Atomic layer treatment process using quasi-stable active radical species

Abstract

To provide an atomic layer treatment process using a quasi-stable active radical species.SOLUTION: A method of treating an exposed surface of a substrate includes purging a first chamber and a second chamber of a substrate processing system using a purge gas, forming an adsorption layer on a surface of a substrate arranged on a substrate support in the second chamber by flowing a treatment gas into the second chamber without flowing the treatment gas into the first chamber, stopping the flow of the treatment gas into the second chamber, purging the first chamber and the second chamber by the purge gas made to flow, and surface-activating the adsorption layer by generating plasma in the first chamber while the purge gas is made to flow into the first chamber to generate a quasi-stable active radical species, which is delivered to the second chamber through a gas distributor that is arranged between the first chamber and the second chamber.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] [CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 729,124, filed September 10, 2018. The disclosures of the above-referenced applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing system, and more particularly to a substrate processing system for performing treatment processes using metastable activated radical species. [Background technology]

[0003] The "Background" description provided herein is intended to provide a general context for the present disclosure. To the extent described in the "Background" section of the present disclosure, the work of the inventors named herein, as well as aspects of the present disclosure that may not be considered prior art at the time of filing, are not admitted, expressly or impliedly, as prior art to the present disclosure.

[0004] A substrate processing system may be used to process a substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer. A substrate processing system typically includes a processing chamber, a substrate support (e.g., an electrostatic chuck), and a gas delivery system. Examples of substrate processing include etching, deposition, photoresist removal, cleaning, and the like. During processing, a substrate may be placed on the substrate support, and one or more process gases may be introduced into the processing chamber by the gas delivery system. RF power may be supplied to generate a plasma that initiates a chemical reaction. An RF bias may be supplied to the substrate support to control ion energy.

[0005] Deposition, etching, and other procedures are used to define features on a substrate. As technology continues to advance, feature sizes continue to decrease. To reliably create substrates with small features, it is important to have very precise process control. Currently, feature sizes are less than 10 nm and are progressing to 5 nm and beyond.

[0006] During some oxidation processes, there is no etch stop. Conventional methods for performing oxidation rely on an oxide formed on the substrate during the oxidation process as a diffusion barrier layer to reduce or stop further oxidation of the substrate. These techniques result in large variations in the thickness of the oxidation depending on the properties of the material used and the surface condition. For example, a smooth surface will oxidize less compared to a rough surface, even if the same material is used. Similarly, a porous surface will oxidize faster and be less effective at blocking diffusion compared to a less porous material. Summary of the Invention

[0007] A method for treating an exposed surface of a substrate includes: a) purging a first chamber and a second chamber of a substrate processing system using a purge gas, wherein a gas distribution apparatus is disposed between the first and second chambers; b) after a), flowing the treatment gas into the second chamber but not into the first chamber to build an adsorbed layer on a surface of a substrate disposed on a substrate support in the second chamber; c) stopping the flow of the treatment gas into the second chamber; d) flowing the purge gas to purge the first and second chambers; and e) while flowing the purge gas into the first chamber, generating a plasma in the first chamber to generate metastable active radical species, and delivering the metastable active radical species through the gas distribution apparatus to the second chamber to surface activate the adsorbed layer.

[0008] In other features, the substrate is oxidized or etched with monolayer control. The method includes, during b), providing a purge gas to the first chamber. The purge gas includes helium (He) and the treatment gas includes molecular oxygen (O 2 ).

[0009] In another aspect, the purge gas is helium (He) and molecular nitrogen (N 2 ), and the treatment gas is selected from the group consisting of molecular oxygen (O 2 ), hydrochloric acid (HCl), molecular chlorine (Cl 2 ), nitrogen trifluoride (NF 3 ), and molecular hydrogen (H 2 ).

[0010] This method uses molecular chlorine (Cl 2 ), nitrogen trifluoride (NF 3 ), and molecular hydrogen (H 2 ) and etching the substrate by controlling the temperature of the substrate during treatment to a predetermined temperature that is lower than the etching reaction temperature of the selected treatment gas.

[0011] In another aspect, metastable active radical species surface activate the adsorbed layer.

[0012] In other features, a) through f) are repeated one or more times. During f), no treatment gas is present in the first chamber and the second chamber. During b), a predetermined amount of treatment gas is provided.

