Lam Research Corporation

Advanced Micro-fabrication Equipment, Inc. Asia

Tom Ni

Michael S Barnes

Brian K McMillin

Ramesh Gopalan

Conan Chiang

Sridharan Srivatsan

Katgenhalli Y Ramanujam

Ye Wy Wang

Jinyuan Chen

Yuehong Fu

Zhaoyang Xu

Huong Nguyen

Qing Qian

Vikram Singh

Xusheng Zhou

Richard Yen-chang Yang

A plasma confinement apparatus, and method for confining a plasma are described and which includes, in one form of the invention, a plurality of electrically insulated components which are disposed in predetermined spaced relation, one relative to the others, and surrounding a processing region of a plasma processing apparatus, and wherein a plurality of passageways are defined between the respective insulated components; and at least one electrically conductive and grounded component forms an electrical field shielding for the processing region.

Plasma confinement apparatus, and method for confining a plasma

A method for planarizing a semiconductor substrate is provided. The method initiates with tracking a signal corresponding to a thickness of a conductive film disposed on the semiconductor substrate. Then, a second derivative is calculated from data representing the tracked signal. Next, the onset of planarization is identified based upon a change in the second derivative. A CMP system configured to identify a transition between stages of the CMP operation is also provided.

Method and apparatus for detecting planarization of metal films prior to clearing

A plasma processing system and method for processing substrates such as by chemical vapor deposition or etching. The system includes a plasma processing chamber, a substrate support for supporting a substrate within the processing chamber, a dielectric member having an interior surface facing the substrate support, the dielectric member forming a wall of the processing chamber, a primary gas supply supplying a primary gas such as process gas into the chamber, a secondary gas supply supplying a secondary gas such as a substantially inert, a substrate passivating or a reactant scavenging gas into the chamber, and an RF energy source such as a planar coil which inductively couples RF energy through the dielectric member and into the chamber to energize the primary gas into a plasma state. The secondary gas is concentrated near the periphery of the substrate, improving etching/deposition uniformity across the substrate surface.

Method and apparatus for improving etch and deposition uniformity in

A plasma processing system for plasma processing of substrates such as semiconductor wafers. The system includes a plasma processing chamber, a substrate support for supporting a substrate within the processing chamber, a dielectric member having an interior surface facing the substrate support, the dielectric member forming a wall of the processing chamber, a gas supply comprising one or more injector tubes extending rectilinearly in the plasma processing chamber and having one or more orifices in a sidewall for supplying gas into the chamber, and an RF energy source such as a planar coil which inductively couples RF energy through the dielectric member and into the chamber to energize the process gas into a plasma state. The gas is supplied through orifices located outside of regions at the distal tip of the injector tubes where electric field lines are concentrated. The arrangement minimizes clogging of the orifices since the orifices are located away from areas where most build-up of process byproducts occur on the injector tube.

Gas injection system for plasma processing

Growing community of inventors

Pleasanton, CA, United States of America

Tom Ni