Ezra R Gold

US Patent:

7431859, Oct 7, 2008

Filed:

Apr 28, 2006

Appl. No.:

11/414017

Inventors:

Kallol Bera - San Jose CA, US
Xiaoye Zhao - Mountain View CA, US
Kenny L. Doan - San Jose CA, US
Ezra Robert Gold - Sunnyvale CA, US
Paul Lukas Brillhart - Pleasanton CA, US
Bruno Geoffrion - Sunnyvale CA, US
Bryan Pu - San Jose CA, US
Daniel J. Hoffman - Saratoga CA, US

Assignee:

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

International Classification:

H01L 21/00
C23F 1/00

US Classification:

216 67, 216 58, 216 59, 438706, 438710, 15634534

Abstract:

A plasma etch process includes injecting process gases with different compositions of chemical species through different radial gas injection zones of an overhead electrode to establish a desired distribution of chemical species among the plural gas injection zones.

US Patent:

7452824, Nov 18, 2008

Filed:

Dec 11, 2006

Appl. No.:

11/608964

Inventors:

Daniel J. Hoffman - Saratoga CA, US
Ezra Robert Gold - Sunnyvale CA, US

Assignee:

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

International Classification:

H01L 21/302

US Classification:

438714, 438 9, 438706, 216 59

Abstract:

The invention involves a method of characterizing a plasma reactor chamber through the behavior of many selected plasma parameters as functions of many selected chamber parameters. The plasma parameters may be selected from a group including ion density, wafer voltage, etch rate and wafer current or other plasma parameters. The chamber parameters are selected from a group including source power, bias power, chamber pressure, magnetic coil current in different magnetic coils, gas flow rates in different gas injection zones and species composition of the gas in different gas injection zones.

US Patent:

7470626, Dec 30, 2008

Filed:

Dec 11, 2006

Appl. No.:

11/608944

Inventors:

Daniel J. Hoffman - Saratoga CA, US
Ezra Robert Gold - Sunnyvale CA, US

Assignee:

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

International Classification:

H01L 21/302

US Classification:

438706, 438714, 216 59

Abstract:

A plasma reactor chamber is characterized by performing two steps for each one of plural selected chamber parameters. The first step consists of ramping the level of the one chamber parameter while sampling RF electrical parameters at an RF bias power input to said wafer support pedestal and computing from each sample of said RF electrical parameters the values of the plasma parameters. The second step consists of deducing, from the corresponding chamber parameter data generated in the first step, a single variable function for each of the plural plasma parameters having said one chamber parameter as an independent variable, and constructing combinations of these functions that are three variable functions having each of the chamber parameters as a variable.

US Patent:

7540971, Jun 2, 2009

Filed:

Apr 28, 2006

Appl. No.:

11/414015

Inventors:

Kallol Bera - San Jose CA, US
Xiaoye Zhao - Mountain View CA, US
Kenny L. Doan - San Jose CA, US
Ezra Robert Gold - Sunnyvale CA, US
Paul Lukas Brillhart - Pleasanton CA, US
Bruno Geoffrion - Sunnyvale CA, US
Bryan Pu - San Jose CA, US
Daniel J. Hoffman - Saratoga CA, US

Assignee:

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

International Classification:

H01L 21/00
C23F 1/00

US Classification:

216 67, 216 58, 216 59, 438706, 438710, 15634534

Abstract:

A plasma etch process etches high aspect ratio openings in a dielectric film on a workpiece in a reactor having a ceiling electrode overlying the workpiece and an electrostatic chuck supporting the workpiece. The process includes injecting a polymerizing etch process gas through an annular zone of gas injection orifices in the ceiling electrode, and evacuating gas from the reactor through a pumping annulus surrounding an edge of the workpiece. The high aspect ratio openings are etched in the dielectric film with etch species derived from the etch process gas while depositing a polymer derived from the etch process gas onto the workpiece, by generating a plasma in the reactor by applying VHF source power and/or HF and/or LF bias power to the electrodes at the ceiling and/or the electrostatic chuck. The process further includes slowing the deposition rate of the polymer, minimizing etch stop and/or increasing the etch rate in a region of the workpiece typically the center by injecting oxygen or nitrogen and/or high-fluorine containing gas through gas injection orifice in the corresponding region of the ceiling electrode, and adjusting the flow rate of the oxygen or nitrogen and/or high-fluorine containing gas through the gas injection orifice to minimize the difference between profiles and etch depths at the workpiece center and the workpiece periphery.

