Applied Materials, Inc.

Other

Ciena Corporation

Catalytica Energy Systems, Inc.

Ruiping Wang

Gerald Z Yin

Robert W Wu

Joseph P Caulfield

Hongching Shan

Jian Ding

Hongqing Shan

Ying W Wang

Hoiman Raymond Hung

Keiji Horioka

Guan Huei See

Raymond Hoiman Hung

Hidehiro Kojiri

Kwang-Soo Kim

Yoshio Ishikawa

Ji Ding

Hoiman (Raymond) Hung

Ida Ariani Adisaputro

Luke Zhang

Michael Robert Rice

Steven Verhaverbeke

Robert Jan Visser

Ming Xi

Yunsang Kim

Hari K Ponnekanti

Ananthkrishna Jupudi

Bryan Y Pu

Jrjyan Jerry Chen

Gerald Zheyao Yin

Claes H Bjorkman

Kenny Linh Doan

Steven Aihua Chen

Jingbao Liu

Nirmalya Maity

Judy Wang

Jitendra Ratilal Bhimjiyani

Fei Peng

Takehiko Komatsu

Avinash Shantaram

Coby Scott Grove

Hao A Lu

Xundong Dai

Steve Langlois

Xi Huang

Eric Derouane

Scott Magno

Melody Chang

Praveen Kumar Choragudi

Peter Steele

Sundeep Mallya

Kiran Krishnapur

Methods and apparatus for cleaning tooling parts in a substrate processing tool are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of cleaning tooling parts in a substrate processing tool includes placing one or more dirty tools on a holder in a bonding chamber of a multi-chamber processing tool; transferring the holder from the bonding chamber to a cleaning chamber of the multi-chamber processing tool; cleaning the one or more dirty tools in the cleaning chamber to produce one or more cleaned tools; inspecting the one or more cleaned tools in an inspection chamber of the multi-chamber processing tool; and transferring the one or more cleaned tools to the bonding chamber.

On-board cleaning of tooling parts in hybrid bonding tool

Apparatus for extending substrate queue time for hybrid bonding by preserving plasma activation. In some embodiments, the apparatus may include an environmentally controllable space with a support for holding a die or a substrate, a gas velocity accelerator that recirculates one or more gases laterally across the support, a filter, a humidifier apparatus that is fluidly connected to the environmentally controllable space, wherein the humidifier apparatus enables controllable humidity levels within the environmentally controllable space, a pressurizing apparatus fluidly connected to the humidifier apparatus on an output and fluidly connected to at least one gas supply on an input, a relative humidity (RH) sensor positioned within the environmentally controllable space, and an environment controller in communication with at least the humidifier apparatus and the RH sensor, wherein the environment controller is configured to maintain an RH level of approximately 80% to approximately 95%.

Apparatus for environmental control of dies and substrates for hybrid bonding

Embodiments of equipment front end modules (EFEMs) are provided herein. In some embodiments, an EFEM includes: two or more loadports for receiving two or more types of substrates; an overhead storage unit having a plurality of storage shelves disposed above the two or more loadports and configured to hold two or more types of front opening unified pods (FOUPs) of different sizes that store the two or more types of substrates, respectively, wherein a horizontal alley is disposed between the plurality of storage shelves and the two or more loadports to provide a horizontal passageway for the FOUPs during transport to the two or more loadports; and an overhead transport system having a pair of vertical actuators disposed on opposite sides of the overhead storage unit and configured to transport FOUPs from the overhead storage unit to the two or more loadports.

FOUP or cassette storage for hybrid substrate bonding system

Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate are provided herein. For example, a method for hybrid bonding a wafer comprises performing a first vacuum processing procedure on the wafer disposed within a first processing chamber, obtaining at least one of moisture measurements or organic species measurements within the first processing chamber, comparing the obtained at least one of moisture measurements or organic species measurements with a predetermined threshold, and one of when a comparison of the obtained at least one of moisture measurements or organic species measurements is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold automatically performing a second vacuum processing procedure in a second processing chamber different from the first processing chamber on the wafer, or when the comparison of the obtained at least one of moisture measurements or organic species measurements is greater than the predetermined threshold automatically continuing performing the first vacuum processing procedure on the wafer.

