Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate stage, a strut which supports the substrate stage, a first rotation drive portion which rotates the support, and at least three lift pins which are provided in the substrate stage. The substrate processing apparatus includes an elevation mechanism for vertically moving the lift pins. The elevation mechanism includes a first rotating member which is disposed around the support and rotates about the support, a second rotation drive portion which rotates about a rotation axis at a position offset from the rotation axis and rotates the first rotating member, at least three second rotating members which rotate while engaging with rotation of the first rotating member and are disposed below the lift pins, mobile bodies which linearly move upon rotation of the second rotating members, and pins which vertically move the lift pins.

Abstract: Provided is a substrate processing apparatus including an openable and closable lid and being capable of precisely controlling a gap between multiple shields. The substrate processing apparatus includes: an openable and closable lid provided on an opening of a chamber; a first shield provided on a surface of the lid at the chamber side and having an insertion hole; an insertion section fixed to the lid while inserted through the insertion hole, and configured to support the first shield in a manner movable within a predetermined distance; a restriction section provided on an end portion of the insertion section and configured to restrict the movement of the first shield; and biasing means configured to bias the first shield to a member provided inside the chamber when the lid is closed.

Abstract: In an embodiment of the present invention, the following operations are performed while a substrate holder is being rotated at a fixed rotation speed with plasma being generated. Specifically, a first state where a substrate holding surface of the substrate holder is exposed to a target holder is formed to start a first deposition of divisional depositions, and a second state where the surface is shut off from the target holder is formed in T/X seconds after the start of the first divisional deposition. Moreover, the first state is formed to start an n-th deposition of the divisional depositions when a reference point set on the substrate holder arrived at a position rotated by (n?1)×360/X degrees from a position of the reference point located at the start of the targeted deposition, and the second state is formed in T/X seconds after the start of the n-th divisional deposition.

Abstract: A substrate supporting apparatus comprises a substrate support that supports a substrate; a first connecting member that is connected to the substrate support and includes a first magnet; a second connecting member that is arranged while facing the first connecting member, is connectable to a transport robot for transporting the substrate to a substrate holder, and includes a second magnet magnetically coupled with the first magnet; and a spacer configured to hold an interval between the first connecting member and the second connecting member, wherein the first connecting member and the second connecting member are relatively movable in a plane direction of the substrate via the spacer.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention is a method of fabricating a tunnel magnetic resistive element including a first ferromagnetic layer, a tunnel barrier layer and a second ferromagnetic layer, comprising a step of making the tunnel barrier layer, comprising the step of making the tunnel barrier layer includes the steps of: forming a first layer on the first ferromagnetic layer by applying DC power to a metal target and introducing sputtering gas without introducing oxygen gas in a sputtering chamber; and forming a second layer on the first layer by applying DC power to the metal target and introducing the sputtering gas and oxygen gas with the DC power to be applied to the metal target from the step of forming the first layer in the sputtering chamber, wherein the second layer is oxygen-doped.

Abstract: A power input mechanism includes a first stationary conductive member, a second stationary conductive member, a stationary insulating member which is fixed to a housing and insulates the first stationary conductive member and the second stationary conductive member from each other, a first rotary conductive member, a second rotary conductive member, a rotary insulating member which is fixed to a support column and insulates the first rotary conductive member and the second rotary conductive member from each other, a first power input member which supplies a first voltage to a substrate holder via the first rotary conductive member and the first stationary conductive member, and a second power input member which supplies a second voltage to the substrate holder via the second rotary conductive member and the second stationary conductive member.

Abstract: A sputtering apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a substrate holder, a cathode unit arranged at a position diagonally opposite to the substrate holder, a position sensor for detecting a rotational position of the substrate, and a holder rotation controller for adjusting a rotation speed of the substrate according to the detected rotational position. The holder rotation controller controls the rotation speed so that the rotation speed of the substrate when the cathode unit is located on a side in a first direction as an extending direction of a process target surface of the relief structure is lower than the rotation speed of the substrate when the cathode unit is located on a side in a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction along the rotation of the substrate.

Abstract: An oscillator element according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a magnetoresistive element having a magnetization free layer, magnetization fixed layer, and a tunnel barrier layer. Provided on the magnetization free layer are a protection layer and an electrode having a point contact section where the electrode is partially in electrical contact with the protection layers. An interlayer insulating film is provided between the electrode and the protection layer. The area of the interface between the magnetization free layer and the tunnel barrier layer is larger than the surface area of the point contact section. Moreover, a portion of the protection layer in contact with the interlayer insulating film has a smaller thickness in a surface normal direction than the portion of the protection layer in contact with the electrode.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device using a PVD method and enabling achievement of a desired effective work function and reduction in leak current without increasing an equivalent oxide thickness. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device in an embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of: preparing a substrate on which an insulating film having a relative permittivity higher than that of a silicon oxide film is formed; and depositing a metal nitride film on the insulating film. The metal nitride depositing step is a step of sputtering deposition in an evacuatable chamber using a metal target and a cusp magnetic field formed over a surface of the metal target by a magnet mechanism in which magnet pieces are arranged as grid points in such a grid form that the adjacent magnet pieces have their polarities reversed from each other.

Abstract: The present invention provides: an epitaxial film forming method capable of fabricating a +c-polarity epitaxial film made of a Group III nitride semiconductor by sputtering; and a vacuum processing apparatus suitable for this epitaxial film forming method. In one embodiment of the present invention, a Group III nitride semiconductor thin film is epitaxially grown by sputtering on an ?-Al2O3 substrate heated to a desired temperature by using a heater. First, the ?-Al2O3 substrate is disposed on a substrate holder including the heater in such a way that the ?-Al2O3 substrate is disposed away from the heater by a predetermined distance. Then, an epitaxial film of a Group III nitride semiconductor thin film is formed on the ?-Al2O3 substrate in the state where the ?-Al2O3 substrate is disposed away from the heater by the predetermined distance.

Abstract: A vacuum processing apparatus includes an evacuatable vacuum chamber, a substrate holder which is provided in the vacuum chamber, has a substrate chuck surface vertically facing down, and includes an electrostatic chuck mechanism which electrostatically chucks a substrate, a substrate support member which is provided in the vacuum chamber to keep the substrate parallel to the substrate chuck surface and support the substrate in an orientation that allows the substrate chuck surface to chuck the substrate, and a moving mechanism which moves at least one of the substrate holder and the substrate supported by the substrate support member so as to bring the substrate and the substrate holder into contact with each other, thereby causing the substrate holder to chuck the substrate.