Applied Materials, Inc.

Samuel C Howells

Bruce E Adams

Jiping Li

Stephen Moffatt

Douglas Earl Holmgren

Aaron Muir Hunter

Dean C Jennings

Timothy N Thomas

Edric Tong

Wolfgang R Aderhold

Paul C Allen

Dongming Iu

Ji-Dih Hu

Lara Hawrylchak

Norman L Tam

Leonid Mark Tertitski

Kim Ramkumar Vellore

Robin Lynn Teitzel

Theodore P Moffitt

Asher Klatchko

Michael Liu

Thomas E Chabreck

John Hubbard

Lei Lian

Diwakar N Kedlaya

Xiaolan Chen

Peter Pirogovsky

Vilen K Nestorov

Huy Q Nguyen

Barry Craver

Chaitanya Anjaneyalu Prasad

Alvaro Garcia

Tony Jefferson Gnanaprakasa

Amritha Rammohan

Robert J Beauchaine

Michael A Ward

Douglas E Holmgren

Embodiments disclosed herein include a method for determining a temperature error of a pyrometer. In an embodiment, the method comprises measuring a first signal with a first sensor of the pyrometer and measuring a second signal with a second sensor of the pyrometer. In an embodiment, the method further comprises determining a reflectivity of a reflector plate from the first signal and the second signal, and determining the temperature error using the reflectivity.

Pyrometry error detection sensor for RTP temperature control system

A method and apparatus for determining the temperature of a substrate within a processing chamber are described herein. The methods and apparatus described herein utilize an etalon assembly and a heterodyning effect to determine a first temperature of a substrate. The first temperature of the substrate is determined without physically contacting the substrate. A separate temperature sensor also measures a second temperature of the substrate and/or the substrate support at a similar location. The first temperature and the second temperature are utilized to calibrate one of the temperature sensors disposed within the substrate support, a model of the processes performed within the processing chamber, or to adjust a process parameter of the process performed within the processing chamber.

Etalon thermometry for plasma environments

An apparatus for processing substrates includes a continuum radiation source, a source manifold optically coupled to the continuum radiation source and comprising: a plurality of beam guides, each having a first end that optically couples the beam guide to the continuum radiation source; and a second end. The apparatus also includes a detector manifold to detect radiation originating from the source manifold and transmitted through a processing area, and one or more transmission pyrometers configured to analyze the source radiation and the transmitted radiation to determine an inferred temperature proximate the processing area.

Continuous spectra transmission pyrometry

Methods, systems, and apparatus provide for optically monitoring individual lamps of substrate processing chambers. In one aspect, the individual lamps are monitored to determine if one or more lamps are in need of replacement. A method includes using one or more camera coupled to a borescope to capture a plurality of images of one or more lamps in a substrate processing chamber. The plurality of images is analyzed to identify a change of mean light pixel intensity in an image reference region associated with each lamp. The method includes generating an alert based on the detection of the mean light pixel intensity change.

Methods, systems, and apparatus for optically monitoring individual lamps

A method includes exposing a sample etalon-object to sample incident radiation, resulting in a sample transmitted radiation and sample reflected radiation; exposing a reference etalon-object to reference incident radiation, resulting in a reference transmitted radiation and reference reflected radiation; and analyzing resultant radiation for a heterodyned spectrum. The sample transmitted radiation may become the reference incident radiation, and the reference transmitted radiation may become the resultant radiation. The reference transmitted radiation may become the sample incident radiation, and the sample transmitted radiation may become the resultant radiation. The sample transmitted radiation may become the reference incident radiation, and the reference reflected radiation may become the resultant radiation. The reference transmitted radiation may become the sample incident radiation, and the sample reflected radiation may become the resultant radiation.

Temperature measurement using etalons

Examples described herein generally relate to apparatus and methods for rapid thermal processing (RTP) of a substrate. In one or more embodiments, a process chamber includes chamber body, a window disposed on a first portion of the chamber body, a chamber bottom, and a shield disposed on a second portion of the chamber body. The shield has a flat surface facing the window to reduce reflected radiant energy to a back side of a substrate disposed in the process chamber during operation. The process chamber further includes an edge support for supporting the substrate and a cooling member disposed on the chamber bottom. The cooling member is disposed in proximity of the edge support to cool the edge support during low temperature operation in order to improve the temperature uniformity of the substrate.

