20708 results about "Atomic physics" patented technology

The present invention relates to an apparatus for treating the surface with neutral particle beams comprising an antenna container, a plasma generating part, a neutral particle beam generating part and a treating part, wherein the antenna container comprises antennas connected to high frequency electric power supply through which high frequency electric power supplies, the plasma generating part transfers gases from a gas injector into plasmas with the supplied power, the neutral particle beam generating part reverts the obtained plasmas to neutral particle beams via the collision thereof with metal plates, and the treating part treats the surface of a target with the neutral particle beams.

A programmable metallization cell ("PMC") comprises a fast ion conductor such as a chalcogenide-metal ion and a plurality of electrodes (e.g., an anode and a cathode) disposed at the surface of the fast ion conductor and spaced a set distance apart from each other. Preferably, the fast ion conductor comprises a chalcogenide with Group IB or Group IIB metals, the anode comprises silver, and the cathode comprises aluminum or other conductor. When a voltage is applied to the anode and the cathode, a non-volatile metal dendrite grows from the cathode along the surface of the fast ion conductor towards the anode. The growth rate of the dendrite is a function of the applied voltage and time. The growth of the dendrite may be stopped by removing the voltage and the dendrite may be retracted by reversing the voltage polarity at the anode and cathode. Changes in the length of the dendrite affect the resistance and capacitance of the PMC. The PMC may be incorporated into a variety of technologies such as memory devices, programmable resistor/capacitor devices, optical devices, sensors, and the like. Electrodes additional to the cathode and anode can be provided to serve as outputs or additional outputs of the devices in sensing electrical characteristics which are dependent upon the extent of the dendrite.

A high k dielectric film and methods for forming the same are disclosed. The high k material includes two peaks of impurity concentration, particularly nitrogen, such as at a lower interface and upper interface, making the layer particularly suitable for transistor gate dielectric applications. The methods of formation include low temperature processes, particularly CVD using a remote plasma generator and atomic layer deposition using selective incorporation of nitrogen in the cyclic process. Advantageously, nitrogen levels are tailored during the deposition process and temperatures are low enough to avoid interdiffusion and allow maintenance of the desired impurity profile.

An atomic layer etching apparatus using reactive radicals and neutral beams and an etching method using the same are provided. The atomic layer etching apparatus includes a reaction chamber including a stage on which a substrate to be etched is seated, a plasma generator including a plasma chamber configured to supply reactive radicals and neutral beams into the reaction chamber and receive a source gas to generate plasma, an inductive coil configured to surround the exterior of the plasma chamber to generate an electric field, a grid assembly disposed at a lower part of the plasma chamber and including first, second and third grids for extracting ion beams, and a reflective body disposed under the grid assembly and configured to supply electrons to the ion beams to convert the ion beams into neutral beams, a shutter installed between the plasma generator and the reactive chamber and configured to adjust supply of the neutral beams into the reaction chamber, a purge gas supply part configured to supply a purge gas into the reaction chamber, and a controller configured to control supply of the source gas, an etching gas and the purge gas, and opening/closing of the shutter.

A novel field emitter material, field emission electron source, and commercially feasible fabrication method is described. The inventive field emission electron source produces reliable electron currents of up to 400 mA/cm2 at 200 volts. The emitter is robust and the current it produces is not sensitive to variability of vacuum or the distance between the emitter tip and the cathode. The novel emitter has a sharp turn-on near 100 volts.

A salicide layer is deposited on the source/drain regions of a PMOS transistor. A dielectric capping layer having residual compressive stress is formed on the salicide layer by depositing a plurality of PECVD dielectric sublayers and plasma-treating each sublayer. Compressive stress from the dielectric capping layer is uniaxially transferred to the PMOS channel through the source-drain regions to create compressive strain in the PMOS channel. To form a compressive dielectric layer, a deposition reactant mixture containing A1 atoms and A2 atoms is provided in a vacuum chamber. Element A2 is more electronegative than element A1, and A1 atoms have a positive oxidation state and A2 atoms have a negative oxidation state when A1 atoms are bonded with A2 atoms. A deposition plasma is generated by applying HF and LF radio-frequency power to the deposition reactant mixture, and a sublayer of compressive dielectric material is deposited. A post-treatment plasma is generated by applying HF and LF radio-frequency power to a post-treatment gas that does not contain at least one of A1 atoms and A2 atoms. Compressive stress in the dielectric sublayer is increased by treating the sublayer in the post-treatment plasma. Processes of depositing a dielectric sublayer and post-treating the sublayer in plasma are repeated until a desired thickness is achieved. The resulting dielectric layer has residual compressive stress.

