A substrate processing apparatus comprising a holding unit, a liquid supply unit, a recovery unit, a circulation path, a gas supply unit, and a control unit. The holding unit holds a substrate. The liquid supply unit supplies a processing liquid to a first major surface of the substrate being held by the holding unit. The recovery unit recovers the processing liquid that has been used for processing the substrate. The circulation path returns the processing liquid recovered by the recovery unit back to the liquid supply unit. The gas supply unit supplies a gas to a second major surface to the substrate being held by the holding unit opposite to the first major surface. The control unit controls the liquid supply unit and the gas supply unit. The control unit, when the processing liquid planned to be returned back to the liquid supply unit by the circulation path is supplied to the first major surface, causes the gas to be supplied to the second major surface.

The present disclosure includes apparatuses and methods related to freezing a sacrificial material in forming a semiconductor. In an example, a method may include solidifying, via freezing, a sacrificial material in an opening of a structure, wherein the sacrificial material has a freezing point below a boiling point of a solvent used in a wet clean operation and removing the sacrificial material via sublimation by exposing the sacrificial material to a particular temperature range.

The disclosure relates to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure and a semiconductor structure. The method includes: performing etching treatment on a semiconductor structure in a reaction chamber to obtain a first etched structure, and performing preset plasma etching treatment on an upper surface of the first etched structure in the reaction chamber to obtain a second etched structure subjected to removal of etching by-products, the maximum molecular mass of gas for forming preset plasma being less than or equal to the atomic mass of helium, such that the free path of the preset plasma is shorter than the free path of helium atoms under the same etching conditions.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor memory device includes alternately stacking sacrificial layers and interlayer insulating layers over a lower structure, forming a slit passing through the sacrificial layers and the interlayer insulating layers, removing the sacrificial layers through the slit through a wet etching process, and removing, through a dry etching process, a byproduct that is produced at ends of the interlayer insulating layers during the wet etching process.

This disclosure relates to a cleaning composition that contains 1) hydroxylamine; 2) a chelating agent; 3) an alkylene glycol; and 4) water. This disclosure also relates to a method of using the above composition for cleaning a semiconductor substrate.

The substrate is doped with P, has a resistivity adjusted to 1.05 mΩ.Math.cm or less, and includes defects, formed in the crystal by the aggregation of P, which are Si—P crystal defects substantially. The method includes a step of forming a silicon oxide film on the backside of the substrate with a thickness of 300 nm or more and 700 nm or less, a step of mirror-polishing the substrate, and after the mirror-polishing step, a heat treatment step of the substrate mounted on a substrate holder made of Si or SiC, on the holder surface a silicon oxide film is formed with the thickness between 200 nm and 500 nm, wherein the thickness X of the silicon oxide film of the holder and the thickness Y of that on the backside of the substrate satisfy a relational expression Y=C−X, where C is a constant between 800 and 1000.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a process tool that includes a chamber housing defining a processing chamber. Within the processing chamber is a wafer chuck configured to hold a substrate. Further, a bell jar structure is arranged over the wafer chuck such that an opening of the bell jar structure faces the wafer chuck. A plasma coil is arranged over the bell jar structure. An oxygen source coupled to the processing chamber and configured to input oxygen gas into the processing chamber.

In a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, a source/drain structure is formed over a substrate, a first interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer including one or more dielectric layers is formed over the source/drain structure, a first opening is formed in the first ILD layer to at least partially expose the source/drain structure, a sacrificial layer is formed on an inner wall of the first opening, a first insulating layer is formed on the sacrificial layer, a conductive layer is formed on the first insulating layer so as to form a source/drain contact in contact with the source/drain structure, the sacrificial layer is removed to form a space between the first insulating layer and the first ILD layer, and a second insulating layer is formed over the source/drain contact and the first ILD layer to cap an upper opening of the space, thereby forming an air gap.

A method of forming a semiconductor device includes soaking a batch of wafers in a first cleaning liquid, replacing the first cleaning liquid with a second cleaning liquid, soaking the batch of wafers in the second cleaning liquid, and soaking the batch of wafers in an etchant. The first cleaning liquid has a first temperature. The second cleaning liquid has a second temperature. The etchant has a third temperature. The second temperature is between the first temperature and the third temperature.

An etching method according to one embodiment, includes alternately switching a first step and a second step. The first step introduces a first gas containing a fluorine atom without supplying radiofrequency voltage to form a surface layer on a surface of a target cooled at a temperature equal to or lower than a liquefaction temperature of the first gas. The second step introduces a second gas gaseous at the first temperature and different from the first gas, and supplies the radiofrequency voltage, to generate plasma from the second gas to etch the target by sputtering using the plasma.