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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7432177 | Post-ion implant cleaning for silicon on insulator substrate preparation A combination of a dry oxidizing, wet etching, and wet cleaning processes are used to remove particle defects from a wafer after ion implantation, as part of a wafer bonding process to fabricate a SOI wafer. The particle defects on the topside and the backside of th... | 10/07/2008 |
| 7358175 | Serial thermal processor arrangement A serial thermal processing arrangement for treating a wafer of semiconductor material, the steps including: loading the wafer into a chamber at an initial station and purging the chamber with nitrogen gas; introducing formic acid vapor and nitrogen and heating the ... | 04/15/2008 |
| 7353379 | Methods for configuring a plasma cluster tool A method for configuring a plasma cluster tool is disclosed. The method includes generating a key file from option specifications, the key file encapsulating configuration restrictions specifically imposed on the plasma cluster tool. The method also includes generat... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7313452 | Substrate transfer controlling apparatus and substrate transferring method A substrate transfer controlling apparatus can easily maximize throughput of a substrate processing apparatus such as a semiconductor fabrication apparatus, and can satisfy a demand for immediacy of actions of a transfer device. The substrate transfer controlling ap... | 12/25/2007 |
| 7144813 | Method and apparatus for thermally processing microelectronic workpieces An apparatus for thermally processing a microelectronic workpiece is provided. The apparatus comprises a rotatable carousel assembly configured to support at least one workpiece. A driver is coupled to the carousel assembly and rotates the carousel assembly, moving ... | 12/05/2006 |
| 7132016 | System for and method of manufacturing a large-area backplane by use of a small-area shadow mask A vapor deposition shadow mask system includes a number of series connected vacuum vessels each having a material deposition source and shadow mask positioned therein. A substrate is translated along a path that has a longitudinal axis that extends through the vacuu... | 11/07/2006 |
| 7097712 | Apparatus for processing a semiconductor A multi-chamber system for providing a process of a high degree of cleanliness in fabricating semiconductor devices such as semiconductor integrated circuits. The system comprises a plurality of vacuum apparatus (e.g., a film formation apparatus, an etching apparatu... | 08/29/2006 |
| 7052919 | Recipe cascading in a wafer processing system The invention allows a cluster tool to change from a first recipe to a second recipe, while preserving periodicity and ensuring that there are no delays at critical points. This procedure is referred to as recipe cascading. Cascading involves emptying a first lot of... | 05/30/2006 |
| 7049154 | Vapor phase growth method by controlling the heat output in the gas introduction region A vapor phase growth method for growing a semiconductor single crystal thin film on a front surface of a semiconductor single crystal substrate (1) while introducing gas into a reaction chamber (11), has a step of performing heating output power contro... | 05/23/2006 |
| 6952622 | Robot pre-positioning in a wafer processing system A wafer cluster tool is described which operates in a regular, periodic fashion. Embodiments of the invention have a periodicity of one sending period. The invention enables the determination of pick-up times for process chambers in the cluster tool, and embodiments... | 10/04/2005 |
| RE38760 | Controlled etching of oxides via gas phase reactions Oxides are etched with a halide-containing species and a low molecular weight organic molecule having a high vapor pressure at standard conditions, where etching is performed at preset wafer temperature in an enclosed chamber at a pressure such that all species pres... | 07/19/2005 |
| 6897100 | Method for processing semiconductor device apparatus for processing a semiconductor and apparatus for processing semiconductor device A multi-chamber system for providing a process of a high degree of cleanliness in fabricating semiconductor devices such as semiconductor integrated circuits. The system comprises a plurality of vacuum apparatus (e.g., a film formation apparatus, an etching apparatu... | 05/24/2005 |
| 6865437 | Robot pre-positioning in a wafer processing system A wafer cluster tool is described which operates in a regular, periodic fashion. Embodiments of the invention have a periodicity of one sending period. The invention enables the determination of pick-up times for process chambers in the cluster tool, and embodiments... | 03/08/2005 |