Atomic layer deposition is enhanced using plasma. Plasma begins prior to flowing a second precursor into a chamber. The second precursor reacts with a first precursor to deposit a layer on a substrate. The layer may include at least one element from each of the first and second precursors. The layer may be TaN, and the precursors may be TaF₅ and NE₃. The plasma may begin during purge gas flow between a pulse of the first precursor and a pulse of the second precursor. Thermal energy assists the reaction of the precursors to deposit the layer on the substrate. The thermal energy may be greater than generally accepted for ALD (e.g., more than 300 degrees Celsius).

A method of processing a workpiece includes placing the workpiece on a workpiece support pedestal in a main chamber with a gas distribution showerhead, introducing a process gas into a remote plasma source chamber and generating a plasma in the remote plasma source chamber, transporting plasma-generated species from the remote plasma source chamber to the gas distribution showerhead so as to distribute the plasma-generated species into the main chamber through the gas distribution showerhead, and applying plasma RF power into the main chamber.

Embodiments of the disclosure generally relate to a hybrid plasma processing system incorporating a remote plasma source (RPS) unit with a capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) unit for substrate processing. In one embodiment, the hybrid plasma processing system includes a CCP unit, comprising a lid having one or more through holes, and an ion suppression element, wherein the lid and the ion suppression element define a plasma excitation region, a RPS unit coupled to the CCP unit, and a gas distribution plate disposed between the ion suppression element and a substrate support, wherein the gas distribution plate and the substrate support defines a substrate processing region. In cases where process requires higher power, both CCP and RPS units may be used to generate plasma excited species so that some power burden is shifted from the CCP unit to the RPS unit, which allows the CCP unit to operate at lower power.

Method and apparatus for determining the instantaneous location, the orientation of an object moving through a three-dimensional space by applying to the object a coil assembly including a plurality of sensor coils (20) having axes of known orientation with respect to each other including components in the three orthogonal planes; generating a time-varying, three-dimensional magnetic field gradient having known instantaneous values of magnitude and direction; applying the magnetic field gradient to the space, and object moving therethrough to induce electrical potentials in the sensor coils; measuring the instantaneous values of the induced electrical potentials generated in the sensor coils; processing the measured instantaneous values generated in the sensor coils together with the known magnitude, direction of the generated magnetic field gradient, the known relative orientation of the sensor coils in the coil assembly to compute the instantaneous location, orientation of the object within the space.

A charged particle beam irradiation apparatus includes two electromagnets arranged in series along a direction of an incident axis of a charged particle beam, for deflecting the charged particle beam in opposite directions, an energy modulator including a cylindrical member having a length and a distribution of wall thickness in a circumferential direction, a first rotational drive for rotating the cylindrical member around a rotation axis, and a detector for detecting the angular position of the cylindrical member. The energy modulator is disposed at a downstream side of the scanning electromagnets so that the deflected charged particle beam passes through the rotation axis. The apparatus includes an energy degrader for limiting energy of the charged particle beam, and a second rotational drive for rotating the scanning electromagnets and the energy modulator together around the incident axis of the charged particle beam.

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for forming a plasma in the exhaust line of a primary process reactor. The plasma is generated in an inductive source (5) to examine the chemical concentrations of the waste or exhaust gas in vacuum lines that are below atmospheric pressure. The optical radiation emitted by the plasma is analyzed by an optical spectrometer (9) and the resulting information is used to diagnose, monitor, or control operating states in the main vacuum vessel.

A beam steering apparatus includes a first beam steering stage and at least a second beam steering stage arranged in-line with the first beam steering stage. The first beam steering stage includes a first polarization grating comprising a uniaxial birefringent material having a first periodic director pattern, and the second beam steering stage includes a second polarization grating comprising a uniaxial birefringent material having a second periodic director pattern. In nonmechanical embodiments, a polarization selector may be arranged to provide a circularly polarized input beam incident on the first polarization grating. In mechanical embodiments, at least one of the first polarization grating and the second polarization grating may be operable to be independently rotated about an azimuth thereof. Related methods of operation are also discussed.

