Abstract: A method for forming a silicon oxide film on a step formed on a substrate includes: (a) designing a topology of a final silicon oxide film by preselecting a target portion of an initial silicon nitride film to be selectively deposited or removed or reformed with reference to a non-target portion of the initial silicon nitride film resulting in the final silicon oxide film; and (b) forming the initial silicon nitride film and the final silicon oxide film on the surfaces of the step according to the topology designed in process (a), wherein the initial silicon nitride film is deposited by ALD using a silicon-containing precursor containing halogen, and the initial silicon nitride film is converted to the final silicon oxide film by oxidizing the initial silicon nitride film without further depositing a film wherein a Si—N bond in the initial silicon nitride film is converted to a Si—O bond.

Abstract: A method for forming a dielectric film containing a Si—O bond a trench formed in an upper surface of a substrate, includes: designing a topology of a final dielectric film containing a Si—O bond formed in the trench by preselecting a target portion to be selectively removed relative to a non-target portion of an initial dielectric film resulting in the final dielectric film; conformally depositing the initial dielectric film on the upper surface and in the trench; and relatively increasing an amount of impurities contained in the target portion of the initial dielectric film relative to an amount of impurities contained in the non-target portion of the initial dielectric film to obtain a treated dielectric film, thereby giving the target portion and the non-target portion different chemical resistance properties when subjected to etching.

Abstract: A method for forming a silicon oxide film on a step formed on a substrate includes: (a) designing a topology of a final silicon oxide film by preselecting a target portion of an initial silicon nitride film to be selectively deposited or removed or reformed with reference to a non-target portion of the initial silicon nitride film resulting in the final silicon oxide film; and (b) forming the initial silicon nitride film and the final silicon oxide film on the surfaces of the step according to the topology designed in process (a), wherein the initial silicon nitride film is deposited by ALD using a silicon-containing precursor containing halogen, and the initial silicon nitride film is converted to the final silicon oxide film by oxidizing the initial silicon nitride film without further depositing a film wherein a Si—N bond in the initial silicon nitride film is converted to a Si—O bond.

Abstract: A method of forming, on a substrate having a recess pattern, a silicon carbide film having a reflective index of 2.3 or higher as measured at 633 nm, includes (i) supplying an organosilane precursor in a pulse to a reaction space where the substrate is placed, which precursor has a formula of RSiH3 wherein R is a hydrocarbon-containing moiety including at least one unsaturated bond; (ii) continuously supplying a plasma-generating gas to the reaction space, which plasma-generating gas is selected from the group consisting of inert gases and hydride gases; (iii) continuously applying RF power to the reaction space to generate a plasma which excites the precursor; and (iv) repeating steps (i) through (iii), thereby forming a silicon carbide film on the substrate, which silicon carbide film has a reflective index of 2.3 or higher as measured at 633 nm.

Abstract: A method for forming a dielectric film containing a Si—O bond a trench formed in an upper surface of a substrate, includes: designing a topology of a final dielectric film containing a Si—O bond formed in the trench by preselecting a target portion to be selectively removed relative to a non-target portion of an initial dielectric film resulting in the final dielectric film; conformally depositing the initial dielectric film on the upper surface and in the trench; and relatively increasing an amount of impurities contained in the target portion of the initial dielectric film relative to an amount of impurities contained in the non-target portion of the initial dielectric film to obtain a treated dielectric film, thereby giving the target portion and the non-target portion different chemical resistance properties when subjected to etching.

Abstract: A method of forming, on a substrate having a recess pattern, a silicon carbide film having a reflective index of 2.3 or higher as measured at 633 nm, includes (i) supplying an organosilane precursor in a pulse to a reaction space where the substrate is placed, which precursor has a formula of RSiH3 wherein R is a hydrocarbon-containing moiety including at least one unsaturated bond; (ii) continuously supplying a plasma-generating gas to the reaction space, which plasma-generating gas is selected from the group consisting of inert gases and hydride gases; (iii) continuously applying RF power to the reaction space to generate a plasma which excites the precursor; and (iv) repeating steps (i) through (iii), thereby forming a silicon carbide film on the substrate, which silicon carbide film has a reflective index of 2.3 or higher as measured at 633 nm.

