| Patent Number |
Title Of Patent |
Date Issued |
| 6659116 |
System for wafer carrier in-process clean and rinse |
December 9, 2003 |
| A system for rinsing and cleaning a wafer carrier and a semiconductor wafer mounted thereon during a polishing process is provided. The system comprises a head spray assembly that includes a spray nozzle and a spray cavity. At least a part of the head spray assembly is moveably posit |
| 6656030 |
Unsupported chemical mechanical polishing belt |
December 2, 2003 |
| A belt for polishing a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer in a chemical mechanical polishing system includes a polymeric layer forming an endless loop and having a polishing surface on one side of the endless loop. The belt is manufactured by molding a polymeric material such as |
| 6656025 |
Integrated pad and belt for chemical mechanical polishing |
December 2, 2003 |
| An integrated pad and belt for polishing a surface comprising a belt integrated with a polishing pad that forms a seamless polishing surface. |
| 6656024 |
Method and apparatus for reducing compressed dry air usage during chemical mechanical planarizat |
December 2, 2003 |
| A retaining ring is provided. The retaining ring includes a lower annular sleeve having a base. The base has an inner sidewall and an outer sidewall extending therefrom. The lower annular sleeve has at least one hole defined therein. An upper annular sleeve is moveably disposed over the |
| 6653852 |
Wafer integrated plasma probe assembly array |
November 25, 2003 |
| A wafer integrated plasma diagnostic apparatus for semiconductor wafer processing system having a multiplicity of plasma probe assemblies arranged on a wafer in a planar array fashion such that one plasma probe assembly is in the center and eight more plasma probe assemblies are at i |
| 6653791 |
Method and apparatus for producing uniform process rates |
November 25, 2003 |
| A plasma processing apparatus for processing a substrate with a plasma is disclosed. The apparatus includes a first RF power source having a first RF frequency, and a process chamber. Further, the apparatus includes a substantially circular antenna operatively coupled to the first RF pow |
| 6653734 |
Convertible hot edge ring to improve low-K dielectric etch |
November 25, 2003 |
| Two-step process to improve low-K dielectric etch uniformity, apparatus to perform the method, and semiconductor devices formed in accordance with the method. In a first etching step, an insulating hot edge ring is provided. When the photoresist clearing signal is observed using end-poin |
| 6653224 |
Methods for fabricating interconnect structures having Low K dielectric properties |
November 25, 2003 |
| Methods for fabricating semiconductor structures having LowK dielectric properties are provided. In one example, a copper dual damascene structure is fabricated in a LowK dielectric insulator including forming a capping film over the insulator before features are defined therein. After t |
| 6653058 |
Methods for reducing profile variation in photoresist trimming |
November 25, 2003 |
| A method of removing photoresist material from a semiconductor substrate includes providing a semiconductor substrate having a patterned photoresist mask. A layer comprised of polymer material is formed over the patterned photoresist mask. The layer comprised of polymer material and a |
| 6652708 |
Methods and apparatus for conditioning and temperature control of a processing surface |
November 25, 2003 |
| Methods and apparatus for controlling the temperature of a process surface and for conditioning of a process surface are provided. In one example, a temperature controller is described within a CMP system. The CMP system has a first roller and a second roller and a linear belt circulatin |
| 6652357 |
Methods for controlling retaining ring and wafer head tilt for chemical mechanical polishing |
November 25, 2003 |
| A CMP system and methods make repeatable measurements of eccentric forces applied to carriers for wafer or polishing pad conditioning pucks. Force applied to the carrier may be accurately measured even though such force is eccentrically applied to such carrier. The CMP system and method |
| 6649996 |
In situ and ex situ hardmask process for STI with oxide collar application |
November 18, 2003 |
| A method or process for etching a trench in an IC structure is disclosed. The IC structure might be comprised of a plurality of different component materials arranged proximate to one another, all of which need to be etched down to a target level. A first etching chemistry is applied whi |
| 6646857 |
Semiconductor wafer lifting device and methods for implementing the same |
November 11, 2003 |
