Methods for etching a semiconductor structure and for conditioning a processing reactor in which a single semiconductor structure is treated are disclosed. An engineered polycrystalline silicon surface layer is deposited on a susceptor which supports the semiconductor structure. The polycrystalline silicon surface layer may be engineered by controlling the temperature at which the layer is deposited, by grooving the polycrystalline silicon surface layer or by controlling the thickness of the polycrystalline silicon surface layer.

A method for manufacturing a shallow trench isolation structure includes: providing a substrate and forming multiple first trenches in the substrate, in which a cross-sectional width of each first trench increases downward along a vertical direction; forming a continuous first isolation layer on a top of the substrate and inner sides of the multiple first trenches by a deposition process, in which parts of the first isolation layer located in the first trenches form second trenches, and in which a cross-sectional width of each second trench remains constant downward along the vertical direction; and forming a continuous second isolation layer on a surface of the first isolation layer by an ISSG process, in which parts of the second isolation layer located in the second trenches completely fill up the second trenches.

There is provided a technique that includes: etching a portion of a first film formed on a surface of a substrate by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times, the cycle including: supplying an etching gas into a process chamber while raising an internal pressure of the process chamber in a state in which the substrate having the first film formed on the surface of the substrate is accommodated in the process chamber; and lowering the internal pressure of the process chamber by exhausting an interior of the process chamber in a state in which supply of the etching gas into the process chamber is stopped.

A method of producing an epitaxial silicon wafer, including: loading a wafer into a chamber; performing epitaxial growth; unloading the epitaxial silicon wafer from the chamber; and then cleaning the inside of the chamber using hydrochloric gas. After the cleaning is performed, whether components provided in the chamber are to be replaced or not is determined based on the cumulative amount of the hydrochloric gas supplied. The components have a base material that includes graphite and is coated with a silicon carbide film.

There is provided a film forming method including: adsorbing fluorine onto a substrate on which a region in which a nitride film is exposed and a region in which an oxide film is exposed are provided adjacent to each other by supplying a fluorine-containing gas to the substrate, and forming a stepped surface on a side surface of the oxide film by selectively etching the nitride film, among the nitride film and the oxide film, so as to cause a surface of the nitride film to be more deeply recessed than a surface of the oxide film; and after the adsorbing the fluorine onto the substrate and forming the stepped surface, selectively forming a semiconductor film on the nitride film, among the nitride film and the oxide film, by supplying a raw material gas including a semiconductor material to the substrate.

A processing chamber such as a plasma etch chamber can perform deposition and etch operations, where byproducts of the deposition and etch operations can build up in a vacuum pump system fluidly coupled to the processing chamber. A vacuum pump system may have multiple roughing pumps so that etch gases can be diverted a roughing pump and deposition precursors can be diverted to another roughing pump. A divert line may route unused deposition precursors through a separate roughing pump. Deposition byproducts can be prevented from forming by incorporating one or more gas ejectors or venturi pumps at an outlet of a primary pump in a vacuum pump system. Cleaning operations, such as waferless automated cleaning operations, using certain clean chemistries may remove deposition byproducts before or after etch operations.

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to methods of epitaxially growing boron-containing structures. In an embodiment, a method of depositing a structure comprising boron and a Group IV element on a substrate is provided. The method includes heating the substrate at a temperature of about 300° C. or more within a chamber, the substrate having a dielectric material and a single crystal formed thereon. The method further includes flowing a first process gas and a second process gas into the chamber, wherein: the first process gas comprises at least one boron-containing gas comprising a haloborane; and the second process gas comprises at least one Group IV element-containing gas. The method further includes exposing the substrate to the first and second process gases to epitaxially and selectively deposit the structure comprising boron and the Group IV element on the single crystal.

Provided is a substrate processing method capable of filling a film in a gap structure without forming voids or seams in a gap, the substrate processing method including: a first step of forming a thin film on a structure including a gap by performing a first cycle including supplying a first reaction gas and supplying a second reaction gas to the structure a plurality of times; a second step of etching a portion of the thin film by supplying a fluorine-containing gas onto the thin film; a third step of supplying a hydrogen-containing gas onto the thin film; a fourth step of supplying an inhibiting gas to an upper portion of the gap; and a fifth step of forming a thin film by performing a second cycle including supplying the first reaction gas and supplying a second reaction gas onto the thin film a plurality of times.

Atomically thin layers including pores, their method of manufacture, and their use are disclosed. In some embodiments, pores may be formed in an atomically thin layer by growing the atomically thin layer on exposed portions of a substrate that includes islands comprising a material that is different than the material of the substrate. In some embodiments, pores and/or defects may be formed in an atomically thin layer by employing growth conditions that promote the formation of defects and/or pores. In certain embodiments, pores and/or defects may be etched to enlarge their size.

Methods and related systems for topographically depositing a material on a substrate are disclosed. The substrate comprises a proximal surface and a gap feature. The gap feature comprises a sidewall and a distal surface. Exemplary methods comprise, in the given order: a step of positioning the substrate on a substrate support in a reaction chamber; a step of subjecting the substrate to a plasma pre-treatment; and, a step of selectively depositing a material on at least one of the proximal surface and the distal surface with respect to the sidewall. The step of subjecting the substrate to a plasma pre-treatment comprises exposing the substrate to at least one of fluorine-containing molecules, ions, and radicals.