Applied Materials, Inc.

Douglas R McAllister

Hung Chih Chen

Jeonghoon Oh

Stacy Meyer

Trung Tri Doan

Steven M Zuniga

Charles C Garretson

Venkata R Balagani

Jeffrey P Schmidt

Michael Jon Fong

Aden Martin Allen

Romain Beau De Lamenie

Sidney P Huey

Danny Cam Toan Lu

James Chang Wang

Martin S Wohlert

Kerry F Hughes

Jian Lin

Leon Volfovski

Jeffrey C Hudgens

Steven E Babayan

Andreas Schmid

Helder T Lee

Nicholas Michael Kopec

Thomas B Brezoczky

Damon Keith Cox

Matthew Fenton Davis

Denis M Koosau

David Datong Huo

David Evans

Joseph Michael Ranish

Aaron Muir Hunter

Lara Hawrylchak

Mehran Behdjat

Yogananda Sarode Vishwanath

Michael C Kuchar

Dongming Iu

Nicholas Michael Bergantz

Karuppasamy Muthukamatchi

Jamie Leighton

John C Menk

Abhijit Desai

Rachel Sara Stolzman

Niraj Merchant

Kong Lung Chan

Daniel Cam Toan Lu

Trung T Doan

Andrew Paul Harbert

Sivakumar Ramalingam

James C Wang

Romain Beau Delamenie

Jeffrey Schmidt

A process kit enclosure system includes surfaces to enclose an interior volume, a first support structure including first fins, a second support structure including second fins, and a front interface to interface the process kit enclosure system with a load port of a wafer processing system. The first and second fins are sized and spaced to hold process kit ring carriers and process kit rings in the interior volume. Each of the process kit rings is secured to one of the process kit ring carriers. The process kit enclosure system enables first automated transfer of a first process kit ring carrier securing a first process kit ring from the process kit enclosure system into the wafer processing system and second automated transfer of a second process kit ring carrier securing a second process kit ring from the wafer processing system into the process kit enclosure system.

Process kit enclosure system

An enclosure system includes walls including sidewalls and a bottom wall. The enclosure system further includes an enclosure lid configured to removably attach to one or more of the sidewalls. The walls and the enclosure lid at least partially enclose an interior volume of the enclosure system. The enclosure system further includes an upper window disposed in the enclosure lid. The upper window is configured for orientation verification of objects disposed in the interior volume. The enclosure system further includes a radio-frequency identification (RFID) holder coupled to a rear wall. The RFID holder is configured to secure an RFID component. The enclosure system further includes shelves disposed in the interior volume. Each of the shelves is configured to support a corresponding object of the objects.

Enclosure system having walls comprising sidewalls and radio-frequency identifier holder coupled to rear wall

A retaining ring can be shaped by machining or lapping the bottom surface of the ring to form a shaped profile in the bottom surface. The bottom surface of the retaining ring can include flat, sloped and curved portions. The lapping can be performed using a machine that dedicated for use in lapping the bottom surface of retaining rings. During the lapping the ring can be permitted to rotate freely about an axis of the ring. The bottom surface of the retaining ring can have curved or flat portions.

Method of forming retaining ring with shaped surface

A process kit ring adaptor includes one or more upper surfaces and one or more lower surfaces. The one or more upper surfaces are configured to support a process kit ring. The one or more lower surfaces are configured to interface with an end effector. The process kit ring adaptor supporting the process kit ring is configured to be transported on the end effector within a processing system.

Process kit ring adaptor

Retaining ring with shaped surface and method of forming

Retaining ring with shaped surface

A method includes receiving, by a first loadlock chamber of the loadlock system, a first object from a factory interface via a first opening. The first object is transferred into the first loadlock chamber via a first robot arm. The factory interface is at a first state. The first loadlock chamber is configured to receive different types of objects. The method further includes sealing a first loadlock door against the first opening to create a first sealed environment at the first state in the first loadlock chamber and causing the first sealed environment of the first loadlock chamber to be changed to a second state. The method further includes actuating a second loadlock door to provide a second opening between the first loadlock chamber and a transfer chamber. The first object is to be transferred from the first loadlock chamber to the transfer chamber via a second robot arm.

Multi-object capable loadlock system

A process kit ring adaptor includes a rigid carrier. The rigid carrier includes an upper surface and a lower surface. The upper surface includes a first distal portion and a second distal portion to support a process kit ring. The lower surface includes a first region to interface with an end effector configured to support wafers and a solid planar central region to interface with a vacuum chuck.

A semiconductor processing apparatus is described that has a body with a wall defining two processing chambers within the body; a passage through the wall forming a fluid coupling between the two processing chambers; a lid removably coupled to the body, the lid having a portal in fluid communication with the passage; a gas activator coupled to the lid outside the processing chambers, the gas activator having an outlet in fluid communication with the portal of the lid; a substrate support disposed in each processing chamber, each substrate support having at least two heating zones, each with an embedded heating element; a gas distributor coupled to the lid facing each substrate support; and a thermal control member coupled to the lid at an edge of each gas distributor.

Semiconductor processing chamber

Retaining ring with Shaped Surface

A lamp device for thermal processing of a substrate is provided. The lamp device includes a bulb enclosing a filament, the filament having a pair of leads. The lamp device further includes a lamp base. The lamp base includes a seal connecting the bulb to the lamp base; a sleeve having one or more walls and two ends with one end surrounding the seal; a potting compound filling the sleeve; one or more wires distributed through the sleeve and the potting compound and coupled to the pair of leads; and one or more hookable features located within 10 mm of the sealing end.

RTP lamp base with removal features

Embodiments of the invention provide a slurry delivery and rinse system for a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus which is capable of self-cleaning, and which can adjustably deliver the slurry agent and rinse agent over a polishing pad. In one embodiment, the fluid delivery system has a distributed slurry delivery arm (DSDA) which contains at least one manifold, usually two or more manifolds attached to the lower surface of the delivery arm. Each DSDA manifold contains a plurality of slurry nozzles disposed along the length of the manifold. The delivery arm also contains a plurality of high pressure rinse nozzles extending from the lower surface of the delivery arm and disposed along the length of the delivery arm, parallel to each DSDA manifold. In one example, the delivery arm contains two DSDA manifolds disposed parallel to each other and a plurality of high pressure rinse nozzles disposed between the manifolds.

Self cleaning and adjustable slurry delivery arm

Growing community of inventors

Pleasanton, CA, United States of America

Douglas R McAllister