Applied Materials, Inc.

Other

Roger N Anderson

David K Carlson

Mahalingam Venkatesan

Israel Beinglass

Norma B Riley

Paul B Comita

H Peter Hey

Thomas E Deacon

David V Adams

Craig Metzner

Juan Chacin

Aaron Muir Hunter

Wayne L Johnson

Peter W Hey

Paul R Lindstrom

Russell Bowman

Arkadii V Samoilov

Michael Robin Hale

Lance A Scudder

Lori D Washington

Ann P Waldhauer

Kailash Kiran Patalay

Dale R Dubois

Daniel L West

Harold J Mellen, Iii

John G Martin

Robert T Trujillo

Binh Bui

Kunio Kurihara

Lori A Callaghan

Selby T Hatch

Grant D Imper

Seiji Arima

Douglas Meyer

According to one aspect of the invention, an apparatus for reducing auto-doping of the front side of a substrate and reducing defects on the backside of the substrate during an epitaxial deposition process for forming an epitaxial layer on the front side of the substrate comprising: a means for forming a wafer gap region between the backside of the substrate and a susceptor plate, having an adjustable thickness; a means for ventilating auto-dopants out of the wafer gap region with a flow of inert gas, while inhibiting or prohibiting the flow of inert gas over the front side of the substrate; and a means for flowing reactant gases over the surface of the front side of the substrate, while inhibiting or prohibiting the flow of reactant gases near the surface of the backside of the substrate.

Wafer processing hardware for epitaxial deposition with reduced auto-doping and backside defects

A film formation systemincludes a processing chamberbounded by sidewallsand a top cover. In one embodiment, a susceptoris rotatably disposed in the system, and overlaps with a first peripheral memberdisposed around the sidewalls. A radiant heating systemis disposed under the susceptorto heat the substrate. In another embodiment, the top coverhas equally spaced pyrometersfor measuring the temperature of the substrateacross a number of zones. The temperature of the substrateis obtained from pyrometric data from the pyrometers

Apparatus temperature control and pattern compensation

A method of treating a metal surface of a portion of a substrate processing system to lower a defect concentration near a processed surface of a substrate includes forming a protective coating on the metal surface, wherein the protective coating includes nickel (Ni) and a fluoropolymer. Forming the protective coating on the metal surface can further include forming a nickel layer on the metal surface, impregnating the nickel layer with a fluoropolymer, and removing fluoropolymer from the surface leaving a predominantly nickel surface so the fluoropolymer is predominantly subsurface. A substrate processing system includes a process chamber into which a reactant gas is introduced, a pumping system for removing material from the process chamber, a first component with a protective coating, wherein the protective coating forms a surface of the component which is exposed to an interior of the substrate processing chamber or an interior of the pumping system. The protective coating includes nickel (Ni) and a flouropolymer.

Polymeric coating of substrate processing system components for contamination control

A film formation systemhas a processing chamberbounded by sidewallsand a top cover. In one embodiment, the top coverhas a reflective surfacefor reflecting radiant energy back onto a substrate, pyrometersfor measuring the temperature of the substrateacross a number of zones, and at least one emissometerfor measuring the actual emissivity of the substrate. In another embodiment, a radiant heating systemis disposed under the substrate support. The temperature of the substrateis obtained from pyrometric data from the pyrometers, and the emissometer

Film formation apparatus and methods including temperature and emissivity/pattern compensation

A halogen lamp assemblyfor a substrate processing chamberhas a halogen lampand a ceramic heat sink monolithThe halogen lampincludes a filamentand a pair of electrical connectorsencapsulated in an envelopehaving a pinch seal endThe ceramic heat sink monolithincludes a blockand an array of spaced apart postsprojecting outwardly from the blockThe blockincludes a cavitythat has a recessed inner surfaceshaped to mate with the pinch seal endof the lampand an opening that allows the electrical connectorsof the halogen lampto pass through.

Halogen lamp assembly with integrated heat sink

Methods and apparatuses for forming an oxide film. The method includes depositing an oxide film on a substrate using a process gas mixture that comprises a silicon source gas, an oxygen gas, and a hydrogen gas, and a process temperature between 800&deg; C. and 1300&deg; C. During the deposition of the oxide film, the process gas mixture comprises less than 6% oxygen, silicon gas, and predominantly hydrogen.

