Abstract: Methods of selectively etching tungsten relative to silicon-containing films (e.g. silicon oxide, silicon carbon nitride and (poly)silicon) as well as tungsten oxide are described. The methods include a remote plasma etch formed from a fluorine-containing precursor and/or hydrogen (H2). Plasma effluents from the remote plasma are flowed into a substrate processing region where the plasma effluents react with the tungsten. The plasma effluents react with exposed surfaces and selectively remove tungsten while very slowly removing other exposed materials. Sequential and simultaneous methods are included to remove thin tungsten oxide which may, for example, result from exposure to the atmosphere.

Abstract: Method for preparing a particulate material including particles of an element of group IVa, an oxide thereof or an alloy thereof, the method including: (a) dry grinding particles from an ingot of an element of group IVa, an oxide thereof or an alloy thereof to obtain micrometer size particles; and (b) wet grinding the micrometer particles dispersed in a solvent carrier to obtain nanometer size particles having a size between 10 to 100 nanometers, optionally a stabilizing agent is added during or after the wet grinding. Method can include further steps of (c) drying the nanometer size particles, (d) mixing the nanometer size particles with a carbon precursor; and (e) pyrolyzing the mixture, thereby forming a coat of conductive carbon on at least part of the surface of the particles. The particulate material can be used in fabrication of an anode in an electrochemical cell or electrochemical storage energy apparatus.

Abstract: A substrate processing method for processing a substrate by supplying a processing gas into a processing chamber and allowing the processing gas to react on the substrate in the processing chamber by using a substrate processing apparatus includes the processing chamber accommodating the substrate, a processing gas supply unit for supplying the processing gas into the processing chamber, and a gas exhaust unit, for exhausting the processing chamber, having a turbo molecular pump. The method controls a processing uniformity by controlling a revolution speed of the turbo molecular pump while maintaining a pressure in the processing chamber to a predetermined level when by-products having a larger molecular mass compared to the processing gas are generated by the reaction of the processing gas.

Abstract: A main etching process of forming a recess portion in a multilayer film having a laminated film where a first film and a second film having different relative permitivities are alternately formed on a base silicon film to a preset depth and an over etching process of forming the recess portion until the base silicon film is exposed are performed by introducing a processing gas including a CF-based gas and an oxygen gas and by performing a plasma etching process. In the over etching process, a first over etching process where a flow rate ratio of the oxygen gas to the CF-based gas is increased as compared to the main etching process and a second over etching process where the flow rate ratio of the oxygen gas to the CF-based gas is reduced as compared to the first over etching process are repeatedly performed two or more times.

Abstract: The present invention can provide an etching composition for a chemical copper plating for the production of a printed-wiring board according to a semi-additive process, which comprises 0.2 to 5% by mass of hydrogen peroxide, 0.5 to 10% by mass of sulfuric acid, 0.001 to 0.3% by mass of phenylurea, 0.1 to 3 mass ppm of halogen ion and 0.003 to 0.3% by mass of tetrazoles, and wherein the ratio of the dissolution rate of the chemical copper plating (Y) to the dissolution rate of an electrolytic copper plating (X) at a liquid temperature of 30° C. (Y/X) is 4 to 7.

Abstract: There is a method of selectively etching a silicon oxide film among a silicon nitride film and the silicon oxide film formed on a surface of a substrate to be processed, the method including: under a vacuum atmosphere, intermittently supplying at least one of a first processing gas composed of a hydrogen fluoride gas and an ammonia gas and a second processing gas composed of a compound of nitrogen, hydrogen and fluorine, to the substrate to be processed multiple times.

Abstract: Systems and methods for etching a substrate include arranging a substrate including a first structure and a dummy structure in a processing chamber. The first structure is made of a material selected from a group consisting of silicon dioxide and silicon nitride. The dummy structure is made of silicon. Carrier gas is supplied to the processing chamber. Nitrogen trifluoride and molecular hydrogen gas are supplied to the processing chamber. Plasma is generated in the processing chamber. The dummy structure is etched.

Abstract: A method of etching exposed patterned heterogeneous structures is described and includes a remote plasma etch formed from a reactive precursor. The plasma power is pulsed rather than left on continuously. Plasma effluents from the remote plasma are flowed into a substrate processing region where the plasma effluents selectively remove one material faster than another. The etch selectivity results from the pulsing of the plasma power to the remote plasma region, which has been found to suppress the number of ionically-charged species that reach the substrate. The etch selectivity may also result from the presence of an ion suppression element positioned between a portion of the remote plasma and the substrate processing region.

Abstract: A method for etching an organic film 1 having a surface selectively protected by a hard mask layer 2, includes a partial etching process of etching the organic film 1 partly in a thickness direction of the organic film 1 by using a mixed gas containing a gas that anisotropically etches a silicon oxide film and a gas that isotropically etches the organic film without etching the silicon oxide film; and a deposition process of depositing a protective film 3 made of the silicon oxide film on side surfaces 12 and a bottom surface 11 of a recess 10 formed in the organic film in the partial etching process. The partial etching process and the deposition process is alternately performed multiple times.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for etching a layer to be etched in a plasma etching reactor, including: forming a reactive layer by injection of at least one reactive gas to form a reactive gas plasma, which forms, together with the layer to be etched, a reactive layer which goes into the layer to be etched during etching of said layer to be etched, wherein the reactive layer reaches a steady state thickness upon completion of a determined duration of said injection; said injection being interrupted before said determined duration has elapsed so that, upon completion of the forming of the reactive layer, the thickness of the reactive layer is smaller than said steady state thickness; and removing the reactive layer by injection of at least one inert gas to form an inert gas plasma, which makes it possible to remove only the reactive layer.

