Applied Materials, Inc.

Other

Kartik Ramaswamy

Kenneth S Collins

Andrew Nguyen

Hiroji Hanawa

Yang Yang

Shahid Rauf

James D Carducci

Yue Guo

Amir Hamed Al-Bayati

Biagio Gallo

Steven Lane

Leonid Dorf

Lawrence Wong

Douglas A Buchberger, Jr

Zhigang Chen

Steven C Shannon

Sergio Fukuda Shoji

Chunlei Zhang

Matthew L Miller

Tsutomu Tanaka

Richard Charles Fovell

Ajit Balakrishna

Michael Robert Rice

Yan Ye

Daniel John Hoffman

Kallol Bera

Valentin Nikolov Todorow

Hamid Noorbakhsh

James P Cruse

Hamid Tavassoli

Walter R Merry

Jennifer Y Sun

Ankur Agarwal

Satoru Kobayashi

Srinivas D Nemani

Abhilash J Mayur

Dean C Jennings

Vijay Parihar

Leonard Michael Tedeschi

Majeed Foad

Zheng John Ye

Rajinder Dhindsa

Vijay D Parkhe

James Rogers

Olivier Luere

Eswaranand Venkatasubramanian

Abhijit Basu Mallick

Pramit Manna

Nicolas J Bright

Joseph F AuBuchon

Anwar Husain

Takehito Koshizawa

Linying Cui

Ludovic Godet

Dmitry Lubomirsky

Ajay Kumar

Tetsuya Ishikawa

Shijian Li

Rutger Meyer Timmerman Thijssen

Shamouil Shamouilian

Tza-Jing Gung

Michael D Willwerth

Samer Banna

Banqiu Wu

Brian C Lue

Seon-Mee Cho

Yogananda Sarode Vishwanath

Manivannan Thothadri

Omkaram Nalamasu

David Palagashvili

Ying Di Zhang

Soonam Park

Jie Yu

Robert P Meagley

Martin Jeffrey Salinas

Imad Yousif

Ashish Bhatnagar

Evans Yip Lee

Hou Tee Ng

Srinivas Gandikota

Michael S Barnes

Nag B Patibandla

John C Forster

Thorsten B Lill

Dan Maydan

Anantha K Subramani

Praburam Gopalraja

Thomas B Brezoczky

Farhad K Moghadam

Tom K Cho

Chentsau Chris Ying

Vahid Firouzdor

Simon Yavelberg

Dennis Stanley Grimard

Swaminathan T Srinivasan

Peter I Porshnev

Martin A Hilkene

Matthew D Scotney-Castle

Sumanth Banda

Sidharth Bhatia

A semiconductor processing system may include a semiconductor processing chamber configured to execute a recipe on a semiconductor wafer. The system may include a first plasma source to provide plasma to the semiconductor processing chamber and to be duty cycled during an execution of the recipe. The system may also include a second plasma source configured to maintain the plasma in the semiconductor processing chamber while the first plasma source is duty cycled.

Auxiliary plasma source for robust ignition and restrikes in a plasma chamber

Embodiments provided herein generally include apparatus, plasma processing systems and methods for controlling ion energy distribution in a processing chamber. One embodiment of the present disclosure is directed to a method for plasma processing. The method generally includes: determining a voltage and/or power associated with a bias signal to be applied to a first electrode of a processing chamber, the voltage being determined based on a pressure inside a processing region of the processing chamber such that the voltage is insufficient to generate a plasma inside the chamber by application of the voltage and/or power to the first electrode; applying the first bias signal in accordance with the determined voltage and/or power to the first electrode; and applying a second bias signal to a second electrode of the processing chamber, wherein the second bias signal is configured to generate a plasma in the processing region and the first bias is applied while the second bias is applied.

Ion energy control on electrodes in a plasma reactor

Embodiments provided herein generally include apparatus, e.g., plasma processing systems, and methods for the plasma processing of a substrate in a processing chamber. Some embodiments are directed to a waveform generator. The waveform generator generally includes a first voltage stage having: a first voltage source; a first switch; a ground reference; a transformer having a first transformer ratio, the first transformer comprising: a primary winding coupled to the first voltage source and the ground reference; and a secondary winding having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is coupled to the ground reference, and the second end is configured to be coupled to a load through a common node; and a first diode coupled in parallel with the primary winding of the first transformer. The waveform generator generally also includes one or more additional voltage stages coupled to a load through the common node.

