Jetek, Inc.

Pitney Bowes Inc.

Ipec Precision Inc.

Ipec Precison, Inc.

Iskander Tokmouline

Lynn David Bollinger

Oleg Siniaguine

Thomas M Lyga

Anthony E Yap

Richard F Stengl

Gerald F Leitz

Mark Macleod

Andrew J Nikolatos

Robert F Stengl

An apparatus for accumulating sheet material in a sheet handling system including a first conveyance, a second conveyance, an auxiliary conveyance and a processor to control the conveyances based upon a selected operating mode. The first conveyance receives singulated sheets and conveys the sheets to an accumulator station to produce completed collations. The second conveyance is operative to dispense completed collations from the accumulator station and, receives the completed collations from the first conveyance, in one operating mode, and from the auxiliary conveyance in another operating mode when the first conveyance is inoperative. The processor is responsive to a next collation signal, to control the conveyances based upon a selected one of the operating modes.

Accumulator for a sheet handling system

A system that generates an intense hot gas stream is described to etch a polymer on a substrate used in the manufacture of semiconductor and MEMS devices with no surface damage. The etching process is particularly useful to remove a polymer from relatively high aspect Height-to-Width and Width-to-Height ratio holes that can include trenches, having relatively large aspect ratios for removal of polymers used in connection with the manufacturing of microstructures.

Atmospheric process and system for controlled and rapid removal of polymers from high aspect ratio holes

A hot arc-type plasma generating system is described to etch a polymer on a substrate used in the manufacture of semiconductor devices. The etching process is particularly useful to remove a polymer from high aspect ratio holes, that can include trenches, greater than about 10 to 1 and even greater than 50 to 1.

Atmospheric process and system for controlled and rapid removal of polymers from high depth to width aspect ratio holes

A technique is described for a very rapid thermal treatment of a substrate used to make semiconductor devices. The substrate is subjected to a very hot gas stream such as can be produced from an arc-type plasma generator. The substrate is then moved through the hot gas stream at a velocity selected to sufficiently heat the surface of the substrate to a high temperature at which doping and diffusion processes can be done in an efficient manner, while a thermal gradient is preserved throughout the thickness of the substrate. In this manner as the substrate moves through the hot gas stream a rapid heating of the surface is achieved and as the heated portion moves out of the gas stream, the bulk of the substrate can assist in the cooling of the heated portion. Sharply defined doping regions can be formed in the substrate. The method yields temperature heating and cooling rates of the order of 10 &deg; C./sec, peak temperatures up to the melting point of a substrate such as silicon without permanent distortion or introducing defects into the substrate, enables very fast low temperature annealing and activation with peak temperatures of 3000 to 100&deg; C., provides process uniformity and throughput needs for silicon device manufacturing.

Method for rapid thermal processing of substrates

Multiple plasma jet path sensing positions and multiple localized steering magnetic fields for each plasma jet leg in an atmospheric plasma jet control system are described for a precise control over positions of plasma jet legs as well as their directions in a vertex zone, where a hot gas stream is generated for treatment of a semiconductor device. With a plasma jet generator system in accordance with the invention precise control over the plasma jet legs enables one to virtually eliminate plasma jet path instability at the vertex region.

System for precision control of the position of an atmospheric plasma

In the method and apparatus of this invention a wafer for manufacturing semiconductor devices is held by a vortex-type substrate holder against a moveable frame during processing. Motion of the wafer is controlled with movement of the frame. The frame is shaped to provide a sealed chamber through which gas that is used to create the vortices is also re-captured. With such sealed chamber a higher heat conducting but more expensive gas can be recycled and used for the vortex holder and cooling of the wafer. In another technique of this invention, damage of the wafer edges from impacts with position limiters is avoided by inserting a small physical off-set of the center of mass of the wafer relative to that of the frame used to rotate the wafer. This prevents sliding of the wafer within the holder. In another feature of the invention end effects during treatment of the wafer are avoided by providing an extension around the wafer. The extension assures that the treating gas stream provides the same treatment to the edge of the wafer as in its center.

Wafer holder for rotating and translating wafers

A method for treating an article with a plasma jet is disclosed. The method involves rotating an article (,) with a surface (,) to be treated about an axis (Ha), wherein the rotation defines a rotation radius extending from the axis. The article surface is contacted with the plasma jet (,) to form a plasma jet footprint (,) having a predetermined dimension on the article surface. The plasma jet footprint is moved along the rotation radius in the radial direction according to a velocity profile along the rotation radius so as to apply heat to the article surface to obtain a desired temperature distribution profile on the article surface along the rotation radius. The method provides a means for controlling the temperature of the article uniformly in a temperature range from about 30&deg; C. and 1200&deg; C. to allow different treatment applications to be performed on the article. The control of article temperature as described allows for uniform treatment processes, such as polymer ablation, etching, deposition and thermal treatment, of the article material itself by injecting different gasses into the plasma jet.

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New Fairfield, CT, United States of America

Iskander Tokmouline