| An apparatus and a method for lifting a wafer off of an electrostatic chuck after wafer processing operations are provided. In a specific example, a wafer lifting mechanism for controlling the lifting of the wafer off of an electrostatic chuck at a completion of processing is defined. Th |
| 6646385 |
Plasma excitation coil |
November 11, 2003 |
| A spiral-like multi-turn coil excites a plasma for treating a workpiece in a vacuum plasma processor. In one embodiment two of the turns have a discontinuity. Each discontinuity has a capacitor connected across it. An RF source drives the coil via a matching network, an inductor connecte |
| 6645052 |
Method and apparatus for controlling CMP pad surface finish |
November 11, 2003 |
| A method and apparatus for pre-conditioning a polishing pad for use in chemical mechanical planarization of semiconductor wafers is described. The apparatus includes a pre-conditioning member having a smooth surface. The method includes providing a pre-conditioning member having a smooth |
| 6645046 |
Conditioning mechanism in a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus for semiconductor wafers |
November 11, 2003 |
| A method and apparatus for conditioning a polishing pad are described. The method includes steps of providing a chemical mechanical polishing apparatus having a polishing region and a conditioning region; cycling a polishing member through the apparatus; contacting the polishing member i |
| 6642063 |
Apparatus for characterization of microelectronic feature quality |
November 4, 2003 |
| Apparatus characterizes the quality of microelectronic features using broadband white light. A highly collimated light source illuminates an area of a first wafer using broadband multi-spectral light. The angular distribution of the light scattered from the first wafer is then measured. |
| 6641470 |
Apparatus for accurate endpoint detection in supported polishing pads |
November 4, 2003 |
| An optical window structure is disclosed. The optical window structure includes a support layer that has a reinforcement layer and a cushioning layer. In addition, the optical windows structure has a polishing pad which is attached to a top surface of the support layer. Furthermore, the |
| 6640155 |
Chemical mechanical polishing apparatus and methods with central control of polishing pressure a |
October 28, 2003 |
| CMP systems and methods implement instructions for moving a polishing pad relative to a wafer and a retainer ring and for applying pressure for CMP operations. Feedback of polishing pad position is coordinated with determinations of desired inputs of variable forces by which changing |
| 6637446 |
Integrated substrate processing system |
October 28, 2003 |
| A system and methods for substrate preparation are provided. In one example, a wafer processing system includes a system enclosure that contains wafer processing apparatus within an isolated wafer processing environment. The wafer processing apparatus include a pair of immersion tank |
| 6634936 |
Chemical mechanical planarization or polishing pad with sections having varied groove patterns |
October 21, 2003 |
| A CMP polishing pad improves overall material removal rate uniformity by combining multiple polishing pad sections in a serially linked manner, where the polishing pad sections are characterized by at least two different material removal rate profiles. The polishing pad is designed by |
| 6632322 |
Switched uniformity control |
October 14, 2003 |
| A component delivery mechanism for distributing a component inside a process chamber is disclosed. The component is used to process a work piece within the process chamber. The component delivery mechanism includes a plurality of component outputs for outputting the component to a de |
| 6630407 |
Plasma etching of organic antireflective coating |
October 7, 2003 |
| A semiconductor manufacturing process wherein an organic anti-reflective coating (ARC) is plasma etched with selectivity to an underlying dielectric layer and/or overlying photoresist. The etchant gas is fluorine-free and includes a carbon-containing gas such as CO gas, a nitrogen-co |
| 6629053 |
Method and apparatus for determining substrate offset using optimization techniques |
September 30, 2003 |
| Dynamic alignment of a wafer with a blade that carries the wafer involves determination of an approximate value of wafer offset with respect to a desired location of the wafer in a module. This determination is made using an optimization program. The wafer is picked up from a first l |
| 6626743 |
Method and apparatus for conditioning a polishing pad |
September 30, 2003 |
| A method and apparatus for conditioning a polishing pad is described. The method includes applying a stream of pressurized liquid to the polishing pad, and removing a significant amount of slurry and liquid from the polishing pad using a vacuum. The apparatus includes a liquid distributi |
| 6626185 |
Method of depositing a silicon containing layer on a semiconductor substrate |
