Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090162996 | REMOVAL OF SURFACE DOPANTS FROM A SUBSTRATE - A method and apparatus for removing excess dopant from a doped substrate is provided. In one embodiment, a substrate is doped by surfaced deposition of dopant followed by formation of a capping layer and thermal diffusion drive-in. A reactive etchant mixture is provided to the process chamber, with optional plasma, to etch away the capping layer and form volatile compounds by reacting with excess dopant. In another embodiment, a substrate is doped by energetic implantation of dopant. A reactive gas mixture is provided to the process chamber, with optional plasma, to remove excess dopant adsorbed on the surface and high-concentration dopant near the surface by reacting with the dopant to form volatile compounds. The reactive gas mixture may be provided during thermal treatment, or it may be provided before or after at temperatures different from the thermal treatment temperature. The volatile compounds are removed. Substrates so treated do not form toxic compounds when stored or transported outside process equipment. | 06-25-2009 |
20090215251 | PLASMA IMMERSION ION IMPLANTATION PROCESS WITH CHAMBER SEASONING AND SEASONING LAYER PLASMA DISCHARGING FOR WAFER DECHUCKING - In a plasma immersion ion implantation process, the thickness of a pre-implant chamber seasoning layer is increased (to permit implantation of a succession of wafers without replacing the seasoning layer) without loss of wafer clamping electrostatic force due to increased seasoning layer thickness. This is accomplished by first plasma-discharging residual electrostatic charge from the thick seasoning layer. The number of wafers which can be processed using the same seasoning layer is further increased by fractionally supplementing the seasoning layer after each wafer is processed, which may be followed by a brief plasma discharging of the supplemented seasoning before processing the next wafer. | 08-27-2009 |
20090280628 | PLASMA IMMERSION ION IMPLANTATION PROCESS WITH CHAMBER SEASONING AND SEASONING LAYER PLASMA DISCHARGING FOR WAFER DECHUCKING - In a plasma immersion ion implantation process, the thickness of a pre-implant chamber seasoning layer is increased (to permit implantation of a succession of wafers without replacing the seasoning layer) without loss of wafer clamping electrostatic force due to increased seasoning layer thickness. This is accomplished by first plasma-discharging residual electrostatic charge from the thick seasoning layer. The number of wafers which can be processed using the same seasoning layer is further increased by fractionally supplementing the seasoning layer after each wafer is processed, which may be followed by a brief plasma discharging of the supplemented seasoning before processing the next wafer. | 11-12-2009 |
20100112793 | CONFORMAL DOPING IN P3I CHAMBER - Methods for implanting ions into a substrate by a plasma immersion ion implanting process are provided. In one embodiment, a method for implanting ions into a substrate includes providing a substrate into a processing chamber, the substrate comprising substrate surface having one or more features formed therein and each feature having one or more horizontal surfaces and one or more vertical surfaces, generating a plasma from a gas mixture including a reacting gas adapted to produce ions, depositing a material layer on the substrate surface and on at least one horizontal surface of the substrate feature, implanting ions from the plasma into the substrate by an isotropic process into at least one horizontal surface and into at least one vertical surface, and etching the material layer on the substrate surface and the at least one horizontal surface by an anisotropic process. | 05-06-2010 |
20100112794 | DOPING PROFILE MODIFICATION IN P3I PROCESS - Methods for implanting material into a substrate by a plasma immersion ion implanting process are provided. In one embodiment, a method for implanting material into a substrate includes providing a substrate into a processing chamber, the substrate comprising a substrate surface having a material layer formed thereon, generating a first plasma of a non-dopant processing gas, exposing the material layer to the plasma of the non-dopant processing gas, generating a second plasma of a dopant processing gas including a reacting gas adapted to produce dopant ions, and implanting dopant ions from the plasma into the material layer. The method may further include a cleaning or etch process. | 05-06-2010 |
