Applied Materials, Inc.

Lam Research Corporation

Ramesh Gopalan

Simon Yavelberg

Zubin Huang

Sridharan Srivatsan

Siamak Salimian

Conan Chiang

Tom Ni

Katgenhalli Y Ramanujam

Tom K Cho

Wendell Glenn Boyd, Jr

Govinda Raj

Rongping Wang

Hemant P Mungekar

Guomin Mao

Yixing Lin

Yikai Chen

Robert Hirahara

Kevin A Papke

Gangadhar Sheelavant

Jim Zhongyi He

Teryl Pratt

Michael J Mark

Stephen A Wells

K Y Ramanujam

Tasnuva Tabassum

George Alajajian

Embodiments disclosed herein include an apparatus for measuring chucking force and methods of using such apparatuses. In an embodiment, the apparatus for measuring a chucking force comprises a substrate having a chucking surface, where the chucking surface is the surface that is supported by a chuck. In an embodiment, the apparatus further comprises a plurality of sensors over the chucking surface, where the plurality of sensors are thin film sensors with a thickness that is less than a thickness of the substrate. In an embodiment, the apparatus further comprises a wireless communication module electrically coupled to each of the plurality of sensors.

Wireless in-situ real-time measurement of electrostatic chucking force in semiconductor wafer processing

Embodiments of the present invention provide apparatus, systems and methods for measuring dissociation of a process gas generated by a RPS. In one embodiment, a method of measuring dissociation of a process gas includes receiving a process gas from a RPS, the process gas including a polyatomic molecule that dissociates into at least one free radical. The method further includes irradiating the process gas with IR radiation at one or more wavelengths, detecting the IR radiation that passes through the process gas, and determining a degree of dissociation of the polyatomic molecule in the process gas based, at least in part, on the detected IR radiation. In one embodiment, the method further comprises modifying one or more settings of the RPS, based, at least in part, on the determined degree of dissociation.

Inline measurement of process gas dissociation using infrared absorption

Methods and apparatus for plasma processing are provided herein. For example, apparatus can include a system for plasma processing including a remote plasma source including a supply terminal configured to connect to a power source and an output configured to deliver RF power to a plasma block of the remote plasma source for creating a plasma and a controller configured to control operation of the remote plasma source based on a measured input power at the supply terminal.

Methods and systems for monitoring input power for process control in semiconductor process systems

Methods for chucking and de-chucking a substrate from an electrostatic chucking (ESC) substrate support to reduce scratches of the non-active surface of a substrate include simultaneously increasing a voltage applied to a chucking electrode embedded in the ESC substrate support and a backside gas pressure in a backside volume disposed between the substrate and the substrate support to chuck the substrate and reversing the process to de-chuck the substrate.

Substrate chucking and dechucking methods

Disclosed herein is a poly-crystalline protective coating on a surface of a chamber component. The poly-crystalline protective coating may be deposited by thermal spraying and may comprise cubic yttria and monoclinic yttria. At least one of: (1) the ratio of the cubic yttria to monoclinic yttria, (2) the crystallite size of at least one of the cubic yttria or the monoclinic yttria, (3) the atomic ratio of oxygen (O) to yttria (Y), and/or (4) the dielectric properties of the poly-crystalline protective coating may be controlled to obtain consistent chamber performance when switching coated chamber components within a chamber of interest.

Protective yttria coating for semiconductor equipment parts

An apparatus includes a reactive species source, a spectral measurement volume, a light source to emit a light beam into the spectral measurement volume, a spectrometer to receive the light beam from the spectral measurement volume. The apparatus includes an a controller configured to, when a reactive species is present in the spectral measurement volume, control the light source to emit the light beam into the spectral measurement volume and the spectrometer to determine an environment spectrum using the light beam, and when the reactive species is not present in the spectral measurement volume, control the light source to emit the light beam into the spectral measurement volume and the spectrometer to determine a baseline spectrum using the light beam, calculate a net spectrum based on a difference between the environment spectrum and the baseline spectrum, and estimate a concentration of the reactive species based on the net spectrum.

Measuring concentrations of radicals in semiconductor processing

The implementations described herein generally relate to a sensing device for use in the semiconducting industry, which sense process parameters to control semiconductor processes. More specifically, the implementations relate to packaging for a surface acoustic wave (SAW) based devices or wireless or RF-responsive sensors for use in the harsh processing environments of a semiconductor processing chamber such that the neither the sensor and its components nor the chamber components interfere with or contaminate one another. The sensor packaging may include various packaging layers with or without protective coatings and a waveguide. The packaging may have a thickness chosen such that the thickness is less than the electromagnetic wavelength of a SAW sensor radio wave. The sensing devices may be disposed in cavities of the chamber, the processing volume, on chamber components, and/or on the substrate.

Surface acoustic wave sensors in semiconductor processing equipment

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of substrates. In one embodiment, a carrier head for a CMP apparatus is disclosed herein. The carrier head includes a body, a retaining ring, and a sensor assembly. The retaining ring is coupled to the body. The sensor assembly is positioned at least partially in the body. The sensor assembly includes a transmitter, an antenna, and a vibrational sensor. The transmitter has a first end and a second end. The antenna is coupled to the first end of the transmitter. The vibrational sensor is coupled to the second end. The vibrational sensor is configured to detect vibration during chemical mechanical processes with respect to radial, azimuthal, and angular axes of the carrier head.

Chemical mechanical polishing smart ring

A skylight to provide daylighting is described that includes a plurality of compound parabolic diffusers into one or more layers that may be dome or pyramid-shaped to enable more efficient collection of sunlight and its distribution through wider angles resulting in more comfortable illumination with less glare and heat gain&#x2014;more light less heat&#x2014;over wider areas of building interiors.

Skylight with compound parabolic diffusers

The implementations described herein generally relate to a sensing device for use in the semiconducting industry which sense process parameters to control semiconductor processes. More specifically, the implementations relate to packaging for a surface acoustic wave (SAW) based devices or wireless or RF-responsive sensors for use in the harsh processing environments of a semiconductor processing chamber such that the neither the sensor and its components nor the chamber components interfere with or contaminate one another. The sensor packaging may include various packaging layers with or without protective coatings and a waveguide. The packaging may have a thickness chosen such that the thickness is less than the electromagnetic wavelength of a SAW sensor radio wave. The sensing devices may be disposed in cavities of the chamber, the processing volume, on chamber components, and/or on the substrate.

A method for planarizing a semiconductor substrate is provided. The method initiates with tracking a signal corresponding to a thickness of a conductive film disposed on the semiconductor substrate. Then, a second derivative is calculated from data representing the tracked signal. Next, the onset of planarization is identified based upon a change in the second derivative. A CMP system configured to identify a transition between stages of the CMP operation is also provided.

Method and apparatus for detecting planarization of metal films prior to clearing

A method for preventing de-lamination of semiconductor wafer film stacks during a linear belt-type chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) process is provided. The method implements a pulsed polishing head rotation during a CMP process to maintain a slurry distribution across the width of a belt pad. The slurry distribution is maintained in a manner that prevents de-lamination of a wafer film having weak adhesion characteristics. Thus, the pulsed polishing head rotation implemented by the method reduces de-lamination of low-K material film layers during the CMP process.

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Fremont, CA, United States of America

Ramesh Gopalan