Abstract: A DC magnetron sputtering apparatus is for depositing a film on a substrate. The apparatus includes a chamber, a substrate support positioned within the chamber, a DC magnetron, and an electrical signal supply device for supplying an electrical bias signal that, in use, causes ions to bombard a substrate positioned on the substrate support. The substrate support includes a central region surrounded by an edge region, the central region being raised with respect to the edge region.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of pre-cleaning a semiconductor structure and to associated modular semiconductor process tools. The method includes the steps of: (i) providing a semiconductor structure having an exposed dielectric layer of an organic dielectric material, wherein the dielectric layer has one or more features formed therein which expose one or more electrically conductive structures to be pre-cleaned, in which the electrically conductive structures each include a metal layer, optionally with a barrier layer formed thereon, and the surface area of the exposed dielectric layer is greater than the surface area of the electrically conductive structures exposed by the dielectric layer; and (ii) pre-cleaning the semiconductor structure by performing an Ar/H2 sputter etch to remove material from the exposed electrically conductive structures and to remove organic dielectric material from the exposed dielectric layer.

Abstract: A method is for manufacturing a plurality of silicon microneedles which have a bevelled tip. The method includes providing a silicon substrate having a front face and a rear face, forming a first mask arrangement on the front face of the substrate, the first mask arrangement defining one or more gaps, and performing a SF6 based plasma etch of the front face through the gaps in the first mask arrangement to provide one or more etch features having a sloping face. The SF6 based plasma etch undercuts the first mask arrangement with an undercut that is at least 10% of the depth of a corresponding etch feature.

Abstract: An apparatus for vapor deposition of thin film coatings, including: a process controller; a plurality of precursor containers into which a plurality of coating precursors, each in the form of a liquid or a solid, are respectively placed; a plurality of precursor vapor reservoirs, each in communication with a respective one of said precursor containers; a plurality of in-line devices which control a vapor flow of a coating precursor vapor from one of said precursor containers into one of said precursor vapor reservoirs with which said precursor container is in communication upon receipt of a signal from said process controller; a plurality of precursor control valves which control vapor flow from said precursor vapor reservoir upon receipt of a signal from said process controller; and a process chamber for vapor deposition of said coating on a substrate when present in said process chamber.

Abstract: A method is for plasma etching one or more dicing lanes in a silicon substrate having a backside metal layer attached thereto. The method includes performing a main etch using a cyclical plasma etch process in which a deposition step and an etch step are alternately repeated to produce dicing lanes having scalloped sidewalls, and switching to performing a secondary etch using a cyclical plasma etch process in which a deposition step and an etch step are alternately repeated until the backside metal layer is reached. The amount of silicon removed in one etch step during the secondary etch is half or less than half of the amount of silicon removed in one etch step during the main etch.

Abstract: A method of reducing non-uniformity in the resonance frequencies of a surface acoustic wave (SAW) device, the SAW device comprising a silicon oxide layer comprising an oxide of silicon deposited over interdigital transducers on a piezoelectric substrate by reactive sputtering. The method comprises positioning a piezoelectric substrate having interdigital transducers on a substrate support, then depositing a silicon oxide layer comprising an oxide of silicon over the piezoelectric substrate and the interdigital transducers to form a SAW device. The substrate support is positioned relative to a sputtering target so that the silicon oxide layer of the SAW device has an arithmetic mean surface roughness (Ra) of 11 angstroms or less.

Abstract: A plasma apparatus includes a remote plasma source, a substrate processing chamber, and a connector which connects the remote plasma source to the substrate processing chamber. The remote plasma source includes a continuous peripheral wall structure that surrounds an inner channel, and that includes an electrode structure that defines at least a part of an internal channel extending internally within the continuous peripheral wall structure in which the inductively coupled plasma can be sustained. The remote plasma source also includes an electrical signal supply device for supplying an electrical signal that drives the electrode structure, and a plasma outlet which is in communication with the internal channel. The connector is in connection with the plasma outlet of the remote plasma source and the substrate processing chamber so that at least some components of the inductively coupled plasma sustained in the internal channel can be introduced to the substrate processing chamber.

Abstract: A method of forming a passivation layer on a substrate includes providing a substrate in a processing chamber. The substrate includes a metallic surface which is a copper, tin or silver surface, or an alloyed surface of one or more of copper, tin or silver. The method further includes depositing at least one organic layer onto the metallic surface by vapour deposition, the organic layer formed from an organic precursor. The organic precursor includes a first functional group including at least one of oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur, selenium, tellurium, or silicon, and a second functional group selected from hydroxyl (—OH) or carboxyl (—COOH). The first functional group is adsorbed onto the metallic surface. The method further includes depositing at least one inorganic layer onto the organic layer by vapour deposition, wherein the second functional group acts as an attachment site for the inorganic layer.

Abstract: A plasma etching apparatus is for etching a substrate and includes at least one chamber, a substrate support positioned within the at least one chamber, and a plasma production device for producing a plasma for use in etching the substrate. The plasma production device comprises an electrically conductive coil which is positioned within the at least one chamber, and the coil is formed from a metallic material which can be sputtered onto an interior surface of the at least one chamber.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus for plasma processing a substrate comprising includes a chamber having one or more walls, in which a portion of the walls of the chamber is an electrode structure formed from a metallic material and configured to act as a primary winding of an inductively coupled plasma source, and an electrical signal supply device for supplying an electrical signal that drives the electrode structure as a primary winding of an inductively coupled plasma source to sustain an inductively coupled plasma within the chamber.

