Applied Materials, Inc.

Daisuke Shimizu

Jong Mun Kim

Katsumasa Kawasaki

Sean S Kang

Taiki Hatakeyama

Chunlei Zhang

Sergio Fukuda Shoji

Li Ling

Kenny Linh Doan

Justin Phi

Wonseok Lee

Jairaj Joseph Payyapilly

Kevin Choi

Kartik Ramaswamy

Kenneth S Collins

Srinivas D Nemani

Michael Robert Rice

James D Carducci

Kenji Takeshita

Usama Dadu

Shinichi Koseki

Hikaru Watanabe

Yuju Huang

Methods and apparatus for controlling fluid distribution to multiple fluid delivery zones in an etch chamber is provided herein. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a first flow ratio controller and a second flow ratio controller, each having a respective inlet, a first outlet coupled to a first fluid delivery zone in a process chamber, and a second outlet coupled to a second fluid delivery zone in the process chamber, wherein the first flow ratio controller and the second flow ratio controller are configured to provide a flow ratio of a first process fluid and a second process fluid, respectively, between the first outlet and the second outlet, and a third flow ratio controller configured to provide a flow rate of a third process fluid to at least one of the first fluid delivery zone, the second fluid delivery zone, or a third fluid delivery zone.

Multizone flow distribution system

Embodiments disclosed herein include a plasma treatment chamber, comprising one or more sidewalls. A support surface within the one or more sidewalls holds a workpiece. A first gas injector along the one or more sidewalls injects a first gas flow in a first direction generally parallel to and across a surface of the workpiece. A first pump port along the one or more sidewalls generally opposite of the first gas injector pumps out the first gas flow. A second gas injector along the one or more sidewalls injects a second gas flow in a second direction generally parallel to and across the surface of the workpiece. A second pump port along the one or more sidewalls generally opposite of the second gas injector pumps out the second gas flow. The first and second gas flows comprise a process gas mixture and/or an independent gas injection (IGI) mixture.

Plasma chamber with multiphase rotating independent gas cross-flow with reduced volume and dual VHF

Methods and apparatus for etching a substrate in a plasma etch chamber are provided. In one example, the method includes exposing a substrate disposed on a substrate supporting surface of a substrate support to a plasma within a processing chamber, and applying a voltage waveform to an electrode disposed in the substrate support while the substrate is exposed to the plasma during a plurality of macro etch cycles. Each macro etch cycle includes a first macro etch period and a second macro etch period. The macro etch period includes a plurality of micro etch cycles. Each micro etch cycle has a bias power on (BPON) period and a bias power off (BPOFF) period, wherein a duration of the BPON period being less than a duration of the BPOFF period. Bias power is predominantly not applied to the electrode during the second macro etch period.

Method and apparatus for etching a semiconductor substrate in a plasma etch chamber

Methods and apparatus for producing high aspect ratio features in a substrate using reactive ion etching. In some embodiments, a method comprises flowing acetylene gas into a process chamber to produce a diamond like carbon deposition on a pattern mask or on at least one layer of oxide or nitride on the substrate, flowing a gas mixture of a first gas of a hydrofluorocarbon-based gas and a second gas of a fluorocarbon-based gas into the process chamber, forming a plasma from the gas mixture using an RF power source and at least one RF bias power source, performing an anisotropic etch of the at least one layer of oxide or nitride on the substrate using the pattern mask, and evacuating the process chamber while interrupting the RF power source to stop plasma formation.

Methods and apparatus for in-situ protection liners for high aspect ratio reactive ion etching

Methods and apparatus for producing high aspect ratio features in a substrate using reactive ion etching (RIE). In some embodiments, a method comprises flowing a gas mixture of CHFand a companion gas into a process chamber, forming a plasma from the gas mixture using an RF power source connected to an upper electrode above the substrate and at least one RF bias power source connected to a lower electrode under the substrate, performing an anisotropic etch, via the plasma, of at least one layer of oxide or nitride on the substrate using a pattern mask, reducing power of the at least one RF bias power source to produce deposition of a passivation layer on the at least one layer of oxide or nitride on the substrate, and evacuating the process chamber while interrupting the RF power source to stop plasma formation.

