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 relates generally to depositing elemental thin films. In particular, the invention concerns a method of growing elemental metal thin films by Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) using a boron compound as a reducing agent. In a preferred embodiment the method comprises introducing vapor phase pulses of at least one metal source compound and at least one boron source compound into a reaction space that contains a substrate on which the metal thin film is to be deposited. Preferably the boron compound is capable of reducing the adsorbed portion of the metal source compound into its elemental electrical state.

Production of elemental films using a boron-containing reducing agent

An object is to provide a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, in which the number of photolithography steps can be reduced, the manufacturing process can be simplified, and manufacturing can be performed with high yield at low cost A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes the following steps: forming a semiconductor film; irradiating a laser beam by passing the laser beam through a photomask including a shield for shielding the laser beam; subliming a region which has been irradiated with the laser beam through a region in which the shield is not formed in the photomask in the semiconductor film; forming an island-shaped semiconductor film in such a way that a region which is not irradiated with the laser beam is not sublimed because it is a region in which the shield is formed in the photomask; forming a first electrode which is one of a source electrode and a drain electrode and a second electrode which is the other one of the source electrode and the drain electrode; forming a gate insulating film; and forming a gate electrode over the gate insulating film

Method for Manufacturing Semiconductor Device

In a state that a plate-shaped insulator is disposed adjacent to a plate-shaped electrode, a discharge gas containing an inert gas is supplied to a vicinity of a processing object from one gas exhaust port located nearer from the plate-shaped electrode, out of at least two-line gas exhaust ports which are disposed around the plate-shaped electrode and which are formed so as to be surrounded by the plate-shaped insulator and moreover which are different in distance to the plate-shaped electrode from each other, while a discharge control gas is supplied from the other gas exhaust port to the vicinity of the processing object. Simultaneously with the supply of the gases, electric power is supplied to the plate-shaped electrode or the processing object, by which plasma processing of the processing object is carried out. Thus, plasma processing method and apparatus capable of processing for desired fine linear portions with high precision are provided.

Plasma processing method and 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

A method for surface treatment of a substrate is described in which a gas discharge at or about atmospheric pressure produces activated gas or active species which are then used for surface treatment of a substrate When the discharge gas contains oxygen, for example, surface treatment forms a metal oxide film on a metal circuit on a substrate If, however, the gas contains hydrogen or an organic substance, a metal oxide film, such as a transparent electrode formed on the surface of a liquid crystal panel, is reduced Alternatively, by causing discharge to take place adjacent to the surface of a liquid, or bubbled through a liquid, a liquid may be used for surface treatment of a substrate without risk of thermal or electrical damage to the substrate

Surface treatment method

High frequency electrical discharge or nonpolar discharge using microwaves is generated in a gas that is introduced into a gas duct formed by a dielectric material, such as glass or ceramic. Surface treatment is applied to the components, which are under atmospheric pressure, by exposing them to the gas flow containing the active species generated by the above mentioned electrical discharge. Components are soldered before, during, or after the application of this surface treatment. The surface of the components is exposed to the active species by either directly exposing the components to the electrical discharge, or by blasting the reactive gas flow containing the active species at them. By selecting an appropriate gas for generating the active species, it is possible to improve the wettability of the surface of the component to be soldered, or to remove the organic substances or the oxide film.

Method and apparatus for bonding using brazing material

In a surface treatment apparatus (30) of the face type, a porous dielectric (37) is supported by the outer periphery portion of the supporting member (45) under the bottom surface of a porous electrode (32). The dielectric can be supported by the supporting member to permit the thermal expansion deformation of the dielectric by forming an upward inclined-face (47) and a downward inclined-face (43) on the supporting member (45) and the dielectric (37), respectively. Further, a discharge gas can be supplied uniformly to a discharge region (51) through the electrode (32) and the dielectric (37), both of which are porous. Many gas exhaust ports (41), by which the flow rate of the gas can be regulated, are provided around the discharge region (51). Thus, the gas is uniformly exhausted around the discharge region (51). Especially, if the gap between the dielectric (37) and a work (39) depends on mounting accuracy or the like and varies with location, the gas can be exhausted uniformly around the discharge region (51).

Surface treatment apparatus

An object is to provide a mask formation method, which can curtail a manufacturing cost. A method of forming a film of predetermined pattern on the front surface of a member to-be-processed is so constructed as to carry out the step (S178) of improving the adherence of a pattern material solution to the member to-be-processed, the step (S180) of filling up a pattern forming recess provided in a mask on the surface of the member to-be-processed with a pattern material solution, the step (S186) of improving the film quality of the pattern film to-be-formed by processing the pattern material solution, the step (S188) of removing the pattern material solution having adhered on the mask, the step (S190) of drying the pattern material solution, and the step (S196) of subjecting the pattern film to annealing processing.

Film formation method as well as device manufactured by employing the same, and method of manufacturing device

A separating method of a bonded body, the bonded body including two base members and a bonding film through which the base members are boded together, enabling to easily and efficiently separating the bonded body into the two original base members is provided. Further, the bonding film contains a silicone material composed of silicone compounds. The separating method includes: preparing the bonded body with the bonding film; and applying energy for separation to the bonding film so that cleavage is generated within the bonding film due to breakage of a part of molecular bonds of the silicone compounds, to thereby separate the bonded body into the first and second base members.

Yoshiaki Mori

Papers

Surface treatment method

Method and apparatus for bonding using brazing material

Surface treatment apparatus

Film formation method as well as device manufactured by employing the same, and method of manufacturing device

Separating method of bonded body