Teresa A Trowbridge

US Patent:

6828234, Dec 7, 2004

Filed:

Mar 26, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/108779

Inventors:

Norman Tam - Sunnyvale CA
Teresa Trowbridge - Los Altos CA

Assignee:

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

International Classification:

H01L 2144

US Classification:

438663, 438513

Abstract:

A method that includes flowing an inert gas into an interior of a single wafer process chamber to create a pressure in the interior that is greater than an ambient pressure; and maintaining the greater interior pressure during a wafer transfer with the single wafer process chamber.

US Patent:

8225496, Jul 24, 2012

Filed:

Aug 29, 2008

Appl. No.:

12/202199

Inventors:

Robert Z. Bachrach - Burlingame CA, US
Soo Young Choi - Fremont CA, US
Nicholas G. J. De Vries - Alameda CA, US
Yacov Elgar - Sunnyvale CA, US
Eric A. Englhardt - Palo Alto CA, US
Michel R. Frei - Palo Alto CA, US
Charles Gay - Westlake Village CA, US
Parris Hawkins - Los Altos CA, US
Choi (Gene) Ho - Sunnyvale CA, US
James Craig Hunter - Los Gatos CA, US
Penchala N. Kankanala - Santa Clara CA, US
Liwei Li - Sunnyvale CA, US
Danny Cam Toan Lu - San Francisco CA, US
Fang Mei - Foster City CA, US
Stephen P. Murphy - Perrysburg OH, US
Srujal (Steve) Patel - San Jose CA, US
Matthew J. B. Saunders - Sunnyvale CA, US
Asaf Schlezinger - Sunnyvale CA, US
Shuran Sheng - Sunnyvale CA, US
Tzay-Fa (Jeff) Su - San Jose CA, US
Jeffrey S. Sullivan - Castro Valley CA, US
David Tanner - San Jose CA, US
Teresa Trowbridge - Los Altos CA, US
Brice Walker - Bautista CA, US
John M. White - Hayward CA, US
Tae K. Won - San Jose CA, US

Assignee:

Applied Materials, Inc. - Santa Clara CA

International Classification:

H01L 51/44
H01L 51/48
H01L 21/768
H01L 31/072

US Classification:

29726, 29783, 29795, 29742, 29 33 P, 29890033

Abstract:

The present invention generally relates to a system that can be used to form a photovoltaic device, or solar cell, using processing modules that are adapted to perform one or more steps in the solar cell formation process. The automated solar cell fab is generally an arrangement of automated processing modules and automation equipment that is used to form solar cell devices. The automated solar fab will thus generally comprise a substrate receiving module that is adapted to receive a substrate, one or more absorbing layer deposition cluster tools having at least one processing chamber that is adapted to deposit a silicon-containing layer on a surface of the substrate, one or more back contact deposition chambers, one or more material removal chambers, a solar cell encapsulation device, an autoclave module, an automated junction box attaching module, and one or more quality assurance modules that are adapted to test and qualify the completely formed solar cell device.

US Patent:

20070215049, Sep 20, 2007

Filed:

Mar 14, 2006

Appl. No.:

11/375709

Inventors:

Wolfgang Aderhold - Cupertino CA, US
Teresa Trowbridge - Los Altos CA, US

International Classification:

B32B 3/02
C23C 16/00

US Classification:

118728000, 428064100

Abstract:

Three wafer support fixtures transfer a wafer for thermal processing in an inverted orientation within a heating chamber. Two co-planar support fixtures grab the wafer edge inside the chamber from a blade within a 1.5 mm wafer exclusion zone and hold it above the edge ring during heat-up and then withdraw thermal processing. A third support fixture chucks the wafer backside and transfers it to sloping support areas of the edge ring. The three support fixtures inside the chamber are individually controlled from outside. Alternatively, an arm connected to a controller is connected to the three support fixtures

US Patent:

20090077804, Mar 26, 2009

Filed:

Aug 29, 2008

Appl. No.:

12/201840

Inventors:

Robert Z. Bachrach - Burlingame CA, US
Soo Young Choi - Fremont CA, US
Nicholas G.J. De Vries - Alameda CA, US
Yacov Elgar - Sunnyvale CA, US
Eric A. Englhardt - Palo Alto CA, US
Michel R. Frei - Palo Alto CA, US
Charles Gay - Westlake Village CA, US
Parris Hawkins - Los Altos CA, US
Choi (Gene) Ho - Sunnyvale CA, US
James Craig Hunter - Los Gatos CA, US
Penchala N. Kankanala - Santa Clara CA, US
Liwei Li - Sunnyvale CA, US
Danny Cam Toan Lu - San Francisco CA, US
Fang Mei - Foster City CA, US
Stephen P. Murphy - Perrysburg OH, US
Srujal (Steve) Patel - San Jose CA, US
Matthew J.B. Saunders - Sunnyvale CA, US
Asaf Schlezinger - Sunnyvale CA, US
Shuran Sheng - Sunnyvale CA, US
Tzay-Fa (Jeff) Su - San Jose CA, US
Jeffrey S. Sullivan - Castro Valley CA, US
David Tanner - San Jose CA, US
Teresa Trowbridge - Los Altos CA, US
Brice Walker - San Juan Bautista CA, US
John M. White - Hayward CA, US
Tae K. Won - San Jose CA, US

International Classification:

H01L 31/18
H01L 21/304
B26F 3/00

US Classification:

29890033, 225 1, 225 965, 225 97, 438462

Abstract:

The present invention generally relates to a sectioning module positioned within an automated solar cell device fabrication system. The solar cell device fabrication system is adapted to receive a single large substrate and form multiple silicon thin film solar cell devices from the single large substrate.

US Patent:

59397918, Aug 17, 1999

Filed:

Dec 27, 1995

Appl. No.:

8/579172

Inventors:

Teresa A. Trowbridge - Los Altos CA
Calvin T. Gabriel - Cupertino CA

Assignee:

VLSI Technology, Inc. - San Jose CA

International Classification:

H01L 2978

US Classification:

257775

Abstract:

A sharp transition or step is first formed on the surface of a semiconductor material. A layer of interconnect metal is deposited by conformal CVD and substantially the same thickness of the metal as deposited is removed by anisotropic etching, leaving a narrow line of the interconnect metal at the step portion to serve as an interconnect line. Interconnect lines of 0. 5 micron or below can be achieved since the process is not limited by photostepper resolution.

US Patent:

20160281236, Sep 29, 2016

Filed:

Mar 26, 2015

Appl. No.:

14/669250

Inventors:

- Sunnyvale CA, US
Brian Brown - Palo Alto CA, US
Teresa Ann Trowbridge - Los Altos CA, US
Joseph Foster - San Jose CA, US

Assignee:

Alta Devices, Inc. - Sunnyvale CA

International Classification:

C23C 16/46
C23C 16/455

Abstract:

A substrate processing system having a hot reactor with two load locks and two associated load/unload units, and a related method of operating the system, are disclosed. Substrates are concurrently moved from the reactor into one of two load locks and from the other of the two load locks into the reactor. A bidirectional transfer mechanism is used for the concurrent transfers, such that successive transfers in opposite directions are interleaved. Substrates are heated in the load locks prior to processing in the reactor. The reactor applies processing to substrates, to form processed substrates. Processed substrates are cooled in the load locks after processing in the reactor. Respective load and unload units load substrates into the load locks and unload processed substrates from the load locks. The interleaved concurrent transfers minimize or make zero the idle time of the reactor.