A pedestal assembly including a pedestal for supporting a substrate. A central shaft positions the pedestal at a height during operation. A ring is placed along a periphery of the pedestal. A ring adjuster subassembly includes an adjuster flange disposed around a middle section of the central shaft. The subassembly includes a sleeve connected to the adjuster flange and extending from the adjuster flange to an adjuster plate disposed under the pedestal. The subassembly includes ring adjuster pins connected to the adjuster plate and extending vertically from the adjuster plate. Each of the ring adjuster pins being positioned on the adjuster plate at locations adjacent to and outside of a pedestal diameter. The ring adjuster pins contacting an edge undersurface of the ring. The adjuster flange coupled to at least three adjuster actuators for defining an elevation and tilt of the ring relative to a top surface of the pedestal.

A manufacturing apparatus and a manufacturing method are provided. A manufacturing apparatus includes a chamber, and a stage disposed in the chamber. The stage includes an upper surface on which a target substrate is disposed, a lower surface opposite to the upper surface, a first side surface extending between the upper surface and the lower surface in a first direction, and a second side surface extending between the upper surface and the lower surface in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The first side surface is in a round shape, and at least a portion of the first side surface is convex toward an outside of the stage.

An apparatus includes a chamber, a pedestal configured to receive and support a semiconductor wafer in the chamber, and an edge ring disposed over the pedestal. The edge ring includes a first portion having a first top surface, a second portion coupled to the first portion and having a second top surface lower than the first top surface, and a recess defined in the first portion. The second top surface is under the semiconductor wafer. The recess has a depth, and a distance between the pedestal and an inner surface of the recess is substantially equal to the depth of the recess.

A susceptor has a circular pocket portion, an annular ledge portion, and an annular rim ledge portion. The circular pocket portion is arranged along a rotation axis and has a perforated surface. The annular ledge portion extends circumferentially about pocket portion and has ledge surface that slopes axially upward from the perforated surface. The rim portion extends circumferentially about the ledge portion and is connected to the pocket portion by the ledge portion of the susceptor. The susceptor has one or more of a tuned pocket, a contact break, a precursor vent, and a purge channel located radially outward of the perforated surface to control deposition of a film onto a substrate supported by the susceptor. Semiconductor processing systems, film deposition methods, and methods of making susceptors are also described.

A lithographic apparatus comprising: a clamping surface for supporting a substrate, wherein a property of the clamping surface is defined by at least one clamping surface parameter, and wherein the property of the clamping surface has been selected to exhibit low wear; a clamping apparatus for actuating a clamping operation between the clamping surface and the substrate, wherein the clamping operation is defined at least in part by at least one interface characteristic between the clamping surface and the substrate; and a processing station, operable to apply an adjustment to a first property of the substrate to optimize at least one interface characteristic of a particular clamping operation in dependence on the clamping surface parameter and at least one substrate surface parameter which defines a second property of the substrate.

Disclosed is a susceptor for high-temperature use having a shaft with low thermal conductivity, wherein in a susceptor including a plate for wafer mounting and a shaft coupled to the plate, the plate and the shaft each include a sintered body having 90 wt % or more of an AlN phase, the sintered body of the plate is a magnesium-containing AlN sintered body having a volume resistance of 5*10.sup.8 Ω.Math.cm or more at 650° C., and the sintered body of the shaft is an AlN sintered body having a room-temperature thermal conductivity of 100 W/mK or less.

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.

A substrate processing system includes a first chamber including a substrate support. A showerhead is arranged above the first chamber and is configured to filter ions and deliver radicals from a plasma source to the first chamber. The showerhead includes a heat transfer fluid plenum, a secondary gas plenum including an inlet to receive secondary gas and a plurality of secondary gas injectors to inject the secondary gas into the first chamber, and a plurality of through holes passing through the showerhead. The through holes are not in fluid communication with the heat transfer fluid plenum or the secondary gas plenum.

An electrostatic chuck assembly includes a ceramic body having a wafer placement surface that is a circular surface, and an F/R placement surface that is formed around the wafer placement surface and is positioned at a lower level than the wafer placement surface, a wafer attraction electrode embedded inside the ceramic body and positioned in a facing relation to the wafer placement surface, an F/R attraction electrode embedded inside the ceramic body and positioned in a facing relation to the F/R placement surface, a concave-convex region formed in the F/R placement surface to hold gas, a focus ring placed on the F/R placement surface, and a pair of elastic annular sealing members arranged between the F/R placement surface and the focus ring on the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side of the F/R placement surface, and surrounding the concave-convex region in a sandwiching relation.

A target object processing method is provided for processing a target object using a plasma processing apparatus including a processing chamber, a mounting table which is disposed in the processing chamber and on which the target object is mounted, an outer peripheral member disposed around the mounting table, and a first voltage application device configured to apply a voltage to the outer peripheral member. The method comprises preparing the target object having an etching target film and a patterned mask formed on the etching target film, and processing the mask. The step of processing the mask includes supplying a first processing gas containing a first rare gas to the processing chamber, and a first plasma processing for processing the mask positioned at an outer peripheral portion of the target object using plasma of the first processing gas while applying a DC voltage to the outer peripheral member.