Applied Materials, Inc.

Jeongmin Lee

Juan Carlos Rocha-Alvarez

Jianhua Zhou

Ganesh Balasubramanian

Todd J Egan

Edward W Budiarto

Terrance Y Lee

Bok Hoen Kim

Amit Kumar Bansal

Thomas E Nowak

Xinhai Han

Jian J Chen

Ramprakash Sankarakrishnan

Mohamad A Ayoub

Nagarajan Rajagopalan

Zhijun Jiang

Michael Wenyoung Tsiang

Masaki Ogata

Patrick Reilly

Heung Lak Park

Shahid Shaikh

Sergey Starik

Dmitriy Panasyuk

Abdul Aziz Khaja

Dale Robert Du Bois

Karthik Thimmavajjula Narasimha

Hiroyuki Ogiso

Rick Gilbert

Kwangduk Douglas Lee

Hari K Ponnekanti

Prashant Kumar Kulshreshtha

Vinay K Prabhakar

Kalyanjit Ghosh

Paul Dennis Connors

Venkatanarayana Shankaramurthy

Mohsin Waqar

Saptarshi Basu

Liliya Krivulina

Brett Berens

Zonghui Su

Tuan Anh Nguyen

Mehdi Vaez-Iravani

Khokan Chandra Paul

Anjana M Patel

Sang Heon Park

Embodiments described herein generally relate to apparatuses for processing a substrate. In one or more embodiments, a heater support kit includes a heater assembly contains a heater plate having an upper surface and a lower surface, a chuck ring disposed on at least a portion of the upper surface of the heater plate, a heater arm assembly contains a heater arm and supporting the heater assembly, and a heater support plate disposed between the heater plate and the heater arm and in contact with at least a portion of the lower surface of the heater plate.

Heater support kit for bevel etch chamber

A method of processing a substrate according to a PECVD process is described. Temperature profile of the substrate is adjusted to change deposition rate profile across the substrate. Plasma density profile is adjusted to change deposition rate profile across the substrate. Chamber surfaces exposed to the plasma are heated to improve plasma density uniformity and reduce formation of low quality deposits on chamber surfaces. In situ metrology may be used to monitor progress of a deposition process and trigger control actions involving substrate temperature profile, plasma density profile, pressure, temperature, and flow of reactants.

PECVD process

Implementations disclosed herein describe a bevel etch apparatus within a loadlock bevel etch chamber and methods of using the same. The bevel etch apparatus has a mask assembly within the loadlock bevel etch chamber. During an etch process, the mask assembly delivers a gas flow to control bevel etch without the use of a shadow frame. As such, the edge exclusion at the bevel edge can be reduced, thus increasing product yield.

Loadlock integrated bevel etcher system

Methods for processing a substrate, such as bevel etch processing, are provided. In one embodiment, a method includes placing a substrate on a cover plate inside of a processing chamber, where the substrate has a center and a bevel edge and contains a dielectric layer thereon, the processing chamber contains a mask disposed above the substrate and an edge ring disposed under the substrate, the edge ring has an annular body, and the cover plate is disposed on a support assembly. The method further includes heating the substrate with a heater attached to the support assembly, raising the edge ring to contact the mask, flowing a process gas containing an etchant along an outer surface of the mask and to the bevel edge, where the process gas is ignited to produce a plasma, and exposing an upper surface of the substrate at the bevel edge to the process gas.

Bevel etch profile control

Implementations described herein generally relate to methods for leveling a component above a substrate. In one implementation, a test substrate is placed on a substrate support inside of a processing chamber. A component, such as a mask, is located above the substrate. The component is lowered to a position so that the component and the substrate are in contact. The component is then lifted and the particle distribution on the test substrate is reviewed. Based on the particle distribution, the component may be adjusted. A new test substrate is placed on the substrate support inside of the processing chamber, and the component is lowered to a position so that the component and the new test substrate are in contact. The particle distribution on the new test substrate is reviewed. The process may be repeated until a uniform particle distribution is shown on a test substrate.

Critical methodology in vacuum chambers to determine gap and leveling between wafer and hardware components

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to apparatus and methods for forming films having uniformity of thickness on substrates. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be used to measure thickness or other properties of films being deposited on a substrate without knowing beforehand the surface properties of the substrate. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be used to measure thickness or other properties of a plurality of layers being formed. For example, embodiments of the present disclosure may be used in measuring thickness of vertical memory stacks.

In-situ metrology method for thickness measurement during PECVD processes

Implementations described herein generally relate to methods and apparatus for processing a substrate. More particularly, implementations described herein relate to methods and an apparatus for bevel etch processing. In one embodiment, a method of cleaning a bevel edge of a semiconductor substrate is provided. The method includes placing a substrate on a cover plate inside of a processing chamber, the substrate having a deposition layer, which includes a center, and a bevel edge. A mask is placed over the substrate. The edge ring is disposed around/under the substrate. The method also includes flowing a process gas mixture adjacent the bevel edge, and flowing a purge gas through a first hole, a second hole, and a third hole of the mask in the center of the substrate adjacent a top of the substrate.

Apparatus and method of processing a substrate according to a PECVD process is described. Temperature profile of the substrate is adjusted to change deposition rate profile across the substrate. Plasma density profile is adjusted to change deposition rate profile across the substrate. Chamber surfaces exposed to the plasma are heated to improve plasma density uniformity and reduce formation of low quality deposits on chamber surfaces. In situ metrology may be used to monitor progress of a deposition process and trigger control actions involving substrate temperature profile, plasma density profile, pressure, temperature, and flow of reactants.

PECVD apparatus and process

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Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Jeongmin Lee