[0013] A substrate processing system for selectively etching a substrate includes a first chamber and a second chamber including a substrate support. A gas delivery system selectively supplies at least one of a purge gas and a treatment gas to the first chamber and the second chamber. A plasma generation system selectively generates a plasma in the first chamber. The gas distribution apparatus defines a plenum and includes a first plurality of through holes from an upper surface of the gas distribution apparatus to a lower surface of the gas distribution apparatus and a second plurality of through holes from the plenum to the lower surface. The controller is configured to: a) flow a purge gas to purge the first chamber and the second chamber; b) after a), flow a treatment gas into the plenum to build an adsorption layer on a surface of the substrate; c) stop the flow of treatment gas; d) flow a purge gas to purge the first chamber and the second chamber; and e) while flowing the purge gas into the first chamber, generate a plasma in the first chamber to generate metastable active radical species and deliver the metastable active radical species to the second chamber via the gas distributor.

[0014] In another feature, the controller may be configured to use helium (He) as the purge gas and molecular oxygen (O) as the treatment gas. 2 ). The controller is configured to select between helium (He) and molecular nitrogen (N 2 ), and molecular oxygen (O 2 ), hydrochloric acid (HCl), molecular chlorine (Cl 2 ), nitrogen trifluoride (NF 3 ), and molecular hydrogen (H 2 ), and

[0015] In other features, the controller controls the treatment gas to be molecular chlorine (Cl 2 ), nitrogen trifluoride (NF 3 ), and molecular hydrogen (H 2 ) and configured to etch the substrate by controlling the temperature of the substrate during treatment to a predetermined temperature that is lower than the etching reaction temperature of the selected treatment gas.

[0016] In other features, the metastable active radical species surface activates the adsorbed layer. The controller is configured to repeat a) through e) one or more times. During e), no treatment gas is present in the first chamber and the second chamber. The controller is configured to supply a predetermined amount of treatment gas during b). The controller is configured to supply a purge gas to the first chamber during b).

[0017] Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description, claims, and drawings. The detailed description and specific examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0019] [Figure 1A] FIG. 1A illustrates an atomic layer treatment process in accordance with the present disclosure that uses metastable activated radical species to surface activate treatment species adsorbed on the surface of a substrate. [Figure 1B] FIG. 1B illustrates an atomic layer treatment process in accordance with the present disclosure that uses metastable activated radical species to surface activate treatment species adsorbed on the surface of a substrate. [Figure 1C] FIG. 1C illustrates an atomic layer treatment process in accordance with the present disclosure that uses metastable activated radical species to surface activate treatment species adsorbed on the surface of a substrate. [Figure 1D] FIG. 1D illustrates an atomic layer treatment process in accordance with the present disclosure that uses metastable activated radical species to surface activate treatment species adsorbed on the surface of a substrate.

[0020] [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an example substrate processing system according to the present disclosure.

[0021] [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a top view of an example gas distribution apparatus including dual gas plenums according to the present disclosure.

[0022] [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a first cross-sectional view of a gas distribution apparatus including the dual gas plenum of FIG. 3 according to the present disclosure.

[0023] [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a second cross-sectional view of a gas distribution apparatus including the dual gas plenum of FIG. 3 according to the present disclosure.

[0024] [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flow chart of an example method of atomic layer treatment for surface activation of treatment species adsorbed on an exposed surface of a substrate using metastable activated radical species in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0025] In the drawings, reference numbers may be reused to identify similar and / or identical elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] The systems and methods according to the present disclosure relate to substrate treatments, including oxidation or etching, with control at the monolayer level. Oxygen plasma or oxygen downstream plasma may be used for oxidation treatment of the surface of the substrate. Direct oxygen plasma contains high energy oxygen ions that can damage the surface of the substrate. The porous material of the substrate is highly damaged. Other processes attempt to filter the oxygen ions using remote or downstream plasma. However, some ions still pass through the filter and damage the substrate.

[0027] Oxygen plasma provides highly reactive oxygen radicals that rapidly oxidize the surface. It is very difficult to control uniformity across the substrate and maintain reproducibility from substrate to substrate. Oxidizing species are often provided in excess by oxygen plasma, which leads to uncontrolled oxidation and damage to sensitive surfaces. When there are several types of exposed material at the substrate surface, the loading effect becomes significant if the oxidation behavior of the materials differs due to local consumption variations limited by the transport rate of chemical species.

