Methods and apparatus for passivating a target are provided herein. For example, a method includes a) supplying an oxidizing gas into an inner volume of the process chamber; b) igniting the oxidizing gas to form a plasma and oxidize at least one of a target or target material deposited on a process kit disposed in the inner volume of the process chamber; and c) performing a cycle purge comprising: c1) providing air into the process chamber to react with the at least one of the target or target material deposited on the process kit; c2) maintaining a predetermined pressure for a predetermined time within the process chamber to generate a toxic by-product caused by the air reacting with the at least one of the target or target material deposited on the process kit; and c3) exhausting the process chamber to remove the toxic by-product.

Implementations of the present disclosure generally relate to an improved vacuum processing system. In one implementation, the vacuum processing system includes a first transfer chamber coupling to at least one epitaxy process chamber, a second transfer chamber, a transition station disposed between the first transfer chamber and the second transfer chamber, a first plasma-cleaning chamber coupled to the second transfer chamber for removing oxides from a surface of a substrate, and a load lock chamber coupled to the second transfer chamber. The transition station connects to the first transfer chamber and the second transfer chamber, and the transition station includes a second plasma-cleaning chamber for removing carbon-containing contaminants from the surface of the substrate.

Exemplary semiconductor processing chambers may include a chamber body. The chambers may include a showerhead. The chambers may include a substrate support. The substrate support may include a platen characterized by a first surface facing the showerhead. The substrate support may include a shaft coupled with the platen along a second surface of the platen opposite the first surface of the platen. The shaft may extend at least partially through the chamber body. A coating may extend conformally about the first surface of the platen, the second surface of the platen, and about the shaft.

Methods and apparatus for processing substrates are provided herein. In some embodiments, an apparatus for processing substrates includes a chamber body enclosing a processing volume, the chamber body comprising a chamber floor, a chamber wall coupled to the chamber floor, and a chamber lid removably coupled to the chamber wall, wherein at least one of the chamber floor, the chamber wall, and the chamber lid comprise passages for a flow of a thermal control media; a heater plate disposed adjacent to and spaced apart from the chamber floor; a sleeve disposed adjacent to and spaced apart from the chamber wall, the sleeve supported by the heater plate; and a first sealing element disposed at a first interface between the chamber wall and the chamber lid.

A plasma-enhanced thin-film-deposition equipment includes a chamber, a carrier, a showerhead, an annular isolator and a radio-frequency coil. The chamber includes a containing space, the carrier is disposed within the containing space and provided with a carrying surface for carrying at least one substrate. The showerhead is fluidly connected to the containing space, and the showerhead is provided with a plurality of gas-outlets facing the carrying surface. The annular isolator is provided with a mounting space, and the carrier, the showerhead and the annular isolator define a reacting space, wherein the mounting space is isolated from the reacting space. The showerhead is configured to distribute a precursor into the reacting space, and the radio-frequency coil is disposed within the mounting space and coupled to a radio-frequency power supply, so as to enhance a plasma of the precursor for a thin-film-deposition process.

A method includes depositing a first layer of a first material onto a surface of a chamber component of a processing chamber. The first material comprises a polymer, the polymer having a dielectric strength of at least 40 MV/m. The method further includes depositing a second layer of a second material onto the first layer. The second material comprises a first ceramic material impregnated into the first polymer or a second polymer. The method further includes depositing a third layer. The third layer is of a third material. The third material includes the first ceramic material or a second ceramic material. The third material does not adhere to the first polymer or the second polymer. The third material does adhere to the first ceramic material or the second ceramic material of the second layer.

Disclosed are a liner assembly for vacuum treatment apparatuses and a vacuum treatment apparatus, wherein the liner assembly for vacuum treatment apparatuses comprises: an annular liner including a sidewall protection ring and a support ring which are interconnected, the outer diameter of the support ring being greater than that of the sidewall protection ring, the annular liner enclosing a treating space; and a gas channel provided in the support ring, the gas channel communicating with the treating space. The liner assembly for vacuum treatment apparatuses offer an improved performance.

Embodiments described herein generally relate to a method and apparatus for plasma treating a process chamber. A substrate having a gate stack formed thereon may be placed in a process chamber, and hydrogen containing plasma may be used to treat the gate stack in order to cure the defects in the gate stack. As the result of hydrogen containing plasma treatment, the gate stack has lower leakage and improved reliability. To protect the process chamber from H.sub.x.sup.+ ions and H* radicals generated by the hydrogen containing plasma, the process chamber may be treated with a plasma without the substrate placed therein and prior to the hydrogen containing plasma treatment. In addition, components of the process chamber that are made of a dielectric material may be coated with a ceramic coating including an yttrium containing oxide in order to protect the components from the plasma.

A system and method for a waferless cleaning method for a capacitive coupled plasma system. The method includes forming a protective layer on a top surface of an electrostatic chuck, volatilizing etch byproducts deposited on one or more inner surfaces of the plasma process chamber, removing volatilized etch byproducts from the plasma process chamber and removing the protective layer from the top surface of the electrostatic chuck. A capacitive coupled plasma system including a waferless cleaning recipe is also described.

Methods for the manufacture of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask blanks and production systems therefor are disclosed. A method for forming an EUV mask blank comprises forming a bilayer on a portion of a multi-cathode PVD chamber interior and then forming a multilayer stack of Si/Mo on a substrate in the multi-cathode PVD chamber.