Multi-level RF pulse monitoring and RF pulsing parameter optimization at a manufacturing system
Granted: March 18, 2025
Patent Number:
12253476
Methods and systems for RF pulse monitoring and RF pulsing parameter optimization at a manufacturing system are provided. Sensor data is received from one or more sensors that indicates an RF pulse waveform detected within the processing chamber. One or more RF signal characteristics are identified in the detected RF pulse waveform. Each identified RF signal characteristic corresponds to at least one RF signal pulse of the RF signal pulsing within the processing chamber. A determination…
Methods for in-situ chamber monitoring
Granted: March 18, 2025
Patent Number:
12252779
Methods for monitoring process chambers using a controllable plasma oxidation process followed by a controlled reduction process and metrology are described. In some embodiments, the metrology comprises measuring the reflectivity of the metal oxide film formed by the controllable plasma oxidation process and the reduced metal film or surface modified film formed by reducing the metal oxide film.
Substrate transfer devices, systems and methods of use thereof
Granted: March 18, 2025
Patent Number:
12251830
The disclosure describes devices, systems and methods relating to a transfer chamber for an electronic device processing system. For example, a method includes causing a robot arm to pick up a substrate. The robot arm is caused to pick up the substrate by causing a first mover to rotate or to change a first distance to a second mover. Rotation of the first mover or the change in the first distance causes the first robot arm to rotate about a shoulder axis. The robot arm is further caused…
Polishing head with local wafer pressure
Granted: March 18, 2025
Patent Number:
12251788
A polishing system includes a carriage arm having an actuator disposed on a lower surface thereof. The actuator includes a piston and a roller coupled to a distal end of the piston. The polishing system includes a polishing pad and a substrate carrier suspended from the carriage arm and configured to apply a pressure between a substrate and the polishing pad. The substrate carrier includes a housing, a retaining ring, and a membrane. The substrate carrier includes an upper load ring…
Modular chemical mechanical polisher with simultaneous polishing and pad treatment
Granted: March 18, 2025
Patent Number:
12251787
The present disclosure is directed towards polishing modules for performing chemical mechanical polishing of a substrate. The substrate may be a semiconductor substrate. The polishing modules described have a plurality of pads, such as polishing pads, disposed within a single polishing station. The pads are configured to remain stationary during processing, such as during polishing or buff operations. Either an x-y gantry assembly or a head actuation assembly is coupled to a system body…
Treatments to improve device performance
Granted: March 11, 2025
Patent Number:
12249511
A method of forming a semiconductor structure includes annealing a surface of a substrate in an ambient of hydrogen to smooth the surface, pre-cleaning the surface of the substrate, depositing a high-? dielectric layer on the pre-cleaned surface of the substrate, performing a re-oxidation process to thermally oxidize the surface of the substrate; performing a plasma nitridation process to insert nitrogen atoms in the deposited high-? dielectric layer, and performing a post-nitridation…
Prediction of electrical properties of a semiconductor specimen
Granted: March 11, 2025
Patent Number:
12250503
There is provided a method and a system configured to obtain metrology data Dmetrology informative of a plurality of structural parameters of a semiconductor specimen, obtain a model informative of a relationship between at least some of said structural parameters and one or more electrical properties of the specimen, use the model and Dmetrology to determine, for at least one given electrical property of the specimen, one or more given structural parameters among the plurality of…
Arsenic diffusion profile engineering for transistors
Granted: March 11, 2025
Patent Number:
12249626
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods for forming a source/drain extension. In one embodiment, a method for forming an nMOS device includes forming a gate electrode and a gate spacer over a first portion of a semiconductor fin, removing a second portion of the semiconductor fin to expose a side wall and a bottom, forming a silicon arsenide (Si:As) layer on the side wall and the bottom, and forming a source/drain region on the Si:As layer. During the deposition of the…
Substrate flipping in vacuum for dual sided PVD sputtering
Granted: March 11, 2025
Patent Number:
12249537
A module of a processing system for flipping a substrate in vacuum includes a clamp assembly for securing the substrate, a first motor assembly coupled to the clamp assembly for rotating the clamp assembly, and a second motor assembly coupled to the first motor assembly for raising and lowering the first motor assembly and the clamp assembly.