| 6843809 | Vacuum/purge operation of loadlock chamber and method of transferring a wafer using said operation A vacuum/purge operation of a loadlock chamber prevents an eddy phenomenon from occurring in the chamber and thereby prevents wafers from being polluted and damaged by particles in the chamber. A vacuum pump for providing the loadlock chamber with vacuum pressure, a... | 01/18/2005 |
| 6797617 | Reduced cross-contamination between chambers in a semiconductor processing tool In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for transporting a workpiece in a semiconductor processing apparatus comprising a transfer chamber, a process chamber, and a gate valve between the transfer chamber and the process chamber.... | 09/28/2004 |
| 6776805 | Semiconductor manufacturing apparatus having a moisture measuring device A semiconductor manufacturing method whereby reactive gas processing such as selective epitaxial growth can be carried out with high precision by correctly adjusting conditions during processing is performed by a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus which can restr... | 08/17/2004 |
| 6772029 | Wafer transfer control apparatus and method for transferring wafer The present invention provides a substrate transfer controlling apparatus which can easily maximize the throughput of a substrate processing apparatus such as a semiconductor fabrication apparatus, and can satisfy a demand for immediacy of actions of a transfer devi... | 08/03/2004 |
| 6750155 | Methods to minimize moisture condensation over a substrate in a rapid cycle chamber A chamber for transitioning a semiconductor substrate between modules operating at different pressures is provided. The chamber includes a base defining an outlet. The outlet permits removal of an atmosphere within the chamber to create a vacuum. A substrate support... | 06/15/2004 |
| 6743719 | Method for forming a conductive copper structure The present invention provides, in one embodiment, a method of forming a metal layer over a semiconductor wafer. The method includes the chemical reduction of copper oxide (105) over the deposited copper seed layer (110) by exposure to a substantially ... | 06/01/2004 |
| 6693048 | High-pressure anneal process for integrated circuits This invention embodies an improved process for annealing integrated circuits to repair fabrication-induced damage. An integrated circuit is annealed in a pressurized sealed chamber in which a forming gas comprising hydrogen is present. Pressurization of ... | 02/17/2004 |
| 6686230 | Semiconducting devices and method of making thereof A process for providing a semiconducting device including the steps of depositing a semiconducting layer onto a substrate by means of heating a gas to a predetermined dissociation temperature so that the gas dissociates into fractions, whereby those fract... | 02/03/2004 |
| 6672358 | Sample processing system This invention is to provide a processing system suitable for manufacturing an SOI substrate. A processing system includes a scalar robot for conveying a bonded substrate stack held by a robot hand, and a centering apparatus, separating apparatus, inverti... | 01/06/2004 |
| 6657154 | Semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method for thin film semiconductor device In a manufacturing technology for forming a thin film transistor comprising a laser irradiation step, objects of the present invention are to obtain a high performance and multifunction semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and thin film transistor manufa... | 12/02/2003 |
| 6566175 | Method of manufacturing gate insulated field effect transistors A method of manufacturing thin film field effect transistors is described. The channel region of the transistors is formed by depositing an amorphous semiconductor film in a first sputtering apparatus followed by thermal treatment for converting the amorp... | 05/20/2003 |
| 6558962 | Method of manufacturing semiconductor devices with use of wafer carrier having conditioning units A method of manufacturing semiconductor devices uses a wafer carrier having conditioning units to control internal conditions of the wafer carrier. The wafer carrier stores and carries wafers between manufacturing equipments used in manufacturing processe... | 05/06/2003 |
| 6541363 | Antifuse manufacturing process An antifuse structure of the present invention comprises an antifase layer and a bottom electrode which are immune to the damages caused by harmful processing environment. The three major components of the antifuse--the bottom electrode, the antifuse laye... | 04/01/2003 |
