Intermolecular, Inc.

Advanced Technology Materials, Inc.

Shipley Company LLC

George Mirth

Kim Van Berkel

Khaled Ahmed

Zhi-Wen Sun

Tianniu Chen

Steven M Bilodeau

Michael B Korzenski

Frank Greer

Aaron T Francis

Karl E Boggs

Ping Jiang

Frank C Ma

Polishing and cleaning techniques are combinatorially processed and evaluated. A polishing system can include a reactor assembly having multiple reaction chambers, with at least a reaction chamber including a rotatable polishing head, slurry and chemical distribution, chemical and water rinse, and slurry and fluid removal. Different downward forces can be applied to the polishing heads for evaluating optimum process conditions. Channels in the polishing pads can redistribute slurry and chemical to the polishing area.

Combinatorial tool for mechanically-assisted surface polishing and cleaning

Compositions and methods of using said composition for removing polymeric materials from surfaces, preferably cleaning contaminant buildup from a lithography apparatus without total disassembly of said apparatus.

Lithographic tool in situ clean formulations

Provided are methods of high productivity combinatorial (HPC) inspection of semiconductor substrates. A substrate includes two layers of dissimilar materials interfacing each other, such as a stack of a silicon bottom layer and an indium gallium arsenide top layer. The dissimilar materials have one or more of thermal, structural, and lattice mismatches. As a part of the inspection, the top layer is etched in a combinatorial manner. Specifically, the top layer is divided into multiple different site-isolated regions. One such region may be etched using different process conditions from another region. Specifically, etching temperature, etching duration and/or etchant composition may vary among the site-isolated regions. After combinatorial etching, each region is inspected to determine its etch-pit density (EPD) value. These values may be then analyzed to determine an overall EPD value for the substrate, which may involve discarding EPD values for over-etched and under-etched regions.

Combinatorially variable etching of stacks including two dissimilar materials for etch pit density inspection

A multiple channel site-isolated reactor system and method are described. The system contains a reactor block with a plurality of reactors. Input lines are coupled to each reactor to provide a fluid to the respective reactors. A sealing element associated with each reactor contacts a surface of a substrate disposed below the reactor block, which defines isolated regions on the surface of the substrate. A dissolution rate monitor extends into each reactor to monitor a rate of real-time dissolution of one or more layers on the surface of the substrate when it is disposed proximate to the surface of the substrate.

Dissolution rate monitor

A method of manufacturing electronic devices containing one or more layers of materials that are sensitive to the strong chemicals used to remove cross-linked polymeric layers such as photoresists and antireflective coatings is provided. The cross-linked polymeric layers can be easily removed following etching through the use of certain removable layers disposed between the substrate and the cross-linked polymeric layers.

Electronic device manufacture

Growing community of inventors

Saratoga, CA, United States of America

George Mirth