[0028] Systems and methods according to the present disclosure relate to processes for oxidizing or etching the surface of a substrate at the monolayer level with precise control. The oxidation or etching is limited to a rate of one monolayer at a time by adsorbed oxygen. For example, diffusion is minimized by using downstream He radicals to activate oxygen only at the top surface of the substrate. Advantages include oxidation at the monolayer level, minimal diffusion, no ionic damage, and precise oxidation control. In some examples, the process uses molecular oxygen (O 2 ) and atomic layer treatments using helium (He), although other treatments are described herein.

[0029] In another example, the systems and methods described herein can be used to etch exposed surfaces of a substrate at the monolayer level. For example, the treatment gas can include HCl, and a metastable active radical species can be used to surface activate chlorine to etch the monolayer. 2 , N.F. 3 , or H 2 is a temperature lower than the etching reaction temperature (e.g., Cl 2 or NF 3 For H, less than 300℃ 2 The surface is adsorbed at temperatures below about 400 °C for SiO2. The metastable active radical species are used to activate the adsorbed chlorine, fluorine, or hydrogen species on the surface, resulting in monolayer etching.

[0030] An example is shown in Figures 1A-1D. In Figure 1A, a substrate 12 is disposed on a substrate support in a processing chamber. In some examples, the substrate is exposed to a low-k dielectric layer and an exposed atomic layer deposition (ALD) silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 ) layer. A flow of He is provided through the gas distribution system 10 to purge the processing chamber. In FIG. 1B, after the purge is performed, a predetermined amount of processing gas, e.g., O 2 , is supplied by gas distribution system 10. By way of example only, 100 to 10,000 standard cubic centimeters (sccm) of O 2 (e.g., 1000 sccm) is delivered for 1 to 100 seconds (e.g., 10 seconds) to form a layer of O on the surface of the substrate. 2 Saturation and O 2 Adsorption becomes possible.

[0031] In Figure 1C, sufficient O 2 After the treatment gas (O 2 ) is shut off and the process chamber is purged with high flow He to remove any residual O in the chamber. 2 In some examples, 2500-20,000 (sccm) (e.g., 5000 sccm) He is delivered for 5-60 seconds (e.g., 10 seconds). At this point, no plasma is generated. In FIG. 1D, the plasma is turned on after the He purge. The metastable active radical species He* is used to remove the adsorbed O 2 The ALD SiN film is then surface activated and oxidized to a monolayer on the surface. This process can be repeated one or more times as necessary. As can be appreciated, the low-k dielectric film loses negligible amounts after oxidation of the ALD SiN film, whereas other methods may result in a loss of approximately 100 Angstroms of the low-k dielectric film.

[0032] The advantages mentioned above include controlled and minimized oxidation (approximately one monolayer) per cycle. Because the plasma is oxygen-free (e.g., He plasma is used), damage from oxygen ions is eliminated. Because a monolayer of oxygen is saturated across the substrate surface, good uniformity is obtained. The process allows precise control of the amount of oxidation by varying the number of cycles.

[0033] The above process is differentiated by several factors: Oxygen is supplied at a fixed flow rate below the gas distributor while a purge gas flows into the first chamber (and optionally the second chamber). This approach prevents excess oxygen back-diffusion into the ICP plasma region, which can generate oxygen ions and cause ionic damage. Oxygen is adsorbed at a monolayer level on the surface of the substrate and the remaining oxygen in the processing chamber is purged. This approach results in a uniform coverage of the process gas, such as oxygen, across the entire substrate surface. The surface dose of oxygen is self-limiting based on the desorption rate.

[0034] A He-only plasma is generated above the gas distributor. Thus, only neutral He* radicals travel downstream and reach the surface of the substrate. Adsorbed oxygen is locally surface activated on the surface of the substrate by the He* radicals, and the oxygen oxidizes the underlying substrate surface. The oxygen dose is adsorption dependent. The process is insensitive to density variations or loading effects due to different materials being exposed simultaneously.

[0035] As can be appreciated, the above examples relate to oxidation procedures using He* radicals, but other procedures using other process gases can be performed. In some examples, the purge gas is molecular nitrogen (N 2 ), or another inert gas, such as argon (Ar), neon (Ne), krypton (Kr), xenon (Xe), and mixtures thereof. Other process gases for etching monolayers include hydrochloric acid (HCl), molecular chlorine (Cl), as further described below. 2 ), nitrogen trifluoride (NF 3), and molecular hydrogen (H 2 ).

