Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080257261 | PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUS - Embodiments of the present invention relate to plasma processing apparatus and methods of use thereof. In some embodiments, a plasma control magnet assembly includes a plurality of magnets arranged in a predetermined pattern that generate a magnetic field having a strength greater than 10 Gauss in a region proximate the assembly and less than 10 Gauss in a region remote from the assembly. | 10-23-2008 |
20080260966 | PLASMA PROCESSING METHOD - Embodiments of the present invention relate to plasma processing apparatus and methods of use thereof. In some embodiments, a method of controlling a plasma in a process chamber includes providing a chamber for processing a substrate and having a processing volume defined therein wherein a plasma is to be formed during operation, the chamber further having a plasma control magnet assembly comprising a plurality of magnets that provide a magnetic field having a magnitude is greater than about 10 Gauss in an upper region of the processing volume and less than about 10 Gauss in a lower region of the processing volume proximate a substrate to be processed; supplying a process gas to the chamber; and forming a plasma in the processing volume from the process gas. | 10-23-2008 |
20080308416 | SPUTTERING TARGET HAVING INCREASED LIFE AND SPUTTERING UNIFORMITY - A sputtering target for a sputtering chamber comprises a backing plate with a sputtering plate mounted thereon. In one version, the backing plate comprises a circular plate having a front surface comprising an annular groove. The sputtering plate comprises a disk comprising a sputtering surface and a backside surface having a circular ridge that is shaped and sized to fit into the annular groove of the backing plate. | 12-18-2008 |
20100105204 | METHOD TO MODULATE COVERAGE OF BARRIER AND SEED LAYER USING TITANIUM NITRIDE - Methods for processing substrates are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method for processing substrates includes providing to a process chamber a substrate comprising an exposed dielectric layer having a feature formed therein. A mask layer comprising titanium nitride may be selectively deposited atop corners of the feature. A barrier layer may be selectively deposited atop the mask layer and into a bottom portion of the feature. The barrier layer deposited on the bottom portion of the feature may be etched to redistribute at least a portion of the barrier layer onto sidewalls of the feature. | 04-29-2010 |
20100243440 | Mechanism for continuously varying radial position of a magnetron - A continuously variable multi-position magnetron that is rotated about a central axis in back of a sputtering target at a freely selected radius. The position is dynamically controlled from the outside, for example, through a hydraulic actuator connected between a pivoting arm supporting the magnetron and an arm fixed to the shaft, by two coaxial shafts independent controllable from the outside and supporting the magnetron through a frog-leg mechanism, or a cable connected between the pivoting arms and moved by an external slider. The magnetron can be rotated at two, three, or more discrete radii or be moved in a continuous spiral pattern. | 09-30-2010 |
20120023790 | Iron with Magnetic Heel Rest to Prevent Tipping - A hand-held cloth iron becomes very hot while in use. Even when cool, it is heavy and has sharp corners. Any of these characteristics can cause injury or damage if the iron falls. An improved iron includes a heel rest connected to the rear of the iron body. One or more permanent magnet pieces embedded in the heel rest produce a magnetic pull force between the magnets and the ferromagnetic steel top of an ironing board when the iron is stood on its heel. The magnets are strong enough to stabilize the iron, even on a board with a padded cover, without impractically impeding the operator's normal ironing motions. The magnetic rear plate can either be coplanar or slightly recessed with respect to the outer surface of the heel rest, and the amount of recess can be made adjustable by mechanical means so that the magnetic pull force between the magnetic heel rest and the ferromagnetic steel top of an ironing board can be adjusted by a user to suit his or her preference. | 02-02-2012 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20120258255 | CONTROL OF FILM COMPOSITION IN CO-SPUTTER DEPOSITION BY USING COLLIMATORS - The present disclosure includes a method for control of a film composition with co-sputter physical vapor deposition. In one implementation, the method includes: positioning first and second PVD guns above a substrate, selecting first and second collimators having first and second sets of physical characteristics, positioning the first and second collimators between the first and second PVD guns and the substrate, sputtering at least one material from the first and second PVD guns through the first and second collimators upon application of a first power and second power, wherein the first PVD gun has a first deposition rate from the first collimator at the first power, and the second PVD gun has a second deposition rate from the second collimator at the second power. | 10-11-2012 |
