Paul F Ma3041 Pruneridge Ave, Santa Clara, CA 95051

7568495, Aug 4, 2009

Oct 26, 2007

11/925670

Norman Nakashima - Sunnyvale CA, US
Christophe Marcadal - Santa Clara CA, US
Seshadri Ganguli - Sunnyvale CA, US
Paul Ma - Sunnyvale CA, US
Schubert S. Chu - San Francisco CA, US

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

F16K 3/36
F16K 11/20

137209, 137240

Embodiments described herein provide ampoule assemblies to contain, store, or dispense chemical precursors. In one embodiment, an ampoule assembly is provided which includes an ampoule containing a first material layer disposed on the outside of the ampoule and a second material layer disposed over the first material layer, wherein the first material layer is thermally more conductive than the second material layer, an inlet line in fluid communication with the ampoule and containing a first manual shut-off valve disposed therein, an outlet line in fluid communication with the ampoule and containing a second manual shut-off valve disposed therein, and a first bypass line connected between the inlet line and the outlet line. In some embodiments, the ampoule assembly may contain disconnect fittings. In other embodiments, the first bypass line has a shut-off valve disposed therein to fluidly couple or decouple the input line and the outlet line.

7682946, Mar 23, 2010

Nov 6, 2006

11/556763

Paul Ma - Sunnyvale CA, US
Kavita Shah - Sunnyvale CA, US
Dien-Yeh Wu - San Jose CA, US
Seshadri Ganguli - Sunnyvale CA, US
Christophe Marcadal - Santa Clara CA, US
Frederick C. Wu - Cupertino CA, US
Schubert S. Chu - San Francisco CA, US

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

H01L 21/20

438481, 257E2109, 42725528

Embodiments of the invention provide a method for forming a material on a substrate during an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, such as a plasma-enhanced ALD (PE-ALD) process. In one embodiment, a method is provided which includes flowing at least one process gas through at least one conduit to form a circular gas flow pattern, exposing a substrate to the circular gas flow pattern, sequentially pulsing at least one chemical precursor into the process gas and igniting a plasma from the process gas to deposit a material on the substrate. In one example, the circular gas flow pattern has circular geometry of a vortex, a helix, a spiral, or a derivative thereof. Materials that may be deposited by the method include ruthenium, tantalum, tantalum nitride, tungsten or tungsten nitride. Other embodiments of the invention provide an apparatus configured to form the material during the PE-ALD process.

7748400, Jul 6, 2010

Jul 9, 2009

12/500314

Norman Nakashima - Sunnyvale CA, US
Christophe Marcadal - Santa Clara CA, US
Seshadri Ganguli - Sunnyvale CA, US
Paul Ma - Sunnyvale CA, US
Schubert S. Chu - San Francisco CA, US

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

F16K 3/36
F16K 11/20

137209, 137240, 137597

Embodiments are related to ampoule assemblies containing bypass lines and valves. In one embodiment, ampoule assembly is provided which includes inlet and outlet lines coupled with and in fluid communication to an ampoule body, a bypass line connected between the inlet and outlet lines and containing a bypass valve disposed therein. The ampoule assembly further contains a shut-off valve disposed in the inlet line between the ampoule body and a connection point of the bypass line and the inlet line, a shut-off valve disposed in the outlet line between the ampoule body and a connection point of the bypass line and the outlet line, another shut-off valve disposed in the inlet line between the ampoule body and a disconnect fitting disposed on the inlet line, and another shut-off valve disposed in the outlet line between the ampoule body and a disconnect fitting disposed on the outlet line.

7780789, Aug 24, 2010

Oct 24, 2007

11/923589

Dien-Yeh Wu - San Jose CA, US
Puneet Bajaj - Bangalore, IN
Xiaoxiong Yuan - San Jose CA, US
Steven H. Kim - Union City CA, US
Schubert S. Chu - San Francisco CA, US
Paul F. Ma - Santa Clara CA, US
Joseph F. Aubuchon - San Jose CA, US

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

C23C 16/00
H01L 21/306

118715, 15634533

Embodiments of the invention relate to apparatuses and methods for depositing materials on substrates during atomic layer deposition processes. In one embodiment, a chamber for processing substrates is provided which includes a chamber lid assembly containing an expanding channel extending along a central axis at a central portion of the chamber lid assembly and a tapered bottom surface extending from the expanding channel to a peripheral portion of the chamber lid assembly. The tapered bottom surface may be shaped and sized to substantially cover the substrate receiving surface. The chamber lid assembly further contains a conduit coupled to a gas passageway, another conduit coupled to another gas passageway, and both gas passageways circumvent the expanding channel. Each of the passageways has a plurality of inlets extending into the expanding channel and the inlets are positioned to provide a circular gas flow through the expanding channel.

