3699 results about "Plasma etching" patented technology

There is provided a semiconductor device manufacturing method for forming a step-shaped structure in a substrate by etching the substrate having thereon a multilayer film and a photoresist film on the multilayer film and serving as an etching mask. The multilayer film is formed by alternately layering a first film having a first permittivity and a second film having a second permittivity different from the first permittivity. The method includes a first process for plasma-etching the first film by using the photoresist film as a mask; a second process for exposing the photoresist film to hydrogen-containing plasma; a third process for trimming the photoresist film; and a fourth process for etching the second film by using the trimmed photoresist film and the plasma-etched first film as a mask. The step-shaped structure is formed in the multilayer film by repeatedly performing the first process to the fourth process in this sequence.

A method and apparatus for etching photomasks is provided herein. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a process chamber having a support pedestal adapted for receiving a photomask. An ion-neutral shield is disposed above the pedestal and a deflector plate assembly is provided above the ion-neutral shield. The deflector plate assembly defines a gas flow direction for process gases towards the ion-neutral shield, while the ion-neutral shield is used to establish a desired distribution of ion and neutral species in a plasma for etching the photomask.

The present invention provides straight forward methods for plasma etching a trench having rounded top corners, or rounded bottom corners, or both in a silicon substrate. A first method for creating a rounded top corner on the etched silicon trench comprises etching both an overlying silicon oxide layer and an upper portion of the silicon substrate during a "break-through" step which immediately precedes the step in which the silicon trench is etched. The plasma feed gas for the break-through step comprises carbon and fluorine. In this method, the photoresist layer used to pattern the etch stack is preferably not removed prior to the break-through etching step. Subsequent to the break-through step, a trench is etched to a desired depth in the silicon substrate using a different plasma feed gas composition. A second method for creating a rounded top corner on the etched silicon trench comprises formation of a built-up extension on the sidewall of an overlying patterned silicon nitride hard mask during etch (break-through) of a silicon oxide adhesion layer which lies between the hard mask and a silicone substrate. The built-up extension upon the silicon nitride sidewall acts as a sacrificial masking material during etch of the silicon trench, delaying etching of the silicon at the outer edges of the top of the trench. This permits completion of trench etching with delayed etching of the top corner of the trench and provides a more gentle rounding (increased radius) at the top corners of the trench. During the etching of the silicon trench to its final dimensions, it is desirable to round the bottom corners of the finished silicon trench. We have discovered that a more rounded bottom trench corner is obtained using a two-step silicon etch process where the second step of the process is carried out at a higher process chamber pressure than the first step.

The disclosed fabrication methodology addresses the problem of creating low-cost micro-electro-mechanical devices and systems, and, in particular, addresses the problem of delicate microstructures being damaged by the surface tension created as a wet etchant evaporates. This disclosure demonstrates a method for employing a dry plasma etch process to release encapsulated microelectromechanical components.

The present invention includes a process for selectively etching a low-k dielectric material formed on a substrate using a plasma of a gas mixture in a plasma etch chamber. The gas mixture comprises a fluorine-rich fluorocarbon or hydrofluorocarbon gas, a nitrogen-containing gas, and one or more additive gases, such as a hydrogen-rich hydrofluorocarbon gas, an inert gas and/or a carbon-oxygen gas. The process provides a low-k dielectric to a photoresist mask etching selectivity ratio greater than about 5:1, a low-k dielectric to a barrier/liner layer etching selectivity ratio greater about 10:1, and a low-k dielectric etch rate higher than about 4000 Å/min.

A plasma etching method is provided for etching a substrate corresponding to an etching object within an etching apparatus that includes a supply condition adjustment unit for adjusting a supply condition for supplying etching gas to the substrate, a temperature adjustment unit for adjusting a temperature of the substrate placed on a stage along a radial direction, and a plasma generating unit for generating plasma within a space between the supply condition adjustment unit and the stage. The plasma etching method includes a control step in which the temperature adjustment unit controls the temperature of the substrate to be uniform within a substrate plane of the substrate, and an adjustment step in which the supply condition adjustment unit adjusts a concentration distribution of active species contained in the plasma generated by the plasma generation unit within the space above the substrate.

