A method of operating a plasma processing system includes determining a first frequency to power a first plasma within a plasma processing chamber. The method includes generating a first amplified RF signal having the first frequency at a broadband power amplifier. The method includes supplying the first amplified RF signal to process a substrate disposed in the plasma processing chamber using a first plasma process including the first plasma. The method includes determining a second frequency to power a second plasma within the plasma processing chamber. The method includes generating a second amplified RF signal having the second frequency at the broadband power amplifier. The method includes supplying the second amplified RF signal to process the substrate disposed in the plasma processing chamber using a second plasma process including the second plasma.

The instant disclosure relates to methods, devices, and code for controlling a coating process and, in particular, for controlling a coating process of a substrate. According to various embodiments, the method may include driving a first actuator that supplies the coating process, which is based on monitored process variables that are detected in parallel with one another. The control variables may be considered when driving the first actuator. The method may also include driving a second actuator that supplies the coating process, which is based on the detected monitored process variables. The detected monitored process variables may also be considered when driving the second actuator.

Described herein is a technique capable of uniformizing a quality of a film even when a processing environment changes. According to one aspect thereof, there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, including: (a) loading a substrate into a process chamber; (b) supplying a gas to the substrate in the process chamber through a dispersion plate of a shower head while heating the dispersion plate by a shower head heater and exhausting the gas; (c) unloading the substrate; (d) measuring a temperature of the shower head before loading a subsequent substrate; and (e) comparing the temperature of the shower head after (d) with a pre-set temperature, and operating the shower head heater to control the temperature of the shower head to become close to the pre-set temperature when a difference between the temperature of the shower head and the pre-set temperature is greater than a predetermined value.

Embodiments of the present technology may include semiconductor processing methods that include depositing a film of semiconductor material on a substrate in a substrate processing chamber. The deposited film may be sampled for defects at greater than or about two non-contiguous regions of the substrate with scanning electron microscopy. The defects that are detected and characterized may include those of a size less than or about 10 nm. The methods may further include calculating a total number of defects in the deposited film based on the sampling for defects in the greater than or about two non-contiguous regions of the substrate. At least one deposition parameter may be adjusted as a result of the calculation. The adjustment to the at least one deposition parameter may reduce the total number of defects in a deposition of the film of semiconductor material.

A method and apparatus for nitride capping of titanium materials via chemical vapor deposition techniques is provided. The method includes forming a titanium nitride layer upon a titanium material layer formed on a substrate. The titanium nitride layer is formed by exposing the titanium material layer to a hydrogen-rich nitrogen-containing plasma followed by exposing the titanium material layer to a nitrogen-rich nitrogen-containing plasma. The titanium nitride layer is then exposed to an argon plasma followed by exposing the titanium nitride layer to a halide soak process.

An advanced temperature control system and method are described for a wafer carrier in a plasma processing chamber. In one example a heat exchanger provides a temperature controlled thermal fluid to a fluid channel of a workpiece carrier and receives the thermal fluid from the fluid channel. A proportional valve is between the heat exchanger and the fluid channel to control the rate of flow of thermal fluid from the heat exchanger to the fluid channel. A pneumatic valve is also between the heat exchanger and the fluid channel also to control the rate of flow of thermal fluid from the heat exchanger and the fluid channel. A temperature controller receives a measured temperature from a thermal sensor of the carrier and controls the proportional valve and the pneumatic valve in response to the measured temperature to adjust the rate of flow of the thermal fluid.

In a vacuum treatment recipient, a plasma is generated between a first plasma electrode and a second plasma electrode so as to perform a vacuum plasma treatment of a substrate. To minimize at least one of the two plasma electrodes to be buried by a deposition of material resulting from the treatment process, that electrode is provided with a surface pattern of areas which do not contribute to the plasma electrode effect and of areas which are plasma electrode effective. The current path between the two electrodes is concentrated on the distinct areas which are plasma electrode effective, leading to an ongoing sputter- cleaning of these areas.

A temperature estimation apparatus includes an estimation unit configured to successively estimate temperature data by successively inputting given time series process data relating to conditions inside a processing space in which plasma processing is performed, into a time series model generated in advance that correlates data values, in each time period, of time series process data relating to conditions inside the processing space, with a data value, at a respective time point, of time series temperature data measured inside the processing space.

An analysis device includes: a calculation part configured to calculate a degree of deviation of a processing space, in which a plasma process is performed, from a reference condition by inputting, among time-series data groups measured in the processing space, a time-series data group measured in a determination section, which is a predetermined period of time before a control section, into a time-series analysis model; and a specifying part configured to specify a characteristic value for determining control data at a time of the plasma process of a substrate in the control section based on the calculated degree of deviation.

In thickness/depth measurement of a wafer in etching, variation occurs in detected light quantity due to fluctuation of light quantity of a light source or fluctuation of air in a region through which light passes, and measurement accuracy of thickness/depth is reduced, and thus the total light quantity or average light quantity of an arbitrary wavelength is calculated from an optical spectrum measured at each time instant during etching, estimated total light quantity or estimated average light quantity at the present time, which is estimated using total light quantity or average light quantity measured prior to the present time, is calculated, a change rate, as a ratio of the total light quantity at the present time to the estimated total light quantity or a ratio of the average light quantity to the estimated average light quantity, is calculated, the calculated change rate is used to correct light quantity of each wavelength at the present time, and the corrected light quantity of each wavelength is used to perform thickness/depth measurement.