Abstract: A method of treating resist features comprises positioning, in a process chamber, a substrate having a set of patterned resist features on a first side of the substrate and generating a plasma in the process chamber having a plasma sheath adjacent to the first side of the substrate. The method may further comprise modifying a shape of a boundary between the plasma and the plasma sheath with a plasma sheath modifier so that a portion of the shape of the boundary is not parallel to a plane defined by a front surface of the substrate facing the plasma, wherein ions from the plasma impinge on the patterned resist features over a wide angular range during a first exposure.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for manufacturing a substrate gap supporter. The method includes: a first step of forming metal foils on both sides of an insulating plate; a second step of etching the metal foils to expose the insulating plate so that a plurality of stripes are arranged on both sides of the insulating plate in parallel at constant intervals, wherein the stripes expose the insulating plate at constant widths; and a third step of cutting in direction in parallel with the stripes and in direction in vertical with the stripes along one edges of the stripes to complete the gap supporter.

Abstract: An etching method for performing a plasma etching on an object to be processed by using a supplied gas is provided. In the etching method, a temperature of a focus ring is adjusted by using a first temperature adjustment mechanism controllable independently of a temperature control of the object to be processed while measuring a time variation until the temperature of the focus ring reaches a target value. A degree of consumption of the focus ring is estimated from the measured time variation based on a preliminarily set correlation between the time variation and the degree of consumption of the focus ring. The target value of the temperature of the focus ring is corrected based on the estimated degree of consumption of the focus ring.

Abstract: A method for improving a chemical resistance of a polymerized film, which is formed on a surface of a target object and to be processed by a chemical, includes: consecutively performing a treatment for improving the chemical resistance of the polymerized film subsequent to formation of the polymerized film within a processing chamber of a film forming apparatus where the polymerized film is formed, without unloading the target object from the processing chamber.

Abstract: Systems and methods for processing a substrate include arranging a substrate including a film layer on a substrate support in a processing chamber. The film layer includes a boron doped carbon hard mask. A plasma gas mixture is supplied and includes molecular hydrogen, nitrogen trifluoride, and a gas selected from a group consisting of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. Plasma is struck in the processing chamber or supplied to the processing chamber for a predetermined stripping period. The plasma strips the film layer during the predetermined stripping period and the plasma is extinguished.

Abstract: Provided are a method of generating plasma and a method of fabricating a semiconductor device including the method, which may improve selectivity in an etching process and minimize damage to layers. The method of generating plasma includes generating first plasma by supplying at least one first process gas into a first remote plasma source (RPS) and applying first energy having a first power at a first duty ratio, and generating second plasma by supplying at least one second process gas into a second RPS and applying second energy having a second power at a second duty ratio.

Abstract: An etching composition includes about 1 wt % to about 7 wt % of hydrogen peroxide, about 20 wt % to about 80 wt % of phosphoric acid, about 0.001 wt % to about 1 wt % of an amine or amide polymer, 0 wt % to about 55 wt % of sulfuric acid, and about 10 wt % to about 45 wt % of deionized water.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are provided for monitoring a pulsed RF bias signal applied to a chuck in a processing chamber. One method includes operations for detecting voltage values of individual pulses of the pulsed RF bias voltage, and for determining the time for sampling the value of each individual detected pulse. At the sampling time for each pulse, a particular voltage value of the respective individual detected pulse is sampled and the particular voltage value is held. Each particular voltage value represents a characteristic peak-to-peak voltage value of each individual detected pulse. A feedback signal representing the characteristic peak-to-peak voltage value for a voltage envelope of one of the individual detected pulses is generated, and the voltage of the pulsed RF bias voltage signal applied to the chuck is adjusted according to a difference between the feedback signal and a desired voltage value of the pulsed RF bias voltage signal.

Abstract: In a method for surface-modifying a neural electrode, a neural electrode array is formed, first and second metal nanoparticles having different solubilities with respect to an etching solution are simultaneously electrode-deposited on a surface of the neural electrode array, and the second metal nanoparticles are selectively etched using the etching solution, thereby forming a porous structure including the first metal nanoparticles on the surface of the neural electrode array.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for forming a patterned graphene layer on a substrate. One such method includes forming at least one patterned structure on a substrate; applying a layer of graphene on top of the at least one patterned structure on the substrate; heating the layer of graphene on top of the at least one patterned structure to remove one or more graphene regions proximate to the at least one patterned structure; and removing the at least one patterned structure to produce a patterned graphene layer on the substrate, wherein the patterned graphene layer on the substrate provides carrier mobility for electronic devices.

Abstract: A method for etching a layer in a plasma chamber with an inner injection zone gas feed and an outer injection zone gas feed is provided. The layer is placed in the plasma chamber. A pulsed etch gas is provided from the inner injection zone gas feed at a first frequency, wherein flow of pulsed etch gas from the inner injection zone gas feed is ramped down to zero. The pulsed etch gas is provided from the outer injection zone gas feed at the first frequency and simultaneous with and out of phase with the pulsed etch gas from the inner injection zone gas feed. The etch gas is formed into a plasma to etch the layer, simultaneous with the providing the pulsed etch gas from the inner injection zone gas feed and providing the pulsed gas from the outer interjection zone gas feed.

