Exemplary integrated cluster tools may include a factory interface including a first transfer robot. The tools may include a wet clean system coupled with the factory interface at a first side of the wet clean system. The tools may include a load lock chamber coupled with the wet clean system at a second side of the wet clean system opposite the first side of the wet clean system. The tools may include a first transfer chamber coupled with the load lock chamber. The first transfer chamber may include a second transfer robot. The tools may include a second transfer chamber coupled with the first transfer chamber. The second transfer chamber may include a third transfer robot. The tools may include a metal deposition chamber coupled with the transfer chamber.

A batch processing chamber and a process kit for use therein are provided. The process kit includes an outer liner having an upper outer liner and a lower outer liner, an inner liner, and a top plate and a bottom plate attached to an inner surface of the inner liner. The top plate and the bottom plate form an enclosure together with the inner liner, and a cassette is disposed within the enclosure. The cassette including shelves configured to retain a plurality of substrates thereon. The inner liner has inlet openings disposed on an injection side of the inner liner and configured to be in fluid communication with a gas injection assembly of a processing chamber, and outlet openings disposed on an exhaust side of the inner liner and configured to be in fluid communication with a gas exhaust assembly of the processing chamber. The inner surfaces of the enclosure comprise material configured to cause black-body radiation within the enclosure.

A semiconductor substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate transfer module including a chamber having an internal space extending in a first direction within the chamber, at least one pair of first load ports at opposite sides of the chamber, to face in a second direction intersecting the first direction, and configured to rotate and move a substrate carrier, a load lock at a rear surface of the chamber, and a robot arm configured to move in the first direction in the internal space of the chamber, a transfer chamber connected to the load lock of the substrate transfer module, a plurality of processing chambers connected to the transfer chamber, and a transfer arm inside the transfer chamber, and configured to unload the semiconductor substrate from the load lock and to load the semiconductor substrate into at least one of the plurality of processing chambers.

A substrate transfer system includes a load lock module, an atmospheric transfer module having a first sidewall adjacent to the load lock module and a second sidewall remote from the load lock module, the atmospheric transfer module being connected to the load lock module, and a substrate transfer robot disposed in the atmospheric transfer module. The substrate transfer robot includes a base configured to reciprocate along the first sidewall, a substrate transfer arm disposed on the base, and a flow rectifier surrounding the base, the flow rectifier being configured, upon movement of the base, to create an obliquely downward air flow in a direction opposite to a moving direction of the base.

A substrate transfer mechanism for transferring a substrate to each of a plurality of stacked processing modules that process the substrate includes an arm base provided with a first driver, a lift configured to move up and down the arm base, a first arm extending transversely from a lower side of the arm base, and having a tip end that pivots around a vertical axis with respect to the arm base by the first driver, a second arm extending transversely from an upper side of the tip end of the first arm, and having a tip end that pivots around a vertical axis with respect to the first arm along with the pivoting of the first arm, and a substrate holder provided on an upper side of the tip end of the second arm, and configured to rotate around a vertical axis with respect to the second arm.

Exemplary integrated cluster tools may include a factory interface including a first transfer robot. The tools may include a wet clean system coupled with the factory interface at a first side of the wet clean system. The tools may include a load lock chamber coupled with the wet clean system at a second side of the wet clean system opposite the first side of the wet clean system. The tools may include a first transfer chamber coupled with the load lock chamber. The first transfer chamber may include a second transfer robot. The tools may include a dry etch chamber coupled with the first transfer chamber. The tools may include a second transfer chamber coupled with the first transfer chamber. The second transfer chamber may include a third transfer robot. The tools may include a process chamber coupled with the second transfer chamber.

A substrate processing apparatus includes: a vacuum transfer chamber including a substrate transfer mechanism provided in a vacuum transfer space thereof to collectively hold and transfer substrates with a substrate holder; and a processing chamber having processing spaces and connected to the vacuum transfer chamber. The processing chamber includes a loading/unloading port provided on a side of the vacuum transfer chamber to allow the vacuum transfer space and the processing spaces to communicate with each other. The processing spaces include a first processing space in which a first process is performed on the substrate and a second processing space in which a second process is performed on the substrate subjected to the first process. The first and second processing spaces are arranged in a direction in which the substrate is loaded and unloaded, and the substrate holder has a length that extends over the first and second processing spaces.

An operating method of a vacuum processing apparatus for processing multiple wafers sequentially in a vacuum processing apparatus comprising multiple vacuum transfer containers, adjacent two of which are interlinked, a lock chamber inside which a wafer is housed. The multiple processing units are each subjected to of cleaning the interior thereof upon elapse of a predetermined period. In advance of processing multiple wafers, the operating method configures multiple sets of processing units to process each of the wafers from among the multiple processing units and starts processing of the wafers, delayed by a predetermined time in descending order of the number of processing units included in each of the multiple sets of processing units and in descending order of distance of the processing units included from the lock chamber.

Interconnect structures on a substrate have low resistivity and high dopant interfaces. In some embodiments, the structures may have an opening with a sidewall from an upper surface to an underlying metallic layer of copper, a barrier layer of tantalum nitride formed on the sidewall of the opening, a liner layer of cobalt or ruthenium formed on the barrier layer and on the underlying metallic layer, a first copper layer with a dopant with a first dopant content formed on the liner layer and filling a lower portion of the opening to form a via-the first dopant content is approximately 0.5 percent to approximately 10 percent, and a second copper layer with the dopant with a second dopant content formed on the first copper layer and filling the at least one opening—the second dopant content is more than zero to approximately 0.5 percent of the dopant and is less than the first dopant content.

Methods for forming interconnects on a substrate with low resistivity and high dopant interfaces. In some embodiments, a method includes depositing a first copper layer with a dopant with a first dopant content of 0.5 percent to 10 percent in the interconnect by sputtering a first copper-based target at a first temperature of zero degrees Celsius to 200 degrees Celsius, annealing the substrate at a second temperature of 200 degrees Celsius to 400 degrees Celsius to reflow the first copper layer, depositing a second copper layer with the dopant with a second dopant content of zero percent to 0.5 percent by sputtering a second copper-based target at the first temperature of zero degrees Celsius to 200 degrees Celsius, and annealing the substrate at a third temperature of 200 degrees Celsius to 400 degrees Celsius to reflow the second copper layer.