[0036] 2, an exemplary substrate processing system 50 for selectively treating a surface of a substrate is shown. The substrate processing system 50 includes a plasma source 51 and a substrate support 52, such as an electrostatic chuck, a pedestal, or other type of substrate support. In some examples, the plasma source 51 includes an ICP source. As can be appreciated, the plasma source 51 may include other suitable plasma sources, such as a CCP, ECR, or microwave plasma source.

[0037] During processing, a substrate 54 is disposed on a substrate support 52. In some examples, the substrate support 52 is temperature controlled (heated and / or cooled) using one or more temperature control elements (TCEs) 55, such as resistive heaters 56, coolant channels 58, or other types of thermal control devices. The substrate support 52 may include a single temperature control zone or multiple temperature control zones that are individually controlled.

[0038] In some examples, the substrate processing system 50 includes an upper chamber 60. In some examples, the upper chamber 60 has a dome shape, although other shapes can be used. If an ICP plasma is used, a coil 64 is disposed about an outer surface of the upper chamber 60. A gas injector 68 injects plasma gas into the upper chamber 60.

[0039] The gas distribution apparatus 84 includes a first plurality of through holes 86 passing from a top surface of the gas distribution apparatus 84 to a bottom surface of the gas distribution apparatus 84. The gas distribution apparatus 84 also includes a plenum 85 and a second plurality of through holes 83 passing from the plenum 85 to the bottom surface of the gas distribution apparatus 84. The first plurality of through holes 86 is not in fluid communication with the plenum 85.

[0040] When an ICP plasma is used, an RF generation system 87 generates and outputs RF power to the coil 64. By way of example only, the RF generation system 87 may include an RF generator 88 that generates RF power, which is supplied to the coil 64 by a matching network 89.

[0041] Gas delivery system 90-1 includes one or more gas sources 92-1, 92-2, ..., and 92-N (collectively gas sources 92), where N is an integer greater than zero. Gas sources 92 are connected to a manifold 98 by valves 94-1, 94-2, ..., and 94-N (collectively valves 94) and mass flow controllers 96-1, 96-2, ..., and 96-N (collectively mass flow controllers 96). A separate gas delivery system 90-2 may be used to deliver treatment gas to plenum 85 of gas distributor 84.

[0042] A temperature controller 106 may be connected to the TCE 55, such as a resistive heater 56. The temperature controller 63 may be in communication with one or more temperature sensors (not shown) that sense the temperature of the substrate support or substrate and the temperature of the coolant controller 108 to control the flow of coolant through the coolant channels 58. For example, the coolant controller 108 may include a coolant pump, a reservoir, and / or one or more temperature sensors (not shown). Valves 130 and pumps 132 may be used to control the pressure in the processing chamber and to evacuate reactants therefrom. As shown in FIG. 2, a system controller 140 may be used to control the components of the substrate processing system 10.

[0043] The systems and methods of the present disclosure utilize an inert gas to generate a plasma by producing a high density of metastable radical active species that transfer chemical energy high enough to excite other active radical species that are deposited as a monolayer on the surface of the substrate 54.

[0044] In some examples, the process is operated using an ICP chamber with an ICP power ranging from 500 W to 5 kW. In some examples, the RF power applied to the induction coil is 13.56 MHz, although other frequencies can be used. In some examples, the process is carried out at a chamber pressure range of 10 mTorr to 10 Torr.

[0045] 3, a gas distribution apparatus 200 includes a dual gas plenum 202 for delivering treatment gas species and excited gas species including metastable activated radical species in accordance with the present disclosure. The dual gas plenum 202 delivers a mixture of treatment gas and metastable activated radical species to the lower chamber without mixing in the upper chamber.

[0046] In some examples, the process temperature ranges from 75° C. to 400° C., although other process temperatures may be used. In some examples, the process temperature ranges from 100° C. to 200° C., although other process temperatures may be used.

[0047] The gas distribution apparatus 200 includes an upper flange 204, a sidewall 206, and a bottom surface 208 (which forms the upper surface of the dual gas plenum 202). The dual gas plenum 202 includes a gas inlet 210 for receiving a process gas.

[0048] The dual gas plenum 202 defines an annular channel 220 and a connecting channel 224. The connecting channel 224 extends between the two sides of the annular channel 220 across an inner portion of the bottom surface 208. The annular channel 220 may be formed at a location between the sidewall 206 and the bottom surface 208. The annular channel 220 and the connecting channel 224 are in fluid communication with the gas inlet 210. The treatment gas mixture flows through the annular channel 220 and into the connecting channel 224. Downwardly facing through-holes, shown in FIG. 5, direct the treatment gas mixture from the connecting channel 224 into the lower chamber toward the substrate.

