Tokyo Electron Limited

Derek Bassett

Wallace Paul Printz

Antonio Luis Pacheco Rotondaro

Trace Quentin Hurd

Teruomi Minami

Hitoshi Kosugi

Ihsan Simms

Takahiro Furukawa

Antonio L P Rotondaro

Kousuke Yoshihara

Gentaro Goshi

Joshua Hooge

Masami Yamashita

Yuichi Terashita

Yoshihiro Kai

Hisashi Kawano

Katsunori Ichino

Naoyuki Okamura

Shuhei Takahashi

Antonio Rotondaro

In one example, a method for wafer drying includes providing a surface of a first wafer, the surface of the first wafer including a liquid to be removed with a drying process. The method further includes replacing the liquid with a first solid film in a first processing chamber, the first solid film covering the surface of the first wafer. The method further includes transferring the first wafer from the first processing chamber to a second processing chamber. The method further includes processing the first wafer in the second processing chamber by flowing a supercritical fluid through the second processing chamber, where the supercritical fluid removes the first solid film.

System and methods for wafer drying

In one exemplary embodiment, described herein are innovative techniques for reducing the attractive force between particles and a substrate surface to aid in the removal of particles from the substrate surface. More specifically, a multi-electrode chuck is utilized to assist in cleaning a substrate. The multi-electrode chuck is utilized to reduce the attractive forces between particles and the substrate and to move the loosened particles that are present on the substrate surface. The electrodes of the chuck are biased with alternating current (AC) voltages with a phase shift between the electrode bias waves. The resulting electric field wave on the substrate surface loosens the particles by polarizing the particles and moves the loosened particles across the substrate.

Apparatus and method to electrostatically remove foreign matter from substrate surfaces

Techniques are provided to remove the growth of colloidal silica deposits on surfaces of high aspect ratio structures during silicon nitride etch steps. A high selectivity overetch step is used to remove the deposited colloidal silica. The disclosed techniques include the use of phosphoric acid to remove silicon nitride from structures having silicon nitride formed in narrow gap or trench structures having high aspect ratios in which formation of colloidal silica deposits on a surface of the narrow gap or trench through a hydrolysis reaction occurs. A second etch step is used in which the hydrolysis reaction which formed the colloidal silica deposits is reversible, and with the now lower concentration of silica in the nearby phosphoric acid due to the depletion of the silicon nitride, the equilibrium drives the reaction in the reverse direction, dissolving the deposited silica back into solution.

Process and apparatus for processing a nitride structure without silica deposition

A method of etching a substrate includes providing an etching solution in a tank of an etch processing system, where the etch processing system is configured to control temperature of the etching solution, a concentration of the etching solution, and flow of the etching solution within the tank. The substrate contains micro-fabricated structures that have alternating layers of a first material and a second material, and the etching solution including an acid that etches the first material and results in an etch product to be moved from the substrate. The method further includes monitoring a concentration of the etch product within the etching solution, and maintaining the concentration of the etch product within the etching solution below a predetermined value to prevent deposition of the etch product on the second material in an amount that blocks etching of the first material by the etching solution.

Etching of silicon nitride and silica deposition control in 3D NAND structures

Techniques disclosed herein provide an apparatus and method of spin coating that inhibits the formation of wind marks and other defects from turbulent fluid-flow, thereby enabling higher rotational velocities and decreased drying times, while maintaining film uniformity. Techniques disclosed herein include a fluid-flow member, such as a ring or cover, positioned or suspended above the surface of a wafer or other substrate. The fluid-flow member has a radial curvature that prevents wind marks during rotation of a wafer during a coating and spin drying process.

Cover plate for wind mark control in spin coating process

Embodiments of the invention provide a method for treating a microelectronic substrate with dilute TMAH. In the method, a microelectronic substrate is received into a process chamber, the microelectronic substrate having a layer, feature or structure of silicon. A treatment solution is applied to the microelectronic substrate to etch the silicon, where the treatment solution includes a dilution solution and TMAH. A controlled oxygen content is provided in the treatment solution or in an environment in the process chamber to achieve a target etch selectivity of the silicon, or a target etch uniformity across the layer, feature or structure of silicon, or both by the treatment solution.

Method of treating a microelectronic substrate using dilute TMAH

A chemical fluid processing apparatus and a chemical fluid processing method are described, to treat a substrate with a plurality of chemical fluids such that substantially constant temperature is maintained across a substrate surface. The apparatus includes a discharge nozzle above the substrate to supply a first chemical fluid at a first temperature to a front surface of the substrate, a bar nozzle oriented in a radial direction of the substrate to supply a second chemical fluid at a second temperature to the front surface or a back surface of the substrate, the second temperature being higher than the first temperature, and where the bar nozzle includes a plurality of outlets for discharging the second chemical fluid to a plurality of contacting places on the front surface or the back surface of the substrate at different distances from the center of the substrate.

Chemical fluid processing apparatus and chemical fluid processing method

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Austin, TX, United States of America

Derek Bassett