公开(公告)号：US20210017645A1

公开(公告)日：2021-01-21

申请号：US17040788

申请日：2019-04-09

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Lu XU ,  Byung Seok KWON ,  Viren KALSEKAR ,  Vinay K. PRABHAKAR ,  Prashant Kumar KULSHRESHTHA ,  Dong Hyung LEE ,  Kwangduk Douglas LEE

IPC: C23C16/458 ,  C23C16/34 ,  C23C16/509 ,  C23C16/40 ,  C23C16/04 ,  C23C16/455 ,  C23C16/26

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to an apparatus for reducing arcing during thick film deposition in a plasma process chamber. In one embodiment, an edge ring including an inner edge diameter that is about 0.28 inches to about 0.38 inches larger than an outer diameter of a substrate is utilized when depositing a thick (greater than two microns) layer on the substrate. The layer may be a dielectric layer, such as a carbon hard mask layer, for example an amorphous carbon layer. With the 0.14 inches to 0.19 inches gap between the outer edge of substrate and the inner edge of the edge ring during the deposition of the thick layer, substrate support surface arcing is reduced while the layer thickness uniformity is maintained.

公开(公告)号：US20210327713A1

公开(公告)日：2021-10-21

申请号：US16853283

申请日：2020-04-20

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Xiaoquan MIN ,  Lu XU ,  Prashant Kumar KULSHRESHTHA ,  Kwangduk Douglas LEE

IPC: H01L21/033 ,  H01L21/02

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method and apparatus for forming carbon hard masks to improve deposition uniformity and etch selectivity. The carbon hard mask may be formed in a PECVD process chamber and is a nitrogen-doped carbon hardmask. The nitrogen-doped carbon hardmask is formed using a nitrogen containing gas, an argon containing gas, and a hydrocarbon gas.

公开(公告)号：US20200255940A1

公开(公告)日：2020-08-13

申请号：US16784456

申请日：2020-02-07

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Byung Seok KWON ,  Lu XU ,  Prashant Kumar KULSHRESHTHA ,  Seoyoung LEE ,  Dong Hyung LEE ,  Kwangduk Douglas LEE

IPC: C23C16/44 ,  H01L21/67 ,  H01J37/32

Abstract: Implementations of the disclosure generally relate to a method of cleaning a semiconductor processing chamber. In one implementation, a method of cleaning a deposition chamber includes flowing a nitrogen containing gas into a processing region within the deposition chamber, striking a plasma in the processing region utilizing a radio frequency power, introducing a cleaning gas into a remote plasma source that is fluidly connected to the deposition chamber, generating reactive species of the cleaning gas in the remote plasma source, introducing the cleaning gas into the deposition chamber, and removing deposits on interior surfaces of the deposition chamber at different etch rates.

公开(公告)号：US20200249263A1

公开(公告)日：2020-08-06

申请号：US16748640

申请日：2020-01-21

Applicant: Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor： Lu XU ,  Sarah Michelle BOBEK ,  Prashant Kumar KULSHRESHTHA ,  Byung Seok KWON ,  Venkata Sharat Chandra PARIMI ,  Kwangduk Douglas LEE ,  Juan Carlos ROCHA-ALVAREZ

IPC: G01R29/12 ,  C23C16/52 ,  H01L21/66 ,  H01J37/32

Abstract: Embodiments described herein relate to methods and tools for monitoring electrostatic chucking performance. A performance test is performed that requires only one bowed substrate and one reference substrate. To run the test, the reference substrate is positioned on an electrostatic chuck in a process chamber and the bowed substrate is positioned on the reference substrate. A voltage is applied from a power source to the electrostatic chuck, generating an electrostatic chucking force to secure the bowed substrate to the reference substrate. Thereafter, the applied voltage is decreased incrementally until the electrostatic chucking force is too weak to maintain the bowed substrate in flat form, resulting in dechucking of the bowed wafer. By monitoring the impedance of the chamber during deposition using a sensor, the dechucking threshold voltage can be identified at the point where the impedance of the reference substrate and the impedance of the bowed substrate deviates.