Abstract: It was found out that when radicals generated by plasma are fed to a treatment chamber via a plurality of holes (111) formed on a partition plate which separates a plasma-forming chamber (108) from the treatment chamber, and the radicals are mixed with a treatment gas which is separately fed to the treatment chamber, the excitation energy of the radicals is suppressed and thereby the substrate surface treatment at high Si-selectivity becomes possible, which makes it possible to conduct the surface treatment of removing native oxide film and organic matter without deteriorating the flatness of the substrate surface. The radicals in the plasma are fed to the treatment chamber via radical-passing holes (111) of a plasma-confinement electrode plate (110) for plasma separation, the treatment gas is fed to the treatment chamber (121) to be mixed with the radicals in the treatment chamber, and then the substrate surface is cleaned by the mixed atmosphere of the radicals and the treatment gas.

Abstract: A deposition apparatus includes a shutter storage unit which is connected to a processing chamber via an opening and stores a shutter in the retracted state into an exhaust chamber, and a shield member which is formed around the opening of the shutter storage unit and covers the exhaust port of the exhaust chamber. The shield member has, at a position of a predetermined height between the opening of the shutter storage unit and a deposition unit, the first exhaust path which communicates with the exhaust port of the exhaust chamber.

Abstract: It was found out that when radicals generated by plasma are fed to a treatment chamber via a plurality of holes (111) formed on a partition plate which separates a plasma-forming chamber (108) from the treatment chamber, and the radicals are mixed with a treatment gas which is separately fed to the treatment chamber, the excitation energy of the radicals is suppressed and thereby the substrate surface treatment at high Si-selectivity becomes possible, which makes it possible to conduct the surface treatment of removing native oxide film and organic matter without deteriorating the flatness of the substrate surface. The radicals in the plasma are fed to the treatment chamber via radical-passing holes (111) of a plasma-confinement electrode plate (110) for plasma separation, the treatment gas is fed to the treatment chamber (121) to be mixed with the radicals in the treatment chamber, and then the substrate surface is cleaned by the mixed atmosphere of the radicals and the treatment gas.

Abstract: It is an object of this invention to prevent a deposited film from adhering to an exhaust chamber so as to suppress the generation of particles. A sputtering apparatus (1) includes a shutter accommodation unit (23) which is detachably placed in an exhaust chamber (8) and accommodates a shutter (19) in a retracted state, and shield members (40a, 40b) which at least partially cover the exhaust port of the exhaust chamber (8), and are at least partially formed around an opening portion of the shutter accommodation unit (23).

Abstract: A deposition apparatus includes a shutter storage unit which is connected to a processing chamber via an opening and stores a shutter in the retracted state into an exhaust chamber, and a shield member which is formed around the opening of the shutter storage unit and covers the exhaust port of the exhaust chamber. The shield member has, at a position of a predetermined height between the opening of the shutter storage unit and a deposition unit, the first exhaust path which communicates with the exhaust port of the exhaust chamber.

Abstract: A deposition apparatus includes a shutter storage unit which is connected to a processing chamber via an opening and stores a shutter in the retracted state into an exhaust chamber, and a shield member which is formed around the opening of the shutter storage unit and covers the exhaust port of the exhaust chamber. The shield member has, at a position of a predetermined height between the opening of the shutter storage unit and a deposition unit, the first exhaust path which communicates with the exhaust port of the exhaust chamber.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a masking material for dry etching, which is suitable for fine processing of a magnetic film as thin as a few nm such as NiFe or CoFe constituting a TMR film and capable of simplifying the process for producing a TMR element and reducing production costs related to facilities and materials. This object was solved by a masking material for dry etching of a magnetic material by using a mixed gas of carbon monoxide and a nitrogenous compound as etching gas, which comprises a metal (tantalum, tungsten, zirconium or hafnium) with a melting or boiling point increasing upon conversion thereof into a nitride or carbide.

Abstract: It is an object of this invention to prevent a deposited film from adhering to an exhaust chamber so as to suppress the generation of particles. A sputtering apparatus (1) includes a shutter accommodation unit (23) which is detachably placed in an exhaust chamber (8) and accommodates a shutter (19) in a retracted state, and shield members (40a, 40b) which at least partially cover the exhaust port of the exhaust chamber (8), and are at least partially formed around an opening portion of the shutter accommodation unit (23).

Abstract: In one embodiment of the present invention, the processing surface of a substrate having at least a single crystal surface and a dielectric surface is exposed to a first deposition gas containing a source gas and a doping gas to form a first doped thin film on the single crystal surface, whereas supply of the first deposition gas is stopped before a film is formed on the dielectric surface. Next, the processing surface of the substrate is exposed to a second deposition gas containing a source gas and a doping gas to form a second thin film doped with less dopant than the first thin film on the single crystal surface, whereas supply of the second deposition gas is stopped before a film is formed on the dielectric surface. Subsequently, the processing surface of the substrate is exposed to a chlorine-containing gas to be etched.

