Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to obtain a vacuum chucking which can vacuum suck a wafer even if dusts attach thereon. The main body of vacuum chuck (101) has a plurality of block grooves (125) on the surface on which the wafer (1) is sucked and fixed, in which vacuum evacuation paths (105) each for vacuum evacuating each block groove (125) are provided for each block groove (125). When the wafer (1) is sucked and fixed under low pressure, even if the degree of vacuum in one of the block grooves (125) decreases due to attachment of dusts on part of the suction surface, or the like, the wafer (1) can surely be sucked and held.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to obtain a vacuum chucking which can vacuum suck a wafer even if dusts attach thereon. The main body of vacuum chuck (101) has a plurality of block grooves (125) on the surface on which the wafer (1) is sucked and fixed, in which vacuum evacuation paths (105) each for vacuum evacuating each block groove (125) are provided for each block groove (125). When the wafer(1) is sucked and fixed under low pressure, even if the degree of vacuum in one of the block grooves (125) decreases due to attachment of dusts on part of the suction surface, or the like, the wafer (1) can surely be sucked and held.

Abstract: A thin film deposition apparatus for use in a semiconductor manufacturing process or the like, is provided to, in particular, deposit a diffusion barrier thin film onto a substrate having a concave portion with a relatively high aspect ratio (hereinafter referred to as a contact hole). In the thin film deposition apparatus, a small surface and point source or a ring-shaped source is employed, evaporation is performed under such a condition that the Knudsen number K.sub.n =.lambda./H (a ratio of a mean free path .lambda. of an evaporation material particle to a distance (H) between the evaporation source and the substrate) becomes 0.1 or more, and a relation of the substrate and the evaporation source is set according to the aspect ratio of the contact hole, resulting in deposition of the thin film with good coverage on a bottom surface of the contact hole.

Abstract: An apparatus for depositing, through evaporation, a thin film on a substrate disposed in a vacuum vessel by ionizing a beam of clusters emitted from an evaporation source and causing the ionized cluster beam to impinge on the substrate, comprises a thermionic emission portion for emitting thermoelectrons disposed in a plane orthogonal to the center axis of the cluster beam, a shield plate for preventing the cluster beam from striking the thermionic emission portion, and a reflection electrode for directing the thermoelectrons emitted from the thermionic emission portion toward the center axis of the cluster beam.

Abstract: An evaporation source in which an evaporation material is vaporized and jetted through a nozzle having a gradually opening cross-section, whereby the size of atom clusters of the jetted vapor can be controlled.

Abstract: A thin film deposition apparatus includes an ionizing means for ionizing part of clusters from a vapor generating source by the cluster ion beam method. The ionizing means has an ionizing filament for emitting thermoelectrons to ionize the clusters, an electron extracting electrode for accelerating the thermoelectrons toward the clusters, and an electron controlling electrode disposed on the side of the electron extracting electrode for controlling the presence of the thermoelectrons at the center of the ionizing section. The thermoelectrons are substantially eliminated in the vicinity of the center of the ionizing portion due to the provision of the thermoelectron extracting electrode, thereby substantially eliminating the cluster ions generated in the vicinity of the center of the ionizing portion and reducing the quantity of clusters that concentrate on the center of a substrate.