A method includes aligning and positioning a carrier in a predetermined orientation and location within a first front opening pod (FOUP) of a cluster tool, transferring the carrier to a charging station of the cluster tool, transferring a substrate from a second front opening pod (FOUP) of the cluster tool to the charging station and chucking the substrate onto the carrier, transferring the carrier having the substrate thereon from the charging station to a factory interface of the cluster tool, aligning the carrier having the substrate thereon in the factory interface of the cluster tool such that during substrate processing within a processing platform of the cluster tool the carrier is properly oriented and positioned relative to components of the processing platform, where the processing platform comprises one or more processing chambers, transferring the aligned carrier having the substrate thereon from the factory interface to the processing platform of the cluster tool for substrate processing, and transferring the aligned carrier having the processed substrate thereon from the processing platform to the factory interface.

An apparatus includes a gas input and a cooling plate. A groove surrounds the gas input and less than one hundred percent of the cooling plate. An inflatable seal is in the groove.

Exemplary methods for etching a variety of metal-containing materials may include flowing an oxygen-containing precursor into a semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate positioned within the semiconductor processing chamber may include a trench formed between two vertical columns and a metal-containing material arranged within a plurality of recesses defined by the two vertical columns. The plurality of recesses may include a first recess and a second recess adjacent to the first recess. The metal-containing material arranged within the first recess and the metal-containing material arranged within the second recess may be connected by the metal-containing material lining a portion of sidewalls of the trench. The methods may further include oxidizing the metal-containing material with the oxygen-containing precursor. The methods may also include flowing a halide precursor into the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may further include laterally etching the oxidized metal-containing material lining the portion of the sidewalls of the trench.

Apparatus and methods of processing a substrate in a plasma enhanced spatial atomic layer deposition chamber. A substrate is moved through one or more plasma processing regions and one or more non-plasma processing regions while the plasma power is pulsed to prevent a voltage differential on the substrate from exceeding a breakdown voltage of the substrate or device being formed on the substrate.

Exemplary methods for laterally etching tungsten may include flowing an oxygen-containing precursor into a semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate positioned within the semiconductor processing chamber may include a trench formed between two vertical columns and tungsten slabs arranged within a plurality of recesses defined by at least one of the two vertical columns. At least two of the tungsten slabs may be connected by tungsten lining a portion of sidewalls of the trench. The methods may further include oxidizing the tungsten connecting the at least two of the tungsten slabs with the oxygen-containing precursor. The methods may include flowing a halide precursor into the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may also include laterally etching the oxidized tungsten from the sidewalls of the trench.

An ion generator includes: an arc chamber which defines a plasma generation space; a cathode which emits thermoelectrons toward the plasma generation space; and a repeller which faces the cathode with the plasma generation space interposed therebetween. The arc chamber includes a box-shaped main body on which a front side is open, and a slit member which is mounted to the front side of the main body and provided with a front slit for extracting ions. An inner surface of the main body which is exposed to the plasma generation space is made of a refractory metal material, and an inner surface of the slit member which is exposed to the plasma generation space is made of graphite.

There is provided an ion source device including a pair of first electrodes for emitting an electron, a second electrode that defines a region in which the electron is enclosed and to which raw material source gas is supplied, between the pair of first electrodes, and that has a hole portion through which an ion generated by collision between the electron and the material gas is extruded, an extraction electrode disposed apart from the second electrode along an extraction direction of the ion extracted from the second electrode so that a potential difference is formed between the second electrode and the extraction electrode, and an intermediate electrode disposed between the second electrode and the extraction electrode. A first potential difference between the second electrode and the intermediate electrode is greater than a second potential difference between the second electrode and the extraction electrode.

An apparatus for processing substrates is provided. A chamber comprises a chamber top and a chamber bottom, wherein the chamber bottom is detachably connected to the chamber top. At least one substrate support supports at least one substrate in the chamber. A substrate port allows a substrate to move into or out of the chamber. A seal creates a vacuum seal when the chamber top is on the chamber bottom. A manipulation system for manipulating an interior of the chamber when the chamber top is spaced apart from the chamber bottom comprises 1) a sealing wall for creating a seal between the chamber top and chamber bottom when the chamber top is spaced apart from the chamber bottom and 2) a manipulation port in the sealing wall, wherein the manipulation port allows a mechanical force to be provided through the sealing wall inside the chamber.

Generally, examples described herein relate to methods and processing systems for forming isolation structures (e.g., shallow trench isolations (STIs)) between fins on a substrate. In an example, fins are formed on a substrate. A liner layer is conformally formed on and between the fins. Forming the liner layer includes conformally depositing a pre-liner layer on and between the fins, and densifying, using a plasma treatment, the pre-liner layer to form the liner layer. A dielectric material is formed on the liner layer.

Apparatus, systems, and methods for conducting a hardmask (e.g., boron doped amorphous carbon hardmask) removal process on a workpiece are provided. In one example implementation, a method includes supporting a workpiece on a workpiece support in a processing chamber. The method can include generating a plasma from a process gas in a plasma chamber using a plasma source. The plasma chamber can be separated from the processing chamber by a separation grid. The method can include exposing the workpiece to one or more radicals generated in the plasma to perform a plasma strip process on the workpiece to at least partially remove the hardmask layer from the workpiece. The method can include exposing the workpiece to water vapor as a passivation agent during the plasma strip process.