公开(公告)号：US20210050195A1

公开(公告)日：2021-02-18

申请号：US16994616

申请日：2020-08-16

Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

Inventor： Jothilingam RAMALINGAM ,  William FRUCHTERMAN

IPC: H01J37/34 ,  C23C14/34

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for reducing burn-in time of a physical vapor deposition shield, including: sputtering a dielectric target having a first dielectric constant to form a dielectric layer upon an inner surface of a shield, wherein the shield includes an aluminum oxide coating having a second dielectric constant in an amount sufficient to reduce the burn-in time, and wherein the first dielectric constant and second dielectric constant are substantially similar.

公开(公告)号：US20200273705A1

公开(公告)日：2020-08-27

申请号：US16800351

申请日：2020-02-25

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Tejinder SINGH ,  Suketu Arun PARIKH ,  Daniel Lee DIEHL ,  Michael Anthony STOLFI ,  Jothilingam RAMALINGAM ,  Yong CAO ,  Lifan YAN ,  Chi-I LANG ,  Hoyung David HWANG

IPC: H01L21/033 ,  H01L21/311

Abstract: Methods for forming a film stack comprising a hardmask layer and etching such hardmask layer to form features in the film stack are provided. The methods described herein facilitate profile and dimension control of features through a proper profile management scheme formed in the film stack. In one or more embodiments, a method for etching a hardmask layer includes forming a hardmask layer on a substrate, where the hardmask layer contains a metal-containing material containing a metal element having an atomic number greater than 28, supplying an etching gas mixture to the substrate, and etching the hardmask layer exposed by a photoresist layer.

公开(公告)号：US20210062325A1

公开(公告)日：2021-03-04

申请号：US17003969

申请日：2020-08-26

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Jothilingam RAMALINGAM ,  Xiaozhou CHE ,  Yong CAO ,  Shane LAVAN ,  Chunming ZHOU

IPC: C23C14/35 ,  H01L21/02 ,  H01J37/32 ,  H01J37/34 ,  C23C14/06

Abstract: A method of depositing a backside film layer on a backside of a substrate includes loading a substrate having one or more films deposited on a front side of the substrate onto a substrate support of a processing chamber, depositing, from the sputter target, a target material on the backside of the substrate to form a backside layer on the backside of the substrate, and applying an RF bias to an electrode disposed within the substrate support while depositing the target material. The front side of the substrate faces the substrate support and is spaced from a top surface of the substrate support, and a backside of the substrate faces a sputter target of the processing chamber.

公开(公告)号：US20150118833A1

公开(公告)日：2015-04-30

申请号：US14062741

申请日：2013-10-24

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Jianxin LEI ,  Jothilingam RAMALINGAM ,  Chi-Nung NI

IPC: H01L21/285 ,  H01L29/66 ,  C23C14/34 ,  H01L21/225

CPC classification number: H01L21/28506 ,  C23C14/16 ,  C23C14/3414 ,  C23C14/5813 ,  H01L21/225 ,  H01L21/2254 ,  H01L21/28518 ,  H01L21/2855 ,  H01L21/76843 ,  H01L21/76855 ,  H01L29/456 ,  H01L29/66477

Abstract: A method of depositing a contact layer material includes sputtering a target including a metal and a dopant. The contact layer material is conductive and may be used in a transistor device to connect a conductive region, such as a source region or a drain region of metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor, to a contact plug. The contact plug is used to connect the source/drain region formed in a semiconducting substrate to metal wiring layers formed above the gate level of a semiconductor device. The resulting contact layer may be a metal silicide including the dopant. In some embodiments, the sputtered metal may be nickel and the dopant may be phosphorous and the resulting contact layer a nickel silicide doped with phosphorous. Embodiments described, in general, can provide reduced contact resistance and thus improved performance in semiconductor devices.

Abstract translation: 沉积接触层材料的方法包括溅射包括金属和掺杂剂的靶。 接触层材料是导电的，并且可以用在晶体管器件中以将诸如金属氧化物半导体场效应晶体管的源极区域或漏极区域的导电区域连接到接触插塞。 接触插头用于将形成在半导体衬底中的源极/漏极区域连接到形成在半导体器件的栅极级上方的金属布线层。 所得到的接触层可以是包括掺杂剂的金属硅化物。 在一些实施例中，溅射金属可以是镍，并且掺杂剂可以是磷，并且所得到的接触层是掺杂有磷的硅化镍。 通常描述的实施例可以提供降低的接触电阻并因此提高半导体器件的性能。

公开(公告)号：US20220415649A1

公开(公告)日：2022-12-29

申请号：US17902357

申请日：2022-09-02

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Chunming ZHOU ,  Jothilingam RAMALINGAM ,  Yong CAO ,  Kevin Vincent MORAES ,  Shane LAVAN

IPC: H01L21/02 ,  H01L21/677

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to methods and apparatus for backside stress engineering of substrates to combat film stresses and bowing issues. In one embodiment, a method of depositing a film layer on a backside of a substrate is provided. The method includes flipping a substrate at a factory interface so that the backside of the substrate is facing up, and transferring the flipped substrate from the factory interface to a physical vapor deposition chamber to deposit a film layer on the backside of the substrate. In another embodiment, an apparatus for depositing a backside film layer on a backside of a substrate, which includes a substrate supporting surface configured to support the substrate at or near the periphery of the substrate supporting surface without contacting an active region on a front side of the substrate.

