Embodiments related to managing the process feed conditions for a semiconductor process module are provided. In one example, a gas channel plate for a semiconductor process module is provided. The example gas channel plate includes a heat exchange surface including a plurality of heat exchange structures separated from one another by intervening gaps. The example gas channel plate also includes a heat exchange fluid director plate support surface for supporting a heat exchange fluid director plate above the plurality of heat exchange structures so that at least a portion of the plurality of heat exchange structures are spaced from the heat exchange fluid director plate.

Process feed management for semiconductor substrate processing

A method of forming an insulation film by alternating multiple times, respectively, a process of adsorbing a precursor onto a substrate and a process of treating the adsorbed surface using reactant gas and a plasma, wherein a plasma is applied in the process of supplying the precursor.

Method of forming insulation film by modified PEALD

The present invention relates to a process and system for depositing a thin film onto a substrate. One aspect of the invention is depositing a thin film metal oxide layer using atomic layer deposition (ALD).

Systems and methods for thin-film deposition of metal oxides using excited nitrogen-oxygen species

Embodiments related to hardware and methods for processing a semiconductor substrate are disclosed. One example film deposition reactor includes a process gas distributor including a plasma gas-feed inlet located to supply plasma gas to a plasma generation region within the film deposition reactor and a precursor gas-feed inlet located to supply film precursor gas downstream of the plasma generation region; an insulating confinement vessel configured to maintain a plasma generation region at a reduced pressure within the film deposition reactor and an inductively-coupled plasma (ICP) coil arranged around a portion of a sidewall of the insulating confinement vessel and positioned so that the sidewall separates the plasma generation region from the ICP coil; and a susceptor configured to support the semiconductor substrate so that a film deposition surface of the semiconductor substrate is exposed to a reaction region formed downstream of the process gas distributor.

Process gas management for an inductively-coupled plasma deposition reactor

A showerhead including a body having an opening, a first plate positioned within the opening and having a plurality of slots, a second plate positioned within the opening and having a plurality of slots, and wherein each of the first plate plurality of slots are concentrically aligned with the second plate plurality of slots.

Semiconductor reaction chamber showerhead

A double patterning (DP) process is introduced with application for advanced technology nodes. This DP technique is enabled by a novel low-temperature pulsed deposition layer (PDL TM ) oxide film which is deposited directly on patterned photoresist. In this article, we will report the results of fabrication of sub-50nm features on a 100nm pitch by the PDL-spacer DP process using 0.85 NA dry ArF lithography. This result represents the potential of the PDL-based DP to significantly enhance the resolution of the patterning process beyond the limits of optical lithography. Components of CD variance for this spacer DP scheme will be discussed.

PDL oxide enabled pitch doubling

Amorphous carbon hard mask films grown with plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition are an enabling technology for advanced front-end-of-line patterning technologies. These films must have a low etch rate and be weakly roughened in dielectric etch chemistries, high transparency at lithography alignment wavelengths, and the mechanical properties to mitigate elastic instabilities such as line bending. The deposition process affects all of these parameters through the resulting structure and composition. Highly graphitic films deposited at 550°C are common; however, other process spaces relying on ion bombardment rather than temperature can create less graphitic films with improved film properties like transparency, hardness, and etch selectivity.

Don Schlosser

Papers

PDL oxide enabled pitch doubling

Patterning with Amorphous Carbon Thin Films