Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
438477000 | By vapor phase surface reaction | 14 |
20080220592 | SUBSTRATE PROCESSING APPARATUS, SUBSTRATE PROCESSING METHOD, AND SUBSTRATE PLANARIZATION METHOD - A substrate processing apparatus has a processing space provided with a holding stand for holding a substrate to be processed. A hydrogen catalyzing member is arranged in the processing space to face the substrate and for decomposing hydrogen molecules into hydrogen radicals H*. A gas feeding port is arranged in the processing space on an opposite side of the hydrogen catalyzing member to the substrate for feeding a processing gas including at least hydrogen gas. An interval between the hydrogen catalyzing member and the substrate on the holding stand is set less than the distance that the hydrogen radicals H* can reach. | 09-11-2008 |
20080254599 | Thermal Processing of Silicon Wafers - Apparatus and methods that minimize surface defect development in silicon wafers during thermal processing at relatively high temperatures at which silicon wafers are annealed and at less extreme temperature, or for other purposes. The apparatus and methods have utility to horizontally-disposed furnaces for silicon wafers and to vertically-oriented furnaces in which larger wafers can be thermally processed. A selectively-sealable process tube encloses silicon wafers during heating of the silicon wafers to a predetermined temperature, and a heating atmosphere supply system induces through the process tube a positive flow of a process gas, such as hydrogen or argon, that is non-reactive with solid silicon at the predetermined temperature. A process tube outlet vents gas from the process tube, and an impurity sensor in the process tube outlet detects oxygen and moisture in the vented gas to verify the purity of the atmosphere surrounding the wafers during thermal processing. | 10-16-2008 |
20090104755 | HIGH QUALITY SILICON OXIDE FILMS BY REMOTE PLASMA CVD FROM DISILANE PRECURSORS - A method of depositing a silicon and nitrogen containing film on a substrate. The method includes introducing silicon-containing precursor to a deposition chamber that contains the substrate, wherein the silicon-containing precursor comprises at least two silicon atoms. The method further includes generating at least one radical nitrogen precursor with a remote plasma system located outside the deposition chamber. Moreover, the method includes introducing the radical nitrogen precursor to the deposition chamber, wherein the radical nitrogen and silicon-containing precursors react and deposit the silicon and nitrogen containing film on the substrate. Furthermore, the method includes annealing the silicon and nitrogen containing film in a steam environment to form a silicon oxide film, wherein the steam environment includes water and acidic vapor. | 04-23-2009 |
20090162996 | REMOVAL OF SURFACE DOPANTS FROM A SUBSTRATE - A method and apparatus for removing excess dopant from a doped substrate is provided. In one embodiment, a substrate is doped by surfaced deposition of dopant followed by formation of a capping layer and thermal diffusion drive-in. A reactive etchant mixture is provided to the process chamber, with optional plasma, to etch away the capping layer and form volatile compounds by reacting with excess dopant. In another embodiment, a substrate is doped by energetic implantation of dopant. A reactive gas mixture is provided to the process chamber, with optional plasma, to remove excess dopant adsorbed on the surface and high-concentration dopant near the surface by reacting with the dopant to form volatile compounds. The reactive gas mixture may be provided during thermal treatment, or it may be provided before or after at temperatures different from the thermal treatment temperature. The volatile compounds are removed. Substrates so treated do not form toxic compounds when stored or transported outside process equipment. | 06-25-2009 |
20100035409 | CRYSTALLINE SILICON SUBSTRATES WITH IMPROVED MINORITY CARRIER LIFETIME - A method for improving the minority lifetime of silicon containing wafer having metallic contaminants therein is described incorporating annealing at 1200° C. or greater and providing a gaseous ambient of oxygen, an inert gas and a chlorine containing gas such as HCl. | 02-11-2010 |
20100151657 | METHOD OF IMPROVING INTRINSIC GETTERING ABILITY OF WAFER - A method of improving the intrinsic gettering ability of a wafer is described. A first annealing step is performed to the wafer at a first temperature in an atmosphere containing at least one of oxygen gas and nitrogen gas. A second annealing step is performed to the wafer, at a second temperature higher than the first temperature, in the atmosphere. | 06-17-2010 |
20100173477 | Method of Manufacturing Semiconductor Device and Semiconductor Manufacturing Apparatus - A cause of deteriorating the hydrogen termination on the surface of a wafer is found to be water adsorbed on the surface. By exposing the wafer to an inert gas atmosphere containing an H | 07-08-2010 |
