Abstract: A process of removing both the field metal, such as copper, and a metal, such as copper, embedded into a dielectric or substrate at substantially the same rate by dripping or spraying a suitable metal etchant onto a spinning wafer to etch the metal evenly on the entire surface of the wafer. By this process the field metal is etched away completely while etching of the metal inside patterned features in the dielectric at the same or a lesser rate. This process is dependent on the type of chemical etchant used, the concentration and the temperature of the solution, and also the rate of spin speed of the wafer during the etching. The process substantially reduces the metal removal time compared to mechanical polishing, for example, and can be carried out using significantly less expensive equipment.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a processing chamber that processes an object to be processed in an atmosphere of a processing gas. The processing chamber is provided with a mounting stand having a holder mechanism that holds the object to be processed within the processing chamber. The mounting stand is connected to a rotational mechanism and is free to rotate, and the holder mechanism on the mounting stand is also provided with a separate, independent rotational mechanism whereby the front surface and rear surface of the object to be processed can be rotated (inverted) relative to the mounting stand. Thus the present invention provides a processing method and apparatus therefor in which the front surface and rear surface of the object to be processed can be processed under the same conditions, without having to change the atmospheric status of the object to be processed.

Abstract: A plasma vapor deposition apparatus which can form high-quality films of ITO, for example, with high productivity, includes a vapor deposition chamber, a drive and a horizontally rotating circular holding plate connected to the drive located in a lower portion of the chamber, the circular holding plate having a circular vapor source material mounting centered at the rotational axis about which the plate is rotated by the drive, and coil-shaped electrodes for exciting vapor produced by evaporating the vapor source material. A film thickness correcting plate is interposed between the holding plate and the path along which the substrate is transported through the chamber by a transporting device. This plate is configured to so shield a portion of the substrate so that an excess of excited vapor particles do not accumulate at a given site on the surface of the substrate.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for chemical vapor deposition in which the reactants directed toward a substrate to be provided with one or more films are first subjected to an electric field. The electric field is applied between two electrodes and the reactants become polarized in the field, thus stretching their polarized chemical bonds close to the breaking point. The apparatus also applies voltage pulses between one of the electrodes and the substrate. By adjusting the pulse height, pulse width and pulse repetition rates, the chemical bonds of polarized reactants break to produce free radicals and some ions of the desired elements or compounds. The substrate is kept at a given temperature. The free radicals react to deposit the desired film of high purity on the substrate. The deposition characteristics of the deposited films in terms of isotropic, anisotropic and selective deposition are controlled by the pulse height, width, repetition rates and by other process parameters.

Abstract: An apparatus for the treatment of articles with a polymerizate-producing gas plasma is disclosed wherein a set of movable film liners is used to shield the walls of a gas-plasma-containing reaction tunnel from excessive build-up of polymerizate deposits. In an operation involving continuous gas plasma coating of a film, fiber, fabric, tubing or string of workpieces, at least 75 to 90 percent of potential wall deposits are removable by the set of film liners.

Abstract: Thin film deposition apparatus, utilizing PECVD, sputtering technologies, etc., essentially constituted by a chamber equipped with one or more electrodes and respective counter-electrodes, screens, gas supply lines, and one or more magnetron sputtering cathode. The chamber is provided with a rotating device loading substrates able to rotate through 180 degrees objects to treat. The chamber can have polygonal geometry, provided to consent installation of one or more kinds of sources. The invention consents, in a single vacuum cycle the deposition of hardening and anti-reflecting layers on plastic material and it does not need frequent recharges.

Abstract: An anisotropic liquid phase photochemical etch is performed by submersing a substrate 30 (e.g. copper) in a liquid 34 containing an etchant (e.g. hydrochloric acid) and a passivant (e.g. iodine), the passivant forming an insoluble passivation layer 36 (e.g. Cul) on the surface, preventing the etchant from etching the surface. The passivant and its concentration are chosen such that the passivation layer 36 has a solubility which is substantially increased when it is illuminated with radiation 38 (e.g. visible/ultraviolet light). Portions of the surface are then illuminated with radiation 38, whereby the passivation layer 36 is removed from those illuminated portions of the surface, allowing the etch to proceed there. Portions of the surface not illuminated are not etched, resulting in an anisotropic etch. Preferably, an etch mask 32 is used to create the unilluminated areas. This etch mask 32 may be formed on the surface or it may be interposed between the surface and the radiation source.

