Inventor

John C. Forster

Inventor

San Francisco, CA, US

Overview

1993–2020

Patent span

Electricity

Primary field (CPC H)

Patents· 91 as inventor

Public. Assignee & technology derived from the patent record. Each patent links to its LexDana page.

H01Jprimary

H01JElectric discharge tubes or discharge lamps31%

C23CCoating metallic material22%

H10PGeneric processes or apparatus for the manufacture or treatment of devices covered by class h1017%

H10WGeneric packages, interconnections, connectors or other constructional details of devices covered by class h1011%

H01LSemiconductor devices4%

H10DInorganic electric semiconductor devices3%

H05HPlasma technique2%

Y10STechnical subjects covered by former uspc cross-reference art collections [xracs] and digests2%

Y10TTechnical subjects covered by former us classification1%

B23KSoldering or unsoldering1%

PatentTitleYear

10,879,042Symmetric plasma source to generate pie shaped treatment2020 10,763,085Shaped electrodes for improved plasma exposure from vertical plasma source2020 10,692,706Methods and apparatus for reducing sputtering of a grounded shield in a process chamber2020 10,593,521Substrate support for plasma etch operations2020 10,453,657Apparatus for depositing metal films with plasma treatment2019 10,121,655Lateral plasma/radical source2018 10,099,245Process kit for deposition and etching2018 10,047,430Self-ionized and inductively-coupled plasma for sputtering and resputtering2018 9,984,911Electrostatic chuck design for high temperature RF applications2018 9,721,757'Elongated capacitively coupled plasma source for high temperature low pressure environments'2017 9,666,416'Apparatus and method for depositing electronically conductive pasting material'2017 9,373,485'Apparatus and method for improved darkspace gap design in RF sputtering chamber'2016 9,355,819'Elongated capacitively coupled plasma source for high temperature low pressure environments'2016 9,269,562'In situ chamber clean with inert hydrogen helium mixture during wafer process'2016 9,224,582'Apparatus and method for depositing electrically conductive pasting material'2015 9,062,372'Self-ionized and capacitively-coupled plasma for sputtering and resputtering'2015 9,017,533'Apparatus for controlling radial distribution of plasma ion density and ion energy at a workpiece surface by multi-frequency RF impedance tuning'2015 8,992,747'Apparatus and method for improved darkspace gap design in RF sputtering chamber'2015 8,920,611'Method for controlling radial distribution of plasma ion density and ion energy at a workpiece surface by multi-frequency RF impedance tuning'2014 8,871,064'Electromagnet array in a sputter reactor'2014 8,696,875'Self-ionized and inductively-coupled plasma for sputtering and resputtering'2014 8,668,816'Self-ionized and inductively-coupled plasma for sputtering and resputtering'2014 8,642,473'Methods for contact clean'2014 8,637,410'Method for metal deposition using hydrogen plasma'2014 8,398,832'Coils for generating a plasma and for sputtering'2013 7,733,095'Apparatus for wafer level arc detection at an RF bias impedance match to the pedestal electrode'2010 7,704,887'Remote plasma pre-clean with low hydrogen pressure'2010 7,687,909'Metal / metal nitride barrier layer for semiconductor device applications'2010 7,686,926'Multi-step process for forming a metal barrier in a sputter reactor'2010 7,658,802'Apparatus and a method for cleaning a dielectric film'2010 7,569,125'Shields usable with an inductively coupled plasma reactor'2009 7,550,090'Oxygen plasma clean to remove carbon species deposited on a glass dome surface'2009 7,504,006'Self-ionized and capacitively-coupled plasma for sputtering and resputtering'2009 7,335,282'Sputtering using an unbalanced magnetron'2008 7,253,109'Method of depositing a tantalum nitride/tantalum diffusion barrier layer system'2007 7,163,607'Process kit for improved power coupling through a workpiece in a semiconductor wafer processing system'2007 7,097,744'Method and apparatus for controlling darkspace gap in a chamber'2006 7,048,837'End point detection for sputtering and resputtering'2006 7,041,201'Sidewall magnet improving uniformity of inductively coupled plasma and shields used therewith'2006 6,911,124'Method of depositing a TaN seed layer'2005 6,887,786'Method and apparatus for forming a barrier layer on a substrate'2005 6,783,639'Coils for generating a plasma and for sputtering'2004 6,723,214'Apparatus for improved power coupling through a workpiece in a semiconductor wafer processing system'2004 6,679,981'Inductive plasma loop enhancing magnetron sputtering'2004 6,673,724'Pulsed-mode RF bias for side-wall coverage improvement'2004 6,660,134'Feedthrough overlap coil'2003 