Baffle for substrate processing system
Granted: May 6, 2025
Patent Number:
D1073758
Throughput improvement with interval conditioning purging
Granted: May 6, 2025
Patent Number:
12291777
Processing methods and apparatus for increasing a reaction chamber batch size. Such a method of processing deposition substrates (e.g., wafers), involves conducting a deposition on a first portion of a batch of deposition wafers in a reaction chamber, conducting an interval conditioning reaction chamber purge to remove defects generated by the wafer processing from the reaction chamber; and following the interval conditioning mid-batch reaction chamber purge, conducting the deposition on…
Alternating etch and passivation process
Granted: May 6, 2025
Patent Number:
12293919
Tin oxide films are used as spacers and hardmasks in semiconductor device manufacturing. In one method, tin oxide layer (e.g., spacer footing) needs to be selectively etched in a presence of an exposed silicon-containing layer, such as SiOC, SiON, SiONC, amorphous silicon, SiC, or SiN. In order to reduce damage to the silicon-containing layer the process involves passivating the silicon-containing layer towards a tin oxide etch chemistry, etching the tin oxide, and repeating passivation…
Gold through silicon mask plating
Granted: May 6, 2025
Patent Number:
12293943
Systems and methods are provided for method for etch assisted gold (Au) through silicon mask plating (EAG-TSM). An example method comprises providing a seed layer on a substrate and providing a silicon mask on at least a portion of the seed layer on the substrate. The silicon mask includes one or more via to be filled with Au. The masked substrate is subjected to at least one processing cycle, each processing cycle including an Au plating sub-step and an etch treatment sub-step. The…
Modifying hydrophobicity of a wafer surface using an organosilicon precursor
Granted: April 29, 2025
Patent Number:
12288685
Methods and apparatuses for modifying a wafer surface using an organosilicon precursor are provided herein. The wafer surface is dosed with the organosilicon precursor following deposition of a dielectric material by an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process. In some implementations, the dielectric layer is made of silicon oxide. Dosing the wafer surface with the organosilicon precursor may occur in the same chamber as the ALD process. The organosilicon precursor may modify the wafer…
Semiconductor wafer mass metrology apparatus and semiconductor wafer mass metrology method
Granted: April 29, 2025
Patent Number:
12288702
A semiconductor wafer mass metrology apparatus comprising: a measurement chamber for measuring the weight and/or the mass of a semiconductor wafer; a first temperature changing part for changing a temperature of the semiconductor wafer before the semiconductor wafer is transported into the measurement chamber; and a first temperature sensor for sensing a first temperature, wherein the first temperature is: a temperature of the first temperature changing part; or a temperature of the…
Systems and methods for multi-level pulsing in RF plasma tools
Granted: April 22, 2025
Patent Number:
12283463
Systems and methods for multi-level pulsing are described. The systems and methods include generating four or more states. During each of the four or more states, a radio frequency (RF) generator generates an RF signal. The RF signal has four or more power levels, and each of the four or more power levels corresponds to the four or more states. The multi-level pulsing facilitates a finer control in processing a substrate.
Control of plasma formation by RF coupling structures
Granted: April 22, 2025
Patent Number:
12283462
An apparatus for forming a plasma may include one or more coupling ports to accept a radiofrequency (RF) current. The apparatus may additionally include one or more coupling structures which may include one or more conductive loops to permit the RF current to conduct from at least a first portion of the one or more coupling ports to at least a second port of the one or more coupling ports. The one or more conductive loops may each be configured to exhibit a first value of inductance in…
Systems and methods for achieving peak ion energy enhancement with a low angular spread
Granted: April 22, 2025
Patent Number:
12283461
Systems and methods for increasing peak ion energy with a low angular spread of ions are described. In one of the systems, multiple radio frequency (RF) generators that are coupled to an upper electrode associated with a plasma chamber are operated in two different states, such as two different frequency levels, for pulsing of the RF generators. The pulsing of the RF generators facilitates a transfer of ion energy during one of the states to another one of the states for increasing ion…
Systems and methods for filtering radio frequencies from a signal of a thermocouple and controlling a temperature of an electrode in a plasma chamber
Granted: April 22, 2025
Patent Number:
12283451
A method includes: receiving a first signal from a first sensor at a first filter and preventing passage of a first portion of the first signal via the first filter. The first portion of the first signal is at a first RF. A second portion of the first signal is indicative of a first temperature of a first electrode in a plasma chamber. The method further includes: outputting a second signal from the first filter; receiving the second signal at a second filter; and preventing passage of a…