A method for plasma ion implantation of a substrate includes providing a plasma ion implantation system having a process chamber, a source for producing a plasma in the process chamber, a platen for holding a substrate in the process chamber, an anode spaced from the platen, and a pulse source for generating implant pulses for accelerating ions from the plasma into the substrate. In one aspect, a parameter of an implant process is varied to at least partially compensate for undesired effects of interaction between ions being implanted and the substrate. For example, dose rate, ion energy, or both may be varied during the implant process. In another aspect, a pretreatment step includes accelerating ions from the plasma to the anode to cause emission of secondary electrons from the anode, and accelerating the secondary electrons from the anode to a substrate for pretreatment of the substrate.

A semiconductor wafer processing apparatus includes a first electrode exposed to a first plasma generation volume, a second electrode exposed to a second plasma generation volume, and a gas distribution unit disposed between the first and second plasma generation volumes. The first electrode is defined to transmit radiofrequency (RF) power to the first plasma generation volume, and distribute a first plasma process gas to the first plasma generation volume. The second electrode is defined to transmit RF power to the second plasma generation volume, and hold a substrate in exposure to the second plasma generation volume. The gas distribution unit includes an arrangement of through-holes defined to fluidly connect the first plasma generation volume to the second plasma generation volume. The gas distribution unit also includes an arrangement of gas supply ports defined to distribute a second plasma process gas to the second plasma generation volume.

A plasma immersion ion implantation process for implanting a selected species at a desired ion implantation depth profile in a workpiece is carried out in a reactor chamber with an ion shower grid that divides the chamber into an upper ion generation region and a lower process region, the ion shower grid having plural elongate orifices oriented in a non-parallel direction relative to a surface plane of the ion shower grid. The process includes placing a workpiece in the process region, the workpiece having a workpiece surface generally facing the surface plane of the ion shower grid, and furnishing the selected species into the ion generation region in gaseous, molecular or atomic form and evacuating the process region at an evacuation rate sufficient to create a pressure drop across the ion shower grid from the ion generation region to the process region of about a factor of at least four. The process further includes applying plasma source power to generate a plasma of the selected species in the ion generation region, and applying a grid potential to the ion shower grid to create a flux of ions from the plasma through the grid and into the process region. The process also includes applying a sufficient bias voltage to at least one of: (a) the workpiece, (b) the grid, relative to at least one of: (a) the workpiece, (b) a plasma in the ion generation region, (c) a surface of the chamber, to accelerate the flux of ions to a kinetic energy distribution generally corresponding to the desired ion implantation depth profile in the workpiece.

A chemical vapor deposition process is carried out in a reactor chamber with an ion shower grid that divides the chamber into an upper ion generation region and a lower process region, the ion shower grid having plural orifices oriented in a non-parallel direction relative to a surface plane of the ion shower grid. A workpiece is placed in the process region facing the ion shower grid, the workpiece having a workpiece surface generally facing the surface plane of the ion shower grid. A gas mixture is furnished comprising deposition precursor species into the ion generation region and the process region is evacuated at an evacuation rate sufficient to create a pressure drop across the ion shower grid from the ion generation region to the process region whereby the pressure in the ion generation region is at least several times the pressure in the process region. A layer of material of a desired thickness is deposited on the workpiece by: (a) applying plasma source power to generate a plasma of the deposition precursor species in the ion generation region, and (b) applying a grid potential to the ion shower grid to create a flux of ions from the plasma through the grid and into the process region.

The present invention describes a system and method of OAM diverse signal processing using classical beams for applications in which OAM signal character is controlled such as optical tagging and applications in which OAM signal character is not controlled such as clutter mitigation and interference cancellation for target detection, identification etc. This is accomplished by transmitting a source beam having a prescribed state with one or more non-zero OAM components, reflecting the beam off a ‘tagged’ or ‘untagged’ target and receiving the return beam in the direct return path to measure the one or more OAM components to identify the target. OAM processing provides additional degrees of processing freedom to greatly enhance the processing capabilities to detect and identify both ‘tagged’ and ‘untagged’ targets.

