Ashable carbon hard mask having high etching selectivity and low stress

Abstract

To provide an ashable carbon hard mask (AHM) having high etching selectivity and low stress, in order to enable high aspect ratio (HAR) etching.SOLUTION: A method for accumulating a carbon ashable hard mask layer on a substrate includes: a step 610 of arranging a substrate in a treatment chamber; a step 614 of setting a chamber pressure to be within a predetermined pressure range, and setting a substrate temperature to be within a predetermined temperature range between -20°C and 200°C; a step 618 of supplying a gas mixture containing a hydrocarbon precursor and one or more other gases; and steps 622 to 632 of generating plasma by supplying RF plasma power in a first predetermined period, and accumulating a carbon ashable hard mask layer on a substrate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] [CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS] This disclosure is a PCT International Application of U.S. Patent Application No. 62 / 823,211, filed March 25, 2019. The entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to substrate processing systems, and more particularly to a system and method for depositing an ashable carbon hardmask. [Background technology]

[0003] The Background Art provided herein is intended to present the contents of the present disclosure generally, and the inventions of the presently named inventors are not admitted expressly or impliedly as prior art to the present disclosure to the extent that they are described in this Background Art section and in a manner that is not prior art at the time of filing.

[0004] Substrate processing systems perform processes on substrates, such as semiconductor wafers. Examples of substrate processing include deposition, ashing, etching, cleaning, and / or other processes. Etching typically involves either chemical wet etching or dry etching. Dry etching may be performed using plasma generated by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) or capacitively coupled plasma (CCP).

[0005] ICP systems generate a plasma by supplying RF plasma power to a coil located outside the processing chamber adjacent to a dielectric window. A process gas mixture flowing inside the processing chamber is ignited by a magnetic field to generate the plasma.

[0006] CCP systems generate plasma using electrodes positioned within the processing chamber. For example, one electrode is positioned on the substrate support below the substrate and another electrode, such as a showerhead, is positioned above the substrate. RF plasma power is supplied across the electrodes to ignite gas located between the electrodes. Summary of the Invention

[0007] A method for depositing a carbon ashable hardmask layer on a substrate includes: (a) placing the substrate in a process chamber; (b) setting a chamber pressure within a predetermined pressure range; (c) setting a substrate temperature within a predetermined temperature range of −20° C. to 200° C.; (d) supplying a gas mixture including a hydrocarbon precursor and one or more other gases; and (e) generating a plasma by supplying RF plasma power for a first predetermined period of time to deposit a carbon ashable hardmask layer on the substrate.

[0008] In other features, the processing chamber is an inductively coupled plasma chamber. The RF plasma power in (e) is provided at a first power level in the range of 30 W to 3000 W. The method includes providing RF bias power at a second power level in the range of greater than 0 W to 1000 W for a first predetermined period of time.

[0009] In other features, the method includes (f) stopping the flow of the hydrocarbon precursor after the first predetermined period of time, and (g) performing a substrate treatment on the substrate to reduce stress. The method includes depositing a carbon ashable hardmask and treating the substrate one or more times.

[0010] In other features, the carbon ashable hardmask deposition comprises 30% to 95% of the deposition / treatment period and the substrate treatment comprises 70% to 5% of the deposition / treatment period. The carbon ashable hardmask deposition and substrate treatment are repeated at a frequency ranging from 0.05 Hz to 1000 Hz.

[0011] In other features, (g) includes (g1) supplying an inert gas mixture; (g2) supplying RF plasma power at a third power level lower than the first power level; and (g3) supplying RF bias power at a fourth power level lower than the second power level.

[0012] In other features, (g) further includes: (g4) after the second predetermined period of time at the fourth power level, supplying RF bias power at a fifth power level higher than the fourth power level for a third predetermined period of time; and (g5) after the third predetermined period of time, supplying RF bias power at a sixth power level lower than the fourth power level for a fourth predetermined period of time.

