Embodiments described herein provide for post deposition anneal of a substrate, having an amorphous carbon layer deposited thereon, to desirably reduce variations in local stresses thereacross. In one embodiment, a method of processing a substrate includes positioning a substrate, having an amorphous carbon layer deposited thereon, in a first processing volume, flowing an anneal gas into the first processing volume, heating the substrate to an anneal temperature of not more than about 450° C., and maintaining the substrate at the anneal temperature for about 30 seconds or more. Herein, the amorphous carbon layer was deposited on the substrate using a method which included positioning the substrate on a substrate support disposed in a second processing volume, flowing a processing gas into the second processing volume, applying pulsed DC power to a carbon target disposed in the second processing volume, forming a plasma of the processing gas, and depositing the amorphous carbon layer on the substrate.

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to techniques for deposition of high-density films for patterning applications. In one embodiment, a method of processing a substrate is provided. The method includes depositing a carbon hardmask over a film stack formed on a substrate, wherein the substrate is positioned on an electrostatic chuck disposed in a process chamber, implanting ions into the carbon hardmask, wherein depositing the carbon hardmask and implanting ions into the carbon hardmask are performed in the same process chamber, and repeating depositing the carbon hardmask and implanting ions into the carbon hardmask in a cyclic fashion until a pre-determined thickness of the carbon hardmask is reached.

In various embodiments a method for manufacturing a metallization layer on a substrate is provided, wherein the method may include providing a structured layer of a catalyst material on the substrate, the catalyst material may include a first layer of material arranged over the substrate and a second layer of material arranged over the first layer of material, wherein the structured layer of catalyst material having a first set of regions including the catalyst material over the substrate and a second set of regions free of the catalyst material over the substrate, and forming a plurality of groups of nanotubes over the substrate, each group of the plurality of groups of nanotubes includes a plurality of nanotubes formed over a respective region in the first set of regions.

A thin film deposition apparatus comprising: a laser pulse generator to generate a laser pulse; optical elements to optionally P-polarize and optionally rotate the laser pulse polarization with a polarization angle φ based on the cavity chamber and deposition material; focusing optics to focus the laser pulse; a source of deposition material having refractive index n.sub.2; said deposition material mounted within an evacuated chamber having a refractive index n.sub.1; a rotation and / or translation device to alter and / or direct said laser pulse onto said source of deposition material at an incidence angle θ to produce a plasma to be deposited on a substrate; wherein the polarization angle φ and incidence angle θ are defined by the area under the graphical representation of the ellipse of equation

[00001]$\frac{{\left(\theta -{\theta }_0\right)}^2}{a^2}+\frac{{\left(\phi -{\phi }_0\right)}^2}{b^2}=1$

where θ.sub.0=0.8× arctan (n.sub.2/n.sub.1), φ.sub.0=0, a=0.4× arctan (n.sub.2/n.sub.1) and b=0.5× arctan (n.sub.2/n.sub.1).

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to methods, apparatus, and systems for maintaining film modulus within a predetermined modulus range. In one implementation, a method of processing substrates includes introducing one or more processing gases to a processing volume of a processing chamber, and depositing a film on a substrate supported on a substrate support disposed in the processing volume. The method includes supplying simultaneously a first radiofrequency (RF) power and a second RF power to one or more bias electrodes of the substrate support. The first RF power includes a first RF frequency and the second RF power includes a second RF frequency that is less than the first RF frequency. A modulus of the film is maintained within a predetermined modulus range.

A film deposition method may include preparing a non-planar substrate including a first surface, a second surface, and an inclined surface between the first surface and the second surface; depositing a film having a thickness deviation on the first surface, the second surface, and the inclined surface; and etching the film deposited on the first surface, the second surface, and the inclined surface. A height of the second surface may be different than a height of the first surface.

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of semiconductors, and provides a semiconductor structure and a manufacturing method thereof. The semiconductor structure includes a substrate; a plurality of bottom electrodes, spaced apart from each other on the substrate; and a protective layer, located in upper portions of the bottom electrodes and separating the bottom electrodes. A material of the protective layer includes hard hydrogenated amorphous carbon.

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to apparatus and methods utilized in the manufacture of semiconductor devices. More particularly, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a substrate processing chamber, and components thereof, for forming semiconductor devices.

A semiconductor device and a method of forming the same are provided. The method includes forming a sacrificial gate structure over an active region. A first spacer layer is formed along sidewalls and a top surface of the sacrificial gate structure. A first protection layer is formed over the first spacer layer. A second spacer layer is formed over the first protection layer. A third spacer layer is formed over the second spacer layer. The sacrificial gate structure is replaced with a replacement gate structure. The second spacer layer is removed to form an air gap between the first protection layer and the third spacer layer.

Methods and systems for forming a structure including multiple carbon layers and structures formed using the method or system are disclosed. Exemplary methods include forming a first carbon layer and a second carbon layer, wherein a density and/or other property of the first carbon layer differs from the corresponding property of the second carbon layer.