公开(公告)号：US20170352558A1

公开(公告)日：2017-12-07

申请号：US15614794

申请日：2017-06-06

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Hari K. PONNEKANTI

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

CPC classification number: H01J37/32568 ,  H01J37/32009

Abstract: The present disclosure generally relates to methods and apparatus for facilitating electrical feedthrough in plasma processing chambers. The apparatus includes an electrically insulating housing positioned on a backside of the substrate support to contain a secondary plasma therein. The secondary plasma facilitates an electrical connection between the substrate support and electrical power or ground located outside the processing chamber. The methods include utilizing a secondary plasma to electrically couple substrate support to and electrical power or ground located outside the processing chamber.

公开(公告)号：US20170194174A1

公开(公告)日：2017-07-06

申请号：US15388149

申请日：2016-12-22

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Karthik JANAKIRAMAN ,  Juan Carlos ROCHA-ALVAREZ ,  Hari K. PONNEKANTI ,  Mukund SRINIVASAN

IPC: H01L21/67 ,  H01J37/32 ,  H01L21/677 ,  H01L21/683 ,  H01L23/552

CPC classification number: H01L21/67184 ,  H01J37/32082 ,  H01J37/32449 ,  H01J37/32532 ,  H01J37/32651 ,  H01J37/32715 ,  H01L21/67103 ,  H01L21/67167 ,  H01L21/67178 ,  H01L21/6719 ,  H01L21/67207 ,  H01L21/6831 ,  H01L21/6838 ,  H01L21/68771 ,  H01L21/68785 ,  H01L23/552

Abstract: A method and apparatus for processing substrates includes a chamber defining a plurality of processing regions, a heater disposed centrally within each pair of processing regions, each heater having a first major surface and a second major surface opposing the first major surface, each of the first major surfaces defining a first substrate receiving surface and each of the second major surfaces defining a second substrate receiving surface, and a showerhead positioned in an opposing relationship to each of the first substrate receiving surfaces and each of the second substrate receiving surfaces of the heaters.

公开(公告)号：US20170148654A1

公开(公告)日：2017-05-25

申请号：US15347519

申请日：2016-11-09

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Khokan C. PAUL ,  Jay D. PINSON, II ,  Juan Carlos ROCHA-ALVAREZ ,  Hari K. PONNEKANTI ,  Rupankar CHOUDHURY ,  Shekhar ATHANI ,  Sandeep KUMPALA ,  Hanish Kumar PANAVALAPPIL KUMARANKUTTY

IPC: H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/673 ,  H01L21/687 ,  G05B19/04 ,  G05B19/401

CPC classification number: H01L21/67253 ,  G05B19/041 ,  G05B19/401 ,  G05B2219/31459 ,  G05B2219/40066 ,  H01L21/67196 ,  H01L21/67201 ,  H01L21/67207 ,  H01L21/67389 ,  H01L21/67724 ,  H01L21/67775 ,  H01L21/68707 ,  H01L21/68764

Abstract: Implementations of the present disclosure generally relate to an improved factory interface that is coupled to an on-board metrology housing configured for measuring film properties of a substrate. In one implementation, an apparatus comprises a factory interface, and a metrology housing removably coupled to the factory interface through a load port, the metrology housing comprises an on-board metrology assembly for measuring properties of a substrate to be transferred into the metrology housing.

公开(公告)号：US20140213016A1

公开(公告)日：2014-07-31

申请号：US14160171

申请日：2014-01-21

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Shuran SHENG ,  Lin ZHANG ,  Hari K. PONNEKANTI

IPC: H01L31/18

CPC classification number: H01L31/056 ,  H01L31/02167 ,  H01L31/1868 ,  Y02E10/52 ,  Y02P70/521

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention generally relate to methods for fabricating photovoltaic devices, and more particularly to methods for in-situ cleaning of a solar cell substrates. In one embodiment, a method of manufacturing a solar cell device is provided. The method comprises exposing a single or poly crystalline silicon substrate to a wet clean process to clean the surfaces of the crystalline substrate, loading the crystalline silicon substrate into a processing system having a vacuum environment, exposing at least one surface of the crystalline silicon substrate to an in-situ cleaning process in the vacuum environment of the processing system, and forming one or more passivation layers on at least one surface of the crystalline silicon substrate in the processing system.

