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.

Efficient integrated sequential deposition of alternating layers of dielectric and conductor, for example oxide/metal or metal nitride, e.g., SiO.sub.2/TiN, in a single tool, and even in a single process chamber enhances throughput without compromising quality when directly depositing a OMOM stack with many layers. Conductor and dielectric film deposition of a stack of at least 20 conductor/dielectric film pairs in the same processing tool or chamber, without breaking vacuum between the film depositions, such that there is no substantial cross-contamination between the conductor and dielectric film depositions, can be achieved.

Semiconductor processing apparatuses and methods are provided in which a pre-clean chamber receives a semiconductor wafer from a metal gate layer deposition chamber and at least partially removes an oxide layer on a metal gate layer. In some embodiments, a semiconductor processing apparatus includes a plurality of metal gate layer deposition chambers. Each of the metal gate layer deposition chambers is configured to form a metal gate layer on a semiconductor wafer. At least one pre-clean chamber of the apparatus is configured to receive the semiconductor wafer from one of the metal gate layer deposition chamber and at least partially remove an oxide layer on the metal gate layer.

There is disclosed a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition apparatus including a chamber in which plasma reaction is performed to provide a functional film to an object received therein, a pallet mechanically and electrically connected with the object, a conveyer to convey the pallet to an inside from an outside of the chamber, and a power supplier to supply an electric power to the pallet, the power supplier comprising a moving contact distant from the pallet when the pallet is conveyed and contacting with the pallet when the pallet is stopped.

A manufacturing method of a semiconductor device includes the steps of: (a) placing a semiconductor wafer over a stage provided in a chamber, the pressure in the inside of which is reduced by vacuum pumping; and (b) after the step (a), forming plasma in the chamber in a state where the semiconductor wafer is adsorbed and held by the stage, so that desired etching processing is performed on the semiconductor wafer. Herein, before the step (a), O.sub.2 gas, negative gas having an electronegativity higher than that of nitrogen gas, is introduced into the chamber to form O.sub.2 plasma in the chamber, thereby allowing the charges remaining over the stage to be eliminated.

Processing platforms comprising a central transfer station having at least one robot and a dual chamber processing chamber connected to a side of the central transfer station through a gate valve are described. The dual chamber processing chamber comprises a first processing volume and a second processing volume connected to a shared vacuum pump.

The present disclosure provides a substrate support assembly includes a substrate pedestal having an upper surface for receiving and supporting a substrate, a cover plate disposed on the substrate support pedestal, and two or more lift pins movably disposed through the substrate support pedestal and the cover plate. The cover plate includes a disk body having a central opening. The two or more lift pins are self supportive. Each of the two or more lift pins comprises one or more contact pads, and the contact pads of the lift pins extend into to the central opening of the cover plate to receive and support a substrate at an edge region of the substrate.

Disclosed are an apparatus and a method for saving energy while increasing the conveying speed in vacuum coating plants consisting of a series of sputtering segments (3) and gas separation segments (2) along with a continuous substrate plane (1). Said apparatus has the following features: a) each of the sputtering segments (3) consists of a tank tub (12) inside which a conveying device (11) is located; the flange (6) of the tank is positioned in the immediate vicinity above the substrate plane (1); a cathode bearing block (5), along with targets (8) and gas inlet ducts (10), is located in the tank cover (4) in the immediate vicinity of the substrate together with splash guards (9); b) in the region of the substrate plane (1), the gas separation segments (2) are provided with a tunnel cover (14) that extends along the entire length of the gas separation segment (2); c) sputtering segments (3) and/or gas separation segments (2) are evacuated using one or more vacuum pumps (15), and the air pumped in said process is trapped in an air reservoir (25) having an adjustable volume.

Efficient integrated sequential deposition of alternating layers of dielectric and conductor, for example oxide/metal or metal nitride, e.g., SiO.sub.2/TiN, in a single tool, and even in a single process chamber enhances throughput without compromising quality when directly depositing a OMOM stack with many layers. Conductor and dielectric film deposition of a stack of at least 20 conductor/dielectric film pairs in the same processing tool or chamber, without breaking vacuum between the film depositions, such that there is no substantial cross-contamination between the conductor and dielectric film depositions, can be achieved.

A method for processing a substrate includes providing the substrate, a film being formed on the substrate, performing pretreatment to surface-treat the film formed on the substrate using a treatment gas in a plasma state, and performing, after the pretreatment, liquid treatment to remove the film from the substrate by supplying a treatment liquid onto the substrate.