Applied Materials, Inc.

Applied Komatsu Technology, Inc.

Applied Material, Inc.

Robin L Tiner

John M White

Soo Young Choi

Shinichi Kurita

Gaku Furuta

Beom Soo Park

Suhail Anwar

Qunhua Wang

Lai Zhao

Wendell T Blonigan

Carl A Sorensen

Tae Kyung Won

Ernst Keller

Allen K Lau

Li Hou

Ki Woon Kim

Jianhua Zhou

Jozef Kudela

Norman L Turner

Jrjyan Jerry Chen

David Eric Berkstresser

Jonghoon Baek

Sam Hyungsam Kim

Jeffrey A Kho

Michael Starr

Jiri Kucera

Carl Sorenson

Ganesh Babu Chandrasekaran

Bora Oh

Makoto Inagawa

Dong-Kil Yim

Jianheng Li

Emanuel Beer

Sanjay D Yadav

Yi Cui

Takayuki Matsumoto

Ilyoung R Hong

Jiarui Wang

Young Jin Choi

Changling Li

Hsiang An

David Atchley

Yukinobu Adachi

Hassan Yousefi

Jinhyun Cho

Isami Iguchi

Yeh Kurt Chang

A mask frame support unit includes a case, a protruding body extending below the case, and a station having a flat head disposed above the case. The protruding body includes a tapered region and a cylindrical region. The tapered region includes a first end having a first diameter coupled to the case and comprising a second end having a second diameter opposite the first end. The second diameter is less than the first diameter, and the tapered region is coupled to the cylindrical region at the second end. The case houses a number of components including an upper receiving plate in contact with the station, a lower receiving plate disposed underneath the upper receiving plate, a flat head unit movement support mechanism disposed between the lower receiving plate and the body, and a centering component.

Flat head units for heavy load alignment

A diffuser includes a front-side gradient surface formed from a diffuser block, a back-side gradient surface formed from the diffuser block, and opening structures formed from the front-side gradient surface to the back-side gradient surface. Each opening structure includes a conical opening having a first end along the front-side gradient surface and a second end corresponding to an apex at a depth within the diffuser block, and a cylindrical opening formed from the depth to the back-side gradient surface. The opening structures are arranged in rows including a first set of rows and a second set of rows alternately positioned along a length of the diffuser block.

Deposition chamber system diffuser with increased power efficiency

The present disclosure relates to a gas confiner assembly designed to reduce the non-uniform deposition rates by confining the gas flow and changing the local gas flow distribution near the edge regions of the substrate. The material, size, shape and other features of the gas confiner assembly can be varied based on the processing requirements and associated deposition rates. In one embodiment, a gas confiner assembly for a processing chamber comprises a gas confiner configured to decrease gas flow and compensate for high deposition rates on edge regions of substrates. The gas confiner assembly also comprises a cover disposed below the gas confiner. The cover is configured to prevent a substrate support from being exposed to plasma.

Gas confiner assembly for eliminating shadow frame

Methods for manufacturing a diffuser plate for a PECVD chamber are provided. The methods provide for applying a compliant abrasive medium to round the sharp edges at corners of the output holes on a contoured downstream side of a gas diffuser plate. By rounding the edges of the output holes reduces the flaking of deposited materials on the downstream side of the gas diffuser plate and reduces the amount of undesirable particles generated during the PECVD deposition process.

Method of removal of sharp corners from diffuser plate

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally provide apparatus and methods for gas diffuser support structure for a vacuum chamber. The gas diffuser support structure comprises a backing plate having a central bore formed therethrough, an integrated cross structure formed in the central bore, and a gas deflector coupled to the cross structure by a single fastener.

Gas diffuser support structure for reduced particle generation

Embodiments described herein generally relate to apparatus and methods for processing a substrate utilizing a high radio frequency (RF) power. The high RF power enables deposition of films on the substrate with more desirable properties. A first plurality of insulating members is disposed on a plurality of brackets and extends laterally inward from a chamber body. A second plurality of insulating members is disposed on the chamber body and extends from the first plurality of insulating members to a support surface of the chamber body. The insulating members reduce the occurrence of arcing between the plasma and the chamber body.

Chamber liner

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally provide apparatus and methods for a gas diffuser assembly for a vacuum chamber, the gas diffuser assembly comprising a mounting plate, the mounting plate comprising a hub, a plurality of curved spokes extending from the hub in a radial direction, a gusset portion coupled between the hub and each of the curved spokes, each of the gusset portions having a convex curve disposed in an axial direction, and one or more mounting holes coupled to the curved spokes.

