A method of forming a high-κ dielectric cap layer on a semiconductor structure formed on a substrate includes depositing the high-κ dielectric cap layer on the semiconductor structure, depositing a sacrificial silicon cap layer on the high-κ dielectric cap layer, performing a post cap anneal process to harden and densify the as-deposited high-κ dielectric cap layer, and removing the sacrificial silicon cap layer.

An apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device may include a chamber, a chuck provided in the chamber, and a biased power supply physically connected with the chuck. The apparatus may include a target component provided over the chuck and the biased power supply, and a magnetron assembly provided over the target component. The magnetron assembly may include a plurality of outer magnetrons and a plurality of inner magnetrons, and a spacing between each adjacent magnetrons of the plurality of outer magnetrons may be different from a spacing between each adjacent magnetrons of the plurality of inner magnetrons.

Described herein is a technique capable of optimizing a timing of a maintenance process. According to one aspect of the technique of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device including: (a) transferring a substrate from a storage container storing one or more substrates including the substrate to a process chamber, and performing a substrate processing; (b) receiving maintenance reservation information of the process chamber; and (c) continuously performing the substrate processing after the maintenance reservation information is received in (b) until the substrate processing in the process chamber related to the maintenance reservation information is completed, and setting the process chamber to a maintenance enable state after the substrate processing is completed by stopping the one or more substrates from being transferred into the process chamber.

Described herein is a technique capable of optimizing a timing of a maintenance process. According to one aspect of the technique of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device including: (a) transferring a substrate from a storage container storing one or more substrates including the substrate to a process chamber, and performing a substrate processing; (b) receiving maintenance reservation information of the process chamber; and (c) continuously performing the substrate processing after the maintenance reservation information is received in (b) until the substrate processing in the process chamber related to the maintenance reservation information is completed, and setting the process chamber to a maintenance enable state after the substrate processing is completed by stopping the one or more substrates from being transferred into the process chamber.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a chamber body having an upper opening, a chamber lid part having a lower opening, and a shield plate arranged in a lid internal space of the chamber lid part. The radial dimension of the shield plate is greater than that of the lower opening. Covering the upper opening of the chamber body with the chamber lid part forms a chamber that internally houses a substrate. In the substrate processing apparatus, before the substrate is conveyed and the chamber is formed, the lid internal space of the chamber lid part is filled with the gas supplied from a gas supply part, in a state in which the shield plate overlaps with the lower opening. This allows the chamber to be quickly filled with the gas to achieve a desired low oxygen atmosphere after the formation of the chamber.

Described herein are architectures, platforms and methods for acquiring optical emission spectra from an optical emission spectroscopy system by flowing a dry cleaning gas into a plasma processing chamber of the plasma processing system and igniting a plasma in the plasma processing chamber to initiate the waferless dry cleaning process.

Described herein is a technique capable of optimizing a timing of a maintenance process. According to one aspect of the technique of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device including: (a) transferring a substrate to a process chamber, and performing a substrate processing; (b) receiving maintenance reservation information of the process chamber wherein a maintenance timing at which the process chamber enters into a maintenance enable state is determined by the maintenance reservation information; and (c) continuously performing the substrate processing after the maintenance reservation information is received in (b) until the substrate processing in the process chamber related to the maintenance reservation information is completed, stopping one or more substrates including the substrate from being transferred into the process chamber, and thereafter setting the process chamber to the maintenance enable state.

Processes and apparatuses for the treatment of semiconductor workpieces are provided. In some embodiments, a method can include placing the workpiece into a process chamber; vaporizing a solvent to create a vaporized solvent; introducing the vaporized solvent into the process chamber; and exposing the workpiece to the vaporized solvent.

The present application provides a method and a device of chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). The method comprises providing a semiconductor wafer to be subjected to polishing; conducting a CMP process to the wafer, wherein the wafer is on a first plane; conducting a hanging treatment, wherein, in the hanging treatment, the wafer is on a second plane above the first plane, the wafer is hanged to expose the lower surface, and the wafer is in rotation. According to the present application, the hanging treatment can remove the slurry, the polishing particles and byproducts from the wafer surface, therefore, it prevents from the adverse effects caused by the polishing particles and byproducts on the wafer in the following process.

Substrate treating equipment includes a first process chamber group including a plurality of process chambers, each of which includes a laser beam emitting unit that applies a laser beam to a substrate to heat the substrate, one laser beam generator that generates the laser beam applied to the substrate through the laser beam emitting unit of each of the plurality of process chambers included in the first process chamber group, and a beam shifting module including one or more mirrors corresponsable to the plurality of process chambers included in the first process chamber group. Each of the one or more mirrors is shifted to a position in which the mirror forms an optical path of the laser beam toward a predetermined one of the plurality of process chambers.