Micron Technology Incorporated

Other

Micron Semiconductor, Inc.

David S Becker

Kevin G Donohoe

Guy T Blalock

Fred L Roe

Kunal R Parekh

Bradley J Howard

David L Dickerson

Trung Tri Doan

Werner Juengling

Kirk D Prall

Mark E Jost

David J Keller

Lyle D Breiner

J Michael Melhorn

Chris L Inman

A cart-handler for mobile carts within narrow confines is provided. The cart-handler is constructed from an elongate frame having at least one upright support rail and opposite ends supported on wheels. A pair of stabilizers is connected to the frame with each stabilizer being movable into a retracted position on the frame and into a laterally-extended position in which the stabilizer directly engages an underlying floor surface to aid in supporting the cart-handler on the floor. When the stabilizers are placed in the laterally-extended position, each stabilizer extends outward from a common side of the elongate frame. A cart-lifter is mounted on the support rail of the frame and is movable vertically along the support rail so that the cart-lifter can engage, elevate, and support a separate mobile cart above the underlying floor surface. The cart-handler can be interconnected to a pair of elevated mobile work platforms.

Poultry cart handler and method

A plasma etch process for etching a dielectric material employing two primary etchants at low flows and pressures, and a relatively low temperature environment within the etch chamber. The two primary etchant gases are CHFand CHF, delivered at flow rates on the order of between about 10 sccm and 40 sccm for CHFand between about 10 sccm and 40 sccm for CHF. Small quantities, on the order of 10 sccm or less, of other gases such as CHFand CFmay be added.

Method of forming high aspect ratio apertures

A plasma etching method includes forming a polymer comprising carbon and a halogen over at least some internal surfaces of a plasma etch chamber. After forming the polymer, plasma etching is conducted using a gas which is effective to etch polymer from chamber internal surfaces. In one implementation, the gas has a hydrogen component effective to form a gaseous hydrogen halide from halogen liberated from the polymer. In one implementation, the gas comprises a carbon component effective to getter the halogen from the etched polymer. In another implementation, a plasma etching method includes positioning a semiconductor wafer on a wafer receiver within a plasma etch chamber. First plasma etching of material on the semiconductor wafer occurs with a gas comprising carbon and a halogen. A polymer comprising carbon and the halogen forms over at least some internal surfaces of the plasma etch chamber during the first plasma etching. After the first plasma etching and with the wafer on the wafer receiver, second plasma etching is conducted using a gas effective to etch polymer from chamber internal surfaces and getter halogen liberated from the polymer to restrict further etching of the material on the semiconductor wafer during the second plasma etching. The first and second plasma etchings are ideally conducted at subatmospheric pressure with the wafer remaining in situ on the receiver intermediate the first and second etchings, and with the chamber maintained at some subatmospheric pressure at all time intermediate the first and second plasma etchings.

Plasma etching methods

A plasma etch process for etching BPSG employing two primary etchants at low flows and pressures, and a relatively low temperature environment within the etch chamber, which includes a fluorine scavenger in the form of silicon. The two primary etchant gases are CHFand CHF, delivered at flow rates on the order of between about 10 and 40 sccm for CHFand between about 10 and 40 sccm for CHF. Small quantities, on the order of 10 sccm or less, of other gases such as CHFand CFmay be added.

A method of anisotropiocally etching a semiconductive substrate uses a hydrofluorocarbon etch gas with an etch selectivity fluorocarbon gas. The fluorocarbon gas is used under conditions that enhance selectivity of the etch to an etch stop layer with respect to a bulk dielectric material such as doped or undoped silicon dioxide. In one method, a silicon dioxide dielectric layer is provided upon an etch stop layer, wherein the etch stop layer comprises silicon dioxide that is doped differently from the silicon dioxide dielectric layer. A gaseous etchant including a hydrofluorocarbon etch gas and a fluorocarbon selectivity compound is provided, and the silicon dioxide dielectric layer is exposed to the gaseous-etchant.

Etchant and method of use

A process for controlling the plasma etch of a silicon dioxide layer at a high etch rate and high selectivity with respect to silicon nitride, particularly in a multilayer structure, by (1) maintaining various portions of the etch chamber at elevated temperatures, and/ox (2) using an etch chemistry having a fluorohydrocarbon gas containing at least as many hydrogen atoms as fluorine atoms, preferably CHFor CHF.

