Tokyo Electron Limited

Gunilla Jacobson

Joseph T Hillman

Bentley J Palmer

Glenn W Gale

Deborah Yellowaga

A method of passivating silicon-oxide based low-k materials using a supercritical carbon dioxide passivating solution comprising a silylating agent is disclosed. The silylating agent is preferably an organosilicon compound comprising organo-groups with five carbon atoms such as hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS), chlorotrimethylsilane (TMCS), trichloromethylsilane (TCMS) and combinations thereof. In accordance with further embodiments of the invention, a post ash substrate comprising a dielectric material is simultaneously cleaned and passivated using a supercritical carbon dioxide cleaning solution.

[object Object]

A method and system for processing a substrate in a film removal system. The method includes providing the substrate in a substrate chamber of a film removal system, where the substrate has a micro-feature containing a dielectric film on a sidewall of the micro-feature and a photoresist film covering a portion the dielectric film, and performing a first film removal process using supercritical COprocessing to remove the portion of the dielectric film not covered by the photoresist film. Following the first film removal process, a second film removal process using supercritical COprocessing can be performed to remove the photoresist film. Alternately, wet processing can be used to perform one of the first film removal process or the second film removal process.

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Menlo Park, CA, United States of America

Gunilla Jacobson