公开(公告)号：US11545394B2

公开(公告)日：2023-01-03

申请号：US17094759

申请日：2020-11-10

Applicant: SPTS Technologies Limited

Inventor： Matthew Michael Day ,  Samira Binte Kazemi

IPC: H01L21/02 ,  H01L21/78 ,  H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/683 ,  H01L21/3065 ,  H01L21/3105 ,  H01L21/311

Abstract: A semiconductor wafer dicing process is disclosed for dicing a wafer into individual dies. Scribe lines are formed within a polymer coating to expose regions of wafer to form a pre-processed product. The pre-processed product within the chamber is plasma etched to remove the exposed regions of the wafer to separate the individual dies and form a processed product. A frame cover is then removed and the processed product, wafer frame and adhesive tape are exposed to an oxygen plasma within the chamber to partially remove an outermost region of the polymer coating, which is most heavily contaminated with fluorine, to leave a residual polymer coating on the individual dies and form a post-processed product. The residual polymer coating on the individual dies of the post-processed product is then removed.

公开(公告)号：US20220359332A1

公开(公告)日：2022-11-10

申请号：US17315342

申请日：2021-05-09

Applicant: SPTS Technologies Limited

Inventor： Michael Grimes ,  Yuyuan Lin

IPC: H01L23/31 ,  H01L21/56 ,  H01L21/02 ,  H01L23/29

Abstract: A substrate includes a metal component on a surface. A polymeric layer is deposited on the surface using molecular layer deposition. The polymeric layer includes a metalcone and has a thickness from 1 nm to 20 nm. The polymeric layer is stable at room temperature, but will undergo a structural change at high temperatures. The polymeric layer can be annealed to cause a structural change, which can occur during soldering.

公开(公告)号：US11189463B2

公开(公告)日：2021-11-30

申请号：US16284649

申请日：2019-02-25

Applicant: SPTS TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED

Inventor： Paul Bennett

IPC: H01J37/32

Abstract: A plasma generating arrangement includes a plurality of plasma sources, each plasma source including a respective antenna coil assembly electrically coupled to a common electrical terminal via a respective transmission line. Each transmission line is configured to communicate a radio frequency electrical power signal from the common electrical terminal to the respective antenna coil assembly, and has a length which is an odd multiple of ¼ of the wavelength of the radio frequency electrical power signal.

公开(公告)号：US11127568B2

公开(公告)日：2021-09-21

申请号：US16418447

申请日：2019-05-21

Applicant: SPTS TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED

Inventor： Stephen R. Burgess ,  Anthony Paul Wilby

IPC: C23C14/34 ,  H01J37/32 ,  C23C14/04 ,  H01J37/34 ,  H01J37/18

Abstract: A method is for cleaning a plasma etching apparatus of the type used to etch a substrate and having at least one chamber. The method includes sputtering a metallic material from an electrically conductive coil which is positioned within the at least one chamber onto an interior surface of the at least one chamber to perform a cleaning function.

公开(公告)号：US11066754B2

公开(公告)日：2021-07-20

申请号：US15876300

申请日：2018-01-22

Applicant: SPTS Technologies Limited

Inventor： John Macneil ,  Martin Ayres ,  Trevor Thomas

IPC: C25D17/00 ,  H01L21/67 ,  C25D17/06 ,  H01L21/677 ,  H01L21/687 ,  H01L21/288

Abstract: An apparatus for processing a front face of a semiconductor wafer is provided. The apparatus includes a main chamber, at least one loading port connected to the main chamber for introducing the wafer to the main chamber, at least one stack of wafer processing modules, and a transfer mechanism for transferring the wafer between the loading port and the processing modules. The at least one stack of wafer processing modules includes three or more substantially vertically stacked wafer processing modules, wherein adjacent wafer processing modules in the stack have a vertical separation of less than 50 cm, and each processing module is configured to process the wafer when disposed substantially horizontally therein with the front face of the wafer facing upwards, and at least one wafer processing module is an electrochemical wafer processing module.

