Andrew Shu Ki Lui

6526355, Feb 25, 2003

Mar 30, 2000

09/539312

Tuqiang Ni - Fremont CA
Tuan Ngo - Milpitas CA
Chung-Ho Huang - Fremont CA
Andrew Lui - Fremont CA
Farro Kaveh - Palo Alto CA

Lam Research Corporation - Fremont CA

G06F 1900

702 32, 702 31, 31511121

A process chamber with a computer system that controls the process chamber is connected to one or more spectrometers. The spectrometers may be part of an interferometer or may be an optical emission spectrometer. The spectrometers may be CCD or photodiode arrays of 2,048 elements. An input board forms part of the computer system and is directly connected to the spectrometers. The input board provides data from the spectrometers to dual port memory, which is directly accessible to the CPU of the computer system. The use of a state machine and adder on the input board allows computation and placement of the data from the spectrometers on to the dual port memory, so that the CPU is not needed for such placement.

6815362, Nov 9, 2004

May 3, 2002

10/138980

Vincent Wong - Pleasanton CA
Brett C. Richardson - San Ramon CA
Andrew Lui - Fremont CA
Scott Baldwin - San Jose CA

Lam Research Corporation - Fremont CA

H01L 21302

438706, 438 8, 438710, 438712, 134 11

A method for determining an endpoint of an in-situ cleaning process of a semiconductor processing chamber is provided. The method initiates with providing an optical emission spectrometer (OES) configured to monitor selected wavelength signals. Then, baseline OES threshold signal intensities are determined for each of the selected wavelength signals. Next, an endpoint time of each step of the in-situ cleaning process is determined. Determining an endpoint time includes executing a process recipe to process a semiconductor substrate within the processing chamber. Executing the in-situ cleaning process and recording the endpoint time for each step of the in-situ cleaning process are also included in determining the endpoint time. Then, nominal operating times are established for each step of the in-situ cleaning process. A plasma processing system for executing a two step in-situ cleaning process is also provided.

6855567, Feb 15, 2005

May 31, 2000

09/586530

Tuqiang Ni - Fremont CA, US
Andrew Lui - Fremont CA, US
Chung-Ho Huang - Fremont CA, US
Weinan Jiang - San Jose CA, US

Lam Research Corporation - Fremont CA

H01L021/02

438 8, 438689, 438690

A method for determining an endpoint for etching a layer includes steps of estimating the etch endpoint and, during etch, directing radiant energy at two or more wavelengths onto the layer to be etched, detecting the last intensity maximum reflected at a first wavelength prior to the estimated etch endpoint, and detecting the intensity maximum reflected at a second wavelength first occurring after the last intensity maximum at the first wavelength. Also, a method for determining an endpoint for etching a layer having an approximate initial thickness by steps of, during etch, directing radiant energy at three or more wavelengths onto the layer to be etched; selecting first, second, and third wavelengths; approximating an etch rate from the time interval between a first detected intensity minimum and an adjacent intensity maximum reflected at the third wavelength, estimating an etch endpoint from the approximate initial thickness of the layer and the approximate etch rate; detecting the last intensity maximum reflected at the first wavelength prior to the estimated etch endpoint; and detecting the intensity maximum reflected at the second wavelength first occurring after the last intensity maximum at the first wavelength. The material making up the layer is at least partly transparent to both the first and the second wavelength. The first wavelength is longer than both the second wavelength and the third wavelength.

7558641, Jul 7, 2009

Mar 29, 2007

11/693708

Chung-Ho Huang - San Jose CA, US
Robert Hefty - Femont CA, US
Andrew Lui - Fremont CA, US
Dave Humbird - Oakland CA, US
Charles Potter - Eagle ID, US

Lam Research Corporation - Fremont CA

G06F 19/00
G05B 13/02

700108, 700 49, 700104, 700121, 702 81, 715961

A computer-implemented method for performing recipe evaluation is provided. The computer-implemented method includes integrating a plurality of data sources into a single recipe report card framework. The recipe report card framework includes an editor for interacting with the plurality of data sources. The computer-implemented method also includes displaying a plurality of graphical displays. Each graphical display of the plurality of graphical displays is configured to present a signal parameter of a set of signal parameters for at least a substrate. The computer-implemented method further includes providing a plurality of criteria for each of the set of signal parameters. The computer-implemented method yet also includes providing a plurality of ranges for the each of the set of signal parameters. The computer-implemented method yet further includes providing an expert guide, which is configured to provide guidance in analyzing a recipe.

7672747, Mar 2, 2010

Mar 29, 2007

11/693664

Chung-Ho Huang - San Jose CA, US
Andrew Lui - Fremont CA, US

Lam Research Corporation - Fremont CA

G06F 19/00
G06F 15/173

700100, 700121, 709202

A recipe-and component control module (RACCM) is provided. The RACCM is a server for performing data management in a plasma processing system with a plurality of components. The RACCM includes a plurality of intelligent agents. Each intelligent agent of the intelligent agents is configured to interact with each component of the plurality of components. The RACCM also includes a coordinating agent, which is configured to receive processed data from the plurality of intelligent agents.

8295963, Oct 23, 2012

Jan 25, 2010

12/693267

Chung-Ho Huang - San Jose CA, US
Andrew Lui - Fremont CA, US

Lam Research Corporation - Fremont CA

G06F 19/00
G06F 15/173

700100, 700121, 709202

A computer-implemented method for performing data management in a plasma processing system is provided. The method includes providing a recipe-and component control module (RACCM). The RACCM is a server that includes a plurality of intelligent agents, which are configured to interact with the plurality of components. The RACCM also includes a coordinating agent, which is configured to receive processed data from the plurality of intelligent agents. The RACCM further includes a set of provisional agents, which is configured to perform recipe management by distributing at least part of a recipe to at least one of the plurality of intelligent agents and the coordinating agent.

20040235303, Nov 25, 2004

Jun 25, 2004

10/876442

Vincent Wong - Pleasanton CA, US
Brett Richardson - San Ramon CA, US
Andrew Lui - Fremont CA, US
Scott Baldwin - San Jose CA, US

LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION - FREMONT CA

C23F001/00
H01L021/306
H01L021/302
H01L021/461

438/689000

A plasma processing system is provided. The plasma processing system includes a processing chamber having a gas inlet for introducing cleaning gases. The cleaning gas is optimized to remove byproducts deposited on inner surfaces of the processing chamber. The processing chamber includes a top electrode for creating a plasma from the cleaning gas to perform the cleaning process. A variable conductance meter for controlling a pressure inside the processing chamber independently of a flow rate of process gases is included. The variable conductance meter is positioned on an outlet of the chamber. An optical emission spectrometer (OES) for detecting an endpoint of the cleaning process performed in the processing chamber is included. The OES is located to detect an emission intensity in the processing chamber from the plasma. The OES is configured to trace the emission intensity. A pumping system for evacuating the processing chamber between processing operations is included.