A film forming apparatus includes a vacuum-evacuable processing chamber, a lower electrode for mounting thereon a target substrate, an upper electrode disposed to face the lower electrode, a gas supply unit, a voltage application unit and a switching unit. The gas supply unit supplies a film forming source gas to be formed into plasma to a processing space between the upper and the lower electrode. The voltage application unit applies to the upper electrode a voltage outputted from at least one of a high frequency power supply and a DC power supply included therein. The switching unit selectively switches the voltage to be applied to the upper electrode among a high frequency voltage outputted from the high frequency power supply, a DC voltage outputted from the DC power supply, and a superimposed voltage in which the DC voltage is superimposed with the high frequency voltage.

Methods and apparatus for producing bulk silicon carbide and producing silicon carbide coatings are provided herein. The method includes feeding a mixture of silicon carbide and ceramic into a plasma sprayer. The plasma generates a stream towards a substrate forming a bulk material or optionally a coating on the substrate such as an article upon contact therewith. In embodiments, the substrate can be removed, leaving a component part fabricated from bulk silicon carbide.

Exemplary methods of semiconductor processing may include providing a silicon-containing precursor to a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate may be disposed within the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include depositing a silicon-containing material on the substrate. The silicon-containing material may extend within the one or more recessed features along the substrate and a seam or void may be defined by the silicon-containing material within at least one of the one or more recessed features along the substrate. The methods may also include treating the silicon-containing material with a hydrogen-containing gas, such as plasma effluents of the hydrogen-containing gas, which may cause a size of the seam or void to be reduced.

Disclosed is an electrostatic chuck with a cooling structure using a cooling gas. The electrostatic chuck comprises: an electrostatic chuck plate that includes a plurality of first cooling gas holes formed in a first region and a plurality of second cooling gas holes formed in a second region; and a base member that includes a first flow path pattern connected to the plurality of first cooling gas holes, a second flow path pattern connected to the plurality of second cooling gas holes, and an inlet moving pattern changing a position of an inlet of a cooling gas injected into the first flow path pattern.

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.

A mounting table is provided. The mounting table includes an electrostatic chuck configured to mount thereon a target object and attract and hold the target object using an electrostatic force, and a gas supply line configured to supply a gas to a gap between the target object mounted on the electrostatic chuck and the electrostatic chuck via the electrostatic chuck. The mounting table further includes at least one irradiation unit configured to irradiate light having a predetermined wavelength to the gas flowing through the gas supply line or to the gas supplied to the gap between the target object and the electrostatic chuck to ionize the gas.

A heater controller controls power supplied to a heater capable of adjusting the temperature of a placement surface such that the heater reaches a set temperature. A temperature monitor measures the power supplied in the non-ignited state where the plasma is not ignited and in the transient state where the power supplied to the heater decreases after the plasma is ignited, while the power is controlled such that the temperature of the heater becomes constant. A parameter calculator calculates a heat input amount and the thermal resistance by using the power supplied in the non-ignited state and in the transient state to perform a fitting on a calculation model for calculating the power supplied in the transient state. A set temperature calculator calculates the set temperature of the heater at which the wafer reaches the target temperature, using the heat input amount and thermal resistance.

A clamp assembly is disclose, the clamp assembly comprising a clamp (50) configurable to clamp a support member (110) to a lower base surface (49) of the clamp by electrostatic adhesion, and an arrangement configurable to direct a gas to the lower base surface (49) of the clamp. The arrangement is configurable to humidify the gas by exposing the gas to a liquid. Also disclosed is a method of discharging a lower base surface of a clamp, The method comprises the steps of humidifying a gas by exposing the gas to a liquid, and directing the humidified gas to a lower base surface of the clamp.

Exemplary substrate support assemblies may include a chuck body defining a substrate support surface. The substrate support surface may define a plurality of protrusions that extend upward from the substrate support surface. The substrate support surface may define an annular groove and/or ridge. A subset of the plurality of protrusions may be disposed within the annular groove and/or ridge. The substrate support assemblies may include a support stem coupled with the chuck body.

Exemplary substrate support assemblies may include an electrostatic chuck body defining a substrate support surface that defines a substrate seat. The substrate support assemblies may include a support stem coupled with the electrostatic chuck body. The substrate support assemblies may include an upper heater embedded within the electrostatic chuck body. The upper heater may include a center heater zone and one or more annular heater zones that are concentric with the center heating zone. The substrate support assemblies may include a lower heater embedded within the electrostatic chuck body at a position below the upper heater. The lower heater may include a plurality of arcuate heater zones.