Abstract: A process for selectively etching a material comprising SiO2 over silicon, the method comprising the steps of: placing a silicon substrate comprising a layer of a material comprising SiO2 within a reactor chamber equipped with an energy source; creating a vacuum within the chamber; introducing into the reactor chamber a reactive gas mixture comprising a fluorine compound, a polymerizable fluorocarbon, and an inert gas, wherein the reactive gas mixture is substantially free of added oxygen; activating the energy source to form a plasma activated reactive etching gas mixture within the chamber; and selectively etching the material comprising SiO2 preferentially to the silicon substrate.

Abstract: A process for selectively etching a material comprising SiO2 over silicon, the method comprising the steps of: placing a silicon substrate comprising a layer of a material comprising SiO2 within a reactor chamber equipped with an energy source; creating a vacuum within the chamber; introducing into the reactor chamber a reactive gas mixture comprising a fluorine compound, a polymerizable fluorocarbon, and an inert gas, wherein the reactive gas mixture is substantially free of added oxygen; activating the energy source to form a plasma activated reactive etching gas mixture within the chamber; and selectively etching the material comprising SiO2 preferentially to the silicon substrate.

Abstract: A process for removing carbon-containing residues from a substrate is described herein. In one aspect, there is provided a process for removing carbon-containing residue from at least a portion of a surface of a substrate comprising: providing a process gas comprising an oxygen source, a fluorine source, an and optionally additive gas wherein the molar ratio of oxygen to fluorine contained within the process gas ranges from about 1 to about 10; activating the process gas using at least one energy source to provide reactive species; and contacting the surface of the substrate with the reactive species to volatilize and remove the carbon-containing residue from the surface.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for forming an amorphous carbon layer on a substrate. The method comprises the steps of: positioning the substrate in a processing chamber; introducing a process gas into the processing chamber, wherein the process gas comprises a composition comprising a C4 to C10 cyclic hydrocarbon having a single carbon-carbon double bond, wherein the composition is free of a stabilizer; generating a plasma of the process gas; and depositing an amorphous carbon layer on the substrate.

Abstract: A process for the removal of a substance from a substrate for etching and/or cleaning applications is disclosed herein. In one embodiment, there is provided a process for removing a substance having a dielectric constant greater than silicon dioxide from a substrate by reacting the substance with a reactive agent that comprises at least one member from the group consisting a halogen-containing compound, a boron-containing compound, a hydrogen-containing compound, nitrogen-containing compound, a chelating compound, a carbon-containing compound, a chlorosilane, a hydrochlorosilane, or an organochlorosilane to form a volatile product and removing the volatile product from the substrate to thereby remove the substance from the substrate.

Abstract: A method for determining the endpoint of a cleaning process in which a metallic residue is removed from an underlying surface which comprises a metal by contacting the residue with a cleaning agent which volatilizes the residue and which tends to attack the metal of the underlying surface and volatilizes it if the cleaning process is not terminated timely, and in which the metal comprising the underlying surface is more reactive with the cleaning agent than the metal of the metallic residue, the improvement which comprises terminating the cleaning process at a time when the ratio of the amount of volatilized metal to the amount of cleaning agent increases from a lower to a higher value.

Abstract: A first aspect of a process of recovering xenon from feed gas includes: providing an adsorption vessel containing adsorbent having a Xe/N2 selectivity ratio <75; feeding into the adsorption vessel feed gas having an initial nitrogen concentration >50% and an initial xenon concentration ?0.5%; evacuating the adsorption vessel; and purging the adsorption vessel at a purge-to-feed ratio ?10. The final xenon concentration is ?15× the initial xenon concentration. A second aspect of the process includes providing an adsorption vessel containing adsorbent having a Xe Henry's law Constant ?50 mmole/g/atm; feeding into the adsorption vessel feed gas having an initial nitrogen concentration >50% and an initial xenon concentration ?0.5%; heating and purging the adsorption vessel to recover xenon having a final concentration ?15× its initial concentration. Apparatus for performing the process are also described.

Abstract: Method for processing an article comprising a mixed conducting metal oxide material, which method comprises (a) contacting the article with an oxygen-containing gas and reducing or increasing the temperature of the oxygen-containing gas; (b) when the temperature of the oxygen-containing gas is reduced, reducing the oxygen activity in the oxygen-containing gas; and (c) when the temperature of the oxygen-containing gas is increased, increasing the oxygen activity in the oxygen-containing gas.

Abstract: This invention relates to apparatus and a method to protect the internal components of semiconductor processing equipment such as a plasma reactor or a reactive species generator against physical and/or chemical damages during etching and/or cleaning processes. Layered superlattice materials having three or more metal elements such as strontium bismuth tantalate (SBT) are used to form a protective barrier on the surfaces of the internal components of a reaction chamber.