20110006034 | METHOD FOR REMOVING IMPLANTED PHOTO RESIST FROM HARD DISK DRIVE SUBSTRATES - A method of removing resist material from a substrate having a magnetically active surface is provided. The substrate is disposed in a processing chamber and exposed to a fluorine-containing plasma formed from a gas mixture having a reagent, an oxidizing agent, and a reducing agent. A cleaning agent may also be included. The substrate may be cooled by back-side cooling or by a cooling process wherein a cooling medium is provided to the processing chamber while the plasma treatment is suspended. Substrates may be flipped over for two-sided processing, and multiple substrates may be processed concurrently. | 01-13-2011 |
20110061810 | Apparatus and Methods for Cyclical Oxidation and Etching - Apparatus and methods for the manufacture of semiconductor devices suitable for narrow pitch applications and methods of fabrication thereof are described herein. Disclosed are various single chambers configured to form and/or shape a material layer by oxidizing a surface of a material layer to form an oxide layer; removing at least some of the oxide layer by an etching process; and cyclically repeating the oxidizing and removing processes until the material layer is formed to a desired shape. In some embodiments, the material layer may be a floating gate of a semiconductor device. | 03-17-2011 |
20110061812 | Apparatus and Methods for Cyclical Oxidation and Etching - Apparatus and methods for the manufacture of semiconductor devices suitable for narrow pitch applications and methods of fabrication thereof are described herein. Disclosed are various single chambers configured to form and/or shape a material layer by oxidizing a surface of a material layer to form an oxide layer; removing at least some of the oxide layer by an etching process; and cyclically repeating the oxidizing and removing processes until the material layer is formed to a desired shape. In some embodiments, the material layer may be a floating gate of a semiconductor device. | 03-17-2011 |
20110065276 | Apparatus and Methods for Cyclical Oxidation and Etching - Apparatus and methods for the manufacture of semiconductor devices suitable for narrow pitch applications and methods of fabrication thereof are described herein. Disclosed are various single chambers configured to form and/or shape a material layer by oxidizing a surface of a material layer to form an oxide layer; removing at least some of the oxide layer by an etching process; and cyclically repeating the oxidizing and removing processes until the material layer is formed to a desired shape. In some embodiments, the material layer may be a floating gate of a semiconductor device. | 03-17-2011 |
20110101247 | TEMPERATURE CONTROL OF A SUBSTRATE DURING A PLASMA ION IMPLANTATION PROCESS FOR PATTERNED DISC MEDIA APPLICATIONS - Embodiments of the invention provide a method of reducing thermal energy accumulation during a plasma ion implantation process for forming patterns including magnetic and non-magnetic domains on a magnetically susceptible surface on a substrate. In one embodiment, a method of controlling a substrate temperature during a plasma ion implantation process includes (a) performing a first portion of a plasma ion implantation process on a substrate having a magnetically susceptible layer formed thereon in a processing chamber for a first time period, wherein a temperature of the substrate is maintained below about 150 degrees Celsius, (b) cooling the temperature of the substrate after the first portion of the plasma ion implantation process has been completed, and (c) performing a second portion of the plasma ion implantation process on the substrate, wherein the temperature of the substrate is maintained below 150 degrees Celsius. | 05-05-2011 |
20110104393 | PLASMA ION IMPLANTATION PROCESS FOR PATTERNED DISC MEDIA APPLICATIONS - Processes and apparatus of forming patterns including magnetic and non-magnetic domains on a magnetically susceptible surface on a substrate are provided. In one embodiment, a method of forming a pattern of magnetic domains on a magnetically susceptible material disposed on a substrate includes exposing a first portion of a magnetically susceptible layer to a plasma formed from a gas mixture, wherein the gas mixture includes at least a halogen containing gas and a hydrogen containing gas for a time sufficient to modify a magnetic property of the first portion of the magnetically susceptible layer exposed through a mask layer from a first state to a second state. | 05-05-2011 |