[0013] In other features, the method includes repeating (c) through (g5) one or more times. The third power level is in the range of 0 W to 500 W. The fourth power level is in the range of 30 W to 1000 W. The fifth power level is in the range of 100 W to 1500 W. The sixth power level is in the range of 30 W to 1000 W.

[0014] In other features, the predetermined temperature range is from 0° C. to 80° C. The predetermined pressure range is from 5 mT to 450 mT The predetermined pressure range is from 5 mT to 35 mT The processing chamber is a capacitively coupled plasma chamber.

[0015] A method of depositing a carbon ashable hardmask layer on a substrate includes: (a) placing the substrate in a processing chamber; (b) setting a chamber pressure within a predetermined pressure range; (c) setting a substrate temperature within a predetermined temperature range; (d) supplying a gas mixture including a hydrocarbon precursor and one or more gases; (e) generating a plasma by supplying RF plasma power for a first predetermined period of time to deposit the ashable hardmask layer; (f) stopping the flow of the hydrocarbon precursor after the first predetermined period of time; and (g) performing a substrate treatment on the substrate to reduce stress.

[0016] In other features, the method further includes depositing the carbon ashable hardmask and processing the substrate one or more times, the carbon ashable hardmask deposition occurring for 30% to 95% of the deposition / processing period and the substrate processing occurring for 70% to 5% of the deposition / processing period, and the carbon ashable hardmask deposition and substrate processing repeated at a frequency ranging from 0.05 Hz to 1000 Hz.

[0017] In other features, (g) includes (g1) supplying an inert gas mixture; (g2) supplying RF plasma power at a third power level lower than the first power level; and (g3) supplying RF bias power at a fourth power level lower than the second power level.

[0018] In other features, (g) includes (g4) after the second predetermined time period at the fourth power level, supplying RF bias power at a fifth power level higher than the fourth power level for a third predetermined time period, and (g5) after the third predetermined time period, supplying RF bias power at a sixth power level lower than the fourth power level for a fourth predetermined time period. The RF plasma power in (e) is supplied at a first power level in a range from 30 W to 3000 W, and further includes supplying RF bias power at a second power level in a range from greater than 0 W to 1000 W for the first predetermined time period.

[0019] In other features, the method includes repeating (c) through (g5) one or more times. The third power level is in the range of 0 W to 500 W. The fourth power level is in the range of 30 W to 1000 W, the fifth power level is in the range of 100 W to 1500 W, and the sixth power level is in the range of 30 W to 1000 W.

[0020] In other features, the predetermined temperature range is from 0° C. to 80° C. The predetermined pressure range is from 5 mT to 450 mT The predetermined pressure range is from 5 mT to 35 mT The processing chamber is a capacitively coupled plasma chamber.

[0021] Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description, the claims, and the drawings. The detailed description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0022] The present disclosure will become better understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

[0023] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary inductively coupled plasma (ICP) substrate processing system for depositing an ashable hardmask in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0024] [Diagram 2] 4 is a graph depicting an example timing of RF plasma power, RF bias power, and gas flows according to the present disclosure.

[0025] [Diagram 3] 1 is a graph depicting exemplary sp3 / sp2 ratios of various membranes according to the present disclosure.

[0026] [Figure 4] 1 is a graph depicting an exemplary film stress as a function of process power.

[0027] [Diagram 5] 2 is a graph depicting exemplary etch rates of various AHM films according to the present disclosure.

[0028] [Figure 6] 1 is a flow chart of an exemplary method for depositing a carbon AHM film according to the present disclosure.

[0029] [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) substrate processing system for depositing an ashable hardmask in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0030] In the drawings, reference numbers may be repeated to identify similar and / or identical elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0031] Substrates such as semiconductor memories increasingly require more pairs of memory cells to improve memory capacity. To increase memory pairs, high aspect ratio (HAR) etching is performed. A hard mask is used during etching to prevent etching some exposed materials while etching other exposed materials. To enable HAR etching, a highly selective and low stress ashable hard mask (AHM) is required.