Abstract: A method for dry etching and chamber cleaning high dielectric constant materials is disclosed herein. In one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process for cleaning a substance comprising a dielectric constant greater than the dielectric constant of silicon dioxide from at least a portion of a surface of a reactor comprising: introducing a first gas mixture comprising a boron-containing reactive agent into the reactor wherein the first gas mixture reacts with the substance contained therein to provide a volatile product and a boron-containing by-product; introducing a second gas mixture comprising a fluorine-containing reactive agent into the reactor wherein the second gas mixture reacts with the boron-containing by-product contained therein to form the volatile product; and removing the volatile product from the reactor.

Abstract: A process for the removal of a substance from a substrate for etching and/or cleaning applications is disclosed herein. In one embodiment, there is provided a process for removing a substance having a dielectric constant greater than silicon dioxide from a substrate by reacting the substance with a reactive agent that comprises at least one member from the group consisting a halogen-containing compound, a boron-containing compound, a hydrogen-containing compound, nitrogen-containing compound, a chelating compound, a carbon-containing compound, a chlorosilane, a hydrochlorosilane, or an organochlorosilane to form a volatile product and removing the volatile product from the substrate to thereby remove the substance from the substrate.

Abstract: A process for removing a substance from a substrate, includes: (1) providing the substrate, wherein: (a) the substrate is at least partially coated with the substance; (b) the substance is a transition metal oxide, a transition metal silicate, a Group 13 metal oxide, a Group 13 metal silicate, or mixtures thereof; and (c) the substance has a dielectric constant greater than silicon dioxide; (2) reacting the substance with a reactive gas to form a volatile product, wherein the reactive gas comprises chlorine; and (3) removing the volatile product from the substrate to thereby remove the substance from the substrate, provided that when the substance is Al2O3 and the substrate is a semiconductor from which the substance is being selectively etched, the process is conducted in the absence of a plasma having a density greater than 1011 cm−3. The process is particularly suitable for etching semiconductors and for cleaning reaction chambers.

Abstract: A process for the removal of a substance from a substrate for etching and/or cleaning applications is disclosed herein. In one embodiment, there is provided a process for removing a substance having a dielectric constant greater than silicon dioxide from a substrate by reacting the substance with a reactive agent that comprises at least one member from the group consisting a halogen-containing compound, a boron-containing compound, a hydrogen-containing compound, nitrogen-containing compound, a chelating compound, a carbon-containing compound, a chlorosilane, a hydrochlorosilane, or an organochlorosilane to form a volatile product and removing the volatile product from the substrate to thereby remove the substance from the substrate.

Abstract: The present invention presents a fluid separation device capable of separating oxygen from an oxygen-containing gaseous mixture which utilizes at least one solid-state membrane comprising a dense mixed conducting multicomponent metallic oxide layer formed from a mixed conducting multicomponent metallic oxide represented by the formulaLn.sub.x A'.sub.x A".sub.x B.sub.y B'.sub.y O.sub.3-z,wherein Ln is an element selected from the f block lanthanides, A' is selected from Group 2, A" is selected from Groups 1, 2 and 3 and the f block lanthanides, and B,B' are independently selected from the d block transition metals, excluding titanium and chromium, wherein 0.ltoreq.x<1, 0<x'.ltoreq.1, 0.ltoreq.x"<1, 0<y<1.1, 0.ltoreq.y'<1.1,x+x'+x"=1.0, 1.1>y+y'>1.0 and z is a number which renders the compound charge neutral.

Abstract: The present invention presents a new class of multicomponent metallic oxides which are particularly suited toward use in fabricating component used in solid-state oxygen separation devices. The compositions of the present invention are represented by the formula Ln.sub.x A'.sub.x ' Co.sub.y Fe.sub.y' Cu.sub.y" O.sub.3-z wherein Ln is an element selected from the f block lanthanides as represented by the IUPAC periodic table of the elements, A' is selected from strontium or calcium, x>0, y>0, y'>0, x +x'=1, y +y'+y"=1, 0.ltoreq.y"<0.4 and z is a number which renders the composition of matter charge neutral. These compositions provide a favorable balance of oxygen permeance, resistance of degradation when employed in such devices under high oxygen partial pressures and possess coefficients of thermal expansion which are compatible with other materials used to fabricate such devices.

Abstract: The present invention presents a new class of multicomponent metallic oxides which are particularly suited toward use in fabricating components used in solid-state oxygen separation devices. The compositions of the present invention are represented by the formula Ln.sub.x A'.sub.x' A".sub.x" B.sub.y B'.sub.y' B".sub.y" O.sub.3-z, wherein Ln is an element selected from the f block lanthanides, A' is selected from Group 2, A" is selected from Groups 1, 2 and 3 and the f block lanthanides, and B,B',B" are independently selected from the d block transition metals, excluding titanium and chromium, wherein 0.ltoreq.x<1, 0<x'<1, 0.ltoreq.x"<1, 0<y<1.1, 0<y'<1.1, 0<y"<1.1, x+x'+x"=1.0, 1.1>y+y'+y">1.0 and z is a number which renders the compound charge neutral wherein such elements are represented according to the Periodic Table of the Elements adopted by IUPAC.