Micron Technology Incorporated

Fred L Roe

Guy T Blalock

David S Becker

Kevin W Tjaden

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 process for controlling the 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 maintaining various portions of the etch chamber at elevated temperatures.

Method of etching a substrate

Method for enhancing oxide to nitride selectivity through the use of

An in situ plasma dry etching process for the formation of atomically sharp tips for use in high resolution microscopes in which i) a mask layer is deposited on a substrate, ii) a photoresist layer is patterned superjacent the mask layer at the sites where the tips are to be formed, iii) the mask is selectively removed by plasma etching, iv) after which the substrate is etched in the same plasma reacting chamber, thereby creating sharp microscope tips.

Method of making atomically sharp tips useful in scanning probe

An in situ plasma dry etching process for the formation of automatically sharp cold cathode emitter tips for use in field emission displays in which i) a mask layer is deposited on a substrate, ii) a photoresist layer is patterned superjacent the mask layer at the sites where the emitter tips are to be formed, iii) the mask is selectively removed by plasma etching, iv) after which the substrate is etched in the same plasma reacting chamber, thereby creating sharp electron emitter tips.

Plasma dry etch to produce atomically sharp asperities useful as cold

More specifically, a process is provided for etching a multilayer structure to form a predetermined etched pattern therein. The subject process comprises providing the multilayer structure having a plurality of structural layers. The structural layers of the multilayer structure comprise a silicon dioxide outer layer on an underlying silicon nitride stop layer. Then, a chemical etchant protective layer is formed on a major surface of the multilayer structure having a predetermined pattern of openings, thereby exposing areas of the silicon dioxide outer layer corresponding to the predetermined pattern of openings. The exposed areas of the silicon dioxide outer layer are then etched down to the silicon nitride stop layer, at a high SiO.sub.2 etch rate and at a high level of selectivity of the SiO.sub.2 etch rate with respect to the Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 etch rate, with a fluorinated chemical etchant system. The fluorinated chemical etchant system includes an etchant material and an additive material. The additive material comprises a fluorocarbon material in which the number of hydrogen atoms is equal to or greater than the number of fluorine atoms. The etching step forms a substantially predetermined etch pattern in the silicon dioxide outer layer in which the contact sidewalls of said SiO.sub.2 outer layer are substantially upright.

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Boise, ID, United States of America

Fred L Roe