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Author

Li Hou

Bio: Li Hou is an academic researcher from Applied Materials. The author has contributed to research in topics: Diffuser (sewage) & Hybrid physical-chemical vapor deposition. The author has an hindex of 5, co-authored 7 publications receiving 798 citations.

Papers
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Patent
17 Jan 2005
TL;DR: In this paper, a gas diffuser plate for distributing gas in a processing chamber is described, which includes a diffuser with an upstream side and a downstream side, and a plurality of gas passages passing between the upstream and downstream sides of the diffuser.
Abstract: Embodiments of a gas diffuser plate for distributing gas in a processing chamber are provided. The gas distribution plate includes a diffuser plate having an upstream side and a downstream side, and a plurality of gas passages passing between the upstream and downstream sides of the diffuser plate. The gas passages include hollow cathode cavities at the downstream side to enhance plasma ionization. The depths, the diameters, the surface area and density of hollow cathode cavities of the gas passages that extend to the downstream end can be gradually increased from the center to the edge of the diffuser plate to improve the film thickness and property uniformity across the substrate. The increasing diameters, depths and surface areas from the center to the edge of the diffuser plate can be created by bending the diffuser plate toward downstream side, followed by machining out the convex downstream side. Bending the diffuser plate can be accomplished by a thermal process or a vacuum process. The increasing diameters, depths and surface areas from the center to the edge of the diffuser plate can also be created computer numerically controlled machining. Diffuser plates with gradually increasing diameters, depths and surface areas of the hollow cathode cavities from the center to the edge of the diffuser plate have been shown to produce improved uniformities of film thickness and film properties.

420 citations

Patent
16 Apr 2003
TL;DR: In this article, an embodiment of a gas distribution plate with a plurality of gas passages passing between an upstream side and a downstream side of a diffuser plate is presented. But the diffuser has a diameter less than the respective diameters of the first and second holes.
Abstract: Embodiments of a gas distribution plate for distributing gas in a processing chamber are provided. In one embodiment, a gas distribution plate includes a diffuser plate having a plurality of gas passages passing between an upstream side and a downstream side of the diffuser plate. At least one of the gas passages includes a first hole and a second hole coupled by an orifice hole. The first hole extends from the upstream side of the diffuser plate while the second hole extends from the downstream side. The orifice hole has a diameter less than the respective diameters of the first and second holes.

342 citations

Patent
07 Apr 2008
TL;DR: In this article, a gas distribution plate assembly for a plasma processing chamber having a cover plate comprises a diffuser plate having an upstream side, a downstream side facing a processing region, and a plurality of gas passages formed through the diffuser and a baffle plate, placed between the cover plate of the process chamber and the diffusion plate, having a pluralityof holes extending from the upper surface to the lower surface of the baffle, wherein the plurality of holes have at least two sizes.
Abstract: Embodiments of a gas distribution plate for distributing gas in a processing chamber for large area substrates are provided. The embodiments describe a gas distribution plate assembly for a plasma processing chamber having a cover plate comprises a diffuser plate having an upstream side, a downstream side facing a processing region, and a plurality of gas passages formed through the diffuser plate, and a baffle plate, placed between the cover plate of the process chamber and the diffuser plate, having a plurality of holes extending from the upper surface to the lower surface of the baffle plate, wherein the plurality of holes have at least two sizes. The small pinholes of the baffle plate are used to allow sufficient pass-through of gas mixture, while the large holes of the baffle plate are used to improve the process uniformity across the substrate.

16 citations

Patent
13 Dec 2004
TL;DR: In this article, the substrate is supported within a processing region on an insulating layer to provide uniform heating of the substrate, and a method for minimizing the deformation of a substrate during PECVD processing is described.
Abstract: Embodiments of the invention generally provides an apparatus and a method for minimizing the deformation of a substrate during PECVD processing. In one aspect, the substrate is supported within a processing region on an insulating layer to provide uniform heating of the substrate.

9 citations

Patent
18 Nov 2003
TL;DR: In this paper, a plurality of lift pins is configured so that they support the substrate without contacting a central portion of the substrate, where each side of the susceptor is supported by at least three lift pins.
Abstract: A method for lifting a substrate from a susceptor. A plurality of lift pins is configured so that they support the substrate without contacting a central portion of the substrate. The processed substrate has a first dimension that is at least 500 millimeters and a second dimension that is at least 500 millimeters. Each lift pin in the plurality of lift pins is configured so that it supports the substrate from a point that is at least 120 millimeters from a center of the substrate. The plurality of lift pins is configured so that each side of the susceptor is supported by at least three lift pins. In some embodiments, a support member overlies at least a subset of the plurality of lift pins.

