Applied Materials, Inc.

Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Zhijun Chen

Anchuan Wang

Nitin K Ingle

Jiayin Huang

Ching-Mei Hsu

Shankar Venkataraman

Zihui Li

Lin Xu

Dmitry Lubomirsky

Randhir P Thakur

Xinglong Chen

Hiroshi Hamana

Seung H Park

Jingchun Zhang

Son Truong Nguyen

Mikhail Korolik

Jie Liu

Chia-Ling Kao

Christopher Sean Olsen

Sang-Jin Kim

Zhenjiang Cui

Johanes F Swenberg

Chang Seok Kang

Hansel Lo

Hanshen Zhang

Fredrick Fishburn

Hao Zhang

Jacob Kessler

Elaine Chien

Kristopher Mikael Koskela

Jinchun Xia

Raghuveer Satya Makala

Hoi-Sung Chung

A method for forming an oxide layer includes forming a protective interlayer oxide on sidewalls of a trench formed on a substrate, forming a silicon nitride layer on the protective interlayer oxide, by a plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PE ALD) process utilizing nitrogen-containing process gas, the silicon nitride layer having a concentration gradient of nitrogen varying from high concentration away from the protective interlayer oxide to low concentration near the protective interlayer oxide, and performing a conversion process to oxidize the formed silicon nitride layer to at least partially convert the formed silicon nitride layer to a silicon oxide layer.

Growth of thin oxide layer with silicon nitride and conversion

Exemplary etching methods may include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor into a substrate processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include flowing a hydrogen-containing precursor into the substrate processing region. The methods may include contacting a substrate housed in the substrate processing region with the fluorine-containing precursor and the hydrogen-containing precursor. The substrate may include a trench or recessed feature, and a spacer may be formed along a sidewall of the trench or feature. The spacer may include a plurality of layers including a first layer of a carbon-containing or nitrogen-containing material and a second layer of an oxygen-containing material. The methods may also include removing the oxygen-containing material.

Systems and methods to form airgaps

Exemplary etching methods may include flowing a hydrogen-containing precursor into a substrate processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor into the substrate processing region. The methods may include contacting a substrate housed in the substrate processing region with the hydrogen-containing precursor and the fluorine-containing precursor. The substrate may define a trench. A spacer may be formed along a sidewall of the trench, and the spacer may include a plurality of layers including a first layer of a carbon-containing material, a second layer of an oxygen-containing material, and a third layer of a carbon-containing material. The second layer of the spacer may be disposed between the first layer and third layer of the spacer. The methods may also include removing the oxygen-containing material.

Systems and methods utilizing solid-phase etchants

Exemplary etching methods may include flowing a hydrogen-containing precursor into a substrate processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor into the substrate processing region. The methods may include contacting a substrate housed in the substrate processing region with the hydrogen-containing precursor and the fluorine-containing precursor. The substrate may define a trench, and a layer of an oxygen-containing material may be disposed within the trench and exposed on the substrate. The methods may include halting delivery of the hydrogen-containing precursor. The methods may also include removing the oxygen-containing material.

Self-limiting selective etching systems and methods

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods for forming features in a film stack. The film stack may be utilized to form stair-like structures with accurate profiles control in manufacturing three dimensional (3D) stacking of semiconductor chips. In one example, a method includes exposing a substrate having a multi-material layer formed thereon to radicals of a remote plasma to form one or more features through the multi-material layer, the one or more features exposing a portion of a top surface of the substrate, and the multi-material layer comprising alternating layers of a first layer and a second layer, wherein the remote plasma is formed from an etching gas mixture comprising a fluorine-containing chemistry, and wherein the process chamber is maintained at a pressure of about 2 Torr to about 20 Torr and a temperature of about &#x2212;100&#xb0; C. to about 100&#xb0; C.

3D NAND high aspect ratio structure etch

Exemplary etching methods may include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor into a substrate processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include flowing a hydrogen-containing precursor into the substrate processing region. The methods may include contacting a substrate housed in the substrate processing region with the fluorine-containing precursor and the hydrogen-containing precursor. The substrate may include a trench or recessed feature, and a spacer may be formed along a sidewall of the trench or feature. The spacer may include a plurality of layers including a first layer of a carbon-containing or nitrogen-containing material, a second layer of an oxygen-containing material, and a third layer of a carbon-containing or nitrogen-containing material. The second layer of the spacer may be disposed between the first layer and third layer of the spacer. The methods may also include removing the oxygen-containing material.

