Applied Materials, Inc.

Sumit Subhash Patankar

Allen L D'Ambra

Shantanu Rajiv Gadgil

Nathan Arron Davis

Michael J Coughlin

Fred Eric Ruhland

Vijay D Parkhe

Mingwei Zhu

Daniel Lee Diehl

Roy C Nangoy

Hiroyuki Takahama

Randy D Schmieding

Sudhir R Gondhalekar

Tanmay Pramod Gurjar

A polishing liquid delivery arm cleaning tool includes a body configured to be removably secured to a polishing liquid delivery arm of a chemical mechanical polishing system, and an insert removably secured to the body. The insert has an arm-facing surface shaped to direct a cleaning fluid from the polishing liquid delivery arm back to an inner surface of an enclosure of the polishing liquid delivery arm.

Cleaning system for polishing liquid delivery arm

A polishing assembly includes a rotatable platen to support a polishing pad, a polishing liquid delivery arm having an enclosure open at a bottom thereof and one or more ports to deliver a polishing liquid and a cleaning fluid downwardly through an interior space of the enclosure onto the polishing pad, and a delivery arm cleaning tool removably attached to the polishing liquid delivery arm, the cleaning tool extending below the delivery arm and having a delivery arm-facing surface shaped such that the cleaning tool directs the cleaning fluid from the polishing liquid delivery arm on to a surface of the enclosure of the polishing liquid delivery arm.

A method of cleaning a conditioner head includes bringing two clamps of a cleaning tool inward toward a disk-shaped pad conditioner head to press a sponge against an outer surface of the disk-shaped pad conditioner head, and creating relative motion between the cleaning tool and the pad conditioner head to wipe the sponge against the pad conditioner head.

Pad conditioner cleaning system

Embodiments of a substrate carrier are provided herein. In some embodiments, a substrate carrier includes a base plate, wherein the base plate is a thin, solid plate with no through holes or embedded components; and a plurality of raised portions extending from the base plate, wherein the plurality of raised portions include first raised portions and second raised portions, the first raised portions disposed radially inward from the second raised portions, wherein the base plate and the plurality of raised portions define pockets configured to retain a plurality of substrates, and wherein an upper surface of the second raised portions have a greater surface area than an upper surface of the first raised portions.

Substrate carrier

Chemically impregnated applicators used to provide hydrophobic surfaces on chemical mechanical polishing system components and related application methods are shown. A method of forming a hydrophobic coating on a surface of a polishing system component includes cleaning the surface of the polishing system component to remove a polishing fluid residue therefrom and applying a hydrophobicity causing chemical solution to the surface of the polishing system component.

Maintenance methods for polishing systems and articles related thereto

In a chemical mechanical polishing system, a platen shield cleaning assembly is installed on a rotatable platen in a gap between the rotatable platen and a platen shield. The assembly includes a sponge holder attached to the platen and a sponge. The sponge is held by the sponge holder such that an outer surface of the sponge is pressed against an inner surface of the platen shield.

Platen shield cleaning system

Exemplary semiconductor processing systems may include a remote plasma source. The remote plasma source may include a first plasma block segment defining an inlet to an internal channel of the first plasma block segment. The first plasma block segment may also define a cooling channel between the internal channel of the first plasma block segment and a first exterior surface of the first plasma block segment. The remote plasma source may include a second plasma block segment defining an outlet from an internal channel of the second plasma block segment. The second plasma block segment may also define a cooling channel between the internal channel of the second plasma block segment and a first exterior surface of the second plasma block segment. The systems may include a semiconductor processing chamber defining an inlet fluidly coupled with the outlet from the remote plasma source.

Plasma block with integrated cooling

Embodiments of substrate supports for use in a process chamber are provided herein. In some embodiments a substrate support for use in a process chamber includes a pedestal having an upper surface for supporting a substrate and an opposite lower surface, a first heater disposed within the pedestal between the upper surface and the lower surface, and thermal baffles having a plurality of voids that are fluidly isolated from each other disposed between the first heater and the lower surface to reduce heat transfer from the first heater to the lower surface of the pedestal.

Heated substrate support with thermal baffles

Chemically impregnated applicators used to provide hydrophobic surfaces on chemical mechanical polishing system components and related application methods. A method of forming a hydrophobic coating on a surface of a polishing system component includes cleaning the surface of the polishing system component to remove a polishing fluid residue therefrom and applying a hydrophobicity causing chemical solution to the surface of the polishing system component.

A pad conditioner head cleaning tool has a first clamp configured to removably engage a first portion of a sponge against an outer surface of a disk-shaped pad conditioner head at a first location, a second clamp configured to removable engage a second portion of the sponge against the outer surface of the disk-shaped pad conditioner head at a second location, and an arm coupling the first clamp to the second clamp. The arm is sufficiently flexible to permit the first clamp and the second clamp to be separated to fit around the disk-shaped pad conditioner head and sufficiently tensile to bias the first clamp and the second clamp inwardly to press the sponge against an outer surface of a pad conditioner head.

Growing community of inventors

Fremont, CA, United States of America

Sumit Subhash Patankar