International Business Machines Corporation

Advanced Technology Materials, Inc.

Zeon Corporation

George Gabriel Totir

Mahmoud M Khojasteh

Ali Afzali-Ardakani

Satyavolu S Papa Rao

Emanuel Israel Cooper

Ronald Wayne Nunes

Robert L Bruce

Nicholas C M Fuller

Sebastian Ulrich Engelmann

Jun Liu

Ying Di Zhang

Jack Oon Chu

Martin Michael Frank

Masahiro Nakamura

Eric Andrew Joseph

Yu Zhu

Solomon Assefa

David Lee Rath

William M Green

Mahadevaiyer Krishnan

Young-Hee Kim

Rajiv M Ranade

Joris Van Campenhout

Pratik P Joshi

Bang N To

Kevin K Chan

Christian Lavoie

Hariklia Deligianni

John Anthony Fitzsimmons

Dario Leonardo Goldfarb

Sarunya Bangsaruntip

Yurii A Vlasov

James John Kelly

Hongwen Yan

Michael B Korzenski

Balasubramanian S Pranatharthi Haran

Karl E Boggs

Marinus Hopstaken

Jennifer V Muncy

James Vichiconti

Kathryn C Fisher

Benjamin B Wymore

Masahiro Yamazaki

Makonnen Payne

Renjie Zhou

Veeraraghaven S Basker

Yurri A Vlasov

James L Simpson

Julie Cissell

Michael W Owens

Techniques regarding methods and/or apparatuses for protecting metal substrates during one or more lithography processes are provided. For example, one or more embodiments described herein can comprise a method that can include coating a metal substrate with a polymer film that self-assembles on a metal oxide positioned on a surface of the metal substrate. The method can also include covalently bonding the polymer film to the metal oxide.

Metal surface protection

Enhanced compositions and methods are provided for selectively etching silicon wafers, which is particularly useful in the context of silicon wafer manufacturing and processing applications. Optionally, a formulation is provided which selectively etches silicon dioxide in preference to aluminum oxide. Optionally, a formulation and method are provided that is substantially non-aqueous.

Selective etch formulation for silicon oxide

A gas is ionized into a plasma. A compound of a dopant is mixed into the plasma, forming a mixed plasma. Using a semiconductor device fabrication system, a layer of III-V material is exposed to the mixed plasma to dope the layer with the dopant up to a depth in the layer, forming a shallow doped portion of the layer. The depth of the dopant is controlled by a second layer of the dopant formed at the shallow doped portion of the layer. The second layer is exposed to a solution, where the solution is prepared to erode the dopant in the second layer at a first rate. After an elapsed period, the solution is removed from the second layer, wherein the elapsed period is insufficient to erode a total depth of the layer and the shallow doped portion by more than a tolerance erosion amount.

Plasma shallow doping and wet removal of depth control cap

A method for cleaning etch residues that may include treating an etched surface with an aqueous lanthanoid solution, wherein the aqueous lanthanoid solution removes an etch residue that includes a majority of hydrocarbons and at least one element selected from the group consisting of carbon, oxygen, fluorine, nitrogen and silicon. In one example, the aqueous solution may be cerium ammonium nitrate (Ce(NH)(NO)),(CAN).

[object Object]

Cleaning compositions and processes for cleaning residue from a microelectronic device having said residue thereon. The composition comprises at least one amine, at least one oxidizing agent, water, and at least one borate species and achieves highly efficacious cleaning of the residue material, including post-ash residue, post-etch residue, post-CMP residue, particles, organic contaminants, metal ion contaminants, and combinations thereof from the microelectronic device while simultaneously not damaging the titanium nitride layers and low-k dielectric materials also present on the device.

Composition for and method of suppressing titanium nitride corrosion

A method of texturing a surface of a crystalline silicon substrate is provided. The method includes immersing a crystalline silicon substrate into an aqueous alkaline etchant solution to form a pyramid shaped textured surface, with (111) faces exposed, on the crystalline silicon substrate. The aqueous alkaline etchant solution employed in the method of the present disclosure includes an alkaline component and a nanoparticle slurry component. Specifically, the aqueous alkaline etchant solution of the present disclosure includes 0.5 weight percent to 5 weight percent of an alkaline component and from 0.1 weight percent to 5 weight percent of a nanoparticle slurry on a dry basis.

Silicon surface texturing method for reducing surface reflectance

An aqueous solution of a cerium (IV) complex or salt having an extended lifetime is provided. In one embodiment, the extended lifetime is achieved by adding at least one booster additive to an aqueous solution of the cerium (IV) complex or salt. In another embodiment, the extended lifetime is achieved by providing an aqueous solution of a cerium (IV) complex or salt and a cerium (III) complex or salt. The cerium (III) complex or salt can be added or it can be generated in-situ by introducing a reducing agent into the aqueous solution of the cerium (IV) complex or salt. The aqueous solution can be used to remove a mask material, especially an ion implanted and patterned photoresist, from a surface of a semiconductor substrate.

Aqueous cerium-containing solution having an extended bath lifetime for removing mask material

A spin-on formulation that is useful in stripping an ion implanted photoresist is provided that includes an aqueous solution of a water soluble polymer containing at least one acidic functional group, and at least one lanthanide metal-containing oxidant. The spin-on formulation is applied to an ion implanted photoresist and baked to form a modified photoresist. The modified photoresist is soluble in aqueous, acid or organic solvents. As such one of the aforementioned solvents can be used to completely strip the ion implanted photoresist as well as any photoresist residue that may be present. A rinse step can follow the stripping of the modified photoresist.

Spin-on formulation and method for stripping an ion implanted photoresist

An organic planarizing layer (OPL) is formed atop a semiconductor substrate which includes a plurality of gate lines thereon. Each gate line includes at least a high k gate dielectric and a metal gate. A patterned photoresist having at least one pattern formed therein is then positioned atop the OPL. The at least one pattern in the photoresist is perpendicular to each of the gate lines. The pattern is then transferred by etching into the OPL and portions of each of the underlying gate lines to provide a plurality of gate stacks each including at least a high k gate dielectric portion and a metal gate portion. The patterned photoresist and the remaining OPL layer are then removed utilizing a sequence of steps including first contacting with a first acid, second contacting with an aqueous cerium-containing solution, and third contacting with a second acid.

Use of an organic planarizing mask for cutting a plurality of gate lines

Alternative additives that can be used in place of isopropyl alcohol in aqueous alkaline etchant solutions for texturing a surface of a single-crystalline silicon substrate are provided. The alternative additives do not have volatile constituents, yet can be used in an aqueous alkaline etchant solution to provide a pyramidal shaped texture surface to the single-crystalline silicon substrate that is exposed to such an etchant solution. Also provided is a method of forming a textured silicon surface. The method includes immersing a single-crystalline silicon substrate into an etchant solution to form a pyramid shaped textured surface on the single-crystalline silicon substrate. The etchant solution includes an alkaline component, silicon (etched into the solution as a bath conditioner) and glycerol or ethylene glycol as an additive. The textured surface of the single-crystalline silicon substrate has (111) faces that are now exposed.

Single-crystalline silicon alkaline texturing with glycerol or ethylene glycol additives

Methods for removing a masking material, for example, a photoresist, and electronic devices formed by removing a masking material are presented. For example, a method for removing a masking material includes contacting the masking material with a solution comprising cerium. The cerium may be comprised in a salt. The salt may be cerium ammonium nitrate.

Removal of masking material

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Newtown, CT, United States of America

George Gabriel Totir