Applied Materials, Inc.

Kla-Tencor Technologies Corporation

Other

Sergio Edelstein

Avi Tepman

Jianou Shi

Zheng Xu

Vijay D Parkhe

John C Forster

Praburam Gopalraja

Howard E Grunes

Mani Subramani

Jaim Nulman

Gregory S Horner

Shiyou Pei

Zhiwei Xu

Amin Samsavar

John M Schmidt

Thomas G Miller

Rainer Schierle

Xiaofeng Hu

Aihua Chen

Xiafang Zhang

Eric Bouche

Guoheng Zhao

Peijun Ding

Anantha K Subramani

Ashok K Sinha

Mehrdad Nikoonahad

Roderick Craig Mosely

Chien-Teh Kao

Shing Lee

Salvador P Umotoy

Gary Janik

Bradley Owen Stimson

Michael N Sugarman

Lawrence Chung-Lai Lei

Steven Aihua Chen

Nitin Khurana

Nirmalya Maity

Kenneth Tsai

James S Van Gogh

Hidong Kwak

William J Murphy

Son Trinh

Robert S West

Jeffrey Alan Rzepiela

Mark Lloyd

Debabrata Ghosh

Yiping Feng

Be Van Vo

Keiji Miyamoto

Alexander Kagan

A sputtering coil for a plasma chamber in a semiconductor fabrication system is provided. The sputtering coil couples energy into a plasma and also provides a source of sputtering material to be sputtered onto a workpiece from the coil to supplement material being sputtered from a target onto the workpiece. Alternatively a plurality of coils may be provided, one primarily for coupling energy into the plasma and the other primarily for providing a supplemental source of sputtering material to be sputtered on the workpiece.

Coils for generating a plasma and for sputtering

Systems and methods for controlling deposition of a charge on a wafer for measurement of one or more electrical properties of the wafer are provided. One system includes a corona source configured to deposit the charge on the wafer and a sensor configured to measure one or more conditions within the corona source. This system also includes a control subsystem configured to alter one or more parameters of the corona source based on the one or more conditions. Another system includes a corona source configured to deposit the charge on the wafer and a mixture of gases disposed within a discharge chamber of the corona source during the deposition of the charge. The mixture of gases alters one or more parameters of the charge deposited on the wafer.

Systems and methods for controlling deposition of a charge on a wafer for measurement of one or more electrical properties of the wafer

Systems configured to perform a non-contact method for determining a property of a specimen are provided. One system configured to perform a non-contact method for determining a property of a specimen includes a focused biasing device configured to provide a stimulus to a focused spot on the specimen. The system also includes a sensor configured to measure a parameter of a measurement spot on the specimen. The measurement spot overlaps the focused spot. The system further includes a processor configured to determine the property of the specimen from the parameter.

Systems configured to perform a non-contact method for determining a property of a specimen

Systems and methods for determining a property of a specimen are provided. The specimen may be a product wafer. The method may include biasing a focused spot on the specimen. The method may also include measuring a parameter of a measurement spot on the specimen. The measurement spot may overlap the focused spot. In addition, the method may include determining the property of the specimen from the measured parameter. Systems and methods for varying the performance of a corona source are also provided. The method may include altering a property of the environment within the corona source. The property may include, but is not limited to, temperature, pressure, humidity, and/or partial pressure of a gas within the corona source.

Contactless charge measurement of product wafers and control of corona generation and deposition

In an optical system measuring sample characteristics, by reducing the amount of ambient absorbing gas or gases and moisture present in at least a portion of the illumination and detection paths experienced by vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) radiation used in the measurement process, the attenuation of such wavelength components can be reduced. Such reduction can be accomplished by a process without requiring the evacuation of all gases and moisture from the measurement system. In one embodiment, the reduction can be accomplished by displacing at least some of the absorbing gas(es) and moisture present in at least a portion of the measuring paths so as to reduce the attenuation of VUV radiation. In this manner, the sample does not need to be placed in a vacuum, thereby enhancing system throughput.

Optical system for measuring samples using short wavelength radiation

A method of measuring electrical characteristics of a gate dielectric. The gate dielectric is local annealed by directing a highly localized energy source at the measurement area, such that the measurement area is brought to an annealing temperature while surrounding structures are not significantly heated. While heating the measurement area, a flow of a gas containing a percentage of hydrogen, deuterium, or water vapor at a flow rate is directed to the measurement area. A charge is inducted on the measurement area and the electrical characteristics of the gate dielectric are measured using non contact electrical probing.

Corona based charge voltage measurement

An improved plasma applicator for remotely generating a plasma for use in semiconductor manufacturing is provided. In one embodiment, a plasma applicator is comprised of a chamber assembly, a removable waveguide adapter and a circular clamp which secures the adapter to the chamber assembly. The chamber assembly includes an aperture plate, a microwave transparent window, a chamber body and a microwave sensor which is mounted on the chamber body. The chamber body has a proximate end opening adapted to admit microwave energy into the cavity and a distal end disposed generally on the opposite side of the cavity from the proximate end opening. The chamber body further has a gas outlet port adapted to permit the flow of an excited gas out of the cavity and a gas inlet port adapted to admit a precursor gas into the cavity. The gas inlet port has a center axis which is disposed between the proximate end opening of the chamber body and the midpoint between the proximate end opening and the distal end of the body.

Resonant chamber applicator for remote plasma source

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for achieving conformal step coverage on a substrate by PVD. A target provides a source of material to be sputtered by a plasma and then ionized. Ionization is facilitated by maintaining a sufficiently dense plasma using, for example, an inductive coil. The ionized material is then deposited on the substrate which is biased to a negative voltage. A signal provided to the target during processing includes a negative voltage portion and a zero-voltage portion. During the negative voltage portion, ions are attracted to the target to cause sputtering. During the zero-voltage portion, sputtering from the target is terminated while the bias on the substrate cause reverse sputtering therefrom. Accordingly, the negative voltage portion and the zero-voltage portion are alternated to cycle between a sputter step and a reverse sputter step. The film quality and uniformity can be controlled by adjusting the frequency of the signal, the chamber pressure, the power supplied to each of the support member and other process parameters.

Alternate steps of IMP and sputtering process to improve sidewall coverage

The present invention removes unwanted deposited material from a substrate backside by chemically dissolving the material, while substantially preventing dissolution of the material from the substrate front side. Preferably, the dissolving process is included with a spin-rinse-dry process and uses a greater flow rate of rinsing fluid directed onto the front side compared to the flow rate of dissolving fluid directed onto a substrate backside to protect the substrate front side while the unwanted backside material is removed. The present invention includes the method of dissolving the unwanted material from the backside and edge and the associated apparatus.

Spin-rinse-drying process for electroplated semiconductor wafers

A combination coil and shield for a plasma chamber in a semiconductor fabrication system is provided. The coil-shield has a plurality of turns to couple energy efficiently into a plasma and also substantially blocks deposition material from reaching a second shield positioned behind the first shield.

Active shield for generating a plasma for sputtering

A recessed coil for a plasma chamber in a semiconductor fabrication system is provided. Recessing the coil reduces deposition of material onto the coil which in turn leads to a reduction in particulate matter shed by the coil onto the workpiece.

Recessed coil for generating a plasma

Growing community of inventors

Los Gatos, CA, United States of America

Sergio Edelstein