Applied Materials, Inc.

Haojiang Li

Suraj Rengarajan

Mei Yin Chang

Peijun Ding

Hyman J Levinstein

Chan-Lon Yang

Robert W Wu

Moshe Sarfaty

Kevin H Song

Michael J Wood

Paul Arleo

Embodiments of the invention provide an apparatus and method to determine the health of a substrate process such as, for example, a pre-clean process using plasma to remove copper oxide from a copper layer on a substrate, and the point at which the process has ended. In one aspect, optical characteristics and/or chamber impedance are used to determine the process end-point and/or process chamber health.

Method and apparatus for process monitoring

Generally, a method for monitoring a process of removing native oxides from an at least partially exposed layer disposed on a substrate is provided. In one embodiment, a method for monitoring includes disposing the substrate in a process chamber, exposing the at least partially exposed layer to a reactive pre-clean process, removing the substrate from the process chamber and measuring a sheet resistance of the exposed layer. In another embodiment, a method includes disposing the substrate in a process chamber, exposing the at least partially exposed conductive layer to a reactive pre-clean process that comprises an oxide reduction step, removing the substrate from the process chamber, contacting the conductive layer with one or more contact members, measuring a sheet resistance of the exposed conductive layer between the contact members, and comparing the measured resistance to a known value.

Monitoring process for oxide removal

A plasma etch process is described for the etching of oxide with a high selectivity to nitride, including nitride formed on uneven surfaces of a substrate, e.g., on sidewalls of steps on an integrated circuit structure. The addition of a hydrogen-bearing gas to C,F,or C,F,etch gases and a scavenger for fluorine, in a plasma etch process for etching oxide in preference to nitride, results in a high selectivity to nitride which is preserved regardless of the topography of the nitride portions of the substrate surface.

Oxide etch process with high selectivity to nitride suitable for use on surfaces of uneven topography

A plasma etch reactor having independent gas feeds above the wafer and either at the sides or below the wafer. Preferably, a carrier gas such as argon is supplied from a showerhead electrode above the wafer while an etching gas is supplied from below. In the case of selectively etching an oxide over a non-oxide layer, the etchant gas should include one or more fluorocarbons.

Independent gas feeds in a plasma reactor

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Saratoga, CA, United States of America

Haojiang Li