Lam Research Corporation

Helen H Zhu

S M Reza Sadjadi

Peter K Loewenhardt

Joon Hong Park

Rao Annapragada

James R Bowers

Dengliang Yang

David R Pirkle

Linda N Marquez

Siyi Li

William Frederick Bosch

Pilyeon Park

Michael Goss

Thomas S Choi

Si Yi Li

Faisal Yaqoob

Howard Dang

Syed A Haider

Hanzhong Xiao

George Matamis

Ivan L Berry, Iii

Lumin Li

James V Tietz

Reza Sadjadi

Joydeep Guha

Ivelin A Angelov

Peter Cirigliano

Thomas D Nguyen

Ian J Morey

Ji Soo Kim

George A Mueller

Bayu Thedjoisworo

Eric D Wagganer

Daniel Le

Yu Cheng

Kuo-Lung Tang

Bryan A Helmer

Andrew S Li

Vinay V Phoray

Wayne Babie

Roger F Lindquist

Brad Jacobs

A method for selectively etching a silicon nitride layer on a substrate includes arranging a substrate on a substrate support of a substrate processing chamber. The substrate processing chamber includes an upper chamber region, an inductive coil arranged outside of the upper chamber region, a lower chamber region including the substrate support and a gas dispersion device. The gas dispersion device includes a plurality of holes in fluid communication with the upper chamber region and the lower chamber region. The method includes supplying an etch gas mixture to the upper chamber region and striking inductively coupled plasma in the upper chamber region by supplying power to the inductive coil. The etch gas mixture etches silicon nitride, promotes silicon dioxide passivation and promotes polysilicon passivation. The method includes selectively etching the silicon nitride layer on the substrate and extinguishing the inductively coupled plasma after a predetermined period.

Systems and methods for ultrahigh selective nitride etch

Methods of selectively etching silicon nitride on a semiconductor substrate by providing silicon to the plasma to achieve high etch selectivity of silicon nitride to silicon-containing materials are provided. Methods involve providing silicon from a solid or fluidic silicon source or both. A solid silicon source may be upstream of a substrate, such as at or near a showerhead of a process chamber, or in a remote plasma generator. A silicon gas source may be flowed to the plasma during etch.

Method for achieving ultra-high selectivity while etching silicon nitride

A method for selectively etching a tungsten layer on a substrate includes arranging a substrate including a tungsten layer on a substrate support. The substrate processing chamber includes an upper chamber region, an inductive coil arranged outside of the upper chamber region, a lower chamber region including the substrate support and a gas dispersion device arranged between the upper and lower chamber regions. The gas dispersion device includes a plurality of holes in fluid communication with the upper and lower chamber regions. The method further includes controlling pressure in the substrate processing chamber in a range from 0.4 Torr to 10 Torr; supplying an etch gas mixture including fluorine-based gas to the upper chamber region; striking inductively coupled plasma in the upper chamber region by supplying power to the inductive coil; and selectively etching the tungsten layer relative to at least one other film material of the substrate.

Systems and methods for selectively etching tungsten in a downstream reactor

Method and apparatus for cleaning a substrate having a plurality of high-aspect ratio openings are disclosed. A substrate can be provided in a plasma processing chamber, where the substrate includes the plurality of high-aspect ratio openings, the plurality of high-aspect ratio openings are defined by vertical structures having alternating layers of oxide and nitride or alternating layers of oxide and polysilicon. The substrate can include a silicon oxide layer over a damaged or amorphous silicon layer in the high-aspect ratio openings. To remove the silicon oxide layer, a bias power can be applied in the plasma processing chamber at a low pressure, and a fluorine-based species can be used to etch the silicon oxide layer. To remove the underlying damaged or amorphous silicon layer, a source power and a bias power can be applied in the plasma processing chamber, and a hydrogen-based species can be used to etch the damaged or amorphous silicon layer.

Contact clean in high-aspect ratio structures

An etch layer underlying a patterned photoresist mask is provided. A plurality of sidewall forming processes are performed. Each sidewall forming process comprises depositing a protective layer on the patterned photoresist mask by performing multiple cyclical depositions. Each cyclical deposition involves at least a depositing phase for depositing a deposition layer over surfaces of the patterned photoresist mask and a profile shaping phase for shaping vertical surfaces in the deposition layer. Each sidewall forming process further comprises a breakthrough etch for selectively etching horizontal surfaces of the protective layer with respect to vertical surfaces of the protective layer. Afterwards, the etch layer is etched to form a feature having a critical dimension that is less than the critical dimension of the features in the patterned photoresist mask.

