Applied Materials, Inc.

Other

Scott M Williams

Wei Liu

Xikun Wang

David S Mui

Andrew Nguyen

Li Zhang

Shaoher X Pan

James S Papanu

Meihua Shen

James P Cruse

Jared Ahmad Lee

Matthew Fenton Davis

Mark Naoshi Kawaguchi

Benjamin Schwarz

Zhuang Li

Stephen Yuen

Adauto Diaz, Jr

Eu Jin Lim

Xiaoliang Zhuang

Guangxiang Jin

Uwe Leucke

Methods for removing halogen-containing residues from a substrate are provided. By combining the heat-up and plasma abatement steps, the manufacturing throughput can be improved. Further, by appropriately controlling the pressure in the abatement chamber, the removal efficiency can be improved as well.

Method for removing halogen-containing residues from substrate

Methods for reducing the contamination of a gas distribution plate are provided. In one embodiment, a method for processing a substrate includes transferring the substrate into a chamber, performing a treating process on the substrate, and providing a purge gas into the chamber before or after the treating process to pump out a residue gas relative to the treating process from the chamber. The treating process includes distributing a reactant gas into the chamber through a gas distribution plate.

Method extending the service interval of a gas distribution plate

The invention provides for a method and integrated system for removing a halogen-containing residue from a substrate comprising etching the substrate, heating the substrate and exposing the heated substrate to a plasma that removes the halogen-containing residue.

Method for removing a halogen-containing residue

Method and apparatus for removing a halogen-containing residue

Methods for forming anisotropic features for high aspect ratio application in etch process are provided in the present invention. The methods described herein advantageously facilitates profile and dimension control of features with high aspect ratios through a sidewall passivation management scheme. In one embodiment, sidewall passivations are managed by selectively forming an oxidation passivation layer on the sidewall and/or bottom of etched layers. In another embodiment, sidewall passivation is managed by periodically clearing the overburden redeposition layer to preserve an even and uniform passivation layer thereon. The even and uniform passivation allows the features with high aspect ratios to be incrementally etched in a manner that pertains a desired depth and vertical profile of critical dimension in both high and low feature density regions on the substrate without generating defects and/or overetching the underneath layers.

Etch methods to form anisotropic features for high aspect ratio applications

A process for etching a substrate and removing etch residue deposited on the surfaces in the etching chamber has two stages. In the first stage, an energized first process gas is provided in the chamber, and in the second stage, an energized second process gas is provided in the chamber. The energized first process gas comprises SF and Ar, the volumetric flow ratio of SF to other components of the first process gas being from about 5:1 to about 1:10. The energized second process gas comprises CF and Ar, the volumetric flow ratio of CF to other components of the second process gas being from about 1:0 to about 1:10.

Two-stage etching process

A method for processing a silicon substrate disposed in a substrate process chamber includes transferring the substrate into the substrate process chamber. The substrate having a hard mask formed thereon and a patterned photoresist overlying the hard mask to expose portions of the hard mask. The chamber being the type having a source power system and a bias power system. The method further includes etching the exposed portions of the hard mask to expose portions of the silicon substrate underlying the hard mask. Thereafter, the patterned photoresist is exposed to a first plasma formed from a first process gas to remove the photoresist from the hard mask. Thereafter, the exposed silicon substrate is etched by exposing the substrate to a second plasma formed from a second process gas by applying RF energy from the source power system and biasing the plasma toward the substrate. The substrate is transferred out of the substrate processing chamber.

Integrated shallow trench isolation approach

A nitride etch process particularly useful when integrated with a silicon trench etch needing a sloping silicon surface adjacent to the interface between the silicon and an oxide layer intermediate the silicon and nitride. The nitride etch process is a plasma process having an etching gas mixture of sulfur hexafluoride (SF ) and trifluoromethane (CHF ) although nitrogen or oxygen may be added for additional controls. The trifluoromethane is believed to create a polymer passivation on the sidewalls of the hole being etched which, when the etch reaches the oxide-silicon interface, protects the interface and underlying silicon. The nitride etch may proceed through the oxide or a separate fluorocarbon-based oxide etching step may be performed before a bromine-based etch of the silicon starts.

Nitride open etch process based on trifluoromethane and sulfur hexafluoride

A method for processing a substrate disposed in a substrate process chamber having a source power includes transferring the substrate into the substrate process chamber. A trench is etched on the substrate by exposing the substrate to a plasma formed from a first etchant gas by applying RF energy from the source power system and biasing the plasma toward the substrate. Byproducts adhering to inner surfaces of the substrate process chamber are removed by igniting a plasma formed from a second etchant gas including a halogen source in the substrate process chamber without applying bias power or applying minimal bias power. Thereafter, the substrate is removed from the chamber. At least 100 more substrates are processed with the etching-a-trench step and removing-etch-byproducts step before performing a dry clean or wet clean operation on the chamber.

Integration of silicon etch and chamber cleaning processes

A process for etching a substrate in an etching chamber and simultaneously removing etch residue deposited on the surfaces of the walls and components of the etching chamber In one version, a two-stage method of opening a nitride mask layer on the substrate includes a first stage of providing a highly chemically reactive process gas in the chamber to etch the nitride layer and/or an underlying oxide layer and a second stage of providing a less chemically reactive process gas in the chamber to etch the nitride layer and/or the oxide layer at a slower rate than the first stage. The first and second stage process gases may each comprise a fluorine containing gas, with the fluorine ratio of the first gas higher than the fluorine ratio of the second gas.

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Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Scott M Williams