20110127156 | CHAMBER FOR PROCESSING HARD DISK DRIVE SUBSTRATES - An apparatus for forming a magnetic pattern in a magnetic storage substrate. A chamber comprises a chamber wall that defines an internal volume, a substrate support in the internal volume of the chamber, a gas distributor disposed in a wall region of the chamber facing the substrate support, a compact energy source for ionizing a portion of the process gas provided to the chamber, and a throttle valve having a z-actuated gate member with a sealing surface for covering an outlet portal of the chamber. Ions are accelerated toward the substrate support by an electrical bias, amplifying the ion density of the process gas. A substrate disposed on the substrate support is bombarded by the ions to alter a magnetic property of the substrate surface. | 06-02-2011 |
20110143170 | METHODS FOR SUBSTRATE SURFACE PLANARIZATION DURING MAGNETIC PATTERNING BY PLASMA IMMERSION ION IMPLANTATION - A method and apparatus for planarizing magnetically susceptible layers of substrates is provided. A patterned resist is formed on the magnetically susceptible layer, and the substrate is subjected to a plasma immersion ion implantation process to change a magnetic property of the magnetically susceptible layer according to the pattern of the resist material. The substrate is subjected to a plasma material removal process either before or after the implantation process to planarize the surface of the magnetically susceptible layer resulting from the implantation process. The plasma material removal process may be directional or non-directional. | 06-16-2011 |
20110256691 | REMOVAL OF SURFACE DOPANTS FROM A SUBSTRATE - A method and apparatus for removing excess dopant from a doped substrate is provided. In one embodiment, a substrate is doped by surfaced deposition of dopant followed by formation of a capping layer and thermal diffusion drive-in. A reactive etchant mixture is provided to the process chamber, with optional plasma, to etch away the capping layer and form volatile compounds by reacting with excess dopant. In another embodiment, a substrate is doped by energetic implantation of dopant. A reactive gas mixture is provided to the process chamber, with optional plasma, to remove excess dopant adsorbed on the surface and high-concentration dopant near the surface by reacting with the dopant to form volatile compounds. The reactive gas mixture may be provided during thermal treatment, or it may be provided before or after at temperatures different from the thermal treatment temperature. The volatile compounds are removed. Substrates so treated do not form toxic compounds when stored or transported outside process equipment. | 10-20-2011 |
20120088356 | INTEGRATED PLATFORM FOR IN-SITU DOPING AND ACTIVATION OF SUBSTRATES - An integrated platform for processing substrates, comprising: a vacuum substrate transfer chamber; a doping chamber coupled to the vacuum substrate transfer chamber, the doping chamber configured to implant or deposit dopant elements in or on a surface of a substrate; a dopant activation chamber coupled to the vacuum substrate transfer chamber, the dopant activation chamber configured to anneal the substrate and activate the dopant elements; and a controller configured to control the integrated platform, the controller comprising a computer readable media having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the controller, causes the integrated platform to perform a method, the method comprising: doping a substrate with one or more dopant elements in the doping chamber; transferring the substrate under vacuum to the dopant activation chamber; and annealing the substrate in the dopant activation chamber to activate the dopant elements. | 04-12-2012 |
20120196155 | RESIST FORTIFICATION FOR MAGNETIC MEDIA PATTERNING - A method and apparatus for forming magnetic media substrates is provided. A patterned resist layer is formed on a substrate having a magnetically susceptible layer. A conformal protective layer is formed over the patterned resist layer to prevent degradation of the pattern during subsequent processing. The substrate is subjected to an energy treatment wherein energetic species penetrate portions of the patterned resist and conformal protective layer according to the pattern formed in the patterned resist, impacting the magnetically susceptible layer and modifying a magnetic property thereof. The patterned resist and conformal protective layers are then removed, leaving a magnetic substrate having a pattern of magnetic properties with a topography that is substantially unchanged. | 08-02-2012 |
20120238074 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR CONFORMAL DOPING - Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of doping a substrate may include forming a dopant region on a substrate by implanting one or more dopant elements into the dopant region of the substrate using a plasma doping process; forming a cap layer atop the dopant region; annealing the dopant region after forming the cap layer; and removing the cap layer after annealing the dopant region. | 09-20-2012 |