Abstract: Methods are provided for cleaning metal regions overlying semiconductor substrates. A method for removing material from a metal region comprises heating the metal region, forming a plasma from a gas comprising hydrogen and carbon dioxide, and exposing the metal region to the plasma.

Abstract: A method of polishing a wafer at the die level with a targeted slurry delivery system. The wafer is placed on a wafer carrier exposing the top side of the wafer, the wafer contains a die. The polishing apparatus will polish a portion of the die using a pad that is smaller than the die and the pad is located above the die. A slurry is applied to a portion of the die being polished. Embodiments of the invention provide multiple pads working on the same die.

Abstract: A method for mitigating line-edge roughness on a semiconductor device. The method includes line-edge roughness mitigation techniques in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The techniques include: reducing the SiON film thickness below a conventional thickness; increasing the photoresist thickness above a conventional thickness; etching the SiON film with an etch bias power less than a conventional wattage amount with an overetch percentage less than a conventional overetch percentage; removing the SiON film layer immediately after completion of the amorphous carbon film layer etching; and lowering the lower electrode temperature below a conventional temperature.

Abstract: A method for etching a dielectric layer disposed on a substrate is provided. The method includes de-chucking the substrate from an electrostatic chuck in an etching processing chamber, and cyclically etching the dielectric layer while the substrate is de-chucked from the electrostatic chuck. The cyclical etching includes remotely generating a plasma in an etching gas mixture supplied into the etching processing chamber to etch the dielectric layer disposed on the substrate at a first temperature. Etching the dielectric layer generates etch byproducts. The cyclical etching also includes vertically moving the substrate towards a gas distribution plate in the etching processing chamber, and flowing a sublimation gas from the gas distribution plate towards the substrate to sublimate the etch byproducts. The sublimation is performed at a second temperature, wherein the second temperature is greater than the first temperature.

Abstract: Methods of producing V-shaped trenches in crystalline substrates are described. The methods involve processing a patterned substrate with etch masking materials defining each side of exposed silicon (100). The exposed silicon (100) is exposed to remotely-excited halogen-containing precursor including chlorine or bromine. The plasma effluents formed from the halogen-containing precursor preferentially remove silicon from all exposed facets other than silicon (111). Etching the crystalline substrates with the plasma effluents produce at least two silicon (111) facets between two adjacent masking elements. Forming the silicon (111) facets may be accelerated by pretreating the crystalline substrates using a halogen-containing precursor locally excited in a biased plasma to initiate the generation of the trench.

Abstract: A polishing liquid comprising an abrasive grain, an additive, and water, wherein the abrasive grain includes a hydroxide of a tetravalent metal element, produces absorbance of 1.00 or more for light having a wavelength of 400 nm in an aqueous dispersion having a content of the abrasive grain adjusted to 1.0 mass %, and produces light transmittance of 50%/cm or more for light having a wavelength of 500 nm in an aqueous dispersion having a content of the abrasive grain adjusted to 1.0 mass %, and a difference between a NO3? concentration of an aqueous dispersion having a content of the abrasive grain adjusted to 1.0 mass % and a NO3? concentration after retaining the aqueous dispersion at 60° C. for 72 hours is 200 ppm or less.

Abstract: A plasma etching method includes a plasma process of plasma-processing a surface of a photoresist, which has a predetermined pattern with plasma generated from a hydrogen-containing gas. Further, the plasma etching method includes an etching process of etching a silicon-containing film with plasma generated from a CF-based gas and a gas containing a CHF-based gas by using the plasma-processed photoresist as a mask. Furthermore, in the plasma etching method, the plasma process and the etching process are repeated at least two or more times.

Abstract: A plasma processing method in which a stable process region can be ensured in a wide range, from low microwave power to high microwave power. The plasma processing method includes making production of plasma easy in a region in which production of plasma by continuous discharge is difficult, and plasma-processing an object to be processed, with the generated plasma, wherein the plasma is produced by pulsed discharge in which ON and OFF are repeated, radio-frequency power for producing the pulsed discharge, during an ON period, is a power to facilitate production of plasma by continuous discharge, and a duty ratio of the pulsed discharge is controlled so that an average power of the radio-frequency power per cycle is power in the region in which production of plasma by continuous discharge is difficult.

Abstract: Methods for the formation of individual, precisely shaped nano- or micro-scale metallic structures, particularly pyramids. With this technique, mass fabrication of high-quality, uniform, and ultra-sharp pyramids, cones and wedges is achieved. The high yield, reproducibility, durability and massively parallel fabrication methods of this disclosure provide structures suitable for reliable optical sensing and detection and for cementing near-field optical imaging and spectroscopy as a routine characterization.

Abstract: An etching process includes: forming a metal film on a substrate having a pattern formation region; forming a mask having a predetermined pattern on the metal film in the pattern formation region, and forming a resist film in part or all of a periphery of the pattern formation region; and dry-etching the metal film in the pattern formation region.