公开(公告)号：US12136557B2

公开(公告)日：2024-11-05

申请号：US18335899

申请日：2023-06-15

Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

Inventor： Upendra V. Ummethala ,  Blake Erickson ,  Prashanth Kumar ,  Michael Kutney ,  Steven Trey Tindel ,  Zhaozhao Zhu

IPC: H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/66

Abstract: A process recipe associated with a substrate at a manufacturing system is identified. A first set of measurements for the substrate is obtained from a substrate measurement subsystem. A second set of measurements for the substrate is obtained from one or more sensors of a chamber of the manufacturing system. A determination is made based on the obtained first set of measurements and the obtained second set of measurements of whether to modify the process recipe by at least one of modifying an operation of the process recipe or generating an instruction to prevent completion of execution of one or more operations of the process recipe.

公开(公告)号：US20240125491A1

公开(公告)日：2024-04-18

申请号：US18046290

申请日：2022-10-13

Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

Inventor： James Christopher Hansen ,  Steven Trey Tindel ,  Paul B. Reuter

IPC: F24F3/163

CPC classification number: F24F3/163

Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems and methods for reducing startup time of an equipment front end module (EFEM). The EFEM may include an EFEM chamber formed between a plurality of walls, an upper plenum above the EFEM chamber, the upper plenum in fluid communication with the EFEM chamber, a plurality of ducts that provide a return gas flow path enabling recirculation of gas from the EFEM chamber to the upper plenum, one or more filters that separate the upper plenum from the EFEM chamber, an isolation gate configured to block the return gas flow path responsive to the isolation gate being actuated to a closed position to isolate the one or more filters from an ambient environment responsive to a gas being flowed through the upper plenum when the EFEM chamber is opened to the ambient environment.

公开(公告)号：US20220028713A1

公开(公告)日：2022-01-27

申请号：US17379653

申请日：2021-07-19

Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

Inventor： Upendra V. Ummethala ,  Blake Erickson ,  Prashanth Kumar ,  Michael Kutney ,  Steven Trey Tindel ,  Zhaozhao Zhu

IPC: H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/66

Abstract: A method for determining whether to modify a manufacturing process recipe is provided. A substrate to be processed at a manufacturing system according to the first process recipe is identified. An instruction to transfer the substrate to a substrate measurement subsystem to obtain a first set of measurements for the substrate is generated. The first set of measurements for the substrate is received from the substrate measurement subsystem. An instruction to transfer the substrate from the substrate measurement subsystem to a processing chamber is generated. A second set of measurements for the substrate is received from one or more sensors of the processing chamber. A first mapping between the first set of measurements and the second set of measurements for the substrate is generated. The first set of measurements mapped to the second set of measurements for the substrate is stored. A determination is made based on the first set of measurements mapped to the second set of measurements for the substrate of whether to modify the first process recipe or a second process recipe for the substrate.

公开(公告)号：US12283503B2

公开(公告)日：2025-04-22

申请号：US17379677

申请日：2021-07-19

Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

Inventor： Upendra V. Ummethala ,  Blake Erickson ,  Prashanth Kumar ,  Michael Kutney ,  Steven Trey Tindel ,  Zhaozhao Zhu

IPC: G01N27/07 ,  G01B11/00 ,  G01N21/95 ,  H01L21/66 ,  H01L21/67 ,  G01N21/27

Abstract: A method for a substrate measurement subsystem is provided. An indication is received that a substrate being processed at a manufacturing system has been loaded into a substrate measurement subsystem. First positional data of the substrate within the substrate measurement subsystem is determined. One or more portions of the substrate to be measured by one or more sensing components of the substrate measurement subsystem are determined based on the first positional data of the substrate and a process recipe for the substrate. Measurements of each of the determined portions of the substrate are obtained by one or more sensing components of the substrate measurement subsystem. The obtained measurements of each of the determined portions of the substrate are transmitted to a system controller.

公开(公告)号：US20230326773A1

公开(公告)日：2023-10-12

申请号：US18335899

申请日：2023-06-15

Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

Inventor： Upendra V. Ummethala ,  Blake Erickson ,  Prashanth Kumar ,  Michael Kutney ,  Steven Trey Tindel ,  Zhaozhao Zhu

IPC: H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/66

CPC classification number: H01L21/67253 ,  H01L22/20 ,  H01L21/67288 ,  H01L21/67063 ,  H01L21/67167

Abstract: A process recipe associated with a substrate at a manufacturing system is identified. A first set of measurements for the substrate is obtained from a substrate measurement subsystem. A second set of measurements for the substrate is obtained from one or more sensors of a chamber of the manufacturing system. A determination is made based on the obtained first set of measurements and the obtained second set of measurements of whether to modify the process recipe by at least one of modifying an operation of the process recipe or generating an instruction to prevent completion of execution of one or more operations of the process recipe.

