International Business Machines Corporation

James R Kitcher

Gunars M Ozols

Bryant N Zingerman

Thomas Adam Bartush

George T Chiu

Garth A Brooks

The planarization of structures having vertical interconnection studs embedded in an insulator layer utilizing a resist layer with dry etching in a CF.sub.4 ambient for equal etching of resist and the insulation to planarize the insulation, followed by dry etching in essentially a noble gas (argon) ambient for equal etching of the insulator layer and stud metal to desired planarization.

Planarization of multi-level interconnected metallization system

Chromium is etched in a glow discharge without attack on Al/Cu, Si, SiO.sub.2, and Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 layers by etching in a low pressure ambient atmosphere containing a polychlorinated organic compound such as CCl.sub.4, water, and a material selected from the group consisting of the noble gases and oxygen.

Glow discharge etching process for chromium

Metal layers, for example; chromium and titanium-tungsten, used in conductive metallurgies as adhesion or barrier layers for integrated circuit devices which are formed in silicon semiconductor substrates, are selectively etched without significant attack on either the silicon substrate or aluminum conductor layers. The metal layers are exposed to a glow discharge formed by imposing an RF voltage across two spaced electrodes in an ambient atmosphere comprising a gaseous mixture of from about 5 to about 20 percent by volume of a polychlorinated organic compound containing one to two carbon atoms, for example, CCl.sub.4 or C.sub.2 HCl.sub.3 and about 80 to about 95 percent by volume of oxygen at a pressure in the range of about 5 to 50 milli-torr.

Reactive ion etching process for metals

In an electron beam lithography process, shapes are formed which differ from the beam spot size and the grid by employing multiple overlapping exposures having a reduced exposure level.

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Poughkeepsie, NY, United States of America

James R Kitcher