Intermolecular, Inc.

Applied Materials, Inc.

Novellus Systems Incorporated

Chi-I Lang

Tony P Chiang

Jinhong Tong

Nitin Kumar

Sunil Shanker

Zhi-Wen Sun

Judy H Huang

Yun Yu Wang

Zachary M Fresco

Li-Qun Xia

Peter Wai-Man Lee

Anh Duong

Michael S Barnes

Prashant B Phatak

Dian Sugiarto

Ho-yung David Hwang

Ratsamee Limdulpaiboon

Sandip Niyogi

Ellie Y Yieh

Sandra Guy Malhotra

Shankar Venkataraman

David Wingto Cheung

Raashina Humayun

Kang Sub Yim

Yung-chen Lin

Vishal Gauri

Bob Kong

Wenxian Zhu

Melissa M Tam

Shin-Puu Jeng

Thomas R Boussie

Seon-Mee Cho

Chen-An Chen

Hong Sheng Yang

Nikhil D Kalyankar

Nancy Fung

Minh Anh Nguyen

Shouqian Shao

J Watanabe

Frank Greer

Alexander A Gorer

Fong M Chang

Charlene Chen

Yeming Jim Ma

Chi Lu

Anna Tsizelmon

Srinivas D Nemani

Abhijit Basu Mallick

Mehul B Naik

Pramit Manna

He Ren

Wai-Fan Yau

Farhad K Moghadam

Yong Cao

Suketu Arun Parikh

Robert Parkash Mandal

Eswaranand Venkatasubramanian

Frederic Gaillard

Jengyi Yu

Daniel Lee Diehl

Amol Ramesh Joshi

Takehito Koshizawa

Jothilingam Ramalingam

Aaron T Francis

Bo Xie

Gene S Lee

Ping Xu

Zhendong Hong

Albert Sanghyup Lee

Hao Jiang

Shan Jiang

Tejinder Singh

Ryan C Clarke

Kent Riley Child

Yoram Schwarz

Robert Anthony Sculac

Michael Anthony Stolfi

Akhil Mehrotra

Edwin Adhiprakasha

Zohreh Hesabi

Jeffrey Chih-Hou Lowe

Gregory P Lim

Hailong Zhou

Abhijit Patil

Han Wang

Satbir Kahlon

Nicole Rutherford

Louis Yang

Jingang Su

Larry Gao

Salil Mujumdar

Lifan Yan

Kurt Pang

Jihong Tong

Anna Tsimelzon

Kan Quan Vo

Cayetano Gonzalez

Sean Cox

Ken Vo

Hoyung David Hwang

In some embodiments, a method includes positioning a substrate within a processing chamber. The substrate includes a first low-k film having a first water contact angle. The first low-k film is disposed over an interconnect structure. The method further includes cleaning the substrate within the processing chamber to form a cleaned substrate. The cleaned substrate includes a damaged low-k film having a second water contact angle. The method further includes exposing the cleaned substrate to a recovery precursor to form a recovered substrate. The recovered substrate includes a recovered low-k film. The method further includes exposing the recovered substrate to a UV light source to form a treated substrate. The treated substrate includes a treated low-k film having a third water contact angle. The method further includes depositing a liner layer over the treated substrate via atomic layer deposition (ALD).

Integrated low k recovery and ALD metal deposition process for advanced technology node

Methods for depositing boron-containing films on a substrate are described. The substrate is exposed to a boron precursor and a plasma to form the boron-containing film (e.g., elemental boron, boron oxide, boron carbide, boron silicide, boron nitride). The exposures can be sequential or simultaneous. The boron-containing films are selectively deposited on one material (e.g., SiN or Si) rather than on another material (e.g., silicon oxide).

Deposition of boron films

Methods for formation of a layer stack during a back-end-of-line (BEOL) process flow and the layer stack formed therefrom are provided. In one or more embodiments, the method utilizes a two-dimensional (2D) self-aligned scheme with a subtractive metal etch. The method includes using a hard mask to form a via with a small width which is formed through or contacts each of a first metal layer and a second metal layer. The via is filled with a metal gapfill to connect the first metal layer and the second metal layer. Each of the first metal layer and the second metal layer are patterned to form a plurality of features.

Two-dimension self-aligned scheme with subtractive metal etch

A method and apparatus for patterning semiconductor materials using tin-based materials as mandrels, hardmasks, and liner materials are provided. One or more implementations of the present disclosure use tin-oxide and/or tin-carbide materials as hardmask materials, mandrel materials, and/or liner material during various patterning applications. Tin-oxide or tin-carbide materials are easy to strip relative to other high selectivity materials like metal oxides (e.g., TiO, ZrO, HfO, AlO) to avoid influencing critical dimensions and generate defects. In addition, tin-oxide and tin-carbide have low refractive index, k-value, and are transparent under 663-nm for lithography overlay.

Tin oxide and tin carbide materials for semiconductor patterning applications

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to methods for etching materials. In one or more embodiments, the method includes positioning a substrate in a process volume of a process chamber, where the substrate includes a metallic ruthenium layer disposed thereon, and exposing the metallic ruthenium layer to an oxygen plasma to produce a solid ruthenium oxide on the metallic ruthenium layer and a gaseous ruthenium oxide within the process volume. The method also includes exposing the solid ruthenium oxide to a secondary plasma to convert the solid ruthenium oxide to either metallic ruthenium or a ruthenium oxychloride compound. The metallic ruthenium is in a solid state on the metallic ruthenium layer or the ruthenium oxychloride compound is in a gaseous state within the process volume.

