Lam Research Corporation

Applied Materials, Inc.

Optokey, Inc.

Robert P Chebi

Jaroslaw Walery Winniczek

Ing-Yann Wang

Erik A Edelberg

David J Hemker

Frank Lin

Janet M Flanner

Camelia Rusu

David J Cooperberg

Wan-Lin Chen

Fanqing Frank Chen

Jeff A Bogart

Alfredo Granados

Gladys Lo

Lily Zheng

Adrian Doe

Stephan Lassig

Prashant Gadgil

Mukund Srinivasan

Alan Jeffrey Miller

Aaron Eppler

Jianqi Wang

Yuri Trachuk

Rajan Balesan

Alan Cheshire

Zhao H Ceng

Carl Almgren

Erin McDonnell

Gabriel Roupillard

Erin Moore

John P Jordan

John P Jordon

Embodiments described herein generally relate to an apparatus and methods for reducing the deposition of polymers in a semiconductor processing chamber. A heater jacket and heat sources are provided and may be configured to maintain a uniform temperature profile of the processing chamber. A method of maintaining a uniform temperature profile of a dielectric ceiling of the processing chamber is also provided.

Enhanced productivity for an etch system through polymer management

A method of etching features into a silicon layer with a steady-state gas flow is provided. An etch gas comprising an oxygen containing gas and a fluorine containing gas is provided. A plasma is provided from the etch gas. Then, the flow of the etch gas is stopped.

Fabrication of a silicon structure and deep silicon etch with profile control

In improved nonoplasmonic resonator (NPR) structure includes a silicon substrate having an upper surface, and a plurality of columns of silicon extending up from the substrate upper surface. Each of the columns includes a sidewall and terminates at an upper end. An insulation material is disposed on the sidewalls and upper ends of the columns. For each of the columns, the insulation material terminates in a bulge at an upper end of the column. A conductive layer is disposed on the insulation material along the column sidewalls and upper ends.

Elevated surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy resonator structures and method of making same

A nanoplasmonic resonator (NPR) includes a substrate, a first metallic member disposed on the substrate, a second metallic member spaced apart from the first metallic member, and a first insulation layer at least partially disposed between the first and second metallic members. The first insulation layer includes at least one of a notch formed laterally therein such that there is an open gap separating outer edge portions of the first and second metallic members, at least a portion thereof having a toroid shape, and a length extending between the first and second metallic members which are laterally adjacent to each other.

Surface enhanced raman spectroscopy resonator structures and methods of making same

A plasma-assisted etch process for the manufacture of semiconductor or MEMS devices employs an RF source to generate a plasma that is terminated through an electrode. The termination is designed as a 'short' at the frequency of the RF source to minimize voltage fluctuations on the electrode due to the RF source energy. The electrode voltage potential can then be accurately controlled with a bias source, resulting in improved control of etch depth of a semiconductor substrate disposed on the electrode.

High frequency filter for improved RF bias signal stability

Methods for etching a substrate in a plasma etch reactor may include (a) depositing polymer on surfaces of a feature formed in substrate disposed in the etch reactor using first reactive species formed from a first process gas comprising a polymer forming gas; (b) etching the bottom surface of the feature of the substrate in the etch reactor using a third reactive species formed from a third process gas including an etching gas; and (c) bombarding a bottom surface of the feature with a second reactive species formed from a second process gas comprising one or more of an inert gas, an oxidizing gas, a reducing gas, or the polymer forming gas while at least one of depositing the polymer to remove at least some of the polymer disposed on the bottom surface or etching the bottom surface to at least one of chemically or physically damage the bottom surface.

Methods for etching a substrate

A silicon layer is etched through a patterned mask formed thereon using an etch chamber. A fluorine (F) containing etch gas and a silicon (Si) containing chemical vapor deposition gas are provided in the etch chamber. The fluorine (F) containing etch gas is used to etch features into the silicon layer, and the silicon (Si) containing chemical vapor deposition gas is used to form a silicon-containing deposition layer on sidewalls of the features. A plasma is generated from the etch gas and the chemical vapor deposition gas, and a bias voltage is provided. Features are etched into the silicon layer using the plasma, and a silicon-containing passivation layer is deposited on the sidewalls of the features which are being etched. Silicon in the passivation layer primarily comes from the chemical vapor deposition gas. The etch gas and the chemical vapor deposition gas are then stopped.

