薄的锡氧化物膜系在半导体组件制造中用作间隔件。在一实施方式中，薄的锡氧化物膜系保形地沉积至一半导体基板之上，该半导体基板具有第一材料（例如硅氧化物或硅氮化物）之曝露层及包含第二材料（例如硅或碳）的复数突出特征部。举例而言，10-100 nm厚的锡氧化物层可使用原子层沉积加以沉积。接着，锡氧化物膜系自水平表面加以移除而没有自突出特征部的侧壁完全移除。接着，突出特征部的材料系被蚀刻掉，在基板上留下锡氧化物间隔件。此系接着蚀刻第一材料之未受保护的部分而没有移除间隔件。接着，底层系加以蚀刻，及间隔件系加以移除。含锡颗粒可借由被转变成挥发性的锡氢化物而自处理腔室加以移除。

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.