Imec

Interuniversitair Microelektronica Centrum (imec)

Other

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Ku Leuven R&d

Interuniversitair Micorelektronica Centrum (imec, Vzw)

Imec Vzw

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

Denis Shamiryan

Vasile Paraschiv

Marc Demand

Karen Irma Maex

Mikhail Rodionovich Baklanov

Serge Vanhaelemeersch

Rita Rooyackers

Stefan De Gendt

Peter Verheyen

Mikhaïl Baklanov

Konstantin Petrovich Mogilnikov

Fedor Nikolaevich Dultsev

Adam Michal Urbanowicz

An improved reaction chamber cleaning process is provided for removing water residues that makes use of noble-gas plasma reactions. The method is easy applicable and may be combined with standard cleaning procedure. A noble-gas plasma (e.g. He) that emits high energy EUV photons (E&#x3e;20 eV) which is able to destruct water molecules to form electronically excited oxygen atoms is used to remove the adsorbed water.

Cleaning of plasma chamber walls using noble gas cleaning step

One inventive aspect relates to a method of selective epitaxial growth of source/drain (S/D) areas. The method includes providing a substrate having a first and a second substrate area, the first area including at least one gate stack. The method includes applying a poly-Si or poly-SiGe top layer on the substrate, the top layer being etchable with the same etch chemistry as the substrate. The method includes removing the poly-Si or poly-SiGe top layer from the first area selectively towards the poly-Si or poly-SiGe top layer in the second area. The method includes removing simultaneously the poly-Si or poly-SiGe top layer on the second area and at least a part of the substrate in the S/D areas of the first area selectively to the gate stack. The method includes performing a selective epitaxial growth of S/D areas in the first area.

Method for selective epitaxial growth of source/drain areas

A method for the selective removal of a high-k layer such as HfOover silicon or silicon dioxide is provided. More specifically, a method for etching high-k selectively over silicon and silicon dioxide and a plasma composition for performing the selective etch process is provided. Using a BClplasma with well defined concentrations of nitrogen makes it possible to etch high-k with at a reasonable etch rate while silicon and silicon dioxide have an etch rate of almost zero. The BClcomprising plasmas have preferred additions of 10 up to 13% nitrogen. Adding a well defined concentration of nitrogen to the BCl/Nplasma gives the unexpected deposition of a Boron-Nitrogen (BxNy) comprising film onto the silicon and silicon dioxide which is not deposited onto the high-k material. Due to the deposition of the Boron-Nitrogen (BxNy) comprising film, the etch rate of silicon and silicon dioxide is dropped down to zero. The Boron-Nitrogen (BxNy) comprising film can be removed during the etching process using the right substrate bias (leading to ion bombardment) or after the etching process by a simple water rinse since the Boron-Nitrogen (BxNy) comprising film is water soluble.

Plasma composition for selective high-k etch

A method is disclosed for the selective removal of rare earth based high-k materials such as rare earth scandate high-k materials (e.g. DyScO) over silicon or silicon dioxide. As an example Dy and Sc comprising high-k materials are used as a high-k material in gate stacks of a semiconductor device. The selective removal and etch of this high-k material is very difficult since Dy and Sc (and their oxides) are difficult to etch. The etching could however be easily stopped on them. For patterning of the metal gates comprising TiN and TaN on top of rare earth based high-k layer a chlorine-containing gases (Cland BCl) can be used since titanium ant tantalum chlorides are volatile and reasonable selectivity to other material present on the wafer (Si, SiO) can be obtained. The Dy and Sc chlorides are not volatile, but they are water soluble. This behavior makes it possible that the surface layer of Dy and Sc comprising high-k materials gets chlorinated (brominated) during exposure to the Cl or Br comprising plasma and can be removed after etch by a water rinse.

Selective removal of rare earth based high-k materials in a semiconductor device

A method is provided for the patterning of a stack comprising elements that do not form volatile compounds during conventional reactive ion etching. More specifically the element(s) are Lanthanide elements such as Ytterbium (Yb) and the patterning preferably relates to the dry etching of silicon and/or germanium comprising structures (e.g. gates) doped with a Lanthanide e.g. Ytterbium (Yb doped gates). In case the silicon and/or germanium comprising structure is a gate electrode the silicon and/or germanium is doped with a Lanthanide (e.g. Yb) for modeling the work function of a gate electrode.

Patterning of doped poly-silicon gates

A method and apparatus for evaluation of films, such as low-k thin films with nano-scale pores, are provided. The evaluation may include characterization of the pore structure, the characterization results in determining pore sizes, hence obtaining pore size data. Moreover, the characterization may result in a non-destructive evaluation of mechanical properties, in particular the Young's Modulus, or the effect of interfering physical & chemical factors such as Pore Killers. Further, in line monitoring or studying of pore structure porosity and pore size distribution (PSD) of low-k films and evaluation of the mechanical properties of porous low-k films simultaneously using the same set of experimental data is provided.

Method and apparatus for characterization of porous films

Method to produce a porous oxygen-silicon layer

Growing community of inventors

Leuven, Belgium

Denis Shamiryan