Abstract: The present invention provides a substrate processing method and a substrate processing apparatus, which are capable of forming a high-k dielectric film with few trapping levels due to oxygen deficiencies and hot carriers by a sputtering method in one and the same vacuum vessel. The substrate processing method according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes: a first step of heating a to-be-processed substrate (102) arranged in a film forming treatment chamber (100) and depositing a metal film on the to-be-processed substrate (102) by physical vapor deposition using a target (106); and a second step of supplying a gas containing elements for oxidizing a metal film in the film forming treatment chamber (100) to oxidize the metal film by a thermal oxidation reaction.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device and a sputtering apparatus which improve the composition of a film formed by a metal and a reactive gas without increasing the number of steps. An embodiment includes the steps of: placing a substrate on a substrate holder in a process chamber; and sputtering a target in the process chamber by applying electric power thereto while feeding a first reactive gas and a second reactive gas having higher reactivity than that of the first reactive gas into the process chamber, to form a film containing a target material on the substrate. The step of forming a film is conducted by feeding at least the first reactive gas from a first gas feed opening formed near the target, and by feeding the second reactive gas from a second gas feed opening formed at a position with the distance from the target larger than that of the first gas feed opening.

Abstract: It was found out that when radicals generated by plasma are fed to a treatment chamber via a plurality of holes (111) formed on a partition plate which separates a plasma-forming chamber (108) from the treatment chamber, and the radicals are mixed with a treatment gas which is separately fed to the treatment chamber, the excitation energy of the radicals is suppressed and thereby the substrate surface treatment at high Si-selectivity becomes possible, which makes it possible to conduct the surface treatment of removing native oxide film and organic matter without deteriorating the flatness of the substrate surface. The radicals in the plasma are fed to the treatment chamber via radical-passing holes (111) of a plasma-confinement electrode plate (110) for plasma separation, the treatment gas is fed to the treatment chamber (121) to be mixed with the radicals in the treatment chamber, and then the substrate surface is cleaned by the mixed atmosphere of the radicals and the treatment gas.

Abstract: A deposition apparatus includes a shutter storage unit which is connected to a processing chamber via an opening and stores a shutter in the retracted state into an exhaust chamber, and a shield member which is formed around the opening of the shutter storage unit and covers the exhaust port of the exhaust chamber. The shield member has, at a position of a predetermined height between the opening of the shutter storage unit and a deposition unit, the first exhaust path which communicates with the exhaust port of the exhaust chamber.

Abstract: HF-originated radicals generated in a plasma-forming chamber are fed to a treatment chamber via feed holes, while HF gas molecules as the treatment gas are supplied to the treatment chamber from near the radical feed holes to suppress the excitation energy, thereby increasing the selectivity to Si to remove a native oxide film. Even with the dry-treatment, the surface treatment provides good surface flatness equivalent to that obtained by the wet-cleaning which requires high-temperature treatment, and further attains growth of Si single crystal film on the substrate after the surface treatment. The surface of formed Si single crystal film has small quantity of impurities of oxygen, carbon, and the like. After sputtering Hf and the like onto the surface of the grown Si single crystal film, oxidation and nitrification are applied thereto to form a dielectric insulation film such as HfO thereon, thus forming a metal electrode film.

Abstract: A sputtering method and a sputtering apparatus are provided in which a target is disposed being inclined relative to a substrate placed on a substrate-placing table so that the condition of d?D is satisfied, (d is the diameter of the substrate, and D is the diameter of the target), and the total number of rotations R of the substrate-placing table from the beginning of film-deposition on the substrate to the completion thereof becomes ten or more. Also the sputtering method and the sputtering apparatus are provided in which the rotational speed V of the substrate-placing table is controlled so that the total number of rotations R thereof satisfies the formula of 0.95×S?0.025?R?1.05×S+0.025 at R?10, (R is the total number of rotations of the substrate-placing table from the beginning of film-deposition on the substrate to the completion thereof, and S is the value of the number of total rotations R rounded off to integer).

Abstract: Radical in a plasma generation chamber is supplied to a process chamber through an introducing aperture, and HF gas is supplied as a process gas from the vicinity of the radical introducing aperture. A native oxide film of the substrate surface of a IV group semiconductor doped an impurity is removed, with a good surface roughness equal to the wet cleaning. The substrate after the surface treatment is deposited with a metal material and metal silicide formation by thermal treatment is performed, and during these processes, the substrate is not exposed to the atmosphere, and a good contact resistance equal to or better than the wet process is obtained.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a masking material for dry etching, which is suitable for fine processing of a magnetic film as thin as a few nm such as NiFe or CoFe constituting a TMR film and capable of simplifying the process for producing a TMR element and reducing production costs related to facilities and materials. This object was solved by a masking material for dry etching of a magnetic material by using a mixed gas of carbon monoxide and a nitrogenous compound as etching gas, which comprises a metal (tantalum, tungsten, zirconium or hafnium) with a melting or boiling point increasing upon conversion thereof into a nitride or carbide.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a masking material for dry etching, which is suitable for fine processing of a magnetic film as thin as a few nm such as NiFe or CoFe constituting a TMR film and capable of simplifying the process for producing a TMR element and reducing production costs related to facilities and materials. This object was solved by a masking material for dry etching of a magnetic material by using a mixed gas of carbon monoxide and a nitrogenous compound as etching gas, which comprises a metal (tantalum, tungsten, zirconium or hafnium) with a melting or boiling point increasing upon conversion thereof into a nitride or carbide.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a masking material for dry etching, which is suitable for fine processing of a magnetic film as thin as a few nm such as NiFe or CoFe constituting a TMR film and capable of simplifying the process for producing a TMR element and reducing production costs related to facilities and materials. This object was solved by a masking material for dry etching of a magnetic material by using a mixed gas of carbon monoxide and a nitrogenous compound as etching gas, which comprises a metal (tantalum, tungsten, zirconium or hafnium) with a melting or boiling point increasing upon conversion thereof into a nitride or carbide.