Methods for filling a substrate feature with a seamless dielectric gap fill are described. Methods comprise sequentially depositing a film with a seam and partially etching the film in the same processing chamber. Methods and apparatus allow for the same hardware to be used for PEALD deposition of a film as well as plasma etch of the film.

A measuring device is provided. The measuring device includes a base substrate, sensor electrodes, a temperature sensor, a high frequency oscillator, C/V conversion circuits for generating voltage signals corresponding to electrostatic capacitances of the sensor electrodes, an A/D converter for converting the voltage signals to digital values, a calculation unit for calculating measurement values indicating the electrostatic capacitances based on the digital values, and phase control circuits connected between the sensor electrodes and the high-frequency oscillator. Each of the conversion circuits includes an operational amplifier, and the high-frequency oscillator is connected to a non-inverting input terminal of the amplifier and is connected to an inverting input terminal thereof through a corresponding phase control circuit. The calculation unit stores parameters for setting admittances of the phase control circuits in association with temperatures and adjusts the admittances of the phase control circuits using a parameter associated with a detected temperature.

A substrate treating apparatus includes a carrier platform, a transport mechanism, and a controller. The carrier platform places a carrier thereon. The carrier includes a plurality of shelves arranged in an up-down direction. The shelves are each configured to place one substrate thereon in a horizontal posture. The transport mechanism is configured to transport a substrate to a carrier placed on the carrier platform. The controller controls the transport mechanism. The transport mechanism includes a hand and a hand driving unit. The hand supports a substrate. The hand driving unit moves the hand. The controller changes a height position of the hand when the hand is inserted between two of the shelves adjacent to each other in the up-down direction, depending on a shape of a substrate taken from or placed on one of the shelves by the transport mechanism.

An exemplary apparatus includes a chamber that includes a first window and a second window; a substrate holder configured to hold a substrate in the processing chamber; an infrared light (IR) source configured to generate a collimated IR beam; a first optical assembly configured to transmit the collimated IR beam into the chamber through the first window and direct the collimated IR beam at an incident angle of Brewster's angle with a front side of the substrate; and a second optical assembly configured to receive the collimated IR beam reflected at a back side of the substrate through the second window and direct the collimated IR beam to an optical sensor system.

Exemplary substrate processing systems may include chamber body defining a transfer region. The systems may include a lid plate seated on the chamber body. The lid plate may define a first plurality of apertures through the lid plate and a second plurality of apertures through the lid plate. The systems may include a plurality of lid stacks equal to a number of apertures of the first plurality of apertures defined through the lid plate. Each lid stack of the plurality of lid stacks may include a choke plate seated on the lid plate along a first surface of the choke plate. The choke plate may define a first aperture axially aligned with an associated aperture of the first plurality of apertures. The choke plate may define a second aperture axially aligned with an associated aperture of the second plurality of apertures.

Exemplary substrate support assemblies may include an electrostatic chuck body that defines a substrate support surface. The substrate support surface may define a plurality of protrusions that extend upward from the substrate support surface. A density of the plurality of protrusions within an outer region of the substrate support surface may be greater than in an inner region of the substrate support surface. The substrate support assemblies may include a support stem coupled with the electrostatic chuck body. The substrate support assemblies may include an electrode embedded within the electrostatic chuck body.

A method of preparing a self-aligned via on a semiconductor workpiece includes using an integrated sequence of processing steps executed on a common manufacturing platform hosting a plurality of processing modules including one or more film-forming modules, one or more etching modules, and one or more transfer modules. The integrated sequence of processing steps include receiving the workpiece into the common manufacturing platform, the workpiece having a pattern of metal features in a dielectric layer wherein exposed surfaces of the metal features and exposed surfaces of the dielectric layer together define an upper planar surface; selectively etching the metal features to form a recess pattern by recessing the exposed surfaces of the metal features beneath the exposed surfaces of the dielectric layer using one of the one or more etching modules; and depositing an etch stop layer over the recess pattern using one of the one or more film-forming modules.

Electronic device processing systems including an equipment front end module with at least one side storage pod are described. The side storage pod has a chamber including a top substrate holder and a bottom substrate holder. In some embodiments, an exhaust port is located at a midpoint between the top substrate holder and the bottom substrate holder. Methods and systems in accordance with these and other embodiments are also disclosed.

Disclosed in the present disclosure are a cleaning machine and a cleaning method. The cleaning machine includes: a wet cleaning module, configured to execute a wet cleaning process on a wafer; a dry cleaning module, configured to execute a dry cleaning process on the wafer; a conveying module, configured to input the wafer into the wet cleaning module or the dry cleaning module, or output the wafer from the wet cleaning module or the dry cleaning module; a transferring module, configured to transfer the wafer from the wet cleaning module to the dry cleaning module or transfer the wafer from the dry cleaning module to the wet cleaning module; and a processing module, configured to extract gas from the transferring module.

The present application relates to the technical field of semiconductors, and in particular, to a wafer scheduling method and a wafer scheduling apparatus for an etching equipment. The wafer scheduling method includes: obtaining a wafer processing request, where the wafer processing request includes at least process information of wafers and an equipment processing parameter of the etching equipment; responding to the wafer processing request, and determining a wafer scheduling parameter corresponding to the process information and the equipment processing parameter, based on the process information, the equipment processing parameter, and a preset wafer scheduling policy, where the wafer scheduling parameter is used to determine a transfer time for transferring the wafers to the etching equipment for processing; and performing wafer scheduling processing on the wafers by using the wafer scheduling parameter. In this way, the wafer processing productivity of the etching equipment can be improved.