Abstract: A method of etching a substrate to produce a plurality of surface relief diffraction gratings by providing a dielectric substrate having a mask formed on an upper surface thereof, the mask having a plurality of apertures. Further, positioning the substrate on a substrate support in a chamber of a plasma etching apparatus. Even further, positioning a Faraday cage so that an upper portion of the Faraday cage is disposed above the upper surface of the substrate and an electrical connection is maintained between the Faraday cage and the substrate support. The upper portion of the Faraday cage has a plurality of discrete regions having open areas through which the substrate can be plasma etched. Yet further, plasma etching the substrate to produce a plurality of surface relief diffraction gratings. The plurality of surface relief diffraction gratings have at least two subsets having different angles and/or orientations.

Abstract: A method of processing a semiconductor wafer is provided. The method includes introducing the wafer to a main chamber via a loading port, using a transfer mechanism to transfer the wafer to a first wafer processing module in a stack so that the wafer is disposed substantially horizontally in the first wafer processing module with a front face facing upwards, and performing a processing step on the front face of the wafer in the first wafer processing module.

Abstract: An apparatus for electrochemically processing a semiconductor substrate includes a processing chamber of the type that is sealable to a peripheral portion of a semiconductor substrate so as to define a covered processing volume. The semiconductor substrate is supported by a substrate support. A magnetic arrangement is disposed outside of the processing chamber and produces a magnetic field. The magnetic field is changed using a controller for controlling the magnetic arrangement. An agitator is disposed within the processing chamber. The agitator comprises a magnetically responsive element which is responsive to changes in the magnetic field of the magnetic arrangement so as to provide a reciprocating motion to the agitator.

Abstract: A method of processing a semiconductor wafer is provided. The method includes introducing the wafer to a main chamber via a loading port, using a transfer mechanism to transfer the wafer to a first wafer processing module in a stack so that the wafer is disposed substantially horizontally in the first wafer processing module with a front face facing upwards, and performing a processing step on the front face of the wafer in the first wafer processing module.

Abstract: An apparatus for processing a front face of a semiconductor wafer is provided. The apparatus includes a main chamber, at least one loading port connected to the main chamber for introducing the wafer to the main chamber, at least one stack of wafer processing modules, and a transfer mechanism for transferring the wafer between the loading port and the processing modules. The at least one stack of wafer processing modules includes three or more substantially vertically stacked wafer processing modules, wherein adjacent wafer processing modules in the stack have a vertical separation of less than 50 cm, and each processing module is configured to process the wafer when disposed substantially horizontally therein with the front face of the wafer facing upwards, and at least one wafer processing module is an electrochemical wafer processing module.

Abstract: An apparatus for electrochemically processing a semiconductor substrate includes a processing chamber of the type that is sealable to a peripheral portion of a semiconductor substrate so as to define a covered processing volume. The semiconductor substrate is supported by a substrate support. A magnetic arrangement is disposed outside of the processing chamber and produces a magnetic field. The magnetic field is changed using a controller for controlling the magnetic arrangement. An agitator is disposed within the processing chamber. The agitator comprises a magnetically responsive element which is responsive to changes in the magnetic field of the magnetic arrangement so as to provide a reciprocating motion to the agitator.

Abstract: According to the invention there is provided a method of producing a structure comprising the steps of: a) providing a substrate comprising one or more features that correspond to the shape of the structure to be produced, wherein the one or more features comprise a hydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surface; b) exposing at least a part of the hydrophobic PDMS surface to a plasma so that the part of the hydrophobic PDMS surface that is exposed to the plasma forms a hydrophilic PDMS surface; c) depositing a seed layer onto the hydrophilic PDMS surface by electroless deposition; d) depositing one or more metallic layers onto the seed layer by electrochemical deposition to form the structure; and e) removing the structure from the substrate.

Abstract: According to the invention a method of removing electrolyte from an electrochemical deposition or polishing chamber comprising the steps of: providing an electrochemical deposition or polishing chamber comprising a support for a substrate, the support having an in-use position; a housing having an interior surface and a fluid outlet pathway for removing electrolyte from the chamber, wherein the fluid outlet pathway includes one or more slots which extend into the housing from at least one slotted opening formed in the interior surface; a seal for sealing the housing to a peripheral portion of a surface of a substrate position on the support in its in-use position; and a tilting mechanism for tilting the chamber in order to assist in removing electrolyte from the housing through the fluid outlet pathway; using an electrolyte to perform an electrochemical deposition or polishing processing on a substrate positioned on the support in its in-use position; and tilting the chamber using the tilting mechanism in ord

Abstract: An apparatus for processing a front face of a semiconductor wafer is provided. The apparatus includes a main chamber, at least one loading port connected to the main chamber for introducing the wafer to the main chamber, at least one stack of wafer processing modules, and a transfer mechanism for transferring the wafer between the loading port and the processing modules. The at least one stack of wafer processing modules includes three or more substantially vertically stacked wafer processing modules, wherein adjacent wafer processing modules in the stack have a vertical separation of less than 50 cm, and each processing module is configured to process the wafer when disposed substantially horizontally therein with the front face of the wafer facing upwards, and at least one wafer processing module is an electrochemical wafer processing module.

