| Patent application number | Description | Published |
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| 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 |
| 20090162996 | REMOVAL OF SURFACE DOPANTS FROM A SUBSTRATE - A method and apparatus for removing excess dopant from a doped substrate is provided. In one embodiment, a substrate is doped by surfaced deposition of dopant followed by formation of a capping layer and thermal diffusion drive-in. A reactive etchant mixture is provided to the process chamber, with optional plasma, to etch away the capping layer and form volatile compounds by reacting with excess dopant. In another embodiment, a substrate is doped by energetic implantation of dopant. A reactive gas mixture is provided to the process chamber, with optional plasma, to remove excess dopant adsorbed on the surface and high-concentration dopant near the surface by reacting with the dopant to form volatile compounds. The reactive gas mixture may be provided during thermal treatment, or it may be provided before or after at temperatures different from the thermal treatment temperature. The volatile compounds are removed. Substrates so treated do not form toxic compounds when stored or transported outside process equipment. | 06-25-2009 |
| 20090197401 | Plasma immersion ion implantation method using a pure or nearly pure silicon seasoning layer on the chamber interior surfaces - Plasma immersion ion implantation employing a very high RF bias voltage on an electrostatic chuck to attain a requisite implant depth profile is carried out by first depositing a partially conductive silicon-containing seasoning layer over the interior chamber surfaces prior to wafer introduction. | 08-06-2009 |
| 20090203197 | NOVEL METHOD FOR CONFORMAL PLASMA IMMERSED ION IMPLANTATION ASSISTED BY ATOMIC LAYER DEPOSITION - Embodiments of the invention provide a novel apparatus and methods for forming a conformal doped layer on the surface of a substrate. A substrate is provided to a process chamber, and a layer of dopant source material is deposited by plasma deposition, atomic layer deposition, or plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition. The substrate is then subjected to thermal processing to activate and diffuse dopants into the substrate surface. | 08-13-2009 |
| 20090230089 | ELECTRICAL CONTROL OF PLASMA UNIFORMITY USING EXTERNAL CIRCUIT - A method and apparatus for controlling plasma uniformity is disclosed. When etching a substrate, a non-uniform plasma may lead to uneven etching of the substrate. Impedance circuits may alleviate the uneven plasma to permit more uniform etching. The impedance circuits may be disposed between the chamber wall and ground, the showerhead and ground, and the cathode can and ground. The impedance circuits may comprise one or more of an inductor and a capacitor. The inductance of the inductor and the capacitance of the capacitor may be predetermined to ensure the plasma is uniform. Additionally, the inductance and capacitance may be adjusted during processing or between processing steps to suit the needs of the particular process. | 09-17-2009 |
| 20090257927 | FOLDED COAXIAL RESONATORS - A method for constructing a distributed element coaxial resonator includes folding a coaxial resonator to provide a structure having a decreased physical length compared to its electrical length. In various embodiments, the resonator is tuned to affect a standing wave when excited by a signal of a specific wavelength. The coaxial resonator includes inner, middle and outer conductor sections, wherein the characteristic impedance is maintained throughout the resonator. | 10-15-2009 |
| 20100015357 | CAPACITIVELY COUPLED PLASMA ETCH CHAMBER WITH MULTIPLE RF FEEDS - A capacitive plasma discharge system employing multiple feeds of RF source power across an area of an electrode. Multiple RF feed locations across the electrode allow for control of the axial electric field across a radius at various azimuth angles of a plasma processing chamber. In an embodiment, a first RF power feed is coupled to a center of an electrode of the capacitively coupled chamber. The first RF power feed is further coupled to a first RF match network. A second RF power feed is coupled to the electrode at a first radius from the first RF power feed and at a first azimuth angle. The second RF power feed is further coupled to a second RF match network. | 01-21-2010 |
| 20100018648 | WORKPIECE SUPPORT FOR A PLASMA REACTOR WITH CONTROLLED APPORTIONMENT OF RF POWER TO A PROCESS KIT RING - In an electrostatic chuck, RF bias power is separately applied to a workpiece and to a process kit collar surrounding the workpiece. At least one variable impedance element governed by a system controller adjusts the apportionment of RF bias power between the workpiece and the process kit collar, allowing dynamic adjustment of the plasma sheath electric field at the extreme edge of the workpiece, for optimum electric field uniformity under varying plasma conditions, for example. | 01-28-2010 |
| 20100188077 | APPARATUS FOR CHARACTERIZING A MAGNETIC FIELD IN A MAGNETICALLY ENHANCED SUBSTRATE PROCESSING SYSTEM - Embodiments of sensor devices for characterizing magnetic fields formed in substrate processing systems and methods of use thereof are provided herein. In some embodiments, an apparatus for characterizing a magnetic field in a substrate processing system may include a carrier having a form substantially similar to a substrate to be processed in the substrate processing system. One or more magnetic sensors are disposed on the carrier for measuring a magnitude of a magnetic field formed in the processing system in an x-, y-, and z-direction. A microprocessor is coupled to the one or more magnetic sensors to sample data representative of the magnitude of the magnetic field in the x-, y-, and z-directions proximate a position of each sensor. A memory device is coupled to the microprocessor for storing the sampled data. A power source is provided to supply power to each magnetic sensor and the microprocessor. | 07-29-2010 |