Methods and apparatus for etching semiconductor structures

Methods for RF pulse reflection reduction are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method for processing a substrate in a plasma enhanced substrate processing system using multi-level pulsed RF power includes; receiving a process recipe for processing the substrate that includes a plurality of pulsed RF power waveforms from a plurality of RF generators, using the master RF generator to generate a transistor-transistor logic (TTL) signal having a base frequency and a first duty cycle, setting a multiplier for each RF generator, dividing the first duty cycle into a high level interval and a low level interval, determining a frequency command set for each RF generator and sending the frequency command set to each RF generator, wherein the frequency command set includes a frequency set point for each RF generator; and providing the plurality of pulsed RF power waveforms from the plurality of RF generators to a process chamber.

Radio frequency (RF) pulsing impedance tuning with multiplier mode

Multilayered stacks having layers of silicon interleaved with layers of a dielectric, such as silicon dioxide, are plasma etched with non-corrosive process gas chemistries. Etching plasmas of fluorine source gases, such as SFand/or NFtypically only suitable for dielectric layers, are energized by pulsed RF to achieve high aspect ratio etching of silicon/silicon dioxide bi-layers stacks without the addition of corrosive gases, such as HBr or Cl. In embodiments, a mask open etch and the multi-layered stack etch are performed in a same plasma processing chamber enabling a single chamber, single recipe solution for patterning such multi-layered stacks. In embodiments, 3D NAND memory cells are fabricated with memory plug and/or word line separation etches employing a fluorine-based, pulsed-RF plasma etch.

Silicon dioxide-polysilicon multi-layered stack etching with plasma etch chamber employing non-corrosive etchants

Embodiments include a plasma processing method for cleaning polymer byproducts from interior surfaces of the plasma chamber. In an embodiment the plasma process may include processing a workpiece in a plasma processing chamber. Thereafter, the method may include removing the workpiece from the processing chamber. After the workpiece is removed, embodiments may include cleaning the plasma processing chamber with a cleaning process that includes a high pressure cleaning process, a first low pressure cleaning process, and a second low pressure cleaning process, wherein the second low pressure cleaning process includes applying a pulsed bias.

Using bias RF pulsing to effectively clean electrostatic chuck (ESC)

Methods of operating a plasma enhanced substrate processing system using multi-level pulsed RF power are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of operating a plasma enhanced substrate processing system using multi-level pulsed RF power includes providing a first multi-level RF power waveform to a process chamber, the first multi-level RF power waveform having at least a first power level, a second power level, and a third power level, providing, after a first delay period, a second multi-level RF power waveform to the process chamber, the second multi-level RF power waveform having at least a first power level, a second power level, and a third power level, and processing the substrate using the first multi-level RF power waveform and the second multi-level RF power waveform to produce a features on the substrate have an aspect ratio of greater than 60:1 while maintaining an etch rate of greater than 170 nm/min.

Smart multi-level RF pulsing methods

Methods of operating a plasma enhanced substrate processing system using multi-level pulsed RF power are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of operating a plasma enhanced substrate processing system using multi-level pulsed RF power includes providing a first multi-level RF power waveform to a process chamber, the first multi-level RF power waveform having at least a first power level during a first pulse duration, a second power level during a second pulse duration, and a third power level during a third pulse duration, and providing, after a first delay period, a second multi-level RF power waveform to the process chamber, the second multi-level RF power waveform having at least a first power level during a first pulse duration, a second power level during a second pulse duration, and a third power level during a third pulse duration.

RF power delivery with approximated saw tooth wave pulsing

An article having alternating oxide layers and nitride layers is etched by an etch process. The etch process includes providing a first gas comprising CFHin a chamber of an etch reactor, ionizing the CFHcontaining gas to produce a plasma comprising a plurality of ions, and etching the article using the plurality of ions.

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One or more openings in an organic mask layer deposited on a first insulating layer over a substrate are formed. One or more openings in the first insulating layer are formed through the openings in the organic mask using a first iodine containing gas. An antireflective layer can be deposited on the organic mask layer. One or more openings in the antireflective layer are formed down to the organic mask layer using a second iodine containing gas. The first insulating layer can be deposited on a second insulating layer over the substrate. One or more openings in the second insulating layer can be formed using a third iodine containing gas.

Growing community of inventors

Milpitas, CA, United States of America

Daisuke Shimizu