Applied Materials, Inc.

Xue Chang

Andrew Nguyen

Timothy Joseph Franklin

Yogananda Sarode Vishwanath

Anwar Husain

Alexander Sulyman

Daniel Sang Byun

Joseph Frederick Sommers

Carlaton Wong

Anilkumar Rayaroth

Balachandra Jatak Narayan

Chetan Naik

Rohan Vijay Rane

Kartik Ramaswamy

Rajinder Dhindsa

John C Forster

Xianmin Tang

Shahid Rauf

James Rogers

Tza-Jing Gung

Yu Lei

Steven E Babayan

Haitao Wang

Jason Andrew Kenney

Reza Sadjadi

Joseph Frederick Behnke

Yogananda Sarode

Kei-Yu Ko

Abilash Sainath

Porous plugs for gas delivery in substrate supports and substrate supports and substrate processing chambers incorporating same are provided herein. In some embodiments, a porous plug for use in a substrate support includes: a porous central passageway; and a solid outer shell bonded to and surrounding the porous central passageway such that there is no continuous gap between the porous central passageway and the solid outer shell along an entire length of the porous plug, wherein the solid outer shell includes sealing surfaces disposed on ends of the solid outer shell to facilitate forming a seal along the sealing surface and surrounding the porous central passageway. In some embodiments, one or more o-ring retaining grooves can be formed about the outer surface of the solid outer shell.

Porous plug for electrostatic chuck gas delivery

Baffle for anti-rotation process kit for substrate processing chamber

Methods and apparatus for a lift pin mechanism for substrate processing chambers are provided herein. In some embodiments, the lift pin mechanism includes a lift pin comprising a shaft with a top end, a bottom end, and a coupling end at the bottom end; a bellows assembly disposed about the shaft. The bellows assembly includes an upper bellows flange having an opening for axial movement of the shaft; a bellows having a first end coupled to a lower surface of the upper bellows flange such that the shaft extends into a central volume surrounded by the bellows; and a bellows guide assembly coupled to a second end of the bellows to seal the central volume. The shaft is coupled to the bellows guide assembly at the coupling end. The bellows guide assembly is axially movable to move the lift pin with respect to the upper bellows flange.

Lift pin mechanism

A method includes depositing a first layer of a first material onto a surface of a chamber component of a processing chamber. The first material comprises a polymer, the polymer having a dielectric strength of at least 40 MV/m. The method further includes depositing a second layer of a second material onto the first layer. The second material comprises a first ceramic material impregnated into the first polymer or a second polymer. The method further includes depositing a third layer. The third layer is of a third material. The third material includes the first ceramic material or a second ceramic material. The third material does not adhere to the first polymer or the second polymer. The third material does adhere to the first ceramic material or the second ceramic material of the second layer.

Plasma resistant arc preventative coatings for manufacturing equipment components

Methods and systems for in-situ temperature control are provided. The method includes delivering a temperature-sensing disc into a processing region of a processing chamber without breaking vacuum. The temperature-sensing disc includes one or more cameras configured to perform IR-based imaging. The method further includes measuring a temperature of at least one region of at least one chamber surface in the processing region of the processing chamber by imaging the at least one surface using the temperature-sensing disc. The method further includes comparing the measured temperature to a desired temperature to determine a temperature difference. The method further includes adjusting a temperature of the at least one chamber surface to compensate for the temperature difference.

In-situ semiconductor processing chamber temperature apparatus

Ring for an anti-rotation process kit for a substrate processing chamber

Embodiments of process kits for use in a process chamber are provided herein. In some embodiments, a process kit for use in a process chamber includes: a chamber liner having a tubular body with an upper portion and a lower portion; a confinement plate coupled to the lower portion of the chamber liner and extending radially inward from the chamber liner, wherein the confinement plate includes a plurality of slots; a shield ring disposed within the chamber liner and movable between the upper portion of the chamber liner and the lower portion of the chamber liner; and a plurality of ground straps coupled to the shield ring at a first end of each ground strap of the plurality of ground straps and to the confinement plate at a second end of each ground strap to maintain electrical connection between the shield ring and the chamber liner when the shield ring moves.