[0032] Candidate AHM membranes include highly selective (HST) membranes, diamond-like carbon (DLC) membranes, and ashable carbon extension (ACE) membranes. However, each of these membranes has drawbacks. These membranes have low density, high hydrogen (H) content, and / or high stress. The low density and high H reduce etch resistance. The high stress induces membrane delamination.

[0033] The carbon-based AHM films according to the present disclosure have low stress and relatively high etch resistance. The carbon-based AHM films are deposited at relatively low temperatures using a hydrocarbon precursor and one or more other gases. The deposition at low temperatures is carried out using sp 3 Maintains bond. Plasma treatment can be performed after deposition to reduce stress and minimize H content.

[0034] For example, the hydrocarbon precursor is C x H y (wherein x is an integer from 1 to 10 and y is an integer from 2 to 24). For example, the hydrocarbon precursor may include methane (CH4), acetylene (C2H2), or other hydrocarbon gases. The one or more other gases are selected from the group consisting of helium (He), argon (Ar), krypton (Kr), neon (Ne), molecular nitrogen (N2), and molecular hydrogen (H2).

[0035] In some examples, deposition and treatment are performed until a desired film thickness is reached. In some examples, either cyclic deposition or pulse deposition is performed. If the deposition rate is slow, a cyclic deposition mode is used. If the deposition rate is fast, a pulse deposition mode is used. In some examples, treatment includes the use of an inert plasma gas mixture to treat the deposited film to reduce film stress and minimize H content. In some examples, the inert plasma gas mixture includes one or more gases selected from the group consisting of helium (He), argon (Ar), krypton (Kr), and neon (Ne).

[0036] 1, an exemplary substrate processing system 110 according to the present disclosure is shown. The substrate processing system 110 includes a coil driver circuit 111. In some examples, the coil driver circuit 111 includes an RF source 112, a pulse circuit 114, and a tuning circuit 113. The pulse circuit 114 controls the TCP envelope of the RF signal and varies the duty cycle of the TCP envelope between 1% and 99% during operation. As can be appreciated, the pulse circuit 114 and the RF source 112 can be combined or separated.

[0037] The tuning circuit 113 may be directly coupled to one or more induction coils 116. The tuning circuit 113 tunes the output of the RF source 112 to a desired frequency and / or a desired phase, matches the impedance of the coils 116, and / or divides the power between the coils 116. Although an example including multiple coils is shown, a single coil including a single conductor or multiple conductors may be used.

[0038] The dielectric window 124 is disposed along one side of the processing chamber 128. The processing chamber 128 further includes a substrate support (or pedestal) 132 for supporting a substrate 134. The substrate support 132 may include an electrostatic chuck (ESC), a mechanical chuck, or other types of chucks. A process gas is supplied to the processing chamber 128, and a plasma 140 is generated inside the processing chamber 128. An RF bias driver 152 may be used to provide an RF bias to the substrate support 132 during operation to control the ion energy. The RF bias driver 152 may include an RF source and an impedance matching circuit (not shown).

[0039] A gas supply system 156 may be used to supply a process gas mixture to the process chamber 128. The gas supply system 156 may include a gas source 157 (e.g., a precursor, a vapor, one or more other gases, an inert gas), a gas metering system 158, such as valves and mass flow controllers, and a manifold 159. A gas injector (not shown) may be disposed at the center of the dielectric window 124 (or at another location) and is used to inject the gas mixture from the gas supply system 156 into the process chamber 128.

[0040] A heater / cooler 164 may be used to heat / cool the substrate support 132 to a predetermined temperature. An exhaust system 165 includes a valve 166 and a pump 167 to control the pressure in the process chamber and / or to remove reactants from the process chamber 128 by purging or evacuation.

