Lam Research Corporation

Russell Martin

Cheng-Yu (Sean) Lin

Arnold Kholodenko

Mark Henry Wilcoxson

Mark Naoshi Kawaguchi

Leon Ginzburg

Rajinder Dhindsa

Eric H Lenz

Felix Leib Kozakevich

Christopher Kimball

John W Rasnick

Encrico Magni

A substrate is moved below a substrate cleaning module in a direction extending from a leading edge to a trailing edge of the substrate cleaning module. A cleaning material is dispensed downward toward a top surface of the substrate along the leading edge of the substrate cleaning module. A rinsing material is dispensed downward toward the top surface of the substrate along the trailing edge of the substrate cleaning module to generate a rinsing meniscus. Vacuum suction is applied at a vacuum suction location along a bottom surface of the substrate cleaning module and parallel to the leading and trailing edges of the substrate cleaning module. The vacuum location is positioned between a dispense location of the cleaning material and a dispense location of the rinsing material. A plenum region located between the dispense location of the cleaning material and the vacuum location is vented.

Method for substrate cleaning including movement of substrate below substrate cleaning module

A proximity head defined by a body having a length. The body includes a main bore defined therein and extending along the length. A resistor bore is defined in the body and extends along the length. The resistor bore defined below the main bore. A first plurality of bores defined between the main bore and the resistor bore and a second plurality of bores defined between the resistor bore and an exterior surface of the body. The exterior surface of the body defining a proximity surface of the proximity head.

Proximity head having a fluid resistor

Conditioning fluid flow into a proximity head is provided for fluid delivery to a wafer surface. An upper plenum connected to a plurality of down flow bores is supplied by a main bore. The down flow bores provide fluid into the upper plenum, and a resistor bore is connected to the upper plenum. The resistor bore receives a resistor having a shape so as to limit flow of the fluid through the resistor bore. A lower plenum connected to the resistor bore is configured to receive fluid from the resistor bore as limited by the resistor for flow to a plurality of outlet ports extending between the lower plenum and surfaces of the head surface. Fluid flowing through the upper plenum, the resistor bore with the resistor and the lower plenum is substantially conditioned to define a substantially uniform fluid outflow from the plurality of outlet ports, across the width of the proximity head.

Apparatus for substantially uniform fluid flow rates relative to a proximity head in processing of a wafer surface by a meniscus

In an example embodiment, a top proximity head for depositing fluids on a semiconductor wafer includes a delivery bore which receives fluid. The top proximity head includes a plenum that is connected to the delivery bore by numerous input channels into which fluid flows from the delivery bore. Each input channel has an inverted V-shaped opening which urges the upward flow of any air bubbles. From the plenum, the fluid flows through output channels out of the top proximity head to form a meniscus. The fluid is suctioned from the meniscus back into the top proximity head through return channels that lead to a return bore. A passage connects the delivery bore with the return bore, allowing air bubbles to escape from the delivery bore into the return bore. The passage allows a negligible amount of fluid to flow directly between the two bores rather than through the plenum.

Removing bubbles from a fluid flowing down through a plenum

An upper processing head includes a topside module defined to apply a cleaning material to a top surface of a substrate and then expose the substrate to a topside rinsing meniscus. The topside module is defined to flow a rinsing material through the topside rinsing meniscus in a substantially uni-directional manner towards the cleaning material and opposite a direction of movement of the substrate. A lower processing head includes a bottomside module defined to apply a bottomside rinsing meniscus to the substrate so as to balance a force applied to the substrate by the topside rinsing meniscus. The bottomside module is defined to provide a drain channel for collecting and draining the cleaning material dispensed from the upper processing head when the substrate is not present between the upper and lower processing heads. The upper and lower processing heads can include multiple instantiations of the topside and bottomside modules, respectively.

Apparatus and system for cleaning substrate

An electrical connector has a non-conductive outer housing and a spring-loaded conductive assembly mounted within. The non-conductive outer housing has a longitudinal axis along which the spring-loaded conductive assembly is allowed to move over a limited range, in either direction. The conductive assembly includes a conductive contact pad and an conductive elongated shaft which are mated together within the non-conductive outer housing. A spring mounted along the contact shaft and in abutment therewith biases the contact shaft in a direction away from the contact base. When the electrical connector is employed in a chamber lid of a chamber lid assembly having an integrated laminated heater, such as for use in conjunction with a wafer processing chamber, the spring biases a lower surface of the contact shaft against the heater.

High power electrical connector for a laminated heater

An arrangement in a plasma processing system for selectively providing an RF grounding path between an electrode and ground. The arrangement includes an RF conduction path structure and an annular structure. The annular structure and the RF conduction path structure having two relative positions relative to one another. A first relative position of the two relative positions is characterized by the annular structure electrically coupling with the RF conduction path structure to provide a ground to the RF conduction path structure. A second relative position of the two relative positions is characterized by the annular structure being electrically uncoupled from the RF conduction path.

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Livermore, CA, United States of America

Russell Martin