Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to methods for gap fill deposition and film densification on microelectronic devices. The method includes forming an oxide layer containing silicon oxide and having an initial wet etch rate (WER) over features disposed on the substrate, and exposing the oxide layer to a first plasma treatment to produce a treated oxide layer. The first plasma treatment includes generating a first plasma by a first RF source and directing the first plasma to the oxide layer by a DC bias. The method also includes exposing the treated oxide layer to a second plasma treatment to produce a densified oxide layer. The second plasma treatment includes generating a second plasma by top and side RF sources and directing the second plasma to the treated oxide layer without a bias. The densified oxide layer has a final WER of less than one-half of the initial WER.

To allow a metal oxide film composed mainly of O and at least one of Hf and Zr to exhibit ferroelectric properties. After deposition of a hafnium oxide film on a semiconductor substrate via an insulating film, the semiconductor substrate is exposed to microwaves to selectively heat the hafnium oxide film. This makes it possible to form a larger number of orthorhombic crystals in the crystals of the hafnium oxide film. The hafnium oxide film thus obtained can therefore exhibit ferroelectric properties without adding, thereto, an impurity such as Si. This means that the hafnium oxide film having a reverse size effect can be used as a ferroelectric film of a ferroelectric memory cell and contributes to the manufacture of a miniaturized ferroelectric memory cell.

A method of post-treating a dielectric film formed on a surface of a substrate includes positioning a substrate having a dielectric film formed thereon in a processing chamber and exposing the dielectric film to microwave radiation in the processing chamber at a frequency between 5 GHz and 7 GHz.

A method of producing a semiconductor device including: providing a temporary fixing laminate having a supporting substrate; machining a semiconductor member that is temporarily fixed to the supporting substrate; and separating the semiconductor member from the supporting substrate by irradiating the temporary fixing laminate with light from a side of a rear surface of the supporting substrate. A plurality of the irradiation target regions set at the rear surface are sequentially irradiated with light, and each of the irradiation target regions includes a part of the rear surface. The irradiation target regions adjacent to each other partially overlap with each other as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the rear surface, and a region in which the plurality of the irradiation target regions are combined includes the entire rear surface.

A cryogenic electronic package includes at least two superconducting and/or conventional metal semiconductor structures. Each of the semiconductor structures includes a substrate and a superconducting trace. Additionally, each of the semiconductor structures includes a passivation layer and one or more under bump metal (UBM) structures. The cryogenic electronic package also includes one or more superconducting and/or conventional metal interconnect structures disposed between selected ones of the at least two superconducting semiconductor structures. The interconnect structures are electrically coupled to respective ones of the UBM structures of the semiconductor structures to form one or more electrical connections between the semiconductor structures. A method of fabricating a cryogenic electronic package is also provided.

A crystal pattern forming method includes: an electromagnetic wave absorbing layer forming process for forming an electromagnetic wave absorbing layer on one of surfaces of a substrate; an amorphous film forming process for forming an amorphous film on the electromagnetic wave absorbing layer; a mask forming process for forming an electromagnetic wave blocking mask for blocking an electromagnetic wave on the other one of the surfaces of the substrate; and a crystallizing process for causing the substrate to be irradiated with the electromagnetic wave from the other one of the surfaces of the substrate through the electromagnetic wave blocking mask to crystallize a given region in the amorphous film. In the mask forming process, a recessed structure is formed on the other one of the surfaces of the substrate, by selectively removing the other one of the surfaces of the substrate to form a recessed portion.

An apparatus includes a first substrate chuck configured to hold a first substrate, a second substrate chuck configured to hold a second substrate, and a dispenser configured to dispense a formable material onto the first substrate while the first substrate overlies the first substrate chuck and to dispensing the formable material onto the second substrate while the second substrate overlies the second substrate chuck. A method of forming a planarization layer on a substrate can use the apparatus. A method of making an article can include the method of forming the planarization layer.

Disclosed herein are methods for direct bonding. In some embodiments, the direct bonding method includes microwave annealing a dielectric bonding layer of a first element by exposing the dielectric bonding layer to microwave radiation and then directly bonding the dielectric bonding layer of the first element to a second element without an intervening adhesive. The bonding method also includes depositing the dielectric bonding layer on a semiconductor portion of the first element at a first temperature and microwave annealing the dielectric bonding layer at a second temperature lower than the first temperature.

A thin-film insulator comprises a first electrode over a substrate. A photo up-converting material is over the first electrode. A cured photo-imageable dielectric (PID) containing a high-k filler material is over the photo up-converting material, wherein the cured PID is less than 4 μm in thickness, and a second electrode is over the cured PID.

A substrate processing method includes applying a solution of a compound containing a metal oxide to a surface of a wafer to form a liquid film of the solution on the surface of the wafer, heating the liquid film at a first temperature lower than a crosslinking temperature of the compound, and irradiating the liquid film with energy rays to form a coating film containing the metal oxide on the surface, after heating the liquid film at the first temperature.