Abstract: A method for processing a substrate includes performing a cyclic plasma process including a plurality of cycles, each cycle of the plurality of cycles including purging a plasma processing chamber including the substrate with a first deposition gas including carbon. The substrate includes a first layer including silicon and a second layer including a metal oxide. The method further includes exposing the substrate to a first plasma generated from the first deposition gas to selectively deposit a first polymeric film over the first layer relative to the second layer; purging the plasma processing chamber with an etch gas including fluorine; and exposing the substrate to a second plasma generated from the etch gas to etch the second layer.

Abstract: A method for plasma processing includes: sustaining a plasma in a plasma processing chamber, the plasma processing chamber including a first radio frequency (RF) electrode and a second RF electrode, where sustaining the plasma includes: coupling an RF source signal to the first RF electrode; and coupling a bias signal between the first RF electrode and the second RF electrode, the bias signal having a bipolar DC (B-DC) waveform including a plurality of B-DC pulses, each of the B-DC pulses including: a negative bias duration during which the pulse has negative polarity relative to a reference potential, a positive bias duration during which the pulse has positive polarity relative to the reference potential, and a neutral bias duration during which the pulse has neutral polarity relative to the reference potential.

Abstract: A method of plasma processing includes generating a glow phase of an electropositive plasma in a plasma processing chamber containing a first species, a second species, and a substrate comprising a major surface and generating an electronegative plasma in an afterglow phase of the electropositive plasma in the plasma processing chamber by combining the electrons of the electropositive plasma with atoms or molecules of the second species. The electropositive plasma includes positive ions of the first species and electrons. The electronegative plasma includes the positive ions and negative ions of the second species. The method further includes, in the afterglow phase, cyclically performing steps of generating neutral particles by applying a negative bias voltage at the substrate and applying a non-negative bias voltage at the substrate. The average velocity of the neutral particles is towards and substantially normal to the major surface of the substrate.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes an antenna configured to generate plasma of a processing gas in a chamber. The antenna includes: an inner coil provided around the gas supply unit to surround a gas supply unit; and an outer coil provided around the gas supply unit and the inner coil to surround them. The outer coil is configured such that both ends of a wire forming the outer coil are opened; power is supplied from a power supply unit to a central point of the wire; the vicinity of the central point of the wire is grounded; and the outer coil resonates at a wavelength that is a half of a wavelength of the high frequency power. The inner coil is configured such that both ends of a wire forming the inner coil are connected through a capacitor and the inner coil is inductively coupled with the inner coil.

Abstract: A method of optimizing a recipe for a plasma process includes (a) building a virtual metrology (VM) model that predicts a wafer characteristic resulting from the plasma process based on a plasma parameter and (b) building a control model that describes a relationship between the plasma parameter and a recipe parameter. (c) The wafer characteristic is measured after performing the plasma process according to the recipe. (d) Whether the wafer characteristic is within a predetermined range is determined. (e) The VM model and the control model are calibrated based on the wafer characteristic. (f) The recipe is optimized by updating the plasma parameter based on the wafer characteristic using the VM model and updating the recipe parameter based on the plasma parameter using the control model. (c), (d), (e) and (f) are repeated until the wafer characteristic is within the predetermined range.

Abstract: A plasma processing method includes generating a plasma within a processing chamber using source power to ignite a glow phase of the plasma, generating low-energy ions at a substrate supported by a substrate holder in the processing chamber from the plasma using lower-frequency radio frequency bias power applied during the glow phase, and generating high-energy ions at the substrate using higher-frequency radio frequency bias power applied during an afterglow phase of the plasma. The frequency of the higher-frequency radio frequency bias power is greater than the frequency of the lower-frequency radio frequency bias power.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes an antenna configured to generate plasma of a processing gas in a chamber. The antenna includes: an inner coil provided around the gas supply unit to surround a gas supply unit; and an outer coil provided around the gas supply unit and the inner coil to surround them. The outer coil is configured such that both ends of a wire forming the outer coil are opened; power is supplied from a power supply unit to a central point of the wire; the vicinity of the central point of the wire is grounded; and the outer coil resonates at a wavelength that is a half of a wavelength of the high frequency power. The inner coil is configured such that both ends of a wire forming the inner coil are connected through a capacitor and the inner coil is inductively coupled with the inner coil.

