A method for processing semiconductor wafer is provided. The method includes supplying a processing gas into an etching chamber containing a semiconductor wafer. The method also includes detecting a pressure in the etching chamber. The method further includes regulating an exhaust flow from the etching chamber by adjusting an open ratio of a valve according to a data in relation to a pressure in the etching chamber produced by the pressure sensor. In addition, the method includes determining an etching endpoint based on the open ratio of the valve.

Described are various embodiments of an ion beam delayering system and method, topographically enhanced sample produced thereby, and imaging methods and systems related thereto. In one embodiment, a method comprises: identifying at least two materials in an exposed surface of the sample and predetermined operational characteristics of an ion beam mill that correspond with a substantially different ion beam mill removal rate for at least one of the materials; operating the ion beam mill in accordance with the predetermined operational characteristics to simultaneously remove the materials and introduce or enhance a topography associated with the materials and surface features defined thereby; acquiring surface data; and repeating the operating and acquiring steps for at least one more layer.

A lifting and rotating platform device includes a closed housing, a rotary shaft, a rotation driving unit, and a lifting driving unit. The closed housing includes an upper housing, a lower housing, and a middle corrugated pipe connected therebetween. The rotary shaft passes through a shaft hole at an upper end of the upper housing. A dynamic seal is between the rotary shaft and the shaft hole. An object bearing platform is at an upper end of the rotary shaft located outside the closed housing. The rotation driving unit is mounted in the upper housing; and is used to drive the rotary shaft to rotate within the shaft hole. The lifting driving unit is mounted in the lower housing; and is used to drive the rotary shaft to ascend or descend in an axial direction.

A method for detecting radicals in process gases in a semiconductor fabrication assembly is provided where the semiconductor fabrication includes a plasma source and a mass spectrometer with an ion source. The method includes separating ions from the process gases and determining a fixed electron energy in which to measure the process gases. Process gases in the semiconductor fabrication assembly are continuously sampled. A first measurement is performed on the sampled process gases at the electron energy using the mass spectrometer, where the first measurement is performed with the plasma source off. A second measurement of the sampled process gases is performed at the fixed electron energy using the mass spectrometer, where the second measurement is performed with the plasma source on. An amount of a radical present in the sampled process gases is determined as a difference between the second measurement and the first measurement.

A system and method for etching workpieces in a uniform manner are disclosed. The system includes a semiconductor processing system that generates a ribbon ion beam, and a workpiece holder that scans the workpiece through the ribbon ion beam. The workpiece holder includes a plurality of independently controlled thermal zones so that the temperature of different regions of the workpiece may be separately controlled. In certain embodiments, etch rate uniformity may be a function of distance from the center of the workpiece, also referred to as radial non-uniformity. Further, when the workpiece is scanned, there may also be etch rate uniformity issues in the translated direction, referred to as linear non-uniformity. The present workpiece holder comprises a plurality of independently controlled thermal zones to compensate for both radial and linear etch rate non-uniformity.

An ion gun according to one embodiment of the present invention has an anode, a cathode having a first portion and a second portion that face the anode, and a magnet that creates a spatial magnetic field between the first portion and the second portion. An annular gap including a curved portion is provided between the first portion and the second portion of the cathode. The magnet creates lines of magnetic field having the bottom inside with respect to the sectional center line of the gap between the first portion and the second portion of the curved portion.

Provided herein are approaches for angle control of neutral reactive species ion beams. In one approach, a workpiece processing apparatus may include a plasma source operable to generate a plasma within a plasma chamber enclosed by a chamber housing, and an extraction plate coupled to the chamber housing. The extraction plate may include a plurality of channels for delivering one or more radical beams to a workpiece, wherein each of the plurality of channels has a lengthwise axis oriented at a non-zero angle relative to a perpendicular extending from a main surface of the workpiece, wherein each channel of the plurality of channels has a channel length and a channel width, and wherein the channel width varies along the channel length.

The present disclosure provides several methods for processing a substrate within a shutterless ion beam etching (IBE) system or shutterless ion assist ion beam deposition (IBD) system while preventing electrostatic damage to the substrate. In the IBE, at an etch completion, the ion energy to the ion source is reduced to less than 20 electron volts while at least one of the devices of the plurality of devices on the top surface of the substrate is exposed to a portion of the ion beam. In the IBD, at a deposition ion assist completion, the ion energy from the second ion source is reduced to less than 20 electron volts while at least one of the devices of the plurality of devices on the top surface of the substrate is exposed to the second ion beam.

A system may include a substrate stage, configured to support a substrate, where a main surface of the substrate defines a substrate plane. The system may include an ion source, including an extraction assembly that is oriented to direct an ion beam to the substrate along a trajectory defining a non-zero angle of incidence with respect to a perpendicular to the substrate plane. The system may include a radical source oriented to direct a radical beam to the substrate along a trajectory defining the non-zero angle of incidence with respect to a perpendicular to the substrate plane. The substrate stage may be further configured to scan the substrate along a first direction, lying with the substrate plane, while the main surface of the substrate is oriented within the substrate plane.

A material recovery system for an optical component includes a reservoir containing gas and configured to supply a gas flow containing the gas. The material recovery system also includes an ion beam generator disposed on the reservoir and configured to receive the gas flow and to ionize the gas in the gas flow to generate an ion beam. The ion beam is configured to be directed to the optical component to remove at least a portion of a F-containing optical material degraded by exposure to VUV radiation, DUV radiation, and/or photo-contamination.