Manufacturing apparatus, systems and method of making silicon (Si) nanowires on carbon based powders, such as graphite, that may be used as anodes in lithium ion batteries are provided. In some embodiments, an inventive tumbler reactor and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system and method for growing silicon nanowires on carbon based powders in scaled up quantities to provide production scale anodes for the battery industry are described.

The invention relates to a substrate holder (1) comprising a first contact (3) for the supply of a potential U.sub.s to the substrate (2), a charging region (12) on the surface (11) of the substrate holder (1) being designed such that it can be charged (13) with ions (101, 102) from the ion source (104) of a coating facility (100), and/or a second contact (4) is provided by means of which a freely selectable potential U.sub.H different from the potential U.sub.s can be applied to an electrode region (14) on the surface (11) of the substrate holder (1). The invention also relates to a coating facility (100) comprising at least one ion source (104) and a first voltage source (106) that can be connected to the substrate to be coated (2) such that gas ions (101) and/or ions (102) of a coating material (103) can be accelerated in the direction of the substrate (2) from the ion source (104) by means of an electric potential U.sub.s applied to the substrate (2) from the first voltage source (106), at least one secondary surface (11, 105), towards which ions (101, 102) missing the substrate (2) move, being designed (13, 113) such that it can be charged with arriving ions (101, 102), and/or at least one second voltage source (107) being provided, which can be connected to the secondary surface (11, 105) such that a freely selectable potential U.sub.s different from the potential U.sub.s can be applied to said secondary surface (11, 105). The invention further relates to an operating method and to a computer program product.

A collimator that is biasable is provided. The ability to bias the collimator allows control of the electric field through which the sputter species pass. In some implementations of the present disclosure, a collimator that has a high effective aspect ratio while maintaining a low aspect ratio along the periphery of the collimator of the hexagonal array of the collimator is provided. In some implementations, a collimator with a steep entry edge in the hexagonal array is provided. It has been found that use of a steep entry edge in the collimator reduces deposition overhang and clogging of the cells of the hexagonal array. These various features lead to improve film uniformity and extend the life of the collimator and process kit.

Aspects of the invention may relate to a treatment device and method for providing plasma treatments of lenses. The treatment device for treating a lens, included in an operational device, may include: at least one first electrode located in proximity to a first surface of the lens, such that the first surface is to be treated by the treatment device; at least one second electrode; and an RF generator electrically associated with the electrodes for providing RF energy to the at least one first and at least one second electrodes in an amount sufficient to generate plasma on the first surface of the lens.

A rotary plasma reactor system is provided. In another aspect, a plasma reactor is rotatable about a generally horizontal axis within a vacuum chamber. A further aspect employs a plasma reactor, a vacuum chamber, and an elongated electrode internally extending within a central area of the reactor. Yet another aspect employs a plasma reactor for use in activating, etching and/or coating tumbling workpiece material.

A deposition system comprises a vacuum chamber having a cylindrical inner wall, a cylindrical parts carousel disposed concentrically inside the cylindrical inner wall of the vacuum chamber, and one or more deposition sources arranged to flow deposition material onto the cylindrical parts carousel. A cylindrical shutter assembly is disposed concentrically inside the cylindrical inner wall of the vacuum chamber, and has (1) a shuttered position in which the cylindrical shutter assembly blocks the one or more deposition sources from depositing onto the parts carousel and (2) an unshuttered position in which the cylindrical shutter assembly does not block the one or more deposition sources from depositing onto the parts carousel. A drive train rotates the cylindrical shutter assembly between the shuttered and unshuttered positions. The drive train not operatively connected to rotate the cylindrical parts carousel. The deposition sources may include inner and outer sputter sources.

A device for coating containers, in particular bottles, including a vacuum chamber, a plasma generator, and a gas lance having an outlet opening protruding into the container for introducing a material to be deposited on an inner wall of the container. The inside diameter of the gas lance in a region of the outlet opening is enlarged relative to the inside diameter in a main section of the gas lance.

A collimator that is biasable is provided. The ability to bias the collimator allows control of the electric field through which the sputter species pass. In some implementations of the present disclosure, a collimator that has a high effective aspect ratio while maintaining a low aspect ratio along the periphery of the collimator of the hexagonal array of the collimator is provided. In some implementations, a collimator with a steep entry edge in the hexagonal array is provided. It has been found that use of a steep entry edge in the collimator reduces deposition overhang and clogging of the cells of the hexagonal array. These various features lead to improve film uniformity and extend the life of the collimator and process kit.

A method of forming a semiconductor device. The method may include providing a device structure, where the device structure comprises a masked portion and a cut portion. The masked portion may comprise a mask covering at least one semiconductor fin of a fin array, and the cut portion may comprise a trench, where the trench exposes a semiconductor fin region of the fin array. The method may further include providing an exposure of the trench to oxidizing ions, the oxidizing ions to transform a semiconductor material into an oxide.

A method for producing a microlens according to the present invention includes an etching step and a surface treatment step. In the etching step, a target object which is obtained by forming a second organic film having a lens shape on a first organic film that is formed on a substrate is subjected to etching that uses a plasma of a first processing gas, while using the second organic film as a mask, so that the first organic film is etched so as to transfer the lens shape of the second organic film to the first organic film, thereby forming a microlens in the first organic film. In the surface treatment step, a surface treatment is performed so as to smooth the surface of the microlens that is formed in the first organic film.