20120285819 | Combinatorial and Full Substrate Sputter Deposition Tool and Method - A dual purpose processing chamber is provided. The dual purpose processing chamber includes a lid disposed over a top surface of a processing region of the processing chamber. A plurality of sputter guns with a target affixed to one end of each of the sputter guns is included. The plurality of sputter guns extend through the lid of the process chamber, wherein each of the plurality of sputter guns is oriented such that a surface of the target affixed to each gun is angled toward an outer periphery of a substrate. In another embodiment, each of the sputter guns is affixed to an extension arm and the extension arm is configured to enable movement in four degrees of freedom. A method of performing a deposition process is also included. | 11-15-2012 |
20130017316 | SPUTTER GUNAANM Yang; Hong ShengAACI PleasantonAAST CAAACO USAAGP Yang; Hong Sheng Pleasanton CA USAANM Child; Kent RileyAACI DublinAAST CAAACO USAAGP Child; Kent Riley Dublin CA US - A sputter gun is provided in the embodiments contained herein. The sputter gun includes an impeller disposed within a backside portion of an opening within a housing of the sputter gun, the housing including an inlet directing fluid to rotate the impeller around an axis. A plate is disposed next to the impeller, the plate has openings extending therethrough, the openings enabling the fluid access to a backside portion of the opening within the housing. A plurality of magnets is disposed within the front side of the plate and extending from a surface of the plate such that as the impeller rotates with the plurality of magnets. A thermally conductive membrane extends across a front surface of the front portion of the opening, wherein the fluid contacts the thermally conductive membrane prior to exiting the opening within the housing. A method of performing a deposition process is also included. | 01-17-2013 |
20130146442 | PROFILED SPUTTER TARGET - In one aspect of the invention, a sputter source is provided. The sputter source includes a target source affixed to a bottom plate of the sputter source. A plurality of magnets spaced apart from each other is included. The plurality of magnets is disposed above a surface of the bottom plate, wherein a surface of the target source is profiled such that the target source has a minimum thickness aligned with an axis of each of the plurality of magnets and a maximum thickness aligned with an axis of a gap defined between each of the plurality of magnets. A method of processing a substrate is also included. | 06-13-2013 |
20130149469 | COMBINATORIAL RF BIAS METHOD FOR PVD - In some embodiments of the present invention, a shield is provided wherein the shield comprises a ceramic insulation material. The ceramic insulation material fills the space between the shield and the substrate surface and maintains a gap of less than about 2 mm and advantageously, less than about 1 mm. The shield may further be connected to ground through a low-pass filter operable to prevent the loss of high frequency RF power through the shield to ground but allow the dissipation of charge from the shield to ground through a low frequency or DC signal. In some embodiments, the ceramic insulating material further comprises a removable ceramic insert. The ceramic insert may be used to select the size of the aperture. The ceramic insert further comprises a slot operable to isolate the bottom lip of the ceramic insert from the upper portion for a PVD deposition. | 06-13-2013 |
20130153149 | Substrate Processing Tool with Tunable Fluid Flow - Embodiments provided herein describe substrate processing tools. The substrate processing tools include a housing defining a processing chamber. A substrate support is coupled to the housing and configured to support a substrate within the processing chamber. The substrate has a central axis. A first annular member is moveably coupled to the housing and positioned within the processing chamber. The first annular member circumscribes the central axis of the substrate. A second annular member is moveably coupled to the housing and positioned within the processing chamber. The second annular member circumscribes the central axis of the substrate. Movement of the first annular member and the second annular member relative to the housing changes a flow of processing fluid through the processing chamber. | 06-20-2013 |
20130153413 | SPUTTER GUN SHUTTER - In some embodiments of the present invention, a gun shutter is provided that comprises a gun shutter lip that aligns with a grounded shield lip to form a gap. The gap is operable to prevent contamination from other sputter guns present in the chamber. Additionally, the gun shutter is spaced apart from the face of the target so that a stable plasma may be ignited and maintained between the face of the target and the gun shutter. This allows the gun shutter to be used as a burn-in or conditioning shield and allows the elimination of other shields, thus lowering the size, complexity, and cost of the chamber. | 06-20-2013 |
