Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming a semiconductor sheet suitable for use as a solar cell by depositing an array of solidified drops of a feed material on a sheet support. The desired properties of the sheet fabricated with the teaching of this invention are: flatness, low residual stress, minority carrier diffusion length greater than 40 microns, and minimum grain dimension at least two times the minority carrier diffusion length. In one embodiment, the deposition chamber is adapted to form and process sheets that have a surface area of about 1,000-2,400 cm2.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for distributing gases into a processing chamber are disclosed. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a gas distribution plate having a plurality of apertures disposed therethrough and a blocker plate having both a plurality of apertures disposed therethrough and a plurality of feed through passageways disposed therein. A first gas pathway delivers a first gas through the plurality of apertures in the blocker plate and the gas distribution plate. A bypass gas pathway delivers a second gas through the plurality of feed through passageways in the blocker plate and to areas around the blocker plate prior to the second gas passing through the gas distribution plate.

Abstract: A coil is provided for use in a semiconductor processing system to generate a plasma with a magnetic field in a chamber. The coil comprises a first coil segment, a second coil segment and an internal balance capacitor. The first coils segment has a first end and a second end. The first end of the coil segment is adapted to connect to a power source. The second coil segment has a first and second end. The second end of the first coil segment is adapted to connect to an external balance capacitor. The internal balance capacitor is connected in series between the second end of the first coil segment and the first end of the second coil segment. The internal balance capacitor and the coil segments are adapted to provide a voltage peak along the first coil segment substantially aligned with a virtual ground along the second coil segment.

Abstract: A substrate processing system has a housing that defines a process chamber. A substrate holder disposed within the process chamber supports a substrate during substrate processing. A gas-delivery system introduces a gas into the process chamber. A pressure-control system maintains a selected pressure within the process chamber. A high-density plasma generating system forms a plasma having a density greater than 1011 ions/cm3 within the process chamber. A radio-frequency bias system generates an electrical bias on the substrate at a frequency less than 5 MHz. A controller controls the gas-delivery system, the pressure-control system, the high-density plasma generating system, and the radio-frequency bias system.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a guide tube for an ion beam in an ion implanter located adjacent a semiconductor wafer. Such guide tubes are provided to confine charged particles used for wafer neutralisation during implantation. According to the invention, a guide tube comprises an axis, open ends to receive an ion beam along said axis, a tube wall substantially parallel with said axis, and at least one opening through the tube wall forming a gas conduction passage from inside to outside the guide tube, said passage having a length aligned at an acute angle to said guide tube axis and a minimum dimension transverse to said length such that a line of sight through the passage perpendicular to said guide tube axis is substantially occluded.

Abstract: A device for adjusting a spacing between a chamber body such as a chamber body and a leveling plate such as a leveling plate comprises a mounting stud configured to be mounted to the chamber body. The mounting stud includes a stud threaded surface. A bushing is capable of being fixed to the leveling plate, and includes a bushing threaded surface. An adjustment screw has a first threaded surface threadingly engaged with the stud threaded surface of the mounting stud, and a second threaded surface threadingly engaged with the bushing threaded surface of the bushing. The threaded surfaces are configured, when the bushing is fixed to the leveling plate and the adjustment screw is turned, to cause the adjustment screw to move in a first direction with respect to the mounting stud at a first rate and the bushing to move in a second direction opposite from the first direction with respect to the adjustment screw at a second rate which is different from the first rate.

Abstract: The etch depth during trench over via etch of a dual damascene structure in a dielectric film stack is controlled to be the same over the dense area and the open area of a substrate and solve micro-loading problems. The trench etch process is adapted to include a forward micro-loading etching process and a reverse micro-loading etching process using two etch chemistries together with the inclusion of a dopant material layer or an organic fill material layer during the deposition of the dielectric film stack. In one embodiment, etching of trenches over vias is switched from forward micro-loading to reverse micro-loading once etching of the dielectric film stack is reached at a predetermined location of a dopant material layer. In another embodiment, etching of an organic trench filling material layer is performed in a reverse micro-loading process followed by etching the dielectric film stack in a forward micro-loading process.

Abstract: A method and system are presented for evaluating a variation of a parameter of a pattern, the method includes: processing data indicative of an aerial intensity image of at least a portion of a patterned article, and determining values of a certain functional of the aerial image intensity for predetermined regions within said at least portion of the patterned article, said values of the aerial image intensity functional being indicative of a variation of at least one parameter of the pattern within said at least portion of the patterned article or of a variation of at least one parameter of a pattern manufactured by utilizing the patterned article.

Abstract: In a plasma reactor, RF bias power is applied from an RF bias power generator to a disk-shaped electrode underlying and insulated from a workpiece and having a circumferential edge underlying a circumferential edge of the workpiece. The RF bias power is sufficient to produce a high RF bias voltage on the workpiece on the order of 0.5-20 kV. Non-uniformity in distribution of plasma across the workpiece is reduced by providing a curvature in a peripheral edge annulus of said electrode whereby the peripheral annulus slopes away from the workpiece support surface. The peripheral edge annulus corresponds to a small fraction of an area of said electrode. The remainder of the electrode encircled by the peripheral annulus has a flat shape.

Abstract: Plasma immersion ion implantation employing a very high RF bias voltage on an electrostatic chuck to attain a requisite implant depth profile is carried out by first depositing a partially conductive silicon-containing seasoning layer over the interior chamber surfaces prior to wafer introduction.

