The present disclosure provides a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device. The method includes: providing a semiconductor structure, in which the semiconductor structure includes alternatively disposed first nitride portions and second nitride portions wrapping portions of an oxide layer, a dielectric layer disposed between one of the first nitride portions and one of the second nitride portions, a top nitride surrounded by the one of the first nitride portions or the one of the second nitride portions, a filling material, and a cap layer disposed on the filling material; forming a plurality of trenches to expose the portions of the oxide layer wrapped by the first nitride portions and the second nitride portions; forming air gaps by removing the portions of the oxide layer; and conformally forming an encapsulating layer on inner sidewalls of the trenches to encapsulate the air gaps.

A process of forming an oxide layer, the oxide layer, a semiconductor device, and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device. The process of forming the oxide layer including conducting atomic layer deposition at a temperature of less than about 400 C., wherein the atomic layer deposition includes: supplying a metal or semi-metal precursor and a first reaction catalyst to a substrate positioned in a chamber for atomic layer deposition to adsorb the metal or the semi-metal precursor on a surface of the substrate; and supplying a reactant and a second reaction catalyst to the substrate on which the metal or semi-metal precursor is adsorbed to form the oxide layer, wherein the first reaction catalyst and the second reaction catalyst comprise primary or secondary amine, respectively.

Exemplary processing methods may include providing a silicon-containing precursor and a carbon-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate may be housed in the processing region. The substrate may define a feature within the substrate. The methods may include forming plasma effluents of the silicon-containing precursor and the carbon-containing precursor. The methods may include depositing a silicon-and-carbon-containing material on the substrate. The methods may include providing a hydrogen-containing precursor to the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber, forming plasma effluents of the hydrogen-containing precursor, and etching the silicon-and-carbon-containing material from a sidewall of the feature within the substrate. The methods may include providing a nitrogen-containing precursor to the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber, forming plasma effluents of the nitrogen-containing precursor, and doping the silicon-and-carbon-containing material with nitrogen.

Methods of forming silicon nitride on a sidewall of a feature are disclosed. Exemplary methods include providing a substrate comprising a feature comprising a sidewall surface and a surface adjacent the sidewall surface, forming a silicon oxide layer overlying the sidewall surface and the surface adjacent the sidewall surface, using a cyclical deposition process, depositing a silicon nitride layer overlying the silicon oxide layer, and exposing the silicon nitride layer to activated species generated from a hydrogen-containing gas. Exemplary methods can additionally include selectively removing a portion of the silicon nitride layer. Structures formed using the methods and systems for performing the methods are also disclosed.

There is provided a technique that includes: (a) supplying a first gas containing a predetermined element to the substrate; (b) supplying a second gas containing carbon and nitrogen to the substrate; (c) supplying a nitrogen-containing gas activated by plasma to the substrate; (d) supplying an oxygen-containing gas to the substrate; and (e) forming a film containing at least the predetermined element, oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen on the substrate by: performing a cycle a first number of times of two or more, the cycle performing (a) to (d); or performing a cycle once or more, the cycle performing (a) to (d) in this order.

Exemplary processing methods may include providing one or more deposition precursors to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate including a plurality of layers of a silicon-containing material may be housed within the processing region. Adjacent layers of the silicon-containing material may be vertically spaced apart to define a plurality of lateral gaps. One or more features may extend through the plurality of layers of the silicon-containing material and into the substrate. The methods may include depositing a flowable oxygen-containing material on the substrate in the plurality of lateral gaps and in the one or more features extending into the substrate. The methods may include providing a hydrogen-containing precursor to the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include contacting the substrate with the hydrogen-containing precursor while applying a bias power. The contacting may reduce a thickness of the flowable oxygen-containing material.

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes: forming conductive interconnects spaced apart from each other and protruding upwardly from an upper surface of a dielectric layer, so as to form trenches among the conductive interconnects; forming functionalized molecules such that functionalized molecules are bonded to the upper surface of the dielectric layer so as to form a self-assembled monolayer filled in the trenches; subjecting the functionalized molecules to a rearrangement treatment so as to permit the functionalized molecules to be evenly bonded on the upper surface of the dielectric layer; forming an etch stop layer on the conductive interconnects and the self-assembled monolayer; and removing the self-assembled monolayer to form air gaps so that two adjacent ones of the conductive interconnects are spaced apart from each other by a corresponding one of the air gaps.

A substrate processing method of etching a SiN film formed on the substrate includes supplying a HF gas at a processing temperature of 450 degrees C. or higher to etch the SiN film.

A method includes forming a semiconductor layer over a substrate; etching a portion of the semiconductor layer to form a first recess and a second recess; forming a first masking layer over the semiconductor layer; performing a first thermal treatment on the first masking layer, the first thermal treatment densifying the first masking layer; etching the first masking layer to expose the first recess; forming a first semiconductor material in the first recess; and removing the first masking layer.

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, the method including forming a fin type pattern including a lower pattern and an upper pattern on a substrate, the upper pattern including a plurality of sacrificial layers and a plurality of sheet patterns alternately stacked on the lower pattern; forming a field insulating film on the substrate and the fin type pattern such that the field insulation film covers side walls of the lower pattern; forming a passivation film on the field insulating film such that the passivation film extends along an upper surface of the field insulating film; and removing the plurality of sacrificial layers after forming the passivation film.