Atomic layer etching of Ru metal

A method of forming an interconnect structure for semiconductor devices is described. The method comprises etching a patterned interconnect stack for form first conductive lines and expose a top surface of a first etch stop layer; etching the first etch stop layer to form second conductive lines and expose a top surface of a barrier layer; and forming a self-aligned via.

Method of forming interconnect for semiconductor device

Methods for forming a film stack comprising a hardmask layer and etching such hardmask layer to form features in the film stack are provided. The methods described herein facilitate profile and dimension control of features through a proper profile management scheme formed in the film stack. In one or more embodiments, a method for etching a hardmask layer includes forming a hardmask layer on a substrate, where the hardmask layer contains a metal-containing material containing a metal element having an atomic number greater than 28, supplying an etching gas mixture to the substrate, and etching the hardmask layer exposed by a photoresist layer.

Film stack for lithography applications

Methods and film stacks for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography are described. The film stack comprises a substrate with a hard mask, bottom layer, middle layer and photoresist. Etching of the photoresist is highly selective to the middle layer and a modification of the middle layer allows for a highly selective etch relative to the bottom layer.

Patterning scheme to improve EUV resist and hard mask selectivity

A method of fabricating a semiconductor structure is described. The method comprises forming at least one mandrel on a substrate, the at least one mandrel comprising a diamond-like carbon and having a top and two opposing sidewalls, the diamond-like carbon comprising at least 40% sphybridized carbon atoms. The mandrel may be used in Self-Aligned Multiple Patterning (SAMP) processes.

Diamond-like carbon as mandrel

A method of etching a hardmask layer formed on a substrate is provided. The method includes supplying an etching gas mixture to a processing region of a processing chamber. A device is disposed in the processing region when the etching gas mixture is supplied to the processing region. The device comprises a substrate and a hardmask layer formed over the substrate. The etching gas mixture comprises a fluorine-containing gas, a silicon-containing gas, and an oxygen-containing gas. The method further includes providing RF power to the etching gas mixture to form a plasma in the processing region. The plasma is configured to etch exposed portions of the hardmask layer.

Method of etching hardmasks containing high hardness materials

According to various embodiments of the disclosure, an apparatus and method for enhanced deposition and etch techniques is described, including a pedestal, the pedestal having at least two electrodes embedded in the pedestal, a showerhead above the pedestal, a plasma gas source connected to the showerhead, wherein the showerhead is configured to deliver plasma gas to a processing region between the showerhead and the substrate and a power source operably connected to the showerhead and the at least two electrodes with plasma being substantially contained in an area which corresponds with one electrode of the at least two electrodes.

Combinatorial plasma enhanced deposition and etch techniques

Methods of modifying a patterned semiconductor substrate are presented including: providing a patterned semiconductor substrate surface including a dielectric region and a conductive region; and applying an amphiphilic surface modifier to the dielectric region to modify the dielectric region. In some embodiments, modifying the dielectric region includes modifying a wetting angle of the dielectric region. In some embodiments, modifying the wetting angle includes making a surface of the dielectric region hydrophilic. In some embodiments, methods further include applying an aqueous solution to the patterned semiconductor substrate surface. In some embodiments, the conductive region is selectively enhanced by the aqueous solution. In some embodiments, methods further include providing the dielectric region formed of a low-k dielectric material. In some embodiments, applying the amphiphilic surface modifier modifies an interaction of the low-k dielectric region with a subsequent process.

Methods for coating a substrate with an amphiphilic compound

Methods and apparatus for processing using a remote plasma source are disclosed. The apparatus includes an outer chamber enclosing a substrate support, a remote plasma source, and a showerhead. A substrate heater can be mounted in the substrate support. A transport system moves the substrate support and is capable of positioning the substrate. The plasma system may be used to generate activated species. The activated species can be used to treat the surfaces of low-k and/or ultra low-k dielectric materials to facilitate improved deposition of diffusion barrier materials.

Plasma treatment of low-K surface to improve barrier deposition

Methods and apparatus for processing using a remote plasma source are disclosed. The apparatus includes an outer chamber enclosing a substrate support, a remote plasma source, and a showerhead. A substrate heater can be mounted in the substrate support. A transport system moves the substrate support and is capable of positioning the substrate. The remote plasma source may be used to provide a plasma surface treatment or as a source to incorporate dopants into a pre-deposited layer.

Method to control depth profiles of dopants using a remote plasma source

In one aspect of the invention, a process chamber is provided. The chamber includes a plurality of sputter guns with a target affixed to one end of each of the sputter guns. Each of the plurality of sputter guns is coupled to a first power source. The first power source is operable to provide a pulsed power supply to each of the plurality of sputter guns. The pulsed power supply has a duty cycle that is less than 30%. A substrate support disposed at a distance from the plurality of sputter guns is included. The substrate support is coupled to a second power source. The second power source is operable to bias a substrate disposed on the substrate support, wherein the duty cycle of the second power source is synchronized with a duty cycle of the first power source. A method of performing a deposition process is also included.

High metal ionization sputter gun

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Cupertino, CA, United States of America

Chi-I Lang