Abstract: A method of depositing an oxide film on a template for patterning in semiconductor fabrication, includes: (i) providing a template having patterned structures thereon in a reaction space; and (ii) depositing an oxide film on the template by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) using nitrogen gas as a carrier gas and also as a dilution gas, thereby entirely covering with the oxide film an exposed top surface of the template and the patterned structures.

Abstract: A method for etching a target layer on a substrate by a dry etching process includes at least one etching cycle, wherein an etching cycle includes: depositing a carbon halide film using reactive species on the target layer on the substrate; and etching the carbon halide film using a plasma of a non-halogen hydrogen-containing etching gas, which plasma alone does not substantially etch the target layer, thereby generating a hydrogen halide as etchant species at a boundary region of the carbon halide film and the target layer, thereby etching a portion of the target layer in the boundary region.

Abstract: A method for depositing a film by plasma-enhanced subatmospheric-pressure atomic layer deposition (subatmospheric PEALD) is conducted using capacitively coupled parallel plate electrodes with a gap of 1 mm to 5 mm, wherein one cycle of subatmospheric PEALD includes: supplying a precursor in a pulse to the reaction chamber; continuously supplying a reactant to the reaction chamber; continuously supplying an inert gas to the reaction chamber; continuously controlling a pressure of the reaction chamber in a range of 15 kPa to 80 kPa; and applying RF power for glow discharge in a pulse to one of the parallel plate electrodes.

Abstract: A method of reforming an insulating film deposited on a substrate having a recess pattern constituted by a bottom and sidewalls, includes: providing the film deposited on the substrate having the recess pattern in an evacuatable reaction chamber, wherein a property of a portion of the film deposited on the sidewalls is inferior to that of a portion of the film deposited on a top surface of the substrate; adjusting a pressure of an atmosphere of the reaction chamber to 10 Pa or less, which atmosphere is constituted by H2 and/or He without a precursor and without a reactant; and applying RF power to the atmosphere of the pressure-adjusted reaction chamber to generate a plasma to which the film is exposed, thereby reforming the portion of the film deposited on the sidewalls to improve the property of the sidewall portion of the film.

Abstract: A method for etching a target layer on a substrate by a dry etching process includes at least one etching cycle, wherein an etching cycle includes: depositing a carbon halide film using reactive species on the target layer on the substrate; and etching the carbon halide film using a plasma of a non-halogen hydrogen-containing etching gas, which plasma alone does not substantially etch the target layer, thereby generating a hydrogen halide as etchant species at a boundary region of the carbon halide film and the target layer, thereby etching a portion of the target layer in the boundary region.

Abstract: A method of reforming an insulating film deposited on a substrate having a recess pattern constituted by a bottom and sidewalls, includes: providing the film deposited on the substrate having the recess pattern in an evacuatable reaction chamber, wherein a property of a portion of the film deposited on the sidewalls is inferior to that of a portion of the film deposited on a top surface of the substrate; adjusting a pressure of an atmosphere of the reaction chamber to 10 Pa or less, which atmosphere is constituted by H2 and/or He without a precursor and without a reactant; and applying RF power to the atmosphere of the pressure-adjusted reaction chamber to generate a plasma to which the film is exposed, thereby reforming the portion of the film deposited on the sidewalls to improve the property of the sidewall portion of the film.

Abstract: A method for depositing a film by plasma-enhanced subatmospheric-pressure atomic layer deposition (subatmospheric PEALD) is conducted using capacitively coupled parallel plate electrodes with a gap of 1 mm to 5 mm, wherein one cycle of subatmospheric PEALD includes: supplying a precursor in a pulse to the reaction chamber; continuously supplying a reactant to the reaction chamber; continuously supplying an inert gas to the reaction chamber; continuously controlling a pressure of the reaction chamber in a range of 15 kPa to 80 kPa; and applying RF power for glow discharge in a pulse to one of the parallel plate electrodes.

Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus includes a chamber, a stage provided in the chamber, a shower head in which a plurality of slits are formed, and which is opposed to the stage, an opening/closing part for opening and closing the plurality of slits, a first gas supply part which supplies a gas to a space between the stage and the shower head via the plurality of slits, and a second gas supply part which is connected to a side wall of the chamber, and which supplies a gas to the space between the stage and the shower head.

Abstract: A method for etching a target layer on a substrate by a dry etching process includes at least one etching cycle, wherein an etching cycle includes: depositing a halogen-containing film using reactive species on the target layer on the substrate; and etching the halogen-containing film using a plasma of a non-halogen etching gas, which plasma alone does not substantially etch the target layer, to generate etchant species at a boundary region of the halogen-containing film and the target layer, thereby etching a portion of the target layer in the boundary region.

Abstract: A method of atomic layer etching (ALE) uses a cycle including: continuously providing a noble gas; providing a pulse of an etchant gas to the reaction space to chemisorb the etchant gas in an unexcited state in a self-limiting manner on a surface of a substrate in the reaction space; and providing a pulse of a reactive species of a noble gas in the reaction space to contact the etchant gas-chemisorbed surface of the substrate with the reactive species so that the layer on the substrate is etched. The etchant gas is a fluorocarbon gas containing a functional group with a polarity.

Abstract: A method of atomic layer etching (ALE) uses a cycle including: continuously providing a noble gas; providing a pulse of an etchant gas to the reaction space to chemisorb the etchant gas in an unexcited state in a self-limiting manner on a surface of a substrate in the reaction space; and providing a pulse of a reactive species of a noble gas in the reaction space to contact the etchant gas-chemisorbed surface of the substrate with the reactive species so that the layer on the substrate is etched. The etchant gas is a fluorocarbon gas containing a functional group with a polarity.

Abstract: A method of continuous fabrication of a layered structure on a substrate having a patterned recess, includes: (i) forming a dielectric layer on a substrate having a patterned recess in a reaction chamber by PEALD using a first RF power; (ii) continuously after completion of step (i) without breaking vacuum, etching the dielectric layer on the substrate in the reaction chamber by PEALE using a second RF power, wherein a pressure of the reaction chamber is controlled at 30 Pa to 1,333 Pa throughout steps (i) and (ii); a noble gas is supplied to the reaction chamber continuously throughout steps (i) and (ii); and the second RF power is higher than the first RF power.

Abstract: A method for forming a dielectric film in a trench on a substrate by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) performs one or more process cycles, each process cycle including: (i) feeding a silicon-containing precursor in a pulse; (ii) supplying a hydrogen-containing reactant gas at a flow rate of more than about 30 sccm but less than about 800 sccm in the absence of nitrogen-containing gas; (iii) supplying a noble gas to the reaction space; and (iv) applying RF power in the presence of the reactant gas and the noble gas and in the absence of any precursor in the reaction space, to form a monolayer constituting a dielectric film on a substrate at a growth rate of less than one atomic layer thickness per cycle.

Abstract: A shower apparatus is provided with a plurality of shower discharge ports. More specifically, a shower apparatus is provided, in which hot water remains in a hot water line, that is communicated with the shower discharge ports, after the discharge has been completed. The hot water, which has a lower temperature, is drained through a drain valve for disposal of the water in the hot water line and a drain line. At the beginning of the next shower discharge, cold water is thus prevented from being discharged. The operation of an opening and closing valve for effecting discharge and stoppage of each shower discharge port is controlled according to control programs, so that the shower discharge is automatically controlled. The content of the shower discharge, carried out according to the programs, can be changed by a user through the operation of a control section. Moreover, upon the start of the shower discharge, a sudden jet of water is prevented.