Claims
- 1. In a process chamber, a process for stripping photoresist and polymer residues from top surfaces and side walls of a post-metal etch semiconductor wafer, comprising the steps of:
- initiating a flow of feed gas comprising fluorine-containing gases upstream from said process chamber;
- forming a plasma from said feed gas;
- supplying effluents of said plasma in the form of active species separated from said plasma to said process chamber;
- applying radio frequency energy to said wafer in said process chamber to generate a lower intensity plasma therein and accompanying wafer self-biasing;
- applying a magnetic field that rotates slowly in the horizontal plane to said process chamber during said step of applying radio frequency energy to said wafer to enhance plasma generation; and
- stripping said photoresist and polymer residues from the top surfaces and side walls of said post metal-etch wafer with said reactive species and said lower intensity plasma;
- wherein said radio frequency energy is generated at a frequency of 13.56 MHz, and wherein said radio frequency energy is modulated.
- 2. The process of claim 1, wherein said plasma is formed by applying to said feed gas either of microwave energy and radio frequency energy.
- 3. The process of claim 1, wherein said fluorine-containing gases are either of CF.sub.4 and SF.sub.6.
- 4. The process of claim 1, wherein the pressure in said process chamber is greater than one hundred millitor.
- 5. The process of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:
- vaporizing water;
- delivering said vaporized water into said feed gas at a controlled flow rate that is low enough to avoid saturation of said feed gas thereby; and
- forming a passivation layer on said post-metal etch wafer.
- 6. The process of claim 1, further comprising the step of:
- exhausting said photoresist and polymer residues away from said post-metal etch wafer and from said process chamber.
- 7. A process for removing photoresist and polymer residues from a post-metal etch wafer in a process chamber, comprising the steps of:
- initiating a flow of feed gas comprising fluorine-containing species upstream from said process chamber;
- vaporizing water;
- delivering said vaporized water into said feed gas at a controlled flow rate that is low enough to avoid saturation of said feed gas thereby;
- forming a plasma from said feed gas such that a reactive species is generated thereby;
- supplying effluents of said plasma and separated from said plasma to said process chamber;
- applying radio frequency energy to a wafer chuck in said process chamber to generate a lower intensity plasma with said reactive species and accompanying wafer self-biasing;
- applying a magnetic field that rotates slowly in the horizontal plane to said process chamber;
- stripping said photoresist and polymer residues from said post metal-etch wafer with said reactive species and lower intensity plasma;
- exhausting said photoresist and polymer residues away from said post-metal etch wafer and from said process chamber; and
- forming a passivation layer on said post-metal etch wafer;
- wherein said radio frequency energy is generated at a frequency of 13.56 MHz, and wherein said radio frequency energy is modulated.
- 8. The process of claim 7, wherein the pressure in the process chamber is greater than one hundred millitor.
- 9. The process of claim 1, wherein said photoresist and polymer residues are isotropically stripped from said top surfaces and side walls of said post metal-etch wafer.
- 10. The process of claim 7, wherein said photoresist and polymer residues are isotropically stripped from said top surfaces and side walls of said post metal-etch wafer.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser, No. 08/570,058 filed Dec. 11, 1995 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,780,359.
US Referenced Citations (6)
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry |
"A Dry Process for Stripping As.sup.+ IonImplanted Photoresist"; Jap. J. of Appl. Phys.; Part 1 (Regular Papers & Short Notes) (Jun. 1992), vol. 31, No. 6B, pp. 2035-2040. |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
570058 |
Dec 1995 |
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