A method of forming a silicon nitride passivation film on a nitride semiconductor layer is comprising steps of, introducing a substrate including the nitride semiconductor layer into a reaction furnace, replacing an atmosphere in the reaction furnace from air to an ammonia (NH.sub.3) atmosphere or to a hydrogen (H.sub.2) atmosphere, raising a temperature in the reaction furnace to a first temperature, maintaining both the temperature in the reaction furnace at the first temperature and the atmosphere in the reaction furnace at the NH.sub.3 atmosphere or the H.sub.2 atmosphere for three minutes or more, lowering the temperature in the reaction furnace to a second temperature lower than the first temperature, and forming the silicon nitride passivation film by supplying dichlorosilane (SiH.sub.2Cl.sub.2) into the reaction furnace under the first pressure of 100 Pa or less in the reaction furnace.

Methods of improved selectively for SAM-based selective depositions are described. Some of the methods include forming a SAM on a second surface and a carbonized layer on the first surface. The substrate is exposed to an oxygenating agent to remove the carbonized layer from the first surface, and a film is deposited on the first surface over the protected second surface. Some of the methods include overdosing a SAM molecule to form a SAM layer and SAM agglomerates, depositing a film, removing the agglomerates, reforming the SAM layer and redepositing the film.

Described herein is a technique capable of selectively forming a film in a film-forming step. According to one aspect of the technique, there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device including: (a) selectively forming a film on a substrate by supplying a process gas into a process chamber accommodating the substrate, wherein an inhibitor layer is formed on a portion of the substrate such that the substrate acquires a selectivity in an adsorption of the process gas; (b) supplying a cleaning gas containing a component contained in the inhibitor layer into the process chamber accommodating no substrate; and (c) removing a residual component of the cleaning gas in the process chamber.

Techniques are disclosed for methods and apparatus for performing plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) as well as plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) in a single hybrid design and without requiring any mechanical intervention. Depending on the configuration/activation of an electrically controlled RF switch, in the PEALD mode, plasma is created by an ICP source above a grounded metal plate in the chamber. Alternatively, in the PECVD mode, the metal plate itself is RF-powered and produces the plasma around the substrate and below an underlying ceramic plate. Electrical isolation of the metal plate is preferably provided by a ceramic ring spacer. A stack of PEALD/PECVD films may thus be obtained by the present hybrid design in a single recipe. In certain aspects, an RF-bias is provided to the heated platen holding the substrate for better stress management of the PECVD layers. Atomic layer etching (ALE) can also be achieved in the same reactor for cleaning the surface deposited PEALD film followed by depositing a thick PECVD film.

A method for processing a substrate includes positioning a silicon substrate in a deposition chamber. One or more intermediate layers are deposited on a surface of the silicon. The one or more intermediate layers can include strontium, which combines with the silicon to form strontium silicide. Alternatively, the one or more intermediate layers comprise germanium. A layer of amorphous strontium titanate is deposited on the one or more intermediate layers in a transient environment in which oxygen pressure is reduced while temperature is increased. The substrate is then exposed to an oxidizing and annealing atmosphere that oxidizes the one or more intermediate layers and converts the layer of amorphous strontium titanate to crystalline strontium titanate.

A method for removing a native oxide film from a semiconductor substrate includes repetitively depositing layers of germanium on the native oxide and heating the substrate causing the layer of germanium to form germanium oxide, desorbing a portion of the native oxide film. The process is repeated until the oxide film is removed. A subsequent layer of strontium titanate can be deposited on the semiconductor substrate, over either residual germanium or a deposited germanium layer. The germanium can be converted to silicon germanium oxide by exposing the strontium titanate to oxygen.

A method of reducing silicon consumption of a silicon material. The method comprises cleaning a silicon material and subjecting the cleaned silicon material to a vacuum anneal at a temperature below a melting point of silicon and under vacuum conditions. The silicon material is subjected to additional process acts without substantially removing silicon of the silicon material. Additional methods of forming a semiconductor structure and forming isolation structures are also disclosed.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods and apparatus for forming a desired material layer on a substrate between, during, prior to or after a patterning process. In one embodiment, a method for forming a material layer on the substrate includes pulsing a first gas precursor comprising an organic silicon compound onto a surface of the substrate. The method also includes disposing a first element from the first gas precursor onto the surface of the substrate. The method further includes maintaining a substrate temperature less than about 110 degrees Celsius while disposing the first element. A second gas precursor is pulsed onto the surface of the substrate. Additionally, the method includes disposing a second element from the second gas precursor to the first element on the surface of the substrate.

Methods are provided for selective film deposition. One method includes providing a substrate containing a dielectric material and a metal layer, the metal layer having an oxidized metal layer thereon, coating the substrate with a metal-containing catalyst layer, treating the substrate with an alcohol solution that removes the oxidized metal layer from the metal layer along with the metal-containing catalyst layer on the oxidized metal layer, and exposing the substrate to a process gas containing a silanol gas for a time period that selectively deposits a SiO.sub.2 film on the metal-containing catalyst layer on the dielectric material.

Atomic layer deposition processes for forming germanium oxide thin films are provided. In some embodiments the ALD processes can include the following: contacting the substrate with a vapor phase tetravalent Ge precursor such that at most a molecular monolayer of the Ge precursor is formed on the substrate surface; removing excess Ge precursor and reaction by products, if any; contacting the substrate with a vapor phase oxygen precursor that reacts with the Ge precursor on the substrate surface; removing excess oxygen precursor and any gaseous by-products, and repeating the contacting and removing steps until a germanium oxide thin film of the desired thickness has been formed.