An apparatus for performing a plasma-etching of a LSI device including a Cu interconnection, a low-k film, and a diffusion prevention film has a treatment chamber, into which an etching gas is introduced, and a support table which is equipped with electrodes and on which said LSI device is placed. In this apparatus, the etching gasses are turned into plasma by supplying radio frequency power to electrodes provided within the treatment chamber, so that the LSI device is etched with ions of the plasma. In this apparatus, a sulfur-containing gas and a fluorine-containing gas are mixed to the etching gasses, so that the diffusion prevention film is selectively etched against the low-k film.

The present invention develops a process for plasma treatment using a gas having no greenhouse effect in order to realize global environmental preservation and sophistication of plasma process performance and provides a process for plasma etching with high accuracy which process can depress damage to devices. The process for plasma treatment according to the present invention comprises the steps of feeding a treatment gas containing fluorine gas (F₂) into a plasma generating chamber, alternately repeating application of high frequency electric field and stop of the application thereof to generate plasma, and carrying out substrate treatment by irradiating the plasma to a substrate. Furthermore, the substrate treatment may be carried out by individually or alternately extracting negative ions or positive ions from the plasma, or selectively extracting only negative ions, neutralizing them, to generate a neutral beam and irradiating the neutral beam to the substrate.

A plasma etch reactor for plasma enhanced etching of a workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer includes a housing defining a process chamber, a workpiece support configured to support a workpiece within the chamber during processing and comprising a plasma bias power electrode. The reactor further includes a first process gas inlet coupled to receive predominantly or pure oxygen gas and a second process gas inlet coupled to receive a polymerizing etch process gas. The reactor has a ceiling plasma source power electrode including a center circular gas disperser configured to receive a process gas from the first process gas inlet and to distribute the process gas into the chamber over the workpiece, and an inner annular gas disperser centered around the center gas disperser configured to receive the process gas from the second process gas inlet and to distribute the process gas into the chamber over the workpiece through an inner plurality of injection ports.

A method for processing substrate to form a semiconductor device is disclosed. The substrate includes an etch stop layer disposed above a metal layer. The method includes etching through the etch stop layer down to the copper metal layer, using a plasma etch process that utilizes a chlorine-containing etchant source gas, thereby forming etch stop layer openings in the etch stop layer. The etch stop layer includes at least one of a SiN and SiC material. Thereafter, the method includes performing a wet treatment on the substrate using a solution that contains acetic acid (CH₃COOH) or acetic acid/ammonium hydroxide (NH₄OH) to remove at least some of the copper oxides. Alternatively, the copper oxides may be removed using a H₂ plasma. BTA passivation may be optionally performed on the substrate.

Embodiments as described herein provide methods for depositing a material on a substrate during electroless deposition processes, as well as compositions of the electroless deposition solutions. In one embodiment, the substrate contains a contact aperture having an exposed silicon contact surface. In another embodiment, the substrate contains a contact aperture having an exposed silicide contact surface. The apertures are filled with a metal contact material by exposing the substrate to an electroless deposition process. The metal contact material may contain a cobalt material, a nickel material, or alloys thereof. Prior to filling the apertures, the substrate may be exposed to a variety of pretreatment processes, such as preclean processes and activations processes. A preclean process may remove organic residues, native oxides, and other contaminants during a wet clean process or a plasma etch process. Embodiments of the process also provide the deposition of additional layers, such as a capping layer.

There is provided a plasma etching apparatus provided for performing an etching in a desirable shape. The plasma etching apparatus includes a processing chamber 12 for performing a plasma process on a target substrate W; a gas supply unit 13 for supplying a plasma processing gas into the processing chamber 12; a supporting table positioned within the processing chamber 12 and configured to support the target substrate thereon; a microwave generator 15 for generating a microwave for plasma excitation; a plasma generation unit for generating plasma within the processing chamber 12 by using the generated microwave; a pressure control unit for controlling a pressure within the processing chamber 12; a bias power supply unit for supplying AC bias power to the supporting table 14; and a control unit for controlling the AC bias power by alternately repeating supply and stop of the AC bias power.