公开(公告)号：US20210059037A1

公开(公告)日：2021-02-25

申请号：US16997053

申请日：2020-08-19

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Zheng John Ye ,  Daemian Raj Benjamin Raj ,  Shailendra Srivastava ,  Nikhil Sudhindrarao Jorapur ,  Ndanka O. Mukuti ,  Dmitry A. Dzilno ,  Juan Carlos Rocha

IPC: H05H1/46 ,  H01J37/32

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling RF plasma attributes is disclosed. Some embodiments of the disclosure provide RF sensors within processing chambers operable at high temperatures. Some embodiments provide methods of measuring RF plasma attributes using RF sensors within a processing chamber to provide feedback control for an RF generator.

公开(公告)号：US10923334B2

公开(公告)日：2021-02-16

申请号：US16403489

申请日：2019-05-03

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Satya Thokachichu ,  Edward P. Hammond, IV ,  Viren Kalsekar ,  Zheng John Ye ,  Sarah Michelle Bobek ,  Abdul Aziz Khaja ,  Vinay K. Prabhakar ,  Venkata Sharat Chandra Parimi ,  Prashant Kumar Kulshreshtha ,  Kwangduk Douglas Lee

IPC: H01J37/32 ,  H01L21/683 ,  C23C16/46 ,  C23C16/509 ,  H01L21/02 ,  H01L21/285

Abstract: One or more embodiments described herein generally relate to selective deposition of substrates in semiconductor processes. In these embodiments, a precursor is delivered to a process region of a process chamber. A plasma is generated by delivering RF power to an electrode within a substrate support surface of a substrate support disposed in the process region of the process chamber. In embodiments described herein, delivering the RF power at a high power range, such as greater than 4.5 kW, advantageously leads to greater plasma coupling to the electrode, resulting in selective deposition to the substrate, eliminating deposition on other process chamber areas such as the process chamber side walls. As such, less process chamber cleans are necessary, leading to less time between depositions, increasing throughput and making the process more cost-effective.

公开(公告)号：US10580623B2

公开(公告)日：2020-03-03

申请号：US14539914

申请日：2014-11-12

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Zheng John Ye ,  Ganesh Balasubramanian ,  Thuy Britcher ,  Jay D. Pinson, II ,  Hiroji Hanawa ,  Juan Carlos Rocha-Alvarez ,  Kwangduk Douglas Lee ,  Martin Jay Seamons ,  Bok Hoen Kim ,  Sungwon Ha

IPC: C23C16/00 ,  H01L21/00 ,  H01J37/32 ,  C23C16/509

Abstract: A system for modifying the uniformity pattern of a thin film deposited in a plasma processing chamber includes a single radio-frequency (RF) power source that is coupled to multiple points on the discharge electrode of the plasma processing chamber. Positioning of the multiple coupling points, a power distribution between the multiple coupling points, or a combination of both are selected to at least partially compensate for a consistent non-uniformity pattern of thin films produced by the chamber. The power distribution between the multiple coupling points may be produced by an appropriate RF phase difference between the RF power applied at each of the multiple coupling points.

公开(公告)号：US10450653B2

公开(公告)日：2019-10-22

申请号：US16188678

申请日：2018-11-13

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Jian J. Chen ,  Mohamad A. Ayoub ,  Juan Carlos Rocha-Alvarez ,  Zheng John Ye ,  Ramprakash Sankarakrishnan ,  Jianhua Zhou

IPC: H01L21/00 ,  C23C16/00 ,  C23C16/46 ,  C23C16/509 ,  H01J37/32

Abstract: Embodiments provide a plasma processing apparatus, substrate support assembly, and method of controlling a plasma process. The apparatus and substrate support assembly include a substrate support pedestal, a tuning assembly that includes a tuning electrode that is disposed in the pedestal and electrically coupled to a radio frequency (RF) tuner, and a heating assembly that includes one or more heating elements disposed within the pedestal for controlling a temperature profile of the substrate, where at least one of the heating elements is electrically coupled to an RF filter circuit that includes a first inductor configured in parallel with a formed capacitance of the first inductor to ground. The high impedance of the RF filters can be achieved by tuning the resonance of the RF filter circuit, which results in less RF leakage and better substrate processing results.

