Applied Materials, Inc.

David Knapp

David P Thompson

Jeffrey W Anthis

Xinyu Fu

Mei Yin Chang

Feng Quan Liu

Qian Fu

Benjamin Schmiege

Ben-Li Sheu

Simon Huang

Philip Alan Kraus

Nitin K Ingle

Srinivas Gandikota

Mark Joseph Saly

Christopher Sean Olsen

Mikhail Korolik

Lara Hawrylchak

Rene George

Alexander Berger

Rajesh Sathiyanarayanan

Tsung-Han Yang

Hailong Zhou

Zhonghua Yao

Cheng-Hsuan Chou

Jayoung Choi

Feng Qiao

Junkai He

A method includes providing, within an etch chamber, a base structure including a target layer disposed on a substrate, and an etch mask disposed on the target layer, dry etching, within the etch chamber, the target layer using thionyl chloride to obtain a processed base structure, and after forming the plurality of features. The processed base structure includes a plurality of features and a plurality of openings defined by the etch mask. The method further includes removing the processed base structure from the etch chamber. In some embodiments, the target layer includes carbon. In some embodiments, the dry etching is performed at a sub-zero degree temperature.

Dry etching with etch byproduct self-cleaning

A method includes performing a dry etch process to remove a portion of a first layer disposed on a second layer of a stack of alternating layers. The first layer includes a first material and the second layer includes a second material different from the first material, and the dry etch process forms a passivation layer including a byproduct on surfaces of the second material. A amount of first material of the portion of the first layer remains after performing the dry etch process, The method further includes introducing a halide gas to enhance the passivation layer on the surfaces of the second material.

Enhanced etch selectivity using halides

A method and apparatus for growing an oxide layer within a feature of a substrate is described herein. The method is suitable for use in semiconductor manufacturing. The oxide layer is formed by exposing a substrate to both a high pressure oxidant exposure and a lower pressure oxygen containing plasma exposure. The high pressure oxidant exposure is performed at a pressure of greater than 10 Torr, while the lower pressure oxygen containing plasma exposure is performed at a pressure of less than about 10 Torr. The features are high-aspect ratio trenches or holes within a stack of silicon oxide and silicon nitride layers.

Dual pressure oxidation method for forming an oxide layer in a feature

Described herein is a method of depositing a conformal, optically transparent coating onto a surface of one or more internal components that are enclosed within an assembled device using a non-line-of-sight deposition process without altering a structure of the assembled device or impacting functionality of the assembled device. Also described is an assembled device including one or more internal components enclosed within the assembled device and a coating deposited onto a surface of the internal components enclosed within the assembled device, where the coating is a conformal, optically transparent coating that is resistant to corrosion by at least one of fluorine-, chlorine-, sulfur-, hydrogen-, bromine-, or nitrogen-based acids and that does not negatively impact functionality of the internal components.

Non-line-of-sight deposition of coating on internal components of assembled device

Processing methods comprising exposing a substrate to an optional nucleation promoter followed by sequential exposure of a first reactive gas comprising a metal oxyhalide compound and a second reactive gas to form a metal film on the substrate.

Methods of depositing metal films using metal oxyhalide precursors

Semiconductor devices and methods of making semiconductor devices with a barrier layer comprising manganese nitride are described. Also described are semiconductor devices and methods of making same with a barrier layer comprising Mn(N) and, optionally, an adhesion layer.

Precursors of manganese and manganese-based compounds for copper diffusion barrier layers and methods of use

Embodiments include a method of processing a hardmask that includes forming an alloyed carbon hardmask over an underlying layer. In an embodiment, the alloyed carbon hardmask is alloyed with metallic-carbon fillers. The embodiment further includes patterning the alloyed carbon hardmask and transferring the pattern of the alloyed carbon hardmask into the underlying layer. According to an embodiment, the method may further include removing the metallic component of the metallic-carbon fillers from the alloyed carbon hardmask to form a porous carbon hardmask. Thereafter, the porous hardmask may be removed. In an embodiment, the metallic component of the metallic-carbon fillers may include flowing a processing gas into a chamber that volatizes the metallic component of the metallic-carbon fillers.

Chemical modification of hardmask films for enhanced etching and selective removal

Methods of depositing a metal-containing film by exposing a substrate surface to a first precursor and a reactant, where one or more of the first precursor and the react comprises a compound having the general formula of one or more of M(XR), M(XR), M(XR), M(XR)and M(XR), where M is selected from the group consisting of Al, Ti, Ta, Zr, La, Hf, Ce, Zn, Cr, Sn, V and combinations thereof, each X is one or more of C, Si and Ge and each R is independently a methyl or ethyl group and comprises substantially no &#x3b2;-H.

Deposition of metal films using beta-hydrogen free precursors

Processing methods comprising exposing a substrate to a nucleation promoter followed by sequential exposure of a first reactive gas comprising a metal-containing compound and a second reactive gas to form a metal-containing film on the substrate.

Tungsten films by organometallic or silane pre-treatment of substrate

Methods of selectively etching metals and metal nitrides from the surface of a substrate are described. The etch selectively removes metals and metal nitrides relative to silicon-containing layers such as silicon, polysilicon, silicon oxide, silicon germanium, silicon carbide, silicon carbon nitride and/or silicon nitride. The etch removes material in a conformal manner by including an oxidation operation which creates a thin uniform metal oxide. The thin uniform metal oxide is then removed by exposing the metal oxide to a metal-halogen precursor in a substrate processing region. The metal oxide may be removed to completion and the etch may stop once the uniform metal oxide layer is removed. Etches described herein may be used to uniformly trim back material on high aspect ratio features which ordinarily show higher etch rates near the opening of a gap compared to deep within the gap.

Selectively etching metals and metal nitrides conformally

Described are methods and apparatuses for the stabilization of precursors, which can be used for the deposition of manganese-containing films. Certain methods and apparatus relate to lined ampoules and/or 2-electron donor ligands.

Metal amide deposition precursors and their stabilization with an inert ampoule liner

Provided are precursors and methods of using same to deposit film consisting essentially of nickel. Certain methods comprise providing a substrate surface; exposing the substrate surface to a vapor comprising a precursor having a structure represented, without limitation to specific orientation, by: wherein Rand Rare each independently H or any C1-C3 alkyl group, Ris trimethylsilyl or C1-C3 alkyl, and L is any ligand that does not contain oxygen; and exposing the substrate to a reducing gas to provide a film consisting essentially of nickel on the substrate surface.

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Santa Clara, CA, United States of America

David Knapp