Applied Materials, Inc.

Sokudo Co., Ltd.

Lam Research Corporation

Leon Volfovski

Michael Robert Rice

Jeffrey C Hudgens

Tetsuya Ishikawa

Robert B Lowrance

Charles T Carlson

William Tyler Weaver

Harald Herchen

Jay D Pinson, Ii

David H Quach

Chongyang Wang

Rick J Roberts

Mohsen Salek

Helen R Armer

John A Backer

Damon Keith Cox

Brian C Lue

Nicholas Michael Kopec

Andreas Schmid

Douglas R McAllister

Vijay D Parkhe

Joseph Yudovsky

Todd J Egan

Wendell Glenn Boyd, Jr

Matthew James Busche

Steven E Babayan

Mayur G Kulkarni

Helder T Lee

Brian Lu

James Matthew Holden

Kalyanjit Ghosh

Denis M Koosau

Song-Moon Suh

Nicholas Michael Bergantz

Richard Giljum

Anne-Douce Coulin

Nir Merry

Paul Zachary Wirth

Dmitry A Dzilno

Douglas W Young

Gregory Kirk

Yogananda Sarode Vishwanath

Michael C Kuchar

Konstantin Volodarsky

Anil K Pant

Karuppasamy Muthukamatchi

Joseph R Breivogel

Tai T Ngo

Boris T Govzman

Alex Minkovich

Whitney B Kroetz

Sanggyum Kim

Andrew Paul Harbert

Sivakumar Ramalingam

Anne-Douce M P Coulin

Balamurali Murugaraj

Konstantin Volodarski

A process kit enclosure system includes surfaces to enclose an interior volume, a first support structure including first fins, a second support structure including second fins, and a front interface to interface the process kit enclosure system with a load port of a wafer processing system. The first and second fins are sized and spaced to hold process kit ring carriers and process kit rings in the interior volume. Each of the process kit rings is secured to one of the process kit ring carriers. The process kit enclosure system enables first automated transfer of a first process kit ring carrier securing a first process kit ring from the process kit enclosure system into the wafer processing system and second automated transfer of a second process kit ring carrier securing a second process kit ring from the wafer processing system into the process kit enclosure system.

Process kit enclosure system

A robotic object handling system comprises a robot arm, an image sensor, a first station, and a computing device. The computing device is to cause the robot arm to pick up an object on an end effector, cause the image sensor to generate sensor data of the object, determine at least one of (i) a rotational error of the object or (ii) a positional error of the object based on the sensor data, cause an adjustment to the robot arm to approximately remove at least one of the rotational error or the positional error, and cause the robot arm to place the object at the first station without at least one of the rotational error or the positional error.

Sensor-based correction of robot-held object

A process kit ring adaptor includes one or more upper surfaces and one or more lower surfaces. The one or more upper surfaces are configured to support a process kit ring. The one or more lower surfaces are configured to interface with an end effector. The process kit ring adaptor supporting the process kit ring is configured to be transported on the end effector within a processing system.

Process kit ring adaptor

A calibration object is retrieved, by a first robot arm of a transfer chamber, from a processing chamber connected to the transfer chamber and placed in a load lock connected to the transfer chamber. The calibration object is retrieved from the load lock by a second robot arm of a factory interface connected to the load lock and placed at an aligner station housed in or connected to the factory interface. The calibration object has a first orientation at the aligner station. A difference is determined between the first orientation and an initial target orientation at the aligner station. A first characteristic error value associated with the processing chamber is determined based on the determined difference. The first characteristic error value is recorded in a storage medium. The aligner station is to use the first characteristic error value for alignment of objects to be placed in the processing chamber.

Calibration of an aligner station of a processing system

A robotic object handling system comprises a robot arm, a non-contact sensor, a first station, and a computing device. The computing device is to cause the robot arm to pick up an object on an end effector, cause the robot arm to position the object within a detection area of the non-contact sensor, cause the non-contact sensor to generate sensor data of the object, determine at least one of a rotational error of the object relative to a target orientation or a positional error of the object relative to a target position based on the sensor data, cause an adjustment to the robot arm to approximately remove at least one of the rotational error or the positional error from the object, and cause the robot arm to place the object at the first station, wherein the placed object lacks at least one of the rotational error or the positional error.

Replaceable contact pads of end effectors are provided. The contact pads support substrates in electronic device manufacturing. The contact pad includes a contact pad head having a contact surface configured to contact a substrate, a shaft coupled to the contact pad head, the shaft including a shaft indent formed between an underside of the contact pad head and a shaft end, and a circular securing member received around the shaft and seated in the shaft indent and configured to secure the contact pad to the end effector body. End effectors including replaceable contact pads and maintenance methods are described, as are additional aspects.