[0041] A controller 154 may be used to control the process. The controller 154 monitors system parameters and controls the supply of gas mixtures, striking, plasma maintenance and extinguishing, removal of reactants, supply of cooling gases, etc.

[0042] Referring now to FIG. 2, an exemplary timing diagram is shown for the delivery of a gas mixture (including a hydrocarbon precursor and one or more other gases), an inert gas mixture, RF plasma power, and RF bias power. A carbon ashable hard mask is deposited by delivering a gas mixture and delivering RF plasma power and / or RF bias power. In some examples, some or all of the deposition step is followed by a plasma treatment using an inert plasma gas mixture (without precursors). In some examples, reactants are purged or evacuated from the chamber after deposition and before treatment. In other examples, the precursor flow is stopped before the treatment step without purging or evacuating.

[0043] In some examples, the deposition and treatment steps are performed at a frequency ranging from 0.05 Hz to 1000 Hz. In some examples, the deposition and treatment steps are performed at a frequency ranging from 0.1 Hz to 200 Hz. The deposition may comprise 30% to 95% of each period or cycle, and the treatment may comprise 70% to 5% of each period or cycle. In one example, the deposition is performed for 10 s of a 12 second (s) period, and the treatment is performed for 2 s of a 12 s period or cycle, although other lengths of periods or cycles may be used.

[0044] During a deposition step of a period or cycle, a gas mixture including a hydrocarbon precursor gas and one or more other gases is supplied to the processing chamber. RF plasma power is supplied at a first power level and RF bias power is supplied at a second power level. In some examples, the first power level is in a range of 30W to 3000W and the second power level is in a range of 0W to 1000W.

[0045] During a treatment step of a period or cycle, the supply of the hydrocarbon precursor is stopped and the supply of the inert gas mixture is started or continued (if an inert gas mixture was used in the previous deposition step). If continued, the flow rate of the inert gas mixture can be increased, decreased, or continued unchanged. The plasma may be maintained or extinguished. During treatment, the RF plasma power is provided at a third power level lower than the first power level. In some examples, the third power level ranges from 0 W to 500 W.

[0046] The RF bias power may vary during deposition and processing. For example, the RF bias is initially provided at a fourth power level, increased to a fifth power level higher than the second power level, and returned to a sixth power level (lower than the second power level, which may be the same as the fourth power level, or different). In some examples, the RF bias power is reduced and pulsed higher than the RF bias power during deposition, and returned to lower than the RF bias power during deposition. In some examples, the fourth power level ranges from 30W to 1000W, the fifth power level ranges from 100W to 1500W, and the sixth power level ranges from 30W to 1000W. Although an exemplary specific RF bias profile is shown for illustrative purposes, other RF bias profiles may also be used.

[0047] In some examples, deposition and processing occurs at a temperature ranging from -20°C to 200°C. In other examples, deposition and processing occurs at a temperature ranging from -20°C to 100°C. In yet other examples, deposition and processing occurs at a temperature ranging from 0°C to 80°C.

[0048] In some examples, deposition and processing occurs at a pressure ranging from 5 mT to 450 mT. In other examples, deposition and processing occurs at a pressure ranging from 5 mT to 150 mT. In yet other examples, deposition and processing occurs at a pressure ranging from 5 mT to 35 mT.

[0049] Referring now to FIG. 3, various different hardmask sp 3 / sp2 Percentages are shown. Examples include HST, carbon AHM (without treatment) deposited at 20° C., carbon AHM (without treatment) deposited at 80° C., and carbon AHM (without treatment) deposited at 20° C. As explained further below, the carbon AHM (without treatment) deposited at 20° C. forms at low temperatures with low film stress.

[0050] Referring now to Figure 4, tuning of the carbon AHM stress can be done by adjusting the power during each period or treatment portion of the cycle. As can be seen, the film stress decreases as the power increases. The carbon AHM stress is highest at about -2350 MPa without treatment, and the stress decreases with treatment.

