| Patent Number |
Title Of Patent |
Date Issued |
| 7018479 |
Rotating semiconductor processing apparatus |
March 28, 2006 |
| A reactor for processing semiconductor wafers and the like is provided. The reactor employs one or more rotating components to more evenly distribute temperature or gases within the chamber. In one embodiment, the reactor is provided with rotating reflectors, which reflect the heat g |
| 7008802 |
Method and apparatus to correct water drift |
March 7, 2006 |
| A method and apparatus is provided for determining workpiece drift from its nominal or intended position. The apparatus includes two proportionate sensors, each of which gives an output reading that depends upon how much of the sensor beam is blocked by an edge of the workpiece. A co |
| 7005160 |
Methods for depositing polycrystalline films with engineered grain structures |
February 28, 2006 |
| Methods for controlling the grain structure of a polycrystalline Si-containing film involve depositing the film in stages so that the morphology of a first film layer deposited in an initial stage favorably influences the morphology of a second film layer deposited in a later stage. |
| 6998305 |
Enhanced selectivity for epitaxial deposition |
February 14, 2006 |
| A method of forming an electronic component having elevated active areas is disclosed. The method comprises providing a semiconductor substrate in a processing chamber. The semiconductor substrate has disposed thereon a polycrystalline silicon gate and exposed active areas. The method fu |
| 6980734 |
Lamp filament design |
December 27, 2005 |
| An improved support is provided for locating a lamp filament axially within a lamp sleeve. The illustrated support is a spiral coil that includes a small diameter center portion that makes contact with the filament. On either side of the filament-contacting portion, the coil opens up to |
| 6976586 |
Delicate product packaging system |
December 20, 2005 |
| The packaging system comprises a first plurality of interlaced fingers disposed in the upper portion of a box, and a second plurality of interlaced fingers disposed in a lower portion. The fingers provide provide a soft support for a product placed between the fingers. |
| 6962859 |
Thin films and method of making them |
November 8, 2005 |
| Thin, smooth silicon-containing films are prepared by deposition methods that utilize a silicon-containing precursor. In preferred embodiments, the methods result in Si-containing films that are continuous and have a thickness of about 150 .ANG. or less, a surface roughness of about 5 .A |
| 6960537 |
Incorporation of nitrogen into high k dielectric film |
November 1, 2005 |
| A high k dielectric film and methods for forming the same are disclosed. The high k material includes two peaks of impurity concentration, particularly nitrogen, such as at a lower interface and upper interface, making the layer particularly suitable for transistor gate dielectric ap |
| 6958277 |
Surface preparation prior to deposition |
October 25, 2005 |
| Methods are provided herein for treating substrate surfaces in preparation for subsequent nucleation-sensitive depositions (e.g., polysilicon or poly-SiGe) and adsorption-driven deposition (e.g. atomic layer deposition or ALD). Prior to depositing, the surface is treated with non-deposit |
| 6958253 |
Process for deposition of semiconductor films |
October 25, 2005 |
| Chemical vapor deposition processes utilize higher order silanes and germanium precursors as chemical precursors. The processes have high deposition rates yet produce more uniform films, both compositionally and in thickness, than films prepared using conventional chemical precursors. |
| 6957690 |
Apparatus for thermal treatment of substrates |
October 25, 2005 |
| Methods and apparatuses are provided for cooling semiconductor substrates prior to handling. In one embodiment, a substrate and support structure combination is lifted after high temperature processing to a cold wall of a thermal processing chamber, which acts as a heat sink. Conductive |
| 6950774 |
Out-of-pocket detection system using wafer rotation as an indicator |
September 27, 2005 |
| An optical substrate placement device is disclosed employing light from the surface of a rotating substrate in order to generate a signal component which oscillates at the frequency of rotation of the substrate. The magnitude of another signal resulting from filtering the signal componen |
| 6929299 |
Bonded structures for use in semiconductor processing environments |
August 16, 2005 |
