Cooling of air actuated valve using actuating air
Granted: February 4, 2025
Patent Number:
12215804
A valve including a valve body. An actuation housing of the valve body surrounds an actuation cavity. The actuation housing includes a first port configured for entry of actuating air and a second port configured for exhausting the actuating air. A poppet is configured for movement within the valve body and includes a barrier located within the actuation cavity. The poppet being actuated to an open position using the actuating air entering in the first port. When the poppet is in the…
Wafer placement correction in indexed multi-station processing chambers
Granted: February 4, 2025
Patent Number:
12217985
Systems and techniques for determining and using multiple types of offsets for providing wafers to a transfer pedestal of a multi-station processing chamber are disclosed. Such techniques may be used to provide pedestal-specific offsets that may be selected based on which pedestal of a multi-station chamber is assigned to a particular wafer. Similar techniques may be used to provide wafer support-specific offsets based on which indexer arm of an indexer is assigned to a given wafer.
Apparatus for processing a wafer, and method of controlling such an apparatus
Granted: February 4, 2025
Patent Number:
12217980
An apparatus for processing a wafer comprises: a rotatable chuck adapted to receive a wafer; a heating assembly comprising an array of light-emitting heating elements arranged to illuminate a wafer received by the rotatable chuck to heat the wafer; and one or more light sensors arranged to detect light emitted by the array of light-emitting heating elements.
Multi-state pulsing for achieving a balance between bow control and mask selectivity
Granted: February 4, 2025
Patent Number:
12217972
A method for multi-state pulsing to achieve a balance between bow control and mask selectivity is described. The method includes generating a primary radio frequency (RF) signal. The primary RF signal pulses among three states including a first state, a second state, and a third state. The method further includes generating a secondary RF signal. The secondary RF signal pulses among the three states. During the first state, the primary RF signal has a power level that is greater than a…
Method for etching features using a targeted deposition for selective passivation
Granted: February 4, 2025
Patent Number:
12217955
A method for patterning a stack having a mask with a plurality of mask features is provided. A targeted deposition is provided, wherein the targeted deposition comprises a plurality of cycles, wherein each cycle comprises flowing a precursor to deposit a layer of precursor and targeted curing the layer of precursor, comprising flowing a curing gas, flowing a modification gas, forming a plasma from the curing gas and modification gas, and exposing the layer of precursor to the plasma…
Sorption chamber walls for semiconductor equipment
Granted: February 4, 2025
Patent Number:
12217945
A sorption structure used in a plasma process chamber includes an inner layer having one or more heating elements to heat the sorption structure, a middle section having a lattice structure and a coolant flow delivery network through which a coolant circulates to cool the sorption structure, and a vacuum flow network that is connected to a vacuum line to create low pressure vacuum. The lattice structure includes network of openings defined in a plurality of layers. The inner layer is…
High power cable for heated components in RF environment
Granted: February 4, 2025
Patent Number:
12217944
A substrate support includes an edge ring, a heater element arranged within the edge ring, a ceramic layer, at least one heating element arranged within the ceramic layer, and a cable configured to provide power from a power source to the heater element and the at least one heating element. The cable includes a first plurality of wires connected to the heater element, a second plurality of wires connected to the at least one heating element, a filter module, and an isolation device…
Sensor data compression in a plasma tool
Granted: February 4, 2025
Patent Number:
12217940
Systems and methods for compressing data are described. One of the methods includes receiving a plurality of measurement signals from one or more sensors coupled to a radio frequency (RF) transmission path of a plasma tool. The RF transmission path is from an output of an RF generator to an electrode of a plasma chamber. The method includes converting the plurality of measurement signals from an analog form to a digital form to sample data and processing the data to reduce an amount of…
RF tuning systems including tuning circuits having impedances for setting and adjusting parameters of electrodes in electrostatic chucks
Granted: February 4, 2025
Patent Number:
12217939
A substrate processing system for processing a substrate within a processing chamber is provided and includes a source terminal, a substrate support, and a tuning circuit. The substrate support holds the substrate and includes first and second electrodes, which receive power from a power source via the source terminal. The tuning circuit is connected to the first electrode or the second electrode. The tuning circuit is allocated for tuning signals provided to the first electrode. The…
Differential-pressure-based flow meters
Granted: February 4, 2025
Patent Number:
12215989
