Exemplary etching methods may include modifying an exposed surface of a layer of metal oxide on a substrate housed in a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber to produce a modified portion of metal oxide. The methods may include contacting the modified portion of metal oxide with a fluorine-containing precursor. The contacting may produce a metal oxy-fluoride material. The methods may include flowing an etchant precursor into the processing region. The methods may include contacting the metal oxy-fluoride material with the etchant precursor. The methods may include removing the metal oxy-fluoride material.

A system for generation of radicals in a liquid (e.g., OH and derivatively H.sub.2O.sub.2 in water) by a plasma reactor, including a first electrode having a rod shape or a tubular shape; a dielectric tubular housing coaxial with the first electrode and enclosing the first electrode, and having a gap to the first electrode of 0.3-30 mm; a second electrode on an outside of the dielectric tubular housing and coaxial with first electrode with a gap 0.3-30 mm; a high voltage power supply providing voltage oscillations or pulses of 0.5-30 kV and a frequency 1-50 kHz between the first and second electrodes; and a pump or a Venturi injector on an output of the plasma reactor and a chock valve on an input of reactor for generating a low water pressure in the gap between first and second electrodes so as to generate boiling in the gap.

A bonding system includes a surface modifying apparatus and a bonding apparatus. The surface modifying apparatus is configured to modify a bonding surface of a substrate to be bonded to another substrate with plasma of a processing gas. The bonding apparatus is configured to bond two substrates modified by the surface modifying apparatus by an intermolecular force. The surface modifying apparatus includes: a processing chamber configured to accommodate therein the substrate; a processing gas supply configured to supply a processing gas containing moisture into the processing chamber; and a plasma forming unit configured to form the plasma of the processing gas containing the moisture.

Systems, methods, and apparatuses for atomic-scale materials processing based on electron beam induced etching assisted by remote plasma are disclosed. For example, a method may include placing the substrate into a low-pressure chamber to which an electron source is connected. The method may also include contacting the surface of the substrate with reactive particle fluxes produced by a remote plasma source connected to the low-pressure chamber. The remote plasma source may be fed with one or more chemical precursors for surface chemical functionalization of the surface of the substrate. The method may further include electron irradiation of the surface of the substrate with electrons via the electron source at a specified energy level to induce a surface chemical process on the surface of the substrate.

A method of processing a substrate, includes: (a) modifying a surface of the substrate into a first oxide layer by supplying, to the substrate, a reactive species generated by plasma-exciting a first processing gas in which oxygen and hydrogen are contained and a ratio of hydrogen in the oxygen and hydrogen of the first processing gas is a first ratio; and (b) modifying the first oxide layer into a second oxide layer by supplying, to the substrate, a reactive species generated by plasma-exciting a second processing gas in which oxygen is contained and hydrogen is optionally contained and a ratio of hydrogen in the oxygen and hydrogen of the second processing gas is a second ratio smaller than the first ratio.

One object of the present disclosure is to provide a production method of magnesium hydride that is free of carbon dioxide and has high production efficiency, a power generation system that does not emit carbon dioxide or radiation using magnesium hydride, and an apparatus for producing magnesium hydride; therefore, the method for producing magnesium hydride of the present disclosure comprises a procedure for irradiating a magnesium compound different from magnesium hydride with hydrogen plasma, and a procedure for depositing a magnesium product containing magnesium hydride on a depositor for depositing magnesium hydride disposed within the range in which hydrogen plasma is present, wherein the surface temperature of the depositor is kept no more than a predetermined temperature at which magnesium hydride precipitates.

The substrate joining method is a substrate joining method for joying two substrates, including a hydrophilic treatment step of hydrophilizing at least one of respective joint surfaces of the two substrates that are to be joined to each other and a joining step of joining the two substrates after the hydrophilic treatment step. The hydrophilic treatment step includes a step of performing a N.sub.2 RIE treatment to perform reactive ion etching using N.sub.2 gas on the joint surfaces of the substrates and a step of performing a N.sub.2 radical treatment to irradiate the joint surfaces of the substrates with N.sub.2 radicals after the step of performing the N.sub.2 RIE treatment.

Disclosed is an electrostatic chuck apparatus which is configured of: an electrostatic chuck section; an annular focus ring section provided to surround the electrostatic chuck section; and a cooling base section which cools the electrostatic chuck section and the focus ring section. The focus ring section is provided with an annular focus ring, an annular heat conducting sheet, an annular ceramic ring, a nonmagnetic heater, and an electrode section that supplies power to the heater.

Provided are a substrate processing method and a substrate processing apparatus for forming a low-resistance metal-containing nitride film. The substrate processing method includes: a step of providing a substrate in a processing container; a step of forming a metal-containing nitride film on the substrate by repeating supplying an organic metal-containing gas and a nitrogen-containing gas alternately for a first predetermined number of cycles; a step of modifying the metal-containing nitride film by generating plasma in the processing container; and a step of repeating the step of forming the metal-containing nitride film and the step of modifying the metal-containing nitride film for a second predetermined number of cycles.

According to one aspect of the technique of the present disclosure, there is provided a seal structure capable of sealing a space between a first structure heated by a heater and a second structure arranged so as to face the first structure, the seal structure including: a metal plate arranged in contact with the first structure; and a sealing material made of a resin material and arranged in contact with the metal plate and the second structure, wherein the space between the first structure and the second structure is sealed by the metal plate and the sealing material.