Metal oxide preclean chamber with improved selectivity and flow conductance

Methods and apparatus for lift pin assemblies for substrate processing chambers are provided. In some embodiments, a lift pin assembly includes a lift pin comprising a shaft, a head, and a coupling end, the head configured to rest against an electrostatic chuck; an upper guide comprising a top end, a bottom end, and a first opening extending from the top end to the bottom end, wherein the shaft is disposed and axially movable through the first opening; a lower guide comprising a top end, a bottom end, and a second opening and a third opening extending from the top end to the bottom end, wherein the third opening is larger than the second opening, and wherein the shaft is disposed and axially movable through the second opening and the third opening; and a biasing mechanism coupled to the shaft and configured to bias the lift pin against the electrostatic chuck.

Lift pin assembly

Embodiments of symmetric flow valves for use in a substrate processing chamber are provided herein. In some embodiments, a symmetric flow valve includes a valve body having sidewalls, a bottom plate, and a top plate that together define an interior volume, wherein the top plate includes one or more axisymmetrically disposed openings; a poppet disposed in the interior volume, wherein the poppet includes a central opening and a plurality of portions configured to selectively seal the one or more axisymmetrically disposed openings of the top plate when the symmetric flow valve is in a closed position; and a first actuator coupled to the poppet to position the poppet within the interior volume in at least an open position, where the poppet is spaced apart from the top plate to allow flow through the one or more axisymmetrically disposed openings of the top plate, and the closed position.

Symmetric flow valve for flow conductance control

Implementations of the present disclosure provide a process kit for an electrostatic chuck. In one implementation, a substrate support assembly is provided. The substrate support assembly includes an electrostatic chuck having a first recess formed in an upper portion of the electrostatic chuck. A process kit surrounds the electrostatic chuck. The process kit includes an inner ring and an outer ring disposed radially outward of the inner ring. The outer ring includes a second recess formed in an upper portion of the upper ring. The inner ring is positioned within and is supported by the first recess and the second recess. An upper surface of the inner ring and an upper surface of the outer ring are co-planar.

Apparatus to reduce polymers deposition

Embodiments of process kit components for use in a substrate support, and substrate supports incorporating same, are provided herein. In some embodiments, the substrate support may include a body, a grounding shell formed of an electrically conductive material disposed about the body, a liner formed of an electrically conductive material disposed about the grounding shell, where the liner includes an upper lip that extends inwardly towards the body, a metal fastener disposed through the upper lip to couple the liner to the grounding shell, and a first insulator ring disposed atop the upper lip of the liner and covering the metal fastener.

Apparatus to reduce contamination in a plasma etching chamber

Symmetric flow valve for higher flow conductance

Apparatuses and methods for in-situ temperature measurement of a process chamber are described herein. A process chamber includes an infrared (IR) sensor mounted to the chamber wall. The IR sensor is mounted such that it can be oriented to receive an IR wave from targets within the process chamber through a view port in the chamber wall to detect a temperature of a surface inside the chamber, or to receive an IR wave from a target outside of the process chamber to detect an atmospheric temperature or a temperature of an exterior surface of the process chamber. As the orientation of the IR sensor is controllable to receive the IR wave from selected directions, it may be used to detect the temperature of various targets inside and outside the process chamber. The obtained temperature information is useful to improve overall chamber matching, processing throughput, and uniformity.

In-situ temperature measurement for inside of process chamber

A method and apparatus for processing substrates in tandem processing regions of a plasma chamber is provided. In one example, the apparatus is embodied as a plasma chamber that includes a chamber body having a first chamber side with a first processing region and a second chamber side with a second processing region. The chamber body has a front wall and a bottom wall. A first chamber side port, a second chamber side port, and a vacuum port are disposed through the bottom wall. The vacuum port is at least part of an exhaust path for each of the processing regions. A vacuum house extends from the front wall and defines a second portion of the vacuum port. A substrate support is disposed in each of the processing regions, and a stem is coupled to each substrate support. Each stem extends through a chamber side port.

Plasma chamber with tandem processing regions

Process chambers having a tunable showerhead and a tunable liner are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a processing chamber includes a showerhead; a chamber liner; a first impedance circuit coupled to the showerhead to tune an impedance of the showerhead; a second impedance circuit coupled to the chamber liner to tune an impedance of the chamber liner; and a controller coupled to the first and second impedance circuits to control relative impedances of the showerhead and the chamber liner.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Xue Chang