Abstract: An additive-containing aluminium nitride film is plasma etched. The additive-containing aluminium nitride film contains an additive element selected from scandium, yttrium or erbium. A workpiece is placed upon a platen within a plasma chamber. The workpiece includes a substrate having an additive-containing aluminium nitride film deposited thereon and a mask disposed upon the additive-containing aluminium nitride film, which defines at least one trench. A first etching gas is introduced into the chamber with a first flow rate, a second etching gas is introduced into the chamber with a second flow rate, and a plasma is established within the chamber to etch the additive-containing aluminium nitride film exposed within the trench. The first etching gas comprises boron trichloride and the second etching gas comprises chlorine. A ratio of the first flow rate to the second flow rate is greater than or equal to 1:1.

Abstract: Silicon dioxide can be deposited onto a substrate by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD). The substrate includes at least one silicon dioxide layer deposited thereon. A plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition apparatus can be used to deposit silicon dioxide onto a substrate by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition.

Abstract: An additive-containing aluminium nitride film containing an additive element selected from Sc, Y or Er is plasma etched through a mask for a period of time, t, with a plasma formed in a gaseous atmosphere having an associated gas pressure while an RF bias power is applied to the additive-containing aluminium nitride film. The gas pressure is reduced and/or the RF bias power is increased for a majority of the period of time t, so that the plasma etching becomes less chemical and more physical over a majority of the period of time, t.

Abstract: A spin rinse dryer for treating a substrate has an enclosure, a rotatable support for supporting the substrate, a rotatable member located within the enclosure above the rotatable support, and a drive for rotating the rotatable member. During cleaning of the wafer, liquid that splashes up from the wafer will strike the rotatable member, rather than the upper wall of the enclosure, and may form droplets on the rotatable member. After the flow of cleaning liquid has stopped, the drive can rotate the rotatable member at high speed, which tends to throw the liquid droplets off the rotatable member through centrifugal force. The liquid then runs down the walls of the enclosure, away from the wafer, so that there is a much reduced chance of contamination of the cleaned wafer. The rotatable member and support may be integrally formed and rotated together or may be separate members.

Abstract: A PVD apparatus can be operated in a cleaning mode to remove material from an electrically conductive feature formed on a semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor substrate with the electrically conductive feature formed thereon is positioned on a substrate support in a chamber of the PVD apparatus. A shutter is deployed within the chamber to divide the chamber into a first compartment in which the semiconductor substrate and the substrate support are positioned, and a second compartment in which a target of the PVD apparatus is positioned. A first plasma is generated in the first compartment to remove material from the electrically conductive feature and a second plasma is simultaneously generated in the second compartment to clean the target.

Abstract: A plasma producing apparatus for plasma processing a substrate Includes a chamber having an interior surface, a plasma production device for producing an inductively coupled plasma within the chamber, a substrate support for supporting the substrate during plasma processing, and a Faraday shield disposed within the chamber for shielding at least part of the interior surface from material removed from the substrate by the plasma processing. The plasma production device includes an antenna and a RF power supply for supplying RF power to the antenna with a polarity which is alternated at a frequency of less than or equal to 1000 Hz.

Abstract: According to the present invention there is provided a method of depositing a hydrogenated silicon carbon nitride (SiCN:H) film onto a substrate by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) comprising the steps of: providing the substrate in a chamber; introducing silane (SiH4), a hydrocarbon gas or vapour, nitrogen gas (N2), and hydrogen gas (H2) into the chamber; and sustaining a plasma in the chamber so as to deposit SiCN:H onto the substrate by PECVD at a process temperature of less than about 200° C.

Abstract: A Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) apparatus having a PVD chamber, a target, a substrate support in the PVD chamber comprising an upper rotatable portion having an upper surface on which a substrate can be supported and a lower stationary portion, an RF source configured to supply an RF signal having an RF power to the lower stationary portion, and an arrangement for rotating the upper rotatable portion during a PVD process performed in the PVD chamber. The upper rotatable portion and the lower stationary portion are spaced apart so that the RF power supplied to the lower stationary portion is capacitively coupled to the upper rotatable portion.

Abstract: A method of plasma etching a compound semiconductor substrate forms a feature. A first plasma etch step anisotropically etches the substrate through an opening to produce a partially formed feature having an opening and a bottom surface with a peripheral region. A second plasma etch step removes a region of the mask adjacent to the opening of the partially formed feature thereby causing rounding of the edges of the substrate at the opening of the partially formed feature. A third plasma etch step anisotropically etches the bottom surface of the partially formed feature through the opening of the mask while depositing a passivation material onto the mask and the opening of the partially formed feature to reduce a dimension of the opening of the partially formed feature. A plasma etch apparatus can be used to perform the method.

Abstract: A magnetron sputtering apparatus for depositing material onto a substrate, comprises: a chamber comprising a substrate support and a target; a plasma production device configured to produce a plasma within the chamber suitable for sputtering material from the target onto the substrate; and a thermally conductive grid comprising a plurality of cells. Each cell comprises an aperture and the ratio of the height of the cells to the width of the apertures is less than 1.0. The grid is disposed between the substrate support and the target and is substantially parallel to the target. The upper surface of the substrate support is positioned at a distance of 75 mm or less from the lower surface of the target.

Abstract: Surface roughness on a non-planar surface of a silicon substrate with upstanding and/or recessed features can be reduced. A first sequence of plasma processing steps and a second sequence of plasma processing steps can be performed on the silicon substrate to reduce the surface roughness of the upstanding and/or recessed features while retaining these features. The first sequence of plasma processing steps includes i) a plasma deposition step using oxygen and at least one fluorocarbon gas followed by ii) a plasma etch step using oxygen, at least one fluorocarbon etchant gas, and SF6. The second sequence of plasma processing steps includes i) an isotropic plasma etch step using oxygen and at least one fluorine containing etchant gas followed by ii) a plasma etch step using at least one fluorine containing or chlorine containing etchant gas.

