Applied Materials, Inc.

Alvaro Garcia De Gorordo

Stephen Donald Prouty

Andreas Schmid

Andrew Antoine Noujaim

Sunil Srinivasan

Zhonghua Yao

Sang Wook Park

Martin Perez-Guzman

Rajinder Dhindsa

Sumanth Banda

Vijay D Parkhe

Samer Banna

Yogananda Sarode Vishwanath

Steven E Babayan

Waheb Bishara

Daniel Sang Byun

Methods of semiconductor processing may include performing a process on a semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor substrate may be seated on a substrate support positioned within a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include flowing a first backside gas through the substrate support at a first flow rate. The methods may include removing the semiconductor substrate from the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include performing a plasma cleaning operation within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include flowing a second backside gas through the substrate support at a second flow rate. At least a portion of the second backside gas may flow into the processing region through accesses in the substrate support.

Condition selectable backside gas

A substrate support assembly is described herein that includes a facility plate, a ground plate coupled to the facility plate, a fluid conduit disposed within the substrate support assembly disposed through the facility plate and the ground plate, and a connector coupled to the ground plate that houses a portion of the fluid conduit. The connector includes a biasing assembly and a fastener disposed in a pocket formed in the ground plate.

Cooled substrate support assembly for radio frequency environments

The present disclosure generally relates to substrate processing methods, such as etching methods with noble gases at low temperatures. In an aspect, the method includes exposing a substrate, a first layer comprising a gas, and a fluorine-containing layer to energy to form a passivation layer while maintaining the substrate at conditions encompassing a triple point temperature of the gas, the substrate positioned in a processing region of a processing chamber. The method further includes etching the substrate with ions.

Cryogenic atomic layer etch with noble gases

Embodiments described herein relate to a substrate support assembly which enables adjustment of the thermal conductivity therein. The substrate support assembly has heater and cooling channel. An adjustable thermal break disposed between the heater and the cooling channel. The adjustable thermal break has one or more fluid conduits coupled thereto and configured to flow a fluid into and out of the adjustable thermal break for variant the thermal conductivity between the heater and the cooling channel.

Adjustable thermal break in a substrate support

Semiconductor chamber components are described herein that includes one or more conduits for carrying a fluid between powered and grounded portions of the chamber component, the conduit configure to be less prone to arcing as compared to conventional components. In one example, a semiconductor chamber component is provided that includes a powered region, a grounded region, and a fluid conduit. The fluid conduit is disposed within the semiconductor chamber component and passes through the powered and grounded regions. The fluid conduit has an end to end electrical resistance of between 0.1 to 100 M&#x3a9;.

Substrate support assembly with arc resistant coolant conduit

A method for etching silicon at cryogenic temperatures is provided. The method includes forming an inert layer from condensation of a noble gas at cryogenic temperatures on exposed surfaces such as the sidewalls of a feature to passivate the sidewalls prior to the etching process. The method further includes flowing a fluorine-containing precursor gas into the chamber to form a fluorine-containing layer on the inert layer. The method further includes exposing the fluorine-containing layer and the inert layer to an energy source to form a passivation layer on the exposed portions of the substrate and exposing the substrate to ions to etch the substrate.

Embodiments described herein relate to a substrate support assembly which enables a cryogenic temperature operation of an electrostatic chuck (ESC) so that a substrate disposed thereon is maintained at a cryogenic processing temperature suitable for processing while other surfaces of a processing chamber are maintained at a different temperature. The substrate support assembly includes an electrostatic chuck (ESC), an ESC base assembly coupled to the ESC having a base channel disposed therein, and a facility plate having a facility channel disposed therein. The facility plate includes a plate portion and a wall portion. The plate portion is coupled to the ESC base assembly and the wall portion coupled to the ESC with a seal assembly. A vacuum region is defined by the ESC, the ESC base assembly, the plate portion of the facility plate, the wall portion of the facility plate, and the seal assembly.

Cryogenic electrostatic chuck

Embodiments include processing equipment. A processing system having an optical temperature measurement subsystem is described. In an example, the optical temperature measurement subsystem includes a light source to direct an excitation light into a process chamber, and a photosensitive array to detect a response light received from the process chamber. The detected light can be monitored to determine a temperature of a substrate mounted within the process chamber. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Processing system having optical temperature measurement subsystem

Methods and apparatus for plasma-enhanced substrate processing are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method is provided for processing a substrate in a process chamber having a plurality of electromagnets disposed about the process chamber to form a magnetic field within the process chamber at least at a substrate level. In some embodiments, the method includes determining a first direction of an external magnetic field present within the process chamber while providing no current to the plurality of electromagnets; providing a range of currents to the plurality of electromagnets to create a magnetic field within the process chamber having a second direction opposing the first direction; determining a desired magnitude in the second direction of the magnetic field over the range of currents; and processing a substrate in the process chamber using a plasma while statically providing the magnetic field at the desired magnitude.

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Mountain View, CA, United States of America

Alvaro Garcia De Gorordo