A method of depositing a thin film on a substrate inside a vacuum chamber includes a first process that deposits a first film on the substrate, the first process including a process of supplying an active species that is obtained by changing a gas to plasma and is related to a quality of the thin film to the substrate; and a second process that deposits a second film that is the same type as that of the first film on the first film, the second process including a process of supplying the active species to the substrate so that a supply quantity of the active species per a unit film thickness is greater than a first supply quantity of the active species per the unit film thickness in the first process by adjusting a controlled parameter.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, includes: alternately performing (i) a first step of alternately supplying a first raw material containing a first metal element and a halogen element and a second raw material containing a second metal element and carbon to a substrate by a first predetermined number of times, and (ii) a second step of supplying a nitridation raw material to the substrate, by a second predetermined number of times, wherein alternating the first and second steps forms a metal carbonitride film containing the first metal element having a predetermined thickness on the substrate.

A method for material deposition is described in several embodiments. According to one embodiment, the method includes providing a substrate defining features to receive a deposition of material, initiating a flow of a Ru carbonyl precursor to the substrate, the Ru carbonyl precursor decomposing within the defined features such that a Ru metal film is deposited on surfaces of the defined features and CO gas is released, and stopping the flow of the Ru carbonyl precursor to the substrate. The method further includes flowing additional CO gas to the substrate after stopping the flow of the Ru carbonyl precursor to the substrate, and repeatedly cycling between process steps of flowing the Ru carbonyl precursor to the substrate and flowing the additional CO gas to the substrate. In one embodiment, the Ru carbonyl precursor contains Ru.sub.3(CO).sub.12.

A pulsed radio frequency inductive plasma source and method are provided. The source may generate plasma at gas pressures from 1 torr to 2000 torr. By utilizing high power RF generation from fast solid state switches such as Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) combined with the resonance circuit, large inductive voltages can be applied to RF antennas to allow rapid gas breakdown from 1-100 μs. After initial breakdown, the same set of switches or an additional rf pulsed power systems are utilized to deliver large amount of rf power, between 10 kW to 10 MW, to the plasmas during the pulse duration of 10 μs-10 ms. In addition, several methods and apparatus for controlling the pulse power delivery, timing gas and materials supply, constructing reactor and substrate structure, and operating pumping system and plasma activated reactive materials delivery system will be disclosed. When combined with the pulsed plasma generation, these apparatuses and the methods can greatly improve the applicability and the efficacy of the industrial plasma processing.

A vapor phase growth apparatus according to as embodiment includes n reaction chambers, a main gas supply path supplying a process gas to the n reaction chambers, a main mass flow controller controlling a flow rate of the process gas, a branch portion branching the main gas supply path, n sub gas supply paths branched from the main gas supply path at the branch portion, the n sub gas supply paths supplying branched process gases to the n reaction chambers, n first stop valves in the n sub gas supply paths between the branch portion and the n reaction chambers, distances from the n first stop valves to the branch portion are less than distances from the n first stop valves to the n reaction chambers, and n sub mass flow controllers in the n sub gas supply paths between the n first stop valves and the n reaction chambers.

A vapor phase deposition method and apparatus for the application of thin layers and coatings on substrates. The method and apparatus are useful in the fabrication of electronic devices, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), Bio-MEMS devices, micro and nano imprinting lithography, and microfluidic devices. The apparatus used to carry out the method provides for the addition of a precise amount of each of the reactants to be consumed in a single reaction step of the coating formation process. The apparatus provides for precise addition of quantities of different combinations of reactants during a single step or when there are a number of different individual steps in the coating formation process. The precise addition of each of the reactants in vapor form is metered into a predetermined set volume at a specified temperature to a specified pressure, to provide a highly accurate amount of reactant.

A substrate processing apparatus includes: a process container configured to receive a substrate therein; a pressure detection part configured to measure an internal pressure of the process container; an exhaust-side valve installed in an exhaust pipe configured to exhaust an interior of the process container; a gas storage tank connected to the process container through a first gas supply pipe; a gas amount measuring part configured to measure an amount of gas stored in the gas storage tank; and a control valve installed in the first gas supply pipe and configured to control the internal pressure of the process container by changing an opening degree of the control valve based on the internal pressure of the process container which is detected by the pressure detection part and by controlling a flow path cross section through which the gas is supplied from the gas storage tank to the process container.

There is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising forming a film on a substrate by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times, the cycle including non-simultaneously performing forming a first layer by supplying a precursor containing hydrogen and an halogen element to the substrate in a process chamber, under a condition in which the precursor is pyrolyzed if the precursor exists alone and under a condition in which a flow rate of the precursor supplied into the process chamber is larger than a flow rate of the precursor exhausted from an interior of the process chamber and forming a second layer by supplying a reactant to the substrate in the process chamber thereby modifying the first layer.

There is provided a substrate processing method, comprising the steps of: supplying source gas into a processing chamber in which substrates are accommodated; removing the source gas and an intermediate body of the source gas remained in the processing chamber; supplying ozone into the processing chamber in a state of substantially stopping exhaust of an atmosphere in the processing chamber; and removing the ozone and the intermediate body of the ozone remained in the processing chamber; with these steps repeated multiple number of times, to thereby form an oxide film on the surface of the substrates by supplying the source gas and the ozone alternately so as not to be mixed with each other.

There is provided a method of forming an etching-purpose mask structure on an insulating film containing silicon and oxygen, which includes: forming an intermediate film containing silicon, carbon, nitrogen and hydrogen as main components by supplying a first process gas onto the insulating film formed on a substrate; and subsequently, forming a tungsten film by supplying a second process gas containing a compound of tungsten to the substrate to replace some of silicon constituting the intermediate film with tungsten.