Hitachi High-tech Corporation

Michael Walker

Masaki Yamada

Takashi Hattori

Hiroto Otake

Catherine King

A method of etching a silicon oxide film with high precision at high selectivity as compared with a silicon nitride film while establishing both of a higher etching rate of the silicon oxide film and a lower etching rate of the silicon nitride film is provided. An etching method according to the present invention is directed to a dry etching method for etching a film structure without using plasma in which an end of a film layer having a silicon oxide film vertically sandwiched between silicon nitride films and laminated and formed in advance on a wafer disposed in a processing chamber forms a side wall of a groove or a hole while a processing gas is supplied into the processing chamber, the method including the steps of: supplying a hydrogen fluoride gas; cooling the wafer to a low temperature of &#x2212;30&#xb0; C. or lower, preferably, to &#x2212;30 to &#x2212;60&#xb0; C.; and etching the silicon oxide film laterally from the end.

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Hillsboro, OR, United States of America

Michael Walker