There is provided a technique for easily adjusting the inner atmosphere of the transfer chamber as desired when forming the air flow in the transfer chamber by using different gases. According to one aspect thereof, there is provided a technique including: a transfer chamber including a transfer space; a first purge gas supplier; a second purge gas supplier; an exhauster; a circulation path connecting two ends of the transfer space; a fan provided on the circulation path or at an end portion of the circulation path to circulate the inner atmosphere of the transfer chamber; and a controller for controlling the fan such that a rotational speed of the fan varies between a first purge mode where the first purge gas is supplied through the first purge gas supplier and a second purge mode where the second purge gas is supplied through the second purge gas supplier.

A method for providing a substrate coating comprises transferring a substrate to an enclosed ink jet printing system; printing organic material in a deposition region of the substrate using the enclosed ink jet printing system, the deposition region comprising at least a portion of an active region of a light-emitting device on the substrate; loading the substrate with the organic material deposited thereon to an enclosed curing module; supporting the substrate in the enclosed curing module, the supporting the substrate comprising floating the substrate on a gas cushion established by a floatation support apparatus; and while supporting the substrate in the enclosed curing module, curing the organic material deposited on the substrate to form an organic film layer.

Methods and apparatuses for processing substrates, such as during metal silicide applications, are provided. In one or more embodiments, a method of processing a substrate includes depositing an epitaxial layer on the substrate, depositing a metal silicide seed layer on the epitaxial layer, and exposing the metal silicide seed layer to a nitridation process to produce a metal silicide nitride layer from at least a portion of the metal silicide seed layer. The method also includes depositing a metal silicide bulk layer on the metal silicide nitride layer and forming or depositing a nitride capping layer on the metal silicide bulk layer, where the nitride capping layer contains a metal nitride, a silicon nitride, a metal silicide nitride, or a combination thereof.

Each of branch pipes has an internal space into which an atmosphere flows from a main pipe. A downstream damper is provided on the downstream side of an upstream damper in each of the branch pipes, and opens/closes the branch pipe. An upstream switching member switches a state of an upstream space between a state where the upstream space permits an inflow of an external atmosphere and a state where the upstream space prohibits the inflow of the external atmosphere. A downstream switching member switches a state of a downstream space between a state where the downstream space permits an inflow of the external atmosphere and a state where the downstream space prohibits the inflow of the external atmosphere.

A high-pressure processing system for processing a layer on a substrate includes a first chamber, a support to hold the substrate in the first chamber, a second chamber adjacent the first chamber, a foreline to remove gas from the second chamber, a vacuum processing system configured to lower a pressure within the second chamber to near vacuum, a valve assembly between the first chamber and the second chamber to isolate the pressure within the first chamber from the pressure within the second chamber, a gas delivery system configured to increase the pressure within the first chamber to at least 10 atmospheres while the first chamber is isolated from the second chamber, an exhaust system comprising an exhaust line to remove gas from the first chamber, and a common housing surrounding both the first gas delivery module and the second gas delivery module.

Systems and methods for processing workpieces, such as semiconductor workpieces are provided. One example embodiment is directed to a processing system for processing a plurality of workpieces. The processing system can include a loadlock chamber, a transfer chamber, and at least two processing chamber having two or more processing stations. The processing system further includes a storage chamber for storing replaceable parts. The transfer chamber includes a workpiece handling robot. The workpiece handling robot can be configured to transfer a plurality of replaceable parts from the processing stations to the storage chamber.

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.

Molybdenum is etched in a highly controllable manner by performing one or more etch cycles, where each cycle involves exposing the substrate having a molybdenum layer to an oxygen-containing reactant to form molybdenum oxide followed by treatment with boron trichloride to convert molybdenum oxide to a volatile molybdenum oxychloride with subsequent treatment of the substrate with a fluorine-containing reactant to remove boron oxide that has formed in a previous reaction, from the surface of the substrate. In some embodiments the method is performed in an absence of plasma and results in a substantially isotropic etching. The method can be used in a variety of applications in semiconductor processing, such as in wordline isolation in 3D NAND fabrication.

An etching method includes (a) providing a substrate. The substrate includes a first region and a second region. The second region contains silicon oxide, and the first region contains a material different from a material for the second region. The etching method further includes (b) forming a deposit preferentially on the first region with first plasma generated from a first process gas containing a carbon monoxide gas. The etching method further includes (c) etching the second region.

An electronic device manufacturing system includes a transfer chamber, a tool station situated within the transfer chamber, a process chamber coupled to the transfer chamber, and a transfer chamber robot. The transfer chamber robot is configured to transfer substrates to and from the process chamber. The transfer chamber robot is further configured to be coupled to a sensor tool comprising one or more sensors configured to take measurements inside the process chamber. The sensor tool is retrievable from the tool station by an end effector of the transfer chamber robot.