公开(公告)号：US10403535B2

公开(公告)日：2019-09-03

申请号：US14824229

申请日：2015-08-12

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Zheng John Ye ,  Jay D. Pinson, II ,  Hiroji Hanawa ,  Jianhua Zhou ,  Xing Lin ,  Ren-Guan Duan ,  Kwangduk Douglas Lee ,  Bok Hoen Kim ,  Swayambhu P. Behera ,  Sungwon Ha ,  Ganesh Balasubramanian ,  Juan Carlos Rocha-Alvarez ,  Prashant Kumar Kulshreshtha ,  Jason K. Foster ,  Mukund Srinivasan ,  Uwe P. Haller ,  Hari K. Ponnekanti

IPC: H02N13/00 ,  H01L21/683 ,  H01L21/687

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an electrostatic chuck for maintaining a flatness of a substrate being processed in a plasma reactor at high temperatures. In one embodiment, the electrostatic chuck comprises a chuck body coupled to a support stem, the chuck body having a substrate supporting surface, and the chuck body has a volume resistivity value of about 1×107 ohm-cm to about 1×1015 ohm-cm in a temperature of about 250° C. to about 700° C., and an electrode embedded in the body, the electrode is coupled to a power supply. In one example, the chuck body is composed of an aluminum nitride material which has been observed to be able to optimize chucking performance around 600° C. or above during a deposition or etch process, or any other process that employ both high operating temperature and substrate clamping features.

公开(公告)号：US10128088B2

公开(公告)日：2018-11-13

申请号：US15166328

申请日：2016-05-27

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Prashant Kumar Kulshreshtha ,  Ziqing Duan ,  Abdul Aziz Khaja ,  Zheng John Ye ,  Amit Kumar Bansal

IPC: H01L21/683 ,  H01J37/32 ,  C23C16/458 ,  C23C16/02 ,  C23C16/34 ,  C23C16/36 ,  C23C16/44 ,  C23C16/509

Abstract: The present disclosure generally relates to processing chamber seasoning layers having a graded composition. In one example, the seasoning layer is a boron-carbon-nitride (BCN) film. The BCN film may have a greater composition of boron at the base of the film. As the BCN film is deposited, the boron concentration may approach zero, while the relative carbon and nitrogen concentration increases. The BCN film may be deposited by initially co-flowing a boron precursor, a carbon precursor, and a nitrogen precursor. After a first period of time, the flow rate of the boron precursor may be reduced. As the flow rate of boron precursor is reduced, RF power may be applied to generate a plasma during deposition of the seasoning layer.

公开(公告)号：US10125422B2

公开(公告)日：2018-11-13

申请号：US14228227

申请日：2014-03-27

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Jian J. Chen ,  Mohamad A. Ayoub ,  Juan Carlos Rocha-Alvarez ,  Zheng John Ye ,  Ramprakash Sankarakrishnan ,  Jianhua Zhou

IPC: H01L21/00 ,  C23C16/00 ,  C23C16/46 ,  C23C16/509 ,  H01J37/32

Abstract: Embodiments provide a plasma processing apparatus, substrate support assembly, and method of controlling a plasma process. The apparatus and substrate support assembly include a substrate support pedestal, a tuning assembly that includes a tuning electrode that is disposed in the pedestal and electrically coupled to a radio frequency (RF) tuner, and a heating assembly that includes one or more heating elements disposed within the pedestal for controlling a temperature profile of the substrate, where at least one of the heating elements is electrically coupled to an RF filter circuit that includes a first inductor configured in parallel with a formed capacitance of the first inductor to ground. The high impedance of the RF filters can be achieved by tuning the resonance of the RF filter circuit, which results in less RF leakage and better substrate processing results.