公开(公告)号：US11756816B2

公开(公告)日：2023-09-12

申请号：US16568910

申请日：2019-09-12

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Steven Trey Tindel ,  Alexander N. Lerner ,  Kim Ramkumar Vellore

IPC: H01L21/68 ,  H01L21/673

CPC classification number: H01L21/67386 ,  H01L21/67346 ,  H01L21/67363 ,  H01L21/67383 ,  H01L21/68

Abstract: A carrier FOUP and a method of placing a carrier are provided. The carrier FOUP includes a body and a door. The body includes a plurality of chamfers, and one or more carriers are placed on, and supported by, the plurality of chamfers. The method of placing a carrier includes placing the carrier in the carrier FOUP and closing the door of the carrier FOUP. When the door is closed, the door pushes against the carrier and aligns the carrier with the alignment feature. The alignment features align the carrier, removing the need to be aligned by the factory interface robot when placing or removing the carrier from the carrier FOUP.

公开(公告)号：US11688616B2

公开(公告)日：2023-06-27

申请号：US17379653

申请日：2021-07-19

Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

Inventor： Upendra V. Ummethala ,  Blake Erickson ,  Prashanth Kumar ,  Michael Kutney ,  Steven Trey Tindel ,  Zhaozhao Zhu

IPC: H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/66

CPC classification number: H01L21/67253 ,  H01L21/67288 ,  H01L22/20 ,  H01L21/67063 ,  H01L21/67167

Abstract: A method for determining whether to modify a manufacturing process recipe is provided. A substrate to be processed at a manufacturing system according to the first process recipe is identified. An instruction to transfer the substrate to a substrate measurement subsystem to obtain a first set of measurements for the substrate is generated. The first set of measurements for the substrate is received from the substrate measurement subsystem. An instruction to transfer the substrate from the substrate measurement subsystem to a processing chamber is generated. A second set of measurements for the substrate is received from one or more sensors of the processing chamber. A first mapping between the first set of measurements and the second set of measurements for the substrate is generated. The first set of measurements mapped to the second set of measurements for the substrate is stored. A determination is made based on the first set of measurements mapped to the second set of measurements for the substrate of whether to modify the first process recipe or a second process recipe for the substrate.

公开(公告)号：US11511950B2

公开(公告)日：2022-11-29

申请号：US16942607

申请日：2020-07-29

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Michael Minh Phan ,  Steven Trey Tindel ,  Paul Benjamin Reuter

IPC: H01L21/68 ,  B65G47/91 ,  H01L21/687

Abstract: A substrate flipping device includes a substrate securing assembly, a gripping actuator, and a rotary actuator. The gripping actuator is configured to pneumatically cause the substrate securing assembly to be in an open position to receive a substrate and configured to pneumatically cause the substrate securing assembly to be in a closed position to secure the substrate. The rotary actuator is configured to pneumatically cause the substrate securing assembly to rotate to a flipped position and to pneumatically rotate to a non-flipped position.

公开(公告)号：US20220033197A1

公开(公告)日：2022-02-03

申请号：US16942607

申请日：2020-07-29

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Michael Minh Phan ,  Steven Trey Tindel ,  Paul Benjamin Reuter

IPC: B65G47/91

Abstract: A substrate flipping device includes a substrate securing assembly, a gripping actuator, and a rotary actuator. The gripping actuator is configured to pneumatically cause the substrate securing assembly to be in an open position to receive a substrate and configured to pneumatically cause the substrate securing assembly to be in a closed position to secure the substrate. The rotary actuator is configured to pneumatically cause the substrate securing assembly to rotate to a flipped position and to pneumatically rotate to a non-flipped position.

公开(公告)号：US20220026817A1

公开(公告)日：2022-01-27

申请号：US17379707

申请日：2021-07-19

Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

Inventor： Upendra V. Ummethala ,  Blake Erickson ,  Prashanth Kumar ,  Michael Kutney ,  Steven Trey Tindel ,  Zhaozhao Zhu

IPC: G03F7/20 ,  G06N20/00

Abstract: A method for training a machine learning model to predict metrology measurements of a current substrate being processed at a manufacturing system is provided. Training data for the machine learning model is generated. A first training input including historical spectral data and/or historical non-spectral data associated with a surface of a prior substrate previously processed at the manufacturing system is generated. A first target output for the first training input is generated. The first target output includes historical metrology measurements associated with the prior substrate previously processed at the manufacturing system. Data is provided to train the machine learning model on (i) a set of training inputs including the first training input, and (ii) a set of target outputs including a first target output.