Abstract: A thin-film formation apparatus possesses a reaction chamber to be evacuated, a placing portion on which a substrate is placed inside the reaction chamber, a gas-dispersion guide installed over the placing portion for supplying a gas onto a substrate surface, a gas-supply port for introducing the gas into the gas-dispersion guide, a gas-dispersion plate disposed on the side of the substrate of the gas-dispersion guide and having multiple gas-discharge pores, a first exhaust port for exhausting, downstream of the gas-dispersion plate, the gas supplied onto the substrate surface from the gas-dispersion plate, and a second exhaust port for exhausting, upstream of the gas-dispersion plate, a gas inside the gas-dispersion guide via a space between the gas-dispersion guide and the gas-dispersion plate.

Abstract: A liquid material vaporization apparatus for a semiconductor processing apparatus includes: a vaporization tank; an inner partition wall disposed in the tank for dividing the interior of the tank into a charging compartment and a vaporization compartment which are liquid-communicatable with each other over an upper edge of the inner partition wall. A liquid material charged in the charging compartment overflows over the upper edge of the inner partition wall toward the vaporization compartment to store and vaporize the liquid material in the vaporization compartment.

Abstract: Sticking of a substrate occurs in a reaction chamber for processing the substrate placed on a surface of a substrate-supporting device provided with lift pins for moving the substrate up and down with respect to the surface of the substrate-supporting device. A method of detecting the occurrence of the sticking of the substrate includes: monitoring a vibration propagating in or through the reaction chamber by a sensor, which vibration is indicative of or specific to sticking of the substrate on the surface of the substrate-supporting device when being moved up from the surface of the substrate-supporting device with the lift pins; and initiating a pre-designated sequence if the vibration is detected while processing the substrate in the reaction chamber.

Abstract: A dual-chamber plasma processing apparatus comprises two reaction spaces which are equipped with different gas inlet lines and different RF systems. Each reaction space is provided with an RF wave entry path and an RF wave return path to supply RF power from an RF power source and return RF power to the same RF power source.

Abstract: A method of depositing a ruthenium (Ru) thin film on a substrate includes: (i) treating a surface of the substrate with a metal-organic precursor; (ii) adsorbing a ruthenium precursor onto the treated surface of the substrate; (iii) treating the adsorbed ruthenium precursor with an excited reducing gas; and (iv) repeating steps (ii) and (iii), thereby forming a ruthenium thin film on the substrate.

Abstract: A part of a semiconductor-manufacturing apparatus is made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy having a surface coated with a ceramic coating, other than an anodic oxide coating, having a thickness of 10 ?m or more.

Abstract: A method of forming an ultra-thin SiN film includes: supplying a Si source gas into a reactor in which a substrate is placed on a susceptor; supplying an N source gas into the reactor at a flow rate which is at least 300 times that of the Si source gas; applying an RF power between an upper electrode and the susceptor in the reactor; and depositing an ultra-thin SiN film on the substrate.

Abstract: A method for forming an insulation film having filling property on a semiconductor substrate by plasma reaction includes: vaporizing a silicon-containing hydrocarbon having a Si—O bond compound to provide a source gas; introducing the source gas and a carrier gas without an oxidizing gas into a reaction space for plasma CVD processing; and forming an insulation film constituted by Si, O, H, and optionally C or N on a substrate by plasma reaction using a combination of low-frequency RF power and high-frequency RF power in the reaction space. The plasma reaction is activated while controlling the flow of the reaction gas to lengthen a residence time, Rt, of the reaction gas in the reaction space.

Abstract: A multilayer interconnection structure is formed by a method comprising the steps of: Forming a low dielectric constant film on a substrate, curing the low dielectric constant film by irradiating it with UV light, laminating a UV blocking film, laminating a next low dielectric constant film, and curing the next low dielectric constant film by irradiating it with UV light.

Abstract: A method for forming an insulation film on a semiconductor substrate by plasma reaction includes: introducing into a reaction chamber a source gas of a silicon-containing hydrocarbon compound comprising in its molecule at least one Si—O bond and at least one bond selected from the group consisting of a Si—Si bond, Si—N bond, and Si—H bond; introducing into the reaction chamber an additive gas constituted by C, H, and optionally O; controlling a susceptor at a temperature of ?50° C. to 50° C.; forming by plasma reaction an insulation film constituted by Si, O, H, and optionally N on an irregular surface of a substrate at a deposition rate of 100 nm/min or less; and heat-treating the substrate with the insulation film, thereby increasing a density of the insulation film to more than 2.1 g/cm3 as a result of the heat treatment.

