Applied Materials Patent Grants

Membrane for carrier head with segmented substrate chuck

Granted: October 29, 2024
Patent Number: 12128524
A membrane for a CMP carrier head includes a circular lower portion that provides a substrate mounting surface for a central region of a substrate, a first plurality of flaps that extend upward from the circular lower portion to form a plurality of inner chambers, an annular upper portion that provides a lower surface for applying pressure to an annular outer region of the substrate, and a second plurality of flaps that extend upward from the annular upper portion to form a plurality of…

Method to improve wafer edge uniformity

Granted: October 22, 2024
Patent Number: 12125683
Exemplary semiconductor processing systems may include a chamber body having sidewalls and a base. The semiconductor processing systems may include a substrate support extending through the base of the chamber body. The substrate support may include a support plate. The substrates support may include a shaft coupled with the support plate. The semiconductor processing systems may include a liner positioned within the chamber body and positioned radially outward of a peripheral edge of…

OLED panel with advanced sub-pixel overhangs

Granted: October 22, 2024
Patent Number: 12127441
Embodiments described herein relate to a device including a substrate, a plurality of adjacent pixel-defining layer (PDL) structures disposed over the substrate, and a plurality of sub-pixels. Each sub-pixel includes adjacent first overhangs, adjacent second overhangs, an anode, a hole injection layer (HIL) material, an additional organic light emitting diode (OLED) material, and a cathode. Each first overhang is defined by a body structure disposed on and extending laterally past a base…

Vacuum seal for electrostatic chuck

Granted: October 22, 2024
Patent Number: 12125734
Exemplary substrate support assemblies may include an electrostatic chuck body. The body may include a support plate defining a substrate support surface. The body may include a base plate coupled with the support plate. A bottom surface of the base plate may define an annular recess. The body may include a cooling plate coupled with the base plate. The assemblies may include a support stem coupled with the body. The assemblies may include a heater embedded within the body. The…

Substrate carrier

Granted: October 22, 2024
Patent Number: 12125728
Embodiments of a substrate carrier are provided herein. In some embodiments, a substrate carrier includes a base plate, wherein the base plate is a thin, solid plate with no through holes or embedded components; and a plurality of raised portions extending from the base plate, wherein the plurality of raised portions include first raised portions and second raised portions, the first raised portions disposed radially inward from the second raised portions, wherein the base plate and the…

Methods for forming trench structures in substrates

Granted: October 22, 2024
Patent Number: 12125714
Methods for forming a trench structure with passivated surfaces. In some embodiments, a method of forming a trench structure may include etching a trench into a substrate material of the substrate, forming an oxide layer on surfaces of the trench using a dry oxide process at a temperature of less than approximately 450 degrees Celsius, selectively removing the oxide layer from surfaces of the trench, and forming a passivation layer on surfaces of the trench to form a homogeneous…

Selective carbon deposition on top and bottom surfaces of semiconductor substrates

Granted: October 22, 2024
Patent Number: 12125699
Semiconductor processing methods are described that include providing a substrate to a reaction chamber, where the substrate includes substrate trenches that have a top surface and a bottom surface. A deposition gas that includes a carbon-containing gas and a nitrogen-containing gas flows into a plasma excitation region of the reaction chamber. A deposition plasma having an electron temperature less than or about 4 eV is generated from the deposition gas. The methods further include…

Integrated epitaxy and preclean system

Granted: October 22, 2024
Patent Number: 12125698
Implementations of the present disclosure generally relates to a transfer chamber coupled to at least one vapor phase epitaxy chamber a plasma oxide removal chamber coupled to the transfer chamber, the plasma oxide removal chamber comprising a lid assembly with a mixing chamber and a gas distributor; a first gas inlet formed through a portion of the lid assembly and in fluid communication with the mixing chamber; a second gas inlet formed through a portion of the lid assembly and in…

Methods and apparatus for toroidal plasma generation

Granted: October 22, 2024
Patent Number: 12125689
Methods and apparatus for forming plasma in a process chamber use an annular exciter formed of a first conductive material with a first end electrically connected to an RF power source that provides RF current and a second end connected to a ground and an annular applicator, physically separated from the annular exciter, formed of a second conductive material with at least one angular split with an angle forming an upper overlap portion and a lower overlap portion separated by a high K…

L-motion slit door for substrate processing chamber

Granted: October 22, 2024
Patent Number: 12125688
Embodiments of process kits for use in a process chamber are provided herein. In some embodiments, a process kit for use in a process chamber includes a slit door having an arcuate profile and including a first plate slidably coupled to a second plate, wherein the first plate is configured to be coupled to an actuator, wherein the second plate has an inner surface that includes silicon, and wherein the inner surface includes a plurality of grooves.

