公开(公告)号：US12293902B2

公开(公告)日：2025-05-06

申请号：US17861324

申请日：2022-07-11

Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

Inventor： Muhannad Mustafa ,  Muhammad M. Rasheed ,  Yu Lei ,  Avgerinos V. Gelatos ,  Vikash Banthia ,  Victor H Calderon ,  Shi Wei Toh ,  Yung-Hsin Lee ,  Anindita Sen

IPC: H01J37/32

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for processing substrates are provided herein. In some embodiments, a process kit for a substrate support includes: an upper edge ring made of quartz and having an upper surface and a lower surface, wherein the upper surface is substantially planar and the lower surface includes a stepped lower surface to define a radially outermost portion and a radially innermost portion of the upper edge ring.

公开(公告)号：US20250140538A1

公开(公告)日：2025-05-01

申请号：US18495458

申请日：2023-10-26

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Devi Raghavee Veerappan ,  Ajit Balakrishna

IPC: H01J37/32 ,  G06F30/27

Abstract: A method for estimating pressure values within a processing chamber is provided. The method can include receiving a measurement of a pressure at a terminal end of an exit flow path from a processing chamber, and processing the measurement of the pressure using a model including conductance values for a plurality of segments of the exit flow path to estimate one or more pressure values within the processing chamber.

公开(公告)号：US20250140523A1

公开(公告)日：2025-05-01

申请号：US18498970

申请日：2023-10-31

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Stanislav S. TODOROV ,  D. Jeffrey LISCHER ,  Wonjae LEE ,  Pradeep SUBRAHMANYAN

IPC: H01J37/317 ,  H01J37/304

Abstract: A method of stress management in a substrate. The method may include comprising providing a stress compensation layer on a main surface of the substrate; and performing a dynamic implant procedure in an ion implanter to implant a set of ions into the stress compensation layer. The dynamic implant procedure may include exposing the substrate to an ion beam under a first set of conditions, the first set of conditions comprising an ion energy, a beam scan rate and a substrate scan rate; and varying at least the ion energy while the substrate is exposed to the ion beam. As such, a stress state of the substrate may change as a function of location on the substrate as a result of the dynamic implant.

公开(公告)号：US12288704B2

公开(公告)日：2025-04-29

申请号：US17989980

申请日：2022-11-18

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Ralph P. Antonio ,  Lee Guan Tay ,  Peter Lai ,  Sudhir R. Gondhalekar ,  Tzu-Fang Huang ,  Jeffrey Hudgens

IPC: H01L21/67 ,  B25J9/16 ,  B25J11/00 ,  B25J13/08 ,  B25J19/02 ,  G01S17/89 ,  H01L21/677

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate are provided herein. For example, an apparatus for processing a substrate comprises a transfer robot configured to position a substrate on a substrate support disposed within an interior of a processing chamber configured to process the substrate and a sensor disposed on the transfer robot, operably connected to a controller of the processing chamber, and configured with an angle of view to provide in-situ continuous closed loop feedback relating to spatial information of the interior of the processing chamber to the controller.

公开(公告)号：US12288677B2

公开(公告)日：2025-04-29

申请号：US18205690

申请日：2023-06-05

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Tsutomu Tanaka ,  Jared Ahmad Lee ,  Rakesh Ramadas ,  Dmitry A. Dzilno ,  Gregory J. Wilson ,  Sriharish Srinivasan

IPC: H01J37/32

Abstract: The disclosure describes a plasma source assemblies comprising a differential screw assembly, an RF hot electrode, a top cover, an upper housing and a lower housing. The differential screw assembly is configured to provide force to align the plasma source assembly vertically matching planarity of a susceptor. More particularly, the differential screw assembly increases a distance between the top cover and the upper housing to align the gap with the susceptor. The disclosure also provides a better thermal management by cooling fins. A temperature capacity of the plasma source assemblies is extended by using titanium electrode. The disclosure provides a cladding material covering a portion of a first surface of RF hot electrode, a second surface of RF hot electrode, a bottom surface of RF hot electrode, a portion of a surface of the showerhead and a portion of lower housing surface.

