A method of processing a substrate that includes: flowing a first unsaturated fluorocarbon, a saturated fluorocarbon, a first noble gas, and dioxygen into a plasma chamber; while flowing these gases, generating a plasma in the plasma chamber; and patterning, with the plasma, a material layer on the substrate.

A plasma etching method of an embodiment includes etching a silicon-containing film using plasma of a fluorocarbon gas. The fluorocarbon gas contains fluorocarbon which has a composition, regarding carbon and fluorine, represented by a general formula: C.sub.xF.sub.y, where x and y are numbers satisfying x≥12 and x≥y, and which includes two benzene rings bonded through a C—C single bond.

A method for manufacturing a metal fluoride-containing organic polymer film includes forming an organic polymer film on a base body. The method includes exposing the organic polymer film to an organometallic compound containing a first metal, thereby infiltrating the organic polymer film with the organometallic compound. The method includes exposing the organic polymer film infiltrated with the organometallic compound to hydrogen fluoride, thereby providing a fluoride of the first metal in the organic polymer film.

A selective liquid sliding surface includes: a base layer; multiple pillars protruding from the base layer; and a head protruding from an upper surface of each of the multiple pillars and having a larger cross-sectional diameter than the pillar, wherein the head includes a first head protruding from the pillar and a second head protruding from a periphery of the first head, and the base layer, the pillar, and the head are formed of the same material.

A substrate processing method is for processing a substrate that includes a first region and a second region with compositions different from each other. The substrate processing method includes (a) preferentially forming, by a substrate processing apparatus, a first deposit on the first region; (b) forming, after (a), a second deposit on the second region, the second deposit containing fluorine and the second deposit being different from the first deposit; and (c) removing, after (b), the second deposit and at least a part of the second region. The steps (a)-(c) are repeated, in order, in a case that a stop condition is not satisfied.

In a method, a mask is formed on a microstructure over a substrate. The mask includes a first pattern over a first region of the microstructure and a second pattern over a second region of the microstructure. A first etching process is performed to etch the microstructure by providing an etching gas and applying a first bias voltage to the substrate according to the first and second patterns of the mask. A protective layer is subsequently formed by providing a deposition gas and applying a second bias voltage to the substrate to cover the first pattern of the mask. A second etching process is performed to transfer the second pattern of the mask further into the second region of the microstructure. The deposition gas has a higher carbon to fluorine ratio than the etching gas, and the second bias voltage is smaller than the first bias voltage.

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device is provided. The method includes forming a material layer over a semiconductor substrate; forming a plurality of spacer masks over the material layer; patterning the material layer into a plurality of masks below the spacer masks, wherein patterning the material layer comprises an atomic layer etching (ALE) process; and etching the semiconductor substrate through the masks.

Methods of patterning semiconductor devices and semiconductor devices formed by the same are disclosed. In an embodiment, a method includes forming a first dielectric layer over a semiconductor substrate; forming a first hard mask layer over the first dielectric layer; etching the first hard mask layer to form a first opening exposing a top surface of the first dielectric layer; performing a plasma treatment process on the top surface of the first dielectric layer and a top surface of the first hard mask layer; after performing the plasma treatment process, selectively depositing a spacer on a side surface of the first hard mask layer, the top surface of the first dielectric layer and the top surface of the first hard mask layer being free from the spacer after selectively depositing the spacer; and etching the first dielectric layer using the spacer as a mask.

An etching method prepares a substrate having laminated films including a first film and a second film that are alternately laminated, and a mask on the laminated films, and etches the laminated films by plasma of a process gas including a carbon and fluorine-containing gas. The carbon and fluorine-containing gas includes an unsaturated bond of C, and a CF.sub.3 group.

An atomic layer deposition-inhibiting material composed of a fluorine-containing resin that has a fluorine content of 30 at % or greater, has at least one tertiary carbon atom and quaternary carbon atom, and lacks ester groups, hydroxyl groups, carboxyl groups, and imide groups.