A mass spectrometer is configured with individual multipole ion guides, configured in an assembly in alignment along a common centerline wherein at least a portion of at least one multipole ion guide mounted in the assembly resides in a vacuum region with higher background pressure, and the other portion resides in a vacuum region with lower background pressure. Said multipole ion guides are operated in mass to charge selection and ion fragmentation modes, in either a high or low pressure region, said region being selected according to the optimum pressure or pressure gradient for the function performed. The diameter, lengths and applied frequencies and phases on these contiguous ion guides may be the same or may differ. A variety of MS and MS/MSⁿ analysis functions can be achieved using a series of contiguous multipole ion guides operating in either higher background vacuum pressures, or along pressure gradients in the region where the pressure drops from high to low pressure, or in low pressure regions. Individual sets of RF, +/−DC and resonant frequency waveform voltage supplies provide potentials to the rods of each multipole ion guide allowing the operation of ion transmission, ion trapping, mass to charge selection and ion fragmentation functions independently in each ion guide. The presence of background pressure maintained sufficiently high to cause ion to neutral gas collisions along a portion of each multiple ion guide linear assembly allows the conducting of Collisional Induced Dissociation (CID) fragmentation of ions by axially accelerating ions from one multipole ion guide into an adjacent ion guide. Alternatively ions can be fragmented in one or more multipole ion guides using resonant frequency excitation CID. A multiple multipole ion guide assembly can be configured as the primary mass analyzer in single or triple quadrupole mass analyzers with or without mass selective axial ejection. Alternatively, the multiple multipole ion guide linear assembly can be configured as part of a hybrid Time-Of-Flight, Magnetic Sector, Ion Trap or Fourier Transform mass analyzer.

A surface wave plasma source (SWPS) is disclosed, having an electromagnetic (EM) wave launcher including a slot antenna configured to couple EM energy in a desired EM wave mode to a plasma by generating a surface wave on a plasma surface of the SWPS adjacent the plasma. The SWPS also includes a dielectric window positioned below the slot antenna, having a lower surface and the plasma surface. The SWPS further includes an attenuation assembly disposed between the slot antenna and the plasma surface. The attenuation assembly includes a first fluid channel substantially aligned with a first arrangement of slots in the slot antenna, and is configured to receive a first flow of a first fluid at a first fluid temperature. The SWPS finally includes a power coupling system coupled to the EM wave launcher and configured to provide EM energy to the EM wave launcher for forming the plasma.

A nonvolatile memory cell stores at least 50% of the charge in a dielectric, charge-trapping layer (160) and at least 20% of the charge in a floating gate (170). The floating gate is at most 20 nm thick.

A plasma processing apparatus includes an antenna unit for generating plasma by using microwaves as a plasma source in such a way that a first region having a relatively high electron temperature of plasma, and a second region having a lower electron temperature of plasma than the first region are formed in a chamber, a first arranging means for arranging a semiconductor substrate W in the first region, a second arranging means for arranging the semiconductor substrate in the second region, and a plasma generation stopping means for stopping the generation of plasma of a plasma generating means, while the semiconductor substrate is arranged in the second region.

A semiconductor structure is provided that includes a V_t stabilization layer between a gate dielectric and a gate electrode. The V_t stabilization layer is capable of stabilizing the structure's threshold voltage and flatband voltage to a targeted value and comprises a nitrided metal oxide, or a nitrogen-free metal oxide, with the proviso that when the V_t stabilization layer comprises a nitrogen-free metal oxide, at least one of the semiconductor substrate or the gate dielectric includes nitrogen. The present invention also provides a method of fabricating such a structure.

The invention discloses a dipole antenna of an RF chip, comprising two metal sheets, a feeder line and an earth wire, wherein two tabulate metal sheets are mutually parallel and are both provided with short circuit points which are respectively used for connecting the feeder line and the earth wire. The dipole antenna of the RF chip of the invention integrates novel artificial electromagnetic materials, thus the dipole antenna has abundant chromatic dispersion characteristics so as to form various radioactive modes, which not only can avoid fussy impedance matching network, but also can tune by adjusting a feeder line feeding and coupling mode, an earth wire accessing mode, the topological structure of metal microstructure, the position of metalizing through holes as well as the short circuit point position among the feeder line, the earth wire, an upper layer of sheet metal and a lower layer of sheet metal, thus providing great convenience for multiple frequency point impedance matching; meanwhile, the dipole antenna of the invention adopts a chip mode to fully utilize radiating area to approach to the Chu Limit antenna dimension limit principle, the construction of double chips also brings technical advantages for limiting electromagnetic wave and reducing effect on antenna operation by the outside.