Abstract: A method of processing a substrate that includes: loading the substrate in a plasma processing chamber, the substrate including an underlying layer; maintaining a steady state flow of a process gas into the plasma processing chamber in the plasma processing chamber; generating a plasma in the plasma processing chamber; exposing the substrate to the plasma to etch the underlying layer; and pulsing a first additional gas, using a first effusive gas injector, towards a first region of the substrate to disrupt the steady state flow of the process gas over the first region, the pulsing locally changing a composition of the plasma near the first region.

Abstract: In certain embodiments, a method includes positioning a substrate on a substrate holder in a processing chamber and etching the substrate by cyclically performing a periodic plasma process that includes multiple multiphase pulse cycles that each includes elevated etching, etching-and-deposition, and elevated deposition phases. The elevated deposition phase includes applying a source power (SP) to the chamber at a first SP level. The etching-and-deposition phase includes applying the SP to the chamber at a second SP level and applying a lower-frequency radio frequency (RF) bias power (LBP) to the chamber at an LBP level. The elevated deposition phase includes applying the SP to the chamber at a third SP level and applying a higher-frequency RF bias power (HBP) to the chamber at an HBP level, the third SP level being less than the first SP level. A same gas combination is supplied to the processing chamber during each cycle.

Abstract: A plasma etching system for a substrate including: a plasma processing chamber; a substrate holder disposed in the plasma processing chamber; a RF power source configured to generate a plasma in the plasma processing chamber; a set of electromagnets configured to apply a magnetic field in the processing chamber, the magnetic field of the set of the electromagnets being independent from a magnetic field generated by the RF power source; and a microprocessor coupled to the RF power source and the set of electromagnets, the microprocessor including a non-volatile memory having a program including instructions to: power the RF power source and generate the plasma in the processing chamber to etch the substrate; and provide a power pulse train to the set of electromagnets and generate the magnetic field that is pulsed, in the plasma processing chamber.

Abstract: A method of plasma processing includes performing a reactive species control phase, performing an ion/radical control phase, and performing a by-product control phase. The reactive species control phase includes pulsing source power to a processing chamber to generate ions and radicals in a plasma. The ion/radical control phase is performed after the reactive species control phase. The ion/radical control phase includes reducing the source power to the processing chamber and pulsing bias power to a substrate in the processing chamber. The by-product control phase is performed after the ion/radical control phase. The by-product control phase includes reducing the source power to the processing chamber relative to the reactive species control phase and reducing the bias power to the substrate relative to the ion/radical control phase.

Abstract: An apparatus for plasma processing includes a pedestal configured to support a substrate and a conductive structure disposed at the pedestal. The conductive structure is configured to generate a plasma localized at an edge region of the substrate. The conductive structure may be a resonant structure. The apparatus may include a focus ring that has an insulating material with an annular shape defining an interior opening. The conductive structure may be embedded within the insulating material and be configured to generate the plasma along the annular shape and surrounding the interior opening. Processing conditions at the edge region of the substrate may be controlled using the plasma localized at the edge region.

Abstract: A method of operating a plasma tool includes executing a plasma process on a wafer. Data associated with the plasma process are measured using a plurality of sensors while the plasma process is executed on the wafer. The plasma process is terminated at an endpoint time. A post-process fault detection is executed by determining whether a post-process wafer state is within a target range. When the post-process wafer state is outside the target range so that a fault is detected, the fault is corrected using the data associated with the plasma process.

