Abstract: The disclosure relates to a vaporizer valve which accepts a carrier gas and a pressurized liquid and forms a mixture of the carrier gas and vaporized liquid. An internal cavity receives the carrier gas through a carrier aperture and the liquid through a liquid aperture, and the mixed gas and vapor are exhausted out of the cavity via a third aperture. A moveable diaphragm disposed adjacent to the liquid aperture forms a vaporization region having a pressure gradient. The liquid passing through this pressure gradient vaporizes due to expansion. By controlling the diaphragm position with a feedback control circuit responsive to a liquid flow rate monitor, the liquid flow rate may be controlled independently of the carrier gas flow rate.

Abstract: According to the present invention, a signal transmission system is arranged in a region surrounded by a gas control means and a plurality of blocks whereby a region between elements constituting a gas supply flow path can be utilized for the region of the signal transmission system thereby to make the occupying space small and miniaturize the apparatus.

Abstract: An ozone-processing apparatus for a semiconductor process system includes an airtight process chamber and a lamp chamber, which are partitioned by a window for transmitting ultraviolet rays. A plurality of ultraviolet-ray lamps is arrayed along the window in the lamp chamber. A measurement space is defined between the window and the lamps in the lamp chamber. The lamp chamber is provided with a mount portion to set up a measuring unit therein. The measuring unit includes a sensor to be inserted into the measuring space, for measuring the light quantity of the lamps. The sensor is movable in a direction in which the lamps are arrayed.

Abstract: A method is provided for etching and removing extraneous molybdenum or debris on ceramic substrates such as semiconductor devices and also for molybdenum etching in the fabrication of molybdenum photomasks. The method employs a multi-step process using an acidic aqueous solution of a ferric salt to remove (etch) the molybdenum debris followed by contacting the treated substrate with an organic quaternary ammonium hydroxide to remove any molybdenum black oxides which may have formed on the exposed surface of treated molybdenum features in ceramic substrates. The method is environmentally safe and the waste solutions may be easily waste treated for example by precipitating the ferric salts as ferric hydroxide and removing anions such as sulfate by precipitation with lime. The method replaces the currently used method of employing ferricyanide salts which create serious hazardous waste disposal and environmental problems.

Abstract: A multi-thermal zone shielding apparatus provides a multi-zone temperature profile for the shield while shielding a portion of a hot workpiece in a high temperature processing system. The apparatus keeps the workpiece temperature hot at the shielded area and maintaining the rest of the shield cooler. The apparatus comprises a multi-thermal zone shield having a low thermal transmitivity section for preventing the heat lost of the shielded portion of the hot workpiece due to less thermal energy transmitting through the shielding portion of the shield, thus maintaining a more uniform temperature at the shielded portion of the workpiece, and a high thermal transmitivity section in the rest of shield for allowing more thermal energy from the hot workpiece transmitting through the shield without heating the shield, thus maintaining a cooler temperature at the portion of the shield not engaged with the workpiece.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for oxidizing silicon substrates by either a wet oxidation or a dry oxidation process in the same oxidation chamber are provided. In the apparatus, an additional conduit is provided for evacuating any residual water vapor trapped in a conduit section between an external torch and the oxidation chamber such that residual water vapor does not flow into the oxidation chamber and cause problems for a dry oxidation process subsequently conducted. The present invention novel apparatus therefore allows thin silicon oxide films such as those used in gate oxides to be formed with high quality in the same oxidation chamber. The present invention novel apparatus further allows high quality tri-layered silicon oxide films to be formed in a dry-wet-dry oxidation process for achieving satisfactory deposition rates and high quality oxide films on the substrate.

