公开(公告)号：US20210296131A1

公开(公告)日：2021-09-23

申请号：US17333790

申请日：2021-05-28

Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

Inventor： Kartik Ramaswamy ,  Yang Yang ,  Kenneth Collins ,  Steven Lane ,  Gonzalo Monroy ,  Yue Guo

IPC: H01L21/3065 ,  H01J37/305 ,  H01J37/32 ,  H01L21/67

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate are provided herein. For example, a method for processing a substrate includes applying at least one of low frequency RF power or DC power to an upper electrode formed from a high secondary electron emission coefficient material disposed adjacent to a process volume; generating a plasma comprising ions in the process volume; bombarding the upper electrode with the ions to cause the upper electrode to emit electrons and form an electron beam; and applying a bias power comprising at least one of low frequency RF power or high frequency RF power to a lower electrode disposed in the process volume to accelerate electrons of the electron beam toward the lower electrode.

公开(公告)号：US20210287907A1

公开(公告)日：2021-09-16

申请号：US17336580

申请日：2021-06-02

Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

Inventor： Kartik Ramaswamy ,  Yang Yang ,  Kenneth Collins ,  Steven Lane ,  Gonzalo Monroy ,  Yue Guo

IPC: H01L21/3065 ,  H01J37/305 ,  H01J37/32 ,  H01L21/67

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate are provided herein. For example, a method for processing a substrate includes applying at least one of low frequency RF power or DC power to an upper electrode formed from a high secondary electron emission coefficient material disposed adjacent to a process volume; generating a plasma comprising ions in the process volume; bombarding the upper electrode with the ions to cause the upper electrode to emit electrons and form an electron beam; and applying a bias power comprising at least one of low frequency RF power or high frequency RF power to a lower electrode disposed in the process volume to accelerate electrons of the electron beam toward the lower electrode.

公开(公告)号：US11043372B2

公开(公告)日：2021-06-22

申请号：US15979842

申请日：2018-05-15

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Eswaranand Venkatasubramanian ,  Samuel E. Gottheim ,  Yang Yang ,  Pramit Manna ,  Kartik Ramaswamy ,  Takehito Koshizawa ,  Abhijit Basu Mallick ,  Srinivas Gandikota

IPC: H01L21/683 ,  H01L21/033 ,  H01L21/02 ,  H01L21/311 ,  H01J37/32 ,  C23C16/27 ,  C23C16/505 ,  C23C16/56 ,  G03F7/20 ,  H01L21/67 ,  C23C16/458 ,  C23C16/26 ,  H01L27/11551 ,  H01L27/11578 ,  H01L27/11582 ,  H01L27/11556

Abstract: Implementations of the present disclosure generally relate to the fabrication of integrated circuits. More particularly, the implementations described herein provide techniques for deposition of high-density films for patterning applications. In one implementation, a method of processing a substrate is provided. The method includes flowing a hydrocarbon-containing gas mixture into a processing volume of a process chamber having a substrate positioned on an electrostatic chuck. The substrate is maintained at a pressure between about 0.5 mTorr and about 10 Torr. The method further includes generating a plasma at the substrate level by applying a first RF bias to the electrostatic chuck to deposit a diamond-like carbon film on the substrate. The diamond-like carbon film has a density greater than 1.8 g/cc and a stress less than −500 MPa.

公开(公告)号：US11003080B2

公开(公告)日：2021-05-11

申请号：US16138142

申请日：2018-09-21

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Kartik Ramaswamy ,  Srinivas D. Nemani

IPC: G03F7/20 ,  G03F7/26 ,  H01J11/22 ,  H01J11/32 ,  H01J37/32 ,  H05H1/48 ,  H05H1/24

Abstract: A method and apparatus disclosed herein apply to processing a substrate, and more specifically to a method and apparatus for improving photolithography processes. The apparatus includes a chamber body, a substrate support disposed within the chamber body, and an electrode assembly. The substrate support has a top plate disposed above the substrate support, a bottom plate disposed below the substrate support, and a plurality of electrodes connecting the top plate to the bottom plate. A voltage is applied to the plurality of electrodes to generate an electric field. Methods for exposing a photoresist layer on a substrate to an electric field are also disclosed herein.

公开(公告)号：US10818561B2

公开(公告)日：2020-10-27

申请号：US15009705

申请日：2016-01-28

Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

Inventor： Leonard Tedeschi ,  Kartik Ramaswamy

IPC: G01N33/00 ,  H01L21/66 ,  H01L21/67 ,  G01D21/02

Abstract: Embodiments include process monitoring devices and methods of using such process monitoring devices. In one embodiment, the process monitoring device includes a substrate. The process monitoring device may also include a plurality of sensors formed on a support surface of the substrate. According to an embodiment, each sensor is capable of producing an output signal that corresponds to a processing condition. Furthermore, embodiments include a process monitoring device that includes a network interface device that is formed on the substrate. According to an embodiment each of the plurality of sensors is communicatively coupled to the network interface device. The network interface device allows for the output signals obtained from the sensors to be wirelessly transmitted to an external computer during processing operations.

