A substrate processing method includes: preparing a substrate having a recess on a surface thereof; supplying chlorine gas to the substrate, thereby forming an adsorption-inhibiting layer in the recess; supplying a source gas to the substrate, thereby forming a molecular layer of the source gas in the recess; and supplying a nitriding gas to the substrate, thereby nitriding the molecular layer formed in the recess. The source gas is a gas that is inhibited by the adsorption-inhibiting layer from the formation of the molecular layer in the recess. The formation of the adsorption-inhibiting layer includes: retaining, in a retaining portion, the chlorine gas before being supplied to the substrate, and generating chlorine radicals from the chlorine gas by irradiating, with an ultraviolet ray, the chlorine gas inside the retaining portion.

A memory array comprises vertically-alternating tiers of insulative material and memory cells. The memory cells individually include a transistor comprising first and second source/drain regions having a channel region there-between and a gate operatively proximate the channel region. At least a portion of the channel region is horizontally-oriented for horizontal current flow in the portion between the first and second source/drain regions. The memory cells individually include a capacitor comprising first and second electrodes having a capacitor insulator there-between. The first electrode is electrically coupled to the first source/drain region. The second capacitor electrodes of multiple of the capacitors in the array are electrically coupled with one another. A sense-line structure extends elevationally through the vertically-alternating tiers. Individual of the second source/drain regions of individual of the transistors that are in different memory cell tiers are electrically coupled to the elevationally-extending sense-line structure. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

A topology-selective deposition method is disclosed. An exemplary method includes providing an inhibition agent comprising a first nitrogen-containing gas, providing a deposition promotion agent comprising a second nitrogen-containing gas to form an activated surface on one or more of a top surface, a bottom surface, and a sidewall surface relative to one or more of the other of the top surface, the bottom surface, and the sidewall surface, and providing a precursor to react with the activated surface to thereby selectively form material comprising a nitride on the activated surface.

A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes: a processing container that accommodates a substrate holder that holds a plurality of substrates in a shelf shape; a gas supply that supplies a processing gas into the processing container; and a microwave introducer that generates a plasma from the processing gas. The microwave introducer includes: a rectangular waveguide provided along a length direction of the processing container and including a plurality of slots that radiates microwaves; and a phase controller that is provided at an end of the rectangular waveguide and controls a phase of the microwaves propagating in the rectangular waveguide.

A substrate processing system includes: a process chamber that performs a semiconductor process on a substrate; a first oxygen supply unit; a first chamber that receives a gas containing oxygen (O.sub.2) from the first oxygen supply unit, receives exhaust gases discharged from the process chamber, and oxidizes the exhaust gas using the oxygen supplied from the first oxygen supply unit; a second chamber connected to the first chamber, and that receives a first treatment gas from the first chamber and burns the first treatment gas; a third chamber connected to the second chamber, and that receives a second treatment gas from the second chamber and performs a wetting treatment of the second treatment gas; and a tank disposed below the first to third chambers and connected to each of the first to third chambers.

Methods of forming a structure that include non-conformal silicon nitride overlaying a feature are disclosed. An exemplary method includes using a plasma deposition process, depositing silicon nitride onto the top, the bottom, and the sidewall of the feature and optionally treating the deposited silicon nitride. The deposition process and/or the treatment process can affect the deposited silicon nitride, such that after an etch process, the silicon nitride is preferentially removed from the bottom of the feature, such that the structure includes silicon nitride on the top and on the sidewall of the feature and includes no or relatively little silicon nitride on the bottom of the feature.

Selective gas etching for self-aligned pattern transfer uses a first block and a separate second block formed in a sacrificial layer to transfer critical dimensions to a desired final layer using a selective gas etching process. The first block is a first hardmask material that can be plasma etched using a first gas, and the second block is a second hardmask material that can be plasma etched using a second gas separate from the first gas. The first hardmask material is not plasma etched using the second gas, and the second hardmask material is not plasma etched using the first gas.

There is provided a technique capable of cleaning a film deposited on an outer peripheral portion of a substrate placing surface of a substrate support. According to one aspect thereof, a substrate processing apparatus includes: a process chamber where a product substrate is processed; a substrate support provided in the process chamber and provided with a substrate placing surface whereon the product substrate is placed; a process gas supplier wherethrough a process gas is supplied into the process chamber while the product substrate being placed on the substrate placing surface; and a cleaning gas supplier wherethrough a cleaning gas is supplied into the process chamber while a dummy substrate being placed on the substrate placing surface. An outer peripheral portion of the dummy substrate is out of contact with the substrate placing surface in a state where the dummy substrate is placed on the substrate placing surface.

There is provided a method for etching a silicon-containing film. The method includes: introducing a substrate having a first silicon-containing film and a second silicon-containing film into a process chamber of an etching apparatus; supplying at least one etching gas including F.sub.3NO into the process chamber; applying a predetermined power to the process chamber maintained at a predetermined pressure to generate direct plasma in the process chamber; and etching the first silicon-containing film on the substrate by reactive species (radicals) of the etching gas activated by the direct plasma. The predetermined pressure is set within a predetermined range in which the slope of the etch rate of the first silicon-containing film with respect to the pressure differs from the slope of the etch rate of the second silicon-containing film with respect to the pressure in terms of sign.

Semiconductor devices having air gap spacers that are formed as part of BEOL or MOL layers of the semiconductor devices are provided, as well as methods for fabricating such air gap spacers. For example, a method comprises forming a first metallic structure and a second metallic structure on a substrate, wherein the first and second metallic structures are disposed adjacent to each other with insulating material disposed between the first and second metallic structures. The insulating material is etched to form a space between the first and second metallic structures. A layer of dielectric material is deposited over the first and second metallic structures using a pinch-off deposition process to form an air gap in the space between the first and second metallic structures, wherein a portion of the air gap extends above an upper surface of at least one of the first metallic structure and the second metallic structure.