Abstract: An evaporation crucible is described. The evaporation crucible (100; 300; 400; 500) includes: an electrically conductive body (120) and a cover (150; 550); the body having a first electrical connection (162) and a second electrical connection (164) for applying a heating current through the body, the body includes a chamber (130) providing a melting-evaporation area, the chamber including a chamber bottom and a chamber wall, wherein the cover forms an enclosure with the chamber; a feeding opening (134; 430) for feeding a material; and a distributor orifice (170; 571, 572) providing a vapor outlet of the enclosure.

Abstract: The present invention refers to a coating device for coating of substrates comprising at least two process chambers (1, 2, 3, 4) being disposed adjacent to each other, a separating plate (9) between the two adjacent process chambers, and pumping means (12, 13) for evacuating the process chambers, wherein the separating plate (9) comprises a conduit having at least two ends, one end of which is connected with the pumping means and the other end has at least one suction opening for at least one of the process chambers.

Abstract: A one-piece inner shield usable in a plasma sputter reactor and extending from the target to the pedestal with a smooth inner surface and supported by an annular flange in a middle portion of the shield. The shield may be used to support the RF coil used in exciting the plasma. An outer shield includes an outwardly extending flange on its end alignable with the inner shield flange, holes in correspondence to recesses in the inner shield for standoffs for the RF coil, and circumferentially arranged gas flow holes.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide methods for forming hafnium materials, such as oxides and nitrides, by sequentially exposing a substrate to hafnium precursors and active oxygen or nitrogen species (e.g., ozone, oxygen radicals, or nitrogen radicals). The deposited hafnium materials have significantly improved uniformity when deposited by these atomic layer deposition (ALD) processes. In one embodiment, an ALD chamber contains an expanding channel having a bottom surface that is sized and shaped to substantially cover a substrate positioned on a substrate pedestal. During an ALD process for forming hafnium materials, process gases form a vortex flow pattern while passing through the expanding channel and sweep across the substrate surface. The substrate is sequentially exposed to chemical precursors that are pulsed into the process chamber having the vortex flow.

Abstract: The present invention generally describes one or more apparatuses and various methods that are used to perform an annealing process on desired regions of a substrate. In one embodiment, an amount of energy is delivered to the surface of the substrate to preferentially melt certain desired regions of the substrate to remove unwanted damage created from prior processing steps (e.g., crystal damage from implant processes), more evenly distribute dopants in various regions of the substrate, and/or activate various regions of the substrate. The preferential melting processes will allow more uniform distribution of the dopants in the melted region, due to the increased diffusion rate and solubility of the dopant atoms in the molten region of the substrate. The creation of a melted region thus allows: 1) the dopant atoms to redistribute more uniformly, 2) defects created in prior processing steps to be removed, and 3) regions that have hyper-abrupt dopant concentrations to be formed.

Abstract: Embodiments described herein provide ampoule assemblies to contain, store, or dispense chemical precursors. In one embodiment, an ampoule assembly is provided which includes an ampoule containing a first material layer disposed on the outside of the ampoule and a second material layer disposed over the first material layer, wherein the first material layer is thermally more conductive than the second material layer, an inlet line in fluid communication with the ampoule and containing a first manual shut-off valve disposed therein, an outlet line in fluid communication with the ampoule and containing a second manual shut-off valve disposed therein, and a first bypass line connected between the inlet line and the outlet line. In some embodiments, the ampoule assembly may contain disconnect fittings. In other embodiments, the first bypass line has a shut-off valve disposed therein to fluidly couple or decouple the input line and the outlet line.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of recrystallizing a silicon sheet, and in particular recrystallizing a small grained silicon sheet to improve material properties such as grain size and orientation. According to one aspect, the method includes using rapid thermal processing (RTP) to melt and recrystallize one or more entire silicon sheet(s) in one heating sequence. According to another aspect, the method includes directionally controlling a temperature drop across the thickness of the sheet so as to facilitate the production of a small number of nuclei in the melted material and their growth into large grains. According to a further aspect, the invention includes a re-crystallization chamber in an overall process flow that enables high-throughput processing of silicon sheets having desired properties for applications such as photovoltaic modules.

Abstract: A SiOxNy gate dielectric and a method for forming a SiOxNy gate dielectric by heating a structure comprising a silicon oxide film on a silicon substrate in an atmosphere comprising NH3 and then exposing the structure to a plasma comprising a nitrogen source are provided. In one aspect, the structure is annealed after it is exposed to a plasma comprising a nitrogen source. In another aspect, a SiOxNy gate dielectric is formed in an integrated processing system by heating a structure comprising a silicon oxide film on a silicon substrate in an atmosphere comprising NH3 in one chamber of the integrated processing system and then exposing the structure to a plasma comprising a nitrogen source in another chamber of the integrated processing system.

Abstract: Methods of forming metal compounds such as metal oxides or metal nitrides by sequentially introducing and then reacting metal organic compounds with ozone one or with oxygen radicals or nitrogen radicals formed in a remote plasma chamber. The metal compounds have surprisingly and significantly improved uniformity when deposited by atomic layer deposition with cycle times of at least 10 seconds. The metal compounds also do not contain detectable carbon when the metal organic compound is vaporized at process conditions in the absence of solvents or excess ligands.

Abstract: A technique and apparatus is disclosed for the optical monitoring and measurement of a thin film (or small region on a surface) undergoing thickness and other changes while it is rotating. An optical signal is routed from the monitored area through the axis of rotation and decoupled from the monitored rotating area. The signal can then be analyzed to determine an endpoint to the planarization process. The invention utilizes interferometric and spectrophotometric optical measurement techniques for the in situ, real-time endpoint control of chemical-mechanical polishing planarization in the fabrication of semiconductor or various optical devices. The apparatus utilizes a bifurcated fiber optic cable to monitor changes on the surface of the thin film.