US 12,249,489 B2
Optical device improvement
Yue Chen, Sunnyvale, CA (US); Jinyu Lu, Santa Clara, CA (US); Yongmei Chen, San Jose, CA (US); Jinxin Fu, Fremont, CA (US); Zihao Yang, Santa Clara, CA (US); Mingwei Zhu, San Jose, CA (US); Takashi Kuratomi, San Jose, CA (US); Rami Hourani, Santa Clara, CA (US); Ludovic Godet, Sunnyvale, CA (US); Qun Jing, Santa Clara, CA (US); Jingyi Yang, Santa Clara, CA (US); and David Masayuki Ishikawa, Mountain View, CA (US)
Assigned to Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed by Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed on Apr. 7, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/131,997.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/352,854, filed on Jun. 16, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/363,773, filed on Apr. 28, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/362,935, filed on Apr. 13, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0360890 A1, Nov. 9, 2023
Int. Cl. H01J 37/32 (2006.01); H01J 7/02 (2006.01)
CPC H01J 37/32449 (2013.01) [H01J 7/02 (2013.01); H01J 37/32458 (2013.01); H01J 37/32724 (2013.01); H01J 2237/332 (2013.01); H01J 2237/334 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of processing an optical device comprising:
positioning the optical device on a substrate support in an interior volume of a process chamber, the optical device comprising an optical device substrate and a plurality of optical device structures formed over the optical device substrate and spaced apart from each other, each optical device structure including a bulk region formed of silicon carbide and one or more surface regions formed of silicon oxycarbide;
providing one or more process gases to the interior volume of the process chamber;
generating a plasma of the one or more process gases in the interior volume of the process chamber for a first time period when the optical device is on the substrate support; and
stopping the plasma after the first time period, wherein a carbon content of the one or more surface regions of each optical device structure is reduced by at least 50% compared to the carbon content of the one or more surface regions of each optical device structure before the first time period.