Applied Materials, Inc.

Novellus Systems Incorporated

Shannon M Hart

Alan R Popiolkowski

Marc O Schweitzer

Alan Liu

Jennifer L Watia

Brian T West

Mark D Menzie

Raymond Gristi

Norman Cowan

Allen Thompson

A textured process shield and similar parts may be formed and textured in the same forming process using a mandrel. The mandrel may have movable portions that may be set into a forming die position to form and texture a workpiece into a process shield and collapsed to allow the process shield to be removed from the mandrel. The movable portions may include several textured shoes supported by movable jaws. The movable portions may also include a contact surface having angled indentations.

Method and apparatus for forming and texturing process shields

A method and system for providing a texture to a surface of a workpiece is provided. The method comprises providing a workpiece to a texturizing chamber and scanning a beam of electromagnetic energy across the surface of the workpiece to form a plurality of features thereon. The features formed are generally depressions, protuberances, and combinations thereof. Also provided is a method of reducing contamination in a process chamber. The method comprises scanning a beam of electromagnetic energy across a surface of one or more process chamber components to form a plurality of features thereon, positioning the one or more chamber components into a process chamber, and initiating a process sequence within the process chamber.

Method of surface texturizing

A method and system for providing a texture to a surface of a workpiece, such as a chamber component is provided. The method comprises providing a workpiece to a texturizing chamber and scanning a beam of electromagnetic energy across the surface of the workpiece to form a plurality of features thereon. The features formed are generally depressions, protuberances, and combinations thereof. The chamber components may include, for example, a chamber shield and related assembly, a target, a shadow ring, a contact ring, a substrate support or other component disposable within a processing chamber. Also provided is a method of reducing contamination in a process chamber. The method comprises scanning a beam of electromagnetic energy across a surface of one or more process chamber components to form a plurality of features thereon, positioning the one or more chamber components into a process chamber, and initiating a process sequence within the process chamber.

A valve system is provided for operatively coupling a high pressure source to a processing chamber that selectively cycles between high pressure and vacuum. The valve system includes a branch passageway that selectively communicates a source of intermediate pressure to a main passageway that couples the high pressure source to the processing chamber. The source of intermediate pressure may comprise a vent, a pump, or a source of pressurized fluid, etc. An inventive valve for sealing between the intermediate pressure and the vacuum pressure is also provided. The inlet of the valve is operatively coupled to the high pressure source (via one or more valves) and the outlet of the valve is operatively coupled to the processing chamber (via one or more valves). The valve stem is in continuous fluid contact with the inlet and is configured for high pressure sealing, and the outlet is configured for low pressure sealing and preferably comprises a resilient sealing member.

High pressure/vacuum isolation apparatus and method

A high pressure fitting configured to be weldingly coupled to high pressure tubing is provided. The high pressure fitting and/or the tubing welded thereto may be chamfered to provided a smoother welded joint. The interior surface finish of the fitting is smoothed via an abrasive fluid flowed through the fitting's fluid passageway. In fittings comprising a corner, the inner edge of the corner may be rounded by forcibly flowing an abrasive fluid through the fitting. Electropolishing further smoothes the interior surfaces. The inventive fitting allows flow system tolerancing to be tightly controlled by determining a desired distance between two high pressure fittings to be coupled, and adjusting the desired distance by a welded length variable.

Growing community of inventors

Campbell, CA, United States of America

Shannon M Hart