Quotables
"Telephone, n. An invention of the devil which abrogates some of the advantages of making a disagreeable person keep his distance. "
Ambose Bierce
PatentStorm News
Make the Most of Our Site
See this month's Top Inventors and Most Cited Patents.
Stay on top of the latest innovations by subscribing to an RSS feed.
Registered users: Manage your profile.
| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7345429 | Methods and apparatus for generating strongly-ionized plasmas with ionizational instabilities Methods and apparatus for generating strongly-ionized plasmas are disclosed. A strongly-ionized plasma generator according to one embodiment includes a chamber for confining a feed gas. An anode and a cathode assembly are positioned inside the chamber. A pulsed powe... | 03/18/2008 |
| 7320331 | In-situ plasma cleaning device for cylindrical surfaces An in-situ plasma cleaning device (PCD) performs an atomic surface cleaning process to remove contaminants and/or to modify the cylindrical surfaces of both the target and substrate. The atomic cleaning process utilizes a plasma generated locally within the in-situ ... | 01/22/2008 |
| 7316199 | Method and apparatus for controlling the magnetic field intensity in a plasma enhanced semiconductor wafer processing chamber A magnetic field generator for producing a magnetic field that accelerates plasma formation is placed proximate a reaction chamber of semiconductor substrate processing system. The magnetic field generator has four main magnetic coil sections for producing a magneti... | 01/08/2008 |
| 7316764 | System and method for performing sputter etching using independent ion and electron sources and a substrate biased with an a-symmetric bi-polar DC pulse signal A system and method for performing sputter etching includes an ion source that generates an ion current that is directed at a substrate and an electron source that generates an electron current directed at the substrate. Biasing circuitry biases the substrate with a... | 01/08/2008 |
| 7294283 | Penning discharge plasma source The preferred embodiments described herein provide a Penning discharge plasma source. The magnetic and electric field arrangement, similar to a Penning discharge, effectively traps the electron Hall current in a region between two surfaces. When a substrate (10 | 11/13/2007 |
| 7276140 | Plasma accelerating apparatus for semiconductor substrate processing and plasma processing system having the same A plasma accelerating apparatus and a plasma processing system having the same are provided. The apparatus includes a circular channel comprising an inner wall, an outer wall, and an end wall connected to an end of the inner wall and the outer wall to form an outlet... | 10/02/2007 |
| 7270729 | System for, and method of, etching a surface on a wafer First and second electrodes and magnets between the electrodes define an enclosure. The first electrode is biased at a high voltage to produce a high intensity electrical field. The second electrode is biased at a low negative voltage by a low alternating voltage to... | 09/18/2007 |
| 7241397 | Honeycomb optical window deposition shield and method for a plasma processing system An optical window deposition shield including a backing plate having a through hole, and a honeycomb structure having a plurality of adjacent cells configured to allow optical viewing through the honeycomb structure. Each cell of the honeycomb structure has an aspec... | 07/10/2007 |
| 7163607 | Process kit for improved power coupling through a workpiece in a semiconductor wafer processing system Apparatus for supporting a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer in a process chamber to improve power coupling through the substrate. The apparatus contains a pedestal assembly and a pedestal cover positioned over the top surface of and circumscribing the pedesta... | 01/16/2007 |
| 7144520 | Etching method and apparatus An etching apparatus comprises a workpiece holder (21) for holding a workpiece (X), a plasma generator (10, 20) for generating a plasma (30) in a vacuum chamber (3), an orifice electrode (4) disposed between the workpiece holder ( | 12/05/2006 |
| 7141508 | Magnetoresistive effect thin-film magnetic head and manufacturing method of magnetoresistive effect thin-film magnetic head A manufacturing method of an MR thin-film magnetic head with an MR film and lead conductors overlapping each other, includes a step of depositing a conductor layer on at least the magnetoresistive effect film, a step of forming a cap layer patterned on the deposited... | 11/28/2006 |
| 7118683 | Methods of etching silicon-oxide-containing compositions The invention encompasses a method of enhancing selectivity of etching silicon dioxide relative to one or more organic substances. A material comprising one or more elements selected from Group VIII of the periodic table is provided within a reaction chamber; and a ... | 10/10/2006 |
