Shunt door for magnets in plasma process chamber
Granted: April 16, 2024
Patent Number:
11959174
Embodiments described herein relate to magnetic and electromagnetic systems and a method for controlling the density profile of plasma generated in a process volume of a PECVD chamber to affect deposition profile of a film on a substrate and/or facilitate chamber cleaning after processing. In one embodiment, a system is disclosed that includes a rotational magnetic housing disposed about an exterior sidewall of a chamber. The rotational magnetic housing includes a plurality of magnets…
Light-emitting diode light extraction layer having graded index of refraction
Granted: April 16, 2024
Patent Number:
11963377
A light-emitting diode display including a substrate having a driving circuitry and a plurality of light emitting diode structures disposed on the substrate. Each light-emitting diode structure has a light emitting diode with a light emission zone having a planar portion, and a pigmentless light extraction layer of a UV-cured ink disposed over the light-emitting diode. The light extraction layer has a gradient in index of refraction along an axis normal to the planar portion, and the…
Apparatus for uniformly arranging solar cell elements, system for use in the manufacture of solar cells, and method for uniformly arranging solar cell elements
Granted: April 16, 2024
Patent Number:
11961937
An apparatus for uniformly arranging solar cell elements that includes: a transport device for moving at least one solar cell element at a first speed; a transfer device that includes at least one gripping unit configured to grip the at least one solar cell element; and an actuator configured to move the transfer device at a second speed that is higher than the first speed.
Multi-metal lateral layer devices with internal bias generation
Granted: April 16, 2024
Patent Number:
11961910
A ferroelectric capacitor or a ferroelectric transistor may include a first metal layer having a first metal having a first work function, and a second metal layer having a second metal having a second work function. The capacitor may also include a a vertical electrode and a ferroelectric material that surrounds the vertical electrode and forms a plurality of switching regions in the ferroelectric material. The transistor may include a vertical channel, a vertical buffer layer that…
Boron concentration tunability in boron-silicon films
Granted: April 16, 2024
Patent Number:
11961739
Embodiments of the present technology include semiconductor processing methods to make boron-and-silicon-containing layers that have a changing atomic ratio of boron-to-silicon. The methods may include flowing a silicon-containing precursor into a substrate processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber, and also flowing a boron-containing precursor and molecular hydrogen (H2) into the substrate processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The boron-containing…
Treatments to enhance material structures
Granted: April 16, 2024
Patent Number:
11961734
A method of forming a high-? dielectric cap layer on a semiconductor structure formed on a substrate includes depositing the high-? dielectric cap layer on the semiconductor structure, depositing a sacrificial silicon cap layer on the high-? dielectric cap layer, performing a post cap anneal process to harden and densify the as-deposited high-? dielectric cap layer, and removing the sacrificial silicon cap layer.
Process kit having tall deposition ring for PVD chamber
Granted: April 16, 2024
Patent Number:
11961723
Embodiments of a process kit are provided herein. In some embodiments, a process kit includes a deposition ring configured to be disposed on a substrate support, the deposition ring including an annular band configured to rest on a lower ledge of the substrate support, the annular band having an upper surface and a lower surface, the lower surface including a step between a radially inner portion and a radially outer portion; an inner lip extending upwards from the upper surface of the…
Defect examination on a semiconductor specimen
Granted: April 16, 2024
Patent Number:
11961221
There is provided a system and method of runtime defect examination of a semiconductor specimen, comprising obtaining a first image representative of at least part of the semiconductor specimen, the first image acquired by an examination tool configured with a first focus plane; estimating whether the first image is in focus using a machine learning (ML) model, wherein the ML model is previously trained for classifying images into focused images and defocused images; upon an estimation…
Diagnostic tool to tool matching methods for manufacturing equipment
Granted: April 16, 2024
Patent Number:
11961030
A method includes receiving trace sensor data associated with a first manufacturing process of a manufacturing chamber. The method further includes processing the trace sensor data by a processing device to generate summary data associated with the trace sensor data. The method further includes generating a quality index score based on the summary data. The method further includes providing an alert to a user based on the quality index score. The alert includes an indication that the…
Capacitive sensor for monitoring gas concentration
Granted: April 16, 2024
Patent Number:
11959868
Embodiments disclosed herein include gas concentration sensors, and methods of using such gas concentration sensors. In an embodiment, a gas concentration sensor comprises a first electrode. In an embodiment the first electrode comprises first fingers. In an embodiment, the gas concentration sensor further comprises a second electrode. In an embodiment, the second electrode comprises second fingers that are interdigitated with the first fingers.