Abstract: A method and system are for monitoring and controlling deformation of a wafer substrate during a plasma etching of the wafer substrate. The method includes disposing a wafer substrate on a platen assembly within a process chamber so that an entire upper surface of the wafer is exposed, passing a process gas into the process chamber, applying a radio frequency bias voltage to the platen assembly, generating a plasma within the process chamber, monitoring a voltage difference between the platen assembly and the process chamber, during the etch process, and attenuating or extinguishing the plasma to prevent further etching once a threshold monitored voltage is reached.

Abstract: According to the invention a method of removing electrolyte from an electrochemical deposition or polishing chamber comprising the steps of: providing an electrochemical deposition or polishing chamber comprising a support for a substrate, the support having an in-use position; a housing having an interior surface and a fluid outlet pathway for removing electrolyte from the chamber, wherein the fluid outlet pathway includes one or more slots which extend into the housing from at least one slotted opening formed in the interior surface; a seal for sealing the housing to a peripheral portion of a surface of a substrate position on the support in its in-use position; and a tilting mechanism for tilting the chamber in order to assist in removing electrolyte from the housing through the fluid outlet pathway; using an electrolyte to perform an electrochemical deposition or polishing processing on a substrate positioned on the support in its in-use position; and tilting the chamber using the tilting mechanism in ord

Abstract: A method is for detecting a condition associated with a final phase of a plasma dicing process. The method includes providing a non-metallic substrate having a plurality of dicing lanes defined thereon, plasma etching through the substrate along the dicing lanes, wherein during the plasma etching infrared emission emanating from at least a portion of the dicing lanes is monitored so that an increase in infrared emission from the dicing lanes is observed as the final phase of the plasma dicing operation is entered, and detecting the condition associated with the final phase of the plasma dicing from the monitored infrared emission.

Abstract: A method of cleaning a chamber of a plasma processing device with radicals includes creating a plasma within a remote plasma source which is separated from the chamber, the plasma including radicals and ions, cleaning the chamber by allowing radicals to enter the chamber from the remote plasma source while preventing the majority of the ions created in the remote plasma source from entering the chamber, detecting a DC bias developed on a component of the chamber during cleaning; and using the detected DC bias to determine an end-point of the cleaning and, on determination of the end-point, to stop the cleaning.

Abstract: An apparatus is for plasma dicing a semiconductor substrate of the type forming part of a workpiece, the workpiece further including a carrier sheet on a frame member, where the carrier sheet carries the semiconductor substrate. The apparatus includes a chamber, a plasma production device configured to produce a plasma within the chamber suitable for dicing the semiconductor substrate, a workpiece support located in the chamber for supporting the workpiece through contact with the carrier sheet, and a frame cover element configured to, in use, contact the frame member thereby clamping the carrier sheet against an auxiliary element disposed in the chamber.

Abstract: A method of and apparatus for controlling pressure in a process chamber having a continuous gas inlet flow and a continuous gas outlet flow comprising providing a pulsed valve at a gas outlet, a pressure gauge, and a programmable controller and varying the pulse rate of the pulsed valve, wherein either the open time or closed time, or both open and closed times, is lengthened or shortened, depending on whether the gauge pressure is above or below the programmed setpoint.

Abstract: An ICP plasma etching apparatus for etching a substrate includes at least one chamber, a substrate support positioned within the chamber, a plasma production device for producing a plasma for use in etching the substrate, and a protective structure which surrounds the substrate support so that, in use, a peripheral portion of the substrate is protected from unwanted deposition of material. The protective structure is arranged to be electrically biased and is formed from a metallic material so that metallic material can be sputtered from the protective structure onto an interior surface of the chamber to adhere particulate material to the interior surface.

Abstract: A method is for improving adhesion between a semiconductor substrate and a dielectric layer. The method includes depositing a silicon dioxide adhesion layer onto the semiconductor substrate by a first plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process, and depositing the dielectric layer onto the adhesion layer by a second PECVD process. The first PECVD process is performed in a gaseous atmosphere comprising tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) either in the absence of O2 or with O2 introduced into the process at a flow rate of 250 sccm or less.

Abstract: According to the invention there is provided a method of dry gas phase chemically etching a structure comprising the steps of: positioning the structure in an etch chamber, the structure comprising a first material and a second material, wherein the first material is selected from silicon, molybdenum, germanium, SiGe and tungsten, the second material is silicon dioxide or silicon nitride, and at least one surface of the first material is exposed so as to be contactable by a gas phase chemical etchant; etching the first material with a noble gas fluoride or halogen fluoride gas phase chemical etchant; and exposing the etch chamber to water vapour so that the step of etching the first material is performed in the presence of water vapour.

Abstract: A method of plasma etching one or more features in a silicon substrate includes performing a main etch using a cyclical etch process in which a deposition step and an etch step are alternately repeated, and performing an over etch to complete the plasma etching of the features. The over etch includes one or more etch steps of a first kind and one or more etch steps of a second kind, each of the etch steps of the first and second kind include etching by ion bombardment of the silicon substrate. The ion bombardment during the one or more etch steps of the second kind has an inward inclination with respect to ion bombardment during the one or more etch steps of the first kind.