Applied Materials, Inc.

Kailash Kiran Patalay

Joseph Michael Ranish

David K Carlson

Jean Rene Vatus

Satheesh Kuppurao

Aaron Muir Hunter

Paul Brillhart

Zhepeng Cong

Craig Metzner

Richard Omar Collins

Herman Diniz

Stephen Moffatt

Nir Merry

Daniel Redfield

Balasubramanian Ramachandran

Brian Hayes Burrows

Kin Pong Lo

James Francis Mack

Howard Beckford

Xiaowei Li

Errol Antonio Sanchez

Michael Olsen

Eddie Feigel

Richard Halpin

Brett Vetorino

Jeffrey Ronald Campbell

Zouming Zhu

Bruce E Adams

Mehmet Tugrul Samir

Roger N Anderson

Shu-Kwan Danny Lau

Anzhong Chang

Anh Ngoc Nguyen

Oleg V Serebryanov

Errol C Sanchez

Zuoming Zhu

Dongming Iu

Surajit Kumar

Juan Chacin

Steve Aboagye

Dean Berlin

Methods and apparatus for processing substrates are provided herein. In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a process kit, the process kit comprising a first ring to support a substrate proximate a peripheral edge of the substrate; a second ring disposed about the first ring; and a path formed between the first and second rings that allows the first ring to rotate with respect to the second ring, wherein the path substantially prevents light from travelling between a first volume disposed below the first and second rings and a second volume disposed above the first and second rings.

Substrate processing system having susceptorless substrate support with enhanced substrate heating control

The embodiments described herein generally relate to systems for noise compensation for proper temperature detection in thermal processing chambers and devices for achieving the same. In one embodiment, a system is disclosed herein. The system includes a processing chamber, a substrate, a pyrometer, and a controller. The processing chamber is configured to process a substrate. The substrate support is disposed in the processing chamber. The pyrometer is positioned to receive radiation emitted by a substrate or a component of the processing chamber and generating a pyrometer signal indicative of the received radiation. The controller is configured to subtract a time invariant noise component and a time variant noise component from the pyrometer signal during processing of a substrate.

Model based lamp background filtration of stray radiation for pyrometry

Embodiments of the disclosure generally relate to a reflector for use in a thermal processing chamber. In one embodiment, the thermal processing chamber generally includes an upper dome, a lower dome opposing the upper dome, the upper dome and the lower dome defining an internal volume of the processing chamber, a substrate support disposed within the internal volume, and a reflector positioned above and proximate to the upper dome, wherein the reflector has a heat absorptive coating layer deposited on a side of the reflector facing the substrate support.

Absorbing reflector for semiconductor processing chamber

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a dome assembly. The dome assembly includes an upper dome including a central window, and an upper peripheral flange engaging the central window at a circumference of the central window, wherein a tangent line on an inside surface of the central window that passes through an intersection of the central window and the upper peripheral flange is at an angle of about 8&#xb0; to about 16&#xb0; with respect to a planar upper surface of the peripheral flange, a lower dome comprising a lower peripheral flange and a bottom connecting the lower peripheral flange with a central opening, wherein a tangent line on an outside surface of the bottom that passes through an intersection of the bottom and the lower peripheral flange is at an angle of about 8&#xb0; to about 16&#xb0; with respect to a planar bottom surface of the lower peripheral flange.

Quartz upper and lower domes

The embodiments described herein generally relate to methods of noise compensation for proper temperature detection in thermal processing chambers and devices for achieving the same. Methods can include determining noise produced by a lamp zone and extrapolating the noise from the detected photocurrent. Devices can include a processing chamber, a substrate support disposed in the processing chamber, the substrate support having a high thermal mass, a pyrometer below the substrate support and oriented to view radiation emitted by the substrate and a controller configured to subtract a time invariant noise component and a time variant noise component from the pyrometer signal.

Apparatus for use with multi-zonal heating sources are provided. In some embodiments, a substrate support may have a pocket disposed in a surface of the substrate support and a lip disposed about the pocket to receive an edge of a substrate and to support the substrate over the pocket such that a gap is defined between a pocket surface and a backside surface of the substrate when the substrate is disposed on the lip; a plurality of features to operate in combination with a plurality of heating zones provided by a multi-zonal heating source to provide a desired temperature profile on a frontside surface of a substrate when the substrate is disposed on the lip, and wherein the plurality of features are alternatingly disposed above and below a baseline surface profile of the pocket surface in a radial direction from a central axis of the substrate support.