| 7082026 | On chip capacitor A high capacity silicon capacitor formed on an integrated circuit substrate includes a metal portion on the substrate; a silicon nitride (SiN) portion sputtered on the metal; a silicon (Si) portion sputtered on the silicon nitride portion, another SiN layer and fina... | 07/25/2006 |
| 7015563 | On chip capacitor A high capacity silicon capacitor formed on an integrated circuit substrate includes a metal portion on the substrate; a silicon nitride (SiN) portion sputtered on the metal; a silicon (Si) portion sputtered on the silicon nitride portion, another SiN layer and fina... | 03/21/2006 |
| 7012263 | Ion source apparatus and electronic energy optimized method therefor The ion source apparatus of the present invention includes at least one pair of antenna-opposed magnets sandwiching an antenna element and moveable to magnetic element and the antenna element both in horizontal and vertical directions in a plasma chamber, and a cont... | 03/14/2006 |
| 6994769 | In-situ cleaning of a polymer coated plasma processing chamber An apparatus configured to remove chamber deposits between process operations is provided. The processing chamber includes a top electrode in communication with a power supply. A processing chamber defined within a base, a sidewall extending from the base, and a top... | 02/07/2006 |
| 6991701 | Plasma treatment method and apparatus A plasma treatment method comprising exhausting a process chamber so as to decompress the process chamber, mounting a wafer on a suscepter, supplying a process gas to the wafer through a shower electrode, applying high frequency power, which has a first frequency f | 01/31/2006 |
| 6962644 | Tandem etch chamber plasma processing system A method and apparatus for processing wafers including a chamber defining a plurality of isolated processing regions. The isolated processing regions have an upper end and a lower end. The chamber further includes a plurality of plasma generation devices each dispos... | 11/08/2005 |
| 6955741 | Semiconductor-processing reaction chamber The present application provides a PECVD reaction chamber for processing semiconductor wafers comprising a susceptor for supporting a semiconductor wafer inside the reaction chamber wherein the susceptor comprises a plurality vertical through-bores, a moving means f... | 10/18/2005 |
| 6942764 | Arc-sprayed shield for pre-sputter etching chamber Contamination due to deposited particulate matter has been greatly reduced in single wafer sputter-etchers by coating the full interior of the sputtering shield with a layer of an arc-sprayed material such as aluminum, said layer being possessed of a high degree of ... | 09/13/2005 |
| 6936546 | Apparatus for shaping thin films in the near-edge regions of in-process semiconductor substrates An apparatus for shaping and encapsulating near edge regions of a semiconductor wafer is described. A housing of the apparatus has a slot for receiving an edge of a wafer affixed on a rotatable chuck. At least one plasma source connected to the housing generates a f... | 08/30/2005 |
| 6930047 | Dry etching apparatus, etching method, and method of forming a wiring An etching apparatus is provided, in which a plurality of electrodes are disposed for placing a substrate, high-frequency power sources as many as electrodes are provided, and the electrodes and the high-frequency power sources are connected to each other independen... | 08/16/2005 |
| 6924455 | Integrated plasma chamber and inductively-coupled toroidal plasma source A material processing apparatus having an integrated toroidal plasma source is described. The material processing apparatus includes a plasma chamber that comprises a portion of an outer surface of a process chamber. A transformer having a magnetic core surrounds a ... | 08/02/2005 |
| 6907841 | Apparatus and method for synthesizing spherical diamond powder by using chemical vapor deposition method Disclosed are an apparatus and a method to synthesize powders typed diamond with the size between several tens nm to several μm in diameter using conventional CVD processes for deposition of diamond films. Gas phase nucleation has been induced on the boundary of pl... | 06/21/2005 |
| 6896775 | High-power pulsed magnetically enhanced plasma processing Magnetically enhanced plasma processing methods and apparatus are described. A magnetically enhanced plasma processing apparatus according to the present invention includes an anode and a cathode that is positioned adjacent to the anode. An ionization source generat... | 05/24/2005 |
| 6887317 | Reduced friction lift pin A substrate support is provided that features a lift pin having at least one larger diameter shoulder section that forms a relief region between the lift pin and a guide hole disposed through a substrate support. The shoulder section minimizes contact between the su... | 05/03/2005 |