Abstract: A method of plasma etching an indium-containing compound semiconductor substrate and plasma etch apparatus for plasma etching an indium-containing semiconductor substrate can use a primary plasma etching process and a secondary plasma etching process. The primary plasma etching process uses a halogen-containing component and a nitrogen-containing component. The secondary plasma etching process uses an oxygen-containing component.

Abstract: A plasma etching apparatus for etching a semiconductor substrate comprises: a plasma chamber; a plasma generation device for sustaining a plasma within the plasma chamber; a substrate support disposed within the plasma chamber for supporting the semiconductor substrate, the substrate support comprising an electrically conductive structure; a power supply for providing an RF electrical signal having an RF power to the electrically conductive structure; and an annular dielectric ring structure comprising a backside surface, the backside surface comprising an electrically conductive coating; wherein the electrically conductive structure is spaced apart from and extends under the electrically conductive coating so that when RF power is provided to the electrically conductive structure the RF power couples to the electrically conductive coating. Associated methods are also disclosed.

Abstract: Plasma etching a compound semiconductor substrate includes providing a substrate that includes a compound semiconductor material on a substrate support within a chamber. An etchant gas or gas mixture is introduced into the chamber. A plasma of the etchant gas or gas mixture is sustained within the chamber to plasma etch the compound semiconductor material. A pulsed electrical bias power is applied to the substrate support whilst the plasma is being sustained. The pulsed electrical bias power has a pulse frequency of less than or equal to about 160 Hz and a duty cycle of less than or equal to about 50%.

Abstract: In a method for sputter depositing an additive-containing aluminium nitride film containing an additive element like Sc or Y, a first layer of the additive-containing aluminium nitride film is deposited onto a substrate disposed within a chamber by pulsed DC reactive sputtering. A second layer of the additive-containing aluminium nitride film is deposited onto the first layer by pulsed DC reactive sputtering. The second layer has the same composition as the first layer. A gas or gaseous mixture is introduced into the chamber when depositing the first layer. A gaseous mixture comprising nitrogen gas and an inert gas is introduced into the chamber when depositing the second layer. The percentage of nitrogen gas in the flow rate (in sccm) when depositing the first layer is greater than that when depositing the second layer.

Abstract: A semiconductor wafer dicing process is disclosed for dicing a wafer into individual dies, each die comprising one integrated circuit. The process comprises: disposing a coating upon the wafer; removing at least a portion of the coating to expose regions of the wafer, along which the wafer is to be diced, to form a workpiece; disposing the workpiece upon a platen within a processing chamber; plasma treating the workpiece with a set of plasma treatment conditions to etch a portion of the exposed regions of the wafer to form a wafer groove which extends laterally beneath the coating to form an undercut; and plasma etching the workpiece with a set of plasma etch conditions, which are different to the plasma treatment conditions, to etch through the wafer and dice the wafer along the wafer groove.

Abstract: A capacitively coupled Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (PE-CVD) apparatus has a chamber, a first electrode with a substrate support positioned in the chamber, a second electrode with a gas inlet structure positioned in the chamber, and an RF power source connected to the gas inlet structure for supplying RF power thereto. The gas inlet structure has an edge region, a central region which depends downwardly with respect to the edge region, and one or more precursor gas inlets for introducing a PE-CVD precursor gas mixture to the chamber. The edge region and the central region both constitute part of the second electrode. The precursor gas inlets are disposed in the edge region and the central region is spaced apart from the substrate support to define a plasma dark space channel.

Abstract: Sputter depositing a metallic layer on a substrate in the fabrication of a resonator device includes providing a magnetron sputtering apparatus comprising a chamber, a substrate support disposed within the chamber, a target made from a metallic material, and a plasma generating device, wherein the substrate support and the target are separated by a distance of 10 cm or less; supporting the substrate on the substrate support; performing a DC magnetron sputtering step that comprises sputtering the metallic material from the target onto the substrate so as to form a metallic layer on the substrate, wherein during the DC magnetron sputtering step the chamber has a pressure of at least 6 mTorr of a noble gas, the target is supplied with a power having a power density of at least 6 W/cm2, and the substrate has a temperature in the range of 200-600° C.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are for controlling stress variation in a material layer formed via pulsed DC physical vapour deposition. The method includes the steps of providing a chamber having a target from which the material layer is formed and a substrate upon which the material layer is formable, and subsequently introducing a gas within the chamber. The method further includes generating a plasma within the chamber and applying a first magnetic field proximate the target to substantially localise the plasma adjacent the target. An RF bias is applied to the substrate to attract gas ions from the plasma toward the substrate and a second magnetic field is applied proximate the substrate to steer gas ions from the plasma to selective regions upon the material layer formed on the substrate.

Abstract: A magnet assembly is disclosed for steering ions used in the formation of a material layer upon a substrate during a pulsed DC physical vapour deposition process. Apparatus and methods are also disclosed incorporating the assembly for controlling thickness variation in a material layer formed via pulsed DC physical vapour deposition. The magnet assembly comprises a magnetic field generating arrangement for generating a magnetic field proximate the substrate and means for rotating the ion steering magnetic field generating arrangement about an axis of rotation, relative to the substrate. The magnetic field generating arrangement comprises a plurality of magnets configured to an array which extends around the axis of rotation, wherein the array of magnets are configured to generate a varying magnetic field strength along a radial direction relative to the axis of rotation.