Applied Materials, Inc.

Laxman Murugesh

Pravin K Narwankar

Turgut Sahin

Maciek Orczyk

Ashish Bhatnagar

Jianmin Qiao

Srihari Ponnekanti

Anand Gupta

Craig A Bercaw

Walter Zygmunt

Padma Gopalakrishnan

Sameer Desai

Joshua E Byrne

Pravin Narawankar

Gana A Rimple

Michael Santiago Cox

Tom K Cho

Kadthala Ramaya Narendrnath

Canfeng Lai

Padmanabhan Krishnaraj

Kent Rossman

Lily L Pang

Sudhir R Gondhalekar

Ho T Fang

Padmanaban Krishnaraj

Stan Detmar

Gary R Ahr

Narendra Dubey

Kadthala Ramaya Narendmath

Carl Dunham

Charles K Radhamohan

A method of fabricating a polishing pad includes determining a desired distribution of voids to be introduced within a polymer matrix of a polishing layer of the polishing pad. Electronic control signals configured to be read by a 3D printer are generated which specify the locations where a polymer matrix precursor is to be deposited, and specify the locations of the desired distribution of voids where no material is to be deposited. A plurality of layers of the polymer matrix corresponding to the plurality of the first locations is successfully deposited with the 3D printer. Each layer of the plurality of layers of polymer matrix is deposited by ejecting a polymer matrix precursor from a nozzle. The polymer matrix precursor is solidified to form a solidified polymer matrix having the desired distribution of voids.

Printing chemical mechanical polishing pad having window or controlled porosity

Printed chemical mechanical polishing pad having printed window

A method of fabricating a processing chamber component comprises forming a processing chamber component having a structural body with surface regions having microcracks, and directing a laser beam onto the microcracks of the surface regions of the structural body for a sufficient time to heal and close off the microcracks by themselves.

Surface annealing of components for substrate processing chambers

A substrate processing chamber component has a structural body with localized surface regions having annealed microcracks. The annealed microcracks reduce crack propagation and increase fracture resistance. In one method of manufacture, the structural body of the component is formed, and a laser beam is directed onto localized surface regions of the body for a sufficient time to anneal the surface microcracks.

Localized surface annealing of components for substrate processing chambers

A method of providing a corrosion-resistant coating on a surface of an aluminum component comprises anodizing the surface of the aluminum component to form an anodized aluminum oxide layer and sputter coating a sputtered layer on the anodized aluminum oxide layer. A coated aluminum component can be used in a substrate processing chamber and comprises an aluminum body, an anodized aluminum oxide layer formed on the aluminum body, and a sputtered layer comprising aluminum oxide on the anodized aluminum oxide layer.

Corrosion-resistant aluminum component having multi-layer coating

A gas distributor distributes a gas across a surface of a substrate processing chamber. The gas distributor has a hub, a baffle extending radially outward from the hub, a first set of vanes and a second set of vanes. In one version, the hub has a gas inlet and a gas outlet. The baffle has an opposing first and second surfaces. First vanes are on the first surface of the baffle and direct gas across chamber surfaces. In one version, the first vanes comprise arcuate plates that curve and taper outward from the hub. Second vanes are on the second surface of the baffle and direct gas across the second surface of the baffle. In one version, a gas feed-through tube in the hub can allow a gas to bypass the first and second set of vanes.

Gas distributor having directed gas flow and cleaning method

A substrate processing chamber component demonstrates reduced erosion in an energized gas. The component has a ceramic structure composed of aluminum oxide with a surface exposed to the energized gas in the chamber. The erosion of the surface by the energized gas is substantially reduced by erosion resistant properties of the ceramic structure, which arise from a ratio of the total area of the grains Gto the total area of the grain boundary regions GBin the ceramic structure of from about 0.25 to about 2.5. Also, at least about 80% of the grains in the ceramic structure have a grain size in the range of from about 1 micron to about 20 microns. The ceramic structure also has a purity of at least about 99.8% by weight to further reduce erosion of the surface.

Erosion resistant process chamber components

Method and apparatus for determining an endpoint of a cleaning process running in a chamber. In particular, one embodiment of the present invention is a method that includes steps of: (a) directing radiation absorbed by a byproduct of the cleaning process into an exhaust line of the chamber; (b) detecting a measure of absorbance of the radiation by the byproduct; and (c) determining the endpoint when the measure of absorbance falls within a predetermined window.

Process endpoint detection in processing chambers

A method and apparatus for modifying the profile of narrow, high-aspect-ratio gaps on a semiconductor substrate are used to fill the gaps in a void-free manner. Differential heating characteristics of a substrate in a high-density plasma chemical vapor deposition (HDP-CVD) system helps to prevent the gaps from being pinched off before they are filled. The power distribution between coils forming the plasma varies the angular dependence of the sputter etch component of the plasma, and thus may be used to modify the gap profile, independently or in conjunction with differential heating. A heat source may be applied to the backside of a substrate during the concurrent deposition/etch process to further enhance the profile modification characteristics of differential heating.

Method and apparatus for modifying the profile of narrow, high-aspect-ratio gaps through wafer heating

A substrate processing chamber comprising a first gas distributor adapted to provide a process gas into the chamber to process the substrate , a second gas distributor adapted to provide a cleaning gas into the chamber to clean the chamber, and an exhaust to exhaust the process gas or cleaning gas from the chamber

Directing a flow of gas in a substrate processing chamber

A low dielectric constant insulating film on a substrate is formed by introducing a process gas comprising a silicon source, a fluorine source, and oxygen into a chamber. The process gas is formed into a plasma to deposit at least a first portion of the insulating film over the substrate. The wafer and the first portion of the insulating film are then heated to a temperature of about 100-500&deg; C. for a period of time. The film may include several separate portions, the deposition of each of which is followed by a heating step. The film has a low dielectric constant and good gas-fill and stability due to the lack of free fluorine in the film.

Sequential in-situ heating and deposition of halogen-doped silicon oxide

A low dielectric constant insulating film on a substrate is formed by introducing a process gas comprising a silicon source, a fluorine source, and oxygen into a chamber. The process gas is formed into a plasma to deposit at least a first portion of the insulating film over the substrate. The wafer and the first portion of the insulating film are then heated to a temperature of about 100-500&deg; C. for a period of time. The film may include several separate portions, the deposition of each of which is followed by a heating step. The film has a low dielectric constant and good gap-fill and stability due to the lack of free fluorine in the film.

A sequence of process steps forms a fluorinated silicon glass (FSG) layer on a substrate. This layer is much less likely to form a haze or bubbles in the layer, and is less likely to desorb water vapor during subsequent processing steps than other FSG layers. An undoped silicon glass (USG) liner protects the substrate from corrosive attack. The USG liner and FSG layers are deposited on a relatively hot wafer surface and can fill trenches on the substrate as narrow as 0.8 &mgr;m with an aspect ratio of up to 4.5:1.

Sequencing of the recipe steps for the optimal low-dielectric constant HDP-CVD Processing

Method and apparatus for modifying the profile of narrow, high-aspect-ratio gaps using differential plasma power

An apparatus for processing substrates that is configured for a cleaning operation by loading a cleaning process wafer onto the susceptor before forming a cleaning plasma in the processing chamber. In one embodiment, a ceramic wafer is chosen to have a dielectric value sufficient to alter the electromagnetic field of the plasma, and spreads the plasma away from the susceptor during a cleaning operation, thus reducing damage to the susceptor. The plasma may be directed towards the walls of the chamber to reduce chamber cleaning time.

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San Ramon, CA, United States of America

Laxman Murugesh