Tokyo Electron Limited

Other

Tamotsu Morimoto

Yusuke Muraki

Song Yun Kang

Kazuaki Nishimura

Takeo Nakano

Dipak Aryal

Nobuo Ishii

Mitsuaki Iwashita

Ryuichi Asako

Takahiro Murakami

Yasuo Kobayashi

Naohisa Goto

Paul Abel

Makoto Ando

Takuya Kubo

Antonio Luis Pacheco Rotondaro

Koichi Nagakura

Shuichiro Uda

Takeshi Saito

Kate Abel

Kenichi Nanbu

Embodiments of improved methods and processes are provided for patterning a semiconductor substrate using direct self-assembly (DSA) of ionic liquid crystals (ILCs). In the disclosed embodiments, an ILC solution comprising ILCs is deposited on a variety of substrate surfaces. An upper surface of the ILC solution is exposed to a gas phase, non-polar solvent (such as, e.g., hexane gas). The gas phase, non-polar solvent provides an ambient environment that promotes self-assembly of the ILCs into vertically layered ILC structures.

Methods for forming vertically layered ionic liquid crystal (ILC) structures on a semiconductor substrate

Embodiments of improved methods are provided to form ordered structures on a surface of a substrate using direct self-assembly (DSA) of ionic liquid crystals (ILCs). More specifically, various embodiments of methods are provided to control the pitch of a layered structure formed on a substrate surface via self-assembly of ILCs having cation head groups, alkyl tail groups and anions. In the embodiments disclosed herein, the pitch of the layered structure is controlled by: (a) controlling the cation/anion charge ratio of the cation head groups and anions included within the ILCs, and/or (b) adding an ionic liquid to a solution comprising the ILCs.

Methods for controlling the pitch of self-assembled ionic liquid crystal (ILC) structures

A method capable of increasing a degree of freedom of process conditions that can be set in a plasma treatment while limiting deterioration in the electrical characteristics of a silicon or metal oxide film exposed to plasma, in performing the plasma treatment on a substrate. The method includes: processing a substrate on which a silicon or metal oxide film is formed, with plasma obtained by plasmarizing a process gas composed of a halogen compound; and subsequently, heating the substrate at a temperature of 450 degrees C. or higher in an inert gas atmosphere or a vacuum atmosphere in a state where the metal oxide film exposed to the plasma is exposed. Thus, deterioration in the characteristics of the oxide film caused by the plasma treatment are restored.

Substrate treatment method

In a method for etching a multilayer film of a target object by using a plasma processing apparatus, the multilayer film of the target object includes a layer made of a metal magnetic material and a mask is provided on the multilayer film. The multilayer film is etched in a state where a pressure in a processing chamber of the plasma processing apparatus is set to a first pressure that is a relatively high pressure. Subsequently, the multilayer film is further etched in a state where the pressure in the processing chamber is set to a second pressure lower than the first pressure.

Method for etching multilayer film

In one embodiment, a method for etching a workpiece including a lower electrode and a multi-layer film disposed on the lower electrode, the multi-layer film including a first magnetic layer, a second magnetic layer, and an insulating layer interposed between the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer, through a mask, is provided. The method includes exposing the workpiece to plasma of first processing gas which contains first rare gas and second rare gas having an atomic number larger than that of the first rare gas, and does not contain hydrogen gas.

Method for etching object to be processed

A modification processing method includes preparing a substrate having a silicon layer on which a damage layer is formed through plasma processing. The method further includes removing the damage layer formed on the silicon layer by processing the substrate with a first process gas containing a fluorine gas.

Modification processing method and method of manufacturing semiconductor device

At the time of plasma igniting or during plasma processing, only optimizing the distance between electrodes in each case caused a limitation to the prevention of charging damage. To resolve this, a novel plasma processing method employs a plasma processing apparatus which includes an upper electrode to which first high-frequency power is applied, a lower electrode to which second high-frequency power is applied, and a lift mechanism for controlling the spacing between the upper and lower electrodes. The first high-frequency power is applied to the upper electrode to cause plasma igniting. The method is adapted to make the spacing between the upper and lower electrodes larger at least at the time of plasma extinction than during plasma processing of a wafer on the lower electrode.

Apparatus and method for plasma processing

An etching method is carried out by an etching system comprising a gas supply port for supplying an etching gas, a plasma producing vessel defining a plasma producing chamber in which the etching gas is converted into a plasma to produce radicals, a reaction vessel connected to the plasma producing vessel and defining a reaction chamber of a diameter greater than that of the plasma producing chamber, a support table placed in the reaction chamber to support an object to be processed to be etched by the radicals flowing down thereto from the plasma producing chamber, and a vacuum exhaust system for evacuating the reaction chamber. The etching gas is supplied through the etching gas supply port at an etching gas supply rate of 8.4 sccm or above per a substantial volume of one liter of the reaction chamber.

Method of etching

A magnetron reactive ion etching apparatus comprises: an electrode unit including electrodes facing each other through a semiconductor device; a high-frequency power source forming an electric field on the electrode unit; a dipole ring magnet; and a switching mechanism. The dipole ring magnet forms the first magnetic field state, including a magnetic field in a direction perpendicular to a direction of the electric field or in a direction parallel to the semiconductor device, and the second magnetic field state, including a magnetic field whose strength at the periphery of the surface of the semiconductor device is so satisfactory that an electron Larmor radius is larger than the mean free path of electrons. The first magnetic field state is switched to the second magnetic field state at a predetermined timing by the switching mechanism which is controlled by a controller.

Apparatus for and method of processing an object to be processed

Plasma treatment system

A heat processing apparatus for subjecting heat processing to a wafer by heating includes a reaction tube for containing the wafers, a heating element provided around the reaction tube, for heating an inside of the reaction tube, a plurality of heat radiating members provided concentrically around the heating element with an airtight space between the heating element and an innermost one of the heat radiating members and airtight spaces between the heat radiating members, and a pressure-reducing device for reducing the pressure of these airtight spaces. In this heat processing apparatus, the pressures of the airtight spaces are reduced by the pressure-reducing means at least when the temperature of the inside of the reaction tube is increased.

Growing community of inventors

Yamanashi, Japan

Tamotsu Morimoto