Materials Research Corporation

Tokyo Electron Limited

Sony Corporation

Other

Robert F Foster

Joseph T Hillman

Rene E LeBlanc

Rikhit Arora

Michael S Ameen

Helen E Rebenne

Carl Louis White

Robert Clark Rowan, Jr

Gerrit J Leusink

Douglas A Webb

Stanislaw Kopacz

Chantal Arena

Tugrul Yasar

Frederick T Turner

Thomas J Licata

Glyn J Reynolds

Michael James Lombardi

Chantal J Arena-Foster

Damodaran Srinivas

Brian Shekerjian

Jacques Faguet

A grill having a bottom section and a middle section for expanding the diameter of the bottom section and at least one insert for separating the opening formed by the bottom section to allow smoking or an open fire. Different cooking surfaces are thereby a grill, a flat frying surface, an open area for receiving and holding a reservoir of water, such as a pot, and an open area for receiving a wok. There is also a hearth section for enclosing at least a portion of the exterior of the bottom section. It also envisions a smoker or ash guard expandable to fit either diameter to protect the cook and provide a surface for placing items attached to the stand apart from the heat source.

Convertible grill and smoker

One or more chambers of a multi-chamber vacuum processing apparatus are provided with a high gas flow conductance path to an exhaust volume of the apparatus that is maintained at high vacuum with a high vacuum pump. Separate pumps for the one or more chambers are made unnecessary by providing such chambers with a protective deposition shield or shield set that is configured to substantially protect walls of the chamber and the gas flow conductance path from deposition and to partially impede the gas flow from the chamber through the gas flow conductance path to the exhaust volume so that the chamber can be operated at a higher pressure than that of the exhaust volume and the chambers can be operated at different pressures and without cross-contamination. Preferably, a nested set of chamber shields is used. A controller is programmed to control the processing of wafers in the chambers by controlling the supply of process gas into the chambers.

Vacuum-processing chamber-shield and multi-chamber pumping method

The invention is a magnetized tool for holding or retrieving nails. This is shown as a hammer having a magnet which may be on a removable cover or an extendable arm, mounted within the shaft or adjacent to the shaft of a hammer on the removable cover. The magnet is removable from the shaft to temporarily magnetize the striking face of the hammer so that a nail mail be held on the striking face temporarily. The magnet may be removably held to the hammer with a magnetic metal, such as another magnet which may be similar in size and shape and may be glued in place on the hammer. In another embodiment, the tool is a paint shield which may have bens to fit under walls. The shield may also serve to hold paint absorbing sheets to prevent spills and to clean up spills. The sheets may define a curving lip which curves upward to catch paint spills.

Hammer

A commercial riding mower with a chassis built on a relatively rigid frame and having a number of operating systems such as the power plant, motive system, cutter drive system, and fuel storage and delivery system, each of which is accessible through a swing away panel, or hatch, for easy maintenance and repair without compromising safety of the operator or anyone in close proximity to the mower in operation, or impairing the structural integrity of the mower.

Commercial riding mower

A method to redistribute solid copper deposited by PVD on a wafer topography. The deposited copper is solubilized in a fluid for redistribution. The copper redistribution prevents inherent nonuniformity of the deposited copper film thickness by improving the uniformity of thickness of the copper film on the covered surfaces, such as vertical and bottom surfaces. The method provides the advantages of good adhesion and good grain growth and orientation that are achieved with copper deposited by PVD, and also provides the good step coverage as achieved with copper deposited by CVD.

Redistribution of copper deposited films

A tire clamp for immobilizing a vehicle including a fixed bar having a generally L-shaped configuration. The fixed bar is comprised of a horizontal segment and a vertical segment. The horizontal segment is comprised of an inner portion and an outer portion. The inner portion has a plurality of sharpened teeth extending downwardly therefrom. The vertical segment has an inwardly angled lower portion. The fixed bar is positionable with respect to a tire with the horizontal segment disposed above and extending across the tire with the plurality of teeth abutting the tire and pointed thereat. A movable bar has an inwardly angled lower portion and is coupled with the fixed bar and is slidably mounted thereon. The movable bar is positionable with respect to a tire with both inwardly angled lower portions positioned against an exterior of the rim the tire is mounted on while the sharpened teeth remain oriented toward and abutting the tire. A lock prevents removal of the movable bar and movement with respect to the fixed bar.

Tire clamp for immobilizing a vehicle

A method and apparatus for depositing a film by chemical vapor deposition comprises a showerhead for dispersing reactant gases into the processing space wherein the showerhead has a first space therein operable for receiving and dispersing the first reacting gas, and has a second space therein, generally isolated from the first space, and operable for receiving and dispersing the second reactant gas separate from the first gas dispersion for maintaining segregation of reactant gases and generally preventing premature mixture of the gases prior to their introduction into the processing space to prevent premature deposition in the system.

Apparatus and method for preventing the premature mixture of reactant gases in CVD and PECVD reactions

A method and apparatus for depositing a film on a substrate by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition at temperatures substantially lower than conventional thermal CVD temperatures comprises placing a substrate within a reaction chamber and exciting a first gas upstream of the substrate to generate activated radicals of the first gas. The substrate is rotated within the deposition chamber to create a pumping action which draws the gas mixture of first gas radicals to the substrate surface. A second gas is supplied proximate the substrate to mix with the activated radicals of the first gas and the mixture produces a surface reaction at the substrate to deposit a film. The pumping action draws the gas mixture down to the substrate surface in a laminar flow to reduce recirculation and radical recombination such that a sufficient amount of radicals are available at the substrate surface to take part in the surface reaction. Another method utilizes a gas-dispersing showerhead that is biased with RF energy to form an electrode which generates activated radicals and ions in a concentrated plasma close to the substrate surface. The activated plasma gas radicals and ions utilized in the invention contribute energy to the surface reaction such that the film may be deposited at a substantially lower deposition temperature that is necessary for traditional thermal CVD techniques. Furthermore, the activation of these species reduces the temperature needed to complete the surface reaction. The method is particularly useful in depositing titanium-containing films at low temperatures.

