PRECURSOR DELIVERY SYSTEM FOR SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE FORMATION
Granted: July 25, 2024
Application Number:
20240247374
Embodiments of precursor delivery systems are described herein. The precursor delivery systems include a reservoir having a cylindrical body, a conical shaped inlet on a first end of the cylindrical body, and a conical shaped outlet on a second end of the cylindrical body. Each of the conical shaped inlet and the conical shaped outlet independently have an angle in a range of from 5 degrees to 45 degrees. The amount of time to purge the reservoir described herein is reduced by at least…
ADJUSTABLE CROSS-FLOW PROCESS CHAMBER LID
Granted: July 25, 2024
Application Number:
20240247373
Apparatus and methods for improving deposition uniformity in a cross-flow processing chamber are described. A precursor inlet is configured to allow a cross-flow of precursor from the precursor inlet side of the lid to an exhaust side of the lid opposite a center of the lid from the precursor inlet side. At least one purge gas inlet is in fluid communication with a purge gas channel, the purge gas channel having at least one opening aligned to provide a flow of gas to a center of a…
SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING CHAMBERS AND METHODS FOR CLEANING THE SAME
Granted: July 25, 2024
Application Number:
20240247371
A processing chamber may include a gas distribution member, a substrate support, and a pumping liner. The gas distribution member and the substrate support may at least in part define a processing volume. The pumping liner may define an internal volume in fluid communication with the processing volume via a plurality of apertures of the pumping liner circumferentially disposed about the processing volume. The processing chamber may further include a flow control mechanism operable to…
PHOTOLITHOGRAPHY ENHANCEMENT TECHNIQUES
Granted: July 18, 2024
Application Number:
20240242970
Exemplary methods of semiconductor processing may include providing deposition precursors to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate may be housed in the processing region. The substrate may include a photoresist material overlying a silicon-containing material. The photoresist material may define an aperture. The processing region may be at least partially defined above a substrate support on which the substrate is seated. The methods may include forming…
LOW RESISTIVITY GAPFILL FOR LOGIC DEVICES
Granted: July 18, 2024
Application Number:
20240240314
Embodiments of the disclosure relate to methods for metal gapfill of a logic device with lower resistivity. Specific embodiments provide integrated separate tungsten PVD processes with plasma-etch to solve the overhang issue caused by tungsten PVD and the high resistivity caused by nucleation.
DIRECTIONAL SELECTIVE FILL USING HIGH DENSITY PLASMA
Granted: July 11, 2024
Application Number:
20240234131
Exemplary processing methods may include providing a silicon-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate may be housed in the processing region. The substrate may define a feature. The methods may include forming plasma effluents of the silicon-containing precursor. The methods may include depositing a silicon-containing material on the substrate. The methods may include providing an oxygen-containing precursor to the processing region,…
INNER SPACER LINER FOR GATE-ALL-AROUND DEVICE
Granted: July 11, 2024
Application Number:
20240234544
Semiconductor devices (e.g., gate-all-around (GAA) devices), process tools for manufacturing GAA devices and methods of manufacturing GAA devices, and inner spacer liners and inner spacers for GAA devices, are described. The methods comprise forming an inner spacer liner within a superlattice structure formed on a top surface of a semiconductor substrate. The superlattice structure has a plurality of recessed semiconductor material layers (e.g., silicon germanium (SiGe)) and a…
INNER SPACER LINER FOR GATE-ALL-AROUND DEVICE
Granted: July 11, 2024
Application Number:
20240234531
Semiconductor devices (e.g., gate-all-around (GAA) devices), process tools for manufacturing GAA devices and methods of manufacturing GAA devices, and inner spacer liners and inner spacers for GAA devices, are described. The methods comprise performing a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process to form an amorphous silicon liner and an inner spacer within a superlattice structure formed on a top surface of a semiconductor substrate. The superlattice structure has a plurality of…
CONTACT RESISTANCE REDUCTION BY INTEGRATION OF MOLYBDENUM WITH TITANIUM
Granted: July 11, 2024
Application Number:
20240234209
Methods for forming a semiconductor structure and semiconductor structures are described. The method comprises patterning a substrate to form a first opening and a second opening, the substrate comprising an n transistor and a p transistor, the first opening over the n transistor and the second opening over the p transistor. The substrate is pre-cleaned. A molybdenum silicide (MoSi) layer is deposited on one or more of the p transistor and the n transistor. A titanium silicide (TiSi)…
SELECTIVE TRENCH MODIFICATION USING DIRECTIONAL ETCH
Granted: July 11, 2024
Application Number:
20240234156
Disclosed herein are approaches for device modification, namely, trench elongation. In one approach, a method may include providing a substrate including a plurality of surface features defining a plurality of trenches, wherein a first trench has a first trench length extending in a first direction, wherein a second trench connected to the first trench has a second trench length extending in a second direction, and wherein the first direction and the second direction are non-parallel.…
IN SITU NUCLEATION FOR NANOCRYSTALLINE DIAMOND FILM DEPOSITION
Granted: July 11, 2024
Application Number:
20240229231
Methods of depositing a nanocrystalline diamond film are described. The method may be used in the manufacture of integrated circuits. Methods include treating a substrate with a mild plasma to form a treated substrate surface, incubating the treated substrate with a carbon-rich weak plasma to nucleate diamond particles on the treated substrate surface, followed by treating the substrate with a strong plasma to form a nanocrystalline diamond film.