Abstract: A stand-off pad, and method of fabricating the same, for supporting a workpiece in a spaced apart relation to a workpiece support chuck. More specifically, the wafer stand-off pad is fabricated of a polymeric material, such as polyimide, which is disposed upon the support surface of the chuck. The stand-off pad maintains a wafer, or other workpiece, in a spaced apart relation to the support surface of the chuck. The distance between the underside surface of the wafer and the chuck is defined by the thickness of the stand-off pad. This distance should be larger than the expected diameter of contaminant particles that may lie on the surface of the chuck. In this manner, the contaminant particles do not adhere to the underside of the wafer during processing and the magnitude of the chucking voltage is maintained between the workpiece and the chuck.

Abstract: A cold wall reactor having inner and outer walls defining an annular reactor cell. A susceptor is rotatably mounted in the cell, and received wafers to be treated by gases flowing axially through the cell. The outer wall of the reactor is normally cooled, but is heated by a suitable furnace to provide a hot wall reactor when cleaning of the cell is required.

Abstract: A general method of the invention is to provide a polymer-hardening precursor piece (such as silicon, carbon, silicon carbide or silicon nitride, but preferably silicon) within the reactor chamber during an etch process with a fluoro-carbon or fluoro-hydrocarbon gas, and to heat the polymer-hardening precursor piece above the polymerization temperature sufficiently to achieve a desired increase in oxide-to-silicon etch selectivity. Generally, this polymer-hardening precursor or silicon piece may be an integral part of the reactor chamber walls and/or ceiling or a separate, expendable and quickly removable piece, and the heating/cooling apparatus may be of any suitable type including apparatus which conductively or remotely heats the silicon piece.

Abstract: An improved method of cleaning a throttle valve and an apparatus for facilitating such cleaning. The method of cleaning a throttle valve is provided by applying ultrasonic wave to the throttle valve. The throttle valve is juxtaposed in close proximity to the exhaust gas port of the reaction chamber. A cleaning gas of nitrogen is used to clean the throttle valve. The throttle valve is heated by an imbedded control heater.

Abstract: A plasma processing system includes a reactor having a plasma source and a substrate holder. The reactor is configured by a top plate made of a nonmagnetic metal, a bottom plate made of a metal, and a cylindrical side wall having at least in part a section made of ceramic. The substrate holder is placed in the bottom plate. A plurality of magnets is separately arranged on the top plate. The polarity of the magnets facing the inside of the reactor is alternately changed, and the magnets generate a magnetic field with closed magnetic fluxes near to the inner surface of the top plate.

Abstract: A susceptor is disclosed for minimizing or eliminating thermal gradients that affect a substrate wafer during epitaxial growth. The susceptor comprises a first susceptor portion including a surface for receiving a semiconductor substrate wafer thereon, and a second susceptor portion facing the substrate-receiving surface and spaced from the substrate-receiving surface. The spacing is sufficiently large to permit the flow of gases therebetween for epitaxial growth on a substrate on the surface, while small enough for the second susceptor portion to heat the exposed face of a substrate to substantially the same temperature as the first susceptor portion heats the face of a substrate that is in direct contact with the substrate-receiving surface.

Abstract: A manufacturing apparatus for semiconductor devices comprises as a halogen scavenger a silicon ring (12) having an average surface roughness of 1-1000 &mgr;m, arranged around a silicon substrate (6) on a lower electrode (3) in a reaction chamber (7); and an upper silicon element (5) as another halogen scavenger, having an average surface roughness of 1-1000 &mgr;m, arranged above the silicon substrate (6). In this apparatus, C2F6 is used as a gas to be introduced into the chamber (7) and fluorine can be effectively scavenged in the initial phase of operation, so that semiconductor devices can be aged faster than in conventional apparatus.

Abstract: A CVD film forming apparatus includes a susceptor, provided in a process chamber, having a surface of an area smaller than that of a wafer. A process gas is supplied to a top surface of the wafer mounted on the susceptor, thereby forming a CVD film on the top surface. A film formation preventing gas is supplied in a direction from the rear surface of the wafer toward a peripheral edge thereof at a flow rate which prevents the process gas from flowing to the rear surface of the wafer.

