According to one embodiment, a structure includes a polycrystalline substance of yttrium oxyfluoride as a main component. The yttrium oxyfluoride has an orthorhombic crystal structure, and an average crystallite size of the polycrystalline substance is less than 100 nanometers. When taking a peak intensity detected near diffraction angle 2=32.0 by X-ray diffraction as , and taking a peak intensity detected near diffraction angle 2=32.8 as , a peak intensity ratio / is not less than 0% and not more than 150%.

Disclosed herein are methods for fabricating layered ceramic materials via hot pressing. A method includes disposing a powder compact or a ceramic slurry onto a surface of an article, wherein the article is a chamber component of a processing chamber. The powder compact or ceramic slurry is hot pressed against the surface of the article by heating the article and the powder compact or ceramic slurry and applying a pressure of 15-100 Megapascals. The hot pressing sinters the powder compact or ceramic slurry into a sintered ceramic protective layer and bonds the sintered ceramic protective layer to the surface of the article.

Embodiments of the invention relate to compositions including a yttrium-based fluoride crystal phase, or a yttrium-based oxyfluoride crystal phase, or an oxyfluoride amorphous phase, or a combination of these materials. The compositions may be used to form a solid substrate for use as a semiconductor processing apparatus, or the compositions may be used to form a coating which is present upon a surface of substrates having a melting point which is higher than about 1600, substrates such as aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, quartz, silicon carbide and silicon nitride, by way of example.

Embodiments of the invention relate to compositions including a yttrium-based fluoride crystal phase, or a yttrium-based oxyfluoride crystal phase, or an oxyfluoride amorphous phase, or a combination of these materials. The compositions may be used to form a solid substrate for use as a semiconductor processing apparatus, or the compositions may be used to form a coating which is present upon a surface of substrates having a melting point which is higher than about 1600, substrates such as aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, quartz, silicon carbide and silicon nitride, by way of example.

According to one embodiment, a structure includes a polycrystalline substance of yttrium oxyfluoride as a main component. The yttrium oxyfluoride has an orthorhombic crystal structure, and an average crystallite size of the polycrystalline substance is less than 100 nanometers. When taking a peak intensity detected near diffraction angle 2=32.0 by X-ray diffraction as , and taking a peak intensity detected near diffraction angle 2=32.8 as , a peak intensity ratio / is not less than 0% and not more than 150%.

According to one embodiment, a structure includes a polycrystalline substance of yttrium oxyfluoride as a main component. The yttrium oxyfluoride has an orthorhombic crystal structure, and an average crystallite size of the polycrystalline substance is less than 100 nanometers. When taking a peak intensity detected near diffraction angle 2=32.0 by X-ray diffraction as , and taking a peak intensity detected near diffraction angle 2=32.8 as , a peak intensity ratio / is not less than 0% and not more than 150%.

A method for conditioning a ceramic layer with a thickness of less than 150 m over a substrate is provided. The ceramic layer is cleaned. A region of the ceramic layer is scanned with a pulsed excimer laser beam at a repetition rate of 3-300 Hz.

A method for conditioning a ceramic layer with a thickness of less than 150 m over a substrate is provided. The ceramic layer is cleaned. A region of the ceramic layer is scanned with a pulsed excimer laser beam at a repetition rate of 3-300 Hz.

Provided is a structural member with sufficient durability against plasma while having a protective film that can be easily removed from the base material. The structural member 10 includes a base material 100 which is a ceramic sintered body, and a protective film 200 covering the surface 110 of the base material 100. The protective film 200 includes, as a main component, any one selected from the group consisting of an alkaline earth metal oxide, an alkaline earth metal fluoride, and an alkaline earth metal acid fluoride, and has an indentation hardness of 8 GPa or less.