公开(公告)号：US20220350251A1

公开(公告)日：2022-11-03

申请号：US17531108

申请日：2021-11-19

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Dmitry LUBOMIRSKY ,  Douglas A. BUCHBERGER, JR. ,  Qiwei LIANG ,  Hyunjun KIM ,  Ellie Y. YIEH

IPC: G03F7/38 ,  H01J37/32

Abstract: A method and apparatus for performing post-exposure bake operations is described herein. The apparatus includes a plate stack and enables formation of a first high ion density plasma before the ion concentration within the first high ion density plasma is reduced using a diffuser to form a second low ion density plasma. The second low ion density plasma is an electron cloud or a dark plasma. An electric field is formed between a substrate support and the diffuser and through the second low ion density plasma during post-exposure bake of a substrate disposed on the substrate support. The second low ion density plasma electrically couples the substrate support and the diffuser during application of the electric field. The plate stack is equipped with power supplies and insulators to enable the formation or modification of a plasma within three regions of a process chamber.

公开(公告)号：US20230161260A1

公开(公告)日：2023-05-25

申请号：US17960798

申请日：2022-10-05

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Dmitry LUBOMIRSKY ,  Douglas A. BUCHBERGER, Jr. ,  Hyunjun KIM ,  Alan L. TSO ,  Shekhar ATHANI ,  Qiwei LIANG ,  Ellie Y. YIEH

IPC: G03F7/20 ,  G03F7/16 ,  H01L21/67

CPC classification number: G03F7/2041 ,  G03F7/168 ,  H01L21/67115 ,  H01L21/67109

Abstract: A method and apparatus for performing post-exposure bake cooling operations is described herein. The method begins by post exposure baking a substrate disposed on heated substrate support in a process chamber, the process chamber having a showerhead. The heated substrate support is moved to increase a distance between the heated substrate support and a cooled plate of the showerhead. The substrate is separated from the heated substrate support using a substrate lifting device. The substrate is moved into a close proximity to the cooled showerhead. The substrate is cooled until the substrate is less than about 70 degrees Celsius. The substrate is spaced away from the cooled showerhead using the substrate lifting device and aligning the substrate with a substrate transfer passage of the processing chamber for removal by a robot.