Abstract: It has been discovered that a parasitic plasma problem which has existed with respect to incoming plasma source gases present in a source gas feed line to a plasma processing chamber can be avoided. The stability of a parasitic plasma is avoided by installing an RF resistor conduit in the source gas feed line and increasing the pressure in the RF resistor conduit through which the plasma source gases flow. Use of a variable surface restrictor in the RF resistor conduit or between the RF resistor conduit and the plasma processing chamber enables not only avoidance of the formation of a parasitic plasma in incoming plasma source gases, but also easier cleaning of the processing chamber plasma generation system when a remotely generated plasma is used for such cleaning.

Abstract: A coating system comprises a swing station including a swing module and an arrangement of chambers. The arrangement of chambers comprises a lock chamber and a first coating chamber. The lock chamber is configured as a combined lock-in/lock-out chamber. The arrangement of chambers has a first substantially linear transport path indicated by dashed lines, and a second substantially linear transport path indicated by dashed lines. The arrangement of the paths establishes a dual track. The system includes a transport system for moving a substrate through the arrangement of chambers, along the first transport path and/or along the second transport path as indicated by arrows. One or particularly both chambers comprise transfer means for transferring the substrate/carrier from the first path to the second path by a lateral movement and/or from the second path to the first path.

Abstract: Methods are provided for depositing amorphous carbon materials. In one aspect, the invention provides a method for processing a substrate including forming a dielectric material layer on a surface of the substrate, depositing an amorphous carbon layer on the dielectric material layer by introducing a processing gas comprises one or more hydrocarbon compounds and an argon carrier gas, and generating a plasma of the processing gas by applying power from a dual-frequency RF source, etching the amorphous carbon layer to form a patterned amorphous carbon layer, and etching feature definitions in the dielectric material layer corresponding to the patterned amorphous carbon layer. The amorphous carbon layer may act as an etch stop, an anti-reflective coating, or both.

Abstract: The present invention generally comprises a method for achieving fault tolerance in a PV FAB. A plurality of processing tools may be coupled together along a processing line, and a plurality of substantially identical processing lines may be arranged within the FAB. Whenever a processing tool within any processing line is shut-down, rather than shut-down the entire processing line containing the shut-down processing tool, work-pieces may be routed around the shut-down processing tool by transferring the work-pieces to an adjacent processing line within the FAB. At a location after the shut-down processing tool, the work-pieces may be transferred back to the processing line containing the shut-down processing tool. During the time period that the processing tool is shut-down, the other processing lines within the FAB may increase their throughput in order to maintain a substantially constant optimum throughput for the FAB over a given period of time.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling dopant concentration during borophosphosilicate glass film deposition on a semiconductor wafer to reduce consumption of nitride on the semiconductor wafer. In one embodiment of the invention, the method starts by placing a substrate having a nitride layer in a reaction chamber and providing a silicon source, an oxygen source and a boron source into the reaction chamber while delaying providing a phosphorous source into the reaction chamber to form a borosilicate glass layer over the nitride layer. The method continues by providing the silicon, oxygen, boron and phosphorous sources into the reaction chamber to form a borophosphosilicate film over the borosilicate glass layer.

Abstract: A tool is provided to facilitate the assembly of a seal ring. The tool comprises an elongated body and a flange projecting radially from the elongated body. A first portion of the tool is configured to receive the placement of a seal ring and a retainer cap thereon. The retainer cap may carry attachment elements, such as screws, used to secure the retainer cap on the housing. To mount the seal ring, the tool is inserted through a shaft hole of the housing to clamp the seal ring and the retainer cap between the housing and a flange of the tool. The attachment elements then are tightened to fix the retainer cap on the housing, which secures the seal ring sandwiched between the retainer cap and the housing. After the assembly of the seal ring is completed, the tool may then be slidably removed.

Abstract: Systems, methods and apparatus are provided for reliability testing an inkjet printing system. The invention includes a testing interface, a print head coupled to the testing interface, printer control electronics coupled to the testing interface and coupled to the print head via the testing interface, the printer control electronics adapted to transmit a firing voltage signal through the testing interface to the print head, and a measurement apparatus coupled to the testing interface. The testing interface includes an input path for receiving the firing voltage signal from the printer control electronics, the input path splitting into a first path coupled to the print head and a second path coupled to the measurement apparatus. Numerous other aspects are disclosed.

Abstract: A cassette stocker includes a plurality of cassette storage shelves positioned adjacent a cleanroom wall above a cassette docking station, and a cassette mover to carry a cassette between the shelves and the docking station. An interstation transfer apparatus includes an overhead support beam and a transfer arm adapted to carry a cassette between processing stations.

Abstract: A method for the operation of an in-line coating configuration comprising 2n+1 chambers, where n is an integer, and specifically is preferably 2. Thus, at least between two times two chambers of this installation one gate each can be opened and closed, it is possible to coat also overdimensioned substrates with the same installation. The opening and closing of the gates entails a change of the pressure courses in comparison to standard operation.

