Applied Materials, Inc.

Jagan Rangarajan

Steven M Zuniga

Edward Golubovsky

Ekaterina A Mikhaylichenko

Jay Gurusamy

Balasubramaniam Coimbatore Jaganathan

Allen L D'Ambra

Gee Sun Hoey

Shaun Van Der Veen

Jonathan Paul Domin

Justin Ho Kuen Wong

Michael A Anderson

Adrian Blank

Michael Robert Rice

Boguslaw A Swedek

Jeffrey C Hudgens

Dominic J Benvegnu

Jeffrey Drue David

Harry Q Lee

Brian J Brown

Thomas H Osterheld

Benjamin Cherian

Doyle E Bennett

Lakshmanan Karuppiah

Alpay Yilmaz

Penchala N Kankanala

Edwin Velazquez

Douglas MacLeod

Dhruv Gajaria

Dmitry Sklyar

Brett Christian Hoogensen

Ricardo Martinez

Farooq Aleem

William Wadsworth

Jaimie Stomberg

Jin Ji

Hung Xuan Hoang

Embodiments herein include high throughput density chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) modules and customizable modular CMP systems formed thereof. In one embodiment, a polishing module features a carrier support module, a carrier loading station, and a polishing station. The carrier support module features a carrier platform and one or more carrier assemblies. The one or more carrier assemblies each comprise a corresponding carrier head suspended from the carrier platform. The carrier loading station is used to transfer substrates to and from the carrier heads. The polishing station comprises a polishing platen. The carrier support module, the substrate loading station, and the polishing station comprise a one-to-one-to-one relationship within each of the polishing modules. The carrier support module is positioned to move the one or more carrier assemblies between a substrate polishing position disposed above the polishing platen and a substrate transfer position disposed above the substrate loading station.

High throughput polishing modules and modular polishing systems

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) systems, and more particular, to modular polishing systems used in the manufacturing of semiconductor devices. In one embodiment, a polishing system includes a first portion having a plurality of polishing stations disposed therein, and a second portion coupled to the first portion, the second portion comprising a substrate cleaning system. The substrate cleaning system comprises a wet-in/dry-out substrate cleaning module comprising a chamber housing which defines a chamber volume. The polishing system further includes a substrate handler located in the second portion, where the substrate handler is positioned to transfer substrates to or from the wet-in/dry-out substrate cleaning module through one or more openings formed in one or more sidewalls of the chamber housing.

Substrate handling in a modular polishing system with single substrate cleaning chambers

A wafer processing device may include a wafer exchanger including two or more blades, each of the two or more blades may be configured to receive a wafer, the two or more blades may be rotatable about an axis on a single horizontal plane, and the two or more blades may be movable between at least a load cup and a robot access location; wherein the load cup may include a wafer station that is vertically moveable relative a blade located in the load cup and may be configured to remove a wafer from a blade located in the load cup and place a wafer on a blade located in the load cup. Other devices, load cups and methods are also disclosed herein.

Wafer processing tools and methods thereof

A horizontal pre-clean module includes a chamber including a basin and a lid which collectively define a processing area, a rotatable vacuum table disposed in the processing area, a pad conditioning station, a pad carrier positioning arm having a first end and a second end distal from the first end, a pad carrier assembly coupled to the first end of the pad carrier positioning arm, and an actuator coupled to the second end of the pad carrier positioning arm and configured to swing the pad carrier assembly between a first position over the rotatable vacuum table and a second position over the pad conditioning station. The pad carrier assembly includes a gimbal base and a pad carrier coupled to the gimbal base, the gimbal base and the pad carrier are configured to support a buffing pad by a mechanical clamping mechanism and a suction clamping mechanism.

Pad carrier for horizontal pre-clean module

A substrate cleaning device may include a chamber body configured to hold a substrate and a brush assembly. The brush assembly may include a first roller, a second roller, and a belt extending between the first roller and the second roller. At least one of the first roller and the second roller may be movable between a first position where the belt contacts a first surface of a substrate disposed in the chamber body and a second position where the belt is spaced from the first surface. Other substrate cleaning devices and methods of cleaning substrates are disclosed.