20120289036 | SURFACE DOSE RETENTION OF DOPANTS BY PRE-AMORPHIZATION AND POST IMPLANT PASSIVATION TREATMENTS - The invention generally relates to pre-implant and post-implant treatments to promote the retention of dopants near the surface of an implanted substrate. The pre-implant treatments include forming a plasma from an inert gas and implanting the inert gas into the substrate to render an upper portion of the substrate amorphous. The post-implant treatment includes forming a passivation layer on the upper surface of the substrate after doping the substrate in order to retain the dopant during a subsequent activation anneal. | 11-15-2012 |
20120302048 | PRE OR POST-IMPLANT PLASMA TREATMENT FOR PLASMA IMMERSED ION IMPLANTATION PROCESS - Methods for implanting ions into a substrate by a plasma immersion ion implanting process are provided. In one embodiment, the method for implanting ions into a substrate by a plasma immersion ion implantation process includes providing a substrate into a processing chamber, flowing a gas mixture including a hydride dopant gas and a fluorine-containing dopant gas into the processing chamber, wherein the hydride dopant gas comprises P-type hydride dopant gas, N-type hydride dopant gas, or a combination thereof, and the fluorine-containing dopant gas comprises a P-type or N-type dopant atom, generating a plasma from the gas mixture, and co-implanting ions from the gas mixture into a surface of the substrate. | 11-29-2012 |
20130014894 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING POWER DISTRIBUTION IN SUBSTRATE PROCESSING SYSTEMS - Methods and apparatus for controlling power distribution in a substrate processing system are provided. In some embodiments, a substrate processing system including a process chamber having a substrate support and a processing region disposed above the substrate support; a first conduit disposed above the processing region to provide a portion of a first toroidal path that extends through the first conduit and across the processing region; a second conduit disposed above the processing region to provide a portion of a second toroidal path that extends through the second conduit and across the processing region; an RF generator coupled to the first and second conduits to provide RF energy having a first frequency to each of the first and second conduits; an impedance matching network disposed between the RF generator and the first and second conduits; and a power divider to control the amount of RF energy provided to the first and second conduits from the RF generator. | 01-17-2013 |
20130017315 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING POWER DISTRIBUTION IN SUBSTRATE PROCESSING SYSTEMSAANM LAI; CANFENGAACI FremontAAST CAAACO USAAGP LAI; CANFENG Fremont CA USAANM ABERLE; DAVID EUGENEAACI MilpitasAAST CAAACO USAAGP ABERLE; DAVID EUGENE Milpitas CA USAANM CAMP; MICHAEL P.AACI San RamonAAST CAAACO USAAGP CAMP; MICHAEL P. San Ramon CA USAANM BARANDICA; HENRYAACI San JoseAAST CAAACO USAAGP BARANDICA; HENRY San Jose CA USAANM HILKENE; MARTIN A.AACI GilroyAAST CAAACO USAAGP HILKENE; MARTIN A. Gilroy CA USAANM SCOTNEY-CASTLE; MATTHEW D.AACI Morgan HillAAST CAAACO USAAGP SCOTNEY-CASTLE; MATTHEW D. Morgan Hill CA USAANM TOBIN; JEFFREYAACI Mountain ViewAAST CAAACO USAAGP TOBIN; JEFFREY Mountain View CA USAANM BURNS; DOUGLAS H.AACI SaratogaAAST CAAACO USAAGP BURNS; DOUGLAS H. Saratoga CA USAANM HAWRYLCHAK; LARAAACI GilroyAAST CAAACO USAAGP HAWRYLCHAK; LARA Gilroy CA US - Methods and apparatus for controlling power distribution in a substrate processing system are provided. In some embodiments, a substrate processing system including a process chamber having a substrate support and a processing region disposed above the substrate support; a first conduit disposed above the processing region to provide a portion of a first toroidal path that extends through the first conduit and across the processing region; a second conduit disposed above the processing region to provide a portion of a second toroidal path that extends through the second conduit and across the processing region; an RF generator coupled to the first and second conduits to provide RF energy having a first frequency to each of the first and second conduits; an impedance matching network disposed between the RF generator and the first and second conduits; and a power divider to control the amount of RF energy provided to the first and second conduits from the RF generator. | 01-17-2013 |