DIRECTIONAL SELECTIVE FILL FOR SILICON GAP FILL PROCESSES
Granted: July 11, 2024
Application Number:
20240234128
Exemplary processing methods may include providing a silicon-containing precursor and a carbon-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate may be housed in the processing region. The substrate may define a feature within the substrate. The methods may include forming plasma effluents of the silicon-containing precursor and the carbon-containing precursor. The methods may include depositing a silicon-and-carbon-containing material on the…
AREA SELECTIVE CARBON-BASED FILM DEPOSITION
Granted: July 11, 2024
Application Number:
20240234127
Methods of selectively depositing a carbon-containing layer are described. Exemplary processing methods may include flowing a first precursor over a substrate comprising a metal surface and a non-metal surface to form a first portion of an initial carbon-containing film on the metal surface. The methods may include removing a first precursor effluent from the substrate. A second precursor may then be flowed over the substrate to react with the first portion of the initial…
BIASABLE ELECTROSTATIC CHUCK
Granted: July 11, 2024
Application Number:
20240234108
Exemplary substrate support assemblies may include an electrostatic chuck body defining a substrate support surface that defines a substrate seat. The electrostatic chuck body may define a backside gas lumen that extends through a surface of the substrate seat. The assemblies may include a bias electrode coupled with the electrostatic chuck body. The bias electrode may include a plurality of conductive mesas that protrude upward across the substrate seat. The assemblies may include a…
METHOD FOR CREATING A SMOOTH DIAGONAL SURFACE USING A FOCUSED ION BEAM AND AN INNOVATIVE SCANNING STRATEGY
Granted: July 11, 2024
Application Number:
20240234085
A method of milling a diagonal cut in a region of a sample, the method comprising: positioning the sample in a processing chamber having a charged particle beam column; moving the region of the sample under a field of view of the charged particle column; generating a charged particle beam with the charged particle beam column and scanning the charged particle beam over the region of the sample along scan lines arranged parallel to a slope of the diagonal cut; and repeating the generating…
DISCHARGING AN ELECTROSTATIC CHUCK LOCATED WITHIN A VACUUM CHAMBER
Granted: July 11, 2024
Application Number:
20240234078
A device for discharging an electrostatic chuck located within a vacuum chamber, the device includes a plasma distribution unit that is configured to receive plasma from an external plasma source that is located outside the vacuum chamber, and perform a distribution of the plasma within the vacuum chamber that discharges the electrostatic chuck. The device also includes a controller for controlling the distribution of the plasma; wherein the distribution of the plasma occurs during a…
MANAGING MEMORY LEAKAGES OF A SYSTEM FOR EVALUATING MANUFACTURED ITEMS
Granted: July 11, 2024
Application Number:
20240233848
A system for evaluating manufactured items that includes a memory module; an evaluation unit configured to execute instructions related to the evaluating of the manufactured items while applying a group of features; and a memory leakage unit configured to: select a first feature out of the group of features and disable an execution, by the evaluation unit, of instructions associated with the first feature at a presence of a memory leakage event. The first feature has a priority that is…
PROCESS CHAMBER WITH REFLECTOR
Granted: July 11, 2024
Application Number:
20240231042
A reflector and processing chamber having the same are described herein. In one example, a reflector is provided that includes cylindrical body, a cooling channel, and a reflective coating. The cylindrical body has an upper surface and a lower surface. The lower surface has a plurality of concave reflector structures disposed around a centerline of the cylindrical body. The cooling channel disposed in or on the cylindrical body. The reflective coating is disposed on the plurality of…
PHASE RETRIEVAL
Granted: July 11, 2024
Application Number:
20240230530
A method for phase retrieval, the method may include (a) obtaining multiple out-of-focus intensity images of one or more point spread function targets; wherein the out-of-focus intensity images are generated by based on residual collected light signals obtained by a residual collection channel of an optical unit having a numerical aperture that exceeds 0.8; and (b) calculating phase information, based on the multiple out-of-focus intensity images and on a vectorial model of the point…
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SUBSTRATE SUPPORT TEMPERATURE CONTROL
Granted: July 11, 2024
Application Number:
20240229240
Exemplary temperature modulation methods may include delivering a gas through a purge line extending within a substrate support. The gas may be directed to a backside surface of the substrate support opposite a substrate support surface. The purge line may extend along a central axis of a shaft, the shaft being hermetically sealed with the substrate support. The substrate support may be characterized by a center and a circumferential edge. A first end of the purge line may be fixed at a…
