Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Ming-Chieh Yeh

Po-Tao Chu

Fang-Cheng Chen

Sen-Fu Chen

Ting-Yih Lu

A new method for improving particle level, stability of etch rate, and better etch uniformity by using a dry plasma clean to remove polymer buildup from the upper electrode and walls of an etch chamber after spin-on-glass etchback is described. An etching chamber having a lower electrode, upper electrode, and interior walls is provided. Spin-on-glass etchback is performed within the etching chamber whereby a polymer buildup forms on surfaces of chamber. A dummy wafer is placed into the etching chamber and the polymer buildup within the chamber is removed using a dry plasma cleaning process.

Method of controlling and improving SOG etchback etcher

A plasma etch method for forming a patterned silicon containing dielectric layer within a microelectronics fabrication. There is first provided a plasma reactor chamber. There is then fixed within the plasma reactor chamber a microelectronics fabrication. The microelectronics fabrication comprises: (1) a substrate employed within the microelectronics fabrication; (2) a metal layer formed over the substrate; (3) a silicon containing dielectric layer formed upon the metal layer; and (4) a patterned photoresist layer formed upon the silicon containing dielectric layer. There is then etched through use of a plasma etch method at a first plasma reactor chamber pressure while employing the patterned photoresist layer as a photoresist etch mask layer the silicon containing dielectric layer to form a patterned silicon containing dielectric layer while reaching and etching the metal layer to form an etched metal layer. The plasma etch method employs an etchant gas composition comprising a fluorine containing etchant gas. Finally, there is pumped the plasma reactor chamber to a second plasma reactor chamber pressure lower than the first plasma reactor chamber pressure for a time sufficient to attenuate formation of a metal-fluoropolymer residue layer upon the etched metal layer.

Growing community of inventors

Hsin-Chu County, Taiwan

Ming-Chieh Yeh