Applied Materials, Inc.

Alain Duboust

Liang-Yuh Chen

Yan Wang

Stan D Tsai

Feng Quan Liu

Siew Neo

Antoine P Manens

Paul D Butterfield

Ralph M Wadensweiler

Rashid Mavliev

Yongqi Hu

Manoocher Birang

Lizhong Sun

Daniel A Carl

Shou-Sung Chang

Yuchun Wang

Donald J K Olgado

Ratson Morad

Wei-Yung Hsu

Jimin Zhang

Wen-Chiang Tu

Zhihong Wang

Yonqi Hu

Boguslaw A Swedek

David P Bour

Sen-Hou Ko

Doyle E Bennett

Ingemar Carlsson

Shih-Haur Shen

Stephen Jew

Yuan Tian

Alexey Goder

Vladimir Galburt

David H Mai

Huyen Karen Tran

Tianbao Du

Shijian Li

Sasson Roger Somekh

Jun Zhao

Lakshmanan Karuppiah

Wei Guang Lu

You Wang

Ming-Kuei Tseng

Jie Diao

Ravi Jallepally

Shih-Hung Li

Renhe Jia

Shi-Ping Wang

Yongsik Moon

Suresh M Shrauti

Robert A Ewald

Jose Salas-Vernis

Liang-Yun Chen

Llang-Yuh Chen

A difference between a first expected required polish time for a first substrate and a second expected required polish time for a second substrate is determined using a first pre-polish thickness and a second pre-polish thickness measured at an in-line metrology station. A duration of an initial period is determined based on the difference between the first expected required polish time and the second expected required polish time. For the initial period at a beginning of a polishing operation, no pressure is applied to whichever of the first substrate and the second substrate has a lesser expected required polish time while simultaneously pressure is applied to whichever of the first substrate and the second substrate has a greater expected required polish time. After the initial period, pressure is applied to both the first substrate and the second substrate.

Endpoint control of multiple substrate zones of varying thickness in chemical mechanical polishing

Apparatus and method for control of epitaxial growth parameters, for example during manufacture of light emitting diodes (LEDs). Embodiments include PL measurement of a group III-V film following growth while a substrate at an elevated temperature is in a transfer chamber of a multi-chamber cluster tool. In other embodiments, a film thickness measurement, a contactless resistivity measurement, and a particle and/or roughness measure is performed while the substrate is disposed in the transfer chamber. One or more of the measurements performed in the transfer chamber are temperature corrected to room temperature by estimating the elevated temperature based on emission from a GaN base layer disposed below the group III-V film. In other embodiments, temperature correction is based on an absorbance band edge of the GaN base layer determined from collected white light reflectance spectra. Temperature corrected metrology is then used to control growth processes.

Transfer chamber metrology for improved device yield

Endpoint control of multiple substrates of varying thickness on the same platen in chemical mechanical polishing

A polishing system includes a polishing pad with an aperture that extends through all layers of the polishing pad and a light transmissive film positioned on top of a light-generating or light-guiding element of an optical monitoring system.

Method of making and apparatus having windowless polishing pad and protected fiber

A polishing pad has a polishing layer and a backing layer secured to the polishing layer. The polishing layer has a polishing surface, a first thickness, a first compressibility, and a hardness between about 40 to 80 Shore D. The backing layer has a second thickness and has a second compressibility greater than the first compressibility. The first thickness, first compressibility, second thickness and second compressibility are such that the polishing surface deflects more than the thickness non-uniformity of the polishing layer under an applied pressure of 1.5 psi or less.

Multi-layer polishing pad for low-pressure polishing

A method and apparatus for local polishing and deposition control in a process cell is generally provided. In one embodiment, an apparatus for electrochemically processing a substrate is provided that selectively polishes discrete conductive portions of a substrate by controlling an electrical bias profile across a processing area, thereby controlling processing rates between two or more conductive portions of the substrate.

Method and apparatus for local polishing control

Method for process control of electro-processes is provided. In one embodiment, the method includes processing a conductive layer formed on a wafer using a target endpoint, detecting breakthrough of the conductive layer to expose portions of an underlying layer, and adjusting the target endpoint in response to the detected breakthrough. In another embodiment, the target endpoint is adjusted relative to an amount of underlying layer exposed through the conductive layer.

Endpoint for electroprocessing

Embodiments of the present invention provide methods of electroprocessing a substrate. One embodiment of the present invention provides a method comprises pressing a substrate against a polishing pad with a force less than about two pounds per square inch, the substrate contacting a first electrode of the polishing pad, applying an electrical bias to the substrate with the first electrode relative to a second electrode of the polishing pad, wherein the second electrode is disposed below the second electrode, and biasing a third electrode disposed in the polishing pad radially outward of the second electrode.

Electroprocessing profile control

Embodiments of the invention generally provide a method and apparatus for processing a substrate in an electrochemical mechanical planarizing system. In one embodiment, a cell for polishing a substrate includes a processing pad disposed on a top surface of a platen assembly. A plurality of conductive elements are arranged in a spaced-apart relation across the upper planarizing surface and adapted to bias the substrate relative to an electrode disposed between the pad and the platen assembly. A plurality of passages are formed through the platen assembly between the top surface and a plenum defined within the platen assembly. In another embodiment, a system is provided having a bulk processing cell and a residual processing cell. The residual processing cell includes a biased conductive planarizing surface. In further embodiments, the conductive element is protected from attack by process chemistries.

Method and apparatus for electrochemical mechanical processing

A method and apparatus for electroprocessing a substrate is provided. In one embodiment, a method for electroprocessing a substrate includes the steps of biasing a first electrode to establish a first electroprocessing zone between the electrode and the substrate, and biasing a second electrode disposed radially outward of substrate with a polarity opposite the bias applied tot he first electrode.

Method and apparatus for process control of electro-processes. The method includes electro-processing a wafer by the application of two or more biases and determining an amount of charge removed as a result of each bias, separately. In one embodiment, an endpoint is determined for each bias when the amount of charge removed for a bias substantially equals a respective target charge calculated for the bias.

Algorithm for real-time process control of electro-polishing

A retaining ring for electrochemical mechanical processing is described. The ring has a conductive portion having an upper surface and a lower surface and an insulating portion. The insulating portion has one or more openings extending therethrough, exposing the lower surface of the conductive portion. An upper surface of the insulating portion contacts the lower surface of the conductive portion. In an electrochemical mechanical polishing process, the retaining ring can be biased separately from a substrate being polished.

Biased retaining ring

A retaining ring for chemical mechanical polishing is described. The ring has a bottom surface with non-intersecting grooves. Alternating grooves are at opposing angles to one another.

Grooved retaining ring

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Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Alain Duboust