Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc.

Axcelis Technologies, Inc.

Klaus Petry

Klaus Becker

James Carroll

Morgan Evans

Julian G Blake

Jason M Schaller

Dale K Stone

David E Suuronen

Lyudmila Stone

Ala Moradian

Kurt T Decker-Lucke

Benjamin Colombeau

Joseph Ferrara

Piotr R Lubicki

Stanislav S Todorov

Marvin Raymond LaFontaine

Michel Pharand

Larry G Nelson, Sr

Bryan C Lagos

Baonian Guo

Nilay A Pradhan

Michael R Mitrano

Tariq Fasheh

Dave Wiederspahn

Werner Baer

Dennis M Klesel

A system and method for monitoring glitch frequency and energy is disclosed. The system includes a glitch capture module that monitors the voltage of a biased component and captures any glitches that occur. The glitch capture module also extends the duration of that glitch so that the controller is guaranteed to observe this glitch. In certain embodiments, the glitch capture module captures the maximum energy of the glitch by storing the minimum voltage, in terms of magnitude, of the glitch.

System and method to monitor glitch energy

An improved system and method of measuring the temperature of a workpiece being processed is disclosed. The temperature measurement system determines a temperature of a workpiece by measuring the amount of expansion in the workpiece due to thermal expansion. The amount of expansion may be measured using a number of different techniques. In certain embodiments, a light source and a light sensor are disposed on opposite sides of the workpiece. The total intensity of the signal received by the light sensor may be indicative of the dimension of the workpiece. In another embodiment, an optical micrometer may be used. In another embodiment, a light sensor may be used in conjunction with a separate device that measures the position of the workpiece.

Semiconductor workpiece temperature measurement system

An electrostatic chuck is formed using materials that are optically transparent to a range of frequencies, such as infrared radiation. The invention discloses several methods for achieving optical transparency. The chuck electrode can be formed having a mesh pattern designed with a specific open area percentage to provide adequate wafer clamping force while still allowing sufficient levels of infrared radiation to pass through. Alternatively, the chuck electrode can also be made from a transparent conductive film. A workpiece is disposed on one surface of the chuck, and a radiative heat source is positioned on the opposite side of the chuck. A reflector plate may be used to reflect the infrared radiation toward the chuck and the wafer. The spacing of the radiation sources and the shape of the reflector plate may be modified to focus more radiation on a particular portion of the workpiece if desired.

Electrostatic chuck with radiative heating

Disclosed is a surge protection system for use with an ion source assembly. The system comprises a high voltage power source coupled in series with a thermionic diode and an ion source assembly. The high voltage power supply is enclosed in the pressure tank and drives the ion source assembly. The thermionic diode is comprised of an insulating tube disposed between the ion source assembly enclosure and the output of the high voltage power supply and makes use of existing ion source assembly components to limit damage to the power supply during arc failures of the ion source assembly.

Current limiter for high voltage power supply used with ion implantation system

A method of forming a FinFET device. The method may include providing a substrate having a single crystalline region, heating the substrate to a substrate temperature effective for dynamically removing implant damage during ion implantation, implanting ions into the substrate while the substrate is maintained at the substrate temperature, and patterning the single crystalline region so as to form a single crystalline fin.

FinFET device fabrication using thermal implantation

An ion implanter includes a platen having a clamping surface configured to support a wafer for treatment with ions, the platen also having at least one pair of electrodes under the clamping surface, a clamping power supply configured to provide an AC signal to the at least one pair of electrodes and a sensed signal representative of the AC signal, and a controller. The controller is configured to receive the sensed signal from the clamping power supply when no wafer is clamped to the clamping surface. The controller is further configured to monitor the sensed signal and determine if the sensed signal is representative of deposits on the clamping surface exceeding a predetermined deposit threshold.

