Lam Research Corporation

Lam Research Ag

Butch Berney

Brian K McMillin

Michael S Barnes

David S Mui

Huong Nguyen

Andrew D Bailey, Iii

Tuqiang Q Ni

Arthur M Howald

Andras Kuthi

Wenli Z Collison

Alois Goller

Hongbo Si

Wayne W Vereb

Michael Ravkin

Mike Ravkin

Paul K Shufflebotham

Karl-Heinz Hohenwarter

Alex T Demos

Bhaskar Bandarapu

Bridget Hill

Monique Ben-Dor

Bernhard Loidl

Daniel Brien

Christian Putzi

Robert Johnson

Nathan Lavdovsky

Michael Klemm

Andrew D Iii Bailey

A vapor delivery head for wet treatment of a substrate includes a body including an upper surface, a lower surface, an upper plenum and a lower plenum. A first bore is arranged on the upper surface of the body and fluidly connected to the upper plenum to supply heated fluid. A second bore is arranged on the upper surface of the body and connected to the upper plenum to remove heated fluid. A third bore is arranged on the upper surface of the body and connected to the lower plenum to receive a gas mixture. A plurality of through holes through the lower surface of the body are in fluid communication with the lower plenum.

Vapor delivery head for preventing stiction of high aspect ratio structures and/or repairing high aspect ratio structures

An apparatus for processing wafer-shaped articles comprises a rotary chuck and a heating assembly that faces a wafer-shaped article when positioned on the rotary chuck. A liquid dispenser positioned so as to dispense liquid onto a surface of a wafer-shaped article that faces away from the rotary chuck when positioned on the rotary chuck. The heating assembly comprises an array of radiant heating elements distributed among at least five individually controllable groups. The liquid dispenser comprises one or more dispensing orifices configured to move a discharge point from a more central region of the rotary chuck to a more peripheral region of the rotary chuck. A controller controls power supplied to each of the at least five individually controllable groups of radiant heating elements based on a position of the discharge point of the liquid dispenser.

Method and apparatus for processing wafer-shaped articles

An apparatus for processing wafer-shaped articles includes a rotary chuck adapted to hold a wafer-shaped article of a predetermined diameter thereon. A radiant heating plate faces a wafer-shaped article when positioned on the rotary chuck. The radiant heating plate includes radiant heating elements, but a central region of the radiant heating plate is free of radiant heating elements. The radiant heating plate further includes at least one refraction element that refracts radiation emitted by the radiant heating elements and passed through the at least one refraction element, toward the central region of the radiant heating plate.

Apparatus and radiant heating plate for processing wafer-shaped articles

A plasma processing chamber for processing a substrate to form electronic components thereon is disclosed. The plasma processing chamber includes a plasma-facing component having a plasma-facing surface oriented toward a plasma in the plasma processing chamber during processing of the substrate, the plasma-facing component being electrically isolated from a ground terminal. The plasma processing chamber further includes a grounding arrangement coupled to the plasma-facing component, the grounding arrangement including a first resistance circuit disposed in a first current path between the plasma-facing component and the ground terminal. The grounding arrangement further includes a RF filter arrangement disposed in at least one other current path between the plasma-facing component and the ground terminal, wherein a resistance value of the first resistance circuit is selected to substantially eliminate arcing between the plasma and the plasma-facing component during the processing of the substrate.

Minimizing arcing in a plasma processing chamber

Apparatus and methods for minimizing arcing in a plasma processing chamber

A plasma processing module for processing a substrate includes a plasma containment chamber having a feed gas inlet port capable of allowing a feed gas to enter the plasma containment chamber of the plasma processing module during the processing of the substrate. An inductively coupled source is used to energize the feed gas and striking a plasma within the plasma containment chamber. The specific configuration of the inductively coupled source causes the plasma to be formed such that the plasma includes a primary dissociation zone within the plasma containment chamber. A secondary chamber is separated from the plasma containment chamber by a plasma containment plate. The secondary chamber includes a chuck and an exhaust port. The chuck is configured to support the substrate during the processing of the substrate and the exhaust port is connected to the secondary chamber such that the exhaust port allows gases to be removed from the secondary chamber during the processing of the substrate. A chamber interconnecting port interconnects the plasma containment chamber and the secondary chamber. The chamber interconnecting port allows gases from the plasma containment chamber to flow into the secondary chamber during the processing of the substrate. The chamber interconnecting port is positioned between the plasma containment chamber and the secondary chamber such that, when the substrate is positioned on the chuck in the secondary chamber, there is no substantial direct line-of-sight exposure of the substrate to the primary dissociation zone of the plasma formed within the plasma containment chamber.

Inductively coupled plasma downstream strip module

A plasma processing system for processes such as chemical vapor deposition includes a plasma processing chamber, a substrate holder for supporting a substrate within the processing chamber, a dielectric member having an interior surface facing the substrate holder, the dielectric member forming a wall of the processing chamber a gas supply for supplying gas to the chamber, directed towards the substrate, and an RF energy source such as a planar coil which inductively couples RF energy through the dielectric member and into the chamber to energize the process gas into a plasma state. The gas supply may comprise a primary gas ring and a secondary gas ring for supplying gases or gas mixtures into the chamber. The gas supply may further include injectors attached to the primary gas ring which inject gas into the chamber, directed toward the substrate. The plasma processing system may also include a cooling mechanism for cooling the primary gas ring during processing.

Method for high density plasma chemical vapor deposition of dielectric films

A method of depositing a dielectric film on a substrate in a process chamber of an inductively coupled plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition reactor. Gap filling between electrically conductive lines on a semiconductor substrate and depositing a cap layer are achieved. Films having significantly improved physical characteristics including reduced film stress are produced by heating the substrate holder on which the substrate is positioned in the process chamber.

Inductively coupled plasma CVD

An electrostatic chuck comprises an electrode cap with a dielectric layer for attracting and holding the back side of a semiconductor wafer positioned on the top surface of the dielectric layer, and a lower electrode. The electrostatic chuck is heated by resistive heating elements attached to or embedded within the chuck. The electrostatic chuck is cooled by circulating liquid coolant through the body of the chuck. Coolant gas is provided at the back side of the semiconductor wafer to improve thermal transfer. A feedback control mechanism maintains the chuck, and consequently the wafer, at a predetermined temperature by actively controlling both the heating and the cooling functions.

Variable high temperature chuck for high density plasma chemical vapor

Growing community of inventors

Pleasanton, CA, United States of America

Butch Berney