Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
438715000 | With substrate heating or cooling | 40 |
20090104782 | SELECTIVE ETCHING OF SILICON NITRIDE - Methods for etching dielectric layers comprising silicon and nitrogen are provided herein. In some embodiments, such methods may include providing a substrate having a dielectric layer comprising silicon and nitrogen disposed thereon, forming reactive species from a process gas comprising hydrogen (H | 04-23-2009 |
20110053380 | SILICON-SELECTIVE DRY ETCH FOR CARBON-CONTAINING FILMS - A method of etching silicon-and-carbon-containing material is described and includes a SiConi™ etch in combination with a flow of reactive oxygen. The reactive oxygen may be introduced before the SiConi™ etch reducing the carbon content in the near surface region and allowing the SiConi™ etch to proceed more rapidly. Alternatively, reactive oxygen may be introduced during the SiConi™ etch further improving the effective etch rate. | 03-03-2011 |
20110065279 | METHOD OF PROCESSING A WORKPIECE IN A PLASMA REACTOR USING FEED FORWARD THERMAL CONTROL - A method of processing a workpiece in a plasma reactor having an electrostatic chuck for supporting the workpiece within a reactor chamber, the method including circulating a coolant through a refrigeration loop that includes an evaporator inside the electrostatic chuck, while pressurizing a workpiece-to-chuck interface with a thermally conductive gas, sensing conditions in the chamber including temperature near the workpiece and simulating heat flow through the electrostatic chuck in a thermal model of the chuck based upon the conditions. The method further includes obtaining the next scheduled change in RE heat load on the workpiece and using the model to estimate a change in thermal conditions of the coolant in the evaporator that would hold the temperature nearly constant by compensating for the next scheduled change in RF heat load, and making the change in thermal conditions of the coolant in the evaporator prior to the time of the next scheduled change by a head start related to the thermal propagation delay through the electrostatic chuck. | 03-17-2011 |
20110151674 | SMOOTH SICONI ETCH FOR SILICON-CONTAINING FILMS - A method of etching silicon-containing material is described and includes a SiConi™ etch having a greater or lesser flow ratio of hydrogen compared to fluorine than that found in the prior art. Modifying the flow rate ratios in this way has been found to reduce roughness of the post-etch surface and to reduce the difference in etch-rate between densely and sparsely patterned areas. Alternative means of reducing post-etch surface roughness include pulsing the flows of the precursors and/or the plasma power, maintaining a relatively high substrate temperature and performing the SiConi™ in multiple steps. Each of these approaches, either alone or in combination, serve to reduce the roughness of the etched surface by limiting solid residue grain size. | 06-23-2011 |
20110269314 | PROCESS CHAMBERS HAVING SHARED RESOURCES AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF - Process chambers having shared resources and methods of use are provided. In some embodiments, substrate processing systems may include a first process chamber having a first substrate support disposed within the first process chamber, wherein the first substrate support has a first heater and a first cooling plate to control a temperature of the first substrate support; a second process chamber having a second substrate support disposed within the second process chamber, wherein the second substrate support has a second heater and a second cooling plate to control a temperature of the second substrate support; and a shared heat transfer fluid source having an outlet to provide a heat transfer fluid to the first cooling plate and the second cooling plate and an inlet to receive the heat transfer fluid from the first cooling plate and the second cooling plate. | 11-03-2011 |
20120077347 | Selective etch process for silicon nitride - A method for selectively etching a substrate is described. The method includes preparing a substrate comprising a silicon nitride layer overlying a silicon-containing contact region, and patterning the silicon nitride layer to expose the silicon-containing contact region using a plasma etching process in a plasma etching system. The plasma etching process uses a process composition having as incipient ingredients a process gas containing C, H and F, and a non-oxygen-containing additive gas, wherein the non-oxygen-containing additive gas includes H, or C, or both H and C, and excludes a halogen atom. | 03-29-2012 |