Thermal processing chamber with low temperature control

Examples described herein generally relate to apparatus and methods for rapid thermal processing (RTP) of a substrate. In one example, a process chamber includes chamber body, a window disposed on a first portion of the chamber body, a chamber bottom, and a shield disposed on a second portion of the chamber body. The shield has a flat surface facing the window to reduce reflected radiant energy to a back side of a substrate disposed in the process chamber during operation. The process chamber further includes an edge support for supporting the substrate and a cooling member disposed on the chamber bottom. The cooling member is disposed in proximity of the edge support to cool the edge support during low temperature operation in order to improve the temperature uniformity of the substrate.

Thermal cooling member with low temperature control

Embodiments described herein relate to the rapid thermal processing of substrates. A fiber coupled laser diode array is provided in an optical system configured to generate a uniform irradiance pattern on the surface of a substrate. A plurality of individually controllable laser diodes are optically coupled via a plurality of fibers to one or more lenses. The fiber coupled laser diode array generates a Gaussian radiation profile which is defocused by the lenses to generate a uniform intensity image. In one embodiment, a field stop is disposed within the optical system.

Fiber array line generator

Examples described herein generally relate to apparatus and methods for rapid thermal processing (RTP) of a substrate. The present disclosure discloses pulsed radiation sources, used to measure a broad range of low to high temperatures in the RTP chamber. In one example, two or more lasers, one of which emits pulses of radiation at 1,030 nm and one of which emits pulses of radiation at 1,080 nm, which measures temperatures below about 200&#xb0; C., are used. In another example, two or more LEDs, one of which emits pulses of radiation at 1,030 nm and one of which emits pulses of radiation at 1,080 nm, are used. In yet another example, a broadband radiation source is used to emit pulses of radiation at least at 1,030 nm and 1,080 nm. These radiation sources are useful for detection of a broad range of low to high temperatures in the RTP chamber.

Pulsed radiation sources for transmission pyrometry

An optical system that is able to reliably deliver a uniform amount of energy across an anneal region contained on a surface of a substrate. The optical system is adapted to deliver, or project, a uniform amount of energy having a desired two-dimensional shape on a desired region on the surface of the substrate. An energy source for the optical system is typically a plurality of lasers, which are combined to form the energy field.

Thermal processing apparatus

Apparatus and methods of processing substrates include a detector manifold to detect radiation from proximate a processing area in a chamber body; a radiation detector optically coupled to the detector manifold; and a spectral multi-notch filter. Apparatus and methods of processing substrates include detecting transmitted radiation from an emitting surface of a substrate in a chamber body; conveying at least one spectral band of the detected radiation to a photodetector; and analyzing the detected radiation in the at least one spectral band to determine an inferred temperature of the substrate.

Detector for low temperature transmission pyrometry

Embodiments described herein relate to apparatus and methods of thermal processing. More specifically, apparatus and methods described herein relate to laser thermal treatment of semiconductor substrates by increasing the uniformity of energy distribution in an image at a surface of a substrate.

Process sheet resistance uniformity improvement using multiple melt laser exposures

Apparatus and methods for combining beams of amplified radiation are disclosed. A beam combiner has a collimating optic positioned to receive a plurality of coherent radiation beams at a constant angle of incidence with respect to an optical axis of the collimating optic. The respective angles of incidence may also be different in some embodiments. The collimating optic has an optical property that collimates the beams. The optical property may be refractive or reflective, or a combination thereof. A collecting optic may also be provided to direct the plurality of beams to the collimating optic. The beam combiner may be used in a thermal processing apparatus to combine more than two beams of coherent amplified radiation, such as lasers, into a single beam.

Multiple beam combiner for laser processing apparatus

The present invention generally relates to an optical system that is able to reliably deliver a uniform amount of energy across an anneal region contained on a surface of a substrate. The optical system is adapted to deliver, or project, a uniform amount of energy having a desired two-dimensional shape on a desired region on the surface of the substrate. Typically, the anneal regions may be square or rectangular in shape. Generally, the optical system and methods of the present invention are used to preferentially anneal one or more regions found within the anneal regions by delivering enough energy to cause the one or more regions to re-melt and solidify.

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Portland, OR, United States of America

Samuel C Howells