Spts Technologies Limited

Aviza Technology Limited

Trikon Holdings Limited

Aviza Europe Limited

Spp Process Technology Systems UK Limited

John Macneil

Trevor Thomas

Martin Ayres

Katherine Giles

Stephen Robert Burgess

Christopher David Dobson

Robert John Wilby

Andrew Price

Knut Beekman

Nicholas Rimmer

Knut Beekmann

Antony Paul Wilby

Sajid Ishaq

Hervé Gris

Paul George Bennet

A method of processing a semiconductor wafer is provided. The method includes introducing the wafer to a main chamber via a loading port, using a transfer mechanism to transfer the wafer to a first wafer processing module in a stack so that the wafer is disposed substantially horizontally in the first wafer processing module with a front face facing upwards, and performing a processing step on the front face of the wafer in the first wafer processing module.

Apparatus for electrochemically processing semiconductor substrates

An apparatus for processing a front face of a semiconductor wafer is provided. The apparatus includes a main chamber, at least one loading port connected to the main chamber for introducing the wafer to the main chamber, at least one stack of wafer processing modules, and a transfer mechanism for transferring the wafer between the loading port and the processing modules. The at least one stack of wafer processing modules includes three or more substantially vertically stacked wafer processing modules, wherein adjacent wafer processing modules in the stack have a vertical separation of less than 50 cm, and each processing module is configured to process the wafer when disposed substantially horizontally therein with the front face of the wafer facing upwards, and at least one wafer processing module is an electrochemical wafer processing module.

According to the invention a method of removing electrolyte from an electrochemical deposition or polishing chamber comprising the steps of: providing an electrochemical deposition or polishing chamber comprising a support for a substrate, the support having an in-use position; a housing having an interior surface and a fluid outlet pathway for removing electrolyte from the chamber, wherein the fluid outlet pathway includes one or more slots which extend into the housing from at least one slotted opening formed in the interior surface; a seal for sealing the housing to a peripheral portion of a surface of a substrate position on the support in its in-use position; and a tilting mechanism for tilting the chamber in order to assist in removing electrolyte from the housing through the fluid outlet pathway; using an electrolyte to perform an electrochemical deposition or polishing processing on a substrate positioned on the support in its in-use position; and tilting the chamber using the tilting mechanism in order to assist in removing electrolyte from the housing through the fluid outlet pathway.

Electrochemical deposition chamber

This invention relates to apparatus for electrochemical deposition onto the surface of a substrate. The apparatus includes an anode electrodea supportfor supporting the substratewith its one surfaceexposed at a location, the supportand the anode electrodebeing relatively movable to alter the gap between the anodeand the location to define a chamberbetween them and an electrical power sourcewith an ohmic contact to the seed layerfor creating a potential difference across the gap. The apparatus further includes a sealfor sealing with the seed layerto define the fluid chamber; and the fluid inletand a fluid outletto the chamber

Electro chemical deposition apparatus

According to the invention an electrochemical deposition or polishing clamber including:

A modified TDEAT (tetrakisdiethylamino titanium) based MOCVD precursor for deposition of thin amorphous TiN:Si diffusion barrier layers. The TDEAT is doped with 10 at % Si using TDMAS (trisdimethlyaminosilane); the two liquids are found to form a stable solution when mixed together. Deposition occurs via pyrolysis of the vaporised precursor and NHon a heated substrate surface. Experimental results show that we have modified the precursor in such a way to reduce gas phase component of the deposition when compared to the unmodified TDEAT-NH3 reaction. Deposition temperatures were the range of 250-450&#xb0; C. and under a range of process conditions the modified precursor shows improvements in coating conformality, a reduction in resistivity and an amorphous structure, as shown by TEM and XRD analysis. SIMS and scanning AES have shown that the film is essentially stoichiometric in Ti:N ratio and contains low levels of C (&#x2dc;0.4 at %) and trace levels of incorporated Si (0.01&#x3c;Si&#x3c;0.5 at %).

Method of forming amorphous TiN by thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD)

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for forming a film on the substrate. The method comprises supplying to the chamber in gaseous or vapor form a silicon containing organic compound and an oxidizing agent in the presence of a plasma to deposit a film on the substrate and setting the film such that carbon containing groups are retained therein. In particular embodiments the setting is achieved by exposing the film to Hplasma.

Method and apparatus for forming a film on a substrate

This invention relates to a method of forming a precursor for chemical vapour deposition including the steps of: (a) forming metal ions at a source, (b) introducing the ions into a reaction chamber; and (c) exposing the ions to a gas or gasses within the chamber to react with the ions to form the precursor.

Methods and apparatus for forming precursors

A low k dielectric layer is formed by depositing an unset dielectric layer on a substrate, the dielectric layer including Silicon, Carbon and Oxygen. The surface of the dielectric layer exposed to an activated gas to form a semi-permeable skin on or of the surface of the layer. The layer is then cured to render at least part of the layer porous.

Forming low k dielectric layers

This invention relates to methods and apparatus for delivering liquid precursors to semi-conductor processing apparatus. The liquid precursor delivery system is generally indicated at ( ) and includes a source ( ), an inlet tube ( ), a two-way valve ( ), a pump assembly ( ), an outlet tube ( ), a shut-off valve ( ) and a flash evaporator ( ). The pump assembly ( ) is in the form of a syringe or variable volume pump and is controlled by a combination of a step motor ( ) and a linear encoder ( ). The arrangement is such that unused liquid precursor can be returned to the source.

Delivery of liquid precursors to semiconductor processing reactors

This invention relates semiconductor devices incorporating an intermediate etch stop layer between two dielectric layers in which the dielectric constant of each of the layers is k&lE;3.5 and the etch stop layer has a selectivity of at least 2.5:1 relative to the upper layer. Methods and apparatus for forming nitrogen doped silicon carbide films, for example, for use as etch stop layers are described.

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Cardiff, United Kingdom

John Macneil