20130059450 | ETCH PROCESS FOR 3D FLASH STRUCTURES - A method for etching features in a plurality of silicon based bilayers forming a stack on a wafer in a plasma processing chamber is provided. A main etch gas is flowed into the plasma processing chamber. The main etch gas is formed into a plasma, while providing a first pressure. A wafer temperature of less than 20° C. is maintained. The pressure is ramped to a second pressure less than the first pressure as the plasma etches through a plurality of the plurality of silicon based bilayers. The flow of the main etch gas is stopped after a first plurality of the plurality of bilayers is etched. | 03-07-2013 |
20130078816 | Substrate Processing Apparatus, Method of Manufacturing Semiconductor Device and Non-Transitory Computer-Readable Recording Medium - A substrate processing apparatus includes: a process chamber accommodating a substrate including a polysilicon film having an oxygen-containing layer formed thereon; a heating unit in the process chamber to heat the substrate; a gas supply unit to supply a process gas containing nitrogen and hydrogen to the substrate in the process chamber; an excitation unit to excite the process gas supplied into the process chamber; an exhaust unit to exhaust an inside of the process chamber; and a control unit to control at least the heating unit, the gas supply unit, the excitation unit and the exhaust unit for modifying the oxygen-containing layer into an oxynitride or nitride layer by heating the substrate to a predetermined temperature using the heating unit, exciting the process gas supplied by the gas supply unit using the excitation unit, and supplying the process gas excited by the excitation unit to the substrate. | 03-28-2013 |
20130095666 | PLASMA CONFINEMENT RINGS INCLUDING RF ABSORBING MATERIAL FOR REDUCING POLYMER DEPOSITION - Plasma confinement rings are adapted to reach sufficiently high temperatures on plasma-exposed surfaces of the rings to substantially reduce polymer deposition on those surfaces. The plasma confinement rings include an RF lossy material effective to enhance heating at portions of the rings. A low-emissivity material can be provided on a portion of the plasma confinement ring assembly to enhance heating effects. | 04-18-2013 |
20130122713 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SELECTIVE NITRIDATION PROCESS - Embodiments described herein generally relate to methods for manufacturing flash memory devices. In one embodiment, a method for removing native oxides from a substrate is provided. The method includes transferring a substrate having an oxide layer disposed thereon into a first processing chamber, exposing the substrate to a plasma generated from a cleaning gas mixture, wherein the cleaning gas mixture comprises a hydrogen-containing gas and a fluorine-containing gas, heating the substrate to a temperature sufficient to remove the oxide layer from the substrate, transferring the substrate from the first processing chamber to a second processing chamber without breaking vacuum, and flowing a plasma containing substantially nitrogen-containing radicals into the second processing chamber to expose the substrate to nitrogen containing radicals. | 05-16-2013 |
20130295774 | PLASMA ETCHING METHOD - A plasma etching method performs a plasma etching on a substrate W by irradiating plasma containing charged particles and neutral particles to the substrate W. The method includes controlling a distribution of reaction amounts between the substrate W and the neutral particles in a surface of the substrate W by adjusting a temperature distribution in the surface of the substrate W supported by a support, and controlling a distribution of irradiation amounts of the charged particles in the surface of the substrate W by adjusting a gap between the substrate W supported by the support and an electrode provided so as to face the support. | 11-07-2013 |
20130316540 | METHOD FOR REMOVING OXIDE - A method for removing oxide is described. A substrate is provided, including an exposed portion whereon a native oxide layer has been formed. A removing oxide process is performed to the substrate using nitrogen trifluoride (NF | 11-28-2013 |
20130337654 | CLAMPED MONOLITHIC SHOWERHEAD ELECTRODE - An electrode assembly for a plasma reaction chamber used in semiconductor substrate processing. The assembly includes an upper showerhead electrode which is mechanically attached to a backing plate by a series of spaced apart cam locks. A guard ring surrounds the backing plate and is movable to positions at which openings in the guard ring align with openings in the backing plate so that the cam locks can be rotated with a tool to release locking pins extending from the upper face of the electrode. | 12-19-2013 |
