A method of patterning a substrate. The method may include providing a cavity in a layer, disposed on the substrate, the cavity having a first length along a first direction and a first width along a second direction, perpendicular to the first direction, and wherein the layer has a first height along a third direction, perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction. The method may include depositing a sacrificial layer over the cavity in a first deposition procedure; and directing angled ions to the cavity in a first exposure, wherein the cavity is etched, and wherein after the first exposure, the cavity has a second length along the first direction, greater than the first length, and wherein the cavity has a second width along the second direction, no greater than the first width.

An aperture diaphragm capable of varying the size of an aperture in two dimensions is disclosed. The aperture diaphragm may be utilized in an ion implantation system, such as between the mass analyzer and the acceleration column. In this way, the aperture diaphragm may be used to control at least one parameter of the ion beam. These parameters may include angular spread in the height direction, angular spread in the width direction, beam current or cross-sectional area. Various embodiments of the aperture diaphragm are shown. In certain embodiments, the size of the aperture in the height and width directions may be independently controlled, while in other embodiments, the ratio between height and width is constant.

An apparatus may include a main chamber, a substrate holder, disposed in a lower region of the main chamber, and defining a substrate region, as well as an RF applicator, disposed adjacent an upper region of the main chamber, to generate an upper plasma within the upper region. The apparatus may further include a central chamber structure, disposed in a central portion of the main chamber, where the central chamber structure is disposed to shield at least a portion of the substrate position from the upper plasma. The apparatus may include a bias source, electrically coupled between the central chamber structure and the substrate holder, to generate a glow discharge plasma in the central portion of the main chamber, wherein the substrate region faces the glow discharge region.

An ion source is provided. The ion source may include an ion source chamber, and a cathode disposed in the ion source chamber and configured to emit electrons to generate a plasma within the ion source chamber, the cathode comprising a refractory metal, wherein the refractory metal comprises a macrocrystalline structure.

A semiconductor device includes first and second gate structures over a substrate, the first gate structure has a first width that is smaller than a second width of the second gate structure, in which a lower portion of the first gate structure having a first work-function material (WFM) layer, the first WFM layer having a top surface, a lower portion of the second gate structure having a second WFM layer, the second WFM layer having a top surface. A first gate electrode is disposed over the first WFM layer and a second gate electrode has a lower portion disposed in the second WFM layer, in which the first gate electrode has a first width that is smaller than a second width of the second gate electrode, and wherein the top surface of the second WFM layer is at a level below a top surface of the second gate electrode.

A semiconductor device includes first and second gate structures over a substrate, the first gate structure has a first width that is smaller than a second width of the second gate structure, in which a lower portion of the first gate structure having a first work-function material (WFM) layer, the first WFM layer having a top surface, a lower portion of the second gate structure having a second WFM layer, the second WFM layer having a top surface. A first gate electrode is disposed over the first WFM layer and a second gate electrode has a lower portion disposed in the second WFM layer, in which the first gate electrode has a first width that is smaller than a second width of the second gate electrode, and wherein the top surface of the second WFM layer is at a level below a top surface of the second gate electrode.

Generation of a deposit can be suppressed and high selectivity can be acquired when etching a first region made of silicon nitride selectively against a second region made of silicon oxide. A method includes preparing a processing target object having the first region and the second region within a chamber provided in a chamber main body of a plasma processing apparatus; generating plasma of a first gas including a gas containing hydrogen within the chamber to form a modified region by modifying a part of the first region with active species of the hydrogen; and generating plasma of a second gas including a gas containing fluorine within the chamber to remove the modified region with active species of the fluorine.

Generation of a deposit can be suppressed and high selectivity can be acquired when etching a first region made of silicon nitride selectively against a second region made of silicon oxide. A method includes preparing a processing target object having the first region and the second region within a chamber provided in a chamber main body of a plasma processing apparatus; generating plasma of a first gas including a gas containing hydrogen within the chamber to form a modified region by modifying a part of the first region with active species of the hydrogen; and generating plasma of a second gas including a gas containing fluorine within the chamber to remove the modified region with active species of the fluorine.

Disclosed is an object table for holding an object, comprising: an electrostatic clamp arranged to clamp the object on the object table; a neutralizer arranged to neutralize a residual charge of the electrostatic clamp; a control unit arranged to control the neutralizer, wherein the residual charge is an electrostatic charge present on the electrostatic clamp when no voltage is applied to the electrostatic clamp.

The invention provides a bias voltage to the component (such as the Faraday cup) for reducing the generation of particles, such as the implanted ions and/or the combination of the implanted ions and the material of the component, and preventing particles peeling away the component. The strength of the biased voltage should not significantly affect the implantation of ions into the wafer and should significantly prevent the emission of radiation and/or electrons away the biased component. How to provide and adjust the biased voltage is not limited, both the extra voltage source and the amended Pre-Amplifier are acceptable. Moreover, due to the electric field generated by the Faraday cup is modified by the biased voltage, the ion beam divergence close to the Faraday cup may be reduced such that the potential difference between the ion beam measured by the profiler and received by the Faraday cup may be minimized.