Substrate cleaning devices and methods thereof

A method and apparatus for Marangoni substrate drying is disclosed which includes an adjustable spray bar assembly having mounting brackets coupled to a support structure of a drying system, a base assembly coupled to the mounting brackets and disposed parallel to a face of the support structure, and a mounting assembly coupled to and parallel with the base assembly. The mounting assembly is adjustable in a vertical direction at two distal ends. The mounting assembly includes arms onto which one or more spray bars may be disposed. While secured to the mounting assembly, the one or more spray bars may be rotated about a longitudinal axis.

Methods and apparatus for Marangoni drying

A cleaning module for cleaning a wafer comprises a wafer gripping device configured to support a wafer in a vertical orientation and comprises a catch cup and a gripper assembly. The catch cup comprises a wall that has an annular inner surface that defines a processing region and has an angled portion that is symmetric about a central axis of the wafer gripping device. The gripper assembly comprises a first plate assembly, a second plate assembly, a plurality of gripping pin, and a plurality of loading pin. The gripping pins are configured to grip a wafer during a cleaning process and the loading pins are configured to grip the wafer during a loading and unloading process. The cleaning module further comprises a sweep arm coupled to a nozzle mechanism configured to deliver liquids to the front and back side of the wafer.

Non-contact clean module

An apparatus for transferring a substrate is disclosed herein. More specifically, the apparatus relates to substrate handling systems used in semiconductor device manufacturing, and more particularly, to substrate handling systems having a substrate handler with enclosed moving elements and increased compatibility with post-CMP cleaning modules. The apparatus includes one or more indexing assemblies. Each of the indexing assemblies including an enclosure, an actuator assembly disposed within the enclosure, and two handling blades disposed outside of the disclosure. Each of the two blades are moveable in either of a translational or a rotating manner.

Substrate handling systems

In a substrate processing system, such as a chemical mechanical system, updated controller configuration data is obtained for a plurality of liquid flow controllers of the substrate processing system. Each of a plurality of liquid flow controllers (LFCs) coupled to an Ethernet for Control Automation Technology (EtherCAT) bus automatically downloads a copy of the updated controller configuration data through the EtherCAT bus. Each of the plurality of liquid flow controllers controls fluid flow of a separate fluid line from a plurality of fluid lines in the substrate processing system, fluid flow through the plurality of fluid lines is controlled using the plurality of liquid flow controllers having the updated controller configuration data.

Ethercat liquid flow controller communication for substrate processing systems

A spray manifold for a brush box is disclosed which includes an elongated body having a plurality of holes formed in a line along a direction parallel to a longitudinal axis of the body, a linear slot formed along a length of the body aligning with the line of the holes, a central bore formed along the length of the body and between each of the holes and the slot, and a cover disposed on the slot.

Spray bar design for uniform liquid flow distribution on a substrate

A polishing apparatus includes a plurality of stations supported on a platform, the plurality of stations including at least two polishing stations and a transfer station, each polishing station including a platen to support a polishing pad, a plurality of carrier heads suspended from and movable along a track such that each polishing station is selectively positionable at the stations, and a controller configured to control motion of the carrier heads along the track such that during polishing at each polishing station only a single carrier head is positioned in the polishing station.

Multi-platen multi-head polishing architecture

In a first aspect, a method of manufacturing a substrate is provided wherein an end effector mounted substrate is attempted to be placed, that is put, onto a substrate support, such as a pedestal or slotted support of a substrate carrier, and the effectiveness of the put is verified by a sensor associated with the end effector. In one embodiment, the verification takes place during the retraction motion of the end effector and is accomplished by sensing the presence, absence, or location of the substrate on the substrate support. The sensor may be a through beam sensor, and may be mounted on, coupled to or otherwise move with the end effector adapted to carry the substrate. Numerous other aspects are described.

Methods of verifying effectiveness of a put of a substrate onto a substrate support

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Jagan Rangarajan