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:
Feb. 17, 2004
Filed:
Dec. 22, 2000
Jeng H. Hwang, Cupertino, CA (US);
Xiaoyi Chen, Redwood City, CA (US);
Applied Materials Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US);
Abstract
We have discovered a method of reducing the effect of material sputtered/etched during the preheating of a substrate. One embodiment of the method pertains to the preheating of a substrate which includes a material which is to be pattern etched at a temperature in excess of 150° C. The method comprises exposing the substrate to a preheating plasma generated from a plasma source gas which includes a reactive gas that aids in the production of a sputtered/etched residue during the preheating which is more easily etched during a subsequent pattern etching step than the material which is being pattern etched. In another embodiment of the method, the reactive gas in the preheating plasma source gas is slightly reactive with the material which is to etched during the subsequent pattern etching step.