Exemplary substrate locking system, device, apparatus and method for chemical and/or electrolytic surface treatment of a substrate in a process fluid can be provided. For example, it is possible to provide a first element, a second element and a locking unit. The first element and the second element can be configured to hold the substrate between each other. The locking unit can be configured to lock the first element and the second element with each other. The locking unit can comprise a magnet control device and a magnet. The magnet can be arranged at or near the first element and/or the second element. The magnet control device can be configured to control a magnetic force between the first element and the second element.

During electro-oxidative metal removal on a semiconductor substrate, the substrate having a metal layer is anodically biased and the metal is electrochemically dissolved into an electrolyte. Metal particles (e.g., copper particles when the dissolved metal is copper) can inadvertently form on the surface of the substrate during electrochemical metal removal and cause defects during subsequent semiconductor processing. Contamination with such particles can be mitigated by preventing particle formation and/or by dissolution of particles. In one implementation, mitigation involves using an electrolyte that includes an oxidizer, such as hydrogen peroxide, during the electrochemical metal removal. An electrochemical metal removal apparatus in one embodiment has a conduit for introducing an oxidizer to the electrolyte and a sensor for monitoring the concentration of the oxidizer in the electrolyte.

Implementations of a method of forming semiconductor packages may include: providing a wafer having a plurality of devices, etching one or more trenches on a first side of the wafer between each of the plurality of devices, applying a molding compound to the first side of the wafer to fill the one or more trenches; grinding a second side of the wafer to a desired thickness, and exposing the molding compound included in the one or more trenches. The method may include etching the second side of the wafer to expose a height of the molding compound forming one or more steps extending from the wafer, applying a back metallization to a second side of the wafer, and singulating the wafer at the one or more steps to form a plurality of semiconductor packages. The one or more steps may extend from a base of the back metallization.

Implementations of a method of forming semiconductor packages may include: providing a wafer having a plurality of devices, etching one or more trenches on a first side of the wafer between each of the plurality of devices, applying a molding compound to the first side of the wafer to fill the one or more trenches; grinding a second side of the wafer to a desired thickness, and exposing the molding compound included in the one or more trenches. The method may include etching the second side of the wafer to expose a height of the molding compound forming one or more steps extending from the wafer, applying a back metallization to a second side of the wafer, and singulating the wafer at the one or more steps to form a plurality of semiconductor packages. The one or more steps may extend from a base of the back metallization.

A method for inspecting a surface of a wafer, includes steps of: irradiating a surface of the wafer with a laser beam having three or more distinct wavelengths; detecting a reflected light from the surface of the wafer when the surface of the wafer is irradiated with the laser beam; and determining whether a foreign matter exists on the surface of the wafer based on reflectances of the surface of the wafer with respect to the laser beam having the three or more distinct wavelengths, wherein the step of determining whether the foreign matter exists includes a step of determining whether the foreign matter is a metal or a non-metal.

A method for inspecting a surface of a wafer, includes steps of: irradiating a surface of the wafer with a laser beam having three or more distinct wavelengths; detecting a reflected light from the surface of the wafer when the surface of the wafer is irradiated with the laser beam; and determining whether a foreign matter exists on the surface of the wafer based on reflectances of the surface of the wafer with respect to the laser beam having the three or more distinct wavelengths, wherein the step of determining whether the foreign matter exists includes a step of determining whether the foreign matter is a metal or a non-metal.

The embodiments provide a process for easily producing an electrode having low resistance, easily subjected to post-process and hardly impairing the device; and also provide, as its application, a production process for a photoelectric conversion device. The process comprises the steps of: coating a hydrophobic substrate directly with a dispersion of metal nanomaterial, to form a metal nanomaterial layer, coating the surface of the metal nanomaterial layer with a dispersion of carbon material, to form a carbon material layer and thereby to form an electrode layer comprising a laminate of the metal nanomaterial layer and the carbon material layer, pressing the carbon material layer onto a hydrophilic substrate so that the surface of the carbon material layer may be directly fixed on the hydrophilic substrate, and peeling away the hydrophobic substrate so as to transfer the electrode layer onto the hydrophilic substrate.

The embodiments provide a process for easily producing an electrode having low resistance, easily subjected to post-process and hardly impairing the device; and also provide, as its application, a production process for a photoelectric conversion device. The process comprises the steps of: coating a hydrophobic substrate directly with a dispersion of metal nanomaterial, to form a metal nanomaterial layer, coating the surface of the metal nanomaterial layer with a dispersion of carbon material, to form a carbon material layer and thereby to form an electrode layer comprising a laminate of the metal nanomaterial layer and the carbon material layer, pressing the carbon material layer onto a hydrophilic substrate so that the surface of the carbon material layer may be directly fixed on the hydrophilic substrate, and peeling away the hydrophobic substrate so as to transfer the electrode layer onto the hydrophilic substrate.

In one example, an electroplating system comprises a first bath reservoir, a second bath reservoir, a clamp, a first anode in the first bath reservoir, a second anode in the second bath reservoir, and a direct current power supply. The first bath reservoir contains a first electrolyte solution that includes an alkaline copper-complexed solution. The second bath reservoir contains a second electrolyte solution that includes an acidic copper plating solution. The direct current power supply generates a first direct current between the clamp and the first anode to electroplate a first copper layer on the cobalt layer of the wafer submerged in the first electrolyte solution. The direct current power supply then generates a second direct current between the clamp and the second anode to electroplate a second copper layer on the first copper layer of the wafer submerged in the second electrolyte solution.

Embodiments utilize an electro-chemical process to deposit a metal gate electrode in a gate opening in a gate replacement process for a nanosheet FinFET device. Accelerators and suppressors may be used to achieve a bottom-up deposition for a fill material of the metal gate electrode.