| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20090162570 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING A SUBSTRATE USING INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA TECHNOLOGY - The present invention generally provides apparatus and methods for processing a semiconductor substrate. Particularly, the present invention provides an inductively coupled plasma reactor having improved process uniformity. One embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus for processing a substrate comprising a chamber body defining a process volume configured to process the substrate therein, an adjustable coil assembly coupled to the chamber body outside the process volume, a supporting pedestal disposed in the process volume and configured to support the substrate therein, and a gas injection assembly configured to supply a process gas towards a first process zone and a second process zone independently. | 06-25-2009 |
| 20100248435 | METHOD OF SELECTIVE NITRIDATION - Methods of forming semiconductor devices are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of forming a semiconductor device may include providing a substrate having an oxide surface and a silicon surface; forming a nitrogen-containing layer on exposed portions of both the oxide and silicon surfaces; and oxidizing the nitrogen-containing layer to selectively remove the nitrogen-containing layer from atop the oxide surface. In some embodiments, an oxide layer is formed atop a remaining portion of the nitrogen-containing layer formed on the silicon feature. In some embodiments, the oxide surface is an exposed surface of a shallow trench isolate region (STI) disposed adjacent to one or more floating gates of a semiconductor device. In some embodiments, the silicon surface is an exposed surface of a silicon or polysilicon floating gate of a semiconductor device. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20100317186 | ENHANCING NAND FLASH FLOATING GATE PERFORMANCE - Embodiments described herein generally relate to flash memory devices and methods for manufacturing flash memory devices. In one embodiment, a method for selective removal of nitrogen from the nitrided areas of a substrate is provided. The method comprises positioning a substrate comprising a material layer disposed adjacent to an oxide containing layer in a processing chamber, exposing the substrate to a nitridation process to incorporate nitrogen onto the material layer and the exposed areas of the oxide containing layer, and exposing the nitrided material layer and the nitrided areas of the oxide containing layer to a gas mixture comprising a quantity of a hydrogen containing gas and a quantity of an oxygen containing gas to selectively remove nitrogen from the nitrided areas of the oxide containing layer relative to the nitrided material layer using a radical oxidation process. | 12-16-2010 |
| 20110011743 | LOW POWER RF TUNING USING OPTICAL AND NON-REFLECTED POWER METHODS - Aspects of the present invention include methods and apparatuses that may be used for monitoring and adjusting plasma in a substrate processing system by using a plasma data monitoring assembly. In one embodiment, an apparatus for monitoring a plasma in a substrate processing system is provided. The apparatus includes a plasma chamber having a plurality of walls, at least one of the plurality of walls having a dielectric ceiling, at least one inner coil element and at least one outer coil element disposed outside the chamber, a current sensor coupled to one of the inner coil element or the outer coil element, the current sensor adapted to detect current from an inductively coupled plasma generated in the plasma chamber, an RF power source, and one or more adjustable capacitors coupled to each of the one or more coil elements. | 01-20-2011 |