Lam Research Corporation

Seokmin Yun

Mark Henry Wilcoxson

Ji Zhu

John M deLarios

John Boyd

John Martin De Larios

Fritz C Redeker

Eric A Hudson

Peter K Loewenhardt

Katrina Mikhaylichenko

John M Boyd

Dragan Valentin Podlesnik

Mark Naoshi Kawaguchi

James V Tietz

Reza Sadjadi

Sangheon Lee

Peter Cirigliano

David S L Mui

Shrikant Lohokare

Thomas S Choi

Amir A Yasseri

Shuogang Huang

Stephan Hoffmann

Yizhak Sabba

Seong Hwan Cho

Mark Wilcosson

Mark Merrill

Zhimin Wan

Methods and apparatuses for providing an anisotropic ion beam for etching and treatment of substrate are discussed. In one embodiment, a system for processing a substrate includes a chamber, a chuck assembly, an ion source, and a grid system. The ion source includes grid system interfaces both the chamber and the ion source and includes a plurality of holes through which ions are extracted from the ion source to form an ion beam. The grid system is oriented so the ion beam is directed into the chamber toward the substrate support, and the array of holes of the grid system is defined vertically by a y-axis and horizontally by an x-axis, The array of holes is defined by hole densities that vary vertically in the y-axis such that the ion beam is caused to have an energy density gradient that is defined vertically in the y-axis.

Method and apparatus for anisotropic pattern etching and treatment

A method and system for cleaning a surface of a substrate after an etching operation includes determining a plurality of process parameters associated with the surface of the substrate. A plurality of application chemistries are identified based on the process parameters. The plurality of application chemistries includes a first application chemistry as an emulsion having a first immiscible liquid combined with a second immiscible liquid and solid particles distributed within the first immiscible liquid. The plurality of application chemistries including the first application chemistry are applied to the surface of the substrate such that the combined chemistries enhance the cleaning process by substantially removing the particulate and polymer residue contaminants from the surface of the substrate while preserving the characteristics of the features and of the low-k dielectric material through which the features are formed.

Method of dielectric film treatment

Apparatus and methods for removing particle contaminants from a surface of a substrate includes coating a layer of a viscoelastic material on the surface. The viscoelastic material is coated as a thin film and exhibits substantial liquid-like characteristic. An external force is applied to a first area of the surface coated with the viscoelastic material such that a second area of the surface coated with the viscoelastic material is not substantially subjected to the applied force. The force is applied for a time duration that is shorter than a intrinsic time of the viscoelastic material so as to access solid-like characteristic of the viscoelastic material. The viscoelastic material exhibiting solid-like characteristic interacts at least partially with at least some of the particle contaminants present on the surface. The viscoelastic material along with at least some of the particle contaminants is removed from the first area of the surface while the viscoelastic material is exhibiting solid-like characteristics.

Method of particle contaminant removal

A method is provided for treating the surface of high aspect ratio nanostructures to help protect the delicate nanostructures during some of the rigorous processing involved in fabrication of semiconductor devices. A wafer containing high aspect ratio nanostructures is treated to make the surfaces of the nanostructures more hydrophobic. The treatment may include the application of a primer that chemically alters the surfaces of the nanostructures preventing them from getting damaged during subsequent wet clean processes. The wafer may then be further processed, for example a wet cleaning process followed by a drying process. The increased hydrophobicity of the nanostructures helps to reduce or prevent collapse of the nanostructures.

Method of reducing pattern collapse in high aspect ratio nanostructures

An apparatus, system and method for removing a damaged material from a low-k dielectric film layer include identifying a control chemistry, the control chemistry configured to selectively remove the damaged material from the low-k dielectric film layer, the damaged material being in a region where a feature was formed through the low-k dielectric film layer; establishing a plurality of process parameters characterizing aspects of the damaged material to be removed and applying the control chemistry to the low-k dielectric film layer, the application of the control chemistry being defined based on the established process parameters of the damaged material, such that the damaged material is substantially removed from the areas around the feature and the areas around the feature are substantially defined by low-k characteristics of the low-k dielectric film layer.

Method of damaged low-k dielectric film layer removal

A method for processing a substrate includes receiving a substrate and processing the substrate using a first fluid meniscus and a second fluid meniscus. The first fluid meniscus and the second fluid meniscus are applied to a surface of the substrate such that the first fluid meniscus is spaced apart from the second fluid meniscus by a transition region. A saturated gas chemistry is applied to the surface of the substrate at the transition region. The saturated gas chemistry is configured to maintain moisture in the transition region so as to prevent drying of the surface of the substrate in the transition region, before the second fluid meniscus is applied to the surface of the substrate.

