Lam Research Corporation

Jorge Luque

Andrew D Bailey, Iii

Yassine Kabouzi

Luc Albarede

Seonkyung Lee

Thorsten B Lill

Keren Jacobs Kanarik

Qing Xu

Alan Jeffrey Miller

Mehmet Derya Tetiker

Yoko Yamaguchi

Nicholas Edward Webb

Dmitry Opaits

Evelio Sevillano

Ramkumar Subramanian

Harmeet Singh

Eric A Pape

Mark Henry Wilcoxson

Ye Feng

Robert G O'Neill

Siyuan Tian

Shang-I Chou

Gowri Kota

Rajan Arora

Benny Wu

Jeffrey D Bonde

Gowri P Kota

Mehmet Tetiker

Andrew Bailey Iii

A large beam spot spectral reflectometer system for measuring a substrate is provided. Hardware components for collecting in situ large beam spot optical signals is disclosed. Machine learning models for denoising large beam spot optical signals are disclosed. Machine learning models for interpreting in situ optical data and facilitating process control are also disclosed.

Large spot spectral sensing to control spatial setpoints

Various embodiments include a reflectometer and a reflectometry system for monitoring movements of a substrate, such as a silicon wafer. In one embodiment, a reflectometry system monitors and controls conditions associated with a substrate disposed within a process chamber. The process chamber includes a substrate-holding device having an actuator mechanism to control movement of the substrate with respect to the substrate-holding device. The reflectometry system includes a light source configured to emit a beam of light directed at the substrate, collection optics configured to receive light reflected from the substrate by the beam of light directed at the substrate and output a signal related to one or more conditions associated with the substrate, and a processor configured to process the signal and direct the actuator mechanism to control the movement of the substrate with respect to the substrate-holding device based on the signal. Other devices and methods are disclosed.

Reflectometer to monitor substrate movement

A method for dry processing a substrate in a processing chamber is provided. The substrate is placed in the processing chamber. The substrate is dry processed, wherein the dry processing creates at least one gas byproduct. A concentration of the at least one gas byproduct is measured. The concentration of the at least one gas byproduct is used to determine processing rate of the substrate.

Method and apparatus for determining process rate

A substrate etching system includes an etching control module, a filtering module, and an endpoint module. The etching control module selectively begins plasma etching of a substrate within an etching chamber. The filtering module, during the plasma etching of the substrate: receives a signal including endpoint information; decomposes the signal using empirical mode decomposition (EMD); and generates a filtered signal based on results of the EMD. The endpoint module indicates when an endpoint of the plasma etching of the substrate has been reached based on the filtered signal. The etching control module ends the plasma etching of the substrate in response to the indication that the endpoint of the plasma etching of the substrate has been reached.

Plasma etching systems and methods using empirical mode decomposition

A system and method of identifying a selected process point in a multi-mode pulsing process includes applying a multi-mode pulsing process to a selected wafer in a plasma process chamber, the multi-mode pulsing process including multiple cycles, each one of the cycles including at least one of multiple, different phases. At least one process output variable is collected for a selected at least one of the phases, during multiple cycles for the selected wafer. An envelope and/or a template of the collected at least one process output variable can be used to identify the selected process point. A first trajectory for the collected process output variable of a previous phase can be compared to a second trajectory of the process output variable of the selected phase. A multivariate analysis statistic of the second trajectory can be calculated and used to identify the selected process point.

System and method for detecting a process point in multi-mode pulse processes

A partial unclamping detection system is provided and includes a light emission circuit, a spectrometer, and a system controller. The light emission circuit is configured to emit light at an area of a substrate while the substrate is electrostatically clamped to an electrostatic chuck of a substrate processing system. The spectrometer is configured to detect light reflected off the substrate and generate a first output signal based on the detected light. The system controller is configured to: detect changes in the first output signal; detect changes in a flow rate of a gas supplied to a backside of the substrate; and based on both the changes in the first output signal and the changes in the flow rate, determine whether a partial unclamping event of the substrate has occurred.

Detecting partial unclamping of a substrate from an ESC of a substrate processing system

A substrate processing system includes a processing chamber. A pedestal and a showerhead are arranged in the processing chamber. A surface plasmon resonance (SPR) fiber has a central portion disposed in the processing chamber, and opposing ends disposed outside the processing chamber. A light source provides input light at one end of the SPR fiber, and a detector receives output light from the other end of the SPR fiber. Surface plasmon waves and evanescent waves constitute the output light, which is processed and analyzed to determine a condition of the processing chamber.

Method and apparatus for real-time monitoring of plasma chamber wall condition

Systems and methods for processing a semiconductor wafer includes a plasma processing chamber. The plasma processing chamber includes an exterior, an interior region with a wafer receiving mechanism and a viewport disposed on a sidewall of the plasma processing chamber providing visual access from the exterior to the wafer received on the wafer receiving mechanism. A camera is mounted to the viewport of the plasma processing chamber on the exterior and coupled to an image processor. The image processor includes pattern recognition logic to match images of emerging pattern captured and transmitted by the camera, to a reference pattern and to generate signal defining an endpoint when a match is detected. A system process controller coupled to the image processor and the plasma processing chamber receives the signal from the image processor and adjusts controls of one or more resources to stop the etching operation.

Methods for detecting endpoint for through-silicon via reveal applications

Systems and methods for detecting endpoint for through-silicon via reveal applications

A method for providing a process indicator for an etching chamber is provided. A wafer with a blanket etch layer is provided into the etching chamber. A blanket etch is performed on the blanket etch layer. A blanket deposition layer is deposited over the blanket etch layer after performing the blanket etch has been completed. A thickness of the blanket etch layer and a thickness of the blanket deposition layer is measured. The measured thicknesses are used to determine a process indicator.

Etch tool process indicator method and apparatus

A wafer handling mechanism is operated to place a wafer on a chuck. A chucking force is then applied to the wafer, whereby wafer support features of the chuck transfer a defect pattern onto a surface of the wafer. The surface of the wafer is analyzed by a defect metrology tool to obtain a mapping of the defect pattern transferred onto the surface of the wafer. A center coordinate of the chuck within a coordinate system of the wafer is determined by analyzing the defect pattern as transferred to the surface of the wafer. A spatial offset between the center coordinate of the chuck and the center of the wafer is determined. The spatial offset is used to adjust the wafer handling mechanism so as to enable alignment of the center of the wafer to the center coordinate of the chuck.

Method and system for centering wafer on chuck

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Redwood City, CA, United States of America

Jorge Luque