公开(公告)号：US12288672B2

公开(公告)日：2025-04-29

申请号：US17079783

申请日：2020-10-26

Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

Inventor： Qiwei Liang ,  Srinivas D. Nemani ,  Chentsau Chris Ying ,  Ellie Y. Yieh ,  Erica Chen ,  Nithin Thomas Alex

IPC: H01J37/32 ,  C23C16/513 ,  H01L21/02

Abstract: A method and apparatus for depositing a carbon compound on a substrate includes using an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) chamber with a chamber body, a lid, an interior volume, a pumping apparatus, and a gas delivery system and a pedestal for supporting a substrate disposed within the interior volume of the ICP chamber, the pedestal has an upper portion formed from aluminum nitride with an upper surface that is configured to support and heat a substrate with embedded heating elements and a lower portion with a tube-like structure formed from aluminum nitride that is configured to support the upper portion and house electrodes for supplying power to the embedded heating elements of the upper portion, and the pedestal is configured to heat the substrate during deposition of a carbon compound film.

公开(公告)号：US12285838B2

公开(公告)日：2025-04-29

申请号：US18505871

申请日：2023-11-09

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Jimin Zhang ,  Jianshe Tang ,  Brian J. Brown ,  Wei Lu ,  Priscilla Diep LaRosa

IPC: B24B37/26 ,  B24B37/005 ,  B24B37/04 ,  B24B37/27

Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing system includes a platen to hold a polishing pad, a carrier head to hold a substrate against a polishing surface of the polishing pad, and a controller. The polishing pad has a polishing control groove. The carrier is laterally movable by a first actuator across the polishing pad and rotatable by a second actuator. The controller synchronizes lateral oscillation of the carrier head with rotation of the carrier head such that over a plurality of successive oscillations of the carrier head such that when a first angular swath of an edge portion of the substrate is at an azimuthal angular position about an axis of rotation of the carrier head the first angular swath overlies the polishing surface and when a second angular swath of the edge portion of the substrate is at the azimuthal angular position the second angular swath overlies the polishing control groove.

公开(公告)号：US20250132155A1

公开(公告)日：2025-04-24

申请号：US18983235

申请日：2024-12-16

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Chen-Ying WU ,  Yi-Chiau HUANG ,  Zhiyuan YE ,  Schubert S. CHU ,  Errol Antonio C. SANCHEZ ,  Brian Hayes BURROWS

IPC: H01L21/02 ,  C30B25/08 ,  C30B25/18 ,  C30B29/06 ,  C30B33/02 ,  C30B33/12 ,  C30B35/00 ,  H01L21/3065 ,  H01L21/324

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure relate to apparatus, systems, and methods of using atomic hydrogen radicals with epitaxial deposition. In one aspect, nodular defects (e.g., nodules) are removed from epitaxial layers of substrate. In one implementation, a method of processing substrates includes selectively growing an epitaxial layer on one or more crystalline surfaces of a substrate. The epitaxial layer includes silicon. The method also includes etching the substrate to remove a plurality of nodules from one or more non-crystalline surfaces of the substrate. The etching includes exposing the substrate to atomic hydrogen radicals. The method also includes thermally annealing the epitaxial layer to an anneal temperature that is 600 degrees Celsius or higher.

公开(公告)号：US20250132146A1

公开(公告)日：2025-04-24

申请号：US18382961

申请日：2023-10-23

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Mohammad Mahdi TAVAKOLI ,  Chandan DAS ,  Bencherki MEBARKI ,  Joung Joo LEE ,  Jiecong TANG ,  Avgerinos V. GELATOS

IPC: H01L21/02 ,  H01L21/3213

Abstract: A method of capping a metal layer includes performing a conversion process to reduce a metal oxide layer formed on a top surface of the metal layer and form a metal sulfide layer on the top surface of the metal layer, exposing the top surface of the metal layer to an oxidizing environment, and performing a removal process to remove the metal sulfide layer.

公开(公告)号：US12283484B2

公开(公告)日：2025-04-22

申请号：US17342644

申请日：2021-06-09

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Nancy Fung ,  Larry Gao

IPC: H01L21/027 ,  C23C14/04 ,  C23C14/06 ,  C23C14/58 ,  C23C16/56 ,  G03F7/11 ,  G03F7/20 ,  G03F7/26 ,  H01L21/033 ,  G03F7/004

Abstract: Embodiments disclosed within include a method for etching a hardmask layer includes forming a photoresist layer comprising an organometallic material on a hardmask layer comprising a metal-containing material, exposing the photoresist layer to ultraviolet radiation through a mask having a selected pattern, removing un-irradiated areas of the photoresist layer to pattern the photoresist layer, forming a passivation layer comprising a carbon-containing material selectively on a top surface of the patterned photoresist layer, including selectively depositing passivation material over a top surface of a patterned photoresist layer trimming undesired portions of the passivation material, and etching the hardmask layer exposed by the patterned photoresist layer having the passivation layer formed thereon.