Abstract translation: 本发明的实施例一般涉及用于制造光伏器件的方法，更具体地涉及太阳能电池基板的原位清洁方法。 在一个实施例中，提供了一种制造太阳能电池装置的方法。 该方法包括将单晶或多晶硅衬底暴露于湿清洁工艺以清洁晶体衬底的表面，将晶体硅衬底装载到具有真空环境的处理系统中，将晶体硅衬底的至少一个表面暴露于 在处理系统的真空环境中的原位清洁工艺，以及在处理系统中在晶体硅衬底的至少一个表面上形成一个或多个钝化层。

公开(公告)号：US20180073150A1

公开(公告)日：2018-03-15

申请号：US15703626

申请日：2017-09-13

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Anantha K. SUBRAMANI ,  Praburam GOPALRAJA ,  Tza-Jing GUNG ,  Hari K. PONNEKANTI ,  Philip Allan KRAUS

IPC: C23C28/02 ,  C23C16/458 ,  C23C16/40 ,  C23C16/06 ,  C23C14/50 ,  C23C14/14 ,  C23C14/02 ,  H01J37/34 ,  H01J37/32 ,  C23C14/34 ,  H01L21/02 ,  H01L21/285

Abstract: Implementations described herein generally relate to metal oxide deposition in a processing chamber. More specifically, implementations disclosed herein relate to a combined chemical vapor deposition and physical vapor deposition chamber. Utilizing a single oxide metal deposition chamber capable of performing both CVD and PVD advantageously reduces the cost of uniform semiconductor processing. Additionally, the single oxide metal deposition system reduces the time necessary to deposit semiconductor substrates and reduces the foot print required to process semiconductor substrates. In one implementation, the processing chamber includes a gas distribution plate disposed in a chamber body, one or more metal targets disposed in the chamber body, and a substrate support disposed below the gas distribution plate and the one or more targets.

公开(公告)号：US20160314995A1

公开(公告)日：2016-10-27

申请号：US14972366

申请日：2015-12-17

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Dale R. DU BOIS ,  Juan Carlos ROCHA-ALVAREZ ,  Karthik JANAKIRAMAN ,  Hari K. PONNEKANTI ,  Sanjeev BALUJA ,  Prajeeth WILTON

IPC: H01L21/677 ,  H01L21/687 ,  B25J11/00 ,  H01L21/67

CPC classification number: B25J11/0095 ,  H01L21/67196 ,  H01L21/67742 ,  H01L21/67748

Abstract: The present disclosure generally relates to semiconductor process equipment used to transfer semiconductor substrates between process chambers. More specifically, embodiments described herein are related to systems and methods used to transfer, or swap, semiconductor substrates between process chambers using a transport device that employs at least two blades for the concurrent transfer of substrates between processing chambers.

Abstract translation: 本公开一般涉及用于在处理室之间传送半导体衬底的半导体工艺设备。 更具体地，本文描述的实施例涉及用于使用运输装置传送或交换处理室之间的半导体衬底的系统和方法，所述传输装置采用至少两个刀片，用于在处理室之间同时传送衬底。

公开(公告)号：US20140273338A1

公开(公告)日：2014-09-18

申请号：US14213316

申请日：2014-03-14

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Prabhat KUMAR ,  Michael P. STEWART ,  Kalyan RAPOLU ,  Lin ZHANG ,  Hari K. PONNEKANTI

IPC: H01L31/0224

CPC classification number: H01L31/022425 ,  H01L31/049 ,  H01L31/0747 ,  H01L2224/73204 ,  H01L2224/83192 ,  H02S40/22 ,  Y02E10/52

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention are directed to processes for making solar cells by simultaneously co-firing metal layers disposed both on a first and a second surface of a bifacial solar cell substrate. Embodiments of the invention may also provide a method forming a solar cell structure that utilize a reduced amount of a silver paste on a front surface of the solar cell substrate and a patterned aluminum metallization paste on a rear surface of the solar cell substrate to form a rear surface contact structure. Embodiments can be used to form passivated emitter and rear cells (PERC), passivated emitter rear locally diffused solar cells (PERL), passivated emitter, rear totally-diffused (PERT), “iPERC,” Crystalline Reduced-cost Aluminum Fire-Through (CRAFT), pCRAFT, nCRAFT or other high efficiency cell concepts.

