The present application relates to a method for permanently repairing defects of absent material of a photolithographic mask, comprising the following steps: (a) providing at least one carbon-containing precursor gas and at least one oxidizing agent at a location to be repaired of the photolithographic mask; (b) initiating a reaction of the at least one carbon-containing precursor gas with the aid of at least one energy source at the location of absent material in order to deposit material at the location of absent material, wherein the deposited material comprises at least one reaction product of the reacted at least one carbon-containing precursor gas; and (c) controlling a gas volumetric flow rate of the at least one oxidizing agent in order to minimize a carbon proportion of the deposited material.

A charge storage cell includes a substrate having a back side conductive layer or conductive element, a top side metal pad coupled to the substrate, and an insulating layer formed on the metal pad. The metal pad will support an electric charge injected through the insulating layer by a charged particle beam. A regular array of charge storage cells provides a charge storage array.

Methods and systems for direct lithographic pattern definition based upon electron beam induced alteration of the surface chemistry of a substrate are described. The methods involve an initial chemical treatment for global definition of a specified surface chemistry (SC). Electron beam induced surface reactions between a gaseous precursor and the surface are then used to locally alter the SC. High resolution patterning of stable, specified surface chemistries upon a substrate can thus be achieved. The defined patterns can then be utilized for selective material deposition via methods which exploit the specificity of certain SC combinations or by differences in surface energy. It is possible to perform all steps in-situ without breaking vacuum.

Composite materials are provided which include a glass-ceramic matrix composition that is lightly crystallized, a fiber reinforcement within the glass-ceramic matrix composition which remains stable at temperatures greater than 1400 C., and an interphase coating formed on the fiber reinforcement. A method of making a composite material is also provided, which includes applying heat and pressure to a shape including fiber reinforcements and glass particles. The heat and pressure lightly crystallize a matrix material formed by the heat and pressure on the glass particles, forming a thermally stable composite material.

A method of forming a metallic material on a substrate includes coating a chuck of a metallic material deposition chamber with an elemental metal coating, loading a substrate onto the chuck of the metallic material deposition chamber, and depositing an elemental metal layer on the substrate by thermal decomposition of a metal precursor gas including metal compound molecules. Each of the metal compound molecules includes an atom of the elemental metal and a first number of atoms of a non-metallic element. The metal compound molecules react with atoms of the elemental metal in the metal coating to generate molecules of an intermediate reaction compound including an atom of the elemental metal and a second number of atoms of the non-metallic element, the second number of atoms being less than the first number of atoms. The metal layer on the substrate is formed by thermal decomposition of the intermediate reaction compound.

Methods for processing a substrate are provided. The method includes receiving a substrate. The substrate has a front side surface, a backside surface, and a side edge surface. The method also includes coating the front side surface, the backside surface and the side edge surface with a self-assembled monolayer and exposing an area of interest with actinic radiation. The actinic radiation causes a de-protection reaction within the self-assembled monolayer within the central region. The method also includes removing the self-assembled monolayer from the area of interest while the self-assembled monolayer remains on remaining surfaces of the substrate.

A method of forming a metallic material on a substrate includes coating a chuck of a metallic material deposition chamber with an elemental metal coating, loading a substrate onto the chuck of the metallic material deposition chamber, and depositing an elemental metal layer on the substrate by thermal decomposition of a metal precursor gas including metal compound molecules. Each of the metal compound molecules includes an atom of the elemental metal and a first number of atoms of a non-metallic element. The metal compound molecules react with atoms of the elemental metal in the metal coating to generate molecules of an intermediate reaction compound including an atom of the elemental metal and a second number of atoms of the non-metallic element, the second number of atoms being less than the first number of atoms. The metal layer on the substrate is formed by thermal decomposition of the intermediate reaction compound.

The invention provides a method of burying trenches of a sample comprises at least the steps of: from the sample having the trenches extending from one surface into a depth direction, cutting a sample piece of a small part including the trenches; and by irradiating an electron beam toward the inside of the trenches from a side surface extending along the depth direction of the sample piece and simultaneously injecting a compound gas into the inside of the trenches from openings on the side of the one surface of the trench, decomposing the compound gas with secondary electrons generated by irradiation of the electron beam and depositing constituents of the compound gas within the trenches. Therefore, the method can bury the trenches uniformly without generating cavities within the trenches even if the trenches of the sample piece have a high aspect ratio deep in a depth direction.

A deposition apparatus includes a chamber, a stage which is disposed within the chamber and on which a target substrate is seated, a deposition source disposed within the chamber and including a deposition material, a plurality of nozzles connected to the deposition source within the chamber to inject the deposition material in a direction of the stage, and an ionizer disposed between the nozzles and the stage to charge the deposition material injected from the nozzles. A first electric field is generated in each of the ionizer and the nozzles, and a second electric field having an intensity less than the first electric field is generated between the stage and the ionizer. Each of the nozzles includes a plurality of protrusion tips disposed on an inner surface of each of the nozzles to charge the deposition material.

A process for fabricating an integrated circuit is provided. The process includes providing a substrate, forming a hard mask upon the substrate by one of atomic-layer deposition and molecular-layer deposition, and exposing the hard mask to a charged particle from one or more charged particle beams to pattern a gap in the hard mask. In the alternative, the process includes exposing the hard mask to a charged particle from one or more charged-particle beams to pattern a structure on the hard mask.