Abstract: A method of cleaning a UV irradiation chamber includes steps of: (i) after completion of irradiating a substrate with UV light transmitted through an optical transmitted window provided in the UV irradiation chamber, generating radical species of a cleaning gas outside the UV irradiation chamber; and (ii) introducing the radical species from the outside of the UV irradiation chamber into the UV irradiation chamber, thereby cleaning the optical transmitted window.

Abstract: A method of depositing a ruthenium(Ru) thin film on a substrate in a reaction chamber, includes: (i) supplying a gas of a ruthenium precursor into the reaction chamber so that the gas of the ruthenium precursor is adsorbed onto the substrate, wherein the ruthenium precursor a ruthenium complex contains a non-cyclic dienyl; (ii) supplying an excited reducing gas into the reaction chamber to activate the ruthenium precursor adsorbed onto the substrate; and (iii) repeating steps (i) and (ii), thereby forming a ruthenium thin film on the substrate.

Abstract: A substrate transfer apparatus for loading and unloading substrates in a reaction chamber, includes: an arm having a distal end which is laterally movable in a straight line direction; and end-effectors for loading and unloading substrates in a reaction chamber, which include a lower end-effector and an upper end-effector. One of the lower end-effector or the upper end-effector is movably coupled to the arm at a distal end of the arm, and the other end-effector is fixed to the movably coupled end-effector. The fixed end-effector is fixed to the movably coupled end-effector.

Abstract: An operation method of a recipe control process in which multiple processing targets are processed continuously in a processing apparatus using recipes that specify a set of control parameters specifying the processing conditions of processing targets. The method comprises the steps of: (I) specifying correction coefficients to correct at least one of the parameters' values for each processing target, separately from the recipes, and (II) performing the recipe control process for multiple processing targets and applying the correction coefficients to each processing target to adjust the parameters' values.

Abstract: A method for forming a silicon carbide film containing Si, C, O, H, and optionally N on a substrate placed in a reaction space, includes the steps of: introducing into the reaction space a precursor containing Si, C, O, and H and having at least one Si—O bond in its molecule; introducing into the reaction space an inert gas; applying RF power in the reaction space, wherein a ratio of a flow rate (sccm) of the inert gas to the RF power (W/cm2) is controlled at 30-850; and thereby depositing on the substrate a silicon carbide film containing Si, C, O, H, and optionally N.

Abstract: A plasma CVD apparatus for forming a thin film on a substrate includes: a vacuum chamber; an upper electrode; a susceptor as a lower electrode; and a ring-shaped insulation plate disposed in a gap between the susceptor and an inner wall of the chamber in the vicinity of or in contact with the susceptor to minimize a floating potential charged on the substrate while processing the substrate.

Abstract: A method for forming a thin film on a substrate using a showerhead includes forming an atomic layer deposition (ALD) film and a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) film continuously, or forming a thermal ALD film and a plasma ALD film continuously, by using a showerhead including an upper compartment and a lower compartment which is disposed underneath and overlapped by the upper compartment as viewed in an axial direction of the showerhead and is not gas-communicated with the upper compartment.

Abstract: A method of self-cleaning a plasma reactor upon depositing a carbon-based film on a substrate a pre-selected number of times, includes: (i) exciting oxygen gas and/or nitrogen oxide gas to generate a plasma; and (ii) exposing to the plasma a carbon-based film accumulated on an upper electrode provided in the reactor and a carbon-based film accumulated on an inner wall of the reactor.

Abstract: A method of maintaining a remote plasma unit for cleaning a semiconductor-processing apparatus includes: (i) detecting if the semiconductor-processing apparatus is in an idle state; (ii) if the idle state is detected, igniting the remote plasma unit for cleaning the semiconductor-processing apparatus after a lapse of a given time period; (iii) detecting if the remote plasma unit is ignited in step (ii); and (iv) if the remote plasma unit is not ignited in step (ii), retrying ignition of the remote plasma unit.

Abstract: A plasma CVD device includes a reaction chamber, a remote plasma discharge chamber that is provided remotely from the reaction chamber, and piping that links the reaction chamber and the remote plasma discharge chamber. The remote plasma discharge chamber activates cleaning gas by plasma discharge energy, and the activated cleaning gas is introduced into the inside of the reaction chamber through the piping and changes solid substances that adhere to the inside of the reaction chamber in consequence of film formation, to gaseous substances, thereby cleaning the inside of the reaction chamber. The device is characterized by at least one of the following: (a) the remote plasma discharge chamber generates active species using radio frequency oscillating output energy of a preselected frequency; (b) the piping is made of materials that are not corroded by the active species; or (c) the piping is provided with a through-flow type valve.