Apparatus for producing thin films by low temperature plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, various layers can be deposited on semiconductor substrates at low temperatures in the same reactor. When a titanium nitride film is required, a titanium film can be initially deposited using a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition wherein the plasma is created within 25 mm of the substrate surface, supplying a uniform plasma across the surface. The deposited film can be subjected to an ammonia anneal, again using a plasma of ammonia created within 25 mm of the substrate surface, followed by the plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition of titanium nitride by creating a plasma of titanium tetrachloride and ammonia within 25 mm of the substrate surface. This permits deposition film and annealing at relatively low temperatures&mdash;less than 800&deg; C. When titanium is so deposited over a silicon surface, titanium silicide will form at the juncture which then can be nitrided and coated with titanium or titanium nitride using the plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition of the present invention. Thus, the present method permits the formation of multiple layers of titanium, titanium nitride, titanium silicide over the surface of the substrate in the same reactor.

Low temperature plasma-enhanced formation of integrated circuits

Apparatus and method for preventing the premature mixture of reactant

Method and apparatus are disclosed for low temperature deposition of CVD and PECVD films utilizing a gas-dispersing showerhead position within one inch of a rotating substrate. The showerhead is positioned a suitable distance below a gas-dispensing apparatus such as a steady stay flow of gas develops between the ring and showerhead. A cylindrical structure extends between the gas-dispersing ring and a showerhead to contain the gas over the showerhead yielding a small boundary layer over the substrate to ensure efficient uniform deposition of a film on a substrate surface. In the one embodiment of the present invention the showerhead is bias with RF energy such that it acts as an electrode to incite a plasma proximate with the substrate for PECVD. The cylinder is isolated from the showerhead such as by a quartz insulator ring to prevent ignition of a plasma within the cylinder, or alternatively, the cylinder is fabricated of quartz material. The RF showerhead utilizes small gas-dispersing holes to further prevent ignition of a plasma within the cylinder. The very small showerhead-to-substrate spacing and the efficient delivery of the plasma and reacting gases produces low temperature CVD and PECVD of films on the substrate.

Method and apparatus for low temperature deposition of CVD and PECVD

A method of filling a via less than about 0.16 .mu.m in diameter in an oxide layer of a substrate with a TiN plug deposited by CVD and capping the plug with TiN only. In one embodiment, a first layer of TiN is deposited on a substrate by thermal CVD, and a second layer of TiN is deposited on the first layer by PECVD. Alternatively, a one-step process is used to deposit a TiN layer using either thermal CVD or PECVD. The method eliminates a tungsten layer, and thus eliminates a processing step.

Method of titanium nitride contact plug formation

Using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, various layers can be deposited on semiconductor substrates at low temperatures in the same reactor. When a titanium nitride film is required, a titanium film can be initially deposited using a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition wherein the plasma is created within 25 mm of the substrate surface, supplying a uniform plasma across the surface. The deposited film can be subjected to an ammonia anneal, again using a plasma of ammonia created within 25 mm of the substrate surface, followed by the plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition of titanium nitride by creating a plasma of titanium tetrachloride and ammonia within 25 mm of the substrate surface. This permits deposition film and annealing at relatively low temperatures--less than 800.degree. C. When titanium is so deposited over a silicon surface, titanium silicide will form at the juncture which then can be nitrided and coated with titanium or titanium nitride using the plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition of the present invention. Thus, the present method permits the formation of multiple layers of titanium, titanium nitride, titanium silicide over the surface of the substrate in the same reactor.

Titanium is deposited onto a semiconductor interconnect to form a salicide structure by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The reactant gases, including titanium tetrachloride, hydrogen and optionally argon, are combined. A plasma is created using RF energy and the plasma contacts the rotating semiconductor material. This causes titanium to be deposited which reacts with exposed silicon to form titanium silicide without any subsequent anneal. Other titanium deposited on the surface, as well as titanium-rich silicon compositions (TiSi.sub.X wherein X is &lt;2), are removed by chemical etching. If only about 40 .ANG. of titanium is deposited, it will selectively deposit onto the silicon structure without coating the oxide spacers of the interconnect. In this embodiment the need to chemically etch the substrate is eliminated.

Method for forming salicides

A method for depositing a film on a substrate by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition at temperatures substantially lower than conventional thermal CVD temperatures comprises placing a substrate within a reaction chamber and exciting a first gas upstream of the substrate to generate activated radicals of the first gas. The substrate is rotated within the deposition chamber to create a pumping action which draws the gas mixture of first gas radicals to the substrate surface. A second gas is supplied proximate the substrate to mix with the activated radicals of the first gas and the mixture produces a surface reaction at the substrate to deposit a film. The pumping action draws the gas mixture down to the substrate surface in a laminar flow to reduce recirculation and radical recombination such that a sufficient amount of radicals are available at the substrate surface to take part in the surface reaction. Another method utilizes a gas-dispersing showerhead that is biased with RF energy to form an electrode which generates activated radicals and ions in a concentrated plasma close to the substrate surface. The activated plasma gas radicals and ions utilized in the invention contribute energy to the surface reaction such that the film may be deposited at a substantially lower deposition temperature that is necessary for traditional thermal CVD techniques. Furthermore, the activation of these species reduces the temperature needed to complete the surface reaction. The method is particularly useful in depositing titanium-containing films at low temperatures.

Growing community of inventors

Phoenix, AZ, United States of America

Robert F Foster