Replaceable end effector contact pads, end effectors, and maintenance methods

A method includes receiving, by a first loadlock chamber of the loadlock system, a first object from a factory interface via a first opening. The first object is transferred into the first loadlock chamber via a first robot arm. The factory interface is at a first state. The first loadlock chamber is configured to receive different types of objects. The method further includes sealing a first loadlock door against the first opening to create a first sealed environment at the first state in the first loadlock chamber and causing the first sealed environment of the first loadlock chamber to be changed to a second state. The method further includes actuating a second loadlock door to provide a second opening between the first loadlock chamber and a transfer chamber. The first object is to be transferred from the first loadlock chamber to the transfer chamber via a second robot arm.

Multi-object capable loadlock system

A process kit ring adaptor includes a rigid carrier. The rigid carrier includes an upper surface and a lower surface. The upper surface includes a first distal portion and a second distal portion to support a process kit ring. The lower surface includes a first region to interface with an end effector configured to support wafers and a solid planar central region to interface with a vacuum chuck.

Substrate temperature control apparatus and electronic device manufacturing systems provide pixelated light-based heating to a substrate in a process chamber. A substrate holder in the process chamber may include a baseplate. The baseplate has a top surface that may have a plurality of cavities and a plurality of grooves connected to the cavities. Optical fibers may be received in the grooves such that each cavity has a respective optical fiber terminating therein to transfer light thereto. Some or all of the cavities may have an epoxy optical diffuser disposed therein to diffuse light provided by the optical fiber. A ceramic plate upon which a substrate may be placed may be bonded to the baseplate. A thermal spreader plate may optionally be provided between the baseplate and the ceramic plate. Methods of controlling temperature across a substrate holder in an electronic device manufacturing system are also provided, as are other aspects.

Apparatus, systems, and methods for temperature control of substrates using embedded fiber optics and epoxy optical diffusers

Embodiments of substrate supports with a heater are provided herein. In some embodiments, a substrate support may include a first member to distribute heat to a substrate when present above a first surface of the first member; a heater coupled to the first member and having one or more heating zones to provide heat to the first member; a second member disposed beneath the first member; a tubular body disposed between the first and second members, wherein the tubular body forms a gap between the first and second members; and a plurality of substrate support pins disposed a first distance above the first surface of the first member, the plurality of substrate support pins to support a backside surface of a substrate when present on the substrate support.

Substrate support with heater

A substrate cleaning apparatus may include a substrate support having a support surface to support a substrate to be cleaned, wherein the substrate support is rotatable about a central axis normal to the support surface; a first nozzle to provide a first cleaning gas to a region of the inner volume corresponding to the position of an edge of the substrate when the substrate is supported by the support surface of the substrate support; a first annular body disposed opposite and spaced apart from the support surface of the substrate support by a gap, the first annular body having a central opening defined by an inner wall shaped to provide a reducing size of the gap between the first annular body and the support surface in a radially outward direction; and a first gas inlet to provide a first gas to the central opening of the first annular body.

Methods and apparatus for substrate edge cleaning

Substrate temperature control apparatus including groove-routed optical fibers. Substrate temperature control apparatus includes upper and lower members including grooves in one or both, and a plurality of optical fibers routed in the grooves. In one embodiment, the optical fibers are adapted to provide light-based pixelated heating. In another embodiment, embedded optical temperature sensors are adapted to provide temperature measurement. Substrate temperature control systems, electronic device processing systems, and methods including groove-routed optical fiber temperature control and measurement are described, as are numerous other aspects.

Temperature control apparatus including groove-routed optical fiber heating, substrate temperature control systems, electronic device processing systems, and processing methods

Apparatus for providing electrical currents and substrate supports utilizing the same are provided. In some embodiments, a feedthrough structure may include a body having a wall defining one or more openings disposed through the body from a first end to a second end; one or more first conductors and one or more second conductors each disposed in the wall from the first end to the second end; and a plurality of conductive mesh disposed in the wall, at least one conductive mesh surrounding a first region of the wall including the one or more first conductors and at least one conductive mesh surrounding a second region of the wall including the one or more second conductors, wherein the plurality of conductive mesh substantially electrically insulates the first and second regions from respective first and second external electromagnetic fields respectively disposed outside the first and second regions.

Substrate support with feedthrough structure

Methods and apparatus of substrate supports having temperature profile control are provided herein. In some embodiments, a substrate support includes: a plate having a substrate receiving surface and an opposite bottom surface; and a shaft having a first end comprising a shaft heater and a second end, wherein the first end is coupled to the bottom surface. Methods of making a substrate support having temperature profile control are also provided.

Heated substrate support with temperature profile control

Substrate temperature control apparatus including optical fiber temperature control are described. Substrate temperature control apparatus includes a base, a thermal contact member proximate to the base, and a plurality of optical fibers adapted to provide light-based heating extending laterally between the base and thermal contact member. Substrate temperature control systems and electronic device processing systems and methods including optical fiber temperature control are described, as are numerous other aspects.

Substrate temperature control apparatus including optical fiber heating, substrate temperature control systems, electronic device processing systems, and methods

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Mountain View, CA, United States of America

Leon Volfovski