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Blake Koelmel

Blake Koelmel, Mountain View, CA US

Patent application numberDescriptionPublished
20090209112MILLISECOND ANNEALING (DSA) EDGE PROTECTION - A method and apparatus for thermally processing a substrate is provided. A substrate is disposed within a processing chamber configured for thermal processing by directing electromagnetic energy toward a surface of the substrate. An energy blocker is provided to block at least a portion of the energy directed toward the substrate. The blocker prevents damage to the substrate from thermal stresses as the incident energy approaches an edge of the substrate.08-20-2009
20090277894METHOD FOR REDUCING STRAY LIGHT IN A RAPID THERMAL PROCESSING CHAMBER BY POLARIZATION - Embodiments of the present invention provide apparatus and method for reducing noises in temperature measurement during thermal processing. One embodiment of the present invention provides a chamber for processing a substrate comprising a chamber enclosure defining a processing volume, an energy source configured to direct radiant energy toward the processing volume, a spectral device configured to treat the radiant energy directed from the energy source towards the processing volume, a substrate support disposed in the processing volume and configured to support the substrate during processing, and a sensor assembly configured to measure temperature of the substrate being processed by sensing radiation from the substrate within a selected spectrum.11-12-2009
20090296774METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETECTING THE SUBSTRATE TEMPERATURE IN A LASER ANNEAL SYSTEM - Embodiments of the invention provide a method and an apparatus for detecting the temperature of a substrate surface. In one embodiment, a method for measuring the temperature is provided which includes exposing the surface of the substrate to a laser beam radiating from a laser source, radiating emitted light from a portion of the surface of the substrate, through the shadow ring, and towards a thermal sensor, and determining the temperature of the portion of the surface of the substrate from the emitted light. The substrate may be disposed on a substrate support within a treatment region and a shadow ring may be disposed between the laser source and the surface of the substrate. The shadow ring may be selectively opaque to the laser beam and transparent to the emitted light.12-03-2009
20100003020APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MEASURING RADIATION ENERGY DURING THERMAL PROCESSING - Embodiments of the present invention provide apparatus and method for reducing heating source radiation influence in temperature measurement during thermal processing. In one embodiment of the present invention, background radiant energy, such as an energy source of a thermal processing chamber, is marked within a selected spectrum, a characteristic of the background is then determined by measuring radiant energy at a reference wavelength within the selected spectrum and a comparing wavelength just outside the selected spectrum.01-07-2010
20100200545NON-CONTACT SUBSTRATE PROCESSING - Embodiments of the present invention provide apparatus and methods for supporting, positioning or rotating a semiconductor substrate during processing. One embodiment of the present invention provides a method for processing a substrate comprising positioning the substrate on a substrate receiving surface of a susceptor, and rotating the susceptor and the substrate by delivering flow of fluid from one or more rotating ports.08-12-2010
20100273334MILLISECOND ANNEALING (DSA) EDGE PROTECTION - A method and apparatus for thermally processing a substrate is provided. A substrate is disposed within a processing chamber configured for thermal processing by directing electromagnetic energy toward a surface of the substrate. An energy blocker is provided to block at least a portion of the energy directed toward the substrate. The blocker prevents damage to the substrate from thermal stresses as the incident energy approaches an edge of the substrate.10-28-2010

Blake Koelmel, Palo Alto, CA US

Patent application numberDescriptionPublished
20080276864APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SUPPORTING, POSITIONING AND ROTATING A SUBSTRATE IN A PROCESSING CHAMBER - An apparatus and method for supporting, positioning and rotating a substrate are provided. In one embodiment, a support assembly for supporting a substrate includes an upper base plate and a lower base plate. The substrate is floated on a thin layer of air over the upper base plate. A positioning assembly includes a plurality of air bearing edge rollers or air flow pockets used to position the substrate in a desired orientation inside above the upper base plate. A plurality of slanted apertures or air flow pockets are configured in the upper base plate for flowing gas therethrough to rotate the substrate to ensure uniform heating during processing.11-13-2008
20080280453APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SUPPORTING, POSITIONING AND ROTATING A SUBSTRATE IN A PROCESSING CHAMBER - Embodiments of the invention contemplate a method, apparatus and system that are used to support, position, and rotate a substrate during processing. Embodiments of the invention may also include a method of controlling the transfer of heat between a substrate and substrate support positioned in a processing chamber. The apparatus and methods described herein remove the need for complex, costly and often unreliable components that would be required to accurately position and rotate a substrate during one or more processing steps, such as an rapid thermal processing (RTP) process, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process, atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, dry etching process, wet clean, and/or laser annealing process.11-13-2008