20110256691 | REMOVAL OF SURFACE DOPANTS FROM A SUBSTRATE - A method and apparatus for removing excess dopant from a doped substrate is provided. In one embodiment, a substrate is doped by surfaced deposition of dopant followed by formation of a capping layer and thermal diffusion drive-in. A reactive etchant mixture is provided to the process chamber, with optional plasma, to etch away the capping layer and form volatile compounds by reacting with excess dopant. In another embodiment, a substrate is doped by energetic implantation of dopant. A reactive gas mixture is provided to the process chamber, with optional plasma, to remove excess dopant adsorbed on the surface and high-concentration dopant near the surface by reacting with the dopant to form volatile compounds. The reactive gas mixture may be provided during thermal treatment, or it may be provided before or after at temperatures different from the thermal treatment temperature. The volatile compounds are removed. Substrates so treated do not form toxic compounds when stored or transported outside process equipment. | 10-20-2011 |
20130017672 | PLASMA TREATMENT METHOD, PLASMA TREATMENT APPARATUS, AND SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHODAANM Kuboi; NobuyukiAACI KanagawaAACO JPAAGP Kuboi; Nobuyuki Kanagawa JPAANM Fukusawa; MasanagaAACI TokyoAACO JPAAGP Fukusawa; Masanaga Tokyo JP - A plasma treatment method includes: creating a plasma from a mixed gas containing carbon and nitrogen to generate CN active species, and treating a surface of a semiconductor substrate with the CN active species. | 01-17-2013 |
20130040438 | EPITAXIAL PROCESS WITH SURFACE CLEANING FIRST USING HCl/GeH4/H2SiCl2 - A method of depositing an epitaxial layer that includes chemically cleaning the deposition surface of a semiconductor substrate and treating the deposition surface of the semiconductor substrate with a hydrogen containing gas at a pre-bake temperature. The hydrogen containing gas treatment may be conducted in an epitaxial deposition chamber. The hydrogen containing gas removes oxygen-containing material from the deposition surface of the semiconductor substrate. The deposition surface of the semiconductor substrate may then be treated with a gas flow comprised of at least one of hydrochloric acid (HCl), germane (GeH | 02-14-2013 |
20130149843 | In-situ Gettering Method for Removing Metal Impurities from the Surface and Interior of a Upgraded Metallurgical Grade Silicon Wafer - An in-situ gettering method for removing impurities from the surface and interior of a upgraded metallurgical grade silicon wafer is continuously conducted in a reaction chamber. Chloride gas is mixed with carrier gas. The gaseous mixture is used to clean the surface of the silicon wafer. Then, the gaseous mixture is used to form a porous structure on the surface of the silicon wafer before hot annealing is executed. Finally, the gaseous mixture is used to execute hot etching on the surface of the silicon wafer and remove the porous structure from the surface of the silicon wafer. As the chloride gas is used to clean the surface of the silicon wafer and form the porous structure on the surface of the silicon wafer, external gettering is improved. Moreover, interstitial-type metal impurities are effectively removed from the interior of the silicon wafer. | 06-13-2013 |
20140065799 | Methods and Systems for Low Resistance Contact Formation - Methods for improving contact resistance, for example, to a semiconductor region such as a source or a drain region, are disclosed. The methods can include exposing the substrate to an activated hydrogen species to remove contaminant layers such as native oxide layers followed by exposing the substrate to plasma activated dopant species to passivate the surface. The methods can further include depositing a layer on a substrate, wherein the layer can include a first element to form a silicide with the substrate and a second element to lower a contact resistance between the silicide and the substrate. The second element can include a dopant, which can enhance trap assisted tunneling or lower the Schottky barrier height between the silicide layer and the substrate. The cleaning, passivation, and deposition steps are performed in-situ without breaking vacuum. | 03-06-2014 |
20140120700 | PLASMA TREATMENT OF FILM FOR IMPURITY REMOVAL - Methods for plasma treatment of films to remove impurities are disclosed herein. Methods for removing impurities can include positioning a substrate with a barrier layer in a processing chamber, the barrier layer comprising a barrier metal and one or more impurities, maintaining the substrate at a bias, creating a plasma comprising a treatment gas, the treatment gas comprising an inert gas, delivering the treatment gas to the substrate to reduce the ratio of one or more impurities in the barrier layer, and reacting a deposition gas comprising a metal halide and hydrogen-containing gas to deposit a bulk metal layer on the barrier layer. The methods can further include the use of diborane to create selective nucleation in features over surface regions of the substrate. | 05-01-2014 |
20160056052 | METHOD FOR DISSOLVING A SILICON DIOXIDE LAYER - This disclosure relates to a method for dissolving a silicon dioxide layer in a structure, including, from the back surface thereof to the front surface thereof, a supporting substrate, the silicon dioxide layer and a semiconductor layer, the dissolution method being implemented in a furnace in which structures are supported on a support, the dissolution method resulting in the diffusion of oxygen atoms included in the silicon dioxide layer through the semiconductor layer and generating volatile products, and the furnace including traps suitable for reacting with the volatile products, so as to reduce the concentration gradient of the volatile products parallel to the front surface of at least one structure. | 02-25-2016 |