Applied Materials, Inc.

Mattson Technology, Inc

Beijing E-Town Semiconductor Technology, Co., Ltd

Xinliang Lu

Mei Yin Chang

Hua Chung

Chien-Teh Kao

Michael Xiaoxuan Yang

Srinivas Gandikota

Seshadri Ganguli

Qi Zhang

Haichun Yang

Ting Xie

Atif Noori

Ming Xi

Alfred W Mak

Yu Lei

Maitreyee Mahajani

Shih Chung Chen

Ken Kaung Lai

Wei W Wang

Zhenbin Ge

See-Eng Phan

David P Thompson

Karl Anthony Littau

Ashok K Sinha

Wei V Tang

Yu Wen Chang

Joel M Huston

Moris Kori

Son Trinh

Xiaoxiong (John) Yuan

Sal Umotoy

Jing-Pei (Connie) Chou

Chiukin (Steven) Lai

Jeffrey W Anthis

Shawming Ma

Xinyu Fu

Yihong Chen

Yong Wu

Chia Cheng Chin

Jing Zhou

Haochen Li

Chiukin Steve Lai

Nitin K Ingle

Hoon Sik Kim

Kelvin Chan

Paul F Ma

Dien-Yeh Wu

Susmit Singha Roy

Sang Ho Yu

Patricia M Liu

Robert L Jackson

Faruk Gungor

Jong Hyun Yoo

Ping Jian

Abhijit Basu Mallick

Li-Qun Xia

John C Forster

Anantha K Subramani

Hichem M'Saad

Mihaela A Balseanu

Zheng Yuan

Reza Arghavani

Chun Yan

Yihwan Kim

Derek R Witty

Satheesh Kuppurao

Yi Zheng

Ziqing Duan

Benjamin Schmiege

Andrew C Lam

David T Or

Vikash Banthia

Michael Sterling Jackson

Jing Tang

Victor Nguyen

Xuesong Lu

Nan Lu

Pingyan Lei

Hoiman Raymond Hung

William H McClintock

Rajkumar Jakkaraju

Chikuang Charles Wang

Benjamin C Wang

Yung-Hsin Lee

Shanyu Wang

Ghazal Saheli

Shuang Meng

Kyoung-Ho Bu

Juno Yu-Ting Huang

Bin Dong

Processing methods comprise forming a gap fill layer comprising tungsten or molybdenum by exposing a substrate surface having at least one feature thereon sequentially to a metal precursor and a reducing agent comprising hydrogen to form the gap fill layer in the feature, wherein there is not a nucleation layer between the substrate surface and the gap fill layer.

Nucleation-free gap fill ALD process

Systems and methods for thermal treatment of a workpiece are provided. In one example, a method for conducting a treatment process on a workpiece, such as a thermal treatment process, an annealing treatment process, an oxidizing treatment process, or a reducing treatment process in a processing apparatus is provided. The processing apparatus includes a plasma chamber and a processing chamber. The plasma chamber and the processing chamber are separated by a plurality of separation grids or grid plates. The separation grids or grid plates operable to filter ions generated in the plasma chamber. The processing chamber has a workpiece support operable to support a workpiece.

Methods for the treatment of workpieces

Processes for surface treatment of a workpiece are provided. In one example implementation, a method can include conducting a pre-treatment process on a processing chamber to generate a hydrogen radical affecting layer on a surface of the processing chamber prior to performing a hydrogen radical based surface treatment process on a workpiece in the processing chamber. In this manner, a pretreatment process can be conducted to condition a processing chamber to increase uniformity of hydrogen radical exposure to a workpiece.

Chamber seasoning to improve etch uniformity by reducing chemistry

Processes for surface treatment of a workpiece are provided. In one example implementation, a method can include placing the workpiece on a workpiece support in a processing chamber. The method can include admitting a process gas into the processing chamber. The process gas can include an ozone gas. The method can include exposing the silicon nitride layer and the low-k dielectric layer to the process gas to modify a surface wetting angle of the silicon nitride layer.

Ozone for selective hydrophilic surface treatment

Processes for oxidation of a workpiece are provided. In one example, a method includes placing a workpiece on a workpiece support in a processing chamber. The method includes performing a pre-oxidation treatment process on the workpiece in the processing chamber to initiate oxide layer formation on the workpiece. The method includes performing a remote plasma oxidation process on the workpiece in the processing chamber to continue the oxide layer formation on the workpiece. Subsequent to performing the pre-oxidation treatment process and the remote plasma oxidation process, the method can include removing the workpiece from the processing chamber. In some embodiments, the remote plasma oxidation process can include generating a first plasma from a remote plasma oxidation process gas in a plasma chamber; filtering species generated in the plasma to generate a mixture having one or more radicals; and exposing the one or more radicals to the workpiece.

