An expansion sheet is adapted to be held and expanded by an expanding apparatus when a platelike workpiece is attached to the expansion sheet. The expansion sheet has a peripheral area around the workpiece where the expansion sheet is adapted to be held by first, second, third, and fourth holding units that are moveable away from each other. The expansion sheet includes a base sheet and an adhesive layer formed on the base sheet, the adhesive layer having adhesion adapted to be reduced by applying ultraviolet light. The adhesion of the adhesive layer in the peripheral area of the expansion sheet is lower than that in the other area of the expansion sheet.

Disclosed is a substrate processing apparatus including: a processing chamber that accommodates a substrate; a light source that radiates energy rays for a processing to the substrate in the processing chamber; a rotation driving unit that rotates at least one of the substrate and the light source around an axis intersecting with the substrate in the processing chamber; an opening/closing mechanism that switches between an open state and a closed state; and a controller configured to control the opening/closing mechanism to switch between the open state and the closed state, to increase a light emission amount of the light source in synchronization with the switch of the open state to the closed state by the opening/closing mechanism, and to decrease the light emission amount of the light source in synchronization with the switch of the closed state to the open state by the opening/closing mechanism.

A second protective film is formed by applying high-viscosity resin by an inkjet method, in two patterns that extend parallel to and along a boundary between a first protective film and a plating film, the boundary being sandwiched between the two patterns. A low-viscosity resin is applied between these first and second patterns of the second protective film by the inkjet method. The low-viscosity resin has a viscosity that is lower than that of the high-viscosity resin for forming the second protective film, and a fluidity that is higher than that of the high-viscosity resin and thus, leaks and spreads into a gap between the first protective film and the plating film. The third protective film adheres to the first and second patterns, is formed across the boundary between the first protective film and the plating film, and is embedded in the gap whereby the gap is plugged.

A fan-out semiconductor package includes: a first connection member having a through-hole; a semiconductor chip disposed in the through-hole of the first connection member and having an active surface having connection pads disposed thereon and an inactive surface opposing the active surface; an encapsulant encapsulating at least portions of the first connection member and the inactive surface of the semiconductor chip; and a second connection member disposed on the first connection member and the active surface of the semiconductor chip and including a redistribution layer electrically connected to the connection pads. The first connection member includes a first electromagnetic interference (EMI) blocking part surrounding side surfaces of the semiconductor chip, the second connection member includes a second EMI blocking part surrounding the redistribution layer, and the first EMI blocking part and the second EMI blocking part are connected to each other.

A germanium semiconductor layer doped with a dopant such as boron becomes a p-type semiconductor. The semiconductor layer is preheated at a preheating temperature ranging from 200 C. to 300 C., and then heated at a treatment temperature ranging from 500 C. to 900 C., by extremely short-time irradiation of flash light. While oxygen is unavoidably mixed in germanium and becomes a thermal donor at 300 C. to 500 C., the semiconductor layer stays in a temperature range of 300 C. to 500 C. for a negligibly short period of time due to an extremely short irradiation time of 0.1 milliseconds to 100 milliseconds by the flash light. Therefore, the thermal donor can be prevented from being generated in the germanium semiconductor layer.

A hydrophobization treatment apparatus includes a cooling device which cools a substrate, a light irradiation device which irradiates thermal radiation light from light sources onto front surface of the substrate, a gas supply device which supplies hydrophobization-treatment gas to the substrate, an exhaust device which exhausts the gas, a lifting device which moves the substrate such that the lifting device raises and lowers the substrate between the cooling device and light sources, and a control device which has circuitry to control the light irradiation device, the gas supply device, the exhaust device and the lifting device. The circuitry of the control device executes first gas supply control to discharge and exhaust the gas into and from the space between the gas container and substrate, and after the first control, second gas supply control to discharge and exhaust the gas into and from the space between the gas container and substrate.

The present description concerns a method of manufacturing a device comprising at least one radio frequency component on a semiconductor substrate comprising: a) a laser anneal of a first thickness of the substrate on the upper surface side of the substrate; b) the forming of an insulating layer on the upper surface of the substrate; and c) the forming of said at least one radio frequency component on the insulating layer.

A method of treating a porous dielectric layer includes preparing a substrate on which the porous dielectric layer including an opening and pores exposed by the opening is formed, supplying a first precursor onto the substrate to form a first sub-sealing layer sealing the exposed pores, and supplying a second precursor onto the first sub-sealing layer to form a second sub-sealing layer covering the first sub-sealing layer. Each of the first and second precursors includes silicon, and a molecular weight of the second precursor is smaller than that of the first precursor.

A system and method for identifying one or more characteristics of a structure formed into a substrate is herein disclosed. Surface and bulk acoustic waves are induced in the substrate and travel past a structure of interest where the acoustic waves are sensed. Information concerning one or more characteristics of the structure is encoded in the wave. The encoded information is assessed to determine the characteristic of interest.

The present description concerns a method of manufacturing a device comprising at least one radio frequency component on a semiconductor substrate comprising: a) a laser anneal of a first thickness of the substrate on the upper surface side of the substrate; b) the forming of an insulating layer on the upper surface of the substrate; and c) the forming of said at least one radio frequency component on the insulating layer.