Lam Research Corporation

Applied Materials, Inc.

Ben Mooring

Andrew D Bailey, Iii

Jack Chen

Stephen J Cain

John P Parks

Diane J Hymes

Wilbur C Krusell

Tony Ray Kroeker

Erik H Engdahl

Glenn W Travis

Nick Bright

Methods, systems, and computer programs are presented for processing a substrate in a processing chamber which includes a first chamber and a second chamber. A first surface of the substrate is exposed to the first chamber and a second surface of the substrate is exposed to the second chamber. One method includes an operation for applying a first fluid to the first surface of the substrate, where the first fluid is at a first temperature. Further, the method includes another operation for applying a second fluid to the second surface of the substrate, where the second fluid is at a second temperature. During processing of the substrate, the second temperature is higher than the first temperature, and the second fluid heats the substrate.

Wafer heating and temperature control by backside fluid injection

In one of the many embodiments, an apparatus for processing a substrate is provided which includes a substrate processing chamber where the substrate is positioned within the substrate processing chamber so the substrate at least partially separates the substrate processing chamber into a first chamber and a second chamber. The apparatus further includes a first chamber inlet configured to input a first fluid of a first temperature into the first chamber at a first pressure and a second chamber inlet configured to input a second fluid of a second temperature into the second chamber at a second pressure wherein the first pressure and the second pressure are substantially equal. The second temperature is capable of being utilized to manage substrate temperature.

A method for aligning a substrate to a process center of a support mechanism is provided. The method includes determining substrate thickness after substrate processing at a plurality of orientations and at a plurality of radial distances from a geometric center of the substrate. The method also includes deriving a set of process rate values from substrate thickness and process duration. The method further includes creating for a process rate an off-centered plot, which represents a substantially concentric circle whose points are a circumference of the off-centered plot having substantially the first process rate. The method yet also includes applying a curve-fitting equation to the off-centered plot to determine a set of parameters. The method yet further includes teaching a set of robot arms the set of parameters, thereby enabling the set of robot arms to align another substrate that is supported by the support mechanism with the process center.

Offset correction techniques for positioning substrates within a processing chamber

A bevel inspection module for capturing images of a substrate is provided. The module includes a rotational motor, which is attached to a substrate chuck and is configured to rotate the substrate chuck thereby allowing the substrate to revolve. The module further includes a camera and an optic enclosure, which is attached to the camera and is configured to rotate, enabling light to be directed toward the substrate. The camera is mounted from a camera mount, which is configured to enable the camera to rotate on a 180 degree plane allowing the camera to capture images of at least one of a top view, a bottom view, and a side view of the substrate. The module yet also includes a backlight arrangement, which is configured to provide illumination to the substrate, thereby enabling the camera to capture the images, which shows contrast between the substrate and a background.

Offset correction methods and arrangement for positioning and inspecting substrates

A method for calculating a process center for a chuck in a processing chamber is provided. The method includes generating pre-processing and post-processing measurement data points, which is perform by measuring thickness of a film substrate at a set of orientations and a set of distances from a geometric center of the substrate. The method also includes comparing the pre-processing and post-processing measurement data points to calculate a set of etch depth numbers. The method further includes generating etch profiles for the set of orientations. The method yet also includes extrapolating a set of radiuses, which is associated with a first etch depth, from the etch profiles. The method yet further includes generating an off-centered plot, which is a graphical representation of the set of radiuses versus the set of orientations. The method more over includes calculating the process center by applying a curve-fitting equation to the off-centered plot.

Offset correction techniques for positioning substrates

A method and apparatus are disclosed for chemically-mechanically polishing and planarizing semiconductors. An apparatus includes first and second rollers connected by a tension belt. A polishing member is releasably attached to the first and second rollers. A method includes clamping a first portion of a continuous strip of polishing member to a first roller, clamping a second portion of the continuous strip to a second roller, applying a tension to the continuous strip and rotationally reciprocating the rollers while pressing a semiconductor wafer against the continuous strip.

Method and apparatus for chemical mechanical planarization and polishing of semiconductor wafers using a continuous polishing member feed

A modular vacuum system may have vacuum chamber modules, power supply modules and control system modules. The vacuum chamber modules may be defined with a clear interface between them. There may be several interfaces on a transfer chamber module that provide connections to any process chamber module. The interfaces may provide common facilities and electrical connections to matching connections on the process chambers and may also provide some configurability with a removable optional facilities interface. The power supply modules may provide all of the power necessary for one corresponding chamber module and be built into cabinets for connecting together as a modular and scalable system. The modular control system may have objects that represent each chamber module in the vacuum system; and may have a system level that configures, initiates, distributes and controls the objects. Each of the objects may be made of a hierarchical set of software modules that represent the different functions and devices of the chamber modules.

Modular architecture for semiconductor wafer fabrication equipment

The present invention provides a robot assembly for transferring objects, namely substrates, through a process system. A robot linkage is provided to a multi-plane, multi-arm robot assembly driven by two motors. In one embodiment, a linkage is provided which is driven by two magnetic retaining rings. In another embodiment, a linkage is provided which is driven by three magnetic retaining rings, two of which are coupled to the same motor. Both embodiments enable a substrate shuttle operation to be performed wherein a pair of substrates can be shuttled into and out of a selected chamber without having the robot assembly rotate in the transfer and by actuation of only two motors.

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Austin, TX, United States of America

Ben Mooring