An apparatus includes a substrate; circuit components disposed on the substrate; and a location identifier layer over the circuit, wherein the location identifier layer includes one or more section labels for representing physical locations of the circuit components within the apparatus.

Molybdenum is etched in a highly controllable manner by performing one or more etch cycles, where each cycle involves exposing the substrate having a molybdenum layer to an oxygen-containing reactant to form molybdenum oxide followed by treatment with boron trichloride to convert molybdenum oxide to a volatile molybdenum oxychloride with subsequent treatment of the substrate with a fluorine-containing reactant to remove boron oxide that has formed in a previous reaction, from the surface of the substrate. In some embodiments the method is performed in an absence of plasma and results in a substantially isotropic etching. The method can be used in a variety of applications in semiconductor processing, such as in wordline isolation in 3D NAND fabrication.

There is provided a technique that includes abnormality detecting by picking up a sound generated from a transfer configured to be capable of transporting the substrate and comparing a waveform of sound data with a preset threshold value to detect an abnormality of the transfer; and failure detecting by picking up vibration of the transfer and comparing a waveform of vibration data with a preset threshold value to detect a failure of the transfer.

Methods for aligning a processing chamber using a centering ring and processing chambers having the centering ring are describes. The method includes determining an average central position for the centering ring based on the concentricity of the centering with the support surfaces and adjusting average position of centering ring to a final position based on the average central position.

An overhead buffer double-entry detection system, which includes an overhead hoist transport, a first sensing unit for scanning and generating detection data of a horizontal range, a driving device for moving the first sensing unit in a vertical range, a controlling unit, and an overhead hoist transport controlling system for sending a detection instruction and a driving instruction to the controlling unit when the overhead hoist transport moves to a corresponding overhead buffer position, whereby the controlling unit bases on the driving instruction to control the driving device to move the first sensing unit in a vertical range, bases on the detection instruction to control the first sensing unit to scan and generate detection data of each horizontal range within the overhead buffer during movement process, and bases on the detection data of each horizontal range within the overhead buffer to judge whether there is obstacle in the overhead buffer.

Substrate loading device including a frame adapted to connect the substrate loading device to a substrate processing apparatus, the frame having a transport opening through which substrates are transported between the substrate loading device and the substrate processing apparatus, a cassette support connected to the frame for holding at least one substrate cassette container for transfer of substrates to and from the at least one substrate cassette container through the transport opening, and selectably variable cassette support purge ports with a variable purge port nozzle outlet, variable between more than one selectable predetermined purge port nozzle characteristics, disposed on the cassette support, each of the more than one purge port nozzle characteristics being configured so that the purge port nozzle outlet with each selected predetermined purge port nozzle characteristic complements and couples to at least one purge port of the at least one substrate cassette container.

A substrate inspection apparatus includes: a storage configured to store inspection image data obtained from a captured image of a periphery of a substrate on which a plurality of films is formed, and an inspection recipe; and an edge detector configured to detect a target edge as an edge of an inspection target film among the films on the basis of the inspection image data stored in the storage by using the inspection recipe stored in the storage. Each of edges of the films extends along the periphery of the substrate. The inspection recipe is configured by combining parameters each of which has one option specified among a plurality of options.

A sample mapping system includes a sample chuck including absolute reference marks, an imaging metrology tool to capture sets of alignment images at locations associated with sample marks on a sample on the sample chuck, and a controller. A particular set of alignment images at a particular location may include at least one alignment image associated with a particular sample mark and at least one alignment image associated with a particular portion of the absolute reference marks within a field of view of the imaging metrology tool visible through the sample. The controller may determine absolute coordinates of the sample marks based on the sets of alignment images. Determining the absolute coordinates of the particular sample mark may include determining the absolute coordinates of the particular sample mark based on a position of the particular sample mark relative to the particular portion of the absolute reference marks.

A method includes mounting a first wafer on a first wafer chuck and mounting a second wafer on a second wafer chuck. The second wafer is brought into physical contact with the first wafer. A relative distance between the first wafer and the second wafer is monitored using a distance sensor. A pressure of a vacuum zone on the second wafer chuck is controlled using feedback from the distance sensor. The bonded first wafer and second wafer are removed from the first wafer chuck.

A photolithography method includes dispensing a first liquid toward a target layer through a nozzle at a first distance from the target layer; moving the nozzle such that the nozzle is at a second distance from the target layer, wherein the second distance is different from the first distance; dispensing a second liquid toward the target layer through the nozzle at the second distance from the target layer; and patterning the target layer after dispensing the first liquid and the second liquid.