5 citations


Cited by
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Patent
01 Aug 2008
TL;DR: In this article, the oxide semiconductor film has at least a crystallized region in a channel region, which is defined as a region of interest (ROI) for a semiconductor device.
Abstract: An object is to provide a semiconductor device of which a manufacturing process is not complicated and by which cost can be suppressed, by forming a thin film transistor using an oxide semiconductor film typified by zinc oxide, and a manufacturing method thereof. For the semiconductor device, a gate electrode is formed over a substrate; a gate insulating film is formed covering the gate electrode; an oxide semiconductor film is formed over the gate insulating film; and a first conductive film and a second conductive film are formed over the oxide semiconductor film. The oxide semiconductor film has at least a crystallized region in a channel region.

1,501 citations

Patent
16 Feb 2005
TL;DR: In this article, a bypass pipe is connected between the mechanical booster pump and the rest vacuum pumps located at a downstream side of the booster pump to prevent the exhaust gas from diffusing back to the inside of a process chamber.
Abstract: Process gas discharged from a bypass pipe to a gas exhaust system can be prevented from diffusing back to the inside of a process chamber without having to install a dedicated vacuum pump at the downstream side of the bypass pipe. The substrate processing apparatus includes a process chamber accommodating a substrate, a gas supply system supplying process gas from a process gas source to the process chamber for processing the substrate, a gas exhaust system configured to exhaust the process chamber, two or more vacuum pumps installed in series at the gas exhaust system, and a bypass pipe connected between the gas supply system and the gas exhaust system. The most upstream one of the vacuum pumps is a mechanical booster pump, and the bypass pipe is connected between the mechanical booster pump and the rest vacuum pumps located at a downstream side of the mechanical booster pump.

644 citations

Patent
17 Jan 2005
TL;DR: In this paper, a gas diffuser plate for distributing gas in a processing chamber is described, which includes a diffuser with an upstream side and a downstream side, and a plurality of gas passages passing between the upstream and downstream sides of the diffuser.
Abstract: Embodiments of a gas diffuser plate for distributing gas in a processing chamber are provided. The gas distribution plate includes a diffuser plate having an upstream side and a downstream side, and a plurality of gas passages passing between the upstream and downstream sides of the diffuser plate. The gas passages include hollow cathode cavities at the downstream side to enhance plasma ionization. The depths, the diameters, the surface area and density of hollow cathode cavities of the gas passages that extend to the downstream end can be gradually increased from the center to the edge of the diffuser plate to improve the film thickness and property uniformity across the substrate. The increasing diameters, depths and surface areas from the center to the edge of the diffuser plate can be created by bending the diffuser plate toward downstream side, followed by machining out the convex downstream side. Bending the diffuser plate can be accomplished by a thermal process or a vacuum process. The increasing diameters, depths and surface areas from the center to the edge of the diffuser plate can also be created computer numerically controlled machining. Diffuser plates with gradually increasing diameters, depths and surface areas of the hollow cathode cavities from the center to the edge of the diffuser plate have been shown to produce improved uniformities of film thickness and film properties.

420 citations

Patent
01 Jul 2005
TL;DR: In this paper, a gas distribution assembly for a plasma processing chamber comprises a diffuser plate with gas passages passing between its upstream and downstream sides and hollow cathode cavities at the downstream side of the gas passages.
Abstract: Embodiments of a gas distribution plate for distributing gas in a processing chamber are provided. In one embodiment, a gas distribution assembly for a plasma processing chamber comprises a diffuser plate with gas passages passing between its upstream and downstream sides and hollow cathode cavities at the downstream side of the gas passages. The downstream side of the diffuser plate has a curvature to improve the thickness uniformity and film property uniformity of thin films deposited by PECVD, particularly SiN and amorphous silicon films. The curvature is preferably described by an arc of a circle or ellipse, the apex thereof located at the center point of the diffuser plate. In one aspect, the hollow cathode cavity volume density, surface area density, or the cavity density of the diffuser increases from the center of the diffuser to the outer edge. Methods for manufacturing such a diffuser plate are also provided.

325 citations

Patent
20 Jul 2007
TL;DR: In this paper, the shape and size of the hollow cathode cavities closest to the slit valve are adjusted to compensate for the proximity of the cathode to a slit valve.
Abstract: The present invention generally comprises a diffuser plate for a PECVD chamber. The diffuser plate comprises a plurality of hollow cathode cavities. The edge of the diffuser plate that will reside closest to a slit valve within a processing chamber may have the shape and/or size of the hollow cathode cavities adjusted to compensate for the proximity to the slit valve. By adjusting the shape and/or size of the hollow cathode cavities closest to the slit valve, the diffuser plate may permit a uniform plasma distribution across the processing chamber and thus, a uniform film thickness upon a substrate during a PECVD process.

292 citations