Lam Research Corporation

Matthew Mudrow

James Forest Lee

Adriana Vintila

Fayaz A Shaikh

Nick Ray Linebarger, Jr

Brian Joseph Williams

Mitchell Lamar

Keith Fox

Curtis Warren Bailey

Damodar Rajaram Shanbhag

Stephen Lau

Kevin Gerber

Jonathan Church

Xiaolan Chen

Xin Yin

Mathew Joseph Weissinger

In an example embodiment, a bidirectional indexing apparatus includes a plurality of bidirectional indexing heads that can operate independently of each other or in concert to adjust a gap between a substrate and a pedestal in a substrate processing chamber. In some embodiments, a bidirectional indexing head comprises a base; a rotatable plate rotatable relative to the base, the rotatable plate including a plurality of profiled pockets each defining a camming surface therein; and a plurality of camming pins, each disposed to act on the camming surface of a respective profiled pocket to move the rotatable plate in a first or second rotatable direction when actuated.

Bidirectional indexing apparatus

A plasma processing chamber for depositing a film on an underside surface of a wafer, includes a showerhead pedestal. The showerhead pedestal includes a first zone and a second zone. The first zone is configured for depositing a first film to the underside surface of the wafer and the second zone is configured for depositing a second film to the underside surface of the wafer.

Spatially tunable deposition to compensate within wafer differential bow

A valve including a valve body. An actuation housing of the valve body surrounds an actuation cavity. The actuation housing includes a first port configured for entry of actuating air and a second port configured for exhausting the actuating air. A poppet is configured for movement within the valve body and includes a barrier located within the actuation cavity. The poppet being actuated to an open position using the actuating air entering in the first port. When the poppet is in the open position, the actuating air flowing between the first port and the second port cools the stem.

Cooling of air actuated valve using actuating air

A plasma processing chamber for depositing a film on an underside surface of a wafer, includes showerhead pedestal. The showerhead pedestal includes a first zone and a second zone. An upper separator fin is disposed over a top surface of the showerhead pedestal and a lower separator fin is disposed under the top surface of the showerhead pedestal and aligned with the upper separator fin. The first zone is configured for depositing a first film to the underside surface of the wafer and the second zone is configured for depositing a second film to the underside surface of the wafer. In another embodiment, a top surface of the showerhead pedestal may be configured to receive a masking plate instead of the upper separator fin. The masking plate is configured with a first area that has openings and a second area that is masked. The first areas is used to provide the process gas to a portion of the underside surface of the wafer for depositing a film.

An envelope of an ultraviolet (UV) bulb comprises a tube of UV transmissive material configured to contain a UV emissive material and a plasma resistant coating on an inner surface of the tube wherein the coating has been deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) and is the only material attached to the inner surface of the tube. The tube can be an endless tube having a circular shape and the coating can be an ALD aluminum oxide coating. The UV transmissive material can comprise quartz or fused silica and the tube can have a wall thickness of about 1 to about 2 mm. The coating can have a thickness of no greater than about 200 nm such as about 120 nm to 160 nm. The circular tube can be formed into a torus shape which can have an outer diameter of about 200 mm and the tube itself can have an outer diameter of about 30 mm. The ALD aluminum oxide coating can be a pinhole free conformal coating. A UV bulb comprising the envelope can contain mercury and inert gas such as argon with pressure inside the UV bulb below 100 Torr. A method of curing a film on a semiconductor substrate, comprises supporting a semiconductor substrate in a curing chamber and exposing a layer on the semiconductor substrate to UV radiation produced by the UV bulb. Other uses include semiconductor substrate surface cleaning or sterilization of fluids and objects.

High power low pressure UV bulb with plasma resistant coating

A method for cleaning a processing chamber of a substrate processing system includes supplying nitrogen trifluoride (NF) gas to a remote plasma source (RPS); generating RPS plasma using the RPS; supplying the RPS plasma to the processing chamber; supplying NFgas as bypass gas to the processing chamber; striking in-situ plasma in the processing chamber while the RPS plasma is supplied; and cleaning the processing chamber during a cleaning period using both the RPS plasma and the in-situ plasma.

Rapid chamber clean using concurrent in-situ and remote plasma sources

A vaporizer useful for depositing material on a semiconductor substrate in a chamber of a chemical vapor deposition apparatus includes a first inlet configured to receive an atomized precursor, a second inlet configured to receive carrier gas, a flow path in fluid communication with the first and second inlets and configured to effect turbulent flow of an atomized precursor and carrier gas stream supplied to the first and second inlets. A plurality of heating elements includes a first heater element configured to heat a first zone of the flow path and a second heater element configured to heat a second zone of the flow path. An outlet in fluid communication with the flow path is configured to deliver vapor produced from the atomized precursor.

Growing community of inventors

Tigard, OR, United States of America

Matthew Mudrow