18437058. METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND APPARATUS FOR CONDUCTING A RADICAL TREATMENT OPERATION PRIOR TO CONDUCTING AN ANNEALING OPERATION simplified abstract (Applied Materials, Inc.)

METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND APPARATUS FOR CONDUCTING A RADICAL TREATMENT OPERATION PRIOR TO CONDUCTING AN ANNEALING OPERATION

Organization Name

Applied Materials, Inc.

Inventor(s)

Pradeep Sampath Kumar of San Jose CA (US)

Norman L. Tam of Cupertino CA (US)

Dongming Iu of Union City CA (US)

Shashank Sharma of Fremont CA (US)

Eric R. Rieske of Livermore CA (US)

Michael P. Kamp of San Ramon CA (US)

METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND APPARATUS FOR CONDUCTING A RADICAL TREATMENT OPERATION PRIOR TO CONDUCTING AN ANNEALING OPERATION - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18437058 titled 'METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND APPARATUS FOR CONDUCTING A RADICAL TREATMENT OPERATION PRIOR TO CONDUCTING AN ANNEALING OPERATION

Simplified Explanation

The present disclosure relates to a method for conducting a radical treatment operation on a substrate before performing an annealing operation on the substrate. The method involves pre-heating the substrate, exposing it to species radicals at specific conditions, and then annealing the substrate.

• Pre-heating the substrate
• Exposing the substrate to species radicals at a treatment temperature less than 300 degrees Celsius, treatment pressure less than 1.0 Torr, and treatment time between 8.0 to 12.0 minutes
• Annealing the substrate by exposing it to molecules, anneal temperature of 300 degrees Celsius or higher, anneal pressure between 500 Torr to 550 Torr, and anneal time less than 4.0 minutes

Potential Applications

This technology can be applied in the semiconductor industry for processing semiconductor substrates efficiently.

Problems Solved

This technology solves the problem of optimizing the treatment and annealing processes for semiconductor substrates to improve their quality and performance.

Benefits

The benefits of this technology include enhanced substrate quality, improved performance of semiconductor devices, and increased efficiency in the manufacturing process.

Potential Commercial Applications

The potential commercial applications of this technology include semiconductor manufacturing companies looking to improve their production processes and enhance the quality of their products.

Possible Prior Art

One possible prior art could be the use of traditional treatment and annealing processes in semiconductor manufacturing, which may not be as efficient or optimized as the method described in this disclosure.

How does this method compare to traditional treatment and annealing processes in terms of efficiency and substrate quality?

The article does not provide a direct comparison between this method and traditional processes in terms of efficiency and substrate quality.

What are the specific semiconductor substrates that can benefit the most from this method?

The article does not specify the specific types of semiconductor substrates that can benefit the most from this method.

Original Abstract Submitted

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to methods, systems, and apparatus for conducting a radical treatment operation on a substrate prior to conducting an annealing operation on the substrate. In one implementation, a method of processing semiconductor substrates includes pre-heating a substrate, and exposing the substrate to species radicals. The exposing of the substrate to the species radicals includes a treatment temperature that is less than 300 degrees Celsius, a treatment pressure that is less than 1.0 Torr, and a treatment time that is within a range of 8.0 minutes to 12.0 minutes. The method includes annealing the substrate after the exposing of the substrate to the species radicals. The annealing includes exposing the substrate to molecules, an anneal temperature that is 300 degrees Celsius or greater, an anneal pressure that is within a range of 500 Torr to 550 Torr, and an anneal time that is less than 4.0 minutes.