Advanced Technology Materials, Inc.

Entegris, Inc.

Mst Technology Gmbh

Ing-Shin Barry Chen

Jeffrey W Neuner

Thomas H Baum

Jeffrey F Roeder

Philip S H Chen

Frank DiMeo, Jr

James J Welch

Mackenzie E King

Michele Stawasz

Bryan Clark Hendrix

Steven M Bilodeau

Richard D Chism

Gregory T Stauf

Richard Kramer

Michele Stawacz

A fluid monitoring apparatus, including a circuitry housing containing circuitry for processing fluid sensing signals and responsively transmitting an output, with a sensor assembly adapted for mechanical and electrical coupling to the circuitry housing. The sensor assembly includes at least one sensing member arranged to respond to a fluid species of interest in the monitored fluid, for generation of an output. The apparatus includes at least one of (A) a printed circuit board adapted to engage the circuitry housing and to mechanically couple to the sensor assembly, (B) the sensor assembly including a base and sensing element removably connected to the base by press-fit coupling elements, and (C) the sensor assembly including a base and a sensing filament connected thereto, and a filament guard to protectively circumscribe the sensing filament.

Fluid monitoring apparatus

A gas detector and process for detecting a fluorine-containing species in a gas containing same, e.g., an effluent of a semiconductor processing tool undergoing etch cleaning with HF, NF, etc. The detector in a preferred structural arrangement employs a microelectromechanical system (MEMS)-based device structure and/or a free-standing metal element that functions as a sensing component and optionally as a heat source when elevated temperature sensing is required. The free-standing metal element can be fabricated directly onto a standard chip carrier/device package so that the package becomes a platform of the detector.

Apparatus and process for sensing fluoro species in semiconductor processing systems

A system and method for controlling electrical heating of an element to maintain a constant electrical resistance, by adjusting electrical power supplied to such element according to an adaptive feedback control algorithm, in which all the parameters are (1) arbitrarily selected; (2) pre-determined by the physical properties of the controlled element; or (3) measured in real time. Unlike the conventional proportion-integral-derivative (PID) control mechanism, the system and method of the present invention do not require re-tuning of proportionality constants when used in connection with a different controlled element or under different operating conditions, and are therefore adaptive to changes in the controlled element and the operating conditions.

Feedback control system and method for maintaining constant resistance operation of electrically heated elements

A sensor with an attenuated drift characteristic, including a layer structure in which a sensing layer has a layer of diffusional barrier material on at least one of its faces. The sensor may for example be constituted as a hydrogen gas sensor including a palladium/yttrium layer structure formed on a micro-hotplate base, with a chromium barrier layer between the yttrium layer and the micro-hotplate, and with a tantalum barrier layer between the yttrium layer and an overlying palladium protective layer. The gas sensor is useful for detection of a target gas in environments susceptible to generation or incursion of such gas, and achieves substantial (e.g., &#x3e;90%) reduction of signal drift from the gas sensor in extended operation, relative to a corresponding gas sensor lacking the diffusional barrier structure of the invention.

Gas sensor with attenuated drift characteristic

A (MEMS)-based gas sensor assembly for detecting a fluorine-containing species in a gas containing same, e.g., an effluent of a semiconductor processing tool undergoing etch cleaning with HF, NF, etc. Such gas sensor assembly in a preferred embodiment comprises a free-standing silicon carbide support structure having a layer of a gas sensing material, preferably nickel or nickel alloy, coated thereon. Such gas sensor assembly is preferably fabricated by micro-molding techniques employing sacrificial molds that are subsequently removable for forming structure layers.

Nickel-coated free-standing silicon carbide structure for sensing fluoro or halogen species in semiconductor processing systems, and processes of making and using same

A gas detector for detecting a fluoro gas species in a gaseous environment containing same, e.g., an effluent from a semiconductor processing tool that employs corrosive fluoro species such as HF, NF, etc. for etch cleaning. The gas detector preferably employs an elongated nickel-containing gas sensor element that can be vertically mounted on a fluoro-resistant support structure. Since the nickel-containing gas sensor element is sensitive to the fluoro species and is also electrically conductive, it can function both as a sensing component and a heat source when elevated temperature sensing is required. Vertical mounting of such elongated gas sensor element on the support structure significantly improves the signal strength, reduces the response time, minimizes the footprint of the gas detector, and provides structural flexibility for accommodating thermal expansion/contraction of the elongated gas sensor element.

