Lam Research Corporation

John Edward Daugherty

Hong Shih

Robert J O'Donnell

Duane Outka

Armen Avoyan

Lin Xu

Christopher C Chang

Michael C Kellogg

David Trussell

Christopher J Pena

Richard Howard Gould

Vahid Vahedi

Cliff La Croix

Klay Kunkel

John Michael Kerns

Harmeet Singh

Tuochuan Huang

Sivakami Ramanathan

Satish Srinivasan

Amir A Yasseri

Allan Kent Ronne

Robert G O'Neill

David Joseph Wetzel

Girish M Hundi

John Stephen Drewery

Mark W Kiehlbauch

Fangli J Hao

Tom A Kamp

Ming-Kuei Tseng

Tom Stevenson

Anthony L Chen

Haoquan Yan

Ali Sucipto Tan

Bruce Edmund Freeman

Robin Koshy

Neil M Benjamin

Richard Alan Gottscho

Iqbal A Shareef

Saurabh J Ullal

Alan Jeffrey Miller

Joydeep Guha

Shenjian Liu

Yan Fang

Cliff LaCroix

Andrew C Lee

Russell Ormond

Nash W Anderson

William Charles

Alex Paterson

Robert G Anderson

Felix Leib Kozakevich

Arthur H Sato

Eric A Pape

Brian K McMillin

Dean Jay Larson

Leonard John Sharpless

Christopher Kimball

David M Schaefer

Yoko Yamaguchi

Lei Liu

David R Pirkle

Fred Egley

David J Cooperberg

Shun Jackson Wu

Dennis R Smith

Catherine Zhou

C Robert Koemtzopoulos

Gregory R Bettencourt

Gregory James Goldspring

Jeff A Bogart

Ambarish Chhatre

Yaobo Yin

Oana M Leonte

Jeremy Chang

Lihua Li Huang

Kennet Baylon

Linda Jiang

Danny Brown

Clifford Erik La Croix

Tae Won Kim

Michael Giarratano

Paul Mulgrew

Joseph P Doench

Peter Holland

MingHang Wu

Josh Cormier

Michael C May

Song Huang

Yousun Kim

Evan Edward Patton

Mike Ingamells

Yuanping Song

Yiwei Song

Johnny Pham

Douglas Detert

Fan-Cheung Sze

Anthony Amadio

Sonia Castillo

Duane D Scott

Jamie Burns

An apparatus for measuring contamination on a critical surface of a part is provided. A vessel for mounting the part is provided. An inert gas source is in fluid connection with the vessel and adapted to provide an inert gas to the vessel. At least one diffuser receives the inert gas from the vessel, wherein the critical surface of the part is exposed to the inert gas when the part is mounted in the vessel. At least one analyzer is adapted to receive inert gas from the at least one diffuser and measures contaminants in the inert gas.

Method and apparatus for measuring particles

A component of a plasma processing chamber having at least one plasma facing surface of the component comprises single crystal metal oxide material. The component can be machined from a single crystal metal oxide ingot. Suitable single crystal metal oxides include spinel, yttrium oxide, and yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG). A single crystal metal oxide can be machined to form a gas injector of a plasma processing chamber.

Single crystal metal oxide plasma chamber component

An apparatus adapted for use in a plasma processing chamber is provided. An aluminum body with at least one surface is provided. An aluminum oxide containing aerosol deposition coating is disposed over the at least one surface of the aluminum body. An yttrium containing aerosol deposition coating is disposed over the aluminum oxide containing aerosol deposition coating.

Laminated aerosol deposition coating for aluminum components for plasma processing chambers

A method for making a component for use in a semiconductor processing chamber is provided. A component body is formed from a conductive material having a coefficient of thermal expansion of less than 10.0×10/K. A metal oxide layer is then disposed over a surface of the component body.

Method for conditioning semiconductor processing chamber components

A processing chamber such as a plasma etch chamber can perform deposition and etch operations, where byproducts of the deposition and etch operations can build up in a vacuum pump system fluidly coupled to the processing chamber. A vacuum pump system may have multiple roughing pumps so that etch gases can be diverted a roughing pump and deposition precursors can be diverted to another roughing pump. A divert line may route unused deposition precursors through a separate roughing pump. Deposition byproducts can be prevented from forming by incorporating one or more gas ejectors or venturi pumps at an outlet of a primary pump in a vacuum pump system. Cleaning operations, such as waferless automated cleaning operations, using certain clean chemistries may remove deposition byproducts before or after etch operations.