| 20100270262 | ETCHING LOW-K DIELECTRIC OR REMOVING RESIST WITH A FILTERED IONIZED GAS - A method of etching a low-k dielectric on, or removing resist from, a substrate. In the method, the substrate is placed in a process zone. An ionized gas is generated in a gas ionization zone above the process zone, by introducing a process gas into a gas ionization zone, maintaining the process gas at a pressure of less than about 0.1 mTorr, and coupling RF energy to the process gas to form an ionized gas. The ionized gas is passed through an ion filter to form a filtered ionized gas. The substrate is exposed to the filtered ionized gas to etch the low-k dielectric layer on the substrate or to remove or clean remnant resist on the substrate. | 10-28-2010 |
| 20110005679 | PLASMA UNIFORMITY CONTROL THROUGH VHF CATHODE GROUND RETURN WITH FEEDBACK STABILIZATION OF VHF CATHODE IMPEDANCE - Plasma process uniformity is controlled by maintaining near an optimum value an impedance of a ground return path for VHF source power from an overhead electrode through a workpiece support. A feedback control loop controls a variable reactance element of a reactive circuit that provides isolation between the VHF source power and a lower frequency bias power match circuit. | 01-13-2011 |
| 20110005685 | PLASMA REACTOR WITH UNIFORM PROCESS RATE DISTRIBUTION BY IMPROVED RF GROUND RETURN PATH - In a plasma reactor having an RF plasma source power applicator at its ceiling, an integrally formed grid liner includes a radially extending plasma confinement ring and an axially extending side wall liner. The plasma confinement ring extends radially outwardly near the plane of a workpiece support surface from a pedestal side wall, and includes an annular array of radial slots, each of the slots having a narrow width corresponding to an ion collision mean free path length of a plasma in the chamber. The side wall liner covers an interior surface of the chamber side wall and extends axially from a height near a height of said workpiece support surface to the chamber ceiling. | 01-13-2011 |
| 20110009999 | PLASMA REACTOR WITH RF GENERATOR AND AUTOMATIC IMPEDANCE MATCH WITH MINIMUM REFLECTED POWER-SEEKING CONTROL - An impedance match at an RF generator output of a plasma reactor includes plural minimum-seeking loop controllers having respective feedback input ports coupled to receive a reflected RF power signal from a reflected power sensing circuit and respective control output ports. The output ports are coupled to variable reactances of an impedance match circuit that is connected between the RF generator and an RF power applicator of the reactor. | 01-13-2011 |
| 20110023780 | APPARATUS FOR VHF IMPEDANCE MATCH TUNING - Embodiments of impedance matching networks are provided herein. In some embodiments, an impedance matching network may include a coaxial resonator having an inner and an outer conductor. A tuning capacitor may be provided for variably controlling a resonance frequency of the coaxial resonator. The tuning capacitor may be formed by a first tuning electrode and a second tuning electrode and an intervening dielectric, wherein the first tuning electrode is formed by a portion of the inner conductor. A load capacitor may be provided for variably coupling energy from the inner conductor to a load. The load capacitor may be formed by the inner conductor, an adjustable load electrode, and an intervening dielectric. | 02-03-2011 |
| 20110024047 | SUBSTRATE SUPPORT HAVING FLUID CHANNEL - A support for a substrate processing chamber comprises a chuck having a substrate receiving surface, and a base comprising an upper wall comprising a recessed trench having (i) an attachment face at a first depth, and (ii) a fluid channel at a second depth. A lower wall is seated in the recessed trench and attached to the attachment face of the upper wall, to close the fluid channel. A fluid inlet is provided to supply a heat transfer fluid to the fluid channel and a fluid outlet provided to discharge the heat transfer fluid from the fluid channel. | 02-03-2011 |
| 20110052833 | GAS DISTRIBUTION SHOWERHEAD AND METHOD OF CLEANING - During a deposition process, material may deposit not only on the substrate, but also on other chamber components. In a MOCVD chamber, one of those components is the gas distribution showerhead. The showerhead may be cleaned by bombarding the showerhead with radicals generated by a plasma that includes an inert gas and chlorine. In order to generate the plasma, the showerhead may be negatively biased or floating relative to the substrate support. The showerhead may comprise stainless steel and be coated with a ceramic coating. | 03-03-2011 |
| 20110159673 | NOVEL METHOD FOR CONFORMAL PLASMA IMMERSED ION IMPLANTATION ASSISTED BY ATOMIC LAYER DEPOSITION - Embodiments of the invention provide a novel apparatus and methods for forming a conformal doped layer on the surface of a substrate. A substrate is provided to a process chamber, and a layer of dopant source material is deposited by plasma deposition, atomic layer deposition, or plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition. The substrate is then subjected to thermal processing to activate and diffuse dopants into the substrate surface. | 06-30-2011 |
