Applied Materials, Inc.

Lam Research Corporation

Other

Lam Research Group

David S L Mui

Wei Liu

Ji Zhu

Hiroki Sasano

Arjun Mendiratta

Dragan Valentin Podlesnik

Satish Srinivasan

Shih-Chung Kon

Grant Peng

Michael S Barnes

John Patrick Holland

Thorsten B Lill

Christopher Dennis Bencher

Shaoher X Pan

Jeffrey D Chinn

Gerald Z Yin

Xikun Wang

Katrina Mikhaylichenko

Shashank C Deshmukh

Xue-Yu Qian

Ming-Hsun Yang

Seokmin Yun

Weinan Jiang

Amir A Yasseri

Zhi-wen Sun

Arthur Y Chen

Ming-Hsun Kuo

A method is provided for treating the surface of high aspect ratio nanostructures to help protect the delicate nanostructures during some of the rigorous processing involved in fabrication of semiconductor devices. A wafer containing high aspect ratio nanostructures is treated to make the surfaces of the nanostructures more hydrophobic. The treatment may include the application of a primer that chemically alters the surfaces of the nanostructures preventing them from getting damaged during subsequent wet clean processes. The wafer may then be further processed, for example a wet cleaning process followed by a drying process. The increased hydrophobicity of the nanostructures helps to reduce or prevent collapse of the nanostructures.

Method of reducing pattern collapse in high aspect ratio nanostructures

The embodiments of the present invention provide improved materials, apparatus, and methods for cleaning wafer surfaces, especially surfaces of patterned wafers (or substrates). The cleaning materials, apparatus, and methods discussed have advantages in cleaning patterned substrates with fine features without substantially damaging the features. The cleaning material includes polymers of one or more polymeric compounds. The cleaning materials can be used in a wide range of viscosity and pH to clean different types of surfaces. The cleaning materials are in liquid phase, and deform around device features to capture the contaminants on the substrate. The polymers entrap the contaminants preventing their return to the substrate surface. The cleaning apparatus is designed to dispense and rinse cleaning materials with a range of viscosities.

Materials and systems for advanced substrate cleaning

The embodiments of the present invention provide methods for cleaning patterned substrates with fine features. The methods for cleaning patterned substrate have advantages in cleaning patterned substrates with fine features without substantially damaging the features by using the cleaning materials described. The cleaning materials are fluid, either in liquid phase, or in liquid/gas phase, and deform around device features; therefore, the cleaning materials do not substantially damage the device features or reduce damage all together. The cleaning materials containing polymers of a polymeric compound with large molecular weight capture the contaminants on the substrate. In addition, the cleaning materials entrap the contaminants and do not return the contaminants to the substrate surface. The polymers of one or more polymeric compounds with large molecular weight form long polymer chains, which can also be cross-linked to form a network (or polymeric network). The long polymer chains and/or polymer network show superior capabilities of capturing and entrapping contaminants, in comparison to conventional cleaning materials.

Methods for particle removal by single-phase and two-phase media

The embodiments of the present invention provide improved materials for cleaning patterned substrates with fine features. The cleaning materials have advantages in cleaning patterned substrates with fine features without substantially damaging the features. The cleaning materials are fluid, either in liquid phase, or in liquid/gas phase, and deform around device features; therefore, the cleaning materials do not substantially damage the device features or reduce damage all together. The cleaning materials containing polymers of a polymeric compound with large molecular weight capture the contaminants on the substrate. In addition, the cleaning materials entrap the contaminants and do not return the contaminants to the substrate surface. The polymers of one or more polymeric compounds with large molecular weight form long polymer chains, which can also be cross-linked to form a network (or polymeric network). The long polymer chains and/or polymer network show superior capabilities of capturing and entrapping contaminants, in comparison to conventional cleaning materials.

Materials for particle removal by single-phase and two-phase media

The embodiments of the present invention provide apparatus for cleaning patterned substrates with fine features with cleaning materials. The apparatus using the cleaning materials has advantages in cleaning patterned substrates with fine features without substantially damaging the features. The cleaning materials are fluid, either in liquid phase, or in liquid/gas phase, and deform around device features; therefore, the cleaning materials do not substantially damage the device features or reduce damage all together. The cleaning materials containing polymers of a polymeric compound with large molecular weight capture the contaminants on the substrate. In addition, the cleaning materials entrap the contaminants and do not return the contaminants to the substrate surface. The polymers of one or more polymeric compounds with large molecular weight form long polymer chains, which can also be cross-linked to form a network (or polymeric network). The long polymer chains and/or polymer network show superior capabilities of capturing and entrapping contaminants, in comparison to conventional cleaning materials.

