Abstract: A method for patterning a layered structure is provided that includes performing photolithography to provide a developed prepattern layer on a horizontal surface of an underlying substrate, modifying the prepattern layer to form spaced apart inorganic material guides, casting and annealing a layer of a self-assembling block copolymer to form laterally-spaced cylindrical features, forming a pattern by selectively removing at least a portion of one block of the self-assembling block copolymer, and transferring the pattern to the underlying substrate. The method is suitable for making sub-50 nm patterned layered structures.

Abstract: A method for patterning a layered structure is provided that includes performing photolithography to provide a developed prepattern layer on a horizontal surface of an underlying substrate, modifying the prepattern layer to form spaced apart inorganic material guides, casting and annealing a layer of a self-assembling block copolymer to form laterally-spaced cylindrical features, forming a pattern by selectively removing at least a portion of one block of the self-assembling block copolymer, and transferring the pattern to the underlying substrate. The method is suitable for making sub-50 nm patterned layered structures.

Abstract: A method is provided for depositing silicon and silicon-containing films by atomic layer deposition (ALD). The method includes disposing the substrate in a batch processing system configured for performing ALD of the silicon-containing film, exposing the substrate to a non-saturating amount of a first precursor containing silicon, and evacuating or purging the first precursor from the batch processing system. The method further includes exposing the substrate to a saturating amount of a second precursor containing silicon or a dopant, where only one of the first and second precursors contain a halogen, and a reaction of the first and second precursors on the substrate forms a silicon or silicon-containing film and a volatile hydrogen-halogen (HX) by-product, evacuating or purging the second precursor and the HX by-product from the batch processing system, and repeating the exposing and evacuation or purging steps until the silicon or silicon-containing film has a desired thickness.

Abstract: A method is provided for low temperature catalyst-assisted atomic layer deposition of silicon-containing films such as SiO2 and SiN. The method includes exposing a substrate surface containing X—H functional groups to a first R1—X—R2 catalyst and a gas containing silicon and chlorine to form an X/silicon/chlorine complex on the surface, and forming a silicon-X layer terminated with the X—H functional groups by exposing the X/silicon/chlorine complex on the substrate surface to a second R1—X—R2 catalyst and a X—H functional group precursor. The method further includes one or more integrated in-situ reactive treatments that reduce or eliminate the need for undesired high-temperature post-deposition processing. One reactive treatment includes hydrogenating unreacted X—H functional groups and removing carbon and chlorine impurities from the substrate surface. Another reactive treatment saturates the silicon-X layer with additional X—H functional groups.

Abstract: A thermal processing system with improved gas flow and method for injecting a process gas into a thermal processing system. The thermal processing system has an injection section with injection outlets that inject process gas into a processing space and a delivery section that delivers process gas to the injection section. The delivery section may be coupled with the injection section at an inlet disposed between opposite ends of the injection section. A fluid lumen of the injection section may have a larger cross-sectional area than a fluid lumen of the delivery section. The thermal processing system may include an inner tube, which surrounds the processing space, having a slit through which the processing space communicates with an annular pumping space defined between the inner tube and an outer tube of the thermal processing system.

Abstract: A method is provided for low temperature catalyst-assisted atomic layer deposition of silicon-containing films such as SiO2 and SiN. The method includes exposing a substrate surface containing X—H functional groups to a first R1—X—R2 catalyst and a gas containing silicon and chlorine to form an X/silicon/chlorine complex on the surface, and forming a silicon-X layer terminated with the X—H functional groups by exposing the X/silicon/chlorine complex on the substrate surface to a second R1—X—R2 catalyst and a X—H functional group precursor. The method further includes one or more integrated in-situ reactive treatments that reduce or eliminate the need for undesired high-temperature post-deposition processing. One reactive treatment includes hydrogenating unreacted X—H functional groups and removing carbon and chlorine impurities from the substrate surface. Another reactive treatment saturates the silicon-X layer with additional X—H functional groups.

Abstract: A thermal processing system with improved gas flow and method for injecting a process gas into a thermal processing system. The thermal processing system has an injection section with injection outlets that inject process gas into a processing space and a delivery section that delivers process gas to the injection section. The delivery section may be coupled with the injection section at an inlet disposed between opposite ends of the injection section. A fluid lumen of the injection section may have a larger cross-sectional area than a fluid lumen of the delivery section. The thermal processing system may include an inner tube, which surrounds the processing space, having a slit through which the processing space communicates with an annular pumping space defined between the inner tube and an outer tube of the thermal processing system.