A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device of an embodiment includes: forming a first film on a semiconductor layer containing silicon (Si), the first film containing a metal element and oxygen (O) and having a first thickness; and forming a second film between the semiconductor layer and the first film using radical oxidation, the second film containing silicon (Si) and oxygen (O) and having a second thickness larger than the first thickness.

A film formation method includes: preparing a substrate including, on its surface, a first region in which a first material is exposed and a second region in which a second material different from the first material is exposed; selectively forming a self-assembled monolayer in the first region, among the first region and the second region; and forming a desired target film in the second region, among the first region and the second region, by using the self-assembled monolayer formed in the first region, wherein the selectively forming the self-assembled monolayer includes: selectively forming the self-assembled monolayer in the first region by using a first processing liquid including a first raw material of the self-assembled monolayer; and modifying the self-assembled monolayer, by using a second processing liquid including a second raw material of the self-assembled monolayer at a concentration different from a concentration of the first processing liquid.

A method is provided for sealing a seam in a self-aligned contact (SAC) layer that is disposed on a gate of a semiconductor structure. The method includes depositing a filler in the seam to seal the seam.

Thin tin oxide films are used as spacers in semiconductor device manufacturing. In one implementation, thin tin oxide film is conformally deposited onto a semiconductor substrate having an exposed layer of a first material (e.g., silicon oxide or silicon nitride) and a plurality of protruding features comprising a second material (e.g., silicon or carbon). For example, 10-100 nm thick tin oxide layer can be deposited using atomic layer deposition. Next, tin oxide film is removed from horizontal surfaces, without being completely removed from the sidewalls of the protruding features. Next, the material of protruding features is etched away, leaving tin oxide spacers on the substrate. This is followed by etching the unprotected portions of the first material, without removal of the spacers. Next, underlying layer is etched, and spacers are removed. Tin-containing particles can be removed from processing chambers by converting them to volatile tin hydride.

A method for depositing a film to form an air gap within a semiconductor device is disclosed. An exemplary method comprises pulsing a metal halide precursor onto the substrate and pulsing an oxygen precursor onto a selective deposition surface. The method can be used to form an air gap to, for example, reduce a parasitic resistance of the semiconductor device.

Methods and apparatuses for performing spacer on spacer multiple patterning schemes using an exhumable first spacer material and a complementary second spacer material. Certain embodiments involve using a tin oxide spacer material for one of the spacer materials in spacer on spacer self aligned multiple patterning.

A method for making a semiconductor device includes patterning at least one dielectric layer disposed over a conductive cap layer to form a via opening penetrating through the at least one dielectric layer to expose the conductive cap layer and to form a top portion of the conductive cap layer into a metal oxide layer; converting the metal oxide layer to a metal oxynitride layer by a soft ashing process using a processing gas containing nitrogen gas; removing the metal oxynitride layer from a remaining portion of the conductive cap layer; and forming a via contact in the via opening to electrically connect the remaining portion of the conductive cap layer.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method for removing a barrier layer of a metal interconnection on a wafer, which remove a single-layer metal ruthenium barrier layer. A method comprises: oxidizing step, is to oxidize the single-layer metal ruthenium barrier layer into a ruthenium oxide layer by electrochemical anodic oxidation process; oxide layer etching step, is to etch the ruthenium oxide layer with etching liquid to remove the ruthenium oxide layer. The present invention also provides a method for removing a barrier layer of a metal interconnection on a wafer, using in a structure of a process node of 10 nm and below, wherein the structure comprises a substrate, a dielectric layer, a barrier layer and a metal layer, the dielectric layer is deposited on the substrate and recessed areas are formed on the dielectric layer, the barrier layer is deposited on the dielectric layer, the metal layer is deposited on the barrier layer, wherein the metal layer is a copper layer, the barrier layer is a single-layer metal ruthenium layer, and the method comprises: thinning step, is to thin the metal layer; removing step, is to remove the metal layer; oxidizing step, is to oxidize the barrier layer, and the oxidizing step uses an electrochemical anodic oxidation process; oxide layer etching step, is to etch the oxidized barrier layer.

A method of depositing a metal includes providing a structure a process chamber, and providing a metal fluoride gas and a growth-suppressant gas into the process chamber to deposit the metal over the structure. The metal may comprise a word line or another conductor of a three-dimensional memory device.

The present application discloses a method for fabricating the semiconductor device. The method for fabricating a semiconductor device includes providing a substrate having a first lattice constant and forming a first word line positioned in the substrate and a plurality of stress regions positioned adjacent to lower portions of sidewalls of the first word line. The plurality of stress regions have a second lattice constant, the second lattice constant of the plurality of stress regions is different from the first lattice constant of the substrate.