The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 18, 2021
Filed:
Mar. 07, 2019
Lam Research Corporation, Fremont, CA (US);
Kwame Eason, East Palo Alto, CA (US);
Pilyeon Park, Santa Clara, CA (US);
Mark Naoshi Kawaguchi, San Carlos, CA (US);
Seung-Ho Park, San Jose, CA (US);
Hsiao-Wei Chang, Fremont, CA (US);
Lam Research Corporation, Fremont, CA (US);
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for laterally etching unwanted material from the sidewalls of a recessed feature are described herein. In various embodiments, the method involves etching a portion of the sidewalls, depositing a protective film over a portion of the sidewalls, and cycling the etching and deposition operations until the unwanted material is removed from the entire depth of the recessed feature. Each etching and deposition operation may target a particular depth along the sidewalls of the feature. In some cases, the unwanted material is removed from the bottom of the feature up, and in other cases the unwanted material is removed from the top of the feature down. Some combination of these may also be used.