Homogeneous and transparent protective coatings for precious metals and copper alloys and techniques for forming the coatings on precious metals and copper alloys are provided. In an embodiment, ionic oxide film is deposited onto a surface of a substrate including a metal, such as a precious metal and/or a copper alloy, using pulsed chemical vapor deposition (PCVD). A homogenous and transparent solid film based on ionic oxide is formed on the surface of the substrate in response to the depositing.

A plasma processing apparatus capable of achieving a uniform plasma space therein is provided. The plasma processing apparatus includes a processing vessel, a mounting table, a shield member, a shutter for an opening configured to be moved up and down, a first driving unit and a second driving unit. The processing vessel has a sidewall, and the sidewall is provided with a transfer path through which a processing target object is carried-in/carried-out. The mounting table is provided within the processing vessel. The shield member is provided along an inner surface of the sidewall to surround the mounting table and provided with an opening facing the transfer path. The first driving unit is configured to move the shutter up and down. The second driving unit is configured to move the shutter in a forward-backward direction with respect to the shield member.

A reactor for coating particles includes a vacuum chamber configured to hold particles to be coated, a vacuum port to exhaust gas from the vacuum chamber via the outlet of the vacuum chamber, a chemical delivery system configured to flow a process gas into the particles via a gas inlet on the vacuum chamber, one or more vibrational actuators located on a first mounting surface of the vacuum chamber, and a controller configured to cause the one or more vibrational actuators to generate a vibrational motion in the vacuum chamber sufficient to induce a vibrational motion in the particles held within the vacuum chamber.

Certain embodiments of the present disclosure relate to chamber liners, processing chambers that include chamber liners, and methods of using the same. In one embodiment, a processing chamber comprises a chamber body defining an interior volume and comprising an access port for inserting a substrate into the interior volume; a cathode assembly configured to generate a plasma within the interior volume; and a chamber liner comprising a smooth interior surface that is radially symmetric about a vertical axis of the chamber body. The chamber liner is configured to move between a loading position and an operation position.

A gas-phase chemical reactor, a system including the reactor, and methods of using the reactor and system are disclosed. An exemplary reactor includes a reaction chamber and is configured to provide a precursor within the reaction chamber for a soak period—e.g., a period wherein a supply of the precursor to the reaction chamber is ceased and before purging of the reaction chamber begins. This allows relatively high residence times, relatively high partial pressures of the precursor(s) and/or a relatively high absolute pressure to be obtained within the reaction chamber during substrate processing.

A method of forming a transition metal dichalcogenide layer on a substrate is provided. The method may include providing a transition metal oxide, a chalcogen source, a non-gaseous chalcogen scavenger, and a substrate, wherein the substrate is disposed downstream of the transition metal oxide and the chalcogen source, and wherein the non-gaseous chalcogen scavenger is disposed in proximity to the transition metal oxide; generating vapors of the transition metal oxide and vapors of the chalcogen source, wherein the non-gaseous chalcogen scavenger reacts preferentially with the vapors of the chalcogen source; disposing the vapors generated from the transition metal oxide and the chalcogen source on the substrate; and reacting the vapors of the transition metal oxide and the chalcogen source on the substrate to obtain the transition metal dichalcogenide layer on the substrate. In one embodiment, the transition metal oxide is molybdenum trioxide (MoO.sub.3), the chalcogen source is sulfur, the non-gaseous chalcogen scavenger is nickel and the transition metal dichalcogenide is molybdenum disulfide (MoS.sub.2). An arrangement for forming a transition metal dichalcogenide layer on a substrate is also provided.

The present disclosure is a thin-film deposition equipment including a chamber, a stage, at least one baffle and at least one shielding component. The stage is for carrying a substrate, the baffle prevents the substrate on the stage from backside coating. The shielding component is positioned higher the baffle for shielding the baffle, to receive target atoms which is yet deposited on the substrate for the baffle. Such that to avoid the target atoms deposited on the baffle forming a thin film, and to further prevent a problem of the thin film from being heated then flowing from the baffle to a contact area between the baffle and the substrate.

Methods of and systems for performing leak checks of gas-phase reactor systems are disclosed. Exemplary systems include a first exhaust system coupled to a reaction chamber via a first exhaust line, a bypass line coupled to a gas supply unit and to the first exhaust system, a gas detector coupled to the bypass line via a connecting line, a connecting line valve coupled to the connecting line, and a second exhaust system coupled to the connecting line. Methods include using the second exhaust system to exhaust the connecting line to thereby remove residual gas in the connecting line that may otherwise affect the accuracy of the gas detector.

An atomic layer deposition apparatus, having a first series of high pressure gas injection openings and a first series of exhaust openings that are positioned such that they together create a first high pressure/suction zone within each purge gas zone, wherein each first high pressure/suction zone extends over substantially the entire width of the process tunnel and wherein the distribution of the gas injection openings that are connected to the second purge gas source and the distribution of the gas exhaust openings within the first high pressure/suction zone, as well as the pressure of the second purge gas source and the pressure at the gas exhaust openings are such that the average pressure within the first high pressure/suction zone deviates less than 30% from a reference pressure which is defined by the average pressure within process tunnel when no substrate is present.

An apparatus for coating surfaces of objects by a gas deposition method under vacuum conditions in process chambers, including at least one treatment chamber for receiving the objects to be coated and at least one additional process chamber, connected to the at least one treatment chamber, for conducting gases to be deposited and/or discharging portions of non-deposited partial gas quantities. A measuring unit for detecting the coating thickness on a surface or sections of the surface of the process chambers is arranged in at least one additional process chamber. The measuring unit is connectable to a control and evaluation unit. The measuring unit detects ACTUAL data of the coating thickness on a surface of the at least one additional process chamber as measured value and these ACTUAL data are forwarded to an evaluation device, in which these ACTUAL data are compared with NOMINAL data.