Provided are a metal chalcogenide thin film and a method and device for manufacturing the same. The metal chalcogenide thin film includes a transition metal element and a chalcogen element, and at least one of the transition metal element and the chalcogen element having a composition gradient along the surface of the metal chalcogenide thin film, the composition gradient being an in-plane composition gradient. The metal chalcogenide thin film may be prepared by using a manufacturing method including providing a transition metal precursor and a chalcogen precursor on a substrate by using a confined reaction space in such a manner that at least one of the transition metal precursor and the chalcogen precursor forms a concentration gradient according to a position on the surface of the substrate; and heat-treating the substrate.

Methods and apparatuses are provided herein for oxidizing an annular edge region of a substrate. A method may include providing the substrate to a substrate holder in a semiconductor processing chamber, the semiconductor processing chamber having a showerbead positioned above the substrate holder, and simultaneously flowing, while the substrate is supported by the substrate holder, (a) an oxidizing gas around a periphery of the substrate and (b) an inert gas that does not include oxygen through the showerhead and onto the substrate, thereby creating an annular gas region over an annular edge region of the substrate and an interior gas region over on an interior region of the substrate; the simultaneous flowing is not during a deposition of a material onto the substrate, and the annular gas region has an oxidization rate higher than the interior gas region.

According to one aspect of a technique the present disclosure, there is provided a processing apparatus including: an inner tube provided with a substrate accommodating region in which substrates are accommodated along an arrangement direction; an outer tube provided outside the inner tube; gas supply ports provided on a side wall of the inner tube along the arrangement direction; first exhaust ports provided on the side wall of the inner tube along the arrangement direction; a second exhaust port provided at a lower end portion of the outer tube; and a gas guide for controlling a flow of gas in an annular space between the inner tube and the outer tube and including a first fin near a lowermost first exhaust port among the first exhaust ports that is closest to the second exhaust port in a space between the lowermost first exhaust port and the second exhaust port.

A substrate processing apparatus, including a reaction chamber enclosing a substrate processing space and a chemical exit space, further including a substrate support. The apparatus is configured to direct a chemical flow into the substrate processing space, to expose a substrate supported by the substrate support to surface reactions, therefrom via a first gap into a first expansion volume of the chemical exit space, and therefrom via a second gap towards an exhaust pump, the apparatus being configured to provide the chemical flow with a choked flow effect in at least one of the first and second gaps.

There is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: an inner tube including a substrate accommodating region where substrates are accommodated along an arrangement direction; an outer tube outside the inner tube; gas supply ports provided on a side wall of the inner tube along the arrangement direction; first exhaust ports provided on the side wall of the inner tube along the arrangement direction; a second exhaust port provided at an end portion of the outer tube along the arrangement direction; and a gas guide controlling gas flow in an annular space between the inner and outer tubes. A first exhaust port A is located farthest from the second exhaust port, and faces a gas supply port A. The gas guide includes a fin provided near the gas supply port A and surrounds at least a part of an outer periphery of the gas supply port A.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods for depositing an amorphous carbon layer onto a substrate, including over previously formed layers on the substrate, using a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process. In particular, the methods described herein utilize a combination of RF AC power and pulsed DC power to create a plasma which deposits an amorphous carbon layer with a high ratio of sp3 (diamond-like) carbon to sp2 (graphite-like) carbon. The methods also provide for lower processing pressures, lower processing temperatures, and higher processing powers, each of which, alone or in combination, may further increase the relative fraction of sp3 carbon in the deposited amorphous carbon layer. As a result of the higher sp3 carbon fraction, the methods described herein provide amorphous carbon layers having improved density, rigidity, etch selectivity, and film stress as compared to amorphous carbon layers deposited by conventional methods.

A purge baffle for a substrate support includes an annular ring configured to surround an outer perimeter around the substrate support in a volume below the substrate support and a first portion. The first portion includes a plenum defined below the first portion and outside of the annular ring in the volume below the substrate support and a plurality of openings that provide respective flow paths from a region above the first portion into the plenum. At least a first opening of the plurality of openings has a first conductance and at least a second opening of the plurality of openings has a second conductance that is different than the first conductance.

Methods of depositing an inorganic material on an extrusion die including positioning an extrusion die within a vapor deposition chamber, positioning an impedance disk over a face of the extrusion die, the impedance disk having a plurality of through holes and the face of the extrusion die having a plurality of slots defined by a plurality of extrusion die pins, and flowing one or more deposition gases through the plurality of through holes and into the plurality of slots to deposit inorganic particles on side walls of the plurality of pins. The total impedance to the flow of the deposition gases across the impedance disk and the extrusion die may be equal to a disk impedance of the impedance disk plus a die impedance of the extrusion die, and the disk impedance may be at least 40% of the total impedance to the flow of the deposition gases.

A chemical vapor deposition furnace for depositing silicon nitride films, is discloses. The furnace comprising a process chamber elongated in a substantially vertical direction and a wafer boat for supporting a plurality of wafers in the process chamber. A process gas injector is provided inside the process chamber extending in a substantially vertical direction over substantially a wafer boat height and comprising a feed end connected to a source of a silicon precursor and a source of a nitrogen precursor and a plurality of vertically spaced gas injection holes to provide gas from the feed end to the process chamber. The furnace may comprise a purge gas injection system to provide a purge gas into the process chamber near a lower end of the process chamber.

Described herein is a technique capable of improving the uniformity of the film formation among the substrates. According to the technique described herein, there is provided a configuration including: a reaction tube having a process chamber where a plurality of substrates are processed; a buffer chamber protruding outward from the reaction tube and configured to supply a process gas to the process chamber, the buffer chamber including: a first nozzle chamber where a first nozzle is provided; and a second nozzle chamber where a second nozzle is provided; an opening portion provided at a lower end of an inner wall of the reaction tube facing the buffer chamber; and a shielding portion provided at a communicating portion of the opening portion between the second nozzle chamber and the process chamber.