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:
Jul. 15, 2014
Filed:
Jul. 27, 2011
Tatsuya E. Sato, San Jose, CA (US);
David Thompson, San Jose, CA (US);
Jeffrey W. Anthis, San Jose, CA (US);
Vladimir Zubkov, Mountain View, CA (US);
Steven Verhaverbeke, San Francisco, CA (US);
Roman Gouk, San Jose, CA (US);
Maitreyee Mahajani, Saratoga, CA (US);
Patricia M. Liu, Saratoga, CA (US);
Malcolm J. Bevan, Santa Clara, CA (US);
Tatsuya E. Sato, San Jose, CA (US);
David Thompson, San Jose, CA (US);
Jeffrey W. Anthis, San Jose, CA (US);
Vladimir Zubkov, Mountain View, CA (US);
Steven Verhaverbeke, San Francisco, CA (US);
Roman Gouk, San Jose, CA (US);
Maitreyee Mahajani, Saratoga, CA (US);
Patricia M. Liu, Saratoga, CA (US);
Malcolm J. Bevan, Santa Clara, CA (US);
Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US);
Abstract
Methods for preparing a substrate for a subsequent film formation process are described. Methods for preparing a substrate for a subsequent film formation process, without immersion in an aqueous solution, are also described. A process is described that includes disposing a substrate into a process chamber, the substrate having a thermal oxide surface with substantially no reactive surface terminations. The thermal oxide surface is exposed to a partial pressure of water below the saturated vapor pressure at a temperature of the substrate to convert the dense thermal oxide with substantially no reactive surface terminations to a surface with hydroxyl surface terminations. This can occur in the presence of a Lewis base such as ammonia.