Applied Materials, Inc.

Intevac, Inc.

Patrick Leahey

John Patrick Holland

Kevin P Fairbairn

Terry Bluck

Samuel Dacke Harkness, Iv

Xue-Yu Qian

Jonathan David Mohn

Brian K Hatcher

Eric C Lawson

Robert E Ryan

Charles Liu

Zhi-wen Sun

Robert L Ruck

Michael S Barnes

Gerald Z Yin

Arthur H Sato

Simon Yavelberg

Valentin N Todorov

Rolf A Guenther

Steve S Y Mak

Xueyu Qian

Arthur Y Chen

Timothy D Driscoll

Maocheng Li

Richard E Remington

Jerry C Chen

Waiching Chow

Disclosed is a substrate processing system which enables combined static and pass-by processing. Also, a system architecture is provided, which reduces footprint size. The system is constructed such that the substrates are processed therein vertically, and each chamber has a processing source attached to one sidewall thereof, wherein the other sidewall backs to a complementary processing chamber. The chamber system can be milled from a single block of metal, e.g., aluminum, wherein the block is milled from both sides, such that a wall remains and separates each two complementary processing chambers.

System architecture for combined static and pass-by processing

A method and apparatus for use in conjunction with a plasma reaction chamber provide both throttling functionality and independent vacuum isolation for a turbomolecular pump. A throttle valve provides for precise reaction chamber pressure regulation, and a gate valve prevents extended exposure of the turbomolecular pump to atmospheric conditions during cleaning or other maintenance operations. The throttle valve and the gate valve may be actuated independently.

Compact independent pressure control and vacuum isolation for a turbomolecular pumped plasma reaction chamber

The invention provides a system and a method for dynamic RF inductive and capacitive coupling control to improve plasma substrate processing, as well as for achieving contamination and defect reduction. A plasma reactor includes a substrate support disposed in a chamber. An RF coil is disposed adjacent the chamber for inductively coupling RF energy into the chamber. An electrode is disposed adjacent the chamber and has a voltage for capacitively coupling energy into the chamber. The electrode is spaced from the substrate support and the RF coil. An electrode adjusting member is coupled with the electrode for dynamically adjusting the voltage in the electrode to vary the capacitive coupling for improved plasma ignition and plasma stability. A Faraday shield may be placed between the RF coil and the plasma process region in the chamber to suppress capacitive coupling of the RF coil. Sensors may be provided to monitor the amounts of inductive coupling and capacitive coupling to provide feedback to a controller which is used to adjust the inductive coupling and capacitive coupling in real time to stabilize the plasma and achieve improved processing.

Plasma reactor with dynamic RF inductive and capacitive coupling control

An apparatus and process for treating and conditioning an etching chamber , and cleaning a thin, non-homogeneous, etch residue on the walls and components of the etching chamber . In the etching step, a substrate is etched in the etching chamber to deposit a thin etch residue layer on the surfaces of the walls and components in the chamber. In the cleaning step, cleaning gas is introduced into a remote chamber adjacent to the etching chamber , and microwave or RF energy is applied inside the remote chamber to form an activated cleaning gas. A short burst of activated cleaning gas at a high flow rate is introduced into the etching chamber to clean the etch residue on the walls and components of the etching chamber. The method is particularly useful for cleaning etch residue that is chemically adhered to ceramic surfaces in the chamber, for example surfaces comprising aluminum nitride, boron carbide, boron nitride, diamond, silicon oxide, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, titanium oxide, titanium carbide, yttrium oxide, zirconium oxide, or mixtures thereof.

Treatment of etching chambers using activated cleaning gas

A closed-loop, dome thermal control apparatus containing a high-volume fan, a heat exchange chamber, and an enclosure that encloses the fan and the heat exchange chamber. The fan blows air over a dome of a semiconductor wafer processing system and through the heat exchange chamber to uniformly control the temperature of a dome of a plasma chamber to prevent particle contamination of the wafer. The enclosure recirculates the temperature controlled air to the fan to form a closed-loop apparatus.

Closed-loop dome thermal control apparatus for a semiconductor wafer processing system

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Patrick Leahey