Abstract: A workpiece support having dichotomy of thermal paths therethrough is provided for controlling the temperature of a workpiece support thereon. In one embodiment, a workpiece support includes a platen body having a plug centrally disposed in a workpiece support surface of the platen body. A lower surface of the plug defines a void between the plug and a bottom of the bore. The void creates a dichotomy of thermal paths through the platen body thus controlling the temperature of a wafer support surface. Alternatively, the plug and platen body may be fabricated from materials having different rates of thermal conductivity to created the dichotomy of thermal paths in addition to or in absence of the void.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for removing coating layers from the top of alignment marks on a wafer situated in a spin processor are described. The method may be carried out by first providing a spin process equipped with a rotatable wafer pedestal, then providing a wafer that has at least one alignment mark covered by a coating layer, mounting an edge ring on an outer periphery of the wafer pedestal, the edge ring has at least one tab section extending outwardly from an inner periphery of the edge ring, then positioning the wafer faced down and supported by an inert gas flow on the edge ring such that a narrow gap is formed between the tab section on the edge ring and the alignment marks and dispensing an etchant onto a backside of the wafer while rotating.

Abstract: An apparatus for processing a semiconductor wafer has a circular chuck and a focus ring. The chuck is located in a process chamber and holds the semiconductor wafer. The focus ring surrounds the semiconductor wafer held by the chuck and focuses processing gases or plasma on a surface of the semiconductor wafer. The focus ring has a stepped inner periphery formed by a cylindrical lower surface surrounding the wafer and having a first diameter, a cylindrical upper surface having a second diameter greater than the first diameter, and a collector interposed between the lower surface and the upper surface for collecting contaminants created at the upper surface due to a reaction between the processing media and the material of the focus ring. The collector collects particulate contaminants falling from the upper surface of the focus ring so that the contaminants do not reach the wafer.

Abstract: A technique of dry etching the surface of a wafer by using a dry etching apparatus in which the distance between a wafer and a surface facing the wafer is set to the half or less of the diameter of the wafer is disclosed. Even in the case of using, especially, a wafer having a large diameter, the incident amount of etching reaction by-products in the peripheral portion of the wafer and that in the center portion of the wafer are uniformed. Thus, a uniform etching process over the whole surface of the wafer can be realized.

Abstract: In a method of etching a wafer in a plasma etch reactor, the improvement of conducting etching to reduce or eliminate “black silicon” comprising: a) providing a plasma etch reactor comprising walls defining an etch chamber; b) providing a plasma source chamber remote from and in communication with the etch chamber to provide a plasma to the etch chamber, and a wafer chuck or pedestal disposed in the etch chamber to seat a wafer; c) providing a dielectric wall in proximity to and around a periphery of the wafer; d) providing a modification to a lower Rf electrode by interposing conductor means into an extension of Vdc flat sheath boundary relationship to the dielectric wall means and the wafer or in substitution for the dielectric wall; e) forming a plasma within the plasma source chamber and providing the plasma to the etch chamber; and f) supplying Rf energy to the wafer chuck to assist etching of the wafer by forming electric fields between the upper surface of the wafer and the walls of t