Applied Materials, Inc.

Appiled Materials, Inc.

Dan Katz

Alexander Miller Paterson

Valentin Nikolov Todorow

Theodoros Panagopoulos

John Patrick Holland

Edward P Hammond

Alexander Matyushkin

Brian K Hatcher

Douglas A Buchberger, Jr

Yan Ye

Michael D Willwerth

Xiaoye Zhao

Kang-Lie Chiang

Robert B Hagen

Daniel John Hoffman

Matthew L Miller

David Palagashvili

Arnold Kholodenko

Rodolfo Belen

Shiang-Bau Wang

Ananda H Kumar

Gerald Z Yin

Peter K Loewenhardt

Hamid Noorbakhsh

Chii Guang Lee

Diana Xiaobing Ma

Hongching Shan

Gerald Zheyao Yin

Denis M Koosau

Semyon L Kats

Wing Lau Cheng

Valentin N Todorov

Nicolas Gani

Michael Hegarty

Hong Chin Shan

A substrate support assembly comprises a ceramic puck comprising a substrate receiving surface, and having embedded therein: (i) an electrode to generate an electrostatic force to retain a substrate placed on the substrate receiving surface; and (ii) a heater to heat the substrate, the heater comprising a plurality of spaced apart heater coils. A compliant layer bonds the ceramic puck to a base, the compliant layer comprising a silicon material. The base comprises a channel to circulate fluid therethrough, the channel having a channel inlet and a channel terminus.

Substrate support assembly

A substrate support assembly comprises a ceramic puck having a substrate receiving surface and an opposing backside surface. The ceramic puck has an electrode and a heater embedded therein. The heater comprises first and second coils that are radially spaced apart. A base of the support assembly comprises a channel to circulate fluid therethrough, the channel comprising an inlet and terminus that are adjacent to one another so that the channel loops back upon itself. A compliant layer bonds the ceramic puck to the base.

Substrate support assembly having rapid temperature control

A substrate processing chamber comprises an electrostatic chuck comprising a ceramic puck having a substrate receiving surface and an opposing backside surface. In one version, the ceramic puck comprises a thickness of less than 7 mm. An electrode is embedded in the ceramic puck to generate an electrostatic force to hold a substrate, and heater coils in the ceramic puck allow independent control of temperatures at different heating zones of the puck. A chiller provides coolant to coolant channels in a base below the ceramic puck. A controller comprises temperature control instruction sets which set the coolant temperature in the chiller in relation prior to ramping up or down of the power levels applied to the heater.

Substrate processing with rapid temperature gradient control

An apparatus for generating uniform plasma across and beyond the peripheral edge of a substrate has a dielectric body with an upper electrode and an annular electrode embedded therein. The outer perimeter of the upper electrode overlaps the inner perimeter of the annular electrode. In one embodiment, the upper electrode and the annular electrode are electrically coupled by molybdenum vias. In one embodiment, the upper electrode is coupled to a DC power source to provide electrostatic force for chucking the substrate. In one embodiment, the upper electrode is coupled to an RF source for exciting one or more processing gasses into plasma for substrate processing.

Cathode with inner and outer electrodes at different heights

The disclosure concerns a method of processing a workpiece or in a plasma reactor chamber, using independent gas injection at the wafer edge.

Method of processing a workpiece in a plasma reactor with independent wafer edge process gas injection

A gas distribution assembly for the ceiling of a plasma reactor includes a center fed hub and an equal path length distribution gas manifold underlying the center fed hub.

Plasma reactor with center-fed multiple zone gas distribution for improved uniformity of critical dimension bias

Embodiments of the present invention provide apparatus and method for processing a substrate with increased uniformity. One embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus for processing a substrate. The apparatus comprises a chamber body defining a processing volume, a substrate support disposed in the processing volume, a showerhead disposed in the processing volume opposite to the substrate support, and a plasma generation assembly configured to ignite a plasma from the processing gases in the processing gas in the processing volume. The showerhead is configured to provide one or more processing gases to the processing volume. The showerhead has two or more distribution zones each independently controllable.