| A structure for use in a semiconductor processing environment is provided, including a first plate a second plate bonded to the first plate. A distal end of the second plate extends beyond a distal end of the first plate. The distal end of the first plate is tapered along a length at lea |
| 6924463 |
Pyrometer calibrated wafer temperature estimator |
August 2, 2005 |
| A wafer temperature estimator calibrates contact-type temperature sensor measurements that are used by a temperature controller to control substrate temperature in a high temperature processing chamber. Wafer temperature estimator parameters provide an estimated wafer temperature fro |
| 6900115 |
Deposition over mixed substrates |
May 31, 2005 |
| Chemical vapor deposition methods are used to deposit silicon-containing films over mixed substrates. Such methods are useful in semiconductor manufacturing to provide a variety of advantages, including uniform deposition over heterogeneous surfaces, high deposition rates, and higher |
| 6899145 |
Front opening unified pod |
May 31, 2005 |
| A front opening unified pod (FOUP) used for temporarily and portably storing semiconductor wafers between processing steps includes a manifold for uniformly distributing a purge gas in the FOUP during a purging process between wafer processing steps. The manifold can be a variety of |
| 6893507 |
Self-centering wafer support system |
May 17, 2005 |
| Improvements in the design of a low mass wafer holder are disclosed. The improvements include the use of peripherally located, integral lips to space a wafer or other substrate above the base plate of the wafer holder. A uniform gap is thus provided between the wafer and the base plate, |
| 6883776 |
Slit valve for a semiconductor processing system |
April 26, 2005 |
| A slit valve for a semiconductor processing apparatus, for fluidly sealing a passage connecting two chambers of the apparatus, such as a substrate reaction chamber and a region outside the reaction chamber. The slit valve comprises an actuator plate movable within a slot in one wall of t |
| 6883250 |
Non-contact cool-down station for wafers |
April 26, 2005 |
| A stationary cooling station for cooling wafers after the wafers have been subjected to semiconductor processing supports the wafer by flowing gas in accordance with the Bernoulli principle. An upper wall of the cooling station contains a plurality of gas outlets that direct gas to flow |
| 6879777 |
Localized heating of substrates using optics |
April 12, 2005 |
| An apparatus for processing a semiconductor substrate, including a process chamber having a plurality of walls and a substrate support to support the substrate within the process chamber. A radiative heat source is positioned outside the process chamber to heat the substrate through the |
| 6869485 |
Compact process chamber for improved process uniformity |
March 22, 2005 |
| A semiconductor processing chamber, capable of withstanding low pressures while transmitting radiant energy, is provided in a lightweight, compact design. The inner surface of the window is preferably substantially flat and parallel to the wafer to be processed. The window is thin in a c |
| 6861321 |
Method of loading a wafer onto a wafer holder to reduce thermal shock |
March 1, 2005 |
| One or more of three different measures are taken to preheat a wafer before it is loaded into direct contact with a wafer holder, in order to provide optimal throughput while reducing the risk of thermal shock to the wafer. The first measure is to move the wafer holder to a raised positi |
| 6858196 |
Method and apparatus for chemical synthesis |
February 22, 2005 |
| An apparatus is provided for synthesis and collection of higher order chemical compounds from lower order precursors. The apparatus includes a first silent electric discharge reactor configured to synthesize an intermediate product (e.g., disilane) from a precursor chemical (e.g., mo |
| 6856078 |
Lamp filament design |
February 15, 2005 |
| An improved support is provided for locating a lamp filament axially within a lamp sleeve. The illustrated support is a spiral coil that includes a small diameter center portion that makes contact with the filament. On either side of the filament-contacting portion, the coil opens up to |
| 6840767 |
Susceptor pocket profile to improve process performance |
January 11, 2005 |
| An apparatus and method to position a wafer onto a wafer holder and to maintain a uniform wafer temperature is disclosed. The wafer holder or susceptor comprises a recess or pocket whose surface is concave and includes a grid containing a plurality of grid grooves separating protrusi |
