Tokyo Electron Limited

Tohoku University

Kazuki Moyama

Kazuya Nagaseki

Merritt Funk

Naoki Matsumoto

Toshiya Matsuda

Takehiro Tanikawa

Chelsea Dubose

Justin Moses

Jun Yoshikawa

Kazushi Kaneko

Naoki Mihara

Wataru Yoshikawa

Toshihisa Nozawa

Osamu Morita

Masaru Sasaki

Kiyotaka Ishibashi

Tatsuro Ohshita

Caizhong Tian

Naokazu Furuya

Tadahiro Ohmi

Yohei Yamazawa

Barton Lane

Akinobu Teramoto

Koji Maruyama

Yoshihide Wakayama

Shinya Nishimoto

Akihiro Yokota

Nobuyuki Okayama

Koji Koyama

Takahiro Senda

Masaki Inoue

Kazuki Takahashi

Yuzuru Sakai

Kenji Sudou

Megan Doppel

Yoko Noto

Yasuhiro Otsuka

Munetaka Yamagami

A plasma processing apparatus includes a plasma processing chamber; a substrate support disposed in the plasma processing chamber; a movable member and a stationary member each disposed around the substrate support, the movable member having a plurality of moving blades, the plurality of moving blades being rotatable, the stationary member having a plurality of stationary blades, the plurality of moving blades and the plurality of stationary blades being alternately disposed along a height direction of the plasma processing chamber, and an exhaust space being formed beneath the movable member and the stationary member; a first driver configured to rotate the movable member; a pressure regulating member movably disposed around the substrate support and above the movable member and the stationary member; and a second driver configured to move the pressure regulating member.

Plasma processing apparatus

A plasma processing apparatus includes a processing chamber, a support in the processing chamber to support an edge ring assembly that includes a heat transfer sheet that is attached to an edge ring, and the edge ring surrounding the substrate supported by support, and a delivery structure for vertically moving and transferring the edge ring assembly between the plasma processing apparatus and the pressure-reducible transfer apparatus. The transfer apparatus includes a pressure-reducible transfer chamber connected to the processing chamber, and a transferer for transferring the edge ring assembly. Without exposing the processing chamber to the atmosphere, the transferer supports the heat transfer sheet and moves the edge ring assembly to a position above the support, the delivery structure receives the edge ring assembly from the transferer and supports the heat transfer sheet, and the support receives the edge ring assembly to support the edge ring via the heat transfer sheet.

Plasma processing system, plasma processing apparatus, and method for replacing edge ring

An antenna includes an inner structure, an outer structure, and a plurality of interconnecting structures coupling the inner structure to the outer structure. The plurality of interconnecting structures is axisymmetric with respect to a center of the antenna. Each interconnecting structure has an azimuthal component of at least 30 degrees.

Apparatus for plasma processing

An exhaust device including an exhaust mechanism and an exhaust unit is provided. The exhaust mechanism includes a first blade unit and a second blade unit provided in an exhaust space of a processing vessel including a processing space of a vacuum atmosphere for applying a process to a workpiece. The first blade unit and the second blade unit are arranged coaxially with a periphery of the workpiece, and at least one of the first blade unit and the second blade unit is rotatable. The exhaust unit is provided at a downstream side of the exhaust mechanism and communicates with the exhaust space. The exhaust unit is configured to exhaust gas in the processing vessel.

Exhaust device, processing apparatus, and exhausting method

A part transporting device for transporting a consumable part includes a part housing, a container, a robot arm, and a moving mechanism. The part housing accommodates an unused consumable part and a used consumable part. The container has an opening to be connected to a processing device and a gate valve for opening or closing the opening, the container being configured to accommodate the part housing. The robot arm is provided in the container and has at least one end effector at a tip end thereof, the robot arm transferring the used consumable part from the processing device through the opening to accommodate the used consumable part in the part housing and transferring the unused consumable part from the part housing to load the unused consumable part the processing device through the opening. The moving mechanism has a power source and is configured to move the part transporting device.

Part transporting device and processing system

Embodiments are described herein for power generation systems and methods that use quadrature splitters and combiners to facilitate plasma stability and control. For one embodiment, a quadrature splitter receives an input signal and generates a first and second signals as outputs with the second signal being ninety degrees out of phase with respect to the first signal. Two amplifiers then generate a first and second amplified signals. A quadrature combiner receives the first and second amplified signals and generates a combined amplified signal that represents re-aligned versions of the first and second amplified signals. The power amplifiers can be combined into a system to generate a high power output to a processing chamber. Further, detectors can generate measurements used to monitor and control power generation. The power amplifiers, system, and methods provide significant advantages for high-power generation delivered to process chambers for plasma generation during plasma processing.