September 30, 2003 |
| A plasma cleaning method for removing deposits in a CVD chamber. The method includes introducing a cleaning gas comprising a fluorine-based gas into the chamber. A plasma is formed by exposing the cleaning gas to an inductive field generated by resonating a radio frequency current in a R |
| 6625835 |
Disk cascade scrubber |
September 30, 2003 |
| A cascaded disk scrubbing system and method are provided. The cascaded disk scrubbing system includes an array of rows of brush pairs. Each row includes a plurality of counter-rotating brush pairs that are arranged horizontally and longitudinally, and configured to receive and process a |
| 6624078 |
Methods for analyzing the effectiveness of wafer backside cleaning |
September 23, 2003 |
| A method for using a monitor substrate to determine effectiveness of a cleaning operation is provided. The method includes selecting a substrate from a lot of substrates and inspecting a surface of the substrate to determine a roughness profile of the substrate. The monitor substrate is |
| 6622335 |
Drip manifold for uniform chemical delivery |
September 23, 2003 |
| A drip manifold having drip nozzles configured to form controlled droplets is provided for use in wafer cleaning systems. The drip manifold includes a plurality of drip nozzles that are secured to the drip manifold. Each of the plurality of drip nozzles has a passage defined between a fi |
| 6622286 |
Integrated electronic hardware for wafer processing control and diagnostic |
September 16, 2003 |
| A central controller for use in a semiconductor manufacturing equipment integrates a plurality of controllers with an open architecture allowing real-time communication between the various control loops. The central controller includes at least one central processing unit (CPU) executing |
| 6621584 |
Method and apparatus for in-situ monitoring of thickness during chemical-mechanical polishing |
September 16, 2003 |
| An apparatus and method for in-situ monitoring of thickness during chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) of a substrate using a polishing tool and a film thickness monitor. The tool has an opening placed in it. The opening contains a monitoring window secured in it to create a monitoring |
| 6620733 |
Use of hydrocarbon addition for the elimination of micromasking during etching of organic low-k |
September 16, 2003 |
| A method for etching features in an integrated circuit wafer, the wafer incorporating at least one dielectric layer is provided. Generally, the wafer is disposed within a reaction chamber. An etchant gas comprising a hydrocarbon additive and an active etchant is flowed into the reaction |
| 6620520 |
Zirconia toughened ceramic components and coatings in semiconductor processing equipment and met |
September 16, 2003 |
| A corrosion resistant component of semiconductor processing equipment such as a plasma chamber comprises zirconia toughened ceramic material as an outermost surface of the component. The component can be made entirely of the ceramic material or the ceramic material can be provided as a c |
| 6620035 |
Grooved rollers for a linear chemical mechanical planarization system |
September 16, 2003 |
| In a linear chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) system, a surface of each roller of a pair of rollers is disclosed which includes a first set of grooves covering a first portion of the surface of the roller where the first set of grooves has a first pitch that angles outwardly toward |
| 6620031 |
Method for optimizing the planarizing length of a polishing pad |
September 16, 2003 |
| A method for optimizing the planarizing length of a polishing pad is disclosed that includes forming a substantially constant network of islands and trenches into a first side of a polishing pad. The trenches are formed to a pre-determined distance apart. The polishing pad is fit to |
| 6618638 |
Method for scaling processes between different etching chambers and wafer sizes |
September 9, 2003 |
| A method scales plasma process settings from a first processing device to a second processing device. The first processing device has a first geometry and a first set of process parameters. The second processing device has a second geometry and a second set of process parameters. A first |
| 6617257 |
Method of plasma etching organic antireflective coating |
September 9, 2003 |
| A semiconductor manufacturing process wherein an organic antireflective coating is etched with an O.sub.2 -free sulfur containing gas which provides selectivity with respect to an underlying layer and/or minimizes the lateral etch rate of an overlying photoresist to maintain critical |
| 6616801 |
Method and apparatus for fixed-abrasive substrate manufacturing and wafer polishing in a single |
September 9, 2003 |