A laser diode device operable at a one or more wavelength ranges. The device has a first waveguide provided on a non-polar or semipolar crystal plane of gallium containing material. In a specific embodiment, the first waveguide has a first gain characteristic and a first direction. In a specific embodiment, the first waveguide has a first end and a second end and a first length defined between the first end and the second end. The device has a second waveguide provided on a non-polar or semipolar crystal plane of gallium containing material. In a specific embodiment, the second waveguide has a second gain characteristic and a second direction. In a specific embodiment, the second waveguide has a first end, a second end, and a second length defined between the first end and the second end. In a specific embodiment, the second waveguide has the first end being coupled to the first end of the first waveguide. The second length is in a different direction from the second length. In a specific embodiment, the device has a cleaved region provided on the second end of the second waveguide, the cleaved region being perpendicular to the second direction of the second waveguide.

Provided is a plasma processing apparatus having a coaxial waveguide structure in which characteristic impedance of an input side and characteristic impedance of an output side are different. A microwave plasma processing apparatus, which plasma-processes a substrate by exciting a gas by using a microwave, includes: a processing container; a microwave source, which outputs a microwave, a first coaxial waveguide, which transmits the microwave output from the microwave source; and a dielectric plate, which is adjacent to the first coaxial waveguide while facing an inner side of the processing container, and emits the microwave transmitted from the first coaxial waveguide into the processing container. A thickness ratio between an inner conductor and an outer conductor of the first coaxial waveguide is not uniform along a longitudinal direction.

A pulsed light source in used conjunction with a ramping scanning mechanism for phase-shift and vertical-scanning interferometry. The pulse length and the scanning velocity are selected such that a minimal change in OPD occurs during the pulse. As long as the duration of the pulse is shorter than the detector's integration time, the effective integration time and the corresponding phase shift are determined by the length of the pulse, rather than the detector's characteristics. The resulting minimal phase shift produces negligible loss of fringe modulation, thereby greatly improving signal utilization during phase-shifting and vertical-scanning interferometry.

A microwave resonance plasma generating apparatus, a plasma processing system having the same and a method of generating a microwave resonance plasma are provided. The apparatus includes a microwave generating unit which generates a microwave, and a plasma producing unit which produces electrons and photons of high energy using the microwave generated from the microwave generating unit. The plasma producing unit includes a coaxial waveguide having an inner electrode disposed adjacent to the microwave generating unit, an outer electrode connected to the microwave generating unit and disposed to coaxially surround a portion of the inner electrode, the outer electrode being shorter than the inner electrode, and a dielectric tube disposed between the inner electrode and the outer electrode to insulate between the inner electrode and the outer electrode. The coaxial waveguide utilizes a principle of “cut or truncated electrode of coaxial waveguide” and a resonance phenomenon of Langmiur.

The present invention relates to a substrate inspection apparatus for inspecting a pattern formed on a substrate by irradiating a charged particle beam onto the substrate. The substrate inspection apparatus comprises: an electron beam apparatus including a charged particle beam source for emitting a charged particle beam, a primary optical system for irradiating the charged particle beam onto the substrate, a secondary optical system into which a secondary charged particle beam is introduced, the secondary charged particle beam being emitted from the substrate by an irradiation of the charged particle beam, a detection system for detecting the secondary charged particle beam introduced into said secondary optical system and outputting as an electric signal, and a process control system for processing and evaluating the electric signal; a stage unit for holding the substrate and moving the substrate relatively to said electron beam apparatus; a working chamber capable of shielding at least an upper region of the stage unit form outside to control under desired atmosphere; and a substrate load-unload mechanism for transferring the substrate into or out of the stage.

Methods and process chambers for etching of low-k and other dielectric films are described. For example, a method includes modifying portions of the low-k dielectric layer with a plasma process. The modified portions of the low-k dielectric layer are etched selectively over a mask layer and unmodified portions of the low-k dielectric layer. Etch chambers having multiple chamber regions for alternately generating distinct plasmas are described. In embodiments, a first charge coupled plasma source is provided to generate an ion flux to a workpiece in one operational mode, while a secondary plasma source is provided to provide reactive species flux without significant ion flux to the workpiece in another operational mode. A controller operates to cycle the operational modes repeatedly over time to remove a desired cumulative amount of the dielectric material.