Applied Materials, Inc.

Chul Nyoung Lee

Siew Kit Hoi

Yuichi Wada

Jiao Song

Xinxin Wang

Yaoying Zhong

Jay Min Soh

Mengxue Wu

Yue Cui

Palaniappan Chidambaram

Kok Seong Teo

Zheng Min Clarence Chong

Kok Wei Tan

Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate are provided herein. For example, a method for processing a substrate comprises applying a DC target voltage to a target disposed within a processing volume of a plasma processing chamber, rotating a magnet disposed above the target at a default speed to direct sputter material from the target toward a substrate support disposed within the processing volume, measuring in-situ DC voltage in the processing volume, the in-situ DC voltage different from the DC target voltage, determining if a measured in-situ DC voltage is greater than a preset value, if the measured in-situ DC voltage is less than or equal to the preset value, maintaining the magnet at the default speed, and if the measured in-situ DC voltage is greater than the preset value, rotating the magnet at a speed less than the default speed to decrease the in-situ DC voltage.

Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate

Methods and apparatus for protecting parts of a process chamber from thermal cycling effects of deposited materials. In some embodiments, a method of protecting the part of the process chamber includes wet etching the part with a weak alkali or acid, cleaning the part by bead blasting, coating at least a portion of a surface of the part with a stress relief layer. The stress relief layer forms a continuous layer that is approximately 50 microns to approximately 250 microns thick and is configured to preserve a structural integrity of the part from the thermal cycling of aluminum deposited on the part. The method may also include wet cleaning of the part with a heated deionized water rinse after formation of the stress relief layer.

Methods and apparatus for prevention of component cracking using stress relief layer

Growing community of inventors

Singapore, Singapore

Chul Nyoung Lee