Method for enhancing silicon dioxide to silicon nitride selectivity

A patterned organic masking layer is formed outwardly of a feature layer to be etched. It has at least one feature pattern having a minimum feature dimension of less than or equal to 0.3 micron. The feature pattern is plasma etched into the feature layer using the masking layer as a mask. The plasma etching comprises at least one etching segment using an etching gas comprising one gas compound comprising carbon, hydrogen and at least one halogen under conditions effective to produce at least that portion of the one feature pattern in the feature layer to have a sidewall taper, if any, of less than or equal to 5&#xb0; and an organic masking layer top outer surface roughness proximate the feature pattern at a conclusion of the etching segment which is characterizable by an average value less than 100 Angstroms. Other implementations are also contemplated.

The present invention relates to a method of anisotropically etching a semiconductive substrate uses a hydrofluorocarbon etch gas with an etch selectivity fluorocarbon gas that previously was used to enhance oxide etching but not nitride selectivity. The present invention uses the fluorocarbon gas under conditions that enhance selectivity of the etch to nitride with respect to a bulk dielectric material such as doped and undoped silicon dioxide.

A patterned organic masking layer is formed outwardly of a feature layer to be etched. It has at least one feature pattern having a minimum feature dimension of less than or equal to 0.3 micron. The feature layer has a thickness which is to be etched to form the one feature pattern in the feature layer. The feature pattern is plasma etched into the feature layer using the masking layer as a mask. The plasma etching comprises at least one etching segment where at least 30% of said thickness of the feature layer is etched using an etching gas comprising one gas compound comprising carbon, hydrogen and at least one halogen present at greater than or equal to 70% concentration by volume as compared to all carbon, hydrogen and halogen containing gas compounds in the etching gas. Such plasma etching is conducted under conditions effective to produce at least that portion of the one feature pattern in the feature layer formed during the one etching segment to have a sidewall taper, if any, of less than or equal to 5&deg; and an organic masking layer top outer surface roughness proximate the feature pattern at a conclusion of the etching segment which is characterizable by an average value less than 100 Angstroms. Such value is determinable by scanning electron microscopy as an average maximum size of all surface discernible objects of the patterned masking layer as measured and averaged along any 0.3 micron length of top outer surface from the one feature pattern. Other implementations are also contemplated.

Etch profile control with pulsed gas flow and its applications to etching such as anisotropic etching of high aspect ratio features and etching of self-aligned contact structures in various processes. Pulsing can be applied according to this invention to the flow rate of a gas such as an etchant gas, a gas that leads to the deposition of a protective layer, a gas that modifies the deposition of a protective layer, and a gas that modifies etching.

Gas pulsing for etch profile control

A method of forming a transistor for a semiconductor device from a semiconductor wafer comprises forming a first nitride layer over the front and back of the wafer, and forming a second nitride layer over the front and back of the wafer and over the first nitride layer. A first resist layer is formed over the front of the wafer and at least a portion of the second nitride layer over the front of the wafer is exposed. The first and second nitride layers are removed from the back of the wafer while, simultaneously, at least a portion of the exposed portion of the second nitride layer over the front of the wafer is removed. Next, a second layer of resist is formed leaving at least a portion of the first nitride layer exposed. Finally, the exposed portion of the first nitride layer is etched.

Method of reducing overetch during the formation of a semiconductor device

A plasma etch process for etching BPSG employing two primary etchants at low flows and pressures, and a relatively low temperature environment within the etch chamber, which includes a fluorine scavenger in the form of silicon. The two primary etchant gases are CHF and CH F , delivered at flow rates on the order of between about 10 and 40 sccm for CHF and between about 10 and 40 sccm for CH F . Small quantities, on the order of 10 sccm or less, of other gases such as C HF and CF may be added.

A semiconductor processing method is provided for making contact openings. It includes depositing several insulative layers and performing an anisotropic etch. One layer is a conformal oxide covering the contact area and adjacent structures. A second layer is a breadloafed oxide deposited over the contact area and adjacent structures. A third layer is a doped oxide deposited over the two lower layers. The anisotropic etch is performed through the oxide layers to the contact area located on a lower substrate. The etch is selectively more rapid in the third oxide than in the two other oxides. The breadloafed oxide provides additional protect on and reduces the risk of etch-through to conductive structures adjacent the contact area. An alternate embodiment replaces the two lowest oxide layers by a breadloafed nitride layer. In this embodiment, the anisotropic etch is selectively more rapid in oxides than in nitrides.

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Boise, ID, United States of America

David S Becker