Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080289284 | PROCESS CHAMBER AND LOAD-LOCK SPLIT FRAME CONSTRUCTION - The present invention generally relates to a split frame assembly for supporting a chamber in a processing system. In order to adequately fit into the body of an airplane for transport, the frame may be split into two pieces. Once split, each piece may individually be loaded onto the airplane. The upper piece may comprise all of the various components necessary to operate the chamber including gas panels, control panels, or other panels. The lower piece may support the upper piece. | 11-27-2008 |
20090101069 | RF RETURN PLATES FOR BACKING PLATE SUPPORT - Embodiments of the present invention generally comprise an RF return plate for use in an apparatus that utilizes RF current. Whenever a backing plate is so large that a backing plate support structure is needed to prevent the backing plate from sagging, RF current that flows across the backing plate towards the showerhead may be partially diverted and flow up the support structure. The RF current that flows up the support structure puts an unwanted bias on the support structure and also contributes to reduction of the RF current flowing to the showerhead. By returning the RF current to the source, the amount of RF current that may flow up the support structure may be reduced. An RF return plate may be disposed between the chamber lid and the support structure to redirect any RF current that may flow up the support structure back down to the chamber lid. | 04-23-2009 |
20090107955 | OFFSET LINER FOR CHAMBER EVACUATION - The present invention generally includes a chamber liner spaced from a chamber wall to permit processing gases to be pulled between the chamber liner and the chamber wall when withdrawing gases from the processing chamber. When the vacuum pump is below the susceptor, processing gases will be drawn below the susceptor and may lead to undesired deposition onto process chamber components. Additionally, the processing gases will be pulled past the slit valve opening and potentially deposit within the slit valve opening. When material deposits in the slit valve opening, flaking may occur and contaminate the substrates. By drawing the processing gases along the sidewalls other than the one having the slit valve opening therethrough, undesired deposition on the slit valve opening may be reduced. | 04-30-2009 |
20090114153 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SEALING AN OPENING OF A PROCESSING CHAMBER - A method and apparatus for sealing an opening of a processing chamber are provided. In one embodiment, the invention generally provides a closure member integrated within a wall of a process chamber for sealing an opening within the wall of the chamber. In another embodiment, the invention provides a closure member configured to seal an opening in the wall of a processing chamber from the inside of the chamber. | 05-07-2009 |
20090255798 | METHOD TO PREVENT PARASITIC PLASMA GENERATION IN GAS FEEDTHRU OF LARGE SIZE PECVD CHAMBER - The present invention generally includes a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) processing chamber having an RF power source coupled to the backing plate at a location separate from the gas source. By feeding the gas into the processing chamber at a location separate from the RF power, parasitic plasma formation in the gas tubes leading to the processing chamber may be reduced. The gas may be fed to the chamber at a plurality of locations. At each location, the gas may be fed to the processing chamber from the gas source by passing through a remote plasma source as well as an RF choke or RF resistor. | 10-15-2009 |
20090258162 | PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD - The present invention generally includes a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) processing chamber having an RF power source coupled to the backing plate at a location separate from the gas source. By feeding the gas into the processing chamber at a location separate from the RF power, parasitic plasma formation in the gas tubes leading to the processing chamber may be reduced. The gas may be fed to the chamber at a plurality of locations. At each location, the gas may be fed to the processing chamber from the gas source by passing through a remote plasma source as well as an RF choke or RF resistor. | 10-15-2009 |
20100050534 | SLOTTED TSSL DOOR TO COUPLE O-RING WITH MOVING MATING PART - Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to a slit valve door assembly for sealing an opening in a chamber. A slit valve door that is pressed against the chamber to seal the slit valve opening moves with the chamber as the slit valve opening shrinks so that an o-ring pressed between the slit valve door and the chamber may move with the slit valve door and the chamber. Thus, less rubbing of the o-ring against the chamber may occur. With less rubbing, fewer particles may be generated and the o-ring lifetime may be extended. With a longer lifetime for the o-ring, substrate throughput may be increased. | 03-04-2010 |
