Applied Materials, Inc.

International Business Machines Corporation

Michael Rosenstein

John C Forster

Praburam Gopalraja

Marc O Schweitzer

Ilya Lavitsky

Michael Feltsman

Zheng Xu

Allen K Lau

Alan Liu

Jianming Fu

Peijun Ding

Alex Shenderovich

Alvin Lau

Robert B Lowrance

Anantha K Subramani

Dan A Marohl

Bradley Owen Stimson

Michael A Miller

Howard E Grunes

Goichi Yoshidome

Donny Young

James S Van Gogh

Stephen Bruce Brodsky

Daniel Clarence Lubben

Ilyoung R Hong

Yoichiro Tanaka

James Van Gogh

Jennifer L Watia

Carl R Johnson

Ashok K Das

Ayad A Al-Shaikh

Sreekrishnan Sankaranarayan

Sharon Niehoff

Xinyu Zhang

Anthony Chen

Leif E DeLaurentis

Leif Eric Delaurentis

A lift mechanism for and a corresponding use of a magnetron in a plasma sputter reactor. A magnetron rotating about the target axis is controllably lifted away from the back of the target to compensate for sputter erosion, thereby maintaining a constant magnetic field and resultant plasma density at the sputtered surface, which is particularly important for stable operation with a small magnetron, for example, one executing circular or planetary motion about the target axis. The lift mechanism can include a lead screw axially fixed to the magnetron support shaft and a lead nut engaged therewith to raise the magnetron as the lead nut is turned. Alternatively, the support shaft is axially fixed to a vertically moving slider. The amount of lift may be controlled according a recipe based on accumulated power applied to the target or by monitoring electrical characteristics of the target.

Mechanism for varying the spacing between sputter magnetron and target

A semiconductor processing chamber having a motorized lid is provided. In one embodiment, the semiconductor processing chamber generally includes a chamber body having sidewalls and a bottom defining an interior volume. A lid assembly is coupled to the chamber body and is movable between a first position that encloses the interior volume and a second position. A hinge assembly thereto is coupled between the lid assembly and the chamber body. A motor is coupled to the hinge assembly to facilitate moving the lid assembly between the first position and the second position.

Motorized chamber lid

An apparatus for a lock out/tag out device that is a permanent attachment to a standard breaker box is disclosed. The device is designed to prevent movement of an electrical breaker handle to a closed position when the device is in use. The device also prevents locking a breaker in an on position, thereby lowering safety concerns. When the device is not in use, the device will not interfere with the operation of the breakers and stays conveniently attached to the breaker box. The device also allows storage of locking devices when not in use, thereby enabling personnel to perform a service procedure more efficiently.

Build-in LOTO device on equipment breaker panel

In one embodiment, a target alignment surface disposed on a target support mechanically engages a darkspace shield alignment surface disposed on a darkspace shield as the target is lodged into a chamber body. The respective alignment surfaces are shaped and positioned so that the darkspace shield is physically moved to a desired aligned position as the alignment surfaces engage each other. In this manner a darkspace shield may be directly aligned to a target within a semiconductor fabrication chamber to provide a suitable darkspace gap between the target and the darkspace shield.

Method and apparatus for controlling darkspace gap in a chamber

The present invention generally provides a physical vapor deposition chamber and a method for detecting a position of a shutter disk within a physical vapor deposition chamber. In one embodiment, a physical vapor deposition chamber includes a chamber body having a shutter disk mechanism disposed therein. A housing is sealingly coupled to a sidewall of the chamber body and communicates therewith through a slot formed through the sidewall. At least a first sensor is disposed adjacent to the housing and orientated to detect the presence of a shutter disk mechanism within the housing. In one embodiment, a method for detecting the position of a shutter disk within a physical vapor deposition chamber having a substrate support generally includes moving the shutter disk away from a substrate support, and changing a state of a first sensor in response to a position of an edge the shutter disk.

Method for detecting the position of a shutter disk in a physical vapor deposition chamber

An apparatus for replacing consumables of a vacuum chamber. A unitary removable shield assembly is provided to quickly replace consumables such as a shield. The shield assembly can include an upper adapter assembly, at least one shield member, a cover ring and an insulator member. The shield assembly is designed so that the consumables can be replaced in one step and allows the chamber to continue with its maintenance cycle.

Unitary removable shield assembly

A cleanroom lift for maneuvering large objects such as turbomolecular pumps utilized in semiconductor processing applications is provided. In one embodiment, the lift includes a vertically movable carriage coupled to a linkage assembly. The linkage assembly has a first link and a second link. Each link has one piece construction to minimize deflection under load. The first link is coupled to the carriage by a carriage shaft assembly and to the second link by a linkage shaft assembly. The second link is coupled to the linkage shaft assembly and a gripper assembly. Optionally, a third link and second shaft assembly may be disposed between the gripper assembly and the second link to minimize the weight of the links to facilitate assembly in cleanroom environments.

Cleanroom lift having an articulated arm

Shutter disk and blade alignment sensor

A coil for inductively coupling RF energy to a plasma in a substrate processing chamber has adjacent spaced and circumferentially overlapping RF feedthroughs adjacent to overlapping ends to improve uniformity of processing of the substrate.

Feedthrough overlap coil

An aluminum deposition shield substantially improves transfer of radiated heat from within the vacuum chamber, in comparison to a stainless steel deposition shield. The aluminum deposition shield remains cooler during wafer processing and assists in cooling the chamber components.

Aluminum deposition shield

Sputtering chamber coil

Rounded overlap coil

Squared overlap coil

A magnetron for use in a DC magnetron sputtering reactor that can rotate at a smaller diameter during a deposition phase and at a larger diameter during a cleaning phase, whereby sputter material redeposited outside of the deposition sputtering track is removed during the cleaning phase. An embodiment for a two-diameter magnetron includes a swing arm fixed on one end to the magnetron rotation motor shaft and on the other end to a pivot shaft, pivotably coupled to the magnetron. When the magnetron is rotated in different directions, hydrodynamic forces between the magnetron and the chilling water bath cause magnetron to pivot about the pivot shaft. Two mechanical detents fix the limits of the pivoting and hence establish the two diameters of rotation.

Sputter magnetron having two rotation diameters

Growing community of inventors

Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Michael Rosenstein