Apparatus for particle removal by single-phase and two-phase media

A method for controlling etch processes during fabrication of semiconductor devices comprises tests and measurements performed on non-product and product substrates to define an N-parameter CD control graph that is used to calculate a process time for trimming a patterned mask to a pre-determined width. An apparatus for performing such a method.

Method and apparatus for controlling etch processes during fabrication of semiconductor devices

A method and apparatus for monitoring the stability of a substrate processing chamber and for adjusting the process recipe. Thickness and CD measurement data are collected before wafer processing and after wafer processing by an integrated or an in-situ metrology tool to monitor process chamber stability and to adjust the process recipe. The real time chamber stability monitoring enabled by the integrated metrology tool reduces the risk and cost of wafer mis-processing. The real time process recipe adjustment allows tightening of the process recipe. Process development cycle can also be reduced by the method and apparatus.

Chamber stability monitoring using an integrated metrology tool

A method and apparatus for processing a semiconductor wafer is provided for reducing CD microloading variation. OCD metrology is used to inspect a wafer to determine pre-etch CD microloading, by measuring the CD of dense and isolated photoresist lines. Other parameters can also be measured or otherwise determined, such as sidewall profile, photoresist layer thickness, underlying layer thickness, photoresist pattern density, open area, etc. The inspection results are fed forward to the etcher to determine process parameters, such as resist trim time and/or etch conditions, thereby achieving the desired post-etch CD microloading. In certain embodiments, the CD and profile measurements, trim, etch processing and post-etch cleaning are performed at a single module in a controlled environment. All of the transfer and processing steps performed by the module are performed in a clean environment, thereby increasing yield by avoiding exposing the wafer to the atmosphere and possible contamination between steps.

Method and system for realtime CD microloading control

A method for fabricating features on a substrate having reduced dimensions. The features are formed by defining a first mask on regions of the substrate. The first mask is defined using lithographic techniques. A second mask is then conformably formed on one or more sidewalls of the first mask. The features are formed on the substrate by removing the first mask and then etching the substrate using the second mask as an etch mask.

Method for fabricating a gate structure of a field effect transistor

A method and apparatus for processing a semiconductor wafer is provided for reducing dimensional variation by feeding forward information relating to photoresist mask CD and profile to adjust the next process the inspected wafer will undergo (e.g., a photoresist trim process). After the processing step, dimensions of a structure formed by the process, such as the CD of a gate formed by the process, are measured, and this information is fed back to the process tool to adjust the process for the next wafer to further reduce dimensional variation. By taking into account photoresist CD and profile variation when choosing a resist trim recipe, post-etch CD is decoupled from pre-etch CD and profile. With automatic compensation for pre-etch CD, a very tight distribution of post-etch CD is achieved. In certain embodiments, the CD and profile measurements, trim, etch processing and post-etch cleaning are performed at a single module in a controlled environment. All of the transfer and processing steps performed by the module are performed in a clean environment, thereby increasing yield by avoiding exposing the wafer to the atmosphere and possible contamination between steps.

Methodology for repeatable post etch CD in a production tool

A substrate is placed in a process zone and an energized process gas is maintained in the process zone to process the substrate. A light beam is reflectively diffracted from a pattern of features of the substrate being processed, the reflected beam is monitored, and a signal is generated in relation to the monitored beam. During processing, a width of the features of the substrate can change. The generated signal is evaluated to detect the occurrence of a change in the width of the features.

Monitoring substrate processing by detecting reflectively diffracted light

A process for etching a substrate in an etching chamber , and simultaneously cleaning a thin, non-homogeneous, etch residue deposited on the surfaces of the walls and components of the etching chamber . In the etching step, process gas comprising etchant gas is used to etch a substrate in the etching chamber thereby depositing etch residue inside the chamber . Cleaning gas is added to the process gas for a sufficient time and in a volumetric flow ratio that is sufficiently high, to react with and remove substantially all the etch residue deposited by the process gas. The present method advantageously cleans the etch residue in the chamber , during the etching process, and without use of separate cleaning, conditioning, and seasoning process steps.

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Fremont, CA, United States of America

David S L Mui