Abstract: Forming a protective coating ex situ in an atomic layer deposition process to coat one or more chamber components subsequently installed in a reaction chamber provides a number of benefits over more conventional coating methods such as in situ deposition of an undercoat. In certain cases the protective coating may have a particular composition such as aluminum oxide, aluminum fluoride, aluminum nitride, yttrium oxide, and/or yttrium fluoride. The protective coating may help reduce contamination on wafers processed using the coated chamber component. Further, the protective coating may act to stabilize the processing conditions within the reaction chamber, thereby achieving very stable/uniform processing results over the course of processing many batches of wafers, and minimizing radical loss. Also described are a number of techniques that may be used to restore the protective coating after the coated chamber component is used to process semiconductor wafers.

Abstract: Provided herein are methods and related apparatus for purging processing chambers during an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process. The methods involve flowing purging gas from one or more accumulators to remove process gases from the processing chambers. Following the flowing of purging gas, additional reactants may be introduced into the processing chamber to continue an ALD cycle.

Abstract: Systems and methods for adjusting power and frequency based on three or more states are described. One of the methods includes receiving a pulsed signal having multiple states. The pulsed signal is received by multiple radio frequency (RF) generators. When the pulsed signal having a first state is received, an RF signal having a pre-set power level is generated by a first RF generator and an RF signal having a pre-set power level is generated by a second RF generator. Moreover, when the pulsed signal having a second state is received, RF signals having pre-set power levels are generated by the first and second RF generators. Furthermore, when the pulsed signal having a third state is received, RF signals having pre-set power levels are generated by the first and second RF generators.

Abstract: Methods of depositing a tungsten nucleation layers that achieve very good step coverage are provided. The methods involve a sequence of alternating pulses of a tungsten-containing precursor and a boron-containing reducing agent, while co-flowing hydrogen (H2) with the boron-containing reducing agent. The H2 flow is stopped prior to the tungsten-containing precursor flow. By co-flowing H2 with the boron-containing reducing agent but not with the tungsten-containing precursor flow, a parasitic CVD component is reduced, resulting in a more self-limiting process. This in turn improves step coverage and conformality of the nucleation layer. Related apparatuses are also provided.

Abstract: Tin oxide films are used as mandrels in semiconductor device manufacturing. In one implementation the process starts by providing a substrate having a plurality of protruding tin oxide features (mandrels) residing on an exposed etch stop layer. Next, a conformal layer of spacer material is formed both on the horizontal surfaces and on the sidewalls of the mandrels. The spacer material is then removed from the horizontal surfaces exposing the tin oxide material of the mandrels, without fully removing the spacer material residing at the sidewalls of the mandrel (e.g., leaving at least 50%, such as at least 90% of initial height at the sidewall). Next, mandrels are selectively removed (e.g., using hydrogen-based etch chemistry), while leaving the spacer material that resided at the sidewalls of the mandrels. The resulting spacers can be used for patterning the etch stop layer and underlying layers.

Abstract: Provided herein are methods and apparatuses for reducing line bending when depositing a metal such as tungsten, molybdenum, ruthenium, or cobalt into features on substrates by periodically exposing the feature to nitrogen, oxygen, or ammonia during atomic layer deposition, chemical vapor deposition, or sequential chemical vapor deposition to reduce interactions between metal deposited onto sidewalls of a feature. Methods are suitable for deposition into V-shaped features.

Abstract: IR radiation may be used to examine substrates prior to a fabrication operation in order to adjust processing parameters of the fabrication operation, or to determine features of the substrate. A thermographic image may be collected and provided to a transfer function or machine learning model to determine processing parameters or features. The processing parameters may improve the uniformity of the wafer and/or achieve a desired target feature value.

Abstract: Systems and techniques for determining and using multiple types of offsets for providing wafers to a transfer pedestal of a multi-station processing chamber are disclosed. Such techniques may be used to provide pedestal-specific offsets that may be selected based on which pedestal of a multi-station chamber is assigned to a particular wafer. Similar techniques may be used to provide wafer support-specific offsets based on which indexer arm of an indexer is assigned to a given wafer.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods of depositing a transition metal such as tungsten on a semiconductor substrate. The method includes providing a gas mixture of diborane with a balance of hydrogen, where the hydrogen serves to stabilize the diborane in the gas mixture. The method further includes delivering the gas mixture to the semiconductor substrate to form a boron layer, where the boron layer serves as a reducing agent layer to convert a metal-containing precursor to metal, such as a tungsten-containing precursor to tungsten. In some implementations, the semiconductor substrate includes a vertical structure, such as a three-dimensional vertical NAND structure, with horizontal features or wordlines having openings in sidewalls of the vertical structure, where the boron layer may be conformally deposited in the horizontal features of the vertical structure.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an etchant composition, in particular to an aqueous masking layer etchant composition for use in the removal of tungsten-doped carbon masking layers from a surface of a substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer. The composition comprises (a) 10 to 40 wt. %, based on the total weight of the composition, of hydrogen peroxide; and (b) 0.1 to 2.0 wt. %, based on the total weight of the composition, of one or more corrosion inhibitors.