20130095643 | METHODS FOR IMPLANTING DOPANT SPECIES IN A SUBSTRATE - Methods for processing a substrate are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of processing a substrate may include implanting a dopant species into the one or more regions of the substrate using a first dopant precursor comprising a hydride of the dopant species; and implanting the dopant species into the one or more regions of the substrate using a second dopant precursor comprising fluorine and the dopant species. In some embodiments, the first and second dopant precursors may be provided simultaneously. In some embodiments, the first dopant precursor may be provided for a first time period, followed by providing the first dopant precursor and the second dopant precursor for a second period of time. In some embodiments, the flow of the first dopant precursor and the flow of the second dopant precursor may be alternated until a desired implant level is reached. | 04-18-2013 |
20130137197 | METHODS FOR QUANTITATIVE MEASUREMENT OF A PLASMA IMMERSION PROCESS - Methods for quantitatively measuring the performance of a plasma immersion process are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of quantitatively measuring the performance of a plasma immersion process, using a first substrate comprising an oxide layer deposited atop a silicon layer, may include subjecting the first substrate to a plasma immersion process in a first plasma immersion chamber to form a doped oxide layer atop the first substrate; and determining a thickness of the doped oxide layer by shining a beam of light upon a reflective surface of the doped oxide layer; detecting reflected beams of light off of the reflective surface of the doped oxide layer; and analyzing the reflected beams of light to determine the thickness of the doped oxide layer on the first substrate. | 05-30-2013 |
20130164455 | DEMAGNETIZATION OF MAGNETIC MEDIA BY C DOPING FOR HDD PATTERNED MEDIA APPLICATION - Embodiments described herein provide methods and apparatus for treating a magnetic substrate having an imprinted, oxygen-reactive mask formed thereon by implanting ions into a magnetically active surface of the magnetic substrate through the imprinted oxygen-reactive mask, wherein the ions do not reduce the oxygen reactivity of the mask, and removing the mask by exposing the substrate to an oxygen-containing plasma. The mask may be amorphous carbon, through which carbon-containing ions are implanted into the magnetically active surface. The carbon-containing ions, which may also contain hydrogen, may be formed by activating a mixture of hydrocarbon gas and hydrogen. A ratio of the hydrogen and the hydrocarbon gas may be selected or adjusted to control the ion implantation. | 06-27-2013 |
20140147700 | RESIST FORTIFICATION FOR MAGNETIC MEDIA PATTERNING - A method and apparatus for forming magnetic media substrates is provided. A patterned resist layer is formed on a substrate having a magnetically susceptible layer. A conformal protective layer is formed over the patterned resist layer to prevent degradation of the pattern during subsequent processing. The substrate is subjected to an energy treatment wherein energetic species penetrate portions of the patterned resist and conformal protective layer according to the pattern formed in the patterned resist, impacting the magnetically susceptible layer and modifying a magnetic property thereof. The patterned resist and conformal protective layers are then removed, leaving a magnetic substrate having a pattern of magnetic properties with a topography that is substantially unchanged. | 05-29-2014 |
20140273461 | CARBON FILM HARDMASK STRESS REDUCTION BY HYDROGEN ION IMPLANTATION - Methods for forming a hydrogen implanted amorphous carbon layer with desired film mechanical strength as well as optical film properties are provided. In one embodiment, a method of a hydrogen implanted amorphous carbon layer includes providing a substrate having a material layer disposed thereon, forming an amorphous carbon layer on the material layer, and ion implanting hydrogen ions from a hydrogen containing gas into the amorphous carbon layer to form a hydrogen implanted amorphous carbon layer. | 09-18-2014 |
20140273524 | Plasma Doping Of Silicon-Containing Films - Provided are methods for the deposition and doping of films comprising Si. Certain methods involve depositing a SiN, SiO, SiON, SiC or SiCN film and doping the Si-containing film with one or more of C, B, O, N and Ge by a plasma implantation process. Such doped Si-containing films may have improved properties such as reduced etch rate in acid-based clean solutions, reduced dielectric constant and/or improved dielectric strength. | 09-18-2014 |