Methods and apparatus leverage dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma to treat samples for surface modification prior to photomask application and for photomask cleaning. In some embodiments, a method of treating a surface with AP plasma includes igniting plasma over an ignition plate where the AP plasma is formed by one or more plasma heads of an AP plasma reactor positioned above the ignition plate, monitoring characteristics of the AP plasma with an optical emission spectrometer (OES) sensor to determine if stable AP plasma is obtained and, if so, moving the AP reactor over a central opening of an assistant plate where the central opening contains a sample under treatment and where the assistant plate reduces AP plasma arcing on the sample during treatment. The AP reactor scans back and forth over the central opening of the assistant plate while maintaining stabilized AP plasma to treat the sample.

The present invention has as an object the provision of a light irradiation device capable of performing optical cleaning with high stability regardless of the transport speed of a workpiece. The light irradiation device of the present invention emits ultraviolet light to one surface of a band-shaped workpiece transported along a transport path, and includes a lamp house having an opening along a passing plane on a side of the one surface of the workpiece in the transport path, an ultraviolet lamp provided in the lamp house so as to extend in a width direction of the workpiece, gas supplier configured to supply a treatment-space gas into the lamp house, and an exhaust space forming member having an opening along a passing plane on a side of the other surface of the workpiece in the transport path. The treatment-space gas is produced by mixing a gas containing oxygen and/or water with an inert gas serving as a principal component, and a shielding body for forming a gas circulation resistance bottleneck between the shielding body and each edge part of the workpiece is provided in the opening of the lamp house.

The present disclosure describes a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus and a method for handling contamination in the semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus. The semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus can include a deposition apparatus and a processor. The deposition apparatus can include a chamber, a detection module configured to detect impurities in the chamber, and a gas scrubbing device configured to remove the impurities. The processor can be configured to receive, from the detection module, an impurity characteristic associated with the impurities; compare the impurity characteristic to a baseline characteristic; and instruct the gas scrubbing device to supply a decontamination gas in the chamber based on the comparison of the impurity characteristic to the baseline characteristic.

Substrate supports, substrate support assemblies and methods of using an arc generated between a first electrode and a second electrode to clean a support surface. The first electrode comprises a plurality of first branches which are interdigitated with a plurality of branches of the second electrode in a finger-joint like pattern creating a gap between the first electrode and the second electrode.

Embodiments are disclosed for reducing substrate breaks which result from inadequate de-chucking. Contaminants are removed from the surface of a chuck by exposing the chuck to a plasma process that comprises a hydrogen (H)-containing plasma. The chuck is subjected to the hydrogen-based plasma when no substrate is on the chuck. In one embodiment, the plasma is a hydrocarbon-based plasma. Hydrogen in the hydrocarbon plasma may react with and remove the contaminants. The process may further include an additional plasma step for removal of any newly formed materials that may result from the hydrocarbon plasma. The removal step may be, for example, a subsequent plasma ash step. In one embodiment, the chuck is an electrostatic chuck and the contaminants comprise fluorine. By removing contaminants from the chuck surface, improved substrate de-chucking occurs. This improvement correspondingly leads to less substrate breakage when removing substrates from the chuck.

In some implementations, a self-cleaning seat includes a cover layer with a photocatalyst; a light-emitting fiber layer including one or more light sources; a light-diffusing spacer configured to diffuse light emitted from the light-emitting fiber layer and positioned between the cover layer and the light-emitting fiber layer; and a triggering mechanism that activates a cleaning cycle by activating the one or more light sources.

Methods for pre-cleaning substrates having metal and dielectric surfaces are described. A substrate comprising a surface structure with a metal bottom, dielectric sidewalls, and a field of dielectric is exposed to a dual plasma treatment in a processing chamber to remove chemical residual and/or impurities from the metal bottom, the dielectric sidewalls, and/or the field of the dielectric and/or repair surface defects in the dielectric sidewalls and/or the field of the dielectric. The dual plasma treatment comprises a direct plasma and a remote plasma.

A method for cleaning a substrate includes the following: exposing the substrate to a cleaning agent to remove impurities on a surface of the substrate; exposing the substrate to a dewetting chemical agent in a liquid phase to remove the cleaning agent on the surface of the substrate; solidifying the dewetting chemical agent in the liquid phase remaining on the surface of the substrate to obtain the dewetting chemical agent in a solid phase; and sublimating and removing the dewetting chemical agent in the solid phase.

A plasma cleaning apparatus includes a metal chamber, a gate assembly, a dielectric, and a high voltage electrode. The metal chamber is connected to a vacuum tube connecting the process chamber and the vacuum pump, and is provided with a first opening. The gate assembly includes a gate support fixed to the metal chamber around the first opening and having a second opening, and a gate coupled to the gate support and having a first position closing the second opening and a second position opening the second opening switchable with each other. The dielectric is coupled to the outside of the gate support around the second opening, and the high voltage electrode is positioned on an outer surface of the dielectric.

Removing stimulus responsive polymers (SRPs) includes exposure to high energy metastable species, generated in a noble gas plasma, at an elevated temperature. The metastable species have sufficient energies and lifetimes to scission bonds on the polymer or other residues. At temperatures greater than the ceiling temperature of the SRP, there is a strong thermodynamic driving force to revert to volatile monomers once bond scissioning has occurred. The metastable species are not chemically reactive and do not appreciably affect the underlying surface. The high energy metastable species are effective at removing residues that remain after exposure to other stimuli such as heat.