Method of preventing premature drying

An apparatus, system and method for preventing premature drying of a surface of a substrate between fabrication operations includes receiving a substrate for cleaning, performing wet cleaning operations to the surface of the substrate to remove contaminants and fabrication chemistries left behind during one or more fabrication operations from the surface of the substrate, identifying a saturated gas chemistry and applying the identified saturated gas chemistry in a transition region such that the surface of the substrate exposed to the saturated gas chemistry in the transition region retains the moisture thereby preventing the surface of the substrate from premature drying. The saturated gas chemistry is applied between two subsequent wet-cleaning operations.

A system and method for preventing a pattern formed on a substrate from collapsing during a rinsing and drying phase of a fabrication operation includes determining a plurality of process parameters associated with a rinsing chemistry used during the rinsing operation. The process parameters define the characteristics of the rinsing chemistry and a substrate surface layer. A chemistry to reduce the surface tension of the rinsing chemistry (surface tension reducer) with at least one low surfactant chemical is identified based on the process parameters of the rinsing chemistry. The surface tension reducer is applied to the surface of the substrate such that the low surfactant chemical reduces the surface tension of the rinsing chemistry applied to the surface of the substrate thereby preventing the pattern from collapsing.

Method of preventing pattern collapse during rinsing and drying

An apparatus for preparing a substrate is provided. The apparatus includes a proximity head and a megasonic proximity head. The proximity head is configured to be applied to a substrate frontside and is capable of generating a preparation meniscus on the substrate frontside. The preparation meniscus includes a preparation chemistry that is configured to remove a material defined on the substrate frontside. The megasonic proximity head is configured to be applied to a substrate backside, and is capable of generating a coupling meniscus on the substrate backside. The megasonic proximity head is further capable of imparting megasonic energy to the coupling meniscus. The megasonic energy imparted to the coupling meniscus is configured to enhance a mass transport of the preparation chemistry through a material to be removed on the substrate frontside.

Substrate preparation using megasonic coupling fluid meniscus and methods, apparatus, and systems for implementing the same

A method for cleaning the surface of a semiconductor wafer is disclosed. A first cleaning solution is applied to the wafer surface to remove contaminants on the wafer surface. The first cleaning solution is removed with some of the contaminants on the wafer surface. Next, an oxidizer solution is applied to the wafer surface. The oxidizer solution forms an oxidized layer on remaining contaminants. The oxidizer solution is removed and then a second cleaning solution is applied to the wafer surface. The second cleaning solution is removed from the wafer surface. The cleaning solution is configured to substantially remove the oxidized layer along with the remaining contaminants.

Post etch wafer surface cleaning with liquid meniscus

A method for cleaning an edge surface of a semiconductor substrate is disclosed. The proximity head unit is positioned so that the flow head portion and the collection head portion of the proximity head unit are proximate to the edge surface of the semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor substrate is then rotated using one or more powered rollers. During the rotation of the semiconductor substrate, the flow head portion applies a fluid to the edge surface while the collection head portion collects fluid from the edge surface. Additional methods, an apparatuses, and a system for cleaning an edge surface of a semiconductor substrate are also described.

Wafer edge surface treatment with liquid meniscus

A method for removing post-processing residues in a single wafer cleaning system is provided. The method initiates with providing a first heated fluid to a proximity head disposed over a substrate. Then, a meniscus of the first fluid is generated between a surface of the substrate and an opposing surface of the proximity head. The substrate is linearly moved under the proximity head. A single wafer cleaning system is also provided.

Enhanced wafer cleaning method

A method for etching a feature in a low-k dielectric layer through a photoresist etch mask over a substrate. A gas-modulated cyclic stripping process is performed for more than three cycles for stripping a single photoresist mask. Each cycle of the gas-modulated cyclic stripping process comprises performing a protective layer formation phase and a stripping phase. The protective layer forming phase using first gas chemistry with a deposition gas chemistry, wherein the protective layer forming phase is performed in about 0.005 to 10 seconds for each cycle. The performing the stripping phase for stripping the photoresist mask using a second gas chemistry using a stripping gas chemistry, where the first gas chemistry is different than the second gas chemistry, wherein the etching phase is performed in about 0.005 to 10 seconds for each cycle.

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Pleasanton, CA, United States of America

Seokmin Yun