20100054905 | LOAD LOCK CHAMBER FOR LARGE AREA SUBSTRATE PROCESSING SYSTEM - The present invention generally includes a load lock chamber for transferring large area substrates into a vacuum processing chamber. The load lock chamber may have one or more separate, environmentally isolated environments. Each processing environment may have a plurality exhaust ports for drawing a vacuum. The exhaust ports may be located at the corners of the processing environment. When a substrate is inserted into the load lock chamber from the factory interface, the environment may need to be evacuated. Due to the exhaust ports located at the corners of the environment, any particles or contaminants that may be present may be pulled to the closest corner and out of the load lock chamber without being pulled across the substrate. Thus, substrate contamination may be reduced. | 03-04-2010 |
20100075453 | SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE AND METHOD FOR SOLAR PANEL FORMATION - A method and apparatus for forming solar panels from n-doped silicon, p-doped silicon, intrinsic amorphous silicon, and intrinsic microcrystalline silicon using a cluster tool is disclosed. The cluster tool comprises at least one load lock chamber and at least one transfer chamber. When multiple clusters are used, at least one buffer chamber may be present between the clusters. A plurality of processing chambers are attached to the transfer chamber. As few as five and as many as thirteen processing chambers can be present. | 03-25-2010 |
20100086380 | SCISSOR LIFT TRANSFER ROBOT - A method and apparatus for a transfer robot that may be used in a vacuum environment is described. The transfer robot includes a lift assembly comprising a first platform and a second platform coupled to the first platform by a plurality of support members, the plurality of support members comprising a first pair of support members and a second pair of support members, a first drive assembly coupled to a portion of the plurality of support members, the first drive assembly providing a motive force to the plurality of support members to move the second platform in a first linear direction relative to the first platform, and an end effector disposed on the second platform and movable in a second linear direction by a second drive assembly, the second linear direction being orthogonal to the first linear direction. | 04-08-2010 |
20100139889 | Multiple Slot Load Lock Chamber and Method of Operation - Embodiments of the invention include a load lock chamber, a processing system having a load lock chamber and a method for transferring substrates between atmospheric and vacuum environments. In one embodiment, the method includes maintaining a processed substrate within a transfer cavity formed in a chamber body for two venting cycles. In another embodiment, the method includes transferring a substrate from a transfer cavity to a heating cavity formed in the chamber body, and heating the substrate in the heating cavity. In another embodiment, a load lock chamber includes a chamber body having substrate support disposed in a transfer cavity. The substrate support is movable between a first elevation and a second elevation. A plurality of grooves are formed in at least one of a ceiling or floor of the transfer cavity and configured to receive at least a portion of the substrate support when located in the second elevation. | 06-10-2010 |
20100196626 | GROUND RETURN FOR PLASMA PROCESSES - A method and apparatus for providing an electrically symmetrical ground or return path for electrical current between two electrodes is described. The apparatus includes at least on radio frequency (RF) device coupled to one of the electrodes and between a sidewall and/or a bottom of a processing chamber. The method includes moving one electrode relative to another and realizing a ground return path based on the position of the displaced electrode using one or both of a RF device coupled to a sidewall and the electrode, a RF device coupled to a bottom of the chamber and the electrode, or a combination thereof. | 08-05-2010 |
20100206483 | RF Bus and RF Return Bus for Plasma Chamber Electrode - For coupling RF power from an RF input of a plasma chamber to the interior of a plasma chamber, an RF bus conductor is connected between the RF input and a plasma chamber electrode. In one embodiment, an RF return bus conductor is connected to an electrically grounded wall of the chamber, and the RF bus conductor and the RF return bus conductor have respective surfaces that are parallel and face each other. In another embodiment, the RF bus conductor has a transverse cross section having a longest dimension oriented perpendicular to the surface of the plasma chamber electrode that is closest to the RF bus conductor. | 08-19-2010 |
20100245084 | Detecting plasma chamber malfunction - Malfunction of a component within an RF-powered plasma chamber is detected by observing an operating condition of the plasma chamber and detecting when the operating condition deviates from a previously observed range bounded by lower and upper limits. The lower and upper limits are determined by observing the minimum and maximum values of that operating condition during the processing of workpieces throughout one or more plasma chamber cleaning cycles immediately preceding the most recent cleaning of the plasma chamber. | 09-30-2010 |