Abstract: Methods are provided herein for patterning extreme ultraviolet (EUV) (or lower wavelength) photoresists, such metal-oxide photoresists. A patterning layer comprising a metal-oxide photoresist is formed on one or more underlying layers provided on a substrate, and portions of the patterning layer not covered by a mask overlying the patterning layer are exposed to EUV or lower wavelengths light. A cyclic dry process is subsequently performed to remove portions of the patterning layer exposed to the EUV or lower wavelength light (i.e., the exposed portions) and develop the metal-oxide photoresist pattern. The cyclic dry process generally includes a plurality of deposition and etch steps, wherein the deposition step selectively deposits a protective layer onto unexposed portions of the patterning layer by exposing the substrate to a first plasma, and the etch step selectively etches the exposed portions of the patterning layer by exposing the substrate to a second plasma.

Abstract: A method of processing a substrate that includes: performing a cyclic plasma etch process including a plurality of cycles, each of the plurality of cycles including: etching a patterning layer including a polycrystalline semiconductor material to form or extend a recess by exposing the substrate to a first plasma, the substrate including an oxide layer, the patterning layer formed over the oxide layer, exposing the substrate to a second plasma, the second plasma including dihydrogen, and extending the recess by exposing the substrate to a third plasma, the second plasma being different from the first plasma and the third plasma.

Abstract: This disclosure relates generally to method and system for detecting on-street parking violations. The method include capturing, by using an media capturing device embodied in an electronic device mounted in a vehicle, a video stream of a scene during a trip of the vehicle. The video stream is processed at the electronic device to identify target objects such as no-parking signage and vehicles parked in the vicinity thereof. A meta-information associated with the target objects is stored in form of a short-term historian in a repository associated with the electronic device. The absolute locations of the target objects are determined and the historian is updated with the values of the absolute locations. A set of unique target objects is determined from amongst the target objects and a meta-information associated with the unique objects is sent to a cloud server for determining parking violations.

Abstract: A method of processing includes directing an electron beam comprising ballistic electrons from an electron source towards a peripheral region of a substrate to be processed. The peripheral region surrounds a central region of the substrate. The electron beam may be directed such that the ballistic electrons impinge on the peripheral region and not on the central region of the substrate. The ballistic electrons may stimulate chemical reactions on the substrate. The method may include placing the substrate on a substrate holder disposed within a vacuum chamber. The method may also include generating the electron beam from a plasma in the vacuum chamber. The method may further include processing the substrate with ions from the plasma.

Abstract: In an example, a method includes depositing a first sidewall spacer layer over a substrate having a layer stack including alternating layers of a nanosheet and a sacrificial layer, and a dummy gate formed over the layer stack, the first sidewall spacer layer formed over the dummy gate. The method includes depositing a metal-containing liner over the first sidewall spacer layer; forming a first sidewall spacer along the dummy gate by anisotropically etching the metal-containing liner and the first sidewall spacer layer; performing an anisotropic etch back process to form a plurality of vertical recesses in the layer stack; laterally etching the layer stack and form a plurality of lateral recesses between adjacent nanosheets; depositing a second sidewall spacer layer to fill the plurality of lateral recesses; and etching a portion of the second sidewall spacer layer to expose tips of the nanosheet layers.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method of communication in a base station (BS). The BS comprising a distributed unit (DU) and at least one radio unit (RU), said DU performs High-PHY processing and said RU performs low-PHY processing. The method comprises transmitting, by the DU, a control information to the at least one RU using at least one of a c-plane message and a m-plane message, and data using a u-plane message. The u-plane message is transmitted in one of a semi persistent and periodic technique. The transmitting of the at least one of a c-plane message and a m-plane message indicates the u-plane data as one of a semi persistent and a periodic, said transmitting is valid for the u-plane messages carrying the u-plane data for a predetermined time period.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a plasma processing system includes a vacuum chamber, a substrate holder configured to hold a substrate to be processed where the substrate holder is disposed in the vacuum chamber. The system further includes an electron source disposed above a peripheral region of the substrate holder, the electron source being configured to generate an electron beam towards the peripheral region of the substrate holder.