Abstract: A system and method for generating a radio frequency (RF) waveform are described. The method includes defining a train of on-off pulses separated by an off state having no on-off pulses. The method further includes applying a multi-level pulse waveform that adjusts a magnitude of each of the on-off pulses to generate an RF waveform. The method includes sending the RF waveform to an electrode.

Abstract: A method of operating a substrate support includes arranging a substrate on an inner portion of the substrate support and calculating a desired pocket depth of the substrate support using data indicative of a relationship between the desired pocket depth and at least one process parameter. The desired pocket depth corresponds to a desired distance between an upper surface of an edge ring surrounding the inner portion and an upper surface of the substrate. The method further includes selectively controlling, based on the desired pocket depth as calculated, an actuator to raise and lower at least one of the edge ring and the inner portion to adjust the distance between the upper surface of the edge ring and the upper surface of the substrate.

Abstract: An apparatus for confining plasma within a plasma processing chamber is provided. The plasma processing chamber includes a lower electrode for supporting a substrate and an upper electrode disposed over the lower electrode. The apparatus is a confinement ring that includes a lower horizontal section extending between an inner lower radius and an outer radius of the confinement ring. The lower horizontal section includes an extension section that bends vertically downward at the inner lower radius, and the lower horizontal section further includes a plurality of slots. The confinement ring further includes an upper horizontal section extending between an inner upper radius and the outer radius of the confinement ring and a vertical section that integrally connects the lower horizontal section with the upper horizontal section. The extension section of the lower horizontal section is configured to surround the lower electrode when installed in the plasma processing chamber.

Abstract: Provided herein are methods and systems for reducing roughness of EUV resists and improving etched features. The methods may involve depositing a thin film on a patterned EUV resist having a stress level that is less compressive than a stress level of the patterned EUV resist. The resulting composite stress may reduce buckling and/or bulging of the patterned EUV resist.

Abstract: A method for optimizing delivery of power to a plasma chamber is described. The method includes dividing each cycle of a low frequency (LF) radio frequency generator (RFG) into multiple time intervals. During each of the time intervals, a frequency offset of a high frequency (HF) RFG is generated for which the delivery of power is maximized. The frequency offsets provide a substantially inverse relationship compared to a voltage signal of the LF RFG for each cycle of the voltage signal. The frequency offsets for the time intervals are multiples of the low frequency. The substantially inverse relationship facilitates an increase in the delivery of power to the electrode. A total range of the frequency offsets from a reference HF frequency over the LF RF cycle depends on a power ratio of power that is supplied by the LF RFG and power that is supplied by the HF RFG.

Abstract: A method for reducing effluent buildup in a pumping exhaust system of a substrate processing system includes, during a substrate treatment process, arranging a substrate on a substrate support in a processing chamber; supplying one or more process gases to the processing chamber; supplying an inert dilution gas at a first flow rate to the pumping exhaust system; performing the substrate treatment process on the substrate in the processing chamber; evacuating reactants from the processing chamber using the pumping exhaust system. The method includes, after the substrate treatment process, supplying cleaning plasma including cleaning gas in the processing chamber during a cleaning process; and supplying the inert dilution gas at a second flow rate that is less than the first flow rate to the pumping exhaust system during the cleaning process.

Abstract: Tin oxide film on a semiconductor substrate is etched selectively in a presence of silicon (Si), carbon (C), or a carbon-containing material (e.g., photoresist) by exposing the substrate to a process gas comprising hydrogen (H2) and a hydrocarbon. The hydrocarbon significantly improves the etch selectivity. In some embodiments an apparatus for processing a semiconductor substrate includes a process chamber configured for housing the semiconductor substrate and a controller having program instructions on a non-transitory medium for causing selective etching of a tin oxide layer on a substrate in a presence of silicon, carbon, or a carbon-containing material by exposing the substrate to a plasma formed in a process gas that includes H2 and a hydrocarbon.

Abstract: A pattern of core material is formed on a wafer to include core features that have a critical dimension. A trim amount indicates an average amount of thickness to be removed from vertically oriented surfaces of the core features. A trim profile indicates how much variation in removal of thickness from vertically oriented surfaces of the core features is to be applied as a function of radial location on the wafer. A first set of data correlates the trim amount to one or more plasma trim process parameters. A second set of data correlates the trim profile to one or more plasma trim process parameters. Based on the trim amount, trim profile, and first and second sets of data, a set of plasma trim process parameters to achieve the trim amount and trim profile on the wafer is determined and a corresponding plasma trim process is performed on the wafer.

Abstract: Patterned magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) stacks are formed by performing a main etch through a plurality of MRAM layers disposed on a substrate, where the main etch includes using ion beam etching (IBE). After the main etch, gapfill dielectric material is deposited in spaces between the patterned MRAM stacks, and the gapfill dielectric material is selectively etched or otherwise formed to an etch depth that is above a depth of an underlayer. After the gapfill dielectric material is formed, at least some of the gapfill dielectric material and any electrically conductive materials deposited on sidewalls of the patterned MRAM stacks are removed by performing an IBE trim etch.

Abstract: This disclosure relates generally to a patterning structure including an underlayer and an imaging layer, as well as methods and apparatuses thereof. In particular embodiments, the underlayer provides an increase in radiation absorptivity and/or patterning performance of the imaging layer.