Lam Research Corporation

Alexander Kabansky

Samantha SiamHwa Tan

Jeffrey S Marks

Thorsten B Lill

Harmeet Singh

Dennis Michael Hausmann

Keren Jacobs Kanarik

Wenbing Yang

Taeseung Kim

Daniel Peter

Yang Pan

Jengyi Yu

Jun Xue

Da Li

Katie Lynn Nardi

Younghee Lee

Mohand Brouri

Yuanhui Li

A method for selectively etching a silicon oxide region with respect to a lower oxygen silicon containing region is provided. A sacrificial mask selectively deposited on the lower oxygen silicon containing region with respect to the silicon oxide region. An atomic layer etch selectively etches the silicon oxide region with respect to the sacrificial mask on the lower oxygen silicon containing region.

Selective etch using a sacrificial mask

A method for selectively etching layers of a first material with respect to layers of a second material in a stack is provided. The layers of the first material are partially etched with respect to the layers of the second material. A deposition layer is selectively deposited on the stack, wherein portions of the deposition layer covering the layers of the second material are thicker than portions covering the layers of the first material, the selective depositing comprising providing a first reactant, purging some of the first reactant, wherein some undeposited first reactant is not purged, and providing a second reactant, wherein the undeposited first reactant combines with the second reactant and selectively deposits on the layers of the second material with respect to the layers of the first material. The layers of the first material are selectively etched with respect to the layers of the second material.

Selectively etching for nanowires

Provided herein are methods and related apparatus that facilitate patterning by performing highly non-conformal (directional) deposition on patterned structures. The methods involve depositing films on a patterned structure, such as a hard mask. The deposition may be both substrate-selective such that the films have high etch selectivity with respect to an underlying material to be etched and pattern-selective such that the films are directionally deposited to replicate the pattern of the patterned structure. In some embodiments, the deposition is performed in the same chamber as a subsequent etch is performed. In some embodiments, the deposition may be performed in a separate chamber (e.g., a PECVD deposition chamber) that is connected to the etch chamber by a vacuum transfer chamber. The deposition may be performed prior to or at selected intermittences during at etch process. In some embodiments, the deposition involves multiple cycles of a deposition and treatment process.

Directional deposition on patterned structures

Methods are provided for integrating atomic layer etch and atomic layer deposition by performing both processes in the same chamber or reactor. Methods involve sequentially alternating between atomic layer etch and atomic layer deposition processes to prevent feature degradation during etch, improve selectivity, and encapsulate sensitive layers of a semiconductor substrate.

Integrating atomic scale processes: ALD (atomic layer deposition) and ALE (atomic layer etch)

Integrating atomic scale processes: ALD (atomic layer deposition) and ale (atomic layer etch)

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Santa Clara, CA, United States of America

Alexander Kabansky