Apparatuses and methods for depositing an oxide film

A system for supplying processing fluid to a substrate processing apparatus having walls, the inner surfaces of which define a processing chamber in which a substrate supporting susceptor is located. The system consists of a number of fluid storages, each which stores a separate processing fluid, at least two fluid conduits along which processing fluid flows from the fluid storages to the processing apparatus and a fluid inlet which connects the fluid conduits to the processing chamber. The inlet has a separate fluid passage, corresponding to each of the fluid conduits, formed along it. Each fluid passage opens at or near an inner surface of a wall to define a fluid mixing zone, so that fluid moving along one fluid passage is prevented from mixing with fluid moving along any other passage until reaching the mixing zone.

Gas inlets for wafer processing chamber

A lamp array for a thermal processing chamber. The lamp array includes a plurality of lamps arranged in a generally circular array. The plurality of lamps can be arranged in one or more concentric rings to form a generally circular array. Additional lamp arrays can be provided adjacent the circumference of the circular array or outermost concentric ring to provide a generally rectangular heating pattern. At least one row of lamps can be provided tangentially to the circular portion of the lamp array to provide preheating or postheating of process gases in the flow direction of a rectangular processing chamber.

Lamp array for thermal processing chamber

An apparatus that includes a reflector having a mirrored surface facing down, a glass structure located beneath the reflector, a susceptor within the glass structure having a surface facing up that is capable of holding a part to be processed, and one or more radiant heat sources directed at and located beneath the glass structure.

Backside heating chamber for emissivity independent thermal processes

A thermal reactor having a wafer chamber for containing at least one semiconductor wafer during processing. The thermal reactor contains a quartz window having an inward bow defining a concave outside surface.

Domed wafer reactor vessel window with reduced stress at atmospheric and above atmospheric pressures

A cover member for a semiconductor processing thermal reactor. The cover member has a central quartz window portion and an outer flange portion. The central window portion has either an inward bow defining a concave outside surface, or an outward bow defining a convex outside surface. The centerline of the central window portion has a radius of curvature which when extended through the flange portion divides the flange portion into an upper flange section and a lower flange section. The upper and lower flange portions having substantially equal masses.

Infra-red transparent thermal reactor cover member

A semiconductor substrate processing chamber provides a bi-directional process gas flow for deposition or etching processes. The bi-directional gas flow provides uniformity of deposition layer thickness or uniformity of etching without the need to rotate the substrate. Junctions are provided at opposite ends of a processing chamber. Inlet and outlet ports are provided on each junction. Inlet and outlet ports on opposite junctions cooperate to provide a gas flow in a first direction for half of the process cycle, and in a second direction for the other half of the process cycle.

Bi-directional processing chamber and method for bi-directional processing of semiconductor substrates

An apparatus for and method of supporting a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer. Silicon carbide sleeves cover substrate support members such as upwardly extending arms of a substrate carrier which is part of a substrate support assembly. The substrate carrier including the upwardly extending arms holds the substrate spaced apart from a platform such as a susceptor during loading and unloading of a processing chamber. The platform defines apertures through which the arms extend. The arms are vertically movable through the apertures with respect to the platform and engage the substrate at the substrate's edge or alternatively, inwardly from the edge.

Silicon carbide sleeve for substrate support assembly

A wafer support device is provided. The wafer support device includes a susceptor having a surface configured to support a bottom surface of a wafer. The susceptor has a plurality of guiding recesses. The wafer support device also includes a pin lift that has a plurality of pins extending therefrom. The plurality of pins is configured to be passed via the plurality of guiding recesses of the susceptor to engage the bottom surface of the wafer. The susceptor is configured to be moved relative to the plurality of pins in a direction substantially orthogonal to the surface of the susceptor.

Quartz pin lift for single wafer chemical vapor deposition/etch process chamber

An apparatus for depositing a material on a wafer includes a susceptor plate mounted in a deposition chamber. The chamber has a gas inlet and a gas exhaust. Means are provided for heating the susceptor plate. The susceptor plate has a plurality of support posts projecting from its top surface. The support posts are arranged to support a wafer thereon with the back surface of the wafer being spaced from the surface of the susceptor plate. The support posts are of a length so that the wafer is spaced from the susceptor plate a distance sufficient to allow deposition gas to flow and/or diffuse between the wafer and the susceptor plate, but still allow heat transfer from the susceptor plate to the wafer mainly by conduction. The susceptor plate is also provided with means, such as retaining pins or a recess, to prevent lateral movement of a wafer seated on the support posts.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Roger N Anderson