Lam Research Corporation

Binet A Worsham

Sean S Kang

Jisoo Kim

Peter K Loewenhardt

Sangheon Lee

David Wei

Bi-Ming Yen

Vinay Pohray

Bi Ming Yen

Reza Sadjadi

Robert Charatan

Sm Reza Sadjadi

A method for etching features in a silicon oxide based dielectric layer over a substrate, comprising performing an etch cycle. A lag etch partially etching features in the silicon oxide based dielectric layer is performed, comprising providing a lag etchant gas, forming a plasma from the lag etchant gas, and etching the etch layer with the lag etchant gas, so that smaller features are etched slower than wider features. A reverse lag etch further etching the features in the silicon oxide based dielectric layer is performed comprising providing a reverse lag etchant gas, which is different from the lag etchant gas and is more polymerizing than the lag etchant gas, forming a plasma from the reverse lag etchant gas, and etching the silicon oxide based dielectric layer with the plasma formed from the reverse lag etchant gas, so that smaller features are etched faster than wider features.

Lag control

A method for etching a dielectric layer over a substrate is provided. A photoresist mask is formed over the dielectric layer. The substrate is placed in a plasma processing chamber. An etchant gas comprising NFis provided into the plasma chamber. A plasma is formed from the NFgas. The dielectric layer is etched through the photoresist mask with the plasma from the NFgas.

Etch with photoresist mask

A method of etching a substrate in a plasma processing system is disclosed. The substrate has a semi-conductor layer, a first barrier layer disposed above the semi-conductor layer, a low-k layer disposed above the first barrier layer, a third hard mask layer disposed above the low-k layer; a second hard mask layer disposed above the third hard mask layer, and a first hard mask layer disposed above the second hard mask layer. The method includes alternatively etching the substrate with a first etchant and a second etchant, wherein the first etchant has a low selectivity to a first hard mask material of the first hard mask layer, a third hard mask material of the a third hard mask layer, and a first barrier layer material of the first barrier layer, but a high selectivity to a second hard mask material of the second hard mask layer; and wherein the second etchant has a high selectivity to the first hard mask material of the first hard mask layer, the third hard mask material of the third hard mask layer, and the first barrier layer material of the first barrier layer, and the second etchant has a low selectivity to the second hard mask material of the second hard mask layer.

Methods for the optimization of substrate etching in a plasma processing system

In a plasma processing system, a method of inspecting a contact opening of a contact formed in a first layer of the substrate to determine whether the contact reaches a metal layer that is disposed below the first layer is shown. The method includes flowing a gas mixture into a plasma reactor of the plasma processing system, the gas mixture comprising a flow of a chlorine containing gas. The method also includes striking a plasma from the gas mixture; and exposing the contact to the plasma. The method further includes detecting whether metal chloride is present in the contact opening after the exposing.

Methods and apparatus for inspecting contact openings in a plasma processing system

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Binet A Worsham