Method to control uniformity using tri-zone showerhead

A method of processing a wafer in a plasma, in which target values of two different plasma process parameters are simultaneously realized under predetermined process conditions by setting respective power levels of VHF and HF power simultaneously coupled to the wafer to respective optimum levels.

Gate profile control through effective frequency of dual HF/VHF sources in a plasma etch process

The disclosure concerns a wafer support for use in a plasma reactor chamber, in which the wafer support has a wafer edge gas injector adjacent and surrounding the wafer edge.

Cathode liner with wafer edge gas injection in a plasma reactor chamber

A method of processing a workpiece in the chamber of a plasma reactor in which the plasma ion density radial distribution in the process region is controlled by adjusting the ratio between the amounts of the (VHF) capacitively coupled power and the inductively coupled power while continuing to maintain the level of total plasma source power. The method can also include applying independently adjustable LF bias power and HF bias power to the workpiece and adjusting the average value and population distribution of ion energy at the surface of the workpiece by adjusting the proportion between the LF and HF bias powers.

Process using combined capacitively and inductively coupled plasma sources for controlling plasma ion radial distribution

A method of processing a workpiece in the chamber of a plasma reactor includes introducing a process gas into the chamber, simultaneously (a) capacitively coupling VHF plasma source power into a process region of the chamber that overlies the wafer, and (b) inductively coupling RF plasma source power into the process region, and controlling plasma ion density by controlling the effective frequency of the VHF source power. In a preferred embodiment, the step of coupling VHF source power is performed by coupling VHF source power from different generators having different VHF frequencies, and the step of controlling the effective frequency is performed by controlling the ratio of power coupled by the different generators.

Dual plasma source process using a variable frequency capacitively coupled source to control plasma ion density

A method of processing a workpiece in the chamber of a plasma reactor includes capacitively coupling plasma source power using a ceiling gas distribution plate as the electrode while inductively coupling plasma source power through the ceiling gas distribution plate, and flowing process gas through the gas distribution plate from a gas input to plural gas injection orifices, distributing the gas flow within the gas distribution plate through a succession of arcuate paths joined at respective junctions, dividing gas flow at each junction from a first respective one of said gas flow paths into a respective pair of said gas flow paths in opposite gas flow directions, and restricting the arcuate length of each of the arcuate paths to less than half-circles.

Plasma process for inductively coupling power through a gas distribution plate while adjusting plasma distribution

A plasma reactor for processing a workpiece includes a reactor chamber and a workpiece support within the chamber, the chamber having a ceiling facing the workpiece support, a capacitively coupled plasma source power applicator comprising a source power electrode at one of: (a) the ceiling (b) the workpiece support, and plural VHF power generators of different fixed frequencies coupled to the capacitively coupled source power applicator, and a controller for independently controlling the power output levels of the plural VHF generators so as to control an effective VHF frequency applied to the source power electrode. In a preferred embodiment, the reactor further includes a plasma bias power applicator that includes a bias power electrode in the workpiece support and one or more RF bias power generators of different frequencies coupled to the plasma bias power applicator.

Plasma reactor apparatus with a VHF capacitively coupled plasma source of variable frequency

A pedestal assembly and method for controlling temperature of a substrate during processing is provided. In one embodiment, the pedestal assembly includes an electrostatic chuck coupled to a metallic base. The electrostatic chuck includes at least one chucking electrode and metallic base includes at least two fluidly isolated conduit loops disposed therein. In another embodiment, the pedestal assembly includes a support member that is coupled to a base by a material layer. The material layer has at least two regions having different coefficients of thermal conductivity. In another embodiment, the support member is an electrostatic chuck. In further embodiments, a pedestal assembly has channels formed between the base and support member for providing cooling gas in proximity to the material layer to further control heat transfer between the support member and the base, thereby controlling the temperature profile of a substrate disposed on the support member.

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Saratoga, CA, United States of America

Dan Katz