Abstract: A method is provided for forming an amorphous carbon layer, deposited on a dielectric material such as oxide, nitride, silicon carbide, carbon doped oxide, etc., or a metal layer such as tungsten, aluminum or poly-silicon. The method includes the use of chamber seasoning, variable thickness of seasoning film, wider spacing, variable process gas flows, post-deposition purge with inert gas, and post-deposition plasma purge, among others, to make the deposition of an amorphous carbon film at low deposition temperatures possible without any defects or particle contamination.

Abstract: A method is provided for forming an amorphous carbon layer, deposited on a dielectric material such as oxide, nitride, silicon carbide, carbon doped oxide, etc., or a metal layer such as tungsten, aluminum or poly-silicon. The method includes the use of chamber seasoning, variable thickness of seasoning film, wider spacing, variable process gas flows, post-deposition purge with inert gas, and post-deposition plasma purge, among others, to make the deposition of an amorphous carbon film at low deposition temperatures possible without any defects or particle contamination.

Abstract: Methods are provided for processing a substrate including etching conductive materials with amorphous carbon materials disposed thereon. In one aspect, the invention provides a method for processing a substrate including forming a conductive material layer on a surface of the substrate, depositing an amorphous carbon layer on the conductive material layer, etching the amorphous carbon layer to form a patterned amorphous carbon layer, and etching feature definitions in the conductive material layer corresponding to the patterned amorphous carbon layer. The amorphous carbon layer may act as a hardmask, an etch stop, or an anti-reflective coating.