20100288197 | ANODIZED SHOWERHEAD - Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to an apparatus having an anodized gas distribution showerhead. In large area, parallel plate RF processing chambers, mastering the RF return path can be challenging. Arcing is a frequent problem encountered in RF processing chambers. To reduce arcing in RF processing chambers, straps may be coupled to the susceptor to shorten the RF return path, a ceramic or insulating or anodized shadow frame may be coupled to the susceptor during processing, and an anodized coating may be deposited onto the edge of the showerhead that is nearest the chamber walls. The anodized coating may reduce arcing between the showerhead and the chamber walls and therefore enhance film properties and increase deposition rate. | 11-18-2010 |
20110076118 | SUBSTRATE TRANSFER ROBOT WITH CHAMBER AND SUBSTRATE MONITORING CAPABILITY - A method and apparatus for a transfer robot that having at least one image sensor disposed thereon is provided. The transfer robot includes a lift assembly having a first drive assembly for moving a first platform relative to a second platform in a first linear direction, an end effector assembly disposed on the second platform and movable in a second linear direction by a second drive assembly, the second linear direction being orthogonal to the first linear direction, at least one image sensor, and a lighting device associated with the at least one image sensor. | 03-31-2011 |
20110146577 | SHOWERHEAD WITH INSULATED CORNER REGIONS - Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a gas distribution showerhead having insulated corner regions to reduce arcing and improve deposition uniformity control. In one embodiment, the gas distribution showerhead is formed of a conductive material with material from the corner regions removed. Corner members formed substantially in the shape of the removed portion of corner regions are attached to the conductive showerhead. The corner members may be made of a material having electrical insulating properties, such as a ceramic or insulating polymer. | 06-23-2011 |
20110284100 | TIGHTLY FITTED CERAMIC INSULATOR ON LARGE AREA ELECTRODE - Embodiments of the invention generally include shield frame assembly for use with a showerhead assembly, and a showerhead assembly having a shield frame assembly that includes an insulator that tightly fits around the perimeter of a showerhead in a vacuum processing chamber. In one embodiment, a showerhead assembly includes a gas distribution plate and a multi-piece frame assembly that circumscribes a perimeter edge of the gas distribution plate. The multi-piece frame assembly allows for expansion of the gas distribution plate without creating gaps which may lead to arcing. In other embodiments, the insulator is positioned to be have the electric fields concentrated at the perimeter of the gas distribution plate located therein, thereby reducing arcing potential. | 11-24-2011 |
20110290183 | Plasma Uniformity Control By Gas Diffuser Hole Design - Embodiments of a gas diffuser plate for distributing gas in a processing chamber are provided. The gas distribution plate includes a diffuser plate having an upstream side and a downstream side, and a plurality of gas passages passing between the upstream and downstream sides of the diffuser plate. The gas passages include hollow cathode cavities at the downstream side to enhance plasma ionization. The depths, the diameters, the surface area and density of hollow cathode cavities of the gas passages that extend to the downstream end can be gradually increased from the center to the edge of the diffuser plate to improve the film thickness and property uniformity across the substrate. The increasing diameters, depths and surface areas from the center to the edge of the diffuser plate can be created by bending the diffuser plate toward downstream side, followed by machining out the convex downstream side. Bending the diffuser plate can be accomplished by a thermal process or a vacuum process. The increasing diameters, depths and surface areas from the center to the edge of the diffuser plate can also be created computer numerically controlled machining. Diffuser plates with gradually increasing diameters, depths and surface areas of the hollow cathode cavities from the center to the edge of the diffuser plate have been shown to produce improved uniformities of film thickness and film properties. | 12-01-2011 |
20120031333 | VERTICAL INLINE CVD SYSTEM - The present invention generally relates to a vertical CVD system having a processing chamber that is capable of processing multiple substrates. The multiple substrates are disposed on opposite sides of the processing source within the processing chamber, yet the processing environments are not isolated from each other. The processing source is a horizontally centered vertical plasma generator that permits multiple substrates to be processed simultaneously on either side of the plasma generator, yet independent of each other. The system is arranged as a twin system whereby two identical processing lines, each with their own processing chamber, are arranged adjacent to each other. Multiple robots are used to load and unload the substrates from the processing system. Each robot can access both processing lines within the system. | 02-09-2012 |