[0051] Referring now to FIG. 5, silicon nitride (Si x N y The etch rates of various hardmasks (HST, treated CH4-based AHM, and treated C2H2-based AHM) are shown during etching of various types of films including HST, silicon dioxide (SiO2), silicon (Si), and tungsten (W). In this example, the C2H2-based AHM has a slightly lower etch rate than HST. In this example, the CH4-based AHM has a slightly higher etch rate than HST.

[0052] Referring now to Figure 6, a method 600 for depositing a carbon AHM is shown. At 610, a substrate is placed in a process chamber, such as the process chamber of Figure 1. At 614, the chamber pressure and substrate temperature are adjusted to a predetermined pressure and temperature range. At 618, a gas mixture including a hydrocarbon precursor and one or more other gases is provided to the process chamber. At 622, a plasma is generated in the process chamber by providing RF plasma power at a first power level. At 628, RF bias power is provided at a second power level.

[0053] At 632, the method determines if the predetermined time period has expired. If 632 is false, the method returns to 618. If not, the method continues to 640 and stops the supply of the hydrocarbon precursor and starts or continues the supply of the inert gas mixture.

[0054] At 644, RF plasma power is supplied at a third power level. At 648, RF bias power is supplied at a fourth power level. In some examples, the RF bias power continues at the fourth power level for the duration of the process.

[0055] In other examples, the RF bias power is pulsed temporarily during the processing period. For example, the RF bias power continues at a fourth power level for a first predetermined period of time. At 652, the RF bias power is provided at a fifth power level for a second predetermined period of time. At 656, the RF bias power is provided at a sixth power level for a third predetermined period of time. In some examples, the fifth power level is higher than the second power level, the fourth power level, and the sixth power level. In some examples, the fourth power level and the sixth power level are the same.

[0056] At 660, the method determines whether additional periods or cycles need to be performed. If 660 is true, the method continues at 618. Otherwise, the method ends.

[0057] 7, another exemplary substrate processing system 720 according to the present disclosure is shown. The substrate processing system 720 includes a processing chamber 722 that encloses other components of the substrate processing system 720 and contains an RF plasma (if used). The substrate processing system 720 includes an upper electrode 724 and a substrate support 726, such as an electrostatic chuck (ESC). During operation, a substrate 728 is disposed on the substrate support 726.

[0058] By way of example only, the upper electrode 724 includes a gas distributor 729, such as a showerhead, for introducing and distributing process gases. The gas distributor 729 may include a stem portion including one end connected to the top surface of the process chamber. A base portion is generally cylindrical and extends radially outward from the other end of the stem portion away from the top surface of the process chamber. The substrate-facing surface or faceplate of the showerhead base portion includes a plurality of holes through which precursors, reactants, etching gases, inert gases, carrier gases, other process gases, or purge gases flow. Alternatively, the upper electrode 724 may include a conductive plate, and process gases may be introduced in another manner.

[0059] The substrate support 726 includes a base plate 730 that functions as a lower electrode. The base plate 730 supports a heating plate 732, which may correspond to a ceramic multi-zone heating plate. A thermal resistance layer 734 may be disposed between the heating plate 732 and the base plate 730. The base plate 730 may include one or more channels 736 for flowing a coolant through the base plate 730.

[0060] An RF generating system 740 generates and outputs an RF voltage to either the upper electrode 724 or the lower electrode (e.g., the base plate 730 of the ESC 726). The other of the upper electrode 724 and the base plate 730 may be DC grounded, AC grounded, or floating. By way of example only, the RF generating system 740 may include an RF generator 742 that generates an RF plasma voltage that is supplied to the upper electrode 724 or the base plate 730 by a matched distribution network 744. In other examples, the plasma may be generated inductively or remotely.