[0049] The region 228 located between the connecting channels 224 includes a plurality of through holes 230 passing through the bottom surface 208. As can be appreciated, only a portion of the plurality of through holes 230 are shown for purposes of illustration and clarity. In some examples, the plurality of through holes 230 have a circular cross-section and uniform spacing, although other cross-sections and / or non-uniform spacing can be used. In some examples, the plurality of through holes 232 have a diameter in the range of 3 mm to 10 mm, although other diameters may be used.

[0050] 4-5, cross-sectional views of the bottom surface 208 of the dual gas plenum 202 are shown. In FIG. 4, a first cross-sectional view is shown looking along the connecting channel 224. Treatment gas is supplied to the annular channel 220, which supplies treatment gas to the connecting channel 224. A plurality of through-holes 232 fluidly connect the connecting channel 224 to the lower chamber. In some examples, the plurality of through-holes 232 have a diameter in the range of 0.1 mm to 1 mm, although other diameters may be used. The plurality of through-holes 232 can be located along the connecting channel 224 at uniform or non-uniform intervals.

[0051] 5, a second cross-sectional view is shown looking through region 228. A plurality of through-holes 230 pass through bottom surface 208 from the upper chamber to the lower chamber. As can be seen, the flow paths of the excitation gas species and the treatment gas species are separate until they reach the lower chamber.

[0052] Additional examples of gas distribution apparatuses can be found in commonly assigned U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20180174870-A1, entitled "SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR METASTABLE ACTIVATED RADICAL SELECTIVE STRIP AND ETCH USING DUAL PLENUM SHOWERHEAD," filed December 18, 2017, and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. As described herein, the first plurality of through-holes can provide an indirect path to prevent a line of sight from the upper chamber to the lower chamber, and / or a light-shielding structure can be used between the plasma and the gas distribution apparatus if necessary for a particular application. In some examples, a purge gas is provided while a treatment gas is provided to create a positive pressure and prevent the treatment gas from flowing into the upper chamber.

[0053] 6, a method 600 for treating a substrate is shown. At 604, a substrate is placed in a processing chamber. At 608, a purge gas, such as He, is supplied to purge the processing chamber for a predetermined period of time. At 610, after purging, a predetermined amount of treatment gas is supplied to allow saturation and adsorption on the surface of the substrate. In some examples, the treatment gas may be molecular oxygen (O 2 ), hydrochloric acid (HCl), molecular chlorine (Cl 2 ), nitrogen trifluoride (NF 3 ), and molecular hydrogen (H 2 ) are selected. By way of example only, 1000 sccm O 2 is supplied for 10 s to determine the O concentration on the surface of the substrate. 2 Saturation and O 2 Adsorption is allowed. A purge gas can be provided to prevent back diffusion of oxygen into the upper chamber.

[0054] Enough O 2 After the treatment gas (O 2 ) is shut off and the process chamber is purged with high flow He to remove residual O in the process chamber. 2In some examples, 5000 sccm He is provided for 10 seconds. At 618, after purging, the plasma is turned on. The metastable active radical species are converted to O adsorbed on the surface of the substrate. 2 is used to activate and oxidize the surface. At 622, this process can be repeated one or more times to tailor the thickness of the oxide layer with monolayer control.

[0055] In another example, the systems and methods described herein can be used to etch exposed surfaces of a substrate at the monolayer level. For example, the treatment gas can include HCl, and a metastable active radical species can be used to surface activate chlorine to etch the monolayer. 2 , N.F. 3 , or H 2 However, at a temperature lower than the etching reaction temperature (e.g., Cl 2 or NF 3 For H, less than 300℃ 2 The fluorine, fluorine, or hydrogen is then surface activated using metastable radical species to effect controlled etching of the monolayer.

[0056] The foregoing description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses in any way. The broad teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in various forms. Thus, while the disclosure includes specific examples, other modifications will become apparent upon study of the drawings, the specification, and the following claims, and the true scope of the disclosure should not be so limited. It should be understood that one or more steps in a method may be performed in a different order (or simultaneously) without altering the principles of the disclosure. Furthermore, although each of the embodiments is described above as having certain features, any one or more of these features described with respect to any embodiment of the disclosure may be implemented in any of the other embodiments and / or combined with features of any of the other embodiments, even if the combinations are not explicitly described. In other words, the described embodiments are not mutually exclusive, and permutations of one or more of the embodiments with one another remain within the scope of the disclosure.

