An object is to provide a semiconductor device of which a manufacturing process is not complicated and by which cost can be suppressed, by forming a thin film transistor using an oxide semiconductor film typified by zinc oxide, and a manufacturing method thereof. For the semiconductor device, a gate electrode is formed over a substrate; a gate insulating film is formed covering the gate electrode; an oxide semiconductor film is formed over the gate insulating film; and a first conductive film and a second conductive film are formed over the oxide semiconductor film. The oxide semiconductor film has at least a crystallized region in a channel region.

Semiconductor device, and manufacturing method thereof

Process gas discharged from a bypass pipe to a gas exhaust system can be prevented from diffusing back to the inside of a process chamber without having to install a dedicated vacuum pump at the downstream side of the bypass pipe. The substrate processing apparatus includes a process chamber accommodating a substrate, a gas supply system supplying process gas from a process gas source to the process chamber for processing the substrate, a gas exhaust system configured to exhaust the process chamber, two or more vacuum pumps installed in series at the gas exhaust system, and a bypass pipe connected between the gas supply system and the gas exhaust system. The most upstream one of the vacuum pumps is a mechanical booster pump, and the bypass pipe is connected between the mechanical booster pump and the rest vacuum pumps located at a downstream side of the mechanical booster pump.

Substrate Processing Apparatus

The present invention provides a substrate processing method to process a substrate including at least a process layer, an intermediate layer, and a mask layer are stacked in this order. The mask layer includes an aperture configured to expose a portion of the intermediate layer. The substrate processing method includes a material deposition step of depositing a material on a side surface of the aperture and exposing a portion of the process layer by etching the exposed portion of the intermediate layer by plasma generated from a deposit gas, and an etching step of etching the exposed portion of the process layer.

Substrate processing method

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

After forming a resist film including a hygroscopic compound, pattern exposure is performed by selectively irradiating the resist film with exposing light while supplying water onto the resist film. After the pattern exposure, the resist film is developed so as to form a resist pattern.

Pattern formation method

A developing unit, a coating unit and a plurality of cooling plates are arranged in a process station which performs a resist coating and so on and a wafer is transferred among them by a substrate transfer device. The temperature of an area to where the wafer is transferred is detected by a temperature/humidity detector and the temperature of the wafer which is cooled by the cooling plates is adjusted accordingly based on a detected value so that the temperature of the wafer when transferred to the coating unit becomes a coating temperature of a processing solution. Thereby, the wafer is transferred to the coating unit while maintaining its temperature with high accuracy to be coated with a resist solution, so that a formation of an uneven processing due to the temperature change can be prevented and a uniform processing can be performed.

Substrate processing method and substrate processing apparatus

The present invention provides a substrate treating system for successively treating a plurality of substrates W under an air-conditioned environment. The system comprises an outer casing (100a, 302) provided with a cassette transfer port (100b, 304) through which a cassette (CR, C) is transferred, a cassette section (10, 351) having a cassette table (20, 303) arranged within an inner space surrounded by the outer casing for supporting the cassette transferred through the cassette transfer port, a sub-arm mechanism (22, 311) for taking the substrates one by one from the cassette section, a process section (12, 352) positioned adjacent to the cassette section and having a plurality of treating units for treating the substrates arranged therein, a main arm mechanism (24, 312, 313) arranged within the process section for receiving the substrates from the sub-arm mechanism arranged in the cassette section and, then, transferring the received substrates to each of the treating units while transferring the treated substrates out of the treating units, an air supply mechanism (10a, 10b, 12a, 14a, 16a to 16e, 30, 31, 32, 33a to 33f, 34, 36, 37a to 37e, 38, 39, 48, 306, 306a, 306b) for supplying a clean air to form a down-stream within the space surrounded by the outer casing (100a, 302), and a partition plate (11, 11A, 29, 51, 61, 305) for partitioning the inner space surrounded by the outer casing (100a, 302) not to interfere the down-flow of the air formed by the air supply mechanism, the partition plate having a substrate transfer port (11a, 11b, 29a, 51a, 61a, 308) through which the substrate is transferred from one of the partitioned spaces to the other partitioned space.

Substrate treating system and substrate treating method

In a developing method for performing developing treatment of a substrate by supplying a developing solution onto a resist film formed on a surface of the substrate, the present invention controls a zeta potential of the surface of the substrate at a predetermined potential in the same polarity as that of a zeta potential of insoluble substances floating in the developing solution, thereby preventing or reducing the adhesion of the insoluble substances to the resist film and the substrate. This remedies the occurrence of development defects. The adhesion of the insoluble substances to the resist film and the substrate can also be prevented or inhibited by supplying an acid liquid to a liquid on the substrate, or controlling a pH value of the liquid on the substrate to control an absolute value of the zeta potential of the insoluble substances.

Developing method and developing unit

A substrate treatment system comprises process sections provided with at least either of liquid treatment group units and heat treatment group units, an upper space formed above the process sections in order to supply air to the process sections, a purification section for removing alkaline components from the air to be supplied to the upper spaces to purify the air, temperature/humidity controller communicating with the urification section and the upper spaces to control the temperature and humidity of the air passing through the purification sections, and fans for supplying air to the top spaces from the temperature/humidity controller, lowering the air from the upper spaces into the process sections, and supplying at least some of the air lowering through the process sections to the temperature/humidity controller.

Substrate treatment system

The present invention is a system for performing coating and developing treatment for a substrate, which comprises a treatment section having a coating treatment unit for forming a coating film on the substrate, a developing treatment unit for developing the substrate, a thermal treatment unit for performing thermal treatment for the substrate, and a first carrier unit for carrying the substrate into/out of these coating treatment unit, developing treatment unit, and thermal treatment unit. The system of the present invention further comprises an interface section having a second carrier unit for carrying the substrate through a route at least between the treatment section and an exposure processing unit provided outside the system for performing exposure processing for the substrate. The system of the present invention still further comprises a pressure reducing and removing unit for removing impurities adhering to the coating film on the substrate by suction in a chamber before the substrate is subjected to the exposure processing. According to the present invention, before exposure processing, impurities at molecular level such as oxygen, ozone, and organic substances and impurities such as particulates which adhere to the coating film of the substrate can be removed, whereby exposure processing is suitably performed, resulting in a rise in yield.

Junichi Kitano

Papers

Substrate processing method and substrate processing apparatus

Substrate treating system and substrate treating method

Developing method and developing unit

Substrate treatment system

System and method for coating and developing