The present invention relates to a technology for increasing the reliability of measurement by preventing the contamination of a self-plasma chamber provided in order to monitor a deposition operation performed in a process chamber, and has a shielding means capable of preventing an inflow of negative electrode material, which is generated by a sputtering phenomenon, into a discharge chamber when a positive charge of plasma, which is generated in the self-plasma chamber, collides with a negative electrode.

Methods and apparatus for physical vapor deposition are provided herein. In some embodiments, a process kit shield for use in a physical vapor deposition chamber may include an electrically conductive body having one or more sidewalls defining a central opening, wherein the body has a ratio of a surface area of inner facing surfaces of the one or more sidewalls to a height of the one or more sidewalls of about 2 to about 3.

A focus ring includes a main body, a plurality of electrodes and a plurality of power cables. The main body, made of a dielectric material, is formed as a frame structure to surround a base. The plurality of electrodes, made of metallic materials, are located inside the main body by surrounding the base, and the neighboring electrodes are separated by an interval. Each of the power cables is connected electrically with a voltage source, a control unit and at least one electrode. The voltage source inputs individual voltages to the plurality of electrodes via the plurality of respective power cables. The control unit controls the plurality of electrodes to have correspondingly a plurality of voltages.

The present invention relates to a technology for increasing the reliability of measurement by preventing the contamination of a self-plasma chamber provided in order to monitor a deposition operation performed in a process chamber, and has a shielding means capable of preventing an inflow of negative electrode material, which is generated by a sputtering phenomenon, into a discharge chamber when a positive charge of plasma, which is generated in the self-plasma chamber, collides with a negative electrode.

During a pre-treat process, hydrogen plasma is used to remove contaminants (e.g., oxygen, carbon) from a surface of a wafer. The hydrogen plasma may be injected into the plasma chamber via an elongated injector nozzle. Using such elongated injector nozzle, a flow of hydrogen plasma with a significant radial velocity flows over the wafer surface, and transports volatile compounds and other contaminant away from the wafer surface to an exhaust manifold. A protective liner made from crystalline silicon or polysilicon may be disposed on an inner surface of the plasma chamber to prevent contaminants from being released from the surface of the plasma chamber. To further decrease the sources of contaminants, an exhaust restrictor made from silicon may be employed to prevent hydrogen plasma from flowing into the exhaust manifold and prevent volatile compounds and other contaminants from flowing from the exhaust manifold back into the plasma chamber.

A ring assembly for a substrate support is disclosed herein. The ring assembly has a ring shaped body. The ring shaped body has an inner diameter and an outer diameter, a top surface, an inner portion at the inner diameter, and an outer portion at the outer diameter. A carbon based coating is disposed on the top surface of the ring shaped body, wherein the carbon based coating is thicker on the inner portion of the ring shaped body than the outer portion of the ring shaped body.

Methods are disclosed for etching a substrate. The method includes preferentially coating cover ring relative other chamber components in the processing chamber, while under vacuum, and while a substrate is not present in the processing chamber. The substrate is subsequently etched the processing chamber. After etching, the interior of the processing chamber is cleaned after the substrate has been removed.

A substrate processing method includes forming a pre-coat film on an in-chamber part disposed in a chamber, and subsequently processing one or more substrates. The forming a pre-coat film includes forming a first film on the in-chamber part without using plasma or by using a first plasma generated under a condition that sputtering is suppressed on the in-chamber part, and forming a second film on a surface of the first film by using a second plasma.

Disclosed is to provide a composite structure used as a member for a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus as well as a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. A composite structure including a base material and a structure that is provided on the base material and has a surface to be exposed to a plasma atmosphere, in which the structure has an yttrium-aluminum oxide as a main component, and has a lattice constant a calculated by the following formula (1) being larger than 12.080 ?:
a=d.Math.(h.sup.2+k.sup.2+l.sup.2).sup.1/2(1)
where d represents a lattice plane spacing, and (hkl) represents a Miller index. This structure features excellent low-particle generation and is suitably used a member for a semiconductor apparatus.

A substrate processing system includes a processing chamber including a dielectric window and a substrate support arranged therein to support a substrate. A coil is arranged outside of the processing chamber adjacent to the dielectric window. A Faraday shield is arranged between the coil and the dielectric window. An RF generator is configured to supply RF power to the coil. The coil is coupled by stray capacitance and/or directly coupled to the Faraday shield. A capacitor is connected to one of the coil and the Faraday shield to adjust a position of a voltage standing wave along the coil.