[0057] Spatial and functional relationships between elements (e.g., between modules, circuit elements, semiconductor layers, etc.) are described using various terms including "connected," "engaged," "coupled," "adjacent," "next to," "on," "above," "below," and "disposed." Unless expressly described as "direct," when a relationship between a first element and a second element is described in the disclosure above, the relationship may be a direct relationship where no other intervening elements exist between the first element and the second element, but may also be an indirect relationship where one or more intervening elements exist (either spatially or functionally) between the first element and the second element. As used herein, the phrase at least one of A, B, and C should be interpreted to mean a logical non-exclusive OR (A OR B OR C), and not to mean "at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C."

[0058] In some implementations, the controller is part of a system that may be part of the examples described above. Such systems may include semiconductor processing equipment, including processing tool(s), chamber(s), processing platform(s), and / or specific processing components (wafer pedestal, gas flow system, etc.). These systems may be integrated with electronics for controlling pre-, during, and post-processing operations of semiconductor wafers or substrates. The electronics may be referred to as a "controller" that may control various components or subparts of the system(s). Depending on the processing requirements and / or type of system, the controller may be programmed to control any of the processes disclosed herein, including delivery of process gases, temperature settings (e.g., heating and / or cooling), pressure settings, vacuum settings, power settings, radio frequency (RF) generator settings, RF matching circuit settings, frequency settings, flow settings, fluid delivery settings, position and operation settings, loading and unloading of wafers to and from tools and other transport tools and / or load locks connected or interfaced with the particular system.

[0059] Broadly speaking, a controller may be defined as an electronic device having various integrated circuits, logic, memory, and / or software to receive instructions, issue instructions, control operations, enable cleaning operations, and enable endpoint measurements. Integrated circuits may include chips in the form of firmware that store program instructions, digital signal processors (DSPs), chips defined as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and / or one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers that execute program instructions (e.g., software). Program instructions may be instructions communicated to the controller in the form of various individual settings (or program files) that define operational parameters for performing a particular process on or for a semiconductor wafer or for a system. In some embodiments, the operational parameters may be part of a recipe defined by a process engineer to achieve one or more processing steps during the fabrication of one or more layers, materials, metals, oxides, silicon, silicon dioxide, surfaces, circuits, and / or wafer dies.

[0060] In some implementations, the controller may be part of or coupled to a computer that is embedded in, coupled to, or networked to the system, or a combination thereof. For example, the controller may be in the "cloud" or all or part of a fab host computer system, which may enable remote access of wafer processing. The computer may enable remote access to the system to monitor the current progress of a manufacturing operation, examine the history of past manufacturing operations, examine trends or performance indicators from multiple manufacturing operations, modify parameters of a current process, set processing steps following a current process, or start a new process. In some examples, a remote computer (e.g., a server) may provide a process recipe to the system over a network, which may include a local network or the Internet. The remote computer may include a user interface that allows for entry or programming of parameters and / or settings, which are then communicated from the remote computer to the system. In some examples, the controller receives instructions in the form of data that specify parameters for each processing step to be performed during one or more operations. It should be understood that the parameters may be specific to the type of process being performed and the type of tool the controller is configured to interface with or control. Thus, as described above, the controller may be distributed, such as by comprising one or more individual controllers networked together and operating toward a common purpose, such as the processes and controls described herein. An example of a distributed controller for such purposes may be one or more integrated circuits on the chamber in communication with one or more remotely located integrated circuits (e.g., at the platform level or as part of a remote computer) that combine to control the process in the chamber.

[0061] Without being limited thereto, exemplary systems may include a plasma etch chamber or module, a deposition chamber or module, a spin rinse chamber or module, a metal plating chamber or module, a cleaning chamber or module, a bevel edge etch chamber or module, a physical vapor deposition (PVD) chamber or module, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chamber or module, an atomic layer deposition (ALD) chamber or module, an atomic layer etch (ALE) chamber or module, an ion implantation chamber or module, a track chamber or module, and any other semiconductor processing system that may be associated with or used in the fabrication and / or manufacturing of semiconductor wafers.

