The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 17, 2026
Filed:
Sep. 20, 2022
Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US);
David Gahan, Terenure Dublin, IE;
Jj Lennon, Ballymun, IE;
Paul Scullin, Dublin, IE;
James Doyle, Wexford, IE;
Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US);
Abstract
Methods for obtaining ion energy distribution measurements in a plasma processing system are described. A substrate is placed in the system with an ion energy analyser embedded within it. The analyser consists of multiple conductive grids and a collection electrode, separated by insulating layers. A high-voltage generating circuit within the substrate is powered by a battery and applies voltage to the first grid. A high-voltage switch discharges the first grid to a floating ground, with a resistor in parallel. Ion current is sampled in two stages: first, while charging the first grid from floating ground to a plateau voltage, and second, while discharging through the resistor from a predetermined voltage to the plateau voltage. This setup allows for precise measurement of ion energy distribution at the substrate surface during plasma processing.