A material layer deposition method includes supporting a substrate in a preclean module and exposing the substrate to a preclean etchant while supported within the preclean module. The substrate is transferred to a deposition module and exposed to an adsorbate while supported within the deposition module. A material layer is the deposited onto the substrate while supported within the deposition module subsequent to exposing the substrate to the adsorbate. Semiconductor processing systems and computer program products are also described.

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a layer stack including a high K dielectric layer formed over a first dielectric layer and a metal electrode. The high K dielectric layer has a K value of 20 or higher and may be formed as a part of a capacitor, a gate insulating layer, or any suitable insulating layer in electronic devices, such as display devices. The layer stack includes a second dielectric layer disposed on the first dielectric layer and the metal layer, and the high K dielectric layer containing zirconium dioxide or hafnium dioxide disposed on the second dielectric layer. The second dielectric layer provides a homogenous surface on which the high K dielectric layer is formed. The homogeneous surface enables the high K dielectric material to be deposited uniformly thereover, resulting in a uniform thickness profile.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a rotation driving device configured to rotate a rotary table holding a substrate; an electric heater provided at the rotary table and configured to heat the substrate; a power receiving electrode provided at the rotary table and electrically connected to the electric heater; a power feeding electrode configured to be contacted with the power receiving electrode to supply a power to the electric heater via the power receiving electrode; an electrode moving device configured to connect and disconnect the power feeding electrode and the power receiving electrode relatively; a power feeder configured to supply the power to the power feeding electrode; a processing cup disposed to surround the rotary table; at least one processing liquid nozzle configured to supply a processing liquid onto the substrate; a processing liquid supply device configured to supply the processing liquid to the processing liquid nozzle; and a controller.

There is provided a technique that includes: loading an m-th substrate into a process chamber, wherein m is an integer less than n; forming a film on the m-th substrate by heating the m-th substrate in the process chamber; unloading the m-th substrate from the process chamber; waiting for a predetermined time in the process chamber, in a state where the substrates are not present in the process chamber, after the act of unloading; loading a next substrate, which is one of the n substrates to be processed next, into the process chamber, after the act of waiting; and forming a film on the next substrate by heating the next substrate in the process chamber.

Methods of and systems for reforming films comprising silicon nitride are disclosed. Exemplary methods include providing a substrate within a reaction chamber, forming activated species by irradiating a reforming gas with microwave radiation, and exposing substrate to the activated species. A pressure within the reaction chamber during the step of forming activated species can be less than 50. Pa.

Exemplary substrate processing systems may include a transfer region housing defining an internal volume. A sidewall of the transfer region housing may define a sealable access for providing and receiving substrates. The systems may include a plurality of substrate supports disposed within the transfer region. The systems may also include a transfer apparatus having a central hub including a first shaft and a second shaft concentric with and counter-rotatable to the first shaft. The transfer apparatus may include a first end effector coupled with the first shaft. The first end effector may include a plurality of first arms. The transfer apparatus may also include a second end effector coupled with the second shaft. The second end effector may include a plurality of second arms having a number of second arms equal to the number of first arms of the first end effector.

Methods and apparatus for detecting a vacuum leak within a processing chamber are described herein. More specifically, the methods and apparatus relate to the utilization of a spectral measurement device, such as a spectral gauge, to determine the leak rate within a process chamber while the process chamber is held at a leak test pressure. The spectral measurement device determines the rate of increase of one or more gases within the processing chamber and can be used to determine if the processing chamber passes or fails the leak test.

Exemplary semiconductor processing chambers may include a chamber body including sidewalls and a base. The chambers may include a substrate support extending through the base of the chamber body. The substrate support may include a support platen configured to support a semiconductor substrate. The substrate support may include a shaft coupled with the support platen. The substrate support may include a shield coupled with the shaft of the substrate support. The shield may include a plurality of apertures defined through the shield. The substrate support may include a block seated in an aperture of the shield.

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.

A deposition chamber includes a vacuum enclosure, an electrostatic chuck having a flat top surface located within a vacuum enclosure, a lift-and-rotation unit extending through or laterally surrounding the electrostatic chuck at a position that is laterally offset from a vertical axis passing through a geometrical center of the electrostatic chuck, a gas supply manifold configured to provide influx of gas into the vacuum enclosure, and a pumping port connected to the vacuum enclosure.