20130167773 | Combinatorial Processing Using High Deposition Rate Sputtering - Apparatuses and methods for high-deposition-rate sputtering for depositing layers onto a substrate are disclosed. The apparatuses generally comprise a process chamber; one or more sputtering sources disposed within the process chamber, wherein each sputtering source comprises a sputtering target; a substrate support disposed within the process chamber; a shield positioned between the sputtering sources and the substrate, the shield comprising an aperture positioned under each sputtering source; and a transport system connected to the substrate support capable of positioning the substrate such that one of a plurality of site-isolated regions on the substrate can be exposed to sputtered material through the aperture positioned under each of the sputtering sources; wherein the spacing between the sputtering target and the substrate is less than 100 mm. The apparatus enables high deposition rate sputtering onto site-isolated regions on the substrate. | 07-04-2013 |
20130168231 | Method For Sputter Deposition And RF Plasma Sputter Etch Combinatorial Processing - Combinatorial processing of a substrate comprising site-isolated sputter deposition and site-isolated plasma etching can be performed in a same process chamber. The process chamber, configured to carry out sputter deposition and RF plasma etch, comprises a grounded shield having at least an aperture disposed above the substrate to form a small, dark space gap to reduce or eliminate any plasma formation within the gap | 07-04-2013 |
20130200323 | MULTIFUNCTIONAL ELECTRODE - A nonvolatile memory element is disclosed comprising a first electrode, a near-stoichiometric metal oxide memory layer having bistable resistance, and a second electrode in contact with the near-stoichiometric metal oxide memory layer. At least one electrode is a resistive electrode comprising a sub-stoichiometric transition metal nitride or oxynitride, and has a resistivity between 0.1 and 10 Ω cm. The resistive electrode provides the functionality of an embedded current-limiting resistor and also serves as a source and sink of oxygen vacancies for setting and resetting the resistance state of the metal oxide layer. Novel fabrication methods for the second electrode are also disclosed. | 08-08-2013 |
20130200324 | Transition Metal Oxide Bilayers - Embodiments of the invention include nonvolatile memory elements and memory devices comprising the nonvolatile memory elements. Methods for forming the nonvolatile memory elements are also disclosed. The nonvolatile memory element comprises a first electrode layer, a second electrode layer, and a plurality of layers of an oxide disposed between the first and second electrode layers. One of the oxide layers has linear resistance and substoichiometric composition, and the other oxide layer has bistable resistance and near-stoichiometric composition. Preferably, the sum of the two oxide layer thicknesses is between about 20 Å and about 100 Å, and the oxide layer with bistable resistance has a thickness between about 25% and about 75% of the total thickness. In one embodiment, the oxide layers are formed using reactive sputtering in an atmosphere with controlled flows of argon and oxygen. | 08-08-2013 |
20130270104 | COMBINATORIAL PROCESSING USING MOSAIC SPUTTERING TARGETS - Embodiments of the present invention provide methods and apparatuses using sputtering from a mosaic sputtering target for depositing layers onto a substrate, and provide the capability of depositing layers onto site isolated regions of the substrate in a combinatorial manner. A sputtering source is provided including a sputtering target comprising a first region having a first composition, and a second region having a second composition. A selection mechanism is capable of selecting a composition of emitted material from the sputtering source that can range from 0% to 100% of the first composition and from 0% to 100% of the second composition. The selection mechanism can comprise a movable magnetron or a moveable aperture. | 10-17-2013 |
20130334490 | Transition Metal Oxide Bilayers - Embodiments of the invention include nonvolatile memory elements and memory devices comprising the nonvolatile memory elements. Methods for forming the nonvolatile memory elements are also disclosed. The nonvolatile memory element comprises a first electrode layer, a second electrode layer, and a plurality of layers of an oxide disposed between the first and second electrode layers. One of the oxide layers has linear resistance and substoichiometric composition, and the other oxide layer has bistable resistance and near-stoichiometric composition. Preferably, the sum of the two oxide layer thicknesses is between about 20 Å and about 100 Å, and the oxide layer with bistable resistance has a thickness between about 25% and about 75% of the total thickness. In one embodiment, the oxide layers are formed using reactive sputtering in an atmosphere with controlled flows of argon and oxygen. | 12-19-2013 |
20140038380 | Multifunctional Electrode - A nonvolatile memory element is disclosed comprising a first electrode, a near-stoichiometric metal oxide memory layer having bistable resistance, and a second electrode in contact with the near-stoichiometric metal oxide memory layer. At least one electrode is a resistive electrode comprising a sub-stoichiometric transition metal nitride or oxynitride, and has a resistivity between 0.1 and 10 Ωcm. The resistive electrode provides the functionality of an embedded current-limiting resistor and also serves as a source and sink of oxygen vacancies for setting and resetting the resistance state of the metal oxide layer. Novel fabrication methods for the second electrode are also disclosed. | 02-06-2014 |