[0061] Gas supply system 750 includes one or more gas sources 752-1, 752-2, ..., and 752-N (collectively, gas sources 752), where N is an integer greater than zero. Gas sources 752 are connected to manifold 760 by valves 754-1, 754-2, ..., and 754-N (collectively, valves 754) and MFCs 756-1, 756-2, ..., and 756-N (collectively, MFCs 756). Secondary valves may be used between MFCs 756 and manifold 760. Although a single gas supply system 750 is shown, more than one gas supply system may be used.

[0062] A temperature controller 763 may be connected to a plurality of thermal control elements (TCEs) 764 disposed on the heating plate 732. The temperature controller 763 may be used to control the plurality of TCEs 764 to control the temperature of the substrate support 726 and the substrate 728. The temperature controller 763 may be in communication with a coolant assembly 766 to control a flow of coolant through the flow passage 736. For example, the coolant assembly 766 may include a coolant pump, a reservoir, and / or one or more temperature sensors. The temperature controller 763 operates the coolant assembly 766 to selectively flow coolant through the flow passage 736 to cool the substrate support 726. A valve 770 and a pump 772 may be used to evacuate reactants from the processing chamber 722. A system controller 780 may be used to control the components of the substrate processing system 720.

[0063] In some examples, the RF generator 742 comprises a high frequency (HF) source 784 and a low frequency (LF) source 786. The HF source 784 operates in a frequency range of 13 MHz to 800 MHz. For example, the HF source 784 operates at 27 MHz or 60 MHz. In some examples, the HF source 784 outputs a power in a range of 50 W to 3000 W. The LF source 786 operates in a frequency range of 200 kHz to 13 MHz. For example, the LF source 786 operates at 400 kHz, 2 MHz, or 12.5 MHz. In some examples, the LF source 786 outputs a power in a range of 100 W to 3000 W. As can be appreciated, deposition can be performed with HF and LF RF power, HF RF power, or LF RF power.

[0064] In some examples, the RF power may be continuous or pulsed between one or more levels. If pulsed operation is used, the pulsing may be performed at a frequency ranging from 1 Hz to 1 MHz. In some examples, the chamber pressure is maintained at a predetermined pressure ranging from 5 mT to 450 mT. In other examples, the deposition and processing is performed at a pressure ranging from 5 mT to 150 mT. In yet other examples, the deposition and processing is performed at a pressure ranging from 5 mT to 35 mT. As mentioned above, a plasma treatment using an inert gas may be performed as described above to reduce film stress.

[0065] The foregoing is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. The broad teachings of the disclosure may be embodied in various forms. Thus, while the disclosure includes certain examples, other variations will become apparent upon review of the drawings, specification, and claims below, 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 different orders (or simultaneously) without altering the principles of the disclosure. Furthermore, although each embodiment is described above as having certain features, any one or more of those features described with respect to an embodiment of the disclosure may be implemented in other embodiments and / or may be implemented in combination with features of other embodiments (even if the combination is not expressly stated). In other words, the described embodiments are not mutually exclusive, and permutations of one or more embodiments with each other remain within the scope of the disclosure.

[0066] 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," "adjacent," "on," "above," "below," and "disposed." When a relationship between a first element and a second element is described in the above disclosure, unless specified as "direct," the relationship may be a direct relationship with no other intervening elements between the first element and the second element, but may also be an indirect relationship with one or more intervening elements (spatial or functional) between the first element and the second element. As used herein, the phrase at least one of A, B, and C should be interpreted as meaning a logic using a non-exclusive logical OR (A OR B OR C), and not as meaning "at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C."

[0067] In some embodiments, the controller is part of a system that may be part of the examples described above. Such systems may include processing tools, chambers, processing platforms, and / or semiconductor processing equipment with specific processing components (wafer pedestals, gas flow systems, etc.). These systems may be integrated with electronics for controlling pre-, during, and post-processing operations of semiconductor wafers or substrates. These electronics may be referred to as "controllers" and may control various components or sub-components of the system. Depending on the processing requirements and / or type of system, the controller may be programmed to control any process disclosed herein, including supply 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 supply settings, position operation settings, wafer loading and unloading from tools and other transport tools, and / or wafer loading and unloading from load locks connected or coupled to the specific system.