Using spectroscopic measurements for substrate temperature monitoring
Granted: March 11, 2025
Patent Number:
12249525
Systems, methods, and computer-readable mediums for monitoring temperature of a substrate are described. Spectroscopic measurements are performed on a surface of the substrate using a metrology tool integrated with a processing tool. The measurements may be used to determine that the substrate has cooled below a threshold temperature using the spectroscopic measurements.
Baffle for anti-rotation process kit for substrate processing chamber
Granted: March 11, 2025
Patent Number:
D1066275
Remote plasma cleaning of chambers for electronics manufacturing systems
Granted: March 11, 2025
Patent Number:
12249494
A method of cleaning a chamber for an electronics manufacturing system includes flowing a gas mixture comprising oxygen and a carrier gas into a remote plasma generator. The method further includes generating a plasma from the gas mixture by the remote plasma generator and performing a remote plasma cleaning of the chamber by flowing the plasma into an interior of the chamber, wherein the plasma removes a plurality of organic contaminants from the chamber.
Optical device improvement
Granted: March 11, 2025
Patent Number:
12249489
A method of processing an optical device is provided, including: positioning an optical device on a substrate support in an interior volume of a process chamber, the optical device including an optical device substrate and a plurality of optical device structures formed over the optical device substrate, each optical device structure including a bulk region formed of silicon carbide and one or more surface regions formed of silicon oxycarbide. The method further includes providing one or…
Plasma shaper to control ion flux distribution of plasma source
Granted: March 11, 2025
Patent Number:
12249488
Provided herein are approaches for providing a more uniform ion flux and ion angular distribution across a wafer to minimize etch yield loss resulting from etch profile variations. In some embodiments, a system may include a plasma source operable to generate a plasma within a plasma chamber enclosed by a chamber housing, wherein the plasma source comprises a plasma shaper extending into the plasma chamber from a wall of the chamber housing. The plasma shaper may include a shaper wall…
Methods and apparatus for controlling radio frequency electrode impedances in process chambers
Granted: March 11, 2025
Patent Number:
12249484
Methods and apparatus for controlling plasma in a process chamber leverage an RF termination filter which provides an RF path to ground. In some embodiments, an apparatus may include a DC filter configured to be electrically connected between a DC power supply and electrodes embedded in an electrostatic chuck where the DC filter is configured to block DC current from the DC power supply from flowing through the DC filter and an RF termination filter configured to be electrically…
Universal metrology file, protocol, and process for maskless lithography systems
Granted: March 11, 2025
Patent Number:
12248254
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a system, a software application, and a method of a lithography process to update one or more of a mask pattern, maskless lithography device parameters, lithography process parameters utilizing a file readable by each of the components of a lithography environment. The file readable by each of the components of a lithography environment stores and shares textual data and facilitates communication between of the components of a lithography…
Freeform optical substrates in waveguide displays
Granted: March 11, 2025
Patent Number:
12248246
Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to methods of forming a substrate having a target thickness distribution at one or more eyepiece areas across a substrate. The substrate includes eyepiece areas corresponding to areas where optical device eyepieces are to be formed on the substrate. Each eyepiece area includes a target thickness distribution. A base substrate thickness distribution of a base substrate is measured such that a target thickness change can be determined.…
Method and apparatus for controlled ion implantation
Granted: March 11, 2025
Patent Number:
12247283
A method of operating a beamline ion implanter may include performing, in an ion implanter, a first implant procedure to implant a dopant of a first polarity into a given semiconductor substrate, and generating an estimated implant dose of the dopant of the first polarity based upon a set of filtered information, generated by the first implant procedure. The method may also include calculating an actual implant dose of the dopant of the first polarity using a predictive model based upon…
Patterned heater pedestal with groove extensions
Granted: March 11, 2025
Patent Number:
D1066620
Process chamber pumping liner
Granted: March 11, 2025
Patent Number:
D1066440
