An apparatus for depositing a coating on a substrate at atmospheric pressure comprises (a) a plasma torch comprising a microwave source coupled to an antenna disposed within a chamber having an open end, the chamber comprising a gas inlet for flow of a gas over the antenna to generate a plasma jet; (b) a substrate positioned outside the open end of the chamber a predetermined distance away from a tip of the antenna; and (c) a target material to be coated on the substrate disposed at the tip of the antenna.

A substrate processing system includes a first power source configured to supply plasma having a first power level, a second power source configured to supply plasma having a second power level greater than the first power level, and a controller configured to dose a process chamber with precursor. The first power level is sufficient to enhance adsorption of the precursor on a surface of a substrate and is insufficient to decompose the precursor that is adsorbed. The controller is further configured to remove a portion of the precursor that does not adsorb onto the substrate from the process chamber while the plasma having the first power level is being supplied and activate the precursor that is adsorbed using plasma having the second power level while the plasma having the first power level is still being supplied. The second power level is sufficient to decompose the precursor that is adsorbed.

A substrate processing system includes a first power source configured to supply plasma having a first power level, a second power source configured to supply plasma having a second power level greater than the first power level, and a controller configured to dose a process chamber with precursor. The first power level is sufficient to enhance adsorption of the precursor on a surface of a substrate and is insufficient to decompose the precursor that is adsorbed. The controller is further configured to remove a portion of the precursor that does not adsorb onto the substrate from the process chamber while the plasma having the first power level is being supplied and activate the precursor that is adsorbed using plasma having the second power level while the plasma having the first power level is still being supplied. The second power level is sufficient to decompose the precursor that is adsorbed.

A plasma processing method includes performing a first plasma processing in a processing chamber in a first period, and performing a second plasma processing in the chamber in a second period which is after the first period or following the first period. The first plasma processing and the second plasma processing are performed in a state where a substrate is disposed on a substrate support stage provided in the processing chamber. A sequence including the first plasma processing and the second plasma processing is performed a plurality of times.

Embodiments of the present invention provide an apparatus and methods for depositing a dielectric material using RF bias pulses along with remote plasma source deposition for manufacturing semiconductor devices, particularly for filling openings with high aspect ratios in semiconductor applications. In one embodiment, a method of depositing a dielectric material includes providing a gas mixture into a processing chamber having a substrate disposed therein, forming a remote plasma in a remote plasma source and delivering the remote plasma to an interior processing region defined in the processing chamber, applying a RF bias power to the processing chamber in pulsed mode, and forming a dielectric material in an opening defined in a material layer disposed on the substrate in the presence of the gas mixture and the remote plasma.

A method for processing a substrate in a substrate processing system includes flowing reactant gases into a process chamber including a substrate and supplying a first power level sufficient to promote rearrangement of molecules adsorbed from the reactant gases onto a surface of the substrate. The first power level is supplied in a first predetermined period where the reactant gases are flowing into the process chamber and a second power level is not supplied to the process chamber. The method further includes waiting a second predetermined period subsequent to flowing the reactant gases and supplying the first power level and prior to supplying the second power level to the process chamber and, after the second predetermined period, performing plasma-enhanced, pulsed chemical vapor deposition of film on the substrate by supplying one or more precursors while supplying the second power level to the process chamber for a third predetermined period.

A method for processing a substrate in a substrate processing system includes flowing reactant gases into a process chamber including a substrate and supplying a first power level sufficient to promote rearrangement of molecules adsorbed from the reactant gases onto a surface of the substrate. The first power level is supplied in a first predetermined period where the reactant gases are flowing into the process chamber and a second power level is not supplied to the process chamber. The method further includes waiting a second predetermined period subsequent to flowing the reactant gases and supplying the first power level and prior to supplying the second power level to the process chamber and, after the second predetermined period, performing plasma-enhanced, pulsed chemical vapor deposition of film on the substrate by supplying one or more precursors while supplying the second power level to the process chamber for a third predetermined period.

A plasma processing system includes a vacuum chamber, a first coupling electrode, a substrate holder disposed in the vacuum chamber, a second coupling electrode, and a controller. The substrate holder is configured to support a substrate. The first coupling electrode is configured to provide power for generation of a plasma in the vacuum chamber. The first coupling electrode is further configured to couple source power pulses to the plasma. The second coupling electrode is configured to couple bias power pulses to the substrate. The controller is configured to control a first offset duration between the source power pulses the bias power pulses.

A method of plasma processing includes generating a first sequence of source power pulses, generating a second sequence of bias power pulses, combining the bias power pulses of the second sequence with the source power pulses of the first sequence to form a combined sequence of alternating source power pulses and bias power pulses, and, using the combined sequence, generating a plasma comprising ions and processing a substrate by delivering the ions to a major surface of the substrate.

A composite material, and methods of making thereof, include a polycarbonate substrate and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition formed layers. In particular, a film formed by a process of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition includes: applying a radio frequency bias to a substrate; and supplying a process gas through an antennae, where microwave power applied to the antennae generates plasma of the process gas at the surface of the substrate thereby forming one or more layers on the substrate. In certain aspects the film exhibits one or more (or all) of favorable oxygen transmission rate, barrier improvement factor, optical transmission, surface roughness, chemical resistance and surface roughness properties.