Pulsed voltage source for plasma processing applications

Embodiments provided herein generally include apparatus, plasma processing systems and methods for generation of a waveform for plasma processing of a substrate in a processing chamber. One embodiment includes a waveform generator having a voltage source selectively coupled to an output node, where the output node is configured to be coupled to an electrode disposed within a processing chamber, and where the output node is selectively coupled to a ground node. The waveform generator may also include a radio frequency (RF) signal generator, and a first filter coupled between the RF signal generator and the output node.

Plasma excitation with ion energy control

Embodiments of substrate supports for use in substrate processing chambers are provided herein. In some embodiments, a substrate support for use in a substrate processing chamber includes: a pedestal having a first side configured to support a substrate and a second side opposite the first side; a plurality of substrate lift pins extending through the pedestal, wherein a plurality of first gaps are disposed between the plurality of substrate lift pins and respective ones of a plurality of substrate lift pin openings in the pedestal; and vacuum lines that extend from the plurality of substrate lift pin openings and that are configured to pump down the plurality of substrate lift pin openings.

Substrate support gap pumping to prevent glow discharge and light-up

Embodiments of the disclosure provided herein include an apparatus and method for processing a substrate in a plasma processing system. The apparatus includes a pulse voltage (PV) waveform generator comprising at least one synchronization signal and a plurality of pulsers to provide a plurality of TTL inputs. The PV waveform generator generates a waveform containing pulses or bursts which contain micropulses corresponding to the plurality of TTL input signals and the at least one synchronization signal. The method includes receiving a first TTL input signal and a synchronization waveform signal from a controller, delivering a first micropulse to an electrode assembly after receiving the first TTL input signal and synchronization signal, and delivering a second micropulse to the electrode assembly after receiving the second TTL input signal and the synchronization signal.

System and methods for implementing a micro pulsing scheme using dual independent pulsers

A method and apparatus for spatially switching radio frequency (RF) power from a single RF power generator to a selected one of two or more impedance matching networks coupled to associated RF electrodes for forming plasma in a plasma chamber. Full RF power may be switched within microseconds to the selected one of the two or more impedance matching networks. The two or more impedance matching networks may be coupled to one or more plasma generating electrodes. The two or more impedance matching networks may be interleaved during plasma processing recipe operation. Impedance matching networks can alternate back and forth during operation of a plasma processing recipe. This interleaving in operation and impedance transformation capabilities may also be performed with more than two impedance matching networks, and may be beneficial in enabling the use of fixed tuned impedance matching networks instead of requiring variable impedance matching networks having variable tuning capabilities.

Radio frequency diverter assembly enabling on-demand different spatial

Embodiments of the present disclosure include an apparatus and methods for the plasma processing of a substrate. Some embodiments are directed to a plasma processing chamber. The plasma processing chamber generally includes a planar coil region comprising a plurality of planar coils, a first power supply circuit coupled to at least two of the plurality of planar coils, a concentric coil region at least partially surrounding the planar coil region, and a second power supply circuit coupled to at least two of a plurality of concentric coils. The first power supply circuit may be configured to bias the at least two of the plurality of planar coils to affect a plasma in a center region of the plasma processing chamber, and the second power supply circuit may be configured to bias the at least two of the plurality of concentric coils to affect the plasma in an outer region.

Plasma uniformity control system and methods

A wideband variable impedance load for high volume manufacturing qualification and diagnostic testing of a radio frequency power source, an impedance matching network and RF sensors for generating plasma in a semiconductor plasma chamber for semiconductor fabrication processes. The wideband variable impedance load may comprise a fixed value resistance operable at a plurality of frequencies and coupled with a variable impedance network capable of transforming the fixed value resistance into a wide range of complex impedances at the plurality of frequencies. Response times and match tuning element position repeatability may be verified. Automatic testing, verification and qualification of production and field installed radio frequency power sources for plasma generation are easily performed.

