Abstract: A substrate-supporting apparatus, wherein a substrate is not warped or distorted and a film with uniform thickness is formed, is a semiconductor substrate-supporting apparatus which supports and heats semiconductor substrates inside a vacuum-pumped reaction chamber. On the substrate-supporting surface of the semiconductor substrate-supporting apparatus, a concave portion which includes a depression slanting from the peripheral portion to the center is provided, the semiconductor substrate is supported in a position where the peripheral portion of the back surface of the substrate contacts the slanting surface of the concave portion, and the concave portion is formed so that an interval between the center of the concave portion and the semiconductor substrate becomes the designated distance. The slanting surface of the concave portion may include a portion of a spherical surface or a conical surface.

Abstract: An insulation film is formed on a semiconductor substrate by a method including the steps of: (i) introducing a source gas comprising a compound composed of at least Si, C, and H into a chamber; (ii) introducing in pulses an oxidizing gas into the chamber, wherein the source gas and the oxidizing gas form a reaction gas; and (iii) forming an insulation film on a semiconductor substrate by plasma treatment of the reaction gas. The plasma treatment may be plasma CVD processing.

Abstract: A method for forming a silicon carbide film on a semiconductor substrate by plasma CVD includes: introducing a raw material gas containing silicon, carbon, and hydrogen, an inert gas, and optionally an hydrogen source gas, into a reaction chamber at a predetermined mixing formulation of the raw material gas to the inert gas; applying radio-frequency power at the mixing formulation, thereby forming a curable silicon carbide film having a dielectric constant of about 4.0 or higher; and continuously applying radio-frequency power at a mixing formulation reducing the raw material gas and the hydrogen source gas if any, thereby curing the silicon carbide film to give a dielectric constant and a leakage current lower than those of the curable silicon carbide film.

Abstract: A batch-type etching method includes applying microwaves from the outside of a reaction chamber to semiconductor wafers after HF gas etching of the wafers to remove residual substances including H2O, CH3OH, CH3COOH and/or other by-products from surfaces of the wafers. Microwaves oscillate polar molecules of the substances and generate heat, thereby removing the substances.

Abstract: In a multi-chamber load-locking device which is placed between a loading station which places a wafer cassette which houses semiconductor wafers and a transfer chamber which conveys the semiconductor wafers and in which lock-loading device chamber space is divided into two by the vertical motion of a plate, a device which comprises: sealing means by which the chamber space is selectively divided into two by contacting the plate and a state of no airflow is caused; a cylindrical cam provided with the same axis as that of the chamber; and a rotary actuator dynamically connected with the cylindrical cam, wherein the turning moment of the rotary actuator is converted into the vertical thrust of the axis and the plate rises and descends.

Abstract: A plasma CVD film-forming device forms a film on a semiconductor substrate in such as way that the film quality and film thickness of a thin film becomes uniform. The plasma CVD film-forming device to form a thin film on a semiconductor substrate includes a vacuum chamber, a showerhead positioned within the vacuum chamber, and a susceptor positioned substantially in parallel to and facing the showerhead within the vacuum chamber and on which susceptor the object to be processed is loaded and the central part of the showerhead and/or the susceptor constitutes a concave surface electrode.

Abstract: A method for forming a film having a low dielectric constant and high mechanical hardness on a semiconductor substrate by plasma reaction includes the steps of: (i) introducing a silicon-containing hydrocarbon gas as a source gas into a reaction space for plasma CVD processing wherein a semiconductor substrate is placed; and (ii) applying radio-frequency (RF) power of 1,000 W or higher to the reaction space while maintaining a pressure of the reaction space at 100 Pa or higher to activate plasma polymerization reaction in the reaction space, thereby forming a thin film on the semiconductor substrate.

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.

Abstract: A thin film having a low dielectric constant is formed on a semiconductor substrate by plasma reaction using a method including the steps of: (i) introducing a reaction gas into a reaction chamber for plasma CVD processing wherein a semiconductor substrate is placed on a lower stage; and (ii) forming a thin film on the substrate by plasma reaction while reducing or discharging an electric charge from the substrate surface. The discharging can be conducted by forming in the reaction chamber a upper region for plasma excitation and a lower region for film formation on the substrate wherein substantially no electric potential is applied in the lower region to suppress plasma excitation. An intermediate electrode is used to divide the interior of the reaction chamber into the upper region and the lower region. The discharge can also be conducted by lowering the temperature of the lower stage to condense moisture molecules on the substrate surface.

Abstract: A method of processing a semiconductor substrate involves etching a SiOF layer with HF or HF+H2O. The method can be used to form hollow structures in semiconductor substrates and thus provides a way to make interlayer insulators.

Abstract: Chemical vapor deposition processes result in films having low dielectric constants when suitable chemical precursors are utilized. Preferred chemical precursors include siloxanes, (fluoroalkyl)fluorosiloxanes, (fluoroalkyl)silanes, (alkyl)fluorosilanes, (fluoroalkyl)fluorosilanes, alkylsiloxysilanes, alkoxysilanes, alkylalkoxysilanes, silylmethanes, alkoxysilylmethanes, alkylalkoxysilylmethanes, alkoxymethanes, alkylalkoxymethanes, and mixtures thereof. The precursors are particularly suited to thermal CVD for producing low dielectric constant films at relatively low temperatures, particularly without the use of additional oxidizing agents. Such films are useful in the microelectronics industry.

