A resin protection member forming apparatus includes a stage having a resin placement surface on which a particulate thermoplastic resin is to be placed. The stage includes a Peltier device, a DC power source, and a switch. The Peltier device is disposed inside the stage and has an upper surface, which is parallel and close to the resin placement surface, and a lower surface, which is far from the resin placement surface. The DC power source supplies a DC current to the Peltier device. The switch changes a direction of the DC current to be supplied to the Peltier device, between a first direction to heat the upper surface of the Peltier device and a second direction, opposite to the first direction, to cool the upper surface of the Peltier device.

A selective modification method of a base material surface includes subjecting at least a part of a surface of a base material to at least one surface treatment selected from the group consisting of an oxidization treatment and a hydrophilization treatment. The base material includes a surface layer and includes an oxide, a nitride or an oxynitride of silicon, or a combination thereof in a first region of the surface layer. A nonphotosensitive composition is applied directly or indirectly on the surface of the base material after the surface treatment. The nonphotosensitive composition includes: a first polymer containing a nitrogen atom; and a solvent. It is preferred that the base material contains a metal in a second region which is other than the first region of the surface layer. In the surface treatment step, an O.sub.2 plasma treatment is preferably conducted.

A holding table for holding a wafer includes plural pins, and a wafer holding surface includes the tips of the plural pins. Therefore, small dust enters between the pins and thus is less readily left between the wafer holding surface and the wafer. Therefore, when the wafer is sucked and held, a gap is less readily made between the wafer holding surface and the wafer. Thus, the occurrence of the situation in which the wafer is held in a waving state is suppressed. For this reason, when a liquid resin is pushed to spread over the lower surface of the wafer, an air bubble enters less readily between the liquid resin and the wafer. This can suppress entry of the air bubble in a protective member obtained by curing the liquid resin.

A nozzle standby device configured to allow a nozzle to stand by therein includes a nozzle accommodation unit, having an inner circumferential surface formed to surround a leading end portion of the nozzle, provided with a drain opening facing a discharge opening of the nozzle; and a solvent discharge opening opened within the nozzle accommodation unit. The nozzle accommodation unit has a diameter reducing portion having a first and a second inner circumferential surfaces having different angles with respect to a center line of the nozzle accommodation unit such that an inner diameter of the diameter reducing portion becomes smaller toward the drain opening. An intersection point of two straight lines extending along two opposite portions of the first inner circumferential surface is located above the discharge opening of the nozzle when the leading end portion of the nozzle is placed in the diameter reducing portion.

A structure body includes a base material and a siloxane based molecular membrane formed on the base material by use of an organic compound represented by Formula (1) or Formula (2):

##STR00001##

wherein any one of R1 to R5 is an amino group, others of R1 to R5 are each independently hydrogen or an alkyl group, R7 to R9 are each independently any one of hydroxy group, alkoxy group, alkyl group, and phenyl group on condition that one or more of R7 to R9 are each independently a hydroxy group or an alkoxy group, and R6 is an alkyl group.

An intermediate structure for forming a semiconductor device and method of making is provided. The intermediate device includes (i) a substrate comprising a Ga-based layer, and (ii) optionally, a metal layer on the substrate; wherein at least one of the Ga-based layer and, if present, the metal layer comprises at least a surface region having an isoelectric point of less than 7, usually at most 6.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a chamber body having an upper opening, a chamber lid part having a lower opening, and a shield plate arranged in a lid internal space of the chamber lid part. The radial dimension of the shield plate is greater than that of the lower opening. Covering the upper opening of the chamber body with the chamber lid part forms a chamber that internally houses a substrate. In the substrate processing apparatus, before the substrate is conveyed and the chamber is formed, the lid internal space of the chamber lid part is filled with the gas supplied from a gas supply part, in a state in which the shield plate overlaps with the lower opening. This allows the chamber to be quickly filled with the gas to achieve a desired low oxygen atmosphere after the formation of the chamber.

Embodiments described herein relate generally to methods for forming a conductive feature in a dielectric layer in semiconductor processing and structures formed thereby. In some embodiments, a structure includes a dielectric layer over a substrate, a surface modification layer, and a conductive feature. The dielectric layer has a sidewall. The surface modification layer is along the sidewall, and the surface modification layer includes phosphorous and carbon. The conductive feature is along the surface modification layer.

Provided is a material composition and method for substrate modification. A substrate is patterned to include a plurality of features. The plurality of features includes a first subset of features having one or more substantially inert surfaces. In various embodiments, a priming material is deposited over the substrate, over the plurality of features, and over the one or more substantially inert surfaces. By way of example, the deposited priming material bonds at least to the one or more substantially inert surfaces. Additionally, the deposited priming material provides a modified substrate surface. After depositing the priming material, a layer is spin-coated over the modified substrate surface, where the spin-coated layer is substantially planar.

A substrate processing apparatus includes a chamber body having an upper opening, a chamber lid part having a lower opening, and a shield plate arranged in a lid internal space of the chamber lid part. The radial dimension of the shield plate is greater than that of the lower opening. Covering the upper opening of the chamber body with the chamber lid part forms a chamber that internally houses a substrate. In the substrate processing apparatus, before the substrate is conveyed and the chamber is formed, the lid internal space of the chamber lid part is filled with the gas supplied from a gas supply part, in a state in which the shield plate overlaps with the lower opening. This allows the chamber to be quickly filled with the gas to achieve a desired low oxygen atmosphere after the formation of the chamber.