Gas Mixed Liquid Polishing Semiconductor Etching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional etching, cleaning, and polishing processes in the semiconductor industry are inefficient due to their reliance on different equipment and processes, leading to increased costs and reduced process sensitivity, especially with the continuous scaling of semiconductor devices and the need for improved etch selectivity and reduced errors.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus using a fluid comprising gas bubbles and a liquid to polish and etch semiconductor devices, which changes the fundamental mechanism of these processes, allowing for a diffusion-dominated etching and polishing that reduces mechanical intervention and improves process sensitivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional mechanical polishing processes are used, then planarization can be achieved, but the process is very sensitive to design/layout and position along the wafer, requiring continuous improvement and increasing costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical polishing processes with a chemical etching process using a gas mixed liquid. The gas bubbles dispersed in the liquid create a diffusion-dominated etching mechanism that eliminates mechanical contact, thereby removing sensitivity to design/layout variations and positional dependencies on the wafer surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental mechanism from mechanical to chemical by using a gas mixed liquid with specific parameters: gas bubble size (1-100 micrometers), gas flow rate (1-100 sccm), liquid flow rate (1-100 ml/min), and temperature (20-100°C). These parameter changes enable diffusion-dominated etching that is insensitive to design/layout variations.
2Reliability
If different equipment and processes are used for etching, cleaning, and polishing, then each process can be optimized independently, but process costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines etching, cleaning, and polishing functions into a single gas mixed liquid processing step. The gas bubbles and liquid work together to simultaneously perform multiple functions: etching the material, cleaning the surface, and planarizing the topography, thereby eliminating the need for separate equipment and processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The gas mixed liquid system is designed to perform multiple functions universally: it can etch various materials, clean surfaces of different types, and planarize different topographies. This multi-functionality allows a single process to replace multiple specialized processes, reducing overall processing costs.
3Manufacturing precision
If conventional etching processes are used, then etching can be performed, but etch selectivity needs improvement while reducing etch errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses parameter changes in the gas mixed liquid system to improve etch selectivity and reduce errors. By controlling gas type (e.g., CF4, SF6, Cl2), gas flow rate, liquid composition, temperature, and pressure, the etching process achieves high selectivity between different materials while maintaining uniform etch rates and minimizing defects.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables improved etch selectivity, reduced errors, and cost-effective processing by using a super-saturated fluid to planarize non-uniform surfaces and perform etching and polishing, potentially replacing traditional chemical mechanical polishing steps.
Implementation Method 1
A gas mixed liquid polishing, etching, and cleaning process is utilized to planarize and/or etch and/or clean one or more layers of a semiconductor device
Implementation Method 2
The nozzle is configured to release a fluid comprising gas bubbles and a liquid
Data Source
AI summary
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a method of polishing a device includes providing a layer having a non-uniform top surface. The non-uniform top surface includes a plurality of protrusions. The method further includes removing the plurality of protrusions by exposing the layer to a fluid that has gas bubbles and a liquid.