公开(公告)号：US20210193471A1

公开(公告)日：2021-06-24

申请号：US17098426

申请日：2020-11-15

Applicant: SPTS Technologies Limited

Inventor： Huma Ashraf ,  Kevin Riddell ,  Codrin Prahoveanu

IPC: H01L21/3065 ,  H01L21/308 ,  H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/683 ,  H01J37/32

Abstract: A structure comprising a substrate and a component which forms involatile metal etch products is plasma etched. A structure comprising a substrate and a component which forms involatile metal etch products is provided. The structure is positioned on a support within a chamber having a first gas inlet arrangement comprising one or more gas inlets and a second gas inlet arrangement comprising one or more gas inlets. The structure is etched by performing a first plasma etch step using a first etch process gas mixture which is only introduced into the chamber through the first gas inlet arrangement. The structure is further etched by performing a second plasma etch step using a second etch process gas mixture which is only introduced into the chamber through the second gas inlet arrangement.

公开(公告)号：US11037793B2

公开(公告)日：2021-06-15

申请号：US16447851

申请日：2019-06-20

Applicant: SPTS Technologies Limited

Inventor： Huma Ashraf ,  Kevin Riddell ,  Alex Wood

IPC: H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/3213 ,  H01L21/311 ,  H01L21/308 ,  H01L21/3065 ,  H01L21/306 ,  H01L21/02

Abstract: According to the invention there is provided a method of plasma etching a silicon-based compound semiconductor substrate, the method comprising providing the substrate within an etch chamber and performing a cyclical process on the substrate, each cycle comprising supplying an etchant gas into the chamber, energising the gas into a plasma, and performing an etch step on the substrate using the plasma; and performing a desorption step, wherein during the desorption step, the only gas that is supplied into the etch chamber is an inert gas, so as to allow reactive species that have adsorbed to the surface of the substrate during the etch step to desorb from the surface of the substrate.

公开(公告)号：US10899606B2

公开(公告)日：2021-01-26

申请号：US16010395

申请日：2018-06-15

Applicant: SPTS Technologies Limited

Inventor： Kerry Roberts ,  Huma Ashraf ,  Pey Fen Eng

IPC: C03C15/00 ,  B81C1/00 ,  H01L21/3065 ,  A61M37/00 ,  A61K9/00 ,  B81B1/00

Abstract: A method is for manufacturing a plurality of silicon microneedles which have a bevelled tip. The method includes providing a silicon substrate having a front face and a rear face, forming a first mask arrangement on the front face of the substrate, the first mask arrangement defining one or more gaps, and performing a SF6 based plasma etch of the front face through the gaps in the first mask arrangement to provide one or more etch features having a sloping face. The SF6 based plasma etch undercuts the first mask arrangement with an undercut that is at least 10% of the depth of a corresponding etch feature. The method further includes forming a second mask arrangement on the etch features to define locations of the microneedles, in which the second mask arrangement is located entirely on sloping faces of the etch features, and performing a DRIE (deep reactive ion etch) anisotropic plasma etch of the etched front face of the substrate to form a plurality of microneedles which have a bevelled tip, where the sloping faces of the etch features at least in part give rise to the bevelled tips of the microneedles.

公开(公告)号：US20200090973A1

公开(公告)日：2020-03-19

申请号：US16567865

申请日：2019-09-11

Applicant: SPTS TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED

Inventor： NICOLAS LAUNAY

IPC: H01L21/683 ,  H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/3065 ,  H01J37/32

Abstract: A substrate support includes an electrostatic chuck having an upper surface, and a cover positioned on the electrostatic chuck to cover the upper surface thereof. The cover includes a first face adjacent the upper surface of the electrostatic chuck, a second face for supporting a substrate, and one or more conduits extending through the cover to permit a cooling gas to flow from the second face to the first face. The cover is made from a dielectric material.

公开(公告)号：US20190333740A1

公开(公告)日：2019-10-31

申请号：US16284649

申请日：2019-02-25

Applicant: SPTS TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED

Inventor： PAUL BENNETT

IPC: H01J37/32

Abstract: A plasma generating arrangement includes a plurality of plasma sources, each plasma source including a respective antenna coil assembly electrically coupled to a common electrical terminal via a respective transmission line. Each transmission line is configured to communicate a radio frequency electrical power signal from the common electrical terminal to the respective antenna coil assembly, and has a length which is an odd multiple of ¼ of the wavelength of the radio frequency electrical power signal.