Lam Research Corporation

Prabhakara Gopaladasu

Michael Goss

Bhaskar Nagabhirava

Peng Wang

Adarsh Basavalingappa

Sean S Kang

Stefan Schmitz

Randolph F Knarr

Tom K Choi

Taejoon Han

Bi-Ming Yen

Sangjun Cho

Phil Friddle

Eric A Hudson

Shashank C Deshmukh

Zihao Ouyang

Chia-Chun Wang

Sonny Li

A method for selectively etching an etch layer with respect to a mask is provided. An etch process is provided comprising a plurality of etch cycles, wherein each etch cycle comprises providing a deposition phase and an etch phase. The deposition phase comprises providing a flow of a deposition phase gas, comprising a fluorocarbon or hydrofluorocarbon containing gas and an oxygen containing gas with a fluorocarbon or hydrofluorocarbon to oxygen ratio, providing a RF power, which forms the deposition phase gas into a plasma, and stopping the deposition phase. The etch phase, comprises providing a flow of an etch phase gas, comprising a fluorocarbon or hydrofluorocarbon containing gas and an oxygen containing gas with a fluorocarbon or hydrofluorocarbon to oxygen ratio that is lower than the fluorocarbon or hydrofluorocarbon to oxygen ratio of the deposition phase gas, providing a RF power, and stopping the etch phase.

Method for selectively etching with reduced aspect ratio dependence

A method for etching features into a porous low-k dielectric etch layer is provided. A plurality of cycles is performed in a plasma processing chamber. Each cycle comprises a deposition phase and an activation phase. The deposition phase comprises flowing a deposition gas comprising a fluorocarbon and/or hydrofluorocarbon gas, creating a plasma in the plasma processing chamber using the deposition gas, depositing a fluorocarbon or hydrofluorocarbon containing layer, and stopping the flow of the deposition gas. The activation phase comprises flowing an activation gas comprising a noble gas and a carbon etching additive, creating a plasma in the plasma processing chamber using the activation gas, providing an activation bias in the plasma processing chamber, wherein the activation bias causes the etching of the low-k dielectric layer, with consumption of the fluorocarbon or hydrofluorocarbon containing layer, and stopping the flow of the activation gas.

Porous low-k dielectric etch

A method for selectively etching trenches in a silicon oxide containing layer with an organic planarization layer is provided. Processing the silicon oxide layer comprises a plurality of process cycles, wherein each etch cycle comprises a deposition phase, comprising providing a flow of a deposition phase gas comprising a fluorocarbon or hydrofluorocarbon containing gas with a fluorine to carbon ratio, providing a constant RF power, which forms the deposition phase gas into a plasma, and stopping the deposition phase and an etch phase, comprising providing a flow of an etch phase gas comprising a fluorocarbon or hydrofluorocarbon containing gas with a fluorine to carbon ratio that is higher than the fluorine to carbon ratio of the deposition phase gas, providing a pulsed RF power, which forms the etch phase gas into a plasma, and stopping the etch phase.

Method for selectively etching silicon oxide with respect to an organic mask

A method for etching features in a silicon layer is provided. A hard mask layer is formed over the silicon layer. A photoresist layer is formed over the hard mask layer. The hard mask layer is opened. The photoresist layer is stripped by providing a stripping gas; forming a plasma with the stripping gas by providing a high frequency RF power and a low frequency RF power, wherein the low frequency RF power has a power less than 50 watts; and stopping the stripping gas when the photoresist layer is stripped. The opening the hard mask layer and the stripping the photoresist layer are performed in a same chamber.

In-situ photoresist strip during plasma etching of active hard mask

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Fremont, CA, United States of America

Prabhakara Gopaladasu