US Patent:

7541292, Jun 2, 2009

Filed:

Apr 28, 2006

Appl. No.:

11/414027

Inventors:

Kallol Bera - San Jose CA, US
Xiaoye Zhao - Mountain View CA, US
Kenny L. Doan - San Jose CA, US
Ezra Robert Gold - Sunnyvale CA, US
Paul Lukas Brillhart - Pleasanton CA, US
Bruno Geoffrion - Sunnyvale CA, US
Bryan Pu - San Jose CA, US
Daniel J. Hoffman - Saratoga CA, US

Assignee:

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

International Classification:

H01L 21/461

US Classification:

438723, 438719, 438724, 438725, 438729, 438736, 216 37, 216 67, 216 89

Abstract:

A plasma etch process for etching high aspect ratio openings in a dielectric film on a workpiece is carried out in a reactor having a ceiling electrode overlying the workpiece and an electrostatic chuck supporting the workpiece. The process includes injecting a first polymerizing etch process gas through a radially inward one of plural concentric gas injection zones in the ceiling electrode and injecting a second polymerizing etch process gas through a radially outward one of the plural concentric gas injection zones in the ceiling electrode, the compositions of the first and second process gases having first and second carbon-to-fluorine ratios that differ from one another. The process further includes evacuating gas from the reactor through a pumping annulus surrounding an edge of the workpiece, and etching the high aspect ratio openings in the dielectric film with etch species derived from the etch process gas while depositing a polymer derived from the etch process gas onto the workpiece, by generating a plasma in the reactor.

US Patent:

7743670, Jun 29, 2010

Filed:

Aug 3, 2007

Appl. No.:

11/833623

Inventors:

Jared Ahmed Lee - Santa Clara CA, US
Ezra Robert Gold - Sunnyvale CA, US
Chunlei Zhang - Santa Clara CA, US
James Patrick Cruse - Capitola CA, US
Richard Charles Fovell - San Jose CA, US

Assignee:

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

International Classification:

G01F 1/56
C25D 7/12

US Classification:

7386108, 205157

Abstract:

A method and apparatus for measuring gas flow are provided. In one embodiment, a calibration circuit for gas control may be utilized to verify and/or calibrate gas flows utilized for backside cooling, process gas delivery, purge gas delivery, cleaning agent delivery, carrier gases delivery and remediation gas delivery, among others.

US Patent:

7775236, Aug 17, 2010

Filed:

Feb 26, 2007

Appl. No.:

11/678622

Inventors:

Ezra Robert Gold - Sunnyvale CA, US
Richard Charles Fovell - San Jose CA, US
James Patrick Cruse - Capitola CA, US
Jared Ahmad Lee - Santa Clara CA, US
Bruno Geoffrion - Sunnyvale CA, US
Douglas Arthur Buchberger - Livermore CA, US
Martin J. Salinas - San Jose CA, US

Assignee:

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

International Classification:

F16K 11/24

US Classification:

1374875, 137597

Abstract:

A method and apparatus for delivering gases to a semiconductor processing system are provided. In one embodiment, an apparatus for delivering gases to a semiconductor processing system includes a plurality of gas input and output lines having inlet and outlet ports. Connecting lines couple respective pairs of the gas input and gas output lines. Connecting valves are arranged to control flow through the respective connecting lines. Mass gas flow controllers are arranged to control flow into respective inlet ports. In another embodiment, a method includes providing a manifold having at least a plurality of inlet that may be selectively coupled to at least one of a plurality of outlets, flowing one or more gases through the manifold to a vacuum environment by-passing the processing chamber prior to processing or to a calibration circuit, and flowing the one or more gases into the processing chamber during substrate processing.

US Patent:

7795153, Sep 14, 2010

Filed:

Dec 11, 2006

Appl. No.:

11/608996

Inventors:

Daniel J. Hoffman - Saratoga CA, US
Ezra Robert Gold - Sunnyvale CA, US

Assignee:

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

International Classification:

H01L 21/302

US Classification:

438714, 438 8, 438706, 216 61

Abstract:

The invention involves a method of processing a workpiece on workpiece support pedestal in a plasma reactor chamber in accordance with user-selected values of plural (i. e. , N) plasma parameters by controlling plural chamber parameters. The plasma parameters may be selected from of a group including ion density, wafer voltage, etch rate, wafer current and possibly other plasma parameters. The chamber parameters may be selected from a group including source power, bias power, chamber pressure, magnet coil current of different coils, gas flow rate in different gas injection zones, gas species composition in different gas injection zones, and possibly other chamber parameters. The method begins with a first step carried out for each one of the selected plasma parameters. This first step consists of fetching from a memory a relevant surface of constant value corresponding to the user-selected value of the one plasma parameter, the surface being defined in a N-dimensional space of which each of the N chamber parameters is a dimension. This step further includes determining an intersection of these relevant surfaces, the intersection corresponding to a target value of each of the N chamber parameter.