Abstract: A method for forming integrated dielectric layers using plasma energy includes (i) depositing a first dielectric layer on a substrate using a first reaction gas comprised of a source gas at a first source gas flow rate and an inert gas at a first inert gas flow rate, wherein the first inert gas flow rate is no more than 40% of the first source gas flow rate, and (ii) continuously depositing a second dielectric layer on top of the first dielectric layer using a second reaction gas comprised of a source gas at a second source gas flow rate and an inert gas at a second inert gas flow rate, wherein the second inert gas flow rate is 40% or higher of the second source gas flow rate.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes: (i) depositing a sacrificial layer made of an organic polymer such as benzocyclobutene on a substrate having a circuit formed thereon; (ii) etching the sacrificial layer except for a portion where air gaps are to be formed; (iii) depositing a low-dielectric layer over the substrate until the portion for air gaps is entirely enclosed in the low-dielectric layer; (iv) etching the low-dielectric layer to form via holes and trenches there through; (v) prior or subsequent to step (iv), removing the portion for air gaps; and (vi) depositing copper in the vias and trenches which are filled with the copper contacting a surface of the substrate.

Abstract: A method for forming a silicon carbide film on a semiconductor substrate by plasma CVD includes (a) introducing a raw material gas containing silicon, carbon, and hydrogen and an inert gas into a reaction chamber at a predetermined mixture ratio of the raw material gas to the inert gas; (b) applying radio-frequency power at the mixture ratio, thereby forming a curable silicon carbide film having a dielectric constant of about 4.0 or higher; and (c) continuously applying radio-frequency power at a mixture ratio which is reduced from that in step (b), thereby curing the silicon carbide film to give a dielectric constant lower than that of the curable silicon carbide film.

Abstract: A single-wafer-processing type CVD apparatus includes: (a) a reaction chamber including: (i) a susceptor having at least one gas discharge hole to flow a gas into the reaction chamber via a back side and a periphery of the wafer into the reaction chamber; (ii) a showerhead; (iii) an exhaust duct positioned in the vicinity of the showerhead and provided circularly along an inner wall of the reaction chamber; and (iv) a circular separation plate provided coaxially with the exhaust duct to form a clearance with the bottom of the exhaust duct; and (b) a temperature-controlling apparatus for regulating the temperature of the showerhead. The separation plate has a sealing portion to seal a periphery of the susceptor and to separate the reaction chamber from a wafer-handling chamber when the susceptor rises.

Abstract: An interlayer insulation film for multilayer interconnect of a semiconductor integrated circuit is formed by forming a first insulation film on a substrate by plasma CVD using a silicon-containing hydrocarbon gas; and continuously forming a second insulation film on the first insulation film at a thickness less than the first insulation film in situ by plasma CVD using a silicon-containing hydrocarbon gas and an oxidizing gas. The second insulation film has a hardness of 6 GPa or higher and is used as a polishing stop layer.

Abstract: A hard film is formed on an insulation film formed on a semiconductor substrate by vaporizing a silicon-containing hydrocarbon compound to provide a source gas, introducing a reaction gas composed of the source gas and optionally an additive gas such as alcohol to a reaction space of a plasma CVD apparatus, and applying low-frequency RF power and high-frequency RF power. The silicon-containing hydrocarbon compound includes a cyclic Si-containing hydrocarbon compound and/or a linear Si-containing hydrocarbon compound, as a basal structure, with reactive groups for form oligomers using the basal structure. The residence time of the reaction gas in the reaction space is lengthened by reducing the total flow of the reaction gas in such a way as to form a siloxan polymer film with a low dielectric constant.

Abstract: A gas-line system used for a semiconductor-manufacturing apparatus with at least two reactors, includes at least one gas source; a flow-divider means including an input port on the primary side, which receives a source gas from the gas source, and an output port on the secondary side, which outputs an inputted source gas by equally distributing it. The input port on the primary side is connected with the gas source and the output port on the secondary side is connected with the reactors; and one exhaust pump for exhausting gases within the reactors, which is connected with the reactors. It is desirable that the gas-line system is provided between the reactors and the exhaust pump, and an APC is included for controlling pressure for each reactor.

Abstract: An insulation film is formed on a semiconductor substrate by vaporizing a silicon-containing hydrocarbon compound to provide a source gas, introducing a reaction gas composed of the source gas and an additive gas such as an inert gas and oxidizing gas to a reaction space of a plasma CVD apparatus, and depositing a siloxan polymer film by plasma polymerization at a temperature of -50° C.-100° C. The residence time of the reaction gas in the reaction space is lengthened by reducing the total flow of the reaction gas in such a way as to form a siloxan polymer film with a low dielectric constant such as 2.5.

Abstract: A siloxan polymer insulation film has a dielectric constant of 3.3 or lower and has —SiR2O— repeating structural units. The siloxan polymer has dielectric constant, high thermal stability and high humidity-resistance on a semiconductor substrate. The siloxan polymer is formed by directly vaporizing a silicon-containing hydrocarbon compound expressed by the general formula Si&agr;O&bgr;CxHy (&agr;, &bgr;, x, and y are integers) and then introducing the vaporized compound to the reaction chamber of the plasma CVD apparatus. The residence time of the source gas is lengthened by reducing the total flow of the reaction gas, in such a way as to form a siloxan polymer film having a micropore porous structure with low dielectric constant.