20130337655 | ABATEMENT AND STRIP PROCESS CHAMBER IN A DUAL LOADLOCK CONFIGURATION - Embodiments of the present invention provide a dual load lock chamber capable of processing a substrate. In one embodiment, the dual load lock chamber includes a chamber body defining a first chamber volume and a second chamber volume isolated from one another. Each of the lower and second chamber volumes is selectively connectable to two processing environments through two openings configured for substrate transferring. The dual load lock chamber also includes a heated substrate support assembly disposed in the second chamber volume. The heated substrate support assembly is configured to support and heat a substrate thereon. The dual load lock chamber also includes a remote plasma source connected to the second chamber volume for supplying a plasma to the second chamber volume. | 12-19-2013 |
20130344701 | METHODS FOR HIGH TEMPERATURE ETCHING A HIGH-K GATE STRUCTURE - Methods for etching high-k material at high temperatures are provided. In one embodiment, a method etching high-k material on a substrate may include providing a substrate having a high-k material layer disposed thereon into an etch chamber, forming a plasma from an etching gas mixture including at least a halogen containing gas into the etch chamber, maintaining a temperature of an interior surface of the etch chamber in excess of about 100 degree Celsius while etching the high-k material layer in the presence of the plasma, and maintaining a substrate temperature between about 100 degree Celsius and about 250 degrees Celsius while etching the high-k material layer in the presence of the plasma. | 12-26-2013 |
20140094036 | DIRECTIONAL SIO2 ETCH USING LOW-TEMPERATURE ETCHANT DEPOSITION AND PLASMA POST-TREATMENT - Methods for processing a substrate are described herein. Methods can include positioning a substrate comprising silicon in a processing chamber, delivering a plasma to the surface of the substrate while biasing the substrate, exposing the surface of the substrate to ammonium fluoride (NH | 04-03-2014 |
20140099795 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING SUBSTRATES USING AN ION SHIELD - Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate are provided. In some embodiments, a method of processing a substrate having a first layer may include disposing a substrate atop a substrate support in a lower processing volume of a process chamber beneath an ion shield having a bias power applied thereto, the ion shield comprising a substantially flat member supported parallel to the substrate support, and a plurality of apertures formed through the flat member, wherein the ratio of the aperture diameter to the thickness flat member ranges from about 10:1-1:10; flowing a process gas into an upper processing volume above the ion shield; forming a plasma from the process gas within the upper processing volume; treating the first layer with neutral radicals that pass through the ion shield; and heating the substrate to a temperature of up to about 550 degrees Celsius while treating the first layer. | 04-10-2014 |
20140154888 | SHOWERHEAD ELECTRODE ASSEMBLIES FOR PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUSES - Showerhead electrode assemblies are disclosed, which include a showerhead electrode adapted to be mounted in an interior of a vacuum chamber; an optional backing plate attached to the showerhead electrode; a thermal control plate attached to the backing plate or to the showerhead electrode at multiple contact regions across the backing plate; and at least one interface member separating the backing plate and the thermal control plate, or the thermal control plate and showerhead electrode, at the contact regions, the interface member having a thermally and electrically conductive gasket portion and a particle mitigating seal portion. Methods of processing semiconductor substrates using the showerhead electrode assemblies are also disclosed. | 06-05-2014 |
20140179110 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING GERMANIUM CONTAINING MATERIAL, A III-V COMPOUND CONTAINING MATERIAL, OR A II-VI COMPOUND CONTAINING MATERIAL DISPOSED ON A SUBSTRATE USING A HOT WIRE SOURCE - Methods and apparatus for processing a germanium containing material, a III-V compound containing material, or a II-VI compound containing material disposed on a substrate using a hot wire source are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method for processing a material disposed on a substrate, wherein the material is at least one of a germanium containing material, a III-V compound containing material, or a II-VI compound containing material, includes providing a hydrogen containing gas to a first process chamber having a plurality of filaments; flowing a current through the plurality of filaments to raise a temperature of the plurality of filaments to a first temperature sufficient to decompose at least a portion of the hydrogen containing gas to form hydrogen atoms; and treating a surface of an exposed material on a substrate by exposing the material to hydrogen atoms formed by the decomposition of the hydrogen containing gas. | 06-26-2014 |
