Sterilisation apparatus comprising a sterilisation instrument configured to be inserted through the instrument channel of a surgical scoping device and a withdrawal device for withdrawing the sterilisation instrument from the instrument channel at a predetermined rate. The sterilisation instrument comprises an elongate probe having a probe tip with a first electrode and a second electrode arranged to produce an electric field from received RF and/or microwave frequency EM energy. In operation the instrument may disinfect an inner surface of the instrument channel by emitting energy whilst being withdrawn through the channel.

The inventive concept provides a substrate treating apparatus. The substrate treating apparatus includes a chamber providing a treating space; a substrate support unit provided in the treating space; a window provided at a top of the chamber; and an optical module provided over the window and configured to transmit a laser beam to a substrate through the window, and wherein the optical module includes: a homogenizing optics configured to homogenize the laser beam to a uniform beam profile; and an imaging optics configured to control the size of the laser beam.

A wide-gap semiconductor substrate enables formation of a device having low power loss while maintaining high mechanical strength. The wide-gap semiconductor substrate (70) is obtained by placing a wide-gap semiconductor substrate onto a platen (15) disposed in a processing chamber (11) and etching and thinning only a first substrate region (70a), where a device (50) is formed, of the wide-gap semiconductor substrate by means of plasma generated from an etching gas. In the wide-gap semiconductor substrate (70), a connecting portion as a peripheral edge of the first substrate region (70a) connecting to a second substrate region (70b) surrounding the first substrate region (70a) includes an arc portion having a predetermined radius of curvature.

Plasma applications are disclosed that operate with argon or helium at atmospheric pressure, and at low temperatures, and with high concentrations of reactive species in the effluent stream. Laminar gas flow is developed prior to forming the plasma and at least one of the electrodes can be heated which enables operation at conditions where the argon or helium plasma would otherwise be unstable and either extinguish, or transition into an arc. The techniques can be employed to clean and activate a metal substrate, including removal of oxidation, thereby enhancing the bonding of at least one other material to the metal.

Methods of processing a feature on a semiconductor workpiece are disclosed. The method is performed after features have been created on the workpiece. An etching species may be directed toward the workpiece at a non-zero tilt angle. In certain embodiments, the tilt angle may be 30° or more. Further, the etching species may also be directed with a non-zero twist angle. In certain embodiments, the etching species may sputter material from the features, while in other embodiments, the etching species may be a chemically reactive species. By adjusting the tilt and twist angles, as well as the flow rate of the etching species and the exposure time, the LER and LWR of a feature may be reduced with minimal impact of the CD of the feature.

A plasma source (100), comprises an outer face (10) with an aperture (14) for delivering a plasma from the aperture. A transport mechanism is configured to transport a substrate (11) and the plasma source relative to each other parallel to the outer face, with a substrate surface to be processed in parallel with at least a part of the outer face that contains the aperture. First (4-1) and second tile (4-2) are arranged within a first plane of a working electrode (22) with neighbouring edges (12) bordering a first plasma collection space (6-1) and a third tile (4-3) is arranged in a second plane of the working electrode parallel to the first plane such that the third tile overlaps neighbouring edges in the first plane. At least one of the working and counter electrodes comprises a local modification (13,15) near said neighbouring edges to increase a plasma delivery to the aperture compensating for loss of plasma collection due to the neighbouring edges.

A method for etching a bevel edge of a substrate. The method includes providing a substrate with a bevel edge after a thin film has been deposited on a top surface of the substrate and rotating the substrate about its center axis. The method also includes, during the rotating, etching the bevel edge by directing flow of atmospheric plasma onto the bevel edge. The flow is parallel to the top surface of the substrate, such as orthogonal to a plane containing a region of the bevel edge being etched by the atmospheric plasma, which may be O.sub.2 atmospheric plasma. The etching is performed without loss of thickness of the thin film on the top surface at a radius spaced apart from an outer radius of the substrate. The substrate may be a silicon (Si) wafer, and the thin film may be a carbon film, amorphous carbon, SiC, SiO, or SiN.

An apparatus for patterned processing includes a source of input gas, a source of energy suitable for generating a plasma from the input gas in a plasma region and a grounded sample holder configured for receiving a solid sample. The apparatus includes a mask arranged between the plasma region and the grounded sample holder, the mask having a first face oriented toward the plasma region and a second face oriented toward a surface of the solid sample to be processed, the mask including a mask opening extending from the first face to the second face, and an electrical power supply adapted for applying a direct-current bias voltage to the mask, and the mask opening being dimensioned and shaped so as to generate spatially selective patterned processing on the surface of the solid sample.

The invention relates to a device and a method for producing layers whose layer thickness distribution can be adjusted in coating systems with horizontally rotating substrate. A very homogeneous or a specific non-homogeneous distribution can be adjusted. The particle loading is also significantly reduced. The service life is significantly higher compared to other methods. Forming of parasitic coatings is reduced.

[Problem]

To provide a laminate body in which a resin base member and a metal deposition film are brought into firmly close contact with each other.

[Solution]

The laminate body manufacturing method includes a desorption step S10, an introduction step S20, a deposition step S30, and a coating step S40. In the desorption step S10, a hydrophobic surface of resin is irradiated with plasma to desorb at least some of the atoms constituting the resin from the surface. In the introduction step S20, the surface of the resin subjected to the desorption step S10 is irradiated with hydroxyl radicals to introduce a hydroxyl group onto the surface of the resin. In the deposition step S30, a metal film is deposited on the surface of the resin subjected to the introduction step S20. In the coating step S40, the surface of the metal film is coated with a metal layer formed of the same metal as the metal forming the metal film.