Disclosed herein is an apparatus for processing a substrate using an inductively coupled plasma source. An inductively coupled plasma source utilizes a power source, a shield member, and a coil coupled to the power source. In certain embodiments, the coils are arranged with a horizontal spiral grouping and a vertical extending helical grouping. The shield member, according to certain embodiments, utilizes a grounding member to function as a Faraday shield. The embodiments herein reduce parasitic losses and instabilities in the plasma created by the inductively coupled plasma in the substrate processing system.

A method and apparatus for reducing as-deposited and metastable defects relative to amorphous silicon (a-Si) thin films, its alloys and devices fabricated therefrom that include heating an earth shield positioned around a cathode in a parallel plate plasma chemical vapor deposition chamber to control a temperature of a showerhead in the deposition chamber in the range of 350° C. to 600° C. An anode in the deposition chamber is cooled to maintain a temperature in the range of 50° C. to 450° C. at the substrate that is positioned at the anode. In the apparatus, a heater is embedded within the earth shield and a cooling system is embedded within the anode.

A film formation device includes a target holder configured to hold a target for emitting sputtering particles in a processing space inside a processing chamber, a sputtering particle emitting part configured to emit the sputtering particles from the target, a sputtering particle shielding plate having a passage hole through which the emitted sputtering particles pass, a shielding member provided to shield the passage hole, a movement mechanism configured to move the shielding member in the horizontal direction, and a controller. The controller controls the shielding member, which has the placement portion on which a substrate is placed, to be moved in one direction of the horizontal direction, and controls the sputtering particles to be emitted from the target. The sputtering particles passed through the passage hole are deposited on the substrate.

A plasma processing apparatus includes a processing chamber where a plasma processing is performed on a workpiece, a stage, an edge ring, a shield, and a driver. The stage has a placement surface on which the workpiece is placed inside the processing chamber. The edge ring is provided around the stage so as to surround the workpiece on the placement surface. The shield is capable of shielding a portion of the surface of the edge ring from plasma generated in the processing chamber. The driver changes the area of the edge ring exposed to the plasma by moving the shield relative to the edge ring.

A workpiece processing apparatus allowing independent control of the voltage applied to the shield ring and the workpiece is disclosed. The workpiece processing apparatus includes a platen. The platen includes a dielectric material on which a workpiece is disposed. A bias electrode is disposed beneath the dielectric material. A shield ring, which is constructed from a metal, ceramic, semiconductor or dielectric material, is arranged around the perimeter of the workpiece. A ring electrode is disposed beneath the shield ring. The ring electrode and the bias electrode may be separately powered. This allows the surface voltage of the shield ring to match that of the workpiece, which causes the plasma sheath to be flat. Additionally, the voltage applied to the shield ring may be made different from that of the workpiece to compensate for mismatches in geometries. This improves uniformity of incident angles along the outer edge of the workpiece.

An electronic component cleaning method including: a preparation step of preparing an electronic component having a first surface covered with a protective film, a second surface opposite to the first surface, a sidewall between the first and second surfaces, and an adhering matter adhering to the sidewall; and a sidewall cleaning step of cleaning the sidewall. The sidewall cleaning step includes a deposition step of depositing a first film on the protective film and a surface of the adhering matter, using a first plasma, and a removal step of removing the first film deposited on the surface of the adhering matter, together with at least part of the adhering matter, using a second plasma. In the sidewall cleaning step, the deposition step and the removal step are alternately repeated a plurality of times, so as to allow the protective film to continue to exist.

Various embodiments herein relate to carriers for supporting one or more substrate as the substrates are passed through a processing apparatus. In many cases, the substrates are oriented in a vertical manner. The carrier may include a frame and vertical support bars that secure the glass to the frame. The carrier may lack horizontal support bars. The carrier may allow for thermal expansion and contraction of the substrates, without any need to provide precise gaps between adjacent pairs of substrates. The carriers described herein substantially reduce the risk of breaking the processing apparatus and substrates, thereby achieving a more efficient process. Certain embodiments herein relate to methods of loading substrates onto a carrier.

Embodiments of process kits for use in plasma process chambers are provided herein. In some embodiments, a process kit for use in a process chamber includes an annular body having an upper portion and a lower portion extending downward and radially inward from the upper portion, wherein the annular body includes an inner surface having a first segment that extends downward, a second segment that extends radially outward from the first segment, a third segment that extends downward from the second segment, a fourth segment that extends radially outward from the third segment, a fifth segment that extends downward from the fourth segment, a sixth segment that extends radially inward from the fifth segment, a seventh segment that extends downward from the sixth segment, and an eighth segment that extends radially inward from the seventh segment.

A capacitively coupled plasma substrate processing apparatus includes: a process chamber which is exhausted to vacuum and provides a sealed internal space; a gas inflow pipe which is connected to the process chamber to provide a process gas into the process chamber; a gas distribution unit which is connected to the gas inflow pipe to inject the process gas flowing into the gas inflow pipe in the internal space; an impedance matching network which is disposed outside the process chamber and transfers an RF power of an RF power supply to the gas distribution unit; an RF connection line which connects an output of the impedance matching network to the gas inflow pipe or the gas distribution unit; and a shielding plate which is configured such that at least one of the RF connection line and the gas inflow pipe penetrates the shielding plate and includes a ferromagnetic material.

Exemplary semiconductor processing systems may include an inductively coupled plasma source. The systems may include an RF power source that is electrically coupled with the inductively coupled plasma source. The systems may include a first gas source fluidly coupled with the inductively coupled plasma source. The systems may include a second gas source. The systems may include a dual-channel showerhead assembly defining a first plurality of apertures and a second plurality of apertures. The first plurality of apertures may be fluidly coupled with the inductively coupled plasma source. The second plurality of apertures are fluidly coupled with the second gas source.