Abstract translation: 本发明的实施例涉及通过同时共烧双极太阳能电池基板的第一和第二表面上的金属层来制造太阳能电池的方法。 本发明的实施例还可以提供一种形成太阳能电池结构的方法，该太阳能电池结构在太阳能电池基板的前表面上使用少量的银膏，并且​​在太阳能电池基板的背面上形成图案化的铝金属化浆料，以形成 后表面接触结构。 实施例可用于形成钝化发射器和后电池（PERC），钝化发射器后部局部扩散太阳能电池（PERL），钝化发射极，后部全扩散（PERT），“iPERC”，结晶降低成本的铝火焰穿透 CRAFT），pCRAFT，nCRAFT或其他高效率单元概念。

公开(公告)号：US20200234982A1

公开(公告)日：2020-07-23

申请号：US16838128

申请日：2020-04-02

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Saptarshi BASU ,  Jeongmin LEE ,  Paul CONNORS ,  Dale R. DU BOIS ,  Prashant Kumar KULSHRESHTHA ,  Karthik Thimmavajjula NARASIMHA ,  Brett BERENS ,  Kalyanjit GHOSH ,  Jianhua ZHOU ,  Ganesh BALASUBRAMANIAN ,  Kwangduk Douglas LEE ,  Juan Carlos ROCHA-ALVAREZ ,  Hiroyuki OGISO ,  Liliya KRIVULINA ,  Rick GILBERT ,  Mohsin WAQAR ,  Venkatanarayana SHANKARAMURTHY ,  Hari K. PONNEKANTI

IPC: H01L21/67 ,  H01J37/32 ,  H01L21/687

Abstract: Implementations disclosed herein describe a bevel etch apparatus within a loadlock bevel etch chamber and methods of using the same. The bevel etch apparatus has a mask assembly within the loadlock bevel etch chamber. During an etch process, the mask assembly delivers a gas flow to control bevel etch without the use of a shadow frame. As such, the edge exclusion at the bevel edge can be reduced, thus increasing product yield.

公开(公告)号：US20200032392A1

公开(公告)日：2020-01-30

申请号：US16591460

申请日：2019-10-02

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： James L'HEUREUX ,  Hari K. PONNEKANTI

IPC: C23C16/455 ,  C23C16/40 ,  C23C16/44 ,  C23C16/505 ,  C23C16/511 ,  C23C16/52

Abstract: Implementations described herein generally relate to methods for removing one or more processing by-products found in deposition systems, such as in vacuum forelines of vapor deposition systems. More specifically, implementations of the present disclosure relate to methods of reducing the buildup of hydrogen in systems. In one implementation, a method of processing a substrate in a deposition chamber is provided. The method comprises depositing a layer on the substrate, wherein hydrogen-containing by-products are produced in a vacuum foreline fluidly coupled with the deposition chamber during the depositing process. The method further comprises flowing an oxidizing agent gas into the vacuum foreline to react with at least a portion of the hydrogen-containing by-products in the foreline.

公开(公告)号：US20180135171A1

公开(公告)日：2018-05-17

申请号：US15806600

申请日：2017-11-08

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： James L'HEUREUX ,  Hari K. PONNEKANTI

IPC: C23C16/455 ,  C23C16/511 ,  C23C16/505 ,  C23C16/52

CPC classification number: C23C16/455 ,  C23C16/401 ,  C23C16/4405 ,  C23C16/505 ,  C23C16/511 ,  C23C16/52

Abstract: Implementations described herein generally relate to methods for removing one or more processing by-products found in deposition systems, such as in vacuum forelines of vapor deposition systems. More specifically, implementations of the present disclosure relate to methods of reducing the buildup of hydrogen in systems. In one implementation, a method of processing a substrate in a deposition chamber is provided. The method comprises depositing a layer on the substrate, wherein hydrogen-containing by-products are produced in a vacuum foreline fluidly coupled with the deposition chamber during the depositing process. The method further comprises flowing an oxidizing agent gas into the vacuum foreline to react with at least a portion of the hydrogen-containing by-products in the foreline.