Wideband variable impedance load for high volume manufacturing qualification and on-site diagnostics

Embodiments of the disclosure include a method of processing a substrate in a plasma processing system, comprising delivering an RF signal, by an RF generator, through an RF match to an electrode assembly disposed within the plasma processing system, wherein while delivering the RF signal the RF match is set to a first matching point, and delivering a voltage waveform, by a waveform generator, to the electrode assembly disposed within the plasma processing system while the RF signal is delivered to the electrode assembly. The method includes receiving, by the RF match, a synchronization signal from a RF generator or the waveform generator, measuring, by an output sensor of the RF match, a first set of impedance related data of the plasma processing system over a first time period, the first time period beginning after a first delay triggered by a first portion of a first waveform pulse of the synchronization signal, measuring, by the output sensor of the RF match, a second set of impedance related data of the plasma processing system over a second time period, the second time period beginning after a second delay triggered by the first portion of the first waveform pulse of the synchronization signal, calculating, by the RF match, a combined impedance parameter based on the measured first set of impedance related data and the measured second set of impedance related data, and adjusting a matching parameter within the RF match based on the calculated combined impedance parameter to achieve a second matching point.

Scanning impedance measurement in a radio frequency plasma processing chamber

Embodiments provided herein generally include apparatus, plasma processing systems and methods for generation of a waveform for plasma processing of a substrate in a processing chamber. One embodiment includes a waveform generator having a voltage source circuitry, a first switch coupled between the voltage source circuitry and a first output node of the waveform generator, the first output node being configured to be coupled to a chamber, and a second switch coupled between the first output node and electrical ground node. The waveform generator also includes a third switch coupled between the voltage source circuitry and a second output node of the waveform generator, the second output node being configured to be coupled to the chamber, and a fourth switch coupled between the second output node and the electrical ground node.

Voltage pulse time-domain multiplexing

Embodiments of the disclosure provided herein include an apparatus and method for the plasma processing of a substrate in a processing chamber. More specifically, embodiments of this disclosure describe a biasing scheme that is configured to provide a pulsed-voltage (PV) waveform delivered from one or more pulsed-voltage (PV) generators to the one or more electrodes within the processing chamber. The plasma process(es) disclosed herein can be used to control the shape of an ion energy distribution function (IEDF) and the interaction of the plasma with a surface of a substrate during plasma processing.

Plasma processing assembly using pulsed-voltage and radio-frequency power

Methods and apparatus for clamping a substrate comprise i. placing a substrate on a clamping surface of a substrate support having a plurality of electrodes spaced from one another including a first electrode and a second electrode; ii. measuring substrate bow of the substrate; iii. determining, based on the measured substrate bow, a first voltage to be applied to the first electrode and a second voltage to be applied to the second electrode, wherein the first voltage is an AC voltage and the second voltage is an AC or a DC voltage; and iv. applying the first voltage to the first electrode and the second voltage to the second electrode to clamp the substrate to the substrate support.

Bowed substrate clamping method, apparatus, and system

Embodiments provided herein generally include apparatus, plasma processing systems, and methods for generation of a waveform for plasma processing of a substrate in a processing chamber. One embodiment includes a waveform generator having three MOSFETs and three series-connected capacitors. The capacitors are connected across a DC power supply and, depending on the value of the capacitors, voltage across each of them may be varied. Each of the top two capacitors is followed by a diode. The bottom capacitor is connected to the ground. The drain terminal of each MOSFET is connected to higher potential end of the series connected capacitors. Each MOSFET is followed by a diode and the cathode ends of the diodes are connected together. An electrode is connected between the common cathode and ground.

Solid-state switch based high-speed pulser with plasma IEDF modification capability through multilevel output functionality

Methods and systems for in-situ temperature control are provided. The method includes delivering a temperature-sensing disc into a processing region of a processing chamber without breaking vacuum. The temperature-sensing disc includes one or more cameras configured to perform IR-based imaging. The method further includes measuring a temperature of at least one region of at least one chamber surface in the processing region of the processing chamber by imaging the at least one surface using the temperature-sensing disc. The method further includes comparing the measured temperature to a desired temperature to determine a temperature difference. The method further includes adjusting a temperature of the at least one chamber surface to compensate for the temperature difference.

In-situ semiconductor processing chamber temperature apparatus

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Kartik Ramaswamy