[0062] As described above, depending on the process steps being performed by the tool, the controller may communicate with one or more of other tool circuits or modules, other tool components, cluster tools, other tool interfaces, adjacent tools, neighboring tools, tools located throughout the factory, a main computer, another controller, or tools used to transport materials to and from tool locations and / or load ports in a semiconductor manufacturing factory to transport wafer containers in and out of the tool locations.

Claims

1. 1. A method for treating an exposed surface of a substrate, comprising: a) purging a first chamber and a second chamber separated by a gas distributor; b) supplying a treatment gas through the gas distribution device into the second chamber to build an adsorbed layer on a surface of the substrate disposed on a substrate support in the second chamber; c) supplying a purge gas to the first chamber and the second chamber; d) generating a plasma in the first chamber and delivering metastable activated radical species through the gas distribution device to the second chamber; e) etching the substrate by controlling the temperature of the substrate during treatment at a predetermined temperature that is lower than an etching reaction temperature of the treatment gas.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is oxidized or etched with monolayer control.

3. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: supplying the purge gas to the first chamber during b).

4. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the purge gas comprises helium (He) and the treatment gas comprises molecular oxygen (O 2 ).

5. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the purge gas is a mixture of helium (He) and molecular nitrogen (N 2 ), and the treatment gas is selected from the group consisting of molecular oxygen (O 2 ), hydrochloric acid (HCl), molecular chlorine (Cl 2 ), nitrogen trifluoride (NF 3 ), and molecular hydrogen (H 2 ).

6. 2. The method of claim 1 , The treatment gas is molecular chlorine (Cl 2 ), nitrogen trifluoride (NF 3 ), and molecular hydrogen (H 2 ).

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metastable active radical species surface activates the adsorbed layer.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein steps a) to d) are repeated one or more times.

9. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein during d), the first chamber and the second chamber are free of the treatment gas.

10. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein during b), a predetermined amount of the treatment gas is provided.

11. 1. A substrate processing system for selectively etching a substrate, comprising: A first chamber; a second chamber including a substrate support for supporting the substrate; a gas distribution apparatus disposed between the first chamber and the second chamber, the gas distribution apparatus defining a plenum and including a first plurality of through holes from an upper surface of the gas distribution apparatus to a lower surface of the gas distribution apparatus and a second plurality of through holes from the plenum to the lower surface; a gas delivery system that selectively supplies a purge gas to the first chamber and a treatment gas to the gas distributor; a plasma generation system for selectively generating a plasma in the first chamber; A controller, a) flowing the purge gas to purge the first chamber and the second chamber; b) flowing the treatment gas through the plenum to build up an adsorbed layer on the surface of the substrate; c) flowing the purge gas to purge the first chamber and the second chamber; d) generating a plasma in the first chamber and delivering metastable activated radical species through the gas distributor to the second chamber; e) a controller configured to control a temperature of the substrate during processing to a predetermined temperature lower than an etching reaction temperature of the processing gas.

12. 12. The substrate processing system of claim 11, wherein the controller supplies helium (He) as the purge gas and molecular oxygen (O) as the process gas. 2 ).

13. 12. The substrate processing system of claim 11, wherein the controller controls helium (He) and molecular nitrogen (N 2 ), and molecular oxygen (O 2 ), hydrochloric acid (HCl), molecular chlorine (Cl 2 ), nitrogen trifluoride (NF 3 ), and molecular hydrogen (H 2 ).

14. 12. The substrate processing system of claim 11, wherein the controller: The treatment gas is molecular chlorine (Cl 2 ), nitrogen trifluoride (NF 3 ), and molecular hydrogen (H 2 ).

15. The substrate processing system according to claim 11 , wherein the metastable activated radical species surface-activates the adsorbed layer.

16. 12. The substrate processing system of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to repeat steps a) through d) one or more times.

17. 12. The substrate processing system of claim 11, wherein during d), the first chamber and the second chamber are free of the process gas.

18. 12. The substrate processing system of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to provide a predetermined amount of the treatment gas during b).

19. 12. The substrate processing system of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to supply the purge gas to the first chamber during b).

20. 2. The method of claim 1 , The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to c), stopping the flow of the treatment gas.

21. 12. The substrate processing system of claim 11, The controller is configured to stop the flow of the treatment gas before c).

22. The substrate processing system of claim 11, The substrate processing system, wherein the controller is configured to oxidize or etch the substrate with monolayer control.

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