20140144771 | Cooling Efficiency Method for Fluid Cooled Sputter Guns - A sputter gun assembly is provided. The sputter gun assembly includes a target and a target backing plate coupled to the back of the target. A magnetron is positioned within a cooling chamber and is disposed over the target backing plate and defines a gap between the magnetron and the target backing plate. A fluid inlet and a fluid outlet are connected to the cooling chamber. A restriction bar is positioned within the cooling chamber, wherein the restriction bar is configured to prevent a flow of fluid through the inlet to the outlet unless the fluid traverses the gap defined between the magnetron and the target backing plate. The sputter gun assembly further includes a diverter surrounding the magnetron. The diverter further includes slots in its surface that serve to direct cooling fluid through the gap formed between defined between the magnetron and the target backing plate. | 05-29-2014 |
20140174907 | High Deposition Rate Chamber with Co-Sputtering Capabilities - A deposition chamber is provided. The deposition chamber includes a plurality of sputter guns disposed within the chamber, wherein the plurality of sputter guns are operable to vertically extend and retract within the chamber and wherein each gun of the plurality of sputter guns is pivotable around a pivot axis. The chamber includes a substrate support rotatable around a first axis and a second axis and a plate disposed over the substrate support. The plate has a plurality of apertures extending therethrough. The plurality of apertures includes an aperture located below each sputter gun of the plurality of sputter guns and a centrally located aperture. | 06-26-2014 |
20140174918 | Sputter Gun - A sputter gun is provided. The sputter gun includes a target and a first plate coupled to a surface of the target. A first magnet is disposed over a second magnet. A second plate coupled to a surface of the first magnet and a gap is defined between a surface of the second magnet and a surface of the first plate. A fluid inlet and a fluid outlet are disposed above a surface of the first magnet. A restriction bar is coupled to the second plate, wherein the restriction bar is configured to prevent a flow path of fluid through the first inlet to the second inlet unless the fluid traverses the gap defined between a surface of the second magnet and a surface of the first plate. Alternative configurations of the sputter gun are included. | 06-26-2014 |
20140174921 | Multi-Piece Target and Magnetron to Prevent Sputtering of Target Backing Materials - An apparatus for sputtering wherein magnets within the magnetron of a sputtering source are positioned such that Ar | 06-26-2014 |
20140217348 | Transition Metal Oxide Bilayers - Embodiments of the invention include nonvolatile memory elements and memory devices comprising the nonvolatile memory elements. Methods for forming the nonvolatile memory elements are also disclosed. The nonvolatile memory element comprises a first electrode layer, a second electrode layer, and a plurality of layers of an oxide disposed between the first and second electrode layers. One of the oxide layers has linear resistance and substoichiometric composition, and the other oxide layer has bistable resistance and near-stoichiometric composition. Preferably, the sum of the two oxide layer thicknesses is between about 20 Å and about 100 Å, and the oxide layer with bistable resistance has a thickness between about 25% and about 75% of the total thickness. In one embodiment, the oxide layers are formed using reactive sputtering in an atmosphere with controlled flows of argon and oxygen. | 08-07-2014 |
20140262749 | Methods of Plasma Surface Treatment in a PVD Chamber - Combinatorial processing of a substrate comprising site-isolated sputter deposition and site-isolated plasma processing can be performed in a same process chamber. The process chamber, configured to perform sputter deposition and plasma processing, comprises a grounded shield having at least an aperture disposed above the substrate to form a small, dark space gap to reduce or eliminate any plasma formation within the gap. The plasma processing may include plasma etching or plasma surface treatment. | 09-18-2014 |
20140374240 | MULTIFUNCTIONAL ELECTRODE - A nonvolatile memory element is disclosed comprising a first electrode, a near-stoichiometric metal oxide memory layer having bistable resistance, and a second electrode in contact with the near-stoichiometric metal oxide memory layer. At least one electrode is a resistive electrode comprising a sub-stoichiometric transition metal nitride or oxynitride, and has a resistivity between 0.1 and 10Ω cm. The resistive electrode provides the functionality of an embedded current-limiting resistor and also serves as a source and sink of oxygen vacancies for setting and resetting the resistance state of the metal oxide layer. Novel fabrication methods for the second electrode are also disclosed. | 12-25-2014 |