H01L21/67184

CLUSTER TOOLS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS HAVING ONE OR MORE PRESSURE STABILIZATION CHAMBERS

In one aspect, a process operation is conducted at a first pressure in a process chamber, and an epitaxial deposition operation is conducted at an atmospheric pressure in an epitaxial deposition chamber. The atmospheric pressure is greater than the first pressure. The process chamber is mounted to a first mainframe that operates at the first pressure (a reduced pressure), and the epitaxial deposition chamber is mounted to a second mainframe that operates at the atmospheric chamber. In one aspect, the process chamber is a cleaning chamber (such as a pre-clean chamber) and the process operation is a cleaning operation. In one aspect, the process chamber is an atmospheric pressure epitaxial deposition chamber and the process operation is an atmospheric pressure epitaxial deposition operation.

SELECTIVE BLOCKING OF METAL SURFACES USING BIFUNCTIONAL SELF-ASSEMBLED MONOLAYERS

Methods for selectively depositing on metallic surfaces are disclosed. Some embodiments of the disclosure utilize a hydrocarbon having at least two functional groups selected from alkene, alkyne, ketone, hydroxyl, aldehyde, or combinations thereof to form a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) on metallic surfaces.

Vacuum processing apparatus and operating method of vacuum processing apparatus

There is provided a vacuum processing apparatus in which at least one of the processing units includes a lower member and an upper member mounted on the lower member to be attachable and detachable that configure the vacuum container, a turning shaft member which is attached to an outer circumferential part of the base plate between the work space and the vacuum container, and has a turning shaft that moves from above the base plate when the turning shaft is connected to the lower member and the lower member turns around the connected part, and a maintenance member including an arm which is disposed above the turning shaft member and turns in a horizontal direction as the upper member is suspended, and in which the lower member is configured to be fixable at the position at a predetermined angle within a range of an angle at which the lower member is capable of turning around the shaft, and to be vertically movable as the arm of the maintenance member fixes the position above a center portion of the lower member of which the position is fixed within a range of the angle at which the lower member is capable of turning, and the upper member is suspended.

Device and method for continuously performing grain boundary diffusion and heat treatment

Disclosed are a device and method for continuously performing grain boundary diffusion and heat treatment, characterized in that the alloy workpiece or the metal workpiece are arranged in a relatively independent processing box together with a diffusion source; the device comprises, in successive arrangement, a grain boundary diffusion chamber, a first cooling chamber, a heat treatment chamber, and a second cooling chamber, and a transfer system provided between various chambers for delivering the processing box; each of the first cooling chamber and the second cooling chamber uses an air cooling system, and the cooling air temperature of the first cooling chamber is above 25° C. and at least differs by 550° C. from the grain boundary diffusion temperature of the grain boundary diffusion chamber; the cooling air temperature of the second cooling chamber is above 25° C. and at least differs by 300° C. from the heat treatment temperature of the heat treatment chamber; and the cooling chamber has a pressure of 50 kPa to 100 kPa. The device provided by the present invention can increase the cooling rate and production efficiency, and improve product consistency.

Liner for V-NAND word line stack

Methods of forming memory structures are discussed. Specifically, methods of forming 3D NAND devices are discussed. Some embodiments form memory structures with a metal nitride barrier layer, an α-tungsten layer, and a bulk metal material. The barrier layer comprises a TiXN or TaXN material, where X comprises a metal selected from one or more of aluminum (Al), silicon (Si), tungsten (W), lanthanum (La), yttrium (Yt), strontium (Sr), or magnesium (Mg).

Substrate accommodating unit and maintenance method for vacuum transfer unit in substrate transfer apparatus
11476140 · 2022-10-18 · ·

A substrate accommodating unit is disposed adjacent to each of consecutively arranged vacuum transfer units. The substrate accommodating unit includes a hollow housing having, on one sidewall in an arrangement direction of the vacuum transfer units, a loading/unloading port for loading/unloading a substrate into/from the adjacent vacuum transfer unit, a vertically movable partition member disposed in the housing, and a driving mechanism for vertically moving the partition member. When an inner space of the housing is divided horizontally into a first space on a loading/unloading port side and a second space on an opposite side of the loading/unloading port side, the partition member is vertically moved from a state where the first space and the second space communicate with each other to thereby airtightly separate the first space and the second space with the partition member.

High-throughput, multi-chamber substrate processing system
11600503 · 2023-03-07 · ·

A semiconductor processing system comprises a first, a second, and a third process module assembly. The third process module assembly is between the first and the second process module assemblies, and includes an opening for providing substrates to be processed in the various process module assemblies. The process modules are arranged laterally relative to the opening. The first and second process module assemblies each include an associated transfer chamber, an associated substrate transfer device, and a plurality of associated process modules attached the associated transfer chamber. The third process module assembly may include an associated transfer chamber, an associated substrate transfer device, and a single associated process module attached to the associated transfer chamber. The processing system is configured to sequentially load substrates into the process module assemblies neighboring the third process module assembly, and lastly load substrates into the process module of the third process module assembly.

PROCESSING METHOD AND PROCESSING APPARATUS
20230060918 · 2023-03-02 ·

A processing method of processing a substrate in a processing apparatus includes performing a first grinding processing on the substrate in a first grinder; performing a second grinding processing on the substrate in a second grinder; performing a first re-grinding processing on the substrate in the first grinder; and performing a second re-grinding processing on the substrate in the second grinder. The substrate is ground to a final thickness in the second re-grinding processing.

EXTERNAL SUBSTRATE SYSTEM ROTATION IN A SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING SYSTEM

A method and apparatus for processing a semiconductor is disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a processing system for semiconductor processing is disclosed. The processing chamber includes two transfer chambers, a processing chamber, and a rotation module. The processing chamber is coupled to the transfer chamber. The rotation module is positioned between the transfer chambers. The rotation module is configured to rotate the substrate. The transfer chambers are configured to transfer the substrate between the processing chamber and the transfer chamber. In another embodiment, a method for processing a substrate on the apparatus is disclosed herein.

SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING APPARATUS
20230162998 · 2023-05-25 ·

The present disclosure discloses a semiconductor processing apparatus, which is configured to perform processing on a wafer. The disclosed semiconductor processing apparatus includes a vacuum interlock chamber, a plurality of apparatus bodies, the apparatus body including a transfer platform, and at least two reaction chambers being arranged along a circumferential direction of the transfer platform, and a temporary storage channel, any two neighboring apparatus bodies being communicated through the temporary storage channel, and the temporary storage channel being configured to temporarily store the wafer. One of the plurality apparatus bodies is connected to the vacuum interlock chamber. The transfer platform is configured to transfer the wafer between the vacuum interlock chamber and the reaction chamber, between the temporary storage channel and the vacuum interlock chamber, and between the temporary storage channel and the reaction chamber. With the above solution, the problem that the productivity of the semiconductor processing apparatus is low is solved.