Li Xu

6352081, Mar 5, 2002

Jul 9, 1999

09/350802

Danny Chien Lu - San Jose CA
Allen Zhao - Mountain View CA
Peter Hsieh - San Jose CA
Hong Shih - Walnut Creek CA
Li Xu - Santa Clara CA
Yan Ye - Saratoga CA

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

B08B 900

134 221, 134 11, 134 11, 134 2214, 134 30, 134 26, 216 67, 216 74, 216 78, 438905

The present invention is a method for removing deposited etch byproducts from surfaces of a semiconductor processing chamber after a copper etch process. The method of the invention comprises the following general steps: (a) an oxidation step, in which interior surfaces of the processing chamber are contacted with an oxidizing plasma; (b) a first non-plasma cleaning step, in which interior surfaces of the processing chamber are contacted with an H hfac-comprising gas; and (c) a second cleaning step, in which interior surfaces of the processing chamber are contacted with a plasma containing reactive fluorine species, whereby at least a portion of the copper etch byproducts remaining after step (b) are volatilized into gaseous species, which are removed from the processing chamber. The method of the invention is preferably performed at a chamber wall temperature of at least 150Â C. in order to achieve optimum cleaning of the chamber at the chamber operating pressures typically used during the cleaning process.

6476398, Nov 5, 2002

Feb 26, 2000

09/514080

Li Xu - Santa Clara CA
Richard Barnard - Fremont CA

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

G21K 108

250396R

Embodiments in accordance with the invention provide respectively for auto-focus, auto-contrast, and auto-correction of astigmatism in both x and y directions, are independent of focus-induced-image-rotation, sample feature orientation and image deformation, and focus-induced-image magnification change, and are insensitive to various kinds of noise. Poor image contrast is handled by an auto-contrast capability. Embodiments in accordance with the invention can achieve high reliability and repeatability, while providing for faster operation than most prior-art methods.

6508911, Jan 21, 2003

Aug 16, 1999

09/375243

Nianci Han - San Jose CA
Hong Shih - Walnut CA
Jennifer Y. Sun - Sunnyvale CA
Li Xu - San Jose CA

Applied Materials Inc. - Santa Clara CA

H05H 100

156345, 118723 R, 118723 I

A diamond coating formed on a bulk member used in a plasma processing chamber for processing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer. The coating is particularly useful in a plasma etching chamber using a chlorine-based chemistry to etch metal. One class of such parts includes a dielectric chamber wall, in particular, a chamber wall through which RF or microwave energy is coupled into the chamber to support the plasma. For example, an RF inductive coil is positioned outside the chamber wall and inductively couples energy into the chamber. Exemplary substrates for the diamond coating include alumina, silicon nitride, silicon carbide, polysilicon, and a SiC/Si composite. Amorphous carbon may be substituted for diamond.

6623595, Sep 23, 2003

Mar 27, 2000

09/536478

Nianci Han - San Jose CA
Hong Shih - Walnut CA
Li Xu - San Jose CA
Yan Ye - Saratoga CA

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

C23F 100

1563451, 118723 R, 118723 I, 118723 AN, 118723 MW, 15634541, 15634548

A ceramic dome for in a plasma processing chamber having an RF coil disposed outside of said dome. The interior of the dome is formed with macroscopic grooves, and the grooves are roughened into a microscopic structure. The roughening provides increased adhesion to a residue film deposited on the dome during plasma processing. The macroscopic grooves increase the effective area of the dome and thus decreases the thickness of deposited film. The grooves may be formed by machining a green form of the ceramic material cast prior to sintering. The roughening may be formed by bead blasting the machined green form. Thereafter, the green form is fired to form a sintered ceramic dome.

6942929, Sep 13, 2005

Jan 8, 2002

10/042666

Nianci Han - San Jose CA, US
Li Xu - San Jose CA, US
Hong Shih - Walnut CA, US

B32B015/00
B32B015/04
B32B015/20
C23C016/00

428650, 428701, 428697, 428610, 428654, 428640, 428469, 428 341, 428332, 118715, 118728, 118500

A substrate processing chamber component is a structure having an integral surface coating comprising an yttrium-aluminum compound. The component may be fabricated by forming a metal alloy comprising yttrium and aluminum into the component shape and anodizing its surface to form an integral anodized surface coating. The chamber component may be also formed by ion implanting material in a preformed metal shape. The component may be one or more of a chamber wall, substrate support, substrate transport, gas supply, gas energizer and gas exhaust.

7371467, May 13, 2008

Apr 13, 2004

10/824123

Nianci Han - San Jose CA, US
Li Xu - San Jose CA, US
Hong Shih - Walnut CA, US
Yang Zhang - Albany CA, US
Danny Lu - Milpitas CA, US
Jennifer Y. Sun - Sunnyvale CA, US

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

B32B 15/04
B32B 15/20
B01J 19/02
B05C 11/00
G03F 7/16

428632, 428633, 428660, 422241, 118506, 118715

A component capable of being exposed to a plasma in a process chamber has a structure having an electroplated coating comprising yttrium-containing species. The electroplated coating is resistant to corrosion in the plasma, and can have a compositional gradient of yttrium-containing species through a thickness of the coating. In one embodiment, the coating is formed by electroplating a layer comprising yttrium onto the surface, and then electroplating a second layer onto the first layer, and annealing the first and second layers. The second layer can comprise aluminum or zirconium. In another embodiment, the coating is formed by electroplating a layer comprising a mixture of aluminum and yttrium onto the surface and annealing the layer.

7479304, Jan 20, 2009

Aug 13, 2004

10/918232

Jennifer Y. Sun - Sunnyvale CA, US
Senh Thach - Union City CA, US
James Dempster - Sunnyvale CA, US
Li Xu - San Jose CA, US
Thanh N. Pham - San Jose CA, US

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

C23C 16/00
B05D 3/12

427289

Disclosed herein is a gas distribution plate for use in a gas distribution assembly for a processing chamber, where the gas distribution plate is fabricated from a solid yttrium oxide-comprising substrate, which may also include aluminum oxide. The gas distribution plate includes a plurality of through-holes, which are typically crescent-shaped. Through-holes which have been formed in the solid yttrium oxide-comprising substrate by ultrasonic drilling perform particularly well. The solid yttrium oxide-comprising substrate typically comprises at least 99. 9% yttrium oxide, and has a density of at least 4. 92 g/cm, a water absorbency of about 0. 02% or less, and an average grain size within the range of about 10 μm to about 25 μm. Also disclosed herein are methods for fabricating and cleaning the yttrium oxide-comprising gas distribution plate.

7547114, Jun 16, 2009

Jul 30, 2007

11/830311

Yi Li - Pleasanton CA, US
Li Xu - Saratoga CA, US

YLX Corp. - San Jose CA

F21V 9/00

362231, 362293, 362555, 362583, 362284, 362324, 353 20, 353 31

A multicolor illumination device using an excitation light source and a multi-segmented moving plate with wavelength conversion materials (e. g. phosphors) is disclosed. The exciting light source is a light emitting diode or a laser diode emitting in the UV and/or blue region. The wavelength conversion materials absorb the excitation light and emit longer wavelength light. Each segment of the moving plate contains a different wavelength conversion material or no wavelength conversion material. The plate is supported to move so that different segments are exposed to the excitation light at different times. The plate may be a wheel or rectangular in shape and rotates or oscillates linearly. When the plate moves, light of different colors is generated sequentially in time by the different wavelength conversion materials in different segments of the plate. The multicolor illumination device may be used in a projector system having a microdisplay imager for image display.