Loadlock integrated bevel etcher system

US11031262B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Applied Materials, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Saptarshi Basu · San Jose, US
• Jeongmin Lee · San Ramon, US
• Paul Connors · San Mateo, US
• Dale R. Du Bois · Los Gatos, US
• Prashant Kumar Kulshreshtha · San Jose, US
• Karthik Thimmavajjula Narasimha · San Francisco, US
• Brett Berens · San Jose, US
• Kalyanjit Ghosh · Pleasanton, US
• Jianhua Zhou · Campbell, US
• Ganesh Balasubramanian · Sunnyvale, US
• Kwangduk Douglas Lee · Redwood City, US
• Juan Carlos Rocha-Alvarez · Redwood City, US
• Hiroyuki Ogiso · Ina, JP
• Liliya Krivulina · Santa Clara, US
• Rick Gilbert · San Jose, US
• Mohsin Waqar · Oakland, US
• Venkatanarayana Shankaramurthy · San Jose, US
• Hari Ponnekanti · San Jose, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 2, 2020
• Grant date: Jun 8, 2021
• Expiry date: Apr 2, 2040

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01J2237/334
• WIPO field: Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Implementations disclosed herein describe a bevel etch apparatus within a loadlock bevel etch chamber and methods of using the same. The bevel etch apparatus has a mask assembly within the loadlock bevel etch chamber. During an etch process, the mask assembly delivers a gas flow to control bevel etch without the use of a shadow frame. As such, the edge exclusion at the bevel edge can be reduced, thus increasing product yield.