Applied Materials, Inc.

Paul L Deaton

Timothy Weidman

Timothy B Michaelson

Meredith J Williams

James V Tietz

David S Ballance

Benjamin B Bierman

Brian L Haas

Majeed Foad

Barry Lee Chin

Pravin K Narwankar

Son Truong Nguyen

Kenric T Choi

Shreyas Kher

Nitin K Ingle

Abhijit Basu Mallick

Paul F Ma

Sanjay Krupakar Bhat

Alan Hiroshi Ouye

Norma B Riley

Kedarnath Sangam

Amit Chatterjee

Miriam Schwartz

Shankar Muthukrishnan

Khai Ngo

Joseph C Moore

James V Rinnovatore

Rahul Sharangapani

Paul Chhabra

Dien-Yeh (Daniel) Wu

Nobuyuki Takahashi

A photoresist vapor deposition system includes: a vacuum chamber having a heating element and cooled chuck for holding a substrate, the vacuum chamber having a heated inlet; and a vapor deposition system connected to the heated inlet for volatilizing a precursor into the vacuum chamber for condensing a photoresist over the substrate cooled by the cooled chuck. The deposition system creates a semiconductor wafer system that includes: a semiconductor wafer; and a vapor deposited photoresist over the semiconductor wafer. An extreme ultraviolet lithography system requiring the semiconductor wafer system includes: an extreme ultraviolet light source; a mirror for directing light from the extreme ultraviolet light source; a reticle stage for imaging the light from the extreme ultraviolet light source; and a wafer stage for placing a semiconductor wafer with a vapor deposited photoresist.

Vapor deposition deposited photoresist, and manufacturing and lithography systems therefor

Provided are methods of depositing hafnium or zirconium containing metal alloy films. Certain methods comprise sequentially exposing a substrate surface to alternating flows of an organometallic precursor and a reductant comprising M(BH)to produce a metal alloy film on the substrate surface, wherein M is selected from hafnium and zirconium, and the organometallic precursor contains a metal N. Gate stacks are described comprising a copper barrier layer comprising boron, a first metal M selected from Hf and Zr, and a second metal N selected from tantalum, tungsten, copper, ruthenium, rhodium, cobalt and nickel; and a copper layer overlying the copper barrier seed layer.

Atomic layer deposition of hafnium or zirconium alloy films

Methods for forming photoresists sensitive to radiation on substrate are provided. Atomic layer deposition methods of forming films (e.g., silicon-containing films) photoresists are described. The process can be repeated multiple times to deposit a plurality of silicon photoresist layers. Process of depositing photoresist and forming patterns in photoresist are also disclosed which utilize carbon containing underlayers such as amorphous carbon layers.

Atomic layer deposition of photoresist materials and hard mask precursors

Methods for forming photoresists sensitive to radiation on a substrate are provided. Described are chemical vapor deposition methods of forming films (e.g., silicon-containing films) as photoresists using a plasma which may be exposed to radiation to form a pattern. The deposition methods utilize precursors with cross-linkable moieties that will cross-link upon exposure to radiation. Radiation may be carried out in the with or without the presence of oxygen. Exposed or unexposed areas may then be developed in an aqueous base developer.

Radiation patternable CVD film

The embodiments of the invention describe a process chamber, such as an ALD chamber, that has gas delivery conduits with gradually increasing diameters to reduce Joule-Thompson effect during gas delivery, a ring-shaped gas liner leveled with the substrate support to sustain gas temperature and to reduce gas flow to the substrate support backside, and a gas reservoir to allow controlled delivery of process gas. The gas conduits with gradually increasing diameters, the ring-shaped gas liner, and the gas reservoir help keep the gas temperature stable and reduce the creation of particles.

Control of gas flow and delivery to suppress the formation of particles in an MOCVD/ALD system

A method and apparatus for providing a precursor to a process chamber is described. The apparatus comprises an ampoule capable of receiving either a liquid precursor source material or a solid precursor source material. The ampoule is capable of delivering either a liquid precursor material to a vaporizer coupled to the process chamber, or a vaporized or gaseous precursor material to the process chamber. The ampoule also includes a continuous level sensor to accurately monitor the level of precursor source material within the ampoule.

Ampoule for liquid draw and vapor draw with a continuous level sensor

An apparatus to isolate a rotating frame in a processing chamber, comprising: a support cylinder rotatably extending from the rotating frame; and a co-rotating edge ring extension extending from the support cylinder to at least one of substantially thermally, optically and mechanically isolate the region above the co-rotating edge ring extension from the region below the co-rotating edge ring extension.

Co-rotating edge ring extension for use in a semiconductor processing

A method for controlling the temperature of a substrate in a processing chamber. The processing chamber employs a heating control over at least two heating zones. Each heating zone is independently controllable according to a measured signal corresponding to the substrate temperature and a user-definable offset.

Method and apparatus for achieving temperature uniformity of a substrate

A substrate support, for example an edge ring, includes an upper ledge for supporting a first substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer, during a first process, and a lower ledge contiguous with the upper ledge for supporting a second substrate during a second process for cleaning the substrate support. A method of processing substrates supported by the edge ring in a thermal process chamber is also disclosed.

Multi-ledge substrate support for a thermal processing chamber

In one embodiment, the invention is directed to an apparatus for preventing depositions from occurring on a reflector in a processing chamber, comprising: a cover disposed adjacent to the reflector, the cover optically transparent over a range of wavelengths in which the reflector is reflective; and at least one cover support for maintaining the position of the cover relative to the reflector.

Reflector cover for a semiconductor processing chamber

An apparatus for purging the backside of a substrate in a process chamber includes a purge gas injector. The injector includes a substantially annular-shaped opening providing a slit that is structured and arranged to direct a flow of purge gas about radially outward therefrom in a direction approximately parallel to a plane defined by the substrate, wherein the substrate is supported in the process chamber above the purge gas injector. When the substrate is rotated at a sufficient speed, the purge gas flowing from the injector is impelled to flow spirally outward along the backside of the substrate.

Method and apparatus for purging the back side of a substrate during

In an epitaxial reactor system using a vacuum pump which is connected to the reaction chamber by an exhaust line, particulate contaminants normally deposit in the exhaust line near its juncture with the reaction chamber. When the vacuum pump is isolated from the reaction chamber during a back-filling operation, these contaminants can be entrained in the currents of gas normally produced in the back-filling operation. A removable baffle device having the shape of a truncated cone and including a wafer catching device that holds a disk shaped particulate baffle member is placed in the exhaust line at its juncture with the reaction chamber to prevent these particles from re-entering the reaction chamber.

Particulate reduction baffle with wafer catcher for

A suspension system for hanging a susceptor inside a reactor for processing semiconductor wafers. A hanger is provided with a flange at its lower end for supporting the susceptor. A collar has an internal flange which engages with another flange at the upper end of the hanger. The collar flange and the hanger flange each have a trucated, conical contact surface which are in substanitally continuous contact with each other. The mating flanges permit the susceptor to self-center and provide for different rates of thermal expansion of the collar and hanger.

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Milpitas, CA, United States of America

Paul L Deaton