Power generation systems and methods for plasma stability and control

A plasma processing system includes a chamber, a gas supply unit, a gas exhaust unit, a separating unit, a boost unit and an accumulation unit. The chamber is configured to process a target substrate by plasma of a gaseous mixture of a rare gas and a processing gas. The gas supply unit is configured to supply the rare gas and the processing gas into the chamber. The gas exhaust unit is configured to exhaust a gas containing the rare gas from the chamber. The separating unit is configured to separate the rare gas from the gas exhausted by the gas exhaust unit. The boost unit is configured to boost the rare gas separated by the separating unit. The accumulation unit is configured to accumulate the rare gas boosted by the boost unit and supply the accumulated first rare gas to the gas supply unit.

Plasma processing method

A method includes estimating a replacement time of a consumable part of a processing device, specifying a timing after substrate processing of the processing device is completed in a period before the replacement time as a replaceable timing of the consumable part, estimating a movement time period required for the part transporting device to move to a position of the processing device requiring the replacement, and estimating a preparation time period required for preparation until the part transporting device moved to the position of the processing device requiring the replacement becomes a state in which the consumable part is replaceable. The method further includes transmitting a replacement instruction to the part transporting device at a timing before a timing that is earlier than the replaceable timing by a total time of the movement time period and the preparation time period, and instructing the replacement of the consumable part.

Processing system and method using transporting device facilitating replacement of consumable part

Exhaust device for processing apparatus provided with multiple blades

Plasma processing system and plasma processing method

Embodiments are described for modules, multi-stage systems, and related methods for radio frequency (RF) power amplifiers with reduced size and weight requirements. Fluid cooling is incorporated directly into the power amplifier (PA) module design rather than requiring PA modules to be mounted on separate cooling devices. For one embodiment, a PA module includes a circuit board, RF circuit components, a ground plane, and a cooling plate having one or more cooling channels to receive a cooling fluid. The cooling channels are positioned to dissipate heat from the RF circuit components through the ground plane. For a further embodiment, the PA module also includes RF bias and power electronics within a housing for the PA module without requiring an external control board or power conversion electronics. Also disclosed are multi-stage PA systems having a plurality of PA modules that are similarly cooled using cooling channels.

Modules, multi-stage systems, and related methods for radio frequency power amplifiers

A plasma processing apparatus includes: a shower head including a ceiling plate having a plurality of gas holes, and a base member having a space so as to supply the processing gas to the plurality of gas holes; a temperature adjustment mechanism provided in the shower head; an acquisition unit configured to acquire a combination of a plasma parameter and pressure in the space in the base member; an estimation unit configured to estimate temperature of the ceiling plate corresponding to the acquired combination of the parameter and the pressure with reference to temperature information indicating the temperature of the ceiling plate corresponding to the combination of the parameter and the pressure; and a temperature controller configured to control the temperature adjustment mechanism such that the estimated temperature of the ceiling plate becomes target temperature when a plasma processing is performed.

Plasma processing apparatus and temperature control method

A substrate processing method includes a first expanding step, a first gas supplying step, a first plasma processing step, and a first power stopping step. The first expanding step increases the volume of a gas diffusion chamber. The first gas supplying step supplies a first gas into the gas diffusion chamber. The first plasma processing step supplies radio-frequency power from a radio-frequency power supply to generate plasma in a processing chamber accommodating a substrate and reduces the volume of the gas diffusion chamber. The first power stopping step stops the supply of the radio-frequency power after the first plasma processing step.

Substrate processing method

A manufacturing method of sample table is provided. The sample table holds a semiconductor wafer on which a plasma process is to be performed, and the manufacturing method includes: preparing an adsorption plate that has a contact surface on which a lapping process has been performed and surface-contacting the semiconductor wafer, and that adsorbs the semiconductor wafer; and preparing a supporting substrate which has a recess surface to which a noncontact surface of the adsorption plate is adhered, wherein a difference between a depth of an approximate center portion of the recess surface and a depth of a distant portion spaced apart from the approximate center portion is larger than a difference between a thickness of the adsorption plate at a portion contacting the approximate center portion and a thickness of the adsorption plate at a portion contacting the distant portion.

Manufacturing method of sample table

Growing community of inventors

Miyagi, Japan

Kazuki Moyama