Platen clamping surface monitoring

An electrostatic clamp, which more effectively removes built up charge from a substrate prior to and during removal, is disclosed. Currently, the lift pins and ground pins are the only mechanisms used to remove charge from the substrate after implantation. The present discloses describes a clamp having one of more additional low resistance paths to ground. These additional conduits allow built up charge to be dissipated prior to and during the removal of the substrate from the clamp. By providing sufficient charge drainage from the backside surface of the substrate, the problem whereby the substrate sticks to the clamp can be reduced. This results in a corresponding reduction in substrate breakage.

Removal of charge between a substrate and an electrostatic clamp

A combination load lock apparatus is provided, wherein a chamber is coupled to two or more valves in selective fluid communication with two or more respective volumes. A support member for supporting a workpiece is disposed within an interior portion of the chamber, wherein a translation apparatus is operably coupled thereto. The translation apparatus is operable to rotate and/or translate the workpiece on the support member about and/or along a first axis, wherein a detection apparatus associated with the chamber is operable to detect one or more characteristics of the workpiece during the rotation and/or translation thereof. The workpiece may be further rotated in a predetermined manner based on the one or more detected characteristics. A recess is further defined in the interior portion of the chamber, wherein the translation apparatus is operable to translate the workpiece into and out of the recess to reduce particulate contamination thereon.

Combination load lock for handling workpieces

A control for pressurizing a load lock. The control initiates pressurization of the loadlock interior by coupling a source of gas to the loadlock interior. A representative load lock includes a pressure sensor and multiple valves to atmosphere where at least one such valves is a passthrough valve for removal of and insertion of workpieces from and into a load lock interior. A second fast acting valve also opens to atmosphere. A pressure rise inside the loadlock interior is monitored and when the pressure reaches a threshold pressure above atmosphere the fast acting valve is opened to atmosphere. This second fast acting valve is configured to relieve overpressure from the passthrough valve prior to opening of said passthrough valve. Workpiece movement is accomplished with the aid of a robot which reaches into the loadlock interior as it is either depositing workpieces or retrieving them. This system and process minimizes particle contamination of the load lock interior as well as contamination in the region outside the loadlock near the passthrough valve and any scheduled workpieces.

Load lock control

An ion implanter having a source, a workpiece support and a transport system for delivering ions from the source to an ion implantation chamber that contains the workpiece support. The ion source has an arc chamber for ionizing a source material routed into the arc chamber that defines an exit aperture for routing ions to the transport system and including an arc chamber flange attached to the arc chamber and including a first surface that defines a gas inlet which accepts gas from a source and a gas outlet which opens into the arc chamber. An arc chamber support includes a support flange having a conforming surface that sealingly engages the first surface of arc chamber flange at a region of the gas inlet and further includes a throughpassage that aligns with the gas inlet. A gas supply line routes gas from a gas source through the throughpassage of the support flange and into the gas inlet of said arc chamber flange.

Ion source for use in an ion implanter

Dosimetry systems and methods are also presented for measuring a scanned ion beam at a plurality of points along a curvilinear path at a workpiece location in a process chamber. An illustrated dosimetry system comprises a sensor and a mounting apparatus that supports support the sensor and selectively positions the sensor at a plurality of points along the curvilinear path, wherein the mounting apparatus can selectively position the sensor to point toward a vertex of the scanned ion beam.

Ion beam measurement systems and methods for ion implant dose and uniformity control

The present invention relates to an electrostatic clamp and comprises a dielectric layer overlying an electrode and a doped region in the dielectric layer. The doped region of the dielectric layer is electrically conductive, and when the doped region is coupled to a circuit ground potential, the doped region of the dielectric layer is operable to bleed off charge which accumulates on a workpiece residing thereon during processing. The present invention further comprises a method of forming an electrostatic clamp which comprises the steps of forming an electrically insulating layer over an electrode and doping a portion of the electrically insulating layer, wherein the doped portion of the electrically insulating layer becomes electrically conductive.

Method and apparatus for the grounding of process wafers by the use of conductive regions created by ion implantation into the surface of an electrostatic clamp

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Merrimac, MA, United States of America

Klaus Petry