20140206198 | DEPOSIT REMOVAL METHOD - One embodiment of the deposit removal method includes: preparing a substrate having a pattern on which a deposit is deposited, the pattern being formed by etching; exposing the substrate to a first atmosphere containing hydrogen fluoride gas; exposing the substrate to oxygen plasma while heating after the step of exposing the substrate to the first atmosphere; and exposing the substrate to a second atmosphere containing hydrogen fluoride gas to remove the deposit on the substrate after the step of exposing the substrate to the oxygen plasma. | 07-24-2014 |
20140242802 | SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESS - A semiconductor process includes the following steps. A wafer on a pedestal is provided. The pedestal is lifted to approach a heating source and an etching process is performed on the wafer. An annealing process is performed on the wafer by the heating source. In another way, a wafer on a pedestal, and a heating source on a same side of the wafer as the pedestal are provided. An etching process is performed on the wafer by setting the temperature difference between the heating source and the pedestal larger than 180° C. | 08-28-2014 |
20140273488 | PROCESSING SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR HALIDE SCAVENGING - Systems, chambers, and processes are provided for controlling process defects caused by moisture contamination. The systems may provide configurations for chambers to perform multiple operations in a vacuum or controlled environment. The chambers may include configurations to provide additional processing capabilities in combination chamber designs. The methods may provide for the limiting, prevention, and correction of aging defects that may be caused as a result of etching processes performed by system tools. | 09-18-2014 |
20140295671 | PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUS AND PLASMA PROCESSING METHOD - A plasma processing apparatus is provided which includes a processing chamber disposed in a vacuum container, in a decompressed inside of which plasma is formed, a sample stage disposed in a lower part of the processing chamber, on a top surface of which a sample is mounted, a dielectric film made of a dielectric that forms a mounting surface on which the sample is mounted, and electrodes arranged inside the dielectric film and supplied with power for chucking and holding the sample onto the dielectric film, and when the sample is mounted on the sample stage, the sample is kept mounted on the sample stage until a sample temperature becomes a predetermined temperature or until a predetermined time elapses, and power is then supplied to the electrodes to chuck the sample to the sample stage and then start processing on the sample using the plasma. | 10-02-2014 |
20140370716 | THERMAL SURFACE TREATMENT FOR REUSE OF WAFERS AFTER EPITAXIAL LIFT OFF - There is disclosed a method of preserving the integrity of a growth substrate in a epitaxial lift-off method, the method comprising providing a structure comprising a growth substrate, one or more protective layers, a sacrificial layer, and at least one epilayer, wherein the sacrificial layer and the one or more protective layers are positioned between the growth substrate and the at least one epilayer; releasing the at least one epilayer by etching the sacrificial layer with an etchant; and heat treating the growth substrate and/or at least one of the protective layers. | 12-18-2014 |
20150037982 | SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD - In a semiconductor device manufacturing method, a target object including a multilayer film and a mask formed on the multilayer film is prepared in a processing chamber of a plasma processing apparatus. The multilayer film is formed by alternately stacking a silicon oxide film and a silicon nitride film. The multilayer film is etched by supplying a processing gas containing hydrogen gas, hydrogen bromide gas, nitrogen trifluoride gas and at least one of hydrocarbon gas, fluorohydrocarbon gas and fluorocarbon gas into the processing chamber of the plasma processing apparatus and generating a plasma of the processing gas in the processing chamber. | 02-05-2015 |
