Kirby H Floyd, 65327 Los Pinos Way, San Jose, CA 95119

7037376, May 2, 2006

Apr 11, 2003

10/412446

Keith Harvey - Los Gatos CA, US
Karthik Janakiraman - San Jose CA, US
Kirby Floyd - San Jose CA, US

Applied Materials Inc. - Santa Clara CA

C23C 16/00
C23C 16/452
C23C 16/455
H01L 21/3065
C25F 1/00

118715, 118723 ER, 118723 IR, 118723 ME, 15634529, 15634533, 15634534, 15634535, 15634536, 134 11, 134 2219, 134166 R

A processing chamber may be effectively cleaned by a remote plasma flowed through the chamber in a direction opposite to the direction of gas flowed during wafer processing. Specifically, the remotely generated plasma may be introduced directly into the chamber through a processing gas exhaust or other port, and then be exhausted from the chamber by traveling through the gas distribution shower head to the foreline. In one embodiment of the present invention, this reverse flow of remote cleaning plasma is maintained for the duration of the chamber cleaning step. In an alternative embodiment, the direction of flow of the remote cleaning plasma through the chamber is alternated between this reverse flow and a conventional forward flow.

7413612, Aug 19, 2008

Jul 10, 2003

10/618187

Kirby Floyd - San Jose CA, US
Adrian Q. Montgomery - San Jose CA, US
Jennifer Gonzales - Riverside CA, US
Won Bang - Santa Clara CA, US
Rong Pan - San Jose CA, US
Amna Mohammed - Sunnyvale CA, US

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

C23C 16/00
C23F 1/00
H01L 21/306

118729, 15634554

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to adjusting the spacing between the substrate support and the faceplate of the gas distribution member to achieve improved uniformity of the layer formed on the substrate. One embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method of adjusting a spacing between a gas distribution member and a substrate support disposed generally opposite from the gas distribution member, wherein the substrate support is configured to support a substrate on which to form a layer with improved thickness uniformity. The method comprises forming a layer on the substrate disposed on the substrate support; measuring a thickness of the layer on the substrate; and calculating differences in thickness between a reference location on the substrate and a plurality of remaining locations on the substrate. The method further comprises computing spacing adjustment amounts for the remaining locations relative to the reference location based on the differences in thickness between the reference location and the remaining locations. The spacing adjustment amount is positive to increase the spacing between the substrate support at the location and the gas distribution member if the thickness is greater at the location than at the reference location.

7572340, Aug 11, 2009

Apr 29, 2005

11/118254

Kirby Floyd - San Jose CA, US

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

A23G 3/24
B05C 3/00

118729, 2481884, 33814

A device for adjusting a spacing between a chamber body such as a chamber body and a leveling plate such as a leveling plate comprises a mounting stud configured to be mounted to the chamber body. The mounting stud includes a stud threaded surface. A bushing is capable of being fixed to the leveling plate, and includes a bushing threaded surface. An adjustment screw has a first threaded surface threadingly engaged with the stud threaded surface of the mounting stud, and a second threaded surface threadingly engaged with the bushing threaded surface of the bushing. The threaded surfaces are configured, when the bushing is fixed to the leveling plate and the adjustment screw is turned, to cause the adjustment screw to move in a first direction with respect to the mounting stud at a first rate and the bushing to move in a second direction opposite from the first direction with respect to the adjustment screw at a second rate which is different from the first rate.

7754282, Jul 13, 2010

Jul 30, 2008

12/182345

Kirby Floyd - San Jose CA, US
Adrian Q. Montgomery - San Jose CA, US
Jennifer Gonzales - Riverside CA, US
Won Bang - Santa Clara CA, US
Rong Pan - San Jose CA, US
Amna Mohammed - Sunnyvale CA, US

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

C23C 16/52

4272481, 427 9

A method of adjusting a spacing between a gas distribution member and a substrate support includes forming a layer on a substrate disposed on the substrate support; measuring a thickness of the layer on the substrate; and calculating differences in thickness between a reference location on the substrate and a plurality of remaining locations on the substrate. The method further comprises computing spacing adjustment amounts for the remaining locations relative to the reference location based on the differences in thickness between the reference location and the remaining locations.

