Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc.

Entegris, Inc.

Axcelis Technologies, Inc.

Applied Materials, Inc.

Lyudmila Stone

Dale K Stone

Julian G Blake

David E Suuronen

Richard A Cooke

Eric D Hermanson

Alexander S Perel

D Jeffrey Lischer

Steven M Anella

Dawei Sun

Klaus Petry

I-Kuan Lin

Philip Layne

James Alan Pixley

Thomas Stacy

Victor M Benveniste

Steven Donnell

Qin Chen

Chandra Venkatraman

Shigeo Oshiro

James Carroll

William K Loizides

David Burgdorf

Ron Serisky

Scott T Barusso

Chi-Yang Cheng

Frederick B Ammon

Tariq Fasheh

Dave Wiederspahn

A temperature measurement apparatus. The temperature measurement apparatus may include a temperature sensor body, the temperature sensor body having a substrate support surface; and a heat transfer layer, disposed on the substrate support surface, the heat transfer layer comprising an array of aligned carbon nanotubes.

Enhanced substrate temperature measurement apparatus, system and method

Disclosed is a semiconductor processing apparatus including one or more components having a conductive or nonconductive porous material. In some embodiments, an ion implanter may include a plurality of beam line components for directing an ion beam to a target, and a porous material along a surface of at least one of the plurality of beamline components.

Foam in ion implantation system

Disclosed is a semiconductor processing apparatus including one or more components having a conductive or nonconductive foam material. In some embodiments, the component is a plasma flood gun including a shield assembly coupled to the plasma flood gun. The shield assembly may include a first shield having a first main side facing an ion beam target, and a connection block coupled to a second main side of the first shield. The shield assembly may further include a mounting plate coupled to the connection block, and a second shield coupled to the mounting plate by a bracket. In some embodiments, the first shield and/or one or more process chamber walls includes a foam material, such as a conductive or nonconductive foam.

In one embodiment, a method of fabricating an electrostatic clamp includes forming an insulator body, forming an electrode on the insulator body, and depositing a layer stack on the electrode, the layer stack comprising an aluminum oxide layer that is deposited using atomic layer deposition (ALD).

Diffusion resistant electrostatic clamp

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, there is provided an electrostatic chuck comprising a conductive path covering at least a portion of a workpiece-contacting surface of a gas seal ring of the electrostatic chuck, the conductive path comprising at least a portion of an electrical path to ground; and a main field area of a workpiece-contacting surface of the electrostatic chuck comprising a surface resistivity in the range of from about 10to about 10ohms per square.

High conductivity electrostatic chuck

An apparatus for improving the temperature uniformity of a workpiece during processing is disclosed. The apparatus includes a platen having a separately controlled edge heater capable to independently heating the outer edge of the platen. In this way, additional heat may be supplied near the outer edge of the platen, helping to maintain a constant temperature across the entirety of the platen. This edge heater may be disposed on an outer surface of the platen, or may, in certain embodiments, be embedded in the platen. In certain embodiments, the edge heater and the primary heating element are disposed in two different planes, where the edge heater is disposed closer to the top surface of the platen than the primary heating element.

Apparatus for improving temperature uniformity of a workpiece

An electrostatic clamp which more effectively removes built up charge from a substrate prior to removal is disclosed. Currently, the lift pins and the ground pins are the only mechanism used to remove charge from the substrate after implantation. The present discloses describes an electrostatic chuck in which the top dielectric surface has an embedded conductive region, such as a ring shaped conductive region in the sealing ring. Thus, regardless of the orientation of the substrate during release, at least a portion of the substrate will contain the conductive region on the dielectric layer of the workpiece support. This conductive region may be connected to ground through the use of conductive vias in the dielectric layer. In some embodiments, these conductive vias are the fluid conduits used to supply gas to the back side of the substrate.

Triboelectric charge controlled electrostatic clamp

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, there is provided an electrostatic chuck. The electrostatic chuck comprises an electrode, and a surface layer activated by a voltage in the electrode to form an electric charge to electrostatically clamp a substrate to the electrostatic chuck, the surface layer including a charge control layer comprising a surface resistivity of greater than about 10ohms per square.

High surface resistivity electrostatic chuck

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 method for cleaning a workpiece support that includes using a workpiece that has been coated on its bottom surface with a suitable material is disclosed. This specially coated workpiece is placed on the support, and some time later, it is removed, taking with it particles from the support. In certain embodiments, the workpiece undergoes an ion implantation process to increase its temperature, and to increase the tackiness of the coating on the bottom surface. The material used to coat the bottom can be of variable types, including photoresists, oxides and deposited glasses.

Platen cleaning method

Electrostatic clamping devices and methods for reducing contamination to a workpiece coupled to an electrostatic clamping device are disclosed. According to an embodiment an electrostatic clamping device for coupling a workpiece comprises: an embossment portion on a surface of a body to contact the workpiece; and at least two electrodes within the body; wherein the two electrodes are separated by a separation portion below the embossment portion.

Electrostatic chuck with separated electrodes

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 beam implanter includes ion beam forming and directing apparatus and an implantation station where workpieces are implanted with ions from an ion beam. The beam travels along an evacuated path from an ion source to the implantation station. A flexible bellows couples the implantation station to the beam forming and directing apparatus permitting the implantation station to be pivoted with respect to the beam forming and directing apparatus and thereby change an implantation orientation of the workpieces with respect to the ion beam. A replaceable, flexible bellows liner is disposed within an interior region of the bellows to reduce the volume of implantation byproducts deposited on an interior surface of the bellows.

Bellows liner for an ion beam implanter

The present invention is directed to in-situ detection of particles and other such features in an ion implantation system during implantation operations to avoid such additional monitoring tool steps otherwise expended before and/or after implantation, for example. One or more such systems are revealed for detecting scattered light from particles on one or more semiconductor wafers illuminated by a light source (e.g., laser beam). The system comprises an ion implanter having a laser for illumination of a spot on the wafer and a pair of detectors (e.g., PMT or photodiode) rotationally opposite from the ion implantation operations. A wafer transport holds a wafer or wafers for translational scanning under the fixed laser spot. A computer analyzes the intensity of the scattered light detected from the illuminated wafer (workpiece), and may also map the light detected to a unique position. For example, particles or other such contaminates may be identified on wafers during the implantation process before additional time and resources are consumed, and aid in determining the sources of such contaminates. Further, threshold analysis of the quantity or size of such particles, for example, may provide a system interlock for shutdown or feedback control.

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Lynnfield, MA, United States of America

Lyudmila Stone