20120031335 | VERTICAL INLINE CVD SYSTEM - The present invention generally relates to a vertical CVD system having a processing chamber that is capable of processing multiple substrates. The multiple substrates are disposed on opposite sides of the processing source within the processing chamber, yet the processing environments are not isolated from each other. The processing source is a horizontally centered vertical plasma generator that permits multiple substrates to be processed simultaneously on either side of the plasma generator, yet independent of each other. The system is arranged as a twin system whereby two identical processing lines, each with their own processing chamber, are arranged adjacent to each other. Multiple robots are used to load and unload the substrates from the processing system. Each robot can access both processing lines within the system. | 02-09-2012 |
20120103989 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SEALING AN OPENING OF A PROCESSING CHAMBER - A method and apparatus for sealing an opening of a processing chamber are provided. In one embodiment, the invention generally provides a closure member integrated within a wall of a process chamber for sealing an opening within the wall of the chamber. In another embodiment, the invention provides a closure member configured to seal an opening in the wall of a processing chamber from the inside of the chamber. | 05-03-2012 |
20120171391 | THIN FILM DEPOSITION USING MICROWAVE PLASMA - Embodiments of the present invention generally provide deposition processes for a silicon-containing dielectric layer using an improved microwave-assisted CVD chamber. In one embodiment, a method of processing a substrate in a processing chamber is provided. The method generally includes applying a microwave power to an antenna coupled to a microwave source disposed within the processing chamber, wherein the microwave source is disposed relatively above a gas feeding source configured to provide a gas distribution coverage covering substantially an entire surface of the substrate, and exposing the substrate to a microwave plasma generated from a processing gas provided by the gas feeding source to deposit a silicon-containing layer on the substrate at a temperature lower than about 200 degrees Celsius, the microwave plasma using a microwave power of about 500 milliWatts/cm | 07-05-2012 |
20120217874 | Plasma Source with Vertical Gradient - A plasma source includes upper and lower portions. In a first aspect, an electrical power source supplies greater power to the upper portion than to the lower portion. In a second aspect, the plasma source includes three or more power couplers that are spaced apart vertically, wherein the number of plasma power couplers in the upper portion is greater than the number of plasma power couplers in the lower portion. The upper and lower portions of the plasma source can be defined as respectively above and below a horizontal geometric plane that bisects the vertical height of the plasma source. Alternatively, the upper and lower portions can be defined as respectively above and below a horizontal geometric plane that bisects the combined area of first and second workpiece positions. | 08-30-2012 |
20120231181 | INSULATION COVERAGE OF CVD ELECTRODE - Embodiments of the present invention relate to apparatus and methods for preventing arcing between a RF hot chamber components and grounded chamber body. One embodiment of the present invention provides an insulation cover for using in a plasma processing chamber. The insulation cover comprises a frame having an inner window for accommodating a gas distribution showerhead therein. The frame has an L-shaped cross section and configured to shield both a vertical portion and a horizontal portion of a chamber component from the gas distribution showerhead. | 09-13-2012 |
20120326592 | Transmission Line RF Applicator for Plasma Chamber - A transmission line RF applicator apparatus and method for coupling RF power to a plasma in a plasma chamber. The apparatus comprises an inner conductor and one or two outer conductors. The main portion of each of the one or two outer conductors includes a plurality of apertures that extend between an inner surface and an outer surface of the outer conductor. | 12-27-2012 |
20130126331 | Guided Wave Applicator with Non-Gaseous Dielectric for Plasma Chamber - A guided wave applicator comprising two electrically conductive waveguide walls and a waveguide dielectric. The volume of the waveguide dielectric is composed of non-gaseous dielectric material and is positioned between the two waveguide walls. The waveguide dielectric includes first and second longitudinal ends and includes first, second, third and fourth sides extending longitudinally between the two longitudinal ends. The first waveguide wall is positioned so that it covers the first side of the waveguide dielectric, and the second waveguide wall is positioned so that it covers the second side of the waveguide dielectric. In operation, electrical power can be supplied to one or both longitudinal ends of the waveguide dielectric, whereby the power can be coupled to a plasma through the exposed sides of the waveguide dielectric. | 05-23-2013 |
20130221833 | Transmission line RF applicator for plasma chamber - A transmission line RF applicator apparatus and method for coupling RF power to a plasma in a plasma chamber. The apparatus comprises an inner conductor and one or two outer conductors. The main portion of each of the one or two outer conductors includes a plurality of apertures that extend between an inner surface and an outer surface of the outer conductor. | 08-29-2013 |