Substrate support for use with multi-zonal heating sources

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to methods and apparatus for measuring, calibrating, and controlling substrate temperature during low temperature and high temperature processing. In one embodiment, the method includes epitaxially forming a layer stack on a substrate placed on a support plate, measuring a temperature of the substrate with a first pyrometer disposed over the substrate, measuring a temperature of the support plate with a second pyrometer disposed below the support plate, calibrating the first pyrometer at multiple temperature points based on actual temperature readings of the substrate to generate a first set of calibrated temperature readings associated with the substrate, calibrating the second pyrometer using the set of calibrated temperature readings as a reference to generate a second set of calibrated temperature readings associated with the support plate, and controlling a power supplied to a heat source configured to heat the substrate based on the second set of calibrated temperature readings.

Low temperature measurement and control using low temperature pyrometry

Methods and apparatus for reducing autodoping and backside defects on a substrate during epitaxial deposition processes are provided herein. In some embodiments, an apparatus for reducing autodoping and backside defects on a substrate includes a substrate support ring having a substrate holder structure configured to support the substrate in a position for processing along an edge defined by the backside of the substrate and a sidewall of the substrate or along a plurality of discrete points on or proximate to the edge; and a spacer ring for positioning the substrate support ring above a susceptor plate to define a substrate gap region between the susceptor plate and the backside of the substrate, the spacer ring comprising a plurality of openings formed therethrough that facilitate passage of a gas into and out of the substrate gap region.

Wafer processing hardware for epitaxial deposition with reduced backside deposition and defects

According to one aspect of the invention, an apparatus for reducing auto-doping of the front side of a substrate and reducing defects on the backside of the substrate during an epitaxial deposition process for forming an epitaxial layer on the front side of the substrate comprising: a means for forming a wafer gap region between the backside of the substrate and a susceptor plate, having an adjustable thickness; a means for ventilating auto-dopants out of the wafer gap region with a flow of inert gas, while inhibiting or prohibiting the flow of inert gas over the front side of the substrate; and a means for flowing reactant gases over the surface of the front side of the substrate, while inhibiting or prohibiting the flow of reactant gases near the surface of the backside of the substrate.

Wafer processing hardware for epitaxial deposition with reduced auto-doping and backside defects

A pedestal positioning assembly system for use in a substrate processing system includes a pedestal rigidly attached to a pedestal shaft, a reference rigidly attached to the substrate processing system, a lateral adjustment assembly to adjust a lateral location of the pedestal relative to the reference, and a vertical adjustment assembly to adjust a tilt of the pedestal relative to the reference. The lateral adjustment assembly and the vertical adjustment assembly are external to a processing chamber and are coupled to the pedestal disposed within the processing chamber through the pedestal shaft. The reference can be a ring and the lateral adjustment assembly substantially centers the pedestal within the ring. A method of adjusting a pedestal includes leveling the pedestal, translating the pedestal, calibrating the pedestal height to a preheat ring level, and checking the level and location of the pedestal while rotating the pedestal.

System and method for pedestal adjustment

A system for monitoring a process inside a high temperature semiconductor process chamber by capturing images is disclosed. Images are captured through a borescope by a camera. The borescope is protected from high temperatures by a reflective sheath and an Infrared (IR) cut-off filter. Images can be viewed on a monitor and can be recorded by a video recording device. Images can also be processed by a machine vision system. The system can monitor the susceptor and a substrate on the susceptor and surrounding structures. Deviations from preferred geometries of the substrate and deviations from preferred positions of susceptor and the substrate can be detected. Actions based on the detections of deviations can be taken to improve the performance of the process. Illumination of a substrate by a laser for detecting deviations in substrate geometry and position is also disclosed.

Semiconductor process chamber vision and monitoring system

Embodiments of the invention generally contemplate an apparatus and method for monitoring and controlling the temperature of a substrate during processing. One embodiment of the apparatus and method takes advantage of an infrared camera to obtain the temperature profile of multiple regions or the entire surface of the substrate and a system controller to calculate and coordinate in real time an optimized strategy for reducing any possible temperature non-uniformity found on the substrate during processing.

Use of infrared camera for real-time temperature monitoring and control

Growing community of inventors

Santa Clara, CA, United States of America

Kailash Kiran Patalay