Abstract: When a substrate is etched by using a processing gas including a first gas containing halogen and carbon and having a carbon number of two or less per molecule, while supplying the processing gas toward the substrate independently from a central and a peripheral portion of a gas supply unit, which face the central and the periphery part of the substrate respectively, the processing gas is supplied such that a gas flow rate is greater in the central portion than in the peripheral portion. When the substrate is etched by using a processing gas including a second gas containing halogen and carbon and having a carbon number of three or more per molecule, the processing gas is supplied such that a gas flow rate is greater in the peripheral portion than in the central portion.

Abstract: When a substrate is etched by using a processing gas including a first gas containing halogen and carbon and having a carbon number of two or less per molecule, while supplying the processing gas toward the substrate independently from a central and a peripheral portion of a gas supply unit, which face the central and the periphery part of the substrate respectively, the processing gas is supplied such that a gas flow rate is greater in the central portion than in the peripheral portion. When the substrate is etched by using a processing gas including a second gas containing halogen and carbon and having a carbon number of three or more per molecule, the processing gas is supplied such that a gas flow rate is greater in the peripheral portion than in the central portion.

Abstract: An input of a command to stop optical output or a command to reduce optical output by a main signal transmitting section is received from the outside. When the input of the optical output stop command or optical output reduction command is received, an inter-device control signal communication section transmits the optical output stop command or optical output reduction command. Based on the input optical output stop command or optical output reduction command, an output of optical signals from the main signal transmitting section is stopped, or else the output level is reduced to less than the output level during normal operation.

Abstract: A method for removing a mask layer and reducing damage to a patterned dielectric layer is described. The method comprises disposing a substrate in a plasma processing system, wherein the substrate has a dielectric layer formed thereon and a mask layer overlying the dielectric layer. A pattern is formed in the mask layer and a feature formed in the dielectric layer corresponding to the pattern as a result of an etching process used to transfer the pattern in the mask layer to the dielectric layer. The feature includes a sidewall with a first roughness resulting from the etching process. A process gas comprising CO2 and CO is introduced into the plasma processing system, and plasma is formed. The mask layer is removed, and a second roughness, less than the first roughness, is produced by selecting a flow rate of the CO relative to a flow rate of the CO2.

Abstract: A method for transferring a feature pattern to a thin film on a substrate using a hard mask layer is described. The method comprises exposing the substrate to an oxygen-containing flash process after the feature pattern is transferred to the hard mask layer and before the feature pattern is transferred to the thin film.

Abstract: A method of dry developing a multi-layer mask having a silicon-containing anti-reflective coating (ARC) layer on a substrate is described. The method comprises forming the multi-layer mask on the substrate, wherein the multi-layer mask comprises a lithographic layer overlying the silicon-containing ARC layer. A feature pattern is then formed in the lithographic layer using a lithographic process, wherein the feature pattern comprises a first critical dimension (CD). Thereafter, the feature pattern is transferred from the lithographic layer to the silicon-containing ARC layer using a dry plasma etching process, wherein the first CD in the lithographic layer is reduced to a second CD in the silicon-containing layer and a first edge roughness is reduced to a second edge roughness in the silicon-containing ARC layer.

Abstract: A process is provided for substrate ashing following the etching of features in a low dielectric constant (low-k) layer. The low-k layer can include ultra-low-k material, or a porous low-k material. The process may be configured to remove etch byproducts while preserving feature critical dimension. The ashing process comprises the use of a nitrogen and hydrogen containing chemistry with a passivation chemistry that includes oxygen, such as O2, CO, or CO2, or any combination thereof.

Abstract: In a plasma etching method for etching a target object by using a plasma of a processing gas in a processing chamber of a plasma processing apparatus, the target object includes an etching target film and a porous Low-k film formed above the etching target film. The processing gas contains CO2 and a fluorocarbon compound made up of fluorine and carbon in which the number of carbon atom is 2 or less in a molecule, but does not contains a hydrofluorocarbon compound made up of carbon, fluorine and hydrogen.

Abstract: A process is provided for substrate ashing following the etching of features in a low dielectric constant (low-k) layer. The low-k layer can include ultra-low-k material, or a porous low-k material. The process may be configured to remove etch byproducts while preserving feature critical dimension. The ashing process comprises the use of a nitrogen and hydrogen containing chemistry with a passivation chemistry that includes oxygen, such as O2, CO, or CO2, or any combination thereof.

Abstract: When a substrate is etched by using a processing gas including a first gas containing halogen and carbon and having a carbon number of two or less per molecule, while supplying the processing gas toward the substrate independently from a central and a peripheral portion of a gas supply unit, which face the central and the periphery part of the substrate respectively, the processing gas is supplied such that a gas flow rate is greater in the central portion than in the peripheral portion. When the substrate is etched by using a processing gas including a second gas containing halogen and carbon and having a carbon number of three or more per molecule, the processing gas is supplied such that a gas flow rate is greater in the peripheral portion than in the central portion.

Abstract: A dry developing method for drawing a resist formed on a processed body by leading processing gas between parallel flat electrodes installed in a vacuum processing container and forming the plasma of the processing gas by applying a high frequency power to the electrodes, comprising the step of plasma-processing the resist on an etched layer having an already developed upper layer resist containing silicon and a lower layer resist installed in contact with the lower layer of the upper layer resist, wherein the lower layer resist is processed by a first process for plasma-processing by using the mixed gas of carbon monoxide gas and oxygen gas and a second step for plasma-processing by using the mixed gas of nitrogen gas and hydrogen gas, whereby an accurate drawing can be applied efficiently to the resist.

Abstract: It is an object of the invention to provide a level-flattening circuit for WDM optical signals which can be used in an optical signal repeating station. A level flattening circuit for WDM optical signals is supplied with WDM optical signal and demultiplexs them into individual optical signals having different wavelengths, levels of which are separately feedback controlled to provide flattened optical signal levels.

Abstract: A cross-connection device has two three-port optical circulators for being supplied with wavelength-division-multiplexed optical signals each having a plurality of wavelengths from respective input ports, a fiber grating mirror inserted between the three-port optical circulators, for reflecting only an optical signal having a certain wavelength and passing optical signals having other wavelengths, a fiber grating mirror controller for controlling the wavelength reflected by the fiber grating mirror, and two output ports for outputting cross-connected wavelength-division-multiplexed optical signals from the optical circulators. The fiber grating mirror controller controls the temperature and pressure applied to the fiber grating mirror to select the wavelength reflected by the fiber grating mirror.