Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to an integrated substrate processing system for cleaning a substrate surface and subsequently performing an epitaxial deposition process thereon. A processing system includes a film formation chamber, a transfer chamber coupled to the film formation chamber, and an oxide removal chamber coupled to the transfer chamber, the oxide removal chamber having a substrate support. The processing system includes a controller configured to introduce a process gas mixture into the oxide removal chamber, the process gas mixture including a fluorine-containing gas and a vapor including at least one of water, an alcohol, an organic acid, or combinations thereof. The controller is configured to expose a substrate positioned on the substrate support to the process gas mixture, thereby removing an oxide film from the substrate.

There is provided a technique that includes (a) supplying a fluorine-containing gas to a substrate including a first surface and a second surface; (b) supplying an oxygen- and hydrogen-containing gas and a catalyst to the substrate after performing (a); (c) supplying a modifying agent to the substrate after performing (b); and (d) supplying a film-forming agent to the substrate after performing (c).

Some embodiments relate to articles having removable coatings. The articles may comprise a substrate and a coating on the substrate. An etch stop layer may be provided between the substrate and the coating to permit removal of the coating without damaging the substrate. Some embodiments relate to methods for removing a coating from an article. The methods may comprise obtaining an article comprising an etch stop layer between a substrate and a coating on the substrate, and removing at least a portion of the coating from the article. Other embodiments further provide articles and related methods.

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to methods for forming epitaxial layers on a semiconductor device. In one or more embodiments, methods include removing oxides from a substrate surface during a cleaning process, flowing a processing reagent containing a silicon source and exposing the substrate to the processing reagent during an epitaxy process, and stopping the flow of the processing reagent. The method also includes flowing a purging gas and pumping residues from the processing system, stopping the flow of the purge gas, flowing an etching gas and exposing the substrate to the etching gas. The etching gas contains hydrogen chloride and at least one germanium and/or chlorine compound. The method further includes stopping the flow of the at least one compound while continuing the flow of the hydrogen chloride and exposing the substrate to the hydrogen chloride and stopping the flow of the hydrogen chloride.

A method of forming a titanium nitride film on a substrate. The method includes: performing treatment of changing hydrophilicity of a base film formed on a substrate including a surface on which the base film capable of having its hydrophilicity changed is formed; and forming a titanium nitride film by vapor phase growth on a top surface of the base film subjected to the treatment of changing the hydrophilicity.

The film-forming method of forming a target film on a substrate includes preparing the substrate including a first material layer formed on a surface of a first region, and including a second material layer, which is different from the first material, formed on a surface of a second region; controlling the temperature of the substrate to a first temperature; forming the self-assembled film on a surface of the first material layer at the first temperature by supplying a raw-material gas for a self-assembled film; controlling the temperature of the substrate to a second temperature higher than the first temperature; and further forming a self-assembled film at the second temperature on the first material layer on which the self-assembled film has been formed at the first temperature by supplying the raw-material gas for the self-assembled film.

An electrode for an electrochemical reaction bath has a base body, an active side which is configured to come into contact with the reaction bath, and a passive side which is configured to come into contact with at least one electrical conductor. The passive side includes a doped carbon coating that is preferably less than 5 μm in thickness. Preferably the doped carbon coating is a doped polycrystalline diamond coating in sp.sup.3 configuration and is doped with boron.

Various embodiments generally relate to a method for forming a graphene barrier layer for a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a method of forming a barrier thin film including a graphene layer capable of reducing the contact resistance of a metal interconnect. A method for forming a graphene barrier layer according to an embodiment includes: loading a substrate, which has a titanium-containing layer formed thereon, in a chamber of a substrate processing system, the chamber having a processing space formed therein; inducing nucleation on the titanium-containing layer by supplying a first reactant gas including a unsaturated hydrocarbon into the chamber; and forming a graphene layer on the titanium-containing layer by supplying a second reactant gas including a saturated hydrocarbon into the chamber.

A method for coating a metal workpiece with graphene includes exposing the metal workpiece to a carbon-containing precursor gas and a hydrogen gas in a processing chamber in a first phase, and to the carbon-containing precursor gas, the hydrogen gas and a first carrier gas in the processing chamber in a second phase after the first phase. A first flow rate of the carbon-containing precursor gas into the processing chamber is higher than a second flow rate of the carbon-containing precursor gas into the processing chamber, and a first flow rate of the hydrogen gas into the processing chamber is higher than a second flow rate of the hydrogen gas into the processing chamber. A first total gas pressure in the processing chamber in the first phase is lower than a second total gas pressure in the processing chamber in the second phase.

Methods of removing native oxide layers and depositing dielectric layers having a controlled number of active sites on MEMS devices for biological applications are disclosed. In one aspect, a method includes removing a native oxide layer from a surface of the substrate by exposing the substrate to one or more ligands in vapor phase to volatize the native oxide layer and then thermally desorbing or otherwise etching the volatized native oxide layer. In another aspect, a method includes depositing a dielectric layer selected to provide a controlled number of active sites on the surface of the substrate. In yet another aspect, a method includes both removing a native oxide layer from a surface of the substrate by exposing the substrate to one or more ligands and depositing a dielectric layer selected to provide a controlled number of active sites on the surface of the substrate.