Micron Technology Incorporated

William J Crane

Rod C Langley

David A Cathey

J Brett Rolfson

James L Dale

Robin Lee Gilchrist

Jeffrey V Musser

Eric A Powell

Curtis S Jones

John C Freeman

The present invention is a method and apparatus, particularly adaptable to plasma etchers having horizontal base electrodes, for removing films such as silicon nitride from the backside of semiconductor wafers without leaving unetched residue or bumps thereon. Following the loading of a wafer in a plasma etch chamber, the wafer is positioned above the base electrode and within an etchant plasma for a period of time, with all portions of the front side surface and all portions of the back side surface of the wafer being subjected to the plasma for at least a portion of the period.

Method and apparatus for facilitating removal of material from the

The process of the present invention comprises the addition of an adequate amount of argon gas in a dry etch system to clear bond pads of residual contaminants which form an undesired oxide coating on the bond pads. Carbon dioxide may be used as a carrier gas along with the argon gas. The process of the present invention preferably takes place in situ, following the silicon nitride pad etch in which fluorine-containing chemicals are used to form the bond pads.

Method to remove fluorine residues from bond pads

A method to anisotropically etch an oxide/silicide/poly sandwich structure on a silicon wafer substrate in situ, that is, using a single parallel plate plasma reactor chamber and a single inert cathode, with a variable gap between cathode and anode. This method has an oxide etch step and a silicide/poly etch step, both of which are performed as plasma etch steps. The process allows a continuous etch to be applied without removing the wafer from the plasma reactor chamber. The fully etched sandwich structure has a vertical profile at or near 90.degree. from horizontal, with no bowing or notching.

Anisotropic etch method

A plasma dry etch chamber is provided with an anode plate which has a cooling jacket which extends radially outwardly from a cooling core to an extent corresponding to the radial dimension of a silicon wafer work product. In order to further reduce deposit formation, the outer perimeter of the anode is designed to reduce the effects of polymer deposition.

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Boise, ID, United States of America

William J Crane