Silicon etch with passivation using chemical vapor deposition

A method and apparatus remove photoresist from a wafer. A process gas containing sulfur (S), oxygen (O), and hydrogen (H) is provided, and a plasma is generated from the process gas in a first chamber. A radical-rich ion-poor reaction medium is flown from the first chamber to a second chamber where the wafer is placed. The patterned photoresist layer on the wafer is removed using the reaction medium, and then the reaction medium flowing into the second chamber is stopped. Water vapor may be introduced in a solvation zone provided in a passage of the reaction medium flowing down from the plasma such that the water vapor solvates the reaction medium to form solvated clusters of species before the reaction medium reaches the wafer. The photoresist is removed using the solvated reaction medium.

Method and apparatus for removing photoresist

A method of etching a silicon layer through a patterned mask is provided. The method uses an etch chamber in which the silicon layer is placed. The method includes (a) providing the silicon layer having the patterned mask formed thereon, (b) providing an etch gas comprising a fluorine containing gas and an oxygen and hydrogen containing gas into the etch chamber in which the silicon layer has been placed, (c) generating a plasma from the etch gas, (d) etching features into the silicon layer through the patterned mask using the plasma, and (e) stopping the etch gas. The oxygen and hydrogen containing gas contains water vapor.

Silicon etch with passivation using plasma enhanced oxidation

A gas chamber contains upper and lower chamber bodies forming a cavity, a heating chuck for a wafer, a remote gas source, and an exhaust unit. Gas is injected into the cavity through channels in an injector. Each channel has sections that are bent with respect to each other at a sufficient angle to substantially eliminate entering light rays entering the channel from exiting the channel without reflection. The channels have funnel-shaped nozzles at end points proximate to the chuck. The injector also has thermal expansion relief slots and small gaps between the injector and mating surfaces of the chamber and gas source. The temperature of the injector is controlled by a cooling liquid in cooling channels and electrical heaters in receptacles of the injector. The upper chamber body is funnel-shaped and curves downward at an end of the upper chamber body proximate to the chuck.

High strip rate downstream chamber

A method and apparatus for etching a silicon layer through a patterned mask formed thereon are provided. The silicon layer is placed in an etch chamber. An etch gas comprising a fluorine containing gas and an oxygen and hydrogen containing gas is provided into the etch chamber. A plasma is generated from the etch gas and features are etched into the silicon layer using the plasma. The etch gas is then stopped. The plasma may contain OH radicals.

A method and apparatus remove photoresist from a wafer. A process gas containing sulfur (S), oxygen (O), and hydrogen (H) is provided, and a plasma is generated from the process gas in a first chamber. A radical-rich ion-poor reaction medium is flown from the first chamber to a second chamber where the wafer is placed. The patterned photoresist layer on the wafer is removed using the reaction medium, and then the reaction medium flowing into the second chamber is stopped. Water vapor may be introduced in a salvation zone provided in a passage of the reaction medium flowing down from the plasma such that the water vapor solvates the reaction medium to form solvated clusters of species before the reaction medium reaches the wafer. The photoresist is removed using the solvated reaction medium.

A plasma processing chamber includes a substrate support having a top surface defined to support a substrate in a substantially horizontal orientation within the chamber. The plasma processing chamber also includes a number of telescopic members disposed within the chamber outside a periphery of the substrate support. The number of telescopic members are also disposed in a concentric manner with regard to a center of the top surface of the substrate support. Each of the number of telescopic members is defined to be independently moved in a substantially vertical direction so as to enable adjustment of an open volume above the top surface of the substrate support, and thereby enable adjustment of a plasma condition within the open volume above the top surface of the substrate support.

Growing community of inventors

Foster City, CA, United States of America

Robert P Chebi