A ground shield of a processing chamber includes a ceramic body including a ground shield plate, a raised edge extending from an upper surface of the ground shield plate, and a hollow shaft that extends from a lower surface of the ground shield plate. An electrically conductive layer is formed on and conforms to at least the upper surface of the ground shield plate and an interior surface of the hollow shaft. A first protective layer is formed on at least the electrically conductive layer. A heater plate of a heater first within the raised edge and on the ground shield plate such that the heater plate is disposed on top of the first protective layer, the electrically conductive layer, and the upper surface of the ground shield plate.

A substrate placing table according to an exemplary embodiment includes a base and an electrostatic chuck provided on the base. The electrostatic chuck includes a lamination layer portion, an intermediate layer, and a covering layer. The lamination layer portion is provided on the base. The intermediate layer is provided on the lamination layer portion. The covering layer is provided on the intermediate layer. The lamination layer portion includes a first layer, an electrode layer, and a second layer. The first layer is provided on the base. The electrode layer is provided on the first layer. The second layer is provided on the electrode layer. The intermediate layer is provided between the second layer and the covering layer and is in close contact with the second layer and the covering layer. The second layer is a resin layer. The covering layer is ceramics.

A plasma etching system generates a plasma above a wafer in a plasma etching chamber. The wafer is surrounded by a focus ring. The plasma etching system straightens a plasma sheath above the focus ring by generating a supplemental electric field above the focus ring.

An object of the present invention is to reduce non-uniformity of etching in a plane of a wafer. An electrostatic chuck device includes: an electrostatic chuck part having a sample mounting surface on which a sample is mounted and having a first electrode for electrostatic attraction; a cooling base part placed on a side opposite to the sample mounting surface with respect to the electrostatic chuck part to cool the electrostatic chuck part; and an adhesive layer that bonds the electrostatic chuck part and the cooling base part together, in which the cooling base part has a function of a second electrode that is an RF electrode, a third electrode for RF electrode or LC adjustment is provided between the electrostatic chuck part and the cooling base part, and the third electrode is bonded to the electrostatic chuck part and the cooling base part and insulated from the cooling base part.

Exemplary methods of semiconductor processing may include delivering a deposition precursor into a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include depositing a layer of material on a substrate housed in the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The processing region may be maintained at a first pressure during the deposition. The methods may include extending a baffle within the processing region. The baffle may modify a flow path within the processing region. The methods may include forming a plasma of a treatment or etch precursor within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The processing region may be maintained at a second pressure during the forming. The methods may include treating the layer of material deposited on the substrate with plasma effluents of the treatment precursor. The processes may be cycled any number of times.

An electrostatic chuck is described that has radio frequency coupling suitable for use in high power plasma environments. In some examples, the chuck includes a base plate, a top plate, a first electrode in the top plate proximate the top surface of the top plate to electrostatically grip a workpiece, and a second electrode in the top plate spaced apart from the first electrode, the first and second electrodes being coupled to a power supply to electrostatically charge the first electrode.

Exemplary methods of semiconductor processing may include providing a silicon-containing precursor and a carbon-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The carbon-containing precursor may be characterized by a carbon-carbon double bond or a carbon-carbon triple bond. A substrate may be disposed within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include providing a boron-containing precursor to the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include thermally reacting the silicon-containing precursor, the carbon-containing precursor, and the boron-containing precursor at a temperature above about 250° C. The methods may include forming a silicon-and-carbon-containing layer on the substrate.

A manufacturing method of a semiconductor device includes the steps of: (a) placing a semiconductor wafer over a stage provided in a chamber, the pressure in the inside of which is reduced by vacuum pumping; and (b) after the step (a), forming plasma in the chamber in a state where the semiconductor wafer is adsorbed and held by the stage, so that desired etching processing is performed on the semiconductor wafer. Herein, before the step (a), O.sub.2 gas, negative gas having an electronegativity higher than that of nitrogen gas, is introduced into the chamber to form O.sub.2 plasma in the chamber, thereby allowing the charges remaining over the stage to be eliminated.

Systems and methods for material processing using wafer scale waves of precisely controlled electrons in a DC plasma is presented. A surface floating potential of a substrate placed atop a stage in a positive column of the DC plasma is adjusted and maintained to a reference potential. A periodic biasing signal referenced to the reference potential is capacitively coupled to the stage to control a surface potential at the substrate according to: an active phase for provision of kinetic energy to free electrons in the DC plasma for activation of targeted bonds at the surface of the substrate; a neutralization phase for repelling of the free electrons from the surface of the substrate; and an initialization phase for restoring an initial condition of the surface floating potential.

A plasma processing apparatus includes a plasma processing chamber; a base disposed in the plasma processing chamber; an electrostatic chuck, disposed on the base, having a substrate support portion and an edge ring support portion on which an edge ring is disposed so as to surround a substrate; a first clamping electrode disposed in the substrate support portion; a first bias electrode disposed below the first clamping electrode in the substrate support portion; a second clamping electrode disposed in the edge ring support portion; a second bias electrode disposed below the second clamping electrode in the edge ring support portion; a first power source electrically connected to the first bias electrode; and a second power source electrically connected to the second bias electrode.