Ion extraction assembly having variable electrode thickness for beam uniformity control

Granted: October 22, 2024
Patent Number: 12125680
An ion extraction assembly for an ion source is provided. The ion extraction assembly may include a plurality of electrodes, wherein the plurality of electrodes comprises: a plasma-facing electrode, arranged for coupling to a plasma chamber; and a substrate-facing electrode, disposed outside of the plasma-facing electrode. The at least one electrode of the plurality of electrodes may include a grid structure, defining a plurality of holes, wherein the at least one electrode has a…

RF pulsing assisted low-k film deposition with high mechanical strength

Granted: October 22, 2024
Patent Number: 12125675
Exemplary semiconductor processing methods may include providing a silicon-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate may be disposed within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include forming a plasma of the silicon-containing precursor in the processing region. The plasma may be at least partially formed by an RF power operating at between about 50 W and 1,000 W, at a pulsing frequency below…

Pulsed voltage source for plasma processing applications

Granted: October 22, 2024
Patent Number: 12125673
Embodiments provided herein generally include apparatus, e.g., plasma processing systems, and methods for the plasma processing of a substrate in a processing chamber. Some embodiments are directed to a waveform generator. The waveform generator generally includes a first voltage stage having: a first voltage source; a first switch; and a second switch, where a first terminal of the first voltage source is coupled to a first terminal of the first switch, and where a second terminal of…

Enhanced cross sectional features measurement methodology

Granted: October 22, 2024
Patent Number: 12123708
Disclosed herein are methods and systems for analyzing a cross-sectional feature of a structural element on a semiconductor wafer to determine whether an isolated or a systemic failure to reach preselected parameters occurred.

Differential capacitive sensor for in-situ film thickness and dielectric constant measurement

Granted: October 22, 2024
Patent Number: 12123090
Methods and apparatus for a processing chamber are provided herein. The apparatus includes, for example, an inner volume defined in the processing chamber; a first sensor assembly coupled to a surface located in the inner volume of the processing chamber and including a first electrode configuration configured to measure an electrical characteristic associated with a film deposited within the inner volume of the processing chamber; and a second sensor assembly coupled to the surface…

Edge blackening for optical devices

Granted: October 22, 2024
Patent Number: 12121925
An optical device coating assembly is provided. The optical device coating assembly includes a substrate support operable to retain an optical device substrate. The coating assembly further includes a first actuator connected to the substrate support. The first actuator is configured to rotate the substrate support. The coating assembly includes a holder configured to hold a coating applicator against an edge of the optical device substrate when the optical device substrate is rotated on…

Calibration of an electronics processing system

Granted: October 15, 2024
Patent Number: 12115683
A first robot arm places a calibration object into a load lock that separates a factory interface from a transfer chamber using a first taught position. A second robot arm retrieves the calibration object from the load lock using a second taught position. A controller determines, using a sensor, a first offset amount between a calibration object center of the calibration object and a pocket center of the second robot arm. The controller determines a characteristic error value that…

Methods of fabricating OLED panel with inorganic pixel encapsulating barrier

Granted: October 15, 2024
Patent Number: 12120938
Embodiments described herein relate to sub-pixel circuits and methods of forming sub-pixel circuits that may be utilized in a display such as an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display. The device includes a plurality of sub-pixels, each sub-pixel of the plurality of sub-pixels defined by adjacent pixel-defining layer (PDL) structures with inorganic overhang structures disposed on the PDL structures, each sub-pixel having an anode, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) material…

PEALD nitride films

Granted: October 15, 2024
Patent Number: 12119221
A method of depositing nitride films is disclosed. Some embodiments of the disclosure provide a PEALD process for depositing nitride films which utilizes separate reaction and nitridation plasmas. In some embodiments, the nitride films have improved growth per cycle (GPC) relative to films deposited by thermal processes or plasma processes with only a single plasma exposure. In some embodiments, the nitride films have improved film quality relative to films deposited by thermal processes…

Arene molybdenum (0) precursors for deposition of molybdenum films

Granted: October 15, 2024
Patent Number: 12116376
Molybdenum(0) coordination complexes comprising an arene ligand and one or more neutral ligands which coordinate to the metal center by carbon, nitrogen or phosphorous are described. Methods for depositing molybdenum-containing films on a substrate are described. The substrate is exposed to a molybdenum precursor and a reactant to form the molybdenum-containing film (e.g., elemental molybdenum, molybdenum oxide, molybdenum carbide, molybdenum silicide, molybdenum nitride). The exposures…