Vacuum pump protection against deposition byproduct buildup

An apparatus for measuring contaminants on a surface of a component is provided. An extraction vessel for holding a measurement fluid has an opening adapted to form a meniscus using the measurement fluid. An actuator moves at least one of the extraction vessel and the component to a position where the meniscus is in contact with the surface of the component. A transducer is positioned to provide acoustic energy to the measurement fluid.

Chamber component cleanliness measurement system

A method for conditioning a component of a wafer processing chamber is provided. The component is placed in an ultrasonic conditioning solution in an ultrasonic solution tank. Ultrasonic energy is applied through the ultrasonic conditioning solution to the component to clean the component. The component is submerged in a megasonic conditioning solution in a tank. Megasonic energy is applied through the megasonic conditioning solution to the component to clean the component.

Conditioning chamber component

A substrate processing system configured to process substrates includes a substrate transport assembly that encloses a controlled environment defined within a continuous transport volume and at least two process modules coupled to the substrate transport assembly. The substrate transport assembly is configured to transport substrates to and from the at least two process modules through the continuous transport volume. At least two gas boxes are configured to deliver gas mixtures to the at least two process modules. An exhaust duct configured to selectively evacuate the at least two process modules through the at least two gas boxes. Surfaces of the at least two gas boxes include perforations configured to allow gases to flow from the at least two gas boxes into the exhaust duct.

Wafer transport assembly with integrated buffers

A fluid delivery system includes N first valves. Inlets of the N first valves are fluidly connected to N gas sources, respectively, where N is an integer greater than zero. N mass flow controllers include a microelectromechanical (MEMS) Coriolis flow sensor having an inlet in fluid communication with an outlet of a corresponding one of the N first valves. A second valve has an inlet in fluid communication with an outlet of the MEMS Coriolis flow sensor and an outlet supplying fluid to treat a substrate arranged in a processing chamber. A controller in communication with the MEMS Coriolis flow sensor is configured to determine at least one of a mass flow rate and a density of fluid flowing through the MEMS Coriolis flow sensor.

MEMS coriolis gas flow controller

A substrate processing tool includes a wafer transport assembly that includes a first wafer transport module and extends along a longitudinal axis of the substrate processing tool. A plurality of process modules includes a first process module and a second process module arranged on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis of the substrate processing tool. Outer sides of the first wafer transport module are coupled to the first and second process modules, respectively. A service tunnel defined below the wafer transport assembly extends along the longitudinal axis from a front end of the substrate processing tool to a rear end of the substrate processing tool below the wafer transport assembly.

A method for providing a part with a plasma resistant ceramic coating for use in a plasma processing chamber is provided. A patterned mask is placed on the part. A film is deposited over the part. The patterned mask is removed. A plasma resistant ceramic coating is applied on the part.

Method to selectively pattern a surface for plasma resistant coat applications

A cluster tool assembly includes a vacuum transfer module, a process module having a first side connected to the vacuum transfer module. An isolation valve having a first side and a second side, the first side of the isolation valve coupled to a second side of the process module. A replacement station is coupled to the second side of the isolation valve. The replacement station includes an exchange handler and a part buffer. The part buffer includes a plurality of compartments to hold new or used consumable parts. The process module includes a lift mechanism to enable placement of a consumable part installed in the process module to a raised position. The raised position provides access to the exchange handler to enable removal of the consumable part from the process module and store in a compartment of the part buffer. The exchange handler of the replacement station is configured to provide a replacement for the consumable part from the part buffer back to the process module. The lift mechanism is configured to receive the consumable part provided for replacement by the exchange handler and lower the consumable part to an installed position. The replacement by the exchange handler and the process module is conducted while the process module and the replacement station are maintained in a vacuum state.

Systems for removing and replacing consumable parts from a semiconductor process module in situ

A quartz structure includes a protective layer comprising yttrium oxide. The quartz structure may be fabricated by: (a) receiving a quartz structure; and (b) coating the quartz structure with a protective layer comprising yttrium oxide to form a part to be used in the plasma reactor. The part has a size and shape adapted for forming a window or injector in a plasma reactor. The protective layer does not substantially change the size or shape of the quartz structure. The part may be installed in the plasma reactor at a location where, during operation, a plasma will contact or be proximate to the part.

Quartz component with protective coating

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Fremont, CA, United States of America

John Edward Daugherty