Exemplary cleaning or etching methods may include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor into a remote plasma region of a semiconductor processing chamber. Methods may include forming a plasma within the remote plasma region to generate plasma effluents of the fluorine-containing precursor. The methods may also include flowing the plasma effluents into a processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate may be positioned within the processing region, and the substrate may include a region of exposed oxide and a region of exposed metal. Methods may also include providing a hydrogen-containing precursor to the processing region. The methods may further include removing at least a portion of the exposed oxide.

Water-free etching methods

Embodiments of the present technology may include a method of etching a substrate. The method may include striking a plasma discharge in a plasma region. The method may also include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor into the plasma region to form a plasma effluent. The plasma effluent may flow into a mixing region. The method may further include introducing a hydrogen-and-oxygen-containing compound into the mixing region without first passing the hydrogen-and-oxygen-containing compound into the plasma region. Additionally, the method may include reacting the hydrogen-and-oxygen-containing compound with the plasma effluent in the mixing region to form reaction products. The reaction products may flow through a plurality of openings in a partition to a substrate processing region. The method may also include etching the substrate with the reaction products in the substrate processing region.

Oxide etch selectivity systems and methods

Exemplary methods for laterally etching silicon nitride may include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor and an oxygen-containing precursor into a remote plasma region of a semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include forming a plasma within the remote plasma region to generate plasma effluents of the fluorine-containing precursor and the oxygen-containing precursor. The methods may also include flowing the plasma effluents into a processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate may be positioned within the processing region, and the substrate may include a trench formed through stacked layers including alternating layers of silicon nitride and silicon oxide. The methods may also include laterally etching the layers of silicon nitride from sidewalls of the trench while substantially maintaining the layers of silicon oxide. The layers of silicon nitride may be laterally etched less than 10 nm from the sidewalls of the trench.

Selective SiN lateral recess

Exemplary methods for laterally etching silicon nitride may include flowing oxygen-containing plasma effluents into a processing region of a semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate positioned within the processing region may include a trench formed through stacked layers including alternating layers of silicon nitride and silicon oxide. The methods may include passivating exposed surfaces of the silicon nitride with the oxygen-containing plasma effluents. The methods may include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor into the remote plasma region while maintaining the flow of the oxygen-containing precursor. The methods may include forming plasma effluents of the fluorine-containing precursor and the oxygen-containing precursor. The methods may include flowing the plasma effluents into the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may also include laterally etching the layers of silicon nitride from sidewalls of the trench.

Oxygen treatment for nitride etching

A method and apparatus for processing a semiconductor substrate are described herein. A process system described herein includes a plasma source and a flow distribution plate. A method described herein includes generating fluorine radicals or ions, delivering the fluorine radicals or ions through one or more plasma blocking screens to a volume defined by the flow distribution plate and one of one or more plasma blocking screens, delivering oxygen and hydrogen to the volume, mixing the oxygen and hydrogen with fluorine radicals or ions to form hydrogen fluoride, flowing hydrogen fluoride through the flow distribution plate, and etching a substrate using bifluoride. The concentration of fluorine radicals or ions on the surface of the substrate is reduced to less than about two percent.

Flow distribution plate for surface fluorine reduction

Exemplary cleaning or etching methods may include flowing a fluorine-containing precursor into a remote plasma region of a semiconductor processing chamber. Methods may include forming a plasma within the remote plasma region to generate plasma effluents of the fluorine-containing precursor. The methods may also include flowing the plasma effluents into a processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. A substrate may be positioned within the processing region, and the substrate may include a region of exposed oxide. Methods may also include providing a hydrogen-containing precursor to the processing region. The methods may further include removing at least a portion of the exposed oxide while maintaining a relative humidity within the processing region below about 50%. Subsequent to the removal, the methods may include increasing the relative humidity within the processing region to greater than or about 50%. The methods may further include removing an additional amount of the exposed oxide.

Removal methods for high aspect ratio structures

Exemplary methods for treating a silicon-containing substrate may include flowing plasma effluents of a hydrogen-containing precursor into a processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. A silicon-containing substrate may be positioned within the processing region and include a trench formed through stacked layers including alternating layers of silicon nitride and silicon oxide exposing a portion of the silicon-containing substrate. The methods may include contacting the exposed portion of the silicon-containing substrate with the plasma effluents. The methods may include flowing an oxygen-containing precursor into the processing region of the semiconductor processing chamber. The methods may include contacting the exposed portion of the silicon-containing substrate with the oxygen-containing precursor. The methods may also include converting the exposed portion of the silicon-containing substrate to silicon oxide.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Zhijun Chen