公开(公告)号：US20240420947A1

公开(公告)日：2024-12-19

申请号：US18210651

申请日：2023-06-16

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Shiyu YUE ,  Jiajie CEN ,  Sahil Jaykumar PATEL ,  Zhimin QI ,  Ju Hyun OH ,  Aixi ZHANG ,  Xingyao GAO ,  Wei LEI ,  Yi XU ,  Yu LEI ,  Tsung-Han YANG ,  Xiaodong WANG ,  Xiangjin XIE ,  Yixiong YANG ,  Kevin KASHEFI ,  Rongjun WANG

IPC: H01L21/02 ,  H01L21/311

Abstract: A method of pre-cleaning in a semiconductor structure includes performing a plasma pre-treatment process to remove impurities from a surface of a semiconductor structure comprising a metal layer and a dielectric layer, performing a selective etch process to remove molybdenum oxide from a surface of the metal layer, the selective etch process comprising soaking the semiconductor structure in a precursor including molybdenum chloride (MoCl5, MoCl6) at a temperature of between 250° C. and 350° C., and performing a post-treatment process to remove chlorine residues and by-products of the selective etch process on the surface of the semiconductor structure.

公开(公告)号：US20230017383A1

公开(公告)日：2023-01-19

申请号：US17375654

申请日：2021-07-14

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Bencherki MEBARKI ,  Joung Joo LEE ,  Komal GARDE ,  Kishor Kumar KALATHIPARAMBIL ,  Xianmin TANG ,  Xiangjin XIE ,  Rui LI

IPC: H01L21/768 ,  H01L21/285 ,  C23C14/34

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate are provided. For example, a method includes sputtering a material from a target in a PVD chamber to form a material layer on a layer comprising a feature of the substrate, the feature having an opening width defined by a first sidewall and a second sidewall, the material layer having a greater lateral thickness at the top surface of the layer than a thickness on the first sidewall or the second sidewall within the feature, depositing additional material on the layer by biasing the layer with an RF bias at a low power, etching the material layer from the layer by biasing the layer with an RF bias at a high-power, and repeatedly alternating between the low power and the high-power at a predetermined frequency.

公开(公告)号：US20220364230A1

公开(公告)日：2022-11-17

申请号：US17733331

申请日：2022-04-29

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Rui LI ,  Xiangjin XIE ,  Xianmin TANG ,  Anthony Chih-Tung CHAN

IPC: C23C16/455 ,  H01J37/32

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for forming a barrier layer are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of forming a barrier layer on a substrate includes treating an exposed layer deposited on a substrate and within a feature of the substrate by pulsing a bias power applied to a substrate support supporting the substrate while exposing the layer to a plasma. The exposed layer can be deposited by an atomic layer deposition process, and can be, for example, a tantalum nitride layer. The bias power can be up to 500 watts of RF power at a pulse frequency of about 1 Hz to about 10 kHz. The bias power can be pulsed uniformly or at multiple different levels.

公开(公告)号：US20220020578A1

公开(公告)日：2022-01-20

申请号：US16928606

申请日：2020-07-14

Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

Inventor： Xiangjin XIE ,  Fuhong ZHANG ,  Shirish A. PETHE ,  Martin Lee RIKER ,  Lewis Yuan Tse LO ,  Lanlan ZHONG ,  Xianmin TANG ,  Paul Dennis CONNORS

IPC: H01J37/34 ,  C23C14/34 ,  C23C14/54 ,  C23C14/14 ,  H01J37/32

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate are provided herein. A method, for example, includes igniting a plasma at a first pressure within a processing volume of a process chamber; depositing sputter material from a target disposed within the processing volume while decreasing the first pressure to a second pressure within a first time frame while maintaining the plasma; continuing to deposit sputter material from the target while decreasing the second pressure to a third pressure within a second time frame less than the first time frame while maintaining the plasma; and continuing to deposit sputter material from the target while maintaining the third pressure for a third time frame that is greater than or equal to the second time frame while maintaining the plasma.

公开(公告)号：US20210398798A1

公开(公告)日：2021-12-23

申请号：US16906999

申请日：2020-06-19

Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

Inventor： Carmen LEAL CERVANTES ,  Alexander JANSEN ,  Xiangjin XIE

IPC: H01L21/02

Abstract: A method of cleaning a surface of a substrate uses alcohol and water treatments. The method may include applying an alcohol treatment on a surface of the substrate with the alcohol treatment configured to provide surface reduction and applying a water treatment to the surface of the substrate with the water treatment configured to enhance selectivity of at least a portion of the surface for a subsequent barrier layer process by removing alcohol from the at least a portion of the surface. The water treatment may be performed simultaneously with the alcohol treatment or performed after the alcohol treatment. The water treatment may include vaporized water or water injected into a plasma to produce hydrogen or oxygen radicals.

