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.

Date of Patent:
Apr. 16, 2002

Filed:

Jul. 27, 1999
Applicant:
Inventors:

Taeho Shin, San Jose, CA (US);

Nam-Hun Kim, Cupertino, CA (US);

Jeffrey D. Chinn, Foster City, CA (US);

Assignee:

Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US);

Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Assistant Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
B44C 1/22 ; H01L 2/1306 ; C23F 1/00 ;
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
B44C 1/22 ; H01L 2/1306 ; C23F 1/00 ;
Abstract

The method of present invention etches a layer of polysilicon formed on a substrate disposed within a substrate processing chamber. The method flows an etchant gas including sulfur hexafluoride, an oxygen source and a nitrogen source into the processing chamber and ignites a plasma from the etchant gas to etch the polysilicon formed over the substrate. In a preferred embodiment, the etchant gas consists essentially of SF , molecular oxygen (O ) and molecular nitrogen (N ). In a more preferred embodiment the etchant gas includes a volume ratio of molecular oxygen to the sulfur hexafluoride of between 0.5:1 and 1:1 inclusive and a volume ratio of the sulfur hexafluoride to molecular nitrogen of between 1:1 and 4:1 inclusive. In an even more preferred embodiment, the volume ratio of O to sulfur hexafluoride is between 0.5:1 and 1:1 inclusive and the volume ratio of sulfur hexafluoride to N is between 1.5:1 and 2:1 inclusive.


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