Abstract: CVD reactors can be cleaned at surprisingly high rates using Non-Green House gases by employing the Non-Green House gases at high temperatures and with relatively high fluorine free radical concentrations so long as high concentrations of oxygen are also used to compensate for the detrimental effects of the high temperatures and free fluorine radical concentrations. Net oxide residue etch rates approximately 2,800 times greater than etch rates achieved with controlled Green House gases can be achieved. This is done by employing a pre-ionization module upstream of the reactor to be cleaned to generate the requisite high density plasma.

Abstract: A system for coating a surface of a substrate with a material includes a vacuum chamber and a vacuum pump configured to maintain a vacuum in the vacuum chamber. One or more ion source(s) are configured to implant ions of the material into the surface of a substrate disposed within the vacuum chamber to form an implanted substrate layer. The ion source(s) then deposit ions of the material onto the implanted substrate layer to form a seed layer. The ion source(s) next implant ions of the material into the seed layer to form an intermix layer and finally deposit ions of the material on the intermix layer to form the coating over the substrate.

Abstract: A multiple step chemical vapor deposition process for depositing a tungsten film on a substrate. A first step of the deposition process includes a nucleation step in which a process gas including a tungsten-containing source, a group III or V hydride and a reduction agent are flowed into a deposition zone of a substrate processing chamber while the deposition zone is maintained at or below a first pressure level. During this first deposition stage, other process variables are maintained at conditions suitable to deposit a first layer of the tungsten film over the substrate. Next, during a second deposition stage after the first stage, the flow of the group III or V hydride into the deposition zone is stopped, and afterwards, the pressure in the deposition zone is increased to a second pressure above the first pressure level and other process parameters are maintained at conditions suitable for depositing a second layer of the tungsten film on the substrate.

Abstract: Vacuum treatment system for application of thin layers onto substrates (36, 38, 40, 42) with a transfer chamber (5) and several treatment chambers (6, 8, 10, 12), said treatment chambers peripherally attached to the transfer chamber and being connected to said transfer chamber by means of a common opening (27, 29, 31, 33) for inlet and outlet of substrate (36, 38, 40, 42), and with a handling device (24) for transport of the substrate (36, 38, 40, 42) between the treatment chambers (6, 8, 10, 12), whereby the handling device (24) has at least one substrate holder (37, 39, 41, 43) with one pivot and/or rotating retaining part to hold the substrates (36, 38, 40, 42), by means of which the substrates (36, 38, 40, 42) can pivot and/or rotate in the treatment chambers (6, 8, 10, 12).

Abstract: A plasma processing module for processing a substrate includes a plasma containment chamber having a feed gas inlet port capable of allowing a feed gas to enter the plasma containment chamber of the plasma processing module during the processing of the substrate. An inductively coupled source is used to energize the feed gas and striking a plasma within the plasma containment chamber. The specific configuration of the inductively coupled source causes the plasma to be formed such that the plasma includes a primary dissociation zone within the plasma containment chamber. A secondary chamber is separated from the plasma containment chamber by a plasma containment plate. The secondary chamber includes a chuck and an exhaust port. The chuck is configured to support the substrate during the processing of the substrate and the exhaust port is connected to the secondary chamber such that the exhaust port allows gases to be removed from the secondary chamber during the processing of the substrate.

Abstract: A substrate holder for holding a circular substrate in a vertical position during processing of the substrate. The substrate holder is provided with a vertical base plate and three support claws which are mounted on the base plate and which hold the peripheral edge of a substrate. One of the three support claws is a fixed support claw which holds the edge of the substrate at the bottom to support and whose position does not change when the weight of the substrate is supported. The other two support claws are moveable and may be actuated to hold the edge of the substrate at its sides to restrain motion of the substrate. The moveable support claws can be opened and closed for substrate mounting and removal. The two movable support claws are installed on the base plate in a manner so that when the substrate is supported by the fixed support claw they contact the side edge at locations which are higher than the height of the center of the substrate.