# US 8,770,143 B2 · Multi-region processing system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,770,143 B2 - Document ID: US8770143B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/106,059 - Filed: 2011-05-12 - Published: 2011-09-01 - Granted: 2014-07-08 - Earliest claimed: 2007-09-06 - Assignees: Intermolecular, Inc. - Applicants: Rick Endo; Kurt Weiner; Indranil De; James Tsung; Maosheng Zhao - Inventors: Rick Endo; Kurt Weiner; Indranil De; James Tsung; Maosheng Zhao - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8770143B2 ## CPC - C23C 16/45565: {Shower nozzles} - B05D 1/10: Applying particulate materials - B05D 1/62: {Plasma-deposition of organic layers (plasma deposition in general C23C14/00, C23C16/00)} - C23C 16/4412: {Details relating to the exhausts, e.g. pumps, filters, scrubbers, particle traps} - C23C 16/45589: {Movable means, e.g. fans} - C23C 16/4584: {the substrate being rotated} - C23C 16/4585: {Devices at or outside the perimeter of the substrate support, e.g. clamping rings, shrouds} - C23C 16/4587: {the substrate being supported substantially vertically} - C23C 16/50: using electric discharges {(generation and control of plasma in discharge tubes for surface treatment H01J37/32, H01J37/34)} - B05B 14/30: comprising enclosures close to, or in contact with, the object to be sprayed and surrounding or confining the discharged spray or jet but not the object to be sprayed - B05B 16/80: Movable spray booths - Y10S 438/942: Masking - C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04) - B05D: PROCESSES FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL (conveying articles or workpieces through baths of liquid B65G, e.g. B65G49/02) - B05B: SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES (spray-mixers with nozzles B01F25/72; processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces by spraying B05D) - Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS ## Abstract The various embodiments of the invention provide for relative movement of the substrate and a process head to access the entire wafer in a minimal space to conduct combinatorial processing on various regions of the substrate. The heads enable site isolated processing within the chamber described and method of using the same are described. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A semiconductor processing chamber, comprising: a substrate support configured to support a substrate; and a moveable process head disposed within the semiconductor processing chamber; wherein the moveable process head comprises an inner wall and a moveable assembly disposed within the inner wall, wherein the moveable process head is moveably attached to an inner surface of the inner wall through a seal enabling slideable translation of the movable process head in a direction perpendicular to the substrate; wherein a shield is spaced apart from and surrounds at least a lower portion of the inner wall, wherein a plurality of non-overlapping site isolated process regions can be defined on the substrate by the position of the inner wall relative to the substrate, and each site isolated process region is defined as the area on the substrate within the inner wall, wherein the shield is operable as a barrier to isolate deposition from the movable process head to a single site isolated region; wherein the moveable process head is operable to perform a dry process on the site isolated process region, wherein an enclosed processing region is defined as the volume between the inner wall, the movable process head, and the substrate, and wherein the enclosed processing region can be evacuated through a circumferential gap below the inner wall contemporaneously with the performing of the dry process. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The semiconductor processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the inner wall is moveable in the vertical direction in conjunction with the moveable assembly and relative to the shield to modify a volume of the enclosed processing region. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The semiconductor processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the moveable assembly is moveable relative to the inner wall to modify a volume of the enclosed processing region. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The semiconductor processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the processing chamber is integrated into a cluster tool containing multiple processing chambers. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The semiconductor processing chamber of claim 4, wherein at least one of the other processing chambers of the cluster tool contains a combinatorial processing system. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The semiconductor processing chamber of claim 4, wherein the multiple processing chambers are operable to perform a plurality of processes selected from a group consisting of ALD, PVD, CVD, and cold plasma. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The semiconductor processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the process head comprises concentric rings enabling deposition in an inner ring and removal of fluids through an outer ring during processing of the site isolated process region. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The semiconductor processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the process head moves in a radial direction and the substrate support rotates about an axis. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The semiconductor chamber of claim 1, wherein the process head rotates about an axis that is different than a substrate support axis and the substrate support moves linearly within the chamber. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The semiconductor processing chamber of claim 1, wherein the shield and the inner wall move independently from each other in the vertical direction. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The semiconductor processing chamber of claim 1, wherein multiple process heads are disposed over the substrate, and wherein one of the multiple process heads is configured to perform a process operation different than another one of the multiple process heads. ### Claim 12 (depends on 4) The semiconductor processing chamber of claim 4, wherein at least one of the other processing chambers of the cluster tool contains a non-combinatorial processing system. ### Claim 13 (depends on 4) The semiconductor processing chamber of claim 4, wherein the multiple processing chambers enable processing operations by at least two of ALD, PVD, CVD, and cold plasma.