Sidewall forming processes

A method of forming a feature in a low-k dielectric layer is provided. A low-k dielectric layer is placed over a substrate. A patterned photoresist mask is placed over the low-k dielectric layer. At least one feature is etched into the low-k dielectric layer. A CO conditioning is preformed on the at least one feature after the at least one feature is etched. The patterned photoresist mask is stripped after the CO conditioning.

Preventing damage to low-k materials during resist stripping

A semiconductor manufacturing process wherein a low-k dielectric layer is plasma etched with selectivity to an overlying mask layer. The etchant gas can be oxygen-free and include a fluorocarbon reactant, a nitrogen reactant and an optional carrier gas, the fluorocarbon reactant and nitrogen reactant being supplied to a chamber of a plasma etch reactor at flow rates such that the fluorocarbon reactant flow rate is less than the nitrogen reactant flow rate. The etch rate of the low-k dielectric layer can be at least 5 times higher than that of a silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride or silicon carbide mask layer. The process is useful for etching 0.25 micron and smaller contact or via openings in forming structures such as damascene structures.

Method of plasma etching low-k dielectric materials

A two-step process is disclosed for stripping photoresist material from a substrate, wherein the substrate includes a low k dielectric material underlying the photoresist material and a polymer film overlying both the photoresist material and the low k dielectric material. The first step of the two-step process uses an oxygen plasma to remove the polymer film. The second step of the two-step process uses an ammonia plasma to remove the photoresist material, wherein the second step commences after completion of the first step. Each step of the two-step photoresist stripping process is respectively defined by particular values for process parameters including chemistry, temperature, pressure, gas flow rate, radio frequency power and frequency, and duration.

Method for resist strip in presence of regular low k and/or porous low k dielectric materials

A method of stripping an integrated circuit (IC) structure having a photoresist material and an organosilicate glass (OSG) material is described. The method comprises feeding a nitrous oxide (NO) gas into a reactor, generating a plasma in the reactor and stripping the photoresist. The stripping process provides a high selectivity between the photoresist and the OSG material.

Nitrous oxide stripping process for organosilicate glass

A method of etching a barrier layer in an integrated circuit (IC) wherein said barrier layer is composed of silicon nitride or silicon carbide. The method comprises receiving an etched IC structure having an exposed barrier layer. The method then proceeds to apply an etchant gas mixture comprising a nitrous oxide (NO) gas and a fluoromethane (CHF) gas. The etchant gas mixture provides a relatively high selectivity between the barrier layer to an adjacent dielectric layer.

Selective oxygen-free etching process for barrier materials

A method for etching a feature in a layer is provided. An underlayer of a polymer material is formed over the layer. A top image layer is formed over the underlayer. The top image layer is exposed to patterned radiation. A pattern is developed in the top image layer. The pattern is transferred from the top image layer to the underlayer with a reducing dry etch. The layer is etched through the underlayer, where the top image layer is completely removed and the underlayer is used as a pattern mask during the etching the layer to transfer the pattern from the underlayer to the layer.

Method providing an improved bi-layer photoresist pattern

A semiconductor manufacturing process wherein silicon nitride is plasma etched with selectivity to an overlying and/or underlying dielectric layer such as a silicon oxide or low-k material. The etchant gas includes a fluorocarbon reactant and an oxygen reactant, the ratio of the flow rate of the oxygen reactant to that of the fluorocarbon reactant being no greater than 1.5. The etch rate of the silicon nitride can be at least 5 times higher than that of the oxide. Using a combination of CHF and Owith optional carrier gasses such as Ar and/or N, it is possible to obtain nitride:oxide etch rate selectivities of over 40:1. The process is useful for simultaneously removing silicon nitride in 0.25 micron and smaller contact or via openings and wide trenches in forming structures such as damascene and self-aligned structures.

Method of plasma etching silicon nitride

A method for etching a trench to a trench depth in a dielectric layer over a substrate is provided. An ARC is applied over the dielectric layer. A photoresist mask is formed on the ARC, where the photoresist mask has a thickness. The ARC is etched through. A trench is etched into the dielectric layer with a dielectric to photoresist etch selectivity between 1:1 and 2:1.

Line edge roughness reduction for trench etch

In a plasma processing system, a method of minimizing the differences in an etch rate of a photo resist material in different regions of a substrate is disclosed. The method includes introducing the substrate having in sequential order thereon, an underlying layer and the photo-resist layer. The method also includes flowing the etchant gas mixture into a plasma reactor of the plasma processing system, the etchant gas mixture comprising a flow of a fluorine containing gas between about 0.1% and about 10% of the etchant gas mixture. The method further includes striking a plasma from the gas mixture; etching the photo-resist layer with the plasma; and, removing the substrate from the plasma reactor.

Methods and apparatus for the optimization of photo resist etching in a plasma processing system

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Fremont, CA, United States of America

Helen H Zhu