Applied Materials, Inc.

Nancy Fung

Abhijit Basu Mallick

Pramit Manna

Eswaranand Venkatasubramanian

Ho-yung David Hwang

Takehito Koshizawa

Larry Gao

Chi-I Lang

Samuel E Gottheim

Tejinder Singh

Gabriela Alva

Shahid Rauf

Ajit Balakrishna

Martin Jeffrey Salinas

Imad Yousif

Walter R Merry

Gene S Lee

Ying Rui

Anchel Sheyner

Srinivas D Nemani

Thomas E Nowak

Sean S Kang

David T Or

Qingjun Zhou

Eller Y Juco

Andrzej Kaszuba

Jeremiah T Pender

Sergey G Belostotskiy

Priyadarshi Panda

Inna Shmurun

Shan Jiang

Akhil Mehrotra

Hailong Zhou

Zohreh Hesabi

Abhijit Patil

Chinh Dinh

Soovo Sen

Jonathan C Shaw

Chi Lu

Lina Zhu

Onintza Ros Bengoechea

Brian Hopper

Yongchang Dong

Somaye Rasouli

Disclosed herein is a method for forming metal-oxides in the photoresist to improve profile control. The method includes infiltrating a metal oxide in a photoresist layer by pressurizing a methyl-containing material in a processing environment proximate a film stack. The film stack includes the photoresist layer, the photoresist layer being disposed on top of and in contact with an underlayer. The underlayer disposed on top of a substrate. The method includes etching the film stack including the photoresist layer implanted with the metal oxide.

Method of metal oxide infiltration into photoresist

A system and method for patterning a material layer on a substrate includes forming a hard mask layer on a material layer disposed on a substrate, and etching the material layer through the hard mask layer by simultaneously supplying an etching gas mixture and an oxygen containing gas. The etching gas mixture is supplied continuously and the oxygen containing gas is pulsed.

Methods for etching structures with oxygen pulsing

Embodiments disclosed within include a method for etching a hardmask layer includes forming a photoresist layer comprising an organometallic material on a hardmask layer comprising a metal-containing material, exposing the photoresist layer to ultraviolet radiation through a mask having a selected pattern, removing un-irradiated areas of the photoresist layer to pattern the photoresist layer, forming a passivation layer comprising a carbon-containing material selectively on a top surface of the patterned photoresist layer, including selectively depositing passivation material over a top surface of a patterned photoresist layer trimming undesired portions of the passivation material, and etching the hardmask layer exposed by the patterned photoresist layer having the passivation layer formed thereon.

Selective deposition of carbon on photoresist layer for lithography applications

A method for etching a hardmask layer includes forming a photoresist layer comprising an organometallic material on a hardmask layer comprising a metal-containing material, exposing the photoresist layer to ultraviolet radiation through a mask having a selected pattern, removing un-irradiated areas of the photoresist layer to pattern the photoresist layer, forming a passivation layer comprising a carbon-containing material selectively on a top surface of the patterned photoresist layer, and etching the hardmask layer exposed by the patterned photoresist layer having the passivation layer formed thereon.

A method for patterning a material layer on a substrate includes forming a hard mask layer on a material layer disposed on a substrate, the material layer comprising a plurality of first layers and a plurality of second layers alternately formed over the substrate, performing a first etch process to form features in the material layer through the hard mask layer by supplying a first etching gas, and performing a second etch process to smooth sidewalls of the features formed in the material layer by suppling a second etching gas. The first etching gas is supplied continuously and the second etching gas is pulsed.

Methods for etching structures and smoothing sidewalls

A method of patterning a substrate is provided. The method includes modifying a surface of a metal-containing layer formed over a substrate positioned in a processing region of a processing chamber by exposing the surface of the metal-containing layer to plasma effluents of a chlorine-containing gas precursor and an oxygen-containing gas precursor to form a modified surface of the metal-containing layer. The method further includes directing plasma effluents of an inert gas precursor towards the modified surface of the metal-containing layer. The plasma effluents of the inert gas precursor are directed by applying a bias voltage to a substrate support holding the substrate. The method further includes anisotropically etching the modified surface of the metal-containing layer with the plasma effluents of the inert gas precursor to form a first recess having a first sidewall in the metal-containing layer.

Selective anisotropic metal etch

Apparatuses and methods to provide a patterned substrate are described. A plurality of patterned and spaced first lines and carbon material lines and formed on the substrate surface by selectively depositing and etching films extending in a first direction and films extending in a second direction that crosses the first direction to pattern the underlying structures.

Multicolor approach to DRAM STI active cut patterning

A method for patterning a material layer on a substrate includes forming a hard mask layer on a material layer disposed on a substrate, and etching the material layer through the hard mask layer by simultaneously supplying an etching gas mixture and an oxygen containing gas. The etching gas mixture is supplied continuously and the oxygen containing gas is pulsed.

Methods and film stacks for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography are described. The film stack comprises a substrate with a hard mask, bottom layer, middle layer and photoresist. Etching of the photoresist is highly selective to the middle layer and a modification of the middle layer allows for a highly selective etch relative to the bottom layer.

Patterning scheme to improve EUV resist and hard mask selectivity

A method of fabricating a semiconductor structure is described. The method comprises forming at least one mandrel on a substrate, the at least one mandrel comprising a diamond-like carbon and having a top and two opposing sidewalls, the diamond-like carbon comprising at least 40% sphybridized carbon atoms. The mandrel may be used in Self-Aligned Multiple Patterning (SAMP) processes.

Diamond-like carbon as mandrel

A method of etching a hardmask layer formed on a substrate is provided. The method includes supplying an etching gas mixture to a processing region of a processing chamber. A device is disposed in the processing region when the etching gas mixture is supplied to the processing region. The device comprises a substrate and a hardmask layer formed over the substrate. The etching gas mixture comprises a fluorine-containing gas, a silicon-containing gas, and an oxygen-containing gas. The method further includes providing RF power to the etching gas mixture to form a plasma in the processing region. The plasma is configured to etch exposed portions of the hardmask layer.

Method of etching hardmasks containing high hardness materials

Exemplary methods for selectively removing silicon nitride may include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor, and oxygen-containing precursor and a silicon-containing precursor into a local plasma to form plasma effluents. The plasma effluents may remove silicon nitride at significantly higher etch rates compared to exposed silicon oxide on the substrate. The methods may also remove silicon nitride more rapidly that silicon carbide and silicon oxycarbide which broadens the utility of the present technology to semiconductor applications.

Silicon addition for silicon nitride etching selectivity

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Livermore, CA, United States of America

Nancy Fung