Methods and apparatus for vacuum processing a substrate

A mask assembly () includes a mask frame () and a mask screen (), both of the mask frame () and the mask screen () made of a metallic material, and a metal coating () disposed on exposed surfaces of one or both of the mask frame () and the mask screen ().

Shadow mask with plasma resistant coating

A method for replacing a current operating software with a new operating software in a working network environment during network operations while also preserving a backup for the replaced operating software. The method including active or non-active memories based on the operating software stored therein. The active and non-active memories being interchangeable to accommodate the new operating software without stopping operation of the network or active memory.

Method for updating and restoring operating software in an active region of a network element

An oxide etching process, particularly useful for selectively etching oxide over a feature having a non-oxide composition, such as silicon nitride and especially when that feature has a corner that is prone to faceting during the oxide etch. The invention uses a heavy perfluorocarbon, for example, hexafluorobutadiene (CF) or hexafluorobenzene (CF). The fluorocarbon together with a substantial amount of a noble gas such as argon is excited into a high-density plasma in a reactor which inductively couples plasma source power into the chamber and RF biases the pedestal electrode supporting the wafer. A more strongly polymerizing fluorocarbon such as difluoromethane (CHF) is added in the over etch to protect the nitride corner. Oxygen or nitrogen may be added to counteract the polymerization. The same chemistry can be used in a magnetically enhanced reactive ion etcher (MERIE) or with a remote plasma source.

Highly selective process for etching oxide over nitride using hexafluorobutadiene

An oxide etching recipe including a heavy hydrogen-free fluorocarbon having F/C ratios less than 2, preferably C F , an oxygen-containing gas such as O or CO, a lighter fluorocarbon or hydrofluorocarbon, and a noble diluent gas such as Ar or Xe. The amounts of the first three gases are chosen such that the ratio (F&mdash;H)/(C&mdash;O) is at least 1.5 and no more than 2. Alternatively, the gas mixture may include the heavy fluorocarbon, carbon tetrafluoride, and the diluent with the ratio of the first two chosen such the ratio F/C is between 1.5 and 2.

Precision dielectric etch using hexafluorobutadiene

An oxide etching process, particular useful for selectively etching oxide over a feature having a non-oxide composition, such as silicon nitride and especially when that feature has a corner that is prone to faceting during the oxide etch. The invention preferably uses the unsaturated 4-carbon fluorocarbons, specifically hexafluorobutadiene (C F ), which has a below 10&deg;C. and is commercially available. The hexafluorobutadiene together with argon is excited into a high-density plasma in a reactor which inductively couples plasma source power into the chamber and RF biases the pedestal electrode supporting the wafer. Preferably, a two-step etch is used process is used in which the above etching gas is used in the main step to provide a good vertical profile and a more strongly polymerizing fluorocarbon such as difluoromethane (CH F ) is added in the over etch to protect the nitride corner.

Highly selective oxide etch process using hexafluorobutadiene

An oxide etching process, particularly useful for selectively etching oxide over a feature having a non-oxide composition, such as silicon nitride and especially when that feature has a corner that is prone to faceting during the oxide etch. One aspect of the invention uses one of four hydrogen-free fluorocarbons having a low F/C ratio, specifically hexafluorobutadiene (C F ), octafluoropentadiene (C F ), hexafluorocyclobutene (C F ), and hexafluorobenzene (C F ). At least hexafluorobutadiene has a boiling point below 10&deg; C. and is commercially available. Another aspect of the invention, uses an unsaturated fluorocarbon such as pentafluoropropylene (C HF ), and trifluoropropyne (C HF ), both of which have boiling points below 10&deg; C. and are commercially available. The fluorocarbon together with a substantial amount of a noble gas such as argon or xenon is excited into a high-density plasma in a reactor which inductively couples plasma source power into the chamber and RF biases the pedestal electrode supporting the wafer. Preferably, one of two two-step etch process is used. In the first, the source and bias power are reduced towards the end of the etch. In the second, the fluorocarbon is used in the main step to provide a good vertical profile and a more strongly polymerizing fluorocarbon such as difluoromethane (CH F ) is added in the over etch to protect the nitride corner. The same chemistry can be used in a magnetically enhanced reactive ion etcher (MERIE), preferably with an even larger amount of argon.