| 6825051 |
Plasma etch resistant coating and process |
November 30, 2004 |
| A protective coating is provided herein and methods of using the protective coating for susceptors used in semiconductor deposition chambers are described. In the preferred embodiments, CVD chamber equipment, such as a susceptor, is protected from plasma etch cleaning. Prior to CVD of si |
| 6823753 |
Sensor signal transmission from processing system |
November 30, 2004 |
| A processing system includes a plurality of chamber walls that define a sealed environment. A sensor is positioned in the sealed environment. In one embodiment, a power source, such as a photoelectric cell, is positioned within the environment. In another embodiment, a wireless trans |
| 6821825 |
Process for deposition of semiconductor films |
November 23, 2004 |
| Chemical vapor deposition processes utilize chemical precursors that allow for the deposition of thin films to be conducted at or near the mass transport limited regime. The processes have high deposition rates yet produce more uniform films, both compositionally and in thickness, than |
| 6818864 |
LED heat lamp arrays for CVD heating |
November 16, 2004 |
| A reactor chamber is positioned between a top array of LED heat lamps and a bottom array of LED heat lamps. The LED heat lamps forming the top and bottom arrays are individually or controllable in groups such that power output along each array of LED heat lamps can dynamically differ. Th |
| 6797617 |
Reduced cross-contamination between chambers in a semiconductor processing tool |
September 28, 2004 |
| In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for transporting a workpiece in a semiconductor processing apparatus comprising a transfer chamber, a process chamber, and a gate valve between the transfer chamber and the process chamber. The method compri |
| 6781291 |
Filament support for lamp |
August 24, 2004 |
| An improved support is provided for locating a lamp filament axially within a lamp sleeve. The illustrated support is a spiral coil that includes a small diameter center portion that makes contact with the filament. On either side of the filament-contacting portion, the coil opens up to |
| 6776849 |
Wafer holder with peripheral lift ring |
August 17, 2004 |
| A wafer holder for supporting a wafer within a CVD processing chamber includes a vertically moveable lift ring configured to support the bottom peripheral surface of the wafer, and an inner plug having a top flat surface configured to support the wafer during wafer processing. The lift |
| 6749687 |
In situ growth of oxide and silicon layers |
June 15, 2004 |
| A single-wafer, chemical vapor deposition reactor is provided with hydrogen and silicon source gas suitable for epitaxial silicon deposition, as well as a safe mixture of oxygen in a non-reactive gas. Methods are provided for forming oxide and silicon layers within the sane chamber. In |
| 6743738 |
Dopant precursors and processes |
June 1, 2004 |
| Silicon alloys and doped silicon films are prepared by chemical vapor deposition and ion implantation processes using Si-containing chemical precursors as sources for Group III and Group V atoms. Preferred dopant precursors include (H.sub.3 Si).sub.3-x MR.sub.x, (H.sub.3 Si).sub.3 N, |
| 6729875 |
Susceptor pocket profile to improve process performance |
May 4, 2004 |
| An apparatus and method to position a wafer onto a wafer holder and to maintain a uniform wafer temperature is disclosed. The wafer holder or susceptor comprises a recess or pocket whose surface is concave and includes a grid containing a plurality of grid grooves separating protrusi |
| 6720531 |
Light scattering process chamber walls |
April 13, 2004 |
| A semiconductor processing apparatus having a processing chamber defined by a plurality of walls and a substrate support to support a substrate within the processing chamber. |
| 6716751 |
Dopant precursors and processes |
April 6, 2004 |
| Silicon alloys and doped silicon films are prepared by chemical vapor deposition and ion implantation processes using Si-containing chemical precursors as sources for Group III and Group V atoms. Preferred dopant precursors include (H.sub.3 Si).sub.3-x MR.sub.x, (H.sub.3 Si).sub.3 N, |
| 6716713 |
Dopant precursors and ion implantation processes |
April 6, 2004 |
| Silicon alloys and doped silicon films are prepared by chemical vapor deposition and ion implantation processes using Si-containing chemical precursors as sources for Group III and Group V atoms. Preferred dopant precursors include (H.sub.3 Si).sub.3-x MR.sub.x, (H.sub.3 Si).sub.3 N, |
