A medical device includes a body and at least one electrode disposed thereon. The electrode includes a metallic substrate, such as a platinum group metal, an alloy of platinum group metals, or gold. The surface of the substrate is modified in a manner that increases its effective surface area without inducing bulk heating. For example, the surface of the substrate can be laser textured and/or coated, such as with titanium nitride or iridium oxide.

The disclosure relates to the manufacture of semiconductor devices, especially to methods and processing assemblies for forming a patterned structure on a substrate. The methods comprise providing the substrate comprising a first structure into a reaction chamber, wherein a surface of the first structure comprises a first material and the substrate comprises a second material, and selectively depositing a conformal passivation layer on the first material relative to the second material to cover the first structure, and selectively depositing an etch-stop layer on the second material relative to the passivation layer. In some embodiments, a multiple patterning or a tone reversal of a pattern may be performed using the methods and deposition assemblies of the disclosure.

A method of forming graphene layers is disclosed. The method includes precleaning the substrate with a plasma formed from an argon- and hydrogen-containing gas, followed by forming a graphene layer by exposing the substrate to a microwave plasma to form a graphene layer on the substrate. The microwave plasma comprises hydrocarbon and hydrogen radicals. The substrate is then cooled. A capping layer may also be formed.

A system and method for cleaning a preclean process chamber in between wafer processing. The internal pressure of the preclean process chamber is reduced to a first pressure and a first gas that consists of oxygen and an inert or noble gas, is introduced into the chamber. Plasma is generated within the preclean process chamber using the first gas at the first pressure. Internal pressure is then reduced to a second pressure, less than the first, and the first gas is continued into the chamber. Plasma is then generated using the first gas at the second pressure. Thereafter, a second gas, consisting of an oxygen-free inert or noble gas, is introduced into the chamber at the second pressure, following which plasma is generated within the chamber using only the second gas.

A method 14 for the controlled removal of a protective layer 3 from a surface of a component 10, wherein the component comprises: a base body 1; an intermediate layer 2, which at least partially covers the base body; and said protective layer 3, which comprises an amorphous solid, in particular an amorphous nonmetal, in particular amorphous ceramic, and at least partially covers the intermediate layer;
wherein the method comprises the following steps: bringing 11 the protective layer 3 into contact with an etching or solvent medium 4; and removing 12 the protective layer 3 under the action of the etching or solvent medium 4 until the intermediate layer 2 is exposed;
and wherein the etching or solvent medium causes a first etching or dissolving speed of the protective layer and a second etching or dissolving speed of the intermediate layer and wherein the first etching or dissolving speed is greater than the second etching or dissolving speed. The invention furthermore relates to a method for replacing an old protective layer on a component, a method for operating a thin-film process facility, a component for use in a thin-film process facility, and a production method for the component.

A wafer processing apparatus is configured to process a wafer by supplying mist to a surface of the wafer. The wafer processing apparatus includes a furnace in which the wafer is disposed, a gas supplying device configured to supply gas into the furnace, a mist supplying device configured to supply the mist into the furnace, and a controller. The controller is configured to execute a processing step by controlling the gas supplying device and the mist supplying device to supply the gas and the mist into the furnace, respectively. The controller is further configured to control the mist supplying device to stop supplying the mist into the furnace while controlling the gas supplying device to keep supplying the gas into the furnace when the processing step ends.

A body of an electrostatic chuck comprises mesas disposed on a polished surface of the body. Each of the mesas comprises an adhesion layer disposed on the polished surface of the body, a transition layer disposed over the adhesion layer, and a coating layer disposed over the transition layer. The coating layer has a hardness of at least 14 Gpa. The body further comprises a sidewall coating disposed over a sidewall of the body. A method for preparing the body comprises polishing the surface of the body and cleaning the polished surface. The method further comprises depositing the mesas by depositing the adhesion layer on the body, the transition layer over the adhesion layer, and the coating layer over the transition layer. Further, the method includes, polishing the mesas.

Methods and systems for cleaning and treating a surface of a substrate. An exemplary method includes providing a substrate comprising a gap comprising a metal oxide and a dielectric material within a reaction chamber, and using a thermal process to selectively remove the metal oxide. Exemplary methods can further include a step of depositing a metal-containing material within the gap to at least partially fill the gap and using a direct plasma and treating a surface of the metal-containing material to remove oxygen from the surface of the metal-containing material. Exemplary systems can perform the methods.

The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses for depositing a conductive layer on another conductive layer of a substrate. The method comprises providing the substrate comprising the first conductive layer in a reaction chamber, providing a cleaning agent comprising a metal halide into the reaction chamber in a vapor phase to clean the substrate and providing a second material precursor into the reaction chamber in a vapor phase to deposit the second conductive layer on the first conductive layer. The disclosure further relates to a method of forming a semiconductor structure and to a semiconductor processing assembly.

Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate is provided herein. For example, a method for processing a substrate comprises depositing a silicide layer within a feature defined in a layer on a substrate, forming one of a metal liner layer or a metal seed layer atop the silicide layer within the feature via depositing at least one of molybdenum (Mo) or tungsten (W) using physical vapor deposition, and depositing Mo using at least one of chemical vapor deposition or atomic layer deposition atop the at least one of the metal liner layer or the metal seed layer, without vacuum break.