Applied Materials, Inc.

Ag Processing Technologies, Inc.

Applied Materilas, Inc.

Jaim Nulman

Zheng Xu

Seshadri Ramaswami

John C Forster

Glen T Mori

Murali K Narasimhan

Kenny King-tai Ngan

Keith J Hansen

Vikram Pavate

Avi Tepman

Praburam Gopalraja

Howard E Grunes

Sergio Edelstein

Mani Subramani

Nissim Sidi

Mei Yin Chang

Sasson Roger Somekh

Fusen E Chen

Moshe Sarfaty

Michel Pecot

Ramaswamy Sreenivasan

Dan Maydan

Robert E Davenport

Tse-Yong Yao

Ivo J Raaijmakers

Nick J Bacile

Wendell T Blonigan

Kenny K-t Ngan

A sputtering coil for a plasma chamber in a semiconductor fabrication system is provided. The sputtering coil couples energy into a plasma and also provides a source of sputtering material to be sputtered onto a workpiece from the coil to supplement material being sputtered from a target onto the workpiece. Alternatively a plurality of coils may be provided, one primarily for coupling energy into the plasma and the other primarily for providing a supplemental source of sputtering material to be sputtered on the workpiece.

Coils for generating a plasma and for sputtering

A cassette stocker includes a plurality of cassette storage shelves positioned adjacent a cleanroom wall and vertically disposed relative to a plurality of cassette docking stations, and a cassette mover to carry a cassette between the shelves and the docking stations. An interstation transfer apparatus includes a support beam and a transfer arm adapted to carry a cassette between processing stations.

Apparatus for storing and moving a cassette

A sensor enables simultaneous or sequential eddy current and optical reflectance measurements of conducting film by providing an eddy current inspection coil and a first and a second optical fiber extending axially through the coil. The eddy current inspection coil is excited by a radio frequency generator and induces eddy currents in the conducting film which are sensed using a detector. The conducting film is illuminated by a first optical fiber, and light which is reflected from the conducting film is transmitted by a second optical fiber to a detector. The combined use of electrical and optical reflectance signals provides a single probe unit that measures both dielectric and conducting transparent and semi-transparent films.

Eddy-optic sensor for object inspection

Systems, methods and computer program products are provided for calibrating integrated the inspection tools of one or more processing tools. In a first aspect, a system is provided that includes (1) a processing tool adapted to process substrates; (2) an integrated inspection tool coupled to the processing tool; and (3) a controller adapted to communicate with the integrated inspection tool. The controller includes computer program code adapted to receive a first result generated by inspecting a production substrate with a stand-alone inspection tool, and to receive a second result generated by inspecting the production substrate with the integrated inspection tool. The computer controller further includes computer program code adapted to calibrate the integrated inspection tool based on the first and second results. Numerous other systems are provided, as are methods and computer program products.

Systems and methods for calibrating integrated inspection tools

A sensor enables simultaneous or sequential eddy current and optical reflectance measurements of conducting film by providing an eddy current inspection coil and a first and a second optical fiber extending axially through the coil. The eddy current inspection coil is excited by a radio frequency generator and induces eddy currents in the conducting film which are sensed using a detector. The conducting film is illuminated by a first optical fiber, and light which is reflected from the conducting film is transmitted by a second optical fiber to a detector. In the case of opaque conducting films, the eddy current sensor measures sheet resistance which is determinative of film thickness. In opaque conducting films, optical reflectance measurements are indicative of characteristics such as grain size and surface oxidation. Eddy current sensing is indicative of sheet resistance which correlates to grain size and film thickness. By providing both optical reflectance and eddy current sensing measurements, conducting film thickness may be accurately determined. Optical reflectance measurements may be used to determine thickness of dielectric films and transparent or semi-transparent conducting films directly. The combined use of electrical and optical reflectance signals provides a single probe unit that measures both dielectric and conducting transparent and semi-transparent films.

The present invention provides a manufacturing environment ( ) for a wafer fab, and an SPC environment ( ) for setting control limits and acquiring metrology data of production runs. A computation environment ( ) processes the SPC data, which are then analyzed in an analysis environment ( ). An MES environment ( ) evaluates the analysis and automatically executes a process intervention if the process is outside the control limits. Additionally, the present invention provides for an electrical power management system, a spare parts inventory and scheduling system and a wafer fab efficiency system. These systems employ algorithms ( and ).

Semiconductor processing techniques

A loader conveyor adapted so as to receive a wafer carrier from a transfer conveyor and adapted to terminate at an intersection with a processing system, is provided. Thus, the need for a front-end loader robot may be eliminated.

Loader conveyor for substrate processing system

A magnetic shield to reduce sputtering of an RF coil for a plasma chamber in a semiconductor fabrication system is provided. The magnetic shield also reduces deposition of material onto the coil which in turn leads to a reduction in particulate matter shed by the coil onto the workpiece.

Method to eliminate coil sputtering in an ICP source

An electrically conductive plug on a semiconductor workpiece. A dielectric layer is deposited on the workpiece, and a cavity is etched in the dielectric. An etchant-resistant material is deposited on the wall of the cavity adjacent the cavity mouth so as to form an inwardly-extending lateral protrusion, the etchant-resistant material being resistant to etching by at least one etchant substance which etches said electrically conductive material substantially faster than it etches the etchant resistant material. The cavity is filled by an electrically conductive material. In another aspect of the method, the etchant-resistant material can be omitted. Instead, upper and lower portions of the cavity are etched anisotropically and isotropically, respectively, so as to form a lower portion of the cavity that is wider than the upper portion.

Fabricating plug and near-zero overlap interconnect line

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Palo Alto, CA, United States of America

Jaim Nulman