Systems and methods for thermal treatment of a workpiece are provided. In one example, a method for conducting a treatment process on a workpiece, such as a thermal treatment process, an annealing treatment process, an oxidizing treatment process, or a reducing treatment process in a processing apparatus is provided. The processing apparatus includes a plasma chamber and a processing chamber. The plasma chamber and the processing chamber are separated by a plurality of separation grids or grid plates. The separation grids or grid plates operable to filter ions generated in the plasma chamber. The processing chamber has a workpiece support operable to support a workpiece.

A system and method for etching workpieces in a uniform manner are disclosed. The system includes a semiconductor processing system that generates a ribbon ion beam, and a workpiece holder that scans the workpiece through the ribbon ion beam. The workpiece holder includes a plurality of independently controlled thermal zones so that the temperature of different regions of the workpiece may be separately controlled. In certain embodiments, etch rate uniformity may be a function of distance from the center of the workpiece, also referred to as radial non-uniformity. Further, when the workpiece is scanned, there may also be etch rate uniformity issues in the translated direction, referred to as linear non-uniformity. The present workpiece holder comprises a plurality of independently controlled thermal zones to compensate for both radial and linear etch rate non-uniformity.

A method of tuning an ion implantation apparatus is disclosed. The method includes operations of applying any wafer acceptance test (WAT) recipe to a test sample, calculating a recipe for a direct current (DC) final energy magnet (FEM), calculating a real energy of the DC FEM, verifying the tool energy shift, and obtaining a peak spectrum of the DC FEM.

Exemplary methods of semiconductor processing may include forming a layer of amorphous silicon on a semiconductor substrate. The layer of amorphous silicon may be characterized by a first amount of hydrogen incorporation. The methods may include performing a beamline ion implantation process or plasma doping process on the layer of amorphous silicon. The methods may include removing hydrogen from the layer of amorphous silicon to a second amount of hydrogen incorporation less than the first amount of hydrogen incorporation.

A substrate holding device is provided. The substrate holding device includes a substrate holder, a shaft attached to the substrate holder, a motor attached to the shaft, lifting pins, and a transmission assembly. The lifting pins are movable between a retracted position below a surface of the substrate holder, and a protruded position protruding from the surface. The transmission assembly is provided between the shaft and lifting pins and switches the substrate holding device between a transmittable state in which a driving force from the motor is transmitted to the lifting pins to move the lifting pins between the retracted position and the protruded position, and a non-transmittable state in which the driving force from the motor is not transmitted to the lifting pins but rotates the substrate holder.

Vacuum-integrated photoresist-less methods and apparatuses for forming metal hardmasks can provide sub-30 nm patterning resolution. A metal-containing (e.g., metal salt or organometallic compound) film that is sensitive to a patterning agent is deposited on a semiconductor substrate. The metal-containing film is then patterned directly (i.e., without the use of a photoresist) by exposure to the patterning agent in a vacuum ambient to form the metal mask. For example, the metal-containing film is photosensitive and the patterning is conducted using sub-30 nm wavelength optical lithography, such as EUV lithography.

A substrate heating device is provided. The substrate heating device includes a vacuum chamber and a heater. The vacuum chamber receives a substrate. The heater includes a body, a heating wire, and a terminal part. The body penetrates through a wall of the vacuum chamber such that a portion of the body is in a vacuum atmosphere of the vacuum chamber. The heating wire is provided inside the body and partly disposed inside the vacuum chamber. The terminal part is connected to the heating wire and is disposed outside the vacuum chamber.

Methods of forming a DRAM bit line to improve line edge roughness (LER) and lower resistance are described. The method comprises implanting an inert species into a bit line metal layer having a first grain size on a substrate to form an amorphized bit line metal layer having a second grain size smaller than the first grain size. A film stack is then deposited on the amorphized bit line metal layer. The film stack and amorphized bit line metal layer are etched to form a patterned film stack on the substrate. The patterned film stack on the substrate is thermally annealed.

A method of patterning a substrate. The method may include providing a cavity in a layer, disposed on the substrate, the cavity having a first length along a first direction and a first width along a second direction, perpendicular to the first direction, and wherein the layer has a first height along a third direction, perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction. The method may include depositing a sacrificial layer over the cavity in a first deposition procedure; and directing angled ions to the cavity in a first exposure, wherein the cavity is etched, and wherein after the first exposure, the cavity has a second length along the first direction, greater than the first length, and wherein the cavity has a second width along the second direction, no greater than the first width.

Described herein is a protective coating composition that provides erosion and corrosion resistance to a coated article (such as a chamber component) upon the article's exposure to harsh chemical environment (such as hydrogen based and/or halogen based environment) and/or upon the article's exposure to high energy plasma. Also described herein is a method of coating an article with the protective coating using electronic beam ion assisted deposition, physical vapor deposition, or plasma spray. Also described herein is a method of processing wafer, which method exhibits, on average, less than about 5 yttrium based particle defects per wafer.