20150044879 | REMOVING METHOD - A removing method including the following steps. A substrate is transferred into an etching machine, wherein the substrate has a material layer formed thereon. A cycle process is performed. The cycle process includes performing an etching process to remove a portion of the material layer, and performing an annealing process to remove a by-product generated by the etching process. The cycle process is repeated at least one time. The substrate is transferred out of the etching machine. In the removing method of the invention, the cycle process is performed multiple times to effectively remove the undesired thickness of the material layer and reduce the loading effect. | 02-12-2015 |
20150064921 | LOW TEMPERATURE PLASMA ANNEAL PROCESS FOR SUBLIMATIVE ETCH PROCESSES - Methods for etching a material layer disposed on the substrate using a low temperature etching process along with a subsequent low temperature plasma annealing process are provided. In one embodiment, a method for etching a material layer disposed on a substrate includes transferring a substrate having a material layer disposed thereon into an etching processing chamber, supplying an etching gas mixture into the processing chamber, remotely generating a plasma in the etching gas mixture to etch the material layer disposed on the substrate, and plasma annealing the material layer at a substrate temperature less than 100 degrees Celsius. | 03-05-2015 |
20150064922 | METHOD OF SELECTIVELY REMOVING A REGION FORMED OF SILICON OXIDE AND PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUS - Provided is a method of selectively removing a first region from a workpiece which includes the first region formed of silicon oxide and a second region formed of silicon. The method performs a plurality of sequences. Each sequence includes: forming a denatured region by generating plasma of a processing gas that contains hydrogen, nitrogen, and fluorine within a processing container that accommodates the workpiece so as to denature a portion of the first region, and removing the denatured region within the processing container. In addition, a sequence subsequent to a predetermined number of sequences after a first sequence among the plurality of sequences further includes exposing the workpiece to plasma of a reducing gas which is generated within the processing container, prior to the forming of the denatured region. | 03-05-2015 |
20150079801 | OXIDE ETCHING METHOD - An oxide etching method includes loading an object to be processed, on a surface of which a patterned silicon oxide film is formed, in a chamber, supplying HF gas and NH | 03-19-2015 |
20150099367 | PLASMA ETCH PROCESSES FOR OPENING MASK LAYERS - Implementations described herein generally relate to semiconductor manufacturing and more particularly to the process of plasma etching an amorphous carbon layer. In one implementation, a method of etching a feature in an amorphous carbon layer is provided. The method comprises transferring a substrate including a patterned photoresist layer disposed above the amorphous carbon layer into an etching chamber, exposing the amorphous carbon layer to a fluorine-free etchant gas mixture including a fluorine-free halogen source gas and a passivation source gas and etching the amorphous carbon layer with a plasma of the fluorine-free etchant gas mixture. It has been found that plasma etching with a fluorine-free halogen based gas mixture reduces the formation of top critical dimension clogging oxides. | 04-09-2015 |
20150118855 | MICROWAVE INDUCED PLASMA DECAPSULATION - A microwave induced plasma decapsulation system and method for decapsulation a packaged semiconductor device applies a microwave induced plasma effluent along with etchant gases electrons, ions and free radicals that are chemically reactive to remove the epoxy molding compound encapsulating the semiconductor device. In one embodiment, the decapsulation system utilizes a microwave generator and a coaxial plasma source. In another embodiment, the decapsulation system utilizes a microwave generator, an electromagnetic surface wave plasma source, and a dielectric plasma discharge tube. | 04-30-2015 |
20150118856 | MICROWAVE INDUCED PLASMA DECAPSULATION USING A DIELECTRIC PLASMA DISCHARGE TUBE - A microwave induced plasma decapsulation system and method for decapsulation a packaged semiconductor device applies a microwave induced plasma effluent along with etchant gases electrons, ions and free radicals that are chemically reactive to remove the epoxy molding compound encapsulating the semiconductor device. In one embodiment, the decapsulation system utilizes a microwave generator and a coaxial plasma source. In another embodiment, the decapsulation system utilizes a microwave generator, an electromagnetic surface wave plasma source, and a dielectric plasma discharge tube. | 04-30-2015 |