| Methods and apparatus are provided for combining the manufacturing of a fixed-abrasive substrate and the chemical mechanical planarization of semiconductor wafers using a single process path. |
| 6616772 |
Methods for wafer proximity cleaning and drying |
September 9, 2003 |
| A method for preparing a semiconductor wafer surface is provided which includes providing a plurality of source inlets and a plurality of source outlets and applying isopropyl alcohol (IPA) vapor gas through the plurality of source inlets to the wafer surface when the plurality of so |
| 6616516 |
Method and apparatus for asymmetric processing of front side and back side of semiconductor subs |
September 9, 2003 |
| An asymmetric double-sided substrate scrubber is provided. The asymmetric double-sided substrate scrubber includes a first roller and a second roller. The first roller is constructed from a first material having a first density and the second roller is constructed from a second material |
| 6616509 |
Method for performing two wafer preparation operations on vertically oriented semiconductor wafe |
September 9, 2003 |
| Methods for preparing semiconductor wafers are provided. A method includes disposing a pair of wafer preparation assemblies in an opposing relationship in an enclosure. Each of the wafer preparation assemblies having a first wafer preparation member and a second wafer preparation mem |
| 6615510 |
Wafer drying apparatus and method |
September 9, 2003 |
| Liquid is removed from wafers for drying a wafer that has been wet in a liquid bath. The wafer and the bath are separated at a controlled rate as the wafer is positioned in a gas-filled volume. The controlled rate is generally not less than the maximum rate at which a meniscus will form |
| 6613442 |
Boron nitride/yttria composite components of semiconductor processing equipment and method of ma |
September 2, 2003 |
| A corrosion resistant component of semiconductor processing equipment such as a plasma chamber includes a boron nitride/yttria composite containing surface and process for manufacture thereof. |
| 6612904 |
Field controlled polishing apparatus |
September 2, 2003 |
| A polishing tool includes a polish pad, a bladder, a fluid, and a flux guide. A bladder containing fluid supports the polishing pad that is positioned adjacent to a surface to be polished. Flux guides positioned along a portion of the bladder direct a field or a magnetic flux to sele |
| 6612902 |
Method and apparatus for end point triggering with integrated steering |
September 2, 2003 |
| An invention is disclosed for end point triggering in a chemical mechanical polishing process. A sensor array is positioned beneath a polishing belt having an end point window. The polishing belt is then rotated during the CMP process, and a transverse position of the end point window is |
| 6612315 |
Bowl, spin, rinse, and dry module, and method for loading a semiconductor wafer into a spin, rin |
September 2, 2003 |
| A bowl includes a bottom wall having a generally circular shape. A sidewall extends upwardly from the bottom wall to define a cylindrical chamber. The sidewall has a projection that extends into the cylindrical chamber. The projection has a top surface that defines a step in the cylindri |
| 6611326 |
System and apparatus for evaluating the effectiveness of wafer drying operations |
August 26, 2003 |
| Systems and apparatus for evaluating the effectiveness of wafer drying techniques are provided. The systems and apparatus include a laser or any other source configured to apply light radiation to the surface of a substrate that has been rinsed with a solution containing an analytically |
| 6610601 |
Bond pad and wire bond |
August 26, 2003 |
| A method is described comprising removing an oxide from a surface and then commencing application of a passivation layer to the surface within 5 seconds of the oxide removal. The surface may be a copper surface which may further comprise a bonding pad surface. Removing the oxide may furt |
| 6609961 |
Chemical mechanical planarization belt assembly and method of assembly |
August 26, 2003 |
| A method of producing a chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) polishing belt structure is disclosed that includes forming a strip of substantially rigid material into a support belt having an interior surface and an exterior surface. At least a portion of the exterior surface of the |
| 6609952 |
Chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) system and method for determining an endpoint in a CMP o |
August 26, 2003 |
| In a method for determining an endpoint in a chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) operation, the concentration of an oxidizing agent in the slurry byproduct generated during the CMP operation is monitored. The endpoint of the CMP operation is determined based on the concentration of |