Abstract: A polishing composition of the present invention contains a water-soluble polymer having a hydrophilic group, and abrasive grains. A hydrophobic silicon-containing part after being polished with the polishing composition has a water contact angle lower than that of the hydrophobic silicon-containing part after being polished with another composition having the same makeup as the polishing composition except that the water-soluble polymer is not contained therein. Examples of the water-soluble polymer include polysaccharides and alcohol compounds. Another polishing composition of the present invention contains abrasive grains having a silanol group, and a water-soluble polymer. When this polishing composition is left to stand for one day in an environment at a temperature of 25° C., the water-soluble polymer is adsorbed on the abrasive grains at 5,000 or more molecules per 1 ?m2 of surface area of the abrasive grains.

Abstract: Graphoepitaxy directed self-assembly methods generally include grafting a conformal layer of a polymer brush onto a topographic substrate. A planarization material, which functions as a sacrificial material is coated onto the topographic substrate. The planarization material is etched back to a top surface of the topographic substrate, wherein the etch back removes the polymer brush from the top surfaces of the topographic substrate. The remaining portion of the polymer brush is protected by the remaining planarization material below the top surface of the topographic substrate, which can be removed with a solvent to provide the topographic substrate with a conformal polymer brush below the top surface of the topographic substrate. The substrate is then coated with a block copolymer and annealed to direct self-assembly of the block copolymer. The methods mitigate island and/or hole defect formation.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a fine metal mask is provided. The method of manufacturing a fine metal mask includes: forming a first recessed portion in a first surface of a base member; forming an edge portion of the first recessed portion in a uniform depth; forming a second recessed portion in a second surface of the base member, the second surface being opposite to the first surface; and communicating the first recessed portion and the second recessed portion of the base member. A fine metal mask produced by the inventive method is also described and may be used to fabricate OLEDs having better resolution and an increased aperture ratio in comparison with OLEDs prepared using the fine metal masks of the conventional art.

Abstract: Methods of facilitating fabrication of circuit structures are provided which include, for instance: providing a structure with a film layer; modifying an etch property of the film layer by implanting at least one species of element or molecule into the upper portion of the film layer, the etch property of the film layer remaining unmodified beneath the upper portion; and subjecting the structure and film layer with the modified etch property to an etching process, the modified etch property of the film layer facilitating the etching process. Modifying the etch property of the upper portion of the film layer may include making the upper portion of the film layer preferentially susceptible or preferentially resistant to the etching process depending on the circuit fabrication approach being facilitated.

Abstract: Methods are described herein for selectively etching titanium nitride relative to dielectric films, which may include, for example, alternative metals and metal oxides lacking in titanium and/or silicon-containing films (e.g. silicon oxide, silicon carbon nitride and low-K dielectric films). The methods include a remote plasma etch formed from a chlorine-containing precursor. Plasma effluents from the remote plasma are flowed into a substrate processing region where the plasma effluents react with the titanium nitride. The plasma effluents react with exposed surfaces and selectively remove titanium nitride while very slowly removing the other exposed materials. The substrate processing region may also contain a plasma to facilitate breaking through any titanium oxide layer present on the titanium nitride. The plasma in the substrate processing region may be gently biased relative to the substrate to enhance removal rate of the titanium oxide layer.

Abstract: Provided is a cation exchange membrane having excellent mechanical strength against folding and the like and capable of delivering stable electrolytic performance for a long time, an electrolysis vessel using the cation exchange membrane and a method for producing the cation exchange membrane. A cation exchange membrane 1 at least includes: a membrane body containing a fluorine-based polymer having an ion-exchange group; and two or more reinforcing core materials arranged approximately in parallel within the membrane body. The membrane body is provided with two or more elution holes 12 formed between the reinforcing core materials 10 adjacent to each other.

Abstract: A plasma processing method is provided. In the method, a distribution of an amount of processing within a surface of a substrate by a plasma process performed on a film deposited on the substrate is obtained. Next, a flow speed of the plasma processing gas is adjusted by increasing the flow speed of the plasma processing gas supplied to a first area where the amount of processing is expected to be increased or by decreasing the flow speed of the plasma processing gas supplied to a second area where the amount of processing is expected to be decreased. Then, the plasma process is performed on the film deposited on the substrate by supplying the plasma processing gas having the adjusted flow speed into the predetermined plasma process area.

Abstract: Various methods for attaching a crystalline write pole onto an amorphous substrate and the resulting structures are described in detail herein. Further, the resulting structure may have a magnetic moment exceeding 2.4 Tesla. Still further, methods for depositing an epitaxial crystalline write pole on a crystalline seed or template material to ensure that the phase of the write pole is consistent with the high moment phase of the template material are also described in detail herein.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a polishing agent including: cerium oxide particles; a water-soluble organic polymer having at least one selected from a carboxylic acid group and a salt of carboxylic acid; a water-soluble polyamide having at least one selected from a tertiary amino group and an oxyalkylene chain in a molecule thereof; and water, in which the polishing agent has a pH of 7 or less.