Abstract: A contactless method and apparatus for in-situ chemical etch monitoring of an etching process during etching of a workpiece with a wet chemical etchant are disclosed. The method comprises steps of providing a base member having a reference surface; releasably securing the workpiece to the base member; providing at least two sensors disposed on the base member to be proximate to but not in contact with the outer perimeter of the workpiece surface; and monitoring an electrical characteristic between said at least two sensors, wherein a prescribed change in the electrical characteristic is indicative of a prescribed condition of the etching process.

Abstract: An apparatus is described as a source of a plasma with a variety of applications. Of particular interest is gas abatement whereby the toxic or environmentally harmful effluent from a process chamber is converted to harmless and stable products by passing through this plasma source. The plasma is produced in a gas by cooperation between a magnetic field of the proper strength and microwave energy of the proper frequency. The microwave field enters a chamber through a window of microwave transparent material to encounter a magnetic field formed by a permanent magnet placed on the opposite side of the chamber and designed such that the direction of propagation of the microwave field is parallel with the magnetic field lines in the center of the chamber. For the purpose of gas abatement the plasma source is located downstream from a processing chamber.

Abstract: On a semiconductor substrate, chips to be products and alignment chips located at a portion a part thereof is left out from a peripheral part of the semiconductor substrate are formed. Contact holes and alignment marks are formed at the chips to be products and the alignment chips. Covering the alignment chips with alignment mark cover parts of a substrate holder, a material for metal wiring is deposited on the semiconductor substrate to form a metal film on the substrate. A mask pattern is formed on the metal film using the alignment marks of the alignment chips on which the metal film is not formed.

Abstract: A fixture for in-situ chemical etch monitoring of an etching process during etching of at least one wafer contained in a wafer carrier is disclosed. The fixture comprises a set of primary guide members for engaging and guiding a front portion of the wafer carrier. A set of rear guide members engages and guides a rear portion of the wafer carrier. A set of electrode arms is included for receiving a respective electrode and corresponding electrode wire thereon. A mounting plate establishes a prescribed spacing of the set of primary guide members with respect to the set of electrode arms. A means for self-locking the first wafer contained in the wafer boat is connected to the mounting plate and further positioned in a prescribed manner with respect to the set of primary guide members and the set of electrode arms.

Abstract: The heat sink is mounted on a semiconductor chip module sealed hermetically with a cap. The heat sink comprises an absorption means for absorbing the heat generated from a semiconductor chip, being inserted into an opening formed in a cap so as to make contact with a semiconductor chip sealed hermetically within a semiconductor chip module; a heat dissipation means exposed outside the cap for dissipating the heat of the semiconductor chip absorbed by the absorption means; and a contact surface disposed between the absorption means and the heat dissipation means and fixed on the upper surface of the cap, and the contact surface at least being coated with an adhesive material. The heat sink mounted on a semiconductor chip module can stably dissipate the heat produced from a semiconductor chip sealed hermetically within the semiconductor chip module.

Abstract: A contactless method and apparatus for in-situ chemical etch monitoring of an etching process during etching of a workpiece with a wet chemical etchant are disclosed. The method comprises steps of providing a base member having a reference surface; releasably securing the workpiece to the base member; providing at least two sensors disposed on the base member to be proximate to but not in contact with the outer perimeter of the workpiece surface; and monitoring an electrical characteristic between said at least two sensors, wherein a prescribed change in the electrical characteristic is indicative of a prescribed condition of the etching process.

Abstract: A method for preparing ultrathin piezoelectric resonator plates having an ultrathin vibrating portion enclosed by a thick periphery portion, comprising a forming process which forms a plurality of depressions in one side of a wafer of a piezoelectric material to form ultrathin vibrating portions as the bottom wall of each depression and a trimming process which trims the thickness of each vibrating portion by etching to adjust the resonance frequency, characterized by bonding a comparatively thick plate with a plurality of holes formed at the positions corresponding to the depressions in the wafer to the depressed side of the wafer or forming a layer with a plurality of holes formed at the positions corresponding to the depressions in the wafer over the depressed side of the wafer, and putting an etching liquid into the depressions through the holes in the thick plate or layer.