Apparatus and process for sensing target gas species in semiconductor processing systems

The present invention relates to a system and method for controlling electrical heating of an element to maintain a constant electrical resistance, by adjusting electrical power supplied to such element according to an adaptive feedback control algorithm, in which all the parameters are (1) arbitrarily selected; (2) pre-determined by the physical properties of the controlled element; or (3) measured in real time. Unlike the conventional proportion-integral-derivative (PID) control mechanism, the system and method of the present invention do not require re-tuning of proportionality constants when used in connection with a different controlled element or under different operating conditions, and are therefore adaptive to changes in the controlled element and the operating conditions.

An integrated circuit barrier structure disposed between high dielectric constant metal oxide and Cu or Al electrodes, for preventing diffusion of species such as oxygen, bismuth, or lead from the high dielectric constant metal oxide into the Cu or Al electrodes. Such barrier structure also protects the Cu or Al electrodes against oxidization during deposition of the high dielectric constant metal oxide. The barrier structure can be formed as (1) a single layer of Pt, Ir, IrO, IrO, Ru, RuO, CuO, CuO, AlO, or a binary or ternary metal nitride, e.g., TaN, NbN, HfN, ZrN, WN, WN, TiN, TiSiN, TiAlN, TaSiN, or NbAlN, or (2) double or triple layers of such materials, e.g., Pt/TiAlN, Pt/IrO, Pt/Ir, Ir/TiAlN, Ir/IrO, IrO/TiAlN, IrO/Ir, or IrO/IrO/Ir. Such barrier structures enable Cu or Al electrodes to be used in combination with high dielectric constant metal oxides in microelectronic structures such as ferroelectric stack and trench capacitors, non-volatile ferroelectric memory cells, and dynamic random access memory (DRAM) cells.

Barrier structures for integration of high K oxides with Cu and Al electrodes

A modified PbZrTiO perovskite crystal material thin film, wherein the PbZrTiO perovskite crystal material includes crystal lattice A-sites and B-sites at least one of which is modified by the presence of a substituent selected from the group consisting of (i) A-site substituents consisting of Sr, Ca, Ba and Mg, and (ii) B-site substituents selected from the group consisting of Nb and Ta. The perovskite crystal thin film material may be formed by liquid delivery MOCVD from metalorganic precursors of the metal components of the thin film, to form PZT and PSZT, and other piezoelectric and ferroelectric thin film materials. The thin films of the invention have utility in non-volatile ferroelectric memory devices (NV-FeRAMs), and in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) as sensor and/or actuator elements, e.g., high speed digital system actuators requiring low input power levels.

A-SITE-AND/OR B-SITE-MODIFIED PBZRTIO3 MATERIALS AND (PB, SR, CA, BA, MG) (ZR, TI,NB, TA)O3 FILMS HAVING UTILITY IN FERROELECTRIC RANDOM ACCESS MEMORIES AND HIGH PERFORMANCE THIN FILM MICROACTUATORS

A modified PbZrTiO,perovskite crystal material thin film, wherein the PbZrTiO,perovskite crystal material includes crystal lattice A-sites and B-sites at least one of which is modified by the presence of a substituent selected from the group consisting of (i) A-site substituents consisting of Sr, Ca, Ba and Mg, and (ii) B-site substituents selected from the group consisting of Nb and Ta. The perovskite crystal thin film material may be formed by liquid delivery MOCVD from metalorganic precursors of the metal components of the thin film, to form PZT and PSZT, and other piezoelectric and ferroelectric thin film materials. The thin films of the invention have utility in non-volatile ferroelectric memory devices (NV-FeRAMs), and in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) as sensor and/or actuator elements, e.g., high speed digital system actuators requiring low input power levels.

A-site- and/or B-site-modified PbZrTiO3 materials and (Pb, Sr, Ca, Ba, Mg) (Zr, Ti, Nb, Ta)O3 films having utility in ferroelectric random access memories and high performance thin film microactuators

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Danbury, CT, United States of America

Ing-Shin Barry Chen