Lam Research Corporation

Applied Materials, Inc.

Kenji Takeshita

Tuqiang Q Ni

Eric A Hudson

Bi-Ming Yen

Peter K Loewenhardt

Sean S Kang

Di Wu

Dean Jay Larson

Tom K Choi

Frank Lin

Stephen M Sirard

Babak Kadkhodayan

William M Denty, Jr

Robert C Hefty

Odette Turmel

Xingcai Su

Rajinder Dhindsa

Felix Leib Kozakevich

Rao Annapragada

Thomas S Choi

Mayumi Block

Seiji Kawaguchi

Li-Qun Xia

Andrew D Bailey, Iii

Alexei Marakhtanov

Andreas Fischer

Hitoshi Takahashi

Mandyam Sriram

Mukund Srinivasan

Olivier Luere

Gerardo Delgadino

Brian K McMillin

Daisuke Shimizu

Bing Ji

David Wei

Wenli Z Collison

David R Pirkle

Enrico Magni

Wan-Lin Chen

Hailong Zhou

Li Ling

Youn-Jin Oh

Daniel Le

Maryam Moravej

Tsuyoshi Aso

Lily Zheng

Howard Dang

Yu Cheng

Michael Kelly

Michelle Lupan

Mengnan Zou

Jungmin Ko

Masahiro Watanabe

Nobuhiro Sakamoto

Thomas McClard

Yoshihiro Takenaga

Taehwan Lee

Iljo Kwak

Hikaru Watanabe

Zihao Ding

Sanghyuk Choi

Frank Y Lin

Wenli Collison

Methods and apparatus for etching a substrate in a plasma etch chamber are provided. In one example, the method includes exposing a substrate disposed on a substrate supporting surface of a substrate support to a plasma within a processing chamber, and applying a voltage waveform to an electrode disposed in the substrate support while the substrate is exposed to the plasma during a plurality of macro etch cycles. Each macro etch cycle includes a first macro etch period and a second macro etch period. The macro etch period includes a plurality of micro etch cycles. Each micro etch cycle has a bias power on (BPON) period and a bias power off (BPOFF) period, wherein a duration of the BPON period being less than a duration of the BPOFF period. Bias power is predominantly not applied to the electrode during the second macro etch period.

Method and apparatus for etching a semiconductor substrate in a plasma etch chamber

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a method for etching a film stack with high selectivity and low etch recipe transition periods. In one embodiment, a method for etching a film stack having stacked pairs of oxide and nitride layers is described. The method includes transferring a substrate having a film stack formed thereon into a processing chamber, providing a first bias voltage to the substrate, etching an oxide layer of the film stack while providing the first bias voltage to the substrate, providing a second bias voltage to the substrate, the second bias voltage greater than the first bias voltage, and etching a nitride layer of the film stack while providing the second bias voltage to the substrate.

Bias voltage modulation approach for SiO/SiN layer alternating etch process

Embodiments of this disclosure include a method of processing a substrate that includes etching a first dielectric material formed on a substrate that is disposed on a substrate supporting surface of a substrate support assembly disposed within a processing region of a plasma processing chamber. The etching process may include delivering a process gas to the processing region, wherein the process gas comprises a first fluorocarbon containing gas and a first process gas, delivering, by use of a radio frequency generator, a radio frequency signal to a first electrode to form a plasma in the processing region, and establishing, by use of a first pulsed-voltage waveform generator, a first pulsed voltage waveform at a biasing electrode disposed within the substrate support assembly. The first pulsed voltage waveform comprises a series of repeating pulsed waveform cycles that each include a first portion that occurs during a first time interval, a second portion that occurs during a second time interval, and a peak-to-peak voltage. The pulsed voltage waveform is substantially constant during at least a portion of the second time interval.

Method of enhancing etching selectivity using a pulsed plasma

Methods for self-aligned multiple patterning including controlled slimming of features during spacer layer deposition. Multiple spacer layer deposition process conditions produce a balance between controlling the damage to the features and increasing production throughput.

Precise critical dimension control using bilayer ALD

A method for etching features in an etch layer is provided. An organic mask layer is etched, using a hard mask as an etch mask. The hard mask is removed, by selectively etching the hard mask with respect to the organic mask and etch layer. Features are etched in the etch layer, using the organic mask as an etch mask.

