Embodiments described herein relate to apparatus and methods for processing a substrate. In one embodiment, a cluster tool apparatus is provided having a transfer chamber and a pre-clean chamber, a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) deposition chamber, an atomic layer deposition (ALD) chamber, and a post-processing chamber disposed about the transfer chamber. A substrate may be processed by the cluster tool and transferred between the pre-clean chamber, the SAM deposition chamber, the ALD chamber, and the post-processing chamber. Transfer of the substrate between each of the chambers may be facilitated by the transfer chamber which houses a transfer robot.

A method for producing patterns in a layer to be etched, from a stack including at least the layer to be etched and a masking layer overlying the layer to be etched, with the masking layer having at least one pattern. The method includes modifying a first area of the layer to be etched by ion implantation through the masking layer; depositing a buffer layer to cover the pattern of the masking layer; modifying another area of the layer to be etched, different from the first area, by ion implantation through the buffer layer, to a depth of the layer to be etched greater than the implantation depth of the preceding step of modifying; removing the buffer layer; removing the masking layer; removing the modified areas by etching them selectively to the non-modified areas of the layer to be etched.

There is provided a method of forming a carbon film on a workpiece, which includes: loading the workpiece into a process chamber; supplying a gas containing a boron-containing gas into the process chamber to form a seed layer composed of a boron-based thin film on a surface of the workpiece; and subsequently, supplying a hydrocarbon-based carbon source gas and a pyrolysis temperature lowering gas containing a halogen element and which lowers a pyrolysis temperature of the hydrocarbon-based carbon source gas into the process chamber, heating the hydrocarbon-based carbon source gas to a temperature lower than the pyrolysis temperature to pyrolyze the hydrocarbon-based carbon source gas, and forming the carbon film on the workpiece by a thermal CVD.

There is provided a method of forming a carbon film on a workpiece, which includes: loading the workpiece into a process chamber, and supplying a hydrocarbon-based carbon source gas and a pyrolysis temperature drop gas for dropping a pyrolysis temperature of the hydrocarbon-based carbon source gas into the process chamber, pyrolyzing the hydrocarbon-based carbon source gas by heating the hydrocarbon-based carbon source gas at a temperature lower than a pyrolysis temperature of the hydrocarbon-based carbon source gas, and forming the carbon film on the workpiece by a thermal CVD method. An iodine-containing gas is used as the pyrolysis temperature drop gas.

The present disclosure provides a method for forming a semiconductor structure. The method includes the following operations. A metal layer is formed. An adhesion-enhancing layer is formed over the metal layer. A dielectric stack is formed over the adhesion-enhancing layer. A trench is formed in the dielectric stack. A barrier layer is formed conforming to the sidewall of the trench. A high-k dielectric layer is formed conforming to the barrier layer. A sacrificial layer is formed conforming to the high-k dielectric layer.

A method is disclosed for delectively depositing a material on a substrate wherein the substrate has at least two different surfaces wherein one surface is passivated thereby allowing selective deposition on the non-passivated surface. In particular, disclosed is a method for preparing a surface of a substrate for selective film deposition, wherein the surface of the substrate comprises at least a first surface comprising SiO.sub.2 and an initial concentration of surface hydroxyl groups and a second surface comprising SiH, the method comprising the steps of: contacting the substrate with a wet chemical composition to obtain a treated substrate comprising an increased concentration of surface hydroxyl groups relative to the initial concentration of surface hydroxyl groups; and heating the treated substrate to a temperature of from about 200° C. to about 600° C., wherein the heating step converts at least a portion of the surface hydroxyl groups on the first surface to surface siloxane groups on the surface of the substrate.

The present application discloses a semiconductor device and a method for fabricating the semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes a substrate, a first isolation layer positioned in the substrate, a first treated flowable layer positioned between the first isolation layer and the substrate, a second isolation layer positioned in the substrate, and a second treated flowable layer positioned between the second isolation layer and the substrate. A width of the first isolation layer is greater than a width of the second isolation layer, and a depth of the first isolation layer is less than a depth of the second isolation layer.

A method for selectively depositing silicon nitride on a first material relative to a second material is disclosed. An exemplary method includes treating the first material, and then selectively depositing a layer comprising silicon nitride on the second material relative to the first material. Exemplary methods can further include treating the deposited silicon nitride.

A method for reducing stress induced defects in heterogeneous epitaxial interfaces of a semiconductor device is disclosed. The method includes forming a fin structure with a fin base, a superlattice structure on the fin base, forming a polysilicon gate structure on the fin structure, forming a source/drain (S/D) opening within a portion of the fin structure uncovered by the polysilicon gate structure, modifying the first surfaces of the first layers to curve a profile of the first surfaces, depositing first, second, and third passivation layers on the first, second, and third surfaces, respectively, forming an epitaxial S/D region within the S/D opening, and replacing the polysilicon gate structure with a metal gate structure. The superlattice structure includes first and second layers with first and second lattice constants, respectively, and the first and second lattice constants are different from each other.

A semiconductor device and method of manufacturing same are described. A first hafnium oxide (HfO.sub.2) layer is formed on a substrate. A titanium (Ti) layer is formed over the first hafnium oxide layer. A second hafnium oxide layer is formed over the titanium layer. The composite device structure is thermally annealed to produce a high-k dielectric structure having a hafnium titanium oxide (Hf.sub.xTi.sub.1-xO.sub.2) layer interposed between the first hafnium oxide layer and the second hafnium oxide layer.