7790229, Sep 7, 2010

Oct 15, 2008

12/252277

Kirby Floyd - San Jose CA, US

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

A23G 3/24
B05C 3/00
C23C 16/00

4272481, 2481884, 33813, 33814, 33822, 74 8945

A method for adjusting a spacing of a leveling plate from a chamber body comprises attaching a mounting stud that includes a stud threaded surface to the chamber body. An adjustment screw is provided that has a first threaded surface threadingly engaged with the stud threaded surface. A bushing is provided that has a bushing threaded surface threadingly engaged with a second threaded surface of the adjustment screw. The bushing is movably coupled to the leveling plate. Coarse adjustment of the spacing between the leveling plate and the chamber body is made by rotating the adjustment screw with respect to the mounting stud. The bushing is fixed to the leveling plate. Fine adjustment of the spacing between the leveling plate and the chamber body is made by rotating the adjustment screw with respect to the mounting stud and the bushing.

8524004, Sep 3, 2013

Jun 15, 2011

13/161371

Dmitry Lubomirsky - Cupertino CA, US
Kirby H. Floyd - San Jose CA, US
Adib Khan - Santa Clara CA, US
Shankar Venkataraman - San Jose CA, US

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

C23C 16/455

118719, 118715, 118724, 118725, 118728, 118729

A substrate processing chamber for processing a plurality of wafers in batch mode. In one embodiment the chamber includes a vertically aligned housing having first and second processing areas separated by an internal divider, the first processing area positioned directly over the second processing area; a multi-zone heater operatively coupled to the housing to heat the first and second processing areas independent of each other; a wafer transport adapted to hold a plurality of wafers within the processing chamber and move vertically between the first and second processing areas; a gas distribution system adapted to introduce ozone into the second area and steam into the first processing area; and a gas exhaust system configured to exhaust gases introduced into the first and second processing areas.

2009012, May 14, 2009

Apr 29, 2008

12/111817

Dmitry Lubomirsky - Cupertino CA, US
Kirby H. Floyd - San Jose CA, US

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

C23C 16/00

118733

Substrate processing systems are described. The systems may include a processing chamber, and a substrate support assembly at least partially disposed within the chamber. The substrate support assembly is rotatable by a motor yet still allows electricity, cooling fluids, gases and vacuum to be transferred from a non-rotating source outside the processing chamber to the rotatable substrate support assembly inside the processing chamber. Cooling fluids and electrical connections can be used to raise or lower the temperature of a substrate supported by the substrate support assembly. Electrical connections can also be used to electrostatically chuck the wafer to the support assembly. A rotary seal or seals (which may be low friction O-rings) are used to maintain a process pressure while still allowing substrate assembly rotation. Vacuum pumps can be connected to ports which are used to chuck the wafer. The pumps can also be used to differentially pump the region between a pair of rotary seals when two or more rotary seals are present.

2009012, May 14, 2009

Mar 31, 2008

12/059820

Dmitry Lubomirsky - Cupertino CA, US
Toan Q. Tran - San Jose CA, US
Lun Tsuei - Mountain View CA, US
Manuel A. Hernandez - Santa Clara CA, US
Kirby H. Floyd - San Jose CA, US
Ellie Y. Yieh - San Jose CA, US

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

C23F 1/08
B05C 13/00
B05C 15/00
H01L 21/677
B05C 21/00

15634551, 118500, 118 50, 414805

A semiconductor processing system is described. The system includes a processing chamber having an interior capable of holding an internal chamber pressure below ambient atmospheric pressure. The system also includes a pumping system coupled to the chamber and adapted to remove material from the processing chamber. The system further includes a substrate support pedestal, where the substrate support pedestal is rigidly coupled to a substrate support shaft extending through a wall of the processing chamber. A bracket located outside the processing chamber is provided which is rigidly and sometimes rotatably coupled to the substrate support shaft. A motor coupled to the bracket can be actuated to vertically translate the substrate support pedestal, shaft and bracket from a first position to a second position closer to a processing plate. A piston mounted on an end of the bracket provides a counter-balancing force to a tilting force, where the tilting force is generated by a change in the internal chamber pressure and causes a deflection in the position of the bracket and the substrate support. The counter-balancing force reduces the deflection of the bracket and the substrate support.