Kanto Denka Kogyo Co., Ltd.

Other

Katsuya Fukae

Korehito Kato

Yoshinao Takahashi

Taisuke Yonemura

Yutaka Ohira

Akira Sekiya

Yuki Mitsui

Ginjiro Tomizawa

Takashi Tanioka

Provided are a method of selectively etching a film primarily containing Si, such as polycrystalline silicon (Poly-Si), single crystal silicon (single crystal Si), or amorphous silicon (a-Si) as well as a method for cleaning by removing a Si-based deposited and/or attached matter inside a sample chamber of a film forming apparatus, such as a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) apparatus, without damaging the apparatus interior. By simultaneously introducing a monofluoro interhalogen gas (XF, where X is any of Cl, Br, and I) and nitric oxide (NO) into an etching or a film forming apparatus, followed by thermal excitation, it is possible to selectively and rapidly etch a Si-based film, such as Poly-Si, single crystal Si, or a-Si, while decreasing the etching rate of SiN and/or SiO. It is also possible to perform cleaning by removing a Si-based deposited and/or attached matter inside a film forming apparatus, such as a CVD apparatus, without damaging the apparatus interior.

Dry etching method or dry cleaning method

A method of atomic layer etching a silicon oxide film or a silicon nitride film is provided. Atomic layer etching (ALE) is performed by repeating three steps of (1) hydrogenation step of hydrogenating a surface by irradiating a silicon oxide film or a silicon nitride film with a plasma containing H, (2) acid halide adsorption step of causing chemisorption of an acid halide represented by a formula of Rf&#x2014;COX (Rf is H, F, a substituent consisting of C and F or consisting of C, H, and F, or &#x2014;COX; each X is independently any halogen atom of F, Cl, Br and I) on the surface by reacting the acid halide with the hydrogenated surface through exposure to the acid halide, and (3) etching step of etching a single atomic layer by inducing chemical reactions on the surface of the acid halide-adsorbed silicon oxide film or silicon nitride film through irradiation with a plasma containing a noble gas (at least any one of He, Ar, Ne, Kr, and Xe).

Atomic layer etching using acid halide

The present invention provides processes and equipments for safely and easily preparing an F-containing gas, as well as processes and equipments for surface modification using the F-containing gas prepared. According to the present invention, a gas containing a fluoro compound that is easier to handle than Fis supplied and the fluoro compound is excited and decomposed to convert it into Fgas before surface modification and then used for surface modification. According to the present invention, there is no necessity of providing, storing and transporting a large amount of Fgas in advance because a necessary amount of Fgas is obtained immediately before surface modification. A process for preparing an F-containing gas comprises the steps of exciting at least one fluoro compound in a fluoro compound-containing gas by conferring energy on the fluoro compound-containing gas under reduced pressure; and partially or completely converting the excited fluoro compound-containing gas containing the excited fluoro compound into Funder normal pressure or overpressure.

Processes and equipments for preparing F2-containing gases, as well as process and equipments for modifying the surfaces of articles

The first chamber cleaning gas and the first silicon-containing film-etching gas of the present invention comprise at least one compound selected from the group consisting of FCOF, CF OCOF and CF OCF OCOF, and O in the specific amount, and optionally other gases. The second chamber cleaning gas and the second silicon-containing film-etching gas comprise CF COF, C F COF or CF (COF) and O in specific amounts, and optionally may comprise other gases. The chamber cleaning gases and silicon-containing film etching gases of the present invention have a low global warming potential and hardly generate substances in the exhaust gases such as CF , etc, which are harmful to the environment and have been perceived as contributing to global warming. Therefore, the gases are friendly to the global environment, and have easy handling and excellent exhaust gas treating properties. Further, the chamber cleaning gases of the invention have excellent cleaning rate.

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Shibukawa, Japan

Katsuya Fukae