Gas diffuser mounting plate for reduced particle generation

The present disclosure relates to a corner spoiler designed to decrease high deposition rates on corner regions of substrates by changing the gas flow. In one embodiment, a corner spoiler for a processing chamber includes an L-shaped body fabricated from a dielectric material, wherein the L-shaped body is configured to change plasma distribution at a corner of a substrate in the processing chamber. The L-shaped body includes a first and second leg, wherein the first and second legs meet at an inside corner of the L-shaped body. The length of the first or second leg is twice the distance defined between the first or second leg and the inside corner. In another embodiment, a shadow frame for a depositing chamber includes a rectangular shaped body having a rectangular opening therethrough, and one or more corner spoilers coupled to the rectangular shaped body at corners of the rectangular shaped body.

Corner spoiler for improving profile uniformity

Device for processing a substrate are described herein. An apparatus for controlling deposition on a substrate can include a chamber comprising a shadow frame support, a substrate support comprising a substrate supporting surface, a shadow frame with a shadow frame body including a first support surface, a second support surface opposite the first surface, and a detachable lip connected with the shadow frame body. The detachable lip can include a support connection, a first lip surface facing the substrate, a second lip surface opposite the first lip surface, a first edge positioned over the first support surface, and a second edge opposite the first edge to contact the substrate.

Flip edge shadow frame

A PECVD chamber is disclosed with a temperature controlled gas distribution showerhead. The gas distribution showerhead is temperature controlled heated by circulating a g fluid through conduit formed within or coupled to the gas distribution showerhead. The PECVD chamber comprises a gas distribution showerhead, a backing plate coupled to the gas distribution showerhead, the backing plate having a bottom surface facing and substantially parallel with and spaced from an upper surface of the gas distribution showerhead; and a temperature controlling device coupled to the gas distribution showerhead and disposed between the backing plate and the gas distribution showerhead.

Diffuser temperature control

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relates a shadow frame including two opposing major side frame members adjacent to two opposing minor side frame members coupled together with a corner bracket, wherein the corner bracket includes a corner inlay having legs that extend in directions generally orthogonal to each other.

Shadow frame with sides having a varied profile for improved deposition uniformity

Implementations described herein generally relate to components and methods used in plasma processing, and more specifically relate to grooved surfaces for controlling RF return path lengths in plasma processing chambers and methods for forming the same. In one implementation, a backing plate for a plasma processing chamber is provided. The backing plate comprises a rectangular body. The rectangular body has a front surface, a back surface opposing the front surface, a first axis perpendicular to a center of the rectangular body and a plurality of grooves formed in the front surface. At least one groove of the plurality of grooves has a first length across the groove in a first location and a second length across the groove in a second location.

Grooved backing plate for standing wave compensation

Embodiments of a method of depositing a thin film on a substrate is provided that includes placing a substrate on a substrate support that is mounted in a processing region of a processing chamber, flowing a process fluid through a plurality of gas passages in a diffuser plate toward the substrate supported on the substrate support, wherein the diffuser plate has an upstream side and a downstream side and the downstream side has a substantially concave curvature, and each of the gas passages are formed between the upstream side and the downstream side, and creating a plasma between the downstream side of the diffuser plate and the substrate support.

Plasma uniformity control by gas diffuser hole design

The embodiments described herein generally relate to a substrate support assembly for use in a plasma processing chamber to provide non-uniform gas flow flowing between the substrate support assembly and sidewalls of the plasma processing chamber. In one embodiment, a substrate support assembly includes a substrate support assembly including a substrate support body defining at least a first side of the substrate support body, and a corner region and a center region formed in the first side of the substrate support body, wherein the corner region has a corner width that is smaller than a center width of the center region, the widths defined between a center axis and the first side of the substrate support body.

Substrate support assembly with non-uniform gas flow clearance

Embodiments of a gas diffuser plate for distributing gas in a processing chamber are provided. The gas distribution plate includes a diffuser plate having an upstream side and a downstream side, and a plurality of gas passages passing between the upstream and downstream sides of the diffuser plate. The gas passages include hollow cathode cavities at the downstream side to enhance plasma ionization. The depths, the diameters, the surface area and density of hollow cathode cavities of the gas passages that extend to the downstream end can be gradually increased from the center to the edge of the diffuser plate to improve the film thickness and property uniformity across the substrate. The increasing diameters, depths and surface areas from the center to the edge of the diffuser plate can be created by bending the diffuser plate toward downstream side, followed by machining out the convex downstream side. Bending the diffuser plate can be accomplished by a thermal process or a vacuum process. The increasing diameters, depths and surface areas from the center to the edge of the diffuser plate can also be created computer numerically controlled machining. Diffuser plates with gradually increasing diameters, depths and surface areas of the hollow cathode cavities from the center to the edge of the diffuser plate have been shown to produce improved uniformities of film thickness and film properties.

Growing community of inventors

Santa Cruz, CA, United States of America

Robin L Tiner