A method includes performing a first substrate treatment on a substrate using a first dry process in a first substrate processing tool operating at vacuum; after the first substrate treatment, depositing a polymer film on an exposed surface of the substrate using a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process in the first substrate processing tool; removing the substrate from the first substrate processing tool for a queue period; after the queue period, removing the polymer film from the substrate; and performing a second substrate treatment on the substrate using a second dry process in a second substrate processing tool.

Provided is a method for forming a silicon oxycarbonitride film (SiOCN) with varying proportions of each element, using a disilane precursor under vapor deposition conditions, wherein the percent carbon incorporation into the SiOCN film may be varied between about 5 to about 60%, by utilizing co-reactants chosen from oxygen, ammonia, and nitrous oxide gas. The carbon-enriched SiOCN films thus formed may be converted to pure silicon dioxide films after an etch stop protocol by treatment with O.sub.2 plasma.

Embodiments utilize a photoetching process in forming a patterned target layer. After forming a patterned mandrel layer and spacer layer over the patterned mandrel layer, a bottom layer of a photomask is deposited using a chemical vapor deposition process to form an amorphous carbon film. An upper layer of the photomask is used to pattern the bottom layer to form openings for a reverse material. The reverse material is deposited in the openings of the bottom layer, the bottom layer providing both a mask and template function for the reverse material.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a film on a substrate by overlapping the following during at least a certain period: (a) supplying a first source to the substrate, the first source including at least one of an inorganic source containing a specific element and a halogen element and an organic source containing the specific element and the halogen element; (b) supplying a second source to the substrate, the second source including at least one of amine, organic hydrazine, and hydrogen nitride; and (c) supplying a third source to the substrate, the third source including at least one of amine, organic hydrazine, hydrogen nitride, and organic borane.

Systems and methods for forming semiconductor layers, including oxide-based layers, are disclosed in which a material deposition system has a rotation mechanism that rotates a substrate around a center axis of the substrate. The system includes a heater configured to heat the substrate and a positioning mechanism that allows dynamic adjusting of an orthogonal distance, a lateral distance, and a tilt angle of an exit aperture of a material source relative to the substrate. In some embodiments, the dynamic adjusting is based on a desired layer uniformity for a desired layer growth rate. In some embodiments, the orthogonal distance, the lateral distance, or the tilt angle depends on a predetermined material ejection spatial distribution of the material source.

Methods for forming patterned multi-layer stacks including a metal-containing layer are provided herein. Methods involve using silicon-containing non-metal materials in a multi-layer stack including one sacrificial layer to be later removed and replaced with metal while maintaining etch contrast to pattern the multi-layer stack and selectively remove the sacrificial layer prior to depositing metal. Methods involve using silicon oxycarbide in lieu of silicon nitride, and a sacrificial non-metal material in lieu of a metal-containing layer, to fabricate the multi-layer stack, pattern the multi-layer stack, selectively remove the sacrificial non-metal material to leave spaces in the stack, and deposit metal-containing material into the spaces. Sacrificial non-metal materials include silicon nitride and doped polysilicon, such as boron-doped silicon.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes a stage having a mounting region for a wafer on an upper surface, a plurality of sucking pipes extending from the mounting region to a back surface side of the stage through the stage, a vacuum pump that is connected to the plurality of sucking pipes and sucks the wafer onto the mounting region via the plurality of sucking pipes, a cup provided on the upper surface of the stage and covering the wafer, a gas supply line that pressurizes a space surrounded by the upper surface of the stage and the cup and a pressure sensor that detects pressure in the plurality of sucking pipes.

Systems and methods for forming semiconductor layers, including oxide-based layers, are disclosed in which a material deposition system has a rotation mechanism that rotates a substrate around a center axis of the substrate. The system includes a heater configured to heat the substrate and a positioning mechanism that allows dynamic adjusting of an orthogonal distance, a lateral distance, and a tilt angle of an exit aperture of a material source relative to the substrate. In some embodiments, the dynamic adjusting is based on a desired layer uniformity for a desired layer growth rate. In some embodiments, the orthogonal distance, the lateral distance, or the tilt angle depends on a predetermined material ejection spatial distribution of the material source.

A method is provided. In the method, a substrate having a first region and a second region on a substrate surface is provided. A film deposition material to form a first chemical bond in the first region and a second chemical bond in the second region is supplied to the substrate surface. The second bond has a second bond energy lower than a first bond energy of the first chemical bond. A film is selectively formed in the first region by supplying an energy lower than the first bond energy of the first chemical bond and higher than the second bond energy of the second chemical bond.

Graphite-based devices with a reduced characteristic dimension and methods for forming such devices are provided. One or more thin films are deposited onto a substrate and undesired portions of the deposited thin film or thin films are removed to produce processed elements with reduced characteristic dimensions. Graphene layers are generated on selected processed elements or exposed portions of the substrate after removal of the processed elements. Multiple sets of graphene layers can be generated, each with a different physical characteristic, thereby producing a graphite-based device with multiple functionalities in the same device.