Applied Materials, Inc.

Philip M Salzman

Peter K Loewenhardt

Gerald Zheyao Yin

Hiroji Hanawa

Allen Richard Zhao

Gerald Z Yin

Diana Xiabing Ma

Oskar U Vierny

Kartik Ramaswamy

Sasson Roger Somekh

Diana Xiaobing Ma

Dennis Stanley Grimard

Kwok Manus Wong

Liang-Guo Wang

Shannon J Kelsey

A conduit has a heating system disposed therein. The heating system generates heat in response to magnetic flux generated by an inductive coil. The heating system has a heat transfer element and a plurality of ferromagnetic elements. The heat transfer element may be displaced within the conduit to control the amount of heat generated.

Method and apparatus for improving exhaust gas consumption in an exhaust conduit

The invention is embodied in an RF plasma reactor for processing a semiconductor wafer, including as reactor chamber bounded by a chamber wall defining an interior region of the chamber, a gas inlet, an RF power source and an RF power applicator proximal the chamber and connected to the RF power source, and an opening in this chamber communicating with the interior region of the chamber. The invention further includes a magnet apparatus disposed adjacent said opening to resist flow of plasma ions through the opening, and the magnet apparatus comprising a first pair of magnetic poles and a second pair of magnetic poles, the first pair of magnetic poles facing the second pair of magnetic poles across the opening.

Magnetically enhanced inductively coupled plasma reactor with magnetically confined plasma

An RF plasma reactor for processing a semiconductor wafer in a reactor chamber with a multi-radius dome-shaped ceiling and a gas inlet for supplying a process gas into the chamber includes an overhead RF signal applicator near the ceiling for applying an RF signal into the chamber through the ceiling to maintain a plasma of the process gas in the chamber, the plasma having a radial ion density distribution near the plane of the pedestal which is center-high for a greater height of the ceiling above the pedestal and is center-low for a lesser height, the height of the ceiling being intermediate the greater and lesser heights such that the radial ion density distribution is neither center-high nor center-low. In another aspect of the invention, the RF signal applicator has an annular distribution characterized by an effective mean radius, the plasma having a radial ion density distribution with respect to an axis of symmetry of the ceiling which is center-high for a lesser mean radius of the signal applicator and center-low for a greater mean radius of the signal applicator, the mean radius of the signal applicator being intermediate the greater and lesser mean radii such that the radial ion density distribution is neither center-high nor center-low.

RF plasma reactor with hybrid conductor and multi-radius dome ceiling

The invention is embodied in a plasma reactor including a chamber enclosure having a process gas inlet and including a ceiling, a sidewall and a workpiece support pedestal capable of supporting a workpiece at a plasma processing location facing the ceiling, the workpiece processing location and ceiling defining a process region therebetween, the pedestal being spaced from said sidewall to define a pumping annulus therebetween having inner and outer walls, to permit process gas to be evacuated therethrough from the process region. The invention further includes a pair of opposing plasma confinement magnetic poles arranged adjacent the annulus within one of the inner and outer walls of the annulus, the opposing magnetic poles being axially displaced from one another the opposite poles being oriented to provide maximum magnetic flux in a direction across the annulus and a magnetic flux at the processing location less than the magnetic flux across the annulus.

The invention confines the plasma within the chamber without relying entirely on the chamber walls by introducing a magnetic field across an area or plane through which plasma flow is to be stopped. For example, in order to prevent plasma from leaking or flowing through openings necessarily provided the chamber walls, a magnetic field is established at the entrance of the reactor chamber to such an opening, by placing a pair of opposing magnetic poles across the opening, for example. The magnetic field is sufficiently strong to prevent plasma leaking through the opening.

Magnetically confined plasma reactor for processing a semiconductor wafer

This invention relates to a structure and method for using heat pipe technology in combination with a ceramic dome of a vacuum processing chamber to help maintain the uniformity of temperature in the dome and avoid differences in temperature in the dome which may cause deleterious flaking of process deposition, or allow elevated temperatures in the dome to cause premature wear of the material. A heat pipe can be in thermal contact with the dome (process chamber surface) or can actually be part of the heat pipe/dome structure.

Ceramic dome temperature control using heat pipe structure and method

An inductively coupled RF plasma reactor for processing semiconductor wafer includes a reactor chamber having a side wall and a ceiling, a wafer pedestal for supporting the wafer in the chamber, an RF power source, apparatus for introducing a processing gas into the reactor chamber, and a coil inductor adjacent the reactor chamber connected to the RF power source, the coil inductor including (a) a side section facing a portion of the side wall and including a bottom winding and a top winding, the top winding being at a height corresponding at least approximately to a top height of the ceiling, and (b) a top section extending radially inwardly from the top winding of the side section so as to overlie at least a substantial portion of the ceiling. The present invention adheres to an optimized coil-dome geometry including a particular dome apex height range relative to the dome base and a particular wafer position range relative to the dome apex.

A structure and method for handling and processing wafers in a face down configuration is disclosed. A robot insertion blade supports a wafer to be processed in a recess having conically sloping wafer holding surfaces which touch the wafer only at its outer periphery. Once positioned in the chamber, a set of three transfer finger with sloped contact surfaces supported from a 'C' shaped support assembly raise the wafer adjacent to a susceptor bottom surface. A recess in the face of the susceptor covering a large portion of the wafer is evacuated, compared to process chamber pressure, and when the differential pressure between the processing chamber and the evacuated recess behind the wafer can support the wafer, the transfer finger supports are lower and rotated out from under the wafer and susceptor assembly. The susceptor with the wafer attached by vacuum is then lowered to a processing location in contact with shadow rings supported by the 'C' shaped support assembly and opposite a gas distribution plate.

Wafer handling within a vacuum chamber using vacuum

A load lock interface for a semiconductor wafer process chamber includes a platform adapted to receive and engage with a carrier containing a cassette of semiconductor wafers; and a removable bell-shaped enclosure adapted to surround and seal said carrier from the ambient environment while the carrier is engaged with the load lock interface platform. Once engaged with the carrier, the platform is operable to withdraw the cassette of wafers from the carrier and position the cassette within a load lock. Thereafter, the cassette may be indexed and individual wafers may be removed from the cassette for processing within the process chamber.

Enclosure for load lock interface

An easy to modify, remove, clean, and replace gas distribution ring for a highly corrosive plasma etch substrate processing chamber is disclosed. Gas is provided to a gap between adjacent pieces in sealing a ceramic dome of the processing chamber to a lower wall section of processing chamber. The gap acts as a manifold type channel around the periphery of the processing chamber. The channel opening is obstructed by the gas distribution ring. The gas distribution ring includes a series of slots in its surface which control the gas flow pattern into the processing chamber. The gas flow pattern can be easily adjusted merely by changing one gas distribution ring to another gas distribution ring with the desired slot configuration. The gas flow passages can easily be cleaned by removing the process chamber dome which exposes the gas flow passages in the gas distribution ring.

Process gas inlet and distribution passages

Disclosed is a method for enabling the contents of a first chamber to be moved into a second chamber without exposing either chamber to elements making particulate-producing sliding contact. In one aspect of the invention, the method includes providing a carrier for a vertically spaced array of articles such as semiconductor wafers and having a clamping device for clampingly holding each of the articles; locating the carrier within the second chamber; opening the carrier by moving a first portion of the carrier upwardly from a second portion or,he carrier without producing sliding contact within the second chamber; and releasing the a clamping device without producing sliding contact within the second chamber, whereby the articles are accessible within the second chamber.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Philip M Salzman