Apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device

A semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus comprising:

• an etching process section that uses an etching gas to perform an etching process on an etching target film disposed on a substrate;
• an ashing process section that uses an ashing gas to perform an ashing process on an etching mask disposed on the etching target film;
• a silylation process section that uses a silylation agent gas to perform a silylation process on the etching target film to recover damages of the etching target film inside a silylation chamber, the silylation process section being arranged to supply water vapor into the silylation chamber to have portions of the etching target film having the damages cause a reaction for absorbing moisture, which facilitates a silylation reaction;
• and
• a control section that controls an operation of the apparatus,
• wherein the control section includes a non-transitory storage medium that stores a program for execution on a computer to control the apparatus, which, when executed, controls the apparatus to conduct a sequence that comprises,
• operating the etching process section to perform the etching process using the etching gas on the etching target film, through a predetermined etching mask having a circuit pattern and disposed on the etching target film, to form a groove or a hole in the etching target film,
• operating the ashing process section to perform the ashing process using the ashing process on the predetermined etching mask to remove the predetermined etching mask from the etching target film, after the etching process, and
• operating the silylation process section to cause the reaction for absorbing moisture by use of the water vapor and perform the silylation process using the silylation agent on an inner surface of the groove or the hole of the etching target film to recover damages of the inner surface of the groove or the hole, after the ashing process.