Judy Chan Huang

6340435, Jan 22, 2002

Jun 9, 1999

09/329012

Claes H. Bjorkman - Mountain View CA
Min Melissa Yu - San Jose CA
Hongquing Shan - San Jose CA
David W. Cheung - Foster City CA
Kuowei Liu - Santa Clara CA
Nasreen Gazala Chapra - Menlo Park CA
Gerald Yin - Cupertino CA
Farhad K. Moghadam - Saratoga CA
Judy H. Huang - Los Gatos CA
Dennis Yost - Los Gatos CA
Betty Tang - San Jose CA
Yunsang Kim - Santa Clara CA

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

C23F 100

216 72, 216 13, 216 17, 216 18, 216 64, 216 74, 216 76, 438689, 438702, 438780

A method of depositing and etching dielectric layers having low dielectric constants and etch rates that vary by at least 3:1 for formation of horizontal interconnects. The amount of carbon or hydrogen in the dielectric layer is varied by changes in deposition conditions to provide low k dielectric layers that can replace etch stop layers or conventional dielectric layers in damascene applications. A dual damascene structure having two or more dielectric layers with dielectric constants lower than about 4 can be deposited in a single reactor and then etched to form vertical and horizontal interconnects by varying the concentration of a carbon:oxygen gas such as carbon monoxide. The etch gases for forming vertical interconnects preferably comprises CO and a fluorocarbon, and CO is preferably excluded from etch gases for forming horizontal interconnects.

6355571, Mar 12, 2002

Jul 30, 1999

09/365129

Judy H. Huang - Los Gatos CA
Christopher Dennis Bencher - Sunnyvale CA
Sudha Rathi - San Jose CA
Christopher S. Ngai - Burlingame CA
Bok Hoen Kim - San Jose CA

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

H01L 21302

438706, 438573

A method and apparatus for reducing oxidation of an interface of a semiconductor device thereby improving adhesion of subsequently formed layers and/or devices is disclosed. The semiconductor device has at least a first layer and a second layer wherein the interface is disposed between said first and second layers. The method includes the steps of providing the first layer having a partially oxidized interface; introducing a hydrogen-containing plasma to the interface; reducing the oxidized interface and introducing second-layer-forming compounds to the hydrogen-containing plasma. A concomitant apparatus (i. e. , a semiconductor device interface) has a first insulating layer, one or more conductive devices disposed within the insulating layer, the insulating layer and conductive devices defining the interface, wherein the interface is treated with a continuous plasma treatment to remove oxidation and deposit a second layer thereupon. The insulating layer of the interface is selected from oxides and nitrides and is preferably a nitride.

6358573, Mar 19, 2002

Jun 2, 2000

09/585258

Mandar Mudholkar - Fremont CA
William N. Taylor - Dublin CA
Mark Fodor - Los Gatos CA
Judy Huang - Los Gatos CA
David Silvetti - Morgan Hill CA
David Cheung - Foster City CA
Kevin Fairbairn - Saratoga CA

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

H05H 124

427578, 42725528, 427294, 427595

A substrate processing system that includes a ceramic substrate holder having an RF electrode embedded within the substrate holder and a gas inlet manifold spaced apart from the substrate holder. The gas inlet manifold supplies one or more process gases through multiple conical holes to a reaction zone of a substrate processing chamber within the processing system and also acts as a second RF electrode. Each conical hole has an outlet that opens into the reaction zone and an inlet spaced apart from the outlet that is smaller in diameter than said outlet. A mixed frequency RF power supply is connected to the substrate processing system with a high frequency RF power source connected to the gas inlet manifold electrode and a low frequency RF power source connected to the substrate holder electrode. An RF filter and matching network decouples the high frequency waveform from the low frequency waveform. Such a configuration allows for an enlarged process regime and provides for deposition of films, including silicon nitride films, having physical characteristics that were previously unattainable.

6395092, May 28, 2002

Apr 17, 2000

09/550151

Dian Sugiarto - Union City CA
Judy Huang - Los Gatos CA
David Cheung - Foster City CA

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

C23C 1600

118695, 118715, 118723 E, 15634543, 438597

A silicon oxide film is deposited on a substrate by first introducing a process gas into a chamber. The process gas includes a gaseous source of silicon (such as silane), a gaseous source of fluorine (such as SiF ), a gaseous source of oxygen (such as nitrous oxide), and a gaseous source of nitrogen (such as N ). A plasma is formed from the process gas by applying a RF power component. Deposition is carried out at a rate of at least about 1. 5 m/min. The resulting FSG film is stable and has a low dielectric constant.