| 6506693 | Multiple loadlock system A semiconductor processing system having a holding chamber coupled to a mainframe processing system and at least one loadlock chamber coupled to the holding chamber in which unprocessed wafers are transferred from the loadlock chamber to the holding chamb... | 01/14/2003 |
| 6497734 | Apparatus and method for enhanced degassing of semiconductor wafers for increased throughput A multi-level shelf degas station relying on at least two heaters integrated within wafer holding shelves or slots, where the semiconductor wafers do not have direct contact with the heater shelves. The heaters provide conduction heating. In order to dega... | 12/24/2002 |
| 6496746 | Method and apparatus for automatically generating schedules for wafer processing within a multichamber semiconductor wafer processing tool A method and apparatus for producing schedules for a wafer in a multichamber semiconductor wafer processing tool comprising the steps of providing a trace defining a series of chambers that are visited by a wafer as the wafer is processed by the tool; ini... | 12/17/2002 |
| 6482752 | Substrate processing apparatus and method and a manufacturing method of a thin film semiconductor device A substrate processing apparatus includes a plurality of evacuable treatment chambers connected to one another via an evacuable common chamber, and the common chamber is provided with means for transporting a substrate between each treatment chamber. More... | 11/19/2002 |
| 6448136 | Method of manufacturing flash memory A method of manufacturing flash memory. The method includes using a single wafer consecutive system process. A silicon wafer is placed inside one of the reaction chambers of a chemical vapor deposition station. Tunneling oxide layer, silicon nitride float... | 09/10/2002 |
| 6429139 | Serial wafer handling mechanism A wafer handling system for a wafer processing apparatus includes a wafer load lock chamber, a wafer processing chamber and a transfer chamber operatively coupled to the wafer load lock chamber and the wafer processing chamber. The transfer chamber includ... | 08/06/2002 |
| 6426303 | Processing system When both a wafer transfer means in a first transfer device and a wafer transfer means in a second transfer device move downward at the same time, the amount of exhaust air by an exhaust fan is increased by the control of a control section, whereby the do... | 07/30/2002 |
| 6410455 | Wafer processing system A wafer processing system occupies minimal floor space by using vertically mounted modules such as reactors, load locks, and cooling stations. Further saving in floor space is achieved by using a loading station which employs rotational motion to move a w... | 06/25/2002 |
| 6333259 | Semiconductor device and apparatus and method for manufacturing the same Disclosed is an apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device including a metal film which is formed on a semiconductor substrate in a film formation region containing the interior of a hole formed in the semiconductor substrate. The apparatus includ... | 12/25/2001 |
| 6328815 | Multiple chamber vacuum processing system configuration for improving the stability of mark shielding process A new configuration of a basic concatenatable integrated modular multiple chamber vacuum processing system for wafer manufacturing vacuum processes is disclosed. The basic system includes at least one multiple ported transfer vacuum chamber, an R-θ trans... | 12/11/2001 |
| 6261877 | Method of manufacturing gate insulated field effect transistors A method of manufacturing thin film field effect transistors is described. The channel region of the transistors is formed by depositing an amorphous semiconductor film in a first sputtering apparatus followed by thermal treatment for converting the amorp... | 07/17/2001 |
| 6258628 | Method and apparatus for processing resin sealed lead frame Resin sealed lead frames are processed by modular processing work stations related in number to a plurality of steps used in processing the lead or leads of the resin sealed lead frame. The work stations are separate modules which are detachably interconn... | 07/10/2001 |
| 6258690 | Method of manufacturing semiconductor device In a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having a capacitor portion consisting of a lower electrode, a dielectric film, and an upper electrode on a semiconductor substrate, a silicon film is formed on a surface of the lower electrode and a surf... | 07/10/2001 |
| 6242345 | Batch process for forming metal plugs in a dielectric layer of a semiconductor wafer A batch process for the high-pressure forming of metal plugs in the dielectric layers of semiconductor wafers. After holes are etched in the dielectric layer of each wafer, and a layer of a metal such as aluminum deposited over the dielectric, both the et... | 06/05/2001 |