| 6709267 |
Substrate holder with deep annular groove to prevent edge heat loss |
March 23, 2004 |
| A substrate holder for processing a semiconductor substrate includes a deep, generally vertical annular groove configured to impede the radial flow of heat within the holder and reduce heat loss from the annular side edge of the holder. The holder includes one or more support elements, s |
| 6704496 |
High temperature drop-off of a substrate |
March 9, 2004 |
| A substrate to be processed in a high temperature processing chamber is preheated to avoid the problems associated with thermal shock when the substrate is dropped onto a heated susceptor. Preheating is effected by holding the substrate over a susceptor maintained at or near the proc |
| 6703592 |
System of controlling the temperature of a processing chamber |
March 9, 2004 |
| A CVD processing reactor employs a pyrometer to control temperature ramping. The pyrometer is calibrated between wafer processing by using a thermocouple that senses temperature during a steady state portion of a processing operation. |
| 6696367 |
System for the improved handling of wafers within a process tool |
February 24, 2004 |
| A substrate fabrication system is provided which includes a buffer station located inline between a front docking port and a loadlock chamber, the buffer station being operatively joined with a front handling chamber. Preferred embodiments employ a buffer station having a rack with reduc |
| 6692576 |
Wafer support system |
February 17, 2004 |
| A wafer support system comprising a segmented susceptor having top and bottom sections and gas flow passages therethrough. A plurality of spacers projecting from a recess formed in the top section of the susceptor support a wafer in spaced relationship with respect to the recess. A sweep |
| 6634882 |
Susceptor pocket profile to improve process performance |
October 21, 2003 |
| An apparatus and method to position a wafer onto a wafer holder and to maintain a uniform wafer temperature is disclosed. The wafer holder or susceptor comprises a recess or pocket whose surface is concave and includes a grid containing a plurality of grid grooves separating protrusi |
| 6620743 |
Stable, oxide-free silicon surface preparation |
September 16, 2003 |
| Methods are provided for producing a hydrogen-terminated silicon wafer surface with high stability against oxidation. The silicon wafer is cleaned with ammonium hydroxide/hydrogen peroxide/water, etched with high purity, heated dilute hydrofluoric acid, rinsed in-situ with ultrapure |
| 6617247 |
Method of processing a semiconductor wafer in a reaction chamber with a rotating component |
September 9, 2003 |
| A reactor for processing semiconductor wafers and the like is provided. The reactor employs one or more rotating components to more evenly distribute temperature or gases within the chamber. In one embodiment, the reactor is provided with rotating reflectors, which reflect the heat gener |
| 6616986 |
Sequential chemical vapor deposition |
September 9, 2003 |
| The present invention provides for sequential chemical vapor deposition by employing a reactor operated at low pressure, a pump to remove excess reactants, and a line to introduce gas into the reactor through a valve. A first reactant forms a monolayer on the part to be coated, while the |
| 6613695 |
Surface preparation prior to deposition |
September 2, 2003 |
| Methods are provided herein for treating substrate surfaces in preparation for subsequent nucleation-sensitive depositions (e.g., polysilicon or poly-SiGe) and adsorption-driven deposition (e.g. atomic layer deposition or ALD). Prior to depositing, the surface is treated with non-deposit |
| 6608287 |
Process chamber with rectangular temperature compensation ring |
August 19, 2003 |
| The chamber has a lenticular cross-section with a horizontal support plate extending between sides of the chamber. A rectangular aperture is formed in the support plate for positioning a rotatable susceptor. A temperature compensation ring surrounds the susceptor and is supported by fing |
| 6596973 |
Pyrometer calibrated wafer temperature estimator |
July 22, 2003 |
| A wafer temperature estimator calibrates contact-type temperature sensor measurements that are used by a temperature controller to control substrate temperature in a high temperature processing chamber. Wafer temperature estimator parameters provide an estimated wafer temperature fro |