Various embodiments include apparatuses and methods to form the apparatus. In one embodiment, the apparatus is a flow meter having inlet and outlet portions for transporting a fluid along a flow path. A flow-restrictor element is formed within the flow path to impart a pressure drop to the fluid. A flow sensor has a first surface of the flow sensor in direct fluid communication with fluid flowing upstream of the flow-restrictor element and a second surface, on a portion of the flow…
Systems and methods for pulse width modulated dose control
Granted: February 4, 2025
Patent Number:
12215421
A substrate processing system for treating a substrate includes N manifolds, Y groups of injector assemblies, and a dose controller, where Y and N are integers greater than one. Each of the Y groups of injector assemblies includes N injector assemblies located in a processing chamber. Each of the N injector assemblies in each group of injector assemblies is in fluid communication with one of the N manifolds, respectively, and includes a valve including an inlet and an outlet. The dose…
Pedestal thermal profile tuning using multiple heated zones and thermal voids
Granted: February 4, 2025
Patent Number:
12215420
A substrate support includes a body and a thermal void. The body is configured to support a substrate during processing of the substrate. The body includes plates including a top plate, a first intermediate plate, a second intermediate plate and a bottom plate. The plates are arranged to form a stack. The first intermediate plate is disposed on the second intermediate plate. The thermal void is defined by an upper surface of the second intermediate plate and at least one of a lower…
Systems and methods for metastable activated radical selective strip and etch using dual plenum showerhead
Granted: January 28, 2025
Patent Number:
12211709
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.
Dry development of resists
Granted: January 28, 2025
Patent Number:
12211691
Dry development of resists can be useful, for example, to form a patterning mask in the context of high-resolution patterning. Dry development may be advantageously accomplished by a method of processing a semiconductor substrate including providing in a process chamber a photopatterned resist on a substrate layer on a semiconductor substrate, and dry developing the photopatterned resist by removing either an exposed portion or an unexposed portion of the resist by a dry development…
Joining techniques for composite ceramic bodies
Granted: January 28, 2025
Patent Number:
12211685
In joining composite ceramic bodies, at least one ceramic body is a compositionally graded with varying concentrations between two or more ceramic materials. The compositionally graded ceramic body terminates at an interfacial layer that is substantially composed of a single ceramic material. The compositionally graded ceramic body is joined to another ceramic body that may also be compositionally graded or made of a single ceramic material, and an interfacial layer of the other ceramic…
Temperature control of a multi-zone pedestal
Granted: January 28, 2025
Patent Number:
12209312
A system to process a semiconductor substrate includes a substrate support assembly configured to support the semiconductor substrate. The substrate support assembly includes M resistive heaters respectively arranged in M zones in a layer of the substrate support assembly, where M is an integer greater than 1. The layer is adjacent to the semiconductor substrate. The substrate support assembly includes N temperature sensors arranged at N locations in the layer, where N is an integer…
Concentration control using a bubbler
Granted: January 28, 2025
Patent Number:
12209310
The present disclosure relates, in part, to an apparatus for controlling the concentration of a component within a gas mixture. In particular embodiments, the component is a vaporized liquid component, such as a vaporized stabilizer or a vaporized precursor. Also described are systems thereof and methods for such control.
Metal deposition
Granted: January 21, 2025
Patent Number:
12203168
Various showerheads and methods are provided. A showerhead may include a faceplate partially defined by a front surface and a back surface, a back plate having a gas inlet, a first conical frustum surface, and a second conical frustum surface, a plenum volume fluidically connected to the gas inlet and at least partially defined by the gas inlet, the back surface of the faceplate, the first conical frustum surface, and the second conical frustum surface, and a baffle plate positioned…
Radio frequency power generator having multiple output ports
Granted: January 21, 2025
Patent Number:
12205796
A radio frequency (RF) power generator adapted for coupling to a multi-station integrated circuit fabrication chamber may include an oscillator to provide a periodic signal and one or more preamplifiers each having an input port to receive a signal from the oscillator and having an output port to provide an amplified signal. The RF generator may additionally include one or more constant-gain amplifiers, each having an input port to receive a signal from the one or more preamplifiers, and…
Method and apparatus for anisotropic pattern etching and treatment
Granted: January 21, 2025
Patent Number:
12205793
Methods and apparatuses for providing an anisotropic ion beam for etching and treatment of substrate are discussed. In one embodiment, a system for processing a substrate includes a chamber, a chuck assembly, an ion source, and a grid system. The ion source includes grid system interfaces both the chamber and the ion source and includes a plurality of holes through which ions are extracted from the ion source to form an ion beam. The grid system is oriented so the ion beam is directed…
