The present disclosure provides an apparatus including a chamber body and a lid defining a volume therein. The apparatus includes a substrate support disposed in the volume opposite the lid. The substrate support includes a support body disposed on a stem, and a ground plate disposed between the support body and the stem. A top flange is coupled to a lower peripheral surface the ground plate and a bottom flange is coupled to a bottom of the chamber body. The bottom flange and the top flange is coupled to one another with a plurality of straps, each of the straps having a first end coupled to the bottom flange and a second end coupled to the top flange.

Methods of and carriers for dicing semiconductor wafers, each wafer having a plurality of integrated circuits, are described. In an example, a cover ring for protecting a carrier and substrate assembly during an etch process includes an inner opening having a diameter smaller than the diameter of a substrate of the carrier and substrate assembly. An outer frame surrounds the inner opening. The outer frame has a bevel for accommodating an outermost portion of the substrate of the carrier and substrate assembly.

A plasma source has an outer surface, interrupted by an aperture for delivering an atmospheric plasma from the outer surface. A transport mechanism transports a substrate in parallel with the outer surface, closely to the outer surface, so that gas from the atmospheric plasma may form a gas bearing between the outer surface the and the substrate. A first electrode of the plasma source has a first and second surface extending from an edge of the first electrode that runs along the aperture. The first surface defines the outer surface on a first side of the aperture. The distance between the first and second surface increasing with distance from the edge. A second electrode covered at least partly by a dielectric layer is provided with the dielectric layer facing the second surface of the first electrode, substantially in parallel with the second surface of the first electrode, leaving a plasma initiation space on said first side of the aperture, between the surface of the dielectric layer and the second surface of the first electrode. A gas inlet feeds into the plasma initiation space to provide gas flow from the gas inlet to the aperture through the plasma initiation space. Atmospheric plasma initiated in the plasma initiation space flows to the aperture, from which it leaves to react with the surface of the substrate.

A plasma etching method for plasma-etching an object including an etching target film and a patterned mask. The plasma etching method includes a first step of plasma-etching the etching target film using the mask, and a second step of depositing a silicon-containing film using plasma of a silicon-containing gas on at least a part of a side wall of the etching target film etched by the first step.

The present application relates to a scanning probe microscope comprising a probe arrangement for analyzing at least one defect of a photolithographic mask or of a wafer, wherein the scanning probe microscope comprises: (a) at least one first probe embodied to analyze the at least one defect; (b) means for producing at least one mark, by use of which the position of the at least one defect is indicated on the mask or on the wafer; and (c) wherein the mark is embodied in such a way that it may be detected by a scanning particle beam microscope.

A method includes depositing a second dielectric layer over a first dielectric layer, depositing a third dielectric layer over the second dielectric layer, patterning a plurality of first openings in the third dielectric layer, etching the second dielectric layer through the first openings to form second openings in the second dielectric layer, performing a plasma etching process directed at the second dielectric layer from a first direction, the plasma etching process extending the second openings in the first direction, and etching the first dielectric layer through the second openings to form third openings in the first dielectric layer.

A system and method for plasma enhanced deposition processes. An exemplary semiconductor manufacturing system includes a susceptor configured to hold a semiconductor wafer and a sector disposed above the susceptor. The sector includes a first plate and an overlying second plate, operable to form a plasma there between. The first plate includes a plurality of holes extending through the first plate, which vary in at least one of diameter and density from a first region of the first plate to a second region of the first plate.

A method includes depositing a second dielectric layer over a first dielectric layer, depositing a third dielectric layer over the second dielectric layer, patterning a plurality of first openings in the third dielectric layer, etching the second dielectric layer through the first openings to form second openings in the second dielectric layer, performing a plasma etching process directed at the second dielectric layer from a first direction, the plasma etching process extending the second openings in the first direction, and etching the first dielectric layer through the second openings to form third openings in the first dielectric layer.

A method includes bonding a first surface of a first semiconductor substrate to a first surface of a second semiconductor substrate and forming a cavity in the first area of the first semiconductor substrate, where forming the cavity comprises: supplying a passivation gas mixture that deposits a passivation layer on a bottom surface and sidewalls of the cavity, where during deposition of the passivation layer, a deposition rate of the passivation layer on the bottom surface of the cavity is the same as a deposition rate of the passivation layer on sidewalls of the cavity; and etching the first area of the first semiconductor substrate using an etching gas, where the etching gas is supplied concurrently with the passivation gas mixture, etching the first area of the first semiconductor substrate comprises etching in a vertical direction at a greater rate than etching in a lateral direction.

Generators and methods for igniting a plasma in a plasma chamber are disclosed. The generator includes an ignition profile generator that includes a data interface configured to receive a voltage value and a time value for each of N data points and an ignition data generator configured to create an ignition profile from the N data points. The generator also includes an ignition profile datastore to store the ignition profile and a waveform generator configured to apply a waveform with the ignition profile to an output of the generator.