Prevention of line bending and tilting for etch with tri-layer mask

Broadly speaking, the embodiments of the present invention provide an improved chamber cleaning mechanism. The present invention can also be used to provide additional knobs to tune the etch processes. In one embodiment, a plasma processing chamber configured to generate a plasma includes a bottom electrode assembly with an bottom electrode, wherein the bottom electrode is configured to receive a substrate. The plasma processing chamber includes a top electrode assembly with a top electrode and an inductive coil surrounding the top electrode. The inductive coil is configured to convert a gas into a plasma within a region defined within the chamber, wherein the region is outside an area defined above a top surface of the bottom electrode.

Integrated capacitive and inductive power sources for a plasma etching chamber

Etching a layer over a substrate is provided. The substrate is placed in a plasma processing chamber. A first gas is provided to an inner zone within the plasma processing chamber. A second gas is provided to the outer zone within the plasma processing chamber, where the outer zone surrounds the inner zone and the first gas is different than the second gas. Plasmas are simultaneously generated from the first gas and second gas. The layer is etched, where the layer is etched by the plasmas from the first gas and second gas.

Uniform etch system

A method for etching features in a low-k dielectric layer disposed below an organic mask is provided by an embodiment of the invention. Features are etched into the low-k dielectric layer through the organic mask. A fluorocarbon layer is deposited on the low-k dielectric layer. The fluorocarbon layer is cured. The organic mask is stripped.

Method for low-K dielectric etch with reduced damage

A method in a plasma processing system for etching a feature through a given layer on a semiconductor substrate. The method includes placing the substrate in a plasma processing chamber of the plasma processing system. The method also includes flowing an etchant gas mixture into the plasma processing chamber, the etchant gas mixture being configured to etch the given layer. The method additionally includes striking a plasma from the etchant source gas. Furthermore, the method includes etching the feature at least partially through the given layer while applying a bias RF signal to the substrate, the bias RF signal having a bias RF frequency of between about 45 MHz and about 75 MHz. The bias RF signal further has a bias RF power component that is configured to cause the etch feature to be etched with an etch selectivity to a second layer of the substrate that is higher than a predefined selectivity threshold.

Selectivity control in a plasma processing system

A method of removing carbon doped silicon oxide between metal contacts is provided. A layer of the carbon doped silicon oxide is converted to a layer of silicon oxide by removing the carbon dopant. The converted layer of silicon oxide is selectively wet etched with respect to the carbon doped silicon oxide and the metal contacts, which forms recess between the metal contacts.

Method for dielectric material removal between conductive lines

A method of dechucking a wafer, with a low-k dielectric layer, held onto an electrostatic chuck by an electrostatic charge in a plasma chamber is provided. The electrostatic clamping voltage is removed. An essentially argon free dechucking gas is provided into the plasma chamber. A dechucking plasma is formed from the dechucking gas in the plasma chamber. The dechucking plasma is stopped.

Wafer electrical discharge control using argon free dechucking gas

A method for removing organic material over a substrate is provided. The substrate is placed in a plasma processing chamber. A first gas is provided to an inner zone within the plasma processing chamber. A second gas is provided to an outer zone of the plasma processing chamber, wherein the outer zone surrounds the inner zone and the second gas has a carbon containing component, wherein a concentration of the carbon containing component of the second gas is greater than a concentration of the carbon containing component in the first gas. Plasmas are simultaneously generated from the first gas and second gas. Some or all of the organic material is removed using the generated plasmas.

Method for providing uniform removal of organic material

A method in a plasma processing system for etching a feature through a dielectric layer of a dual damascene stack on a semiconductor substrate is disclosed. The method includes placing the substrate in a plasma processing chamber of the plasma processing system. The method further includes flowing an etchant gas mixture into the plasma processing chamber, the etchant gas mixture being configured to etch the dielectric layer. The method additionally includes striking a plasma from the etchant source gas. The method also includes etching the feature through the dielectric layer while applying a bias RF signal to the substrate, the bias RF signal having a bias RF frequency of between about 27 MHz and about 90 MHz. The bias RF signal further has a bias RF power component that is configured to cause the feature to be etched in accordance to predefined etch rate parameters and etch profile parameters at the bias RF frequency.

Methods for the optimization of ion energy control in a plasma processing system

Method for selectivity control in a plasma processing system

Growing community of inventors

Fremont, CA, United States of America

Kenji Takeshita