Abstract: According to the invention a method of removing electrolyte from an electrochemical deposition or polishing chamber comprising the steps of: providing an electrochemical deposition or polishing chamber comprising a support for a substrate, the support having an in-use position; a housing having an interior surface and a fluid outlet pathway for removing electrolyte from the chamber, wherein the fluid outlet pathway includes one or more slots which extend into the housing from at least one slotted opening formed in the interior surface; a seal for sealing the housing to a peripheral portion of a surface of a substrate position on the support in its in-use position; and a tilting mechanism for tilting the chamber in order to assist in removing electrolyte from the housing through the fluid outlet pathway; using an electrolyte to perform an electrochemical deposition or polishing processing on a substrate positioned on the support in its in-use position; and tilting the chamber using the tilting mechanism in ord

Abstract: This invention relates to apparatus for electrochemical deposition onto the surface of a substrate. The apparatus includes an anode electrode 13 a support 12 for supporting the substrate 11 with its one surface 21 exposed at a location, the support 12 and the anode electrode 13 being relatively movable to alter the gap between the anode 13 and the location to define a chamber 23 between them and an electrical power source 18 with an ohmic contact to the seed layer 20 for creating a potential difference across the gap. The apparatus further includes a seal 14 for sealing with the seed layer 20 to define the fluid chamber 23; and the fluid inlet 16 and a fluid outlet 17 to the chamber 13.

Abstract: According to the invention an electrochemical deposition or polishing clamber including: a support for a substrate, the support having an in-use position; a housing having an interior surface and a fluid outlet pathway for removing an electrolyte from the chamber, wherein the fluid outlet pathway includes one or more slots which extend into the housing from at least one slotted opening formed in the interior surface; a seal for sealing the housing to a peripheral portion of a surface of a substrate position on the support in its in-use position; and a tilting mechanism for tilting the chamber in order to assist in removing electrolyte from the housing through the fluid outlet pathway.

Abstract: This invention relates an ion beam source (10) for use with a non-electrical conducting target (14) including a grid (13) for extracting ions and a power supply for supplying pass power to the grid (13) to extract the ions.

Abstract: According to the invention an electrochemical deposition or polishing clamber including: a support for a substrate, the support having an in-use position; a housing having an interior surface and a fluid outlet pathway for removing an electrolyte from the chamber, wherein the fluid outlet pathway includes one or more slots which extend into the housing from at least one slotted opening formed in the interior surface; a seal for sealing the housing to a peripheral portion of a surface of a substrate position on the support in its in-use position; and a tilting mechanism for tilting the chamber in order to assist in removing electrolyte from the housing through the fluid outlet pathway.

Abstract: A method is for processing a substrate. The method includes placing the substrate in a process volume and introducing a process gas or vapor into the process volume and/or subsequently removing gas or vapor from the volume. The step of introducing and/or removing the gas is at least partially performed by moving a movable wall to change the process volume in an appropriate sense.

Abstract: This invention relates to apparatus for electrochemical deposition onto the surface of a substrate. The apparatus includes an anode electrode 13 a support 12 for supporting the substrate 11 with its one surface 21 exposed at a location, the support and the anode electrode 13 being relatively movable to alter the gap between the anode 13 and the location to define a chamber between them and an electrical power source 18 with an ohmic contact to the seed layer 20 for creating a potential difference across the gap. The apparatus further includes a seal 14 for sealing with the seed layer 20 to define the fluid chamber 23; and the flu inlet 16 and a fluid outlet 17 to the chamber 13.

Abstract: A gas delivery device is for use in low pressure Atomic Layer Deposition at a substrate location. The device includes a first generally elongate injector for supplying process gas to a process zone, a first exhaust zone circumjacent the process zone, and a further injector circumjacent the first exhaust gas for supplying purge or inert gas at an outlet surrounding the process zone having a wall for facing the location circumjacent the outlet to define at least a partial gas seal.

Abstract: This invention relates an ion beam source (10) for use with a non-electrical conducting target (14) including a grid (13) for extracting ions and a power supply for supplying pass power to the grid (13) to extract the ions.

Abstract: A modified TDEAT (tetrakisdiethylamino titanium) based MOCVD precursor for deposition of thin amorphous TiN:Si diffusion barrier layers. The TDEAT is doped with 10 at % Si using TDMAS (trisdimethlyaminosilane); the two liquids are found to form a stable solution when mixed together. Deposition occurs via pyrolysis of the vaporised precursor and NH3 on a heated substrate surface. Experimental results show that we have modified the precursor in such a way to reduce gas phase component of the deposition when compared to the unmodified TDEAT-NH3 reaction. Deposition temperatures were the range of 250-450° C. and under a range of process conditions the modified precursor shows improvements in coating conformality, a reduction in resistivity and an amorphous structure, as shown by TEM and XRD analysis. SIMS and scanning AES have shown that the film is essentially stoichiometric in Ti:N ratio and contains low levels of C (˜0.4 at %) and trace levels of incorporated Si (0.01<Si<0.5 at %).

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device. In this method, a semiconductor device is provided comprising a substrate (10), the substrate (10) being covered with a low-k precursor layer (20) having a surface (25). After this step, a partial curing step is performed in which a dense layer (30) is formed at or near the surface (25) of a low-k precursor layer (20). This dense layer (30) can act as a protective layer (30). The low-k precursor material (20) is chosen from a group of materials having the property that they are applicable in a non-cured or partially cured state. The main advantage of this method is that no separate protective layer (30) needs to be provided to the low-k precursor layer (20), because the dense layer (30) is formed out of the low-k precursor layer (20) itself. The dense layer (30) therefore has a good adhesion to the low-k precursor layer (20).