Abstract: The present invention provides for a chemical vapor deposition reactor cher which is fitted with a rotatable and vertically movable susceptor/wafer carrier. The susceptor/wafer carrier, which is a large diameter disk, provides the reactor with the capability of varying the plasma-substrate distance. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, such a susceptor allows high deposition rates to be achieved for a given power level because the flux of the reactant can be increased due to the high speed rotation which will decrease boundary layer thickness during growth. The ability to adjust the source-substrate distance gives more flexibility than fixed dimensional systems. Further, it allows damage in the thin films to be minimized by simple adjustments to the susceptor/wafer carrier. Because the damage to the thin films is minimized, it makes pulsed operation practical and therefore, the films may be grown in an atomic layer epitaxy mode to produce films of high quality and uniformity.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for depositing durable coatings onto the surface of a substrate without heating the entire substrate to high temperatures by using lasers to heat the substrate and dissociate a deposition gas. The apparatus comprises a deposition chamber for enclosing the substrate upon which a coating is to be deposited, gas delivery means for directing a flow of deposition gas on the substrate, a first laser for heating the substrate, and a second laser for irradiating the deposition gas to dissociate the gas. The method includes placing a substrate within a vacuum deposition chamber and directing a flow of deposition gas on the substrate. Then the substrate is heated with a first laser while the deposition gas is irradiated with a second laser to dissociate the deposition gas.

Abstract: In order to cyclically implement isotropical and anisotropical etching of an interlayer insulator provided in a semiconductor wafer, two variable capacitors are provided for applying RF bias (power) to a triode type dry etching apparatus. The two variable capacitors are controlled such that cyclically, as one of the two capacitors exhibits maximum capacitance thereof, the other capacitor exhibits minimum capacitance thereof. As an alternative to the above, a wafer supporting table provided in a reactive chamber of an electron cyclotron resonance type apparatus, is cyclically supplied with a radio frequency (RF) bias and the ground potential. This cyclic application of the RF bias and the ground potential is controlled by a combination of a pulse generator and an amplitude modulation circuit both coupled to an RF signal generator. The via hole is effectively formed using the cyclic operations of the isotropic and anisotropic etching.

Abstract: A clamp ring for use in a thermal reactor for processing a semiconductor wafer. The reactor includes a domed pedestal for supporting the wafer and controlling its temperature, and a clamp ring which includes an annular seat formed therein, for receiving and holding down the periphery of the wafer onto the domed pedestal. The seat formed in the clamp ring supports a ring of spheres which, in operation, engage and hold down the periphery of the wafer. Each sphere is rotationally supported in a pocket formed in the body of the clamp ring. A portion of each sphere protrudes beyond the seat so that the wafer's surface is contacted by the convex surface of the sphere. This keeps the wafer's surface and any sharp edges on the seat apart, thereby reducing damage of the wafer's surface by the seat. As the spheres are able to rotate in the pockets and therefore roll on the surface of the wafer, the chances of the damaging the wafer's surface are further reduced.

Abstract: An apparatus for the production of coatings in a vacuum provides a plasma guide in the shape of a parallelepiped having a substrate holder and plasma source on adjacent planes. A magnetic deflecting system is formed by linear conductors arranged along the edges of the parallelepiped, comprising 1, 2, 3 or 4 rectangular coils for controlling the plasma flow.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus for processing a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer in a plasma includes a downstream- or coaxial-type chamber for housing the workpiece. A first sheet-like electrode is mounted on an outer circumferential surface of the chamber and electrically connected to a high-frequency power supply, and a second sheet-like electrode is mounted on the outer circumferential surface of the chamber and connected to ground. The first and second sheet-like electrodes are spaced in confronting relationship from each other circumferentially of the chamber across or along the axis thereof. The first and second sheet-like electrodes have respective axial or circumferential arrays of successive teeth, such as rectangular comb teeth, extending circumferentially or axially of the chamber and respective axial or circumferential arrays of successive recesses which complementarily receive the teeth, respectively, in an interdigitating pattern.