Applied Materials, Inc.

Lam Research Corporation

Padma Gopalakrishnan

Ashish Bhatnagar

Laxman Murugesh

Young Jeen Paik

Stacy Meyer

Prashanth Kodigepalli

Christopher Heath John Hossack

Bopanna Ichettira Vansantha

Daniel Martin

Monika Agarwal

Aswathnarayanaiah Ravi

Sandhya Arun

Dan Martin

Irfanulla Khuddus Rahmathullah

Abraham Palaty

Chin-Yi Liu

James Klingler

Daniel Lai

Rajitha Vemuri

An insulator-type substrate is positioned on a support surface of a substrate support structure in exposure to a plasma. An initial clamping voltage is applied to an electrode within the substrate support structure to rapidly accumulate electrical charge on the support surface to hold the substrate. A backside cooling gas is flowed to a region between the substrate and the support surface, and a leak rate of the backside cooling gas is monitored. A steady clamping voltage is applied to the electrode, and the steady clamping voltage is adjusted in a step-wise manner to maintain the monitored leak rate of the backside cooling gas at just less than a maximum allowable leak rate. Or, a pulsed clamping voltage is applied to the electrode, and the pulsed clamping voltage is adjusted to maintain the monitored leak rate of the backside cooling gas at just less than the maximum allowable leak rate.

Methods for controlling clamping of insulator-type substrate on electrostatic-type substrate support structure

The present invention generally relates to a ring assembly that may be used in an etching or other plasma processing chamber. The ring assembly generally includes an inner ring body having a top planar surface and a bottom planar surface, and an outer ring body having a top surface, a bottom surface substantially parallel to the top surface, and an inside surface that extends between the top surface and the bottom surface, the inside surface having a roof covering a portion of the inner ring body when the inner ring body is disposed adjacent the roof, wherein the inner ring body can be flipped into a different position so that a portion of the inner ring body that is not covered by the roof provides a substantially planar surface.

Life enhancement of ring assembly in semiconductor manufacturing chambers

A method of fabricating a processing chamber component comprises forming a processing chamber component having a structural body with surface regions having microcracks, and directing a laser beam onto the microcracks of the surface regions of the structural body for a sufficient time to heal and close off the microcracks by themselves.

Surface annealing of components for substrate processing chambers

A retaining ring includes a generally annular upper portion having a top surface configured to be connected to a base of a carrier head and a lower surface, and a plurality of substantially identical arcuate segments detachably secured to the upper portion to form an annular lower portion. Each of the arcuate segments has an upper surface that abuts the lower surface of the upper portion and a bottom surface for contacting a polishing pad during polishing.

Retaining ring with attachable segments

A retaining ring includes an annular lower portion and an annular upper portion. The annular lower portion has a main body with a bottom surface for contacting a polishing pad during polishing, an inner rim projecting upward from the main body, an outer rim projecting upward from the main body and separated from the inner rim by a gap, and a plurality of azimuthally separated interlock features positioned between the inner rim and the outer rim, each interlock feature projecting upwardly from the main body. The annular upper portion has a top surface and a bottom surface and a plurality of azimuthally separated recesses in the bottom surface, the recesses defining thin portions of the upper portion, the plurality of interlock features fitting into the plurality of recesses. The lower portion is a plastic and the upper portion is a material that is more rigid than the plastic.

Two-part retaining ring with interlock features

The present invention generally relates to a ring assembly that may be used in an etching or other plasma processing chamber. The ring assembly generally includes an inner ring and an outer ring disposed radially outward of the inner ring. The inner ring will correspond to the location where the majority of erosion occurs during use. This inner ring can be flipped and reused until both sides have eroded beyond their service life. Collectively, the two rings generally have the shape of a single piece ring, but the service life of the ring assembly is longer than a conventional single piece ring.

A substrate processing chamber component has a structural body with localized surface regions having annealed microcracks. The annealed microcracks reduce crack propagation and increase fracture resistance. In one method of manufacture, the structural body of the component is formed, and a laser beam is directed onto localized surface regions of the body for a sufficient time to anneal the surface microcracks.

Growing community of inventors

Fremont, CA, United States of America

Padma Gopalakrishnan