6,620,296'Target sidewall design to reduce particle generation during magnetron sputtering'2003 6,579,426'Use of variable impedance to control coil sputter distribution'2003 6,565,717'Apparatus for sputtering ionized material in a medium to high density plasma'2003 6,500,762'Method of depositing a copper seed layer which promotes improved feature surface coverage'2002 6,461,483'Method and apparatus for performing high pressure physical vapor deposition'2002 6,409,890'Method and apparatus for forming a uniform layer on a workpiece during sputtering'2002 6,391,776'Method of depositing a copper seed layer which promotes improved feature surface coverage'2002 6,368,469'Coils for generating a plasma and for sputtering'2002 6,344,419'Pulsed-mode RF bias for sidewall coverage improvement'2002 6,313,027'Method for low thermal budget metal filling and planarization of contacts vias and trenches'2001 D0450070'Sputtering chamber coil'2001 6,306,265'High-density plasma for ionized metal deposition capable of exciting a plasma wave'2001 6,297,595'Method and apparatus for generating a plasma'2001 6,264,812'Method and apparatus for generating a plasma'2001 6,254,746'Recessed coil for generating a plasma'2001 D0442852'Squared overlap coil'2001 D0442853'Rounded overlap coil'2001 6,235,169'Modulated power for ionized metal plasma deposition'2001 6,228,229'Method and apparatus for generating a plasma'2001 6,217,721'Filling narrow apertures and forming interconnects with a metal utilizing a crystallographically oriented liner layer'2001 D0440582'Sputtering chamber coil'2001 6,193,855'Use of modulated inductive power and bias power to reduce overhang and improve bottom coverage'2001 6,190,513'Darkspace shield for improved RF transmission in inductively coupled plasma sources for sputter deposition'2001 6,176,981'Wafer bias ring controlling the plasma potential in a sustained self-sputtering reactor'2001 6,149,784'Sputtering chamber shield promoting reliable plasma ignition'2000 6,136,095'Apparatus for filling apertures in a film layer on a semiconductor substrate'2000 6,132,566'Apparatus and method for sputtering ionized material in a plasma'2000 5,962,923'Semiconductor device having a low thermal budget metal filling and planarization of contacts, vias and trenches'1999 5,926,689'Process for reducing circuit damage during PECVD in single wafer PECVD system'1999 5,897,752'Wafer bias ring in a sustained self-sputtering reactor'1999 5,763,851'Slotted RF coil shield for plasma deposition system'1998 5,685,941'Inductively coupled plasma reactor with top electrode for enhancing plasma ignition'1997 5,650,032'Apparatus for producing an inductive plasma for plasma processes'1997 5,543,184'Method of reducing particulates in a plasma tool through steady state flows'1996 5,518,547'Method and apparatus for reducing particulates in a plasma tool through steady state flows'1996 5,516,403'Reversing orientation of sputtering screen to avoid contamination'1996 5,433,258'Gettering of particles during plasma processing'1995 5,382,911'Reaction chamber interelectrode gap monitoring by capacitance measurement'1995 5,332,441'Apparatus for gettering of particles during plasma processing'1994 5,312,717'Residue free vertical pattern transfer with top surface imaging resists'1994 5,284,549'Selective fluorocarbon-based RIE process utilizing a nitrogen additive'1994 5,207,437'Ceramic electrostatic wafer chuck'1993 5,208,512'Scanned electron cyclotron resonance plasma source'1993 5,189,446'Plasma wafer processing tool having closed electron cyclotron resonance'1993 5,178,739'Apparatus for depositing material into high aspect ratio holes'1993

Career & activity timeline

Assembled from patent assignee/location history and declaration credentials.

1993–1999Patents assigned to IBM (13)· patent assignee history

1993–1995Based in Poughkeepsie, NY, US· patent location history

1996–2020Patents assigned to APPLIED MATERIALS INC (77)· patent assignee history

1996–2018Based in San Francisco, CA, US· patent location history

2008–2015Patents assigned to GOPALRAJA PRABURAM (6)· patent assignee history

2013–2016Patents assigned to FORSTER JOHN C (11)· patent assignee history

2014–2015Patents assigned to TANG XIANMIN (5)· patent assignee history

2014–2020Based in Mountain View, CA, US· patent location history

Inventor activity

Assignee and location history derived from the patent record.

Assignees

Assignee	Patents	Span
APPLIED MATERIALS INC	77	1996–2020
IBM	13	1993–1999
FORSTER JOHN Cself	11	2013–2016
GOPALRAJA PRABURAM	6	2008–2015
TANG XIANMIN	5	2014–2015

Locations

Location	Patents	Span
San Francisco, California, US	67	1996–2018
Mountain View, California, US	15	2014–2020
Poughkeepsie, New York, US	9	1993–1995