6436843, Aug 20, 2002

Mar 30, 2001

09/823721

Henner Meinhold - San Jose CA
Fred J. Chetcuti - Millbrae CA
Judy Huang - Los Gatos CA

Novellus Systems, Inc. - San Jose CA

H01L 2131

438758, 438763, 438780, 438782, 118323, 118680

In a method for applying a coating material on a substrate, a print head is disposed over a substrate. Drops of a coating material are controllably dispensed from the print head to form a wide area film on the substrate. A system for coating a wafer includes a housing, and a chuck for supporting the wafer and a print head are disposed in the housing. A source of a coating material is coupled to the print head. A digital signal processor provides control signals for controlling process parameters for dispensing drops of the coating material and for controlling the relative position of the print head and the chuck. The relative position of the print head and the chuck (and hence the wafer supported thereon) may be controlled by moving the print head by itself, by moving the chuck by itself, or by moving both the print head and the chuck.

6451686, Sep 17, 2002

Sep 4, 1997

08/923501

Chris Ngai - Burlingame CA
Joel Glenn - Little Elm TX
Mei Yee Shek - Burlingame CA
Judy Huang - Los Gatos CA

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

A01L 214763

438623, 438784

A method and apparatus for reducing oxide traps within a silicon oxide film by incorporating a selected level of fluorine in the silicon oxide film. The method includes the steps of distributing a fluorine source to a processing chamber at a selected rate with the rate being chosen according to the desired level of fluorine to be incorporated into the film, flowing a process gas including a silicon source, an oxygen source and the fluorine source into the processing chamber, and maintaining a deposition zone within the chamber at processing conditions suitable to deposit a silicon oxide film having the selected level of fluorine incorporated into the film over a substrate disposed in the chamber. In a preferred embodiment, the selected level of fluorine incorporated into the film is between 1Ã10 atoms/cm and 1Ã10 atoms/cm. In another preferred embodiment the silicon oxide film is deposited as a first layer of a composite layer premetal dielectric film.

6517913, Feb 11, 2003

Aug 3, 2000

09/632502

David Cheung - Foster City CA
Sebastien Raoux - San Franciso CA
Judy H. Huang - Los Gatos CA
Mark Fodor - Los Gatos CA
Kevin Fairbairn - Saratoga CA

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

C23C 1644

427588, 427585, 427587, 588227

An apparatus for converting PFC gases exhausted from semiconductor processing equipment to less harmful, non-PFC gases. One embodiment of the apparatus includes a silicon filter and a plasma generation system. The plasma generation system forms a plasma from the effluent PFC gases. Constituents from the plasma react with silicon and/or oxygen in the filter and convert the effluent PFC gases to less harmful, non-PFC gaseous products and byproducts. Another embodiment includes a plasma generation system and a particle trapping and collection system. The particle trapping and collection system traps silicon containing residue from deposition processes that produces such residue, and the plasma generation system forms a plasma from the effluent PFC gases. Constituents from the plasma react with the collected residue to convert the effluent PFC gases to less harmful, non-PFC gaseous products and byproducts.

6533855, Mar 18, 2003

Feb 13, 2001

09/782985

Justin F. Gaynor - San Jose CA
Judy Huang - Los Gatos CA

Novellus Systems, Inc. - San Jose CA

C01B 3702

10628714

The present invention relates to chemical modifications of the surfaces of silicalite and high-silica zeolite nanoparticles permitting such particles to be dispersed in nonpolar hydrophobic solvents, and to the dispersions so produced and to interlayer dielectric layers, molecular sieve membranes and/or catalytic membranes formed from such dispersions, and to the fabrication of integrated circuits in the case of interlayer dielectric layers. A dispersion of silicalite or high-silica zeolite nanoparticles is formed in alkaline aqueous solution. The pH of the solution is reduced by multiple rinsing with deionized water to approximately pH of 9 or 10. The solution is then rendered acidic, typically pH between 2 and 3, by the addition of a suitable acid. The acidic solution is gradually intermixed with an alcohol under conditions of elevated temperature and/or reduced pressure to enhance the solvent evaporation rate. In this form, the silicalite or high-silica zeolite nanoparticles are reacted with reactants to cause the silanol groups on the surface to form direct silicon-hydrocarbon bonds or, in alternative embodiments, to undergo etherification.