20150118857 | SELECTIVE TITANIUM NITRIDE ETCHING - Methods of etching exposed titanium nitride with respect to other materials on patterned heterogeneous structures are described, and may include a remote plasma etch formed from a fluorine-containing precursor. Precursor combinations including plasma effluents from the remote plasma are flowed into a substrate processing region to etch the patterned structures with high titanium nitride selectivity under a variety of operating conditions. The methods may be used to remove titanium nitride at faster rates than a variety of metal, nitride, and oxide compounds. | 04-30-2015 |
20150126038 | PLASMA PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD THEREFOR - A dry etching apparatus plasma processes a wafer held by a carrier having a frame and an holding sheet. A electrode unit of a stage includes an electrostatic chuck. An area of an upper surface of the electrostatic chuck onto which the wafer is placed via the holding sheet is a flat portion and is not subject to backside gas cooling. A first groove structure is formed in the area onto which the wafer is placed via the holding sheet as well as in an area onto which a holding sheet between the wafer and the frame. To a minute space defined by the first groove structure and the carrier, a heat transfer gas is supplied from a first heat transfer gas supply section through heat transfer gas supply hole (backside gas cooling). Both of plasma processing performance and cooling performance are improved. | 05-07-2015 |
20150132969 | SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND SUBSTRATE DETACHING METHOD - A substrate processing apparatus includes an electrostatic chuck that includes a chuck electrode and electrostatically attracts a substrate; a direct voltage source that is connected to the chuck electrode and applies a voltage to the chuck electrode; and an evacuation unit that includes a rotor and discharges, via a heat transfer gas discharge pipe, a heat transfer gas supplied to a back surface of the substrate electrostatically-attracted by the electrostatic chuck. The evacuation unit is connected via a power supply line to the direct voltage source, generates regenerative power, and supplies the regenerative power to the direct voltage source. | 05-14-2015 |
20150371865 | HIGH SELECTIVITY GAS PHASE SILICON NITRIDE REMOVAL - A method of etching silicon nitride on patterned heterogeneous structures is described and includes a gas phase etch using partial remote plasma excitation. The remote plasma excites a fluorine-containing precursor and the plasma effluents created are flowed into a substrate processing region. A hydrogen-containing precursor, e.g. water, is concurrently flowed into the substrate processing region without plasma excitation. The plasma effluents are combined with the unexcited hydrogen-containing precursor in the substrate processing region where the combination reacts with the silicon nitride. The plasmas effluents react with the patterned heterogeneous structures to selectively remove silicon nitride while retaining silicon, such as polysilicon. | 12-24-2015 |
20150371866 | HIGHLY SELECTIVE DOPED OXIDE REMOVAL METHOD - A method of etching doped silicon oxide on patterned heterogeneous structures is described and includes a gas phase etch using partial remote plasma excitation. The remote plasma excites a fluorine-containing precursor and the plasma effluents created are flowed into a substrate processing region. A hydrogen-containing precursor, e.g. water, is concurrently flowed into the substrate processing region without plasma excitation. The plasma effluents are combined with the unexcited hydrogen-containing precursor in the substrate processing region where the combination reacts with the doped silicon oxide. The plasmas effluents react with the patterned heterogeneous structures to selectively remove doped silicon oxide. | 12-24-2015 |
20160035585 | METHOD TO ETCH A TUNGSTEN CONTAINING LAYER - A method for etching a tungsten containing layer is provided. An etch gas is provided comprising O | 02-04-2016 |
20160181116 | SELECTIVE NITRIDE ETCH | 06-23-2016 |
20160379851 | TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED SUBSTRATE PROCESSING - A semiconductor processing system includes a vacuum chamber, a gas source configured to supply a gas to the chamber, a platen having a top surface in the chamber to support a substrate, the platen including a conductive plate, a robot to transport the substrate onto and off of the platen, a first plurality of lamps disposed below the top surface of the platen to heat the platen, and an RF power source to generate a plasma in the chamber above the platen. | 12-29-2016 |