Deposition methods and apparatus for conditioning a process kit to increase process kit lifetime are described. A nitride film formed on a process kit is exposed to conditioning process comprising nitrogen and hydrogen radicals to condition the nitride film to decrease particulate contamination from the process kit.

A semiconductor device manufacturing method comprising loading a substrate into a substrate treatment apparatus, performing a deposition process on the substrate, and cleaning the substrate treatment apparatus. The substrate treatment apparatus includes a housing defining a treatment area in which the deposition process is performed, a gas supply supplying a first process gas at a flow rate of 1000 sccm to 15000 sccm and supplying a second process gas, a remote plasma supply connected to the gas supply, generating a first process plasma and a second process plasma by applying RF power to plasma-process the first process gas and the second process gas, and a shower head installed in the housing to supply the first process plasma and the second process plasma to the treatment area. The second process plasma cleans a membrane material deposited on an inner wall of the housing.

A system includes a reflector attached to a liner of a processing chamber. A light coupling device is to transmit light, from a light source, through a window of the processing chamber directed at the reflector. The light coupling device focuses, into a spectrometer, light received reflected back from the reflector along an optical path through the processing chamber and the window. The spectrometer detects, within the focused light, a first spectrum representative of a deposited film layer on the reflector using reflectometry. An alignment device aligns, in two dimensions, the light coupling device with the reflector until maximization of the focused light received by the light coupling device.

A substrate processing apparatus, includes a reaction chamber, a central processing volume within a vertically oriented central processing portion of the reaction chamber, to expose at least one substrate to self-limiting surface reactions in the central processing volume, at least two lateral extensions in the reaction chamber laterally extending from the central processing portion, and an actuator configured to reversibly move at least one substrate between the lateral extension(s) and the central processing volume.

Process chambers are cleaned from tin oxide deposits by a method that includes a step of forming a volatile tin-containing compound by exposing the tin oxide to a mixture of hydrogen (H.sub.2) and a hydrocarbon in a plasma, followed by a step that removes a carbon-containing polymer that formed as a result of the hydrocarbon exposure. The carbon-containing polymer can be removed by exposing the carbon-containing polymer to an oxygen-containing reactant (e.g., to O.sub.2 in a plasma), or to H.sub.2 in an absence of a hydrocarbon. These steps are repeated as many times as necessary to clean the process chamber. The method can be used to clean ALD, CVD, and PVD process chambers and is particularly useful for cleaning at a relatively low temperature of less than about 120° C.

A method for removing residue deposits from a reaction chamber includes supplying a cleaning gas into the reaction chamber via direct delivery from a remote plasma source (RPS). The cleaning gas forms a plurality of gas flow streamlines within the reaction chamber. Each of the streamlines originates at an injection point for receiving the cleaning gas and terminates at a chamber pump port coupled to a fore line for evacuating the cleaning gas. A flow characteristic of the cleaning gas is modified to redirect at least a portion of the gas flow streamlines to circulate in proximity to an inner perimeter of the reaction chamber to remove the residue deposits or to enhance the diffusion of cleaning species to surfaces to be cleaned. The inner perimeter is disposed along one or more vertical surfaces of the reaction chamber that are orthogonal to a horizontal surface including the injection point.

Methods for depositing silicon oxycarbide (SiOC) thin films on a substrate in a reaction space are provided. The methods can include at least one plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) cycle including alternately and sequentially contacting the substrate with a silicon precursor that does not comprise nitrogen and a second reactant that does not include oxygen. In some embodiments the methods allow for the deposition of SiOC films having improved acid-based wet etch resistance.

Organometallic precursors and methods of depositing high purity metal films are discussed. Some embodiments utilize a method comprising exposing a substrate surface to an organometallic precursor comprising one or more of molybdenum (Mo), tungsten (W), osmium (Os), technetium (Tc), manganese (Mn), rhenium (Re) or ruthenium (Ru), and an iodine-containing reactant comprising a species having a formula RI.sub.x, where R is one or more of a C.sub.1-C.sub.10 alkyl, C.sub.3-C.sub.10 cycloalkyl, C.sub.2-C.sub.10 alkenyl, or C.sub.2-C.sub.10 alkynyl group, I is an iodine group and x is in a range of 1 to 4 to form a carbon-less iodine-containing metal film. Some embodiments advantageously provide methods of forming metal films having low carbon content (e.g., having greater than or equal to 95% metal species on an atomic basis), without using an oxidizing agent or a reductant.

Processes for forming Mo and W containing thin films, such as MoS.sub.2, WS.sub.2, MoSe.sub.2, and WSe.sub.2 thin films are provided. Methods are also provided for synthesizing Mo or W beta-diketonate precursors. Additionally, methods are provided for forming 2D materials containing Mo or W.

Processing methods for forming iridium-containing films at low temperatures are described. The methods comprise exposing a substrate to iridium hexafluoride and a reactant to form iridium metal or iridium silicide films. Methods for enhancing selectivity and tuning the silicon content of some films are also described.