Process for etching oxide using hexafluorobutadiene or related fluorocarbons and manifesting a wide process window

The present invention is a mixed oxide solid solution containing a tetravalent and a pentavalent cation that can be used as a support for a metal combustion catalyst. The invention is furthermore a combustion catalyst containing the mixed oxide solid solution and a method of making the mixed oxide solid solution. The tetravalent cation is zirconium(&plus;4), hafnium(&plus;4) or thorium(&plus;4). In one embodiment, the pentavalent cation is tantalum(&plus;5), niobium(&plus;5) or bismuth(&plus;5). Mixed oxide solid solutions of the present invention exhibit enhanced thermal stability, maintaining relatively high surface areas at high temperatures in the presence of water vapor.

Mixed oxide solid solutions

A substrate having a patterned mask and exposed openings is provided in a process chamber having process electrodes. In a plasma ignition stage, a process gas is provided in the process chamber and is energized by maintaining the process electrodes at a plasma ignition bias power level. In an etch-passivating stage, an etch-passivating material is formed on at least portions of the substrate by maintaining the process electrodes at an etch-passivating bias power level. In an etching stage, the exposed openings on the substrate are etched by maintaining the process electrodes at an etching bias power level.

Method and apparatus for etch passivating and etching a substrate

An oxide etching recipe including a heavy hydrogen-free fluorocarbon having F/C ratios less than 2 such as C F or C F , an oxygen-containing gas such as O , CO or CO , a lighter fluorocarbon or hydrofluorocarbon, and a noble diluent gas such as Ar or Xe. The amounts of the first three gases are chosen such that the ratio (F&mdash;H)/(C&mdash;O) is at least 1.5 and no more than 2. Alternatively, the gas mixture may include the heavy fluorocarbon, carbon tetrafluoride, and the diluent with the ratio of the first two chosen such the ratio F/C is between 1.5 and 2.

Dielectric etch process reducing striations and maintaining critical dimensions

A method for etching a dielectric in a thermally controlled plasma etch chamber with an expanded processing window. The method is adapted to incorporate benefits of a the thermal control and high evacuation capability of the chamber. Etchent gases include hydrocarbons, oxygen and inert gas. Explanation is provided for enablling the use of hexafluoro-1,3-butadiene in a capacitively coupled etch plasma. The method is very useful for creating via, self aligned contacts, dual damascene, and other dielectric etch.

Etch method using a dielectric etch chamber with expanded process window

An oxide etching process, particularly useful for selectively etching oxide over a feature having a non-oxide composition, such as silicon nitride and especially when that feature has a corner that is prone to faceting during the oxide etch. The invention uses one of three hydrogen-free fluorocarbons having a low F/C ratio, specifically hexafluorobutadiene (C F ), hexafluorocyclobutene (C F ), and hexafluorobenzene (C F ). At least hexafluorobutadiene has a boiling point below 10&deg; C. and is commercially available. The fluorocarbon together with a substantial amount of a noble gas such as argon is excited into a high-density plasma in a reactor which inductively couples plasma source power into the chamber and RF biases the pedestal electrode supporting the wafer. Preferably, one of two two-step etch process is used. In the first, the source and bias power are reduced towards the end of the etch. In the second, the fluorocarbon is used in the main step to provide a good vertical profile and a more strongly polymerizing fluorocarbon such as difluoromethane (CH F ) is added in the over etch to protect the nitride corner. The same chemistry can be used in a magnetically enhanced reactive ion etcher (MERIE), preferably with an even larger amount of argon.

Process for etching oxide using a hexafluorobutadiene and manifesting a wide process window

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Fremont, CA, United States of America

Ruiping Wang