng, Dmitry Lubomirsky, Satoru Kobayashi, Tae Seung Cho, Soonam Park, Son M. Phi, Shankar Venkataraman
  • Patent number: 11587818
    Abstract: An apparatus for securing a wafer includes a chuck, at least one O-ring disposed on the chuck, a vacuum system connected to the chuck, such that the vacuum system comprises a plurality of vacuum holes through the chuck connected to one or more vacuum pumps, and a controller configured to control the height of the at least one O-ring relative to the top surface of the chuck. The controller is connected to pressure sensors capable of detecting a vacuum. The at least one O-ring may include a plurality of O-rings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Chen-Hua Yu, Ming-Tan Lee, Hung-Jui Kuo
  • Patent number: RE49725
    Abstract: The invention relates to a substrate handling and exposure arrangement comprising a plurality of lithography apparatus, a clamp preparation unit for clamping a wafer on a wafer support structure, a wafer track, wherein the clamp preparation unit is configured for accepting a wafer from the wafer track, and an additional wafer track for transferring the clamp towards the plurality of lithography apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Hendrik Jan De Jong, Marco Jan-Jaco Wieland