公开(公告)号：US20220307126A1

公开(公告)日：2022-09-29

申请号：US17838805

申请日：2022-06-13

Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

Inventor： Chao DU ,  Xing CHEN ,  Keith A. MILLER ,  Jothilingam RAMALINGAM ,  Jianxin LEI

IPC: C23C14/34 ,  H01J37/32

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for passivating a target are provided herein. For example, a method includes a) supplying an oxidizing gas into an inner volume of the process chamber; b) igniting the oxidizing gas to form a plasma and oxidize at least one of a target or target material deposited on a process kit disposed in the inner volume of the process chamber; and c) performing a cycle purge comprising: c1) providing air into the process chamber to react with the at least one of the target or target material deposited on the process kit; c2) maintaining a predetermined pressure for a predetermined time within the process chamber to generate a toxic by-product caused by the air reacting with the at least one of the target or target material deposited on the process kit; and c3) exhausting the process chamber to remove the toxic by-product.

公开(公告)号：US20220301828A1

公开(公告)日：2022-09-22

申请号：US17203786

申请日：2021-03-17

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Wei DOU ,  Yong CAO ,  Mingdong LI ,  Shane LAVAN ,  Jothilingam RAMALINGAM ,  Chengyu LIU

IPC: H01J37/32 ,  C23C14/14 ,  C23C14/06 ,  C23C14/34 ,  C23C14/54

Abstract: Embodiments of methods and apparatus for reducing particle formation in physical vapor deposition (PVD) chambers are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of reducing particle formation in a PVD chamber includes: performing a plurality of first deposition processes on a corresponding series of substrates disposed on a substrate support in the PVD chamber, wherein the PVD chamber includes a cover ring disposed about the substrate support and having a texturized outer surface, and wherein a silicon nitride (SiN) layer having a first thickness is deposited onto the texturized outer surface during each of the plurality of first deposition processes; and performing a second deposition process on the cover ring between subsets of the plurality of first deposition processes to deposit an amorphous silicon layer having a second thickness onto an underlying silicon nitride (SiN) layer.

公开(公告)号：US20170117153A1

公开(公告)日：2017-04-27

申请号：US14981190

申请日：2015-12-28

Applicant: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.

Inventor： Jothilingam RAMALINGAM ,  Thanh X. NGUYEN ,  Zhiyong WANG ,  Jianxin LEI ,  Xianmin TANG

IPC: H01L21/285 ,  H01L21/326

CPC classification number: H01L21/2855 ,  C23C14/185 ,  C23C14/3407 ,  C23C14/345 ,  C23C14/35 ,  C23C14/568 ,  H01J37/3408 ,  H01J37/3426 ,  H01J37/3435 ,  H01L21/326

Abstract: Systems and methods for sputtering a layer of refractory metal layer onto a barrier layer disposed on a substrate are disclosed herein. In one or more embodiments, a method of sputter depositing a tungsten structure in an integrated circuit includes: moving a substrate into a plasma processing chamber and onto a substrate support in opposition to a sputter target assembly comprising a tungsten target having no more than ten parts per million of carbon and no more than ten parts per million of oxygen present as impurities; flowing krypton into the plasma processing chamber; and exciting the krypton into a plasma to deposit, by sputtering, a tungsten film layer on a material layer of a substrate supported by the substrate support. In some embodiments, the target assembly further includes a titanium backing plate and an aluminum bonding layer disposed between the titanium backing plate and the tungsten target.

公开(公告)号：US20230335393A1

公开(公告)日：2023-10-19

申请号：US18337319

申请日：2023-06-19

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Chunming ZHOU ,  Jothilingam RAMALINGAM ,  Yong CAO ,  Kevin Vincent MORAES ,  Shane LAVAN

IPC: H01L21/02 ,  H01L21/677

CPC classification number: H01L21/02266 ,  H01L21/67745 ,  H01L21/67742

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to methods and apparatus for backside stress engineering of substrates to combat film stresses and bowing issues. In one embodiment, a method of depositing a film layer on a backside of a substrate is provided. The method includes flipping a substrate at a factory interface so that the backside of the substrate is facing up, and transferring the flipped substrate from the factory interface to a physical vapor deposition chamber to deposit a film layer on the backside of the substrate. In another embodiment, an apparatus for depositing a backside film layer on a backside of a substrate, which includes a substrate supporting surface configured to support the substrate at or near the periphery of the substrate supporting surface without contacting an active region on a front side of the substrate.

公开(公告)号：US20230115004A1

公开(公告)日：2023-04-13

申请号：US18081499

申请日：2022-12-14

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Tejinder SINGH ,  Lifan YAN ,  Abhijit B. MALLICK ,  Daniel Lee DIEHL ,  Ho-yung HWANG ,  Jothilingam RAMALINGAM

IPC: G03F7/09 ,  H01L21/027 ,  H01L21/308 ,  H01L21/033

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a multilayer stack used as a mask in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography and methods for forming a multilayer stack. In one embodiment, the method includes forming a carbon layer over a film stack, forming a metal rich oxide layer on the carbon layer by a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process, forming a metal oxide photoresist layer on the metal rich oxide layer, and patterning the metal oxide photoresist layer. The metal oxide photoresist layer is different from the metal rich oxide layer and is formed by a process different from the PVD process. The metal rich oxide layer formed by the PVD process improves adhesion of the metal oxide photoresist layer and increases the secondary electrons during EUV lithography, which leads to decreased EUV dose energies.