Surface pretreatment process to improve quality of oxide films produced by remote plasma

Methods for material removal of a film, such as a metal nitride film, from a workpiece are provided. One example implementation is directed to a method for processing a workpiece. The workpiece can include a film (e.g., a metal nitride film). The method can include generating one or more species (e.g., hydrogen radicals, excited inert gas molecules, etc.). The method can include mixing alkyl halide with the one or more species to generate one or more alkyl radicals. The method can include exposing the film to the one or more alkyl radicals.

Processing of workpieces with reactive species generated using alkyl halide

Methods for processing a workpiece with fluorine radicals are provided. In one example implementation, the method includes a workpiece having at least one silicon layer and at least one silicon germanium layer. The method can include placing the workpiece on a workpiece support in a processing chamber. The method can include generating one or more species from a process gas in a plasma chamber. The method can include filtering the one or more species to create a filtered mixture. The method can include exposing the workpiece to the filtered mixture to remove at least a portion of the at least one silicon layer.

Methods for processing a workpiece using fluorine radicals

Systems and methods for processing a workpiece are provided. In one example, a method includes exposing the workpiece to a first gas mixture when the workpiece is at a first temperature to conduct a doped silicate glass etch process. The first gas mixture can include hydrofluoric acid (HF) vapor. The doped silicate glass etch process at least partially removes the doped silicate glass layer at a first etch rate that is greater than a second etch rate associated with removal of the at least one second layer. The method can include heating the workpiece to a second temperature. The second temperature is greater than the first temperature. The method can include exposing the workpiece to a second gas mixture when the workpiece is at a second temperature to remove a residue from the workpiece.

Silicon oxide selective dry etch process

Methods, systems, and apparatus for generating hydrogen radicals for processing a workpiece, such as a semiconductor workpiece, are provided. In one example implementation, a method can include generating one or more species in a plasma chamber from an inert gas by inducing a plasma in the inert gas using a plasma source; mixing hydrogen gas with the one or more species to generate one or more hydrogen radicals; and exposing the workpiece in a processing chamber to the one or more hydrogen radicals.

Generation of hydrogen reactive species for processing of workpieces

Processes for removing photoresist layer(s) from a workpiece, such as a semiconductor are provided. In one example implementation, a method for processing a workpiece can include supporting a workpiece on a workpiece support. The workpiece can have a photoresist layer and a low-k dielectric material layer. The method can include performing a hydrogen radical etch process on the workpiece to remove at least a portion of the photoresist layer. The method can also include exposing the workpiece to an ozone process gas to remove at least a portion of the photoresist layer.

Processing of workpieces using hydrogen radicals and ozone gas

Processes for selective deposition of material on a workpiece are provided. In one example, the method includes placing a workpiece on a workpiece support in a processing chamber. The workpiece has a first material and a second material. The second material is different from the first material. The method includes performing an organic radical based surface treatment process on the workpiece to modify an adsorption characteristic of the first material selectively relative to the second material such that the first material has a first adsorption characteristic and the second material has a second adsorption characteristic. The second adsorption characteristic being different from the first adsorption characteristic. The method includes performing a deposition process on the workpiece such that a material is selectively deposited on the first material relative to the second material.

Selective deposition using methylation treatment

Apparatus, systems, and methods for processing workpieces are provided. In one example implementation, a fluorine and oxygen plasma-based process can be used to smooth a roughened surface of a silicon and/or a silicon containing structure. The process can include generating species from a process gas using an inductive coupling element in a first chamber. The process can include introducing a fluorine containing gas and an oxygen containing gas with the species to create a mixture. The process can further include exposing the silicon and/or the silicon containing structure to the mixture such that the mixture at least partially etches a roughened portion to leave a smoother surface of the silicon and/or the silicon containing structure.

Surface smoothing of workpieces

Processes for surface treatment of a workpiece are provided. In one example implementation, a method can include performing an organic radical based surface treatment process on a workpiece. The organic radical based surface treatment process can include generating one or more species in a first chamber. The surface treatment process can include mixing one or more hydrocarbon molecules with the species to create a mixture. The mixture can include one or more organic radicals. The surface treatment process can include exposing a semiconductor material on the workpiece to the mixture in a second chamber.

Surface treatment of silicon or silicon germanium surfaces using organic radicals

Apparatus, systems, and methods for processing a workpiece are provided. In one example implementation, the workpiece can include a silicon nitride layer and a silicon layer. The method can include admitting an ozone gas into a processing chamber. The method can include exposing the workpiece to the ozone gas. The method can include generating one or more species from a process gas using a plasma induced in a plasma chamber. The method can include filtering the one or more species to create a filtered mixture. The method can further include exposing the workpiece to the filtered mixture in the processing chamber such that the filtered mixture at least partially etches the silicon nitride layer more than the silicon layer. Due to ozone gas reacting with surface of silicon layer prior to etching process with fluorine-containing gas, selective silicon nitride etch over silicon can be largely promoted.

Ozone treatment for selective silicon nitride etch over silicon

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Fremont, CA, United States of America

Xinliang Lu