Manifold valve for controlling multiple gases
Granted: January 2, 2024
Patent Number:
11859282
Various embodiments include an apparatus to supply gases to a tool. In various examples, the apparatus includes a point-of-use (POU) valve manifold that includes a manifold body to couple to a chamber of the tool. The manifold body has multiple gas outlet ports. A purge-gas outlet port of the manifold body is directed substantially toward the outlet ports. For each of multiple gases to be input to the POU-valve manifold, the POU-valve manifold further includes: a first valve coupled to…
Systems and methods for preventing stiction of high aspect ratio structures and/or repairing high aspect ratio structures
Granted: December 26, 2023
Patent Number:
11854792
A method for treating high aspect ratio (HAR) structures arranged on a surface of a substrate includes a) spin rinsing the surface of the substrate using a first rinsing liquid; b) spinning off the first rinsing liquid from the surface of the substrate; and c) directing a gas mixture containing hydrogen fluoride onto the surface of the substrate after the first rinsing liquid is dispensed.
Configurable distributed-interlock-system
Granted: December 26, 2023
Patent Number:
11853026
Various embodiments include methods and apparatuses to provide human safety and machine safety and operations. In one example, a distributed interlock system includes at least one master device coupled to a number of slave device. The slave devices receive signals from one or more tools and provide the signals to the master device. The master device evaluates the signals and prevents unsafe conditions prior to one or more command executions, related to the unsafe conditions, being…
PECVD deposition system for deposition on selective side of the substrate
Granted: December 26, 2023
Patent Number:
11851760
A plasma processing system is provided. The system includes a chamber, a controller and a showerhead disposed in the chamber. A first gas manifold is connected to the showerhead for providing a first gas from a first gas source responsive to control from the controller. A shower-pedestal is disposed in the chamber and oriented opposite the showerhead. A second gas manifold is connected to the shower-pedestal for providing a second gas from a second gas source responsive to control from…
Alternating etch and passivation process
Granted: December 19, 2023
Patent Number:
11848212
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…
Doped or undoped silicon carbide deposition and remote hydrogen plasma exposure for gapfill
Granted: December 19, 2023
Patent Number:
11848199
A doped or undoped silicon carbide (SiCxOyNz) film can be deposited in one or more features of a substrate for gapfill. After a first thickness of the doped or undoped silicon carbide film is deposited in the one or more features, the doped or undoped silicon carbide film is exposed to a remote hydrogen plasma under conditions that cause a size of an opening near a top surface of each of the one or more features to increase, where the conditions can be controlled by controlling treatment…
Multi-plate electrostatic chucks with ceramic baseplates
Granted: December 19, 2023
Patent Number:
11848177
An electrostatic chuck for a substrate processing system is provided. The electrostatic chuck includes: a top plate configured to electrostatically clamp to a substrate and formed of ceramic; an intermediate layer disposed below the top plate; and a baseplate disposed below the intermediate layer and formed of ceramic. The intermediate layer bonds the top plate to the baseplate.
Removing metal contamination from surfaces of a processing chamber
Granted: December 12, 2023
Patent Number:
11842888
A method for cleaning surfaces of a substrate processing chamber includes a) supplying a first gas selected from a group consisting of silicon tetrachloride (SiCl4), carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), a hydrocarbon (CxHy where x and y are integers) and molecular chlorine (Cl2), boron trichloride (BCl3), and thionyl chloride (SOCl2); b) striking plasma in the substrate processing chamber to etch the surfaces of the substrate processing chamber; c) extinguishing the plasma and evacuating the…
High power cable for heated components in RF environment
Granted: December 5, 2023
Patent Number:
11837446
A substrate support includes an edge ring, one or more heating elements, and a cable configured to provide power from a power source to the edge ring and the one or more heating elements. The cable includes a first plurality of wires connected to the edge ring, a second plurality of wires connected to the one or more heating elements, a filter module, wherein the first plurality of wires and the second plurality of wires are twisted together within the filter module, and an isolation…
Carrier ring designs for controlling deposition on wafer bevel/edge
Granted: December 5, 2023
Patent Number:
11837495
Various carrier ring designs and configurations to control an amount of deposition at a wafer's front side and bevel edge are provided. The carrier ring designs can control the amount of deposition at various locations of the wafer while deposition is performed on the wafer's back side, with no deposition desired on the front side of the wafer. These locations include front side, edge, and back side of bevel; and front and back side of the wafer. Edge profiles of the carrier rings are…
Showerhead faceplate having flow apertures configured for hollow cathode discharge suppression
Granted: December 5, 2023
Patent Number:
11837443
A faceplate of a showerhead has a bottom side that faces a plasma generation region and a top side that faces a plenum into which a process gas is supplied during operation of a substrate processing system. The faceplate includes apertures formed through the bottom side and openings formed through the top side. Each of the apertures is formed to extend through a portion of an overall thickness of the faceplate to intersect with at least one of the openings to form a corresponding flow…
Depositing a carbon hardmask by high power pulsed low frequency RF
Granted: December 5, 2023
Patent Number:
11837441
Methods and related apparatus for depositing an ashable hard mask (AHM) on a substrate include pulsing a low frequency radio frequency component at a high power. Pulsing low frequency power may be used to increase the selectivity or reduce the stress of an AHM. The AHM may then be used to etch features into underlying layers of the substrate.