Etch selectivity control in atomic layer etching
Granted: April 22, 2025
Patent Number:
12280091
Apparatuses and methods are provided. Some methods may include providing a substrate to a processing chamber, the substrate having a first material adjacent to and covering a surface of a second material, modifying a layer of the first material by flowing a first process gas onto the substrate and thereby creating a modified layer of the first material, removing the modified layer of the first material by flowing a second process gas onto the substrate, and converting, when the surface…
Low angle membrane frame for an electroplating cell
Granted: April 22, 2025
Patent Number:
12281402
A cell to process a substrate includes at least one chamber wall, a membrane frame, and a membrane. The at least one chamber wall is arranged to form a cavity below a holder of the substrate. The membrane frame is disposed on the at least one chamber wall and across the cavity. The membrane is supported by the membrane frame and separating a first electrolyte from a second electrolyte. The membrane includes a surface extending from a center of the cavity radially outward at an angle…
Integrated dry processes for patterning radiation photoresist patterning
Granted: April 15, 2025
Patent Number:
12278125
Methods for making thin-films on semiconductor substrates, which may be patterned using EUV, include: depositing the organometallic polymer-like material onto the surface of the semiconductor substrate, exposing the surface to EUV to form a pattern, and developing the pattern for later transfer to underlying layers. The depositing operations may be performed by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), and ALD with a CVD component, such as a discontinuous, ALD-like…
Multiple state pulsing for high aspect ratio etch
Granted: April 15, 2025
Patent Number:
12278112
A method for performing an etch process on a substrate includes applying a bias signal and a source signal to an electrode of a plasma processing system. The bias signal and the source signal are pulsed RF signals that together define a repeated pulsed RF cycle, wherein each pulsed RF cycle sequentially includes a first state, a second state, a third state, and a fourth state. The power level of the bias signal in the first state is greater than in the third state, which is greater than…
Station-to-station control of backside bow compensation deposition
Granted: April 8, 2025
Patent Number:
12272608
Methods for reducing warpage of bowed semiconductor substrates, including providing a first substrate to a first station in a semiconductor processing chamber, providing a second substrate to a second station in the semiconductor processing chamber, concurrently depositing a first bow compensation layer of material on the backside of the first substrate at the first station and a first bow compensation layer of material on the backside of the second substrate at the second station, and…
Friction stir welding in semiconductor manufacturing applications
Granted: April 8, 2025
Patent Number:
12272591
In an example, a showerhead pedestal assembly for a substrate processing chamber is provided. The showerhead pedestal assembly includes a faceplate. A platen is disposed within the faceplate and includes a heater element extending through at least one groove in the faceplate. The at least one groove is profiled to accept at least one portion of the heater element. A periphery of the platen is joined to an interior surface of the faceplate by a friction stir welded joint.
Reduced footprint wafer handling platform
Granted: April 8, 2025
Patent Number:
12272583
A system comprises an equipment front end module (EFEM), a vacuum transfer module (VTM), a plurality off quad station process modules (QSMs). The EFEM is configured to receive a plurality of wafers. The EFEM comprises an EFEM transfer robot. The vacuum transfer module (VTM) is configured to receive the plurality of wafers from the EFEM. The VTM comprises a VTM transfer robot. The plurality of quad station process modules (QSMs) is coupled to the VTM. The VTM transfer robot is configured…
Systems and methods for metastable activated radical selective strip and etch using dual plenum showerhead
Granted: April 8, 2025
Patent Number:
12272571
Several designs of a gas distribution device for a substrate processing system are provided. The gas distribution device includes a dual plenum showerhead. Additionally, designs for a light blocking structure used with the showerheads are also provided.
Systems and methods for metastable activated radical selective strip and etch using dual plenum showerhead
Granted: April 8, 2025
Patent Number:
12272570
Several designs of a gas distribution device for a substrate processing system are provided. The gas distribution device includes a dual plenum showerhead. Additionally, designs for a light blocking structure used with the showerheads are also provided.
Method and apparatus for measuring particles
Granted: April 8, 2025
Patent Number:
12270748
An apparatus for measuring contamination on a critical surface of a part is provided. A vessel for mounting the part is provided. An inert gas source is in fluid connection with the vessel and adapted to provide an inert gas to the vessel. At least one diffuser receives the inert gas from the vessel, wherein the critical surface of the part is exposed to the inert gas when the part is mounted in the vessel. At least one analyzer is adapted to receive inert gas from the at least one…