7829150, Nov 9, 2010

Jun 17, 2005

11/155453

James R. Engstrom - Ithaca NY, US
Aravind S. Killampalli - Beaverton OR, US
Paul F. Ma - Santa Clara CA, US

Cornell Research Foundation, Inc. - Ithaca NY

B05D 1/36
B05D 7/00
C23C 16/00

4274191, 427402, 4272554, 4272556

Systems and methods for preparing inorganic-organic interfaces using organo-transition metal complexes and self-assembled monolayers as organic surfaces. In one embodiment, a silicon wafer is cleaned and reacted with stabilized pirhana etch to provide an oxide surface. The surface is reacted with the trichlorosilyl end of alkyltrichlorosilanes to prepare self assembling monomers (SAMs). The alkyltrichlorosilanes have the general formula R1-R—SiCl, where R1 is —OH, —NH, —COOH, —SH, COOCH, —CN, and R is a conjugated hydrocarbon, such as (CH2)where n is in the range of 3 to 18. The functionalized end of the SAM can optionally modified chemically as appropriate, and is then reacted with metal-bearing species such as tetrakis(dimethylamido)titanium, Ti[N(CH)], (TDMAT) to provide a titanium nitride layer.

7832432, Nov 16, 2010

Jul 9, 2009

12/500319

Norman Nakashima - Sunnyvale CA, US
Christophe Marcadal - Santa Clara CA, US
Seshadri Ganguli - Sunnyvale CA, US
Paul Ma - Sunnyvale CA, US
Schubert S. Chu - San Francisco CA, US

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

F16K 3/36
F16K 11/20

137861, 137209, 137240

Embodiments described herein provide ampoule assemblies to contain, store, or dispense chemical precursors. In one embodiment, an ampoule assembly is provided which includes an ampoule containing a first material layer disposed on the outside of the ampoule and a second material layer disposed over the first material layer, wherein the first material layer is thermally more conductive than the second material layer, an inlet line in fluid communication with the ampoule and containing a first manual shut-off valve disposed therein, an outlet line in fluid communication with the ampoule and containing a second manual shut-off valve disposed therein, and a first bypass line connected between the inlet line and the outlet line. In some embodiments, the ampoule assembly may contain disconnect fittings. In other embodiments, the first bypass line has a shut-off valve disposed therein to fluidly couple or decouple the inlet line and the outlet line.

7850779, Dec 14, 2010

Nov 6, 2006

11/556758

Paul Ma - Sunnyvale CA, US
Kavita Shah - Sunnyvale CA, US
Dien-Yeh Wu - San Jose CA, US
Seshadri Ganguli - Sunnyvale CA, US
Christophe Marcadal - Santa Clara CA, US
Frederick C. Wu - Cupertino CA, US
Schubert S. Chu - San Francisco CA, US

Applied Materisals, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

C23C 16/452
H01L 21/306

118715, 15634533, 15634534

Embodiments of the invention provide an apparatus configured to form a material during an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, such as a plasma-enhanced ALD (PE-ALD) process. In one embodiment, a lid assembly for conducting a vapor deposition process within a process chamber is provided which includes an insulation cap and a plasma screen. In one example, the insulation cap has a centralized channel configured to flow a first process gas from an upper surface to an expanded channel and an outer channel configured to flow a second process gas from an upper surface to a groove which is encircling the expanded channel. In one example, the plasma screen has an upper surface containing an inner area with a plurality of holes and an outer area with a plurality of slots. The insulation cap may be positioned on top of the plasma screen to form a centralized gas region with the expanded channel and a circular gas region with the groove.

8491967, Jul 23, 2013

Sep 8, 2008

12/206705

Paul F. Ma - Santa Clara CA, US
Joseph F. Aubuchon - San Jose CA, US
Mei Chang - Saratoga CA, US
Steven H. Kim - Union City CA, US
Dien-Yeh Wu - San Jose CA, US
Norman M. Nakashima - Sunnyvale CA, US
Mark Johnson - San Jose CA, US
Roja Palakodeti - Santa Clara CA, US

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

B05D 5/12

427301, 427299, 4272481

Embodiments of the invention provide a method for treating the inner surfaces of a processing chamber and depositing a material on a during a vapor deposition process, such as atomic layer deposition (ALD) or by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). In one embodiment, the inner surfaces of the processing chamber and the substrate may be exposed to a reagent, such as a hydrogenated ligand compound during a pretreatment process. The hydrogenated ligand compound may be the same ligand as a free ligand formed from the metal-organic precursor used during the subsequent deposition process. The free ligand is usually formed by hydrogenation or thermolysis during the deposition process. In one example, the processing chamber and substrate are exposed to an alkylamine compound (e. g. , dimethylamine) during the pretreatment process prior to conducting the vapor deposition process which utilizes a metal-organic chemical precursor having alkylamino ligands, such as pentakis(dimethylamino) tantalum (PDMAT).