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:
Aug. 04, 2026
Filed:
Aug. 31, 2022
Applicant:
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Hsinchu, TW;
Inventors:
Assignee:
TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD., Hsinchu, TW;
Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Assistant Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
H10P 72/76 (2026.01); H10P 50/00 (2026.01); H10P 50/26 (2026.01); H10P 50/28 (2026.01); H01J 37/32 (2006.01);
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
H10P 72/7606 (2026.01); H10P 50/267 (2026.01); H10P 50/283 (2026.01); H10P 50/71 (2026.01); H10P 50/73 (2026.01); H10P 72/7611 (2026.01); H01J 37/32642 (2013.01); H01J 37/32724 (2013.01); H01J 2237/3341 (2013.01); H01J 2237/3345 (2013.01);
Abstract
Methods and systems for dry etching are disclosed. The system includes a wafer clamp ring having a central opening through which a substrate may be treated and a plurality of smaller, outer support holes for receiving pins from plunger assemblies. The outer support holes are tapered and change in diameter. The tapered shape reduces horizontal shifting of the wafer clamp ring which can occur as the wafer clamp ring is moved up-and-down during operational use. The reduced shifting increases wafer yield along the edges of the wafer.