Applied Materials, Inc.

Troy S Detrick

Kartik Ramaswamy

Kenneth S Collins

Hiroji Hanawa

Steven C Shannon

Andrew Nguyen

Shahid Rauf

Kallol Bera

James P Cruse

Lawrence Wong

Jennifer Y Sun

James D Carducci

Douglas A Buchberger, Jr

Matthew L Miller

Walter R Merry

Subhash Deshmukh

Fred Conrad Redeker

Tetsuya Ishikawa

Jay D Pinson, Ii

Daniel John Hoffman

Shijian Li

Alexander Miller Paterson

Bryan Y Pu

Zheng John Ye

Dennis Stanley Grimard

Romuald Nowak

Satoru Kobayashi

Theodoros Panagopoulos

Jingbao Liu

Michael G Chafin

Manus K Wong

Taeho Shin

Kaveh F Niazi

Kenneth D Smyth

Embodiments of the present invention provide methods and apparatus for analyzing thermal properties of bonding materials within a composite structure. One embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus for analyzing thermal property of a bonding material within a structure. The apparatus comprises a structure support having a supporting surface configured to support the structure, a heat source configured to direct a heat flux to the structure supported by the supporting surface of the structure support, and a camera facing the structure supported on the structure support and configured to capture thermal images of the structure supported on the structure support.

Apparatus and method for analyzing thermal properties of composite structures

A method of processing a workpiece in a plasma reactor chamber includes coupling RF power via an electrode to plasma in the chamber, the RF power being of a variable frequency in a frequency range that includes a fundamental frequency f. The method also includes coupling the electrode to a resonator having a resonant VHF frequency F which is a harmonic of the fundamental frequency f, so as to produce VHF power at the harmonic. The method controls the ratio of power near the fundamental f to power at harmonic F, by controlling the proportion of power from the generator that is up-converted from f to F, so as to control plasma ion density distribution.

Plasma process uniformity across a wafer by controlling a variable frequency coupled to a harmonic resonator

A method is provided for processing a workpiece in a plasma reactor chamber. The method includes coupling, to a plasma in the chamber, power of an RF frequency via a ceiling electrode and coupling, to the plasma, power of at least approximately the same RF frequency via a workpiece support electrode. The method also includes providing an edge ground return path. The method further includes adjusting the proportion between (a) current flow between said electrodes and (b) current flow to the edge ground return path from said electrodes, to control plasma ion density distribution uniformity over the workpiece.

Plasma process uniformity across a wafer by controlling RF phase between opposing electrodes

RF ground return current flow is diverted away from asymmetrical features of the reactor chamber by providing bypass current flow paths. One bypass current flow path avoids the pumping port in the chamber floor, and comprises a conductive symmetrical grill extending from the side wall to the grounded pedestal base. Another bypass current flow path avoids the wafer slit valve, and comprises an array of conductive straps bridging the section of the sidewall occupied by the slit valve.

Plasma reactor with reduced electrical skew using electrical bypass elements

A method for processing a workpiece in a plasma reactor chamber includes coupling RF power at a first VHF frequency fto a plasma via one of the electrodes of the chamber, and providing a center ground return path for RF current passing directly between the ceiling electrode and the workpiece support electrode for the frequency f. The method further includes providing a variable height edge ground annular element and providing a ground return path through the edge ground annular element for the frequency f. The method controls the uniformity of plasma ion density distribution by controlling the distance between the variable height edge ground annular element and one of: (a) height of ceiling electrode or (b) height of workpiece support electrode.

Method of processing a workpiece in a plasma reactor with variable height ground return path to control plasma ion density uniformity

In a plasma reactor chamber a ceiling electrode and a workpiece support electrode, respective RF power sources of respective VHF frequencies fand fare coupled to either respective ones of the electrodes or to a common one of the electrodes, where fis sufficiently high to produce a center-high non-uniform plasma ion distribution and fis sufficiently low to produce a center-low non-uniform plasma ion distribution. Respective center ground return paths are provided for RF current passing directly between the ceiling electrode and the workpiece support electrode for the frequencies fand f, and an edge ground return path is provided for each of the frequencies fand f. The impedance of at least one of the ground return paths is adjusted so as to control the uniformity of the plasma ion density distribution.

Plasma process uniformity across a wafer by apportioning ground return path impedances among plural VHF sources

A method is provided for processing a workpiece in a plasma reactor chamber having electrodes including at least a ceiling electrode and a workpiece support electrode. The method includes coupling respective RF power sources of respective VHF frequencies fand fto either (a) respective ones of the electrodes or (b) a common one of the electrodes, where fis sufficiently high to produce a center-high non-uniform plasma ion distribution and fis sufficiently low to produce a center-low non-uniform plasma ion distribution. The method further includes adjusting a ratio of an RF parameter at the ffrequency to the RF parameter at the ffrequency so as to control plasma ion density distribution, the RF parameter being any one of RF power, RF voltage or RF current.

Improving plasma process uniformity across a wafer by apportioning power among plural VHF sources

A method and apparatus for controlling characteristics of a plasma in a semiconductor substrate processing chamber using a dual frequency RF source is provided. The method comprises supplying a first RF signal to a first electrode disposed in a processing chamber, and supplying a second RF signal to the first electrode, wherein an interaction between the first and second RF signals is used to control at least one characteristic of a plasma formed in the processing chamber.

Plasma control using dual cathode frequency mixing

The present invention provides an HDP-CVD tool using simultaneous deposition and sputtering of doped and undoped silicon dioxide capable of excellent gap fill and blanket film deposition on wafers. The tool of the present invention includes: a dual RF zone inductively coupled plasma source; a dual zone gas distribution system; temperature controlled surfaces within the tool; a symmetrically shaped turbomolecular pumped chamber body; a dual cooling zone electrostatic chuck; an all ceramic/aluminum alloy chamber; and a remote plasma chamber cleaning system.

Inductively coupled HDP-CVD reactor

Multi-zone RF inductively coupled source configuration

Growing community of inventors

Los Altos, CA, United States of America

Troy S Detrick