[0068] In general, a controller may be defined as an electronic device having various integrated circuits, logic, memory, and / or software that receive instructions, issue instructions, control operations, enable cleaning operations, enable endpoint measurements, etc. Integrated circuits may include chips in firmware format 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 personalizations (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 accomplish one or more layers, materials, metals, oxides, silicon, silicon dioxide, surfaces, circuits, and / or one or more processing steps during the manufacture of a wafer die.

[0069] In some embodiments, the controller may be part of or coupled to a computer that is integrated or coupled to the system, or otherwise network-coupled to the system, or a combination thereof. For example, the controller may be in the "cloud" that allows remote access of wafer processing, or may be all or part of a fab host computer system. The computer may allow remote access to the system to monitor the progress of a manufacturing operation, review the history of past manufacturing operations, review trends or performance metrics 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 that may include a local network or the Internet. The remote computer may include a user interface that allows entry or programming of parameters and / or settings that 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 that the controller is configured to couple to or control. Thus, as discussed above, the controller may be distributed, for example by including one or more separate controllers that are networked together and cooperate towards a common purpose, such as a process or control as described herein. An example of a controller distributed for such a purpose would be one or more integrated circuits in the room that are located remotely (e.g., at the platform level or as part of a remote computer) and communicate with one or more integrated circuits that cooperate to control a process in the room.

[0070] Without being limited thereto, example systems may include plasma etch chambers or modules, deposition chambers or modules, spin rinse chambers or modules, metal plating chambers or modules, cleaning chambers or modules, bevel edge etch chambers or modules, physical vapor deposition (PVD) chambers or modules, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chambers or modules, atomic layer deposition (ALD) chambers or modules, atomic layer etch (ALE) chambers or modules, ion implantation chambers or modules, track chambers or modules, and other semiconductor processing systems that may be related to or used in the fabrication and / or manufacturing of semiconductor wafers.

[0071] As described above, depending on the processing steps being performed by the tool, the controller may be in communication with one or more of other tool circuits or modules, other tool components, cluster tools, other tool interfaces, adjacent tools, nearby tools, tools installed 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.

Claims

1. 1. A method for depositing a carbon ashable hardmask layer on a substrate, comprising: (a) placing a substrate in a processing chamber; (b) setting the chamber pressure within a predetermined pressure range; (c) setting the substrate temperature within a predetermined temperature range of −20° C. to 200° C.; (d) providing a gas mixture comprising a hydrocarbon precursor and one or more other gases; (e) generating a plasma by applying RF plasma power for a first predetermined time period to deposit a carbon ashable hard mask layer on the substrate; A method comprising:

2. 2. The method of claim 1 , The method, wherein the processing chamber is an inductively coupled plasma chamber.

3. 3. The method of claim 2, (e) the RF plasma power is provided at a first power level in a range from 30 W to 3000 W; The method further includes providing RF bias power at a second power level in the range of greater than 0 W to 1000 W during the first predetermined period of time.

4. 10. The method of claim 1 further comprising: (f) stopping the flow of the hydrocarbon precursor after the first predetermined period of time; (g) performing a substrate treatment on the substrate to reduce stress; A method comprising:

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising: performing said depositing said carbon ashable hardmask and said substrate processing one or more further times.

6. 5. The method of claim 4, 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the deposition of the carbon ashable hardmask comprises 30% to 95% of a deposition / processing period and the substrate processing comprises 70% to 5% of the deposition / processing period.

7. 5. The method of claim 4, The method, wherein the deposition of the carbon ashable hardmask and the substrate processing are repeated at a frequency ranging from 0.05 Hz to 1000 Hz.

