Lam Research Corporation

Qing Xu

Zhongkui Tan

Qian Fu

Ying Wu

Hua Xiang

John Stephen Drewery

Alan Jeffrey Miller

Camelia Rusu

Yiting Zhang

Andrew D Bailey, Iii

Jaroslaw Walery Winniczek

Jorge Luque

Frank Lin

Yoko Yamaguchi

Evelio Sevillano

Alex Paterson

Alexander Miller Paterson

Saravanapriyan Sriraman

William Thie

Brian K McMillin

Yoshie Kimura

Seongjun Heo

Yasushi Ishikawa

Lin Zhao

Lin Cui

Juan Valdivia, Iii

Sangjun Park

Wenbing Hu

Jin Hwan Ham

Sang Joon Yoon

Wenchi Liu

Colin Richard Rementer

A method for patterning a stack having a mask with a plurality of mask features is provided. A targeted deposition is provided, wherein the targeted deposition comprises a plurality of cycles, wherein each cycle comprises flowing a precursor to deposit a layer of precursor and targeted curing the layer of precursor, comprising flowing a curing gas, flowing a modification gas, forming a plasma from the curing gas and modification gas, and exposing the layer of precursor to the plasma providing a targeted curing, wherein plasma from the curing gas cures first portions of the layer of precursor and plasma from the modification gas modifies second portions of the layer of precursor, wherein the modification of the second portion reduces curing of the layer of precursor of the second portions of the layer of precursor. The stack is etched through the targeted deposition.

Method for etching features using a targeted deposition for selective passivation

A substrate is disposed on a substrate holder within a process module. The substrate includes a mask material overlying a target material with at least one portion of the target material exposed through an opening in the mask material. A plasma is generated in exposure to the substrate. For a first duration, a bias voltage is applied at the substrate holder at a first bias voltage setting corresponding to a high bias voltage level. For a second duration, after completion of the first duration, a bias voltage is applied at the substrate holder at a second bias voltage setting corresponding to a low bias voltage level. The second bias voltage setting is greater than 0 V. The first and second durations are repeated in an alternating and successive manner for an overall period of time necessary to remove a required amount of the target material exposed on the substrate.

Methods and systems for advanced ion control for etching processes

A method for processing a substrate in a processing chamber, comprising forming a deposition over the substrate is provided. A silicon containing gas is flowed into the processing chamber. A COS containing gas is flowed into the processing chamber. A plasma is formed from the silicon containing gas and the COS containing gas in the processing chamber, wherein the plasma provides the deposition over the substrate.

Silicon-based deposition for semiconductor processing

A substrate is positioned on a substrate support structure within a plasma processing volume of an inductively coupled plasma processing chamber. A first radiofrequency signal is supplied from a first radiofrequency signal generator to a coil disposed outside of the plasma processing volume to generate a plasma in exposure to the substrate. A second radiofrequency signal is supplied from a second radiofrequency signal generator to an electrode within the substrate support structure. The first and second radiofrequency signal generators are controlled independent of each other. The second radiofrequency signal has a frequency greater than or equal to about 27 megaHertz. The second radiofrequency signal generates supplemental plasma density at a level of the substrate within the plasma processing volume while generating a bias voltage of less than about 200 volts at the level of the substrate.

Near-substrate supplemental plasma density generation with low bias voltage within inductively coupled plasma processing chamber

A substrate is disposed on a substrate holder within a process module. The substrate includes a mask material overlying a target material with at least one portion of the target material exposed through an opening in the mask material. A bi-modal process gas composition is supplied to a plasma generation region overlying the substrate. For a first period of time, a first radiofrequency power is applied to the bi-modal process gas composition to generate a plasma to cause etching-dominant effects on the substrate. For a second period of time, after completion of the first period of time, a second radiofrequency power is applied to the bi-modal process gas composition to generate the plasma to cause deposition-dominant effects on the substrate. The first and second radiofrequency powers are applied in an alternating and successive manner for an overall period of time to remove a required amount of exposed target material.

Methods and systems for plasma etching using bi-modal process gas composition responsive to plasma power level

A method for ion-assisted etching a stack of alternating silicon oxide and silicon nitride layers in an etch chamber is provided. An etch gas comprising a fluorine component, helium, and a fluorohydrocarbon or hydrocarbon is flowed into the etch chamber. The gas is formed into an in-situ plasma in the etch chamber. A bias of about 10 to about 100 volts is provided to accelerate helium ions to the stack and activate a surface of the stack to form an activated surface for ion-assisted etching, wherein the in-situ plasma etches the activated surface of the stack.

Silicon oxide silicon nitride stack ion-assisted etch

Methods and apparatus for etching substrates using self-limiting reactions based on removal energy thresholds determined by evaluating the material to be etched and the chemistries used to etch the material involve flow of continuous plasma. Process conditions permit controlled, self-limiting anisotropic etching without alternating between chemistries used to etch material on a substrate. A well-controlled etch front allows a synergistic effect of reactive radicals and inert ions to perform the etching, such that material is etched when the substrate is modified by reactive radicals and removed by inert ions, but not etched when material is modified by reactive radicals but no inert ions are present, or when inert ions are present but material is not modified by reactive radicals.

Atomic layer etching in continuous plasma

Systems and methods for processing a semiconductor wafer includes a plasma processing chamber. The plasma processing chamber includes an exterior, an interior region with a wafer receiving mechanism and a viewport disposed on a sidewall of the plasma processing chamber providing visual access from the exterior to the wafer received on the wafer receiving mechanism. A camera is mounted to the viewport of the plasma processing chamber on the exterior and coupled to an image processor. The image processor includes pattern recognition logic to match images of emerging pattern captured and transmitted by the camera, to a reference pattern and to generate signal defining an endpoint when a match is detected. A system process controller coupled to the image processor and the plasma processing chamber receives the signal from the image processor and adjusts controls of one or more resources to stop the etching operation.

Methods for detecting endpoint for through-silicon via reveal applications

A photon-assisted plasma processing method for processing a substrate with a process layer is provided. A process gas is flowed into the chamber. The process gas is formed into a plasma. The process layer is exposed to the plasma. The process layer is illuminated with a light with a wavelength of between 200 nm and 1 micron, while exposing the substrate to the plasma.

Line edge roughness improvement with photon-assisted plasma process

A method for reducing sidewall roughness in an etch layer below a first mask with sidewall roughness in a processing chamber is provided. Sidewalls of the first mask are smoothed, comprising, flowing a processing gas into the processing chamber and forming the processing gas into an in situ plasma in the processing chamber with sufficient energy to sputter and smooth sidewall roughness of the first patterned mask. The etch layer is etched through the first patterned mask.

Line edge roughness improvement with sidewall sputtering

For a first period of time, a higher radiofrequency power is applied to generate a plasma in exposure to a substrate, while applying low bias voltage at the substrate level. For a second period of time, a lower radiofrequency power is applied to generate the plasma, while applying high bias voltage at the substrate level. The first and second periods of time are repeated in an alternating and successive manner for an overall period of time necessary to produce a desired effect on the substrate. In some embodiments, the first period of time is shorter than the second period of time such that on a time-averaged basis the plasma has a greater ion density than radical density. In some embodiments, the first period of time is greater than the second period of time such that on a time-averaged basis the plasma has a lower ion density than radical density.

Methods and systems for independent control of radical density, ion density, and ion energy in pulsed plasma semiconductor device fabrication

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Fremont, CA, United States of America

Qing Xu