| 6786998 | Wafer temperature control apparatus and method An assembly for holding a substrate is provided. The substrate has a first surface, a second surface, opposite the first surface and an outer peripheral portion. The assembly includes a holding body having a support surface for supporting the substrate. The holding ... | 09/07/2004 |
| 6736931 | Inductively coupled RF plasma reactor and plasma chamber enclosure structure therefor A plasma chamber enclosure structure for use in an RF plasma reactor. The plasma chamber enclosure structure being a single-wall dielectric enclosure structure of an inverted cup-shape configuration and having ceiling with an interior surface of substantially flat c... | 05/18/2004 |
| 6679981 | Inductive plasma loop enhancing magnetron sputtering A plasma reaction chamber, particularly a DC magnetron sputter reactor, in which the plasma density and the ionization fraction of the plasma is increased by a plasma inductive loop passing through the processing space. A tube has its two ends connected t... | 01/20/2004 |
| 6664497 | Toroidal low-field reactive gas source An apparatus for dissociating gases includes a plasma chamber that may be formed from a metallic material and a transformer having a magnetic core surrounding a portion of the plasma chamber and having a primary winding. The apparatus also includes one or... | 12/16/2003 |
| 6576860 | Plasma processing method and apparatus for eliminating damages in a plasma process of a substrate A plasma processing method comprises the steps of supplying a low-frequency bias to a first electrode carrying a substrate, and supplying a high-frequency power to a second electrode facing the first electrode, wherein the low-frequency bias is supplied t... | 06/10/2003 |
| 6554205 | Gas polishing method, gas polishing nozzle and polishing apparatus A gas jetting nozzle is used for etching an object to be etched by jetting etching gas onto the object from the gas jetting nozzle. A gas jetting pipe for jetting an etching gas and a suction pipe for discharging the jetted gas are provided to have a coax... | 04/29/2003 |
| 6533910 | Carbonitride coated component of semiconductor processing equipment and method of manufacturing thereof A corrosion resistant component of semiconductor processing equipment such as a plasma chamber includes a carbonitride containing surface and process for manufacture thereof.... | 03/18/2003 |
| 6531069 | Reactive Ion Etching chamber design for flip chip interconnections RIE processing chambers includes arrangements of gas outlets which force gas-flow-shadow elimination. Means are provided to control and adjust the direction of gases to the outlet to modify and control the direction of plasma flow at the wafer surface dur... | 03/11/2003 |
| 6514376 | Thermal control apparatus for inductively coupled RF plasma reactor having an overhead solenoidal antenna The invention is embodied in a plasma reactor including a plasma reactor chamber and a workpiece support for holding a workpiece near a support plane inside the chamber during processing, the chamber having a reactor enclosure portion facing the support, ... | 02/04/2003 |
| 6506312 | Vapor deposition chamber components and methods of making the same The present invention provides a method of reducing or delaying the exfoliation of deposited films within a vapor deposition system. The method of preventing the delamination of thin films deposited of a vapor deposition chamber components includes the st... | 01/14/2003 |
| 6500314 | Plasma etch reactor and method A plasma etch reactor 20 includes a upper electrode 24, a lower electrode 24, a peripheral ring electrode 26 disposed therebetween. The upper electrode 24 is grounded, the peripheral electrode 26 is powered by a high frequency AC power supply, while the l... | 12/31/2002 |
| 6491784 | Dry etching device It is an object of the present invention to provide an upper electrode which is prevented from being contaminated with an impurity, has a sufficient adhesive strength between the pedestal and electrode plate of silicon, secures high-precision parallelism ... | 12/10/2002 |
| 6464843 | Contamination controlling method and apparatus for a plasma processing chamber A plasma processing chamber includes a substrate holder and a member of silicon carbide such as a liner, focus ring, perforated baffle or a gas distribution plate, the member having an exposed surface adjacent the substrate holder and the exposed surface ... | 10/15/2002 |
| 6454898 | Inductively coupled RF Plasma reactor having an overhead solenoidal antenna and modular confinement magnet liners In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, a plasma reactor having a chamber for containing a plasma and a passageway communicating with the chamber is enhanced with a first removable plasma confinement magnet module placed adjacent the passagewa... | 09/24/2002 |
