Atomic layer etching method

Abstract

The present invention relates to an atomic layer etching method for etching a surface of a substrate by using an atomic layer etching apparatus. The present invention provides an atomic layer etching method by using an atomic layer etching apparatus including a process chamber having a sealed process space, a gas injection unit installed at an upper side in the process chamber to inject a gas into the process space, a substrate support installed at a lower side in the process chamber and on which a substrate is seated, and a remote plasma generation device, the atomic layer etching method including: a substrate preparing process (S) of preparing a substrate () on the substrate support; a modification process (S) of modifying a surface layer () of the substrate () by radicalizing a modification gas containing a halogen gas except hydrogen fluoride (HF) through the remote plasma generation device coupled to the process chamber and supplying the radicalized modification gas onto the substrate () after the substrate preparing process (S); a first purge process (S) of purging the surface layer; a surface layer removal process (S) of removing the surface layer () modified in the modification process (S) by supplying a metal-containing precursor to the surface layer (); and a second purge process (S) of purging a surface of the substrate ().