Applied Materials, Inc.

Lam Research Corporation

Mariusch Gregor

John William Lane

Thorsten B Lill

Balarabe Mohammed

Dan Joseph Healy

Michael Robert Rice

David Trussell

Theodoros Panagopoulos

Berrin Daran

Andrew Nguyen

Nir Merry

Ming Xu

James P Cruse

Dmitry A Dzilno

Corie Lynn Cobb

Kenneth Le

Alex Minkovich

Justin Hough

Prashanth Vasudeva

Ramachandra Murthy Gunturi

Emir Vukotic

Bhaswan Manjunath

Keith Brian Porthouse

Hongbin Li

Duc Dang Buckius

Non-elastomeric, non-polymeric, non-metallic membrane valves for use in high-vacuum applications are disclosed. Such valves are functional even when the fluid-control side of the valve is exposed to a sub-atmospheric pressure field which may generally act to collapse/seal traditional elastomeric membrane valves.

Non-elastomeric, non-polymeric, non-metallic membrane valves for semiconductor processing equipment

A substrate processing system for treating a substrate includes N manifolds, Y groups of injector assemblies, and a dose controller, where Y and N are integers greater than one. Each of the Y groups of injector assemblies includes N injector assemblies located in a processing chamber. Each of the N injector assemblies in each group of injector assemblies is in fluid communication with one of the N manifolds, respectively, and includes a valve including an inlet and an outlet. The dose controller is configured to control pulse widths output to the Y groups of injector assemblies to provide temporal dosing of the substrate.

Systems and methods for pulse width modulated dose control

A processing chamber and method of etching a semi-conductor substrate are presented. The processing chamber is symmetric, with the centerlines of a chuck and stem of a stage to retain a semi-conductor substrate aligned with a centerline of a passage in a core of a pump used to evacuate the processing chamber and with a center-line of a gas port through which gas is introduced to the processing chamber. The stem extends through the passage and a spiral groove is formed in the passage in only one of the stem or an inner surface of the core to provide pumping action to counter back streaming of the gas from an exhaust of the pump in an intermediate and viscous flow regime inside a gap between the stem and the core.

Turbomolecular pump and cathode assembly for etching reactor

A substrate processing system for treating a substrate includes a manifold, a plurality of injector assemblies located in a processing chamber, and a dose controller. Each of the plurality of injector assemblies is in fluid communication with the manifold and includes a valve including an inlet and an outlet. The dose controller is configured to communicate with the valve in each of the plurality of injector assemblies. The dose controller is configured to adjust a pulse width supplied to the valve in each of the plurality of injector assemblies to provide spatial dosing and at least one of compensate for upstream skew caused by a prior process and pre-compensate for downstream skew expected from a subsequent process.

An apparatus may be provided that includes a substrate having one or more microfluidic valve structures. The valve structures are non-elastomeric, non-polymeric, non-metallic membrane valves for use in high-vacuum application. Such valves are functional even when the fluid-control side of the valve is exposed to a sub-atmospheric pressure field which may generally act to collapse/seal traditional elastomeric membrane valve.

A substrate processing system for treating a substrate includes a manifold and a plurality of injector assemblies located in a processing chamber. Each of the plurality of injector assemblies is in fluid communication with the manifold and includes a valve including an inlet and an outlet. A dose controller is configured to communicate with the valve in each of the plurality of injector assemblies and adjust a pulse width supplied to the valve in each of the plurality of injector assemblies based on at least one of manufacturing differences between the valves in each of the plurality of injector assemblies and non-uniformities of the valves in each of the plurality of injector assemblies to cause a desired dose to be supplied from the valve in each of the plurality of injector assemblies.

An active showerhead used for a plasma reactor is described. The active showerhead includes a plurality of substrate layers. The substrate layers include at least one actuator and transfer component. The actuator and transfer component is coupled to a gas line via a gas channel. The active showerhead further includes an electrode layer located below the substrate layers. The electrode layer and the actuator and transfer component both share an opening. The actuator and transfer component allows passage of one or more process gases received from the gas line and the gas channel into the opening without the need for a conventional gas box.

Active showerhead

Methods and apparatus for reducing the power consumption of a pump are provided herein. In some embodiments, a pump power consumption reduction system for use in a substrate processing system may include a vacuum chamber having an exhaust port; a valve; a first pump having a pump inlet port coupled to the exhaust port via the valve and a pump exhaust port to couple the first pump to an exhaust handling system; and a second pump coupled to the pump exhaust port to selectively reduce an exhaust pressure of the first pump.

Pump power consumption enhancement

Methods and apparatus for in-situ calibration of a flow controller are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of flowing a gas includes providing a flow controller configured to provide a first gas at a first value of a flow rate based on a calculated first relationship determined by using a standard gas; determining an actual first relationship between the flow rate and the setpoint for the first gas from a plurality of values of the flow rate of the first gas determined at a corresponding plurality of values of the setpoint of the flow controller, wherein each of the plurality of values of the flow rate is determined from flowing the first gas through the flow controller at corresponding ones of the plurality of values for the setpoint; and flowing the first gas at the first value of the flow rate based on the actual first relationship.

Methods for monitoring a flow controller coupled to a process chamber

A processing device determines a plurality of initial flow setpoint commands, each of the plurality of setpoint commands corresponding to one of a plurality of valves. The processing device sends each of the plurality of initial setpoint commands to a corresponding one of the plurality of valves. The processing device receives feedback from each of the plurality of valves and determines a plurality of updated flow setpoint commands, each of which corresponds to one of the plurality of valves based on the corresponding feedback from each of the plurality of valves.

Method and system for controlling a flow ratio controller using feedback

A processing device determines a plurality of initial flow setpoint commands, each of the plurality of setpoint commands corresponding to one of a plurality of valves, and sends each of the plurality of initial setpoint commands to a corresponding one of the plurality of valves. The processing device monitors the plurality of valves for a flow condition requiring and adjustment. Upon detecting the flow condition, the processing device predicts the adjustment based on previous setpoints, and determines a plurality of updated flow setpoint commands, each of which corresponds to one of the plurality of valves based on the the predicted adjustment. The processing device then sends each of the plurality of updated setpoint commands to the corresponding one of the plurality of valves.

Method and system for controlling a flow ratio controller using feed-forward adjustment

Methods for in-situ calibration of a flow controller

Apparatus and system for mixing gas comprising a first valve coupled to a first conduit controlling flow of a first gas, a second valve coupled to a second conduit controlling flow of a second gas, a controller controlling the valves, a base block with a first gas input coupled to the first conduit, a second gas input coupled to the second conduit and an output opening, a mixing chamber formed within the base block, wherein the mixing chamber is coupled to the first gas input and the second gas input to receive input gases, an inner block disposed within the mixing chamber, the inner block including a body with an inner volume and one or more perimeter holes formed through the body coupling the mixing chamber to the inner volume of the inner block; and a gas outlet configured to flow gas through the output opening of the base block.

Growing community of inventors

Gilroy, CA, United States of America

Mariusch Gregor