Abstract: The invention provides methods, systems, and drivers for controlling an inkjet printing system. The driver may include logic including a processor, memory coupled to the logic, and a fire pulse generator circuit coupled to the logic. The fire pulse generator may include a connector to facilitate coupling the driver to a print head. The fire pulse generator circuit may also include a fixed current source circuit adapted to generate a fire pulse with a constant slew rate that facilitates easy adjustment of ink drop size. The logic is adapted to receive an image and to convert the image to an image data file. The image data file is adapted to be used by the driver to trigger the print head to deposit ink into pixel wells on a substrate as the substrate is moved in a print direction. Numerous other aspects are disclosed.

Abstract: A method of cleaning a patterning device, the patterning device having at least organic coating material (OLED material) deposited thereon, comprises the step of providing a cleaning plasma for removing the coating material from the patterning device by means of a plasma etching process. During the step of removing the coating material from the patterning device, the temperature of the patterning device does not exceed a critical temperature causing damage to the patterning device, while maintaining a plasma etching rate of at least 0.2 ?m/min. In order to generate a pulsed cleaning plasma, pulsed energy is provided. The method can be carried out in a direct plasma etching process or in a remote plasma etching process. Different etching processes may be combined or carried out subsequently.

Abstract: In one aspect, a method is provided which includes (1) providing a substrate including a photoresist layer and an additional layer which may be a potential source of contaminants, and (2) preventing a release of contaminants from the additional layer, wherein preventing the release of contaminants from the additional layer protects the photoresist layer from exposure to contaminants from the additional layer. Numerous other aspects are provided.

Abstract: A processing system for processing a substrate includes a process chamber for receiving the substrate, a patterning device installed within the process chamber, and a mechanism for transferring the substrate into the process chamber and for aligning the substrate relative to the patterning device.

Abstract: In a system where scribe lines are formed by a series of partially-overlapping ablation spots, discontinuities can be detected by capturing an intensity of light generated during each instance of ablation for a respective spot. In any instance where the intensity of light given off falls below a desired threshold, such that the ablation spot might not sufficiently overlap any adjacent spot, the position of that instance can be captured such that another attempt at ablation can be carried out at that location.

Abstract: Apparatus, reactors, and methods for heating substrates are disclosed. The apparatus comprises a stage comprising a body and a surface having an area to support a substrate, a shaft coupled to the stage, a first heating element disposed within a central region of the body of the stage, and at least second and third heating elements disposed within the body of the stage, the at least second and third heating elements each partially surrounding the first heating element and wherein the at least second and third heating elements are circumferentially adjacent to each other.

Abstract: Methods and systems for use during laser-scribing of a workpiece are provided. Some of the methods and systems provided use an imaging device to control the formation of a laser-scribed feature so as to more closely align with a previously-formed feature. Some of the methods and systems provided use an imaging device for inspection of a laser-scribed feature and/or process control. Some of the methods and systems provided use an imaging device to detect and avoid a workpiece defect during the formation of a laser-scribed feature.

Abstract: A phase shifting photomask comprising a patterned film stack formed on a transparent substrate and a method of fabricating the photomask are disclosed. In one embodiment, the film stack includes a first layer having a pre-determined value of transparency to light of an illumination source of a lithographic system and a second layer that is substantially transparent to the light and facilitates in the light a pre-determined phase shift.

Abstract: A method for fabricating dual material gate structures in a device is provided. The dual material gate structures have different gate electrode materials in different regions of the device. In one embodiment, the method includes providing a substrate having a patterned first gate electrode and a patterned first gate dielectric layer disposed on the substrate, removing a portion of the first gate electrode from the substrate to define a trench on the substrate, and filling the trench to form a second gate electrode.

Abstract: A thermal processing apparatus and method in which a first laser source, for example, a CO2 emitting at 10.6 ?m is focused onto a silicon wafer as a line beam and a second laser source, for example, a GaAs laser bar emitting at 808 nm is focused onto the wafer as a larger beam surrounding the line beam. The two beams are scanned in synchronism in the direction of the narrow dimension of the line beam to create a narrow heating pulse from the line beam when activated by the larger beam. The energy of GaAs radiation is greater than the silicon bandgap energy and creates free carriers. The energy of the CO2 radiation is less than the silicon bandgap energy so silicon is otherwise transparent to it, but the long wavelength radiation is absorbed by the free carriers.

Abstract: Fast on-line electro-optical detection of wafer defects by illuminating with a short light pulse from a repetitively pulsed laser, a section of the wafer while it is moved across the field of view of an imaging system, and imaging the moving wafer onto a focal plane assembly, optically forming a continuous surface of photo-detectors at the focal plane of the optical imaging system. The continuously moving wafer is illuminated by a laser pulse of duration significantly shorter than the pixel dwell time, such that there is effectively no image smear during the wafer motion. The laser pulse has sufficient energy and brightness to impart the necessary illumination to each sequentially inspected field of view required for creating an image of the inspected wafer die. A novel fiber optical illumination delivery system, which is effective in reducing the effects of source coherence is described.