Asymmetric injection for better wafer uniformity
Granted: April 16, 2024
Patent Number:
11959169
A gas injector for processing a substrate includes a body having an inlet connectable to a gas source that is configured to provide a gas flow in a first direction into the inlet when processing a substrate on a substrate support disposed within a processing volume of a processing chamber, and an a gas injection channel formed in the body. The gas injection channel is in fluid communication with the inlet and configured to deliver the gas flow to an inlet of the processing chamber. The…
Selective cobalt deposition on copper surfaces
Granted: April 16, 2024
Patent Number:
11959167
Embodiments of the invention provide processes to selectively form a cobalt layer on a copper surface over exposed dielectric surfaces. In one embodiment, a method for capping a copper surface on a substrate is provided which includes positioning a substrate within a processing chamber, wherein the substrate contains a contaminated copper surface and a dielectric surface, exposing the contaminated copper surface to a reducing agent while forming a copper surface during a pre-treatment…
Method for screen printing of a material on a substrate, controller for an apparatus for screen printing on a substrate, and apparatus for screen printing of a material on a substrate
Granted: April 16, 2024
Patent Number:
11958284
A method for screen printing of a material on a substrate is provided. The method includes moving a process head assembly having at least one deposition device from a first position to a second position to perform a stroke, wherein the stroke includes at least a first phase for material processing of a material on a screen device using the at least one deposition device and a second phase for a material transfer from the screen device to the substrate. The at least one deposition device…
Stepped retaining ring
Granted: April 16, 2024
Patent Number:
11958164
A two part retaining ring is described. A rigid upper portion has an annular recess along its inner diameter. An annular wearable lower portion has an inner diameter, an annular extension defined by the inner diameter and a vertical wall that is perpendicular to a surface of the second portion and opposite to the inner diameter. The annular extension fits into the annular recess of the annular first portion. A bonding material is on the vertical wall of the annular second portion.
CMP pad construction with composite material properties using additive manufacturing processes
Granted: April 16, 2024
Patent Number:
11958162
Embodiments of the disclosure generally provide polishing pads having a composite pad body and methods for forming the polishing pads. In one embodiment, the composite pad body includes one or more first features formed from a first material or a first composition of materials, and one or more second features formed from a second material or a second composition of materials, wherein the one or more first features and the one or more second features are formed by depositing a plurality…
Isolated volume seals and method of forming an isolated volume within a processing chamber
Granted: April 9, 2024
Patent Number:
11955355
A method and apparatus for substrate processing and a cluster tool including a transfer chamber assembly and a plurality of processing assemblies. Processing chamber volumes are sealed from the transfer chamber volume using a support chuck on which a substrate is disposed. A seal ring assembly is coupled to the support chuck. The seal ring assembly includes an inner assembly, an assembly bellows circumscribing the inner assembly, and a bellows disposed between the inner and outer…
Reverse selective etch stop layer
Granted: April 9, 2024
Patent Number:
11955382
Methods and apparatus for forming a reverse selective etch stop layer are disclosed. Some embodiments of the disclosure provide interconnects with lower resistance than methods which utilize non-selective (e.g., blanket) etch stop layers. Some embodiments of the disclosure utilize reverse selective etch stop layers within a subtractive etch scheme. Some embodiments of the disclosure selectively deposit the etch stop layer by passivating the surface of the metal material.
Low-temperature plasma pre-clean for selective gap fill
Granted: April 9, 2024
Patent Number:
11955381
Methods for pre-cleaning substrates having metal and dielectric surfaces are described. A temperature of a pedestal comprising a cooling feature on which a substrate is located is set to less than or equal to 100° C. The substrate is exposed to a plasma treatment to remove chemical residual and/or impurities from features of the substrate including a metal bottom, dielectric sidewalls, and/or a field of dielectric and/or repair surface defects in the dielectric sidewalls and/or the…
Electrostatic chuck with mesas
Granted: April 9, 2024
Patent Number:
11955361
Electrostatic chucks (ESCs) for plasma processing chambers, and methods of fabricating ESCs, are described. In an example, a substrate support assembly includes a ceramic top plate having a top surface with a processing region. One or more electrodes is within the ceramic top plate. A plurality of mesas is within the processing region and on the top surface of the ceramic plate or vertically over an edge of one of the one or more electrodes.
Model-based failure mitigation for semiconductor processing systems
Granted: April 9, 2024
Patent Number:
11955358
A method of detecting failure causes in semiconductor processing systems may include receiving an indication of a failure in a semiconductor processing system and providing the indication of the failure as a query to a network representing the semiconductor processing system. The network may include nodes representing on-wafer effects and component functions, and relationships between the nodes that represent causal dependencies between the component functions and the on-wafer effects.…