8. 5. The method of claim 4, (g) is (g1) providing an inert gas mixture; (g2) supplying the RF plasma power at a third power level lower than the first power level; (g3) supplying the RF bias power at a fourth power level lower than the second power level; A method comprising:

9. 9. The method of claim 8, (g) further comprises (g4) supplying the RF bias power at a fifth power level, higher than the fourth power level, for a third predetermined time period after a second predetermined time period at the fourth power level; (g5) supplying the RF bias power at a sixth power level lower than the fourth power level for a fourth predetermined time period after the third predetermined time period; A method comprising:

10. 10. The method of claim 9 further comprising: Repeating (c) through (g5) one or more times.

11. 11. The method of claim 10, the third power level is in the range of 0 W to 500 W; the fourth power level is in the range of 30 W to 1000 W; the fifth power level is in the range of 100 W to 1500 W; The sixth power level is in the range of 30W to 1000W.

12. 2. The method of claim 1 , The method, wherein the predetermined temperature range is from 0°C to 80°C.

13. 2. The method of claim 1 , The predetermined pressure range is from 5 mT to 450 mT.

14. 2. The method of claim 1 , The predetermined pressure range is from 5 mT to 35 mT.

15. 2. The method of claim 1 , The method, wherein the processing chamber is a capacitively coupled plasma chamber.

16. 1. A method for depositing a carbon ashable hardmask layer on a substrate, comprising: (a) placing a substrate in a processing chamber; (b) setting the chamber pressure within a predetermined pressure range; (c) setting the substrate temperature within a predetermined temperature range; (d) providing a gas mixture comprising a hydrocarbon precursor and one or more gases; (e) generating a plasma by applying RF plasma power for a first predetermined time period to deposit a carbon ashable hardmask layer; (f) stopping the flow of the hydrocarbon precursor after the first predetermined period of time; (g) performing a substrate treatment on the substrate to reduce stress; A method comprising:

17. 17. The method of claim 16 further comprising: performing said depositing of said carbon ashable hardmask and said substrate processing one or more further times.

18. 20. The method of claim 17, 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the deposition of the carbon ashable hardmask occurs for 30% to 95% of a deposition / processing period and the substrate processing occurs for 70% to 5% of the deposition / processing period.

19. 20. The method of claim 17, The method, wherein the deposition of the carbon ashable hardmask and the substrate processing are repeated at a frequency ranging from 0.05 Hz to 1000 Hz.

20. 17. The method of claim 16, (g) is (g1) providing an inert gas mixture; (g2) supplying the RF plasma power at a third power level lower than the first power level; (g3) supplying the RF bias power at a fourth power level lower than the second power level; A method comprising:

21. 21. The method of claim 20, (g) further comprises (g4) supplying the RF bias power at a fifth power level, higher than the fourth power level, for a third predetermined time period after a second predetermined time period at the fourth power level; (g5) supplying the RF bias power at a sixth power level lower than the fourth power level for a fourth predetermined time period after the third predetermined time period; A method comprising:

22. 22. The method of claim 21, (e) the RF plasma power is provided at a first power level in a range from 30 W to 3000 W; The method further includes providing RF bias power at a second power level in the range of greater than 0 W to 1000 W for the first predetermined period of time.

23. 22. The method of claim 21 further comprising: Repeating (c) through (g5) one or more times.

24. 22. The method of claim 21, the third power level is in the range of 0 W to 500 W; the fourth power level is in the range of 30 W to 1000 W; the fifth power level is in the range of 100 W to 1500 W; The sixth power level is in the range of 30W to 1000W.

25. 17. The method of claim 16, The method, wherein the predetermined temperature range is from 0°C to 80°C.

26. 17. The method of claim 16, The predetermined pressure range is from 5 mT to 450 mT.

27. 17. The method of claim 16, The predetermined pressure range is from 5 mT to 35 mT.

28. 17. The method of claim 16, The method, wherein the processing chamber is a capacitively coupled plasma chamber.

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