Determination of recipes for manufacturing semiconductor devices
Granted: December 5, 2023
Patent Number:
11836429
Methods, systems, and computer programs are presented for determining the recipe for manufacturing a semiconductor with the use of machine learning (ML) to accelerate the definition of recipes. One general aspect includes a method that includes an operation for performing experiments for processing a component, each experiment controlled by a recipe, from a set of recipes, that identifies parameters for manufacturing equipment. The method further includes an operation for performing…
Protective coating for electrostatic chucks
Granted: December 5, 2023
Patent Number:
11835868
An ElectroStatic Chuck (ESC) including a chucking surface having at least a portion covered with a coating of silicon oxide (SiO2), silicon nitride (Si3N4) or a combination of both. The coating can be applied in situ a processing chamber of a substrate processing tool and periodically removed and re-applied in situ to create fresh coating.
Systems and methods for pulse width modulated dose control
Granted: December 5, 2023
Patent Number:
11834736
A substrate processing system for treating a substrate includes a manifold, a plurality of injector assemblies located in a processing chamber, and a dose controller. Each of the plurality of injector assemblies is in fluid communication with the manifold and includes a valve including an inlet and an outlet. The dose controller is configured to communicate with the valve in each of the plurality of injector assemblies. The dose controller is configured to adjust a pulse width supplied…
Wafer handling robot with radial gas curtain and/or interior volume control
Granted: December 5, 2023
Patent Number:
11833662
A collar may be provided having an aperture through it through which the turret of a wafer handling robot may be extended or retracted. The collar may have one or more radial gas passages. Gas directed inwards towards the turret from the radial passage(s) may turn downward when it strikes the turret. A bellows may be optionally affixed to the bottom of the turret and to the bottom of the base such that the volume of the base occupied by the turret and the bellows remains generally fixed…
Conformal damage-free encapsulation of chalcogenide materials
Granted: November 28, 2023
Patent Number:
11832533
Methods and apparatuses for forming an encapsulation bilayer over a chalcogenide material on a semiconductor substrate are provided. Methods involve forming a bilayer including a barrier layer directly on chalcogenide material deposited using pulsed plasma plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PP-PECVD) and an encapsulation layer over the barrier layer deposited using plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD). In various embodiments, the barrier layer is formed using a…
Carrier ring designs for controlling deposition on wafer bevel/edge
Granted: November 28, 2023
Patent Number:
11830759
Various carrier ring designs and configurations to control an amount of deposition at a wafer's front side and bevel edge are provided. The carrier ring designs can control the amount of deposition at various locations of the wafer while deposition is performed on the wafer's back side, with no deposition desired on the front side of the wafer. These locations include front side, edge, and back side of bevel; and front and back side of the wafer. Edge profiles of the carrier rings are…
Systems and methods for homogenous intermixing of precursors in alloy atomic layer deposition
Granted: November 28, 2023
Patent Number:
11827976
A method includes arranging a substrate in a processing chamber, and exposing the substrate to a gas mixture including a first metal precursor gas and a second metal precursor gas to deposit a first metal precursor and a second metal precursor onto the substrate at the same time. The method further includes purging the processing chamber, supplying a reactant common to both the first metal precursor and the second metal precursor to form a layer of an alloy on the substrate, and purging…
Precursors for deposition of molybdenum-containing films
Granted: November 21, 2023
Patent Number:
11821071
Molybdenum-containing films are deposited on semiconductor substrates using reactions of molybdenum-containing precursors in ALD and CVD processes. In some embodiments, the precursors can be used for deposition of molybdenum metal films with low levels of incorporation of carbon and nitrogen. In some embodiments, the films are deposited using fluorine-free precursors in a presence of exposed silicon-containing layers without using etch stop layers. The precursor, in some embodiments, is…