公开(公告)号：US10745807B2

公开(公告)日：2020-08-18

申请号：US16418994

申请日：2019-05-21

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Haitao Wang ,  Hamid Noorbakhsh ,  Chunlei Zhang ,  Sergio Fukuda Shoji ,  Kartik Ramaswamy ,  Roland Smith ,  Brad L. Mays

IPC: C23C16/40 ,  C23C16/455 ,  C23C16/44 ,  H01J37/32

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a showerhead assembly for use in a processing chamber. The showerhead assembly includes a porous insert disposed in a space defined between a gas distribution plate and a base plate to moderate the corrosive radicals resulting from plasma ignition to reduce particle issues and metal contamination in the chamber. The porous insert is a conductive material, such as metal, used to reduce the gap electrical field strength, or may be a dielectric material such as ceramic, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyamide-imide, or other materials with a low dielectric loss and high electrical field strength under conditions of high frequency and strong electric fields. As such, the electrical breakdown threshold is enhanced. The porous insert may reduce and/or eliminate showerhead backside plasma ignition and may include multiple concentric narrow rings that cover gas holes of the gas distribution plate.

公开(公告)号：US10475626B2

公开(公告)日：2019-11-12

申请号：US14660531

申请日：2015-03-17

Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

Inventor： Kenneth S. Collins ,  Kartik Ramaswamy ,  James D. Carducci ,  Shahid Rauf ,  Leonid Dorf ,  Yang Yang

IPC: H01L21/00 ,  C23C16/00 ,  H01J37/32

Abstract: A reactor with an overhead electron beam source is capable of generating an ion-ion plasma for performing an atomic layer etch process.

公开(公告)号：US20190330748A1

公开(公告)日：2019-10-31

申请号：US16505530

申请日：2019-07-08

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Andrew Nguyen ,  Kenneth S. Collins ,  Kartik Ramaswamy

IPC: C23F1/08 ,  H01J37/32 ,  H05H1/46 ,  C23C14/28 ,  B01J12/00

Abstract: A gas distribution hub for a plasma reactor chamber has a nozzle includes an inner gas injection passage and an outer gas injection passage, each open to a bottom surface of the hub. For each of the inner and outer gas injection passages, multiple radial elevated feed lines have input ends at a periphery of the hub to receive gas and output ends overlying the respective gas injection passage. Respective axial drop lines connect the respective output ends of the radial elevated feed lines to the respective gas injection passages.

公开(公告)号：US10418225B2

公开(公告)日：2019-09-17

申请号：US16107855

申请日：2018-08-21

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Kenneth S. Collins ,  Michael R. Rice ,  Kartik Ramaswamy ,  James D. Carducci ,  Yue Guo ,  Olga Regelman

IPC: H01J37/32

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide a plasma source assembly and process chamber design that can be used for any number of substrate processing techniques. The plasma source may include a plurality of discrete electrodes that are integrated with a reference electrode and a gas feed structure to generate a uniform, stable and repeatable plasma during processing. The plurality of discrete electrodes include an array of electrodes that can be biased separately, in groups or all in unison, relative to a reference electrode. The plurality of discrete electrodes may include a plurality of conductive rods that are positioned to generate a plasma within a processing region of a process chamber. The plurality of discrete electrodes is provided RF power from standing or traveling waves imposed on a power distribution element to which the electrodes are connected.

公开(公告)号：US20190189481A1

公开(公告)日：2019-06-20

申请号：US16269484

申请日：2019-02-06

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Haitao Wang ,  Wonseok Lee ,  Sergio Fukuda Shoji ,  Chunlei Zhang ,  Kartik Ramaswamy

IPC: H01L21/67 ,  H01L21/683

CPC classification number: H01L21/67259 ,  H01L21/67248 ,  H01L21/6831 ,  H01L21/6833 ,  Y10T29/49998 ,  Y10T279/23

Abstract: A method and apparatus for de-chucking a workpiece is described that uses a swing voltage sequence. One example pertains to a method that includes applying a mechanical force from an electrostatic chuck against the back side of a workpiece that is electrostatically clamped to the chuck, applying a sequence of voltage pulses with a same polarity to the electrodes, each pulse of the sequence having a lower voltage than the preceding pulse, each pulse of the sequence having a lower voltage than the preceding pulse, and determining whether the workpiece is released from the chuck after the sequence of additional voltage pulses and if the workpiece is not released then repeating applying the sequence of voltage pulses.