公开(公告)号：US20240218498A1

公开(公告)日：2024-07-04

申请号：US18091552

申请日：2022-12-30

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Goichi YOSHIDOME ,  Xiangjin XIE

IPC: C23C14/35 ,  C23C14/34 ,  C23C14/54

CPC classification number: C23C14/35 ,  C23C14/345 ,  C23C14/54

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate are provided. In some embodiments, a method for processing a substrate includes: energizing a target disposed at a distance from a plurality of magnets disposed within a processing volume of a processing chamber, and moving the plurality of magnets either away from or closer to the target at a predetermined distance based on an inverse target voltage curve that is determined using a third order polynomial.

公开(公告)号：US20210391214A1

公开(公告)日：2021-12-16

申请号：US16902655

申请日：2020-06-16

Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

Inventor： Lanlan ZHONG ,  Shirish A. PETHE ,  Fuhong ZHANG ,  Joung Joo LEE ,  Kishor KALATHIPARAMBIL ,  Xiangjin XIE ,  Xianmin TANG

IPC: H01L21/768 ,  H01L21/321

Abstract: A method of filling structures on a substrate uses a semi-dynamic reflow process. The method may include depositing a metallic material on the substrate at a first temperature, heating the substrate to a second temperature higher than the first temperature wherein heating of the substrate causes a static reflow of the deposited metallic material on the substrate, stopping heating of the substrate, and depositing additional metallic material on the substrate causing a dynamic reflow of the deposited additional metallic material on the substrate. RF bias power may be applied during the dynamic reflow to facilitate in maintaining the temperature of the substrate.

公开(公告)号：US20200350159A1

公开(公告)日：2020-11-05

申请号：US16752630

申请日：2020-01-25

Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

Inventor： Rui LI ,  Xiangjin XIE ,  Fuhong Zhang ,  Shirish PETHE ,  Adolph ALLEN ,  Lanlan Zhong ,  Xianmin TANG

IPC: H01L21/02 ,  H01L21/768 ,  C23C14/34 ,  C23C18/38

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for method for filling a feature with copper. In some embodiments, the methods include: (a) depositing a first cobalt layer via a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process atop a substrate field and atop a sidewall and a bottom surface of a feature disposed in a substrate to form a first cobalt portion atop the substrate field and a second cobalt portion atop the sidewall; (b) depositing copper atop the first cobalt portion atop the substrate field; and (c) flowing the copper disposed atop the first cobalt portion atop the substrate field over the second cobalt portion and into the feature, wherein the first cobalt portion atop the substrate field reduces the mobility of copper compared to the mobility of copper over the second cobalt portion.

公开(公告)号：US20240213007A1

公开(公告)日：2024-06-27

申请号：US18089216

申请日：2022-12-27

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Junjie PAN ,  Yida LIN ,  Xiangjin XIE ,  Martin Lee RIKER ,  Suhas UMESH ,  Keith A. MILLER

IPC: H01J37/34 ,  C23C14/35 ,  C23C14/54

CPC classification number: H01J37/3464 ,  C23C14/35 ,  C23C14/54 ,  H01J37/3405 ,  H01J37/3476 ,  H01J2237/332

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for controlling processing of a substrate within a process chamber, comprising: performing statistical analysis on measurements of deposition profile of at least one previously processed substrate processed in the process chamber, wherein the deposition profile is based at least on modulating a power parameter of at least one power supply affecting a magnetron in the process chamber; determining, based on the statistical analysis, a model of the deposition profile as a function of at least the power parameter; fitting the measurements of deposition profile to the model; determining a power parameter setpoint for the at least one power supply using the fitted model based on a desired deposition profile of an unprocessed substrate; and setting the power parameter setpoint for processing the unprocessed substrate.

公开(公告)号：US20230230806A1

公开(公告)日：2023-07-20

申请号：US17568836

申请日：2022-01-05

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Yida LIN ,  Rui LI ,  Martin Lee RIKER ,  Haitao WANG ,  Noufal Kappachali ,  Xiangjin XIE

IPC: H01J37/32

CPC classification number: H01J37/32183 ,  B23K15/0006 ,  H01J2237/327

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate are provided herein. For example, an RF power delivery compensation circuit comprises a first input configured to receive an RF forward power from an RF power source connected to a processing chamber and a second input configured to receive an RF delivered power from a matching network connected between the RF power source and the processing chamber. The RF power delivery compensation circuit calculates an RF forward power compensation factor based on the RF forward power and the RF delivered power for adjusting the RF forward power delivered to the processing chamber during operation.